At the front gate of Shanhai Sect, the atmosphere was frozen.
“Everyone, check your consciousness. But even spiritual senses can be faked,” Yueshi said solemnly.
Wang Menzhang, the sect leader of Shanhai Sect, whose frail body seemed surrounded by death, was shocked still, his sickly face full of disbelief.
“Senior Yueshi, with solid evidence, you still dare to lie?”
“Do you think everyone here is an idiot?”
Wang Heng was Senior Yueshi’s disciple.
For years, the sect leader of Shanhai Sect, Wang Menzhang, had been seriously ill and no longer managed sect affairs.
The complex gazes of the eleven elders shifted back and forth between the two.
Even the elders present from Shanhai Sect felt their consciousness shaken.
Whichever side it was, one was the sect leader, the other was the senior elder.
The reputation of the Shanhai Sect for a hundred years was ruined!
The elders wore expressions of distress.
“I can form my fingers into mountain shapes, as can Sect Leader Wang.”
Yueshi’s gaze was imposing as he looked at all the elders and disciples present.
“Wang Heng is only a newly promoted elder with Nascent Soul cultivation, lacking prestige. He obeys me as his master, but I have been managing the associations of the twelve sects for years and am seldom in Shanhai Sect.”
“Does he obey me or the sect leader? Everyone, are you going to accuse this old man based merely on a fragment of spiritual sensing?”
The crowd’s expressions twitched.
They couldn’t pin the crime on him, but could they just as easily accuse the leader of Shanhai Sect?
Yueshi turned to Yu Elder of Baihua Sect, “After death, spiritual sensing can only reveal the most profound memories of a cultivator. It’s easy to be tampered with beforehand.”
Yu Lu of Baihua Sect bit her lip and found herself unable to refute him.
“Better to kill mistakenly than to let a single guilty one go!”
Two elders from Qidan Sect stood up resolutely.
“Senior Yueshi, Sect Leader Wang, we’ll have to trouble you two to undergo the Heart Inquiry Test together!”
“The Heart Inquiry will be supervised by the eleven sects’ Elders who have reached Transcendence!”
Lin Shuang sat cross-legged on a soft couch, nodding secretly as she listened.
Wang Heng’s exposure meant the other one wouldn’t escape either.
Under a thorough investigation by Shanhai Sect, even if they avoided the Heart Inquiry, it would be difficult to escape other searches.
Because Tie Lang must carry the Tianji Token on him.
Although she didn’t know why Tianji needed such an item to prove identity (which contained surveillance of members and a self-destruct switch?),
whether it was Senior Yueshi, Sect Leader Wang, or someone else, they would all be exposed under the joint investigation of the eleven sects.
This was an eleven-way Transcendence Elders gathering to collect evidence against one Transcendence cultivator.
The chance of escape was too small.
The tactic of the real and fake Monkey Kings became ineffective once Tang Monk sought assistance from the Bodhisattva.
Tie Lang understood clearly in his heart—it could only delay time.
But what was this delay for?
“Lin…Shuang…”
“Come…to the Nine Thousand…Trial…”
Lin Shuang’s consciousness was pierced with a sharp pain.
She lowered her head and pressed her forehead!
A low whisper, an aged voice, like a final cry before burning out…a drowning sensation so heavy it seemed to crush her spine…
“Nine Thousand…”
Her pupils constricted instantly!
Who?
Nine Thousand Trials?
She had faintly heard whispers after the team battle layer ended, but at the time, her consciousness had been exhausted, and she had been stimulated by the imagination of “killing twelve birds with one arrow,” so she had thought it was just her own inner voice!
Now she heard it again, and the whisper was much clearer than before!
“Quickly, Lin Shuang…”
Lin Shuang gritted her teeth and pressed her forehead tightly.
She looked at Yueshi and the sect leader before her, but her vision was now blurred.
It seemed like a backlash from exhausting her spiritual sense during the previous team battle, or perhaps the pressure from the old man’s call.
Cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck.
The elders’ quarreling before her seemed to fade away, and she could no longer hear.
[Xiao Ai No.3 (Meng)]: “Ah, you guys, do you think it’s really Sect Leader Wang hiding something? The Wang Jian layer is surnamed Wang, and Sect Leader Wang even exchanged for a landscape painting.]
Xiao Ai’s “walkie-talkie” vibrated in Lin Shuang’s consciousness, popping up a message.
The persistent call of the Nine Thousand Trials, like a receding tide, instantly disappeared from Lin Shuang’s consciousness.
It seemed to have sensed someone else communicating with her through spiritual sense and retreated.
Lin Shuang blinked hard.
She pressed her goosebumped neck and casually grabbed a new teacup from Huangpu Yuan’s hand, gulping down a large mouthful.
Huangpu Yuan’s pupils trembled violently.
He looked at her touching the teacup he had drunk from.
He stood still for half a moment, slowly retracting the sharp, long nails tightly clenched in his sleeve, transforming back into human form.
[Xiao Ai No.2 (Huangpu)]: “You don’t need to remind me in this way. I know, I will control myself and wait for the result.]
Lin Shuang was stunned.
Then the teacup she had just taken a sip from shattered into four pieces.
She turned her head, looking at Huangpu Yuan, who wore an expressionless face but whose earlobes seemed to have turned red.
