“Mister, look how quickly I’ve made it! Aren’t I a genius?”
Ling Huan looked a bit smug.
After all, he’d just learned and already reached the first level of Qi Refining.
No matter how you put it, he was a cultivation prodigy, right?
“Guard yourself against arrogance and impatience.”
Jiang Yue’s tone was flat, as if she’d seen it all before.
“The reason you could enter the path so quickly is all thanks to this cultivation method.”
The characters may seem ordinary, but their effect is truly extraordinary.
Nowadays, with the world’s spiritual energy declining and the ambient qi around us being chaotic and mixed, if you don’t have a superior cultivation technique, your absorption efficiency will be greatly diminished.
“I see…” Ling Huan’s excitement faded a bit.
He’d thought it was because he was amazing, but it turned out the good stuff was given by the system.
“However, that doesn’t mean your talent is poor. While you’re not a top-tier genius, your aptitude is still remarkable.But the cultivation world is never short on geniuses. What’s truly rare are those with an unwavering Dao heart, people who persist despite countless setbacks. The ones who truly achieve—”
“I know, Mister,” Ling Huan interrupted, “talent isn’t everything. Determination and perseverance are what really matter!”
Mister, you want to warn me not to get arrogant, right?
Don’t worry, Mister!
I have no great ambitions, no desire to rule over others.
I just want to go with the flow, so you can rest easy!
“Even if I can’t become an immortal, I won’t be trapped by obsessions.”
Of course, these words were just to comfort Mister Jiang.
With this villain system, it would be hard for him to keep a low profile even if he wanted to.
Jiang Yue listened, gave a dry laugh, then rolled up the book on the table and lightly knocked it on Ling Huan’s head.
“No interrupting when your teacher is speaking. Even if you understand in your heart, you need to patiently listen to the end. That’s proper etiquette.”
“Yes, I know my mistake~”
“No dragging your tone! Where’s your decorum!” Jiang Yue gave him another light tap.
“Alright, go home for today. Practice the method as written in the book, and solidify your foundation.Remember, it should be as smooth and natural as breathing.”
Ling Huan jumped off the bench, gave Jiang Yue a polite farewell, and prepared to leave.
“Young master! The book is still here! Such a valuable thing, you must keep it safe! Don’t lose it, or you’ll anger that predecessor!To casually gift a Foundation Establishment method—clearly, their status is extraordinary!”
Jiang Yue hurriedly stood up, picking up the scroll to hand it back to Ling Huan.
Fortunately, her poison only spread through skin contact, so passing objects was nothing to worry about.
“With something this good, Mister, aren’t you going to learn it?” Ling Huan was confused.
“Cultivating improves health, right? Maybe if you practiced this technique, you could enter the Dao and cure your illness!”
“Fool.”
Jiang Yue leaned down, lightly poking Ling Huan’s head with the scroll.
“If that predecessor gave you this book, he probably intends to take you as his disciple. This is most likely his own lineage’s cultivation method. In the cultivation world, the biggest taboo is passing on sect techniques to outsiders.”
“But Mister, you’re not an outsider.”
“Idiot. When it comes to sect inheritances, even family counts as outsiders.”
“Then let’s just not tell him!” Ling Huan grinned.
“As long as you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know! If you end up cultivating to immortality, cure your sickness, and restore your unrivaled beauty, wouldn’t I be the first to benefit?”
“By then, there’ll be so many marriage proposals that the doorway will be trampled flat, but you’ll turn them all down, just because—when your looks were ruined, only I, your student, never left you, never disliked you! So in your heart, I’m already the one!”
“Nonsense!” Jiang Yue scolded.
“At your age, what filth are you thinking of! I am your teacher, your mentor! How dare you have such blasphemous thoughts!”
“Mister, can you really say I don’t have a place in your heart—”
Whack!
Before Ling Huan could finish, Jiang Yue slammed the book down on his head with real force!
Even though Ling Huan had reached the first level of Qi Refining, he hadn’t yet learned to protect his body with spiritual energy, so his body was still as weak as a child’s.
With that smack, he immediately clutched his head and scurried away.
“Ouch!” he cried, rushing out the door and giving Jiang Yue no chance to say another word.
“Mister hit me! I don’t want to see Mister again for at least ten days or half a month!”
Crying and dashing out, he left Jiang Yue no room to speak.
Jiang Yue was seething.
She couldn’t understand why the young master had suddenly said such rude things.
But then her gaze landed on the “Qi Refining Art” lying quietly on the desk, and a suspicion slowly crept into her heart.
Could it be…the young master was trying to…start a quarrel, just to forcibly leave the “Qi Refining Art” for her?
After all, he’s still a ten-year-old child, and his thinking really is naive.
Jiang Yue let out a faint, bitter smile.
Silly boy.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Bursting out the door, Ling Huan ran as fast as he could, terrified that if he slowed down even for a second, Mister would catch up.
