Fang Lan returned homete from the new alchemy shop due to some business.She tiredly opened the door and, upon entering the main hall,saw Huang Jing sitting alone on the couch, looking exhausted.


    "What''s wrong with you?" she asked, surprised, and requested a servant to bring her tea. She sat on the adjacent couch and raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing him, "You look like you''ve run across the entire Southern Continent.And,where''s Xie Qing?"


    "Ugh... don''t mention that bastard''s name!" Huang Jing shouted loudly, startling FangLan, whowas taken aback. The man wiped away non-existent tears and theatrically fell to his knees, cryingoutto the heavens, "That bastard! I thought he was joking, but he actually went and got engaged! Now I''ve officially lost my wings...I was on the path of travel, but I''vebeen shotin the knee!"


    "Eh... what does that mean?"


    FangLan furrowed her brows as she saw Huang Jing was about to cry.At that moment,there was a creaking sound, and Xie Qing entered from the ck exit.He was dressed only in thin, loose pants and light ck boots.


    His torso was bare, revealing his toned abs and well-developed muscles.


    "Hm? So you''re back, Lan," Xie Qing nodded and nced at Huang Jing, smiling, "And you, Daoist friend, why are you lying on the ground? You''ll catch a cold in your JJ, and Lady Zhao will be saddened!"


    "Go to hell, uuuuh... My beautiful, carefree bachelor life..."


    "Hahaha..."


    Xie Qingughed heartily and ignored Fan Lan''s lustful gaze. He nced at the maidservantwhowasfrozen in awe, staring at his bare torso.


    "If you bring me wine, I''ll let you touch them," he said, flexing his muscles.


    "Y-yes, sir!"


    Huang Jing and FangLan fell silent, watching as the maidservant rushed to the kitchen...followed by nine more maids.


    Xie Qing, meanwhile,y on the couchnonchntly, not bothering to cover himself up. He was unashamed of his body.


    Seeing that no one was speaking, he decided to start a conversation. He looked at Fang Lan, "How''s the shop?" he asked, sprawling out on the couch and yawning, "I''ve been busy with training, so I haven''t had time to apany you."


    "Hm. I''ve managed to negotiate with the neighboring shops, and they''re willing to provide us with raw materials at a good price," Fang Lan said, and when the topic turned to profit, she smiled, "It seems they''ve heard about our rtionship, so they''re trying to please you."


    "Oh, really? Interesting. What kind of ''rtionship'' are they talking about, hm?" Xie Qing asked with a faint smile.


    "You love pretending to be stupid!" Fang Lan snorted and said, blushing slightly.


    Huang Jing, meanwhile, remained silent. He decided to pretend to be a tree. A tree can''t talk, hear, or think. A tree is just a tree, sohe could ignore their flirtation.


    However, even a tree would spit blood if they continuedtheirflirtation, so Fang Lan abruptly changed the subject and began discussingcultivation.


    "I''ve recently encountered an obstacle... I can''t seem to break through to the fifth stage of Core Formation!" she sighed and shook her head, "Huang Jing, I''ve heard that you''ve recently had a breakthrough?"


    "Ah, yes! I used a pill...but it cost me a lot of money...sigh!" Huang Jing said with a gloomy expression, "Cultivationis too hard.My cultivation technique is good,butithas a drawback – I develop slowly."


    "But that''s a good thing," Xie Qingmented, ncing to the left as maids rushed in with bottles of wine, "Slow cultivation techniques, except in special cases, bringa lot ofbenefits at high cultivation stages."


    "That''s true, but..."


    Huang Jing sighed.


    Meanwhile, Xie Qingy on the couch, allowing ten maids to touch his body as they pleased. He drank wine with his free hand.


    And Fang Lan...she just watched with jealousy.


    ***


    Location: Garden, Huang Jing''s mansion.


    Xie Qing swung his sword, and streams of wind sliced through several des of grass on the ground. A dangerous and cold aura surrounded him.


    His de,like a dance, moved up and down, causing the servants to stop and stare at him.


    As it was hot outside, Xie Qing had removed his hanfu and was now dressed only in pants. He was barefoot.


    His gaze was focusedas he swung his sword. Each swing seemed as if it could take the lives of hundreds of people. It was a beautiful sight that left the passing servants breathless.


    Huang Jing watched this training session. Fan Lan was not present; she was busy with work at the shop.


