Chapter 1 The Junior Sister Always Challenges Me
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"Countdown to world destruction: one thousand years."
"Please hurry to find the Heaven-Mending Stone."
"Location one: Kunlun Taiqing Sect, Golden Ridge Cave Abode."
"Character identity: Qiu Changtian."
"Mirror Flower Water Moon Template overlaying, currently in time-space travel."
He suddenly opened his eyes, only to find himself sitting on a stone bed in a cave room, his body in a meditative posture.
Picking up the copper mirror beside him, he could see a handsome young man's reflection.
With eyebrows like sharp swords, and eyes like bright stars, his face appeared jade-like, and his lips were red, bursting with grace and elegance.
Tsk, too handsome, how can I be this good-looking?
He set down the copper mirror and pondered for a moment before hearing a cold female voice outside:
"Is Senior Brother there? Your Junior Sister has come to seek instruction in sword techniques."
He froze for a moment upon hearing the words, then heaved a deep sigh.
Here we go again.
Walking to the entrance of the cave abode, he confirmed his current identity again.
Yes, a newly initiated disciple of the Kunlun Sect, Direct Disciple of the Sect Leader, Qiu Changtian.
As Qiu Changtian left the cave abode, he saw a fairy-like maiden in white standing outside.
Her features were delicate and picturesque, with an ethereal quality about her. She wore a simple white Daoist robe and had long hair that fell to her waist, carelessly tied at the shoulder blades, blending gentleness with an air of valiance—she was the type of female lead who, in fantasy TV series, would immediately be recognized by the audience as extremely popular.
This maiden in white was his Junior Sister, Xu Yinglian.
Coming from the Xu Family of Southern Heaven, a prominent family of cultivators, she also possessed the rare cultivating gift, the Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart.
Thus, just last month, the Kunlun Taiqing Sect made an exception for her to skip the entrance exam and took her in as a Direct Disciple, making her the "favored daughter of the heavens" in every sense of the word.
Well, if it weren't for him, she would undoubtedly be the first among the disciples of this generation.
Seeing Qiu Changtian come out from the cave, Xu Yinglian formed a sword technique with her fingers, and summoned a streak of red light from behind her.
The sword was about three feet and seven inches long, hovering in front of her chest; the handle was decorated with a lifelike carving of a divine bird with red feathers.
Xu Yinglian caressed the flying sword with her slender fingers, her tone serious and her demeanor utterly earnest, she slowly said:
"This sword is named 'Yu Jia,' and it's a family heirloom of my Xu Family."
"Master has sealed the eight subsequent layers of Daoist magic within it, allowing it to exert only the might of the Qi Refinement Realm, which is suitable for our sword trial."
Her fingers glided over the blade, drawing out a spark of brilliant fire.
Her eyes brimmed with fighting spirit, as if the flames were burning there too.
Qiu Changtian was speechless.
Just a moment ago, she spoke of "seeking instruction in sword techniques," and now it's become an unabashed "sword trial," huh?
Sigh.
Junior Sister is good in every way, except for this:
She's too competitive.
Beat her once in any aspect, and she'll challenge you thousands of times until she wins back at least once.
This week, she came to challenge under the pretext of seeking instruction in Sword Control Technique, is it the seventh time now...
Qiu Changtian was somewhat distracted, and seeing her Senior Brother's mind elsewhere, Xu Yinglian's beautiful face showed a hint of annoyance as she asked again:
"Is Senior Brother willing to offer guidance with the sword? Or is it inconvenient?"
Qiu Changtian: .........
To be honest, he wasn't someone who liked to show off.
If possible, he really wanted to intentionally lose to his Junior Sister this time, so she could be at ease and settle down for a few days.
But my character setting doesn't allow it!
"Not qualified to instruct," Qiu Changtian said warmly, "Let's just mutually learn and borrow knowledge from each other."
He also formed a sword technique and pulled out the flying sword "Jade Smoke."
"There's no need for an introduction of my flying sword, right?" Qiu Changtian said with another smile.
That was a slightly mocking statement, implying that his Junior Sister had lost to him many times and was already overly familiar with his flying sword.
"Please grant me your guidance, Senior Brother," Xu Yinglian said unemotionally and stiffly.
Both of them formed sword techniques again, and two streaks of light soared into the sky—one red and one jade, signifying the start of the sword duel!
Xu Yinglian continuously formed spells, directing Yu Jia to strike towards Jade Smoke.
She knew that according to the standards of the Heavenly Stem Sword Casting Method, her Senior Brother's Jade Smoke was only Seventh Rank, while her own Yu Jia was Tenth Rank.
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Despite both being only in the Qi Refinement Realm, which sealed the sword Dao techniques on their swords, a Tenth Rank Flying Sword was far superior in terms of hardness, sharpness, and speed compared to a Seventh Rank Flying Sword.
