Who let him join the Sword Sect?!

This time, Zhang Ze didn't go crazy before opening the chests.

Firstly, he believed that sincerity would bring success.

Secondly, he thought if the Sect Leader and the others saw it, he wouldn't be able to explain.

Moreover, he planned to catch the system off guard, opening the chests while the system didn't react.

Zhang Ze pretended to browse the task interface, then suddenly switched to the chest-opening subsystem, quickly tapping to open two small chests and three large ones.

He even skipped the chest-opening animation.

Apparently, the system didn't really react this time, as no bizarre items like butts or salted fish appeared.

The items from the two small chests were fairly standard; one was a points gift pack, and the other contained a gourd of Gu Pills.

Exchange Points and Cultivation Points are never too many, but as for the Gu Pills, no thanks.

Zhang Ze personally wasn't interested in Gu techniques and didn't plan to cultivate them.

The first step of Gu cultivation in the Four Continents is to implant a life-binding Gu into your body, then refine and tame it within seven days.

During the refining process, the cultivator's Divine Sense must always stay in contact with the Gu Insect, suppress its riots, and guide the Gu Insect to merge with the body.

If successful, you gain entry-level into Gu techniques; if not, the insect plays in your stead.

Zhang Ze thought this process was a bit too risqué.

To him, it seemed just like a magical girl being forcibly implanted with eggs, yet refusing to submit.

The back-and-forth between Gu Cultivator and insect, understanding, mutual devouring, and finally walking towards tomorrow together…

Too risqué, too youthful.

Zhang Ze had a sudden inspiration to write another book when he found time, with the title "Cultivate Gu, Then Become a Magical Girl."

After drafting the outline for his second terrible book, Zhang Ze finally turned his attention to the remaining three Magical Artifacts.

Looking at the glittering three artifacts before him, Zhang Ze felt that Li calculated right; his luck tonight was indeed good.

The three artifacts coincidentally made a complete set.

Two swords, and a sword box.

The names of the two swords were very fitting.

[Spirit Sword·White Wolf]

[Spirit Sword·Witch Priest]

Zhang Ze glanced at the system's explanation and, after translating those tongue-twisting and ancient poems into plain language, he made the following summary.

The Spirit Sword·White Wolf is for physical attacks; use White Wolf for chopping people.

The Spirit Sword·Witch Priest is for magical attacks; use Witch Priest against ghosts.

Zhang Ze was silent for a while, deciding to ignore this intense déjà vu as he shifted his gaze to the sword box.

[Sword Box·Myriad Phenomena]

To Zhang Ze, this sword box was the real treasure.

First of all, it looked really cool.

Moreover, this sword box could nurture Sword Intent, the longer the Spirit Sword is stored in the box, the stronger the Sword Intent becomes.

The greater the power when drawn to cut someone.

The sword box can also add a temporary Divine Technique to the sword inside, and what Divine Technique is added is decided by the owner of the sword box.

As for the other Dharma Methods of the sword box, they cannot be utilized until the Golden Core stage.

Satisfied, Zhang Ze organized his loot, jumped down from the roof, but accidentally sprained his ankle upon landing.

After a while, he limped back to his room.

"Even at the Foundation Establishment Stage, you can sprain an ankle? Probably just too tired today, need to apply some medicinal oil for relief."

...

The next day, at dawn, Chen Qin pushed open the door to Zhang Ze's room.

But she was very disappointed.

"Why is it different from what Mei'er's books describe?" she muttered quietly.

She saw Zhang Ze fully dressed, sitting by the table writing.

Zhang Ze was naturally writing the overdue chapters of "Taoist Path to Heaven," and the beginning of the newly conjured "Cultivate Gu, Then Become a Magical Girl."

He hadn't slept all night.

Seeing no opportunity to exploit, the junior sister was still up to no good.

No opportunity? Create one yourself.

"Senior brother, does it still hurt? I have an ointment here, do you want me to rub it in for you?" Chen Qin asked Zhang Ze, holding up a small bottle.

Zhang Ze looked at the junior sister's obvious hint, feeling tempted, but he verbally refused.

Not because Zhang Ze was indifferent to women, but because Aunt Mo was watching them from the courtyard.

"Junior sister, rest assured, your senior brother is in good health."

"And since the plan of the day lies in the morning, the early Sword Cultivator has Sword Refining to do, time for morning classes, junior sister."

Saying this, Zhang Ze furiously hinted with his eyes to the junior sister.

Chen Qin immediately understood, pretending to have just happened to be here, "Please come this way, senior brother, see you at the training field."

"Junior sister, please."

"Senior brother, please."

The senior and junior brother and sister courteously let each other go, walking out of the yard, pretending not to see Mo Jingchun standing in the yard.

"You two, stop right there!"

The escape failed, the pair were each grabbed by Mo Jingchun and taken to a mountaintop.

