A max-level player in Jade Dynasty: Awakening the Innate Dao at the start.

The palace door creaked shut behind them, shutting out the sounds of Su Ru and Master Shuiyue reminiscing inside.

The sunlight became dazzling again, and the light reflected from the white jade square was blinding.

Wenmin walked ahead, her steps quick, the hem of her moon-white Taoist robe sweeping across the ground, creating a soft rustling sound.

She didn't turn around, but only threw out a sentence, her voice stiff:

"Stay close and don't look around."

Zhang Xiaofan followed three steps behind her, his gaze fixed on her back.

The light blue dress was made of a very thin material, through which the outline of her shoulder blades could be vaguely seen, undulating slightly with her movements.

Her waist was slender, bound with a silk sash of the same color.

The silk ribbon was tied into an exquisite bow at her back, and the knot swayed gently with her steps.

He didn't speak.

When I crossed the square, the female disciples who had been practicing swordsmanship had already dispersed.

They gathered in twos and threes in the distance, peering in this direction.

Whispers drifted by like willow catkins in the wind, coming and going.

"Is it him?"

"He seems quite honest..."

"Honest? I heard he was flirting with Master in the main hall just now!"

"Huh? Really?"

Zhang Xiaofan's ears twitched, but his face remained expressionless.

Wenmin quickened her pace, almost jogging.

She led him around the main hall and towards the back mountain.

The road narrowed as you walked, turning from a bluestone path into a gravel path, and finally into a dirt path worn by people.

On both sides were dense flowering trees, the peach blossoms in full bloom.

Pink and white petals fell softly, covering the ground with a thick layer.

A gust of wind blows, and the petals flutter up, filling the air with a sweet fragrance mixed with pollen, almost cloyingly sweet.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a bamboo forest appeared ahead.

The bamboo is purple bamboo, with a deep purple hue on the culms and emerald green leaves that look like they've been coated with oil under the sunlight.

Deep in the bamboo forest stands a small, old pavilion.

Most of the red paint on the pillar had peeled off, revealing the blackened wood underneath.

Wenmin stopped in front of the pavilion, turned around, and looked at Zhang Xiaofan with eyes that seemed to be looking at something dangerous.

"You just wait here," she said.

"Don't wander around, and especially don't go to the Moon Viewing Platform."

That's a forbidden area; only Junior Sister Lu goes there to practice. If Master finds out you've been near there—"

She didn't finish her sentence, but she conveyed the meaning.

Zhang Xiaofan nodded and sat down on the stone bench in the pavilion.

The stone bench was cold, covered with moss, and damp.

Little Grey jumped off his shoulder and circled around the pavilion.

Finally, it squatted on the stone table, picked up a fallen flower with its paw, and put it in its mouth to chew.

Wenmin glanced at him, then turned to leave.

"Senior Sister Wenmin," Zhang Xiaofan suddenly spoke up.

Wenmin stopped, but didn't turn around: "What is it?"

"I'm actually quite honest," Zhang Xiaofan said sincerely.

Wenmin's shoulders twitched, she turned around, her eyes like knives:

"Honest? Would an honest person say something like that when they first meet their master?"

"Which sentence?"

"It's just...it's just praising Master..."

Wenmin blushed and couldn't continue speaking.

She took a deep breath.

"Anyway, you just wait here."

"Don't go anywhere before Uncle Su and Junior Sister Ling'er come out. I have something urgent to attend to and need to leave first."

After she finished speaking, she quickly left, her figure soon disappearing into the depths of the bamboo forest.

Zhang Xiaofan sat on the stone bench, watching her figure disappear.

He waited three breaths, then stood up.

Moon-viewing Terrace.

In the original novel, this is where Lu Xueqi practiced her sword skills year-round.

There is a precipice there, with a bottomless abyss below, where clouds surge and billow.

Lu Xueqi liked to practice her sword there because it was quiet and close to the sky.

He determined the direction and walked deeper into the bamboo forest.

The purple bamboo is very dense, and sunlight cannot penetrate it.

The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the damp smell of rotting bamboo leaves.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, which felt soft and crunchy underfoot.

Little Grey followed at his feet, its paws treading on the fallen leaves, making an even softer sound.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

At the end of the bamboo forest, there is a precipice.

There is a huge blue stone on the edge of the cliff, its surface flat and smooth, as if it had been cut with a sword.

In the very center of the stone, a figure is wielding a sword.

White clothes.

It was as white as freshly fallen snow, untouched by any dust.

The fabric was very thin, and it clung to her body with her movements, outlining her undulating curves.

Her waist was incredibly thin, as if it could be broken with a pinch.

Upwards, her chest forms a full, rounded curve.

As the sword moves rose and fell, it trembled like a flower bud in the wind.

Downwards, long legs straight, each step carries a certain rhythmic beauty.

She is practicing swordplay.

The sword is Tianya, its entire body is ice blue, and its blade has a faint, cool luster like moonlight.

The sword seemed to come alive in her hands; every thrust, parry, slash, and flick was incredibly precise.

It possesses a certain cold, inviolable beauty.

