Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 208 Qiu Yun Arrives; Cultivation Advances Rapidly!

If it weren't for his two disciples gradually growing up, Chen Ye would never have considered finding a Daoist partner in recent years.

He has a proficiency panel as a cheat code; as long as he works hard, he can improve.

Chen Ye is a disciplined and hardworking person. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will easily reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and his future is bright.

Furthermore, he practiced the Evergreen Technique, which extended his lifespan.

Therefore, the existence of a Daoist partner would be a burden for Chen Ye.

First, it affects his ability to concentrate on improving his skills.

Secondly, Chen Ye has a long lifespan in the future, and he may have to watch his Daoist partner die of old age... Unless he finds a female cultivator with exceptional talent as his Daoist partner, their cultivation will be able to keep up with his.

But then another problem arose.

How could those arrogant geniuses possibly look down on Chen Ye?
With two kids to care for, and being a middle-aged person...

Even though Chen Ye reached the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of forty, he still paled in comparison to those dazzling lights.

For example, Bai Susu, as cold as a lonely star, achieved the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of nineteen. Her name was like a giant mountain pressing down on the hearts of her peers in the Yan Kingdom, a towering figure to be admired.

But when his gaze fell upon his side, he saw his disciple, who had unknowingly grown tall and strong like bamboo shoots after a rain.

As Zhiwei gradually sheds her childishness, Qingjun is no longer an innocent little girl.

While the master and disciple could remain together in Linsong Valley, as they grew older and their figures became more shapely, it would be necessary to maintain proper boundaries between men and women.

A single man with two young girls in the prime of their youth will find it inconvenient and prone to gossip, no matter how careful he is.

"...There's no rush."

Chen Ye regained his composure, rubbed his temples, and silently plotted.
"Qiongyu is also taking care of their daily needs in the valley. The most urgent task is to establish a foundation as soon as possible, gain some say in the matter, and then we can discuss other options later."

This moment of deep thought was noticed by the dark-haired girl beside him.

Zhiwei thought that her master had taken her words to heart, and a sly crescent moon appeared on her face.

"It seems Master agrees with Zhiwei. Don't overthink things anymore. Aren't two disciples enough for you? Focus on your cultivation and reach Foundation Establishment soon, or Zhiwei will catch up with you!"

"You brat, you think you can catch up with your master? You're only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and you don't even know what kind of king you are!"

Chen Ye laughed in anger. If he had a cheat code, he could still be surpassed by two girls.

Then Chen Ye can find a place to hang himself!

Zhiwei nodded solemnly, her bright eyes fixed on Chen Ye, and counted on her fingers:
“Back when Master was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, Qingjun and I had just begun to draw Qi into our bodies, and we couldn’t even grasp the feeling of Qi properly. Now Master is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and Qingjun and I are both at the sixth level…”

The implication is that the two of them cultivated faster than their master.

Chen Ye's face flushed slightly.

That brat doesn't give her master any face at all.

Could it be that you want to be punished by your master?
He simply reached out and pinched Zhiwei's soft, slightly cool earlobe, rubbing it a few times with a hint of punishment:
"The path of cultivation is not simply one plus one equals two. The higher you go, the more difficult it becomes. I'd like to see how long you can stay stuck at the sixth level of Qi Refining!"

"Well……"

The little girl with black hair pouted, clearly unconvinced.

"But Zhiwei feels that she will soon reach the late stage of Qi Refining!"

Chen Ye: "..."

Another tightness settled in my chest.

The reunion of master and disciple should have been a happy occasion.

But why was he repeatedly defeated by his eldest disciple?
snort!
Chen Ye understood.

It must be this woman. Ever since her cultivation reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, and she was about to reach her master's level, she started to disregard her master!
Chen Ye was filled with resentment, and could almost imagine writing a book called "The Tale of a Scoundrel".

However, seeing the girl's slightly thinner face due to days of hard work, the annoyance in his heart quickly dissipated, leaving only pity.