[Xiao Ai No.2 (Huangpu)]: “I won’t act impulsively. Don’t worry.”
Watching Yueshi and Sect Leader Wang shamelessly tearing each other apart, he had been unable to contain his hatred, crushing the teacup fiercely, only to have his anger interrupted when she grabbed it from him.
Lin Shuang: “…”
Ah, this beautiful misunderstanding.
She wiped the cold sweat from her neck and took the teapot from her junior apprentice’s hand, directly gulping down three large mouthfuls from the spout.
To calm herself.
[Xiao Ai No.3 (Meng)]: “Hey, is anyone listening to me? Brother Huangpu, what do you mean? I wasn’t reminding you. I’m just curious who the real black sheep is.”
Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan both remained silent and didn’t answer.
But they both turned their gazes toward Yueshi, who was eagerly pointing fingers at the sect leader, away from Meng Zi’s indignant gaze.
Yueshi of Shanhai Sect had entered the middle stage of Transcendence fifty years ago.
The current sect leader of Shanhai Sect, Wang Menzhang, was nearing the end of his lifespan. Since ten years ago, he had stopped managing sect affairs. Since then, Yueshi had become the top elder of Shanhai Sect.
Moreover, the association of elders from the twelve sects also rotated to have Shanhai Sect elders as the central figure.
Yueshi, the central figure in the twelve associations, controlled the movements of elders and disciples across the entire Donghua Region.
In every large-scale operation to suppress the Tianji邪cultivators, Yueshi not only had prior knowledge of the action plan but also likely held central decision-making authority.
Just like this time, influencing the question-setting rights in the mid and low-level competitions.
The Wang Jian layer was likely intentionally allowing disciples to enter. A false pass, aiding evil, ‘purifying’ the wolfman’s Dao heart.
In the Qinxue layer, he again used the disciples’ hands to test the three forces of the reclusive Zhao family, the Deep Sea Beast Clan, and the Northern Royal Family.
In the Queen layer, he set a three-day deadline to coordinate the elders’ availability on the sixteenth day of the third month for tribute.
Although later, for unknown reasons, it was temporarily canceled. Perhaps because they hired the Ymie Pavilion to enter the auction, and the other party feared the Transcendence behind Ymie Pavilion, or maybe other reasons, such as a Transcendence’s spiritual sense warning?
The reason for the cancellation was now unknown, but it wasn’t important for now.
Just like whether Sect Leader Wang was an innocent little white rabbit—putting a question mark on it, it wasn’t important now.
Because…
Lin Shuang looked at Yueshi.
The one in a high position who could control the overall situation wasn’t Sect Leader Wang, but him.
Reversing the enemy’s logic, the answer was simple.
Because the “Tianji Association” had secretly placed elders within various sects to shelter and protect rogue cultivators who could not be exposed.
The sect leader Wang, who rarely left his quarters, couldn’t do these things.
Only Yueshi had the authority and status.
He could intervene in the suppression of heretical cultivators, making it far more routine than leaving these matters to the dying and ailing Leader Wang.
…Unless the Tianji Association leader was someone who didn’t understand efficiency.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t go to great lengths to place his own people in a useless and conspicuous position as a seriously ill sect leader.
As Lin Shuang was thinking this, she heard Elder Wunan of Wansen Sect speak.
“Senior Yueshi, please!”
Indeed, even though Yueshi accused Sect Leader Wang, just as she speculated, after a brief hesitation, the eleven sect elders mostly surrounded Yueshi!
“I won’t resist. You don’t need to act like this.”
Yueshi’s strong face actually looked only in his forties or fifties.
Not a single strand of white hair, his blood qi was robust. Compared to the dying Sect Leader Wang sighing before him, he stood much taller.
“My feet work fine. I will go to the Discipline Hall with Sect Leader Wang myself.”
The elders from various sects wore solemn, disappointed, or indignant expressions.
They had to protect the disciples present while preventing Yueshi from escaping.
But when Yueshi was about to enter the Shanhai Sect gate, he stopped.
Looking at Shui Qiantan, who was watching him with disappointment, he closed his eyes briefly.
“Old Tan, that person… is about to return.”
“Since you suspect me, protect the disciples of Shanhai Sect for me.”
With one sentence, all the elders present changed expressions.
Lin Shuang frowned, and Huangpu Yuan instantly took out the list of elders from various sects from his spatial bag.
Meng Zi pressed his temples, making an effort to look like he was thinking.
Who is “that person”?
Who is about to return?
Why protect the disciples?
The disciples were all confused, looking to Yueshi for answers.
But Yueshi had no intention of continuing. Together with Sect Leader Wang, under the watch of several Transcendence elders, he stepped into a faintly visible, malevolent peak that had appeared at the sect gate.
The Discipline Hall of Shanhai Sect!
Several mountain-like punishments from Shanhai Sect almost immediately struck Yueshi as they entered.
Making him stumble for an instant upon entering, his figure shrinking by half!
Sect Leader Wang, due to his frail body, was protected by Elder Yu Lu of Baihua Sect with a peach branch, avoiding this punishment.
“Elders entering the Discipline Hall are also punished!?”
