Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

The old man grunted, bathed in the moonlight, his brows furrowed, and he turned slightly to the side, his sharp gaze falling on Qin Guang: "But I'm afraid their consciousness has been manipulated, or their memories have been altered."

"Manipulating consciousness...tampering with memories? That's highly unlikely, isn't it?"

"As long as it can touch a person's soul, it is not impossible. Although it is extremely difficult, it is a great undertaking."

Qin Guang felt this was somewhat impractical, so he asked again, "But where would our Ranshan Sect find someone capable of such methods? If it were to target the soul, it would require a cultivator specializing in soul-cultivation techniques, while the Ranshan Sect primarily focuses on martial arts..."

"So I'm just proposing a hypothesis."

The old man naturally knew what Qin Guang was saying.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that he himself understood the divine soul better than anyone else in the Ranshan Sect.

Since Jin He chose to submit to the Demon Dynasty, he has obtained several secret techniques for soul manipulation from the Demon Dynasty. He has a good understanding of all kinds of secret techniques, such as interrogating the soul, altering memories, and imprinting marks.

That's why he thought that Li Zhe and the others' memories might have been tampered with.

But it's just a hypothesis.

Because altering memories... is just too, too difficult.

Even the Demon Lord who passed on his numerous soul-binding secret techniques would probably need several days to alter one person's memory. To alter the memories of multiple people in a short time, or to manipulate the consciousness and soul of multiple people, was a powerful technique employed by the supreme demonic cultivators of ancient times—the Heavenly Demons and Ancient Demons.

No matter how Jin He thought about it, he couldn't imagine that the Heavenly Demon Ancient Demon Society and the Ranshan Sect had any connection. Even if they did, they should definitely be on their side.

After all, their compatriots live within the Demon Dynasty.

"Let's not discuss this matter for now."

After pondering for a moment and considering future actions, Jin He waved his hand, telling Qin Guang to put the matter out of his mind.

But a familiar figure flashed before Qin Guang's eyes. He hesitated for two seconds, then looked at Jin He's back with a resentful gaze: "Then... Master, what should we do with Junior Sister Ren... and her relative..."

Jin He glanced back at Qin Guang, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes: "You don't need to rush. Once it's done, your junior sister Ren won't be able to escape, and neither will that strange relative."

Qin Guang was overjoyed and quickly bowed in gratitude: "Then thank you, Master!"

Jin He didn't reply, but just snorted coldly and turned his back.

In fact, he was very dissatisfied with Qin Guang, especially his greedy and lustful appearance. From the first moment he saw him, he knew that Qin Guang was not destined for great things.

If he hadn't been in dire need of supporting a new chief disciple to take control of the Ranshan Sect and stabilize the sect's disciples, he would never have chosen Qin Guang.

But now...

The plan has been set up; now all we need to do is wait.

He glanced sideways, a gloomy sneer on his face, and squinted at Qin Guang.

"How has Li Junxiao been lately?"

"Junior Sister Li... is probably in seclusion; I haven't seen her since."

"He's in seclusion... It seems he's pondering a way to deal with you."

When this matter was mentioned, a look of disdainful arrogance flashed across Qin Guang's face. He lightly gripped the gold-inlaid tiger scabbard at his waist, half-kneeling, letting the cold wind blow his hair, and a grin appeared on his lips.

As if certain he wouldn't lose, he raised his chin and sneered, "Junior Sister Li can't beat me."

"Are you that confident?"

“My swordsmanship has reached the realm of complete mastery, and my cultivation level is even higher than that of Junior Sister Li. No matter how exquisite her Thirty-Six Swords of the Cave Heaven are, I'm afraid she can't withstand even ten of my strikes.”

"it is good."

Jin He smiled and turned to the side, half of his face appearing exceptionally pale and eerie in the moonlight.

"Then your master will await your triumphant return."

Actually.

Jin He was not worried about Qin Guang's swordsmanship or his cultivation level at all.

Even if Li Junxiao's swordsmanship is more exquisite and stronger than Qin Guang's, even if Li Junxiao's cultivation is a whole realm higher than Qin Guang's, even if Li Junxiao is hiding some secret magic weapon—

The final result will be Qin Guang's victory.

If you ask why...

Because there are always people on their side.

……

"Jun Xiao".

Inside the cave.

Several blue lamps were embedded in the four walls, with pale blue flames dancing on them. The warm light, though not scorching, illuminated the vast cave.

The woman named Li Junxiao sat cross-legged on the Silver Blood Radiance Bed. The spiritual energy within her body was becoming more and more solid as time passed. Her five-colored spiritual root was like a heart, and with each beat, several strands of spiritual energy would surge out from it.

She seemed to have sensed someone calling her as they entered the cave, so she stopped circulating her spiritual energy and stepped off the bed of silver-blooded radiance.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Li Junxiao abandoned his previous cold demeanor, his cheeks beaming with undisguised excitement and joy, and he quickly moved closer to the tall figure.

"Sister—what brings you here?"

