Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

After Yisha left looking satisfied, Ye Wen Ni’s pretty face was tight with displeasure. When Ling Xiao saw her, he couldn’t help but find it amusing. "Alright now, stop pouting. It’s not a good look."

Ye Wen Ni turned her head, ignoring him completely. But a wave of insecurity unexpectedly washed over her. ’Yeah, that Yisha... you can tell she’s from a prestigious, powerful family just by looking at her. And what am I? Just a little thief. A little thief who doesn’t even know who her parents are.’ As she dwelled on this, a bitter feeling welled up, and her eyes began to redden.

Just then, Ling Xiao said, "I asked you to stay because I need your help with something—and it’s a task only you can perform."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wen Ni’s mood instantly brightened. She turned back to face him, sniffled, and, ignoring the smirks on Chunlan and Qiuyue’s faces, asked, "What is it?"

Ling Xiao smiled to himself. ’Ye Wen Ni’s straightforward nature really is endearing,’ he thought. He said with a smile, "I want you to teach the Jade Maiden Sword Skill to Chunlan and Qiuyue. This particular skill set can actually form a Sword Array. If you train it well, you’ll even be able to fight enemies several levels higher than yourselves!"

Chunlan and Qiuyue were instantly overjoyed. They didn’t care where their Young Master had obtained the sword skill; if they could improve their strength and truly be of service to him, that would be their greatest joy.

Ye Wen Ni paused, then asked, "This Sword Array... is it for three people to train in?"

Ling Xiao shook his head and said, "Ideally, it’s for seven people. But right now, I don’t fully trust anyone else."

Ye Wen Ni’s heart soared with joy. She felt that Ling Xiao valued her more than that young girl, Yisha, who had just been here.

Chunlan and Qiuyue were also moved beyond words. This meant Ling Xiao had completely accepted them, treating them as his most trusted confidantes!

At that moment, Ling Xiao took two Vantia Holy Fruits from his Space Ring. The moment Ye Wen Ni saw them, her eyes lit up. She had grown incredibly fond of these little fruits.

As if reading her mind, Ling Xiao said calmly, "You can only eat one of these. Any more will have no effect. True strength still requires diligent training. This is one of the main reasons I’m not letting you go out on the expedition. What you need to do now is practice your sword skills every day and cultivate your state of mind. Strive to raise your mental cultivation to the level of a Tier Six Great Sword Master as soon as possible!"

Only then did Chunlan and Qiuyue stare at Ye Wen Ni in utter shock. Neither of them had imagined that Ye Wen Ni was actually at the level of a Tier Six Great Sword Master. This... this was simply astonishing.

Ye Wen Ni forced her gaze away from the two translucent, sparkling fruits. Then, she smiled at Chunlan and Qiuyue. "Alright now, don’t be so surprised by my high cultivation level. Here, once you eat these, you’ll be about the same as me!"

"Really?" the bolder Chunlan asked, looking at Ling Xiao. Qiuyue also gazed at Ling Xiao, her face full of anticipation.

Ling Xiao nodded. "After you take it, you’ll experience immense pain as it unblocks your meridians. You must be mentally prepared."

"Young Master, we’re not afraid!" Chunlan and Qiuyue said in unison.

Ling Xiao nodded, gratified. Although he hadn’t spent much time with Chunlan and Qiuyue, he could clearly feel their devotion and care for him. To these two maids, Ling Xiao was their entire world; his will was their command. Of course Ling Xiao would dote on maids like these. Helping them improve their strength was the most natural thing in the world.

"One more thing," Ling Xiao said, his face uncharacteristically serious. "Do not speak of this to anyone—neither the Holy Fruits nor the sword skill. Not even my parents!"

Chunlan and Qiuyue nodded like chicks pecking at grain. Even if Ling Xiao hadn’t said anything, they would never have casually revealed this matter. Though they belonged to the Ling Mansion, they belonged even more to Ling Xiao!

...

"Yisha! Where did your shyness go? Your pride? Heavens, how could you... how could you do something like that!" Mary looked at Yisha with bitter disappointment. She couldn’t believe it. Just yesterday, she had gone out shopping, wearing that exquisite and expensive silk scarf and carrying ten Silver Coins, feeling absolutely blissful. But in the half-day she was gone, countless things had happened. She was still clueless when she returned late last night. If she hadn’t gone out today and heard everyone gossiping about it, she would have remained completely in the dark.

Mary felt this was a great injustice to Young Master Qin’s gift. She said to Yisha sadly, "You don’t consider me a friend anymore, Yisha!"

But this Yisha was no longer the one Mary knew. She just smiled gently at Mary and said, "Now, now, Mary. I still consider you my best friend. But we all have to grow up eventually, don’t we?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Mary looked up, staring at Yisha in confusion, not understanding what she was trying to say.

"I mean that no matter how shy you are, when you meet someone you like, you have to be bold and pursue them!" Yisha said with a mischievous grin. "Because if you miss your chance, you might never get a second opportunity for your heart to flutter like that again!"

Mary looked at Yisha’s cute, blushing face. Yes, it was still the same Yisha, but her words felt foreign. This was no longer the Yisha who did whatever Mary said, no longer the Yisha whom Mary could easily take advantage of.

Yes, Yisha had truly grown up.

Mary had always avoided this issue in her heart. She knew the gap between herself and Yisha was huge—enormous, even! That was why she had hoped Yisha would never grow up, so they could remain best friends forever. It would be best if Yisha didn’t need any friends other than her!

"Mary, no matter what happens, I will always consider you my best friend," Yisha said, looking at Mary calmly. "So please don’t worry. I will always be the same Yisha. It’s just that when it comes to matters of the heart, no one else can make my decisions for me. Do you understand?"

Mary nodded dumbly. She still didn’t understand what was so charming about that Ling Xiao that he could bewitch Yisha like this. She really wanted to march right up to Ling Xiao and ask him if he had given Yisha a love potion.

「The next morning」, everyone who had signed up for the Mesopotamia Grassland expedition gathered on the Imperial Academy’s grand parade ground. Ling Xiao glanced around and was taken aback. The dense, dark sea of people numbered at least a thousand!

And the entire student body of the Imperial Academy was just over ten thousand people!

Nearly a tenth of the student body had signed up for a single, voluntary training expedition.

The Imperial Academy, for its part, had dispatched an escort of over two hundred instructors to ensure the students’ safety. The weakest among them was a Tier Two Great Sword Master, and the strongest were Tier Two Demon Swordsmen.

Only then did Ling Xiao understand why no one dared to casually offend the Imperial Academy. It was said that High-level Martial Artists were rare, yet the academy could pull out a whole crowd of them at a moment’s notice. It was clear now that it wasn’t that High-tier Martial Artists didn’t exist; they were simply scattered, or perhaps, hiding in plain sight!

After some rules were announced, the thousand-plus students were divided into more than twenty groups and began the long journey to the Mesopotamia Grassland.

The instructor leading Ling Xiao’s group was, by sheer coincidence, Shangguan Yutong.