“Elder Wang Heng is the direct disciple of Senior Yueshi. He’s a demonic cultivator. Even if Senior Yueshi is innocent, he’s still guilty of lax discipline! He deserves ninety thousand lashes!”
“Wang Heng was also a cultivator nurtured under Sect Leader Wang’s governance. The Discipline Hall can go so far as to punish even the sect leader!”
“So strict, and yet demonic cultivators still emerged…”
Disciples from various sects murmured.
Shanhai Sect disciples were especially pale, looking lost and helpless.
“Everyone, this is due to Shanhai Sect’s poor discipline, and also a crisis for human cultivators in the Donghua Region.”
“Please, at least leave one avatar here to assist the Shanhai Sect in investigating the demonic cultivators of the Tianji Association.”
Shui Qiantan, free of his previous drunkenness, spoke solemnly with a sorrowful gaze.
He seemed to have aged decades overnight.
Saying this, a stream of water separated from him and entered the Discipline Hall, obviously an avatar.
“Except for the elders staying behind, the rest should immediately escort the disciples back to their respective sects!”
“The high-level battle and spirit battle will proceed as scheduled in ten days!”
The disciples of various sects were surprised. They were still going to continue the competition?
In ten days, could Shanhai Sect’s issues be resolved?
But one by one, under the supernatural abilities of their respective elders, their figures slowly disappeared and left.
“Wait a minute, I haven’t heard the key part yet, Elder Yu!”
Bian Bo Cai held a brush in his hand, pulling at his hair.
He had actually woken up!
With dark circles and a haggard appearance, he struggled to keep his eyelids open, tugging at his messy black hair.
The desire to seek the truth burned in Bian Bo Cai’s eyes!
He stared at the gradually disappearing Shanhai Sect Discipline Hall, unwilling to close his eyes!
But now, just like the other disciples of Baihua Sect, flowers bloomed on his body, and a floral boat condensed beneath his feet.
In an instant, amidst his wailing, he flew back to Baihua Sect.
“Who is the person Senior Yueshi mentioned—’that person’ who is coming back!”
“Does Senior Yueshi have any other accomplices?”
“Elder, I want to stay and watch Senior Yueshi and Sect Leader Wang being interrogated…”
His protests echoed in the air.
Then came Kong Miaoke’s voice, “Elder, let me down. I haven’t spoken to Lin Shuang of Qing Shui Sect yet! Ah!”
Sitting on the soft couch, Lin Shuang couldn’t help but twitch her eyebrow, looking up at the sky.
She waved her hand toward the floral boats in the sky.
She couldn’t help.
Right now, ripples of water appeared on her own body.
Together with the soft couch, she was completely moved back to Qing Shui Sect by Elder Tan’s true form!
“Lin Shuang, one incense stick—don’t run!”
Xiao Qi quickly accepted the Heart Inquiry from the Shanhai Sect disciples in a few breaths and instantly ‘jumped off the vehicle,’ grabbing the sword sheath Meng Zi was carrying.
Meng Zi: “???”
“Junior Lin, may I have a place to stand?” Zhao Ming’s polite greeting also came.
Meng Zi thought for a moment and threw out a small stool, “One hundred spirit stones.”
Zhao Ming: “…”
Meng Zi collected the spirit stones and suddenly his eyes lit up. He looked up and shouted, “Disciples from various sects, who wants to visit my Qing Shui Sect? A drifting bamboo raft for three hundred spirit stones, you can lie down. A drifting small stool for one hundred spirit stones~”
The surrounding water flow almost flipped him over.
But he wasn’t afraid. Better to die from boldness than to starve from timidity.
When it came to spirit stones, Meng Zi was fearless. He tightly hugged Huangpu Yuan, who had been immersed in thinking about ‘the culprit appearing’ and ‘whether Yueshi was the mastermind.’
Huangpu Yuan silently looked down at his leg being hugged: “…Let go.”
But in the blink of an eye, two figures jumped down from the aerial floral boats, landing stylishly with a ‘pah’ on the bamboo raft Meng Zi had just taken out.
In an instant, the water flow technique performed by Elder Tan sent the bamboo raft, small stools, and all cascading like a waterfall toward the inner sect of Qing Shui Sect!
“Ahh—”
“Ow!”
Lin Shuang: “…”
She glanced at today’s schedule on the pillow.
Entertainment for one incense stick—crossed out, Spring ‘Rushing the Rapids’ for one incense stick.
Not bad, didn’t even buy a ticket.
And she got to go home as well.
Killing two birds with one arrow!
“Go a bit faster, Elder.”
The surrounding waterfall water: “???”
“Elder, can you teach me this ‘Going Home’ technique?”
The surrounding waterfall: “…”
Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu: “…”
Bian Bo Cai was silent. So this is the real Lin Shuang!
Kong Miaoke opened her mouth, then closed it.
“You two little bastards! Wait until I send the high-level battle and spirit battle disciples to the Shanhai Sect competition, then I’ll come to get you back!” roared the true form of Yu Elder from Baihua Sect.
A gust of dry leaves fell on their heads.
Displaying her anger.
In the blink of an eye, the floral boats vanished into the air.
The time for the ‘Rushing the Rapids’ experience voucher was up. The experience ended.
A group of inner sect disciples found themselves already standing at the western gate of the Qingshui Sect upon opening their eyes.
