Sword-Hiding Peak.
After watching Han Mengli and the others leave, Ye Chen returned to his courtyard in a flash.
Though he had changed into a fresh set of clothes, the aftermath of enduring Heavenly Lightning still left him looking disheveled—his hair a tangled mess, his skin covered in scorched patches.
“Congratulations, Master, on reaching the Tribulation Realm!” Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu greeted him as soon as he stepped into the courtyard.
Having been on Sword-Hiding Peak, they had felt the terrifying pressure of the Heavenly Lightning up close. Knowing that Ye Chen was enduring a Heavenly Tribulation, they had been deeply worried.
Now that he had successfully overcome it, both felt relieved and genuinely happy for his breakthrough.
Ye Chen smiled at their words.
Truthfully, he had them to thank. Taking Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu as disciples had triggered a system mission, and completing it had rewarded him with a hundred years of cultivation level—exactly what he needed to break through to the Tribulation Realm!
“You two continue cultivating. I’m going to wash up,” Ye Chen said, then walked straight into his room.
Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu exchanged a glance, as if silently coming to a decision…
Inside, Ye Chen had just undressed and sat in a wooden tub of perfectly warm water when a knock sounded at the door.
Knock knock knock!
Ye Chen paused, feeling puzzled.
Didn’t he just tell them he was going to clean up?
Why were Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu knocking now?
Had something gone wrong during their cultivation?
But they had only just reached the stage of drawing spiritual energy into their bodies—there shouldn’t be any issues at the Qi Refining Realm.
Creak—
While he was lost in thought, the door opened.
Startled, Ye Chen snapped his head toward it—only to see Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu walking in, faces flushed red.
“Master, we’ll help wash your back,” Zhao Ling’er said in a small voice.
Both of them lowered their heads in embarrassment, their cheeks glowing.
Ye Chen was stunned. He looked at them with a strange expression and quickly waved his hands.
“No! I can do it myself… You two should go back and cultivate.”
Having just accepted them as disciples, how could he let them scrub his back? If anyone heard about this, they’d think he was some kind of pervert!
Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu stopped in their tracks and looked up at Ye Chen with their adorable, red faces.
She already viewed Ye Chen as family and felt that such acts were a proper way to show gratitude.
In her eyes, helping him bathe or massage were things a disciple should do—otherwise, how could she repay such kindness?
Hearing that, Ye Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He understood their sincerity—they were simple and grateful at heart.
But he still wasn’t quite used to this kind of expression of thanks.
“If you’ve acknowledged me as your master, then I will naturally train you with all my effort,” Ye Chen said earnestly, looking at them. “From now on, focus on your cultivation. Don’t worry about repaying me.”
Still, his heart felt warm.
In his previous life, though he had taken in ten disciples, not once had any of them expressed gratitude. Let alone do anything in return.
In the end, those ten disciples had even betrayed him together—ungrateful wolves.
“…Alright then,” Zhao Ling’er said. “But if Master needs anything, just call us.”
She and Jiang Qingshu turned and quietly left, gently closing the door behind them.
Watching them go, Ye Chen couldn’t help but smile. Their sincerity and innocence truly touched him.
Having been betrayed in his past life, Ye Chen hadn’t wanted to take disciples again. But now, after seeing how genuine Zhao Ling’er and Jiang Qingshu were, he was determined to train them well.
And let those ungrateful wolves like Liu Hongyu understand that their ability to reach the Emperor Realm in their past life wasn’t due to their aptitude or comprehension.
Without him, they could forget about ever Proving the Dao and Becoming a Saint!
…
In a side room at the Menial Disciples’ quarters.
Liu Hongyu grew restless. Her frustration mounted until she suddenly opened her eyes and shouted irritably, “Why is my spiritual energy improving so slowly?”
“I’ve been cultivating for so long, and I’m still stuck at the 1st stage Qi Refining Realm!”
“Damn it! At this rate, when will I even reach the 2nd stage?”
She had believed that with her past-life experience and talent, she could quickly build her foundation, form a Golden Core, and then break through to the Nascent Soul…
Step by step, until she reached the Emperor Realm.
But now, after cultivating for half a day, her cultivation level hadn’t budged from the 1st stage Qi Refining Realm.
Liu Hongyu was on the verge of collapse.
In her last life, it had been much faster!
Li Qinghuan and Lu Mengyao also opened their eyes, irritated and confused.
Their cultivation level was also stuck at the 1st stage Qi Refining Realm.
“What’s going on?” Li Qinghuan asked. “Why is it taking me so long to absorb spiritual energy?”
She remembered that in her previous life, she’d reached the 2nd stage Qi Refining Realm within a day, and after that, broke through a stage every day.
Three months later, she was already at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm.
During the sect assessment, she, Liu Hongyu, and Lu Mengyao had completely crushed the other registered disciples, gaining fame across the sect. Everyone praised them as cultivation geniuses.
But now her cultivation speed was like a crawling snail. She couldn’t make sense of it.
Lu Mengyao frowned and carefully recalled something—then her expression changed slightly.
“I remember when Ye Chen brought us back to Sword-Hiding Peak, he gave each of us a pill.”
“After that, our cultivation speed suddenly improved!”
“He said it was called the Marrow-Cleansing Pill!”
At her words, Liu Hongyu and Li Qinghuan recalled the same moment and were struck by realization.
“That’s right! I nearly forgot about that!” Liu Hongyu said. “So our improved cultivation speed… was because of the Marrow-Cleansing Pill?”
She hesitated.
She had always believed her path to the Emperor Realm had come through her own efforts and had nothing to do with Ye Chen.
If the truth was that her breakthrough was aided by a pill, then didn’t that mean she had a trash constitution that needed enhancement just to catch up?
She didn’t want to accept that. Her pride refused to allow it.
“If the Marrow-Cleansing Pill was responsible, then we just need to get more from the Menial Disciples’ elder,” Li Qinghuan said indifferently. “Once we reach the Emperor Realm, we’ll repay the debt.”
In her mind, if Ye Chen had access to such pills, so did the other elders and Peak Masters. She felt that as long as she expressed her gratitude someday, she owed him nothing more.
“Senior Sister Li is right. Let’s go find an elder now,” Lu Mengyao said. “We must raise our cultivation level quickly and prove to Ye Chen that we can still reach the Emperor Realm without him!”
“No time to waste—let’s go now!”
Eager, Li Qinghuan and Lu Mengyao stood and headed outside.
Liu Hongyu hesitated for a moment, then followed after them.
Even if it meant admitting her talent was lacking, cultivation progress was far more important.