Chapter 193: Yellow-Haired and the Female Lead Leave Intense Marks
After Lin Zhongyu instructed Mu Jixue to take care of Su Xiaoxiao, she left with Yun Zhonghe.
Mu Jixue felt like her soul was lost and was about to charge over, insert herself between the two, and then start crying and yelling, “You guys can’t go level up behind my back! If you do, we have to level up together!”
Of course, Mu Jixue would never actually do something that embarrassing. If she did, she wouldn’t be Mu Jixue anymore.
“Ummm…”
Just as Mu Jixue was about to lose it, Su Xiaoxiao’s voice drifted over in a meek tone from beside her.
She shrank her neck, looking extremely flustered. In this room, it felt like being surrounded by a cat and mouse—she kept feeling like she was going to be devoured.
Su Xiaoxiao was also good at reading people’s expressions. Didn’t Mu Jixue only agree to look after her because Lin Zhongyu instructed her? Su Xiaoxiao figured she must have been marked for revenge.
Su Xiaoxiao had an unpleasant expression, not daring to even glance at Mu Jixue. She spoke timidly, “Xuer sister… I’d rather stay alone. You can go tend to your own business.”
Instead, she hoped Mu Jixue would just leave her alone.
For someone with social anxiety, there was nothing more comfortable than being alone.
Frankly, ever since boarding this luxurious spirit boat, Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t felt one second of peace. She was either afraid of this or that, and anything she touched felt like it was made of gold—if she broke it, she’d probably have to sell herself to pay for it.
It was better when Lin Zhongyu’s mom was still around; she could barely keep things together. But now, being alone with Mu Jixue, Su Xiaoxiao was in a panic—one step away from death.
Noticing Su Xiaoxiao’s unease, Mu Jixue finally put aside her wild imaginings.
Regarding Su Xiaoxiao, Mu Jixue felt a complicated mix of emotions.
Sure, they were old friends, but she had forgotten all about it. Instead, she always pushed Su Xiaoxiao onto Lin Zhongyu and Yun Zhonghe.
This whole time, it was Lin Zhongyu comforting Su Xiaoxiao whenever there were problems, while Yun Zhonghe stood out front to handle everything.
And here she was, a childhood friend who couldn’t do anything and even treated Su Xiaoxiao with ill intentions.
Sometimes, even she thought she was being too harsh.
She needed to make up for what she had done.
Huang Aotian was not just special because of her incredible talent; her character was also praiseworthy.
Even though she wasn’t fully mature yet, she knew what she should do to mend the mistakes she had made due to her lack of rationality.
With that, Mu Jixue bit her lip and slowly approached Su Xiaoxiao.
Su Xiaoxiao froze, noticing Mu Jixue’s movement.
Taking a deep breath, Mu Jixue smiled and reached out to grasp Su Xiaoxiao’s icy fingers. “Little Sister Xiaoxiao, let’s talk.”
Mu Jixue initiated a friendly chat with Su Xiaoxiao, aiming to open up.
Su Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded.
Mu Jixue scratched her cheek, trying to break the ice. “Let’s chat. We can talk about old times, or what we plan to do after joining the sect! I really want… to become your true friend… Uh, Xiaoxiao? Little Sister Xiaoxiao!!”
But before Mu Jixue could warm up, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly turned green and threw up.
No way… she was too nervous, and her stomach was churning.
The parlor erupted in chaos.
…
At this very moment, Lin Zhongyu was bracing herself; every muscle tightened, each energy point seemed to quiver.
Her twin ponytails swayed from side to side, reflecting her inner turmoil.
She didn’t understand why Yun Zhonghe had called her out alone.
Then they headed up to the deck of the spirit boat.
“We better start right here, no time to waste.”
“Huh? Right here…?”
Lin Zhongyu froze and glanced around, only realizing they were outdoors.
Lin Zhongyu was completely bewildered.
Did Yun Brother have a thing for outdoor activities?
No no no, no, that couldn’t be. Yun Brother was so upright; he definitely wasn’t that kind of guy.
Lin Zhongyu knew she was overthinking, but sometimes a girl just can’t help but imagine.
Yun Zhonghe had always been the epitome of virtue in her eyes, and she wouldn’t want to tarnish that image.
She was definitely overthinking it.
Next, Yun Zhonghe unbuttoned his outer robe.
Lin Zhongyu: “Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!!”
Why are you taking off your clothes?
By now, Lin Zhongyu was so panicked that she had started seeing stars.
Yun Zhonghe noticed her stunned look and frowned, wondering why the female lead suddenly acted this way.
“I recently had some new insights on the Eight Trigram Sword Technique. I want you to be my sparring partner, and at the same time, you can use it to improve your own skills. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to see how well you’ve mastered the technique.”
