Forced to become a pure and innocent female pharmacist in order to cultivate immortality.

He Zhiqi didn't dare to resist anymore and quickly retreated because he knew that this Cloud Soaring Technique would only last for a minute at most, after which Li Jianxin would be unable to fight anymore.

He just wanted to give Li Jianxin a hard time, not get hurt, but Li Jianxin didn't give him that chance.

"Heavenly Cloud Sword Technique - Wind Follows Clouds." Li Jianxin used the core sword technique that only disciples of the Cloud Mist Sect at the level of direct disciples or above could learn.

This sword strike unleashed a dense fog and a fierce wind, blocking He Zhi Qiu's retreat. The fog also enveloped the surroundings. The sword strike was very powerful, and even He Zhi Qiu could not break through the wind barrier in a short time. Since he could not tear it open in one go, he could only focus on fighting Li Jian Xin. Otherwise, if he was distracted, he would give Li Jian Xin an opportunity to take advantage of him.

"It's that crazy fighting style again." He Zhi Qiu looked annoyed. It seemed that Li Jianxin had been just as insane when he fought him back then.

Since there's no way to avoid it, the only option is to confront Li Jianxin head-on.

"Kill!" Li Jianxin unleashed his full power and began to fight He Zhiqi desperately. He Zhiqi finally managed to take out his own weapon to defend against Li Jianxin's attack.

Li Jianxin's every strike was delivered with full force, the full power of an early stage Dao Palace cultivator, which He Zhi Qiu could not ignore.

"Boom!" The two attacks collided, and the violent force shattered the ground layer by layer, producing a huge roar that attracted the attention of the higher-ups of the Cloud Mist Sect.

Yun Yun was still talking to Lin Aoxue when the sudden explosion made her and Lin Aoxue rush outside.

"There are Dao Palace realm cultivators fighting in the back mountain? This aura... sigh! I knew it would be like this. They've made me uneasy as soon as I got back. Aoxue, don't go anywhere. I'm going to check it out." Yun Yun sighed and then flew towards the back mountain.

Not only Yun Yun, but all the other cultivators above the Dao Palace level in the Yunxia Sect were attracted by this power.

When they arrived at the back of the mountain, a large section of the forest had been felled.

Two figures were engaged in a fierce battle in the back mountain, as if it were a life-or-death struggle. Li Jianxin's Cloud Leap effect only had half a minute left, so he couldn't care less about anything else.

Every strike he made was a trade-off, and when faced with He Zhi Qiu's attacks, he always chose to break through head-on.

"You madman, Li Jianxin, don't go too far!" Several sword marks had already appeared on He Zhiqi's body.

Although he was confident that he could suppress Li Jianxin, it would be difficult for him to avoid getting injured when facing Li Jianxin's reckless fighting style.

There was no way he could use his full strength. If he did, he might be able to defeat Li Jianxin, but if he killed Li Jianxin, he would be in serious trouble.

"Heavenly Cloud Sword Technique - Azure Dragon Takes Water"

Li Jianxin didn't care about any of that. He once again thrust his sword at He Zhiqi with all his might. This strike forced He Zhiqi to retreat steadily, and he could no longer hold back.

"Damn it, you asked for this, get out of here!" He Zhi Qiu's power erupted instantly.

He swung his sword backhand and struck Li Jianxin's sword. This strike stirred up a surge of magical energy dozens of feet high. The low-grade spiritual weapon in Li Jianxin's hand snapped in two, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, flying away like a kite with a broken string.

"Damn it." Li Jianxin's vision went black, and his consciousness faded into darkness.

Just then, Yun Yun arrived and caught the unconscious Li Jianxin.

"This?" After checking Li Jianxin's physical condition, Yun Yun quickly used her power to clear the chaotic magic power in Li Jianxin's body, temporarily suppressing Li Jianxin's injuries.

"He Zhi Qiu, what are you doing? Who gave you permission to fight in the back mountain? Do you want to challenge the sect's authority as soon as you come back?" Yun Yun stared at He Zhi Qiu and questioned him with a very ugly expression.

