Having already experienced his second senior sister’s methods, Xiao Chen wanted absolutely no part of a year-long training trip with her.
One wrong move and he could lose his life.
‘That woman is a veritable Mother Yecha!’
He shook his head frantically, but Cangxuan showed no signs of changing his mind.
“Chen’Er, you only have one year.
With your talent, you can certainly improve a great deal in that time, but it’s absolutely not enough to reach a level where you can contend with Celestial Blade.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Your Second Senior Sister’s temper may be a bit explosive, but I believe that under her guidance, your rate of improvement will be several times faster than with normal training.”
Cangxuan said slowly, though he kept one thought to himself: ‘That is, if you manage to survive the year.’
Not giving Xiao Chen another chance to speak, Cangxuan immediately took out a Storage Ring and handed it to him.
“This is a medium-grade Storage Ring.
Take it.
Inside, I’ve prepared an ample supply of Healing Elixirs for you, as well as one hundred high-grade martial techniques…”
He had prepared everything for Xiao Chen.
The Healing Elixirs were, of course, to ensure he survived, while the one hundred high-grade martial techniques were for his training.
High-grade martial techniques formed the foundation of the Sword Technique; the more one practiced, the deeper their comprehension of the Sword Dao would become.
At the same time, their foundation would grow more solid, and their combat power would naturally increase.
Furthermore, practicing high-grade martial techniques would help Xiao Chen further his comprehension of Sword Qi.
With a look of resignation, Xiao Chen accepted the medium-grade Storage Ring from Cangxuan.
Storage Rings were graded as low, medium, high, and supreme.
A low-grade Storage Ring had only ten cubic meters of space, whereas a medium-grade one boasted a hundred, allowing it to hold far more items.
“Alright, get ready.
You two will set out in three days.
Just be sure to return before the year-end assessment.
Chen’Er, for this year, you must follow all of your senior sister’s arrangements.
She will not harm you.” After handing the Storage Ring to Xiao Chen, Cangxuan gestured for them to withdraw.
Given absolutely no chance to refuse, Xiao Chen left Cangxuan’s residence with Qi Yan.
As they were about to part ways, Qi Yan turned her head and, with a broad smile, said to him.
“Junior Brother, over the next few days, you should see if you have any final affairs to put in order and take care of them.
Also, write a letter home.
Consider it a farewell…” She was clearly messing with him.
With that, Qi Yan departed with a sweet laugh, leaving Xiao Chen grinding his teeth in fury.
He could no longer maintain any semblance of calm.
‘My life is on the line, how the hell can I be calm?!’ Watching Qi Yan’s retreating figure, Xiao Chen stood stunned.
After a long moment, as if having reached a decision, he spun around and bolted toward his Wuchen Residence.
‘I thought becoming Master Cangxuan’s disciple meant a bright future was just around the corner.
But who knew that instead of a bright future, an endless abyss awaited?
Training with that Mother Yecha for a year?
How is that possible?!
With her temper, even if I don’t die, I’ll be crippled!’
‘I absolutely cannot fall into that Mother Yecha’s clutches.’ Sprinting all the way back to Wuchen Residence, Xiao Chen burst through the door and frantically started packing.
Seeing him in such a state, the sisters Qing Yao and Qingluo approached in confusion.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?
What happened?”
‘The two of them had been so happy that Xiao Chen had successfully become a disciple.
Why would he return from seeing Master Cangxuan in such a panic, packing his things…?’
In no mood to explain everything to the two of them, Xiao Chen simply said, “No time to explain.
I have to go into hiding for a while.
You two take care of yourselves.
I estimate I’ll be back in a year.”
‘There’s no way I’m going on a training trip with that Mother Yecha.
So, I’ll just sneak away and train on my own for a year.
When I come back, even if she catches me, there’ll be nothing she can do.’
With that, Xiao Chen bolted out of Wuchen Residence and headed straight for the exit of the East Sword Pavilion.
‘There’s no time to waste, and I can’t let that Mother Yecha catch me, or it’s all over.’
Sprinting the entire way, Xiao Chen soon reached the main gate of the East Sword Pavilion.
Seeing the gate right before him, he finally let out a sigh of relief and chuckled under his breath, “Finally.
Once I’m out this gate, the world is my oyster.
That damn woman…
wanted me to train with her for a year?
In your dreams…”
His spirits lifted, but before Xiao Chen could rejoice for long, a graceful figure emerged from behind one of the stone pillars by the gate.
It was, of course, his Second Senior Sister, Qi Yan.
“Little Junior Brother, where are you off to in such a rush?
Need your Senior Sister to see you off?” Qi Yan asked, a wide smile on her face as she looked at Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen froze on the spot, completely baffled.
‘What the—?
How is she here?!’
He instinctively took a few steps back.
‘I’m done for.
That damn woman has me cornered.’
Qi Yan had figured Xiao Chen might try to bolt, so she had come here early to block his path.
To her surprise, she’d caught him red-handed.
His escape plan a failure, what followed was simple.
Xiao Chen received another brutal beating from Qi Yan before being forcibly dragged back to Wuchen Residence.
“Well, I don’t have anything to prepare, and it looks like you’re already packed.
Let’s just leave tomorrow,” Qi Yan said with a smile, sitting across from Xiao Chen.
‘It’s over.
It’s really over now.’ Hearing Qi Yan’s words, Xiao Chen despaired.
‘Running is definitely out of the question.
Now I just have to figure out how to survive a year at the hands of this she-devil…
an entire year…
‘
That night, Xiao Chen brainstormed countless strategies, but no matter how he looked at it, his chances of surviving the year seemed slim.
‘After all, that girl’s methods are absolutely vicious.
When she’s in a good mood, she might spare a thought for our shared discipleship.
But the moment she’s in a bad mood, she’ll torment me to within an inch of my life.
And the worst part is, her temper is on a hair-trigger.
Who the hell knows when she’s going to snap?’
‘Being with Qi Yan is like sleeping with an atomic bomb.
You never know when it’s going to go off, and when it does, it’s fatal.’
He didn’t sleep a wink all night, nor was he in any mood to cultivate.
The next morning, when Xiao Chen opened his door, the first thing he saw was Qi Yan sitting in the courtyard.
Seeing him step out, she smiled.
“Junior Brother, ready?
Then let’s go…”
She was about to lead Xiao Chen away when, at that exact moment—who knew who’d leaked the news—Mo Jie and a few others rushed into Wuchen Residence.
Bursting through the door in his haste, Mo Jie didn’t even notice Qi Yan and immediately shouted.
“Brother Xiao Chen, I heard you’re going on a training trip with that Mother Yecha!
What’s going on?
Are you not afraid of dying?
If you train with her, even nine lives won’t be enough…!”