Chapter 34 Personal Guidance for Nalan Yanran, Watching the Falling Iron Flakes

Nalan Yanran, watching all this, couldn't help but open her small mouth in surprise.

She had never thought of such a method.

She had learned an upright Dao of the sword and had never considered planting "tricks" within her Sword Intent.

Elder Gu smiled faintly, raised his hand, and used the Crimson Sky Sword to lightly flick Nalan Yanran's ice-blue sword. "Come, want to give it a try?"

Following Elder Gu's method, Nalan Yanran infused her own hidden force into her fractal sword and suddenly realized that her Move had indeed become a bit stronger.

Nalan Yanran lifted her head, her ponytail swaying slightly, and looked at Elder Gu with eyes like apricot blossoms in the rain. "Then, Elder Gu... is there more?"

"Is there anything else Elder wishes to teach Yanran?"

Elder Gu put away the Crimson Sky Sword, waved his right hand in the air, and condensed his Dou Qi into the shape of a white board.

"Of course there is."

Cyan flames danced between Elder Gu's fingers, and Yanran watched as he used the Heavenly Flame to leave emerald-mountain-like characters on the whiteboard.

It read: "Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win every battle."

Elder Gu spoke calmly, "Yanran, tell me, how much do you know about him?"

Nalan Yanran was momentarily stunned by the question.

She felt a bit ashamed but also somewhat defiant. "I heard... that after the engagement was annulled, he regained his talent as a Genius."

"He seems quite strong now as well..."

Elder Gu pressed further, "Anything else?"

Nalan Yanran shook her head in distress. "Nothing else..." She added hurriedly, her expression flustered, "I have been focusing on Cultivating all this time and haven't paid much attention to these things..."

Elder Gu shook his head, wrote the names of Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan on the board, and drew a triangle connecting the two of them with the phrase above.

"Who are you?" Elder Gu asked.

Nalan Yanran was taken aback. "I am just me..."

Elder Gu shook his head again. "You are you, but you also have your own identity."

"You are a Disciple of the Cloud Mist Sect. Do you think Xiao Yan knows what Cultivation Technique you are learning or what Dou Technique you are practicing?"

Nalan Yanran gripped her sword handle tightly, bit her lip, and said with some defiance, "So what if he knows? I can go learn new Dou Techniques! The Cloud Mist Sect's Dou Technique Pavilion is open to me at any time..."

Her tone carried an indelible pride, yet at some point, her eyes had quietly turned red, and she looked as aggrieved as a rabbit that had lost its carrot.

Elder Gu chuckled inwardly. What a childish girl!

You have practiced the sword since you were young and have only adapted to the sword; all changes remain within the same Sect. You have many strengths, but your flaws are also significant.

He could only continue, "Then do you know what Cultivation Technique Xiao Yan is Cultivating? What Dou Techniques he has, or what his trump cards are?"

Nalan Yanran shook her head, as expected.

Elder Gu guided her patiently, explaining slowly, "You have only focused on Cultivating during this time, so you have ignored many things—not just information about your opponent, but also practical combat."

"I have no way of knowing Xiao Yan's Cultivation Technique or Dou Techniques, but I know he has been to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to gain experience and has been to the Tagor Desert for grueling training..."

"I even saw him when I was exploring the Snake-People Clan."

Elder Gu looked at Nalan Yanran's dejected expression and couldn't help but pinch her cheek. The skin felt smooth and tender, like the petals of an early spring flower.

Nalan Yanran lifted her head, her eyes dazed, a trace of insecurity hidden deep within her pupils. "Elder, I..."

Since she was young, she had carried countless labels, none of which she had managed to shake off. She had thought she was working hard enough, but she hadn't expected that her opponent hadn't relaxed at all.

Relying on the pride in her bones, she could usually face battles with outward confidence, but now Elder Gu had pierced through her clumsy disguise one by one.

Seeing her complex expression, Elder Gu suddenly laughed aloud, his voice clear and bright. "Hey, Yanran... other than practical combat experience, in what way are you inferior to him?"

Elder Gu raised his hand and used fire to leave a few more characters on the whiteboard: "Groundless fears." He said, "I have a story here; would you like to hear it?"

Nalan Yanran nodded.

