The reason Qin Wanyuan went to see Jiang Moqing wasn’t actually to complete the mission right away.
She planned to get her face recognized by her senior sister and try to close the distance between them.
This time, the difficulty level of the system-assigned main quest was clearly lower, which meant there were definitely some hidden conditions that needed to be fulfilled.
Since there was no time limit on the mission, Qin Wanyuan wasn’t in a rush to complete it. She needed to first figure out what the hidden conditions were in order to maximize her gains.
Before that, she naturally needed to know both herself and her opponent.
The more she understood Jiang Moqing’s personality, the easier it would be to handle the upcoming system tasks.
Qin Wanyuan had already learned a bit about Jiang Moqing’s temperament through the dream. Namely, that she didn’t like roundabout pleasantries but preferred straightforward sword-to-sword interaction.
It matched the typical personality of a traditional sword cultivator. She was quick to draw her blade when words failed.
As for bringing Lin Que along… that was just in case. After all, their “sparring” match yesterday had nearly turned into a life-and-death fight.
Lin Que had no objections. In fact, he felt more at ease accompanying Qin Wanyuan himself.
They flew over on their swords, announced their names, and Jiang Moqing opened the door.
The process was much like the day before, except today Jiang Moqing had also changed into a form-fitting training outfit. Her long black hair was tied into a high ponytail that hung neatly down her back.
“Are you healed?” Jiang Moqing asked.
“Mhmm.” Qin Wanyuan nodded.
The two exchanged only a few brief words and no pleasantries before they rose into the sky above the courtyard and began fighting.
It was a textbook example of starting a battle within three seconds of meeting.
Watching the two of them draw their swords without a second thought, Lin Que couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
“Is it because of last night’s dream…? It keeps bringing back old memories.”
Leaning against the wall, he looked up at the two dueling figures in the sky. His gaze was distant, slowly drifting further away. In the end, he just let out a soft sigh and stopped dwelling on those trivial thoughts.
But just then, Lin Que suddenly felt a weight settle on his left shoulder. When he turned his head, he saw the little devil, dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion, perched there without him noticing.
Her long legs wrapped in black stockings were swinging idly. She was completely relaxed and carefree.
“There’s a catfight between female cultivators going on and you’re daydreaming? What are you thinking about?”
True to her mischievous nature, the little devil wasted no time with small talk and went straight for the outrageous.
“If you ask me, fights between female cultivators are way more fun to watch. Too bad they’re using swords and wearing those tight-fitting training outfits. Not like yesterday, when we got a peek at some spring scenery. If it were barehanded combat, that’d be even better….hair-pulling, collar-grabbing, and then that fair, soft, silky skin would be on full display… tsk tsk~”
“You sound like some creepy old man,” Lin Que glanced at her. Despite her beautiful appearance, the words coming out of her mouth were anything but ladylike.
He strongly suspected that all those so-called tasks the little devil claimed reflected his innermost desires were actually just her own twisted ideas.
“Pfft, have you ever seen a pervy old man as pretty as me?” She stuck out her tongue, then gave her long hair a dramatic toss.
Her ink-black hair fluttered in the wind, blood-red eyes glinting with a crimson light, and the corners of her cherry-red lips curled slightly….clearly, the little devil was quite confident in her looks.
Lin Que didn’t bother to deny it.
Objectively speaking, setting aside her terrible personality, the little devil was indeed the most stunning girl Lin Que had ever seen.
Her beauty was flawless and breathtaking. So much so that even in the cultivation world, where handsome men and beautiful women were everywhere, she stood in a class of her own. What’s more, she exuded an intoxicating, seductive charm that could shake the soul.
Unfortunately, Lin Que wasn’t the type to be swayed by looks. He simply waved his hand and said flatly, “Get to the point.”
The little devil rarely came to chat for no reason. Usually, her visits meant she had a wicked idea or more precisely, a task to issue.
