บท 3: Wen Qingxue's Adventure

"What's so proud about it! You've just broken through too, and who knows who's stronger!" Wen Qingxue exclaimed.

Her whole body was filled with surging energy, and an invisible aura surrounded her.

"Come on!"

She pushed off the ground, her figure shooting forward, her fist aimed at Jiang Heng's face.

Jiang Heng smirked, casually raising his hand to catch her delicate little fist, allowing her to struggle in vain.

"Both of us just broke through, how come you're so strong?" Wen Qingxue said incredulously, her eyes widening.

"So, you still have a long way to go!" Jiang Heng grinned triumphantly.

The fusion of memories was destined to influence each other. Even though Jiang Heng from Water Blue Star was a thirty-year-old man, after the complete fusion of memories with his younger self, his temperament had changed. Especially in front of Wen Qingxue, his childhood sweetheart, he became as lively and cheerful as a teenager.

"Alright, alright! I admit defeat!" Wen Qingxue pouted and said helplessly.

Jiang Heng opened his latest personal panel to check.

[Host]: Jiang Heng.

[Cultivation]: Body Refining Realm First Stage (883/10000).

[Primary Cultivation Technique]: [Primordial Genesis Art (Heavenly Grade)] (Initial Stage).

[Martial Arts Techniques]: None.

[Secret Techniques]: None.

[Potential Points]: 0.

Not only had he just broken through, but he also possessed 883 points of cultivation in the Body Refining Realm, making him naturally stronger than Wen Qingxue. Unfortunately, this battle didn't yield any potential points.

He speculated.

Either it was impossible to obtain them continuously from the same person, or this couldn't even be considered a real battle.

"I'll definitely defeat you next time!"

"Hmph!"

Wen Qingxue snorted and then turned to leave Jiang Heng's room.

Jiang Heng, on the other hand, was preparing to take a bath before having his meal.

Outside in the courtyard, Wen Qingxue walked while covering her still slightly painful eyes, muttering to herself with dissatisfaction.

"Damn it! Big Brother Jiang Heng actually hit me for real!"

She kept walking until she was quite far away.

Suddenly, a faint female voice echoed in her mind.

"Xiao Xue, that young man just now is quite extraordinary."

"If nothing unexpected happens, his strength will likely improve rapidly."

"If you continue to cultivate step by step, you may never be able to defeat him."

Wen Qingxue was not surprised by the voice in her mind.

Half a month ago, on a regular afternoon, while she was practicing in her small courtyard, a semi-transparent light point descended from the sky and entered her body.

The speed of that light point was extremely fast, and it didn't catch the attention of anyone, even in the Great Dalu Sect, where experts abounded.

That night, Wen Qingxue had a remarkably realistic dream.

In the dream.

There was a senior sister named Xiao Lingyun, who not only possessed unparalleled beauty but also had terrifyingly deep cultivation.

With a flick of her finger, she could unleash sword energy that spanned hundreds of miles, cutting through everything.

With a wave of her hand, she could manipulate the boundless spiritual energy to form a giant hand that obliterated everything.

Wen Qingxue saw it clearly.

In an earth-shattering battle, numerous powerhouses floated in the void, exuding an awe-inspiring aura, but under Xiao Lingyun's casual movements, they fell one after another.

It was a battle comparable to that of gods and demons!

However, as more and more formidable opponents besieged her, Xiao Lingyun was eventually defeated.

After a devastating self-explosion, she turned into a fragment of her soul, flew across the boundless void, and landed in Wen Qingxue's body.

So, Wen Qingxue woke up.

Xiao Lingyun's consciousness had fused with hers.

After several days of communication and exploration, Wen Qingxue had witnessed the astonishing strength and abilities of her new companion and reached a preliminary agreement with her.

This was what led to her subsequent breakthrough.

Upon hearing the voice in her mind, Wen Qingxue asked curiously in her thoughts, "Sister Lingyun, what do you mean by 'extraordinary'?"

After witnessing several deliberate displays of Xiao Lingyun's incredible abilities, Wen Qingxue was well aware of her astonishing skills.

Since Xiao Lingyun had said so, she must have genuinely detected something unusual.

