One morning a month later, Li Nanzhu was practicing her newly comprehended sword moves on the sword-training square.
Duan Xianxing was perched on a nearby stone pillar, offering a few pointers on her swordplay from time to time and correcting her errors.
Hum—
A ripple of spiritual energy suddenly rippled across the sky. Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing looked up simultaneously, their fingers instinctively forming sword seals—only to relax instantly when they sensed a familiar aura.
"It's Eldest Senior Brother's sword qi!" Before Duan Xianxing could finish his sentence, two streaks of sword light soared into the sky. Li Nanzhu's azure sword glow ran neck and neck with Duan Xianxing's purple lightning.
Mu Wenyan stood suspended in mid-air atop the light of Bichen. He looked down at the two figures flying toward him, his gaze lingering for a moment on Li Nanzhu's sword-riding posture, his eyes filled with smiles.
"It seems Little Junior Sister has been working just as hard while I was away." His words were filled with an irrepressible sense of pride.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what about me! What about me!"
"You're also doing very well, having broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment." Mu Wenyan smiled and patted Duan Xianxing's shoulder.
"Alright, let's not talk here. Let's head down first; it seems there's a little guy waiting for you on the ground."
The two turned their heads and indeed found Suisui on the ground, arms crossed as it watched them. Although Suisui could fly, it was clearly expressing its displeasure right now.
"Right, right, right! Eldest Senior Brother, come quick! Let me introduce you to Suisui!" Hearing this, Duan Xianxing rapidly landed, scooped up Suisui, and rushed in front of Mu Wenyan, who had just touched down.
"This must be Suisui?" Mu Wenyan smiled and rubbed Suisui's head. "Nice to meet you. This is my meeting gift for you."
As he spoke, he pulled a lustrous bone from his storage bag and handed it to Suisui.
Suisui, who had been somewhat unhappy, perked up the moment it saw the bone. It quickly stuffed the bone into its ribs, broke free from Duan Xianxing's embrace, and lunged into Mu Wenyan's arms.
"Hey, you little ungrateful thing!" Duan Xianxing looked at Suisui resentfully. "I'm the one who's been taking you out for delicious food every day lately."
Suisui wiggled its body in Mu Wenyan's arms, its bone claws triumphantly waving the lustrous bone.
Li Nanzhu leaned in curiously. "Eldest Senior Brother, what kind of bone is that?"
"The frontal bone of a Northern Abyss cold flood dragon." Mu Wenyan gently stroked Suisui's skull. "It's a great supplement for soul-based creatures."
Duan Xianxing's eyes widened. "The Northern Abyss? Isn't that a legendary land of extreme peril? Eldest Senior Brother, you..."
Mu Wenyan smiled without answering, then said to Li Nanzhu with a hint of apology,
"I just didn't find any good materials for forging a spirit sword this time."
Li Nanzhu waved her hands hastily. "I'm just happy Eldest Senior Brother returned safely. Besides..." She brandished the sword in her hand. "Fourth Senior Brother has already forged one for me!"
"Oh?" Mu Wenyan let out a soft sigh. "This is... Little Junior Sister, could you lend it to me for a look?"
Li Nanzhu handed it over directly. "It's made of spirit-siphoning iron."
"So that's why; no wonder I didn't recognize it." Mu Wenyan praised sincerely, "Fourth Junior Brother's craftsmanship has improved again."
"By the way, Eldest Senior Brother," seeing that his brother was so focused on the new sword that he barely spoke to him, Duan Xianxing's eyes twinkled as he chuckled, "This sword hasn't been named yet! Little Junior Sister said she'd wait for you to come back so we could think of one together!"
Mu Wenyan's expression froze instantly, clearly recalling a certain sword name he'd rather forget.
'Is it satisfying to kiss your master!'
'The color of Master's underwear is!'
Mu Wenyan said, "...Cough, Little Junior Sister, I..."
