If I stay in the Hehuan Sect, I'll live off the pampered daughters of the Heavenly Pride Sect.

Guo Zixuan interrupted her directly, his tone becoming increasingly cold.

"Qinghan, you need to understand one thing."

Water flows downhill, people strive for higher positions.

"You and I are no longer from the same world. I'm about to break through to the late stage of Core Formation, while you... heh."

His soft chuckle pierced Xiao Qinghan's heart like a knife.

"This outcome is good for both of us."

"Don't hang yourself on my tree anymore."

Mo Chengyue listened intently from the crowd, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Awesome!

These lines, this face—it's practically a textbook example of a villain!

He followed the clichéd plots of countless online novels he had read in his previous life.

This Senior Sister Xiao has suffered such a great humiliation today, but tomorrow she will activate her golden finger.

They made a series of comebacks and slapped each other in the face, finally trampling this Guo guy under their feet.

Mo Chengyue silently lit a candle for his senior brother Guo.

Have a good trip, and don't bother seeing me off.

In the main hall, Xiao Qinghan stared intently at Guo Zixuan, and the last glimmer of hope in her eyes finally died out.

She took a deep breath and straightened her seemingly fragile spine.

"Guo Zixuan, are you serious?"

Guo Zixuan met her gaze and nodded without any hesitation.

Xiao Qinghan's eyes quickly filled with tears, but she held them back and didn't let them fall.

She spoke with all her might, word by word.

"it is good."

"Today, I will do as you say."

Her voice echoed throughout the entire hall and reached the ears of everyone outside.

"I, Xiao Qinghan, hereby announce!"

"The engagement with Guo Zixuan, a disciple of Tianquan Peak, is dissolved!"

From now on, you go your way, and I'll go mine! We'll have nothing to do with each other's marriages!

Guo Zixuan seemed surprised that she would be so resolute, and a look of astonishment flashed across his face.

"Qinghan, why...why did you have to make things so ugly?"

"Senior Brother Guo."

The way Xiao Qinghan was addressed instantly became distant and cold.

"Please stop calling me so intimately, I can't accept that."

Guo Zixuan's face turned pale and then red, and in the end he could only sigh.

"Oh, Junior Sister Xiao, this is fine too."

As he spoke, he took out a warm, smooth jade pendant carved with a bluebird from his pocket and handed it over.

"This is the token of love you gave me back then. Now, it's being returned to its rightful owner."

Xiao Qinghan reached out her slightly trembling hand and accepted the jade pendant.

His body heat still lingered on the jade pendant.

But the temperature made her feel incredibly cold.

She gripped the jade pendant tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She then turned to face the crowd outside the hall, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority.

"Everyone, please leave."

"The farce is over!"

After saying that, she didn't look at Guo Zixuan again and turned to walk into the depths of the main hall.

That figure, though seemingly lost and dejected, also carried a sense of solitary desolation, preferring to shatter like jade rather than remain intact like a broken tile.

As Xiao Qinghan's solitary figure disappeared into the depths of the hall, the crowd of onlookers snapped out of their daze, and the buzzing of discussion resumed.

Guo Zixuan stood there, his expression shifting.

He looked down at his empty palm, where the warm, smooth feel of the jade pendant still seemed to linger.

He forced a smile at the few familiar disciples around him.

"Now that the matter is settled, it's time to leave this place of trouble."

After saying that, he turned and left in a hurry, with a hint of dishevelment that was barely perceptible.

He snorted in his heart.

Qinghan, I hope you can find the right path for yourself.

Don't blame me, blame the world.

……

At a high point on Yingtian Peak, stands the Wangfeng Pavilion.

A biting mountain wind blew, causing Xiao Qinghan's long blue dress to flutter loudly.

This made her figure appear even more slender, as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

She stood there quietly, clutching the bluebird jade pendant tightly in her hand.

His gaze was fixed on the distant mountains shrouded in a sea of ​​clouds, his eyes vacant.

Just then, a gentle figure appeared silently behind her.

The newcomer was a beautiful woman who still retained her charm, dressed in palace attire.

A faint sorrow lingered between her brows, and her gaze towards Xiao Qinghan was filled with pity and heartache.

"Qing'er, if I step in to help you handle this, there should still be room for maneuver."

The woman's voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable power.

Xiao Qinghan snapped out of her daze, turned around, and bowed slightly to the beautiful woman.

