The Dragon Changed Its Attitude

Li Yingling didn’t tease her second junior brother too much—after all, matters of the heart were delicate, and even the closest relationships had their boundaries.

Clearly, Chu Xingchen shared the same sentiment. Though both were itching to pry into Li Xingtian’s romantic affairs, they suppressed their curiosity and let him follow Yuan Kong alone to the Meditation Grove Division to see Li Zi.

As for the matter of Li Zi, Chu Xingchen himself wasn’t particularly well-informed, having only heard a somewhat perfunctory account from his second disciple.

In such cases, he couldn’t offer much advice. At most, he could lend a hand if Li Xingtian ever needed help.

A master’s duty wasn’t to clean up every mess their disciple made—especially not this kind of mess.

Yuan Kong didn’t dare linger either, quickly leading Li Xingtian toward the Zen Forest Temple.

With Li Xingtian’s departure, only three people remained in the grand hall.

Though Li Xingtian had left, the task of teaching Lin Luoyu her divine technique still had to continue.

Li Yingling flipped through the pages of [Righteous Sword] for a long while before finally remarking,

"It’s not particularly difficult… This feels less like a sword technique and more like a mental cultivation method."

Chu Xingchen nodded slightly in agreement—and it wasn’t an empty nod.

When this book had been given to Lin Luoyu, Chu Xingchen had also skimmed through it a few times. He understood its essence: the Righteous Sword didn’t emphasize the sword itself, but rather the concept of righteousness.

But righteousness, much like fate, was somewhat abstract.

Still, compared to fate, righteousness was at least a little more tangible.

"The sword techniques aren’t the hard part…" Li Yingling frowned slightly. "But this righteous state of mind isn’t something you can explain or impart through mere words."

In essence, the swordplay merely complemented the righteous mindset.

The closer one’s heart aligned with righteousness, the more powerful the sword techniques became.

But righteousness wasn’t something Li Yingling could teach—if someone asked her whether she was righteous, this senior sister would likely just stare at them as if they were an idiot.

Lin Luoyu had studied this divine technique carefully before coming here. Her issue wasn’t cultivating righteous energy itself, but rather how to use it effectively.

Still, the technique her master had given her was… a little strange.

Why had he chosen something like righteousness for her to cultivate?

Yet, the book did give her a peculiar… and unique sensation.

Had her master been paying attention to her? Had he deliberately picked this for her?

Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao had entered the sect at the same time. At first, Lin Luoyu had assumed her master would favor her more—after all, her cultivation progress had quickly outpaced Cui Hao’s.

But as time passed, she began to sense that her master might actually prefer Cui Hao.

She wasn’t particularly talkative, spending most of her time in solitary cultivation, unlike Cui Hao, who often joked and played around with their master and senior sister.

Everyone in the sect had a good temperament, but Lin Luoyu simply wasn’t used to casual banter, which made her seem somewhat invisible at times.

Her master was easygoing, only occasionally checking in on her—asking if she’d encountered any obstacles in her cultivation or if she needed anything.

Compared to Cui Hao, she must have seemed a little dull.

But then again… who wouldn’t seem dull next to Cui Hao?

Yet, the fact that her master had entrusted her with this technique…

Didn’t that mean he was paying attention to her, this quiet disciple of his?

This sect was like that sometimes—unexpectedly, anyone could make you feel a warmth that came straight from the heart.

Lin Luoyu turned to her senior sister. "The mindset isn’t the issue. I’m just unsure about how to synchronize the sword techniques with it."

"That’s easy enough. Let me explain."

Li Yingling nodded in understanding and began her explanation.

Chu Xingchen watched as Li Yingling slipped into teaching mode—her expression serious, her finger tracing the text as she spoke.

There was no denying it: at this moment, Li Yingling truly embodied the dignity of a senior sister.

The girl who had once wrinkled her nose at the shabby Water Heart Scripture in a ruined temple had now grown into someone others could rely on.

At first, Lin Luoyu listened attentively, nodding along and even offering her own insights.

But after half a shichen, her expression began to shift.

Her responses dwindled from thoughtful interjections to monosyllabic murmurs.

"Just do it like this. Understand?"

"Uh…"

"Still not clear? Let me go into more detail."

"Okay!"

"Now you’ve got it, right?"

"I…"

Li Yingling stared at Lin Luoyu’s stiff expression and the prolonged "I" and realized her entire explanation had been wasted.

Chu Xingchen had been listening quietly. Having already reached the Divine Transformation realm—and with Li Yingling’s cultivation insights feeding back to him—the [Righteous Sword] wasn’t particularly challenging for him.

At the very least, he knew the correct way to cultivate it.

That said, Li Yingling’s teaching method was a little… blunt. She focused solely on the core principles, skipping over the finer details.

It was like solving a college entrance math problem by drawing just one critical auxiliary line and assuming the student would grasp the rest.

Li Yingling thought Lin Luoyu only needed that one line.

In reality, Lin Luoyu hadn’t even fully understood the question, let alone the purpose of that line.

To her, it was as if Li Yingling had plucked a single thread from a tangled mess and declared, This is the answer.

"Let me handle this." Chu Xingchen chuckled after observing the scene. "Let me show you how to teach properly."

Li Yingling didn’t argue, simply shoving the [Righteous Sword] into her master’s hands and gesturing for him to proceed.

Chu Xingchen took the manual and stepped before Lin Luoyu.

"Come. Your master will personally enlighten you."

Lin Luoyu, still reeling from her earlier performance, felt a little uncertain.

But as she listened, she realized she could actually follow every word her master said—and where her senior sister had glossed over details, her master explained them with exceptional clarity.

By the time she grasped her master’s meaning, even Li Yingling’s earlier words suddenly made sense.

Every piece of knowledge her master imparted felt like a revelation, flowing smoothly into her mind with an almost soothing ease.

For a moment, Lin Luoyu even felt as if she’d grown as clever as her senior sister.

Was this how simple the world seemed in Li Yingling’s eyes?!

---

Outside the grand hall, in the corridor.

Cui Hao was making his way toward the hall. Normally, he’d head to the pond around this time—to sit for a while, whisper a few sweet words about his third senior sister, and maybe wheedle a cup of tea out of her.

But not today.

When he’d gone earlier, he’d found that the flood dragon from yesterday had already taken his usual spot.

Though yesterday’s atmosphere had been amicable, facing a flood dragon—especially one he’d spoken ill of—was a different matter.

Cui Hao decided it was best to lay low for now and revisit the pond only after the dragon’s memory had faded.

Of course, the main reason was…

That flood dragon was idly cradling a fish in its arms, stroking it absentmindedly...

And as it caressed the fish, the dragon wore a puzzled expression while staring at Third Senior Sister.

This wasn’t just a change in attitude—it was downright bizarre.

Cui Hao pondered for a moment and decided he should probably report this to their master.

Otherwise, their young and impressionable Third Senior Sister might end up corrupted by this eccentric flood dragon.

Stepping into the grand hall, Cui Hao’s gaze swept across the scene.

There, their master stood with an air of grandeur, looking at the senior sister as if showing off something.

Eldest Senior Sister merely tilted her head, her expression dripping with disdain.

But the most unsettling sight was Fourth Senior Sister—she was oddly wearing a blissful smile...

Cui Hao paused mid-step.

In an instant, he realized that the absurdity here might just rival that of Third Senior Sister’s side...