“Which Lin junior apprentice are you talking about?”
Mid-air, Lin Shuang’s figure hesitated.
As expected, revealing her cultivation progress in front of Zhou Xuanwu would lead Master Xu Rui and other elders to find out.
This could trigger additional matters such as the elite apprentice selection and missions outside the sect.
Ignoring the conversation, Lin Shuang gritted her teeth and hurried all the way back to the 99th wooden hut.
After enjoying a homemade wooden bucket sauna, she lay into her fragrant quilt.
Thankfully, she was smart enough. As a mature scheduler, she reserved 20% flexibility in her daily schedule to handle emergencies.
Currently, everything was still within control.
Thinking thus, Lin Shuang stopped worrying and fell asleep.
After all, water meets earth, and soldiers meet generals. Worrying too much about things that hadn’t happened yet was also a waste of energy and time.
She fell sweetly asleep.
“Junior apprentice Zhou, what do you mean?”
In the management hall.
Senior apprentice Xu Rui still raised his eyebrows and kept asking.
But Zhou Xuanwu wore a gloomy expression without further words, then turned around and flew out on his sword.
“Senior apprentice, let me think about it first, then I’ll tell you.”
“…”
There were about twenty thousand outer disciples in the Qing Shui Hall, with annual turnover and new apprentices joining.
The disciples’ accommodations were frequently adjusted.
Three years ago, Zhou Xuanwu lived very close to Lin Shuang.
But this year, just as he was about to break through to the Ningyuan stage, the Management Hall relocated him to a residence closer to the master.
“Senior apprentice Zhou…”
Zhou Xuanwu flew on his sword, expressionless and aloof. Despite his handsome appearance, his cold demeanor kept many junior apprentices away.
“Senior apprentice Zhou seems to be in a very bad mood?”
“Nothing. He’s always like this. He never shows a good face to those ranked lower, and barely talks to us.”
The whispers made Zhou Xuanwu’s expression even colder.
He rushed into the quiet room next to the teaching hall, pushed the door open, and quickly walked to the window desk where an orchid grass was placed.
He immediately formed a seal to close the door.
His aloof expression collapsed instantly upon seeing the orchid grass.
His ears turned red, and he slumped into the wooden chair, as if all his strength had been drained.
Eleven unfamiliar disciples had greeted him on the way.
These past few days, he had also traveled with Lin Shuang and Xiao Qi for five days and nights, which made him feel dizzy and almost pass out.
Now alone in the room, he finally covered his face with both hands and collapsed on the table.
“Xiao Lan, did I say the wrong thing again?”
“Master Xu doesn’t know about Lin junior apprentice’s strength either.”
“I blurted it out in front of Master Xu just now. I’m so bad at speaking.”
“Will Lin junior apprentice be angry?”
“I started to speak but didn’t finish, will Master Xu be angry too?”
“What should I do? What should I do?”
“I should cultivate more instead. Enter the inner sect as soon as possible. I heard that once you retreat into seclusion, you won’t see anyone for three years! Right, only powerful elders can be aloof and don’t need to talk to everyone!”
“Ah, but what if Lin junior apprentice and Master Xu are already angry? What will they think of me? Should I go apologize?”
“But what if they aren’t angry, and I go apologize, wouldn’t that be very awkward?”
“What should I do? What should I do? I should cultivate more instead… If I become number one, everyone won’t be angry at me anymore, right?”
Zhou Xuanwu was caught in a dilemma, his face pale.
His waist pouch communication stone vibrated with spiritual energy.
【Senior Apprentice Xu Rui】: Junior Apprentice Zhou, did you just nominate Lin Shuang as the elite apprentice? You look pale—are you injured? Did you encounter the Diamond Hammer? What happened!
Zhou Xuanwu: “!”
Does the senior apprentice already know?
In the management hall, Xu Rui sat upright.
He stared at the communication stone with a serious expression.
Soon, he noticed the other party’s movement.
【Zhou Xuanwu】: Senior apprentice, it’s…
Xu Rui’s eyes widened.
But in an instant.
【Zhou Xuanwu has retracted the previous message.】
“…”
Xu Rui took a deep breath and continued to watch the communication stone.
【Zhou Xuanwu is typing.】
Five breaths later.
Still typing…
Xu Rui sighed and picked up a book scroll to study the Eight Trigrams formation.
When his eyes became sore and the sun set, he looked at the communication stone again—
【Zhou Xuanwu is typing.】
Xu Rui: “…”
Junior apprentice, haven’t you finished composing your words yet!
