Chapter 35: Eighteen Years Old, Quiet and Honest; Four Hundred Years, Sunset Over the Hills…

Lian Mu’s victory was completely unexpected—no one had seen it coming.

Of course, what left the deepest impression was the stench emanating from her sword. Most of the disciples watching weren’t spared, while the elders on the Platform, though spared from the smell, could tell from the others’ reactions just how bad it was.

As Lian Mu left the stage, people begged her to dispel the stench.

She had no solution—her sword was cracked, and fixing it on the spot wasn’t feasible. The only option was to shove it into her Spatial Pouch.

It took a full quarter-hour before the stench finally dissipated.

Among those unaffected were only Lian Mu herself and Xu Qianxing—even Baili Que had to cover his nose.

Lian Mu, being a swordsmith, was long accustomed to foul odors. Xu Qianxing, as an Artifact Refiner, was similarly used to the weird smells of beast materials and had high tolerance.

After the match, Xu Qianxing approached her. “Your sword, Fortune—did it really go into a latrine?”

His eyes sparkled as if he had just discovered something fascinating.

A vein throbbed on Baili Que’s forehead. “…”

No wonder these two got along—they were both stink lovers.

“No, I just said that to scare him,” Lian Mu replied, popping a Qi-restoring pill into her mouth. “The base material had a bit of Green-Claw Toad stomach fluid mixed in, that’s all.”

It wasn’t even much—just a tiny scraping of dried powder from a magic beast’s inner core. A little bit, but with immense effect.

“Green-Claw Toad? That’s brutal! It’s one of the foulest among Gold-tier beasts.” Xu Qianxing was impressed. “Did your Artifact Refiner friend do that? What an interesting idea.”

In truth, Xu Qianxing had been deeply inspired since the moment Lian Mu won against Di Xing.

He thought her sword was remarkable—not only was it a rare dynamic-grade weapon, but it also had a special effect. When cracked, it released a stench that incapacitated the opponent, serving as a last resort for self-preservation.

Lian Mu advised, “You could try adding a little something to your base materials too. Might get unexpected results.”

“That won’t work,” Xu Qianxing said. “At least not yet.”

Randomly adding beast materials could ruin the balance of a spiritual weapon. Lian Mu’s sword was dynamic-grade, unlike his fixed-grade artifacts, which lacked that kind of flexibility.

Xu Qianxing added, “I really want to meet your Artifact Refiner friend.”

Though the person clearly wasn’t a high-grade spiritual root cultivator, their ideas in artifact forging were truly brilliant.

Lian Mu handed him a water flask. “I’ll introduce you when there’s a chance. She doesn’t want to show up right now.”

As soon as she thought about making money, her heart ached. She had only wanted a good fight, but she hadn’t expected Di Xing to try to destroy her path to wealth. In order to win this match, she had chosen to take his move on purpose.

She had won, but her sword was damaged. Now, she needed to have it repaired—another expense.

Baili Que said, “Do you still remember what you promised me?”

Xu Xianxing was the first to play dumb. “What promise?”

Lian Mu also feigned ignorance. “Huh?”

Baili Que grabbed both of them by the collars. From a distance, it looked like the three of them were good friends with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

“Let’s go. You’re treating me to a meal.” Baili Que held onto both of them tightly, refusing to let either escape.

And so, the three of them twisted and turned their way to the dining hall, earning plenty of strange looks along the way.

But Baili Que had learned not to care. After all, he wasn’t the only one embarrassing himself—he had two companions to share the shame.

At the dining hall, Baili Que didn’t hold back. He ordered a massive amount of food all at once, so much that it had to be prepared on the spot. The three of them sat at the table to wait.

“You’re eating all this by yourself?” This time, it was Lian Mu who asked.

Baili Que replied, “I can’t finish it all. I just wanted to make you two pay. But since you’re here, you can help me with it.”

Xu Xianxing slapped his back. “I knew it! You’re the best!”

The food was served, and Lian Mu and Xu Xianxing immediately started eating. Meanwhile, Baili Que maintained the composed dining etiquette of a noble family heir, eating with elegance and measured movements, forming a stark contrast to the two beside him.

Lian Mu commented, “You’re too slow. If you eat like this when dining out with others, you’ll lose out.”

Baili Que: “?”

The concept of “losing out” had never existed in his life—except, perhaps, after meeting these two.

Xu Xianxing also paused. “She’s right. Who eats like you when dining with others? By the time you pick up your chopsticks, the food will be nearly gone.”

Baili Que asked, “Then what should I do?”

“Let’s compete and see who can finish a plate of pastries first.” Xu Xianxing looked at Lian Mu, who immediately caught on.

Without even announcing the start, the two dove straight in.

“You guys—!”

Realizing he was a step behind, Baili Que immediately pulled a plate of pastries toward himself and joined the competition.

They were in the middle of their contest when Xin Wanbai arrived.

Following the directions she had received, Xin Wanbai found her way to the dining hall. The moment she stepped in, she saw three figures devouring their food like starving ghosts. For a moment, she thought she was seeing things.

She took a closer look. In the middle was Lian Mu, with Baili Que and Xu Xianxing on either side. Lian Mu’s eating was normal, but how could Baili Que and Xu Xianxing…

After observing for a while, she noticed something even stranger—their movements were eerily synchronized, as if they had reincarnated from the same hungry ghost clan.

Especially Baili Que. In her impression, he had always been the epitome of elegance and propriety, a model noble heir. She never expected him to have such… a down-to-earth side.

