Lyu Lyu watched Xie Qing with a hint of sadness in her eyes as he left. She, too, wished to accompany him, but a contract she had signed in her youth, during a time of despair, bound her to a life devoted to music.
Letting out a heavy sigh, she squinted, and a determined glint appeared in her eyes.
***
Leaving the city, Xie Qing headed towards the forest, teeming with devilish beasts. There, he needed to gather ten jing spiritual herbs and obtain a monster core at the Foundation Building – 4th stage level.
He managed the second task within half a day. Finding a beast capable of forming its core was extremely challenging, leading him to slay over a hundred creatures.
To his relief, they lacked developed intellect, making the battles relatively trouble-free. The key was to avoid confrontation.
Around noon, he decided to take a break.
"It's exhausting... these beasts move in groups, making it exceptionally difficult to kill them," thought Xie Qing, sighing heavily and surveying the hundreds of wolf corpses around him. They all resembled two-meter wolves with red fur. He pondered, "But it's strange that the sect issued a task to hunt these beasts. They usually don't show up at this time of year."
It was autumn, with winter approaching soon. Normally, wolves with the horrifying name "Bloody Wolf" hibernated during winter, staying away from human settlements.
This behavior was exceptionally peculiar.
"Could it be devil cultivators? But that's impossible... even if they wanted to emerge, they couldn't escape the control of the Resting Eagle Sect, representing the Huanglun Dynasty on the entire continent," thought Xie Qing. Then he chuckled, rising from a makeshift stool formed by ten wolf corpses. "Well, the antics of these lunatics have nothing to do with me. Better find those damn herbs."
He took out a large book from the pouch given to him by the elder Lian. If you're curious about how such a large item fits into a small pouch, it's quite simple...
It's a spatial pouch, a fairly popular item that, admittedly, cost Xie Qing a hefty 780,000 Huang, significantly denting his pockets. Hence, he was surprised to receive it from Elder Lian.
"Wonder how I can thank her?" pondered Xie Qing, smirking slightly. "A foolish question."
He was aware of Lian Xin's love, but he avoided interacting with her to avoid unnecessary complications for both of them.
Entering the inner court started with the Qi Condensation cultivation stage, which wasn't too far for Xie Qing. He pondered for a moment. "But there's a small issue... even if Elder Lian is okay with it, I'm not entirely sure her family would approve," he thought, shaking his head with a wry smile.
The Lian family held a prominent position in the Sect of Heavenly Sword, primarily because Sect Master Lian Lin hailed from that family. Although they were mostly friendly, they wouldn't allow weak suitors.
"It all comes back to leveling up," thought Xie Qing, quirking the corners of his mouth. However, he then smiled, rubbing his hands together. "But I have a solution to this challenge..."
***
With nothing else to do, Xie Qing waited for the next day to return to the sect and enter closed cultivation to progress in his development.
Approaching the inn, he suddenly turned around. "Hm? I felt like I missed something," thought Xie Qing then shrugged and returned to his usual position. But seeing someone in front of him, he froze in shock.
"M-Master..."
"Hm-m-m? So, you remember the name of this old lady, huh? I thought you had amnesia, leaving without telling me," said Xu Mei, narrowing her eyes disapprovingly. She puffed her cheeks, looking very cute.
Xie Qing felt his heart race when he saw Xu Mei's offended expression. Unconsciously, he started to approach her, and when face to face, he suddenly hugged her.
"W-w-w-w-w... What are you doing, foolish disciple?!" Xu Mei exclaimed in surprise, blushing as she could only lean her cheek against Xie Qing's chest. She hit him and said in a mosquito-like voice, "R-Release your Master, foolish disciple. There are so many people around; I feel their eyes on us."
"They're looking because they've never seen such a beautiful girl like you, Master," said Xie Qing with a smile, then whispered into Xu Mei's ear, "I missed you so much, Master. And you...?"
"!!!!"
Xu Mei trembled in his embrace, blushing even more. Now she resembled a red tomato. She shook her head and sternly added, but still with a face reddened by embarrassment, "No, foolish disciple. This Master just wanted to see if those beasts didn't eat your corpse!"