Faced with Li Junxiao's question, Ranshan Sect's maternal grandfather—no, Li Linsa—smiled faintly.

She reached out her fair yet icy hand and lovingly patted Li Junxiao's head, then looked around and her gaze fell on the uniquely cold bed.

Instead of answering Li Junxiao's question, she asked with concern, "Were you cultivating just now? Did I disturb you, sister?"

"No, that's not true." Li Junxiao shook her head, clearly excited that her sister, whom she rarely saw, had come to her cave in person: "More importantly, sister, aren't you busy with sect affairs? Has the poison been cured?"

"I don't need to worry about sect affairs for now. I've been quite free lately. As for the poison, I've already recovered."

"That's good..." Li Junxiao breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried that you, sister, would be affected by that poison."

"The poisonous creatures in that secret realm were not highly skilled. Although their poison was potent, they did not leave any incurable symptoms. I recuperated for a few days and fully recovered."

As Li Linsa finished speaking, she took a few steps closer to the silver-blooded radiant bed, stood in front of it, and asked, "Is this bed that my sister gave you comfortable?"

"Yes. It helps with cultivation, and the effect is quite good."

"That……"

At this point, Li Linsa naturally sat down on the bed, the smile on his face gradually disappearing, replaced by a serious expression full of sorrow.

She seemed reluctant to bring it up, but she had no choice but to.

"The sect competition is in a few days... are you confident?"

"This……"

The Grand Sect Competition.

The mere mention of those four words conjured up images of Qin Guang, a figure she found utterly repulsive.

The thought of being forced into dual cultivation with him if she were to lose to him filled her with displeasure and even anger.

Li Junxiao clenched her fists, but even so, she still chose to tell Li Linsa the truth.

With a hint of helplessness and despair in his eyes, Li Junxiao leaned against the wall, bit his lower lip, and replied with a somber expression, "To be honest... I'm not sure if I can beat Qin Guang."

What are the approximate odds of winning...?

"Maybe... less than 30%."

A win rate of less than 30% can almost certainly be considered a defeat.

Li Linsa could see that her younger sister was unwilling, and she also knew what kind of person Qin Guang was.

Thinking of this, the maternal grandfather of the Ranshan Sect sighed and then took something out of his pocket.

"Jun Xiao, take this."

She placed the item on the Silver Blood Radiance Bed, her face showing a hint of determination.

Upon hearing this, Li Junxiao looked over and was startled.

Placed on the Silver Blood Radiance Bed was a translucent, pale green pearl, no bigger than the palm of your hand, yet it seemed to contain countless rich spiritual energies.

She hurriedly went over, picked up the precious pearl, and as she touched the outside of the pearl, she felt as if her spiritual root resonated with it, and a warm current flowed through her body.

Li Junxiao stared blankly at Li Linsa and asked, "Sister, what is this...?"

"This is something I have treasured for a long time. I found it in a secret realm in the Kuntian Domain. The spiritual energy within this treasure can open up your acupoints and unblock your meridians. When used in conjunction with this Silver Blood Radiance Bed, it can make your cultivation level advance by leaps and bounds."

"But this item can only be used for two hours each day. Using it for more than that will backfire on you. Remember that."

"It can improve...cultivation level..."

Looking at the pale green pearl, Li Junxiao couldn't help but reveal a genuine smile.

She had been stuck at her current level for a long time and had yet to find a way to break through. However, if she had this item, her cultivation could be raised to the next level, reaching the same level as Qin Guang.

And the sword technique that I have not been able to use until now, I can probably start practicing now!

Thinking of this, Li Junxiao couldn't help but throw himself into Li Linsa's arms and hug his sister.

"Thank you... thank you, sister..."

"This is for you, too."

Li Linsa patted Li Junxiao on the back, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly wiped away.

She pressed down on Li Junxiao's shoulder, pushed her away slightly, and then stared at her intently, saying carefully, "Remember, this item can only be used for two hours each day. You must remember this."

"Two hours... Okay, I'll remember that."

"That's good then. This is the only thing your sister can do to help you."

After speaking, Li Linsa got up from the Silver Blood Radiance Bed and said to Li Junxiao with a smile, "There's no time to lose. You should try cultivating with this first. I won't disturb you any longer."

Although he was reluctant to see his sister leave like this, Li Junxiao was also eager to try out the effects of this secret treasure, so he nodded.

She returned to the bed of silver-blooded radiance, sat cross-legged, placed the treasure in her palm, and began to circulate her cultivation technique.

Sure enough, a wave of incredibly comfortable warmth washed over my entire body, and in the blink of an eye, the orifices that had been blocked for so long began to loosen.

This greatly excited Li Junxiao, who immediately continued to circulate his spiritual energy, preparing to break through his current realm.

And Li Linsa...

She stood in front of Li Junxiao's cave, looking at her younger sister who was diligently cultivating, and couldn't help but sigh.

Turning around, she stepped out of Li Junxiao's cave and into the spacious courtyard.