Upon hearing Ziyuan’s words, Li Yundong glanced at the **Sword in his hand. In the dim light of the night, the longsword emitted a faint white glow, its blade slick and bright, radiating a chilling aura, sharp enough to slice hair—he couldn't bear to part with it.

Li Yundong pondered for a moment, then said, "I still don't even know the name of your Second Martial Aunt."

Ziyuan replied, "My Second Martial Aunt’s surname is Yan, given name Fang, and her Taoist title is Venerable Zhai Xia. This **Sword was once her inseparable personal weapon. The fact that the **Sword just now recognized a new master is almost certainly because it sensed the aura of my Second Martial Aunt, Yan Fang."

Ruan Hongling couldn't help but interject anxiously, "If Second Martial Aunt is nearby, why is she avoiding us? Doesn't she know how badly our Linggong Sect is being suppressed right now? If she had returned, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

Ziyuan gave her a cool look: "Hongling, relying on oneself is better than relying on others, even Second Martial Aunt is no exception!" As she spoke, her gaze grew complicated as she looked at the **Sword in Li Yundong’s hand, sighing softly, "The moment I first saw this **Sword fall into your hands by sheer chance, I felt as if fate was pulling the strings. For the owner of this sword to have their magic broken by you is truly an anomaly!"

Li Yundong let out a low chuckle, sheathed the **Sword with a Zheng sound, and offered the treasured weapon back. "I was forced into that situation. This sword wanted to kill me; subduing it was the only way I could manage."

Ziyuan didn't take it, merely shaking her head. "Buddhists speak of karma and destiny, and so do we Taoists. What is yours, even if I take it now, will eventually return to your hands. What is not yours, even if you sacrifice your life to seize it, will absolutely never fall into your grasp."

Li Yundong recalled Wu Hao and Lü Fengping from earlier, and inwardly he agreed, but he still extended the sword toward Ruan Hongling. He smiled, "If this sword belonged to you, then I wouldn't dare refuse it. But since it belongs to Yan Hua's family, taking it like this would be misappropriating someone else's property—that wouldn't be right. Ruan Hongling, would you mind returning it to Yan Hua for me?"

Ruan Hongling accepted the **Sword with solemn hands, then asked in confusion, "This **Sword ranks among the powerful artifacts of our Zhengyi Sect. You don't want it?"

Li Yundong chuckled, "Since Ziyuan says this sword was fated to be mine, even if I return it now, it will just come back to me later."

Ziyuan smiled faintly: "Now that this magical artifact has no master, as long as you input your True Essence into it again, it will recognize you. Then, with a single call, it will immediately fly back to your side."

Li Yundong spread his hands: "See? So, if I return the treasured sword now, and then the **Sword disappears on its own, that won't be my responsibility anymore!"

Ruan Hongling couldn't help but laugh and curse, "Sly devil!"

Ziyuan also laughed, "I didn't realize you were so cunning!"

Li Yundong feigned grievance, "No way! I'm being so magnanimous by returning the sword, and you guys still tease me! Fine then, give me the sword back—I’m not returning it!"

Saying that, he held out his hand toward Ruan Hongling. Ruan Hongling laughed, "No chance! I'll have Yan Hua lock this sword in a safe, and you can cry yourself to sleep!"

Li Yundong, unusually foregoing the banter, simply chuckled and said no more. He looked toward Ziyuan and asked, "The **Sword wanted to kill me just now. I wonder if it was directed by your Second Martial Aunt, or if it acted on its own?"

Ziyuan pondered for a moment, then stated, "Unless you show strong hostility toward my Second Martial Aunt, it wouldn't attack you directly."

Li Yundong remembered how the Seven Treasures Spiritual Fan automatically defended itself when a new student provoked him earlier, and he nodded. "You're right. But I have no enmity with either Mo Ashi or your Second Martial Aunt. Why would they target me?"

Ziyuan shook her head, "This matter is very strange. Why would your Second Martial Aunt's **Sword and Mo Ashi's Luo Mu Li Hun Chai attack you at the same time? If this were coincidence, then why did Mo Ashi want to kill you? Why did my Second Martial Aunt also want to kill you? If it’s not a coincidence, then…"

Ruan Hongling, with her explosive temper, immediately jumped up: "Isn't it simple to find out the answer? We can just go to the Fox Zen Sect and we'll know!"

