Chapter 50: The Condition – What About His Butt?

The selection for the Grand Sect Tournament was about to begin, and the disciples within the sect were visibly busier.

According to the usual rules, only disciples who had entered the sect within the last hundred years were eligible to participate. A hundred years wasn’t too long or too short, but some senior disciples had the advantage of age and could easily overpower the newer ones. For newcomers who had joined later, competing for a spot in the tournament was particularly difficult.

As a result, new disciples eager to participate were training even harder than some of their seniors, spending entire days in the Pangu Illusion Realm for trials.

Lian Mu had also been spending a lot of time in the Pangu Illusion Realm lately. While others only had to enter ten times a month, she had to go in more than forty times. If she failed to meet this requirement, she would have to report to Yinian Hall for punishment.

The magical beasts in the lower-tier illusion realms weren’t of high rank, making the fights somewhat boring. Wanting to finish quickly, Lian Mu powered through more than twenty trials in just a few days. However, as she progressed, she noticed that the beasts were gradually getting stronger, making the battles feel like climbing a staircase.

Since Xuanji Senior had been away recently, Guan Shize had been temporarily released. But he was still busy, practicing swordsmanship day and night. Occasionally, he would spar with Lian Mu—though he got beaten every time, he never gave up.

“Lian Mu, I really think you have the strength to compete for the position of Second-Seat Sword Cultivator.”

After another sparring session, Guan Shize lay on the ground and said this.

Night had already fallen. They were in a relatively remote sparring arena, with no one else around.

The snow on the ground had been trampled away. Guan Shize, having been thoroughly beaten, lay there covered in snow. The melted snow had soaked half of his robe. At this point, he no longer cared about maintaining any dignity in front of Lian Mu. Every time he got beaten, he would simply collapse like a dried-up fish.

Lian Mu ignored his comment and instead asked, “Aren’t you cold lying there?”

Guan Shize replied, “Nope, I took a Warming Pill in advance.”

“…You brat, I thought you were going in unprotected.” Lian Mu kicked him lightly.

Because of that, she hadn’t taken one herself, and now her hands were frozen stiff from the fight.

“Do you have any more? Give me one.”

Guan Shize handed her a Warming Pill and got up, saying, “While training under Xuanji Senior, I learned three new sword techniques, but I haven’t mastered them yet… Master says I still haven’t achieved true resonance with my sword. I heard that Sword Cultivators achieve full resonance while flying on their swords. Lian Mu, can you fly on yours?”

Lian Mu hesitated for a moment before saying, “I can’t either. Senior Murong hasn’t taught me that yet.”

The truth was, she had already tried to fly on her sword, but Fa Cai(Fortune) refused to cooperate.

For some reason, Fa Cai usually worked well for her, but whenever she attempted to fly on it, she felt a faint resistance, preventing her from fully resonating with it—like something was blocking her.

It felt very similar to the resistance she experienced when trying to forcibly refine a Fifth-Grade Spiritual Artifact. However, Fa Cai’s rank was aligned with her spiritual roots, so there shouldn’t be a rank mismatch.

After repeated failures, she simply assumed that Fa Cai hadn’t fully adapted to her yet.

“My master says I haven’t grasped the true essence yet, so I have to figure it out on my own,” Guan Shize said. “I heard that lower-ranked swords are easier to control, sometimes even without deep resonance. But my sword was chosen from the Sword Pavilion, and Master thinks it suits me well—yet I still can’t achieve deep resonance, and I have no practice weapons.”

“Lower-ranked swords are easier to control?” An idea suddenly popped into Lian Mu’s head.

Guan Shize nodded. “Yeah, didn’t you know? I remember a senior Artifact Refiner giving us a lecture on this.”

Lian Mu: “…”

If he was referring to the class where Murong Yi caught her slacking off, then no, she didn’t know.

When she learned artifact refining, she had focused entirely on the refining process itself, barely paying attention to how to use spiritual artifacts.

“I think we should try a different approach,” Lian Mu suddenly said. “Flying with a sword is just about flying, right? Anything that lets us fly should work.”

Guan Shize blinked. “You mean using a Silver Kite? But if a Sword Cultivator rides a Silver Kite, they’d get laughed at…”

“No, follow me.”

Lian Mu grabbed him and ran to Clear Bamboo Courtyard on Yasui Peak, kicking open the door to her bamboo house.

Guan Shize glanced around. The place had gained more furnishings and finally looked less bare.

Lian Mu grabbed a broom from the corner of the room and said, “This should work too, right?”

Guan Shize: “?”

“It’s also made from magical beast materials. If we take a step back, it’s not too different from a sword,” Lian Mu reasoned.

Guan Shize was stunned. “…A broom made from magical beast materials? Lian Mu, where did you get that much money?”

“I know a few Artifact Refiners. They gave me some leftover scraps when refining magical beast materials, so it didn’t cost much,” Lian Mu said. “You needed a practice weapon, right? I can sell this to you—cheaply.”

