Enduring humiliation for three years, seizing the elixir, the treasure, and the holy maiden.

Liu Yu raised her hand and wiped her face, smearing the smear all over her face. She chuckled and retreated.

The broken sword was put back into its scabbard.

Su Chen closed the box lid, his fingertips lingering on the surface of the box for a moment.

This sword cannot be easily reforged using that meteorite iron at the moment.

Let alone whether it damages the sword's inherent essence.

The divine iron obtained in Qingzhou was extremely rare.

How can it be used indiscriminately?

Even cultivators in the spirit realm who forge magical artifacts.

If it weren't for some grandmaster or great master, Su Chen wouldn't dare entrust it to anyone.

I need a suitable spirit sword that I can use even during my Integration Stage.

Ancient battlefield....

The mountain wind swept around from behind Bone Peak, rustling the withered grass covering the slope.

There is a weapon-refining workshop on the back mountain, which has been abandoned for at least several hundred years.

The furnace had long since died out, the bellows had rotted into a few pieces of rotten wood, and cobwebs covered the corners of the walls.

Even the disciples who patrol the mountain usually don't bother to go around this area.

When Zhou Ding pushed open the door, the Old Man of Tiandu had already arrived.

The old monster sat beside a cracked alchemy furnace, tapping the furnace wall with his withered fingers.

"sit."

Zhou Ding did not sit down, but clasped his hands in a salute.

"I wonder what instructions the elder has for me?"

"It's not really about giving orders."

The old man from Tiandu raised his cloudy eyes.

"Let me do some calculations for my junior apprentice, Zhou."

"At the Buried Sword Slope, Junior Nephew Zhou lost face in front of all the disciples on the slope."

"The violent energy dissipated and injured fellow disciples. It was Junior Nephew Zhou who started it, and this incriminating evidence is now in the hands of that Su fellow."

"The longer that kid stays in the sect, the less Junior Nephew Zhou can hold his head up in front of Elder Dragon Bone."

Zhou Ding clenched his fist.

The words were harsh, but every sentence hit the nail on the head.

Ever since returning from the Buried Sword Slope, Master Longgu has never given Zhou Ding a second glance.

Zhou Ding heard the phrase "he's a man" clearly from below the slope, but it wasn't directed at him.

"The elder is right."

"May I ask a question?"

"Elder, you've calculated everything so clearly for your disciples, what are you after?"

That's not a very smart question.

This guy seems pretty smart.

But if you think about it carefully, does he really have the right to negotiate?

The old man from Tiandu smiled.

That's incredibly naive. Perhaps that's the difference between this kid and Su Zhenchuan.

"Junior Brother Zhou is not confused."

"I nurtured my two ice and fire puppets for decades, but that brat sealed them into the void with a single stroke."

"This old man has to get justice."

justice?

Zhou Ding almost threw up.

Old Man Tiandu truly felt sorry for those two puppets.

But what the old man of Tiandu was concerned about was far more than just the two puppets.

It seems to be that pen...

It can tear through the void and swallow a puppet controlled by a Nascent Soul cultivator whole.

What you swallowed, you might be able to find back by following that pen.

It doesn't matter if we can't find it.

A magical artifact capable of controlling the laws of space—let alone two puppets, even ten would be exchanged for it without the Old Man of Tiandu blinking an eye.

Because of the limitations of his cultivation technique, he lacked the means to protect himself.

If possible....

As for Zhou Ding in front of us.

The old man of Tiandu tapped the furnace wall again with his withered finger.

After the deed is done, if the man surnamed Su dies outside, someone has to take responsibility.

A disciple who had a grudge against Su Chen and had been publicly humiliated was the perfect choice.

Zhou Ding knew in his heart that the old man never told the truth.

But so what?

The Heavenly Capital Elder is at the Integration Realm.

When it really comes down to it, it's the old man from Tiandu who puts in the effort, and it's also the old man from Tiandu who bears the risks.

Zhou Ding simply followed behind, handing over a knife.

If things go wrong, how much of a crime could a disciple at the Void Refinement stage commit by following the orders of an elder?

