For two whole days, Lin Aotian spent all his time trying to get a Skywalking Talisman from Senior Brother He.

Talismans are ranked from high to low as gold, black, purple, and blue. The Skywalking Talisman is merely a low-grade blue talisman, and its only function is to allow one to rise into the air and travel through the sky. Since using a Skywalking Talisman is significantly slower than flying with an artifact, and one can fly with an artifact as soon as they achieve Foundation Establishment, this talisman is rarely found in major sects. It's simply too low-end and practically useless, so there's no need to keep it in stock.

However, the Flowing Cloud Sect, which is the seventh sect among the "Six Great Sects," may not match the scale of major sects, but it still has its heritage and prestige. Therefore, finding a Skywalking Talisman in the Flowing Cloud Sect's inner sect is extremely difficult.

Fortunately, Senior Brother He happened to have some knowledge of talismans, allowing Lin Aotian to successfully obtain a Skywalking Talisman after building a good relationship with him.

"Success or failure depends on today. If I can latch onto the sect leader's support, my path will be much smoother in the future!"

Finding a secluded corner on Azure Sea Peak, Lin Aotian looked in the direction of Green Lotus Peak, a smirk forming on his lips as he envisioned a future where he would rise to prominence and dominate the cultivation world.

"Here I come, little beauty!" Injecting the limited spiritual energy within him into the blue talisman in his hand, Lin Aotian immediately felt a lightness under his feet and soared into the sky.

"Woohoo! Take off!"

After confirming his direction, the extremely excited Lin Aotian flew through the Mountain Protection Array of Azure Sea Peak towards Green Lotus Peak. Fortunately, disciples holding identity tokens from each peak could pass through the Mountain Protection Array without alerting anyone. Otherwise, Lin Aotian's "rise to power plan" might have been cut short here.

However, after flying for some distance, Lin Aotian miserably discovered... he was lost.

All he could see was a sea of clouds and mist, making it impossible for him to find his way.

"Damn!"

That day, many disciples flying through the mist according to the Flowing Cloud Sect Artifact Control Code heard a cry filled with angry despair.

...

...

Green Lotus Peak.

Sitting cross-legged on a rock, Luo Qingyan opened her eyes and looked at the two birds snuggling together on a nearby tree, a faint smile slowly forming on her lips.

How adorable, the little bird couple...

However, when she remembered that soon, Senior Brother would spar with that vile woman Gu Qingqing, the smile on her face vanished instantly, and even her gaze towards the two birds changed.

Are you showing off your affection in front of me because you know I can't have Senior Brother?

The poor birds, preening each other's feathers, suddenly felt as if countless invisible needles were piercing them from the surrounding air and immediately flew away in panic.

Seeing this, Luo Qingyan withdrew her gaze and looked at the air in front of her.

To others, there was only air in front of her, but to her, there were several lines of text.

[Sword Dao: Where the sword's edge points, all things can be cut]

[Current comprehension progress: Understanding]

[Progress to entry level: 81%]

Yes, the Sword Dao that made Luo Qingyan renowned in the cultivation world and the strongest disciple under Leng Youxue was not something she comprehended herself. It was a reward from the System when she maintained her aloof persona for three years.

"It's progressing so slowly... At this rate, when will I reach entry level?" Luo Qingyan looked at the "81%" progress and felt even more irritated.

Although the System had brought the Sword Dao to her doorstep, fully mastering it required Luo Qingyan's own effort.

At this stage, the only method she found was relentless practice, repeated practice.

It's quite painful, really.

So, already irritated, seeing the progress made her anger peak, and she even had the thought, "Someone come stab me with a sword already."

Then she felt something and looked up at the sky.

First, the Welcoming Bell rang automatically, and then a figure fell from the sky, face-first, landing in front of her.

"Who?"

Luo Qingyan stood up, her cold eyes locking onto the figure on the ground.

After wandering in the mist for a long time and landing face-first due to a poor adjustment, Lin Aotian had just stood up when he felt as if countless sharp objects were pressing against his skin, scaring him into sitting back down on the ground.

"A disciple?"

Seeing the token hanging from Lin Aotian's waist, Luo Qingyan withdrew the coldness in her eyes, realizing this must be a new inner sect disciple.

After all, only newly admitted inner sect disciples would proudly hang their tokens on their waists as if it were a supreme honor.

However...

Luo Qingyan, who could tell at a glance that Lin Aotian was only in the Qi Refining Realm, looked at him on the ground, puzzled as to why a cultivator at the Qi Refining Realm would come to the inner sect and how he ended up on Green Lotus Peak.

Thinking of this, Luo Qingyan immediately asked again, "Which peak?"

Having just recovered from the stabbing sensation and shocked by Luo Qingyan's ethereal beauty and aloof demeanor, Lin Aotian quickly picked up his waist token upon hearing this, "Azure Sea Peak, Senior Sister, my name is Lin Aotian. I just became the personal disciple of the Eastern Peak Master a few days ago!"

As he said this, Lin Aotian hoped that upon hearing he was Dongfang Yu's personal disciple, she would change her attitude and view him differently.

Unfortunately, Luo Qingyan showed no reaction upon hearing this and continued to ask, "How did you come? Why?"

Hearing this question, Lin Aotian took a moment to understand her meaning and then explained how he got there, emphasizing the hardships he faced along the way, and finally sincerely expressed his desire to meet the sect leader.

"Go back."

After listening to Lin Aotian's account, Luo Qingyan showed no indication of being moved, simply leaving this sentence before turning to leave.

"Hey? Wait, Senior Sister!"

Seeing Luo Qingyan about to leave, Lin Aotian quickly stood up and called out.

At this moment, he temporarily set aside his plan to pursue the sect leader and instead wanted to establish a connection with Luo Qingyan.

Because Luo Qingyan perfectly matched his aesthetic, and her aloof demeanor further ignited his desire to conquer.

He had even made up his mind to reserve the position of his main wife for Luo Qingyan.

To Lin Aotian's delight, Luo Qingyan did stop and turn around upon hearing his words.

Looking at Luo Qingyan, who was dressed in white and seemed like a celestial being, Lin Aotian displayed a shy and bashful expression, clenched his fists, and directly said, "Fairy Sister... may I know your name? You... you're so beautiful, I... I might have fallen for you..."

In Lin Aotian's understanding, although confessing at the first meeting might be abrupt, it was uncertain if he would ever see this Fairy Sister again, so the priority was to leave a deep impression. Generally, characters with an icy demeanor couldn't resist direct approaches, so confessing to her directly would likely break through her defenses and make her remember him.

That's what Lin Aotian thought.

Then he saw Luo Qingyan's eyes filled with coldness.