After the sect's tournament, the four disciples gathered back in Zhang Hao's courtyard.
They received detailed guidance from both Li An and Zhang Hao on their eventual Foundation Establishment tribulations—how to increase the number of tribulation lightning bolts to strengthen their foundation, and how to withstand the strikes without crippling their meridians or spiritual roots.
Li An and Zhang Hao could have easily provided all the materials needed to boost their lightning tribulation's strength and the defenses required to withstand them. But they wished for the disciples to earn and gather those resources themselves. After all, they couldn't always depend on their masters, and it might limit their potential and abilities if Li An and Zhang Hao kept spoiling them.
Li An suggested that the disciples—other than Long Yun, who had just received a High-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill—could ask Ling Yuan to refine their own Foundation Establishment Pills.
"They might not be as good as the one Long Yun received," Li An said calmly, "but they will be better than an average Foundation Establishment Pill found in the market. And with the addition of Ling Yuan's life energy, they can boost your vitality and provide a significant boost to your defenses when you are struck by the lightning."
"You should also observe Long Yun transcending his tribulation," Zhang Hao added. "That way, you'll gain a clear understanding of what you should prepare when transcending yours."
"You can transcend your tribulations in the training hall on the Flame Peak," Li An continued. "There are many formations there—defensive formations to contain the lightning, recovery formations to stabilize your meridians afterward, and isolation formations to prevent external damage. So you don't need to worry that your tribulations will affect any innocent bystanders or destroy your surroundings."
Honestly, Li An thought privately, if they were to consume a drop of Wu Meng Ting's divine nectar, they would easily be able to endure any amount of tribulation lightning thrown at them.
But Li An didn't want anyone else to know of its existence. And Zhang Hao was possessive—he didn't want another person licking the fluids produced from Wu Meng Ting's private parts.
So no one else, not even their disciples, knew the divine nectar existed.
Long Yun's tribulation was still the main focus, and Li An suggested that he could buy defensive talismans, formations, and treasures from her with equivalent contribution points or spiritual stones. But looking at the high prices of the materials, Long Yun decided not to buy any. With his current wealth, he could only afford two talismans before going broke.
Li An didn't persuade him to buy any. After all, he was a grown man and could make decisions himself. And Zhang Hao was the one teaching him, so she was not responsible for taking care of him. If I have additional resources, she thought, shouldn't I give them to Ling Yuan or Gu Ling, who I am teaching?
And as expected, after leaving the courtyard and returning to their residence, Zhang Hao secretly went to find Long Yun, giving him a bag of defensive talismans and formations. They might not be as strong as the ones Li An possessed, but they were more than enough for his tribulation. Long Yun almost cried from Zhang Hao's actions, and could only vow to repay him with his life in the future.
When Zhang Hao sneaked back to his residence, he was caught by Li An. Although Li An had impaired vision and movement, the emotions of guilt and nervousness were obviously transmitted to her through the artifact ring.
Zhang Hao could only seek forgiveness and said,
"Long Yun is my disciple. I cannot just watch him suffer like this. I might not be as rich as you, but I am still rich enough to support my disciples until they reach the Golden Core stage."
Li An kept quiet for the next few minutes.
Then she said softly,
"I also wish to support them for life. But doing so will eventually ruin their future. They might not seek improvement if we provide everything. And to withstand future tribulations, they will need a strong, resilient mentality. I don't wish for them to die due to my excessive spoiling."
Zhang Hao hugged her gently.
"Then you will be the one providing them the stick, and I will provide the carrot. With both strict teaching and care provided by the both of us, the disciples will grow up fine."
Li An's heart felt more at ease. She lifted her head, facing Zhang Hao's face, and joked,
"So you want me to be the bad guy while making yourself seem like a saint? Does that mean your feelings toward me are only this superficial?"
Zhang Hao could only apologize again, not knowing what was going through Li An's mind.
Women are creatures who are hard to understand
He thought helplessly.