Winning through the rank of the Flying Sword was the key to victory in this sword fight!
However, Qiu Changtian was faster to react. As soon as Xu Yinglian barely moved, Jade Smoke had already descended swiftly, slashing towards Xu Yinglian's direction.
Xu Yinglian's eyes turned fierce as she quickly directed her Feather Grace to turn back and defend, trying to lock down Jade Smoke's offensive.
But with two quick stops and changes of direction, Jade Smoke easily broke through Feather Grace's encirclement, then transformed into a streak of jade-colored light, and in an instant, was close to Xu Yinglian's side, with the sword tip hovering in front of her chest.
In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided.
"I've lost," Xu Yinglian lowered her head.
Her face was filled with unwillingness, so intense that it seemed almost tangible.
At the same time, the voice of the Kunlun Mirror sounded in her Sea of Consciousness:
[Invincible Character Setting, Synchronization Value +1.]
"Sister has made rapid progress in swordsmanship these days," Qiu Changtian, reassured by the prompt from the Kunlun Mirror, said with a smile, "Give it some time, and even I might not be your match."
"Is that so?" Xu Yinglian pondered, "It seems that it's due to sparring with Brother that I've gained so much. I'll have to ask for more guidance in the future."
Qiu Changtian's face stiffened, and he quickly changed the subject:
"Ahem, although Sister's progress is rapid, being too hasty in practicing swordsmanship can lead to bottlenecks. Why not study some Daoist magic to ease your mind?"
You come to spar with me every day, and to maintain this invincible character setting, I can't refuse your challenges, it's so annoying!
"Then I'll just have to train harder, striving to hit that bottleneck sooner and then break through it," Xu Yinglian remained unmoved, insisting.
"Sister, what exactly do you want from me?" Qiu Changtian said helplessly, "I'm not your personal sparring partner. You come to me every day, and I barely have time for my own cultivation."
"Brother," Xu Yinglian was silent for a moment before speaking, "I want to win against you."
"Well, that's easy, I could just control..."
"Don't you dare go easy on me, Brother!" Xu Yinglian exclaimed angrily, "I want to defeat you with my own strength!"
"How long will that take?!" Qiu Changtian was angry too.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Because the implication was, "No matter how many years you train, you'll never beat me."
How could Xu Yinglian, with her strong-willed nature, ever tolerate that?
Indeed, her sister's face turned pale at once.
Xu Yinglian fought back tears, bit her lip hard, and gave a difficult bow:
"These past days, I've indeed troubled Brother. The next time I come, it won't be for practice, but for a formal challenge!"
Before Qiu Changtian could say another word, she mounted her sword and flew away in a huff, disappearing from sight.
Once again, the Kunlun Mirror spoke:
[Invincible Character Setting, Synchronization Value +1.]
Qiu Changtian: .........
Sister, it's not that your brother wants to show off in your face.
It's just that because of the Kunlun Mirror, I have to maintain this invincible character setting; otherwise, I won't be able to continue cultivating!
Sigh, when it comes down to it, isn't it all for the sake of saving the world?
He turned his gaze to the northwest, where the Kunlun Mountain Range stretched endlessly. The snow-capped mountains, majestic and vast, were completely within his view, looking like a world covered in silver.
The sky was clear and blue, cloudless for miles, offering a sense of boundless ease and relaxation.
Yet who could know that in a thousand years, it would face the catastrophic Age of Dharma Decline?
The very place where Nüwa once mended the heavens would crumble once again. The heavenly dome would tilt towards the northwest, the milky way would hang upside down, and the sun and moon would change their courses.
The Heavenly River with its nearly infinite amount of water would pour out crazily from the broken places, causing Divine Land to be inundated, covered with vast oceans.
Furthermore, countless stars would fall from the sky onto the Nine Provinces, their radiant heat radiating outwards wildly, melting mountains and boiling seas.
Thus, "the fire blazes without ceasing, the water floods without respite," leading to humanity's extinction and the world's utter silence!
For ordinary people with limited lifespans, it was natural to just give up, thinking, what do I care after I'm dead?
Regrettably, just as he transmigrated to this world, he was chosen by an innate supreme artifact known as the Kunlun Mirror.
It tasked him to search for the backup Heaven-Mending Stone left by the ancient Nüwa and then repair the place where the heavens were mended to prevent the catastrophe of the Age of Dharma Decline.
According to the Kunlun Mirror, the remaining sole Heaven-Mending Stone had split into six parts, scattered everywhere.
The reason he used the "Mirror Flower Water Moon" technique of the Kunlun Mirror to disguise his appearance, assume a persona, and adopt the name "Qiu Changtian" to infiltrate the sect,
Was because one of the fragments of the Heaven-Mending Stone was within the Taiqing Sect of Kunlun!
Right above the Kunlun Heavenly Pillar, inside the Jade Void Palace!