Xuanping’s Visit

Lu Qiancha paid no more attention to Can Xin, who was still studying the mushrooms. She extended her finger, attempting to probe her spiritual power into the Magnet-shroom and Magneto-shroom, wanting to retrieve them back into the cube.

Spiritual power injected—one second, two seconds… like a clay ox entering the sea, there was no response whatsoever.

“…?”

Lu Qiancha tilted her small head in confusion.

Looking at the Magnet-shroom sleeping soundly (-_- Zzz) and the Magneto-shroom with a fierce face before her, her small mouth opened slightly, murmuring: “Can’t take them back?”

She pursed her lips, a bit of gloom on her small face.

Forget it, just leave them like this. Anyway, these two mushrooms aren’t like the Doom-shroom that explodes. They look harmless enough. Should be… fine, right?

Lu Qiancha looked up at the burning sunset glow in the distant sky.

The sky was gradually darkening. Go back to cultivate for a while, then it would be time to sleep.

She no longer entangled herself with the matter. Turning around, she moved her short little legs, da-da-da, walking toward the small courtyard on Tianquan Peak.

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t run off, little one! This seat is still studying this mushroom.”

Can Xin’s dissatisfied voice rang in Lu Qiancha’s mind.

As soon as Lu Qiancha walked far away, Can Xin, as a spirit body, was immediately and forcibly dragged away by the invisible power of the contract.

On the spot, only the gradually awakening Magnet-shroom—whose expression changed from -_- to O_O—and that Magneto-shroom, still emitting a majestic aura, remained.

Approximately one shichen (two hours) later.

Moonlight spilled like mercury over the tranquil Tianquan Peak.

A figure wearing a somewhat loose and large Daoist robe stepped on the moonlight, swaying leisurely as he walked up the winding mountain path, humming a little tune.

The arrival was precisely Xuan Ya’s senior martial brother, Elder Xuan Ping.

He came up the mountain this time to notify his junior sister Xuan Ya that the Five-Year Nine Peaks Grand Competition was about to begin, urging her to determine the candidates for participation as soon as possible.

However, just as he leisurely stepped into the depths of the bamboo forest, preparing to take a shortcut, his footsteps paused abruptly.

Under the moonlight, two “things” with strange shapes emitting faint light stood there, their style completely incompatible with the elegant emerald bamboo surrounding them.

“Hm? What are these?”

Elder Xuan Ping rubbed his eyes, sizing them up carefully by the moonlight, his brows furrowing deeply.

“Lodestones? …Became spirits?”

Tsk, the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth is becoming increasingly dense these days; even lumps of lodestone can nurture spiritual intelligence? Rare, truly rare.

However, since they were petty monsters born naturally within the sect’s territory, based on the principle of maintaining the peak’s cleanliness and preventing their over-proliferation, it was better to clean them up in passing.

With a relaxed mindset of casually removing demons, Elder Xuan Ping fished out a Mystic Iron Longsword from his storage pouch.

His Immortal force surged slightly, his fingers forming a sword seal, chanting in his mouth: “Body transforming into majestic spirit, one sword slash…”

The word “Immortal” had yet to leave his mouth when a sudden change occurred.

That somewhat dopey-looking Magnet-shroom beside him suddenly sprang up from the ground with a pa-da.

Like an arrow leaving the string, with incomparable precision… Splat! It stuck firmly to the blade of the Mystic Iron Sword in Elder Xuan Ping’s hand.

Elder Xuan Ping: “…?!”

His movements froze instantly.

This unexpected adhesion completely caught him off guard.

Subconsciously, he continued to pour Immortal force into the sword body, attempting to forcefully complete the sword art and blast this sticky lodestone spirit to death along with it.

However, a bizarre thing happened.

The Immortal force he injected was unexpectedly completely repelled by that Mystic Iron Sword; not a shred could penetrate. It was as if the sword’s surface was covered by an invisible insulating barrier.

“Hm?”

Elder Xuan Ping’s brows knitted into a knot, suspicion and surprise in his heart.

