With a sword drawn, he laughs proudly, his martial prowess dominating the heavens!

Chapter 15 is good, but you need to practice more!

Seven days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside the Siguo Cliff Cave, on a flat stone about half a person's height, were several small dishes of food, and an old man and two young men were eating with relish, each holding a bowl.

The dishes are mostly vegetarian with little meat, but they still taste quite good.

Now, Yue Lingshan has completely taken over Ying Bailuo's business. She goes up the mountain three times a day without fail. Later, when the two meals became three, she didn't complain about the hardship.

Yue Buqun has copied most of the sword techniques from various schools on the stone walls inside the cave, categorized them, and bound them into books. At first, he tried to cover them up, but now he openly borrows and studies them.

Yue Buqun: "The stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade; Che'er's words resonate deeply with me!"

"Father, your daughter also wants to learn the sword techniques from the cave."

Old Yue glanced at her sideways and said, "You little girl, have you mastered the nineteen forms of the Jade Maiden Sword Technique? Has your Hunyuan Gong improved recently? The reason I kept this a secret is because I was afraid that the disciples in the sect would be blinded by sword moves like you."

Our Huashan Sect has always..."

Before she could finish speaking, a slightly disappointed Yue Lingshan chimed in, "I've always prioritized inner strength over technique. Oh, I understand, daughter."

"The Jade Maiden Sword Technique allows others to practice its moves, but Father, you won't allow it to be sparred with the Huashan Sword Technique. Ideally, Senior Brother Li would learn a few moves from other schools to practice with, but now you won't allow it either. How am I supposed to practice swordsmanship?"

Li Che ignored her glare, pretending not to hear or notice, and focused only on eating.

He thought to himself, "That brat thinks she can conscript me? No way!"

"Nonsense!" Yue Buqun scoffed, his smile vanishing instantly. "Your Senior Brother Li is at a crucial stage of his training; he has no time to play around with you!"

If you can't practice swordsmanship, you go and practice breathing exercises, running around aimlessly all day. Do you have even a shred of focus on practicing your skills?!

After being scolded by her strict father, Yue Lingshan could no longer swallow the half-bowl of rice she was holding. She then mumbled, "Oh, I know, Dad."

Seeing this, Li Che chuckled inwardly and added insult to injury, "Master is right, Junior Sister, you really should rein in your temper."

"Eat, eat, eat until you're stuffed!"

Li Che smiled as he looked at the overflowing white rice in his bowl, and took a few bites. "Thank you, junior sister. I was just about to finish eating."

Yue Lingshan stared blankly at the empty bowl for a moment, then blushed.

"Ahem~ Che'er, you've been practicing the Purple Cloud Divine Skill for several days now. Can you feel the Qi? Are there any obstacles in your practice?"

Li Che hurriedly put down the bowl and said seriously, "According to the key points of the cultivation method, I practice breathing exercises for two hours each morning and evening, and then follow Master's guidance to circulate my Qi through the meridians. Yesterday, I felt a noticeable heat in my Dantian, and my Qi circulated to my fingertips, causing a slight swelling."

The disciple was just asking for guidance. Master once said that beginners should show these signs after two months of practice. Could it be that the disciple's practice is flawed?

"Um?"

Yue Buqun paused, and the vegetables he had just picked up fell back into the plate. "Quickly, let your teacher take a look."

Place two fingers on the pulse point, and feel the energy rushing to the fingertips.

Yue Lingshan stood aside, not daring to make a sound, but saw her father's eyes slightly open, a glint of shrewdness in them, before he stroked his long beard.

She was all too familiar with this subconscious action, which showed that her father was in a very good mood.

After a moment, Yue Buqun exhaled slightly, as if pressing down on the corners of his mouth, "It's alright, Che'er has no problem practicing his skills. Perhaps it's because you have a solid foundation in Hunyuan Gong, and now that you've accumulated so much, it's natural that you're cultivating Zixia Divine Skill faster."

But! Never be arrogant or complacent.

Cultivating internal strength requires a gradual and persistent approach, with essence, qi, and spirit being particularly important. One should be single-minded and have a calm and clear mind.

So, you need to practice more!

"Thank you for your teachings, Master. I understand."

