Chapter 16: Martial Sister Bai Lian, Admired by All!

On the mountaintop, a stone tablet emitted a soft white light. Obscure runes surrounded the tablet, resembling delicate dancing butterflies. These runes served as the core of a protective array that extended across dozens of surrounding mountains, forming a translucent veil akin to thin silk from a distance. This was the mountain protection array of the Duxian Sect.

At the base of the formation, on one side lay the small town that had developed over the years due to the Duxian Sect's Immortality Promotion Meetings. On the other side stood the majestic stone mountain gate.

Su Youwei, perched on her flying sword, felt a sense of awe. Before her lay the Duxian Sect. With this step, she would bid farewell to her days of secrecy and violence from her past life. The road ahead was limitless. Though uncertain if her choice was right, her wrist bore the two characters "正" (zhèng), implying that she had found her answer.

"We'll first arrange for your relatives and then pay a visit to the master," Bai Lian suggested.

Su Youwei had no objections. She glanced at the fifth elder and her aunt, both lying on another flying sword. They had been asleep for nearly five days and were due to wake up.

...

After successfully settling the bewildered fifth elder and her aunt into their new surroundings, Su Youwei emerged from the recently acquired house in a cheerful mood. Although her expression remained neutral, discussions buzzed around Bai Lian.

"Doesn't she look familiar?"

"Come on, that's Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian!"

"No wonder I felt a hint of recognition. She looks like the character from that romance novel you sold me... um."

The man's words were quickly muffled by those around him. Su Youwei's eyelids twitched. In truth, she had overheard even more extreme comments.

"Who's the girl following Martial Sister Bai Lian?"

"Never seen her before."

"Could she be Martial Sister Bai Lian's daughter... Oh, stop, stop! Don't hit me, I know I'm wrong."

Su Youwei sneakily glanced at Bai Lian. Her Martial Sister Bai Lian's expression remained unchanged, seemingly impervious to those words. Was this the magnanimity of Martial Sister Bai Lian? From the small town to the entrance of the Duxian Sect, Su Youwei continued to be inundated with praise and astonishment.

"Hiss -" "Hiss -" Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian was truly respected by everyone!

An invisible weight pressed on Su Youwei's heart. She felt the air around her turn chilly, involuntarily clutching her skirt tighter. Yet, the chill persisted.

"Our Qiongming Peak is one of the five main peaks of the Duxian Sect," Bai Lian explained as they walked. "Our master's name is An Lan, the leader of Qiongming Peak. Her cultivation is top-tier within the Duxian Sect, but she avoids administrative responsibilities and often leaves for ten days to half a month."

The master? That was of little concern. Could she not function without the master? Su Youwei pondered. Still, she maintained the appearance of a well-behaved junior, listening to Bai Lian's words and nodding occasionally.

At that moment, a group of people appeared from the left side of the mountain path.

"Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian!" The excited shout caught Su Youwei's attention. She shifted her gaze and spotted a young man in white attire with a turquoise sash around his waist, raising his hand high in the crowd. He had just uttered those words.

Su Youwei had to admit that the stranger possessed a certain handsomeness, akin to a gentle spring breeze. This feeling unsettled her.

He had addressed her so warmly; they must have a close relationship with Martial Sister Bai Lian. "Who's that familiar?"

Someone supplied his name, "It's Martial Brother Jiang Ning, the Wind Sword!"

Huh? Shouldn't he be nicknamed "Jade Sword Hero"? Why had it suddenly changed to "Wind Sword"?

A foreboding crept over Bai Lian. Something wasn't right.

Jiang Ning approached excitedly, stating, "Thanks to Martial Sister Bai Lian's guidance, I managed to reach the Golden Core Stage in such a short time!" He had advanced! His swordsmanship was now fluid, light as a breeze. Even his demeanor had taken on the carefree spirit of a wandering swordsman, thus the new nickname "Wind Sword."

