A female cultivator dressed in greenish robes called out to Zhu Lan.
“Yes, Senior Sister, is there something you need?”
Zhu Lan asked naturally.
“It is nothing, really,” the female cultivator said with a beaming smile.
“I saw you wearing the new disciple uniform and thought you might not know which cultivation technique to choose, so I wanted to give you a recommendation. That Frost Palm in your hand is indeed quite suitable for women.”
Realizing the other person had good intentions, Zhu Lan expressed her gratitude.
“I see. Thank you, Senior Sister!”
The senior sister found Zhu Lan quite pleasing to the eye, so she took the initiative to suggest, “Junior Sister, you haven’t explored the Tianyan Sect yet, have you? Do you have some time? I can take you around to see the sect.”
The senior sister was very enthusiastic.
Zhu Lan opened her mouth but ultimately could not bring herself to refuse.
She smiled happily and replied, “Sure, I just hope it won’t be too much trouble for you.”
The senior sister waved her hands repeatedly.
“Not at all, not at all. I definitely have the time.”
“The towering peak up ahead is called Beast Taming Peak. It is the most distinctive peak in our Tianyan Sect. Look at those immortal cranes. People say that eating crane meat can maintain one’s youthful appearance, though I have never tried it myself, so I don’t know if it’s true. By the way, these cranes are the treasures of the Beast Taming Peak Master. Junior Sister, what do you think would happen if we secretly slaughtered one?”
Cough, cough.
Zhu Lan suppressed a smile.
“Senior Sister, I am from Beast Taming Peak.”
“Ah, ah?! Junior… Junior Sister, I… I didn’t…”
The senior sister indeed began to panic, her hands flailing in embarrassment.
This senior sister was generous, natural, and very warm.
Zhu Lan had a good impression of her.
“Hahaha, it is fine. I won’t tell the Peak Master…”
The two of them strolled around for half a day.
When it was finally time to say goodbye, the senior sister slapped her forehead.
“Oh my, I forgot to tell you which peak I am from. I am from Array Breaking Peak.”
Array Breaking Peak was another mountain within the Tianyan Sect, primarily focusing on cultivating talents in formations and arrays.
“Alright! I will come find you to hang out when I have time!”
“Great, it’s a deal!”
As the sky gradually darkened, Zhu Lan finished practicing the Frost Palm and suddenly remembered she had not gone to Ye Feng’s place yet.
‘Should I go?’ Zhu Lan felt conflicted.
However, if she did not go, she had nowhere else to hide.
Ultimately, Zhu Lan arrived in front of Ye Feng’s cultivation room.
“Ye Feng, are you there?”
Zhu Lan tried calling out.
No one answered.
“Are you there? If not, I am going back.”
Zhu Lan waited for a few seconds.
Just as she was about to turn around, she heard a deep voice from behind her.
“I am here.”
“Holy crap! You! Why are you trying to scare me?”
Zhu Lan jolted, ignoring the question of why Ye Feng had appeared behind her.
“I was busy with something,” Ye Feng said as he opened the cultivation room.
“Come in.”
“What for? If there is something to discuss, we can just settle it here face-to-face!”
Zhu Lan put on a relaxed front, as if she were merely mentioning it casually.
Ye Feng thought for a moment and actually nodded.
“Fine. Your practical ability is too weak. From now on, you must come to me every day to practice your moves until I am satisfied.”
Zhu Lan gave a hollow laugh.
“Ah, I… I wouldn’t want to delay your cultivation. You are the protagonist; you need to get stronger as quickly as possible. I will work hard on my own cultivation too. There is no need to spend special time helping me practice.”
“If you haven’t fallen within three breaths, you pass.”
However, Ye Feng did not give Zhu Lan a chance to refuse.
“I really don’t need it, really…”
“One.”
“It’s really no trouble, thank you, Ye Feng, but it’s really not necessary.”
“Two.”
“I really don’t — ah!”
Zhu Lan only felt a flash before her eyes, followed by a sharp pain at the back of her head.
Her feet were tripped up, leaving her unable to stand steady.
She slammed into the ground, seeing stars.
