Chapter 256: Little Ling's Treasure Hunt Adventure

At the Gu Ling Sect, within the Spiritual Valley Ruins, Ning Xiaoling stood on the cliff, holding her broken sword, gazing at the ruins alongside the other twenty-three disciples.

The ruins were obscured by a dense fog, hidden within a steep, slippery canyon. Dark springs murmured, and apes cried out. Among the towering, strange rocks, the vast ruins, spanning a hundred li, stretched layer upon layer, concealing countless hidden realms and secret passages.

Legend had it that this place was once a city of Fengdu. If one explored carefully, ancient relics such as the Bridge of Helplessness, the Road to the Underworld, and the Medicine King's Palace could still be found.

Standing on the cliff, Ning Xiaoling’s long hair, tied with a hair string, fluttered in the wind. She wasn't nervous about the Spiritual Valley Competition; on the contrary, her mind was somewhat elsewhere. The notes on the Spiritual Sword Scripture had profoundly impacted her; their profound mysteries were enough to keep her pondering for seven days and seven nights. If only she had discovered it sooner... At this moment, not only did she lack the time to test this sword technique, but it would also disturb her state of mind and possibly prevent her from performing at her usual sword fighting level.

An old man held a parchment scroll and explained the rules of the Spiritual Valley Competition. The rules were simple. The primary objective for the disciples was to find spiritual treasures, and their final ranking would be based on the grade of the treasures they found. Disciples were allowed to fight amongst themselves, but severe injuries were forbidden; otherwise, they would be immediately disqualified. Each of them would also receive a brocade pouch; if they encountered danger, opening the pouch would immediately transport them out of the Spiritual Valley.

After explaining the rules, the old man flicked his sleeve. Twenty-four circular halos appeared before them, with ethereal energy swirling within. Upon the old man's command, the twenty-four most outstanding young disciples of the Gu Ling Sect stepped into the halos simultaneously. They would be teleported to any location within this perilous Spiritual Valley: common ruins, the bottom of a deep pool, steep cliffs, or ancient secret halls. Although there were sixty-four spiritual treasures scattered throughout, the Spiritual Valley was so vast that the chances of directly encountering one were extremely low. Furthermore, these treasures were disguised, making them difficult to find even with careful examination. Most importantly, even if one acquired the best treasure, they still needed the ability to carry it out.

Ning Xiaoling appeared inside a wild-grass-filled cave on a sheer cliff face. The cave was located in the middle of the cliff, with an unclimbable height above and a bottomless abyss below. Her heart skipped a beat when she opened her eyes. Four glowing red eyes were eerily staring at the uninvited guest. They were two strange birds of similar size. They had crimson crest feathers, sparse feathers on their necks, but abundant wings below. Their feathers resembled iron wires, were black as ink, and very sharp. Earlier, their bodies had been intertwined, emitting joyful, strange calls. At the appearance of the young girl, these two strange birds, one male and one female, were first startled, then displayed extreme displeasure and even fury. The strange birds were also powerful; they were top predators in this valley, and countless animal bones were hidden deep within the cave.

The girl and the two birds stared at each other. The strange birds had seen humans before, but it had been years since they had preyed on one. They shrieked excitedly and pounced on Ning Xiaoling. Black feathers scattered across the cliff. Within moments, the pained cries of the two strange birds rang out. Ning Xiaoling, with her sword on her back, held a strange bird by the neck in each hand. The birds feebly flapped their wings, their feathers falling everywhere. Ning Xiaoling thought to herself how lucky she was. It would have been somewhat dangerous to descend this sheer cliff face by flying in segments with her sword, but now she had conveniently encountered these two "kind" large birds. So, the two strange birds became her means of transport. One carried her, while the other scouted for nearby dangers.

After a safe landing, Ning Xiaoling released the two disheveled strange birds. She surveyed her surroundings, expanding her divine sense to search for any traces of nether-spiritual treasures. These sixty-four spiritual treasures of varying grades could not be seen directly with the naked eye. Only by casting a net woven from spiritual energy could one slowly search and retrieve them from this deep-sea-like canyon.

