Chapter 445: The Flames of Jealousy

Wen Xinzhao was proud.

Her pride ran deep; she carried it in her bones.

However, after the sword finger she just saw, she had no choice but to concede, whether she liked it or not.

She was infatuated with the Dao of the Sword. She was naturally well aware of the swordsmanship on display in that single finger, and she knew that it was far beyond her current level.?Her pride wouldn’t let her deny it.

This was why she bowed to Su Yi and acknowledged her inferiority.

The combination of her good looks and her disposition only increased Su Yi’s admiration for her.

The way he saw it, both the Featherflow King Yue Shichan and the Little Sword Demon Wen Xinzhao were good seedlings well-suited for cultivating the Dao of the Sword. It wasn’t just their dazzling talent; even their mentality was highly suitable.

“Fellow Daoist Su, might I ask you a few questions?” said Wen Xinzhao. The Little Sword Demon’s attitude had obviously changed; she now treated Su Yi with far greater respect.

Su Yi swept his gaze around the area. “Do you think this is a suitable place for that?”

After their grand battle, their surroundings were already nothing but ruins and scorched earth.

Wen Xinzhao froze, then smiled. “Forgive my poor manners.”

She then led Su Yi, Ling Yunhe, and Qing Ya elsewhere, to the main hall of a one-story pavilion near the front of the courtyard.

Wen Xinzhao sat directly beside Su Yi without the slightest hesitation, then picked up a yellow-skinned wine gourd. “Fellow Daoist, this is our Cloudsky Divine Palace’s unique spiritual brew, the Thousand Lakes of Spring. Please, try it.”

As she spoke, she filled Su Yi’s cup. A mellow aroma instantly permeated the air.

Su Yi didn’t hold back. He drained his cup, savored the liquid, then nodded. “A decent flavor.”

Wen Xinzhao smiled, then refilled his cup and asked humbly, “Fellow Daoist, earlier, you said my attainments in the Dao of the Sword are merely ordinary, and that they have numerous flaws. Could you perhaps enlighten me?”

A stunning, unmatched beauty, like a fairy or an immortal, was actually pouring his drinks like a maidservant and comporting herself with the utmost humility. This was enough to satisfy any man’s sense of vanity.

Su Yi couldn’t help but nod to himself.?Wen Xinzhao, the famed Little Sword Demon, is behaving this humbly, all for the sake of receiving my guidance? That’s truly rare.

“The Dao of the Sword you’re cultivating focuses primarily on ferocity and killing. It’s compatible with the Dao Charm of Thunder and Lightning, and it possesses enormous destructive power. Although it’s pure and highly polished, it has three major flaws,” said Su Yi casually.

Wen Xinzhao’s mind shook, and her beautiful eyes, each like a limpid pool, looked at Su Yi expectantly. “Please, enlighten me.”

“First, while it’s true that the Dao Charm of Thunder and Lightning is primarily for killing, it isn’t purely destructive. Remember, spring lightning triggers the Awakening of the Insects, and the Dao of Thunder and Lightning can also give rise to life force. Destruction and vitality coexist, much like the intermingling of Yin and Yang.”

Su Yi drank a glass of wine, then said, “Your comprehension and control of the Dao Charm of Thunder and Lightning is obviously skewed. As a result, when you fuse it with your swordsmanship, its power is severely limited.”

Wen Xinzhao’s heart shook, and she sighed, “Fellow Daoist, you’ve got good eyes. This is the very problem I’ve been grappling with of late. I’ve requested guidance from many of my seniors, but each gave me a different answer. As a result, I’ve yet to resolve this problem even now.”

Su Yi said, “If you want to fix this, the crux of the problem doesn’t lie in the Dao of the Sword, but rather, in your comprehension of thunder and lightning. My advice would be to silently sense the transformations of thunder and lightning every time there’s a storm. Alternatively, cultivate a secret technique or legacy related to the Dao of Thunder and Lightning.”