Ziyuan glared at her, "The situation is unclear now. You have no proof, and no reason. Why go there? If the other party is hostile, wouldn't you be walking right into a trap and committing suicide?"

Li Yundong asked in surprise, "No way, right? My relationship with Su Chan is so good; even if it’s not for my sake, it should be for hers. They shouldn't make things difficult for me, right?"

Ziyuan countered, "How do you explain Mo Ashi trying to kill you with the Luo Mu Li Hun Chai? That artifact is extremely perilous; it can use moonlight and shadows to conceal its movement, making it almost invisible to the naked eye. If I hadn't been here tonight, you’d probably be dead!"

Li Yundong forced a bitter smile, "Don't try to scare me!"

Ziyuan patiently explained, "I'm not trying to scare you. The Fox Zen Sect has always been riddled with internal strife. Even their top expert, Ao Wushuang, was an expelled disciple. As for Su Chan being Ao Wushuang's student, whether the Fox Zen Sect accepts her is another matter. Therefore, expecting the Fox Zen Sect to treat you favorably because of Su Chan is practically impossible."

Li Yundong suddenly realized something and gasped, "Could that little girl be implicated too? Will the people from the Fox Zen Sect target her?"

Ziyuan comforted him, "Ao Wushuang left the Fox Zen Sect ten years ago; she probably has little connection with them now. I doubt the Fox Zen Sect would bother Su Chan."

Li Yundong felt slightly relieved, but thinking of Su Chan made him desperately wish he could pass his Heavenly Tribulation immediately so he could go find his beloved little girl.

Ziyuan seemed to read his mind and said, "Don't rush. The top priority now is for you to quickly raise your divine abilities and magical power. The Heavenly Tribulation is imminent; don't dwell on anything else. I will handle this matter."

With that, Ziyuan turned to Ruan Hongling, "Hongling, go back to the mountain for a moment. Take my Golden Token and formally visit the Fox Zen Sect to gauge their reaction. Oh, and bring those two souls back with you; I'll deal with them when I return to the mountain."

Ruan Hongling responded with an 'Ai' and instantly transformed into a streak of green light, vanishing. Not long after, she flew back and handed the **Sword to Ziyuan. "Sister Ziyuan, please return this to Yan Hua for me."

Saying that, she turned and transformed into a streak of green light again, departing.

Li Yundong watched from the side, curiously asking, "Why can both of you fly away as a streak of green light? And so fast too?"

Ziyuan smiled, "When you cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm and form your Yin Spirit or Yang Spirit, you'll be able to do it."

Li Yundong had been diligently studying lately, but his time had been short, so he naturally had questions he didn't know the answers to. He took the opportunity to ask, "What is the Yin Spirit? What exactly is the Yang Spirit, and how does one cultivate them?"

Although Ziyuan was close to Li Yundong in age, she began cultivating from childhood, giving her over a decade more experience. Thus, she understood much more. She smiled and explained, "In the 11th year of Chunyou during the Southern Song Dynasty, the disciples of Bai Yuchan—Xie Xiandao, Lin Boqian, Ye Guxi, Peng Helin, and others—co-authored the Sayings of the White True Man of Haiqiong. Volume one of this book records: 'Shedding the mortal body and exchanging bones, one forms a body outside the flesh. When gathered, it takes form; when scattered, it becomes energy—this is the Yang Spirit. A single pure thought, the consciousness unscattered, like a dream or a shadow, akin to a ghost—this is the Yin Spirit.'"

Li Yundong suddenly understood, "I see. The Yin Spirit sounds more like a soul that can leave the body, while the Yang Spirit is like an extra clone?"

Ziyuan nodded, "That's one way to understand it."

Li Yundong asked again, "Then why does achieving the Yin Spirit or Yang Spirit allow one to fly away as a streak of green light?"

Ziyuan explained, "What you saw just now wasn't actually a streak of green light, but the Yin Spirit covering the physical body and aiding its flight. As for the mysterious methods behind it, you will understand once you cultivate your Yin Spirit."

Li Yundong thought for a moment and said, "So, how do I cultivate it?"

