The two of them exchanged bitter smiles, secretly nursing headaches.
Among the six major sword peaks, the First Sword Peak's slaughter sword Dao boasted a power that reigned supreme over all the others.
If they truly ended up sparring, the two of them would likely not gain the slightest advantage. They probably wouldn't escape being taught a lesson today.
In a panic, they turned their pleading gazes toward Leng Zhiwei in the main seat, hoping the Sect Master would step in to bail them out later.
But the moment their eyes met, Leng Zhiwei timely closed her eyes, adopting an attitude of resting her mind. She made it clear that she had no intention of getting involved.
Beside them, Ye Ling was completely unaware of the undercurrents in the hall. She merely lowered her eyes in thought, calculating whether she should go to the Second Sword Peak or the Fifth Sword Peak first tomorrow to practice her sword techniques.
As the meeting in the discussion hall adjourned, Liu Qinghan, the Peak Master of the First Sword Peak, led the other three sword Peak Masters forward with “warm” smiles, surrounding the Peak Masters of the Second and Fifth Sword Peaks and ushering them out together.
Moments later, successive booming tremors from clashing spiritual energy echoed from the sky outside the hall, causing even the air to vibrate slightly.
Ye Ling looked out of the hall in curiosity, secretly puzzled.
Leng Zhiwei, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them and explained with a smile.
“It is nothing. The Peak Masters are merely sparring and discussing the Dao. There is no need to take it to heart.”
“Once you have been here longer, you will get used to it. Sword cultivators are naturally competitive; it has always been this way.”
Ye Ling nodded in understanding and easily believed this explanation. Indeed, sword cultivators were like that.
Now that all matters in the hall had been thoroughly discussed, she felt it was time to take her leave.
She thought of Su Qinghan and Su Qinghe. Back when she was in closed-door cultivation, the two of them had made a special trip to visit her.
They could be considered friends who treated her with genuine sincerity, so she should take the initiative to go meet up with them.
Just as she was about to step out of the hall, a crisp shout echoed from far outside.
“Auntie! Auntie!”
Following the voice, Elder Leng Yue, who was usually known throughout the sect for her cold and majestic demeanor, strode into the hall with a casual, affectionate smile on her face.
But the moment she caught sight of Ye Ling, who had not yet left, she froze on the spot. For a moment, the scene was incredibly awkward.
On the main seat, Leng Zhiwei helplessly raised her hand to her forehead and let out a soft sigh.
“Little Yue'er, you must mind the occasion when you speak.”
“While in the discussion hall, and in front of a True Disciple, you should call me Sect Master.”
Leng Yue's cheeks flushed slightly. She looked at Ye Ling sheepishly and whispered,
“Ye Ling, you must absolutely not spread what you just heard to outsiders.”
Ye Ling's expression remained calm, and she nodded gently in response.
“I won't tell anyone.”
There had always been rumors that Elder Leng Yue and Sect Master Leng Zhiwei were aunt and niece. Seeing this affectionate form of address with her own eyes today finally confirmed the rumors.
With that, she cupped her hands slightly toward Leng Zhiwei, turned, and left the discussion hall, planning to find Su Qinghan and Su Qinghe.
The moment she stepped out of the main discussion hall, Ye Ling channeled her spiritual energy to take flight, riding the wind directly toward the outer sect.
The disciple areas of the Qinglan Sword Sect were divided into three parts: the inner sect, the outer sect, and the miscellaneous chores section.
Every three years, the sect would travel to various cities across the Qingyun Kingdom to hold national selections. In addition, to prevent those of the right age from missing out, a small-scale recruitment drive was held at the foot of the mountain every year.
However, it was difficult to find top-tier geniuses through these recruitments at the foot of the mountain. Most of those admitted were average-talent outer sect or miscellaneous disciples.
If an outer sect disciple could not break through to the Xiantian Realm before the age of twenty-five, they would only have two paths forward in the future.
