Chapter 144: Suits You

After binding the ring with her divine sense, Nie Xingyuan took his leave.

Ji Jiuxuan lay on her bed, her mind echoing with what her junior granduncle had just said.

"System, do you know where the Azure Fall Sword is located?"

Though she had formed contracts with both the Phantom and Long Xuan, the system resided directly within her body, so she chose to ask the system directly.

When the Azure Fall Sword had first entered her body, she had been entirely unable to find any trace of it.

"Probe more carefully now, and you will be able to find its location."

The system's reply surprised Ji Jiuxuan somewhat.

Turning her divine sense inward, she spotted a long sword resting not far from her dantian.

It possessed a cyan hilt, while its blade shimmered with a silvery radiance.

In that state, the Azure Fall Sword felt even sharper than before, and its aura was far more profound.

"It has always been nurturing within your body. However, you were still in the Qi Condensation stage back then, and the manifestation of the sword would have placed too heavy a burden on you. It is only fitting that it manifests now upon your breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Hearing the system's explanation, Ji Jiuxuan understood. "So this is now my natal sword?"

Normally, cultivators contracted their natal swords after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, placing them within their bodies for nurturing to easily forge a deep resonance with the master.

The Azure Fall Sword was somewhat special since she had obtained it back in the Qi Condensation stage, which was why she had asked the system.

"Indeed."

As it spoke, the system's voice carried a dangerous edge, mingled with a hint of grievance. "Do you despise it?"

"How could I! How could I possibly despise it?" The grade of this Azure Fall Sword was a rarity in this world, and furthermore, she had been captivated by it the very first time she laid eyes on it.

She and the Azure Fall Sword shared a genuine affinity.

"That settles it, then." The system was clearly delighted. "Tomorrow, you can try summoning it, and use it for your sword practice from now on. This will make it easier to train your handling and deepen your resonance with the Azure Fall Sword."

Ji Jiuxuan had grown accustomed to using the Child Sword, so switching to the Azure Fall Sword would inevitably feel a bit awkward at first.

She had no objections whatsoever to the system's suggestion, especially since she had casually noted before that the sword's grade was exceptional.

"However, why are you so emotional whenever the Azure Fall Sword is mentioned, System?" The system was usually extremely aloof, yet today it had displayed emotional fluctuations several times regarding this sword—a truly rare occurrence.

The system felt a flutter of anxiety, fearing that Ji Jiuxuan might discover something next. "Nothing at all, you're overthinking it."

Ji Jiuxuan merely spoke offhand and did not dwell on it, so she pressed the matter no further.

She spent the night without dreams.

***

The next day, after tidying herself up, Ji Jiuxuan looked hesitatingly at the red ring in her hand. Should she wear it or not?

Her body refinement had reached a stage where she truly needed to take this step, but the mere thought of that agonizing pain made her brows knit together involuntarily.

She sat in a chair, toying with the ring in her palm.

With a sigh, she thought to herself how she was both hardworking and overly delicate!

When she finally slipped the ring onto her finger, the gravity was manageable, but the dull, grinding ache required a long while for her to adapt.

"The host should be content! If not for this ring, given the nature of your cultivation technique, you would have simply been battered to a pulp by spirit beasts in the end."

Even the system couldn't help but marvel at Nie Xingyuan's artifact-crafting prowess to have created something like this. "Your junior granduncle specially customized this just for you."

Ji Jiuxuan naturally knew that her junior granduncle had tailored it specifically for her, and she felt deeply grateful to him.

"Therefore, Host, you must diligently practice body refinement and strive to elevate your cultivation realm so that you can better handle dangers when they arise in the future."

To help its host enhance her strength, it truly went to painstaking lengths.

"System, so you're that kind of system. If you have the ability, quickly lift the restriction, and my cultivation will advance even faster."

Urging her to work hard every day while imposing restrictions left and right—even a deity would be driven to fury.

She took a few steps forward; every single step felt arduous. Fortunately, the ring adjusted automatically according to her physical condition, so it was still just barely tolerable.

