Fairy, help me cultivate.

Ling Ning's words startled Chen Yao.

"Now that Master has come out, why does he need to go back?"

He didn't understand.

Ling Ning smiled kindly at him: "The South China Sea has undergone great changes, and you have been able to accomplish so much. I am very pleased with you."

Chen Yao could sense that she appreciated and was satisfied with him, but he wanted more than just emotional support.

But before he could speak, Ling Ning reached out to stop him from continuing.

"The situation in the South China Sea is likely to become even more chaotic, probably due to someone stirring things up behind the scenes. We cultivators cannot stand idly by; I need to break through to increase my strength. Under the current conditions, if I were to go into seclusion, there would be no safer place than the Qiankun Wudi territory."

Chen Yao was somewhat displeased: "The righteous path in the South China Sea already sees us as a thorn in their side, why should we stand up for them again? At worst, we can go out to sea, find an island to hide on for a while, and come back when the chaos subsides."

Ling Ning frowned.

Chen Yao continued, "Furthermore, the Kuanglu Sect has publicly announced that Hanyu Peak was overthrown by spies from the Demonic Sect, and even accused me of being a spy for the Demonic Sect. If Master were to make a public statement, wouldn't that thwart the villains' scheme?"

Ling Ning lowered her head in thought. After a while, she approached Chen Yao and, quite unusually, gently tidied his sideburns.

“You’ve shouldered so many injustices and heavy responsibilities all by yourself during this time. Your master knows you’ve had a tough time,” her eyes softened considerably, but within that gentleness lay an unwavering determination. “However, standing behind the scenes is more comfortable than standing in front of the stage, and you can see more inside stories that you don’t usually see.”

“I’ve thought about it, and the Jiang family is still quite reliable. You might as well rely on them with peace of mind. The Nine Fallen Ancestor has been the leader of the South China Sea for hundreds of years, and she is absolutely trustworthy. Once we find her, we will have the greatest help.”

Chen Yao admitted that Ling Ning's words made a lot of sense, but it was obvious that she had put the burden on his shoulders, and he wanted to try again.

Ling Ning suddenly pointed her finger at his forehead. This intimate and playful gesture made his heart flutter. Not to mention, she herself possessed an invisible charm, so much so that Chen Yao forgot what he was going to say.

"Besides, the one who tied the knot must untie it. I won't make you bear all the debt, but you should at least bear a portion of it, right?"

Hearing Ling Ning say this half-jokingly and half-seriously, Chen Yao fell silent.

From her words, it seemed she had guessed that she had a relationship with Yun Jiang. Moreover, although she had concealed it from Yun Jiang, Luo Hou could not. Based on the situation in the South China Sea and her own deeds in Haifang City, Luo Hou had probably deduced that Yun Jiang was the mastermind behind the chaos in the South China Sea...

Therefore, Ling Ning's words were a warning to Chen Yao.

Chen Yao couldn't say anything more.

I'll do my best!

Hearing Chen Yao's listless voice, Ling Ning sighed softly, "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes; it's never too late to mend your ways."

This makes it even clearer.

Chen Yao could only remain silent; making excuses would only lead to more serious consequences.

Nobody is a fool. Misunderstandings may be overlooked, but in most cases they will not be cleared up, especially since Ling Ning's misunderstanding is not a misunderstanding.

Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Ling Ning gently changed the subject: "Let's get back to contributing to the South China Sea... Xiao Yao, I hope you understand that regardless of whether the righteous path in the South China Sea is true or false, we cultivators must have a clear conscience. It's one thing to be powerless, but to have the ability yet watch the peaceful and prosperous people and the tranquil world around us be destroyed is not only cowardly but also shameful. Moreover, we share the same fate; if one suffers, all suffer."

“Master is right.”

Ling Ning nodded in satisfaction, and with a flick of her finger, she summoned Chen Yao's immortal sword from his storage ring.

Since it was not the master, the immortal sword resisted fiercely, but Ling Ning's cultivation was so strong that she subdued it effortlessly.

"This sword is indeed a rare celestial sword, but you cannot unleash even a fraction of its power right now."

Chen Yao was also troubled by this matter, and nodded repeatedly: "Master has insight, that's indeed the case. Can you teach me?"

Ling Ning gripped the trembling hilt of the sword, swung it a few times, and tested it: "It shouldn't be difficult."

She pointed her finger to her brow, and soon a drop of pale green liquid appeared there.

Chen Yao recalled the time he had sucked on her feet, and unconsciously looked at her two beautiful feet, which were half-hidden by the hem of her robe.

"uh-huh!"

Ling Ning coughed, raised her tender white big toe, hid her foot under the hem of her robe, and then casually applied the jade liquid to her immortal sword.

The immortal sword first trembled loudly, and a chaotic burst of sword energy exploded in the room. As the jade liquid penetrated deep into the sword's spine, the immortal sword slowly calmed down.

"I have only initially introduced a small amount of spiritual seed into your body. You also have my jade liquid in your body, so you will need to find a way to refine it slowly. Junyu is an expert in the specifics, so you can ask her."

Ling Ning handed the sword to Chen Yao. Chen Yao took it, and their fingers touched, but they separated as if they had been electrocuted.

"Hmm... I'm about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and I might be able to emerge from seclusion soon. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best and prioritize your own safety."