Inside lay the location of the inner sect’s cave residences numbered 1 to 300.
At the gate was the trial ground of Zhenchuan.
It would only fully close after the inner sect’s competition.
At this moment, the mirage of Zhenchuan still hovered in the sky above the western gate, refusing to dissipate.
Many low-level disciples, without permission to observe the high-level matches, continued bustling in and out, focused on their own trials.
Some disciples of the Lianshen and high-level Nengyuan stages also sat in Zhenchuan, indifferent to the competition, entirely focused on their own cultivation.
But now, Lin Shuang’s return was grand and imposing, with a procession of bamboo rafts, small stools, soft couches, and hundreds of disciples watching the matches, all appearing at the west gate.
Instantly, she drew the attention of disciples inside the sect and within Zhenchuan.
Upon seeing her, they were overjoyed.
The news spread quickly, from one to ten, from ten to a hundred.
“Lin Shuang! It’s Lin Shuang junior sister returning!”
“In the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect competition, she ranked from first to twelfth!”
“In the inner sect’s mid- to low-level competition, she took first to third! All won by Lin Shuang!”
Second place, Baihua Sect’s Bian Bocai and Kong Miaoke: “?”
“Hey, you must be mistaken. In the mid- to low-levels, Lin Shuang didn’t take the top three.”
Bian Bocai nodded vigorously.
“I heard she, along with Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan, took the top six spots in the inner sect competition! The top six were all them!”
Bian Bocai and Kong Miaoke: “?”
Xiao Qi and Zhao Ming: “??”
Maybe they should just leave!
They shouldn’t have come to Qingshui Sect at all!
“Oh, way too much praise, way too much praise.”
Meng Zi, carrying a soft couch, waved to everyone with a smile.
“Meng junior brother, why be so modest? We heard you also exposed the collusion between the auction house and evil cultivators!”
“Yeah, you destroyed Tianji Guild’s dirty schemes! You rescued many missing disciples. We’ve all heard about it!”
“With such great achievements, if you three aren’t ranked from first to sixth, who else could be?”
Though the Qingshui Sect disciples inside the sect didn’t watch the match projections, they all had communication stones.
Lin Shuang and her companions’ triumphs before the twelve sects had already spread throughout Qingshui Sect.
Even the recent incident of Elder Wang Heng’s death and the truth behind the ‘evil cultivator’ accusations had reached them.
Good news doesn’t travel far, but bad news spreads a thousand miles.
In the cultivation world, spiritual sense messages and paper crane letters carry secrets that never last the night.
“You all can rest on your own.”
Shui Qiantan said, then vanished into water, obviously off to investigate matters concerning the Shanhai Sect.
Yueshi and Sect Leader Wang were in the Discipline Hall, awaiting soul questioning.
Shanhai Sect no longer had a late-stage Nascent Soul elder to guard the sect.
Even one of Shui Qiantan’s clones wasn’t sufficient, so he had to go in person.
“If anything happens, find Xiaohong and Xiaolv.”
Lin Shuang and the others waved goodbye.
But the elders Xiaohong and Xiaolv groaned, “We’re going into seclusion now. Lin Shuang, your results this time were pretty good. After a long drought comes timely rain. This seat needs to tidy up and prepare for a breakthrough.”
The disciples: “…”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Zhao Keran sat beside her on the couch, whispering into her ear.
“Senior sister, you’re so amazing. Elder Li Daowei is also breaking through. He returned to the sect a few days ago.”
Lin Shuang: “…”
That’s why she hadn’t seen Elder Li.
Another breakthrough?
Thinking this, she noticed the inner sect disciples’ wolf-like gazes fixed on her and coughed lightly.
“Uh, Meng senior brother, let’s go back to the room first.”
If surrounded, she’d be bombarded with questions, wasting time!
Lin Shuang prepared to escape.
“Lin junior sister, not going to play in Zhenchuan?”
“No, another day.”
She didn’t want to go near Zhenchuan for now, afraid of encountering the ‘old man’s murmuring ear ringing’ again.
Until she figured it out, it was just creepy.
“It’s rest day now, let’s go!”
As she said this, Meng Zi hurriedly flew off on his sword, but halfway through, he froze.
“Which room are we going back to?”
Their previous residence in the inner sect, room 3500, had been temporarily lent to them by Xiaohong Li Min before they investigated the missing Daoist apprentice case.
Later, during the Nine Rings trial, they hadn’t left, so naturally returned it to Xiaohong, otherwise they’d have to pay extra rent.
So now, Meng Zi only had room 700 in the inner sect.
As for Huangpu Yuan, he only had Rongbao Studio.
As for Lin Shuang…
Meng Zi’s expression turned odd.
Lin Shuang, already lying on the couch, upon hearing this, gave a lazy expression, “Naturally back to the outer sect’s cabin number ninety-nine. I haven’t been back in a long time.”
“!”
In the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect,
Similar to the other eleven sects, the outer sect servants toiled, planting spirit fields, fertilizing, watering, brushing immortal cranes’ feathers, feeding them…
The disciples’ living areas lacked spiritual energy and were very simple.
If the inner sect cave residences were like two-bedroom, one-living room apartments, then the outer sect wooden cabins were akin to grass huts.
