Vol.3-Chapter 1 – Training

On the way home, Zhao Jiuge was still recalling Miao Huehua’s unusual temperament.

Miao Yuehua was completely different from the women he had met before. Although they had only talked for a bit, he could see how the women of the Miao ethnicity were much more passionate and direct.

They were not noble and elegant like Ling Bo Re, who was very independent. They weren’t like Su Su, who was clever and refined, or tender and soft like Bai Qingqing, or gentle and caring like his senior sister Fu Hongling.

While those figures continued to flash through Zhao Jiuge’s mind, a voice suddenly awakened him.

“What? Are you still thinking about other women?”

Ling Bo Re’s voice was a bit cold and her beautiful eyes glanced at the pondering Zhao Jiuge.

“No, no.” After being awakened, Zhao Jiuge quickly denied it.

Ling Bo Re was not going to spare him and her mouth curved up into a playful smile. “How did it feel to play the hero that saved the beauty? Unfortunately, she didn’t devote her heart to you.”

After she finished speaking, she turned and stared at Zhao Jiuge. She had a surprised look and said, “That’s right, wasn’t a certain someone too injured to use any spirit force? How come it's all better now?”

Zhao Jiuge felt cold sweat cover his back. It would’ve been better if she had just said what she wanted. He could not stand her fake smile.

“This… This… Isn’t it so I could spend a few more days with you? Once we return to the Ten Thousand Dao Sect, I don’t know when we’ll be able to meet again.”

Zhao Jiuge suddenly became bold and directly said what was in his mind. Sometimes, even random punches could defeat a master. His directness caused Ling Bo Re to become speechless.

Ling Bo Re silently pondered and wondered what was wrong with her. Normally, she wouldn’t speak this much and wouldn’t care about what others thought.

Zhao Jiuge was suddenly filled with shock and loudly asked, “What? Is someone jealous and cares about me?”

Ling Bo Re suddenly stopped thinking and her gaze toward Zhao Jiuge became a bit hostile. Her chest heaved up and down before she calmed down. She then turned her head and silently looked into the distance.

Zhao Jiuge inhaled her fragrance and looked at the beautiful Ling Bo Re. He felt an inexplicable sense of comfort. At the same time, he felt a hint of joy, as he had become closer to Ling Bo Re during this mission.

They remained silent the entire way, both thinking about their own affairs. Zhao Jiuge had almost fully recovered and spirit force was slowly moving through his meridians.

The yellow flying boat shined brightly and rushed back to the Ten Thousand Dao Sect. According to the original agreement, they were late by a month.

After experiencing this serious injury, Zhao Jiuge’s cultivation was showing signs of breaking through. Although he was still far from the late stage of the Spirit Core Realm, he was slowly accumulating.

Zhao Jiuge was a bit excited and a bit nervous. After going out for a few times, he had experienced how wonderful the world was. The Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect was merely a small corner of the world. He would soon begin his own journey outside, and it would be a brand new beginning.

A few days later, after rushing for several days and nights, Ling Bo Re and Zhao Jiuge could see traces of the Ten Thousand Dao Sect. When they arrived, there was already people waiting there.

Zhao Jiuge noticed that aside from Xu Zhu, Ye Aotian, and Jiang Fuding, the Song Siblings and the elders from the various holy lands were all there. Even Elder Dawn Wind, the Shadowless Old Lady, Elder Black, and Elder White were all there. They must have sensed their arrival.

When Zhao Jiuge and Ling Bo Re arrived before everyone, Hua Lingsu and the Shadowless Old Lady let out sighs of relief. Although they knew that Ling Bo Re was fine, they were still nervous because they hadn't seen her. When they saw her, they could finally relax.

Elder Dawn Wind and Jian Wuxian constantly looked at Zhao Jiuge. Even with Elder Dawn Wind’s cultivation, he was somewhat cautious. Although Zhao Jiuge looked completely healed, they were still concerned. If Zhao Jiuge had really died on this mission, it would have been a great loss for the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect. A grade-8 spirit core was a rare encounter that only popped up every few hundred years.

How many geniuses died before they were fully grown? After they heard of what happened from the Song siblings, they couldn’t help but feel a wave of cold sweat.

Aside from Yuan Yixiu and Hua Lingsu, everyone else had different expressions. Some were feeling joy at their misfortune.

Xu Zhu still had that hypocritical smile and Jiang Fuding remained silent, quietly watching the situation.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“Oh? Isn't this the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect’s Chief Head Disciple Zhao? We have been back for more than a month and all the evil cultivators in the Southern Province were killed by the three of us. How did you end up in such a tragic state?”

Ye Aotian suddenly said sarcastically. He folded his arms and looked very proud.

