On the immortal vessel, Fairy Sanqing was consumed by a towering rage.
A vast surge of spiritual energy radiated outward from her, shaking the entire vessel.
Lin Shu grabbed his junior sister, who was nearly blown away by the shockwave, and patted Fairy Sanqing on the shoulder. Only then did she snap out of it.
“Fairy, is there something wrong with the annotations on this technique?” Lin Shu asked curiously.
Lu Zhiyun, having just regained her footing, was equally astonished by the Fairy’s reaction.
Could it be that the Sanqing Primordial Qi Art wasn’t actually meant to be what Lin Shu had annotated?
If that were the case, then the Sanqing Primordial Qi Art that she and the other disciples had been practicing previously…
Linking this to Lin Shu’s other identity—an evil cultivator!
Lu Zhiyun suddenly had a bold realization. This technique truly was an evil cultivator’s method of practice!
That would explain why she had been able to progress so rapidly!
At this thought, Lu Zhiyun’s respect for Fairy Sanqing deepened. This was a true powerhouse! She could point out the flaws in an evil cultivator’s work without hesitation!
If her prediction was correct, a top-tier battle of wits was about to occur.
“Of course there’s a huge problem!” Fairy Sanqing’s shoulders trembled with anger. “The Sanqing Primordial Qi Art doesn’t mean this at all!”
“Then what is it supposed to be?”
Lin Shu pondered for a moment, recalling the history of the Heavenly Firmament Sect.
The Sanqing Primordial Qi Art was written by Daoist Sanqing. It was said that back when the Heavenly Firmament Sect was at its weakest, Daoist Sanqing—who only possessed triple-attribute spiritual roots—composed this technique. He subsequently ascended to the Tribulation Transcendence stage and protected the sect for nearly a thousand years. After leaving the technique behind, he went off to travel the world.
Of course, that travel occurred a long time ago. In the biography of Daoist Sanqing that Lin Shu had read, it was recorded that he had already fallen.
This technique had indeed helped the Heavenly Firmament Sect maintain its glory for thousands of years, but its contents were obscure and difficult to understand. It wasn’t until Lin Shu re-annotated it that the disciples began to advance their cultivation as if they were using a cheat code.
Now that the original author, Fairy Sanqing, was pointing it out in person, Lin Shu didn’t have much room to argue.
More than that, he was worried if practicing it this way would lead to actual problems.
After all, his junior sister was currently practicing this very technique.
Fairy Sanqing looked Lin Shu straight in the eye and said, “The Sanqing Primordial Qi Art is an Escape Art!”
Lu Zhiyun: “Huh?”
Lin Shu: “Huh?”
Seeing the confused expressions of the juniors, Fairy Sanqing got even more fired up!
“It really is an Escape Art! And a profound, mysterious one at that!”
“Back in the Primordial Era, immortals were as common as hemp. Whenever an opportunity arose, there was nothing but killing. Eventually, they even formed factions, and their battles could destroy the heavens and the earth!”
This part of history was unheard of for Lin Shu and Lu Zhiyun. Their known history of cultivation only went back to the Three Ancient Immortals, which was already a time of peace.
“So, did you rely on this Escape Art to survive, Fairy?” Lin Shu asked.
Fairy Sanqing snapped her fingers and giggled. “Exactly! In the end, what’s the use of all that fighting? The one who lives the longest is the one who gets the last laugh!”
Lin Shu nodded, quite agreeing with this sentiment.
On the path of cultivation, if one’s strength isn’t sufficient and they try to pick a fight with the big bosses, it’s basically no different from delivering equipment and experience points to them.
But Lu Zhiyun was still young and clearly didn’t share this mindset.
Hearing that the original Sanqing Primordial Qi Art was actually an Escape Art meant only for running and hiding, she became somewhat hesitant…
You can’t catch an evil cultivator just by hiding!
Fairy Sanqing was sharp-eyed. Noticing Lu Zhiyun’s slight look of disdain, she immediately became displeased.
“Little Lu! This technique is truly miraculous! Come! Pick a passage! I’ll demonstrate it for you.”
Lin Shu crossed his arms over his chest. He was also curious about the true form of the Sanqing Primordial Qi Art.
With such a powerful name, it shouldn’t be completely useless.
“Then… I’ll pick this one!”
Lu Zhiyun flipped through the Sanqing Primordial Qi Art and found the lines she had previously asked Lin Shu to explain on the spot.
“This one! ‘Cinnamon shadows layer ninefold, toad light coats the jade axis, lying back to observe the celestial pivot’!”
According to Lin Shu’s annotations, there were only three simple words for this: “Sunbathe in moonlight.” If one wanted to sound more profound, it was “Absorbing the essence of the moon.”
Fairy Sanqing smiled. She held her head with both hands, crouched down, looked up at the sky, and then… remained perfectly still.
Uh, this casting movement was uniquely ungraceful.
After a few moments, nothing happened. Lin Shu couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed for her.
“This…” Lin Shu took a step forward. “Fairy, stop acting. There’s nothing happening here, is there?”
Fairy Sanqing ignored him. Just as Lin Shu’s hand was about to touch her, Lu Zhiyun spoke up from the side.
“Senior Brother, what are you saying? What Fairy?”
