Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

Just then, a voice rang out from the Mirror of Inquiry, deep and alluring.

"Shi Shangxu, look, the girl you like doesn't belong to you alone. There are so many men around her, and you're just one of them."

The time and order of business remained silent.

The voice still echoed in his ears, continuing, "You like her, but she doesn't only like you. You can only stand here like a weak man, powerless."

He slowly closed his eyes, suppressing the emotion called jealousy in his heart.

He thought he wouldn't; he never envied anyone. But at this moment, the emotion in his heart was so real that he couldn't deny it.

I want to kill them all...

"Kill them all, then you'll be the only one left. You're a genius; you have the ability. Swing your sword!"

Shi Shangxu lowered his eyes and realized that he had unknowingly put his natal sword in his hand, and his wrist moved involuntarily.

He froze for a moment.

How could he have murderous intent just because someone else liked her?

this is not right.

To love someone is to let them go, to not disturb or entangle them.

"What's wrong?" The voice carried a strange laugh. "Don't you want to have her all to yourself? Those bullshit morals, justice, and gentlemanly virtues will only bind you. Forget them, pick up your sword, kill them, and then have her all to yourself, imprison her..."

"That's enough!"

Shi Shangxu took a deep breath and looked up at the small island. Luo Ning was still there, smiling. She was surrounded by people, her eyes bright and joyful.

"Even if I kill those people, she won't only see me because of it. Forced feelings are not what I want."

The voice paused for a moment, then spoke again, filled with resentment, "So you're willing to share a woman with someone else? To watch her fall for someone else? To spend time with another man? Are you willing to accept that?"

Shi Shangxu remained silent for a long time.

"I'm not reconciled."

A faint smile appeared in his eyes, and his tone was sincere.

"What can I do if I'm unwilling? My love isn't about possession, but about fulfillment. Forcing others to do things for my own selfish reasons is not the path I want to take."

"If she falls for someone else in the future, it must be because I'm not good enough or strong enough. I will never let her feelings for me diminish just because she doesn't choose me."

"As for... what she ultimately chooses? The choice is hers, and I respect every choice she makes, just as I respect my own heart."

"Alright~ You big idiot, there's hardly anyone else in the world willing to go to such lengths for you... Hahaha."

The sound gradually faded away.

The scene on Peach Blossom Island suddenly shattered, and the mist completely dissipated.

When he opened his eyes again, Shi Shangxu was already standing in the center of the square.

He looked down at his palms; he had almost lost control.

That illusion is truly bewitching.

Shi Shangxu bit his lower lip.

He looked up and searched through the crowd below, finally spotting her.

Luo Ning stood on tiptoe, looking up at the crowd at the edge of the square. When she saw herself, a smile immediately bloomed on her face.

The next moment, she pulled out a banner from somewhere, raised it high above her head, and waved it back and forth in the crowd.

It read, "My cousin will win! He's invincible!"

The banner was very eye-catching, drawing stares from those around her, but she was oblivious and continued waving it vigorously.

Shi Shangxu looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, and strode towards her.

"Did you pass?" she asked.

"Um."

"What were you thinking when you asked about your state of mind? What were the questions on the exam?"

Shi Shangxu looked at her and remained silent for a moment.

Then he said, "Exam...obsession?"

Yu Luoning exclaimed in surprise, "It can really see your obsessions? How accurate is it?"

Shi Shangxu replied, "It should be...it should be quite accurate."

Yu Luoning gave an "oh," looked at him, tilted her head, and asked gossipily, "Then would it be convenient for you to tell me what your obsession is? Or your test question?"

Once she accumulates 10 contribution points, she will be able to participate in the entrance exam. I wonder if she will encounter such strange questions then.

She naturally wanted to learn from the contestants who had solved the problems.

The air seemed to still out. Shi Shangxu remained silent, his clear, watery eyes fixed on her.

"I……"

He opened his mouth, the words stuck between his lips and teeth, and then he swallowed them back down.

"It's okay, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

Yu Luoning smiled, patted his shoulder, and said, "Come on, let's go see the others."

Shi Shangxu paused for a moment, then nodded.

On the other side, Jiang Yuxing was ejected from the illusion.

Jiang Yuxing knelt on one knee, barely supporting his body by leaning on his sword with one hand.

