"So you're here!" Just as Li Ling was looking around aimlessly, a voice came from the side, as melodious as a nightingale's song, quite pleasant to the ear.
Li Ling turned around and saw Tian Ling'er and Zhang Xiaofan standing together. It was Tian Ling'er who had spoken earlier.
Tian Ling'er said unhappily, "Junior brother, you really are something. As soon as Xiao Fan arrived at the Cloud Sea, he was busy looking for you, but you were slacking off here. Do you even respect him as a friend?"
Li Ling smiled slightly and teased, "Haha, Xiao Fan has his senior sister by his side, I don't want to disturb you two's love talk!"
"You...!" Tian Ling'er blushed instantly upon hearing Li Ling's teasing, stomped her foot angrily, and then said, "Hmph, Xiao Fan, you stay here with your good brother, I'm going to find my senior brother..."
Then, embarrassed and annoyed, she turned and ran away.
"Hahahaha..." Li Ling couldn't help but burst into triumphant laughter!
"Senior Sister!" Zhang Xiaofan called out as he watched Tian Ling'er run away. He took a few steps, wanting to chase after her, but then remembered that Li Ling was still there. After hesitating for a moment, he stopped and stood beside him.
Seeing Zhang Xiaofan's conflicted expression, wanting to pursue her but too shy to do so, Li Ling couldn't help but laugh again, teasingly saying, "Xiaofan, if you want to pursue your senior sister, then go ahead and do it. As your good brother, I won't laugh at you for valuing a girl over your friend..."
Zhang Xiaofan scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, saying, "My relationship with my senior sister isn't what you think. Besides, we see each other every day. Well, I'll stay here with you!"
"Alright, it's been over a year since we last met. Come to think of it, I was the one who went to Dazhu Peak to see you both times. You're quite something, kid!" Li Ling joked.
"Ah, after I became proficient in manipulating objects, I wanted to go to Dragon Head Peak to find you, but my master wouldn't allow it. He said I should focus on my cultivation to prepare for the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament, so..." Zhang Xiaofan said somewhat hesitantly.
"Haha, look at you, I was just saying that casually!" Li Ling laughed, looking at Zhang Xiaofan's honest appearance.
Regardless, Li Ling still considered Zhang Xiaofan a friend. After all, even with Li Ling's experience, it was extremely rare to find such a sincere friend.
He looked Zhang Xiaofan up and down again before saying, "You're quite something, kid. You've actually made it to the fifth level. Your progress is impressive. With your current cultivation level being so astonishing, your speed of progress is probably the fastest among the people on Dazhu Peak!"
"Hasn't your master doted on you, cherished you, and even begged you to marry his daughter to you?"
"This..." Zhang Xiaofan was an honest boy, and upon hearing Li Ling's joking remark, he quickly said, "Don't talk nonsense, I..."
"Haha, I was just saying!" Li Ling glanced at Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder again and asked, "Xiaofan, where's your pet monkey?"
"You mean Little Gray? I brought it up here on my sword not long ago, and then it ran off somewhere with Big Yellow," Zhang Xiaofan replied.
"Flying sword? You have your own flying sword now?" Li Ling was taken aback. Zhang Xiaofan didn't use the Soul-Devouring Staff?
As he spoke, Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but sigh slightly, his expression quite dejected: "Although my cultivation level is already at the fifth level of the Jade Purity Realm, I don't even have a suitable magic weapon."
"According to the rules, we should have gone down the mountain to search on the fourth level, but we just happened to run into the Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament."
"My master wanted me to help him vent his anger from the past, so he never let me leave the mountain. Instead, he has been teaching me by his side ever since. I am still using my master's Crimson Flame Sword!"
Li Ling laughed and said, "That's perfect! If I inherit my master's sword and daughter, and then inherit the position of the head of Dazhu Peak in the future, that would be truly wonderful!"
"Ah Ling!!!" Zhang Xiaofan roared angrily, his voice tinged with displeasure. Clearly, he couldn't stand Li Ling's constant teasing of Tian Ling'er. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and likely refers to a separate entity or event.)