“Reaction speed is too slow. Your eyes cannot keep up, and neither can your hands or feet,” Ye Feng pointed out the problem very objectively.
“I…”
“Tonight, you must last three seconds against me before you can go back.”
Zhu Lan was just about to find an excuse to escape when she was pinned down by Ye Feng’s words.
“Furthermore, I suggest you get serious as quickly as possible. The more times you fall, the less strength your body will have left. Once you stand up, I will default to the assumption that you are starting your next attempt.”
Zhu Lan, who had just stood up: “…”
“Damn it!”
Ye Feng was a man of his word.
His figure flickered in and out of Zhu Lan’s vision like a ghost.
With one final strike, the impact echoed with a dull thud, and Zhu Lan fell to the ground in a pathetic heap.
Being knocked down twice in painful succession was enough to make even the mildest person lose their temper.
In Ye Feng’s eyes, a look of seriousness gradually appeared in Zhu Lan’s round, almond-shaped eyes.
Indeed, Zhu Lan was a bit indignant.
She was going to get serious.
In an instant, Zhu Lan was like an arrow released from a bow string, rushing forward at extreme speed.
Then, in the blink of an eye —
“Ow!”
With a splat, Zhu Lan was slapped back onto the ground by Ye Feng.
She gave up.
She really gave up.
She couldn’t win.
How could a piece of cannon fodder like her possibly beat the male lead?
Zhu Lan instantly recognized her place and started to slack off.
Seeing Zhu Lan lying on the ground refusing to get up, Ye Feng could hardly suppress his amusement.
“Others beg me to spar with them and I am still reluctant. Get up quickly. I guarantee you will make rapid progress in a short amount of time.”
“No thanks, I don’t want to progress anymore. I will just honestly be my cannon fodder,” Zhu Lan said in a muffled voice while still facedown on the ground.
Ye Feng’s face didn’t show much expression.
Instead, he turned the conversation to another matter.
“In the original text, only one Pure Yin Body appeared, and that person had interactions with me. Have you ever wondered what happened to the other Pure Yin Bodies? The world of cultivation is very cruel. A man’s possession of a treasure is his crime. Even if you do nothing, there will be a continuous stream of people wanting to seize you, wanting to refine you into a human furnace to be possessed day and night.”
Zhu Lan shuddered.
It wasn’t that she didn’t understand these things; it was just that after gaining the protection of the Tianyan Sect, her heart had suddenly settled quite a bit, and she had let her guard down.
The male lead had certainly taught her a lesson today.
“Again!”
One hour passed, and Zhu Lan had been beaten for that entire hour.
Except for her face, almost every part of her had been hit to some degree.
Ye Feng said he couldn’t just hit one spot because it would be too painful.
So now, Zhu Lan’s entire body was in pain.
She was like a pile of mud, lying limply on the ground.
“No, I can’t… I can’t take it anymore. I’ve reached my limit.”
Zhu Lan raised her hand in surrender.
Ye Feng reached out, took Zhu Lan into his arms, and carried her into the cultivation room.
“I have many body-tempering herbs and beast blood here. You should strike while the iron is hot. Soaking immediately after training yields the best results.”
Ye Feng set Zhu Lan down.
“H-here?”
“Soaking in it right now is most effective,” Ye Feng repeated.
Zhu Lan shook her head.
“I’ll wait until I get back to soak. It would be a disturbance to stay here.”
Ye Feng was like a completely different person compared to when they were sparring.
He no longer had any of that overbearing pressure, only giving a soft “Mhm,” as if he had anticipated this.
Zhu Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
She was truly afraid the male lead would refuse and insist she soak here.
A lonely man and woman in a room together — her situation would be quite passive.
“Do you still have the strength to walk? Do you need me to send you back?”
Ye Feng asked considerately.
Zhu Lan shook her head frantically.
“I do, I do!”
To prove she still had strength, she immediately jumped up as if nothing were wrong.
“Then I will be heading back first.”
Ye Feng watched the revitalized Zhu Lan, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
“It seems you still have quite a bit of strength left. Next time, we will add another half an hour to the training.”
“Nooooo!”
Zhu Lan’s face instantly collapsed into a look of misery.
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