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

Shi Shangxu left in a hurry, walking too fast, and didn't even notice the shadowy figure in the dark.

When we returned to Sword Peak, it was just beginning to get light.

The pale blue under his eyes was particularly striking in the morning mist.

Suddenly, three figures appeared before them.

Shi Shangxu was slightly taken aback.

"Yo~"

"Yo yo~"

"Yo yo yo~ Our hardworking little bee junior brother is back."

"Back from picking flowers again~"

Most of the disciples at Sword Peak are male, burly and rough, and they often make lewd remarks.

Having spent time with these senior brothers, Shi Shangxu already knew what kind of scoundrels they were.

I made a point of rushing back this morning while it was still gloomy, but I didn't expect to be caught red-handed.

Shi Shangxu looked helpless as he met the teasing gazes of his three senior brothers. He forced a smile and greeted them, "Good morning... good morning."

"What's so early, junior brother? You've been out all night, what kind of flowers did you gather? What kind of dew did you drink?"

"In my opinion, junior brother, you should go to the Hall of Affairs to register as soon as possible, bring your precious cousin back to be your Daoist partner, and have her live with you at the sect. This will save you from having to work so hard every night."

The pockmarked senior brother on the far right sighed, his face full of envy: "Senior brother, you're so lucky. You're so young and already have a beautiful woman by your side. Unlike us, who are stuck with broken copper and rotten swords as wives. Ugh, it's so frustrating to compare yourself to others."

Shi Shangxu was speechless and just wanted to get away as soon as possible.

He had just taken half a step when he abruptly stopped.

He turned back and said solemnly, "Senior brothers, I'm really worried about my cousin being alone in the outer sect. You are all knowledgeable and experienced; do you have any powerful restrictions or life-saving magic treasures to recommend? I'm willing to trade them for whatever they cost."

The three exchanged glances, and the round and honest-looking senior brother, Duan Tianya, smiled and said, "I do have one of those treasures you mentioned, called the Heart-to-Heart Bell. As long as one end is activated, the other end will respond. Although the range is limited, it's more than enough to cover the distance from the inner sect to the outer sect."

Upon hearing this, Shi Shangxu's eyes lit up slightly. "That would indeed be perfect. I wonder if Senior Brother Duan would be willing to part with it? I'm willing to pay a hefty price for it."

"Hey, are we brothers making a big deal out of money? You wanted this to protect your little cousin, so she's practically our little cousin too. Since she's like family, why not give her to you?"

Shi Shangxu was overjoyed and was about to bow in thanks when Duan Tianya burst into laughter.

"Hey? Don't thank me yet. When you have your grand ceremony, remember to prepare some fine Jade Dew wine. Treat your brothers to a good drink."

Shi Shangxu's ears turned slightly red as he said earnestly, "If that day ever comes, I will definitely treat my fellow disciples to a good drink and not leave until we're all drunk."

Meanwhile, on the other side, at the outer gate.

When Yu Luoning woke up, she found that Shi Shangxu was already gone.

She yawned lazily and strolled into the yard, ready to stretch her muscles.

The aunt from the next courtyard came over excitedly, her face full of gossip.

"Miss Luo, did you sleep well last night?"

Yu Luoning: "It's fine."

"It's good to be young. This morning, I saw your cousin walking away; he was practically flying with every step."

"Um... he still has inner sect classes."

The older woman looked at her, then suddenly lowered her voice, saying earnestly, "Your cousin is such a talented and handsome man; he's highly sought after in the inner sect. You'd better keep a close eye on him. Even those cunning little vixens in the outer sect are always eyeing disciples with extraordinary talents like him."

"Don't think I'm being nosy, I've been there."

Yu Luoning gave an awkward laugh.

She thought to herself that she wasn't worried about other women, but rather about when she could copy all the techniques from him and then conquer the next one.

The aunt was about to continue babbling on and on, but Yu Luoning just smiled and brushed her off, though her eyes were already wandering far away.

After finishing her morning exercise, Yu Luoning returned to her room, sat cross-legged on the bed, emptied her Qiankun bag, and began to take stock of her possessions.

During this time, she has accumulated a lot of valuable knowledge.

On Shattered Soul Slope, the Mountain-Suppressing Beast Transport Team earned a batch of spirit stones and various treasures. Yesterday, Shi Shangxu delivered another pile, including Youth Preservation Pills, Foundation Establishment Pills, high-grade spirit stones, and several other trinkets whose names she couldn't recall. They were piled on the bed, looking quite impressive.

He carefully counted them one by one, and finally counted the top-grade spirit stones separately, finding a total of two thousand.

Yu Luoning's heart pounded as she looked at the pile of treasures.

She wouldn't feel at ease carrying it on her person.

Although the Qiankun Bag is useful, it is ultimately at risk of being stolen, especially by those with high-level cultivation, who can actually see through the contents of a low-level cultivator's Qiankun Bag.

These things can't be left here any longer.

She lowered her head and looked at the jade bracelet on her wrist; the starry sky jade bracelet was a gift from Xing Qi.

She had always wanted to find an opportunity to get revenge, but the Star-Picking Palace had laid a trap, and if she tried to escape through the air, she would be courting death.

Since that's the case, it's fine to use the savings function for now.

She stored the spirit stones and valuables into the jade bracelet's space.

Unconsciously, the movements of his hands slowed down, his eyes were fixed on the patterns on the jade bracelet, and his thoughts drifted far away.

I wonder how Xing'er is doing now.

The sect is guarding the Star-Picking Palace.

That child is innocent and naive; I don't know if he can handle it.

Yu Luoning rested her chin on her hand and thought for a while before reaching out to take the Spirit Conch from the jade bracelet space and placing it in her palm.

The star pendant hanging from the conch shell lit up, and she tapped it three times.

The conch shell glowed, and a familiar voice rang out, filled with undisguised joy.