He Zhi Qiu was momentarily embarrassed. He had only intended to give Li Jianxin a warning, since they were back and he wanted to assert his status.

But who knew that Li Jianxin would be so unreasonable and stubborn, like a rock in a latrine, both smelly and hard. I should have picked a softer one to squeeze.

"This? Cough cough, Sect Master, my second junior brother and I are sparring. After all, we are both disciples of the Grand Elder and haven't seen each other for many years. Besides, it was my second junior brother who took the initiative to spar with me. Junior Sister Chu can testify to that." He Zhi Qiu quickly explained.

As soon as he said this, Chu Zhaodi quickly came out.

“That’s right, Sect Master. It was Second Senior Brother who insisted on challenging Eldest Senior Brother. You can’t blame Eldest Senior Brother for this. You all know Second Senior Brother’s personality. Once he makes a move, he’s easily carried away. He even used the sect’s secret techniques.” Chu Zhaodi quickly defended He Zhi Qiu.

Yun Che and the others arrived shortly afterward. He had already spoken with his master, but he hadn't expected to encounter a conflict between returning disciples and sect disciples as soon as he came out.

"This? He Zhi Qiu, how dare you!" Yun Che immediately scolded He Zhi Qiu after checking on Li Jianxin's injuries.

"I, disciple, know I was wrong." He Zhi Qiu didn't try to find any more excuses and directly admitted his mistake.

Chu Zhaodi, who was standing to the side, also shut up, because all of them had to obey Yun Che's orders and instructions.

Yun Ling and the others also rushed over. When they saw Li Jianxin seriously injured and unconscious, their expressions were also rather grim.

"Zhi Qiu, there's no need to go to such lengths in a sparring match. Are you trying to kill your second junior brother?" Yun Ling took Li Jianxin from Yun Yun's hands and then angrily questioned him.

Li Jianxin was Yun Ling's most prized disciple, and seeing his beloved student seriously injured naturally aroused his anger.

He Zhi Qiu was speechless, and Yun Che immediately gave the order.

"He Zhi Qiu, go back and reflect on your actions for a month. You are not allowed to leave the house without my permission."

Although He Zhi Qiu was very unhappy to hear this, he still left obediently, and Yun Ling also left with Li Jian Xin.

If things turn out so unpleasant on the very first day back at the sect, things probably won't be any better in the future.

Chapter 71 The Two Who Died

After Li Jianxin was taken away and He Zhiqi was punished, the remaining Dao Palace cultivators couldn't help but turn their attention to Yun Yun and Yun Che.

After all, this happened before the day was even over, so Yun Yun must be feeling very uncomfortable. They also wanted to see how the sect leader, Yun Che, would handle the situation.

"What are you all looking at? Aren't you going back?" Yun Yun glanced at the Dao Palace cultivators and said.

Upon seeing Yun Yun's impending anger, especially the Dao Palace cultivators from the original Yunxia Sect, they quickly turned and left.

The returning Dao Palace cultivators also glanced at Yun Che, who nodded to them before they left the back mountain.

This group of people clearly mainly obeyed Yun Che. They would only leave when Yun Che told them to, and they didn't take Yun Yun's orders seriously.

After everyone left, only Yun Yun and Yun Che remained.

"Senior sister, are you willing to listen to my explanation about this?" Yun Che asked, slightly embarrassed.

However, Yun Yun was unwilling to listen to what Yun Che had to say, because she knew that even if Yun Che hadn't authorized this incident, it was only the beginning.

"I'm sorry, but I can't believe what someone who left the sect two hundred years ago and hasn't returned has to say." After saying this, Yun Yun turned and flew away.

Yun Che watched his senior sister fly away, feeling a slight headache for a moment. However, just as Yun Yun had thought, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Newly returning disciples will inevitably clash with the original disciples in order to establish their authority, which is an irreconcilable situation.

Moreover, he did not deny that they returned to the Yunxia Sect with a purpose.

Yun Che simply hoped that their purpose would not bring disaster to the Yunxia Sect, or rather, that there would be no major conflict. Avoiding it as much as possible would certainly be the best outcome.

