My equipment is designed for cultivation; I started by slaughtering my way through a small world.

We highly recommend this book to you: "Equipment Slots for Immortal Cultivation: I Started by Slaying Through Small Worlds," available here.

Gu Qing left the main peak and headed along the mountain path towards Cuiyun Peak, where the elders resided.

As we reached the pavilion halfway up the main peak, we heard voices coming from ahead.

"Brother Gu!"

A cheerful, clear girl's voice came from ahead.

Gu Qing looked up and saw three people standing in the pavilion.

It turned out to be Yang Xiuyuan and his daughter, along with the steward Meng Yu.

Yang Xi was wearing a plain dress, and her eyes lit up immediately when she saw Gu Qing.

Elder Gu.

"Elder!"

Upon seeing Gu Qing approach, Yang Xiuyuan and Meng Yu quickly bowed and greeted him.

"No need for formalities."

Nodding slightly, Gu Qing looked at Yang Xiuyuan and said, "Patriarch Yang, I thought you had already left the Azure Emperor Sword Sect. I didn't expect to see you again today. It's a great honor!"

Gu Qing's first major opportunity in this world came from the Yang family. If the Yang family hadn't provided him with various spiritual materials to help him improve his alchemy skills, Gu Qing wouldn't have been able to make such a splash at the Alchemy Gathering.

Upon seeing this, Yang Xiuyuan's face showed a hint of joy.

Elder Gu.

"I originally planned to return to the Yang family today, but my daughter has chosen to join the Azure Emperor Sword Sect to cultivate the sword path, and will be cultivating within the sect from now on."

Meng Yu chuckled from the side, "Miss Yang has exceptional talent. According to the sect's rules, she is now an inner disciple."

Gu Qing nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Yang Xi.

Yang Xiuyuan hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and whispered:

"Elder Gu, I have the audacity to ask you a favor. Xi'er has never traveled the cultivation world alone before, and now she is all alone and helpless within the sect. I..."

Yang Xiuyuan paused, then said earnestly, "I hope Elder Gu can look after things for me."

Gu Qing glanced at him, then looked at Yang Xi, who was standing obediently not far away.

Based on their interactions over the past few months, Gu Qing had a pretty good impression of her. She was like a well-behaved girl in school, requiring almost no effort to manage and belonging to the type that could be left to her own devices.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Yang, I'm here."

"No one should dare to bully her."

Yang Xiuyuan was overjoyed and quickly thanked him. He then gave Yang Xi a few more instructions before reluctantly leaving.

Gu Qing turned around and asked Meng Yu:

"Steward Meng, is it alright for me to take Yang Xi to Cuiyun Peak?"

"Of course, no problem."

Meng Yu quickly shook his head.

After a pause, Meng Yu continued, "Elder Gu, according to the sect's rules, elders can accept personal disciples."

"If you wish to take care of Yang Xi, you might as well accept her as your disciple."

"Can you take on apprentices?"

Gu Qing paused slightly.

He suddenly remembered that during his second trial, he had taken on a disciple named Tian Yu on a nominal basis and taught him the Immortal Martial Bloodline Martial Arts.

I wonder how this kid is doing in the Demon Mist Plane?

Did they die in the mouth of a demon?

If one intends to establish their own Dao domain in the future, they must spread their Daoist teachings.

Thinking of this, Gu Qing asked:

"Yang Xi, are you willing to follow me in cultivation?"

Upon hearing this in the pavilion, Yang Xi was overjoyed. Her face flushed red at a visible speed, and she said in a trembling voice, "I'm so excited!"

"This disciple is willing!!"

"Master, please accept my bow."

As he spoke, he was about to bow to Gu Qing.

With a thought, Gu Qing used a burst of spiritual energy to stop the other person's movement. Gu Qing said calmly, "Don't worry about these formalities. I don't care about that kind of thing."

"Let's go, come back to Cuiyun Peak with me."

