Mortal: Fifteenth Realm Sword Cultivator

Chapter 158 Falling in Love

"I know of one person who simply sifted through the most widely circulated books of the Hundred Schools of Thought, extracting their essence, and from these fragmented words and phrases, he painstakingly pieced together and deduced a path of cultivation through his own comprehension. With this path, he was able to rise from a mere mortal with no foundation, pursuing the infinite with the finite, breaking through barriers and obstacles all the way to the Nascent Soul realm, and even finally reaching the true end of the path of cultivation."

"There was also a middle-aged scholar in his forties who, in just sixty years, was able to establish rules for the world and people's hearts based on the principles in his heart by the age of one hundred."

Compared to this kind of person.

Lu Jianghe is really not that gifted.

Even if he reached a higher level in this world, unless he truly reached the unprecedented fifteenth realm, he never thought of competing with those people.

On this long road stretching between heaven and earth, there is no one ahead, and no fellow travelers.

As long as you have what you want in your heart, and as long as heaven and earth allow it, a broad road will appear before your eyes.

It can be said that he doesn't need to put in much effort; he has his own "food" to eat.

Upon hearing this, the group felt incredulous.

Do such people really exist in the world?

In fact, Lu Jianghe had already given a fairly general answer.

The two people he mentioned were, one was someone who had refined and obtained half the strength of the Heavenly Court's ruler, and the other was a true Confucian sage.

On the path of righteousness, there are both good and evil, and there are countless geniuses in the world with the potential to become dragons and phoenixes.

If we include Lu Jianghe in this group, he really isn't anything special.

A bitter smile appeared on Han Li's lips as he said softly, "If even someone as accomplished as Brother Lu humbly considers himself not exceptionally talented, then is someone as dull-witted as me simply a stubborn rock from birth?"

Lu Jianghe's gaze swept over the people in the pavilion. "There's no need to belittle yourself. There are countless paths to the Great Dao, each with its own way. Starting early or rising high doesn't guarantee reaching the end. True cultivation of the Great Dao lies in aligning with one's true heart. Whether it's temperament, the Dao of Heaven, or human nature, everything must be perfectly integrated with what one seeks in one's heart. Only then can one persevere and ascend step by step. That is true talent, not a high starting point, but resilience."

He paused, his tone carrying a rare gentle expectation: "Therefore, you need not worry too much. Perhaps a hundred or a thousand years later, if you and I can still meet again, that in itself will be proof that we are on the same path."

Zi Ling looked intently at Lu Jianghe and asked directly, "I feel like these words are being said to me, since I seem to be the one with the lowest cultivation level among everyone here."

Xin Ruyin and Yan Ruyan were both speechless upon hearing this.

If it weren't for the special occasion, they would almost have thought to themselves, "When did this little girl become so—'outspoken'?"

Lu Jianghe didn't seem to care about this. He just looked at her and smiled, "It is indeed time to consider forming your core. However, as the sect leader of Miaoyin Sect, you have no shortage of resources, so this shouldn't be a difficult thing for you."

A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he remembered the Purple Spirit Physique.

She possesses an extremely rare innate constitution, the Pure Yin Body of a Young Woman, a rare innate Yin body found only once in ten thousand.

This physique gives it an extraordinary affinity for all demonic cultivation techniques, allowing it to cultivate at a speed far exceeding that of its peers.

However, in his view...

This constitution may not be limited to a specific cultivation method, but rather it can have a miraculous effect on all cultivation methods with the "yin" attribute of the Great Dao, enabling one to achieve twice the result with half the effort and make further progress.

If we were to truly enumerate the potential of everyone present, setting aside Lu Jianghe himself, based on the original trajectory of their destinies, perhaps only Han Li, who possesses great fortune, and Zi Ling, who has this unique physique, would be able to reach the end.

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling nodded obediently.

A pair of hands rested on her jade-like legs, which were as smooth as cream.

Because she was wearing a long, slit dress in a palace style, the hem of her skirt naturally slipped to one side when she sat down.

In fact, Zi Ling knew that her cultivation aptitude was only above average, far from top-notch.

If you want to break through the bottleneck of Core Formation as soon as possible, you need to find some spiritual herbs that contain rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth to help you.

Among the chaotic star sea, spiritual plants are the rarest.

Therefore, going to the Void Heaven Palace is a good choice.

Now that Zhao Zheng has been executed and Elder Fu's faction has been completely eliminated, the entire Miaoyin Sect is now firmly under her control, making resource allocation much easier than before.

However, given the resources available within the sect, Zi Ling is also capable of successfully forming her core.

Comparing the two.

It's just a matter of how fast or slow it takes.

The most important thing.

With Lu Jianghe here, Elder Jin Kui would have to be hesitant to act rashly, wouldn't he?

In the original timeline, Zi Ling followed Jin Kui into the Void Heaven Palace. The reason for this was not complicated; the core issue was the control of resources by the Myriad Sounds Sect.

Although Zi Ling is the sect leader and nominally commands the Miaoyin Sect, under Jin Kui's scheme, she is essentially just a "coordinator".

After the Battle of Scorpion Island, Jin Kui quickly seized control of the entire Miaoyin Sect's resource network and accumulated resources, as well as its true control over its allocation and core interests.

