"Hmm?" The captain was stunned, not understanding the meaning of Xu Qing's sudden words.
"What has it got to do with me? What's going on? Little Qing, are you showing off to me? If it wasn't for my letter…"
Xu Qing glanced at the captain.
The captain coughed.
"If it wasn't for that letter…"
His expression turned serious and he spoke solemnly.
"I've actually wanted to tell you for a long time. We cultivators need to be alone. Only then can we have an iron-like will to complete our beliefs. Only then can we calmly face all difficulties!"
"Woman, heh, is it as delicious as an apple?" The captain fiercely took a bite of the apple and revealed a hint of disdain.
"They are the peaks and boulders that block our way. They are shackles that affect the speed of drawing our swords and are a hell. You have to be careful about this. Don't learn from Old Third. Previously, when I advised you to follow Fairy Zi Xuan, it was mostly a joke."
Xu Qing's expression changed when he heard this. He thought about it carefully and felt that what the captain said made sense. He nodded in agreement.
"Eldest Senior Brother is right. In that case, I won't introduce you to Fairy Zi Xuan's best friend."
The captain was stunned. His eyes widened and he stopped eating the apple.
"What did you say? Introduce me?"
Xu Qing nodded, looking a little embarrassed.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I was wrong. Originally, Senior Li Shitao of Observance Palace asked me to introduce her to someone. I was too narrow-minded, and didn't think of it affecting your will and beliefs, Eldest Senior Brother."
"Li Shitao? It doesn't sound bad. Um… is she good-looking?" the captain suddenly asked.
"Quite okay." Xu Qing was surprised and nodded.
The captain perked up but tried his best to control himself. He stood up and placed his hands behind his back. He then let out a long sigh.
"Junior Brother… Your Eldest Senior Brother has been alone for 26 years. It's a little too long."
The captain turned his head and looked at Xu Qing.
"We cultivators need to be alone." Xu Qing hesitated.
"In a cultivator's life, there is companionship, magic, wealth, and land. Among them, companionship is ranked first!" The captain said solemnly.
"The peaks and boulders that block the way forward." Xu Qing hesitated.
"If we don't understand the mountain, how can we cross it!" The captain said righteously.
"They are shackles that will affect the speed of drawing our sword and are a hell?" Xu Qing looked at the captain.
The captain's expression was sorrowful. He looked at the world outside the window of the Sword Pavilion and sighed softly.
"If I don't enter hell, who will?"
Xu Qing silently looked at the captain. The captain didn't feel awkward at all and shamelessly looked at Xu Qing.
A long time later, Xu Qing sighed and nodded.
"Captain, you should eat more pomelos."
The captain was extremely excited and didn't mind Xu Qing mentioning the pomelos again. He ran to Xu Qing's side and took out three large apples. He handed them to Xu Qing with a radiant expression.
"Junior Brother, Eldest Senior Brother didn't dote on you for nothing. Ahem, I'll wait for your good news." With that, the captain left happily.
Looking at his eldest senior brother's departing back view, Xu Qing's eyes revealed contemplation. Although his eldest senior brother's words were inconsistent, Xu Qing still felt that the other party's previous words made sense.
"Only with a calm mind can one be steadfast." Xu Qing mumbled. He then closed his eyes and focused on meditation.
In the blink of an eye, four days passed.
During these four days, Xu Qing dispersed all his distracting thoughts and calmed the waves that had once risen in his heart. He recovered his state of mind from back then in the Yinghuang Province and completely immersed himself in adapting to the descent of the rules of the small world.
Finally, on the late night of the fourth day, he successfully increased his endurance to 2,000 breaths of time.
"I can try now."
After a short rest, Xu Qing's eyes gleamed. He didn't go off duty immediately but entered the mural world again on the 90th floor.
Walking in the void, Xu Qing arrived outside the eggshell-like light barrier with great familiarity. He rushed forward and shuttled through, appearing above the small world in the clouds.
A huge pressure instantly descended. It was as though mountains had fallen and an invisible feeling of shackles rose in his heart.
Xu Qing's body trembled and cracking sounds rang out from it. However, his expression didn't change at all.
This was the place he usually used to temper himself.
He was already familiar with the feeling of being suppressed by the mountains.
In the past, he would stop here. However, today, he didn't stop at all and took a step forward.
With every step he took, a loud bang rang out between the heavens and the earth. It was as though a mountain rock had fallen to the ground. The commotion was huge and the color of the sky changed as wind and clouds surged.
This scene looked astonishing but in reality, it was because Xu Qing couldn't lift something heavy as though it was light. He was enduring the rules of a world, so every step he took caused a drastic change in the world.
Wherever he passed, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The surrounding clouds churned, looking extremely astonishing.
As Xu Qing continued to move, the expressions of the hidden nonhumans on the ground changed when they saw Xu Qing.
Although they also knew that Xu Qing's performance hadn't reached the state where he could walk around freely, they understood that the more it was like this, the more dangerous it was.
This was because he couldn't completely control the rules, so it was inevitable that the rules would be messed up…
This was indeed the case. Just as Xu Qing's body descended a little, seven to eight climatic changes appeared around him. Sometimes, it was acid rain, sometimes it was thunderstorms, and sometimes it was violent winds…
The ground under his feet was also affected. The plains transformed into mountains and the mountains transformed into lakes that kept changing and couldn't be stabilized. It would only be settled after he left.
During this process, the criminals there… suffered great misfortune.
Hence, when Xu Qing lowered his head, the first thing he saw was a large number of criminals rushing out from hiding places on the ground and fleeing in fear.
