Chapter 58: Interlude

What a spirited little girl! Though her big eyes were not quite as bright as her sister's, they were full of vigor. With a small mouth, a round little face framed by a lovely hairstyle, and two small bells that chimed crisp and clear in the wind, her voice was equally sweet and delightful.

"Disciple Lin Jiuzi pays respects to Master." Mesmerized by Lin Jiuzi's cuteness, no one stopped her from performing the master-acknowledging ceremony. Only after the rituals were complete did the crowd snap back to their senses.

"Wait."

"Are you challenging me to prove myself?" Lin Jiuzi asked.

"That's right," replied a boy a few years older than her.

"I accept your challenge." Before offering her apprenticeship, Lin Jiuzi had watched the entire process of Lin Jiugu's ceremony and was determined to make an equally stunning debut!

"Anyone else? Come together." If her sister could do it, so could she!

"Me."

"Me too."

"Count me in."

"I'll join."

Six or seven children stepped forward one after another.

"To the martial arena."

The crowd chuckled. Before the adults could say anything, the children had already arranged a spar. They were also eager to witness Lin Jiuzi's strengths that had earned her a direct lineage discipleship under the Primordial Daoist of Enlightenment.

At the command of "Begin," everyone immediately noticed the difference. Lin Jiuzi executed her hand seals with extraordinary speed, moving at an ultimate velocity. The two kinds of swiftness complemented each other, and in an instant, a formation was erected.

"This array-setting speed is simply peerless." A grandmaster, who was also an array master, was thoroughly impressed by Lin Jiuzi's display.

"Is that footwork the 'Swift Pace'?" Someone with sharp eyes recognized it as a highly popular movement technique of the Daiyue Sect.

"This style is tailored for water-element spell practitioners," the Primordial Daoist of Enlightenment observed at a glance. As for her guidance, it had come entirely from Lin Jiugu—one-on-one intensive tutoring. Given Lin Jiuzi's young age, her acceleration had now turned her footsteps into mere afterimages.

Everyone turned to look at Lin Jiugu, who was watching from the sidelines. Though they knew she was a female cultivator, they still couldn't help stealing a few glances.

The children on the arena, momentarily stunned by Lin Jiuzi's show of skill, snapped back to reality and immediately shattered the formation, quickly setting up a defensive array. Unflustered, Lin Jiuzi casually pulled out a runic brush. Within moments, an inscription took form, colliding directly with the defensive array.

"Defensive inscriptions clashing against a defensive array—fascinating, truly fascinating."

However, Lin Jiuzi's actions were far from over. She directly tossed out a handful of explosive talismans, blasting the children inside until they nearly coughed up blood.

Sensing something in the air, Lin Jiuzi gauged the wind direction and crushed a pink medicinal pill.

The group of children grew dizzy and collapsed one by one, left with only a single thought: Lin Jiuzi played totally without honor!

"Fellow Daoist Enlightenment, could it be that Lin Jiuzi cultivates every single Daoist art?" Although they were all merely first-tier low-grade arts, she practiced practically all of them, executed them with pinpoint precision, and paired them with that terrifying footwork. Hiss, once Lin Jiuzi matured, her opponents were going to have a severe headache.

"She is somewhat unconventional in her methods." This remark was made just as Lin Jiuzi finished off the match by using a simple wind-summoning talisman to blow the remaining children off the stage.

"Such a profound flow of primordial energy in this young girl! Fellow Daoist Enlightenment, has Lin Jiuzi already achieved mastery over the *Classic of Qi Management*?"

"Indeed, Jiuzi has already stepped through the threshold of the *Classic of Qi Management*." The Primordial Daoist of Enlightenment was exceedingly pleased. Looking at his apprentice standing proudly on the stage like a little peacock, he felt immense pride. And he hadn't even mentioned that Lin Jiuzi still had all sorts of hidden weapons she hadn't yet deployed! Back then, Lin Jiugu had practically wanted to arm her younger sister to the teeth.

Therefore, the master's lineage either took no disciples at all, or whatever disciple they took in had to possess at least one dazzling, show-stopping talent.

"Sister, I did it!" Seeing her older sister, Lin Jiuzi ran up and hugged her happily. She certainly hadn't disgraced her sister.

"Brilliantly done." Lin Jiugu was very satisfied. That was how it should be done—crisp, decisive, and leaving no opening for the opponent!

"Lin Jiugu, do you dare to fight me!" A sharp, delicate voice suddenly broke the heartwarming atmosphere between the sisters, as a striking and radiant young woman stepped forward.