Even when they are happy and don't actually mean what they say, I still have to apologize and improve her mood. Truly, I don't understand their actions.
Li An, sensing his thoughts through the artifact ring, could only giggle. It seems being a woman has its own perks, she thought. Men have to apologize even when the woman is the one in the wrong.
Anyways, I've given Zhang Hao way too many benefits. I've provided him with resources for cultivating, and I allow him to enjoy the peerless beauty of Wu Meng Ting's body. The least he can do is please my mood.
She held Zhang Hao's hand firmly and decided to spend the rest of the day basking in the sunlight with him.
The next day, it was the day Long Yun would be transcending his Foundation Establishment tribulation. Considering his talents, Li An predicted that he would receive around five to six bolts of lightning strikes.
And she was right.
As the first, second, and third lightning strikes came down, Long Yun's physical body was cleansed and rebuilt. His spiritual energy capacity increased threefold, and his mid-grade spiritual roots improved their absorbing capabilities. The first three strikes of lightning were not an issue—Long Yun was prepared. The fourth lightning strike was blocked by the defensive talismans and formations given by Zhang Hao, and the fifth and final strike was defended with his high-grade spear.
Baptized in the lightning, the spear showed signs of evolving into a peak-grade spear—but it stopped at the final step. The spear still remained a high-grade spear, but its durability and sharpness far surpassed any other high-grade spear in existence. Even Zhang Hao's current peak-grade spear couldn't compare with it in those aspects. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
And Long Yun emerged as the first disciple of Zhang Hao to reach the early Foundation Establishment stage.
Zhang Hao, Li An, and the other three disciples proceeded to congratulate Long Yun on his success. Now, with his early Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, he had the strength to take harder sect missions and travel the northern continent. Long Yun expressed his wish to gain more experience and improve his combat abilities.
Zhang Hao had no objections. He signaled Long Yun, then glanced at Li An, hoping that Long Yun would ask her for some life-saving tools. But sadly, Long Yun didn't get the signal.
Li An, however, sensed Zhang Hao's thoughts through the artifact ring and glanced toward Long Yun. She then pulled out a chest plate for male cultivators.
"This thin chest plate can be worn under your regular clothes," she said calmly. "When the wearer is about to receive a life-threatening attack, it will release a barrier around the wearer, blocking it and saving his life."
Long Yun looked at Li An with a shocked expression.
Such armor could practically be enshrined as a treasure by his cultivation family—even his old mid-Golden Core stage ancestor wouldn't bear to use it—and now Li An just casually threw it out?
He looked at his master, Zhang Hao, and pulled him out to the side.
"Master, who is Li An actually?" he asked quietly. "She knows too many high-grade cultivation techniques and combat skills. Not only that, she can provide each of us a high-grade weapon. She also knows how to refine pills, forge weapons, and build formations."
Zhang Hao tried to deflect him, saying, "Li An is very rich—richer than you could even imagine. So if you need any treasures in the future, you just have to act pitiful and spoiled, soften Li An's heart, and she will pull out a treasure to give you."
Long Yun looked at Zhang Hao, shaking his head. My master probably used this method to scam a few treasures from Li An in the past, he thought. It seems he really is living off his wife.
Long Yun returned with Zhang Hao, receiving the armor from Li An's hands. He thanked her and promised, "As Zhang Hao's disciple, I will not disgrace my master's name when I roam the northern continent."
Li An nodded, satisfied with his answer. She then proceeded to tell the other disciples, "You will each receive armor of similar effect to Long Yun's after you have broken through into the Foundation Establishment stage."
This motivated the three disciples, and they returned to their residences and started cultivating.
After one year, Gu Ling managed to transcend her Foundation Establishment lightning tribulation, enduring six lightning bolts. With her early Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, she received an immortal dress once belonging to Wu Meng Ting. Li An toned down the dress's defensive measures and altered the size of the dress to fit Gu Ling. With its defensive abilities, it could endure three strikes from a Golden Core stage cultivator before needing to charge up with spiritual energy to regain its function.