According to Jiang Ning, this transformation stemmed from their duel. "Follow the wind!" became his motto. The name "Wind Sword" reflected this philosophy.

In Jiang Ning's heart, although he had shouted "Martial Sister Bai Lian," he secretly regarded her as his teacher. His appearance was less about expressing gratitude and more about showcasing his progress to his "Teacher."

Surely Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian would be pleased with her "Student's" growth, right?

With a slight bow, Jiang Ning requested, "Martial Sister Bai Lian, I'd like to demonstrate my progress from the past two months. Please offer your guidance."

"..."

Bai Lian's expression turned somewhat green. What was he doing? What did he think he was doing?

Did he wish to express his gratitude? Was this his idea of gratitude?

She glanced at the composed third Martial Sister, then at Chen Lu and Gong Juren standing at the fringe of the crowd. If not for her recent rapid cultivation gains, she might have been utterly humiliated by Jiang Ning. In such a case, she wondered whether Gong Juren would intervene. Perhaps even the third Martial Sister would secretly conspire against her.

Something was amiss!

A puzzled Bai Lian watched Jiang Ning and Tong Yao, who should have been her teammates, vying to expose her identity all day, while her opponents clamored to curry favor with her.

"Why do my teammates seem determined to unveil my disguise, while my opponents rush to shower me with compliments?"

Bai Lian seethed.

Just then, a new system task appeared:

[Task 1: Decline him, "Today's not convenient. How about we spar tomorrow?" (Reward: Top-grade magic tool - White Silver Lance)]

[Task 2: "Draw your sword!" (Reward: Focus +2)]

The difficulty of the task had been lowered. Yet, Bai Lian found herself perplexed by the inexplicably high risk associated with sparring the next day.

After a moment of consideration, she made a swift decision, opting for the task, "Draw your sword!"

"Truly worthy of Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian. Your composure is admirable," remarked Gong Juren from a distance, his admiration palpable.

He had conversed with Chen Lu for an extended period, and Chen Lu had impressed upon him the notion that confronting his fears head-on was the path to vanquishing them. He found this philosophy compelling and had long wanted to challenge Bai Lian once more. However, since Jiang Ning had initiated the interaction, Gong Juren chose to step back, carefully observing Bai Lian's fighting style.

The challenge was set: [Sword Discussion].

This was Jiang Ning's chosen format for their competition. Recognizing his own shortcomings in comparison to Bai Lian, he believed their contest should center around sword skills.

"Please, Martial Sister Bai Lian. I seek your guidance." "Please."

...

Exiting the practice room, Xiao Jinse hurriedly encountered a fellow disciple rushing past her.

"Did you hear? Elder Martial Brother Jiang is challenging Martial Sister Bai Lian again!"

"Where? Where?"

"Yufeng Cliff!"

"Has Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian returned?"

Xiao Jinse was taken aback. Indeed, she should be back within these two days.

Without bothering to change her clothes back at the Qiongming Peak, she dashed straight to Yufeng Cliff.

"Brother Gong." Spotting Gong Juren with a despondent expression, Xiao Jinse quickly called out.

Gong Juren seemed to overlook her, muttering, "That was fast. Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian didn't even need to use her spiritual Qi; the fight ended in a single move. If she had employed her spiritual Qi, how could I have withstood her sword with my current strength? I've been mistaken. It's time to focus on self-improvement and put aside my challenge to Martial Sister Bai Lian."

...

Xiao Jinse watched Gong Juren's departure, and a surge of pride swelled within her heart.

Watching Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian being admired was her greatest pleasure!

Pressing forward through the crowd, Xiao Jinse spotted Bai Lian conversing with Jiang Ning. Standing beside Bai Lian was a young girl of exquisite appearance. Must this be the third Martial Sister? Indeed, she exuded an air of cool aloofness, fitting the description of an introverted personality, as Bai Lian had mentioned.

Yet, that was of no concern. Xiao Jinse had already decided to warmly welcome her, helping her integrate seamlessly into the Qiongming Peak!