Chapter 69: Easy Mode
Two tiny but venomous bees swiftly moved through the flower-filled grove, darting left and right.
Below that grove stretched a vast valley with hidden forests, meandering green waters, and an untouched expanse of land as far as one could see.
Just then, a bright flash appeared by the creek. Specks of light appeared along with a unique fragrance. The bees nearby were drawn to it right away, buzzing around and forming a group.
The specks of light began to move, starting off slow and then following the twists and turns of the river. They wandered around the valley, flowing from the creek into a big river, and eventually arrived at a flat riverbank.
Swish—
Suddenly, the radiance dissipated, leaving the swarm of venomous bees completely lost. They buzzed and danced in place for a while before dispersing and settling down in this area with various flowers and plants.
"Phew..."
A large koi fish gracefully descended back into the water, returning to the sand pit at the river's bottom.
A slightly smaller, rainbow-colored koi fish swiftly approached. "Big Sis, you've worked hard! I will practice hard to cultivate magical power as well so that I can share this burden with you soon."
The bigger koi fish sighed and said, "Unfortunately, my magical power is weak. Without any other abilities, I can only perform these minor tasks..."
The smaller koi fish hastily reassured, "Big Sis, you are already amazing!"
The larger koi fish appeared rather tired. Her beautiful body swayed with the waves as she said slowly, "I just hope that the big villain won't come again."
"Um..." the smaller koi fish said, "I will swim up and take a look..."
Her body swayed as she ascended to the shallow water surface. However, as soon as she looked up, she saw a flurry of sword shadows on the riverbank, cutting down the swarm of venomous bees that her sister had diligently led here.
"Big Sis..." the smaller koi fish called out, a hint of sorrow in its voice, "not only has he appeared again, but he arrived earlier than before!"
...
Chu Liang carried out his routine tasks of exterminating the venomous bees as usual.
Feeling unsatisfied, he looked around, unaware of the agitated bubbles on the water's surface. He then returned to Mount Shu.
Yunhua Town was very near Mount Shu, so he arrived at the Treasure Pagoda Peak within moments. Senior Sister Jiang had asked him to meet here today.
Upon entering the waterfall cave, Chu Liang immediately saw the Baize Youngling making "Hreeohh" sounds. The creature joyfully leaped towards him, rubbing its big head against him.
"Long time no see," Chu Liang said, patting its neck affectionately, and continued walking further inside.
Jiang Xiaobai, dressed in blue, maintained her graceful figure. Upon seeing him, she stood up to greet him, exuding elegance with her tall and slender stature.
She explained, "I will be leaving Mount Shu later for a mission, and this mission will take a while. That's why I came early to check the progress of your talismanic sword seal."
As a disciple of her caliber, Jiang Xiaobai naturally couldn't choose her missions based on her mood, unlike Chu Liang and the others. The sect sometimes assigned her to missions, so it was normal for her to find herself with sudden matters demanding attention.
"Senior Sister, the fact that you were worried about my cultivation progress makes me very grateful," Chu Liang replied with a smile.
"Come on! You're just being a smooth talker. You asked me to help you promote your fruit tea. I've heard that your business is thriving and well-known all over Mount Shu. Yet, you're not giving me any share of the money," Jiang Xiaobai said, glancing at him mockingly.
"How could this small business of mine be worth your attention?" Chu Liang responded immediately.
"Hmph," Jiang Xiaobai huffed. She didn't bother with any more nonsense and cut to the chase. "I asked you to learn the True Dao of Talisman-Making and practice the sword seal. How is your progress?"
Chu Liang answered truthfully, "Slow progress."
"Oh?" Jiang Xiaobai's gaze turned unfriendly. "It's been seven days. If there's no progress at all, I might get angry."
Chu Liang explained, "The True Dao of Talisman-Making is vast and profound. In these few days, I feel like I've just scratched the surface. The practice of the sword seal is even more challenging. I've only grasped a little bit..."