Ling Huan’s plan was simple: have Jiang Yue cultivate as well.
Maybe it could cure her illness.
His parents said that Mister was sick, but couldn’t be cured.
They’d invited many famous doctors, but none could help; all said it was incurable.
But if mundane doctors can’t help, who’s to say the cultivation world is the same?
Might as well give it a try.
Whether Mister uses it or not—that’s her own business.
He’d provided the method; what people did with it was up to them.
【Host has successfully angered Jiang Yue!】
【Evaluation: Good】
【Reward: One storage ring】
The system prompt appeared out of nowhere, along with a sudden reward, making Ling Huan extremely excited!
Not only because the storage ring was priceless, but also…he’d figured something out—the system’s sense of good and evil was shallow, superficial.
For example, if a fairy was bitten on the butt by a snake and he rushed up to suck out the venom, The system would probably say he was harassing the fairy.
Like before, in Yin Luoling’s room, he used the system’s special abilities to massage her feet and ease her fatigue, but the system still judged that as humiliating Yin Luoling.
Probably because “men and women should not touch,” and even though it was just a foot massage, in other people’s eyes…it really did look like a pervert doing as he pleased with a loli’s feet…
If that’s the case, then that really is “evil.”
This time, by angering Jiang Yue and distracting her from returning the book, the system also gave a reward…
Doesn’t that mean the system’s view of good and evil has nothing to do with his own intent, but is based on worldly conventions?
Or maybe it’s based on how outsiders would see it?
Tsk…not enough clues yet, I’ll have to test it a few more times.
“Ling…Ling Huan gege…” A soft voice pulled Ling Huan out of his thoughts.
He looked up to see Yin Luoling standing in front of his door, both hands holding a tray, upon which sat a steaming cup of tea.
“S-sorry about before…I…I…”
Yin Luoling’s head drooped, her voice stuttering and as soft as a mosquito, barely audible.
Was she here to apologize for kicking me this morning?
Ling Huan’s heart stirred. It was dusk now, the sky growing dim.
Who knew how long she’d been waiting outside…
What a good girl…even though I was the one at fault first…
He couldn’t help but shout in his heart:
Damn system! Open your eyes and look!
Look!
See who you’re forcing me to bully—a sweet, thoughtful little loli like her!
“It’s… it’s fine.”
Ling Huan quickly reassured her, his tone gentle. “It was my fault.I just wanted to massage your feet to help you recover from the long journey… My parents are always out traveling for business, always on the road, and I figured they must get exhausted, so I learned a little of the trade, thinking I could use it to honor them when they came home.”
“I was too impatient and didn’t explain things to you first…”
“I…I made a pot of tea for you, gege. Please…drink it.”
Ling Huan was deeply moved.
Not only did she not hold a grudge, she even apologized to him…
Don’t worry, Sister Luoling!
Ling Huan swore in his heart: I will never let this damn system bully you again!
【Task activated!】
Suddenly, an icy voice rang in his mind, making Ling Huan’s heart chill.
【Please trample on Yin Luoling’s kindness, and avoid falling into her poisonous hands!】
【Achieve the perfect condition to receive: Innate Spiritual Qi (instantly reach Qi Refining Level Nine overnight)】
Ling Huan froze, unable to respond for a long moment.
Reach Qi Refining Level Nine overnight?
That would make him invincible in Qingmu City.
Even in the mundane world, he’d have no rivals.
You had to know—even the strongest of the Ling family’s elite guards was only at Qi Refining Level Eight.
The only sound left in the courtyard was the rustling of wind in the leaves.
After a long while, Yin Luoling finally spoke, a little flustered: “G-gege…the tea…it’s going to get cold…” She pushed the tea cup forward again, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Her fingertips quivered ever so slightly; she must have been standing outside for quite a while.
In the twilight, the heavy tray was a bit much for an eight-year-old, and the steam from the cup had already faded.
To achieve the perfect condition, Ling Huan knew exactly what to do.
He could slap the tray away or smash the cup to pieces—smashing Yin Luoling’s good intentions to bits.
Ling Huan picked up the tea cup, first draining all the tea in one go.
The tea was bitter, even a little sour.
“Terrible.”
Ling Huan frowned deeply and set the cup down heavily on the stone table to the side. “This is the worst tea I’ve ever tasted. Sister Luoling, you’d better not make tea anymore.”
His heart felt like it was being cut by knives, but he forced himself to spit out these icy words.
As expected, Yin Luoling instantly froze in place.
In her wide amber eyes, the shock was crystal clear.
Yin Luoling was stunned beyond words, her body even trembling slightly.
How…how did this little beast not collapse!?
The amount of poison she’d used was enough to fell an ox!
He was just a ten-year-old child—how could he drink the tea without a change of expression?
Shouldn’t he have collapsed the moment his tongue touched the tea?!
And he was even smacking his lips as if savoring it afterward?!
The young boy had just delivered a shock greater than anything the Empress had ever experienced.