“Alright, alright. You’re still the same stiff block of wood as before….can’t take a joke at all.” She stuck out her rosy tongue in disappointment. “I saw you’ve been wanting to get stronger again, so I specially prepared something nice for you~”
At that, her blood-red pupils narrowed slightly, a playful glint flashing in her eyes as her tone slowed.
“It’s a cultivation technique… one that can reconnect your meridians and reopen your acupoints.”
Upon hearing that, Lin Que was visibly stunned.
After all, reconnecting damaged meridians and reopening acupoints had always been some of the most difficult problems in the cultivation world. Especially the latter.
Meridians, as long as they weren’t more than half destroyed, could still be restored and allow qi to circulate again. But acupoints? That was an almost unsolvable challenge.
The Dao begets fifty, but Heaven uses forty-nine. The acupoints within a cultivator’s body also follow this principle. The number of innate acupoints basically determines a cultivator’s talent and cultivation speed.
That’s why bloodline is extremely important in the cultivation world. Many disciples from noble clans are born with more acupoints than the average person. Even without the massive resources of their families, their cultivation speed still far surpasses that of ordinary people.
This has led to a state where the strong remain strong and the weak remain weak.
Of course, there are occasional rogue cultivators who rise to prominence through their own efforts, but overall, such peerless talents are rare and not enough to break the bloodline monopoly of the noble clans.
But if the technique the little devil mentioned is real, then it would truly be a way to defy the heavens and change one’s fate.
Even if it doesn’t shake the structure of the cultivation world, Lin Que’s life alone would undergo a tremendous transformation.
In terms of innate talent, Lin Que was not considered top-tier. He was born with only thirty-nine acupoints. He was above average, but far from exceptional.
The reason he had once seized the top spot in the Eastern Region was not due to overwhelming cultivation or a cheat-like system, but because of his singular devotion to the sword. His understanding of the sword path far surpassed his peers.
The Hundred Sects Tournament was arguably the highlight of Lin Que’s early life. Back then, he was high-spirited and unstoppable, cutting down all obstacles in his path. Many prodigies could only admit defeat before him.
Sword cultivators are considered one of the greatest variables in the cultivation world, because their power defies convention. There’s even a saying: “One sword breaks ten thousand techniques.” Fighting stronger opponents is simply their norm.
The most crucial thing is that what determines a sword cultivator’s true strength isn’t entirely talent or so-called resources. It’s perception and an unyielding heart.
The former only sets the lower limit, while the latter is the key factor that determines a sword cultivator’s upper limit.
Precisely because of this, more and more people have started to pursue the sword path. Though their reasons differ….some seek to defy fate, while others simply think that becoming a graceful and elegant sword immortal is romantic and cool.
As a result, in today’s cultivation world, at least six out of every ten people wear white robes and carry a sword at their waist. The uniformity was quite serious.
Lin Que’s thoughts drifted far and wide. The little devil noticed this and gave a deliberate cough to bring him back to his senses.
“Ahem, ahem. I’m telling you, this time it’s a special giveaway! You know the saying…give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. This technique isn’t just for your own use; you can help others with it too. For example, your Dao partner… and maybe others as well…”
“I feel like there’s a hidden meaning in your words.”
Lin Que frowned, sensing that the little devil was hinting at something. “Just say it. What’s the price?”
“How can you call it a price? I’ve always been your loyal companion. I don’t want your soul, and I don’t want your body. I just want you to follow the truest desires in your heart~”
The little devil’s voice dropped into a soft whisper. Like a true demon tempting someone into corruption.
Just then, Qin Wanyuan and Jiang Moqing’s sparring match in the sky came to an end. The two landed one after the other, stopping not far in front of Lin Que.
The moment the little devil saw Jiang Moqing with her high ponytail and heroic bearing, her eyes lit up as a new idea struck her.
“I’ve got it! Why not try something you’ve never done before? Like peeking at your senior sister while she’s bathing, hmm?”
As she said this, a mischievous grin spread across her face. Her blood-red eyes half-squinted like a cunning little fox.
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