I was born in an era without me

[In your public lecture, you effectively disseminated the history of cultivation, the way of cultivation, and the philosophy of immortal cultivation. Your colleague recognized your teaching methods, and your student enjoyed your teaching process.]

[Final settlement: A. Random reward is being selected based on your direct disciple’s needs.]

[Reward issued: Soul-Driving Sword Map.]

When Gong Ning saw the three words “Soul-Driving Sword,” her heart almost leaped out of her throat.
Taking a closer look, she saw the two words “map” following it.

Even a map was very good.
The Soul-Driving Secret Art, as one of the very few cultivation paths that didn’t rely on talent, was already rare, let alone a divine weapon forged with it.

It was just that this map, no matter how she looked at it, had a familiar feel, and the more she looked, the more familiar it became.

‘Isn’t this the Profound Heaven Sword Sect?’

****

Tao Lingling was also cultivating, even though her Master had said she could rest today.
But the new disciple competition was in a while.
How could she afford to be idle?

Activating the Spirit Refining Art, the countless, intangible souls appeared before her eyes again.

Logically, since she had returned to the past, those innocent people had not died, so these souls should not exist.
But considering her Master’s theory, could it be that because time had reversed, these souls had also lost their place of return, which was why they were following her?

‘Don’t worry about the suffering of others anymore. Master is right. One must live selfishly to be happy.’

Tao Lingling grabbed one of the souls from the crowd, kneaded it into a ball in her hand, and began to refine it carefully.

Half an hour later, she opened her eyes.

This soul had not yet been completely refined, but she couldn’t help but want to exclaim in surprise.

The two characters for soul, ‘魂’ (hún) resided in the person, and ‘灵’ (líng) resided in the heavens.
After a person dies, their soul continues to circulate.
Whether it is reincarnated or returns to heaven and earth, it always exists eternally in the world.

The Spirit Refining Art was to transform this characteristic into her own power, refining its ‘灵’ (líng) onto her own ‘魂’ (hún).

This was soul cultivation.

Tao Lingling had finally found her own strength.
It was not weaker than Lu Yunling’s, and even much stronger.

Because her souls were endless!

If she spent the rest of her time refining souls, would she still be afraid of not being able to defeat her then?

At this moment, Tao Lingling no longer felt that the souls in front of her would add to her sense of guilt.
In her eyes, these were all her unique spiritual veins.

Cultivation, how exhilarating!

Just then, she heard voices in the main house, so she went over to take a look and happened to see her Master snatching a book from the Sword Immortal’s hand.

“Stop reading this damn trashy novel and answer my question.”

Jiang Yuyao smacked her lips, clearly savoring the aftertaste.
Seeing Gong Ning’s angry expression, she couldn’t help but recall a passage from the book:

‘I secretly raised my eyes and met the flush that had spread to the tips of Master’s ears. The usual transcendent fairy-like appearance, at this moment, the jade hairpin in her hair swayed gently with her words.’

‘Her rosy lips were pursed into a stubborn arc, like a spider lily about to bloom, even her anger carried a hint of charming naivety.’

When Jiang Yuyao first read it, she was still thinking that the spider lily was a flower of the dead, and writing it here might ruin the atmosphere.
But now that she saw it, it was incredibly appropriate.

“Ahem, isn’t this just for having fun with the disciples…”

“You finally admit you’re making fun of me?”

“Of course not…”

“You clearly are!”

In Tao Lingling’s eyes, this wasn’t an argument, but flirting.
She was immediately displeased and wanted to interrupt their conversation, but she couldn’t avoid seeing the cover of the book.

Compared to the title, the author’s name was even more shocking.

‘My dear Xi Yao, even after being reborn, you’re still chasing me?’

Seeing her disciple come over, Gong Ning had wanted to ask what was the matter, if she had encountered any problems in her cultivation, but she became vigilant again because Tao Lingling’s eyes were fixed on the trashy book in her hand.

This thing was truly harmful.
From the disciples down to the elders, and up to the Sword Immortal, look at what they had all become.
She absolutely could not let Lingling see it.