“Strange indeed. Although this broken sword is not high-grade and its conductivity is a bit poor, it shouldn’t go so far as to shut this seat’s Immortal force out the door, right?”

Not believing in evil, he simply used his hands directly, attempting to forcefully tear off the Magnet-shroom glued to the sword body.

The result… not budging a hair’s breadth.

That Magnet-shroom seemed to have been welded into one body with the Mystic Iron Sword. No matter how Elder Xuan Ping channeled Immortal force to enhance his arms, exerting the strength of nine bulls and two tigers, the mushroom remained firmly attached, steady as Mount Tai.

“…”

Elder Xuan Ping was thoroughly speechless.

Having lived to such an age, this was the first time he had encountered such a demon—not attacking, just sticking to his sword.

Feeling somewhat irritable from being messed with, his left hand pinched a magic seal.

“Palm Thunder!”

Zzz-zap.

A bolt of blazing white lightning thick as a bowl mouth burst instantly from his palm, ruthlessly striking the Magnet-shroom on the sword body.

Bang!

The lightning hit precisely.

The Magnet-shroom’s flexible stalk was pierced instantly. Its anthropomorphic expression changed instantly to a painfully twisted (X_X), and immediately after, it slid powerlessly from the Mystic Iron Sword, transforming into a weak spiritual light and dissipating in the air.

Solved one.

Elder Xuan Ping’s heart settled slightly. His sharp gaze turned to the red-and-yellow Magneto-shroom beside it, which had remained motionless and looked much fiercer.

Next, it’s your turn! Lodestone demon!

Witnessing its companion’s tragic end, the Magneto-shroom’s massive deep crimson magnet cap turned abruptly toward Elder Xuan Ping.

The light cluster below suddenly erupted with blinding, violent yellow lightning. An intense hostility permeated the air.

Hoh! This little demon has quite the guts! Sensing this seat’s Immortal force pressure, not only does it not flee, it actually dares to release fighting intent?

The corner of Elder Xuan Ping’s mouth hooked into a disdainful arc, feeling this “Lodestone Spirit” truly did not know life from death.

He didn’t even disdain to approach. Raising his right hand casually, Immortal light flowed at his fingertips.

“Condense!”

Over ten inch-long small swords, condensed from pure Immortal force and flowing with iridescent light, instantly hovered before him, sword tips pointing straight at the Magneto-shroom.

“Go!”

With a command, the small Immortal light swords were like a swarm of bees leaving the nest, tearing through the air. With sharp whistling sounds, they shot toward the Magneto-shroom in a volley.

Elder Xuan Ping seemed to already see the appearance of this strange thing being pierced into a sieve.

However, change arose again.

Just the instant before those small Immortal light swords hit the Magneto-shroom, the lightning in the light cluster below it shone violently.

Hum—!

An invisible, extremely powerful magnetic field opened instantly.

The ten-plus small swords shooting rapidly were like slamming into an invisible spiderweb, braking abruptly in mid-air.

Then, they unexpectedly turned their directions in unison. Like the most loyal guards, they docilely orbited around the U-shaped magnet of the Magneto-shroom, slowly rotating.

“…?!”

The corner of Elder Xuan Ping’s mouth twitched fiercely, his eyeballs nearly popping out.

This ghost thing… can even forcibly seize this seat’s Immortal force creations?! Just what the [Eastern Continent Profanity] is this thing?!

However, he was given no time to think carefully.

Swish-swish-swish—!

The next moment, under the Magneto-shroom’s command, those ten-plus orbiting small Immortal light swords shot toward Xuan Ping himself—their original creator—at a speed even faster than when they came, carrying ear-piercing shrieks.

Elder Xuan Ping’s heart jumped violently. In his haste, he brought his hands together rapidly in front of his chest.

“Taiji Profound Shield.”

A rapidly rotating black-and-white Taiji light shield, emitting ancient Dao rhythm, emerged instantly.

Ding-ding-dang-dang—!

Impact sounds dense as rain rang out in a continuous piece.

All the small Immortal light swords were blocked by this solid shield. Immediately after, as if losing all power, they fell to the ground with poof-poof-poof sounds, turning back into dissipating Immortal light.