------------
Chapter 338: Born Enemies
"Haha, alright, alright, I won't say anymore. I was just joking, Xiao Fan, don't take it to heart!" Li Ling said with a smile.
Then, a thought struck him, and with a flick of his right hand, a flying sword appeared in his hand. He handed it directly to Zhang Xiaofan: "Here you go. You can't always use your master's flying sword. I went down the mountain a while ago and found a lot of good materials. I forged two flying swords. I'll give you this one."
“You don’t have a suitable magic weapon, and Uncle Tian isn’t exactly well-off either. We can’t let you carry around the Crimson Flame Sword all the time.”
After forging the Qiankun Sword, Li Ling also forged a set of close-fitting inner armor. Following the principle of not wasting any materials, he used the remaining materials to forge this flying sword.
However, since he already had the Dragon-Slaying Sword, the Qiankun Sword, and the Xuanhuo Mirror, he figured he wouldn't need this sword, so he simply gave it to Zhang Xiaofan.
He received many opportunities from Zhang Xiaofan, so his future achievements will probably not be as great as in the original story, but he will also avoid those unforgettable experiences.
Moreover, in Li Ling's opinion, although the Soul-Devouring Staff was powerful, it also had the attribute of devouring its master, so it was best for Zhang Xiaofan to use it sparingly before his cultivation level was sufficient.
"Ah, Ling, no need, I can't accept it..." Zhang Xiaofan was about to refuse when he saw it, but Li Ling put the flying sword in his hand.
"Alright, stop being so polite with me. I already have the Dragon Slayer Sword and this Qiankun Sword. I only have two hands, how can I possibly hold a third sword? Alright, hurry up and put it away!"
Before Zhang Xiaofan could object, Li Ling stood up and said with a smile, "Let's go. Flying on swords is not allowed on Tongtian Peak, so we'll have to walk!"
Because of the existence of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, flying on swords is not allowed on Tongtian Peak. At that moment, more than sixty disciples stepped out from the sea of clouds and walked towards Tongtian Peak!
Among these people, ten stood out, simply because they were all beautiful and charming women.
In particular, a girl dressed in white, with a cool and aloof expression, attracted everyone's attention.
The girl's mere presence evoked images of pristine, untouched snow on a remote, snow-covered mountain, stirring a sense of anticipation in one's heart. How breathtakingly beautiful she would be if she were to smile.
I walked up the Rainbow Bridge of the Six Scenic Spots of Qingyun. The bridge, which had no piers and no bottom, seemed to lead directly to the celestial realm. The clouds and mist, like those of a fairyland, swirled around me. Amidst the splashing water, colorful rainbow bridges appeared around me.
Among the more than sixty people, the female disciples from Xiaozhu Peak were more sentimental and were already dazzled by the sight. Even Lu Xueqi, who had the most aloof personality, couldn't help but show a slight expression of appreciation.
Li Ling had never been to Tongtian Peak before, so he took a good look at the stunning scenery that left everyone speechless. However, not long after stepping onto the rainbow bridge, he felt uncomfortable, as if some natural enemy was watching him.
"Ah Ling, what's wrong?" Seeing Li Ling's serious expression, Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but ask with concern, "Are you nervous because you saw this rainbow bridge? Didn't we see it five years ago?"
After saying that, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly remembered something and laughed, "Oh, right, I forgot, you were brought up here unconscious and haven't seen the beautiful scenery yet. Speaking of which, I even met the Spirit Lord of the Azure Pool!"
"Spirit Lord? Water Qilin?!" Only then did Li Ling realize that the Qingyun Sect possessed the divine beast Water Qilin, or rather, he had overlooked it.
"Splash~~"
Just as Li Ling was thinking, a giant beast, over five zhang tall, suddenly emerged from the pool, glanced at the crowd, and then turned its gaze to Li Ling, staring at him with a provocative expression.