Three days later…
In the courtyard of Sword-Hiding Peak.
Crack!
Crack!
The spirit stones powering the Gathering Formation turned to dust.
All the Spiritual Energy in the surroundings was drawn into Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu’s bodies.
The two slowly opened their eyes, their auras noticeably stronger than they had been days earlier.
“4th stage Qi Refining Realm!” Zhao Ling’er felt the rich flow of Spiritual Energy within her, just a step away from breaking through to the 5th stage.
“Master!”
“Disciple feels I can break through to the 5th stage Qi Refining Realm today…” Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu called out excitedly as they saw Ye Chen walking out from inside the house, eager to share their joy with him.
In just a few short days, they had already reached the 4th stage Qi Refining Realm and were on the verge of stepping into the 5th.
Before becoming Ye Chen’s disciples, neither Zhao Ling’er nor Jiang Qingshu ever imagined their cultivation speed could be this fast.
Ye Chen instantly saw through their cultivation levels and could sense they were close to breaking through. A trace of anticipation rose in his heart. As long as Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu reached the 5th stage Qi Refining Realm, he would be able to complete the system mission and receive a generous reward.
“Your progress has been very fast!”
“I’ll set up another Gathering Formation for you.”
Ye Chen took out dozens of mid-grade spirit stones from his Storage Ring and began laying the formation once more in the courtyard.
“Thank you, Master!”
“Master, you’re the best…” Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu said sweetly, smiling joyfully.
They were truly grateful for everything Ye Chen had done for them and silently made a note of it in their hearts, always thinking about how to repay him.
Not long after, the small Gathering Formation was activated again.
The Spiritual Energy in the courtyard became even denser…
“Alright!”
“You two continue cultivating…”
Ye Chen looked up at Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu, his heart full of hope that they would soon break through.
“Yes, Master!” the two answered together and sat back down cross-legged, resuming their cultivation.
They also wanted to surprise Ye Chen by breaking through today.
Watching them cultivate with such focus, Ye Chen nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk out…
With a single step, his figure vanished.
… Find the original chapter at g.com.
In the Menial Disciple quarters, inside the Elders’ Hall.
Elder Qian Tang looked up as if sensing something, just in time to see Ye Chen walk in from outside.
“Peak Master Ye, what brings you here personally?”
“If there was something you needed, a disciple could have been sent to notify me…”
“There was no need for you to come in person!”
Qian Tang quickly put on a flattering smile and stepped forward to greet him.
He was merely an Outer Sect elder. Compared to one of the Nine Peak Masters like Ye Chen, his status was vastly inferior.
What’s more, just a few days ago Ye Chen had passed the Heavenly Tribulation and broken through to the Tribulation Realm. His prestige and status within the sect had risen again, now second only to Sect Master Han Mengli.
He wouldn’t dare show any disrespect toward Ye Chen.
“Elder Qian Tang, I’m here to collect this month’s cultivation resources.”
“And also to ask you to send a few people to Sword-Hiding Peak to clean the place up.”
Ye Chen spoke calmly.
Over the past few days, setting up Gathering Formations and stabilizing his cultivation had consumed quite a bit of spirit stones. He figured he might as well pick up his monthly cultivation supplies while arranging for someone to clean the place.
As a Peak Master, Ye Chen received generous monthly resources—mid-grade and even some high-grade spirit stones, as well as Pills.
Normally, disciples from the Menial Disciple quarters would deliver these to him. But this time, since he also wanted to send people to clean up the courtyard and mountain peak, he came personally.
A few days ago, he had undergone tribulation on Sword-Hiding Peak, leaving the area charred and in disarray. Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu had wanted to clean it themselves, but he had stopped them. Their time was better spent cultivating—such chores were the responsibility of the Menial Disciples.
“So that’s how it is…”
“Please rest assured, Peak Master Ye. Your cultivation supplies have already been prepared!”
“I’ll immediately send a few disciples to Sword-Hiding Peak to tidy things up…”
Qian Tang nodded in understanding and agreed readily.
These tasks were part of the daily duties of the Menial Disciple Hall. The fact that no one had been sent in the past few days was a failure on his part.
He quickly took out a Storage Pouch and laid out the spirit stones and Pills inside in front of Ye Chen.
“Please inspect them, Peak Master Ye,” Qian Tang said respectfully.
Ye Chen waved his hand, sweeping all the cultivation resources into his Storage Ring.
He trusted Qian Tang wouldn’t dare shortchange him—unless he had a death wish.
“Thank you,” Ye Chen said briefly.
In this life, Ye Chen hadn’t accepted them as disciples. The other eight Peak Masters hadn’t taken them in either, so they had no choice but to be assigned here.
“Elder Qian Tang, how are the new registered disciples in the Menial Hall progressing in their cultivation?” Ye Chen asked.
“Ai, don’t even mention it…” Qian Tang pulled a face and grumbled.
“Any disciples with even a bit of talent were snatched up by the Nine Peaks. The ones left for us have practically no aptitude at all.”
“These past few days, only a few have managed to draw spiritual energy into their bodies. The rest are still fumbling around.”
As if remembering something unpleasant, his expression darkened even more.
“There are three female disciples in particular. Poor aptitude is one thing, but they’re arrogant beyond belief—acting like they’re some hotshot geniuses!”
“I don’t even know where they learned about the Marrow-Cleansing Pill. On their first day, they came to demand one from me!”
“That kind of divine-grade Pill—one I’ve never even seen myself—they think they deserve?”
“Utter delusion!”
The more Qian Tang spoke, the angrier he got.
If Liu Hongyu and the others hadn’t quickly backed down that day, he would’ve taught them a harsh lesson on the spot.
“Marrow-Cleansing Pill?” Ye Chen’s expression shifted slightly, and he instantly understood which three female disciples Qian Tang was talking about…
To have the nerve to demand a Marrow-Cleansing Pill from a sect elder on the very day of entry, it could only be those three ungrateful traitors.
They must still think it’s like their past life at Sword-Hiding Peak—whatever they wanted, they got. As if the world owed them.
Ye Chen sneered inwardly. He knew Liu Hongyu and the others had likely hit a bottleneck in their cultivation and were finally realizing their aptitude was truly inferior. So they remembered that in their past life, he had given them the Marrow-Cleansing Pill.
But this wasn’t some common Pill. Ye Chen had only obtained it through a rare and fortunate opportunity. Not even Sect Master Han Mengli possessed one, let alone an elder from the Menial Hall.
This time, Ye Chen was determined to see how far they could go without it!
He wasn’t going to indulge these three traitors anymore.
“Elder Qian Tang, there’s no need to pamper disciples like that. Let them suffer a bit—only then will they understand their place.”
Ye Chen said with a faint smile.
“You’re absolutely right, Peak Master Ye. Disciples like that need a good dose of discipline. No more coddling!” Qian Tang agreed at once, already forming ideas in his mind…
“Farewell.” Ye Chen turned and left, his mood much lighter at the thought of those three ungrateful traitors finally getting put in their place.
“Safe travels, Peak Master Ye!” Qian Tang watched Ye Chen leave, his expression gradually darkening…
“Liu Hongyu, Li Qinghuan, Lu Mengyao…”
“If you don’t learn your place, don’t blame me for teaching you the hard way!”