As Ning Xiaoling's divine sense net just began to expand, before she could search carefully, she felt a burning sensation at the back of her neck. "Huh?" Ning Xiaoling opened her eyes and curiously touched her back. The entirely dark broken blade was drawn from its wooden scabbard and held in her hand. Even though she hadn't infused it with a single speck of spiritual energy, a faint red glow lit up on the slender blade. Ning Xiaoling felt puzzled. She examined it repeatedly for a while but found nothing unusual. Holding the blade casually, she began searching through the vast canyon ruins.

Then, Ning Xiaoling discovered something even more miraculous: as she walked, the glow emanating from the blade in her hand would gradually brighten or dim with every stretch of the path. Ning Xiaoling wasn't foolish; she immediately realized a certain possibility. "Could it be..." Her spirits lifted. After several tests, she found the direction where the broken blade glowed brightest. "Southwest..." Plants rustled, and with a clear sword hum, Ning Xiaoling's figure darted through the lush wild grass, heading southwest. The red glow of the broken blade grew stronger.

Ning Xiaoling stopped before an earthen mound. The broken blade in her hand began to tremble, as if trying to tell her something. Ning Xiaoling stared at the abrupt, barren mound, then with a flick of her finger, unleashed a sharp sword aura. The sword aura exploded within the mound, scattering sand and debris. A ray of light reflected from the mound, illuminating the wall. Ning Xiaoling crouched down, brushed the dust off the spiritual treasure, and discovered it was a bronze mirror.

"Mirror of Departed Souls." Ning Xiaoling recalled the Spiritual Treasure Compendium that Elder Ling had given her. The Mirror of Departed Souls was crafted by a great cultivator of the Netherworld lineage in ancient times, intended to mourn the deceased. It was said that by gazing into the mirror and continuously thinking of one's most beloved, departed person, their face would appear on its surface. Ning Xiaoling's emotions surged. She quickly brushed the dust off the mirror and brought it before her, wanting to catch another glimpse of her senior brother. But almost immediately, she put the mirror down. "If I really saw Senior Brother in there, wouldn't that mean he's already passed away?" Ning Xiaoling's eyes flickered. She slowly rose, holding the mirror, her lips pursed and her expression downcast. Yes, if the dead cannot be brought back to life, then it's better not to know. What good would it do to see him in the mirror? It would only add to her mental burden and sadness. Ning Xiaoling realized she still lacked courage. She exhaled and placed the mirror into her spatial pouch at her waist.

She patted the broken blade and said, "It's truly unfair for you to be in a wooden scabbard. Once we're out, I'll get you a gold and jade-inlaid one from Xiaojin!" The broken blade shimmered with red light, as if responding cheerfully. Ning Xiaoling thought that having coincidentally found a divine artifact, she was truly blessed by heaven. She should strive harder to win first place. Once her Netherworld cultivation technique reached mastery, she would be able to retrieve her senior brother, whether he was dead or alive! At this thought, Ning Xiaoling's gloomy mood vanished. She pulled herself together, gripped the broken blade in her hand, and began her treasure-hunting journey.

The girl, dressed in a white gown, held her blade and ran tirelessly and swiftly through the immense rift valley. In a bird's nest in a large tree, she found a hairpin, a treasure that could gather the ethereal energy of heaven and earth. She pulled her tied-up hair, inserted the hairpin, and continued her journey. She dug out a spiritual treasure shaped like a cicada shell from the rocks and found a throwing blade resembling a dead leaf butterfly amidst a large pile of withered leaves.

