Boom!
The sky stretched endlessly before them.
Clouds within a ten-mile radius split apart, cleaved in two.
A long, jagged rift appeared across the heavens.
It was as if…
Someone had sundered the sky with a single sword stroke.
The disciples of Xiao Zhu Peak stood frozen, their eyes wide with awe.
They stared at the figure before them.
Speechless.
Ji Changfeng faced away from them, his white robes fluttering in the wind, the youthful vigor of a prodigy radiating from him. In his hand, the Tian Ya Divine Sword gleamed with a radiant azure light…
In that moment.
He was every inch a young sword immortal!
Shui Yue shi niang gazed at his silhouette, entranced.
In a fleeting moment, another figure from her past seemed to overlap with Ji Changfeng in her mind.
They were so alike.
Peerless elegance, boundless confidence, fearless resolve, and a proud spirit…
So alike, too alike.
Shui Yue shi niang murmured in her heart.
In that instant, long-sealed memories stirred, sending ripples through the heart of this aloof daoist nun…
Su Ru, trembling with excitement, fixed her eyes on Ji Changfeng.
Her slender fingers clutched her sleeve tightly, her gaze alight with fervor as she asked in a quivering voice:
"Changfeng, this sword technique—what is its name?"
Her words drew every gaze to Ji Changfeng.
All eyes were on him.
They yearned to witness the birth of a legendary sword art.
At her question, Ji Changfeng turned slightly.
A faint smile played on his handsome face as he replied:
"Shi niang, this sword is called—Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate!"
Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate?
For a moment, silence reigned.
The name echoed in their minds, and their eyes instinctively lifted to the sky…
There, a ten-mile-long rift scarred the heavens, as though a single sword had cleaved the sky itself.
"What a name!"
"Truly, an extraordinary name!"
Su Ru's excitement overflowed.
She grabbed her senior sister Shui Yue shi niang's arm, practically bouncing with joy.
As a master of the Shang Qing Realm, Su Ru's discernment was unmatched.
Today, she had witnessed the birth of Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate.
Without hesitation, she declared—
This sword was the supreme sword of Qing Yun Sect!
Shui Yue shi niang stared at Ji Changfeng's profile, her heart awash with memories…
Back then, he had been just as spirited.
Yet, she had to admit, Ji Changfeng surpassed him—by far.
Ji Changfeng, I look forward to seeing what you'll achieve.
How far can you lead Qing Yun Sect?
Shui Yue shi niang's heart settled into clarity.
She regarded Ji Changfeng calmly, her gaze that of an elder watching a promising junior…
At that moment.
Lu Xueqi stood transfixed, staring at Ji Changfeng.
Is he… this powerful?
The cool-eyed maiden's gaze drifted to the Tian Ya Divine Sword in his hand, its dazzling blue light piercing her heart with a pang of bitterness…
Tian Ya, do you think he's more suited to be your master than I am?
Young women are often sensitive and prone to overthinking.
Lu Xueqi had only recently inherited the Tian Ya Divine Sword.
In this moment.
Watching Ji Changfeng wield Tian Ya with such mastery.
It felt as though something precious had been stolen from her.
A surge of defiance welled up in her heart. She clenched her jaw, refusing to let tears fall…
Yet, the glimmer at the corners of her eyes betrayed her.
Truth be told.
Lu Xueqi in this moment—Nai Qi, as some might teasingly call her—was utterly endearing.
No matter how you teased her, she would only gaze at you silently, her cool demeanor like a lotus blooming untainted above the mud.
But if you looked closely.
You could see the stubbornness and grievance hidden in her clear eyes.
That's Nai Qi!
Ji Changfeng noticed her defiance.
With a faint smile, he walked slowly to her side and offered the Tian Ya Divine Sword back to her.
"Junior Sister Lu, your Tian Ya Divine Sword."
Lu Xueqi registered the "Junior Sister" in his words. Silently, she took the sword, sheathed it, and clutched it tightly to her chest…
She had no intention of engaging with this man who had "stolen" her Tian Ya. Yet, a spark of unwillingness flickered within her.
So, Lu Xueqi spoke.
She fixed her resolute gaze on Ji Changfeng and declared firmly: "I entered the sect two years before you, so I am your Senior Sister!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Ji Changfeng feigned surprise, as if hearing this for the first time.
"Yes!" Lu Xueqi nodded earnestly.
Her cool eyes locked onto him, a faint trace of anticipation shimmering in their depths.
For some reason.
She found herself wanting to hear Ji Changfeng call her "Senior Sister."
A mischievous grin spread across Ji Changfeng's face. He teased, "So, Junior Sister Lu entered two years before me?"
"Then, may I ask, what is your cultivation level now?"
"…" The anticipation in Lu Xueqi's eyes faded, replaced by a deep sense of frustration.
"Yu Qing, Fifth Layer," she said calmly, but her voice carried a tremor of grievance.
Nai Qi already saw through Ji Changfeng's ploy.
It was obvious—I've reached Yu Qing Fifth Layer in just four months of cultivation. Junior Sister Lu, you've been here two and a half years and are still at Yu Qing Fifth Layer. Can you keep up, Junior Sister?
What could she do?
She had worked so hard!
For a prodigy like Ji Changfeng to catch up to her in mere months—she felt utterly wronged!
Lu Xueqi lowered her head, clutching Tian Ya tightly. Her clear eyes grew redder…
She looked utterly defeated, like someone who had been thoroughly bullied.
Seeing this, Ji Changfeng froze.
For some reason, he couldn't bear to see Tian Ling'er cry, but with Lu Xueqi, he couldn't resist teasing this aloof maiden.
Now, realizing he'd gone too far.
A pang of guilt stirred in his heart.
I'm such a jerk!
Nai Qi is so adorable.
How could I make her cry?
Determined to make amends, Ji Changfeng paused, then looked at her with earnest eyes and called her full name:
"Lu Xueqi."
"Hm?" The aloof maiden lifted her head, meeting his gaze.
"How about a pact?" Ji Changfeng proposed.
"What kind of pact?"
"Four years from now, at the Seven Peaks Martial Assembly, if you defeat me, I'll call you Senior Sister. But if I win, you'll call me Senior Brother."
"How about it?"
Ji Changfeng gave a faint smile.
A stubborn, aloof maiden like her could be bound by a pact.
If she agreed.
For the next four years, every time she cultivated, she would think of this pact. In other words, for the next four years, every moment of her training would be tied to thoughts of him…
Over time.
Her mind would be filled with him.
Gradually, she would take on his shape.
How devious!
Absolutely devious!
But how could an innocent, aloof maiden understand such schemes?
The moment she heard the pact, her stubbornness surged to the forefront:
"Fine! I accept!"
…
…
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