CHAPTER 57

— Biling Sword —

Young Miss Tong Tong felt nervous, extremely nervous—like a high school graduate heading out to take the college entrance exams—only to have her mentor call nonchalantly to say, "I'll be praying for you from the base camp," before dropping all responsibilities, leaving a young girl with no backing, no experience, and no ability to charge forward alone... Is that reasonable? Is that reasonable?

Such a one-in-a-million improbable event, an irresponsible big-name mentor, and Tong Tong had to encounter it... In the end, it all came down to a matter of character.

—That Obasan really is something, bringing her to such a remote and secluded place, casually setting up a Spirit Gathering Array, leaving no instructions or words of concern, and simply waving her sleeves and walking away!

Calling it excessive doesn't even begin to describe her heartlessness!

How cold-hearted people can be...

—At least I have Junior Sister Little Rou with me!

Turning her gaze back to the white-clad figure behind her, Tong Tong's relief lasted only a few seconds. She watched as Lu Xianrou lifted the hem of her robe, knelt on the prayer mat, and calmly began meditating, not even sparing her a glance.

"..." Tong Tong nearly bit her own tongue.

"I laugh toward the sky with my sword in hand, caring not for the frost on others' tiles... Ah..." After reciting a few lines of poetry that would have made her Chinese teacher weep, Tong Tong finally settled into position, settled her heart to prepare for her Core formation.

—Since they're so casual about it, it probably won't be a big deal... right?

Her beautiful master entrusted her to this Obasan for a reason.

From another perspective, it also shows their trust and confidence in her abilities!

Swallowing a bottle of pills to stabilize her foundation, she smacked her lips, adjusted her meditation posture, closed her eyes slightly, and tried to sink into a calm, focused state... Unconsciously, she fell asleep—

Noticing the soft sound of her snoring, Lu Xianrou glanced over in surprise, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips, but she said nothing and simply closed her eyes to continue meditating.

Meanwhile, in her dreams, Tong Tong realized she hadn't lost consciousness but had instead entered a strange, alternate dimension like Alice's Wonderland.

There were no terrifying, absurd monsters in the dream, nor were there seductive, enchanting beauties—only a vast, boundless expanse of white mist.

After wandering through the thick fog for a while, Tong Tong lost patience and plopped down on the ground, angrily ruffling her hair. "Where's the NPC? Stop playing hide-and-seek and come out already! Whether you're a donkey or a horse, just show yourself! I won't even mind if you're ugly, okay? Enough already..."

"You're the one who's enough!" a sharp voice retorted quickly, as if filled with great resentment. "Who are you calling ugly? I was ranked among the top ten most beautiful immortal swords of the year! Even if it was a thousand years ago, it was still an authoritative assessment with a proper certificate! Do you have any taste at all?"

—A shimmering green light, all too familiar.

Startled by the sharp voice, Tong Tong's attention shifted to the content of the words, and she couldn't help but cover her mouth with a laugh. "Pfft—haha—most beautiful immortal sword? So you're not a person but a sword?"

Well, this wasn't the "immortal descending into dreams" scenario she had imagined. It turned out to be a sword—was this meant to highlight her extraordinary, unique talent?

As soon as she finished speaking, a familiar emerald-green sword appeared with a "whoosh—" in front of her, standing upright in a human-like manner. It proudly raised its tip, as if shaking its head in delight—and at that, Tong Tong's laughter died.

"Are you... Biling?" she asked tentatively, already fairly certain.

—Such a flashy, narcissistic, and silly personality... how is it not even a little bit like your master (me)?

"That's right, it's me!" The green sword circled Tong Tong contentedly before stopping about half a foot away from her, flipping up and down as if venting its dissatisfaction. "Look at you, why are you so weak? I waited so long for you to accumulate enough energy to enter your consciousness—do you know how hard that was? Back in the day, your predecessor... ahem, I mean, with your low cultivation level, you can only wield about one ten-millionth of my power at most..."

