Mortal: Joining the Star Palace at the Start

"Brother, hurry up and accept it, what are you dawdling for?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Qing raised his head, looking at Ling Yuling with deep affection, but hesitated to speak.

Ling Yuling felt shy under Ji Qing's gaze, her heart pounding. She turned her head away and whispered:

"What are you looking at?"

Ling Yuling's face gradually turned red, her ears burning hot. Combined with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, she was absolutely gorgeous.

Ji Qing was momentarily lost in thought, but quickly came to her senses.

"Ling'er, you really are a little different from usual today."

"Really...really? What...how is it different? Have I gotten uglier?"

"It's not that I've become uglier, it's that..."

As Ji Qing spoke, he reached out and touched Ling Yuling's chin, then, under Ling Yuling's shy gaze, he gently lifted her chin:

"Your eyes are so beautiful."

"My brother is so naughty!"

Ling Yuling quickly turned her head away, feeling very flustered and not daring to look at Ji Qing.

Ji Qing touched her nose and smiled, saying gently:

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Since this is Ling'er's heartfelt gift, then I'll accept it for now."

"When your cultivation level becomes stronger, I'll definitely give you a huge surprise."

"Huh? A surprise? What surprise?"

Ji Qing patted Ling Yuling's little head affectionately and said:

"You can't tell me about the surprise, or it won't be fun."

"Oh? Is that so? Well... okay then, I won't say."

Ling Yuling was clearly overjoyed, her little hands clenched tightly, showing great anticipation.

"Brother, now that I've given you the things, I'll be leaving now."

If I linger too long and get spotted by law enforcement, they'll probably accuse me of breaking the rules again.

Ji Qing nodded:

"Alright, in that case, be careful on the road. If you encounter any monsters you can't defeat, run away as soon as possible, understand?"

"Yeah, I know."

After saying goodbye to Ji Qing, Ling Yuling then piloted the flying shuttle away.

As Ji Qing watched Ling Yuling's departing figure, the smile on his face gradually faded, and he sighed:

"Sigh, what a kind-hearted silly girl."

After saying that, Ji Qing took out the scroll and looked at it. Once he found a suitable target, he turned around and left.

...........

And so, a month passed in the blink of an eye after this incident.

In the course of this month, Ji Qing killed more than thirty demonic beasts with the help of the scroll in his hand.

Now, the number of demonic beasts in his storage bag, including those belonging to Ling Yuling, the fortune-bringing boy Lin Xuanye, and Zhang Mo, has reached fifty-six.

Therefore, the champion of this hunting competition is self-evident.

He is absolutely the only one who can do it.

"Oh, what a pity."

I was so close to becoming the champion, it's such a shame.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's daytime now, what are you daydreaming about? You were able to slay a three-headed demon beast, that's really a stroke of good luck, your ancestors must have blessed you."

The young man picked his teeth and sneered:

"With your level, you think you can win the championship? Bah! Do you know that there's a freak in the Qi Refining group? The number of monsters he's killed is something you could never achieve in your entire life."

Upon hearing this, Tian Jing replied indifferently:

"You don't know anything. I just had an off day and accidentally let him win."

Next year, I will prove everything with my abilities.

"Tch, next year? It's hard to say whether there will even be a hunting festival next year."

As the two were talking, someone came up behind Tian Jing. The young man saw this and frantically exchanged knowing glances.

But Tian Jing seemed to have a screw loose; not only did she not see it, she pointed at his eyes and retorted:

"What's wrong? Did you get sand in your eye?"

The young man covered his face with his hands, thinking to himself that this guy was hopeless.

He has given up now.

Tian Jing continued talking to himself:

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with that expression?"

As the saying goes, spiritual practice is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you'll fall behind.

"As long as I'm willing to work hard, I'll be able to surpass that person one day."

"Oh? Really? What's your name?"

"Me? I am Tian Jing, and you can call me Sixth Brother from now on."

Hmm? Something's not right?

Tian Jing felt the voice was familiar, so he quickly turned around. When he saw who it was, he felt like he wanted to die.

"So...it's Fellow Daoist Ji and the Young Palace Master! What a coincidence! When did you arrive? How come I didn't know?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Qing patted Tian Jing on the shoulder and said with a smile:

"Sixth Brother, I arrived a while ago, you just didn't notice."

"You don't know, I've been listening here for most of the day."

"Oh? Is that so? Haha."

Tian Jing was secretly annoyed and glared at the young man, as if to say, "Why didn't you tell me Ji Qing was coming? Are you even a good brother anymore?"

Tian Jing scratched his head:

"Fellow Daoist Ji, you are too kind to me. To address me as 'brother' is an insult to my status. I cannot accept such an honor."

"Oh? What's so special about that? It's just empty fame. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?'"

And you're right, spiritual practice is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind.

As a cultivator, one should aspire to be higher than the heavens and strive to be the best.

So what you said really enlightened me, and I should thank you a lot here.

After saying this, Ji Qing gave Tian Jing a kind smile and then left with Ling Yuling.

Has he left?

Tian Jing was still shaken; he had thought he was going to be punished.

But it turned out he was overthinking it.

Tian Jing began to rub his hands together in anticipation:

"You little bastard, you've got some nerve! You've been watching me make a fool of myself, haven't you? Are you even my brother anymore?"

"Brother, wait a minute. If possible, I'd like to be a good person."

"I'll be your grandpa!"

..........

Now that the hunting tournament has ended, they should gather in Star Palace Square according to the rules.

It is worth mentioning that both Saints will appear at this gathering.

If you perform well, it will definitely be a great opportunity to make your name known.

So Ji Qing led Ling Yuling through layers of corridors and finally stopped at the very front of the Star Palace Square.

Here, he met many disciples of the Nascent Soul sect.

"Fellow Daoist Ji has finally arrived."

The person who spoke was named Zheng Xuan, a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and the grandson of a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stage.

"I've finally waited for Fellow Daoist Ji. Fellow Daoist Ji, you may not know, but I've been waiting for you for so long."

Oh?

wait for me?

What's this guy up to now?

Ji Qing's expression remained unchanged, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, I am not here to cause you any trouble."

The main reason I came to see you is to make your acquaintance.

I wonder if you would do me the honor of joining me at the Drunken Moon Pavilion.

Upon hearing this, Ji Qing fell into deep thought.

Seeing Ji Qing like this, Zheng Xuan slowly approached Ji Qing and whispered:

"Fellow Daoist Ji, there's no need to worry. I'm not the only one who wants to make friends with fellow Daoists this time; there are many others."