Chapter 24

The spiritual beast egg shattered…

Shattered… The broken eggshells scattered messily on the ground, and the egg liquid flowed everywhere, creating an inexplicable feeling of sorrow.

The scattered eggshells on the ground stung Sword Immortal’s eyes.

Suddenly, Sword Immortal let out an angry shout. The spiritual sword in his hand drew a fierce arc.

“Fu Kong, take this!”

The Sect Leader had been waiting here for a long time.

Since discovering that his son wasn’t his biological child, he had been holding in a huge amount of anger with nowhere to vent. Now, the culprit had finally appeared in front of him. How could he show mercy?

Not only would he show no mercy, but he would also take advantage of the situation and strike while the iron was hot. Otherwise, the fire in his heart might burn him up!

At the moment the two met in battle, a spiritual chicken suddenly ran out of the Sect Leader’s storage ring.

The spiritual chicken had bright feathers and a loud cry. As soon as it left the storage ring, it turned around and tidied its colorful feathers. The next second, the spiritual chicken seemed to sense the danger and flew away while clucking.

The spiritual chickens in the cultivation world were different from ordinary hens in the mortal world. In a short while, it had already flown far away.

When the Sect Leader saw his spiritual chicken fly away, he spoke ambiguously, “The chicken flew away.”

The flying chicken and the shattered spiritual beast egg combined to form the phrase, “The chicken flew, and the egg was broken.”

Originally, the phrase “The chicken flew and the egg broke” meant that everything had come to nothing.

However, Sword Immortal seemed to associate it with something else, and his face turned even paler. His right hand, holding the spiritual sword, had veins protruding.

In an instant, his spiritual energy surged, and he was in a state that could be described as madness. “Fu Kong! Go to hell!”

The Sect Leader was fearless and rushed forward. He raised his own life spiritual sword and forcefully blocked Sword Immortal’s killing strike.

If it had been before, the Sect Leader would have absolutely been unable to block this strike. Even if he could block it, he would be severely injured. The difference between him and Sword Immortal wasn’t something that could be bridged overnight.

Sword Immortal was called a Sword Immortal because of his unparalleled mastery of the sword. No one could compare to him.

But at this moment, Sword Immortal’s state of mind was disturbed, his aura was chaotic, and the injury he had suffered hadn’t healed. He was in a state of spiritual confusion. Therefore, even though the Sect Leader couldn’t block the attack too easily, he still managed to receive it head-on.

The flames in the Sect Leader’s eyes burned fiercely. His fighting spirit surged, and he mockingly said, “Qi Xin, after so many years, is your strength really this much worse?”

---

As the Sect Leader and Sword Immortal were fighting in the dungeon, the Melon-Eating System suddenly let out a strange laugh.

The Melon-Eating System chuckled again. What new gossip was there now?

Everyone in the plaza immediately perked up their ears.

Ning Xu asked in surprise, “What’s going on?”

The Melon-Eating System laughed uncontrollably, 【The chicken flew away! What a coincidence. This time, the Sect Leader accidentally hit the mark.】

Ning Xu asked curiously, “What does that mean?”

The Melon-Eating System replayed the events in the dungeon for Ning Xu, including the Sect Leader’s first harsh words – 【Shatter!】

Ning Xu was momentarily stunned and then echoed the Melon-Eating System’s sentiment, “What a coincidence?”

The Melon-Eating System sounded gleeful, 【Yes, so I said it was an accidental hit. The Sect Leader unintentionally poked at Sword Immortal’s heart.】

【Sword Immortal probably can’t stand anything related to eggs or chickens right now. Hearing it would definitely make him explode.】

Ning Xu’s brows couldn’t help but curve in amusement.

This was truly striking at the heart!

Soon, she seemed to have thought of something and joked, “The Sect Leader and Sword Immortal are fighting? How’s the battle going?”

The Melon-Eating System commented, 【The Sect Leader is steadily gaining the upper hand.】

After the “chicken flew, egg broke” moment, the last bit of energy Sword Immortal was holding back suddenly dissipated. It wasn’t that Sword Immortal’s Dao heart was unstable, but rather that this matter was of great importance. It was normal for him to be disturbed for a moment.

【Sword Immortal is currently being overwhelmed by the Sect Leader. He’s already at the end of his strength.】

Upon hearing that the Sect Leader had the upper hand, the elders and disciples in the plaza immediately relaxed.

Since the Sect Leader didn’t need help, the Sect elders could focus on recruiting disciples.

One by one, the disciples called by name stepped forward, and under the witness of their fellow disciples, they all bowed to their chosen masters.

“Qin Riluo, Fire-Wood-Gold triple spiritual roots, who would you like to apprentice under?”

Qin Riluo, also known as the Green Hat Hero, respectfully replied, “I wish to apprentice under Elder Liu.”

Elder Liu, whose secret of cross-dressing had been exposed by everyone, forced a smile and replied in the same indifferent tone as usual, “Approved.”

Qin Riluo quickly thanked him, “Thank you, Master!”

Afterward, many other disciples bowed to different elders.

Time passed, and the Sect Elder’s voice rang out again in the plaza, “Si Yan, Five spiritual roots, who would you like to apprentice under?”

The next second, Ning Xu heard an extremely familiar voice.

The voice was clear and calm, and each word was pronounced distinctly, “I wish to apprentice under Elder Chu.”

Elder Chu was the one Ning Xu had recommended to Innocent Cultivator, the elder with a bit of a quirky personality but very loyal and protective.

It wasn’t until Si Yan became a disciple that Ning Xu suddenly realized, “So his name is Si Yan.”

The Melon-Eating System lazily commented, 【Yes, but Innocent Cultivator sounds better, doesn’t it?】

Ning Xu agreed, “Indeed. Let’s just call him that from now on.”

