Chapter 369: Chapter 329: A Maiden’s Sentiments Are Always Poetry

“[Ding! Unfortunately, the skill ’Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Root (Advanced Version)’ failed to learn.]”

…

At this moment, Xu Ziqing was still unconscious, with Han Shuangjiang by his side taking care of him.

The cold young girl immediately heard Chu Huaixu sitting nearby in meditation, suddenly cursing loudly.

“Damn it!!”

This startled her into a shiver.

Big Ice Cube feared that there might be some trouble on his side too.

But upon turning her head, she saw Chu Huaixu’s expression had returned to calm, leaving her utterly confused.

“I knew it! I damn well knew it!!” someone cursed in their heart.

Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Root, the biggest scam in ’Borrowed Sword,’ classic con artistry!

Fortunately, Chu Huaixu had long prepared himself mentally.

He didn’t believe he could hit the target with one shot.

“I admit, there’s an element of gambling in it.”

The competition for the leader position is set to take place in three days, and he still wants to improve his overall strength as much as possible.

Moreover, once the Ancestor Emperor steps in, people can use Celestial Level Techniques.

Although limited by various reasons, the power exerted is also restricted, it’s still superior to all Earth Level Techniques.

Including the self-harming ’Six Out of Seven.’

According to the setting in ’Borrowed Sword,’ Celestial Level Techniques in the Profound Yellow Realm are extremely rare, numbering under ten.

And their power is unmatched.

The 1 million experience points went down the drain, and Chu Huaixu’s heart was undeniably pained.

But he quickly noticed something.

“Why did the Sword Heart’s progress bar grow a bit?”

“So, does this mean every time I comprehend Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Root, even if I fail, it benefits the advancement of ’Sword Heart: Ten Thousand Swords Unite’?”

This was indeed a delightful surprise!

This meant every time he did it, there was at least some guaranteed reward!

“But why didn’t this happen when players went all-in before?”

“Oh, they didn’t have a Sword Heart at all! Then it’s fine.”

In that version, no top players had condensed a Sword Heart temporarily.

Let alone one that has ties to Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Root.

“However, judging from the increase in the progress bar, directly pouring the 1 million experience points into upgrading the Sword Heart, instead of gambling, would yield greater benefits. The current increase is just fifty percent.”

But it’s alright, he’s quite satisfied with it.

It was gambling anyway. As long as he wasn’t left with nothing, then he could only say thank Buddha.

Instead, this phenomenon further highlighted the uniqueness of his Sword Heart.

“Because it was condensed into existence, it allowed this Celestial Level Technique to advance.”

“Now every time it’s used, it can increase the progress bar.”

“The two give off a very obvious feeling of complementing each other.”

But it’s important to know, the Sword Heart was condensed with the help of the Dao Ancestor.

“Dao Ancestor, Dao Ancestor, don’t tell me this was your doing again.”

….

….

The night gradually deepened.

Close to midnight, Xu Ziqing slowly woke up.

Relying on his self-healing ability and the high absorption efficiency of his Medicine Saint Body, his injuries had mostly healed.

“Awake.” Chu Huaixu said indifferently.

“Senior Brother, did I win or lose?” Xiaoxu’s first question upon opening his eyes was this.

Because after the Copper Sword’s Sword Spirit took top number, he knew nothing of what transpired outside.

“You lost, but he also barely won, fainting just a few breathes later than you.” Chu Huaixu said.

“To be precise, I estimate that the Dao Ancestor left some protective mechanisms in place under the restriction, so that your body would collapse, causing the Sword Spirit to be sealed.”

“On Qin Xuexiao’s side, it seemed even worse than yours.”

Whether it’s the Ancestor Emperor or the Evil Sword’s Sword Spirit, once they took top number, they were playing with their lives.

After all, it’s not their own top number, there’s no sense of cherishing it, they just rush towards the sealed title.

They don’t care about life and death at all.

The Evil Sword acting like this is understandable.

But the Ancestor Emperor still needs to possess, yet he sabotaged like this.

“This shows…”

“He’s anxious! He’s anxious!”

This couldn’t help but make Chu Huaixu chuckle inwardly.

He raised his eyes to look at Xu Ziqing, seeing him breathe a sigh of relief upon hearing he had lost.

This indeed left Chu Huaixu amused.

“What’s it, leaving him to me, and you’re feeling relieved?” he said, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

The boy nodded, and after hesitating several times, he asked:

“Senior Brother, you want to kill him in the arena, right?”

Chu Huaixu laughed and asked, “Am I this obvious in front of you all?”

The innocent-looking boy nodded sincerely.

It made the Dead Fox realize: even Xiaoxu, such an idiot, figured it out, then perhaps Nangong Yue and the others, should already have an idea too.

He looked into the boy’s clear and pure eyes and said solemnly, “I said I want to kill him, and it must be in front of ten thousand people.”

“What occasion could be better than the competition for the leader position, don’t you say?” Chu Huaixu smiled slightly.

Xu Ziqing opened his mouth, and upon receiving confirmation, he still felt somewhat surprised.

In the Moon Country Capital, during the competition for the leader position, to kill the Heir of Prince Rui?

Connecting these things, he didn’t know exactly how Senior Brother will accomplish it!

Moreover, it’s said that His Majesty the Moon Emperor has attached great importance to this competition. Three days later, in the contest for the top honor, he will personally visit the Cultivation Hall, accompanied by the National Guardian!

…

…

The clouds drift away, leaving snow on the branches.