He stood up, took Zhiwei's small hand, and led her to sit down at the stone table:

"Fine, I won't argue with you. You've had a hard time these past few days. Qingjun went to Moon Rhinoceros Lake, and Master was captured and taken to the sect, leaving you all alone in Linsong Valley."

For the past two weeks, he has indeed been a prisoner.

But in a sense, his eldest disciple was also a prisoner trapped in Linsong Valley...

Zhiwei silently placed her other small hand on the back of her master's hand and whispered:

"Zhiwei is doing very well in Linsong Valley. Granny Li is taking care of her... Master, you don't need to worry about Linsong Valley. Before Zhiwei left, she already troubled Uncle Lin and Brother Li, and left Qingzhi behind to help them. In the past few days, some bad people tried to take advantage of the situation, but they were all driven away by Qingzhi."

Seeing that the girl had come to Luoli Courtyard, she did not forget Linsong Valley.

Chen Ye understood that Zhiwei had never cared about material possessions; her concern stemmed solely from her master's perspective.

He smiled slightly: "Although Lin Song Valley is Master's masterpiece, it is ultimately just a medicine valley. Master is only worried about you."

The existence of Linsong Valley can provide Chen Ye with a massive amount of spirit stones every month.

But spirit stones are ultimately external objects...

Moreover, with Qingzhi in charge of Linsong Valley, basically no one can touch Linsong Valley's foundation.

Chen Ye wasn't worried at all about the Wei family's underhanded and disgusting tactics.

More than that, Chen Ye was worried that the sect would take back Linsong Valley...

Ultimately, they are under the protection of a sect, and many things are beyond their control.

Just as Chen Ye was about to sigh, Zhiwei suddenly reached out her small hand and covered her master's mouth: "Master, don't sigh. Right now, isn't Zhiwei here with you..."

It was precisely because his eldest disciple was by her side that Chen Ye was worried about her safety, which made him want to sigh even more.

but……

He has indeed been somewhat out of control these days, and as their master, he shouldn't have shown any confusion in front of them.

Chen Ye rubbed Zhiwei's head: "Yeah, it's just a pity that we're missing Qingjun."

Zhiwei blinked.

To be honest, although she often missed her junior sister, she was enough to take care of their master on her own.

Just as the master and disciple were enjoying their tender moment, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Zhiwei went to open the door.

A moment later, the eldest disciple's face turned slightly somber, and following behind her was none other than Li Qiuyun, whom she hadn't seen for a long time!

She was dressed in a neat and tidy sect disciple outfit, her long hair tied in a ponytail, revealing a slender and fair neck, and she carried a long sword on her back, exuding a heroic and awe-inspiring aura.

"Uncle Chen! I...I heard you were arrested by the Enforcement Hall..."

Her words were somewhat urgent.

Clearly, they had heard rumors and were deeply worried.

"It was just a misunderstanding." Chen Ye smiled gently, indicating that she didn't need to be nervous. "It's all fine now, but the sect has entrusted me with a mission, so I need to stay here and cultivate for two months."

He did not elaborate on the dangers involved, but only mentioned them briefly.

Li Qiuyun was incredibly intelligent. Seeing his words and noticing Zhiwei standing silently to the side with an even colder expression than before, she knew that things were not so simple.

But now that things have come to this, what good will it do to expose the truth?

However, this is nothing short of worrying.

"That's good."

She nodded, suppressing her myriad worries, and then said,
"I've come here to inform Uncle Chen that the outer sect competition is imminent, and I've already registered. Also, there seems to be some unusual activity from the Ji family recently... Previously, they only planned to send a few disciples to the cave to observe the situation. But since Wei Shu went to the Ji family, they've suddenly started recruiting people, and many skilled individuals want to join the Ji family's team to go to the cave."

Since Chen Ye's incident, Li Qiuyun has been keeping a close eye on the sect's movements and memorizing all the information she has gathered.

"Oh?" Chen Ye raised an eyebrow. "Thank you for your hard work, Qiu Yun."

He never expected that this girl, who was usually not good with words, would go to such lengths for him.

The Ji family's actions were within his expectations.

Since Wei Shu is now his enemy and has obtained his Flying Light Sword, he will surely make good use of this to leverage the power of the Ji family.