The Melon-Eating System reminded, 【Just make sure not to call him by the wrong name.】

“It won’t happen.”

Ning Xu would only call him that in front of the Melon-Eating System. When facing Innocent Cultivator, she usually just called him Dao You (fellow Daoist).

---

While the remaining disciples continued to choose their masters, the Melon-Eating System was broadcasting the battle situation from the dungeon to Ning Xu.

【The Sect Leader grows braver with each battle, while the Sword Immortal retreats step by step.】

【Looks like… whatever happened earlier had a huge impact on the Sword Immortal.】

【Not only has his entire aura undergone a drastic change, but even his sword energy has altered. His strength has been greatly diminished, and he can’t even use his strongest killing move.】

【If he was once the aloof and proud Sword Immortal, now he’s become a bit effeminate.】

Ning Xu: “…”

The other disciples: !!!

Is this something they should be hearing?

Because of these remarks from the Melon-Eating System, the disciples became curious about the Sword Immortal and were eager to see what he looked like now.

Ning Xu commented, “This should be normal. After all… cough, cough.” Didn’t eunuchs in ancient times change after being castrated? Their voices became more high-pitched, and even their behavior and movements changed significantly.

The current Sword Immortal is essentially the cultivation world’s version of a eunuch.

At that moment, the Melon-Eating System suddenly clicked its tongue. 【He escaped!】

Ning Xu: “Huh?”

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue again. 【He didn’t even bother with his precious son and broke through the void to escape.】

The Sword Immortal, in a bad state, faced the increasingly powerful Sect Leader and, unable to keep up, chose to flee.

The Sect Leader did not pursue him relentlessly, as he still had the hostage in hand and was confident the Sword Immortal would return.

When Ning Xu heard that the Sword Immortal had escaped, She didn’t feel much.

However, the disciples felt a sense of regret.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get to see the Sword Immortal after the “chicken flies and eggs are smashed¹” moment. Who knows when they would encounter him again?

---

After all the disciples had finished choosing their masters, the Sect Leader made another announcement.

“Disciples who choose to pursue the sword cultivation path can go to the Sword Tomb on the back mountain to select a sword that suits them.”

Upon hearing this, the disciples all showed expressions of excitement.

This was an old tradition of the Wenxin Sect—every new batch of sword cultivators could choose a sword from the Sword Tomb.

Ning Xu thought for a moment, then told the Melon-Eating System, “Although you taught me how to draw talismans before, I still want to focus on sword cultivation.”

The sword, sharp and powerful, is deadly.

Among all paths, sword cultivation is truly the number one.

The Melon-Eating System immediately supported her, saying, 【Sure. If you want to cultivate it, go ahead. I have plenty of heaven-tier techniques suitable for sword cultivators, and I can give you one after you pick your sword.】

Regarding the future, Ning Xu already had a rough plan in mind. “Focus on sword cultivation, and if there’s time, I’ll also cultivate talismans, divination, and so on.”

【Sounds good. Let’s go choose a sword now!】

Out of the 1,300 disciples, a few hundred chose to pursue sword cultivation, either as their main focus or as a supplementary path.

Among them were Qin Rilu, Si Yan, and several of Ning Xu’s fellow food cultivators.

A group of them set off in high spirits toward the back mountain.

Qin Rilu and Si Yan were not talkative, so the conversation was mostly between Ning Xu and his food cultivator friends.

The rugged-looking food cultivator, Wu Luchen, rubbed his hands in anticipation. “I wonder what kind of sword I’ll get to pick.”

The other cultivators comforted him, “You’ll definitely pick a sword that suits you.”

“Maybe you’ll even pick a top-tier spiritual sword!”

As these harmonious voices filled the air, a discordant thought suddenly popped up.

The Melon-Eating System lazily said, 【A person like him is probably going to have a hard time picking a sword he likes.】

Ning Xu: “…”

The other cultivators: “…”

Wu Luchen: !!!

A person like him…?

What kind of person was he?

Although they were already used to the Melon-Eating System’s sharp tongue, it was hard to endure when the target was themselves.

Wu Luchen’s smile froze on his face. Luckily, at that moment, he accidentally stepped on something dirty, so his expression change wasn’t too out of place.

The other food cultivators quickly tried to ease the tension, so the atmosphere didn’t become too awkward.

After a few seconds of silence, Ning Xu said, “Say something positive.”

The Melon-Eating System replied, 【I’m just speaking the truth. He’s really not suitable for sword cultivation. Even if he spends a hundred times more effort than others, he won’t achieve even one percent of their results.】

Ning Xu: !!!

The others: !!!

The difference is way too huge!

Ning Xu slowly said, “If it’s really like you say, then he’s indeed not suited for sword cultivation at all.”

【Yeah, actually, with his big frame, he’s more suited for body cultivation. Instead of wasting time on sword cultivation, he should just focus on body training. That would be more effective.】

Hearing this conversation, Wu Luchen looked thoughtful.

If he knew he wasn’t suitable, he wouldn’t force it.

After all, the reason he decided to supplement his sword cultivation was because he thought it was powerful enough to protect himself.

But if cultivating the sword meant more effort with less reward, and body cultivation could yield better results, then naturally, he wouldn’t stick solely to the sword.

————

—”Chicken flies and eggs are smashed” (鸡飞蛋打) is a Chinese idiom that refers to a situation where things go wrong or fall apart, often due to chaos or a sudden change. It can be used to describe a scenario where an unexpected event causes a series of mishaps, similar to the English expression “things falling apart” or “a mess.”

The phrase invokes an image of a chicken flying and causing eggs to break, symbolizing disorder and damage. It can describe any situation where things go awry, especially when something that should have been stable or controlled turns into chaos.