74: Chapter 74 Sword Dance

Three days later, in front of the Moonshadow Sect Main Hall. Yu Lingshuang and Chi Shuying stood to the side, while Chi Wanhe and Du Yuqing also stood beside Ling Hao; only the figure of Qin Zhaoxue was missing.

"Revered Master~" Chi Wanhe leaned forward, tugging gently on Ling Hao's sleeve, her large eyes filled with anticipation. "Take me with you! I promise I won't cause any trouble!"

Du Yuqing, who was usually quiet and reserved, also lifted her gaze slightly, a hint of longing in her eyes.

Ling Hao put on a straight Face, pretending to be stern. "Nonsense! Your main task is to remain in the Sect and focus on your Cultivate, to raise your Realm!"

Chi Wanhe pouted, looking at Ling Hao with a woeful expression. Her eyes were teary, as if she would shed golden beans at any second.

Ling Hao's heart softened, and he sighed helplessly. He leaned down slightly, moving closer to Chi Wanhe, and lowered his voice, adding a hint of ambiguity: "Be good, and Cultivate well. When Revered Master returns… I will certainly 'compensate' you properly…"

He deliberately emphasized the word "compensate," a mischievous smile flashing in his deep eyes.

Meeting his meaningful gaze, Chi Wanhe instantly understood the implication. Two clouds of red flushed onto her cheeks, and even her earlobes turned pink.

She glared at Ling Hao in shy annoyance, yet there was a hint of sweetness in it. Finally, she let go of his sleeve and muttered softly: "...Then Revered Master must keep your word…"

Having appeased his little Disciple, Ling Hao turned to look at the cool-tempered Yu Lingshuang standing to the side.

"Ling Shuang," he said solemnly, "While I am away, I leave the entire Sect to you!"

Yu Lingshuang nodded slightly, raising her hand to tuck a strand of dark hair, disheveled by the mountain wind, behind her ear.

"Hmm, rest assured, Sect Master. The Sect will be in my hands."

The massive cloud whale ship slowly ascended. Ling Hao stood at the edge of the deck, his gaze passing through the shrinking mountain gate and landing on the white figure below.

Cultivators have excellent eyesight; even from a great distance, he could clearly see Yu Lingshuang's upturned Face.

She stood quietly in the plaza in front of the hall, the mountain wind fluttering her skirt. Her cool, clear eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the direction of the cloud whale ship.

That gaze was complex and difficult to decipher, seemingly filled with both worry and anticipation.

Ling Hao's heart stirred slightly, and he felt a strange sense of trance—that look was remarkably similar to a mortal wife watching her husband depart on a long journey…

The cloud whale ship broke through layers of clouds, sailing steadily at an immense altitude. Its massive hull, like a giant whale roaming the sky, carved a long trail across the azure firmament.

Ling Hao and Chi Shuying stood side by side on the deck at the bow of the ship.

Strong winds brushed against their Faces, causing their robes to flutter. Ling Hao, however, had no time to admire the magnificent scenery, his brows slightly furrowed as he fell into deep thought.

After the matter at Liuyun Temple was resolved, the pace of Cultivate had to be accelerated, whether for his Personal Disciple or for the Disciples of the entire Sect!

He could not always rely on "trump cards" like Dao Mark Resonance to solve problems.

After all, the time was too short, his own cultivation was lagging, and the cultivation of the Sect's upper echelon was also somewhat low. The two Deputy Sect Master, Yu Lingshuang and Chi Shuying, had already recovered their cultivation to the Nascent Soul Stage.

And Chi Wanhe and the others needed to reach the Golden Core Stage as soon as possible; firstly for the Sect's advancement, and secondly for the daily operations of the Sect.

If they encountered threats at the Golden Core level in the outside world, such as sudden Spiritual Qi storms or Erosion Tide attacks, with their current strength, they would likely be unable to suppress them.

Xiao He's Void Spirit Root was one in ten thousand, and she was already at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment; Yu Qing, with the blessing of the Sacred Lotus Ancestral Vein and her Physique, had a speed not inferior to Xiao He, and had reached the Middle Stage of the Jade Bone Realm (Foundation Establishment Stage)…

There was still one missing… Ling Hao's mind subconsciously conjured up the gentle Face of Qin Zhaoxue.

She had only just broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage. However, her Spiritual Root was an Earth-grade Spiritual Root; during the Qi Refinement Stage, the difference in quality of Spiritual Roots might not have been obvious.

But upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, with the tilting of various resources and the blessing of various cheat-like speeds of Cultivate, the speed gap brought about by Aptitude would gradually manifest…

Forget it, overthinking is useless; things will work themselves out. He had also appropriately relaxed the resource restrictions for Lin Xiwei, hoping she could catch up soon.

"Sect Master," Chi Shuying's cool, clear voice interrupted Ling Hao's thoughts. She pointed downwards. "Liuyun Temple, we have arrived."

Ahead, the mountain gate of Liuyun Temple was already in sight. The mountain gate was built against the mountain and hidden within the clouds and mist that lingered year-round.

The massive archway was built from white cloud-patterned stone, carved with elegant flowing cloud motifs.

Looking from afar, it seemed to truly merge with the sea of clouds in the sky, filled with ethereal Immortal Qi.

The cloud whale ship's mountain-like shadow descended slowly, its massive silhouette covering a small half of the mountain gate plaza.

