ML cultivate the ruthless killing sword but he can't level up bcs the end of ruthless killing sword practitioner is only death unless he found "one affection/one emotion" or something like that, so he cut his soul into half and seal it in a ring then throw it into small world to find his destined person, then MC found it and activate the ring when he's betrayed by the Xu Family and almost died, and that is the beginning of their friendship

you get some holes poked in you by nasty backstabbers and nearly get mauled by wild apes. I really doubt ML would intervene even if MC really died

The ML, a dignified peak Huayuan realm person, instead of cultivating, would go around spying on the people who are trying to harm the person who happened to use the storage ring he is in? Please, at this point, he didn't fall in love with him. Even if he is a good friend, what can those little shrimps do that he can't stop? And if it's not life threatening, then it's a long experience for our pure-hearted MC. So, at this point, I really feel that the ML was shot while he was lying down.

Update:

I'm wrong. The senses of the ML are strong enough to perceive the maliciousness but he deliberately didn't remind to sharpen the mind of MC and change his nature. He is kind but unguarded which is dangerous on his part. In this case, it is even more the case that the ML was teaching him, so how exactly is this not caring? Ugh, I'm so confused on ML standards these days.

a reincarnation of a sword stone is so hilarious! It makes sense too considering how rigid he is~ It's so cuuute~

like, when they double cultivated at the Sword Conference, MC was upgraded to mid Nascent Soul & ML went to Late stage but when they went to the Nine Void Realm, MC was in early stage & ML was still in late stage. The armor gifted by the Li clan was never used again even though they needed armor. And some of the situations during the war were too jerky for me. Like, he knew the broken mirror was refined using the body of the outer monsters but he told the sect leader that they were made using the time & space crystals in the heart which led to a waste of research. Also, he didn't say anything about the medicine refined using the bodies or the armor made from the bodies. Also, the Moon clan were too obviously linked to those outer monsters for me. Just little things like that.

the MC shou is a single root wooden cultivator and the ML gong is a genius sword cultivator practicing the ruthless way.

There are many examples such as siblings from the Xu family whom we helped, who showed up a long time later, talked once and that was it, or a friend we met at the same time who had even less to say. I won't even mention the friend from the boat, with whom we unfortunately parted and never showed up again (honestly, was his presence needed at all? Just to show how nice our hero is?)

For example, a character fell into a lake, the whirlpool made him find himself in some underground cave, which turned out to be an oasis in its own way, but it also had a sky and creatures living there, and he could freely go out through the whirlpool??? Or a sect that is in the middle of a mountain, but not actually in a mountain? Many places also make no sense, such as when the MC has to get to the lower world, literally go through to another dimension, all you need to do is fly to the edge of the ocean and go through the corridor because it turned out that everything inside is an illusion... If someone he wants to go lower and massacre defenseless people, there is absolutely nothing stopping him, no wonder some demon took advantage of it with such a lack of security, it makes no sense.

We have a situation where some time ago someone wanted to kill the MC because of his talent in cultivation, but he was protected and could easily rise to a higher level. As soon as he left, he was asked to talk to strangers who had also recently entered this level, and of course he agreed without any suspicion. It's not like he was almost killed because someone envied him, and it's not at all suspicious that immediately after his promotion, someone wants to talk to him, and he not only has no problem, but also happily drinks the thing they offer. And where is this supposed "smart MC"?

Additionally, when MC meets his old friend from a dozen or so years ago (with whom he talked once, maybe twice?), he immediately takes him under his wing, which is completely illogical. They haven't seen each other for years, and he doesn't suspect that his friend may have changed? Why did he still consider him a friend enough to start a conversation after all this time? Zero vigilance, zero thinking like a cultivator. But we don't have to worry because the supposed friend disappears a paragraph later and never appears again.

failing to make me feel sorry for the general who was possessed by a demon and allegedly ab*sed. SPOILER The general r*ped the prince of the kingdom and his friend many times, but he had feelings for him for a long time, so he is also a victim? It was literally said when the prince began to refuse that the demon did not take over the general's body while they had s*x, and only did it when it was necessary to force the prince to do so. So every other time it was the general who was in control? And am I supposed to feel sorry for him? He wasn't entirely innocent, and I'm glad other readers noticed that too. This Arc itself was a bit pointless to me. He didn't bring any thoughts to the MC, but only introduced a new character (the only one left!) and in a rather random way.

for example, the MC has a single wooden spiritual root whereas ML has two spiritual roots (though later it becomes one) yet no one praises th MC as they do the ML. When ML forms a golden core before reaching the age of a hundred, he becomes number 5 on the tianlong list, becomes known all over and the sect leader makes him a core disciple yet when it's the MC's turn, the matter, gets overshadowed by other matters. When they go to secret realms the ML comes across treasures that are tailor made for him unlike the MC who even though he is lucky, the things that he gets are not compatible with him.

We all know he's obviously gotta have super talent right??? DUH!

As of c96 there is no obvious romance... but I'm guessing it's the guy in the ring.....