When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

Pei Fang'an was unsure of his thoughts for the time being, but Yuan Hou's words had hinted at so much, yet Yi Chen remained silent.

I know my junior brother is usually quiet, aloof, and detached from worldly affairs, and is even a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, but since he's already here... what's with this daydreaming?

Some people may always have a blank expression, but they are actually just spacing out; Yi Chen is one of them.

Pei Fang'an has always doted on his junior brother Yi Chen the most.

When Master Zhiyue brought Yichen back to the sect, he casually said, "This is your junior brother," and handed him over to take care of. This caused Pei Fang'an to feel a great sense of responsibility. At that time, Yichen had just arrived and hadn't spoken for a full half month. He still thought his junior brother was a little mute, and felt even more affection for him.

He had premature gray hair and was also deaf and mute.

Suffering children, broken homes.

Even though they were later surprised to find that Yi Chen was not mute, it did not prevent the sect from loving each other.

Compared to Wei Jin, Yi Chen was incredibly easy to manage. He would eat anything you fed him, and he was very serious about his cultivation. Apart from his love of sleeping in and staying in bed during winter, he had almost no flaws.

Pei Fang'an looked to the left, then to the right, and helplessly covered his face with his fan.

Marquis Yuan was a cunning old fox. He was a veteran minister who had served the Crown Prince for many years and knew best how to deal with major sects.

"The Taiyi Sect and the palace have always maintained a good relationship. Wouldn't it be a win-win situation to take this opportunity to further strengthen this friendship? There's really no need for us to be distant."

Yi Chen, who had been gazing out the window in a daze, seemed to be awakened when he heard the word "estranged." His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he turned his head.

He looked at Yuan Hou, his face serious, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry: "In your opinion, how can people overcome the distance between each other?"

Lord Yuan: "?"

Pei Fang'an: "??"

Pei Fang'an looked at his junior brother as if struck by lightning, his lips twitching slightly. He couldn't understand why Yi Chen would suddenly ask such a question, and he frantically cast question marks with his eyes.

Yuan Hou was initially taken aback, thinking that things were going well, and immediately stroked his beard and took over the conversation.

"In relationships between people, it is natural to treat each other with empathy and sincerity is of utmost importance."

Yi Chen was listening.

"...For example, when dealing with younger people, we should show them more care and concern, remind them to put on more clothes when it gets cold, offer guidance when they encounter obstacles in their cultivation, and stand up for them when they are wronged. If there is anything to say, we should speak frankly, and if there is any misunderstanding, we should clarify it face to face. And, most importantly, we should meet often to exchange feelings. If we don't meet often, over time, even the closest relationship will become distant."

Yi Chen lowered his eyes.

Lord Yuan spoke earnestly for a long time, and seeing that the other party was listening attentively, he felt that the time had come and went with the flow:

"His Highness the Fourth Prince possesses exceptional talent and sincerely aspires to become a disciple of the Immortal Lord. Jade Capital Pavilion is so vast, and since Immortal Lord Jixue has already made an exception and accepted one disciple, accepting another would be a double blessing. Moreover, His Highness the Fourth Prince is a sword cultivator and could inherit Immortal Lord Jixue's mantle!"

"No, we won't accept it."

"That's right!" Yuan Hou clapped his hands in approval, then suddenly realized something was off about what the other person had said. "...What?!"

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Just then, Ji Cheng'an instructed his shadow guards to put his full set of clothes back on.

"Wei Yi, you stay outside and keep watch. You don't need to go in," he said to the shadow guard.

The shadow guard was taken aback. "But..."

"No buts," Ji Cheng'an frowned, "I'm going to become an apprentice, I won't encounter any danger."

Then, he confidently stepped into the hall, thinking that there was no way that Immortal Lord Jixue would refuse him.

Unfortunately.

The voice arrives before the person is seen.

"Yujing Pavilion does not accept disciples, please leave."

Ji Cheng'an heard these words before he even showed up, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Every word was clear, resounding, and left no room for ambiguity.

"Whoosh!" Everyone in the guest room saw a figure burst in. Ji Cheng'an rushed to the three people in the hall, his hands clenched into fists, his eyes fixed on Yi Chen:

"—Does Immortal Lord Jixue only intend to take Chu Xianlan as his disciple in this lifetime?!"

These words were so unreasonable and offensive that even Pei Fang'an, who had the best temper in the room, frowned, stopped fanning himself, and his expression gradually turned ugly.

No matter how good the relationship is, the Taiyi Sect is not a place where one can act recklessly.

At this moment, Yuan Hou was also shocked. He closed his eyes in despair and felt a heart attack.

Your Highness!!!

Even if Yi Chen rejects her, she can try to maneuver around him and keep the situation under control.

But with the Fourth Prince's interference, things were doomed to fail.

A faint sense of misfortune lingered in Yuan Hou's heart, and he dared not think about what would happen next.

Ji Cheng'an was so shocked that he felt his blood rushing to his head, and words kept tumbling out:

"Immortal Lord Jixue, how am I inferior to that weapon cultivator!" He was so excited that his voice trembled at the end, his eyes filled with resentment. "We are both at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and I am even two years younger than him! If someone with his talent can catch your eye, why can't I?!"

"Fourth Prince!" Yuan Hou was so startled that he stood up abruptly.