Guan Shize, like her, was dirt poor. Even buying a low-grade sword would cost him a fortune.

The sword he had used in his entrance exam was one he had saved up for five or six years before entering the sect, with the help of a kind-hearted benefactor. That sword had been destroyed during his final battle in the illusion realm against a magical beast.

Hearing the words “cheap price,” Guan Shize hesitated. “Will this even work?”

Lian Mu took the broom outside. “Let me try it first.”

Guan Shize followed her. He watched as Lian Mu channeled her spiritual energy into the broom—and to his shock, it actually moved.

“It’s really made from magical beast materials?”

Achieving resonance with a spiritual artifact essentially meant resonating with the pure spiritual energy contained within the magical beast materials.

“Hop on, let’s see if we can fly.”

Guan Shize immediately sat behind her. The next moment, they shot into the sky.

“Ah—!”

Guan Shize was startled and quickly grabbed onto her. The cold wind whistled past his ears, and only then did he realize that he was flying on a broomstick.

Shocked, yet also a little confused.

“A lower-grade one is definitely easier to control.” Lian Mu touched the broom handle and infused it with spiritual power. “Looks like I should make a few more. I can use them for practice, too.”

“Hold on tight, we’re going to take a lap around Cold Arrival Peak.”

With that, she immediately picked up speed.

However, what Lian Mu hadn’t expected was that when her fire spiritual root output spiritual power, it only affected the broomstick shaft made from magical beast materials. The ordinary bamboo twigs at the tail couldn’t withstand it and instantly caught fire.

“Lian Mu… it’s on fire!” Guan Shize warned.

The two of them were flying mid-air, the cold wind scraping past their ears, muffling most of the sound. Lian Mu only heard him shout. When she turned around, she saw the broom’s tail ablaze.

Guan Shize felt as if the wind had slapped him across the face several times, distorting his features. “We need to… land now!”

The fire was about to reach his backside.

Lian Mu’s eyes lit up. “It looks even more impressive now. Let’s do a few more laps.”

Guan Shize: “…”

What about his butt?!

If he had a chance to do it over, he would never have gotten on this broom.

But he had to admit—this reckless, wind-whipped flight felt… kind of thrilling.

At the dueling grounds of Cold Arrival Peak, with the sect’s grand selection tournament approaching, many disciples trained through the night. Some even found sparring partners for practice.

Night had fallen, leaving the sky pitch black. The only sounds in the arena were the clashes of swords as disciples practiced with unwavering focus.

Suddenly, a streak of fire flashed across the sky.

“What the hell was that?”

“It looked like a shadow just passed by.”

The disciples on the dueling grounds all stopped, staring at the dark sky. Everything remained silent, making it seem like a mere illusion.

“The elders said that any unusual activity within the sect must be reported immediately,” one disciple stated before rushing toward the main peak. “I’ll inform the elders.”

Just as he left, the fiery streak circled back—accompanied by a scream.

“Who is that?”

The disciples finally got a clear look. It turned out to be two people sitting on a… broomstick?!

“Could it be Lian Mu…?” one disciple hesitantly guessed.

The others: “…”

Meanwhile, up in the air, Guan Shize’s screams echoed across Cold Arrival Peak. By the third lap, he was feeling nauseous. A moment of carelessness made him lose his grip, and he nearly fell. Now, he was hanging upside down from the broomstick, clutching it with all four limbs, motionless.

More importantly, his butt was burning up.

“You’re already feeling dizzy?” Lian Mu glanced at him. “Looks like your training isn’t up to par.”

Guan Shize had been about to call for a stop, but after hearing that, he immediately changed his tune: “I’m fine, go even faster.”

“Alright, hold on tight.”

In an instant, the flames at the broom’s tail flared up. The burned-off bamboo twigs fell like meteors, briefly twinkling before vanishing.

Guan Shize couldn’t help but scream again. Completely unskilled yet eager for more.

On the other side, after being informed of the unusual activity at Cold Arrival Peak, Murong Yi and Qin Yuan rushed to the scene.

Just as they stepped past the mountain gate, they heard a shrill scream.

Murong Yi’s instincts screamed danger. “Could it be…? How dare they openly attack the disciples of Cold Arrival Peak!”

Qin Yuan’s expression darkened. “Let’s check it out.”

Following the screams, they soon arrived at the suspicious location. Strangely, the other disciples at the dueling grounds stood there unmoving, all staring at the sky without any panic.

Murong Yi: “?”

He also looked up—and immediately blacked out for a moment.

“Lian Mu, get down here!”

Hearing this name, Qin Yuan was momentarily confused. “Is that the one from last time?”

Murong Yi didn’t even know how to describe what he was seeing. He had thought something serious had happened, but it turned out to be Lian Mu causing trouble again.

High above, Lian Mu heard Murong Yi’s voice and glanced down. “Elder? What are they doing here?”