Li Nanzhu couldn't help but laugh. "Eldest Senior Brother, Seventh Senior Brother is just teasing you. I've already chosen a name. It's called 'Fellow Daoist'."
She blinked and looked at Mu Wenyan expectantly.
Mu Wenyan only needed a moment's thought to understand the crux of it. He felt between laughter and tears, but since his Little Junior Sister liked it, they would use it.
With that thought, he pulled a piece of black jade from his robes. "Fortunately, Little Junior Sister has already obtained a suitable spirit sword. Although I didn't find proper materials to cast a blade, I found this. This mysterious yin jade can be embedded in the hilt to enhance the penetration of your sword qi."
Li Nanzhu took the black jade; it felt cool and smooth to the touch, perfectly matching the aura of the spirit-siphoning iron.
She suddenly thought of something. "Eldest Senior Brother, could this also be something you took from..."
"Mm." Mu Wenyan nodded slightly. "I took it in passing."
"Eldest Senior Brother..." Duan Xianxing found it a bit hard to describe. "That 'in passing' was a bit too convenient."
Suisui suddenly jumped out of Mu Wenyan's arms, its bone claws grabbing a sword tassel and tying it onto the sword hanging at Li Nanzhu's waist.
The little skeleton's movements were very nimble. In a few seconds, it had tied a beautiful knot and shook the tassel proudly to show the three of them.
"Eldest Senior Brother is biased!" Duan Xianxing feigned grievance. "I don't have a gift!"
Mu Wenyan shook his head helplessly and took out a jade bottle from his sleeve. "Northern Abyss spirit tea. Drinking it can stabilize your cultivation level."
Duan Xianxing's sorrow immediately turned to joy as he tucked the jade bottle into his robes like a treasure. Just as he was about to say more, Feng Qingping's call came from the distance:
"Eldest Senior Brother! Master wants you to go over!"
Mu Wenyan nodded in acknowledgment. Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something. "Right, about the Sect Competition..."
"We're all going!" Duan Xianxing rushed to answer. "Master even said he'd lead the team!"
A flash of surprise crossed Mu Wenyan's eyes, followed by a smile and a nod. "Very good."
After Eldest Senior Brother left, Duan Xianxing leaned mysteriously into Li Nanzhu's ear. "Little Junior Sister, did you notice? Now that Eldest Senior Brother is back, his aura is even more..."
"More unfathomable," Li Nanzhu finished the sentence.
She had indeed noticed that although Mu Wenyan had restrained his aura, there were faint spatial fluctuations in his every movement—he had clearly broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul stage.
"This way, Eldest Senior Brother's chances of winning are even greater!"
Duan Xianxing said excitedly, "Little Junior Sister, do you think when Eldest Senior Brother takes first place, how ugly Ling Xiao's face will be?"
Li Nanzhu didn't answer and only smiled. Although she also hoped her Eldest Senior Brother could take first place, they were facing the original male lead who carried the hero's halo. Her only thought was that her Eldest Senior Brother could survive safely.
"Let's go! We can't fall behind! Hurry up and go cultivate!"
"Little Junior Sister, wait for me!"
In the final month, everyone put their full effort into cultivation, all wanting to achieve a breakthrough in their respective fields.
After Li Nanzhu stabilized her realm, she began to draw talismans frantically, possessing a momentum as if she wouldn't stop until her entire storage bag was full.
Previously, every time she went out, she was unable to protect herself because she didn't have enough talismans. This time, she was determined to be a wealthy lady of the talisman world; even if she scattered talismans as she walked, she wouldn't run out!
It was worth mentioning that Mu Wenyan had also received his bell from Feng Yi. Li Nanzhu and the others had thought the pattern on it would be the Bichen sword, but they didn't expect it to be a fan.
"A fan?" Duan Xianxing asked curiously. "Eldest Senior Brother, where did you get a fan from?"
Mu Wenyan smiled but said nothing.
Time passed in a flash, and soon it was the eve of the Sect Competition.
"Depart!"
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