Struggles of dao companionship

(TN: 10 chapters in 3 days. it should be worth some power stones, right? come on don't be stingy)

Liu Ping's eyes narrowed as she glanced at the small words still lingering in the void.

[You activated the mystery type Ability: The One Who Debuts.]

[Explanation: You can designate an enemy as 'The One Who Debuts.' The assigned enemy, as if stepping on stage for the first time, will be prone to either forgetting their 'lines' (causing memory lapses) or performing actions incorrectly (movement failures). You can choose which effect occurs.]

[You specified the opponent's throwing action to fail.]

[The opponent has failed.]

[You have consumed 500 spirit stones.]

His face contorted in frustration.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

He was supposed to gain the upper hand, yet he had wasted 500 spirit stones. The result? The enemy's actions were disrupted, but now he had to find another way to retrieve the storage bag from that young cultivator.

The reality of the situation set in. If he didn't manage to recover the bag, the 500 spirit stones would go to waste—cheapened by the opponent's quick thinking.

He turned his attention back to the battlefield, where he could still hear the distant sounds of objects falling from the sky, narrowly avoiding the deadly debris himself.

Only three opponents remained in the field now.

Did they not follow? That would be a missed opportunity.

He dashed onward, avoiding the falling sky, his mind already calculating the next step.

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly sensed two figures rushing toward him from behind.

"Junior Sister Li, are you in front?" someone shouted.

They were coming!

Liu Ping waved lightly at the massive smoke and dust, parting it effortlessly to reveal her figure.

"I'm here" 'she' said calmly.

The two male cultivators, relieved to have found her, hurried into the swirling smoke and dust. They saw Junior Sister Li standing there, seemingly unharmed, examining something on the ground.

"Junior Sister, let us help you."

"There are too many people here, I only need one. You two decide among yourselves."

"Then I'll come."

"—Junior Sister, don't listen to him. His cultivation base is low, and his combat effectiveness is too poor."

The two exchanged looks.

"Forget it. Two senior brothers, don't quarrel over me" Junior sister Li said, stepping forward to intervene.

'She' separated them and spoke softly, "Although I would prefer to choose the stronger one of you as my Daoist partner if you start fighting, the elders will definitely reprimand you. Now, it seems like you two are afraid of the elders, aren't you?"

A Daoist partner...

Junior sister's words seemed to hang in the air, leaving a weighty silence behind.

One of the male cultivators, trying to regain his composure, flashed a charming smile and said softly, "Junior Sister, you stay here. I'll step out and 'chat' with Junior Brother for a bit, and then come back to find you."

The other male cultivator said, "Yes, Junior Sister, I'll be back shortly—don't worry, Senior Brother will be persuaded to leave immediately."

The female cultivator sighed, then replied, "Please don't do anything excessive. I'll wait for you here."

After speaking, she took out two futons, placing one on the ground and sitting on the other. The second futon rested beside her.

She was clearly prepared to wait for the result—she meant business.

"Junior Sister, don't worry" the two men said in unison.

They nodded to her and, in perfect synchrony, disappeared from sight.

The 'Fairy' sat on the futon for a moment.

—The last time Senior Sister Li brought a group of cultivators to the small town, she uncovered a clue.

These cultivators were carrying high-grade weapons, and their cultivation bases were impressive. They seemed to be from Azure Heavens Sect.

Azure Heavens Sect was one of the seven major sects. Back in the Western desolate camp, this sect had been recruiting people, even setting up a ring at the entrance of the camp.

The sect's disciples were taught to "breakthrough in life-and-death fights"—their focus was always on fighting, fighting, and more fighting.

As a result, disciples with average qualifications were often weaker in other areas. They didn't rely on strategy, and their approach made them easy to handle.

Suddenly, the female cultivator looked in one direction.

They were gradually approaching the center of the SkyFall. Through the smoke and dust filling the sky, she could vaguely see something wriggling in the distance.

She couldn't help but take a few steps forward.

Lines of small, burning texts quickly appeared:

[Old God Sacrificial Altar.]

[This is the summoning ground of the Myriad Gods from the Nightmare Era. In five minutes, the altar will fully activate, calling back the Old Gods who once descended here.]

5 minutes!

The monster known as "The Lord of Creeping Nightmare" would be returning soon.

Liu Ping quickly took several steps back, preparing to leave immediately, but then stopped abruptly.

—Her senior brother had returned.

He was covered in wounds, and blood spurted from his mouth as he triumphantly said, "Junior Sister, I spoke with Junior Brother just now, and he finally decided to quit."

"I knew it, it really is the senior brother" the female cultivator murmured. She nodded and motioned for him to sit in front of her.

Senior Brother staggered over, sat down on the futon, and said, "Junior Sister, now you know who can be your ideal person."

'She' smiled warmly and said, "Yes, it's you."

The Senior Brother leaned forward, his excitement barely contained. "Then—"

But before he could continue, 'Junior Sister' cut in with a playful glint in her eye. "I've prepared a spiritual artifact for you, as a token of my affection. What token of love do you have prepared for me?"

The Senior Brother was momentarily taken aback.

A spiritual artifact? Something sharp, powerful, imbued with spirit—an artifact of this caliber was already incredibly rare, likely the best her abilities could acquire.