"A long time ago, there was a powerful expert who considered himself invincible under the heavens. But one day, he suddenly began to worry about whether the sky would fall, so he stopped eating and drinking all day, lost in deep thought..."

"His friends went to comfort him, saying: first, the sky will not fall; second, if the sky were to fall, it is not something you alone can solve by worrying."

"But this person, he wouldn't listen..."

Elder Gu looked into Nalan Yanran's eyes. "So, what about you? Are you worried that the sky will fall?"

Nalan Yanran thought for a moment and blinked playfully. "I'm not worried...!"

"So now I need to leave the Sect, engage in constant combat, and accumulate combat experience!"

Elder Gu nodded in agreement.

Although he had many Cultivation Techniques and Dou Techniques, they were not very suitable for Nalan Yanran, so he could only offer her guidance from other areas.

"The last thing," Elder Gu raised his hand and wrote three large characters: "Child-Mother Sword."

Yanran's almond eyes widened slightly; she had never heard of such a thing. "What... is this?" she asked in surprise.

Elder Gu drew a schematic diagram on the whiteboard. "The Child-Mother Sword I speak of refers to a sword composed of two blades, one long and one short."

This was a type of sword that did not exist in the Dou Po System but existed on the Blue Star before his Transmigration.

"They are usually sheathed together and can form a single sword, with the short blade hidden inside the long blade, to be drawn for an attack when necessary."

Nalan Yanran looked at the ingenious sword diagram, feeling a bit itching to try it. "I never imagined that such a sword could exist in the world..."

She gripped her standard-issue Sect sword, feeling a little excited; her small face was taut, and her beautiful almond eyes were shining with moisture.

"I will find someone to forge it as soon as I go back!" Nalan Yanran said with a bit of excitement about being able to become stronger.

The sword she used was the standard for the Sect's inner Disciples; although it wasn't bad, she was now very interested in the Child-Mother Sword Elder Gu spoke of!

Elder Gu smiled faintly.

In fact, Xiao Yan had Yao Lao behind him, and Yao Lao had assassin secret techniques; perhaps the moment Nalan Yanran revealed the short sword, Yao Lao would alert Xiao Yan.

But so what?

Nalan Yanran had already stepped out of the fixed mindset of the "sword" and had begun to innovate herself.

Elder Gu waved his sleeve, and the whiteboard in the air suddenly turned into several white dots, disappearing like falling flower petals. "Since you have gained some insight, I shall return now."

His voice was like clear water dripping onto stone, mellow and pleasant.

The tips of Nalan Yanran's ears couldn't help but turn slightly red. "Gu, Elder Gu... that... thank you!"

Elder Gu was about to respond when the System notification arrived quietly: [Ding! Target's favorability toward the host has increased by 10%. Obtained reward: "Falling Flower Sword Manual"!]

[Falling Flower Sword Manual: Contains the Falling Flower Sword Technique, known for its speed as fast as a whirlwind and extremely strong explosive power. Once mastered, it is equivalent to mastering an Earth Rank Low-level Dou Technique that can unleash Earth Rank Advanced-level power. The sword technique is divided into three parts: Leaf-Plucking Pierce, Flower-Twisting Direct Attack, and Flower-Burial Explosion.]

[Target's favorability toward the host: 55%.]

"..." Elder Gu was silent for a moment.

He did not feel that this increase in favorability was small; after all, it becomes harder the further one goes.

He was just a bit speechless; he had already finished teaching Nalan Yanran, and only then did the System give a reward suitable for her. Look at this, is this reasonable?

So all his hard work teaching her earlier...

At this moment, Nalan Yanran had already put away her sword and bowed to Elder Gu very respectfully, her two long ponytails falling naturally, making one want to play with them.

Elder Gu came back to his senses, helped her up, gave her a light hug, and patted her back. "You must work hard, Yanran. I believe you can defeat him."

Nalan Yanran nodded heavily, her pink dress swaying slightly. "Yes! Thank you, Elder Gu!"

Elder Gu naturally ruffled her hair; this time, Nalan Yanran accepted it obediently and even looked up to give Elder Gu a sweet smile.

Elder Gu's heart stirred, and he coughed. "I have something else to give you..."