Before long, Su Su gradually began to appreciate the benefits of Sword Washing.
The Hengyang Sword Style emphasized boldness and unrestrained movements, focusing on the character "courage." However, Penglai's Light Swan Sword prioritized the comprehension of Sword Intent. As the sword in her hand, thin as a cicada's wing, trembled slightly, a subtle and wondrous sensation washed over her.
Was this Sword Intent?
It was said that when the Light Swan Sword Art was cultivated to its peak, the master could achieve a heart-to-heart connection with the sword. With time, it might even nurture a Sword Spirit.
Being naturally studious, once she grasped some of its intricacies, Su Su no longer resisted Sword Washing. Without needing Cang Jiumin’s guidance, she began to apply herself earnestly.
While she washed her sword by the pool, Cang Jiumin sat cross-legged under a tree, watching her.
Su Su had initially thought she would be confined to the Sword Washing Pool for a long time. To her surprise, in just over a month, Cang Jiumin released her.
Only after her release did she learn that Cai Shuang, tormented by the chilling cold of the Nether Ice Pond, had been in unbearable agony and was taken away by the East Wing Master a few days prior. In contrast, Su Su was lively and unharmed, not suffering in the slightest.
When Penglai disciples encountered Su Su, they would still politely greet her. It was then that Su Su realized that the incident of her kicking Cai Shuang back into the Nether Ice Pond had not been spread.
Occasionally, she came across the disciple who had witnessed the event with righteous indignation that day. His expression evasive, he merely clasped his hands in salute upon seeing Su Su, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Huh? Had the Penglai disciples all become so friendly?
A few days later, in the Apricot Grove, a male disciple, blushing, invited Su Su to watch the Penglai disciples spar.
Su Su thought to herself that if she succeeded in becoming a disciple, she would likely have to stay in Penglai for a long time. Building good relationships with her fellow disciples was essential, so she gladly accepted his invitation.
The disciple was modest, polite, and somewhat shy, chatting and laughing with Su Su along the way. However, before they could even leave the Apricot Grove, they turned a corner and ran into Cang Jiumin, whose face was cold and stern.
The male disciple instantly became tense and hurriedly bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Uncle Jiumin."
Cang Jiumin’s gaze swept over Su Su before settling on the male disciple.
"Zeduan, while other disciples are practicing their swordsmanship for the assessment, is this how you prepare?"
Hearing his cold and stern tone, Zeduan knew Uncle Jiumin was angry.
The Penglai assessment, held once every ten years, required every disciple to participate, with the victor facing the previous Sword Master.
If one disgraced themselves in the assessment, it would not only bring shame upon their master but also result in punishment for negligence.
Zeduan quickly explained, "Uncle Jiumin, please allow me to explain. This disciple has been practicing swordsmanship diligently lately."
Within Penglai Island, everyone feared this unpredictable Uncle Jiumin, and Zeduan was no exception.
Seeing this, Su Su quickly nodded and spoke up for Zeduan, "He’s telling the truth! He hasn’t been negligent!"
Zeduan had invited her out of kindness, fearing she might be bored while Immortal Master Rong Kui was still in seclusion. Now, his face had turned pale, and he looked utterly pitiful.
The moment she spoke, Cang Jiumin’s expression darkened even further.
His dark, piercing eyes shifted from Zeduan to Su Su as he said coldly, "When did it become your place to interrupt while I am disciplining a Penglai disciple?"
Su Su couldn’t help but retort, "I might become a Penglai disciple in the future."
Cang Jiumin sneered mockingly, "Fairy Li’s aspirations do not lie with the Immortal Sword, and Penglai cannot tolerate someone as dull-witted as you. After washing a thousand swords, you still fail to grasp Sword Intent. Instead, you distract our Penglai disciples from their progress. Fairy Li, you might as well return to Hengyang."
Su Su tilted her head, puzzled.
She wasn’t particularly angry—after all, Cang Jiumin had always been this irritable and sarcastic.Earlier at the Sword Washing Pool, he clearly hadn't been so sharp-tongued. When Su Su said she had only touched the Sword Intent without fully comprehending it, he had even said it was fine.
Su Su thought their relationship had eased, but unexpectedly encountering him today, Cang Jiumin had reverted to his previous aloof demeanor, his gaze even carrying a prickly attitude.
The two stared at each other.
Zeduan, seeing that his matter had implicated Fairy Li, had long been uneasy and quickly said, "It's Zeduan's fault. This disciple will return to prepare for the assessment."
After speaking, he bowed to Cang Jiumin and, unable to look back at Su Su, hurried away.
Su Su caught up with Cang Jiumin: "What are you angry about?"
