Talent was talent, after all.
Li Xunxian had only rested for about ten minutes, and her condition had already mostly recovered.
Xiao Nanchu saw that the color had returned to Li Xunxian’s face. To increase the NPC’s Favor, he deliberately waited another ten minutes before stating that he was also fully rested.
The two of them soon continued forward on the Celestial Ladder.
15,000 steps. Qi Refining stage four, Level 8.
Having returned to her normal state, Li Xunxian faced no pressure against a Demonic Beast one stage lower than herself. She still achieved a one-hit kill.
This time, Li Xunxian was more cautious. After crossing the 15,000th step, she did not go much further. Instead, she stopped and waited for Xiao Nanchu.
It was not that she thought Xiao Nanchu could not pass.
On the contrary, she was certain this guy could handle a stage four Qi Refining Demonic Beast. She simply wanted to observe him from a close distance.
Xiao Nanchu did not care why Li Xunxian was so close this time. He just treated it as part of the NPC’s programming.
His current attributes were high—so high it was ridiculous. A Level 8 monster posed no difficulty for him at all.
Naturally, the result was a single sword strike ending the encounter.
As the two of them continued up the steps, Li Xunxian uncharacteristically asked Xiao Nanchu a question.
“Are you really at the third stage of Qi Refining?”
“Hmm? I should be,” Xiao Nanchu replied, glancing at his Level panel. Indeed, it still displayed Level 6.
“Then what is with your strength?”
“I don’t know.”
He could only say he did not know. He could not exactly explain his high Attribute Panel to an NPC.
‘Lying again…’
Li Xunxian was slightly disgruntled. As the esteemed Sixth Princess of the Longyuan Empire, when had anyone ever dared to lie to her repeatedly!
It was only this guy in front of her. He had been lying to her the entire time. If they were in the Imperial Palace, she would have had him executed long ago!
“I really don’t know.”
“Forget it. I can’t be bothered with you!”
Li Xunxian stopped paying him any mind. She knew she should not act this way while outside, but habits formed over a long period in the Imperial Palace were not so easily discarded.
Take now, for instance—she was annoyed that the man in front of her was hiding things, but there was nothing she could do about it!
Li Xunxian’s face suddenly turned cold, and she gave half-hearted responses to Xiao Nanchu’s questions.
The two of them walked toward the Mountain Peak in this manner.
16,000, 17,000, 18,000…
As they approached the 18,000th step, Li Xunxian sat down to rest without a word, completely ignoring Xiao Nanchu behind her as if he did not exist.
Xiao Nanchu was not annoyed. She was an NPC; it was normal for someone like her to lead the way in silence.
He actually felt that Li Xunxian’s previous state had been a bit too intelligent. He had even started to doubt whether she was an AI, as she acted almost exactly like a real person.
Since Li Xunxian was resting, he rested as well. If the NPC did not dare to move forward, how could he? If there were some kind of trap ahead, he would be finished.
It was better to let the NPC handle the scouting.
After resting for thirty minutes, Li Xunxian stood up with full energy. She sheathed her Imperial Standard Longsword.
In its place, another longsword appeared that looked extraordinary at a glance.
The blade was entirely azure with inscriptions etched upon it, and the edge radiated a cold glint. From the moment Li Xunxian gripped it, faint teal firelight actually flickered from the tassel at the pommel.
Clearly, facing two Demonic Beasts that were at the same stage as her—Qi Refining stage five—this girl was going to get serious.
With a light step, she charged toward the two Demonic Beasts with her longsword. As she thrust the blade, it actually produced the faint sound of a Luan phoenix’s cry.
And the firelight on the tassel was indeed not a trick of Xiao Nanchu’s eyes.
Every swing Li Xunxian made carried a trail of pale teal firelight, leaving behind a string of gorgeous flowing light during the battle.
The wounds on the Demonic Beasts she struck were also ignited. Strands of firelight leaped within the gashes, continuously licking at the monsters’ wounds.
Although Xiao Nanchu could not see the damage numbers, judging by the style, this sword likely had some kind of “Burn” effect that triggered small, ticking damage numbers.
Tsk, he wanted a sword like that too.
While he was not used to using this type of weapon, who wouldn’t want one with special effects!
Finesse did not matter; he could just fill in the gaps with raw stats.
Therefore, a polearm-type weapon might be more suitable for him—an inch longer meant an inch stronger.
But being cool was also very important. Being strong was only temporary, but being cool was a lifetime achievement!
Moreover, the stats on that NPC’s weapon were definitely not low.
The Longyuan Empire Imperial Standard Longsword she had casually tossed to him was already a Purple-grade weapon with incredibly high attributes.
For the Sixth Princess of the Longyuan Empire to only use this specific weapon during critical moments, and for it to have special effects, its stats certainly could not be low.
He was envious. He wanted it. Was there a way to trick that weapon out of the NPC’s hands?
Xiao Nanchu thought about it carefully and felt there was likely no hope.
Forget it. This NPC could tell he was lying at a glance; he probably couldn’t deceive her.
He probably couldn’t win in a fight either, and he definitely couldn’t kill her. Even if he did, it might not drop.
He would also lose Favor with the Longyuan Empire and might even end up on their most-wanted list…
The reward and risk were completely disproportionate. He could only suppress his wild thoughts with a sigh.
Pale teal firelight traced trajectories through the air. Relying on the sword in her hand and her own strength, Li Xunxian soon slew the two Demonic Beasts that shared her cultivation level.
She sheathed her sword, and the teal firelight vanished along with the glowing particles of the disappearing monsters.
Li Xunxian walked upward without even looking back at Xiao Nanchu.
She did not believe Xiao Nanchu could pass this trial, and she did not want to help him. Giving him a royal Imperial Standard Longsword was already her way of apologizing.
Since he had made her unhappy, she was not obligated to protect him.
But before she had taken more than two steps, the sound of footsteps behind her rang out again.
Li Xunxian whipped her head around, looking at Xiao Nanchu as if he were a ghost.
“How did you keep up!”
How much time had passed since she cleared the trial? How could he have kept up so quickly?
Li Xunxian was in disbelief. She was wielding the Magical Artifact, the Qingluan Sword, and was at Qi Refining stage five, yet it had taken her nearly one minute to finish the fight.
And this guy at Qi Refining stage three?
With the crappy standard sword she had tossed him, he finished in a few seconds? He kept up in a matter of seconds?!
“Huh? Was I not supposed to follow?”
Xiao Nanchu looked at Li Xunxian in confusion. Why had this NPC triggered dialogue again?
He had not done anything.
“You!!!” Li Xunxian grew furious seeing him play dumb, but the fact that he actually seemed to be telling the truth was what made her even angrier!
“You!!! I—! Hmph!”