They would either be dispatched outside the sect to serve as external deacons, or they would remain on the mountain to serve as miscellaneous chores managers.
Only by stepping into the Xiantian Realm before the age of twenty-five would they be qualified to enter the inner sect, and have a chance to be taken in as a personal disciple by the Peak Masters or elders.
Su Qinghan and Su Qinghe were still in the Houtian Realm. According to the rules, both of them currently resided in the outer sect area.
After entering the sect, Ye Ling had spent most of her time in closed-door cultivation, and her daily movements were limited to the vicinity of the Sect Master Peak.
She had never set foot in the outer sect area and was unfamiliar with the path. She secretly planned to find a passing disciple to guide her once she landed.
As she neared the outer sect boundary, she restrained her spiritual energy and slowly descended to the ground.
Flying freely through the air in the outer sect area was too eye-catching and could easily attract a large crowd of disciples.
Just now, when she was riding the wind above the Artifact-Refining Peak, the disciples below had recognized her at a glance. This was proof enough of her soaring reputation within the sect.
The outer sect had even more disciples, so those who recognized her face would only be greater in number. If she were surrounded by a crowd eager to exchange pleasantries and flatter her, it would only delay her business.
With a change of mind, she quietly channeled her Xiantian spiritual energy to envelop her face. The gentle spiritual energy slightly altered the contours of her facial features, making her look like a completely different person.
With this disguise, ordinary disciples would not be able to recognize her at all. Only those who were extremely familiar with her might perceive a slight resemblance through the blurred outline of spiritual energy.
Walking slowly along the way, Ye Ling clearly perceived that the gap between the outer sect and the inner sect was vast.
The inner sect was filled with pavilions and spiritual springs. Its spiritual energy was dense, and every corner exuded quiet elegance and nobility.
Although the outer sect lacked some of that refinement, it was filled with a vibrant, lively atmosphere. The disciples coming and going were countless, making the place as bustling as a mortal city.
None of the outer sect disciples here exceeded the age of twenty-five. Looking around, they were all youths and young adults.
People bustled past, mostly strangers to one another. No one paid any special attention to Ye Ling, whose appearance was concealed by the spiritual energy masking her aura.
After walking alone for a long time, Ye Ling finally spotted an outer sect disciple standing by herself and slowly walked over.
The disciple was tightly hugging a long sword to her chest, her brow furrowed deeply. She looked as though she was utterly vexed by her cultivation.
Ye Ling softened her voice. “Hello, would it be too much trouble to ask you for a favor?”
The young girl was suddenly startled by the sound. She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at Ye Ling.
She did not recognize the person before her, but Ye Ling's aura made her instinctively sense that her status was by no means ordinary. She immediately bowed respectfully.
“Senior Sister, please go ahead. As long as it is within my power, I will definitely help.”
Ye Ling spoke gently, “I am here to find two friends. Both of them entered the sect through the selection last year.”
“Their names are Su Qinghan and Su Qinghe, and their hometown is Heishui Commandery. Do you happen to know where they reside?”
The girl thought for a moment, and her face lit up in realization. “Su Qinghan? You mean the genius who reached the Houtian Twelfth Layer at the age of seventeen?”
“Precisely,” Ye Ling nodded in agreement.
The girl continued, “I remember that Su Qinghan is always accompanied by a slightly older woman. That should be the Su Qinghe you mentioned.”
“I know where they live. Since practicing my swordplay alone right now isn't getting me anywhere, further hard training won't yield any progress anyway.”
She muttered softly to herself, then looked up.
“Senior Sister, I will guide you. Just follow me.”
Ye Ling nodded slightly, understanding the situation. This junior sister's deeply furrowed brow earlier was likely because she was stuck on some bottleneck in her swordplay, leaving her extremely vexed.
She quietly made up her mind that once she found Su Qinghan and Su Qinghe, she would take some time to give this girl a few pointers on her sword moves as a token of gratitude for leading the way.
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