"oh--"

Yang Xi blushed and responded, following behind Gu Qing along the mountain path towards Cuiyun Peak.

……

In the blink of an eye, another month has passed.

Bamboo forest behind Cuiyun Peak.

Above the bamboo sea, two figures rode two basic first-grade flying swords, soaring and fighting like eagles in mid-air.

The two fought from a thousand meters in the air all the way up to the top of the bamboo forest, their figures sometimes soaring into the clouds and sometimes hovering among the bamboo tips.

The two figures were dressed in different styles: one in a blue robe and the other in a plain white dress.

The figure in the cyan robe waved his hand, effortlessly conjuring various sword lights, sometimes transforming into a gentle spring breeze and drizzle, and sometimes like a lush, thriving summer tree.

In mid-air, the figure in the plain white dress was attacked, her sword moves revealing flaws everywhere, and she was completely at a disadvantage.

The two flew through the sky on their swords. When they clashed, the figure in the cyan robe deliberately slowed down the speed at which he switched sword techniques, allowing the figure in the plain white dress opposite him to learn, comprehend, and apply them in actual combat.

Gradually.

The sword techniques of the figure in the plain white dress also became more fierce.

The figure in the plain white dress was none other than Yang Xi, Gu Qing's newly accepted apprentice.

The figure in blue was Gu Qing himself.

Only after Yang Xi had exhausted her spiritual energy did the two of them descend from mid-air.

Yang Xi was panting heavily, his face flushed with blood. Fighting with a sword, though seemingly a contest of magic, also tested a cultivator's physical strength and other fundamental factors.

With a martial arts physique cultivated in the ancient martial arts world, Gu Qing's combat prowess in sword-wielding combat, combining close-range fighting with martial arts techniques, far surpasses that of simple sword-wielding skills.

"Master, you're amazing!"

"We started practicing the Yi Wood Sword Technique on the same day, and in just seven days, you mastered all the moves of the Yi Wood Sword Technique to perfection."

"Yesterday, I used the Golden Wind Slicing Leaves technique you taught me to defeat Qiu Hao, the senior disciple of the inner sect."

"Master, you have no idea how wide their mouths were open yesterday, hehe..."

Yang Xi, who switched to swordsmanship, gradually began to show his sharp edge.

but……

In front of Gu Qing, she seemed to be the same as before.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qing shook his head.

Yang Xiuyuan was worried that his daughter would be bullied, but now it seems that she has started to bully others.

Indeed, as Meng Yu said, Yang Xi's talent in swordsmanship is quite good.

In particular, she is extremely skilled at aerial sword fighting, and her perception of spatial distance is very keen.

In this respect, Gu Qing felt that her talent was only slightly inferior to his own.

Smiling as Yang Xi showed off, Gu Qing shook his head:

"Sword techniques are minor skills, good enough for fighting Qi Refining Realm cultivators. True masters cultivate the profound mysteries of the sword, their sword energy spanning thirty thousand miles, a single sword strike gleaming across nineteen continents."

"Yang Xina!"

"How is your cultivation of the [Bitter Bamboo Sword Forging Technique] going? In three days, we will be going to the Sword Tomb Secret Realm. At that time, your master will give you a gift."

Gu Qing said with a smile.

"what?"

"Gift!!"

Yang Xi's heart was in turmoil. Brother Gu and Master were going to give her a gift?

"Don't worry, Master."

"You have clearly explained all the key points of the [Bitter Bamboo Sword Forging Technique], and I have mastered this secret method."

"I promise I won't embarrass my master."

The Sword Tomb Secret Realm is the core asset of the Azure Emperor Sword Sect, and only inner disciples are qualified to enter.

Every inner disciple who cultivates the Bitter Bamboo Sword Forging Technique can go to the Sword Tomb Secret Realm and choose a Bitter Bamboo from the Sword Realm as their natal flying sword.

The better one cultivates the Bitter Bamboo Sword Forging Technique, the greater the probability of sensing the ancient Bitter Bamboo Sword Realm.