Those unfathomable eyes were now filled with gloom, and it was impossible to tell what they had seen in the illusion.

Even though he looked miserable, it didn't stop Yu Luoning from going over and mocking him.

She stood with her hands on her hips, laughing heartily. "Oh dear, Young Master Jiang, look at your face! Did you encounter something terrifying in the illusion? My cousin just passed through it with ease. His Dao heart is firm, unlike some people who are so fragile!"

Jiang Yuxing stared at Yu Luoning's dark eyes, a cold glint in them.

Yu Luoning was not afraid at all; on the contrary, she laughed even more heartily.

Shi Shangxu's status as an initiation disciple is already a done deal, and as a relative, she can naturally stay in the sect.

The first ironclad rule of Dongbao Shangzong is that disciples of the sect must not kill each other.

She wasn't afraid of Jiang Yuxing at all.

Shi Shangxu: "You don't seem to like Young Master Jiang?"

Yu Luoning turned to look at him, blinked, and said, "No, I just don't like rotten cucumbers."

"Rotten... cucumber?" Shi Shangxu frowned slightly, clearly not understanding how Jiang Yuxing was associated with rotten cucumbers.

Yu Luoning suddenly laughed, glanced at his lower body, blew a lewd whistle, then put his hands behind his back and quickly walked towards the outer edge of the square.

Shi Shangxu was a few steps behind, his brows furrowed, not understanding.

As his gaze fell downwards, a sudden flash of inspiration exploded in his mind.

A wave of shame and embarrassment suddenly washed over me.

Then his cheeks gradually became hot, spreading from his ears to his entire face.

"Luoning!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Luoning ran away quickly, then turned back and playfully teased, "Cousin, who told you to pry into things like this?"

Shi Shangxu quickly caught up, her face still flushed, and tried to keep her voice steady: "Did he do something bad to you?"

"No, it's just that he's a toad trying to eat swan meat. I don't think much of him, that's all."

Shi Shangxu was silent for a moment, then his expression turned serious.

He didn't say anything more, but walked beside Yu Luoning, slowing his pace slightly, silently protecting her on the inside.

In the center of the square, the test of spiritual roots began.

The so-called spiritual root testing is nothing more than a formality. Everyone who can stand here has already embarked on cultivation and has long since had their spiritual root tested.

The purpose of this spiritual root test is actually to check whether the candidates are innocent, such as whether their consciousness is clean and whether they have been marked by someone.

After all these checks are completed, students will be assigned to different peaks based on their talents, and the elders will then select their disciples.

Yu Luoning mingled among the relatives and friends, tiptoeing to look ahead. Several examinees ahead of her had already finished their tests. The elders from each peak glanced at her but didn't say anything.

The candidates stood nervously on the other side.

When it was Shi Shangxu's turn, he stepped forward and placed his hand on the spirit stone.

The next moment, the spirit stone suddenly lit up, its gold and light green colors intertwined, its light being several levels brighter than anyone else's. For a moment, the square was silent as everyone looked over. A short while later, the spirit stone exploded.

"It's actually a Yin-Yang Water Spiritual Root, the legendary Profound Nether Heavy Water?"

Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, Shi Shangxu silently withdrew his hand.

At the same time, several voices rang out in the room.

"We at Jianfeng have our eye on this young man. Everyone, don't try to take him from us."

"Screw you! This kid is perfect for our Dan Ding Peak!"

"Little one, come to Beast Taming Peak, and I'll give you a water dragon as your spirit pet, how about it?"

Suddenly, several elders spoke at the same time, and the atmosphere became subtle.

Yu Luoning stood in the crowd, watching this scene, and silently gave Shi Shangxu a thumbs up in her heart. A fool, but a useful fool.

With Shi Shangxu's talent, wouldn't he be able to thrive once he enters the inner sect? What kind of cultivation technique could he master so easily?

Ideally, he could cultivate the techniques of several peaks simultaneously: in the morning, he could practice swordsmanship at Sword Peak; in the afternoon, he could practice formations at Array Peak; and in the evening, he could go to Medicine Peak to learn pharmacology...

Hehe, then I'll enjoy the bliss of having two wives. After he finishes his hard-earned exams and gets his certificate, I'll just stick my arm around him and start the one-click copy-and-get-free mode.

Thinking of this, Yu Luoning's smile almost stretched to the back of her ears.