"Thank you, Master."

"But I don't want to trouble Master any further. This matter was within my expectations."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried a hint of stubbornness.

"However, after it actually happened, I was a little unaccustomed to it."

She gave a self-deprecating laugh, a laugh that was more painful than tears.

"I think he probably suffered a lot of pressure because of me."

"You."

The beautiful woman sighed, stepped forward, and gently stroked her long hair.

That's just his personality; even now, he's still thinking about others.

"The rights and wrongs in the cultivation world are not much different from those in the mortal world."

"Besides, people's hearts are fickle, so it's best to think more about yourself."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. Qing'er will obey your instructions."

Xiao Qinghan lowered her head.

"But this time, I'm troubling Master with his guidance again."

"What are you saying?"

The beautiful woman's eyes were full of love.

"To me, you are my child. What mother in the world would abandon her children?"

"Practice diligently."

She changed the subject, her expression becoming serious.

"Ever since your water-attribute celestial spiritual root was taken away, you have still been able to rely on your existing cultivation."

"Forcibly consolidating the foundation in the early stages is truly no easy feat."

"I have investigated over the years how you can resume your cultivation and continue to improve your realm. There are only two methods."

Xiao Qinghan's eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly dimmed again.

"One option is to re-transplant the spiritual root."

The beautiful woman shook her head.

"But finding a water-attribute celestial spiritual root that perfectly matches you is incredibly difficult, I'm afraid..."

"Moreover, transplanting spiritual roots is extremely risky; the slightest mistake could lead to death and the annihilation of one's cultivation."

"What about the other kind?"

Xiao Qinghan pressed for an answer.

"Another way is to cultivate using ancient methods."

The beautiful woman explained.

"Although this cultivation method progresses slowly in the early stages, it lays an incredibly solid foundation."

"Once they achieve something, their future path may be longer than that of cultivators who use spiritual roots as their cultivation system."

"Countless people in ancient times have become immortals, but in this world today, very few people have become immortals through the cultivation of spiritual roots."

"Although your spiritual root has been taken away and your meridians have been damaged, the ancient method emphasizes cleansing the meridians and marrow to rebuild your foundation, which can help you repair your damaged meridians."

Hope rekindled in Xiao Qinghan's eyes.

"Then please tell Qing'er, Master, what are the specific ancient cultivation methods?"

The beautiful woman looked embarrassed when this was mentioned.

"It's embarrassing to admit."

"In order to keep up with the times, our clan carried out sweeping reforms."

"Almost all ancient methods have been shelved, and now it seems that the tradition has been lost."

"Currently, only a few cultivators in the sect are still using the ancient cultivation methods passed down from our Hehuan Sect."

"That is... the method of dual cultivation."

Upon hearing the words "dual cultivation," Xiao Qinghan's face turned deathly pale.

Even the beautiful woman found it difficult to talk about.

"This method of dual cultivation... is indeed difficult to describe."

"However, the mysteries of this technique are immense."

"I only heard the Supreme Elder mention it once; it is the supreme method that directly points to the Great Dao."

Looking at her disciple's pale face, she added with a pang of pity.

"Of course, other sects in the world should also have preserved some ancient cultivation methods, perhaps..."

"Perhaps I can swallow my pride and ask them for help."

"We have already troubled Master with Qing'er's matter."

Xiao Qinghan immediately interrupted her master, straightening her spine.

"There's no need for Master to compromise with other sects for my sake when it comes to asking for favors."

"Qing'er thanks Master."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resolute.

From an angle unseen by her master, her hands were clenched into tight fists.

The ancient practice of the Hehuan Sect, the art of dual cultivation...

"Alright, I'll listen to Qing'er then."

The beautiful woman looked at her with pity.

"By the way, Qing'er, the sect's Wanqi Mountain weapon-finding trial will begin in half a month."

"After your Light Cloud Sword was shattered in that secret realm, you haven't had a suitable weapon."

"Let's try again at Wanqi Mountain; it might be a lucky break."

"Yes, Master."

"Qing'er, I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave first. Don't be discouraged; try to think positively about everything."

The beautiful woman gave her final words of advice, then transformed into a streak of rainbow and flew away on her sword.

When Master's aura completely disappeared into the sky.

Xiao Qinghan slowly opened her palm and looked at the jade pendant carved with a bluebird.