The story was actually as simple as Long Haotian described.
In one sentence, it was that the young Long Haotian regarded Bei Xinghan, who had already shown her talent, as his life goal and idol. He was met with coldness, his enthusiasm rebuffed, and he barely exchanged a few words with her.
Long Haotian's admiration turned to hatred due to his unrequited love, transforming him from an admirer of Bei Xinghan into someone who detested her.
"Don't you think he's going too far!"
Even now, Long Haotian was filled with righteous indignation when he recalled how Bei Xinghan had ignored him.
"Ah, he was quite unreasonable," Xu Yi responded indifferently, placating him.
Seeing this, Long Haotian became even angrier.
He even felt like storming off at that moment.
But then he remembered he hadn't heard Xu Yi's whereabouts yet. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he said stiffly, "I've said what I needed to say. Now you can tell me where you've been."
"Oh, I went to spar with Bei Xinghan."
Xu Yi didn't hide anything.
"What! You've been with him these past few days?" A surge of heat rushed to Long Haotian's head.
Xu Yi nodded sincerely.
"You! Humph!"
Seeing Xu Yi's still nonchalant expression, Long Haotian finally couldn't contain his anger and stormed away.
"Senior Brother Long! Senior Brother Long!"
Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an called out to him repeatedly. Seeing that he didn't respond, they gave Xu Yi a perfunctory nod and chased after him.
After Long Haotian left, Xu Yi was still a bit bewildered. Why was he angry? No one had provoked him.
Xu Yi pondered for a moment, attributing it to Long Haotian's bad mood, and thought no further, focusing her attention on cultivation.
Although Bei Xinghan had an extreme personality, her talent in swordsmanship was the most terrifying Xu Yi had ever encountered.
They had sparred for three days, and every day she could clearly feel Bei Xinghan's improvement.
But fortunately, feeling the pressure, she was also progressing rapidly.
Most of the medicinal effects of the Lingli Dahuan Pill had been used up in her battle with the elder from the Zhentian Alliance, but a portion still remained in her body.
These past few days, every spar had been draining her spiritual energy, which in turn had stimulated the remaining medicinal effects. Combined with the spiritual fruits and herbs gifted by the sect leader of Xuanqing Sect, Xu Yi felt that she should break through to the late stage of the Out-of-Body Realm within a month.
After getting to know Bei Xinghan, Xu Yi no longer dared to be arrogant. The Nine Provinces Continent was full of talented individuals, and it was possible that a peerless prodigy like Liu Jinghong might emerge.
Xu Yi couldn't help but recall the dream where she was completely suppressed by Liu Jinghong, her Dao heart collapsed, and she chose to die with him.
She shivered and quickly drove those images from her mind.
She had already changed her fate. She would take this dream as a warning and would not make any more mistakes or be swayed by romantic entanglements.
She, Xu Yi, was the ancestor of the Xuanji Sect!
Xu Yi's eyes sparkled with determination, and an unyielding will erupted.
Her Dao heart became even more stable.
A smile of surprise appeared on Xu Yi's face, and she then collected her thoughts, immersing herself in cultivation.
...
Sword training platform.
Bei Xinghan's gaze fell upon the latest sword marks on the sword-training stone, lost in thought.
"Xinghan."
True Lord Qinglian walked up to Bei Xinghan and asked gently, "Sparring with Xu Yi these past few days, have you gained any insights?"
"She is very strong."
Bei Xinghan's expression shifted slightly upon hearing Xu Yi's name, and she didn't hesitate to praise her.
"Beyond that, do you have no other thoughts?"
"Other thoughts..."
Bei Xinghan pondered for a moment and then decisively shook her head.
Xu Yi was very strong, so he now had only one thought: to become stronger.
True Lord Qinglian sighed lightly. It seemed it wasn't enough.
Upon returning to the Sect Leader's Hall, he made a gesture with his finger, retrieving several spiritual fruits that greatly aided cultivators from his storage space, and sent someone to deliver them to Xu Yi.
"Don't disappoint me."
His low voice echoed in the Sect Leader's Hall.
...
"Ow, ow, ow!" Xu Yi winced in pain, baring her teeth. "Elder Bai, please be gentler, gentler."
Elder Bai smiled as he inserted the last golden needle into Xu Yi's right arm, then slowly said, "I was already being gentle. Bei Xinghan, who has needles all over her body, doesn't cry as miserably as you."
His words held a hint of disdain for Xu Yi's behavior.
Xu Yi didn't dare to move rashly but retorted defiantly, "How can Bei Xinghan be compared to me? Even if his arm were broken, he wouldn't make a sound."
Under Elder Bai's amused and knowing gaze, Xu Yi's voice grew smaller.
She hadn't intentionally broken Bei Xinghan's arm.
Besides, didn't Bei Xinghan also injure her like this today?
They were even now.
"Alright, considering you helped me win a treasure, I've already gone easy on you. Remove the golden needles with your spiritual energy after an hour, and you'll be able to move."
Elder Bai shook his head, put away his medical kit, and prepared to head to the Sect Leader's Hall to check on Bei Xinghan's condition.
Given how heavily Xu Yi was injured today, Bei Xinghan wouldn't be much better off.
If he didn't go soon, the Sect Leader would have something to say.
As Elder Bai left, Xu Yi found herself facing three pairs of burning gazes.
"I'm a patient today, don't provoke me."
Long Haotian snorted, "Serves you right!"
"Long Haotian, are you asking for a beating?" Xu Yi was about to jump up, but remembering the golden needles in her hand, she had to suppress her impulse and glared fiercely at Long Haotian.
"I just don't understand. You come back injured every day during this period, and yet you still eagerly seek out Bei Xinghan. Do you have some peculiar fetish!"
Long Haotian was even angrier than Xu Yi.
He had initially thought that with Xu Yi's arrival at Xuanqing Sect, he could fulfill his duty as a host and spend more time with her. He never expected to see her less and less.
He wanted to go to the sword training platform to find her, but his father blocked him. No matter how much he pleaded, he couldn't persuade his father.
He could only stew in his own anger.
Seeing Xu Yi covered in injuries, with even sword qi marks on her face today, he completely lost his temper.
"You don't understand."
Xu Yi pretended to be profound and shook her head, tears streaming down her face internally.
She didn't want this either, but one could not refuse a favor when it was given.
Moreover, for her, this was also a unique form of cultivation.
If she were to face that elder from the Zhentian Alliance again today, she definitely wouldn't be as in disarray as she was back then.
Seeing Long Haotian frown and about to say more, Xu Yi quickly interrupted, "I need your help with something."
"...What is it!"
Long Haotian forcibly swallowed back the words that were about to come out and changed his tone coldly.
"Can you help me inquire if anyone in Xuanqing Sect knows any disciples from the Xuanji Sect, preferably those at the Nascent Soul or Out-of-Body stage?"
"What do you want to do?"
Xu Yi grinned, "My communication disk broke on the way, so I wanted to borrow theirs to contact disciples of the Xuanji Sect."
The sect competition was approaching, and she needed to inform the Xuanji Sect first.
Long Haotian and the other two nodded. After some thought, Long Haotian finally spoke, "I know a senior brother who might know disciples from the Xuanji Sect."