"Oh? Is that so? Then, shall we go to the bedroom, and I'll undress, allowing you to inspect this foolish disciple's body? It's quite possible that I got bitten by the beasts, and I didn't notice! Oh dear... my chest is hurting!" teased Xie Qing.
"..." Xu Mei lost her speech due to such impudence, but she could only blush more and shake her head.
Since she realized her feelings for him, it had been challenging even to look at Xie Qing. Moreover, the once gloomy youth had transformed into a brighter and more cheerful person. It greatly pleased her.
"Hmph... let's return to the sect. I'll take care of your training," suddenly said Xu Mei in a serious tone, pushing Xie Qing away. She then stepped back five paces, saying with a serious expression, "I've neglected you for too long. It's time to correct my mistakes."
"Alright, I'm just glad for that," said Xie Qing with a smile, then grinned, looking like an old pervert, pointing to his body. "So, are you going to inspect? I'll let you look at my naked torso... or do you want a full examination?"
"Go to hell!"
***
Initially, Xie Qing was nervous that the Master might find out about his visits to the red-light district, but remembering that tracking the loss of virginity for Yang energy practitioners was impossible, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Stop, why am I acting as if I cheated on her?" he thought, raising his eyebrows in puzzlement. "I'm a free person, so I can do whatever I want..."
However, he was quickly interrupted by a strong punch to the stomach, which almost made Xie Qing initiate a PowerPoint presentation with illustrations of what he ate today.
"Stop getting distracted! I want to check your combat skills, so give it your all!" said Xu Mei with a stern voice, holding a wooden training sword in her hand. While it couldn't cause serious injury, it struck very hard!
"Alright..." Xie Qing began muttering in response, stepping back. Then an idea popped into his head, and he smirked, saying, "Listen, Master, what if I meet and even surpass your expectations? Will there be a reward for me?"
Xu Mei paused for a second, her face showing complete incomprehension at Xie Qing's words. However, after thinking for a moment, she nodded and said, adding with a smirk, "Of course, I'll do whatever you want." As Xie Qing triumphantly clenched his fists, directing them towards the sky, she added, snapping her fingers with a sly expression, "But you must understand... I am very strict on this matter. Surprising me won't be easy."
However, Xie Qing wasn't listening to her anymore. He looked as if he had been told that "No Game No Life" had a continuation.
"..."
Xu Mei smiled and decided not to spoil his joy. He understood that surprising someone like her was extremely difficult. Throughout her life, she met many geniuses, and with some of them, she even became friends (like Zhang Mei and the Sect Master of the Sect of Nine Pills).
Although she saw that Xie Qing's cultivation level was progressing rapidly, as if he were skipping steps, Xu Mei believed it wasn't enough. A strong foundation was needed.
And now, as she returned from her thoughts, pressure suddenly appeared.
"Hm?"
Xu Mei was stunned. The sense of pressure appeared and disappeared within a millisecond. However, the feeling it evoked was terrifying, as if you were caught while jerking off... cough... as if a hare found itself two centimeters away from a tiger's mouth!
She looked at Xie Qing, from whom the pressure presumably emanated, but even after prolonged observation, she found nothing.
"Did I imagine it?" she thought, feeling embarrassed.
And then, after five seconds, Xie Qing prepared for battle. He suddenly tightened his grip on the training sword and assumed a familiar stance, which Xu Mei recognized!
"Oh... I fought him with this stance just five minutes ago. Did he learn it?" Xu Mei thought, stunned. "But I showed him this stance only once, and he already remembered it?! Moreover, it lasted only a fraction of a second!"
At the same time, a bell-like sound rang in Xie Qing's ears.
Ding!
[You have learned 1/4 of the technique called "Will of the Empress of Swords"]
Ding-ding!
[Will of the Empress of Swords (1/4 part)] | [Rank: Ancient] | [Description: The Empress of Swords—a familiar figure in ancient times. Just her name made swordsmen bow their heads, and Sword Masters admit their inexperience. It is said that by learning this technique, personally created by the Empress of Swords, one can master all her techniques. Unfortunately, you only have one of the four parts, so it will only help enhance your strikes in battle... sigh!]
"Will of the Empress of Swords..." Xie Qing read the name of the technique in his mind, then looked at Xu Mei. "Sister, where did you even get the legacy of that sexy woman?"