Yun Zhonghe coolly explained his reasons.
The Eight Trigram Sword Technique was a family heirloom and had been taught to Lin Zhongyu as an exception, aiming to elevate her status. In a sense, Yun Zhonghe was both teacher and friend to Lin Zhongyu.
Lin Zhongyu agreed with this sentiment. Without Yun Zhonghe, she might have been laughed at as a useless young lady. As such, Yun Zhonghe had a multi-layered filter in her eyes compared to Mu Jixue’s view.
It was reasonable for Yun Zhonghe to test Lin Zhongyu’s skill with the Eight Trigram Sword Technique.
Even at the peak of her Golden Core stage, the technique remained incredibly powerful. Seeing Yun Zhonghe’s newfound understanding, without hiding, he directly sought to share his mastery with Lin Zhongyu. This made Lin Zhongyu feel a sense of duty and ashamed of her previous wild imaginations.
Turns out, Yun Brother wanted to give her private lessons, always thinking about what was best for her. How silly of her to doubt him…
The aura of Yun Zhonghe shone brightly.
Yet…
“Shouldn’t this be enough reason?”
Yun Zhonghe internally mused.
By using sword training and guidance as an excuse, he could set this up with the female lead without raising suspicion, leaving an opportunity for the female lead.
Yun Zhonghe believed this would not make Lin Zhongyu suspicious, and she wouldn’t think too deeply.
But Lin Zhongyu was gentle and considerate; she probably wouldn’t suspect any ulterior motives.
Removing his magical robe and putting it in a bag, Yun Zhonghe wore regular clothes.
Magical robes enhanced spiritual energy transmission, but for testing, he decided to rely solely on his personal strength.
Unarmed and unaided by the Snow-Cloud Sword, Yun Zhonghe placed one hand behind his back and used a gesture with the other.
Immediately, a golden spiritual energy sword materialized in front of him.
The manifestation of the golden spiritual energy sword was an advanced form of transforming Qi into a sword.
Originally, this technique was only possible for Golden Core cultivators, but after Yun Zhonghe achieved spiritual essence, his abilities surpassed even the expectations of a Nascent Soul powerhouse.
Still a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
So far, Yun Zhonghe had only displayed his golden sword in front of the main characters. Back in the Myriad Path Divine Tower, Lin Zhongyu was already amazed by the sight; today, close-up, the giant golden sword left Lin Zhongyu speechless.
How could she possibly master anything like this?
But today, Yun Zhonghe was not just inviting her here to show off his big sword.
Next, a spiritual pearl in Yun Zhonghe’s mind burst forth, controlling the sword.
Up until now, Yun Zhonghe had treated the golden spiritual energy sword merely as a cannon. After learning from Senior Chen’s advanced techniques, he realized he could overlay the method on top of the sword technique, creating a unique form of “inner inlaying.”
The golden spiritual sword hovered in mid-air, swinging the Eight Trigram Sword Technique!
Because Yun Zhonghe controlled the sword with his mind, complex moves were possible, making the Eight Trigram Technique seem even more profound than before.
Lin Zhongyu was utterly stunned. Was this possible?!
Her own Eight Trigram Technique was already at the perfect stage, yet she felt a huge gap seeing Yun Zhonghe’s golden sword in action.
Everyone was at the same level, but why did Yun Zhonghe’s technique seem to reach another dimension?
However, Yun Zhonghe could only maintain this for a short while before getting tired, and the golden sword stopped moving.
“The inner inlaying technique is very difficult. Focusing on control disrupts the sword technique, but focusing on the technique risks losing the manifestation. The key is using one spiritual pearl to balance technique and control,” Yun Zhonghe pondered for the first time.
Even though he succeeded on the first try, Yun Zhonghe was still satisfied and needed more practice.
That’s where Lin Zhongyu came in.
Using the Eight Trigram Technique to spar with Yun Zhonghe would both speed up his learning and help Lin Zhongyu gain insight into her own technique.
From beginner, to advanced, to perfect… beyond perfect, there was another realm!
Yun Zhonghe focused on Lin Zhongyu. “I’ll control the sword solely with my mind. Try to defeat me.”
This air of arrogance echoed the challenge posed by Xia Wudi’s shadow to Yun Zhonghe in the Myriad Path Divine Tower.
Lin Zhongyu took a deep breath, her eyes turning resolute. She drew her sword.
“Big Brother Yun, please guide me!”
Yun Zhonghe nodded. “Go ahead!”
Instantly, sword qi filled the air!
In the space where Mu Jixue and Qin Hongye had fought earlier, Yun Zhonghe and Lin Zhongyu left their own intense marks…