Then look at He Zhiqi. He and Chu Zhaodi returned to an inner courtyard with a somewhat unlucky expression. It seems that the two of them are now a Daoist couple.

"Brother Qiu, are you alright? Did that madman Li Jianxin hurt you?" Chu Zhaodi asked hurriedly as soon as she entered the room.

"It's just a superficial injury. This guy is the same as he was back then. He thinks the world is his pride and will fight anyone who tries to humiliate him. Sigh! Luckily, he hasn't truly entered the Dao Palace realm yet, otherwise, I might not be his match today." He Zhi Qiu said with a gloomy expression.

Chu Zhaodi grabbed He Zhiqi's arm.

"Hey! Brother Qiu, why do we have to go back to Yunxia Sect? We don't know what the upper sect is up to. They didn't explain the situation to us at all. They just told us to come back and obey Vice Sect Master Yun Che's orders," Chu Zhaodi sighed.

He Zhi Qiu gave a strange smile.

"Who knows? Let's not talk about that. Come on, let me have some fun with you and wash away the bad luck that Li Jianxin brought me." After saying that, He Zhiqi pressed Chu Zhaodi down on his body.

In an instant, the two exchanged sweet words and all sorts of cheesy phrases.

What they didn't know was that in the tree outside their yard, there were two seemingly ordinary birds staring at them with wide eyes.

And so, the night passed.

The next day, news of the fierce battle between Li Jianxin and He Zhiqi on the back mountain the previous night spread throughout the entire Yunxia Sect.

As soon as Ye Liuyun left his residence, he was heading to the martial arts arena, but on the way he heard the news that He Zhiqi had seriously injured Ye Jianxin in a sparring match.

"This? It's started so soon? They're even targeting Senior Brother Li from the inner sect?" Ye Liuyun was taken aback.

“Of course! I remember Li Jianxin is the strongest disciple of the Yunxia Sect in this generation. Defeating him will establish our authority, right? This should only be the beginning. You need to tell Lin Aoxue to be careful. As the young sect leader, she will definitely have people targeting her,” Lin Qingyou said.

Ye Liuyun nodded; she also felt it necessary to remind Lin Aoxue.

I should see Lin Aoxue soon. After the competition, I need to give Lin Aoxue some good advice.

Today's test of willpower is being conducted in the training ground, where disciples from the other three major sects have been arriving one after another.

But after most of the people had arrived, something comical happened again.

"Hey! Brother Qiu, um, you're amazing! You've almost made me feel like I'm dying of pleasure. You're the most domineering man I've ever met."

"That's right, my skills are top-notch, I guarantee I can satisfy you every time."

"Wow, that's amazing."

"Huh...huh..."

……

Just as everyone was waiting for the competition to begin, they heard a couple whispering sweet nothings to each other. However, these words, spoken in public, were rather offensive.

The high-ranking officials and returning disciples of the four sects are all here, and all the disciples of the Yunxia Sect have also arrived. Isn't this just making us a laughing stock for everyone?

"What is that sound? Who is speaking in broad daylight? How can they be so shameless?" Zi Lan immediately shouted angrily.

She immediately used her divine sense to search her surroundings and quickly discovered that the sound was not coming from a human mouth, but from the mouths of a pair of birds in the sky.

"This? A talking bird? What's going on?" Zilan was confused.

It's that pair of strange birds again. Judging from their imitations, they must have said those words when He Zhiqi and Chu Zhaodi were being intimate yesterday.

The people who heard the voice, Chu Zhaodi and He Zhiqi, blushed instantly.

As for the disciples of the Cloud Mist Sect, they were already used to it. Whenever there were couples flirting in the sect, these strange birds would know and announce it to the public the next day.

These two strange birds have practically become the supervisors of the Cloud Mist Sect, making all the young couples afraid to say sweet nothings to each other.

"Damn it, where did these demonic birds come from? What nonsense are they spouting? I'll wipe them out!" He Zhi Qiu couldn't stand it anymore and stood up, ready to destroy the two strange birds.