The wind ruffled her long hair.

It was as black as the deepest night, unbound.

It cascaded down her back, fluttering with her movements like a black waterfall.

Strands of hair brushed against her cheeks, her neck, and her shoulders.

Occasionally, a section of her white, jade-carved earlobe would peek out.

face……

Zhang Xiaofan's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

He had seen beautiful women before. Tian Ling'er was bright and lively, like a camellia;

Shuiyue Zhenren was aloof and mature, like a snow lotus. But this one before her...

Elegant and beautiful.

It's not just simple beauty; it's a pure and ethereal beauty that comes from within, untouched by worldly concerns.

Her eyebrows and eyes were slender, her nose was straight, and her lips were thin and pale in color, like newly opened cherry blossoms.

Her skin was so white it was almost transparent, and under sunlight you could see the pale blue veins underneath.

The most amazing thing is those eyes.

She closes her eyes when she performs her sword dance.

Her eyelashes were long, casting faint shadows under her eyelids.

Occasionally, when he opens his eyes for a moment, his pupils are an extremely deep black, like two ancient wells, reflecting not a ripple.

Lu Xueqi.

Zhang Xiaofan stood still, not moving forward.

He looked down at himself—his Taoist robe was faded from washing, and there were still oil stains on the cuffs from cooking yesterday.

A gray monkey was perched on my shoulder, scratching its ear and chewing on some wild fruit it had somehow found.

He held a fire poker in his hand; the poker was black, and the dark red bead at the tip looked like a congealed blood clot.

Shabby.

The word popped into his head.

Then he laughed self-deprecatingly.

Lu Xueqi seemed to have noticed someone was there.

She paused in her sword strike, opened her eyes, and glanced in this direction.

His gaze was indifferent, like looking at a fallen leaf or a stone.

There was no driving away, no questioning, not even the slightest disturbance.

Then she closed her eyes again and continued practicing her swordplay.

Zhang Xiaofan walked to a rock about five zhang away from her and sat down.

He didn't say anything, just watched quietly.

The sword flashed like snow, and the robes fluttered in the wind.

The Tianya Sword traced icy blue arcs in her hand.

The sword's edge sliced ​​through the air, making a soft "hissing" sound.

Occasionally, the tip of the sword would glide across the ground, leaving a shallow white mark on the bluestone, sending stone chips flying.

The wind picked up.

The sea of ​​clouds below the cliff surged up like boiling milk.

The clouds rose, drifted over the cliff edge, and swirled around her feet, as if draping her in a veil.

The white-clad figure appeared and disappeared amidst the clouds, adding to the ethereal beauty.

She danced for half an hour.

When the final move was completed, the Tianya Sword returned to its sheath with a soft "clang".

She stood there, eyes closed, regulating her breathing, her chest rising and falling slightly.

Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead under the sunlight.

Then, she did something that made Zhang Xiaofan's pupils suddenly contract.

She made a hand seal with both hands.

It's not an ordinary sword technique; it's some kind of ancient and complex hand seal.

Ten fingers flew across the paper, so fast they were just blurry images. As the seal took shape,

The surrounding air began to vibrate, emitting a low "humming" sound.

The wind stopped, the sea of ​​clouds became still, and even the wild grass on the cliff bowed its head.

She spoke, her voice clear and cold, like ice and jade clashing:

"The Nine Heavens Mysterious Temple transforms into divine thunder. Its majestic heavenly power is drawn forth by the sword—"

Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique!

Zhang Xiaofan suddenly stood up.

Lu Xueqi completed the hand seal, and the Tianya Sword was unsheathed by itself, hovering above her head.

The sword shone with a bright blue light, with lightning flashing inside and crackling sounds.

Dark clouds had gathered in the sky at some unknown time, with lightning flashing and distant thunder rumbling within them.

She was forcibly unleashing the Qingyun Sect's supreme thunder technique!

But her current cultivation level...

Jade Purity Realm, eighth level.

This was Zhang Xiaofan's intuitive judgment.

The enhanced perception brought about by his dual cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism allowed him to roughly gauge the cultivation level of cultivators at the same level.

Lu Xueqi is indeed a genius; she reached level 8 in three years, only slightly slower than him.

However, this level is still far from the minimum requirement for unleashing the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique—the Upper Clarity Realm!

really.

Halfway through the incantation, Lu Xueqi's face suddenly turned pale.

Her body began to tremble, as if she were under immense pressure.

The light of the Tianya Sword above his head flickered, and the blade trembled, emitting a mournful "humming" sound.

The dark clouds in the sky began to dissipate, and the thunder faded into the distance.

"puff--"

She coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The blood was bright red, splattered on the white clothes.

Like plum blossoms blooming in the snow, dazzling and breathtaking.

She swayed and fell forward, the Tianya Sword clattering to the ground as its blue light went out.

Zhang Xiaofan paused for a moment, but remained standing still.

He knew Lu Xueqi's personality—proud, stubborn, hating pity and physical contact.

If you rush forward to help her at this point, it will only make her more resentful.