*
Lin Shuang woke up from her nap and started tidying up the room.
Switching from full vacation mode to regular student mode.
“Senior apprentice, did you use up all the Rejuvenating Pills?”
Zhao Keran was also helping her organize. Seeing the medicine pouch she took out from her spatial bag, she was greatly surprised.
Lin Shuang’s medicine pouch was different from other disciples, not the uniform one issued by the sect.
This was more like a medicine chest rather than a pouch.
It was something Lin Shuang had specially made by a craftsman when she went down the mountain before.
The shell was made of durable and insect-proof Ling Limu, and the lid was transparent glass, allowing one to see the quantity and types of pills inside at a glance.
When opened, it had a clever three-layer double-opening structure.
The emergency healing Rejuvenating Pills were placed on the first layer, easily accessible and convenient to find.
Therefore, Zhao Keran immediately noticed that the wooden compartment labeled with Rejuvenating Pills was completely empty.
“Yeah, I gave them all to Senior apprentice Zhou.”
While checking her consumption, Lin Shuang casually replied as she wrote a shopping list.
Zhao Keran was helping her organize her clothes and paused upon hearing this.
What was Senior apprentice Zhou thinking, taking Senior apprentice’s Rejuvenating Pills when going out?
But she quickly shook her head, dismissing the thought.
Between fellow apprentices, taking a few pills was also part of what Senior apprentice called building friendship, so she shouldn’t be petty.
Zhao Keran cheerfully took out her own pills from her spatial bag and filled Lin Shuang’s medicine chest.
“Senior apprentice, use these first. I’ll go to the management hall to request more tomorrow.”
Lin Shuang happily turned around, “Thank you, junior apprentice. Tonight, Senior apprentice will buy dinner for you at the cafeteria.”
Mutual assistance improved efficiency.
Warm friendship happily spread in the 99th small hut.
But the next moment, it was abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Junior apprentice Lin, are you inside?”
Senior apprentice Xu Rui’s steady voice came from outside the door.
“It’s been a while since Senior apprentice last checked your cultivation progress.”
“!”
Zhao Keran’s pill vial rolled off the wooden table.
Lin Shuang’s face showed an expression of “as expected, just as I predicted” turning into helplessness.
Senior apprentice came so quickly.
Couldn’t they discuss a bit more?
“Junior apprentice, I know you’re inside.”
“…”
“Senior apprentice, it’s true that he seems to be making first-tier talismans, but actually making third-tier talismans!”
At the Shan Hai Sect.
Xiao Qi, covered in dust after returning to the quiet room, rushed to Senior apprentice Zhao Ming, who was copying the list of disciples.
Zhao Ming’s brush dipped in ink, a blot spread.
“…”
Yes, it was true.
He had already seen that ‘table’ during his execution of the assassination mission at the Yanmie Pavilion.
He even personally wielded it in a fierce twenty-four-round battle against the Diamond Hammer, finding it exceptionally handy and effective.
He even wanted to buy it back.
But that was Zhao Ming, the assassin of the Yanmie Pavilion at night.
What did that have to do with Zhao Ming, the responsible senior apprentice of the Shan Hai Sect by day?
“Oh?” Zhao Ming slowly raised his knife-shaped eyebrows with a prolonged tone, trying hard to look surprised.
Xiao Qi, hugging his sword, was filled with emotion, “Right! I also know how she did it!”
Zhao Ming, trying to separate his nighttime and daytime identities, raised his eyebrows slightly.
“Oh?”
This time, he was genuinely surprised.
“She split her spiritual consciousness into 108 streams, simultaneously controlling them, each flowing into twelve talisman papers and the underlying desk…”
Zhao Ming: “???”
What was this?
*
At the Yanmie Pavilion.
Meng Zi carefully packed the square wooden table and stuffed it into his spatial bag before touching the mask on his face and entering the pavilion.
“Delivery. One right arm of the Vajra Hammer.”
The attendant in front of the treasure shelf checked it carefully, then flipped through the jade slip to verify the details of the arm.
“Yes, it’s genuine. Two thousand spirit stones.”
He handed over two medium-grade spirit stones.
Meng Zi took them but didn’t leave.
He threw out the second arm from his spatial bag.
“Delivery. One left arm of the Vajra Hammer. Two thousand spirit stones.”
“?”
“Delivery. The Vajra Hammer itself.”
“?”
“Delivery. The Golden Hammer is dead.”
“???”
Meng Zi revealed a proud smile behind his mask, “Three tasks. A total reward of ten thousand spirit stones. Hurry up.”