If Li An hadn't toned down the immortal dress's defensive measures, it could block even attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators without needing to recharge. But that itself would lead to many people scheming against Gu Ling to steal this treasure of hers.
After two more years, both Ling Yuan and Zi Yi transcended their Foundation Establishment lightning tribulations, each enduring five lightning bolts. With them reaching early Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, Li An gave Ling Yuan a white robe. This robe could produce a barrier to isolate poisonous gas or projectiles, effectively blocking any assassination attempts on Ling Yuan.
As for Zi Yi, she gave him a pair of shoes. Since his physical body was hard enough, he was only lacking in speed. These shoes could temporarily bestow him the power of the wind, allowing him to double his original movement speed.
In these three years, Long Yun, who had traveled around the northern continent to hone his spear arts and gain worldly experience, finally returned to the Flame Peak.
He was not alone. Walking alongside him was a slender, delicate-looking young woman dressed in pale yellow robes, her fair skin and soft features giving her an air of gentle refinement. While she was certainly attractive by ordinary standards, she could not begin to compare with the peerless immortal beauty of Wu Meng Ting hidden beneath Li An's plain skin.
Entering the main courtyard, Long Yun cupped his fists and bowed deeply toward Zhang Hao and Li An. "Disciple Long Yun pays his respects to Master and Mistress! Disciple has returned safely from his travels!"
Zhang Hao set down his tea and stood up, a broad, welcoming smile spreading across his face. "Hahaha! Good! You've grown much sturdier, Long Yun. Your aura is steady, and your foundation has solidified nicely."
Long Yun smiled, then stepped aside and gently guided the young woman forward. "Master, Mistress, allow me to introduce Chu Ting. She is an inner disciple from the Spirit Verdant Sect."
Chu Ting stepped forward gracefully, smoothing her sleeves before dropping into a deep, respectful curtsy. "Junior Chu Ting greets Peak Master Zhang, greets Mistress Li An. I have long heard of Peak Master Zhang's mighty reputation and Mistress's profound wisdom, and it is a true honor to finally pay my respects in person."
Zhang Hao was surprised and delighted. Seeing his eldest disciple bring home a companion felt no different than a proud father meeting his son's partner for the first time. "No need for such formality, Miss Chu! Please, stand. How did the two of you meet?"
Long Yun cleared his throat, a hint of pride in his voice as he explained, "Half a year ago, Junior Sister Chu accepted a sect mission to hunt an early Foundation Establishment earth-scaled beast in the border valleys. However, when she engaged the beast, it had unexpectedly mutated and broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment realm. She was trapped and on the verge of suffering a fatal strike when I happened to pass by."
"If Senior Brother Long Yun had not descended like a roaring flame, wielding his spear to slay the beast in just a few strikes, my cultivation path would have ended in that valley," Chu Ting added softly, her cheeks flushing with an appropriate touch of modesty as she cast an affectionate glance at Long Yun. "His valor and kindness saved my life."
Zhang Hao stroked his chin, chuckling with satisfaction. "Well done! A disciple of my Flame Peak should always act with righteousness and decisive strength. Miss Chu, what is your spiritual root affinity, and how long have you cultivated at the Foundation Establishment realm?"
"Junior possesses high-grade earth spiritual roots," Chu Ting replied earnestly. "I broke through to early Foundation Establishment four years ago, but my sect's resources are limited, so my progress has been slow."
"High-grade earth spiritual roots at such an age is already exceptional," Zhang Hao said with genuine warmth.
Sitting beside him on her reclining chair, Li An observed Chu Ting in silence. Under her plain disguise, Li An possessed the sharp, centuries-old insight of a seasoned cultivator. She could sense Chu Ting's polite deference, but she also caught the subtle flickers of calculation in the young woman's eyes as she took in the lavish courtyard.
"Your foundation is steady, though your earth qi appears somewhat rigid from lack of proper tempering," Li An said calmly, her voice even. "How long have you traveled together across the northern continent?"
