Chapter 129: Chapter 64: Rediscovering the Sword Artifact, Senior Sister Transforms
Five or six days had passed since Ling Yunpo returned from the Demon Locking Tower.
Ling Yunpo had accepted the harsh reality that the fragments of the Heaven-Mending Stone were now in possession of Long Eyebrow Immortal, and he resolved to take his time and plan carefully.
Taking his time and planning carefully: it meant at least making it to the Nascent Soul Rank before discussing further.
The reason for such a decision stemmed from an extremely helpless reality.
Firstly, he needed the Mirror Flower Water Moon from the Kunlun Mirror to maintain his peerless talent for cultivating Daoist magic.
Secondly, once Long Eyebrow Immortal became aware of the Heaven-Mending matter, the existence of the Kunlun Mirror as a source of intelligence was at risk of exposure.
Based on these two points, a conclusion could be drawn: The matter of mending the heavens must not be known to Long Eyebrow Immortal.
Otherwise, looking at it optimistically, Long Eyebrow Immortal would be willing to take on the responsibility of mending the heavens, then take the Kunlun Mirror, relegating Ling Yunpo to mediocrity.
Pessimistically thinking, Long Eyebrow Immortal wouldn’t believe in something like the impending destruction of the world, and would take away the Kunlun Mirror, relegating Ling Yunpo to mediocrity.
In either case, there was no other possibility but the painful loss of Ah Jing.
Ling Yunpo asked himself and found that he did have deep feelings for Ah Jing, even though this broken mirror was naive, simple-minded, foolish, stubborn, and stuck in its ways, not knowing how to adapt nor how to overlook trivial matters. But at least it didn’t impose its values upon him.
As everyone knows, being overly kind makes one a saint, but demanding others to be overly kind is sanctimonious. As long as Ah Jing didn’t suddenly become judgmental, Ling Yunpo was much willing to consider it a close friend and to protect it from covetous immortals.
“After all is said and done, you just don’t want to lose your talent for cultivation,” the Kunlun Mirror suddenly said, “It’s not that you can’t bear to lose me.”
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“Ah Jing, why would you say that?” Ling Yunpo said with heartfelt distress, “We share common ideals, aspirations, and goals. It wouldn’t be too much to even call you ‘comrade.’ How can you doubt our friendship as steadfast as gold?”
“I don’t recall us ever having a ‘common goal,’” the Kunlun Mirror sighed, “My goal is to mend the heavens and prevent the world from destruction, while someone else’s goal is to ‘ascend to the Sky Throne.’ Our paths only converge temporarily because of mutual benefit, don’t they?”
“Of course not,” Ling Yunpo said with conviction, “A person destined for greatness cannot have just one goal. I do not desire to rise to a broken Sky Throne. If you, Ah Jing, are willing to assist me on my journey to ascend, what harm is there in leaving you a peaceful and intact world?”
Kunlun Mirror: ……
“Pfft.” The Green Duckweed Sword suddenly laughed.
“What are you laughing at!” the Kunlun Mirror immediately snapped back.
“Nothing, I was just pondering how to handle his Senior Sister An’s Life-bound Sword Artifact,” the Green Duckweed Sword changed the subject.
At the mention of this, Ling Yunpo’s face fell into a frown.
Securing a Tenth Rank Immortal Sword wasn’t necessarily difficult, but it wasn’t simple either. Chief Qiu could acquire one given time, but the quality was uncertain—the gap between the upper and lower limits within Tenth Rank Immortal Swords could be vast.
The Frostfall Sword was among the higher-quality grades within the Tenth Rank Immortal Swords. It not only helped Senior Sister An achieve the title of “Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal” but also withstood demon arts from several hundred Golden Core Realm Jiaolong before breaking.
To find an Immortal Sword of a similar grade would largely depend on luck, beyond what human effort alone could secure.
“It’s best to first consult Senior Sister An’s wishes,” Ling Yunpo sighed.
Many factors constitute the strength of an Immortal Sword: its inherent quality, Five Elements Attribute, Sword Dao Techniques, and so on. It’s unrealistic to demand perfection in all aspects, so priorities must be set.
