In front of the Green Bamboo Residence gate.
"This Ninth Uncle is indeed a great person, able to perform the legendary sword flight. I wonder if I will ever be able to soar through the sky like Ninth Uncle in my lifetime."
As he watched Ninth Uncle's divine figure disappear into the distance on his flying sword, Xu Taiping couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Little Taiping, why envy this old man?"
At that moment, a woman's voice sounded in Xu Taiping's ear.
Turning his head, he saw that Lingyue Fairy's somewhat translucent figure was already standing in the center of the courtyard.
"Taiping, it's time to break through to the Gate Opening Realm."
Lingyue Fairy looked at Xu Taiping with a determined smile.
"These are all the events that have happened since you were in hibernation."
Xu Taiping recounted everything that had happened over the past few days to Lingyue Fairy, including how he had planned to capture and kill the ghost.
"Also, these items fell from the ghost after I killed it."
Then, Xu Taiping moved a small wooden box onto the table.
"I originally planned to use this ghost to test the young man's adaptability, to see if he would hide in the Green Bamboo Residence or seek help from the cultivators of the West Wind Pavilion. I never expected him to kill the ghost on his own..."
Lingyue Fairy glanced at the small wooden box on the table, then recalled Xu Taiping's account. When she looked at Xu Taiping again, her eyes were full of admiration.
"Sister Fairy, did I do something wrong?"
Seeing Lingyue Fairy silent, just staring at him without blinking, Xu Taiping looked puzzled.
"No." Lingyue Fairy shook her head with a smile, "You did very well, couldn't have done better."
"Really? I just... had good luck, meeting Sister Qingmei's ghost and learning the ghost's weakness."
Xu Taiping scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise.
"But, Sister Fairy, there's still a tiger demon behind that ghost. It's currently recovering, and once it's healed, it might come for revenge. Can you help me find a way to deal with that tiger demon?"
Xu Taiping suddenly remembered the tiger demon.
"You don't need to worry, Little Taiping. During this hibernation, I have stabilized this remnant soul. Although I can't act personally, I have many ways to deal with a tiger demon. A five-hundred-year-old tiger gallbladder is best for making medicinal wine."
Lingyue Fairy smiled, a smile that made Xu Taiping shiver, suddenly feeling that this fairy sister might be more terrifying than the ghost or the tiger demon.
"By the way, don't call me Sister Fairy anymore. Call me Sister Lingyue. We are now in the same boat, no need to be so formal."
Lingyue Fairy pouted at Xu Taiping.
"Okay, Sister Fairy... Sister Lingyue."
Xu Taiping almost called her wrong again and quickly corrected himself.
Lingyue Fairy nodded in satisfaction.
"Open the wooden box, let me see what the ghost had on him."
She pointed at the wooden box on the table.
Xu Taiping nodded and opened the box.
"These three hundred merit coins were probably stolen from the murdered cultivators. This short sword he didn't use when we fought, and as for this small bronze furnace, I don't know what it's for."
He took out the short sword and the palm-sized bronze furnace from the box.
"This short sword... is likely a magical artifact. He didn't use it against you because low-level ghost cultivators can't use magical artifacts; they would be counterattacked by the magical power stored within."
Lingyue Fairy stroked her chin and examined it carefully before explaining to Xu Taiping.
"Sister Lingyue, what is a magical artifact, and how is it different from a magical treasure?"
Xu Taiping naturally didn't miss the chance to ask Lingyue Fairy.
"Magical artifacts are mostly used by low-level cultivators, while magical treasures can only be refined and used by high-level cultivators. In general, the difference lies in their power. Even a high-quality magical artifact might not match a low-grade magical treasure in power. Additionally, most magical artifacts store magical power and have limited uses, some only once, while magical treasures are used by cultivators to cast spells and generally have no usage limits."
Lingyue Fairy explained in great detail.
Xu Taiping nodded in understanding, his doubts reduced.
"You can try injecting a strand of true qi or spiritual energy into this short sword."
Lingyue Fairy pointed at the short sword.
Xu Taiping nodded and immediately channeled a strand of spiritual energy from his dantian, using the qi guidance technique he learned from the Green Ox Fist to inject it into the short sword.
Almost instantly, the short sword in Xu Taiping's hand emitted a sword cry and shot out of its sheath, flying around the bedroom.
"Is it... a flying sword?"
Xu Taiping was full of surprise.
"This kind of flying sword is only two to three times faster than a regular arrow. How can it be called a flying sword?"
Lingyue Fairy pouted in disdain.
"Sister Lingyue, I found that this sword can move according to my will!"
Xu Taiping's attention was completely captured by the flying sword, his face showing a rare childlike joy.
Lingyue Fairy felt a pang of sympathy, her heart full of tenderness:
"He is just a teenager, at this age, he should still be playing with his parents."
Thinking of this, her eyes softened, and she gently nodded, guiding Xu Taiping:
"Magical artifacts are like this. Once you inject spiritual energy into them, they can communicate with your will, and you naturally know how to use them and how many times they can be used."
Xu Taiping nodded vigorously:
"Sister Lingyue is right. This flying sword can now only be used twice."
After saying this, he controlled the short sword flying around the room, and it returned to its sheath with a "clang."
"Also, Sister Lingyue, I just noticed that making it fly a few circles has already consumed a lot of the Residual Afterglow True Qi in my dantian."
Xu Taiping put away the short sword and told Lingyue Fairy with a look of curiosity.
"Indeed, the lower the grade of the magical artifact, the more true qi or spiritual energy it consumes. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of magical artifacts, which is why high-level cultivators often don't bother refining them."
Lingyue Fairy reached out to wipe the sweat from Xu Taiping's forehead but realized she couldn't touch him.
"It's okay, Sister Lingyue, I can wipe it myself."
Xu Taiping took a towel and wiped his face vigorously. Getting this magical artifact tonight made him very happy.