When Ling Xiao woke up, he found himself lying in a soft bed. A faint, elegant fragrance wafted from the quilt covering him. The room was simple and tidy.
As he moved, a wave of soreness and weakness washed over him, but his injuries had improved significantly. Ling Xiao gave a wry smile. 'I haven't been in this world for long, and I've already suffered two internal injuries.' He then thought of the old man in gray robes named Hai Tian and secretly swore an oath. 'I will not rest until I have my revenge!'
Ling Xiao recalled the battle from earlier that day. 'All in all, I was too careless.'
First, he had wanted to conserve his strength. His swordsmanship was completely different from the swordsmanship of the Canglan Continent. If someone with ill intentions took notice, it would be difficult for him to contend with them given his current power. Ling Xiao had now experienced the might of a Demon Swordsman firsthand.
'Right now, forget a Demon Swordsman; I'm not even a match for a Great Sword Master. A life where I'm just a fish on the chopping block is not what I want.'
Second, he knew far too little about the Enchanted Weapons of this world. In his original memories, Enchanted Weapons were just an abstract concept. Take his father Ling Tianxiao's Second Order Enchanted Sword, for example. In Ling Xiao's memory, his father had always guarded it like a precious treasure. He'd rarely even seen it, let alone had a chance to play around with it.
During the fight with Wulan Tuo, he had felt that a Second Order Enchanted Sword wasn't all that special. The Sword Qi couldn't leave the blade; it was just as if the opponent's sword was a little longer and sharper. With the swordsmanship and cultivation techniques Ling Xiao had mastered, defeating someone like Wulan Tuo could even be done in a single move.
Among Shushan's swordsmanship techniques, there was a low-level one for Outer Disciples with a unique origin. It didn't require profound Spiritual Power, relying entirely on skill to defeat enemies. It was famed for being able to break all martial arts under heaven, emphasizing speed—speed in judgment and speed in execution.
One had to perceive the enemy's flaw the instant they made a move, then strike with speed before they could change their technique!
According to legend, this swordsmanship was created by a man from the Mortal World named Dugu Qiubai. For over thirty years, Dugu Qiubai roamed the mortal martial world, slaying all his foes and defeating every hero until he had no equal left under the heavens. Finding himself without equal, he had no choice but to retreat into a deep valley to live in seclusion with a giant eagle as his companion. After turning fifty, he suddenly comprehended the Dao of the Swordless, allowing him to ascend in broad daylight and become one of the rare few from the Mortal World to enter the Cultivation Realm through the Sword Dao.
After entering the Cultivation Realm, Dugu Qiubai joined the Shushan Sect as an ordinary Outer Disciple. Although such people from the Mortal World were not common in the Cultivation Realm, they were not unheard of. Generally speaking, their foundation was much weaker than those who had cultivated in Shushan since childhood.
But Dugu Qiubai was an exception. After reaching Foundation Establishment, he ascended again in just seven hundred and fifty years, stepping into the Immortal Realm!
This became a great legend in the Cultivation Realm of that era, causing a sensation that lasted for several hundred years.
The Spiritual Qi in the Cultivation Realm was no longer dense at that time, yet this man managed to attain the Dao and ascend in such a short period. The word "genius" was insufficient to describe him. If he was a genius, then someone like Ling Xiao would be the trash of all trash.
But that wasn't the reality. Those chosen as Inner Sect Disciples by the sects of the Cultivation Realm, regardless of their innate talent and comprehension, were all one-in-ten-thousand talents! Therefore, one could only say that Dugu Qiubai was an anomaly, not to be measured by common standards.
As the swordsmanship Dugu Qiubai had once used in the Mortal World, the Nine Swords of Dugu, despite being relatively low-level, was transcribed and kept in Shushan's Library Pavilion. In truth, this was more for the sake of remembrance. No matter what, this super Sword Cultivator genius was considered an ancestor of Shushan.
In the Cultivation Realm, battles were more often fought with Daoist Techniques, a competition of Spiritual Power. Therefore, no matter how brilliant your skills were, if someone used a grand transportation technique to drop a mountain on your head, you would still die!
Thus, this sword skill, hailed as an ultimate technique in the Mortal World, was left to gather dust in Shushan.
Ling Xiao had been brought to Shushan as a child, becoming an Inner Sect Disciple. All the books in the Library Pavilion were available for him to read freely. As a child, he was particularly interested in this type of sword skill, so he committed the Nine Swords of Dugu to memory. However, he never had a chance to use it.
'Every sip and every peck, as if destined by heaven.' Ling Xiao had never imagined he would end up in a strange new world, much less become a Celestial Vein Master incapable of cultivating Inner Strength. And so, he had recalled this sword skill.
But whether he was sparring with Chunlan or battling Wulan Tuo, Ling Xiao had not used the Nine Swords of Dugu. It was simply too astonishing. A Tier Five Sword Attendant defeating a Tier Six Sword Master with a single sword strike would, without a doubt, be assumed to be using a Divine-level Sword Skill!
A Middle Tier of the Earth Level sword skill could sell for hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins at an auction. A technique like his father's, at the Middle Tier of the Celestial Level, was of immeasurable value. Otherwise, how could a mere Tier Three Demon Swordsman like Ling Tianxiao possess such strength?
'Divine-level… If I used the Nine Swords of Dugu and it was mistaken for a Divine-level skill, I'm afraid all the powers on the continent would swarm to Yalan.' The very thought of such a scene terrified Ling Xiao. A single Demon Swordsman had already left him in such a sorry state, and there were countless experts in the world. At that point, he'd be in a situation so hopeless he wouldn't even know how to cry.
So, the most important thing to do now was to find a way to disguise this sword skill. 'Either I don't use it, or everyone who sees me use it dies.'