Daoist Fu Qing was a gorgeous, purple and golden robe, and he smiled while he watched Ye Aotian speak. Then he waved his hand and pretended to be kind.

“As long as you come back alive, nothing else matters. After all, the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect’s hero, Zhao, is relatively weak, so we have to be understanding.”

Jian Wuxian chuckled in disdain. He couldn’t even bother to argue with Daoist Fu Qing’s fake kindness.

Hua Lingsu unhappily furrowed and suppressed her inner anger. Her dear disciple had been sent out by the Ten Thousand Dao Sect on a mission and was gone for almost two months with her whereabouts unknown. Even now, they still didn’t know what had really happened. If Ling Bo Re hadn’t come back unharmed, she would have turned the Ten Thousand Dao Sect upside down.

“Enough, there is no need to say these things. Now speak, what the hell happened? Clearly explain what happened,” Hua Lingsu said angrily. When Ye Aotian’s group returned, they didn’t explain the specifics. They only said that they had killed the evil cultivators but hadn’t explained why the evil cultivators were there. Hua Lingsu, Jian Wuxian, and Yuan Yixiu had been anxious because the other group returned but their group didn't.

Finally, once people returned, only the Song siblings came back. This caused Hua Lingsu to erupt in rage. Fortunately, she had learned from them that Zhao Jiuge and Ling Bo Re were fine, and only then did she calm down a bit. However, she was still worried, and the Song siblings had only explained the general situation. They only knew that Zhao Jiuge was seriously injured, but they wouldn't say the specifics until everyone had returned.

Song Rujing and Song Yuansheng looked at each other, but neither of them explained the situation. Instead, they both looked at Zhao Jiuge and Ling Bo Re’s attitudes.

Zhao Jiuge’s mouth twitched a few times. He didn’t intend to explain the situation. Ling Bo Re was still as cold as always and was pondering about something.

“Haha, did you fail to complete the job, or let some of them escape? The three of us slaughtered all the evil cultivators there. There were seven Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, not to mention all the weaker ones.”

Ye Aotian coldly watched. Seeing the four of them remain silent, he thought they were too embarrassed to speak. The Song siblings came back first and only said that Zhao Jiuge was injured but had recovered. They didn’t talk about the situation at the Liu Province, so no one but them knew what had happened.

“Hmph, only seven evil Nascent Soul cultivators and trying to brag!” Song Rujing couldn’t stand Ye Aotian’s arrogance and let out a snort. However, she didn’t explain too much.

Ye Aotian was about to continue when the cold Ling Bo Re opened her mouth.

“Zhao Jiuge was injured in order to save me. We encountered an evil cultivator that had just broken through to the Soul Formation Realm. I was careless and was put into a dangerous situation. However, Zhao Jiuge blocked that blow for me and saved me.”

After she spoke, everyone was a bit shocked and knew why the Song siblings hadn’t said anything about it. If Ling Bo Re hadn’t brought it up herself, this matter would have remained hidden.

The more concerning matter was the evil cultivator that had broken through to the Soul Formation Realm. This kind of combat power was not something these little fellows could deal with. The fact that they had returned safely meant that they must have solved the problem.

Hua Lingsu’s expression eased a bit and she slowly asked, “What happened in the end? Also, where did these evil cultivators suddenly appear from?”

“One at the Soul Formation Realm, nine at the Nascent Soul Realm, and dozens of other evil cultivators were all killed”

After this, Ling Bo Re paused for a moment and continued, “As for the sudden appearance of these evil cultivators, the evil cultivators in the Liu Province found some secret and used it to break through to the Soul Formation Realm. The evil cultivators in the Southern Province were their rivals who came to mess with their plan. They didn’t expect to be wiped out by us.”

Once Ling Bo Re finished speaking, the truth of this matter was finally revealed.

Xu Zhu and Ye Aotian’s expressions were not good. Originally, they thought they had done a better job by completing the mission in just half a month. They didn’t expect to completely lose to the other team.

Ye Aotian’s expression became extremely ugly. He had been slapped in the face again and again. However, given the situation, he couldn’t do anything. There would be plenty of time in the future to get his revenge.

Hearing the truth, the expressions of the various elders were very different. Jian Wuxian looked at Zhao Jiuge and felt a bit emotional.

Xu Jiahui stood there and softly said, “What a good brat. Your progress is pretty good. You learned how to be the hero by saving the beauty.”

Jian Wuxian followed with a big smile on his face. This made Zhao Jiuge feel rather embarrassed.

However, Daoist Fu Qing’s expression was a bit gloomy. As the host of the Seven Holy Land Exchange, it was natural for him to feel uncomfortable about someone else stealing the spotlight.