Chapter 119: Body Tempering Together

After seeing Ji Jiuxuan’s reaction, Sikong Chanyan laughed radiantly. "Little A-Jiu is truly adorable; I’m almost reluctant to see you return."

"Do not tease her," Nie Xingyuan said, his voice carrying a note of warning, as if to imply that if she continued to joke with the little girl like this, he would not stand for it.

In truth, Ji Jiuxuan had not been truly bewitched; rather, she had suddenly gained a faint, elusive insight into the nature of Sikong Chanyan’s allure, which felt somewhat connected to her own comprehension of the Way of the Brush. However, she kept this to herself.

Smiling at Sikong Chanyan, she said, "Auntie Yan, don't worry. Whenever Little Jiu visits Liangzhou City, I will certainly come to find you."

Sikong Chanyan’s laughter grew even brighter, as if she had sensed something special about Ji Jiuxuan. "If you weren't his niece-in-apprenticeship, I would surely keep you here and take you as my disciple. Such talent—it makes even me covetous."

Seeing that Ji Jiuxuan was unharmed, Nie Xingyuan finally eased his mind. He straightened his face and said to Sikong Chanyan, "Stop dreaming about little A-Jiu."

Sikong Chanyan gave a helpless smile and brushed her hand across the table, causing several food boxes to appear instantly. "I heard that our little A-Jiu loves gourmet food. I’ve prepared some for you. If you like them, just tell me next time you come, and I’ll prepare more then."

"Thank you, Auntie Yan!" Ji Jiuxuan beamed. "Then it’s a deal. I’ll want more delicious food next time I visit."

She could tell that Sikong Chanyan was an unconventional person; the more one resisted her, the more likely she was to take offense. It was better to accept her kindness graciously.

After Sikong Chanyan departed, Meng Jiao asked Nie Xingyuan, "Master, when shall we set off?"

Nie Xingyuan glanced at Ji Jiuxuan. "We need to take A-Jiu on a journey for her training. If we start early, we will have more time for it." There was still some time before the Sect Grand Competition, so as long as they kept track of the dates, they would be fine. Besides, it was rare for him to have this much free time.

Meng Jiao agreed, "Then let us pack up and set off now! We can find a river or a sea along the way so Junior Sister can test the effect of the Water-Aversion Pearl."

Realizing her junior uncle might not know, Ji Jiuxuan explained, "My eldest brother gave me the Water-Aversion Pearl from the auction."

Nie Xingyuan was slightly surprised, then smiled. "I had already prepared one for you, so it seems his will go to waste!"

Ji Jiuxuan was also a bit surprised, but knowing it was all out of the kindness of her family, she laughed and said, "That’s alright. Good things don't spoil if you keep them."

"Very well, then pack up. We depart immediately." Nie Xingyuan reminded them, "If there is anything you need to buy, prepare it now. Once we leave, we won't pass through any more towns until we return."

The implication was clear: if they didn't get what they needed now, there would be no chance later. Ji Jiuxuan thought for a moment; she had all her essentials in her storage space, so there was nothing else she needed to purchase.

The three of them had just stepped out of the Jinda Restaurant when Ji Jiuxuan thought of summoning her carriage, but the system’s voice echoed in her mind. "Reminder: Host, this is an excellent opportunity for physical tempering. It is recommended to wear the gravity ring and travel on foot."

Ji Jiuxuan stiffened. She had forgotten about this during their stay. She had truly enjoyed the feeling of not wearing the gravity ring, but she knew deep down that physical tempering was of paramount importance and could not be neglected. Giving up the idea of the carriage, she put the gravity ring on and followed her junior uncle toward the city gate.

Once outside the gate, Nie Xingyuan tossed a gravity ring to Meng Jiao. "Accompany your junior sister in her tempering." With that, he took a flying boat from his storage space, leaped onto it, and hovered in the air above them.

Ji Jiuxuan looked apologetically at her senior sister, Meng Jiao. "Senior Sister, I’m sorry. I’ve dragged you into this."

Looking at the ring in her hand, Meng Jiao smiled indifferently, her eyes showing a hint of excitement. "Junior Sister, I should be thanking you! I’ve wanted this gravity ring for a long time, but Master was never willing to give it to me." She didn't feel burdened at all; on the contrary, she felt her junior sister was her lucky star. Her physical tempering had hit a bottleneck, and she knew this ring would help her cultivation advance further. She remembered Master telling her before, "The time is not yet right." Now that he was giving it to her, it meant the time had finally come.

Happily, she bound the ring to herself. The moment she put it on, Meng Jiao nearly collapsed to the ground. She had every reason to believe that it wasn't that the time was right, but rather that Master simply wanted her to accompany her junior sister. Resting her hand on the ground, she met her junior sister’s concerned gaze and forced a smile, pretending to be relaxed. "Don't worry, A-Jiu. Senior Sister is just adjusting to the weight for the first time; it will be fine soon."

"Alright, then please be careful, Senior Sister," Ji Jiuxuan said, not thinking much of it as she waited patiently. She had never used a ring like Meng Jiao’s, and she knew different rings had different effects. At that moment, under the system’s guidance, her own gravity ring had been set to a much higher standard than usual, making every step a struggle.

"System, why haven't you appeared lately? Were you sleeping?" the system used to appear quite often.

"Yes, I was sleeping." With *that person* around, the system felt at ease. Its current priority was repairing the Qingluo Sword. Although the blade was intact, the interior had sustained some damage. It hadn't told Ji Jiuxuan because the matter was complicated and it preferred the host to discover it herself in time.

Ji Jiuxuan wasn't surprised by the system’s frequent dormancy. "Call me if you need anything, and I will appear." With that reassurance, Ji Jiuxuan felt more at ease.

After Meng Jiao adjusted, she managed to stand upright and walked toward Ji Jiuxuan. "Junior Sister, let’s go." Miserably, she realized that by the look of it, Master intended for them to walk the entire way.

The closest place to Liangzhou City was the Qiuying Ancient Forest, which would take ten to fifteen days on foot. After walking for a day and a night, they were drenched in sweat as they constantly adapted to the increasing weight. They had thought that once they adapted, their speed would improve and the walk would be no problem, but they hadn't expected that just as their speed began to pick up, the weight would be increased again.

"Senior Sister, shall we find a place to rest our feet?" While cultivators didn't always need to rest, Ji Jiuxuan did. She had a strict schedule, and if she didn't rest at this specific time, she would be struck by lightning.

"Are you tired, Junior Sister? I’ll tell Master." Hearing her junior sister’s request, Meng Jiao felt as if she had found a savior. She hurriedly called out to Nie Xingyuan on the flying boat, "Master, Junior Sister is a bit tired and would like to rest." She knew that if her junior sister said she was tired, Master would certainly agree, as she was still young.

Hearing this, the flying boat descended and stopped right beside them.