Although Ji Yueze had long since betrayed the Ji family, he still had countless connections with them.

"It's just... just fulfilling my duty as a junior. That's all."

The girl's cheeks flushed almost imperceptibly. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look into Chen Ye's eyes. "Also, Qiu Yun originally thought she would only be able to see Uncle Chen after the competition. But unexpectedly... Qiu Yun would rather not see Uncle Chen at all than that."

Chen Ye was also deeply moved, for life is indeed unpredictable.

Zhiwei, standing to the side, silently brewed spiritual tea for the three of them, her movements gentle, without uttering a single word.

She stood quietly behind Chen Ye, her dark eyes calmly looking at Li Qiuyun.

Meeting that calm gaze,

Li Qiuyun felt a little uneasy for some reason, but then she thought that Uncle Chen's eldest apprentice had a very good temperament.

It's probably just a misunderstanding on my part.

She smiled and gestured to Zhiwei, but her pupils contracted:
"Zhiwei, you...you've already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining?"

She exclaimed in surprise.

This incident had a tremendous impact on Li Qiuyun.

The reason is simple: Li Qiuyun had only broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining more than half a year ago.

But now, this little girl is almost catching up with me!

This speed of cultivation is truly astonishing!
Zhiwei gave a faint smile, without a trace of pride, and said matter-of-factly:

"It's all thanks to Master's teachings. If my cultivation is slow, how can I be worthy of being Master's disciple?"

Chen Ye's brow twitched.

Uh... Zhiwei's physique is special, making it difficult for others to discern his cultivation level.

At this moment, Li Qiuyun could tell Zhiwei's cultivation level at a glance, which could only mean that Zhiwei deliberately revealed his aura.

After listening to Zhiwei's words,

Li Qiuyun's slender fingers trembled slightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions: "Zhiwei's talent is truly admirable..."

Zhiwei felt somewhat guilty.

She didn't want to embarrass Sister Qiuyun.

But sooner or later, Sister Qiuyun will find out about her cultivation level—besides, wouldn't it be even more disrespectful to hide her cultivation level from her?

She just wanted to make Sister Qiuyun back down.

"Uncle Chen!"

Li Qiuyun's blank gaze hardened again, and she said solemnly,

"I will definitely pass the competition and enter the inner sect! I might even become a core disciple in the future. At that time, I will definitely be able to help you and repay your kindness in nurturing me!"

Zhiwei was taken aback. It seemed that Sister Qiuyun was even more determined than before.

……

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, although Chen Ye was undergoing arduous training, his days were not dull.

With her eldest disciple by her side at all times, not to mention Li Qiuyun who visits from time to time.

Overall, life was still pleasant.

As for Bu Feifan... he had been staying in the backyard all the time, and Chen Ye had almost forgotten about him.

"Panel!" Chen Ye silently called out the panel.

[Azure Wave Sword Control Technique Limit Break: 2/800]

[Minor Completion of the Mysterious Light of Withering and Flourishing: 10/100]

These two items are the two things that Chen Ye is most concerned about.

Since arriving at Luoli Courtyard, I no longer need to worry about the medicinal fields, nor do I need spiritual power to refine pills.

He had no choice but to devote all his time and energy to spiritual practice.

This also led to a rapid improvement in his proficiency with the Azure Wave Sword Technique, allowing him to successfully break through his limits!

However, the progress of the Ku Rong Xuan Guang Jing was minimal.

Lacking spiritual resources, cultivation is as slow as a tortoise's pace.

Even the finest Qi-nourishing pills were ineffective.

After all, spiritual objects are a prerequisite for cultivating the Mysterious Light of Withering and Flourishing.

"The sixth level of the Azure Wave Sword Technique, Condensing Abyss, is the second realm of sword intent, where sword energy transforms into qi. This realm is originally only attainable by Foundation Establishment cultivators, and to unleash sword qi, one must also have spiritual energy to support it..."

Despite having completed the cultivation, Chen Ye currently possesses only the realm of cultivation but lacks spiritual power.