Wonderful!

"This disciple will obey the elder's orders."

Zhou Ding lowered his eyes and bowed respectfully again.

The two exchanged a glance in the dilapidated weapon-forging room.

They were both thinking about the same thing.

They all regarded each other as a shield in front of them.

Zhou Ding took his leave, and just as his hand touched the door panel, a cough came from behind him.

"Oh, right."

"When will the Saintess break through to the next realm?"

Zhou Ding's hand, which was resting on the door, paused.

"This disciple...does not know."

"oh."

The furnace wall was struck again, once, then again.

"Just asking casually."

Zhou Ding pushed open the door and went out, the mountain wind filling his sleeves.

Zhou Ding stepped on a piece of rotten wood and almost tripped. He cursed under his breath and kicked it into the bushes.

After walking quite a distance, Zhou Ding turned back for a final look.

The weapon-refining room was dark and the door was half-closed.

Lin Zhiya came out from inside, a stray strand of hair clinging to the side of her neck.

He was drenched in sweat.

However, it's not hard to see that he is somewhat exhausted at this moment.

Su Chen could tell from her expression that she was having trouble breaking through her limits.

And with a dark expression, he was probably still arguing with Lu Yao...

"Has the Holy Maiden developed health problems from her seclusion?"

"fine."

Lin Zhiya sat down on the soft couch, picked up the teacup, only to find it was empty, so she put it back.

The sound of footsteps was soft.

Lu Yao brought in a pot of freshly brewed tea, poured a cup and handed it over, her gaze lingering on Lin Zhiya's face for a moment.

"The spiritual energy in the Saintess's Qi Sea is probably stuck at the bottleneck."

Lin Zhiya's outstretched hand, reaching for the tea, froze in mid-air.

"When the Qi circulates through the body to the Ren meridian, do you always feel something blocking it, pushing it forward and then retreating half an inch?"

Lin Zhiya did not respond, nor did she accept the cup of tea.

Lu Yao placed the tea on the table and stepped back half a step.

"Lu Yao has seen this kind of situation many times in the lower realm."

"It's quite a coincidence that our lord is known for breaking through realms in the lower realms very quickly."

"If the Holy Maiden were willing to seek guidance from the Lord, she would surely be right."

Lin Zhiya's face turned pale and then flushed.

But Lu Yao was absolutely right about everything.

These past few days, I've been trying to break through a bottleneck. When my spiritual energy reaches the Ren meridian, it feels like it's hitting a wall; every time I try to break through, it retreats.

Lin Zhiya gritted her teeth and tried no less than ten times.

"A mere spirit slave dares to meddle in my affairs."

Lu Yao wasn't annoyed, and bent her knees again.

"Lu Yao was too talkative."

He admitted his mistake, but then pushed the teacup an inch closer to Lin Zhiya's hand.

Su Chen wiped the soft handkerchief down the spine of the sword.

"Breaking through a realm is both mysterious and simple."

"Once you feel at ease, your spiritual energy will naturally flow smoothly."

"When you have something on your mind, your spiritual energy will also be blocked."

Lin Zhiya suddenly turned her head.

Lin Zhiya knew all too well who was weighing on her mind.

Unfortunately, those words were spoken by that person himself.

Lin Zhiya grabbed the cup of tea and gulped it down, the heat numbing her tongue, but she didn't utter a sound.

"This saintess's affairs are none of your concern, Master."

With a flick of her white gauze skirt, she returned to the quiet room.

The door slammed shut with a deafening roar.

Lu Yao put away the tea tray and retreated to the side with her head bowed.

Lu Yao said those words on purpose.

For a spirit slave to gain a foothold in this cave, the master's word "for now" is far from enough.

The entire sect knows about the marriage between the saint and the Lord.

Judging from today's scene, Lu Yao already had a pretty good idea of ​​whether the marriage would go through or not.

First, show off your skills to the mistress so she knows that Lu Yao has some discernment, and then you'll have a place in this cave dwelling in the future.

Lu Yao silently repeated the words "mistress" once in her heart.

It is absolutely forbidden to say it out loud.

...