Sect's Unique Skill——Act According to the Eyes

Morning drizzle.

Lin Luoyu slowly opened her eyes to the faint sound of rain outside her window.

The spiritual treasure, the Haoran Sword, gifted by her master, suited her perfectly. Yet, as a spiritual treasure, it still required her to maintain contact with it.

This sword housed a true sword spirit—one that was remarkably naive. Judging by the spirit alone, it was undoubtedly a newly forged spiritual sword.

It reminded her of her younger self—stubborn and headstrong.

Her master had clearly put thought into this. This was the sword she had longed for in her heart.

Lin Luoyu rose to her feet. The Haoran Sword resting before her emitted a soft white glow, its righteous aura rippling outward as it levitated midair. She reached out and lightly tapped the hilt in greeting.

The noble sword swayed slightly, as if returning the gesture.

A faint smile touched Lin Luoyu’s lips before she walked to the window and gently pushed it open, her gaze settling on the rain-veiled street below.

Cui Hao’s words last night had held some truth. But just because she knew how to do the right thing didn’t mean she was an inflexible fool.

Her fifth junior brother still didn’t understand why he was the fifth, while she remained the fourth senior sister.

Today, their journey would continue. She’d see whether this fifth junior brother would eventually need her to clean up his mess.

Lin Luoyu raised her hand slightly, and the Haoran Sword returned to her grasp.

Stepping out of her room, she made her way to the tavern’s first-floor hall.

"Senior Sister, did you rest well? Care for a bowl?"

Lin Luoyu glanced over to see Cui Hao holding a bowl of plain congee, grinning at her. Beside him sat Donggua and half of Xigua.

Half of Xigua was quite the sight—intimidating enough that the nearby waitstaff stole curious glances, their expressions twisted between fascination and disgust. It was the kind of reaction reserved for something bizarre—unseen yet unsettling.

Xigua remained calm, using his one remaining hand to scoop congee into his mouth.

Donggua, on the other hand, sipped her congee with refined elegance, though it came off as somewhat affected.

Lin Luoyu arched a brow. Truly, Cui Hao never seemed out of place, no matter who he was with. Even if he were slinging an arm around half of Xigua, she’d find it natural.

But joining them for a meal was out of the question.

"No, you go ahead," she declined.

Cui Hao slurped his congee and sighed. "Ah, I miss sharing plain congee with you, Senior Sister. Too bad you’ve reached the stage of fasting, while I’m still just a measly Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"Shouldn’t you be reflecting on yourself?" Lin Luoyu retorted, seating herself with her sword. "Why are you still stuck in Foundation Establishment after all this time? Eat quickly. The road is long—we’ll rest when we arrive."

Cui Hao nodded emphatically and began gulping down his congee in large mouthfuls. Donggua and Xigua followed suit.

As usual, Donggua covered the bill.

By the time they finished breakfast, the rain still drizzled lightly.

Today, Cui Hao volunteered to drive the carriage.

A somewhat battered carriage rolled along a similarly worn road.

From the highest point of the inn, Li Xingtian stood in silence, his gaze trailing the rickety carriage as it moved.

After capturing Xigua and Donggua, Li Xingtian had temporarily freed himself from the burdens of expanding the Divine Sect. No longer did he have to deal with those repulsive demonic cultivators. Now, he could focus on assisting the operation led by his junior siblings.

Some rumors suggested the eldest senior sister was also involved.

Li Xingtian knew his junior siblings well—they had spent enough time together. But compared to Cui Hao, he understood Lin Luoyu a little better.

They had once searched for the fated opportunity predicted by the Tianyan Sect’s sect master, scouring countless secret realms side by side.

When it came to his fourth junior sister, Li Xingtian trusted her reliability.

As for Cui Hao…

The nickname "Calamity Cui" might not carry much weight outside their sect, but within the sect, even San Dong—once Cui Hao’s most devoted follower—had come to accept it.

Yet the next moment, Li Xingtian’s eyes widened slightly, an inexplicable emotion rising in his chest.

