Seeing the reactions of the two people, the Sword Immortal let out a light哼 and relaxed. They were indeed lying, having never practiced dual cultivation.
With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth for a moment before saying to the two stunned individuals, "Do you really want to know?"
Jian Lin nodded frantically, while the Demon Lord nodded slowly with a heavy expression.
"Speaking of which, you probably haven't truly understood what dual cultivation is," the Sword Immortal scoffed. "You only know some frivolous talk from disreputable sources and think it's a simple matter?"
This old man's roundabout way of speaking was truly infuriating. If she hadn't needed his help, Jian Lin wouldn't have wanted to listen to his rambling.
Jian Lin lowered her gaze and remained silent. The Demon Lord responded respectfully, "Senior speaks the truth. I... have never considered dual cultivation."
Although there was the Hehuan Sect under the Demon Sect, their sect leader had been relentlessly pursued by the Immortal Realm and was forced to seek refuge with the Demon Sect along with his disciples.
Before coming to the Demon Realm, they had already formed their own faction. Their sect leader was older than the Demon Lord and managed things cautiously, keeping a low profile. Therefore, their relationship wasn't particularly close.
The Demon Lord wasn't curious about dual cultivation. He had only met the Hehuan Sect leader on official business a few times and had never proactively inquired about dual cultivation, so the sect leader naturally wouldn't mention it.
"That's right!" The Sword Immortal strode forward, looking into the Demon Lord's eyes and said, "Dual cultivation is not about indulging in pleasure. It requires the hearts and minds of both the male and female to be in sync, their divine senses to merge. Everything you possess must be handed over, including your cultivation, and the sword energy of the Xingtian Sword. Do you think she... with her mere Golden Core cultivation, can withstand the attack of the Xingtian Sword?"
Jian Lin realized something and asked excitedly, "Senior Sword Immortal, does that mean if we don't dual cultivate, it's fine for us to indulge in pleasure as ordinary men and women, right?"
She knew it, it was too exaggerated because of that dead person's business.
Jian Lin's question was blunt, which infuriated the Sword Immortal. He puffed out his beard and glared, his fingertips trembling as he reprimanded, "You female cultivator, truly shameless. No wonder no sect took you in, and no one taught you, allowing you to grow into this state."
"Who says I don't have a master?" Jian Lin retorted with a grin. "My master is the renowned True Person Xuan He of Chiyan Peak, Guanlan Sect. The way I am today is all thanks to my sect."
If it were in front of anyone else, Jian Lin would never have said it. It was precisely because the Sword Immortal kept calling her shameless that she decided to bring up her prestigious sect background to provoke him.
The Sword Immortal didn't believe her, saying Jian Lin was talking nonsense. Jian Lin didn't waste any more words and directly drew the He Yi Sword from her back to spar with the old man.
She used the sword technique personally taught by True Person Xuan He, one of the few things she had learned from Guanlan Sect.
After completing the set of sword techniques, the Sword Immortal exclaimed in disbelief, "After so many years, that brat Xuan He has really regressed. To think he taught such a useless disciple! I must go and see him when I get out!"
Jian Lin sheathed her sword behind her. Upon hearing this, she realized her guess was correct. The Sword Immortal, Daoist Gui Xu, indeed knew those past experts.
He called Xuan He "that brat," so he must have also enlightened him in the past.
Some things, even if Jian Lin felt reluctant, she still had to say them. "To be honest, Senior Sword Immortal, my master, True Person Xuan He, passed away more than ten years ago. You won't be able to see him."
The Sword Immortal was startled. "What happened? Then who is your master now?"
This was a long story. Jian Lin glanced at the Demon Lord, who nodded silently. He believed that with the Sword Immortal's current status, there was nothing that couldn't be said.
"When my master left, I was less than ten years old, so I don't know why he died," Jian Lin said seriously. "After he left, many things happened at Chiyan Peak. I don't have a master now."
"Why?" The Sword Immortal stepped forward, his brows furrowed, and questioned her, "I remember there was a saying in Guanlan Sect that if a disciple who hadn't completed their apprenticeship lost their master, they could re-apprenticeship within Guanlan Sect."
That rule indeed existed. However, at that time, the eldest disciple Yuan Shuo took over as the peak master, and none of the Guanlan Sect elders mentioned re-apprenticeship. They, the junior disciples, implicitly followed their senior brother.
Thinking back now, it must have been Yuan Shuo's scheme to use them as sacrifices for the Spirit Absorption Array. He certainly wouldn't let them go to apprentice elsewhere.
As for the Guanlan Sect elders, they had likely been bought off by Yuan Shuo with benefits, turning a blind eye and not intervening.
"Lord Sword Immortal, you don't know," Jian Lin sighed lightly and said heavily, "The current Guanlan Sect is no longer the Guanlan Sect of the past."
The current Guanlan Sect colluded with the Demon Realm, set up the Spirit Absorption Array, launched the war against the demons, the disciples were scattered and only cared about making money. They didn't even know that spiritual herbs in the secret realm had transformed into demons. The entire sect, from top to bottom, was rotten.
Jian Lin laid out the situation, and the Sword Immortal looked serious, remaining silent for a long time.
At this moment, they were in the deepest part of the cave, where the Sword Immortal rested.
A large opening was visible at the top of the cave, through which sunlight shone. The rock wall was covered with various exotic flowers and plants, and water droplets occasionally fell, gathering into a small pool at the bottom of the cave.