Sure enough, just as Lu Xueqi was about to fall, she braced herself with her right hand and managed to steady herself.

She coughed up another mouthful of blood, the blood foam spilling from the corner of her mouth and dripping onto the bluestone.

She didn't look at Zhang Xiaofan, or even at her surroundings. She simply sat cross-legged, formed hand seals, and began to regulate her breathing.

His face was as white as paper, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Mixed with blood, several faint red marks were drawn on his cheeks.

But her back was ramrod straight, like a green bamboo that would rather break than bend.

Zhang Xiaofan sat down again.

Little Gray hopped over from the side and perched on his shoulder.

He tilted his head and looked at Lu Xueqi, his pale golden eyes filled with curiosity.

Half an hour later, Lu Xueqi opened her eyes.

Her complexion had improved somewhat, but she was still pale.

She stood up, bent down to pick up the Tianya Sword, and sheathed it.

The movements were steady, but the fingers trembled slightly.

She turned around and walked towards the bamboo forest, never glancing at Zhang Xiaofan once.

It was as if he didn't exist at all.

Just as she was about to step into the bamboo forest, Zhang Xiaofan spoke:

"Senior Sister Lu, you just practiced it wrong."

Lu Xueqi stopped in her tracks.

She didn't turn around, her voice as cold as ice: "What did you say?"

"I'm telling you, you're practicing it wrong."

Zhang Xiaofan stood up and brushed off the bits of grass that were stuck to the hem of his Taoist robe.

"The Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique is one of the four great techniques of the Qingyun Sect. Its power is terrifying, but its requirements are also terrifyingly high."

The lowest threshold is the Upper Clarity Realm. You were lucky to survive your forced attempt.

Lu Xueqi slowly turned around.

Those dark eyes stared at him, a cold blue light swirling deep within their pupils:

"Do you know the true technique of controlling lightning with the divine sword?"

"I know a little," Zhang Xiaofan said.

"I also know that your failure wasn't due to insufficient cultivation—when..."

However, while his cultivation level was indeed insufficient—the more fundamental reasons were twofold.

He paused, then said, word by word:

"First, the Taiji Xuanqing Dao you are practicing has problems with its lineage."

Over the course of a thousand years, successive generations of masters have revised and modified many key techniques in order to lower the barrier to cultivation.

The current version has lower requirements for the strength of meridians and the quality of true essence than the original version by more than 30%.

Using such a foundation to activate the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique is like trying to build a skyscraper with rotten wood; the building will collapse before it's even built.

Lu Xueqi's pupils contracted slightly.

"second."

Zhang Xiaofan took half a step forward, his gaze sweeping over her.

Very calm, like a doctor examining a patient.

"Your body is too weak."

Lu Xueqi frowned: "I practice swordsmanship for four hours every day and have never slacked off."

"It's not that weak one."

Zhang Xiaofan shook his head. "It's a weakness in 'quality'."

Your flexibility makes you suitable for sword practice, but not for withstanding the backlash of lightning magic.

The force of that recoil just now, if it were a cultivator who had successfully refined their body, would at most cause their blood and qi to churn. But you—”

He pointed to the bloodstains on her chest.

"The internal organs are damaged, and the meridians are torn. It will take at least three months to recover."

He paused, then added:

"Moreover, your skin is too delicate and your body is too soft."

"So delicate it could be broken with a touch, so supple it's like a snake—this isn't a compliment, but rather an indication that your body can't withstand much strain."

Lu Xueqi stared at him for a long time.

It went on for so long that Zhang Xiaofan thought she was about to draw her sword and kill someone.

Then she spoke, her voice still cold, but less hostile: "You're right."

Zhang Xiaofan was stunned for a moment.

"The flaw in the technique is insufficient physical strength."

Lu Xueqi repeated, "These two problems have been unsolved by anyone in the Qingyun Sect for a thousand years."

"You know, but what can you do about it?"

She turned around and was about to leave again.

Suddenly, Little Grey on Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder squeaked.

It jumped off her shoulder and darted to Lu Xueqi's feet in a few leaps.

It tilted its head back, its pale golden eyes looking at her, and then—jumped onto her shoulder.

Lu Xueqi's body stiffened for a moment.

She looked down at the gray monkey on her shoulder.

The monkey looked at her too, its paw outstretched.

I gently touched her hair.

Then it squeaked twice, its voice soft, as if trying to please.

Lu Xueqi remained silent for three breaths.

Then, she reached out and gently patted Little Gray's head.

Her movements were a little clumsy, but very gentle.

Little Grey squinted comfortably, flicked its tail, and wrapped it around her neck.

Lu Xueqi looked up at Zhang Xiaofan: "Your monkey?"

"Um."

"It's not afraid of me," Lu Xueqi said, as if stating a fact.

"It has good taste," Zhang Xiaofan smiled.

Lu Xueqi didn't laugh. She looked at Zhang Xiaofan with a complicated expression:

There are no solutions to the two problems you mentioned.

"So," Zhang Xiaofan took half a step forward.

Looking at the little gray cat on her shoulder, and then into her eyes, I said, "I have a way."