Xin Wanbai felt like her eyes had been assaulted—not just by their eating habits, but by the bizarre synchronization of their movements.

“Ahem, ahem…”

She cleared her throat and called, “Xu Xianxing.”

At that exact moment, Xu Xianxing looked up with a grin. “I won! I finished first!”

Lian Mu kicked his foot. “Elder Xin is calling you.”

Xu Xianxing turned around and finally noticed Xin Wanbai standing not far away. “…”

His composed and reserved image… Forget it. He had long given up on maintaining any image.

Xu Xianxing stood up and dusted off his sleeves. “Elder, do you have instructions for me?”

Xin Wanbai gestured for him to follow her and took him aside, leaving only Lian Mu and Baili Que in the dining hall.

Lian Mu had finished eating as well. She asked Baili Que, “Why is it Senior Xin from Hanlai Peak coming to find Xu Xianxing?”

Baili Que replied, “Senior Xin isn’t just a senior of Hanlai Peak. She also assists the elders of the main peak. If she’s looking for Xu Xianxing, it’s probably related to Shifang Nether Soil.”

Hearing this, Lian Mu recalled what Xu Xianxing had told her before. “Senior Brother?”

“Yes. Senior Brother Ye from Hanlai Peak and Senior Brother Xiao from Suiqiu Peak are both stationed at Shifang Nether Soil. They were sent there years ago to guard against the magic beast outbreak and haven’t returned since.” Baili Que continued, “You’re from Hanlai Peak. You should know about Senior Brother Ye’s damaged sword.”

Lian Mu had never paid much attention to this senior brother. She only knew that in her dream, all the top disciples of Gui Xian Sect would eventually turn into demonic cultivators. This Senior Brother Ye was likely among them.

“When is he coming back?” Lian Mu asked.

Baili Que replied, “When the upcoming Immortal Sect Tournament begins, Senior Brother Ye and Senior Brother Xiao might return to Gui Xian Sect to report. Not just them—many fellow disciples who were sent to Shifang Nether Soil in previous years will be returning. They are among the best of Gui Xian Sect’s disciples.”

“But if you participate in the Immortal Sect Tournament, you might not get to see them. Only the first round is held in Gui Xian Sect—the later rounds are all held elsewhere.”

Lian Mu: “!”

Perfect. She had no desire to meet this group of potential villains.

“I’m going to participate in the next Immortal Sect Tournament too.”

Baili Que nodded. “I know. You’re even preparing to challenge Senior Sister Luo for the second seat among the sword cultivators.”

Lian Mu: “…”

She had almost forgotten about that.

Seeing her fall silent, Baili Que hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, “Lian Mu, I…”

Lian Mu asked, “What is it?”

“Can I have a match with you?” Baili Que finally voiced his thoughts. “No other reason, just a spar.”

Expressionless, Lian Mu grabbed a piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth. “No. Not even if you pay me. You’re a Heaven-Spirit Root going against my Three-Spirit Root. That’s sect bullying.”

“…”

Lately, things had been getting ridiculous. So many people suddenly wanted to fight her.

Lian Mu couldn’t help but reflect on her past actions—did she really look like someone asking for a beating?

No way. She was only eighteen, just a quiet and honest sword cultivator.

…

…

“How is Senior Brother Ye’s sword repair coming along?”

By an ancient pine tree, a barrier enclosed the area, preventing sound from escaping. From the outside, only the movement of lips could be seen, but no voices could be heard.

Inside the barrier, Xu Xianxing responded clearly, “Almost done. It’ll be ready for delivery in a day.”

Xin Wanbai nodded slightly. “That’s good. They can’t afford further delays.”

Seeing her frown, Xu Xianxing asked, “Something happened at Shifang Nether Soil?”

Xin Wanbai confirmed, “Yes. The disciples stationed there have clashed with members of other sects.”

Xu Xianxing narrowed his eyes. “Wunian Sect? Their people are stationed in the west—how did they run into ours?”

Seeing that he had already guessed, Xin Wanbai didn’t hide it. “A magic beast broke through from the west side of White Tiger Ridge. The Wunian Sect disciples chased it all the way to our sector. Initially, they were just hunting the beast, but then one of their disciples suddenly ambushed ours.”

“Senior Brother Xiao demanded an explanation, but Wunian Sect denied everything, insisting their disciple had been at their resting spot the entire time. Neither side backed down, leading to a dispute. Coincidentally, the magic beast outbreak escalated, and more creatures escaped.”

Xin Wanbai rubbed her temples. “In short, Shifang Nether Soil is a mess right now, and the situation is highly unfavorable for Gui Xian Sect. The other two sects are starting to question us as well.”

Xu Xianxing frowned. “Wunian Sect has always tried to suppress us. They’re probably using this as an excuse. If only…”

If only Gui Xian Sect were stronger, Wunian Sect wouldn’t dare act so brazenly, nor would the other sects openly exclude them.

But Gui Xian Sect had placed dead last in the Immortal Sect Tournament for nine consecutive rounds.

“We’ll break the cycle in the next tournament,” Xu Xianxing declared.

Xin Wanbai sighed and patted his shoulder. “No pressure. Just do your best—don’t push yourself too hard.”

The Gui Xian Sect of today was no longer the Gui Xian Sect of the past. With Qingxuan Sect and Chixiao Sect pressing down from above and Wunian Sect dragging them down from below, merely surviving was already a tremendous stroke of luck.

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