The mountaintop is flat, with no grass or trees, only a giant stone standing in the southeast, covered in sword marks.

It had been a long time since Chen Qin last saw Zhang Ze, and she had a lot to say. Seeing her mother not paying attention to her, she leaned towards Zhang Ze and whispered through sound transmission.

"This place is called Nether Sword Cliff, where my father and mother... "

However, transmitting sound with Foundation Establishment before Mahayana is pointless, as the crucial information in the latter half of her words turned into noise.

Chen Qin was not convinced and secretly gestured to Zhang Ze, indicating she'd tell him the details another day in secret.

Zhang Ze signaled with his eyes that he received the message.

Watching the constant antics of the two, Mo Jingchun sighed, regretting having brought her daughter along.

"Zhang Ze, come over, let me demonstrate once."

"Alright."

...

In the afternoon.

Mo Jingchun looked at the giant stone full of sword marks, questioning her life choices.

She had never seen a disciple with such a peculiar way of thinking and felt she might have wronged Li Guanqi.

After teaching Zhang Ze for just one morning, Mo Jingchun started doubting her teaching methods.

The Sect Leader had similar thoughts.

The Sect Leader arrived around noon, originally just to observe, but upon watching Zhang Ze practice swordplay for a while, he also fell into deep thought.

He wondered if there was a problem with the Sword Sect's entrance test.

How did Zhang Ze manage to slip into the Sword Sect?

Thinking about it led to the present moment.

Zhang Ze was clueless, thinking his training was excellent, puzzled by the expressions of the family.

He was simply adding some practical, quirky ideas into his sword moves.

Under the intense observation from the family trio, Zhang Ze felt uncomfortable, just as he pondered saying something random, the Sect Leader suddenly and inexplicably aimed a sword Qi strike at him.

"Silencing me?! Even if you misjudged me, isn't this overkill?!"

Zhang Ze twisted his body to dodge the sword Qi, then controlled himself in the air to evade several more, finally retreating to ten meters away.

"I see." The Sect Leader then launched several Foundation Establishment stage-power sword Qis at Zhang Ze, planning to verify his conjecture further.

Zhang Ze dodged three of them; for the remaining sword Qis that were unavoidable, he neutralized them with counter sword Qi.

Observing Zhang Ze's agile maneuvers and sharp sword moves, Chen Qin realized the reasoning.

She tugged at her mother's sleeve, "Mom, beat him, quickly go beat Senior Brother."

Zhang Ze, "?"

Before Zhang Ze could react, an enlightened Mo Jingchun slashed with her sword.

This sword was blocked by Zhang Ze, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw another sword coming from the Sect Leader...

By nightfall.

Zhang Ze finally experienced Chen Qin's long-yearned-for back massage service, but at this moment, he felt nothing.

It's not that he's weak, but numb.

Zhang Ze's entire back was so numb that he felt nothing.

He had been beaten by the couple all afternoon.

Though there were no superficial injuries, the torment to his muscles and bones, along with the pain of having his Spiritual Qi drained, were unavoidable.

"Senior Brother, don't blame my parents, who told you..." Chen Qin comforted him quietly while applying medicine.

Zhang Ze waved his hand with difficulty, "I understand; it's for my own good, I know, I deserve it."

He sighed, feeling sorrow for his own talent.

The saying goes, all are teachable, adjust teaching to one's aptitude.

Some possess exceptional talent, understanding in a flash.

Some are dull for a century, but suddenly enlightened.

Chen Qin belongs to the former.

And Zhang Ze belongs to the latter.

He's the kind who needs a beating to remember, a genius who learns through adversity.

The few sword strikes the Sect Leader first launched today were exactly the same as those Mo Jingchun tested Zhang Ze with yesterday.

The same sword moves; yesterday, Zhang Ze was beaten until he couldn't stand, but after only one night, he managed to dodge them all today.

Such formidable comprehension can be called monstrous with no defects except needing physical experience.

The reason Zhang Ze's attribute went unnoticed before was due to a lack of opportunity.

At the seventh Sword Pavilion, although Li always talked about beating him, he indulged Zhang Ze a lot, as did the Pavilion Master.

During external training, aside from a couple of real fights during his Qi Cultivation stage, the rest of the time, he followed others and watched.

With no chance for breakthrough through battle, Zhang Ze's talent stayed hidden until now.

After understanding Zhang Ze's characteristics, the couple formulated a new teaching plan for him.

The plan is simple, a seven-day cycle.

On days one, three, five, the Sect Leader strikes.

On days two, four, six, Aunt strikes.

The remaining day is for rest, reading, and filling in basic knowledge gaps.

The goal is to rectify his bad habits within a month.

At worst, refine his sword moves to be more conventional, avoiding embarrassment for the Sword Sect when he's out.