With a faint and elusive smile, Xiao Lingyun replied:

"In any case, he should have had some fortuitous encounter, perhaps even comparable to yours," Xiao Lingyun's voice echoed.

Wen Qingxue felt a surge of joy within her. Previously, Jiang Heng's talent had been quite poor, and according to her father, his achievements in this lifetime would likely be limited to the Body Refining Realm at most. However, with a fortuitous encounter similar to hers, he might quickly rise and become a top-tier powerhouse!

But then, she seemed to realize something, and her expression turned bitter.

"Could it be that I'll be forever overshadowed by him?"

At that moment, Xiao Lingyun's voice calmly resounded.

"That's not necessarily true!"

"With my help, within ten years, you can become the top powerhouse in this world."

Wen Qingxue cheered and quickly asked, "What do I need to do?"

"I will directly transmit my experiences and martial insights into your mind. All you need to do is diligently refine various resources and continuously elevate your cultivation."

"From now on, there will be no bottlenecks, and your cultivation will soar!"

However, Wen Qingxue hesitated.

Though she was still young, she knew enough to have concerns when presented with such a massive opportunity falling from the sky.

Xiao Lingyun continued, "You can rest assured! Since my soul has merged with your body, we share both honor and disgrace. I won't harm you."

"The faster you cultivate, the sooner you can help me rebuild my physical body, and we can mutually benefit."

With these assurances, Wen Qingxue reluctantly agreed.

...

The Great Dalu Sect, as the top-tier sect within the Qingzhou region, possessed nine towering mountains.

It had an endless number of resources, businesses, farmlands, pastures, and more. In her past life, it would have easily been considered a trillion-dollar conglomerate.

The sect was home to hundreds of thousands of disciples, each with clearly defined roles.

Each mountain had its own subsidiary courtyards, which were further divided into different branches.

Some were responsible for livestock, some for cultivating medicinal herbs, some for cleaning, some for cooking in the kitchen, and some for construction and maintenance, among other tasks.

It resembled a small-scale society.

Jiang Heng belonged to the Eighth Branch of the Eighth Custodian Court, responsible for tending to cattle and sheep, which served as the meat supply for everyone in the Eighth Peak.

After taking a shower, Jiang Heng, dressed in a gray custodian uniform, walked into the cafeteria of the Eighth Branch. It was mealtime, and the cafeteria's counter was prepared with various abundant dishes.

Jiang Heng picked up a large portion of food and found a seat in the somewhat spacious dining hall.

He began to devour the food heartily.

His rapid physical improvement seemed to come with a significant energy consumption, making him feel a hunger like never before.

Fortunately, within the Great Dalu Sect, considering the appetite of martial practitioners, even custodians had unlimited access to food.

After finishing one portion, Jiang Heng ordered two more before finally feeling completely full.

After the meal, he headed straight to the courtyard area designated for outer disciples.

Taking advantage of the early hour, he intended to complete the promotion process today.

He wanted to enjoy the benefits of being an outer disciple as soon as possible and avoid having to return to the custodian court to do chores tomorrow.

Outside the Eighth Branch of the outer disciples, there was a spacious hall with a sign that read "Martial Arts Hall."

A steward in blue clothing sat behind a square table, half-dozing.

Jiang Heng pushed the door open, approached the table, and respectfully handed over his identity token.

"Lord Steward, I'm here to apply for promotion to outer disciple."

The steward in charge of the evaluation was a middle-aged man with a square face. He raised his head, squinted his eyes, and casually said, "First, lift the stone pillar over there. Then, demonstrate your martial realm with the vigor of a dragon!"

Jiang Heng placed his identity token on the table, then went to a corner of the hall where there was a stone pillar with the words "1000 Jin" inscribed on it.

He stopped in front of it, grasped the handle with both hands, and exerted all his strength.

"Ha!"

He lifted it over his head for a few seconds before putting it down.

Then, he moved to the center of the hall and stood still.

After a moment of concentration, his qi and blood surged like a mighty river in his body. The air around him twisted and rose, enveloping his figure like a great dragon.

"Alright!"

The steward behind the square table remained calm. He picked up Jiang Heng's identity token from the table and then took out a new light green identity token from a drawer.

He raised his hand, pressed his index finger on the identity token, and his inner qi surged.