Three whole days passed without Chen Yuyang seeing his master.
Strangely, even Senior Sister Gu Qiushui, who often came to check on him, had vanished without a trace.
Though odd, Chen Yuyang focused on his cultivation and didn’t let these matters bother him.
After circulating the Taixu Fire fully through his body, Chen Yuyang’s realm advanced to the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment, and the tempered strength of his body…
Perhaps was already comparable to that of a Physical Cultivator in the early Golden Core stage.
Fourteen years to reach the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment—though considered a genius, it was far from Chen Yuyang’s limit.
About thirty or so lifetimes ago, to speed up his cultivation, Chen Yuyang had once set records: Core Formation at age three, Nascent Soul at four, and Spirit Transformation at fifteen.
But…Starting too fast wasn’t always a good thing.
Because it actually wasted his own talent.
Through his own exploration and research, Chen Yuyang realized that cultivation realms are not better improved the faster they advance; there’s a limit.
Too fast, and the excessively high talent is wasted.
At higher stages, breakthroughs take even longer.
To give a simple example, in the lifetime when Chen Yuyang cultivated fastest, after reaching Spirit Transformation at fifteen, it took him thirty years to break through to the Consolidation stage.
From Consolidation to Great Ascension took a hundred and fifty years.
From the early to the perfected Great Ascension, nearly two hundred years.
But afterward, Chen Yuyang slowed his cultivation pace and laid a solid foundation early on.
From Qi Refining to perfected Great Ascension, it took less than two hundred years in total.
So, slow is fast.
With a good foundation, the following floors rise higher, faster, and steadier.
Now, he cultivated at this most suitable pace, deliberately slowing his growth.
Each day, he practiced for no more than half an hour.
The rest of the time, he arranged his own schedule—either studying formations, concocting pill formulas, or compiling talismans.
Or he’d simply lie down to rest, relaxing with a mind free of thought.
A calm mindset also aided cultivation.
Now, after finishing a short day’s cultivation, Chen Yuyang went into the courtyard, dragged over a bamboo chair, and leaned against the crooked-necked tree.
Squinting, he began a leisurely afternoon nap.
“Senior Brother Yuyang, Senior Brother Yuyang!”
Just as he was dozing off in the warm sunshine, Chen Yuyang felt a pair of hands start to shake his body.
Opening his eyes, he saw a smiling face with two dimples.
The girl’s hair was tied into two plump buns with red cords, a stray lock fluttered by her temple, and she looked about fifteen or sixteen.
At this moment, she grinned broadly, her eyebrows curved like crescent moons, smiling happily at him.
“Junior Sister Ling Xi.”
Chen Yuyang sat up straight and looked at her.
“Did you need something from me?”
“Can’t I come to see my senior brother when I have nothing to do?”
“No, you can’t.”
“How can you talk like that? If you hadn’t joined the sect earlier than me, you’d be calling me sister!”
Ling Xi’s small face immediately puffed up in anger, her hands on her hips in discontent.
Ling Xi was two and a half years older than Chen Yuyang, but since he entered the sect first, she had to respectfully call him senior brother.
“How disrespectful! Ah, how disrespectful! I’ll tell Master right away and have her give you a good scolding.”
Chen Yuyang immediately sat up straight, making a serious face and wagging his finger to threaten.
“Hmph, Master doesn’t bother with such small things~ Senior Brother, what’s your realm now? Come, come, have a spar with me.”
“Spar? You think you’re capable now?”
Chen Yuyang raised an eyebrow.
Because they were close in age, this little junior sister always treated him as a benchmark.
She came to spar with him not once or twice but every now and then, popping in at regular intervals.
“Hmph, this time I definitely won’t lose. Senior Brother, I’m no longer at Foundation Establishment ninth layer—I officially reached the peak of Foundation Establishment just yesterday.”
Chen Yuyang scratched his head. “Is there really a difference?”
“How can there be no difference? The spiritual power required between Foundation Establishment ninth layer and the peak differs by thirty percent—that means I’m at least thirty percent stronger than before.”
The girl crossed her arms, her eyes burning with fighting spirit.
“That only means your endurance is up thirty percent, not that your spiritual power intensity increased by that much…”
Chen Yuyang corrected her with a hint of helplessness.
“Never mind that, come on, Senior Brother! This time I’ll definitely make you my defeated subordinate!”
Half a moment later…
Ling Xi was kneeling on the ground, hands pressed down, gasping for breath, cold sweat rolling down her cheeks.
“Impossible…”
“Senior Brother, you’re only at Foundation Establishment fourth layer… how… how come… and you’re always sleeping in! I cultivate at least five or six hours every day…”
The girl looked up unwillingly, staring at the boy who was just slightly shorter than her but now stood high above.
