Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 156 Spiritual Fruit (Combined)

"Song Yan?!"

His brows furrowed, and he realized something was wrong.

Coincidentally, this person happened to be watching the battle between Song Yan and Kong You on the sword-fighting platform that day.

The three sword flashes left Kong You, a Qi Refining Level 8 cultivator, utterly helpless; he still vividly remembers that scene.

"Oh? Someone actually recognized me?"

To be honest, Xiao Song was secretly quite pleased.

However, the powerful cultivator did not hesitate at all and immediately threw three talismans at Song Yan.

Then, he took off running.

Boom boom boom!
The explosions of three flames in succession caused shockwaves to rise in the ancient forest, startling a flock of crows and sparrows.

Meanwhile, the builder took advantage of the shockwave and smoke from the explosion to escape into the distance.

"No chance of winning!"

He has been in the immortal sect for nine years now, and he has no particularly outstanding qualities. However, he has one thing that has allowed him to avoid suffering losses.

That is self-awareness.

This kind of person is simply not someone I can defeat.

However, even though he made what he believed to be the right choice with the fastest reaction, it seems he still cannot escape the inevitable outcome.

Amidst the sound of the wind, a gentle, soft laugh suddenly rang out.

"Hehe, senior brother, we hit it off immediately, why are you in such a hurry to leave..."

Before he could finish speaking, a warm hand was already on his shoulder.

"Since we're about to part ways, let me, your junior brother, see you off."

Even though this person had prepared for a great battle, he was now so terrified that his face turned ashen.

The hand that Song Yan had placed on his shoulder, with sword energy surging within its wide sleeve, effortlessly extinguished the three flames driven by the talisman.

She casually tore apart his protective aura, but without harming herself.

This means that the other party is not afraid of a sudden counterattack from close range.

He roared inwardly in fear, "Is it really that strong?!"

Is it really that powerful?
Actually it is not.

As the saying goes, when two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave one wins. If he were to have a one-on-one fight with Song Yan, he would have a good chance.

So even if we ultimately fail, there will never be such a drastic, overwhelming difference.

The reason for this perception is that he wanted to avoid confrontation from the very beginning.

In the face of a swordsman, all one could do was try to escape...

Then it seems there's not much difference between that and sending someone to their death.

The jade pendant at Song Yan's waist had been severed by a surge of sword energy and was now in his hand. A spiritual pattern emerged from it, tracing a graceful arc in the air before merging into Song Yan's jade pendant.

This jade pendant is specially made and cannot be put into a Qiankun bag. Once you get it, you can eliminate your opponent.

Almost at the same moment, the cultivator's figure disappeared into the secret realm.

Then, he appeared in the plaza at the summit of Wiping Sword Peak.

"..."

His expression was somewhat blank, as if he couldn't believe it, and it took him a long time to recover.

He stood there, thinking it over and over, and could only attribute this sudden defeat to bad luck.

"Bad luck..."

The scenes that occurred in the Sword-Wiping Realm of the Lesser Heaven were projected onto the Sword-Debating Platform and the sky above the other four mountain peaks, for all the cultivators, disciples, and elders to watch.

However, the restrictions have not yet been tightened and are too extensive, so small-scale battles that occur on the periphery are difficult to attract attention.

Seeing that few people were paying attention to his helpless situation, the skilled cultivator quickly went to the spectator stands and found a corner to sit down.

He then focused his gaze, searching for Song Yan's figure within the illusion.

……

After Song Yan properly saw off his unfamiliar senior brother, the spiritual numbers on the jade pendant at his waist had changed.

"two."

Unfortunately, when he took out the map again, the other monk's mark had disappeared.

It seems to be a fellow disciple of the war-avoiding faction, who has probably already moved far away from this area.

It doesn't matter, his destination is that lake anyway.

The lake is not far from the center of the area, making it a suitable temporary stop.

Within the Sword Wiping Realm, besides the spiritual objects that already existed, the sect elders also placed something particularly interesting within it.

Special teleportation talisman.

There aren't many of these, but they can appear anywhere within the entire Sword Wiping Area.

Its function is that after the talisman is activated, it can immediately teleport the person wearing the talisman to any safe area within the restricted area.

The main purpose is to allow disciples with lower cultivation levels to survive longer within the cave realm.

If you are lucky enough to obtain this talisman, you can escape in an emergency if you encounter danger.

Song Yan also wanted to look around to see if he could get one.

This isn't just for the weak; he had a different idea about it.

Imagine, once the restriction shrinks to its smallest area, it will be inevitable that you will encounter many senior brothers who are in the late stage of Qi Refining.