Ji Cheng'an turned his head and roared, "Shut up!"

Yuan Hou was so frightened that he sat back down.

"In terms of swordsmanship talent, I believe I am second to none among my peers! Since you can accept a disciple who is unrelated to weapon crafting, why can't you accept me?!"

Since stepping into the Taiyi Sect, I haven't encountered a single thing that goes smoothly!

First, Chu Xianlan made him look foolish in public, and so many people saw the magic artifacts scattered all over the ground. Now, Yi Chen rejected him so decisively. All his expectations and pride were shattered.

Before coming, she thought it would be a natural success for her to become a disciple, and she had even thought about how to show off to her elder brother, the Crown Prince, after she returned... What was it about her that made her unworthy of being the disciple of Immortal Lord Jixue?

At this point, Lord Yuan was terrified. Faced with a life-or-death situation, he no longer cared about the etiquette between ruler and subject and rushed forward to cover the man's mouth.

Misfortune comes out of your mouth!

Yi Chen's face didn't actually show any expression, but Yuan Hou could tell that the immortal lord's aura was different from before.

Ji Cheng'an raised his hand to struggle, but suddenly his fingertips were stinging. He realized that it was a bone-chilling cold that covered his whole body, as if he had been frozen from the soles of his feet to the top of his head into an ice cellar. His vision blurred for a moment, and a thin layer of frost covered his eyes.

"Well……!"

In an instant, like a torrent of water, an indescribable and terrifying spiritual pressure descended heavily upon Ji Cheng'an. A tall and silent figure appeared before him, and when their eyes met, no emotion could be seen in Yi Chen's deep gray eyes.

It's like being tightly coiled around the neck by a giant python.

Ji Cheng'an couldn't even control his breathing, while the other party just looked down at him coldly, deciding his life or death with the pressure he casually exuded.

In a single thought.

"boom!!"

Just then, a deafening explosion suddenly came from afar, like a huge commotion of flames exploding, which even made the ground tremble slightly.

Yi Chen's eyes suddenly sharpened, he raised his hand to his chest, and his gaze shot straight towards the outside of the hall.

The oppressive aura surrounding Ji Cheng'an instantly dissipated. He collapsed to the ground in a panic, his back soaked with sweat, his face pale, and tears welling in his eyes.

Then hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Xiao Huandu, his breathing unsteady, staggered and grabbed the doorframe, shouting, "Something terrible has happened!! Xianlan has exploded! No... it's Qianlian Hall that's exploded! No, it's Xianlan and Qianlian Hall that exploded together!"

"What!?" Pei Fang'an was also taken aback.

All they saw was a flash of icy blue light, followed by a gust of cold wind, and Yi Chen had vanished from his spot.

-

Not long ago, Chu Xianlan was intently squatting in front of the smelting furnace, adjusting the heat.

Refining artifacts is an art that requires immense patience. It involves selecting materials, assessing their quality, controlling the temperature of the spiritual fire, outlining runes, and so on. Higher-level refining techniques also require imbuing the artifacts with spirits, and there can be no room for error.

After all, this all involves precious spirit stones.

These mechanical birds have been selling extremely well in the market lately. Chu Xianlan invested a considerable sum in the early stages, and it seems she will recoup her investment with profit at the wanderer's market in a few days. She can almost see spirit stones flowing in like water, which will not only allow her to purchase new materials and add some decent decorations to the Jade Capital Pavilion, but also buy something for her master...

Thinking of this, Chu Xianlan turned her head to look at the window.

The trees were covered in blossoms, and the spirit boat in the palace had not yet left. I wonder how things were going on over there.

It turns out that Master has been away from Jade Capital Pavilion these past few days because of the Fourth Prince's matter.

He wasn't entirely unmoved by the possibility of Yi Chen taking on a disciple. In fact, Chu Xianlan quite admired this young prince. The matter was still far from being settled, yet he was already calling him "Master." He was even more shameless than Chu Xianlan had been back then. Chu Xianlan wondered what the prince from the palace had eaten to grow up with such an emotional outburst.

Unfortunately, the young prince is likely to be disappointed this time.

Chu Xianlan wasn't so confident because she was favored by Yi Chen.

It was because he knew all too well that his master's heart had no room for anything other than cultivating the Great Dao, and he didn't care about anything else.

He considered himself one of the people in the Taiyi Sect who understood his master's temperament best. He knew how much Yi Chen disliked contact with people. Power, intimidation, and bribes were all laughable and had no effect on his master.

Perhaps the Fourth Prince was right about one thing: Master shouldn't have accepted a disciple who was a weapon cultivator.

In fact, weapon cultivators have a high status in the cultivation world. However, as "the disciple of Immortal Lord Jixue", he does not meet everyone's expectations. Due to a deficiency in his spiritual root, he cannot use any forged weapons.

Now a more suitable candidate is presented to us...

Thinking about this, Chu Xianlan became somewhat uncertain about her judgment. After all, so many years have passed, and no one can guarantee that their original intentions won't change.

What exactly is Master thinking?

Chu Xianlan was filled with mixed feelings. His thoughts were wandering for a while, and he didn't notice that the temperature around him was abnormal. When he came to his senses, a wave of scorching heat hit him unexpectedly!

"Boom!"

Before Chu Xianlan could even react, everything went black.