Chu Ting felt a strange, inexplicable pressure beneath Li An's placid gaze. Even though Li An appeared as an ordinary-looking female cultivator with a gentle demeanor, Chu Ting felt as though her very thoughts were being laid bare.
"We have traveled together for nearly ten months, Mistress," Chu Ting answered carefully, lowering her eyes. "Senior Brother Long Yun has taken meticulous care of me along the way." This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
Zhang Hao laughed heartily, completely oblivious to any tension. "Since you are Long Yun's companion and our guest on the Flame Peak, we cannot let you leave empty-handed!"
With a flick of his sleeve, Zhang Hao retrieved a pristine, supple roll of brown leather from his spatial ring. Thick earth-attributed spiritual energy radiated from its surface, heavy and steady. "This is mid-grade earth-attributed demon beast leather. Once my forge is heated, I will personally craft a protective vest tailored for you to wear beneath your robes."
Chu Ting gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. A mid-grade spirit material personally forged by a peak Golden Core peak master was a treasure that even the core elders of her own sect would covet! "Peak Master Zhang... this is too precious! Junior dare not—"
"Take it, take it," Zhang Hao waved his hand warmly. "You are Long Yun's partner, which makes you family here."
Li An remained quiet at the side. If I take out a high-grade treasure from my collection right now, it will easily surpass Zhang Hao's gift and undermine his standing as the master of this peak in front of his disciple's guest, she thought. Thus, she chose not to intervene, offering only a polite nod.
Long Yun noticed Li An's silence and sighed inwardly with a trace of helplessness. I was hoping Mistress might take out one of her miraculous defensive treasures for Chu Ting... It seems Master's gift will have to do.
"Thank you, Master!" Long Yun said, cupping his fists before turning to Chu Ting with a bright grin. "Come, let me introduce you to my fellow disciples."
He took Chu Ting's hand and led her across the courtyard to the open pavilion, where Ling Yuan, Zi Yi, and Gu Ling were gathered.
"Senior Brother Long Yun!" Ling Yuan greeted him with a gentle, polite bow. He wore clean green robes, his aura brimming with tranquil wood vitality, and a high-grade dagger rested quietly at his side. "You've finally returned safely. And you've brought an esteemed guest."
"This is Chu Ting," Long Yun introduced. "Chu Ting, this is my junior brother, Ling Yuan. He is our peak's alchemist."
Ling Yuan smiled warmly. "Greetings, Junior Sister Chu. If your meridians ever feel exhausted from traveling, please let me know. I can refine several batches of vitality-restoring pills for you at any time."
Chu Ting returned the greeting, but her heart skipped a beat as her eyes swept over Ling Yuan. Such concentrated, pure wood spiritual energy... and the scent wafting from his pill pouch carries the fragrance of high-grade medicinal herbs! A Foundation Establishment disciple casually offering custom-refined high-grade pills as if they were candy?!
Before she could recover, Zi Yi stepped forward with a loud laugh, his broad shoulders and muscular frame practically radiating metallic weight. A massive, rune-inscribed black battle hammer hung across his back. "Welcome to the Flame Peak, Sister-in-law! I'm Zi Yi. Don't let Ling Yuan's gentle words bore you—if anyone from the other peaks gives you trouble while you're here, just tell me! My hammer has flattened plenty of arrogant fools during our sect sparring matches!"
Chu Ting felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at Zi Yi's battle hammer. That spiritual pressure... that's an authentic high-grade spirit weapon! How can a junior disciple who just reached Foundation Establishment wield an armor-piercing weapon of that caliber?! In my sect, even peak Foundation Establishment elders only use low-grade spirit tools!
Finally, Gu Ling stepped forward with quiet grace. Her slender form was draped in the flowing, water-woven immortal dress, and a sleek sword forged from high-grade water-attributed spiritual bone hung at her waist. She bowed softly, her voice melodious and calm. "Greetings, Senior Sister Chu. I am Gu Ling. Senior Brother Long Yun spoke of his travels often before he left, but it seems he found someone wonderful along the way."
