Three days had already passed, and Wen Jingshu had successfully reached the sixtieth floor.
She now found herself in a desolate desert, with wind and sand swirling all around.
Holding the iron sword provided by the Trial Tower, Wen Jingshu stared at the fierce beasts surrounding her from all directions.
A white-fronted tiger growled low, gathering its strength, its muscles tense and its sharp, heavy claws looking capable of tearing her apart instantly.
A leopard arched its back close to the ground, its eyes locked onto her. The leopard was extremely fast; though it was across from her one second, it could easily pounce right in front of her the next.
A nine-tailed red fox hid behind a sand dune with a cunning gaze. It had a small build and specialized in sneak attacks and ambushes.
A giant bear, resembling a blind black bear, beat its chest, its thick hide and tough flesh like a wall of bronze and iron.
Each of these four fierce beasts had its own troublesome traits. Combined, even with Wen Jingshu's thousand years of experience in talisman cultivator combat, she did not dare to let her guard down.
If she wanted to win, she had to kill them in a single blow! Otherwise, she would be met with the beasts' desperate, frenzied onslaught.
Wen Jingshu's gaze flickered across the four beasts as she quickly formulated a killing plan in her mind.
Wen Jingshu rushed toward the white tiger first. Sweeping her iron sword upward at an angle, she applied the basic stance she had just learned. The blade slid along the tips of the tiger's claws, causing its pounce to veer off course. However, the tiger's tail whipped heavily against Wen Jingshu, forcing a muffled groan from her.
She quickly stabilized her stance. In the blink of an eye, she saw the leopard charging. Facing it head-on, Wen Jingshu gave her wrist a light twist, bringing the iron sword from back to front, its tip slicing straight along the leopard's body.
The leopard lost its ability to fight, collapsing to the ground in painful wails.
Seeing this, the red fox quietly unfurled its nine tails, creating clones of itself. Three identical red foxes pounced simultaneously from three directions, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.
Wen Jingshu leaped backward rapidly, putting distance between herself and the foxes. Since she couldn't find the real body, she would just kill them all!
Wen Jingshu swept her long sword horizontally across her chest, striking through all three fox silhouettes at once.
Two of the illusions vanished the moment they touched the sword. Only the real body was grazed on its shoulder and back. Screaming in pain, it revealed its true form. In its death throes, it bit down on Wen Jingshu's right arm. Decisive as always, she immediately switched the sword to her left hand and plunged it deep into the space between its brows.
At the same time, the giant bear charged forward with a roar. Among the four beasts, only the giant bear had thick hide and tough flesh that ordinary blades could not damage in the slightest. Thanks to the Xianguan Sword Art, Wen Jingshu dodged with agile movements. Thrusting the iron sword straight ahead, she didn't try to slash the bear's body, instead pointing the tip of her sword precisely at its right eye.
The giant bear instinctively blocked, but Wen Jingshu's feint succeeded. Without pausing, she used her momentum to slide past the bear's flank. Twisting her wrist, she struck the flat of the iron sword heavily against the bear's soft ribs at its waist.
In an instant, the massive body crashed violently into a sand dune, sending dust flying into the sky.
The remaining white tiger was no longer a threat, and Wen Jingshu easily dispatched it.
Everything had happened quickly and ended just as fast. Wen Jingshu closed her eyes, mentally replaying the battle over and over.
The previous confrontation seemed like Wen Jingshu easily breaking down the four fierce beasts step-by-step, but in reality, her nerves had been wound tight the entire time, with absolutely no room for error.
Just four of the most basic sword techniques had completely drained all her spiritual energy.
When basic sword moves were practiced to their absolute limit, it was the ultimate Dao is simplicity itself!
Wen Jingshu's hand holding the iron sword trembled slightly. At this moment, her Sword Heart had actually reached the Mahayana Stage, and the next step would be great perfection!
Once she reached great perfection, she would be able to condense Sword Intent!
“As expected of the Eight Great Families with their deep heritage. Even the basic sword techniques contain Dao Intent!”
