At the Qingxuan Sacred Land, on Moshu Peak.

Under the watchful eyes of a group of talisman disciples from Moshu Peak, Qin Moran was holding her Seven Treasures Glazed Brush, her expression focused and utterly serious.

She was writing talismans!

She had once failed in invoking a divine spirit, preventing her from advancing to a seventh-rank talisman master, but she was undoubtedly among the most solidly grounded sixth-rank masters. This could be seen from the speed at which she crafted talismans.

With flicks of her wrist, strands of the Dao’s resonance from heaven and earth were continuously inscribed onto them. Every stroke and line was precise to the point of being flawless.

In no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, three talismans immediately soared into the air and landed to the side.

Crafting three talismans at once!

This speed made the disciples’ eyes shine with admiration.

“Too strong, too strong! Master is simply too strong! This speed of talisman crafting… I’m afraid I’ll never catch up in this lifetime!”

“Elder Qin is… harnessing the Dao’s resonance of heaven and earth for her own use, forcibly inscribing it onto a small piece of talisman paper. This level of control is absolutely not something an ordinary sixth-rank talisman master can match!”

“The most impressive thing is her stability. Elder Qin has been writing talismans continuously for three days now, without stopping or making a single mistake. Just this aspect alone is enough to leave us trailing far behind!”

A group of disciples exclaimed repeatedly, watching in awe, their breaths catching.

There was no helping it. Qin Moran’s foundation in the path of talismans was truly too solid! For three consecutive days, she wrote talismans without pause, not making a single error. Moreover, in just these three short days, relying solely on her own efforts, Qin Moran had produced nearly five hundred talismans.

This ability was astonishing and commanded respect!

“A bunch of useless trash!”

Just as everyone was exclaiming in amazement, a cold snort suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned their heads and saw that the newcomer was an exquisitely beautiful woman with a sweet appearance and a lovely face, like the girl next door.

However, upon seeing this stunning woman, the group of Moshu Peak disciples immediately bowed in fear.

“Greetings, Seventh Martial Aunt!”

“Greetings, Elder Lu!”

This woman was none other than Gu Xiu’s seventh senior sister, Lu Qingyao.

Many disciples knew that although this Seventh Martial Aunt appeared innocent and carefree, sweet and cute, she was actually someone who acted entirely based on her whims and moods. She could bestow you with heaven-defying opportunities when she was happy. But she could also find an excuse to flay someone alive when she was in a bad mood!

With her current expression of glaring coldly and frowning angrily, anyone who wasn’t blind could tell that Seventh Martial Aunt was not in a good mood today. Naturally, no one dared to offend or contradict her.

Sure enough, Lu Qingyao, who had just arrived, immediately began to berate them.

“You bunch of useless trash! You actually have the face to stand here praising my Fifth Senior Sister’s talisman-crafting ability? Shouldn’t you be carefully reflecting on yourselves right now? Why does my Fifth Senior Sister have to work so hard, crafting talismans for three days straight?”

These words made all the Moshu Peak disciples lower their heads, their eyes filled with guilt. Qin Moran working so desperately to craft talismans was indeed because they were holding her back.

It was strange when you thought about it. Recently, for some unknown reason, everything regarding their talisman crafting had been going wrong. Their original success rate of seventy to eighty percent had recently dropped to only twenty or thirty percent. Except for a few rare disciples with solid foundations… the others all encountered this situation.

Talismans they could previously write with ease now felt lacking no matter how hard they tried. Not only had their success rate decreased, but even the power of successfully crafted talismans had diminished.

It was utterly bizarre.

You must understand that the Qingxuan Sacred Land is a proper holy land sect; daily talisman consumption alone is a major expense. Moreover, the talismans they usually craft are often sold externally to generate income for the sect.

But recently? Forget about external sales; the Qingxuan Sacred Land is even struggling to be self-sufficient. This filled them with immense guilt and remorse.

Some disciples even began to wonder if the incident a few days ago where Junior Martial Uncle’s Dragon Chant Sword suffered heavenly punishment meant that the Qingxuan Sacred Land had truly been forsaken by Heaven’s Dao? Otherwise, how could such strange things happen?