Lin Shu looked at his bewildered junior sister in shock and instantly understood what was happening.
A divine ability that severs cause and effect?
Interesting!
Seeing Lin Shu lost in thought, Lu Zhiyun became even more suspicious.
Why did he suddenly mention a “Fairy”? What did that mean? Was it related to a new test?
It wasn’t until Fairy Sanqing moved again that Lu Zhiyun felt as if a “disconnected line” had been reattached, and she suddenly woke up.
“This… this is…”
“Hmph! How about that! Little Lu! Is my Escape Art impressive or what?” Fairy Sanqing poked Lu Zhiyun triumphantly.
“Senior Brother… what was that?” Lu Zhiyun asked.
“A cause-and-effect type divine ability. To put it simply, the ‘thread’ between you and the Fairy was just cut by her. So at that moment, there was no connection between you and her,” Lin Shu explained.
Connections exist between people like interwoven threads. As long as one side’s thread is cut, it means the two people have no relation, which naturally achieves the effect of a temporary lapse in memory.
And the Fairy had not only severed cause and effect but had even used a subtle secret method of invisibility.
“Impressive! You saw through it in one glance!” Fairy Sanqing patted Lin Shu unceremoniously.
“I learned this technique by observing the ancient Great Toad Clan!”
“The Great Toad Clan?” Lin Shu was confused by the term.
Did such a race exist in the Primordial Era?
“Yeah! The ones that stare blankly at the moon in the middle of the night and don’t make a single sound!” Fairy Sanqing recalled.
“That’s the Jade Toad Clan!” Lin Shu corrected her.
That kind of spirit beast was skilled in concealment. Moreover, their two vocal sacs could store the spiritual energy of the moon. Their meat was delicious, and making a dry pot out of them resulted in something tender and tasty…
But unfortunately, they were now an endangered species. The reason was that some unscrupulous merchants spread rumors that “the Jade Toad Clan has the effect of strengthening the kidneys and boosting virility”…
“Oh, whatever they’re called, we all just called them Big Toads!” Fairy Sanqing waved her hand and then turned to Lu Zhiyun. “Little Lu, what do you think? Want to learn?”
Lu Zhiyun frowned, feeling very hesitant.
If she learned it, the posture was not very elegant.
If she didn’t, the divine ability was actually very helpful.
For example, she could secretly sneak into Lin Shu’s room in advance to investigate his every move, and even…
She could even clearly investigate the matter mentioned by the Grand Preceptor: “The massacre of a large number of living beings without leaving a single trace!”
Lu Zhiyun smiled inwardly and nodded. “I’ll learn it!”
“That’s the spirit!” Fairy Sanqing patted Lu Zhiyun’s shoulder with satisfaction, wearing an expression like a teacher seeing a stray student return to the right path.
“My technique was originally very strong, at least its life-saving methods are incredible! It’s not at all as simple and superficial as that bastard’s annotations!”
Fairy Sanqing tilted her head back and poked Lin Shu mockingly. “Right?”
Lin Shu smiled without saying a word.
“Uh, Fairy…” Lu Zhiyun weakly raised her hand.
“Oh, Little Lu! Just put your heart at ease! I guarantee you can become an immortal without fighting a single battle! It’s much more reliable than those annotations!”
“Fairy…”
“But speaking of which, that bastard who distorted my technique better not let me catch him! Otherwise, I’ll definitely show him what it means to insult an immortal!” Fairy Sanqing clenched her small fist in anger.
“Fairy!” Lu Zhiyun pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “The annotations were written by my Senior Brother!”
“…”
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Fairy Sanqing looked at Lin Shu, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Her previously majestic gaze instantly turned into a pitiful, pleading look that conveyed only one message: “Don’t beat me! I surrender!”
Lin Shu just laughed. Knowing his technique was fine and only the approach was different, he felt relieved.
As long as it didn’t hinder his junior sister!
“Junior Sister, why don’t you just practice one technique in two ways?” Lin Shu suggested. “Since the Fairy’s version is good at hiding and my annotations are good at attacking, try practicing them together!”
“I’m just… worried the burden might be too heavy for you!”
“No, no!” Fairy Sanqing hurried to state her position. “My technique is very easy to learn! Rest assured! I will definitely teach Little Lu without any burden!”
“I guarantee the ‘System’s’ mission will be completed!”
Lu Zhiyun was puzzled. Why did the Fairy suddenly start using honorifics? And what did “System” mean?
Lin Shu walked toward Fairy Sanqing, patted her on the shoulder, and thanked her. “In that case, I’ll have to trouble the Fairy to take good care of her!”
“O-Okay!” Fairy Sanqing’s voice was trembling.
After Lin Shu left, Fairy Sanqing’s legs gave way, and she had to lean against Lu Zhiyun’s slender thigh.
“Fai… Fairy!” Lu Zhiyun was shocked.
“I-I’m fine… It’s just that I haven’t used my divine abilities in too long… and suddenly felt weak…”
Lu Zhiyun smiled. “That’s good then!”
The immortal vessel sailed through the sea of clouds, and the eighteen main peaks gradually appeared.
Fairy Sanqing’s legs were weak, and the Heavenly Firmament Sect had finally been reached!