With the sixtieth floor cleared, the sixty-first floor opened. When Wen Jingshu opened her eyes again, she only felt that the scene before her was both familiar and foreign.
“My sweet daughter, you scared your mother to death! It's good that you're awake, it's so good that you're awake!”
A beautiful and gentle woman had tears in her eyes, her heartache completely genuine. Before Wen Jingshu could even react, she was pulled into a tight embrace.
Wen Jingshu's head felt dizzy. Only after a long while did she manage to speak, calling out, “Mo... Mother?”
Hearing Wen Jingshu's words, Wen Shixue patted her back and said, “Mother is here.”
Wen Jingshu asked again, “Mother, what happened to me?”
Wen Shixue gently released her and said with a touch of blame, “You mischievous girl, you still dare to ask what happened? You are only five years old, how could you dare run off to the lakeside alone?”
“If Yingran hadn't noticed in time and pulled you out, you...”
As Wen Shixue spoke, her voice choked with emotion. A handsome man who had hurried in from behind quickly came over to comfort her. “There, there, isn't Shushu awake now? I'm sure after this incident, Shushu will definitely be on her best behavior.”
“Shushu, isn't that right?”
Seeing the look Ru Junlan gave her, Wen Jingshu quickly acted spoiled and promised, “Mother, it's Shushu's fault. Shushu will definitely be careful in the future!”
“Mother, please forgive me this once~”
The five-year-old girl hugged Wen Shixue's arm and shook it back and forth. Wen Shixue didn't truly blame Wen Jingshu; she was just feeling lingering fear from the sight of her lying pale and unresponsive on the bed, unable to be woken up no matter how much she was called.
She embraced Wen Jingshu once more, holding her like a long-lost treasure.
Feeling her mother's gentle embrace, the emptiness in Wen Jingshu's heart seemed to be completely filled.
Ru Junlan reached out to feel her forehead. Sensing that her temperature was normal, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Before withdrawing his hand, he flicked her forehead.
“Don't be mischievous in the future. Your mother can't bear to see you suffer even a single scratch.”
Wen Jingshu was the daughter born to the couple late in life, and they treasured her like the apple of their eye. This accident had truly frightened them both out of their wits.
Feeling the sting on her forehead, Wen Jingshu pouted in slight dissatisfaction, but she also knew she was in the wrong this time. She mumbled, “I know, Father.”
Yingran, upon hearing that Wen Jingshu had woken up, dropped the soup bowl in her hands and rushed inside.
She was only three years older than Wen Jingshu. The eight-year-old girl threw herself by Wen Jingshu's bedside, her voice also thick with tears:
“Commandery Princess, you scared this servant to death.”
Wen Jingshu reached out to pat Yingran's head, saying gratefully, “Yingran, thank you for saving me.”
Hearing this, Yingran shook her head. “If the Commandery Princess hadn't saved me three years ago, I would have frozen to death on the roadside long ago.”
Three years ago, Wen Jingshu was only two years old. According to the servants, she had spotted the nearly frozen Yingran while out playing. The innocent little commandery princess had pitied her so much that she ordered people to bring her back to the Grand Princess Manor.
Since then, Yingran had stayed by Wen Jingshu's side as a playmate. As she grew slightly older, she began to personally attend to Wen Jingshu's daily needs.
Wen Jingshu didn't have much memory of this, but to Yingran, whether Wen Jingshu had truly wanted to save her life or had simply done so out of childish innocence, she had indeed saved her life.
By evening, Wen Jingshu's married eldest sister, Wen Jingning, rushed back. Normally the epitome of a composed and dignified noble lady to the outside world, she only showed other emotions when facing Wen Jingshu.
She looked Wen Jingshu up and down, and only let out a sigh of relief after confirming she was completely unharmed.
“You little girl! Do you still dare to go to the lakeside alone in the future?”
Wen Jingshu's forehead was poked once again. She quickly begged for mercy:
“I don't dare, I don't dare! Next time I'll definitely have Yingran accompany me!”
Nothing was more important than her little life!
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