Gong Ning nonchalantly placed “The Crippled Immortal” under the table.

Jiang Yuyao finally came back to her senses from the plot of the book and said, “What sword were you talking about just now?”

“The Soul-Driving Sword.”

“I’ve never heard of it. It’s probably in the Sword Mound.”

If it was in the Sword Mound, it would be difficult to retrieve.

If a disciple wanted to enter the Sword Mound, there were three ways.

One was to exchange for it with spiritual merits, the second was to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage, and the third was to win first place in the sect competition.

And there was a particularly strict restriction: disciples who had entered the Sword Mound were not allowed to return to secular life and would belong to the Profound Heaven Sword Sect from then on.

The Sword Mound of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect stored thousands of famous weapons.
No one knew what was inside.
Once you went in, you could only rely on fate.
If you had no fate, you could only rely on your eye for things.

So not many disciples chose to go in.
Not everyone had great luck and could happen to choose a divine sword, or be chosen by a sword.

Putting that aside, in the new disciple competition, could her own disciple really win first place?

Jiang Yuyao saw through Gong Ning’s thoughts.

“What’s the point of being so good at the Qi Refinement stage? It’s not like you don’t have good swords in your possession. Just give her one.”

“A good sword is one thing, whether it’s suitable or not is another.”

Tao Lingling heard this and said nonchalantly, “Isn’t it just a competition? I can win it easily.”

Jiang Yuyao couldn’t help but be sarcastic when she saw her attitude, “Yo yo, why are you starting to make a fuss again? Are you bored and looking for something to do?”

“Don’t you look down on people! At least I won’t sit here reading a third-rate novel.”

“What’s wrong with me reading a novel? As the Sword Immortal, I have already attained the Dao. It’s better than some people who have to seize every opportunity to be lazy.”

“Hmph, Sword Immortal? You were just born in an era without me.”

Jiang Yuyao was so angry she laughed, “Gong Ning, this disciple of yours really needs some discipline. I need to teach her how I used to cultivate back then.”

And just like that, Tao Lingling’s rest day was gone.
She was forcibly dragged out by Jiang Yuyao, her face pinched, to practice her sword.

But Gong Ning knew that this was Yuyao’s way of acknowledging her.
Otherwise, with her personality, she wouldn’t have bothered at all.

Opening the system and looking at Lingling’s profile again, her cultivation was already close to the third layer of Qi Refinement.

It was a good sign.
If it were in the past, she might have really been able to win first place in the new disciple competition.
But this year was different.

That Lu Yunling could already defeat a Foundation Establishment stage disciple.

****

Far away in the Sword-Riding Cottage.

Lu Yunling opened her eyes, collected her thoughts, and flipped open the “Azure Firmament Evasion Sword Art” in her hand.

Her physique and this sword art complemented each other and were most useful in the early stages of cultivation.
In her previous life, she had only obtained it much later, and by then, this sword art was already useless.

But it was her current self that needed the power.

Lu Yunling couldn’t help but think of the familiar face she had seen again a few days ago.

That frantic, hysterical woman.

She still remembered the great battle of her previous life.
She, her Master, and her Third Junior Sister had pursued the Calamity-Bringing She-Devil, but the she-devil had killed as she fled, becoming stronger and stronger.

The Calamity-Bringing She-Devil was a natural-born villain.
If she didn’t become a villain, she could only be mediocre.

And it was precisely because she wasn’t evil enough that she had shown mercy to her several times, eventually being forced to a dead end and dying by her sword.

It was hard for Lu Yunling to have such an experience again.
Every time she recalled the times she had been on the verge of death, the woman’s disdainful look as she turned around would make her heart palpitate.

‘Does she harbor hatred for me now? Is she still as frantic as before?’

‘How many people has she killed since she was reborn? What level has her cultivation reached? Although I can defeat a Foundation Establishment disciple, can I really defeat her again?’

‘Seventy-thirty,’ Lu Yunling thought to herself.

Seventy percent still belonged to the she-devil.
She only had a thirty percent chance of winning.