Baihua Sect’s Bian Bocai and Kong Miaoke never expected that after spending three hundred spirit stones on the thrilling river ride, arriving at Qingshui Sect as guests,
Lin Shuang junior sister would put them up in the outer sect servants’ small wooden cabin.
“No, you misunderstood.”
Lin Shuang directed Meng Zi to carry the couch into cabin ninety-nine.
“There are no extra beds to give you.”
“…”
As the cabin door opened, painful outer sect memories attacked Meng Zi, Bian Bocai, and Kong Miaoke.
Inside Lin Shuang’s room, there were only two single beds, hers and Zhao Keran’s junior sister.
No one else had a spot.
Even trying to sleep on the floor, sorry, the center was occupied by two desks where she and her junior sister drew talismans and wrote diaries; there was no space for them.
Baihua Sect’s two: “…”
Meng Zi shook his head in disbelief.
—Lin Shuang, enduring such a harsh ten-year outer sect life, yet stubborn like a wildflower sprouting from rocky ground.
—Resilient, unyielding, full of vitality!
Bian Bocai wrote furiously.
Kong Miaoke’s eyes sparkled.
They got it.
Lin junior sister’s material intelligence!
—No wonder she’s so frugal, her sword techniques were all ‘Can I take some things you don’t mind?’ or ‘After I beat you, I’ll just pick up the treasures you dropped’ or ‘My talisman class homework will be written by my big brother.’
—For years, she probably couldn’t even afford spirit stones for talisman paper. Alas, the Yunyang Sect senior brother gave her a chance to submit her homework.
Meng Zi looked at Bian Bocai’s writing, his mouth agape in shock.
His usually rough expression suddenly filled with sympathy as he looked toward Lin Shuang.
Even Huangpu Yuan glanced sideways, his dark eyes flickering.
He reached into his pouch and pulled out an exquisite filigree gold hand warmer. Clearly more expensive than the silver one he usually used.
Giving her the best sponsorship.
So tragic.
Truly heart-wrenching to hear, heartbreaking to see, everyone wanted to donate to her.
Lin Shuang: “…”
She looked at Bian Bocai wordlessly.
Didn’t they agree not to comment on her or write about her?
Alas, the author’s words can’t be trusted.
Bian Bocai, a flash of flirtatiousness in his eyes, not even blushing, “Yes, I decided not to write a single word about junior sister.”
“But today, following Lin junior sister to your birthplace—the outer sect of Qingshui Sect.”
“Suddenly, my literary inspiration surged, so I’ve decided to temporarily write a ‘Lin Shuang, the Desert Flower’ for these few days.”
Lin Shuang entered cabin ninety-nine.
With a slap, she closed the wooden door expressionlessly.
Blocking Meng Zi’s noise outside.
“Xiao Bian, I can provide some ‘desert’—Qingshui Sect outer sect intelligence for you. Can we split the writing fee?”
“Sure!”
The two struck a deal, shoulder to shoulder.
Zhao Ming wanted to talk with Zhao Keran, but she was in a hurry to accompany Lin Shuang.
Xiao Qi wanted to check out sword techniques at Qingshui Sect’s Transmission Hall, so he went to talk with Senior Xu Rui.
Huangpu Yuan took a few steps in the outer sect and rented the largest outer sect steward’s office as temporary residence from the outer sect elder.
Kong Miaoke, obsessed with observing Qingshui Sect’s outer sect spirit herbs and flowers, wandered off somewhere unknown.
After the tense group battle, they were all already exhausted.
Then came the successive shocks of Yueshi, Sect Leader Wang, and Elder Wang Heng.
They needed real rest.
And each of them had their own style of rest.
The outer sect of Qingshui Sect soon fell into a state both lively and peaceful.
“Oh no, Senior Brother Zhou Xuanwu is missing again!” Zhao Keran suddenly panicked.
Lin Shuang: “…”
Did he go to… Wanseng Sect?
Silent meditation, very tempting…
“It’s okay, not a big deal. Don’t worry about it.”
“…”
*
Three days later.
“100 spirit stones, one incense stick.”
“What? You want Lin Shuang’s homemade sofa? Sure, and how about a massage talisman? No problem, wait a moment.”
Meng Zi was sitting in front of the cabin, stacking a mountain of spirit stones, charging admission.
Inner sect disciples gradually came to visit Lin Shuang’s small wooden cabin in the outer sect.
Not only that, disciples from other sects flew thousands of miles on their swords to come.
The reason? Because Bian Bocai’s “Desert Flower” was released.
It could be exchanged in the 4,000th layer of the Baobao Rack during the Nine Thousand Trials of the sects.
“This is the desk where Lin Shuang grew a hundred dantians, the placement of talismans and ink brushes here is most suitable for learning talisman drawing? Don’t you dare cheat me!”
“Where’s the Xiao Ai talisman? Is it for sale?”
“I want to try the massage claw! Let me queue up!”
“Desert Flower” came with a miniature spiritual energy model of the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect wooden cabin.
If you bought the limited edition, you could even get one on-site visit qualification.
The outer sect of Qingshui Sect was generating income!
Meng Zi was generating income!
Rongbao Studio, participating in the wooden cabin model manufacturing and supply, also generated income.