He gazed at the forest of apricot trees, his eyes indifferent, continuing forward without acknowledging her.
Su Su clasped her hands behind her back, following him, mimicking his demeanor as she coldly criticized, "The disciples of Penglai are truly unfortunate to have such a fierce senior brother. I suggest Senior Brother Cang learn from my senior brother—what it means to be dignified and beloved by all."
Cang Jiumin halted and glanced at her with a scoff.
"Why would I be angry?"
He took a step forward. Su Su met his stormy dark eyes and instinctively retreated.
She felt inexplicably nervous.
Cang Jiumin paused, his expression cold. "Zeduan is Penglai's most outstanding disciple in nearly a century. If Fairy Li doesn't cultivate herself, don't go ruining him."
"I'm not ruining him!" she retorted, lifting her head. "Don't wrongfully accuse me."
He glanced at her peach-blossom-like face, said nothing, and turned to leave.
After that day, she never saw Cang Jiumin again.
Su Su thought: What a detestable jerk. Didn't he start teaching me the Light Swan Sword Art? Why is he ignoring me right after beginning?
If not for Cang Jiumin's earlier remarks at the Sword Washing Pool about achieving a bloodless victory against Cai Shuang, Su Su would have thought he was deliberately snubbing her because of his sworn sister Cai Shuang.
These past few days, the green fruits on Penglai Immortal Island ripened. Every morning, a few fresh green fruits would appear in Su Su's hall.
She assumed they were prepared by the little fairies of Penglai and didn't pay much attention.
Today, the Penglai assessment would determine the winner. Biting into a green fruit, she cheerfully slipped over to watch the competition.
The cultivation world has always admired strength—this is no exception since ancient times.
Hearing that Zeduan had passed all rounds of the assessment, and today being the final day, Su Su decided to go and see.
As soon as she appeared, Zeduan spotted her in the crowd.
The disciples of Penglai all wore flowing green robes, their black hair tied with jade crowns, while the female disciples wore carved jade hairpins. Su Su, not being from Penglai, stood out in her crimson dress, like a peach blossom blooming on a branch in the mortal world's third month, her waist adorned with a charming silver bell, entirely different from Penglai's overall style.
Zeduan's face flushed slightly, and he nodded to her from afar.
Su Su hadn't come specifically to see him, but noticing his politeness, she waved back and made an encouraging gesture.
A chilly gaze fell upon her. Su Su looked up and saw Cang Jiumin in the main seat.
The competition began shortly after. As Cang Jiumin had said, Zeduan truly was Penglai's most outstanding new disciple in centuries.
He defeated many seniors, his Immortal Sword gleaming with radiant light.
In the end, Zeduan emerged as the winner.
An excited Penglai disciple beside her exclaimed, "Then doesn't that mean Senior Brother Zeduan will have to fight with Uncle Jiumin?"
The winner could challenge the previous Sword Master. Cang Jiumin had held the title for a hundred years, and this was the moment the Penglai disciples most anticipated.The stern and eccentric martial uncle, facing Zeduān, was bound to be an interesting match.
Earlier, Immortal Master Rong Kui had even declared that whoever could defeat his disciple Cang Jiumin would receive the complete Light Swan Sword Art, even if he never took another disciple. Everyone knew Rong Kui was honing his most outstanding disciple, yet for a century, people still longed to defeat Cang Jiumin.
The allure of the Light Swan Sword Art was immense—even without formal apprenticeship, one could learn this supreme sword art of the Six Realms.
Lost in thought, Su Su watched as Cang Jiumin and Zeduān clashed on the platform.
Zeduān bowed in salute, but Cang Jiumin showed no reaction. The crowd was accustomed to his "disdainful aloofness," so no one commented.
However, after dozens of Zeduān’s sword strikes, Cang Jiumin’s blade only defended, without engaging in sparring.
"Uncle Jiumin still follows his rule, letting Zeduān... Huh?"
Usually, during assessments, he would let his opponents strike fifty times, but today, he allowed Zeduān eighty moves.
Cang Jiumin’s sword mirrored his personality—cold, unpredictable, and brutally efficient, often ending battles hastily.
Yet today, his sword techniques were ethereal and dazzling, the blade humming with the resonance of an Immortal Sword, white Spiritual Energy flowing like wings, stunning everyone present.
"Uncle Jiumin..." a female disciple stammered, her cheeks flushing as she gazed at the man on the platform.
How had she never noticed before? The aloof, fearsome Great Demon King Cang Jiumin was... this captivating?
Su Su, too, was awed by the overwhelming Sword Intent. She began to understand why, despite Hengyang’s formidable sword arts, her father had insisted she come to Penglai to train.