The Sword Immortal remained silent. Bored, Jian Lin's attention was drawn to a shimmering object in the small pool. She tiptoed over to examine it and was stunned to find that the silver fish in the pool were exactly the same as the silver fish at the bottom of the spiritual veins in the Demon Realm!
Excitedly, she tugged at the Demon Lord's sleeve, urging him to come and see. The Demon Lord was taken aback and whispered to Jian Lin, "It's a place filled with spiritual energy, so it's not strange to have them."
Actually, it was still quite strange. This small pool looked very ordinary, very different from the spiritual veins that flowed like a silver river.
"What are you talking about?" The Sword Immortal finally awoke from his deep thought and spoke.
"Senior, there's something I'd like to ask you," Jian Lin pondered for a moment before deciding to ask. "Where did these few silver fish in your small pool come from? I know they are from the Divine Realm, and I'm curious why they are here."
"Good eyesight," the Sword Immortal asked in confusion. "But why do you know they are from the Divine Realm?"
Jian Lin took out the transparent glass ball from her Qiankun bag. Inside, a silver fish was swimming happily. It was the one the Demon Lord had given her to confirm if Xiao Li was still alive.
"Because I have one," Jian Lin said solemnly. "I obtained it by chance."
The Sword Immortal was stunned, his gaze flickering. He had to re-examine Jian Lin. With so many coincidences surrounding her, she was definitely not just an ordinary cultivator.
Her ability to reach the Sword Immortal's cave must have been ordained by heaven.
With this thought, the Sword Immortal no longer concealed anything and told her about the past. "Those fish were placed in the small pool by Divine Venerable Li Yang when he visited me as I decided to enter seclusion and comprehend the Dao here."
Divine Venerable Li Yang, that name again. Jian Lin had heard it too many times.
The Sword Immortal stared intently at Jian Lin and noticed her expression change. He further surmised, "What? You know Divine Venerable Li Yang?"
"No, no," Jian Lin quickly waved her hands. "How could I know a god? It's just that I've happened to hear his name in many places."
By chance? That was definitely not a coincidence.
The Sword Immortal stroked his beard and suddenly realized the reason for meeting Jian Lin. He asked, "Jian Musheng, you sparred with me using Xuan He's sword techniques earlier, why didn't you draw your sword?"
Jian Lin was taken aback. Seeing the Sword Immortal's profound expression, she smiled and retorted, "Don't you already know? Why ask such a question?"
"You can't draw it?"
"Yes."
The Sword Immortal threw his head back and laughed heartily, as if very pleased. After laughing, he said with a relieved expression, "Jian Musheng, come here. Kowtow three times before me. I, destined to be your master."
The old man said it as if it were natural, but Jian Lin hesitated. Her primary goal in transmigrating here was to win over the Demon Lord. Learning sword techniques from the Demon Lord was to deepen their relationship. Why should she take another master?
To her, this was an unnecessary complication.
Jian Lin's silence genuinely angered the Sword Immortal. The old man stood up indignantly, his face full of displeasure. "What do you mean? Do you even know who I am? If I wanted to take a disciple, all the sword practitioners in the world would kneel before me. Are you still unwilling?"
"Ah..." Jian Lin was indeed unwilling. She said sheepishly, "Senior, if you really want to take me, I'm not easy to teach. Don't believe me, ask her."
Jian Lin pointed at the Demon Lord, who was still stunned by the news of the Sword Immortal taking a disciple.
Seeing the two looking at her, the Demon Lord calmly nodded and gave an honest assessment, "She is indeed not easy to teach. She's cunning and lazy, dislikes hardship, often slacks off, and her comprehension is average. You'll need to be patient and grind her down slowly."
Jian Lin wrinkled her nose. Although she knew the Demon Lord was telling the truth, she was still a bit annoyed that he wasn't saving her face in front of an outsider.
"It doesn't matter," the Sword Immortal waved his hand dismissively. "None of that matters. I don't care. I will teach you well."
The Demon Lord was astonished. The Sword Immortal was an otherworldly expert, so why was he so eager to take Jian Lin as a disciple? It was truly an unprecedented marvel.
Jian Lin was also shocked. She walked up to the Sword Immortal and decided to clarify everything. "Senior, you should know one thing. I am particularly fond of this man before me. We have mutual feelings, have had physical contact, and our relationship is developing well. We will eventually... reach the point of indulging in pleasure as man and woman. Do you really want to take me as your disciple?"
Not long ago, the Sword Immortal had pointed at her nose and called her shameless. This old man was very pedantic; he probably thought cultivation required asceticism.
If that were the case, after he became her master, he would definitely try to break her and the Demon Lord apart. Wouldn't that interfere with her mission? She would be a fool to agree.
Upon hearing Jian Lin's shameless words, the Sword Immortal's gaze sharpened, and his aura surged. His gaze shifted from Jian Lin to the Demon Lord.
The Xingtian Sword was able to enter together, so there must be a reason. The Sword Immortal convinced himself not to care too much.
After careful consideration, the Sword Immortal said through gritted teeth, "As long as you two put on a show in front of me and don't do those shameless things, I won't care what you do in private."
This was a concession that made him feel like spitting blood. The Demon Lord couldn't bear it and walked to Jian Lin's side to persuade her, "If the Sword Immortal can be your master, I believe he will have a way to help you draw out the He Yi Sword. This is something I cannot do. I support you taking the Senior as your master."
That was indeed true. Jian Lin's biggest concern was resolved, leaving her with no worries. Becoming the Sword Immortal's disciple was a tremendous benefit.
She knelt down, facing the elder, and knelt without any pressure. "Then, Senior, I will begin the ceremony!"