In a cave by the lake, after defeating a large armored crab, Ning Xiaoling retrieved a murky pearl resembling mud and sand. "Mud-Splitting Water-Repelling Pearl..." Ning Xiaoling was slightly surprised. This spiritual treasure was of a much higher grade than the previous ones. As she was momentarily lost in thought, a massive shadow emerged from the nearby lake water. An animal with a heavy tortoise shell on its back and a rhino-like head with a horn lunged out of the water. It leaped above the surface, retracted its limbs into its shell, spun its body, and charged at Ning Xiaoling with its single horn. Ning Xiaoling didn't panic in the slightest. She grabbed the fire-burning staff she had picked up earlier and swung it down on its head. The fierce rhinoceros demon was dazed by the blow. After being soundly beaten by Ning Xiaoling, it shrieked and tried to scramble back into the water. Ning Xiaoling grabbed its tail, swiftly mounted its back, and holding the Mud-Splitting Water-Repelling Pearl, began searching for treasures hidden at the bottom of the water.

Finally, she unearthed a wisp of ghostly fire from the fine sand underwater. The ghostly fire had no temperature, yet it burned eerily in the water, resembling an eye. "Eye of Fate-Gazing." Ning Xiaoling was even more astonished. It was said to be an eye that could peer into destiny. Although its scope was limited, it was a precious treasure for foretelling fortune and misfortune, and its grade was in no way inferior to that of the Water-Repelling Pearl. She went ashore, tucked the Eye of Fate-Gazing into her waist pouch, then knocked out the fierce turtle and stewed it into soup.

While waiting for the rhinoceros demon soup to be ready, she counted her spoils. As long as a cultivator could find these spiritual treasures, they would become their property. However, historically, the cultivator who found the most spiritual treasures only managed to find five. This was because their disguises were personally set by the Martial Uncle. For instance, with the Eye of Fate-Gazing earlier, Ning Xiaoling had to dive underwater and pinpoint its location. Even though it was practically right before her eyes, she still fumbled for half an hour before finding it. Without this miraculous broken blade, she wouldn't have been able to accomplish any of this. She had thoroughly scavenged this entire large canyon, unearthing a total of eight treasures. Unfortunately, the top-ranked rare treasure wasn't among them.

These treasures also possessed a slight sentience; when she placed them together, they started fighting among themselves. This fighting involved mutual erosion of their spiritual essence. The Mud-Splitting Water-Repelling Pearl and the Eye of Fate-Gazing were the bullies among them. When placed with other spiritual treasures, they would pick them out and devour their essence. Before long, the other treasures looked sickly and weakened. Ning Xiaoling was quite vexed. Her earnest persuasion yielded no results, so she tentatively tossed the broken blade in with them. The two bullying spiritual treasures immediately became well-behaved, not daring to utter a sound, as if they had encountered their true overlord. Ning Xiaoling nodded with considerable satisfaction.

After eating the rhinoceros turtle soup, Ning Xiaoling rallied her spirits and set off again. For the rest of the journey, the broken blade did not glow again. She traversed a rugged expanse of ruins. Towering, cloud-piercing cliffs loomed into view, covered in slippery moss where many dark-green, tiger-striped geckos clung. The mist from above descended, enveloping Ning Xiaoling. She gently parted the mist, moving like a celestial maiden walking among clouds, and the toxins sprayed by geckos and toads couldn't touch even the slightest corner of her clothes.

As Ning Xiaoling was about to head to the other end of the canyon, the broken blade suddenly began to emit alternating flashes of red light, like a warning. Ning Xiaoling stopped and looked ahead. In the distance, two young men, dressed in Gu Ling Sect disciple robes, walked through the mist, chatting and laughing, heading towards her.

"Although this spiritual treasure isn't of the highest grade, it was acquired through the combined efforts of us senior and junior brothers, which wasn't easy," one disciple said with a laugh.

"Indeed," the other replied, "without your contribution, junior brother, slaying that white python wouldn't have been so smooth."

"Senior brother, you are mistaken," the junior brother said with a slight smile. "The most important part of acquiring a spiritual treasure isn't slaying the beast guarding it, but locating the treasure itself. I found this spiritual treasure, and I never expected to meet you, senior brother. While you did help me quite a bit, it would be too greedy to claim all the credit, wouldn't it?"