Jiang Xiaobai nodded. "That's understandable. Go ahead and demonstrate for me. Let me see how I can guide you."
Following her words, Chu Liang stepped back a few paces into the open space inside the cave. He summoned his flying sword, held his breath, and recalled the important points.
"Rise!"
With a shout, Chu Liang raised his finger, and the flying sword ascended into the air with a clanging sound.
Sizzle~
Sizzling sounds echoed as he adjusted his finger gestures. The flying sword emitted a continuous breaking sound in midair, silver light rapidly forming a talismanic character. Then, with a point of his finger, the talismanic character, accompanied by sword qi, soared out with a thunderous roar.
Boom—
With a long tail of flames, his sword qi darted forward like a flying meteor and slammed into the ground ahead, creating a massive crater with a thunderous roar.
Compared to ordinary sword techniques, the power of this sword seal was astonishing.
"Hmm..." Jiang Xiaobai murmured.
As she observed this scene, her brows furrowed as she plunged into deep thought.
You call this grasping it just a little?
He has seamlessly merged the talismanic character and sword qi, unleashing a complete sword seal. He's clearly mastered it!
Yet, he claimed that his progress was slow. Who was he fooling? That's why they call men a smooth talker, weaving tales like a trickster!
But it's only been a few days! No matter what, this man is too fast!
Back then, I was already well versed in the Dao of Talisman-Making. Still, it took me twelve days of practice to master this, but he...
Wait a second...
This level of progress in cultivation might not have been achieved today. Is it possible that he achieved it in less than seven days?
Chu Liang sheathed his sword.
Observing the contemplative expression, furrowed brows, and unhappy expression on Jiang Xiaobai's face, Chu Liang sensed her dissatisfaction with his cultivation progress.
In terms of cultivation speed, he believed he had made quick progress, and the execution of the sword seal was considered complete.
What could be lacking in perfection?
Chu Liang hesitated as he explained, "I achieved this level four days ago. Since then, my progress has been very slow. It is mainly because my understanding of talisman-making isn't profound enough. Currently, I can only manifest the fire talismanic character in the form of a flying sword. I can, at most, achieve performing a Dual Talismanic Sword of Fire, but not every performance was successful...
"But recently, I've been practicing this wind talismanic character and have succeeded multiple times. I believe that in another two days, I can proficiently perform the Dual Talismanic Sword of Wind and Fire, significantly increasing its power...
"Senior Sister, I thought I was given a month? I am confident that after a month, I will master even more talismanic characters than just these..."
His tone sounded timid, seemingly worried that Jiang Xiaobai would suspect him of slacking off and decide not to teach him anymore.
However, every word he uttered struck Jiang Xiaobai's Dao heart like an arrow. Her brows furrowed tighter with each passing moment.
After a moment, Jiang Xiaobai raised her hand and said, "Alright, stop talking for now."
She even wanted to offer Chu Liang some advice. But what advice could she even give?
Jiang Xiaobai had merely imparted the knowledge of the sword seal to him. Even without her guidance, he had deciphered the steps and intricacies on his own. As long as he continued cultivating along this path and as his cultivation level increased, mastering a sword seal of ten talismanic characters or a hundred talismanic characters would come naturally.
It seemed as though even the most complicated talismanic sword seal posed no difficulty for him. He could learn it, master it, and use it effortlessly...
Why did it feel like this person was cultivating in easy mode?
For the first time in her life, Jiang Xiaobai felt the gap brought about by differences in talent. In previous scenarios, she was the one who earned admiration.
Yet, ever since she met Chu Liang, she found herself on the receiving end of setbacks.
"Senior Sister?" Chu Liang called out softly.
Jiang Xiaobai's gaze refocused. Then she looked at Chu Liang with a very serious expression.
"Let me tell you! Since you have called me Senior Sister, you should always refer to me as Senior Sister. Even if you become more powerful than me one day, you should still respectfully address me as Senior Sister! Keep that in mind!"
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