Xiao Yunluo and Pei Lengxue didn’t get injured during their confrontation with Zhuang Hu and the others, so they had to continue their assessment. Currently, they were still in the back mountains of the Profound Star Sect, diligently battling with nature.

However, Feng Yudie was in no condition to continue.

The sword strike from “Fifth Brother” had pierced through her shoulder.

This kind of injury wasn’t minor, and later, Pei Lengxue seemed to take a personal revenge by sprinkling salt on the wound for disinfection.

Although the salt did indeed disinfect the wound, preventing the risk of infection, the result was that her left shoulder had swollen larger than her chest.

So that evening, Lei Wanjun directly gave her a score of “ninety points” for the assessment and had an inner disciple carry her back to the Tri-Rivers Courtyard on Sky Cloud Peak to recover.

After the two senior sisters of the Profound Star Sect helped re-bandage and apply medicine, the swelling on her shoulder had reduced quite a bit. Now her shoulder was about the same size as her chest, resembling three lychees, and even leaning to one side.

The two senior sisters advised her to rest well, but Feng Yudie didn’t have the intention to follow their advice. Instead, she lay on the bed, nursing her injuries.

After they left, Feng Yudie rested for a while before getting up from the bed and walking to the small bamboo forest outside the Tri-Rivers Courtyard. She used bamboo as a sword and earnestly practiced her sword techniques, completely ignoring the wound on her shoulder.

Xiaotian initially tried to persuade her to lie back on the bed, but she ignored it. Eventually, it stopped trying.

Anyway, with the safeguard of her Immortal Emperor’s bloodline, she could even regenerate lost limbs. A minor injury like this wasn’t too concerning.

Within the bamboo forest, the wind carried the rhythm of swordplay.

Even the earth seemed to gain consciousness as it accompanied Feng Yudie’s sword dance, swirling around her.

The silver circle formed behind her expanded outward, and bamboo seedlings within a radius of twenty feet were instantly cut in half.

Sweat dripped onto the gauze on her injured shoulder, causing a stinging pain. However, she persisted, biting her lip tightly, until she completed the entire set of sword techniques.

Xiaotian watched her practicing so seriously and felt a bit puzzled.

『Yudie, did you get possessed?』

Feng Yudie looked at it strangely, asking in return, “What’s wrong?”

『What’s wrong? Whenever you used to practice swordplay, I’d give you a little push to get you going. But why are you practicing so seriously today…』

“That’s because…” Feng Yudie pursed her lips and said somewhat uncomfortably, “The group from last night… I almost couldn’t protect Junior Sister Pei.”

“I reviewed yesterday’s events. If it weren’t for Junior Sister Pei being there, with just me, I might not have been able to defeat those people. The initial four, if I hadn’t deliberately let that person’s attack hit me, exposing a flaw, Junior Sister Pei and I might have been worn down and killed by those four.”

“And then there’s the formation later on. I had initially planned to search in the order of southwest, northwest, northeast, and southeast. If Junior Sister Pei hadn’t realized that the formation’s core was in ‘Kaiyang,’ we wouldn’t have been able to break the formation at all.”

Listening to this, Xiaotian nodded in understanding. It turned out she was feeling shaken?

A tender smile appeared on it’s face, and it patted her head, consoling, 『Ah, you’re also having an unconfident day? I rarely see you getting affected by things from childhood until now.』

Feng Yudie suddenly blushed, waving her hand to chase Xiaotian away.

“Go away.”

Seeing Feng Yudie acting like this, Xiaotian couldn’t help but feel like laughing.

But honestly, it didn’t quite understand why that Pei girl could pinpoint the location of the core in the “Seven Star Entrapment Array.”

The position of the core in the “Seven Star Entrapment Array” could be set wherever the array caster wanted it to be. Even cultivators with extensive experience wouldn’t be able to directly identify the location of the core just by sight.

However, Junior Sister Pei had insisted that it was in “Kaiyang,” and she had repeatedly mentioned something about “one short, one long; two short, one long.”

Did someone give her a hidden hint?

How was it communicated? Who communicated it?

Xiaotian contemplated for a while and inexplicably thought of Ye Anping. However, it suggested, 『Ask her when Junior Sister Pei returns.』

Feng Yudie heaved a sigh of relief and then once again lifted the longsword in her hand, wanting to continue practicing.

Seeing that the wound on her shoulder had started bleeding again, Xiaotian quickly reminded her, 『Alright, stop practicing. Sword cultivation is not something to rush. Go back to your room and rest. Doesn’t it hurt?』

“It doesn’t hurt!”

『You, a Qi Refining cultivator, killed an early stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and a middle stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and even repelled a late stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Yet you still feel it’s not enough. Most cultivators would consider themselves lucky to survive.』

“I’m not an ordinary cultivator with mediocre talent,” Feng Yudie complained, rolling her eyes. “Both you and Master said that I have a special destiny.”

