Chapter 122: Lay Down the Sword?

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“I couldn’t possibly have any secret savings.” The phantom’s voice was utterly composed. Though he had no memories, he was absolutely certain of that.

“I don’t believe I was ever this poor.” In the Great Black Dragon’s memories, poverty had never had anything to do with him.

“You remember. You look for it.” The phantom clearly did not care. Still, as for concealing the truth of Ji Jiuxuan’s condition, there was indeed something in his memories that could do so. He would take her to retrieve it another day.

It was simply that her current cultivation was too low, making the journey dangerous. It would be better to wait until she had advanced further. For now, he could help conceal matters to some extent.

The Great Black Dragon fell silent after being rebuffed. His memories were incomplete, after all! If he had remembered everything, he would not be here in the first place.

Ji Jiuxuan slept soundly through the night and truly woke up ahead of schedule the next morning.

The instant she opened her eyes, she was captivated by the sight of the sun rising. Only after taking in the scenery before her did she realize that they had already reached the Qiu Ying Ancient Forest.

Her Senior Sister was astonishingly fast! The journey should have taken a very long time, yet she had never imagined that most of it could be covered in just a few nights.

Nie Xingyuan summoned another flying ship and carried Ji Jiuxuan aboard. After putting away the flying vessel, he said to Meng Jiao, “Come up.”

Hearing this order from her master, Meng Jiao felt as though she had heard the voice of heaven. Without wasting a moment, she immediately flew up and landed on the ship.

“Rest for a while. Later, take your junior sister down for some training.”

Meng Jiao bowed and replied, “Yes!”

Accompanying someone on a training expedition was by far the easiest task, and with her master present, it became easier still.

The flying ship circled once around the ancient forest before finally stopping in an uninhabited area.

By then, Meng Jiao had already tidied herself up and looked refreshed and spirited. There was no sign that she had spent several days tempering her body.

Nie Xingyuan led Ji Jiuxuan downward, with Meng Jiao following close behind. At the same moment, the flying ship was put away.

“Ajiu, put on the Gravity Ring. It will be quite beneficial for tempering your body and stabilizing your cultivation.” Nie Xingyuan stood to one side and swept the surroundings with his divine sense. Only after confirming that everything was in order did he speak to Ji Jiuxuan.

Then he reminded her, “You are not permitted to use the Gravity Space within the ring.”

Meng Jiao had never imagined that her master could be so harsh with little Ajiu as well!

She remembered how, during her life-and-death battle with Wang Yumia, the Gravity Space had been of tremendous help.

Using the Gravity Space in battle was indeed an excellent aid. But her master had his reasons for forbidding it.

If she encountered an opponent immune to the Gravity Space, then it would cease to be an advantage and instead become a weakness.

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As for using the Gravity Ring for training, it was extremely difficult. She would be more likely to suffer injuries and face greater danger than usual. But if she succeeded in training under such conditions, then facing a true enemy would be an entirely different matter.

“Yes, Martial Uncle.” Though Ji Jiuxuan was still young and her cultivation was relatively low, she had entered the Way of the Book and read a great many texts. She completely understood her martial uncle’s intentions.

Without hesitation, she took out the Gravity Ring and put it on. The Child’s Sword appeared in her hand, ready for use at any moment.

Nie Xingyuan glanced at the Child’s Sword in Ji Jiuxuan’s hand. Little Jiu had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. It was time to prepare for her natal sword, which would be perfect for her to use once she reached Foundation Establishment.

“When you have time, Ajiu, think about what kind of sword you like.”

Ji Jiuxuan looked puzzled and instinctively glanced at the Child’s Sword. “I suppose I’ll know when I see it. I’ll feel that we are destined for each other, and my heart will rejoice. As for the specifics, I’ll have to see what happens later.”

In truth, she was referring to the Azurefall Sword. As she had said before, the Azurefall Sword had merely concealed itself. Once her cultivation advanced and she reached Foundation Establishment, it would appear.