Soon, Cang Jiumin’s sword pointed at Zeduān’s chest. Zeduān, unwilling but resigned, admitted defeat.
Cang Jiumin sheathed his sword, ignoring Su Su and the other disciples, and returned to his immortal palace.
Su Su’s eyes sparkled with a sudden idea.
If she defeated Cang Jiumin, she could definitely learn the entire Light Swan Sword Art, right?
Cang Jiumin hadn’t gone far when a faint rustle of wind stirred, lifting fallen leaves around him.
He narrowed his eyes slightly but didn’t turn.
A figure descended from above, sword thrusting toward him.
His Immortal Sword remained sheathed; he met the attacker’s blade with its scabbard.
The crimson-clad girl was forced back several steps, her toes lightly touching the apricot grove before she gripped her sword and charged at him again.
At that time, she had learned many forms of Sorcery but never formal swordplay. Her improvised techniques, picked up by osmosis, were chaotic, driven only by reckless courage.
"Li Susu." Cang Jiumin’s lips twitched. "What nonsense are you up to?"
The girl’s eyes shone brightly. "I heard that if anyone defeats you, Immortal Master Rong Kui will teach them the Light Swan Sword Art. Take this!"
He scoffed. "With your skills? Go ahead and try."
It was the truth. He was years older than Su Su, the son of the powerful East Wing Master, and Rong Kui’s sole personal disciple—Cang Jiumin’s Cultivation was unfathomable.
But his words provoked Su Su, whose stubborn nature flared.
She had initially intended to spar with him, accepting that victory was impossible and planning to try again later. Yet Cang Jiumin’s remark made the little phoenix so furious her tail feathers practically bristled.
Who did he think he was looking down on?
Abandoning her sword, she switched to Sorcery.
Su Su, born with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, wielded True Fire brilliantly, its flames so intense the temperature around that part of Penglai Island rose noticeably.
The True Fire spread toward Cang Jiumin’s feet.
He raised a hand, and with a flick of his finger, the wind extinguished all the flames.
Su Su thought: Damn, I can’t beat him this way either.
Then, an idea struck her. She shouted, "Watch out!"She threw a luminous pearl towards Cang Jiumin.
Learning from the previous itching powder incident, he no longer sliced it apart but sidestepped to avoid it.
Su Su rummaged through her Universe Bag and continued throwing things...
An oil-paper umbrella, candied hawthorn berries, spirit stones.
Cang Jiumin’s face darkened.
Then she threw out a pill. The pill exploded, releasing a white mist that dispersed and transformed into countless fierce-looking Steel-Toothed Rabbits, all lunging to bite him.
Who knew what kind of escape weapon Li Susu had concocted? In the mist, Cang Jiumin couldn’t see anything for a moment.
He knew Li Susu was full of tricks and didn’t dare to actually crush these illusory creations, so he just stood coldly in place. As an Immortal Body, being bitten a few times by these useless things felt no worse than an itch.
Just as he thought this, someone broke through the mist and struck at him. Though temporarily unable to see, Cang Jiumin’s hearing was sharp. Wanting to end this absurd duel, he pretended not to notice until she was right in front of him, then he moved.
Cang Jiumin blocked Su Su’s wrist, but she deliberately lost her footing, feigning a stumble as if she were about to fall.
A pale, cold hand suddenly caught her.
She froze for a moment.
Actually, this was just... a move to make the enemy underestimate her. But since Cang Jiumin had taken the bait, why not go along with it? Su Su pounced on him, pressing him hard to the ground while slapping a dark blue Body Fixing Talisman onto his forehead with a "smack."
"You lose!"
She pinned his shoulders, picked up his sword lying nearby, and pressed the scabbard against his neck, saying, "Senior Brother Jiumin, do you admit defeat?"
The mist dissipated, and the surrounding Steel-Toothed Rabbits vanished like bubbles.
The eternally unchanging, monotonous scenery of Penglai unfolded before his eyes. The girl sat astride his waist, urging him triumphantly to admit defeat.
His body stiffened. "Get off."
Su Su grinned. "Hurry up and admit defeat! You’re hit with the Body Fixing Talisman—you can’t move anyway. If you don’t admit defeat, this isn’t over today."
Perhaps this "underhanded" method had angered him deeply, as a faint red tint bloomed at the corners of his eyes. He remained silent, saying nothing.
Growing impatient, she nudged him. "Hey, Immortal Master Rong Kui never specified how to defeat you. You said it yourself at the Sword Washing Pool—all’s fair in war."
The "immobile" person beneath her curled his fingers slightly.
He muttered vaguely, "Mm."
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