He paused, then continued, “Of course, this is a small problem. Even without me warning you, given your talent and powers of comprehension, you’d resolve this issue on your own sooner or later.”

Wen Xinzhao refilled Su Yi’s glass yet again, then whispered, “Then might I ask about my remaining two flaws?”

Perhaps this peerless beauty didn’t even realize it herself, but her attitude toward Su Yi had already silently changed. She was increasingly serious, modest, and humble.

Ling Yunhe and Qing Ya definitely noticed it.?Master and apprentice looked at each other. Both were stunned.

“We haven’t seen her in three years. Why is it that she’s gotten so intimate with Big Brother Su Yi when they’ve only just met? She’s completely ignoring us!” Qing Ya muttered in displeasure.

From the moment they took their seats in the main hall, Wen Xinzhao started asking Su Yi for guidance; it seemed she’d completely forgotten Ling Yunhe and Qing Ya.

Ling Yunhe smiled and rebuked her. “What are you saying? Your little martial aunt has always been like this. She’s infatuated with the Dao of the Sword, and whenever swordsmanship enters the conversation, she disregards everything else.”

Although he said this, inwardly, he felt a bit conflicted.

When they first started traveling with Su Yi, he was actually rather worried that Su Yi’s abilities would entice Qing Ya, and that he’d steal her heart away!

Those fears were never realized, but now, it seemed likely that he’d steal Wen Xinzhao’s heart instead! Who could have anticipated this?

The two of them had only just met, yet Wen Xinzhao was immersed in their conversation to the exclusion of all else. She was even refilling Su Yi’s glass personally and speaking like a junior before a sect elder.

Ling Yunhe couldn’t help but suspect that, should Su Yi so choose, all he’d have to do was hook his finger and Wen Xinzhao would throw herself into his arms.

I hope that doesn’t happen. Given Fellow Daoist Su’s way of conducting himself, he… most likely wouldn’t do something like that… right?

……

Outside the main hall.

A palanquin carried Huo Yunsheng, Qian Tianlong, and Sun Feng back.

“Senior Apprentice Brother Huo, many thanks for your help. Once we’ve resolved this incident, I’ll be sure to prepare a generous token of my thanks.”

As they walked into the courtyard, Qian Tianlong couldn’t disguise his excitement.

Earlier, under Huo Yunsheng’s leadership, they smoothly made contact with one of the Sea of Bitterness’s hidden sentry posts.

After paying their deposit of thirty tier-six spirit stones, Huo Yunsheng hired an Origin Palace Realm assassin known as "the Deboner.” Just like that, their arrangements to have Su Yi killed were in place.

According to the Sea of Bitterness, the Deboner had never once failed a mission. Furthermore, his targets included numerous Gathering Stars Realm cultivators; his strength was terrifying to the extreme.

In fact, the Deboner was ranked among the top three Origin Palace Realm assassins of the Sea of Bitterness!

All of this filled Qian Tianlong with confidence about the impending assassination!

“Junior Brother Qian, we’re in this together; no need to be so polite.” Having said this, Huo Yunsheng warned him, “Going forward, you are not to bring this up again. If Martial Uncle Zhang or Senior Apprentice Sister Wen find out, it might lead to misunderstandings.”

Qian Tianlong smiled and agreed.

“Hm?” Suddenly, Huo Yunsheng’s expression shifted. “What’s this?”

They’d only just arrived at the place where Wen Xinzhao had been cultivating. However, it was now nothing but scorched earth, and the ground was littered with scars.

“A big fight took place here!” Sun Feng’s pupils constricted. “Judging by the marks on the ground, I’m afraid even Martial Uncle Zhang participated.”

“This…. Don’t tell me we’ve been attacked?” Qian Tianlong’s expression changed too.

It was then that Ren Youyou hurried over from afar. “Senior Apprentice Brothers, you’re finally back.”

