Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 108 - 91: Double IQ, Absolutely Unbeatable (Fourth Update)

Chapter 108: Chapter 91: Double IQ, Absolutely Unbeatable (Fourth Update)

Late night, August 23, 2017

In the early hours, Wang Jiu received an alert from the Communication Spirit Stone, Lu Xin was requesting to talk. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

After leaving his sleeping mount, Wang Jiu activated the Spirit Stone in his study, projecting the elegant visage of Lu Xin.

"Good evening, Mr. Wang Jiu."

"Good early morning, Ms. Lu Xin."

After the polite greetings, Lu Xin got straight to the point: "Mr. Wang Jiu, I have a favor to ask... has Qingming slept already?"

Wang Jiu said, "She has, I just confirmed it using the God’s Regret Bell."

"...What bell?"

Wang Jiu explained: "A type of Magical Treasure found within the Sword World, driven by Heaven and Earth Spirit Wind, releasing a pseudo Immortal Technique that directly acts on the Primordial Spirit, the specific principle is..."

"Sorry, I don’t quite understand. Anyway, since Qingming is asleep, then..." Lu Xin continued, hesitantly, "During the day, I met with Qingming, and then some unpleasant things happened. I’m not sure if she’s mentioned it to you..."

Wang Jiu said, "Unpleasant things? Are you referring to when you two were having tea at the Drunken Immortal Tower, and you casually ordered the most expensive tea, then left her alone in the private room to settle the bill?"

Lu Xin immediately widened her eyes, her mouth agape, unable to say a word for a while.

Seeing this reaction, Wang Jiu was a bit puzzled: "Was it not? Then, are you referring to her particularly disliking your flashing, gorgeous earrings?"

Lu Xin hurriedly touched her earrings: "She, she particularly dislikes my earrings?! These are the latest style from the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion..."

Wang Jiu said, "She said she hates cherry color the most."

"Is, is that so? Hates cherry color..." As Lu Xin spoke, she diligently noted it down in a small book.

Seeing this, Wang Jiu further supplemented: "If you’re interested in her color preferences... she also said she most hates deep black, which is the color of your bracelet."

"Bracelet? But that was custom ordered from the Celestial Workshop..."

Wang Jiu said, "She also dislikes sea blue, the color of your belt."

"..."

"Additionally, there’s also rose red and apricot yellow, specifically speaking..."

Lu Xin was already ashen-faced: "All the colors on me..."

Wang Jiu said, "Yes, when she gave examples, she used you as an instance, perhaps this reflects that the two of you already have a preliminary intimate relationship. Congratulations to you."

"...Thank you."

"Regarding the unpleasant things, that should be it."

Forcing a smile, Lu Xin said, "Didn’t she mention our argument?"

"Yes." Wang Jiu affirmed, "But she said having a spat with you and watching you look so livid was quite amusing, so I figured this didn’t count as an unpleasant thing."

Lu Xin, once more hit hard, now looked as if clinging to life, unable to speak for a good while. But just as Wang Jiu was about to end the call, Lu Xin suddenly rallied, her spirit reinvigorated.

"Well, for today’s situation, I must bear the greatest responsibility for my poor decision-making in past years, not to mention being disliked by Shen Yue’e’s daughter is reasonable, haha, I shouldn’t feel disheartened over such small matters... Mr. Wang Jiu, since she’s already talked to you about it, regarding the Cyan Cloud Competition, what is your view?"

Wang Jiu said, "Hmm, good question, regarding the Cyan Cloud Competition, I believe it should be analyzed and evaluated from three aspects. Firstly, in terms of nature, the Cyan Cloud Competition is undoubtedly a political act, rather than merely a martial contest. It is a means for the Three Academies and the Seven Great Noble Families to strengthen their own governance. Through organizing regular, nationwide martial contests, they continuously deepen the ruling class’s influence in the Immortal and Mortal Realms, thereby consolidating their own ruling foundation. Moreover, the Cyan Cloud Competition is also a means for the Saint Sect to reinforce its governing authority, by adjusting the frequency of competitions in several cities to affect the political influence of the Seven Great Noble Families, further deepening the ruling class’s ideology with the Saint Sect as its core..."

In this lengthy monologue, Lu Xin listened with cold sweat dripping, quickly interrupting, "Sword Spirit senior, what I want to talk about is the bet with Qingming regarding the championship of the grand competition... At that time, we were both just too angry and made an absurd bet. Although the wager is quite favorable to me, once I calmed down, I realized: what even if I win?"

Lu Xin shook his head helplessly, "According to the bet, if she doesn’t win the championship, she’ll become my disciple. But given our relationship, when she bows to me as her master, she will probably feel utterly tormented."

Wang Jiu thought for a moment and admitted, "A very reasonable assumption, then you could just refuse it."

"That’s not possible; she would feel that I’m looking down on her, leading to greater emotional distress."

Wang Jiu immediately frowned, "What kind of logic is this—neither taking on a master nor refusing one works?"

Lu Xin said with some empathy, "This is the logic of women. Although Qingming is only 14, she is indeed a young woman."