With such a special teleportation talisman, one can quickly escape from the chaos of battle and regroup in a short time.

"..."

Looking back on the powerful figures who participated in the sword-wielding contest, he actually wanted to have a proper fight with each and every one of them.

But if we're talking about the people he's met in the sect, who do you think is the most unfathomable?

The first thing that came to his mind was the face of a young girl.

Xiang Zhaoling.

The scene of the two Qi Refining Level 7 and Level 8 cultivators outside Lingxifang dying instantly flashed before my eyes.

With his current two sword styles and natal flying sword, he felt he could challenge any of the disciples, but he was unsure of himself against this person.

"If I were to face those two now, could I be as decisive and efficient as they are?"

If one were to use true sword energy, perhaps it would be barely possible.

But it was definitely not as relaxed and carefree as the other party's.

The spirit insects and beasts that the other party controlled were all extraordinary.

The scariest thing is that it seems no one understands her strength.

Other cultivators within the sect, in their speculation about the so-called top twelve disciples, seemed never to have mentioned this person.

"...If we really have to face this person in the Cave Heaven Realm, we need to be careful."

He composed himself, looked around to get his bearings, and then walked away.

The sword-testing competition had just begun, the restrictions had not yet started to shrink, and there were no other cultivators' marks around.

Song Yan didn't even use Ling Yunyi, and just walked slowly towards the lake.

"Just how big is this grotto-heaven realm...?"

"A thousand people entered, but they could hardly find anyone around them."

"Truly miraculous..."

……

Dongtianjing, Qingjiangping.

On the once quiet banks of Qingjiang River, more than a dozen figures were engaged in a chaotic battle.

"Junior sister of Lotus Nether Peak, don't let those bastards from Sitting in Oblivion Peak steal our spiritual fruits!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?! We were the ones who discovered this Vermilion Fruit first! What business is it of yours? Stop trying to curry favor with us!"

The cultivators from Zuowang Peak also refused to back down: "Don't waste words with them, let's see who's stronger!"

"Junior Sister Wu! You have already picked one spiritual fruit. The three of us should each take one. Why must we fight like this?!"

"Stop barking! It's all ours!"

The female cultivator from Lianyou Peak had a rather fiery temper and showed no intention of backing down.

Not only did he swear, but his curses became increasingly offensive. Even the most composed cultivator from Tongchen Peak couldn't help but feel anger rising within him.

In an instant, magic spells flew and magical artifacts danced on Qingjiangping.

However, although the fighting among these dozen or so people was dazzling, they deliberately avoided a certain spot by the lake.

Three identical spiritual herbs grew together in one place.

On two of the plants, each hung a bright red fruit.

This is a spiritual fruit produced by a spiritual flower called "Yu Ji".

This sacred fruit is also commonly known as the Beauty Fruit.

This fruit has a remarkable origin, and there's even a rumor, the veracity of which is uncertain. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a divine couple in the cultivation world of the Chu Kingdom.

However, for some reason, one of the male cultivators was forced to his death by his enemies on the banks of the Wujiang River.

The female cultivator refused to live on her own and committed suicide by drinking from her sword.

Both of them were great cultivators. Their blood was spilled on the banks of the Wujiang River, and the unknown flowers that originally grew there were nourished and underwent many changes.

To commemorate the female cultivator, the flower was named after her, namely "Yu Ji", commonly known as the poppy.

The poppy is a treasure from head to toe.

Whether it's flower petals, spiritual fruits, nectar, or even grass leaves, they are all indispensable materials for refining the Youth Preservation Pill.

Among them, the spiritual fruit and nectar cannot even be replaced by other herbs with the same medicinal properties.

Therefore, it is extremely expensive.

The poppy flower and its fruit were also renowned sacred flowers in other parts of the Chu Kingdom.

After all, a single elixir can preserve youth for ten years.

Female monks are rarely carefree enough to be completely indifferent to their appearance.

Among male cultivators, there are quite a few who pay attention to their appearance and demeanor.

In the world of cultivation, the price of such elixirs that can preserve one's appearance is always extremely high.

In fact, it's often a situation where there's a price but no market for it.

Each of these Beauty Fruits fetches a market auction price of approximately 420 spirit stones.

There are three of them here.

One of them had already fallen into the Qiankun bag of the female cultivator from Lianyou Peak.

"Screw rustle..."

"Screw rustle..."

While the fight raged on, three figures emerged from the bushes not far away.

"Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Sun."

Gu Qingqing asked softly, "When should we make our move?"

Li Qingfeng raised his hand, signaling her to calm down: "No rush, let's observe further..."

"Oh."

"..."