“It’s still because your skills are lacking and you’re not working hard enough!”

“If you were diligent, how could things be like this?”

“If you ask me, it’s because my Fifth Senior Sister treats you too well! Otherwise, how could you have become so lazy?”

Lu Qingyao fiercely scolded this group of disciples. No one at the scene refuted her; everyone didn’t even dare to breathe heavily. They felt wronged in their hearts but also wondered if it truly was because they weren’t diligent enough.

“Qingyao.”

Fortunately, just as Lu Qingyao’s scolding was becoming increasingly harsh, Qin Moran stopped crafting talismans and walked over, effectively rescuing these disciples who were being scolded so badly they couldn’t lift their heads.

“Senior Sister, why is your face so pale?”

“It’s nothing; perhaps I’m just a bit tired.”

“Senior Sister! You are the master of this peak! How can you personally handle everything yourself? These disciples need discipline; they should be disciplined!”

“Don’t worry; I will.” As Qin Moran spoke, she glanced back at that group of disciples. “Alright now, all of you disperse! Although your Martial Aunt Lu’s words aren’t pleasant to hear, there is truth to them. Go back and reflect carefully on yourselves; practice diligently!”

The group of disciples felt as if granted amnesty and quickly scattered, afraid that if they left too late, they’d be pulled back by Lu Qingyao for another round of lecturing.

“Senior Sister! I think you’re just too soft-hearted! These disciples are like this now; if it were me, I would definitely have to punish them severely!” Lu Qingyao said.

Qin Moran smiled. “Alright now… The sage said: ‘If teaching is not strict, it is the teacher’s fault.’ If we’re talking about punishing them… then I am their master; I should be the first one reprimanded.”

“How could that be? I’ve heard that Senior Sister hasn’t rested at all these past three days for the sake of the sect’s talismans! If not for them… how could it be like this?”

A slight shadow crossed Qin Moran’s face. “This isn’t their fault… I wanted some peace and quiet myself.”

Wanted peace and quiet?

Lu Qingyao didn’t understand. “Is Senior Sister concerned about Junior Brother’s Dragon Chant Sword incident?”

“This… you could say so,” Qin Moran answered casually.

She was actually thinking about Gu Xiu’s matter. The scene she saw on the Heavenly Secrets Reincarnation Mirror that day felt like a nail hammered into her heart; once idle thoughts crept in… she would immediately think about it.

It made her heart restless.

“Senior Sister rest assured! Master has already prepared many materials now; before long he will forge another treasured sword for Junior Brother! And this time… he will use resources even better than those used for Dragon Chant Sword last time! It will definitely be even more powerful!”

“Mmm…”

“Senior Sister… Junior Brother’s beast pen on Zhuofeng Peak has already been built! When it’s ready… I plan to give him several spirit beasts… teach him beast taming techniques…”

“Mmm…”

“Senior Sister?”

“What?”

“Why do I feel like you’re thinking about something else?” Lu Qingyao found it strange; she noticed Qin Moran seemed distracted.

Qin Moran pursed her lips… finally unable to hold back any longer. “I… I’m wondering where Gu Xiu is now?”

“Gu Xiu?” Lu Qingyao was stunned momentarily before frowning deeply. “Senior Sister! How can you think about that bastard who should have died long ago?! Is it because of Eldest Senior Sister’s Heavenly Secrets Reincarnation Mirror that day? Did it make Senior Sister think about all those messy things?”

Qin Moran hesitated slightly. “This…”

“Senior Sister… don’t forget!”

“Gu Xiu severed your path back then! He is the real culprit! Don’t talk about what suffering he endured—that was his own doing! Otherwise… Senior Sister would have already attained your Great Dao long ago!” Lu Qingyao said indignantly.

However… Qin Moran wasn’t swayed by this argument; instead, she pursed her lips again and took a deep breath.

“Junior Martial Sister…”

“If I told you… actually long before I forcibly attempted divine invocation… Gu Xiu once told me…”

“He had another way to help me… told me not to force…”