Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Fu Yu's gaze fell on Zhu Wuji, and she said:

"I hope Junior Brother's swordsmanship will improve significantly."

Her tone carried a hint of doubt. Although she had heard that Zhu Wuji's strength had improved, seeing him today gave her a completely different feeling than before.

Zhu Wuji in the past was like a piece of broken copper and scrap iron rusted in the mud, with no support inside.

But now, Zhu Wuji has made Fu Yu realize his sharp edge.

Moreover, it possesses a sharp edge that is deliberately concealed yet poised to be unleashed.

Elder Liao had no doubts whatsoever.

Even worried that Fu Yu's words would stir up painful memories for Zhu Wuji, he immediately said:

“Fu Yu, I wish Junior Brother Zhu a great change on this trip down the mountain, but a sword is sharpened by tempering, and becoming stronger with each setback is the nature of a sword cultivator.”

"If you remain secluded from the world like this, when will your sword be drawn?"

"How about it? Want to have a match with your junior brother Zhu?"

No.

"No."

Zhu Wuyao had just rejected the idea in her heart when she heard Fu Yu directly refuse, uttering the word "no" aloud.

Elder Liao was so choked up that he couldn't catch his breath.

Even though he was usually lenient with Yu, he was so angry that he wanted to curse.

Seeing this, Zhu Wuyao, to avoid demonstrating his swordsmanship and arousing suspicion, immediately said:

"Senior Sister Fu's Zhige Sword was born to stop fighting. If she were to start a fight, it would be contrary to her own swordsmanship."

Elder Liao seemed to be deep in thought, and felt that this statement made sense.

He decided to pretend to be a villain and launch an attack on Fu Yu one day, forcing him to fight back, in order to test his disciple's recent progress.

Seeing that Fu Yu was unyielding, he was about to say something to Zhu Wuji when he looked up at the doorway again.

Han Ge left but returned.

"Master, before I even left the mountain, Elder Qian sent someone to deliver the list."

"Both I and Junior Brother Zhu are on the list!"

"Although Junior Brother Zhu's talent in swordsmanship surpasses that of his senior brother, he has only been cultivating for a short time. I will certainly fulfill my duties as his senior brother when we go to the secret realm together this time."

Although the fact that Zhu Wuji ranked higher still made Han Ge unhappy.

But Han Ge himself made the list, so he didn't embarrass Pinglan Mountain, and he was beaming with joy.

Fu Yu seemed to want to say something or remind someone of something, but she hesitated and stood quietly to the side without making a sound.

Elder Liao also looked pleased and said:

"Alright, you two have now entered the basics of swordsmanship. With that, I, as your teacher, can rest a little more at ease."

"That will free up my hands to deal with those good-for-nothings!"

Zhu Wuji's prodigal son's return greatly boosted Elder Liao's confidence. He had always felt that his disciples were full of promising talents, and now that the matter of the small ranking was settled, he could temporarily shift his focus to the remaining disciples.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Zhu Wuyao returned to the courtyard alone.

With only three days left before departure, there was no need to pack her luggage. She was self-sufficient and could take all her belongings with her wherever she went.

What's truly noteworthy is the secret realm and Elder Qian.

With the barrier set up, she took out the spirit pen and attempted to communicate:

What are your impressions of the place where you were born?

This magic pen has consistently refused to reveal any further information.

Judging from its origin, although it appeared in the secret realm of Dongji City, it should be inseparable from the divination cultivators.

Although there are magical artifacts with sentience in this world, they are very rare.

Zhu Wuyao had once perused the library of Zhaixing Tower and knew that for objects to possess a spirit, the prerequisite was—

Someone must imbue it with spirit.

For example, a lonely cultivator might keep a bamboo flute by his side day and night, protecting it with his spiritual power and often conversing with it, imagining a complete personality for the flute, and firmly believing that if the opportunity arises, the magical bamboo flute might truly develop consciousness.

Alternatively, one could sacrifice oneself, at the cost of one's soul scattering and not returning to heaven and earth, and be buried with the object on a voluntary basis. In this way, the process of the soul scattering to heaven and earth would be interrupted, and the remaining soul would be given to the object, causing the object to develop consciousness.

Or perhaps, among all living beings, there are strange beings like Zhu Wumeng, dreamers who evolved spontaneously from Feidu Lake. But Feidu Lake itself is strange, and such beings are rare elsewhere.

The pen did not respond.

Just as Zhu Wuyao was about to change the question and try to find out more information, he suddenly thought of the Sword Trial Realm of Qingyun Sect.

Lake Feidu is a rare find...

The demon race has the Flying Lake, where they can dream for a thousand years. What about the human race?

The swordsman in the Sword Testing Illusion also seems to possess some peculiar qualities, capable of constantly deducing and perfecting his swordsmanship...

Unfortunately, this trip to Qingyun Sect is coming to an end.

It seems that the unanswered questions about the Sword Trial Realm can only end here, and there is no way to continue exploring them.

"This is not where I was born."

The spirit pen's reply suddenly resounded in his consciousness.

Furthermore, it is clear that they do not intend to reveal the answer to Zhu Wuyao.

This thing is indeed related to divination!

Only say half of what you mean.

He also loves to speak in riddles!

He's mastered the art of speaking in a cryptic and ambiguous way, and he's learned it perfectly!

Zhu Wuyao inwardly scoffed, then tentatively probed with a half-smile:

"Star Reaching Tower?"

The pen did not answer.

“You’ve always been by my side, and you’ve shown your power a few times when it mattered, but you’re quite stubborn and don’t really care about me.”

What am I to you?

These words were spoken in a slightly joking tone, but Zhu Wuyao was very serious and wanted to know the answer.

"A house you're staying in, your host? A friend? Or just a travel companion?"

The voice that came from within my consciousness was exceptionally innocent, yet exceptionally jarring:

"You only want to use me, but you never support me."

"I helped you a few times out of necessity, but you always make the horse run but don't let it eat grass."

"If you were more capable, why would I bother to hide my abilities all day?"

"You never told me what I needed."

"snort."

Lingbi snorted coldly.

The exchange between the person and the object came to an end.

Zhu Wuyao was a little confused. Although she wasn't that strong, she should be considered to have "improved"... right?

By the standards of the cultivation world, she is truly a genius.

Although he benefited from his identity as an "outsider," his cultivation of the Heavenly Observation Technique was practically like having a cheat code under the Heavenly Dao, which allowed him to make rapid progress.

But judging from the results, she has made great progress.

Even if she needs spiritual energy to feed herself, she is willing to allocate some of her spiritual energy for investment, just in case.

"Tell me then, what exactly do you want?"

Zhu Wuyao tried again, and this time, the mocking voice of the spirit pen rang out once more—

"You can't afford it~"

Ah?

Zhu Wuyao was so angry that he laughed.

Why don't you just say it first? How am I supposed to know if I can afford it if you don't tell me?

She got up and went inside, just as she was about to go to the kitchen to find a bottle of soy sauce to soak the spirit brush and add fragrance, when the barrier was triggered.

The magic brush scattered into the spiritual sea.

Zhu Wuyao removed the barrier, and soon after, Fu Yu arrived at the courtyard gate.

"Junior Brother Zhu, are you free?"

Zhu Wuyao responded, waved, opened the door, stepped forward to greet him, and asked:

"I wonder what brings you here, Senior Sister Fu? Please come inside and have a seat."

As he spoke, he acted as attentive as Zhu Wuji, leading people into the house and pouring them hot tea.

Fu Yu got straight to the point:

"Junior Brother Zhu, although we are not close friends, I still want to advise you to give up this trip to the secret realm."