At this moment, in front of the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect Transmission Hall.
Lin Shuang was lying on a beach chair, wearing a sunglasses talisman, a dogtail grass in her mouth, watching the steady stream of visitors.
It had been a long time since she’d had such a leisurely day.
After returning to Qingshui Sect, that strange old man’s calling voice had also disappeared.
Peaceful.
Truly considerate.
She happily looked at her schedule.
[Weekly Plan:]
[1. “Shao Ke Accompanies You in Talisman Creation” Volume XII – Study of the Retrospective Talisman
Required materials, considering failure rate (Grade 5 talisman paper 70/120, Grade 5 scorpion sand 2/3, Grade 5 talisman brush 1/1)
Still need 30,000 spirit stones.]
Lin Shuang calculated, according to the current income progress from cabin visits and “Desert Flower” sales, she would gather enough spirit stones for the retrospective talisman in at most one more day.
On the second day back at Qingshui Sect, she went to find Xiaohong for the promised first-place reward from the competition—a random item from the 6,000th layer.
She took “Rushing Rapids,” cough, Elder Shui Qiantan’s ultimate technique “All Things Return to Water,” a Celestial-level cultivation method.
Then seemingly casually, she purchased the reading and copying rights for “Shao Ke Accompanies You in Talisman Creation” Volumes X to XII, for five days.
This almost cost her all her spirit stones.
But fortunately, she indeed found the explanation for creating the retrospective talisman in the copied volume XII of “Shao Ke.”
As long as she could draw the retrospective talisman, there was hope to unravel the secret of her original body.
Lin Shuang studied “Shao Ke” for three days and had already preliminarily learned it.
The problem was, the materials required for Grade 5 talismans were too expensive.
After investing all her share of the proceeds from the auction house incident’s counterfeit items, she still lacked thirty thousand.
Now, she could only spend some time raising funds.
As she thought this, she chewed on the dogtail grass, comfortably under the sunlight with white noise BGM, flipping through the “Rushing Rapids—Send Me Home” “All Things Return to Water,” which could only be exchanged at the 6,000th layer.
Practicing it to the highest level allowed one to transform into water, making any technique, treasure, movement, even oneself, into water.
Rushing Rapids could go anywhere, hide anywhere.
As long as there is water, I will not perish.
All things become water, all things can be used by me.
This was one of Qingshui Sect’s supreme techniques.
“All Things Return to Water” cost 300,000 spirit stones, Celestial-level.
When she exchanged for it, Elder Xiaohong Li Min’s gaze was somewhat complex, seeming to want to say something but swallowing it down.
Instead, Xiaolv, the guardian of the 6,000th layer, made a move when she exchanged it.
He opened his mouth to remind her.
“Lin Shuang, find a Dao companion.”
Lin Shuang was instantly stunned.
Even now, recalling the scene at the 6,000th layer exchange stone tablet, she still felt her toes curling in embarrassment today.
At that time, Meng Zi, who went to exchange for sword techniques, and Huangpu Yuan, who exchanged for elder notes, both froze in place.
Looking at her in disbelief,
As if her lack of a Dao companion was affecting her cultivation.
As if she was desperate!
Especially Huangpu Yuan, who later that night sent her a message for the first time.
“My mother once said, some demon races, like snakes, when they come of age, must follow the spring season—”
“Otherwise, it affects cultivation. You helped me find Yueshi, now I’ll teach you the fox clan’s dual cultivation technique…”
You really do know this.
That’s what Lin Shuang thought back then.
Alas, how did it come to this.
Lying on the beach chair, Lin Shuang thought about it and her mouth twitched.
Then she looked at the book in her hand, “All Things Return to Water,” which she had nicknamed the “Oh sea, it’s all water” technique.
The first page of this copied scroll had a prominent high-risk warning!
[The creator of this cultivation method was the first elder of Qingshui Sect, who ascended after enlightenment.]
[However, what remains in the sect today is only a fragment. The cultivation method from Nascent Soul to Ascension for this elder was not left behind before he ascended on the spot.]
[Since then, no elders of Qingshui Sect who practiced this fragmented method have successfully ascended.]
Lin Shuang pressed her forehead.
[This method has been passed down to this seat for the 130th generation. This seat has added my own cultivation insights to the original method, for future cultivators’ reference.]
[Hoping that future disciples of Qingshui Sect, or this seat myself, can perfect it to the Ascension stage.]
As Lin Shuang was flipping through it, Meng Zi, carrying a sword, and Huangpu Yuan, hugging the hand warmer, walked over.
“Lin Xiaoshuang, you’ve had enough. We were only three breaths late, and you started reading it yourself.”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Meng Zi casually tossed Lin Shuang eight thousand spirit stones he had collected today for visiting the wooden hut.
Huangpu Yuan pondered, “You really don’t need me to lend you spirit stones to buy materials for the time-reversal talisman?”
Lin Shuang waved her hand, lying in front of the Hall of Transmission, glancing back at the junior apprentice sisters practicing sword techniques inside the hall with Xiao Qi and Zhao Ming.
“My spiritual consciousness hadn’t fully recovered during the last dream invasion.”
“These days, I can collect spirit stones while waiting for my consciousness to recover.”