"Hmm, very good! Come on, let's eat first."

"Father, is the Purple Cloud Divine Skill so easy to master? How long did it take you to find your Qi back then?"

The green vegetable on the plate fell down again...

Yue Buqun glared at his obedient daughter, who really knew how to rub salt in the wound. He then said in a deep voice, "Starting tomorrow, you are not allowed to eat at the Cliff of Contemplation. Morning, noon, and evening are the best times to practice your skills. You are always trying to be lazy."

"Your father will check your homework in two weeks. If there's no improvement, you'll definitely be punished!"

Yue Lingshan: "..."

Fifteen minutes later, Yue Lingshan carried the lunchbox down the Cliff of Contemplation, stomping her feet and pulling at the grass along the way, causing damage to countless newly sprouted plants.

She kept muttering "stinky senior brother," "biased," and "I'm so angry!"

"Junior Sister!"

"what?"

Suddenly, someone darted out from behind the tree on her left, startling her.

Yue Lingshan patted her chest, quite annoyed, and said, "Senior Brother, why did you scare me?"

The person who arrived was none other than Linghu Chong.

Ning Zhongze eventually softened her heart and made him kneel all night as punishment. After he was beaten and given some words of instruction, she accepted the punishment.

As for his whereabouts during those three days, Linghu Chong only said: "That night, I got so drunk that I died. A senior in the tavern was worried that something might happen to me, so he entrusted me to his home."

The disciple slept for two whole days before sobering up, which is why it was delayed.

This was the first time he had lied to his master and mistress. Ning Zhongze saw through it at a glance, but he was unwilling to say more or press him for answers. In any case, it was good that he was alright.

Linghu Chong was taken aback by the question. He thought to himself that when he used to joke around with his junior sister, her tone was always a bit angry, but this time it seemed like she was actually annoyed.

"Junior Sister, don't be angry. Senior Brother didn't mean it. Look what Senior Brother brought you."

His arm, which had been hidden behind his back, came out, revealing a candied hawthorn in his hand.

The hawthorn balls coated in syrup are bright red, and just one look at them makes your mouth water.

To her surprise, Yue Lingshan didn't accept it with the usual delight. Instead, she said, "Senior Brother, you've secretly gone down the mountain again? Mother just told you a few days ago to lead your fellow disciples in practicing martial arts diligently. Why didn't you listen?"

"I...I'm not your junior sister!"

Linghu Chong never expected that his junior sister would not only dislike him but also blame him. For a moment, he was tongue-tied and could not utter a single word.

"Hey~ Senior Brother, Father just scolded me for wasting my time playing around and neglecting my martial arts. I need to work harder from now on; I don't like these things anymore."

Seeing Linghu Chong's flustered expression and frozen face, Yue Lingshan suddenly felt a little soft-hearted and said gently, "Senior Brother, I'm sorry. I was just in a bad mood, so my tone was a bit harsh. I wasn't angry with you."

"Junior Sister, you... you seem different from before. Actually, I didn't sneak down the mountain. My master's wife asked me to go down the mountain to buy rice and other food, and I bought some to cheer you up."

Yue Lingshan saw that the man was still holding the string of candied hawthorns, and after a moment she took it from him. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Then she added, "My senior brother said I've changed, but I don't understand. It's just that I was eavesdropping outside my parents' door that day, and suddenly I understood some things."

"Senior Brother, let's hurry back to practice. Do you know that Senior Brother Li has already mastered the Purple Cloud Divine Skill in just seven days? We can't fall too far behind."

"You're saying Master passed on the Zixia Divine Skill to Junior Brother Li?!"

"Oh dear, Father told me not to tell anyone, Senior Brother, you mustn't let it slip. Senior Brother, let's go quickly."

After saying that, Yue Lingshan walked towards Jade Maiden Peak.

Linghu Chong was left alone, staring blankly at his junior sister before turning his head to look in the direction of the Cliff of Contemplation.

He didn't care about the Zixia Divine Skill, nor did he care that Junior Brother Li's talent surpassed his own and that he was favored by his master and mistress.

He was even somewhat delighted to learn that his master had come up the mountain to pass on his skills, and suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders had been lightened.

But his junior sister's attitude left him in a state of utter confusion.

......