Not noticing the slip-up, Tong Tong was still reeling from the shock of her sword actually talking to her. Hearing its words, she wasn't particularly angry, just pouted and said, "Aren't I about to prepare for my Core formation? With a triple spiritual root, isn't that already pushing the limits of heaven's will?"

"What's wrong with a triple spiritual root? Others with five spiritual roots can still... ahem, alright, let's change the subject!" The Biling Sword felt that its condition today was a bit off—why did it keep blurting out things it shouldn't say? It must be because it had been cooped up for too long with no one to talk to!

So, when people get lonely, they do idle things; when swords get lonely, they talk nonsense!

Mhm! It's not its fault! It's... that thing called force majeure! Yes, that's the word! That person used to say it all the time!

Having found an excuse for itself in its mind, the Biling Sword put on a serious face—though a sword doesn't really have an expression, Tong Tong felt a chill run down her spine, and her previously careless expression instinctively tightened—and lowered its originally sharp voice, saying, "Since you've become my master, helping you improve your strength is naturally my unshirkable responsibility... Otherwise, if my old friends found out I'm following a useless person, wouldn't that be embarrassing!"

As it spoke, the faint glow on the Biling Sword flickered, much like the dim oil lamp favored by a melancholic woman in her chamber. "Here, this is the Jietian Pill. Take one later! And this is the Evil-Warding Sword Manual... Hey, hey! What's with that weird look?"

"Evil-Warding Sword Manual? The one where you have to castrate yourself before practicing? How am I supposed to practice that? I don't even have anything to castrate!" Tong Tong's lips twitched as she weighed the emerald jade slip in her hand, wondering which of Jin Yong's works this was from...

"Oh! Don't mind that ridiculous name! It was given by some random person and has nothing to do with the content! This sword manual is a top-tier, heaven-grade treasure! Its original form was the Ten Thousand Swords Art passed down by the first Sword Ancestor. After constant adaptation and simplification, it became the ultimate version you're holding now, something even an idiot could learn—a blessing for the useless! Hurry up and memorize it!" The Biling Sword, provoked by her disdainful look, raised its pitch by another octave, almost cracking: This ignorant girl, it's infuriating! If it weren't for the fact that she was the only one, it would've sliced her to pieces already! Hmph...

"Impressive, though I don't quite get it." Only then did Tong Tong take a serious look at the somewhat flustered Biling Sword, as well as the pill and jade slip in her hand. She straightened her attitude and respectfully bowed. "Thank you..."

The Biling Sword understood her meaning and arrogantly nodded its tip, offering a few more words of advice before instantly transforming into a burst of green light and disappearing into the vast white mist.

Squinting in the direction it had left, Tong Tong fell into deep thought: This sword runs deep... But, whatever! It'd be a waste not to take the benefits! Since it's already my life-bound sword, it probably won't harm me anyway!

At this thought, her mind relaxed, and she picked up the jade slip, pressing it against her forehead. Instantly, a flood of characters filled her mind—eventually coalescing into several exquisitely detailed images. However, Tong Tong's face flushed crimson, and she squeezed her eyes shut fiercely. After calming herself for a moment, she reopened them to continue viewing. The images depicted a peerless sword technique, unparalleled throughout the ages, each move imbued with an indescribable grace and agility. Yet, the model demonstrating the technique was a fully nude adult male. Moreover, as if the creator had deliberately intended to showcase the technique's sophistication, every detail of the model—down to the split ends of his hair—was rendered with meticulous clarity, not to mention certain... specific areas.

For a pure-hearted young woman like Tong Tong, this was truly the first time she had ever seen such expl!cit images.

—You're asking about middle school biology class?

She had spent most of it sleeping... Besides, compared to hormone-driven boys, ordinary girls would hardly dare to stare, right? Even someone as tomboyish as Tong Tong was no exception.

Therefore, at the first glimpse of that naked man sword-dancing image, Tong Tong's face—which had been cultivated to a thickness comparable to a city wall—still inevitably flushed slightly. Yet, she couldn't help but recall that captivating, unforgettable handsome face. In her mind, she conjured up the image of the Big Iceberg, broad-shouldered and narrow-hipped, with well-defined abs, and further down... D@mn, she couldn't even imagine it!