The senior brother chuckled, "Spiritual treasures are hard to find. Even finding one is enough to secure a top-ten rank... When we receive the reward, we can just split it."

"There's no need for senior brother to take the trouble," the junior brother retorted.

"Junior brother," the senior brother said, "weigh it yourself. Are you my match?"

The junior brother shook his head, "While you are indeed superior, senior brother, if we were to truly fight, it would only result in both of us suffering. And if you truly inflicted severe injuries on me, forget the reward—you'd lose your qualification for the competition. At most, I'd just suffer some superficial injuries, right, senior brother?"

The two spoke lightheartedly, but their steps grew slower. The surrounding mist was dispersed by their subtly rising fighting intent, and even the geckos clinging to the rock walls sensed the danger and scattered. Ning Xiaoling glanced at them and silently walked past them. Only when Ning Xiaoling had passed did the two senior and junior brothers, whose entire attention had been focused on each other, snap back to reality.

"Stop!" the junior brother sharply shouted. "Who's there?"

Ning Xiaoling stopped and turned to glance at them.

The senior brother said, "Ah, it's a junior sister passing by. This junior sister looks a bit familiar... You, you must be participating in the Spiritual Valley Competition for the first time, right?"

Ning Xiaoling nodded. "Yes."

The junior brother gazed at Ning Xiaoling's turning profile, a slight daze in his expression. He hadn't imagined that the Gu Ling Sect had such a graceful and adorable junior sister.

The senior brother said with a smile, "It's too dangerous for junior sister to travel alone, otherwise..."

"No need," Ning Xiaoling replied, not wanting to waste words, and continued walking forward.

As male disciples, these two senior and junior brothers naturally wouldn't lay hands on a junior sister, unless... The senior brother noticed the cloth bag on her back, and his expression changed. That cloth bag was given to them by their masters, specifically for holding spiritual items. Why was her bag so bulging? Had she just stuffed spiritual fruits and ganoderma into it without care? No... the aura inside that bag... The senior brother narrowed his eyes. "Junior sister, what's in your cloth bag?"

Ning Xiaoling ignored them and continued walking forward. The junior brother also snapped back to attention. The two senior and junior brothers exchanged a glance. Swish! Swish! The mist stirred, and the sound of clothes cutting through the air rang out as the two senior and junior brothers intercepted Ning Xiaoling from front and back.

The senior brother looked at the broken sword in her hand and suddenly realized, "Junior sister, I remember now... You're the sole disciple of the Spirit-Controlling lineage who drew her sword in twenty breaths, aren't you?"

Ning Xiaoling didn't really want to bother with them, so she didn't reply. The senior brother interpreted her silence as fear. He smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, junior sister. It's not easy for you either. Who would have thought your senior brothers would be so useless that they'd rely on a newcomer like you to bring them honor?"

Ning Xiaoling raised an eyebrow slightly, a look of anger appearing on her face. "My senior brother is much more capable than you."

The senior brother was slightly taken aback, assuming she had developed a fondness for one of the senior brothers from the Spirit-Controlling lineage. He chuckled indifferently, "Junior sister, why don't you untie your cloth bag and let us see? If they are truly just spiritual fruits and ganoderma, we will certainly not trouble you."

Ning Xiaoling had originally intended to simply ride her sword and leave, but recalling their conversation, a thought stirred in her mind... They also had a spiritual treasure! Wasn't this a treasure just delivered to her doorstep? She spoke, "This senior brother also acquired a spiritual treasure? May I see it first?"

The senior brother was slightly surprised, then smiled and untied his cloth bag, showing off his spoils. It was a Soul-Summoning Folding Fan, guarded by a white python. The fan had two sides, both adorned with black and white images of malevolent spirits. Its edges were lined with fine, downy feathers, and when waved, it could stir up a chilling wind from the depths, creating a natural barrier. Ning Xiaoling frowned. The senior brother thought she was envious, unaware that she was actually disdainful of the fan's low grade. The senior brother proudly recounted the process of slaying the white python, observing the beautiful junior sister's expression, hoping to see admiration and awe. But Ning Xiaoling listened, nodded indifferently, and then drew her sword from her back.