Chu Ting stared at Gu Ling, completely stunned. That dress... the spiritual weave shifts like moonlight upon flowing water, and that bone sword radiates late-stage Golden Core fluctuations! Every single disciple under Peak Master Zhang is equipped like the pampered heir of an ancient immortal clan!
"It is my pleasure to meet you all," Chu Ting managed to say, maintaining her sweet, composed smile despite the chaotic storm raging in her mind.
Long Yun then led Chu Ting to the living quarters, showing her into a spacious, beautifully furnished guest chamber. "You can stay here during your visit, Chu Ting. The spiritual energy gathered on Flame Peak is far denser than the outside world, so it will help your cultivation."
Chu Ting stepped into the room, sensing the rich, swirling spiritual qi filling the air. "Long Yun... this room alone has a spirit-gathering array that rivals the private cultivation chambers of our sect's grand elders. Is your peak always this luxurious?"
"This is just normal for our courtyard," Long Yun laughed with easy confidence. "Come, let me show you where we train."
He brought her to the private training hall. The moment Chu Ting stepped across the threshold, she was greeted by an array of heavy containment formations and several intricate, rune-covered combat mannequins standing in the center of the hall.
Long Yun stepped forward and channeled a strand of fire spiritual energy into the array plate. The nearest mannequin hummed to life, its wooden and metallic joints shifting fluidly as it assumed an advanced combat stance, radiating a pressurized combat aura equivalent to an experienced Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Chu Ting's eyes widened in sheer cultural shock. "Long Yun... what is that?!" she gasped, taking a step back. "Is that an ancient combat puppet? How is it executing such intricate martial techniques without a master manipulating spiritual threads?!"
"These are combat mannequins created by Master and Mistress," Long Yun explained proudly. "They are exclusive to our courtyard. They can adapt to any technique, spar with us at varying levels of difficulty, and instantly expose the flaws in our stances. The four of us sparred against them for ten full years before we even attempted our Foundation Establishment tribulations."
Chu Ting's mind began calculating at lightning speed.
In her Spirit Verdant Sect, there were no such miraculous training aids. To hone their combat instincts, disciples were forced into brutal, life-and-death excursions into dangerous monster territories, where countless disciples were maimed or killed simply trying to gain experience.
Yet here, Zhang Hao's disciples had personal, high-grade combat mannequins to train with daily, custom-crafted high-grade weapons, tailored cultivation arts, boundless high-grade pills, and personalized protective treasures bestowed upon them the moment they broke through.
The resources Long Yun enjoys... I don't even receive ten percent of this as an inner disciple in my sect! Chu Ting thought, her chest tightening with disbelief and burning envy. If I had access to these mannequins, these high-grade pills, and this level of guidance, breaking through to the Golden Core realm with my high-grade earth spiritual roots would be as easy as lifting a hand! Even the Nascent Soul realm wouldn't be an impossible dream!
She looked at Long Yun, feigning innocent curiosity. "Long Yun... are all the disciples in the Frost Cloud Pavilion treated with such incredible treasures and training tools?"
Long Yun shook his head with a chuckle. "Of course not. Disciples from the other peaks only receive standard monthly stipends and ordinary sect resources. Only the four of us under Master and Mistress receive this level of personal guidance and specialized equipment."
Hearing this, Chu Ting's shock instantly solidified into intense, calculated ambition.
Only Zhang Hao's disciples... Peak Master Zhang is destined for the Nascent Soul stage, and his courtyard is overflowing with peerless wealth.
She wrapped her arms around Long Yun's arm, leaning into his side with a tender, devoted expression that completely masked the fierce greed taking root in her heart.
I have to hold onto Long Yun at all costs. And if I can gain Peak Master Zhang's favor and become an official member of this courtyard, all these resources will belong to me as well.
With that thought firmly planted, she began silently scheming her next move.