“Tomorrow should be about right.”
The backlash from hypnotizing Wang Heng, who was at the peak of entering the void, wasn’t absent—it was just distributed across her 108 fragments of spiritual consciousness, making it seem less intense.
But all her consciousness felt like it had been working overtime and needed a long vacation.
If she had started drawing talismans a few days ago, the failure rate would definitely be high, wasting time and mental energy.
“Alright, let’s look at this ‘The sea is all water.'”
Meng Zi put down his knife.
Lin Shuang nodded, placing the unfurled scroll between three small stools.
Huangpu Yuan took out a spiritual tea cup that enhanced comprehension.
They had already reached a consensus during the Nine-Ring Trial in Li Village.
Later, during the crisis with Wang Jian’s layers, they had again tacitly understood the meaning of “cooperation.”
Lin Shuang would provide the techniques.
Huangpu Yuan would supply spirit stones, pills, and treasures.
Meng Zi would handle the physical work.
When switching techniques, the roles each person played could be adjusted accordingly.
This would greatly increase the possibility of developing combined techniques.
Combined techniques would help them:
— Earn spirit stones
— Accelerate their revenge
— Improve their efficiency
All three were very willing.
At this moment, they were also very focused on studying the techniques together.
[Original words of the first generation: Water is the origin of all things. The water-element techniques of the Clear Water Sect are supreme martial arts, capable of suppressing all other cultivation methods.]
[Sharp commentary by Shui Qiantan: This kind of boast… everyone thinks they’re the best under heaven. Even the ancestor of the Clear Water Sect couldn’t avoid this commonality. Whoever believes it is doomed.]
Meng Zi coughed once.
When he flipped back to the book’s front page, he saw small characters: “Everything Returns to Water”—6,000 layers for exchange, not the original work of the first generation, but an annotated version by Elder Shui Qiantan.
Meng Zi: “…”
Oh my, a watered-down version.
Thank goodness he hadn’t bought it!
[Original words of the first generation: If cultivated to the deepest level, enemies can be turned into puddles of water and eliminated without a trace.]
Meng Zi, who had just been extremely disdainful, sucked in a breath sharply.
My apologies, sword cultivators and blade cultivators, you’re all nothing.
Huangpu Yuan’s eyes also flickered.
All beings in heaven and earth depend on water. Even high-level spirit cultivators have blood that is essentially flowing ‘water’ within their bodies.
If this technique truly turned them into puddles of water, then indeed, life would become death, vanishing without a trace.
Because even the strongest physical form would struggle to resist the disintegration of bones and blood from within.
Lin Shuang also nodded in agreement.
Seventy percent of the human body is composed of water.
She flipped another page.
[Sharp commentary by Shui Qiantan: The first step in turning enemies into puddles of water is to learn to transform yourself into water. If you can’t control yourself, how can you attempt to control someone else’s body? That’s sheer fantasy! The first generation spouting nonsense!]
Meng Zi: “…”
He couldn’t help flipping back to the front page again.
—The annotations by Elder Shui were discovered and compiled by his disciples when he became the 130th generation elder, and were included as exchangeable scrolls in Zhenchuan.
—The compiler guessed that these annotations were made during the period when he first entered the void realm. At that time, he had just started learning this technique. Later, when he advanced to the Tribulation Crossing stage, he only added a general introduction at the beginning but did not change the other annotations.
—Given the long lifespan of cultivators, it was estimated that Elder Shui himself no longer remembered his early annotations. Disciples generally paid little attention to unimportant notes, just skimming through them.
Lin Shuang, Meng Zi, and Huangpu Yuan fell silent simultaneously.
So, these annotations were written by Elder Shui Qiantan in his youth.
Clearly, he had been a sarcastic young man back then.
What changed him into the kind of person who now liked to hide sneakily in puddles?
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan looked at the technique scroll titled “The Sea is All Water” in Lin Shuang’s hands, momentarily showing hesitation.
“Lin Shuang, are you really going to continue learning this?” Meng Zi was even a bit conflicted.
“If you learn it, it might change your personality,” Huangpu Yuan was also unconvinced.
“Let’s just flip through it first! Thirty thousand spirit stones shouldn’t be wasted. If there’s another warning later, Lin Shuang, you shouldn’t practice it anymore.”
Meng Zi hesitated for only a moment before boldly reaching out to turn the page.
[Original words of the first elder: The first three layers of this technique, I am water.]
[Sharp commentary by Elder Shui: Oh, I say it’s about turning yourself into water first! Then comes the question! If you turn your enemy into water and they perish, then turning yourself into water, will you also perish?]
Lin Shuang fell silent.
Meng Zi held his head and said, “Elder Shui is still alive. Currently the 132nd generation sect leader, he’s a three-term veteran who has survived until now—at the late stage of the Tribulation Crossing.”
Huangpu Yuan’s eyes flickered as he continued flipping.
Sure enough, a line of large characters appeared.
[Sharp commentary by Elder Shui (a century later): Disciples without a cultivation partner, you can stop here. Don’t learn this.]
[Sharp commentary by Elder Shui (a century later): To practice this technique, dual cultivation is a must.]
Silence swept across the spring breeze in front of the outer sect’s Hall of Transmission, rustling the sleeves of Lin Shuang and the others.