Ziyuan laughed, "You are truly insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. You've just stepped onto the path of divine abilities and you’re already thinking of forming a soul! Wait until you survive the Heavenly Tribulation first."

Li Yundong also chuckled, then suddenly remembered something and forced a bitter smile, "Damn it! I was so focused on saving my life that I started fighting right on stage and even clashed with the Luo Mu Li Hun Chai. This is going to be a huge mess; I’m afraid people will treat us like aliens from now on!"

Ziyuan couldn't help but feel a massive headache coming on. She rubbed her temples and said with a wry smile, "That is indeed an issue, but I won't let things escalate, don't worry. As for everyone else, let them talk…"

She suddenly let out a cold chuckle, her smile laced with sarcasm: "In this world today, everyone either blindly follows or believes nothing but themselves. They won't believe things they can't comprehend. Weren't you shocked and incredulous when you first heard about cultivation techniques?"

Li Yundong managed a sheepish smile, "I was very silly and naive back then!"

Ziyuan glanced at Li Yundong and couldn't resist mocking him, "I think you were very lewd and violent, weren't you?"

Li Yundong's eyes instantly widened, looking at Ziyuan with shock and admiration. He cupped his hands and said, "So Venerable Ziyuan also knows Brother Guanxi! My apologies for the disrespect! Brother Guanxi has such a great reputation that even the Eldest Martial Sister of the Linggong Sect, Venerable Ziyuan of the Zhengyi Sect, knows his name. It seems Brother Guanxi can rest in peace with a smile!"

Ziyuan, having had her Taoist resolve shaken several times tonight, couldn't help but glare at Li Yundong with embarrassment and anger. She hissed, "Such shameful incidents were so widely publicized, it’s hard not to know!"

Li Yundong had absolutely not expected this seemingly ethereal fairy to know about such tabloid gossip. He asked, half curious and half excited, "Hey, what else do you know? Do you know Student Cangjing? How about Ozawa? Sakurai? Yoshizawa?"

Although Ziyuan didn't know who the people Li Yundong mentioned were, she could sense from his eyes and smile that they were certainly not respectable figures. She couldn't help but blush deeply, glaring at Li Yundong angrily. She refrained from saying more, lest she make another blunder, and quickly walked away.

Li Yundong chased after her, laughing loudly, "Hey, hey, don't go! It would be good to exchange experiences! If not experiences, then maybe 'planting seeds' would be good too!"

Li Yundong was still dressed as the Sword Saint, while Ziyuan was still dressed as Zhao Ling'er. As the two hurried across campus—one walking quickly, the other in pursuit—their appearance was utterly absurd and comical, drawing stares from the students.

At this time, the welcoming party had just concluded, and students were pouring out of the auditorium. Suddenly, the students' eyes widened, and they shouted, "Holy crap, the Sword Saint is harassing Zhao Ling'er?"

"What, didn't Zhao Ling'er elope with the Sword Saint willingly?"

"Heh, just a little lover's spat, right?"

Ziyuan was furious inside. For the Eldest Martial Sister of the Linggong Sect of the Zhengyi Sect to be teased like this was simply intolerable!

Ziyuan wished she could stomp her foot and vanish in a streak of green light, but there were people everywhere. If she flew away now, the scene would become infinitely more embarrassing!

The sound of laughter and jeering drilled into Ziyuan's ears. Finally, she couldn't bear it. She spun around abruptly, her expression conveying a desperate urge to strangle Li Yundong, that rude, disrespectful scoundrel.

Seeing her face flushed with anger and her eyes spitting fire, Li Yundong stopped in his tracks, daring not to tease her further. He gave a weak smile, "Don't be angry, it was just a joke!"

Just as Ziyuan was about to speak, a cold sneer and mocking voice drifted over from not far away: "Ha, you actually came! What a rare visitor!"

Li Yundong heard the remark too. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw a group of people gathered near the auditorium entrance. Ding Nan was looking down at Zhou Qin with a cold smile, clearly superior: "Well, isn't this Miss Zhou Qin of our Tiannan University?"

When Ding Nan and Zhou Qin’s eyes met, sparks immediately flew between the two girls, and an invisible battle line was drawn!

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