From the back of the carriage, Cui Hao extended his right hand and gave him a thumbs-up.

Li Xingtian was momentarily speechless.

When he had first left their master to wander the world, their master had used a similar gesture to remind him—there were extra supplies hidden in his spatial ring.

Seeing this, Li Xingtian relaxed.

Even with his reputation, "Calamity Cui" never crossed the line. His mishaps were more amusing than disastrous.

The most crucial thing was… Cui Hao was the disciple who most resembled their master.

A severely watered-down version, perhaps.

But even a watered-down version of their master was enough to inspire confidence.

Li Xingtian turned to Yu Jing and Wen Zuo beside him.

"Proceed as planned. But be wary of my junior sister."

Wen Zuo hesitated before cautiously asking,

"By ‘junior sister,’ does the Sect Master mean that righteous cultivator radiating Haoran Qi?"

Li Xingtian frowned. "Do you really need to ask? It’s obviously not the one driving the carriage. Can’t you tell the difference between men and women?"

"Understood," Wen Zuo quickly replied, though inwardly, he couldn’t help but grumble—compared to gender, the contrast between righteousness and demonic cultivation was far harder to swallow.

The junior sister of the "Peerless Blood Fiend" was a cultivator brimming with righteous Haoran Qi.

What sect could possibly foster such a stark contradiction?

But these thoughts weren’t his concern.

Wen Zuo gripped his sword and added, "Rest assured, Sect Master. Brother Yu and I will hold back and ensure the junior sister’s safety."

Li Xingtian took a deep breath and leveled his gaze at them.

"I meant for you to be careful. My junior sister rarely spars with peers—she might not hold back perfectly. Don’t let her accidentally cut you down."

Wen Zuo hesitated. "Your junior sister is at the early Golden Core stage, correct?"

"Naturally."

"Then the Sect Master need not worry. Brother Yu and I are both mid-to-late Golden Core cultivators. Even if we can’t win, a two-on-one should at least ensure we don’t lose too embarrassingly."

Wen Zuo’s expression grew slightly confident.

Even in major sects, truly insurmountable gaps only appeared at the Nascent Soul stage—which was why most disciples were pushed to that level before being sent on missions.

Against an early Golden Core cultivator, even if they couldn’t win, they shouldn’t be completely outmatched, right?

Li Xingtian said nothing more, simply instructing, "Go."

Yu Jing and Wen Zuo bowed before swiftly flanking the carriage from both sides.

As per the Sect Master’s orders, they would wait until the carriage was far from populated areas before striking—lest stray attacks harm innocent bystanders.

Inside the carriage,

Cui Hao’s chatter didn’t cease just because he was driving. His voice filtered through the curtain.

Lin Luoyu had no interest in responding, and half of Xigua leaned silently in the corner.

Only Donggua replied to every remark.

Yet Lin Luoyu noticed Donggua’s occasional responses were strained.

After some time on the road, Donggua suddenly stiffened, her expression turning grave.

She glanced at Lin Luoyu, only to find her senior sister’s face equally solemn—and nodding slightly in confirmation.

"Hey, Donggua, what’s your favorite food?"

Donggua ignored the question. Right now, she didn’t feel like eating anything.

Because right now, she was the one about to be eaten.

In his spiritual sense, he faintly detected two cultivators at the Golden Core realm closing in from both sides.

Yet before him, Lin Luoyu was only at the early Golden Core stage, her own blood qi still suppressed—engaging in a fight now would be tantamount to suicide. As for Xigua, she was even weaker than Lin Luoyu.

“Why so quiet?”

Cui Hao lifted the curtain and stepped inside, first glancing at Donggua, whose expression was slightly tense, before exchanging a meaningful look with Lin Luoyu.

Lin Luoyu lowered her eyelids slightly in acknowledgment.

A smile tugged at Cui Hao’s lips—this was the Tianyan Sect’s signature skill: acting on a single glance.

At times like this, it proved especially useful.