It stirred the icy hearts of three single dogs.
What kind of technique was this?
“Senior sister, Elder Yueshi has been imprisoned in the water prison. Master Wang voluntarily allowed his mind to be searched, but Elder Yueshi still refused to say anything. Several elders have decided that if he still won’t talk tomorrow, they will forcibly search his mind!”
Zhao Keran rushed out from the Hall of Transmission.
Li Daowei, Xiaohong, and Xiaolv were still breaking through.
Regarding the follow-up on Elder Yueshi, they had been getting updates from Zhao Ming these days.
For a Tribulation Crossing cultivator, even if they were to search the soul of a generation’s great elder or a sect leader and found nothing, they would still face ruin afterward.
Their prestige would be gone, and their reputation would be ruined.
Moreover, after the soul search, as Huangpu Yuan had said, there would be traces left. When the cultivator’s spiritual consciousness resists and investigates, it would clash with the searching consciousness, causing damage.
After the soul search, they wouldn’t die, but they would be seriously injured.
Master Wang’s lifespan was already limited.
A trace of solemnity flickered in Lin Shuang’s eyes.
“Has the Heart Inquiry technique been ineffective on the elders?”
Zhao Keran shook her head, “It seems because they cultivated techniques like ‘I Am the Mountain,’ both of them have unshakable Dao hearts.”
Lin Shuang was slightly taken aback, looking at the Clear Water Sect’s water transformation heart technique in her hands.
Could this technique also render Heart Inquiry ineffective?
“Tomorrow…” Huangpu Yuan repeated absentmindedly.
Lin Shuang glanced at him.
Would the soul search on Elder Yueshi and Master Wang reveal the truth behind his mother’s death?
The person Elder Yueshi mentioned was coming back soon.
Whoever it was, he wouldn’t dare to speak their name, and the elders from various sects turned pale at the mention.
This clearly exceeded the capabilities of Ningyuan or Lianshen cultivators.
To get involved, they must enhance their strength.
Lin Shuang looked down at the prompt indicating that the technique required a cultivation partner, then glanced at Huangpu Yuan, “Ahem, you previously mentioned giving me a dual cultivation technique?”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Meng Zi: “!”
Zhao Keran: “…!”
Lin Shuang pressed the scroll, lifting her head to look toward the location of the Shanhai Sect.
“I need to break through to the Spirit Refinement stage.”
“Preferably today.”
As she spoke, in an instant, half her body transformed into surging clear water, flowing onto the ground in front of the Hall of Transmission.
Quickly soaking the ground, dampening their new shoes and boots.
Huangpu Yuan and Meng Zi: “!”
“In case you’re wondering, before you all came, I was just casually looking through it and accidentally learned the first three layers.”
“!!!”
Meng Zi instantly stood up, his finger trembling as he pointed at Lin Shuang. Wait, wait a minute, suddenly turning into this form—did anyone ask the rest of us?
Zhao Keran was shocked, reaching out and passing her hand through Lin Shuang’s transparent, water-formed body.
Huangpu Yuan, rarely stunned, wiped the water from the side of his face.
Lin Shuang nodded to the three of them, “Now I understand why a cultivation partner is needed.”
Her body was still in the process of transforming into water.
“Because after cultivation, one becomes desireless and emotionless, gradually becoming true water.”
“Only the attachments of the mortal world can keep the last of the Dao heart, maintaining the two states of freely transforming between water and self.”
“You all better think of a way quickly to stop my transformation into water, or I’ll fall into a deep sleep and immediately follow Wang Heng, who self-destructed.”
“!!!”
So, Grandma Dean, going too fast isn’t good either…
She only wanted to try a little, to find out why a cultivation partner was needed. Who knew that just learning a bit would allow her to grasp half of the perfected state of the technique.
Ah, it’s all because that mysterious call from the nine thousand trials, which subconsciously made her feel pressured and want to cultivate quickly.
Before she knew it, she had gone too fast.
Help—
Meng Zi let out a shout, immediately jumping up and asking Huangpu Yuan for a brand-new cauldron.
He caught the water dripping from half of her body.
“Don’t move, don’t move! I’ll take it to House 99 for everyone to view.”
“Lin Shuang turned into water! Entry and brush fees for today’s viewing are doubled!”
“…”
Huangpu Yuan barely restrained the urge to transform into his true form and stomp on the puddle, forcing himself to look away.
“Junior sister, you can’t even perform the demonic dual cultivation like this.”
“…”
Wait, was she being looked down upon in that aspect!?
Lin Shuang puffed up her cheeks.
Soon, Baihua Sect’s Bian Boxian and Kong Miaoke, Shanhai Sect’s Xiao Qi and Zhao Ming, Clear Water Sect’s outer sect steward Xu Rui, and even Chen Xingchuan, who had wanted to stay in the outer sect but was rejected, all gathered around.
“What? This puddle of water is Lin Shuang?”
They all looked disbelievingly at the pool of spiritual spring water on the ground, as if it were just used for watering flowers.
They had almost stepped on it!
Lin Shuang: “…”
“Damn it, this is real water!”
“I’m right here!”
Standing behind Zhao Keran, dressed in green, her skirt dripping water, she looked at the crowd with exasperation.
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