However, this does not mean that Chen Ye's training was in vain.

It should be understood that this sixth level is a qualitative change!
Although Chen Ye was restricted by the Spirit-Locking Nail, he could still use the Evergreen Technique to mobilize some spiritual power, thereby unleashing a sword aura with astonishing destructive power!
Then, Chen Ye's gaze fell on another item on the panel.

[Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Technique Mastery: 150/200]

The path of spiritual consciousness is far more difficult to cultivate than cultivation techniques.

Two months is not enough time for him to reach perfection.

However, another star is already faintly visible.

Chen Ye closed his eyes and focused his inner consciousness.

Beside Jupiter, which was surrounded by a soft green light, another dim star quietly lit up with golden light.

This is Taibai, representing the metal element!
This star is at its most radiant; once Chen Ye successfully visualizes it, he can unleash a true divine sense spell!

In past battles, Chen Ye only used his powerful spiritual energy to forcefully shake the enemy's spiritual energy.

But if Venus were to light up... that wouldn't be as simple as just shaking things up; it could even directly kill the enemy's soul!

Furthermore, among the five stars, Tai Bai is the most suitable for combining with flying swords.

"The techniques of Shenchen, Xiaohan, and the Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Method all originated from the Heart-Slaying Cave in the Divine Mist Valley. Within this cave lies a flying sword called the Heart-Slaying Sword. This sword is specifically designed to slay the soul, and when combined with Taibai, it is virtually invincible..."

Chen Ye couldn't help but recall that there was a secret realm called the Heart-Slaying Cave in the Divine Mist Valley where the Mao family lived.

When he went to the Mao family in the past, Mao Qingzhu had just finished his cultivation in the Heart-Slaying Cave.

The Heart-Slaying Cave is a dungeon in the game where various flying swords can drop.

But in reality, it was the place where a Golden Core cultivator disintegrated.

This Golden Core cultivator has an extraordinary background; he comes from the Xu Kingdom.

A thousand years ago, he was ranked seventh on the Lingxu Realm's Rising Star List!
It should be noted that the current number one genius of the Refining God Sect, the missing Master Ye from the Three Thousand Mountains, is only ranked twenty-second on the Rising Star Ranking.

It can be said,
If a cultivator enters the top thirty of the Rising Star Ranking, they will inevitably form their Nascent Soul in the future, barring any unforeseen circumstances!
Unfortunately, this person was like a comet, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing without a trace.

Everyone believed he had died during the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation.

Only Chen Ye knew that he had perished in the Valley of Divine Mist...

As for the Mao family, they might know that the Heart-Slaying Cave was the place where a Golden Core cultivator fell, but they would never know the true identity of that Golden Core cultivator.

Otherwise, would Mao Qingzhu have dared to casually give away the Can Chen and Xiao Han swords?

The Yan Kingdom is too small; even the bustling Yuexi Lake area is nothing more than a remote rural village within the vast Lingxu Realm.

Therefore, the Mao family, living in the countryside, had no idea that the Canchen and Xiaohan swords were two of the many swords carried by a cultivator who lived in the Xu Kingdom a thousand years ago.
Moreover, the passage of a thousand years has caused many of his swords to deteriorate in quality to varying degrees.

For example, the two swords, Shenchen and Xiaohan, should have been high-grade second-tier magic weapons, but now they have fallen to low-grade second-tier.

"In the future... I wonder if I will have the opportunity to explore the Mao family's Heart-Slaying Cave. However, the sword intent in this cave is fierce and extremely damaging to the soul. To obtain the Heart-Slaying Sword, one must have a strong spiritual sense."

Chen Ye considered it for a moment,

Although the path of spiritual cultivation is slow, he obtained a Soul-Gathering Grass from Li Guangzong when he killed him years ago.

Furthermore, the Hundred Herbs Elixir Classic happens to record the formula for the Soul-Condensing Elixir.

With the help of the Soul Condensation Pill, his spiritual sense can advance by leaps and bounds!

　Thank you Silver Moon's Amazing Beauty for the 500 coins!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)