"I see. Have you ever considered using a Yin Yang Immortal Technique to turn Shen Qingming into a boy? That way, she wouldn’t hold onto such an illogical mindset, and the dilemma you face would be solved easily."

Lu Xin was so stunned by this shocking train of thought that he couldn’t speak for a while.

"Sword Spirit senior... My thought is, you and Qingming are closest—could you possibly persuade her not to take that impulsive, childish bet too seriously? The Cyan Cloud grand competition is held every ten years, and for those whose ages don’t align, it’s primarily a social event to participate in and promote exchange; one shouldn’t be so fixated on the results. Besides, regardless of who wins the championship this time, given the face of the Li Family, they can always get the Original Sword Essence afterwards through negotiations. She has no reason to force herself."

Wang Jiu said, "But I’ve already promised to help her win the championship, and persuading her to give up the wager under such circumstances will genuinely harm her interests."

Lu Xin was taken aback, urging, "But Qingming and I agreed she would win the championship with her own strength, so if you, senior, were to personally enter the competition..."

"There’s no need for me to use my Celestial Divine Sword powers."

"Ah?" Lu Xin was again stunned, then nervously asked, "You—you wouldn’t be planning on secretly eliminating all of Qingming’s competitors during the competition, would you?! That’s not possible—during the grand competition, the Three Great Noble Families will join forces with the Cyan Cloud Mutual Aid Association to dispatch multiple Great Cultivators to maintain order. Moreover, the Holy Sect Envoy will be present; the external factors’ risks are too high."

Wang Jiu said, "That plan has already been scrapped."

"Really, then..." Lu Xin’s mind raced, "Is the plan to wait another 10 years, until Qingming turns 24, has achieved the Immortal Dao, then fabricate her age to enter the next Cyan Cloud grand competition?"

"That plan has also been scrapped."

"...Could the senior be thinking of designing a counterfeit grand competition with the same name to brush off the wager?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiu couldn’t help but praise, "Congratulations, your IQ index can be determined to be over 6.5, nearly twice that of Shen Qingming."

"Tha—thank you?" Lu Xin thanked hastily, feeling a slight blush on the cheeks. All these years, never had anyone truly praised her intelligence... Even in the Lu Family Mansion, she often heard instructors sighing over her understanding and aptitude behind her back.

"You’re welcome, but all the above plans have been scrapped; what I will adopt is a more refined and reasonable approach to ensure helping Qingming win the championship."

Lu Xin pondered over and felt helpless, shaking her head: "Sword Spirit senior’s divine techniques are beyond my prediction; please reveal the mystery."

Wang Jiu said, "Unfortunately, that plan can’t be disclosed—speaking it out will make it ineffective. Anyway, I now have a way to help her win the Cyan Cloud championship, so you don’t need to worry about this issue at all."

"Is that so?" Although Lu Xin still felt incredulous... given the opponent is the Celestial Divine Sword, highly esteemed by Fengyun, perhaps there truly is a way for a 14-year-old, whose aptitude and understanding are not exceptional, to win the Cyan Cloud grand competition championship.

A 14-year-old grand competition champion—isn’t that even more impressive than the legendary City Lord of Golden Jade City? Alas, why didn’t I encounter something like that back then...

Thinking of this, her heart felt a bit complex, but knowing now wasn’t the time for such sentiments, she forcibly restrained her emotions and transitioned to the next topic.

"In any case, regarding Qingming, I entrust senior to take good care of her—originally, we planned to use the opportunity of the Fengyun’s birthday banquet to move her back to the mansion, but now with this mishap, it’s difficult to persuade her to return anytime soon—on another note, on behalf of the Li Family, I’d like to ask senior for a favor."

Wang Jiu nodded, "Feel free to ask."

Lu Xin pondered for a moment and then slowly spoke, "Here’s the situation... In recent decades, the Li Family’s achievements in the Cyan Cloud grand competition haven’t been great. Not only have we failed to win the championship for consecutive tournaments, but the results of other participants have also consistently been less than ideal. Although Fengyun was unbeatable in Cyan Cloud in his youth, his age is now awkward—even though he had just turned 10 during the 1977 tournament, by the end-of-year competition in 1987, he was already 20, thus disqualified from participating—and during that time, the younger brothers from the second and third branches each experienced difficulties impacting their results. Over the decades, the Li Family’s reputation in Cyan Cloud and throughout Xiangzhou has somewhat declined. Although the Cyan Cloud grand competition is considered trivial by many Great Cultivators, the results are merely superficial. Yet big families remain as big families because they strive even for superficial fame. So this time, the Li Family plans to prepare seriously and restore lost honor. Although regarding the championship... we might have to rely on senior to guide Qingming. The focus should be on ensuring the results of other participating disciples live up to the name of the leading family in Cyan Cloud."

After pausing briefly, Lu Xin added, "Recently, the elders of the family reached an agreement: all young disciples presently in Cyan Cloud City, including those from branch families like Lingshan City, Heaven-Reaching City, and Heaven-shaking Mountain, must attend a training camp for rigorous cultivation. Subsequently, we wish to hire Sword Spirit senior as a special consultant to provide guidance."