Lin Jiugu glanced at her. She didn't recognize her.

"What, is the Master of the Yellow Jade Sword too cowardly to fight?" the young woman continued.

"Pardon me, but who might you be?" Another reason Lin Jiugu disliked going out was her prosopagnosia—she was terrible with faces. It was terribly awkward when people greeted her and she had no idea who they were. Her master always claimed it was because her brain had been corrupted by her senior brother's peerless good looks for too long, until the heavens couldn't stand it anymore and cursed her with face-blindness!

"You've actually forgotten who I am?" Sun Qianqian, the Master of the Yellow Jade Sword and the radiant young woman, flew into a rage. She had trained bitterly all these years solely to seek revenge against Lin Jiugu and wash away her past humiliation, yet the person she considered her arch-rival was treating her with contempt!

"Should I know you?" Lin Jiugu was currently lacking a senior brother. If her senior brother had been by her side, he could have introduced the visitor. She looked at the breathtaking youth—no, the breathtaking young maiden—whose bewildered expression was entirely genuine.

Li Yun's expression stiffened slightly. Who could have anticipated that during the veteran bookworm's master-recruitment ceremony, someone would foolishly seek out his disciple for trouble—especially when he had only recently discovered that his disciple suffered from face-blindness? His disciple truly hadn't done it on purpose.

"Should you know me?!" Sun Qianqian's temper reached its boiling point, and the yellow jade hair ornament on her head instantly expanded in size.

She unleashed a sword strike directly toward Lin Jiugu. Moving with lightning speed, Lin Jiugu grabbed Lin Jiuzi and whisked her away from her original spot. After placing Lin Jiuzi safely back beside the Primordial Daoist of Enlightenment, Lin Jiugu materialized in front of Sun Qianqian in the blink of an eye.

"You just pointed a sword at my sister." Lin Jiugu's tone was heavy with dangerous intent.

"Who told you to forget me?" Sun Qianqian instinctively felt threatened, but she gritted her teeth and replied defiantly.

"Did I need to remember a defeated foe?"

With that, Lin Jiugu executed a swift step and directly disarmed Sun Qianqian, seizing the Yellow Jade Sword.

"Master of the Yellow Jade Sword, your sword is meant to be wielded with purpose and resolve, not brandished so recklessly! How can you call yourself a master of the Yellow Jade Sword like this?" Holding the weapon, Lin Jiugu narrowed her eyes; Sun Qianqian's flaws were exposed to her as clear as day.

Lin Jiugu moved once more, using the hilt of the Yellow Jade Sword to tap against every single weakness on Sun Qianqian's body.

Then, she cradled the Yellow Jade Sword in both hands, handed it over to Sun Qianqian's mother, and stepped back, leaving Sun Qianqian kneeling in place.

Normally, Lin Jiugu was exceptionally easygoing, but the moment anyone crossed Lin Jiuzi, she transformed into a descending god of slaughter!

Her previous display of skill had been too breathtaking. Everyone once again witnessed the absolute pinnacle of the "Swift Pace," and Lin Jiugu wielded it with even greater fluidity than Lin Jiuzi.

Had weapons been truly utilized in earnest, it was hard to say whether Sun Qianqian would have even survived.

"A sword is swung for the sake of protection, not for reckless display. The Yellow Jade Sword—you are unworthy of it." Lin Jiugu stated coldly before retreating behind Li Yun.

Sun Qianqian's mother motioned for her disciples to help Sun Qianqian back to her side, choosing not to return the Yellow Jade Sword to her daughter just yet, as Sun Qianqian was still in a state of shock.

"Jiugu, the Yellow Jade Sword is not yours to arbitrate. Apologize." Li Yun intervened at the appropriate moment.

"Understood, Master. Venerable one, Jiugu has overstepped." Lin Jiugu offered a perfunctory apology.

Those who had refrained from challenging them earlier felt a shiver down their spines, realizing just how terrifying Lin Jiugu's true combat strength was.

"No, Jiugu spoke correctly." Sun Qianqian's mother shook her head. She, too, needed to seriously reconsider whether Qianqian was truly fit to hold the position of the Yellow Jade Sword Master.

Because of this unexpected interlude, anyone else harboring similar competitive thoughts instantly dismissed them.

Coming back to her senses, Lin Jiuzi thought to herself that her sister's footwork was truly dazzling—she still had a long way to go in her training!

On this very day, the two sisters, Lin Jiugu and Lin Jiuzi, firmly cemented themselves as the talk of the town among all the other sects.