He Zhi Qiu's punishment was to begin after the assessment was completed, so he still came to watch the assessment today.

As for Yun Che and the others, they looked at the pair of strange birds with astonishment.

“He Zhi Qiu, calm down. These are a pair of extraordinary birds born from our Yunxia Sect. They can see through the thoughts of lovers and then imitate their voices. The male bird is imitating your voice, isn’t it?” Yun Yun said with a strange smile.

"This? I...I don't know." He Zhi Qiu was embarrassed and immediately denied it.

Yun Che quickly asked what had happened, and Yun Ling and the others immediately explained what needed to be said.

"So that's how it is. They are indeed a pair of strange birds. That's good. Cultivators shouldn't always be obsessed with love between men and women. Having these two strange birds to supervise the disciples is quite a good way to keep watch."

"All of you disciples who have returned to the sect, listen up: do not harm these little animals of the sect. Just chase them away. Also, He Zhi Qiu, as a cultivator, I hope you can be more discreet in your private life, lest these strange birds hear you again next time," Yun Che thoughtfully reminded He Zhi Qiu.

Everyone recognized that the male bird's voice belonged to He Zhi Qiu.

As for Chu Zhaodi on the other side, her face was flushed red, and she almost buried her head in her chest. Her face was burning hot. She never expected that her intimate affair with He Zhiqi yesterday would be mentioned by a pair of strange birds in front of so many people.

Who could stand this?

Moreover, the other returning disciples all turned their attention to her. After all, Ye Liuyun and the others didn't recognize her, but that didn't mean the returning disciples couldn't recognize whose voice it was.

"Is that Junior Sister Chu's voice? I never expected Junior Sister Chu to have this side to her." Some returning disciples whispered mockingly.

Chapter 72 Refining the Heart in an Illusory Realm

Farce aside, the two strange birds soon flew away, and the shameful conversations also disappeared.

Lin Aoxue was standing to Yun Yun's right, and Qi Chaoying was standing to Yun Yun's left. The two had met not long ago.

But it seemed that nothing unpleasant had happened. However, in reality, Qi Chaoying's eyes changed the moment she saw Lin Aoxue. She was observing Lin Aoxue out of the corner of her eye.

Qi Chaoying knew before she returned that her cheap master had taken on a new personal disciple, but she didn't expect her junior sister to be so beautiful, heroic, and very attractive.

Qi Chaoying liked strong female cultivators because they gave him a sense of conquest.

This guy is quite handsome; he'd definitely be popular with girls in the Cloud Sect.

During his decades in the Yun Sect, he had affairs with quite a few female disciples, and they were mostly the ones who offered themselves to him, because he was an inner disciple of the Yun Sect and had a master from the Four Extremes Secret Realm.

In a mid-level sect like Yunzong, it's very difficult for ordinary disciples to survive without a powerful backer.

Therefore, quite a few female disciples took the initiative to offer themselves to her, but unfortunately, today Qi Chaoying discovered that her charm had no effect on Lin Aoxue in front of her.

The other party didn't even look at him.

"Truly, what a peculiar woman," Qi Chaoying murmured, glancing at Lin Aoxue out of the corner of his eye.

After all the disciples who were going to take the test arrived, a female elder of the Xixia Sect, who was at the third level of the Dao Palace, stood up holding a guqin and walked to the front of Ye Liuyun and the others.

"I am Xi Yu of the Xi Xia Sect. This second test, the 'Walking and Singing' test, will be presided over by me. Please all disciples sit down and calm your minds. I will play a 'Heart Refining Tribulation Song' to bring you into a consciousness illusion. If you wake up from the illusion within the specified time, you will have passed the test," Xi Yu explained.

Everyone was puzzled, especially the disciples from the three families other than Xixia Sect. The disciples of Xixia Sect had experience in cultivating their minds within the sect, and they knew the special features of this piece of music. However, the other three families did not have such experience, and this kind of music cultivation was an unfamiliar field to them.

"Music to refine the mind? Master, is this troublesome?" Ye Liuyun asked Lin Qingyou.