For instance, if Senior Sister An preferred a Water System Flying Sword, or a sword with great speed, or one with powerful Daoist magic… Determining the primary and secondary preferences would allow for a targeted search for the appropriate sword.
Thus, Ling Yunpo departed from the Daoist temple and went to Linxi Pavilion at the back to find his Senior Sister.
An Zhisu, when alone, would only engage in two activities, one was sword practice, and the other was drinking.
For sword practice, she visualized past enemies she had battled, pondered over how to break their moves, and then mastered these skills through practice.
As for drinking, it involved sitting in a small pavilion and pouring for herself. However, Senior Sister An’s alcohol tolerance was poor, and she had to refine the alcohol with her True Yuan after each cup, or she would easily become drunk.
Yet, when Ling Yunpo came to find Senior Sister An, he discovered that An Zhisu was neither practicing swordplay nor drinking, but instead… she was practicing the Sunflower Manual…
No, she was actually holding an embroidery needle and working on some needlepoint.
“Senior Sister, what are you embroidering?” Ling Yunpo approached and, looking at the fat duck in her hands, asked in confusion, “A duck?”
“It’s a mandarin duck,” An Zhisu said calmly and evenly.
“Ah, my mistake,” Ling Yunpo said with a sheepish laugh, “Senior Sister’s mandarin ducks are so lifelike, as if they would come alive…”
“Don’t make fun of me, Junior Brother,” An Zhisu said with a hint of embarrassment, as she set down her needle and thread and let out a sigh, “It’s indeed a bit oversized.”
“What made you suddenly interested in needlework, Senior Sister?” Ling Yunpo asked with a smile.
“Just whiling away the time when there’s nothing to do…” An Zhisu said in a low voice.
Ling Yunpo immediately cursed inwardly, why did he have to bring up the very topic he should have avoided?
Senior Sister An, because her life-bound sword artifact was damaged, could not advance in her cultivation level for at least half a year. That’s why she was disinterested in sword practice and took up a hobby to relieve her worries and boredom, so why did he have to poke at her sore spot?
Realizing he had said something out of line, Ling Yunpo hastily changed the subject and asked:
“By the way, Senior Sister, if you were to choose an Immortal Sword, what kind would you want?”
An Zhisu looked slightly surprised, but soon calmed down and said:
“If I could choose, I would hope for a Fire System Flying Sword.”
“A Fire System Flying Sword?” Ling Yunpo asked in surprise.
You should know, due to the distinct characteristics of Flying Swords of the Five Elements, they differ in their style of combat.
Generally speaking, Metal System Flying Swords are swift and sharp, excelling at rapid assaults and annihilation; Wood System Flying Swords are resilient and tough, skilled at entanglement and hindrance;
Water System Flying Swords are nimble and flexible, adept at guerilla tactics and changing moves; Fire System Flying Swords are fierce and domineering, excelling at powerful offensive strategies to overpower enemies; Earth System Flying Swords are solid and heavy, skilled at frontal suppression.
If Water System Flying Swords are considered the “swordsmen” of agility, then Fire System Flying Swords are the “warriors” of strength, and these two styles are quite different!
If one wanted to transition, choosing a Metal System or Wood System as an intermediary would be more suitable.
As if sensing what was on Ling Yunpo’s mind, An Zhisu explained:
“The Frostfall Sword was the Flying Sword Master prepared for me, but it was not one I chose for myself.”
“Over the years, despite Frostfall aiding me greatly, it has also hindered the advancement of my sword dao in some aspects.”
“For example, when facing powerful enemies, I subconsciously choose to dodge their sharp edges rather than confront them head-on… If I switch to a Fire System Flying Sword, perhaps I can also shift my style and make further progress on the Sword Dao.”
Ling Yunpo listened, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. Good gracious, I thought Senior Sister An was fierce enough, but it turns out she didn’t think she was fierce enough. She plans to switch her life-bound sword artifact to the Fire System!