Jiang Wan'yi stuck out her tongue and said slowly, "Master is just like that. Every day, she either drinks or sleeps in the back mountain..."
"Back then, I was also reading a jade slip and figuring things out myself. Instead of spending time seeking her guidance, it was more convenient to flip through the experiences of seniors in the Scripture Pavilion."
Jiang Wan'yi patted Wu Tao's shoulder and, holding his hand, led him away.
Then, she continued, "Speaking of which, my Sword Peak has advantages over other peaks. At least cultivating on Sword Peak is relatively free. We can go out as we please, without so many rules."
"In other places, once you become a disciple, your personal freedom is restricted. Here, there's no such worry."
Suddenly, Jiang Wan'yi spread her arms and tightly hugged Wu Tao's neck, pressing her face close to his ear.
The scent of orchids filled the air, her hair was alluring. Perhaps it was due to extreme happiness, she then leaned on Wu Tao's shoulder, her breath like orchid fragrance, making Wu Tao's ear ticklish.
Not only was Wu Tao's ear ticklish from Jiang Wan'yi's breath, but his entire face turned red.
Such a beautiful female cultivator breathing and rubbing against his ear was an intense provocation. Wu Tao wondered if Jiang Wan'yi was doing it intentionally.
...
The next second, Wu Tao came back to his senses and pushed Jiang Wan'yi. Jiang Wan'yi then stopped laughing and turned to make a face at Wu Tao.
Wu Tao couldn't help but feel amused and exasperated, wondering if joining Sword Peak would be a blessing or a curse for him.
...
A moment later, six female cultivators in palace dresses entered the Asking Sword Great Hall one after another.
These six female cultivators in palace dresses were all young and beautiful, some delicate, some charming, some cute...
Wu Tao was stunned, thinking, "Why are there so many beautiful female cultivators here?"
The six female cultivators were also quite curious upon seeing Wu Tao, but they still smiled politely. Wu Tao dared not slack, addressing each one as "Senior Sister."
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Jiang Wan'yi pointed at Wu Tao and said, "This is the personal disciple Master has just accepted today!"
After speaking, Jiang Wan'yi stuck out her tongue and signaled, "Junior Brother Wu, quickly come up and greet all the Senior Sisters!"
Seeing that all the Senior Sisters were elegant and intellectual upon entering, Wu Tao dared not be negligent and stepped forward to pay his respects to each one.
Jiang Wan'yi pointed to a young woman who appeared to be around thirty years old and said, "This is your Eldest Senior Sister, our leader, Li Yifang!"
Wu Tao didn't have time to ponder why she had the nickname "leader," but through the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from her, he could confirm that this Senior Sister was a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Wu Tao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "Junior Brother Wu Tao greets Eldest Senior Sister."
Seeing Wu Tao's demeanor, Li Yifang smiled and said, "Junior Brother has good aptitude. At just over thirty years old, you have achieved this cultivation. No wonder you caught Master's eye. You must cultivate diligently in the future, so as not to waste Master's cultivation of you!"
Wu Tao quickly agreed. Li Yifang then took out a piece of immortal jade and handed it to Wu Tao, saying, "This is a Ten Thousand Year Profound Sky Immortal Stone that I obtained during my travels in the Fiery Sea of Extreme Flames. It has the ability to ward off fire. Today, please accept it as a见面礼 to congratulate Junior Brother on joining Master's lineage. I hope Junior Brother will not dislike it."
Wu Tao saw that this Ten Thousand Year Profound Sky Divine Stone was pure and crystal clear, with fluctuating fire-attributed spiritual energy within. It was clearly a top-tier spiritual material for refining fire-repelling artifacts.
Wu Tao was a bit at a loss. Li Yifang chuckled, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Just accept it. We are siblings, there's no need for such formality."
Wu Tao thanked her profusely. Then, the tall Second Senior Sister, Yu Guangxiu, presented Wu Tao with three Earth Flame Gallbladders. Consuming them would strengthen the limbs and clear the meridians, making them a great supplement for cultivators who practiced body refinement.
Third Senior Sister, Wang Xiuyue, gave Wu Tao a bottle of Seven Illusory Azure Spiritual Saliva as a welcome gift. She smiled and said, "Senior Sister doesn't have much else. Junior Brother, if you find a lady you fancy in the future, this bottle of Seven Illusory Azure Spiritual Saliva can be used as a spiritual wine at your wedding feast."
Wu Tao did not expect the seemingly most gentle Third Senior Sister to make such a joke, and his face immediately turned red.
All the women giggled, their laughter pleasant and melodious.
Fourth Senior Sister gave Wu Tao a jade slip containing her understanding of the sword dao over the years.
Fifth Senior Sister, Lu Xiangchou, gave Wu Tao a high-quality formation disk called "Qi Men Zhi Gui." Wu Tao found it quite novel and thanked her before placing the formation disk into his storage bag.
Sixth Senior Sister, Shen Luoyan, gifted Wu Tao a high-grade pháp衣 sewn from the silk of a Thousand Year Jade Silkworm King, which was extremely rare.
Wu Tao looked at Seventh Senior Sister Jiang Wan'yi. This girl was clearly younger than him, and their relationship could be considered delicate. Even now, he felt a bit awkward.