He wouldn’t miss any spirit stones that could be earned.
As clever as he was, hahaha, one task earned three times!
Under the attendant’s displeased gaze, Meng Zi happily stuffed ten medium-grade spirit stones into his waist pouch and happily walked out of the Yanmie Pavilion.
Today was a fruitful day; he could spend three spirit stones for tea～
【I’m the Most Generous】: Fastest female cultivator, three-tier swift talisman, 1999 spirit stones, I want it, three sets, no, four sets!
【I’m the Most Generous】: When will the great one be available? I’m always free, waiting for the great one～
Meng Zi’s fingers furiously tapped on the communication stone, his spiritual consciousness respectfully transmitting.
*
【The Fastest Female Cultivator】: Today is fine. Pick it up at Rong Bao Zhai later.
Lin Shuang briefly replied, then quickly sat upright, looking at the responsible senior apprentice Xu Rui who was now taking tea from Zhao Keran’s hand.
The senior apprentice’s brows were gentle, his bearing ancient. His mist-gray robe and hair, adorned with a Daoist cap, were all immaculate. Six cloud patterns were embroidered on his collar, marking him as a sixth-stage Ning Yuan cultivator.
In theory, Ning Yuan could join the inner sect.
But for over a decade, Senior apprentice Xu Rui had insisted on managing the outer sect, diligently and tirelessly, like a crane in the outer sect, singing every day without fail.
Lin Shuang always admired him.
She stood up, took a plate of apricot flower cake from the lunch box in the room, and placed it in front of the senior apprentice.
[Ding! Today’s steps walked: 38, remaining steps to complete the walking plan: 9962.]
The lion-dog-shaped amulet voice broadcasted.
Zhao Keran lowered her eyes and quickly looked at her own toes.
Xu Rui, who carried the Eight Trigrams sword, had a flicker in his eyebrows.
This lion dog-shaped talisman voice seemed similar to his own voice…
“Ah, Senior apprentice’s voice always makes people want to be self-disciplined.”
Lin Shuang showed no embarrassment of being caught by the original owner.
Xiao Ai Version 4, she had just added two voice tones last month.
One was Zhao junior apprentice’s little girl voice, which she found very relaxing.
The other was Senior apprentice Xu Rui’s headmaster tone. She was afraid she might relax too much sometimes, so she specially made it. Whenever she heard it, she wanted to immediately get up and finish her homework.
Of course, to respect the person’s rights, she still made some changes, not exactly the same, only capturing the essence.
“…Junior apprentice, if you put this energy into cultivation, you would have already broken through—”
Xu Rui held his forehead, quite frustrated with her potential.
But soon, he hesitated and stopped himself.
He saw the junior apprentice’s face, smooth as an oval stone, with jade-like luster, and a pair of phoenix eyes that seemed to capture stars, shining in the dark.
He couldn’t help but recall Zhou Xuanwu’s half-spoken words.
Moreover, neither of them had yet reached the Condensation Stage. If they were to encounter the Golden Hammer on a narrow path, how could they possibly escape, much less… defeat him.
Although the possibility of victory was small, Xu Rui still rigorously maintained a bit of speculation.
“Junior apprentice.”
After thinking, Xu Rui stood up, summoned his Eight Trigrams sword behind his back, and flew it into his palm.
“You have time today. Let’s spar a bit.”
Zhao Keran looked up in surprise, “Senior apprentice just completed a mission and is tired from the journey.”
Xu Rui looked at Lin Shuang, his thin lips lightly opening.
“Then, four moves.”
“Senior apprentice!”
Zhao Keran wanted to stop him, but soon gave in under his stern gaze and dared not speak again.
Lin Shuang sighed helplessly.
Ah, all because she was too outstanding.
Unintentionally, her brilliance triggered additional events.
Lin Shuang shook her head, flipped through the 20% flexible time she reserved daily, and her eyes flashed with three parts of pain, three parts of attachment, and four parts of determination.
“Senior apprentice, is there any possibility that these four moves could count as this year’s disciple evaluation by the teaching hall?”
“If I fight with Senior apprentice, I can be exempt from the exam this year?”
Zhao Keran: “…”
Xu Rui: “…………”
You’re dreaming!
Xu Rui, who had already reached the sixth layer of Condensing Yuan, took a deep breath and said, “If this junior can withstand four moves from me, what’s a mere ten-year exemption from outer sect exams?”
Lin Shuang’s pupils trembled.
“Senior apprentice, hurry, let’s go!”
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