For her to acquire such a treasure, she must have poured everything she had into acquiring it.

And now, she wanted to give it to him as a token of her love.

"What is it?" he asked with a faint smile, trying to mask his astonishment.

"Senior Brother can guess first," she replied with a teasing tone. "But tell me—what token of love will you prepare for me?"

The Senior Brother was at a loss, unsure of how to respond. He hesitated, but the female cultivator chuckled, breaking the tension.

"I've long wanted to marry you, Senior Brother" she said with a soft laugh. "Of course, I had to prepare a spiritual artifact for you. But as for your token of love—there's no need to make it so complicated. I'll simply choose something with sentimental value from your storage bag. What do you think?"

The Senior Brother froze again. 'What a thoughtful and sensible girl!'

'She understood the struggles of others and was considerate enough to not demand extravagance. A simple, meaningful memento would suffice for her.'

"Junior Sister, here" he said, untying his storage bag and deactivating all its restrictions. "Take it. Choose anything you like."

The female cultivator's eyes sparkled as she accepted the storage bag with a smile.

'She' smiled and took the storage bag.

Suddenly, a drastic change occurred.

A stream of light flashed, suddenly passing through the male cultivator's body.

"Ah... ah..." He couldn't even form a word before he died within two breaths.

'Junior sister Li' immediately drew her sword and shouted, "Who is it?"

Amidst the smoke and dust, a figure slowly emerged.

"Eldest brother?" The female cultivator was stunned.

"That's right, Junior Sister. You've been fooled. This person isn't worth entrusting your life to" the elder brother said coldly, looking at the corpse.

"Even if he wasn't worth entrusting, you shouldn't have killed him," She retorted angrily.

The elder brother laughed softly. "Junior Sister, you're too naive. He killed another junior brother, and he also poisoned you."

"Poison?"

'She' was about to make a move but then stopped, confused.

"Yes, he gave you a poison called Twin Sentiment Tribulation. This poison causes you to gradually fall in love with someone who meets certain conditions, and in the end, you would become that person's Daoist partner" the elder brother explained.

"Do you have any evidence?"

"Junior Sister, you can check the jade bottles in his storage bag. They're full of various poison pills he collected."

"This only shows that his intentions were impure, it doesn't prove he poisoned me" she responded, standing firm.

"Junior Sister, look at this" the elder brother said with a smile, reaching for something in his robes.

Eldest Brother threw a jade slip over.

'Junior Sister' caught it and quickly scanned the contents within.

She was lost in thought.

The images were genuine, meaning that the person who had poisoned her was indeed the one who had just died.

But why did the elder brother know about this?

As she pondered, she heard the elder brother's voice: "I'm sure you're wondering why I know about this."

"Yes"

"Because I've been watching you, Li Zhangxue. You are the only one among the hundred female cultivators in the sect who is worthy of my attention," the Eldest Senior Brother said, smiling.

He tossed something towards her.

She caught it and saw it was a white jade bottle. She opened it, revealing a radiant elixir inside.

In the air, lines of small texts quickly appeared:

[You have obtained the ultimate pill:]

[Supreme Indifference Pill.]

[This elixir is extremely rare, and its purpose is to counteract the poison of the Twin Sentiment Tribulation. It also helps the practitioner avoid a catastrophe, and within three days, will raise their cultivation by an entire realm.]

A truly miraculous medicine!

What a magnificent pill!

This pill's grade was only surpassed by the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill—nothing else could compare to it.

by giving her this pill, not only would he save her from an evil plot he also killed the villain in the process. On top of that, the eldest brother had gifted her such a powerful medicine, showing great affection and always keeping an eye on her.

If he were truly a woman. someone doing such a thing for her, perhaps she would have been tempted.

....but he wasn't 

Liu Ping carefully stored the elixir, as well as the storage bag of the senior brother who had died in front of him. Then, with a sharp glint in his eyes, he turned his gaze to the eldest brother.

"Eldest brother must have a wish... can you share it with me?" he asked, his tone unyielding.

The eldest brother was taken aback.

He hadn't expected his junior sister to be so direct—though, considering she was a swordsman who valued straightforwardness, it made sense.

"Junior Sister" he began, "all the elders in the sect have decided to choose me as the next head, and I've agreed to their decision. But do you know the conditions of my agreement?" he asked.

"What are they?" Liu Ping inquired, seemingly puzzled.

The eldest brother smirked, slapped the storage bag, and took out a long sword, tossing it toward Liu Ping.

Liu Ping caught the sword, and as he held it, lines of small words quickly appeared in the void:

[You have obtained the weapon:]

[Sorrow.]

[This sword is a divine tool. It contains a sword spirit. Only after the sword spirit acknowledges you will its true power be unleashed.]

Liu Ping stood still, his mind racing.

At first, he had simply planned to save Senior Sister Li, kill a few people along the way, and maybe make some profit. But now, to his surprise, he had acquired a miraculous pill and a divine sword—more than he had ever expected.

Was it really so easy being a woman?

No! He had to stop thinking like that. It was too dangerous to entertain such thoughts.

Liu Ping coughed lightly, trying to shake off the strange feeling creeping up inside him. Then, with a soft giggle like a silver bell, he couldn't help but ask:

"Brother, you're so kind to me... do you want to be my Daoist companion?"