After one night, a thin layer of snow had accumulated on the trees, walls, and ground of the Cultivation Hall.

Outside the hall, some Daoist disciples who hadn’t seen much snow were still trying to build snowmen.

Now, aside from Chu Huaixu, everyone else has been eliminated, so they are enjoying a leisurely time.

So far, the Daoist Sect’s team has achieved unparalleled results in this year’s competition.

It’s not just as simple as occupying half of the top eight.

The final rankings of these prodigies are excellent, generally meeting or even exceeding their expectations.

The Moon Country Royal Family has been quite generous this time, awarding those who entered the top hundred with commendable rewards.

And once they return to the sect, the sect will also give rewards.

Therefore, for them, it’s already been a worthwhile journey.

“I hope Junior Brother Chu can win the honor of the Profound Yellow Leader again. If so, for me, this East and West Continent Competition will be perfectly complete.” Ji Sikong said while building a snowman, speaking to his fellow disciples around him.

“Still calling him Junior Brother Chu, can’t you change that? He should be called Direct Disciple Chu now!” his Daoist partner commented irritably beside him.

Another fellow disciple teased, “Senior Brother Ji, when you get back, the Elder might take a liking to you, and let you enter the Junzi Temple. By then, you might have to call him Senior Brother Chu!”

Ji Sikong, hearing this, didn’t get upset. Instead, he raised his hand and said, “Hey! I’d be very happy to be Junior Brother to Chu Huaixu! It’s not disgraceful at all!”

“Hahaha!” Laughter erupted around them.

Mo Qingmei, the accompanying steward, sat nearby, watching the disciples’ lively interactions, a faint smile appearing on her face.

She could tell that ever since Niu Yuanshan’s public suicide, these Daoist disciples who respected him have been harboring a suppressed anger.

Perhaps it was this very anger that helped the team achieve such great results.

Now, so much time had passed, and she was genuinely happy to see these disciples dispel the gloom.

“Just like when I was sad and troubled, Senior Brother Niu would comfort me—Do not let this limited life be filled with endless sorrow,” Mo Qingmei thought.

She wanted to move on because she believed that Senior Brother Niu would also want her to move on.

But as fate would have it, it just kept snowing in the Imperial Capital recently.

Looking at the snow on the branches, it felt like she was back on that night before the preliminary competition.

She regretted that when they watched the snow together that day, she kept showing him a cold face and rarely talked to him.

Mo Qingmei never believed that Senior Brother Niu, who spent most of his life devoted to the Daoist Sect, was a spy for the Moon Country.

Could a spy work harder and better than any Outer Sect Steward?

Was he here to infiltrate, or to build the Outer Sect?

Moreover, that night she had gone to see Jiang Zhi and others.

And let’s not forget, Jiang Zhi and the others had already asked Chu Huaixu before. Moon Country claims Steward Niu is a spy; what do you think?

The reply Chu Huaixu gave was: “I have no idea, but to me, he is not.”

Nangong Yue immediately made a decision.

None of it mattered anymore; if he said he wasn’t, then Niu Yuanshan wasn’t.

Or rather, Niu Yuanshan must not be!

Therefore, when Mo Qingmei asked, Nangong Yue said, “Don’t overthink it. He is not as Qin Xuexiao claimed.”

“So, should we just leave it at that?” Mo Qingmei rarely showed such agitation and emotion.

Nangong Yue only replied gently, “The specific situation will be investigated within the sect. In any case, there will be a conclusion, an explanation.”

Thus, Mo Qingmei began to wait.

During this wait, the East and West Continent Competition was nearly over.

Everyone was about to leave the Moon Country.

But as a steward, she did not ask again, nor did she urge, and she definitely did not create a scene.

She believed there would definitely be a conclusion.

“It’s just… it’s really hard to wait,” Mo Qingmei thought wearily.

She looked at the snow on the ground and the huge snowman built by the disciples, and she couldn’t help but be lost in thought.

Mo Qingmei thought of the time she went down the mountain with Niu Yuanshan and others to execute the sect mission.

It was the second time during a mission that Senior Brother Niu had saved her.

Her younger self was careless; people were blaming her, telling her to learn a lesson.

Yet Niu Yuanshan, even though he was seriously injured, just kept smiling and saying, “It’s alright, it’s alright.”

Though he was always this way—kind to everyone.

But, the young Mo Qingmei felt her insight was quite special because, while others were used to it, only she noticed his goodness.

Senior Brother Niu was really great.

The group prepared to arrange for a day and then return to the sect to report.

At night, a light snow fell.

Mo Qingmei woke up early, built a very small snowman outside with a familiar senior sister, and shared her heartfelt feelings.

The senior sister whispered something in her ear, making her cheeks blush, but her eyes sparkled brightly.

Because the snow wasn’t too heavy, both the small snowman and the snow on the ground would soon melt completely.

Young love is often poetic; she wrote in the snow with a branch: Senior Brother Niu, I like you.

Before leaving to return to the sect, Mo Qingmei hid behind a tree and transmitted a message to Niu Yuanshan.

“Senior Brother Niu, come to the large phoenix tree; I wrote something from my heart for you in the snow.”

“You have to hurry, or the snow will melt soon, as will my words, and I won’t say it to you again.”

….

Inside the Cultivation Hall, the middle-aged Mo Qingmei raised her head, looking up at the sky.

The light snow had started falling again.

She thought of the person she had only embraced in dreams.

The snow began to fall more heavily.

….

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