Jiang Wan'yi had just extorted a toll from Wu Tao for guiding him, and now she was giving him a welcome gift. Fate was truly a wondrous thing.
Jiang Wan'yi also felt a bit uncomfortable at this moment and wanted to give something less valuable. However, looking at Wu Tao standing before her with a half-smile, she gritted her teeth and, with some effort, said, "Junior Brother, here you go!"
Saying that, she handed Wu Tao a rare gold-attributed ore, Langya Golden Jade, as a welcome gift.
Wu Tao laughed heartily and accepted the Langya Golden Jade, saying, "Thank you, Senior Sister Jiang!"
The six Senior Sisters beside them were all observant. They could see the awkwardness between the two and knew something had happened between them, but they chose not to say anything.
However, Wu Tao's seven Senior Sisters were all unique. Their clothes, in the colors of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, matched one person per color, creating a beautiful sight when they gathered.
Especially the seven Senior Sisters, surrounding Wu Tao, even the usually unconcerned Wu Tao felt a hint of longing in his heart at that moment.
...
In the early morning, on the mountainside of Asking Sword Peak, in a spacious training ground, six or seven female cultivators were practicing swordplay and sparring with each other.
Watching the Senior Sisters practice swordplay, their movements were varied as they wielded their swords. They leaped and bounded, sometimes circling their arms, their sword energy spitting forth, subtly bringing with it the sound of wind and thunder. Their aura was immense, graceful like a startled swan, resembling a sword dance.
Wu Tao frowned as he watched. Having experienced numerous battles, he could naturally see that their sword techniques looked powerful, but they were not suitable for combat. They were merely ostentatious displays.
Could sword techniques without killing intent be called sword techniques? Could sword cultivators who had never killed anyone be called sword cultivators?
...
Eldest Senior Sister Li Yifang had appeared behind Wu Tao at some point. She patted his shoulder and said, "Junior Brother, do you think your Senior Sisters' sword techniques are rather showy and lack substance?"
His true thoughts exposed, Wu Tao smiled awkwardly and replied, "Eldest Senior Sister, I didn't have such thoughts. Please don't misunderstand!"
Li Yifang heard this and shook her head slightly, clearly not believing him at all. She asked, "Junior Brother, you haven't been to the Sword Washing Pool on Sword Peak, have you? I'll take you there, and you'll understand."
"Sword Washing Pool?" Wu Tao asked with a hint of surprise, "Eldest Senior Sister, what is the Sword Washing Pool?"
"Sword cultivators are different from other cultivators. Every sword cultivator pursues the realm of unity between man and sword. Unfortunately, due to worldly affairs, they cannot achieve this realm. The purpose of the Sword Washing Pool is to allow sword cultivators to wash away impurities and old grudges, and to attain a sincere and flawless sword heart."
Li Yifang pointed to a pure white building on the mountaintop and said, "That is the 'Sword Washing Pool.' Junior Brother, you can try it. You will definitely gain something..."
Wu Tao's mind was filled with many questions, "A sincere and flawless sword heart, is this thing useful? If it can't improve combat power, is it worth my effort?"
Li Yifang seemed to have sensed Wu Tao's doubts and smiled slightly, "You'll understand once you go in. I can tell you in advance that for a sword cultivator, the purity of one's sword heart will determine their future achievements. If you haven't understood this point yet, you will encounter great obstacles in the future."
Although Wu Tao heard it as if he understood but didn't quite understand, he had witnessed some of the extraordinary aspects of Sword Peak.
On the vast path of cultivation, Wu Tao was currently like a toddling child.
Wu Tao smiled slightly and stepped into the Sword Washing Pool under the watchful gaze of Eldest Senior Sister Li Yifang.
Although the exterior of the Sword Washing Pool was adorned with carved railings and exquisite jade, extremely luxurious, when Wu Tao entered the Sword Washing Pavilion, he was surprised to find that inside the Sword Washing Pool, apart from clear and transparent mysterious water, there was nothing else special.
Upon entering the Sword Washing Pool, Wu Tao found that his once chaotic state of mind had instantly calmed down.
The Sword Washing Pool was a place for sword cultivators to temper their state of mind and forge their sword hearts.
Wu Tao naturally could not fathom the true purpose of the Sword Washing Pool, but immersed in the clear and transparent mysterious water, Wu Tao had no choice but to earnestly forge his sword heart.
After an unknown amount of time, in the Sword Tempering Pavilion, Wu Tao sat cross-legged in the water. The tattered ancient sword floated quietly above his head. The clear and transparent mysterious water enveloped the sword body, revealing a dazzling and magnificent light.
Vaguely, golden-yellow ripples could be seen, flowing within the tattered ancient sword, constantly tempering it.
The last restriction on the tattered ancient sword finally vanished.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
A series of crisp breaking sounds echoed. The tattered ancient sword's body underwent a tremendous change. The rust on its surface completely peeled away, and it emitted a dazzling radiance, like the sun rising in the early morning.
Through clear perception, Wu Tao finally knew the true name of this tattered ancient sword. Its name was "Chu Xi"!
The slender sword body, coupled with the radiant patterns, presented an extremely strong visual impact and attraction.
Not only that, due to excessive killing, Wu Tao always carried a faint scent of blood that couldn't be washed away. Now, this scent of blood had vanished on its own.