The streamlined outline of the ship's hull shimmered with a cold metallic luster, its sheer size carrying an invisible pressure that drew a chorus of suppressed gasps from the waiting crowd of Liuyun Temple.

They looked up at this massive ship, their eyes filled with awe and shock.

Rumor had it that this very ship had shattered the Protective Sect Array of the Huoyan Sect with a single blow; its power was at least that of a Peak Golden Core strike! Even their own Sect… did not possess such a treasure!

The Temple Revered Master Jing Hong led a group of Elders, already waiting respectfully at the very front. Upon seeing Ling Hao and Chi Shuying walk down the gangplank, Jing Hong hurriedly bowed. "Jing Hong, along with everyone at Liuyun Temple, respectfully welcomes Sect Master Ling!"

The Elders also chimed in unison, keeping their posture extremely humble.

In the crowd, a beautiful young girl wearing a dress with a gradient of green and red was particularly eye-catching.

She had exquisite features and a cool temperament, with a hint of the pride belonging to a Genius between her brows. At this moment, she was also bowing respectfully along with the others.

However, when she secretly glanced at Ling Hao, that pride unconsciously receded, and a flash of curiosity and undetectable awe flickered in her eyes.

Jing Hong personally led Ling Hao and Chi Shuying to the main hall within the temple.

A sumptuous spiritual banquet had already been prepared inside the hall, complete with spiritual fruits, delicacies, and fine nectar.

Accompanying them, besides the withered Second Elder and the red-faced Third Elder they had met last time, was an old woman with a steady temperament and a slightly stern Face—the Grand Elder of Liuyun Temple, Perfected Yunshui.

During the banquet, the Second Elder and Third Elder could not hide the worry on their Faces, several times opening their mouths to speak but stopping. Clearly, they were deeply anxious about the impending arrival of the Tianhuo Sect.

Clearly, they did not quite believe that Ling Hao could intimidate the Nascent Soul True Lord by Song Qingfeng's side.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere eased slightly.

Jing Hong set down his jade cup, a smile piling up on his Face, and pointed to the young girl in the green and red dress. "Sect Master Ling, this is Liu Sisi, the Personal Disciple of our Temple's Grand Elder, Perfected Yunshui. She has a cultivation of the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. Not only does she possess talent in alchemy, but she also has considerable talent in the Dao of the sword. She can be called a leader among the younger generation of our temple."

He turned to Liu Sisi, his tone encouraging. "Sisi, Sect Master Ling's presence is our temple's good fortune. Why don't you perform a sword dance for Sect Master Ling to aid the mood?"

"Yes, Sect Master." Liu Sisi stood up and walked to the open space in the hall. With a flip of her slender hand, a three-foot-long azure sword with a biting cold light appeared in her hand.

Her eyes instantly became focused and sharp, her posture like a crane standing on a snowy plain.

The sword rose! In an instant, the green and red figure danced like a startled swan, the sword light like flowing clouds suddenly breaking, and also like a silver snake dancing wildly.

As her skirt fluttered, Sword Qi crisscrossed, sometimes light and agile like passing through flowers and brushing against willows, sometimes swift as a sudden clap of thunder. The cold sword blade seemed to have a life of its own in her hands, bringing forth bursts of clear, piercing sounds as it cut through the air.

The Spiritual Qi in the hall fluctuated slightly with her sword momentum, and specks of Sword Qi like cold stars condensed and dissipated around her body, blooming like frost.

The set of sword techniques was performed with flowing ease, with extraordinary momentum, fully displaying the style of a Sword Cultivator.

Ling Hao held his wine cup, nodding slightly as he watched.

Setting aside the Realm, just in terms of sword art attainments and this agility, it was indeed not bad.

"Not bad, this sword dance." He praised it casually, but a thought involuntarily drifted through his mind:

If his third Disciple, Du Yuqing, were to dance with a sword… that heavy weight rising and falling with the sword momentum, the breathtaking curves appearing and disappearing within the breathtaking sword light… wouldn't that be even more breathtaking?

His gaze subconsciously glanced at Chi Shuying beside him. Today she was still in a well-fitting pink dress, her figure exquisite and well-proportioned, with a mature charm flowing naturally.

The proud assets on her chest seemed to be only slightly less than Du Yuqing's… If she were to dance with a sword…

Chi Shuying keenly sensed Ling Hao's gaze lingering on her, a gaze that seemed to carry a bit of… exploration and fantasy?

Her pretty Face heated up slightly, and she felt a bit uncomfortable as she picked up her wine cup and took a sip.

Others saw Ling Hao's gaze seeming to fall in the direction of Liu Sisi's sword dance, praising it with his mouth while looking a bit distracted on his Face, and thought that this Nascent Soul True Lord was quite satisfied with this sword dance.

In this way, their Liuyun Temple could be considered to have regained some Face.

Liu Sisi sheathed her sword and stood still, her breath steady. Seeing Ling Hao "gazing" at her, the pride belonging to a Genius in her heart quietly rose a bit more, and a trace of undetectable smugness curled the corners of her mouth.

Hmph, so what if he is a Nascent Soul True Lord? Isn't he still attracted by my sword dance?

Just as the atmosphere in the hall seemed harmonious and warm, an extremely arrogant and overbearing voice rolled over from the direction of the mountain gate like a thunderclap, instantly suppressing all the sounds in the hall: "Temple Revered Master Jing Hong! The one-month deadline has arrived! Have you considered the proposal of my Tianhuo Sect?!"