    "Excellent. I''ve never seen such superior movements," Huang Jingmented and sighed, "And you''re more than twenty years younger than me, yet so talented. I''m afraid to imagine what the future will hold. I wouldn''t be surprised if one of your strikes could pierce the Heavens."


    "I would like to reach such a level," Xie Qing replied and smiled. His movements were just as clean and precise, even though he was talking. His breathing was steady and calm, "However, I can only achieve this through diligentcultivation. That''s why I don''t neglect my training!"


    "I genuinely admire you, to be honest. Not all geniuses are as dedicated tocultivationas you are!" Huang Jingplimentedhimand smiled, "Perhaps you could teach me a few tricks? I''m willing to pay."


    "I don''t need money," Xie Qing replied and tightly gripped the handle of his sword, then stomped on the ground with his right foot, "We''re friends, after all."


    Vshuuu!


    A strong wind arose.The skirts of the maids were lifted, and the hairstyles of the servants were disheveled.


    "This..."


    Huang Jing was shocked to discover thatthe recently-nted grass had been neatly trimmed! The gardener was also in shock...his job had been taken!


    Andso,when the training session was over, Xie Qing closed his eyes and took two consecutive breaths in and out. Only then did he open his eyes, which shone with a golden light.


    "Alright, I''m done. Take off your shoes and get your sword; I''ll show you two of my original techniques. Your task is to figure out which one suits you best. Got it?"Xie Qing said, waving his Nameless Sword, which gleamedunder the bright sunlight.


    "Yes, sir!"


    Huang Jing was excited. He removed his shoes and approached Xie Qing. A minuteter, a servant brought the man''s sword.


    "Hm? It seems that the swordis enchantedwith Sharpness, Durability, and, in case of emergency,it can always be restored," Xie Qingmented and nodded, "A good sword."


    "Thank you. It''s an heirloom from my mother," Huang Jing said with a noble air.


    "Your mother... ah, I remember now. She was an outstanding swordswoman, wasn''t she? My respects," Xie Qing nodded and then changed the subject, "I won''t be able to fully demonstrate one of the techniques to you, as it could destroy your mansion. However, I''ll transmit the image to your mind."


    "Alright!"


    Huang Jing nodded. Xie Qing didn''t hesitate and immediately touched the man''s forehead with his index finger.


    "This..."


    Huang Jing felt a slight chill and closed his eyes. He then fell silent.


    "Now it''s up to you whether you can learn this technique or not," Xie Qing''s deep voice resonated, and his face wasserious– there was no room for a smile, "You have five attempts. Your mind won''t be able to withstand more than that."


    ***


    "Now it''s up to you..."


    Huang Jing, whose consciousness was in a dark space, nodded briefly upon hearing Xie Qing''s warning. He looked around, "It''s as dark as a demonic beast''s ass," he grumbled.


    And, as if in response to his words, the space suddenly lit up, and hewas transportedto a field.


    Looking around, Huang Jing discovered that a man was standing behind him. He was tall, almost two meters in height, and had a sturdy, muscr build.


    His ck hair was tiedin a ponytail, and his dark, ck eyes gleamed with wisdom and determination.


    Hewas dressedin silver armor with gold engravings. In his hand, he held an ordinary-looking sword, albeirgerin size.


    "Wait a minute..." Huang Jing shouted in shock, "That''s... Xie Qing?! But he looks so mature..."


    The technique that Xie Qing used on Huang Jing was simple.It allowed him,with the target''s permission, to immerse them in an illusion, andit was often usedfor transmitting techniques orfortraining.


    Since Xie Qing did not possess a high level ofcultivation, he could not adjust the illusion with precision, so most of the time,everything was chosenat random. The person who was teaching the technique could be anillusoryfigure.


    "So realistic... has he reached such a high level?"


    However, to his great disappointment, Xie Qingintheillusiondid not particrly like to talk, andso he immediately began to teach the technique.


    Huang Jing becameserious.


    Xie Qingintheillusiongripped the handle of the sword and then slowlybegan to raise it up.


    It seemed like such a weak and full-of-holes position that could instantly lead to death. However, Huang Jing felt a shiver.His spine was coveredin goosebumps.


    "This... my sixth sense is screaming about the danger!This strike cankill me? But he hasn''t even started yet!" Huang Jing eximed in shock.


    However, what was even more surprising was that Huang Jing, no matter how hard he tried, could not follow thetrajectory of the sword!