Nie Xingyuan did not know that Ji Jiuxuan was referring to the Azurefall Sword. Thinking that she simply had not decided yet, he smiled and said, “Once you have made up your mind, remember to tell your martial uncle.”

He would prepare several swords in advance and see which one Ajiu liked. If none of them suited her, he would also prepare the materials beforehand so that he could forge one for her on the spot.

“All right. Your senior sister and I will accompany you from the shadows. Try it on your own first.”

When it came to treating Ji Jiuxuan well, Nie Xingyuan was beyond reproach. But when it came to teaching her, he was undeniably a hands-off mentor.

Before Ji Jiuxuan could even say goodbye, her little martial uncle and senior sister had already disappeared.

Because her cultivation was too low, she could not sense their exact locations at all. It was as though she were undertaking this training expedition entirely by herself.

It was her first experience like this.

Ji Jiuxuan found it rather novel.

Strangely enough, after walking for quite some distance, she still had not encountered a single spirit beast.

The situation was highly unusual.

She instinctively glanced back, then remembered that her martial uncle and senior sister were hidden nearby. Besides, she could not rely on others every time. Otherwise, she would never become independent.

Tightening her grip on the Child’s Sword, she watched her surroundings with even greater caution.

Suddenly, the sound of something tearing through the air rang out. A fierce gust shot toward her at astonishing speed.

The habits she had developed from practicing the sword made her instinctively strike toward the direction she sensed.

Spiritual power gathered along the blade, and the Child’s Sword let out a resonant cry.

With a loud bang, her opponent staggered backward several steps.

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Only then did Ji Jiuxuan clearly see what she was facing: white fur, a humanoid form, and a faint radiance covering its entire body.

At a glance, she recognized it as a Profound-Heaven Spirit Ape, a fourth-tier spirit beast. Its strength was equivalent to that of a cultivator in the early or middle Foundation Establishment stage. It was renowned for its formidable physique; relying solely on its bodily strength, it could kill spirit beasts of the same rank and become invincible among its peers. Even fighting above its level was not a problem for it.

Ji Jiuxuan was wearing the Gravity Ring, so her strength was bound to be affected. Furthermore, she was forbidden from using the Gravity Space.

The situation was exceedingly difficult. She instinctively glanced at the Gravity Ring in her hand. If she removed it, victory would be entirely within reach.

But she wanted to obey her martial uncle’s instructions. She would give it a try first and remove the ring only if she truly could not manage.

The Profound-Heaven Spirit Ape attacked her again, this time with even greater force.

Ji Jiuxuan swiftly evaded with the Shadow-Leaping Step, then immediately swung her sword and attacked the ape.

With another loud bang, Ji Jiuxuan was caught off guard and struck, sending her flying backward.

She rubbed the place where she had been hit and was surprised to find that it did not hurt as much as she had expected.

“Of course it doesn’t hurt that much. All that force is being converted by your cultivation method and used to temper your body.” The system seized the opportunity to remind her, “Host, how about putting down your sword and letting it hit you a few more times?”

At her current stage of body tempering, she was precisely at the point where she could withstand a beating. Taking a few more hits would do her good.

Ji Jiuxuan thought that if the system had been standing in front of her, she would have beaten it first. “I’m a sword cultivator, not a body cultivator. Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse?”

As a sword cultivator, she should focus more on swordsmanship. The other aspects could serve as supplementary aids, but putting down her sword and deliberately taking hits was absolutely impossible. She was afraid of pain.

“Do you consider yourself a pure sword cultivator?”

Ji Jiuxuan answered without the slightest hesitation, “No. Sword cultivation is my main path, with everything else serving as support.”

She had always been perfectly clear about that.

“Then there you have it. Put down your sword and let yourself get beaten, all right?”

Thanks to Leisurely Moments for the reward. Thank you!

End of Chapter