'In that case… I'll have to spend most of my time pretending to be a harmless nobody!'
A helpless smile touched Ling Xiao's lips. 'Anyone stupid enough to come looking for trouble with me on a dark and stormy night had better not show up. I definitely won't show any mercy.'
Just then, the door to the room was pushed open. Chunlan and Qiuyue entered, and their faces lit up with pleasant surprise when they saw Ling Xiao was awake. Chunlan was carrying a food box, which she placed on the table. She and Qiuyue first came over to check Ling Xiao's wounds before letting out a collective sigh of relief. Chunlan said, "I didn't expect Teacher Shangguan's elixir to be so effective! It's even better than the medicinal herbs we have at the manor!"
Qiuyue added in a soft voice, "We must properly thank Teacher Shangguan."
"No need to thank me..." Shangguan Yutong said as she entered from outside. She first gave Ling Xiao a concerned look and only relaxed after seeing he was in good spirits. She then said with a hint of complaint, "Don't be so reckless next time. You knew Wulan Tuo had ill intentions, so how could you not be on your guard?"
Ling Xiao had been worried Teacher Shangguan would ask him about the arena match. Seeing that she didn't bring it up, he finally relaxed and said with some embarrassment, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
"Alright..." Shangguan Yutong raised a hand to stop Ling Xiao's pleasantries. "None of that. Your sister and I are good friends. If I don't look out for you, who will?"
She said it so naturally that Ling Xiao could only offer a grateful smile in return.
Chunlan and Qiuyue knew that Shangguan Yutong had likely come to speak with Ling Xiao privately. The two of them left the food box and took their leave.
Shangguan Yutong watched with a beaming smile as the two girls closed the door behind them. She then sat on the edge of Ling Xiao's bed, picked up the food box, and the aroma of eight-treasure congee immediately wafted out.
"Wow, you're quite lucky. These two young maids are really skilled!" Shangguan Yutong exclaimed. She couldn't resist taking out a small spoon and tasting a mouthful. Ling Xiao watched as the spoonful of congee was delivered into Shangguan Yutong's sensual, rosy lips and couldn't help but gulp. He protested inwardly: 'That was for me!'
"Want a bite?" Shangguan Yutong flashed a teasing smile, then scooped up a spoonful and brought it to Ling Xiao's lips. "Be good. Answer a question for your teacher, and I'll feed you."
"Er..." Ling Xiao's face instantly flushed red. He could smell Shangguan Yutong's fragrant scent, and he was still lying in her bed. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became incredibly intimate. Across two lifetimes, though his mental age made him an old geezer of several hundred years, Ling Xiao was a complete blank slate when it came to matters of love.
"Teacher… I, I'm not hungry anymore…" Ling Xiao shrank back, looking at Shangguan Yutong's enchanting smile. He cursed inwardly: 'What a seductress!' He then thought gloomily, 'Is this really the perfect woman from the dreams of every teacher and student at the academy, the one who embodies "gentle, kind, beautiful, and virtuous?"' He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. 'You poor people, you've all been deceived!'
"Not hungry?" A half-smile played on Shangguan Yutong's captivating face. She suddenly raised her voice, "You'll eat it even if you're not hungry!" With that, she forcefully pushed the spoonful of congee into Ling Xiao's half-open mouth. Ling Xiao subconsciously closed his mouth, then licked the spoon with his tongue.
Two crimson blushes quickly rose on Shangguan Yutong's face. She cursed inwardly, 'Men! Not a single one of them is any good!'
She then fixed her long, charming eyes on Ling Xiao's and said, "Alright, you've eaten the congee I fed you, slept in my own bed, and used my priceless Magical Elixir! So, kid… tell me, how are you going to repay me?"
"..." Ling Xiao was speechless as he looked at Shangguan Yutong, taking in her light, pleasant scent. He truly didn't know how to answer her. Ling Xiao understood the principle of repaying a debt of gratitude, but this was the first time he'd ever encountered someone actively demanding repayment.
"Heehee, don't look so troubled." Shangguan Yutong's expression at that moment was just like a little devil's; she looked nothing like the gentle and virtuous lady she was in front of others. "I'm just very curious about the sword skill and cultivation technique you used to defeat Wulan Tuo. Ling Xiao, can you, please tell your teacher about it? Pretty please?" As she spoke, she leaned down and shook Ling Xiao's shoulders like a little girl. "And don't you dare tell me you fell into a brazier and burned it again!"
As Shangguan Yutong leaned over, her two high, full breasts revealed a patch of snowy white skin. Ling Xiao squeezed his eyes shut and said sullenly, "Teacher, how did you know?"
"You..." Furious, Shangguan Yutong pinched Ling Xiao's ear. "I'm like a sister to your sister, which naturally makes me your older sister too! You little brat, you're so stingy! I'm just a little curious, that's all. Would your teacher ever try to harm you?"
Ling Xiao felt the soft touch on his ear. In truth, Shangguan Yutong was only pretending to be rough. A warmth spread through his heart. 'It's true,' he thought. 'Ever since I met Shangguan Yutong, this vixen-like woman has been genuinely good to me, even if she isn't as gentle in private as she is in public.'
Ling Xiao sighed softly and said, "Divine-level."
"Ah..." Shangguan Yutong gasped, unconsciously letting go of Ling Xiao's ear. She stared at him, dumbstruck. "D-Divine-level?"
"I don't know either." The corners of Ling Xiao's mouth curved upward as he looked at Shangguan Yutong, his eyes full of amusement.
"How dare you fool me!" Just as Shangguan Yutong was about to erupt, Ling Xiao said with a helpless expression, "To be honest, I really don't know."