“Junior Apprentice Sister Ren, what happened here?” asked Huo Yunsheng.

Ren Youyou looked conflicted. She took a moment to calm herself down, then recounted Su Yi’s earlier clash with Zhang Yuntao in full detail, holding nothing back.

The three apprentice brothers reacted as if they’d been struck by lightning. All three were rooted to the spot.?Su Yi actually defeated Martial Uncle Zhang!?

Huo Yunsheng and his apprentice brothers were practically shocked senseless. A young Grain Avoidance cultivator had, in just two attacks, defeated a top-notch mid-stage Gathering Stars cultivator. Who could have possibly believed such a thing?

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

As inner sect disciples of Cloudsky Divine Palace, the three of them knew better than anyone how strong Zhang Yuntao was. It was for this very reason that they found the news so hard to accept.

A while later, Qian Tianlong jumped as if he’d been prodded and yelped, “This is bad!”

He turned to look at Huo Yunsheng and said, “Senior Apprentice Brother Huo, the information we gave the Sea of Bitter—”

“Shut your mouth!” Huo Yunsheng’s expression darkened. He turned to Ren Youyou and said, “Junior Apprentice Sister, might you step aside for a moment? I have something to say to Junior Apprentice Brother Qian.”

Ren Youyou was confused, but she nonetheless agreed, turned, and left.

It was only after she disappeared that Huo Yunsheng glowered at Qian Tianlong. When he spoke, he paused for emphasis after each word. “I told you not to bring up the Sea of Bitterness. Junior Apprentice Brother Qian, why didn’t you remember?”

His tone was imposing and brimming with rage.

Qian Tianlong jumped, then shuddered. “Senior Apprentice Brother Huo, it’s just that I realized that the information we provided the Sea of Bitterness about Su Yi contains serious errors, and I’m worried….”

“You’re worried that assassin nicknamed ‘the Deboner’ will fall flat on his face?” Huo Yunsheng snorted coldly. “Rest assured; according to our agreement, the assassination will take place after we leave Spiritbend City. We'll have plenty of time to send them more information regarding Su Yi before we leave.”

Qian Tianlong finally sighed in relief, then said sheepishly, “Senior Apprentice Brother Huo, I slipped up earlier. Please, forgive me.”

Huo Yunsheng patted him on the shoulder. “Remember: there won’t be a next time.”

Beneath Huo Yunsheng’s cold gaze, Qian Tianlong felt a chill course through him, and he instinctively nodded.

Sun Feng watched this entire exchange play out. He couldn’t help but feel confused.?Isn’t Senior Apprentice Huo being a bit overly cautious? Is he worried that mentioning the Sea of Bitterness will implicate him?

If so, what exactly is the nature of his relationship with the Sea of Bitterness?

“Come on, let’s go see Senior Apprentice Sister Wen.” Huo Yunsheng turned and left. Qian Tianlong and Sun Feng hurried after him.

When the three of them reached the main hall, they couldn’t help but feel stunned.

The woman they saw as an immortal beauty from the heavens, Wen Xinzhao, was now seated beside Su Yi, pouring his wine and chatting with him. Both her expression and her demeanor revealed admiration and respect.

She was like a junior pouring tea for her senior as she listened attentively to his wisdom.

“This…” Huo Yunsheng and company looked at each other, so stunned that their jaws practically fell off.

Countless male disciples Cloudsky Divine Palace admired and respected Wen Xinzhao, and she was the famous Little Sword Demon. She’d never been so meek and respectful even with the sect’s seniors!

“Senior Apprentice Brother Huo, is that… Is that really Senior Apprentice Sister Wen?” Qian Tianlong looked bewildered, and he had disbelief written all over his face.

“Of course it’s her!” Huo Yunsheng’s expression was extraordinarily dark and unsightly. His eyes blazed in undisguisable jealousy and rage.

He?liked?Wen Xinzhao.

Practically everyone in Cloudsky Divine Palace knew that!