Tong Tong slapped away those lewd thoughts. Even though no one was around, she still covered her face in embarrassment: What was this inexplicable feeling of discomfort that arose whenever she thought of Su Yan's face paired with a man's flat physique...

Could it be that subconsciously, she had already labeled her senior brother as a cross-dresser?

If he found out, she'd be in deep trouble... Eek.

Shaking her head, she pushed aside those messy thoughts. Relying on the solid foundation of her student days' cramming education, she barely managed to memorize the sword techniques. Tong Tong swallowed a Jietian Pill, sat cross-legged, and began to feel the scorching heat in her dantian—even a sauna wasn't this intense!

However, the temperature seemed just a tad too high...

Just as she felt she was about to melt in the blazing heat, she heard a sound from within her dantian, like a chick breaking out of its shell—"Pop!"

Lu Xianrou, who had been meditating, suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Tong Tong, whose entire body was now glowing with a golden hue. Her expression softened, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips: The Golden Core had formed.

"Congratulations," she said gracefully, meeting Tong Tong's eyes, which still shimmered with golden light. Her heart stirred, and her gaze softened as she smiled more noticeably.

"Hehe!" Tong Tong blinked her bright eyes, stretched lazily, and pulled out a Cleansing Talisman from her Qiankun pouch to clean the filth from her body. She then bounced happily over to Lu Xianrou's side, affectionately draping an arm over her shoulder, her eyes curving into crescent moons. "To celebrate my Core formation, let's go eat something delicious..." And maybe check on how Senior Brother is doing—suddenly, I really miss him...

But before she could finish, a clear, elegant voice spoke coldly and indifferently: "At the Golden Core stage, one should practice Inedia [fasting]."

"Senior brother? You're okay? Let's go eat something delicious!" Tong Tong paused, her eyes fixed on Su Yan as if they held billions of stars, radiating a dazzling brilliance. Her previously restless heart instantly felt as if brushed by violet tassels—gentle and slightly ticklish—and the anger that had surged at the sight of their glaring int!macy slowly subsided.

"Hmph... follow me back." Su Yan glanced at Lu Xianrou's indifferent expression, pursed her lips, and looked down at Tong Tong, who was beaming with joy. In her clear pupils, she saw her own reflection—her face no longer cold but occupied by a trace of jealousy, so unfamiliar it made her tremble with fear. Could it be that one day, even she would wear such an expression?

"Uh..." Hesitating for a moment, Tong Tong looked at the silent Lu Xianrou, gave her an apologetic smile, and then nodded at Su Yan. "Okay!"

—I'll treat Junior Sister Little Rou later to make up for it!

It must be said, Tong Tong's young heart was biased, and not just a little.

The epitome of valuing romance over friendship—that was her.

"Junior Sister Little Rou, please help me pass a message to Elder Yuan! I'm off now, bye-bye~" Holding onto Su Yan's sleeve, Tong Tong happily bounced onto the Changhong sword, waving cheerfully to Lu Xianrou as she departed.

"Goodbye." Lu Xianrou offered her a gentle smile, though a quiet stillness settled in her eyes.

Meeting Lu Xianrou's gaze, Su Yan curled her lips into a cold smirk. With a light tap of her toes, the Changhong shot toward Luoxia Peak like an arrow released from a bow, leaving no further chance for the two to exchange glances.

—Hah, overestimating yourself.

Outside the Jiuhan Palace, a figure in a dark, flowing robe suddenly appeared.

She was a woman of ageless beauty, with silver-white hair cascading down to her ankles. Her face was as cold as snow, yet her eyes were clear and transparent, untouched by worldly dust.

Barefoot, she walked slowly, only to vanish in an instant outside the Jiuhan Palace.

Not until her figure had completely disappeared did the gaze that had been silently watching her from behind reluctantly withdraw, leaving behind a sorrow that spilled across the ground, known to no one.

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