Now that she had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, she needed to report to her master on schedule.

The Pavilion of Scriptures still held one opportunity for her to select a cultivation technique, and she planned to visit it soon.

She also needed to make a trip to the Spirit Beast Garden; the Divine Hurricane Eagle's spirit beast egg still hadn't hatched, and she intended to seek advice from Junior Uncle He.

She hadn't seen Yue Bai in a while and wanted to check on him, too.

There was also learning sword flight, alongside getting accustomed to the Azure Fall Sword.

She actually had quite a few things to accomplish during this period.

As this was her first day wearing the body refinement ring, she hadn't yet adapted to many of its aspects, so walking to the Lecture Hall took considerably longer than usual. Every step she took was unhurried and slow; anyone unaware of the truth would have thought she was simply idle and strolling around the sect for no reason.

After all, such occurrences weren't unprecedented, and since the effects of the body refinement ring acted entirely within oneself, outsiders couldn't tell at all that she was undergoing body refinement.

Along the way, she felt that occasional disciples were deliberately glancing in her direction.

At first, she didn't think much of it, but after overhearing what one of them said, she instantly understood, and her face darkened slightly.

"That must be Junior Sister Ji, right? I hear her strength is quite formidable—a true standout among her peers."

"That's right! It's a pity she's unwilling to work hard. Look at her, wandering leisurely around the sect at this hour. If only she could put in some real effort."

Someone nearby asked in confusion, "Why do you sigh that Junior Sister Ji is unwilling to work hard? Isn't she already quite impressive?"

"She is impressive, but if she were willing to apply herself, she would undoubtedly be even stronger. That way, the number one in the younger generation of our sect could completely crush the other sects."

......

Ji Jiuxuan had already walked some distance away by then, and she was now regretting having fought those spirit beasts with such reckless abandon in the illusion realm.

She had hidden her strength for so long, only to expose so much of it all at once.

In everyday one-on-one duels, that level of strength wouldn't affect much since the comparisons were limited.

Yet in the illusion realm, everyone was watching, and all the disciples were being compared. She had brazenly seized first place, and her kill count far surpassed the second-place finisher by a margin she couldn't even calculate.

What was she even thinking at the time? She had apparently assumed those spirit beasts were all easy to deal with, or perhaps she just wanted to rack up a few more kills for safety's sake.

A single misstep becomes a lifelong regret! As for her reputation, she doubted she could ever return to how things used to be.

Upon entering her master's courtyard, she happened to run into her master, Zhou Guangsheng.

She bowed respectfully to him and said, "Master!"

Zhou Guangsheng saw at a glance that little A-Jiu had successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. "Congratulations, A-Jiu."

Looking at her with affectionate and gentle eyes, he asked, "Has A-Jiu considered what kind of natal weapon you want?"

Weapon, indeed.

Even though Ji Jiuxuan possessed a natural sword body, Zhou Guangsheng would still have supported her entirely had she chosen not to select a sword as her natal weapon.

"Master, I already have my natal weapon." As she spoke, Ji Jiuxuan tried summoning the Azure Fall Sword.

She had originally assumed that given the commotion the Azure Fall Sword had caused previously, it would surely display some extraordinary traits upon appearing. She never expected it to seem as though it had undergone an automatic transformation; upon its debut, it looked utterly ordinary, revealing nothing special.

Yet very few things in this world could deceive Zhou Guangsheng. The moment the Azure Fall Sword appeared, he instinctively took a couple of steps forward. Looking at the sword with its faint, restrained glow, his face broke into a full smile.

"A-Jiu has chosen well; this natal sword suits you exceptionally well." He had been wondering what kind of natal Dharma treasure would suit the little girl now that she was nearing Foundation Establishment, but his previous ideas completely paled in comparison to the sword before his eyes.

Compared to this blade, the renowned swords of the world likely fell far short. Moreover, the unique trait of this sword was its ability to naturally conceal its own sharpness, making its true excellence invisible to ordinary eyes.

*Thanks to the tip from jive-Nandan, thank you!~*