The junior brother behind her frowned, finding the junior sister increasingly appealing. He chuckled, "I never thought junior sister would be so straightforward. But with your strength, do you really intend to fight two against one?"

The senior brother also said, "We are disciples of the Divine Sect; how could we act like that? If junior sister truly wants the treasure, we are willing to face you one by one."

"Who's first?" Ning Xiaoling asked. *Humph,* the junior sister is pretty, so she's probably been pampered too much. Someone who takes twenty breaths just to draw her sword—how strong could she be? Thinking this, the junior brother volunteered and stepped forward.

They were senior and junior brothers from the Spirit-Communion lineage, born with a powerful spirit attached to them. This spirit was different from innate spirits; it was a spirit fused with their very soul, allowing them to unleash power similar in nature to that spirit. For example, a fire spirit could imbue their spells with fire elements, while a water spirit could grant them water or ice-related abilities. This junior brother possessed an earth spirit, and the surrounding sheer cliffs and strange rocks perfectly complemented his spirit.

"Junior sister, please forgive my offense," he said, looking at Ning Xiaoling's delicate yet indifferent face, and smiled faintly. The junior brother drew his sword and leaped, gathering power. He was afraid of hurting the girl, so he deliberately slowed his sword strike, ready to retract his force at any moment. Ning Xiaoling observed the trajectory of his sword. With an expressionless face, she drew her blade and, without any flourish, struck him with the back of it. Ning Xiaoling's strike seemed simple, but her blade moved with the speed of light, piercing through, instantly disarming the junior brother's sword, and with a flick of her wrist, she struck him across the face, sending him and his sword flying. His earth spirit caught him, and the junior brother clutched his burning, swollen cheek, rolling on the ground in pain.

She turned and looked at the senior brother. The senior brother first frowned slightly, then chuckled dismissively, thinking that his junior brother was easily swayed by beauty and indeed unworthy of the treasure. He said, "Junior sister, you should think carefully. I won't underestimate my opponent like my junior brother did." Ning Xiaoling simply hummed in response.

The senior brother drew his sword and twisted his wrist. His previously calm, smiling expression instantly hardened. Without warning, he sprinted for a distance, then leaped into the air, his spirit communing with his body. His wind-breaking figure burst through the mist, shattering rocks, as if a bolt of lightning had struck. The sword in his hand blazed with furious fire, exploding with each strike. He was the strongest disciple of this generation in the Spirit-Communion lineage, possessing a cultivation level of the upper stage of the Longevity Realm. Both his spiritual arts and sword techniques were renowned. Now, unleashing his full power, his sword strike, imbued with formidable might, descended like a plummeting meteor, aiming diagonally at Ning Xiaoling's brow, utterly unstoppable!

*Indeed, a bit troublesome...* Ning Xiaoling thought, her expression growing slightly more serious. She sent the back of her blade forward using a Sword Sect's opening stance. Her movements were simple, yet her blade was faster than the senior brother's charged attack. After the first strike, the senior brother was forced back by the ringing sound of steel. After the second strike, the blade light formed a cross pattern, making his pupils glow red like blood, and he was forced to switch from offense to defense. After the third strike, he was completely at a disadvantage. Amidst several clanging impacts, the blood-red blade light completely shredded the rock wall and the mist, and also disrupted the senior brother's footwork. Once disrupted, they fell into disarray.

In less than ten rounds, with a sharp clang, Ning Xiaoling slammed the back of her blade onto his hand, knocking his sword away. With her other hand, she directly punched him in the chest, and as she withdrew her fist, she precisely snatched the folding fan from his left hand, yanking it away. The two senior and junior brothers lay on the ground, unable to get up, their injuries perfectly controlled. Having acquired another treasure, Ning Xiaoling departed with nonchalance.