The resources that Zi Ling can directly control for her own cultivation, or rather, the resources that she can only use with Jin Kui's tacit permission, are extremely limited.

Although Jin Kui's scheme was not as blatant and open as that of the Sixth Elder and Zhao Feng, his methods were more sophisticated and thorough.

He didn't need to personally fight for every resource; instead, he used the name of "protection" to keep the Miaoyin Sect under his control.

Zi Ling appears to be the sect leader, but in reality, she is more like a "manager" who manages Jin Kui's businesses and stabilizes the situation.

In Jin Kui's grand scheme, her personal cultivation future was far less important than consolidating his control over the Miaoyin Sect and its internal forces.

Therefore, for Zi Ling, entering the Void Heaven Palace became her only option to break through to the Core Formation stage more quickly.

Later, when the war between good and evil broke out in Tianxing City, and the Star Palace and the Reverse Star Alliance clashed fiercely, Jin Kui, as a core elder, was caught in the vortex and had to supervise the battle on the front line, and even take action himself.

This all-out war, which concerns the survival of the Star Palace, is extremely costly and full of variables. Jin Kui will naturally have no time to spare, and his control over the Miaoyin Sect will inevitably be greatly weakened.

Later, it was precisely because of this that Wen Tianren was given an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"Could it be that Sect Leader Wang has fallen for Senior Lu?"

A voice transmission entered the heart lake.

Zi Ling's eyes curved into crescent moons as she quickly scanned the crowd in the pavilion before finally settling her gaze back on Yan Ruyan.

Using the same telepathic technique, she countered, "What does whether I like Lu Jianghe or not have to do with Sister Yan?"

Yan Ruyan was taken aback by the direct and bold question. When she met Zi Ling's gaze, she immediately understood and thought to herself, "Just as I thought."

From the moment she stepped into the cave, her intimate manner was completely unlike the respect that ordinary cultivators should show to senior masters.

Just then, Lu Jianghe suddenly turned his head, his deep gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the people sitting around him, with a hint of probing in his eyes, and asked, "Did you talk about me using telepathy just now?"

Just moments ago, Lu Jianghe's heart, as still as an ancient well, was suddenly stirred by subtle ripples, as if someone had thrown a stone into the water.

The feeling wasn't clear; it wasn't a specific word or phrase, but rather more like the gentle tinkling sound of a fishing line trembling slightly after a fish has taken the bait.

This "bait" is his own name.

Whenever a cultivator touches upon this name with words or thoughts, it is like a fish biting the bait.

So as long as he mentions it, he can see the true form of the fish, or rather, a string of words.

Lu Jianghe didn't care about the whispers and gossip among others.

For cultivators, communicating with each other through their minds is perfectly normal.

He had long been accustomed to suppressing his divine senses and often walked the world in an almost mortal manner. Although he possessed a universe within him, he never revealed it on the outside.

But that one direct address of his own name piqued his curiosity, prompting him to ask a question.

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling leaned forward slightly, turned her head to give Yan Ruyan a meaningful look, and then turned to Lu Jianghe, her voice clear and crisp.

"Just now, Sister Yan told me that someone like Senior Lu must have captivated countless women in the world, and she wondered what kind of extraordinary woman could be worthy of such a person. Or rather, it's not a matter of being worthy or not, but rather of being a kindred spirit who walks the same path with him."

Yan Ruyan was so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole and disappear.

After hearing Zi Ling's half-truthful account, Lu Jianghe was so angry he laughed and shook his head slightly.

"What is all this nonsense? It's just pointless gossip. Don't bring this up again."

Zi Ling nodded in agreement with a smile, "Who says otherwise? I also think Sister Yan is thinking too far ahead."

Yan Ruyan was almost restless, yet unable to utter a word in rebuttal.

However, from Zi Ling's words, Yan Ruyan had already come to a startling conclusion.

She probably also has feelings for Senior Lu.

Zhuang Huayi sat quietly to the side, taking it all in.

Although she didn't intentionally eavesdrop on Zi Ling and Yan Ruyan's telepathic communication, given her cultivation level, the emotional fluctuations they didn't completely conceal, or whether intentionally or unintentionally revealed, were as clear as a breeze rippled across water, making it difficult for her to "not listen."

Lu Jianghe added, "Miss Yan, the last sentence is quite good."

In his view, when cultivators become partners, they are, in a sense, people who share the same path.

Zi Ling's face flushed crimson in an instant, as if she had drunk fine wine, like a peach tree leaning against the east wind, her cheeks turning from light red to rouge.

Fortunately, Lu Jianghe suddenly remembered something.

It's definitely not a small matter.

He then turned to Xin Ruyin and said that all rental fees for the fiftieth level of the cave would be waived for the next several hundred years until the next Star Palace Saint Lord ascended the throne.

After saying that.

A faint light flashed in his hand, and an ancient, restrictive token appeared out of thin air.

Lu Jianghe casually handed the token to Xin Ruyin and said, "For the next few hundred years, you will be the sole owner of this cave."

Upon hearing this, Xin Ruyin snapped back to her senses, shifted her gaze from Zi Ling, and waved her hands repeatedly.

"Senior Lu, this is absolutely unacceptable! Ruyin cannot accept this."

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