After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Luo Yiyan pursed her lips, but quickly smiled again: "Then I'll wait for you outside from now on. Anyway, now that you can come out, you can come see me often."

"Oh, by the way, I've already reached the third level of Qi Refining, and I've also learned a new sword technique. Shall I show it to you?"

Lin Zhixu: "...Okay."

As expected of the protagonist, his cultivation speed is truly enviable.

Luo Yiyan happily drew his sword and began to wield it earnestly.

The sword wasn't a particularly good one, and the moves were just the most basic introductory sword techniques, but his expression was focused.

He began, drew his sword, turned around—every movement was performed with utmost care, striving to achieve the best.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the trees in the courtyard, breaking into patches of light that fell on him, flickering and changing with the flow of his swordplay.

After finishing his swordplay routine, he was slightly out of breath, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He turned around, his eyes shining brightly: "How was it?"

Lin Zhixu smiled and applauded him, saying, "Very impressive."

He cultivated for ten hours every day before barely breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining.

Luo Yiyan has already reached the third level of Qi Refining and has learned the entire set of introductory sword techniques, and he can still execute the sword moves so cleanly and neatly.

This kind of talent cannot be caught up by hard work alone.

But he didn't feel any resentment.

From the first day he came into this world, he knew that Luo Yiyan was the protagonist, someone destined to stand on the clouds.

He was merely a supporting character in the storyline.

Being able to stand by and watch this scene is already much better than the ending in the original story.

Lin Zhixu sighed again as he reflected on his experiences over the past period.

The protagonist truly lives up to his name; his charm is undeniable, and it's no wonder he attracts countless admirers.

Luo Yiyan was a little embarrassed by his praise and scratched his head: "It's all thanks to Master's good teaching. But I've only just begun. Senior Brother Ming said that true swordsmanship can only be learned after Foundation Establishment. I'll be the first to demonstrate it for you then."

Lin Zhixu smiled and hummed in agreement.

As evening approached, Lin Zhixu chatted with Luo Yiyan for a while longer before getting up to say goodbye.

Luo Yiyan escorted him to the entrance of the courtyard.

Only after Lin Zhixu repeatedly assured him that he would come to see him again in a few days did he reluctantly leave.

By the time we returned to Qiyue Peak, dusk had fallen.

Lin Zhixu pushed open the courtyard gate and paused.

Yu Linzhou was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, waiting for an unknown amount of time.

Lin Zhixu sensed something was wrong, but still stepped forward and bowed: "Master."

Yu Linzhou raised his eyes, his dark gaze fixed on him: "Where did you go? Why weren't you cultivating in the courtyard?"

Lin Zhixu pursed his lips, knowing there was no point in lying. "I went to Wucang Peak to find Luo Yiyan."

Yu Linzhou's gaze suddenly turned cold: "Didn't I tell you to have less contact with the people from Wucang Peak?"

"Luo Yiyan is my friend." Lin Zhixu pursed his lips. "He's a friend I grew up with, and it has nothing to do with which peak he's a disciple of."

"Friends?" Yu Linzhou sneered. "Once you become powerful, you won't lack friends. You're already less talented than others, yet you don't seize every second to cultivate. Are you trying to drive your master to his death?"

Lin Zhixu was silent for a moment, then raised his head to meet his gaze: "I cultivate every day, from morning till night without ever slacking off. Today I'm just tired and want to rest. I don't think I did anything wrong."

"I don't know what conflict exists between Master and Immortal Venerable Wucang, but Luo Yiyan and I are not your punching bags. I will not cut off ties with my friends just because Master dislikes Wucang Peak."

Yu Linzhou laughed in anger, "Fine, very well. You haven't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet, and you're already so arrogant. You actually dare to disobey your teacher."

Yu Linzhou stared at him for a long time, then suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"Fine. I'm not going to bother with you anymore."

He stood up, his voice turning cold, "From now on, you can associate with whomever you want, and you can slack off in your cultivation if you want. Just don't come begging to me when you're being trampled underfoot!"

Lin Zhixu opened his mouth, "That's not what I meant..."

Yu Linzhou stared at him expressionlessly: "So what do you mean? Aren't you just complaining that I'm meddling too much?"

System: [He seems genuinely angry. You'd better back down. You still need him to teach you cultivation; offending him won't do you any good.]

Anyway, there aren't any important plot points to cover right now, so just focus on your cultivation and we'll figure something out later.

Lin Zhixu closed his eyes briefly: "...No, it was my fault. Knowing that Master disliked the people of Wucang Peak, I still associated with them behind your back. I hurt Master's heart; I was terribly wrong."

Yu Linzhou was stunned for a moment.

He's the kind of person who responds better to gentleness than force. If Lin Zhixu stubbornly goes against him, he might actually be able to harden his heart and abandon him.

But when the boy in front of him bowed his head and yielded, most of his anger dissipated.

He paused for a moment, then his tone softened: "I'm doing this for your own good. Those people from Wucang Peak, don't be fooled by their seemingly upright appearances; it's all an act."

"You treat him as a friend, but people change. Once he becomes powerful, he'll look down on you no longer. What you need to do is become stronger than him beforehand, so that the choice will be in your hands."

Lin Zhixu: "..."

Putting everything else aside, what Yu Linzhou said does make sense.

Seeing that he was silent with his head down, Yu Linzhou assumed that he had listened to him, and his heart softened a little more.

He's only eighteen, still a child. He knows how to repent for his mistakes, so he deserves to be forgiven.

He stepped forward, gently patted Lin Zhixu's head, and said in a tone that was almost eerily gentle: "Be good, and your master won't harm you."

"You've been too restless lately. It's best if you go out less in the future. Tell me what you want, and I'll have someone buy it for you."

Lin Zhixu suddenly looked up: "What do you mean, Master? You're going to put me under house arrest?"

"How can you call it house arrest?"

Yu Linzhou frowned slightly, as if he felt that the word was too strong. "I just want you to focus more on your cultivation. Once you've reached Foundation Establishment, I'll let you go, okay?"

Lin Zhixu opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Yu Linzhou had already reached out and hooked the token at his waist that allowed him to enter and exit the barrier.

He never intended to give Lin Zhixu the right to refuse.

"Alright, go take a bath and go to bed. Tomorrow I'll set a new training plan for you."

Before leaving, Yu Linzhou casually placed a restriction on the courtyard.

Lin Zhixu pushed the door open, but was bounced back by an invisible barrier, his fingertips tingling slightly.

He stood behind the door, his face completely darkening.

He stood there for a long time before speaking in his mind: "Did you foresee that my submission would result in imprisonment?"

System: [...Imprisonment is better than being completely abandoned. The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world; if Yu Linzhou truly doesn't care about you, you're the one facing certain death.]

Lin Zhixu slowly loosened his clenched fist. Because what the system said was true.

He sat down on the stone bench, remained silent for a long time, and then asked: "Why does he hate Yan Lingcang so much?"