These words touched Chen Yao, and he nodded.

After that, Ling Ning had nothing more to say.

But she didn't immediately enter the Qiankun Wudiban area. Instead, she sat down at the table, her big toe, hidden in the hem of her robe, gently twitching on the floor.

Chen Yao couldn't think of anything to say, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

"Hmm~"

Ling Ning let out another soft, seductive sound. Noticing Chen Yao glancing over, she quickly withdrew her gaze from him and stood up abruptly.

"You, well, you're very good. Your teacher is very satisfied with what you've been doing lately."

These were her true feelings. Before, in Kuanglu, she thought this child was just someone with some talent. Now, after hearing about his actions after returning from Haixu, although he was forced by those false cultivators of the righteous path, it was actually quite remarkable.

"That's enough! Do you have any questions about your cultivation? If not, your master... will return now..."

Hearing her say that, Chen Yao couldn't help but glance at her again.

The way she's talking makes it sound like she's reluctant to go back.

"Hmm, Master finally got out of here, how about we stay for a few days before going back?"

Ling Ning raised her eyebrows, feigning anger as she scolded, "What kind of talk is this! How can we cultivators be so playful? You are not allowed to be playful either, especially with women!"

The last warning was delivered in a huff.

Chen Yao did not answer.

Ling Ning secretly glared at him, then bent down and picked up the Qiankun Wudiban: "This is also a magic weapon, but with your strength, activating it will consume a lot of divine power. I will teach you how to use it. When you encounter people or things that you can't deal with, just capture them and hand them over to your master."

This is great!

Just as Chen Yao was about to say something to praise Ling Ning, the faint light spot in his dantian that symbolized Ling Ning stabilized.

Finally, we can extract Ling Ning's talent attributes.

Chapter 128 It's been three hours, why haven't you come to see me?

Ling Ning:

[Special Attribute Unlocked: Daoist Master's Potential]

Taojun!

Chen Yao opened his mouth, "Good heavens, Yun Jiang is a demon lord, and you are a Dao lord, no wonder you two were sworn enemies in the end..."

He shifted his attention to the three talent attributes to be drawn and chose the one on the right.

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the purple talent attribute - Seeking Art]

[Seeking spells increases spell learning efficiency by 50% and spell casting efficiency by 10%]

Not bad.

Chen Yao suppressed his joy and listened attentively as Ling Ning explained how to use the Qiankun Wudipan.

"Alright, I'll go right away."

"Respectfully seeing off Master."

Ling Ning gave him a deep look, leaving behind a smile that was both alluring and encouraging. Her figure gradually twisted and finally shrank into the Qiankun Wudi territory.

At the same time, a system notification appeared before Chen Yao's eyes:

[The demon soul has taken effect, and the female cultivator has immediately gained 100000 cultivation points.]

[Cultivation Level: Golden Core Stage 2 (103600/120000)]

!

Ling Ning's progress in cultivation within the Qiankun Wudiban area is truly remarkable!

No wonder she was reluctant to come out.

Chen Yao put away the Qiankun Wudiban (a magical device), feeling that his strength had not yet recovered to the Golden Core level, and couldn't help but feel a little irritated.

He walked to the edge of the hot spring pool and suddenly regretted not bringing Su Quanyu with him.

After a relaxing soak in the sticky hot spring, with Ling Ning's fragrance lingering in the air, Chen Yao put on his bathrobe, thinking that if Ling Ning saw him, she would probably really kill him for the crime of betraying his master and ancestors...

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Young master, the patriarch requests your presence."

Just then, he wanted to discuss the matter of finding Jiu Luo with Jiang Mengyang.

Upon arriving at the small building, Jiang Mengyang was resting with his eyes closed. Hearing Chen Yao's footsteps, he opened his eyes and said, "You've arrived? Have a seat!"

Chen Yao didn't mince words: "I need to find Jiu Luo."

Jiang Mengyang didn't ask why, but instead started thinking about it for him: "According to what you said before, it means that Jiu Luo did come to Jiujiang. If we want to find her whereabouts, it would be best to start from that blood pool. What do you think?"

Chen Yao nodded in agreement, but then remembered that it wasn't Jiang's territory: "Is that blood pool the territory of the Pang family, who are currently at war with Jiang?"

“That’s right. However, the Pang family has been suppressed by us for a long time and we will soon be negotiating. At that time, I will ask them to cede that hundred-mile area to us.”

"In that case, I am deeply grateful."

Jiang Mengyang was not happy and waved his hand, saying, "Why are you being so distant, child? Your business is Bai Lian's business, and Bai Lian's business is my Jiang family's business."

Chen Yao smiled and said, "Yes."

Jiang Mengyang nodded to him, then said seriously, "There's another matter I called you here for."

"Please give your instructions, senior."

"What senior? You call me Third Uncle, just like Bai Lin and Bai Lian!"

Chen Yao hesitated for a moment before calling out, but remembering how warmly the old man had been to him ever since they met, he called out anyway.

Jiang Mengyang readily agreed, beaming from ear to ear: "That's the kind of son-in-law my Jiang family deserves."

"Third Uncle, is there anything you need to tell me?"

Jiang Mengyang said seriously, "We intend to bring you into the decision-making level of our Jiang family."