『Even those with special destinies are still human beings,” Xiaotian said helplessly, reaching out to pat her head. “Yudie, try to keep a calm mindset. You don’t need to be the best at everything. In the past…』

Xiaotian stopped there, and it seemed like Feng Yudie found it annoying as she interrupted, “Stop, stop, stop. I’m not feeling down. I just really need to vent right now.”

『Vent about what?』

“Letting those two people escape.”

Xiaotian sighed and thought back to the Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator from earlier. He said, 『Yudie, do you want to hear the truth?』

“Go on.”

『That late stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, aside from being a whole realm higher than you and Pei, he was also a master of formation techniques. Neither of you had flying swords at the time, and if he had fought seriously, you wouldn’t have been able to handle him』

“… …”

『He probably chose not to engage with you because he was concerned about the safety of that Qi Refining cultivator who was with him. You should be grateful to that Qi Refining cultivator. If it weren’t for him being there, you both would have been seriously injured』

“I’m even more annoyed now, feeling like I’m being controlled by others…” Feng Yudie pouted and complained, then swung her sword forcefully. “The next time we meet, they won’t be able to escape from me!”

Watching Feng Yudie start practicing seriously again, Xiaotian felt a mix of worry and relief. It didn’t say anything more and drifted into the sky to take a nap.

After a while, a flying sword suddenly flew in from outside the peak.

Bai Yuelin had come specifically to pass on a message from Ye Anping.

She jumped down from the flying sword and frowned as she shouted, “Feng Yudie!”

“Ah?!” Feng Yudie turned her head and saw a senior sister. She thought the senior sister had come to scold her for not resting properly and practicing with her injury. Hurriedly, she placed her hands behind her back and held her sword, saying, “I’ll go back to rest now, I’ll go back…”

“What?”

“Hmm? Senior sister, aren’t you here to scold me for not resting properly?”

Seeing Feng Yudie’s expression, Bai Yuelin pouted slightly and raised an eyebrow in response, “You don’t remember me?”

“Huh?” Feng Yudie was stunned for a moment, carefully examining Bai Yuelin’s face. Then she shook her head slightly, “Senior sister, have we met before?”

“…”

Seeing that she genuinely didn’t recognize her, Bai Yuelin’s feelings became a jumbled mess—frustration, helplessness, and sadness…

She took a deep breath and said, “I’m here to deliver a message from my… brother to you.”

“Your… brother?”

“Yes, he wants to invite you to have a meal and meet him.”

“?” Feng Yudie’s head was filled with question marks. “Senior sister, who is your brother?”

“You don’t know him.” Bai Yuelin didn’t give her a friendly look and straightforwardly asked, “Will you go or not?”

Feng Yudie was left dumbfounded for a moment. What was going on?

Why would a senior sister’s brother suddenly want to invite her to have a meal?

Xiaotian was also utterly confused, but after pondering for a while, it suggested, 『Yudie, just agree. You’ll get a free meal out of it, and you do love getting freebies, right?』

Feng Yudie gave it a side glance. If it were a girl inviting her, she would definitely go. But since it’s a younger brother, then the other party should be male, right?… she politely declined, “Thank you, senior sister, for your brother’s kind offer, but I’ll respectfully decline…”

“Then I’ll tell him you’re not going.”

Before Feng Yudie could finish, Bai Yuelin had stepped onto the flying sword and left.

After watching her leave, Feng Yudie felt a bit perplexed. She didn’t want to think too much and continued to practice her swordplay with determination.

However, after about two quarters of an hour, Bai Yuelin returned on her flying sword.

“Feng Yudie! My brother says he’d like to treat you to roasted chicken.”

“!” An exclamation mark suddenly appeared above Feng Yudie’s head. “How does your brother know I like roasted chicken?!”

“And… he wanted me to tell you that he’s the young master of the Hundred Lotus Sect.”

“!!” The exclamation mark above Feng Yudie’s head increased to two, but the next moment, it turned into two question marks. “??”

Hearing that it was Ye Anping, Xiaotian’s eyes lit up. It quite liked Ye Anping and had always thought that maybe Ye Anping could correct Feng Yudie’s habit of liking women.

『Yudie, quickly agree. You love roasted chicken the most, right?』

“I won’t go.”

Bai Yuelin nodded her head and was about to step onto the flying sword to leave.

Feng Yudie hurriedly raised her hand and said, “Wait! I want to go!!”

Bai Yuelin, who was listening with dissatisfaction, puffed her cheeks. She thought she hadn’t moved fast enough. She glanced at Feng Yudie, sighed helplessly, and said, “Follow along then. Can you fly?”

“Ah, sure.”