Guan Shize jolted. “Oh no, I forgot—the sect has a rule prohibiting aimless flight at night unless necessary.”

Lian Mu: “…And you didn’t mention this sooner?”

Sensing trouble, Lian Mu immediately slowed down and started descending. Guan Shize, failing to keep his grip, landed butt-first.

Surrounded by a crowd, all eyes were fixed on them. The atmosphere grew awkward.

“Elder, I know I was wrong…”

Before Lian Mu could finish, Murong Yi cut her off. “Looks like I haven’t assigned you enough trials. You still have time to go joyriding at night?”

As he spoke, he glanced at what Lian Mu was holding. Instead of a sword, it was a broom.

Murong Yi’s emotions grew even more complicated. “…”

Qin Yuan, seeing that no one was harmed, let out a breath of relief. However, given the sect’s rules, he said sternly, “Both of you violated sect regulations and must be punished. Coincidentally, Thousand Spirit Peak is short on people—your punishment is to sweep there for three days.”

Murong Yi: “Starting now.”

He didn’t understand why someone like Guan Shize—who usually seemed so proper—immediately turned into a troublemaker whenever he was with her.

Lian Mu wanted to argue, but Guan Shize, reading the room, sensed the elders were in a foul mood. He quickly pulled her away.

Murong Yi folded his silver fan. “Those two troublemakers, seriously…”

“Is she the one who sparred with Qian Xue last time?” Qin Yuan recognized Lian Mu.

“Yes,” Murong Yi replied indifferently.

Qin Yuan observed, “She’s full of energy. A promising sword cultivator.”

Murong Yi: “…She’s not as simple as you think.”

“Just youthful recklessness, we’ve all been through it,” Qin Yuan sheathed his sword. “As long as the kids are fine.”

When he first arrived at Cold Arrival Peak, he had worried that it might be another demonic disturbance.

Ever since Xu Xianxing discovered abnormalities within the Spirit Tower, those in the know within the sect had been on high alert, not daring to relax even a little.

If those things took advantage of a lapse at such a critical moment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“I wonder how that kid Xu Xianxing is doing…” Qin Yuan murmured.

Murong Yi furrowed his brows slightly. “The Spirit Keeper has already instructed him, so I trust he knows what to do.”

—

—

Vermilion South, Qingxuan Sect.

A light drizzle had washed away the dust and dirt, leaving lotus leaves swaying in the wind, rippling with a green luster.

In the pavilion by the lotus pond, two people sat facing each other, the mist of tea swirling around them.

“Our Qingxuan Sect has never interfered in the affairs of other sects, but if you insist, it is not impossible.”

Xu Xianxing sat across from the Qingxuan Sect elder. After a brief silence, he said, “Elder Shang, must this matter be used as an exchange?”

Shang Liu smiled faintly. “This is the only condition. There is nothing else our Qingxuan Sect needs.”

“You are free to accept or decline.” Shang Liu continued, “In truth, your decision makes little difference to Qingxuan Sect. The outcome remains the same. However, our sect values completeness—this is merely the finishing touch.”

“Since Gui Xian Sect sent you alone, your elders must have given you instructions. You know what is best for your sect.”

Shang Liu pushed a cup of freshly poured tea toward him. “So? What will it be?”

“……”

Xu Xianxing fell silent again. After a long pause, he raised his hand and downed the tea in one go.

Shang Liu’s smile deepened. “You are a wise young man.”

Xu Xianxing stood up and said solemnly, “I hope your sect will honor its promise in the future.”

“Naturally.” Shang Liu waved his hand, summoning a disciple. “Ziling, see our guest out.”

“No need.”

Xu Xianxing turned and left.

As his figure gradually disappeared, Shang Liu remained seated in the pavilion, leisurely sipping his tea.

After a moment, a white-clad figure emerged from somewhere. Sensing the presence, Shang Liu said warmly, “Tingzhou, come sit.”

The man sat beside Shang Liu, his deep black eyes gazing toward the direction where Xu Xianxing had left. He moved his lips slightly, his voice cool. “Someone from Gui Xian Sect?”

“Yes,” Shang Liu replied. “That unfortunate sect is in trouble again.”

“I heard that recently, their sect acted against Wu Nian Sect, infuriating them completely. Not quite like their usual style.”

After a pause, Shang Liu added, “Judging from that matter, I feel like Gui Xian Sect has changed a bit this year.”

“Is that so?” Ying You lowered his eyes as if contemplating something. “Actually, you didn’t have to agree to their request… As for the Immortal sect Tournament, I will handle it.”

Shang Liu chuckled. “That was the Second Elder’s decision, just to be cautious. But I believe that with you there, no one will take first place before Qingxuan Sect, not even Chixiao Sect’s Lu Feishuang.”

“The Second Elder agreed to help them for other reasons. The condition we just discussed was just an incidental gain.”

“The Gui Xian Sect of today… is no longer worthy of being Qingxuan Sect’s opponent.”