After Infusing Love Poison to the Cold Sword Sovereign - Chapter 23.3

The blade was stained with fresh blood in several places, yet the girl herself was unharmed, save for a few torn edges on her robes. She was leaning against the sword to rest and, upon noticing Luo Qingyi passing by, politely greeted her: “Greetings, Elder Luo.”

“Mm. Xiao Ruan.”

Wu Nuo was stunned. How could someone so small wield such an enormous greatsword? Her gaze lingered on the blood dripping from the blade, and she found herself staring in fascination.

As if sensing Wu Nuo’s gaze, Ruan Jingzhi also cupped her fist toward her. “Junior Brother Chen from Changfeng Peak tried to cheat during the Sword Discourse Tournament. I caught him and gave him a lesson.”

Luo Qingyi nodded approvingly. “Good. That man has ill intentions, he deserved punishment.”

The petite girl replied, “Thank you, Elder.”

The conversation ended there. Neither Ruan Jingzhi nor Luo Qingyi were talkative, nor were they particularly close. After a brief exchange, the immortal deer carried its two riders away, leaving Ruan Jingzhi alone in the woods once more.

She rested for a while longer before pulling out a ragged cloth to wipe her greatsword. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she paused.

“Was that Elder Luo’s Dao Companion just now?” she muttered to herself. “She looked a lot like the one from before, but I heard she died long ago. Back then, even the Sect Master was summoned to witness her bones being extracted and her soul devoured. The whole sect knew about it.”

Contrary to her dull and unassuming appearance, a spark of gossip flickered in the girl’s eyes. “Could it be, the one I just saw was a replacement?”

After parting ways with Ruan Jingzhi, the two immortal deer continued side by side. Only when Wu Nuo could no longer spot any other figures did she call out to Luo Qingyi and ask, “What’s the Sword Discourse Tournament? And Ah Xiang mentioned she was going to compete is it the same thing?”

“The cultivators of Zhiyuan Immortal Sect primarily focus on sword cultivation. The best way for sword cultivators to improve and gain insights into sword intent is to participate in the Sword Discourse Tournament. The current competition is held just before the first round of promotions.”

Noticing a hint of longing in the other’s expression, Luo Qingyi quickly added, “You don’t need to participate.”

But Wu Nuo seemed unwilling to let it go.

“If Ah Xiang can compete, why can’t I?”

Luo Qingyi slowly lowered her gaze and turned her face away. She had thought that summoning the immortal deer might have earned her some trust from Wu Nuo perhaps, with persistent effort, the other might even be willing to rekindle their past relationship.

But Wu Nuo’s perceptiveness was beyond ordinary. How could she possibly explain it to her?

After a long silence, she finally said, “She was tested and found to possess a Heavenly Spirit Root here. She has a natural talent for sword cultivation, so she took it up as a secondary path.”

She regretted it.

Earlier, at the doorway, she shouldn’t have asked Jiang Qingbei to play along just to placate Wu Nuo’s emotions. One lie required countless more to patch the gaps.

But the flaws in deception would inevitably be exposed one day. When that happened, how would Wu Nuo treat her?

“Then what competition can I participate in?” Wu Nuo pressed. “You’re not going to tell me I don’t get to compete in anything, are you? Wouldn’t that make me completely useless in the sect?”

“No, you’re not useless!” Luo Qingyi said urgently. “You’ve always been important. It’s just that your injuries were too severe this time your vitality was greatly depleted, and you need a long period of rest to recover.”

Wu Nuo gave a sullen hum before asking, “Ah Xiang was tested for a Heavenly Spirit Root. What about me?”

She knew that the cultivation methods of the renowned orthodox sects differed from those of the Miao people. Spiritual roots were the foundation of a cultivator, categorized into four grades: celestial, earthly, human, and wisp. Cultivation could awaken these roots, and on the day of foundation establishment, they would grow into innate Dao bones, marking the true entry into the vast world of righteous cultivation.

Though she greatly admired her own people’s methods, she sometimes wondered, what if she were a righteous cultivator? What kind of talent would she possess?

But Luo Qingyi fell silent for a moment, her gaze distant as if lost in memories of the past.

She spoke slowly, “You had no detectable spiritual roots. Yet later, you independently grasped the method of drawing qi into your body and even achieved the Golden Core realm. But your injuries were too severe. By the time we found you, your cultivation had shattered, your Dao bones stripped away, leaving you unable to cultivate.”

In the past, Wu Ruo had accompanied her to the Zhiyuan Immortal Sect as her Dao companion, and indeed, no spiritual roots had been detected not even the lowest wisp-grade. The testing platform remained utterly dark, and the onlookers among the sect’s disciples stifled laughter behind their sleeves. Yet Wu Ruo stood tall, turning away with effortless grace. “So what?” she had said.

Later, in the quiet of the night, the young woman nestled close to her, the confidence of the day long gone, staring blankly at her own palm. “Qingyi, I’ve embarrassed you.”

And then, when Luo Qingyi returned from training in the Asura Mirror, seeking a way to restore her cultivation, she found Wu Ruo inexplicably covered in blood, on the brink of death.

Yet in the young woman’s palm, there had unmistakably been the faint glow of a celestial-grade spiritual root transformed into Dao bones brimming with spiritual energy, reviving the dying girl.

Later still, she remembered being consumed by obsession, driving her sword through her Dao companion’s burning heart. But afterward, she had been overtaken by inner demons, her memories of subsequent events unclear.

And just days ago, when she saw Wu Ruo again after their long separation, the other’s Dao bones had inexplicably vanished. Her figure was gaunt, no different from the most ordinary mortal.

By all logic, Wu Ruo should have been incapable of cultivation.

“But,” she said, watching the sudden slump in Wu Ruo’s expression, hesitating only a moment before making up her mind, “I have a way.”

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