Sun Zhengfu, however, was feeling rather uneasy.

He felt that a real man should be upright and righteous, and that it seemed inappropriate for him to hide in the shadows and prepare to launch a sneak attack.

"Uh... Junior Brother Li."

Sun Zhengfu hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke up: "How about we go find Junior Brother Song first..."

There are no rules about whether or not to form teams for sword wiping, but generally speaking, disciples with lower cultivation levels usually travel in groups.

The reason is simple: they have little chance of getting a high ranking, and they just want to stay in this small cave realm a little longer to collect some precious spiritual items.

"Old Song? What do you want with him..."

Sun Zhengfu was somewhat puzzled: "That's because the four of us traveling together can look after each other."

Li Qingfeng pondered, his expression somewhat conflicted.

He then waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's not go with Lao Song."

“Why…why is this?”

Li Qingfeng sighed, "This kid is really strange. He's only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, but I have a feeling he could go toe-to-toe with an inner disciple at the ninth level of Qi Refining..."

"Perhaps he can actually give it a try and break into the top twenty-two."

Gu Qingqing recalled the figure on the sword-fighting stage that day and nodded in agreement: "I think so too. I believe in Senior Brother Song."

A glimmer of hope appeared in Li Qingfeng's eyes.

"We'd better not hold him back..."

He sighed softly: "If we really approach him, given his character, he will definitely want to help us."

"This sword-wielding contest is packed with powerful figures... If we were to worry about our safety, it would only be a burden to him."

Sun Zhengfu was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

Li Qingfeng was right.

No matter how they tried to refuse, they would act together, and with Junior Brother Song Yan's chivalrous heart, he would surely take care of them in every way.

But he was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining!

It is already quite an achievement that he can stand on such a stage and compete with those geniuses and strong players.

If we were to spend even more time and effort paying attention to these friends, it would probably be too much of a hassle.

Suddenly, Li Qingfeng seemed to remember something, became somewhat agitated, slapped his thigh, and startled Sun Zhengfu and Gu Qingqing.

"Besides, which one of us brothers is mediocre?"

"We can't always rely on Lao Song to help us..."

These words stirred a competitive spirit in even the usually rigid and upright Sun Zhengfu.

"Well said."

"That's right!"

"so……"

Li Qingfeng raised a finger, looking quite serious.

"If we run into Old Song, not only will we not act with him, but we'll also show him that we're not cowards either!"

Gu Qingqing nodded repeatedly, her expression full of determination.

She seemed to be ignited by Li Qingfeng's words: "That's right! We must let Senior Brother Song know that Qingqing is not a coward either!"

Gu Qingqing clenched her fists, her heart filled with determination.

Although she admired Senior Brother Song, she didn't want to always be treated as a junior sister who needed protection.

"Good! Very energetic!"

"Senior Brother Li, what should we do?"

"Let's think of a way to trick him! Let him know how treacherous the world can be!"

"Okay! Let's..."

"..."

"what?"

Gu Qingqing was taken aback.

She turned her head and looked at Sun Zhengfu beside her, as if seeking his opinion.

Brother Sun also turned to look at Gu Qingqing, both of them staring at each other, not knowing what nonsense Li Qingfeng was spouting.

"Senior Brother Li... can we beat Senior Brother Song?"

Li Qingfeng's face darkened, knowing he was deliberately bringing up a sore spot: "Tsk, if I say you're stupid, then you're not smart."

"?"

"Who said we were going to hit him?"

Immediately, Sun Zhengfu was the first to react: "You mean, use that thing?"

"Oh!"

Gu Qingqing also realized something.

"Exactly."

Li Qingfeng smiled sinisterly: "When we meet him..."

He took out a red talisman that glowed with spiritual light from his Qiankun bag.

"Let's find an opportunity to stick this on him and pass it on to him directly."

“Wow~”

The two of them exchanged glances and spoke in unison, as if their plan to prank Lao Song had been a complete success.

Sun Zhengfu was also affected by the strange atmosphere and chuckled softly.

He grew up under the extremely "upright" education of his parents, and he always had to be able to clearly distinguish right from wrong.

However, he did not feel uncomfortable about the "conspiracy" planned by Li Qingfeng.

"It's good that Junior Brother Song can be teleported to a safe area, avoiding premature depletion of his energy..."

This is perhaps how he and his junior brother Song interact as friends.

The three worked enthusiastically to refine the details of the "conspiracy," ensuring that every step was assigned to an individual.

Just then, the dispute on Qingjiangping seemed to be coming to an end.

Thank you everyone for your monthly tickets, subscriptions, and recommendations! Thank you so much!



(End of this chapter)