“Cultivation isn’t about who has more spiritual power.”
“Technique, cultivation method, equipment, battle judgment, and adaptability—all are indispensable.”
“Your realm is indeed several layers higher than mine, and your spiritual energy is greater, but I can take you down in one move using hardly any spiritual power.”
“Junior Sister…” Chen Yuyang smiled and crouched before her, pinching her soft cheeks.
“You’re weak, just train more.”
Ling Xi bit her silver teeth but couldn’t refute him.
Despite her higher realm, being easily defeated in three moves was an undeniable fact.
“Senior Brother, you’ve only won against me this once, and the last time, and the time before that… nothing to be proud of.”
“I will definitely come back and defeat you.”
Having said this, the little girl turned her head and left in a huff.
Watching her rush away, Chen Yuyang chuckled lightly.
Just as he was about to lie back down to enjoy the warm spring afternoon, his peripheral vision caught a slender figure standing beyond the low fence of the courtyard.
“Master!”
Chen Yuyang’s butt just touched the chair when he stood up quickly.
The other had come silently, without emitting any spiritual power fluctuations.
Although Chen Yuyang’s soul power was strong, he was only at Foundation Establishment; his spiritual awareness hadn’t formed, so he couldn’t detect it.
Seeing Chen Yuyang ready to salute, Tai Lingxuan quickly raised a hand to stop him.
“Yuyang, no need for formalities.”
Chen Yuyang nodded slightly and then asked,
“Master, what brings you to see me?”
“Can’t a master come find her disciple when there’s nothing in particular?” Tai Lingxuan smiled serenely and retorted.
Chen Yuyang…
All you women talk like this, huh?
“Come, Master, please sit.”
Chen Yuyang didn’t respond and instead pulled over the recliner, gesturing politely.
“No need, Yuyang. I came because I found a scroll in the library with a source preservation technique beneficial to you.”
With that, Tai Lingxuan raised a scroll.
Chen Yuyang reached out to take it, but Tai Lingxuan didn’t immediately hand it over.
“Go into your room. This scroll’s content is profound; I need to explain it to you in detail.”
Chen Yuyang nodded and opened the door to invite Tai Lingxuan inside, then followed and closed the door.
The moment they entered,
A small head immediately peeked out from behind the crooked-necked tree.
“Oh, so that’s why that guy always beats me even though his realm is lower. Turns out Master is giving him extra lessons!”
“So unfair~”
“Master, you can’t be partial!”
Ling Xi muttered resentfully but could only watch from afar.
Once inside the room, Tai Lingxuan unrolled the scroll.
“This is a heart cultivation method obtained by our Hehuan Sect several thousand years ago from a great expert. Constantly circulating this method will keep your origin stable and protected from harm.”
“Oh?” Hearing this miraculous effect, Chen Yuyang’s eyes brightened as he quickly leaned in to inspect.
“This scroll contains the residual soul power of that great expert. Even I, your master, can only read about half before feeling fatigued.”
Tai Lingxuan spoke slowly, noticing Chen Yuyang’s frown as he read the scripture.
“With your soul power, you can only read one or two lines at most. If you feel mentally exhausted, do not force yourself to continue.”
Sure enough, Chen Yuyang raised his head, relaxing his brows, though his expression was somewhat complicated.
“May I ask who that great expert was?”
Tai Lingxuan smiled and shook her head.
“This was thousands of years ago; how would I know?”
Chen Yuyang nodded but glanced once more at the scroll.
It had been thousands of years, so he hadn’t recognized it immediately.
But this heart cultivation method… somehow felt familiar…
He racked his memory and recalled that around three or maybe four thousand years ago, when he was immersed in alchemy and needed massive amounts of rare materials to test pill formulas, he had concocted all sorts of random things to generate income.
This heart cultivation method was one of them—and what made Chen Yuyang sweat buckets was that he had used this very method to extort the then-demonic Hehuan Sect.
Back then, he threatened Hehuan Sect that if they didn’t give him certain rare materials, he would copy this method countless times for many cultivators to study.
He’d assumed the sect would destroy it once they got it, but never expected to see it again thousands of years later in Tai Lingxuan’s hands.
As for the content…
Chen Yuyang had long since forgotten it.
Because he had a better preservation method himself.
Cultivating for hundreds of lifetimes, no one cared more about his Pure Yang—or more precisely, his Primordial Origin—than Chen Yuyang himself.
He naturally left himself only the best.
Of course, facing Tai Lingxuan, he had to play the naive part and show amazement.
“Wow, so impressive.”
Tai Lingxuan nodded slightly, understanding Chen Yuyang’s surprise.
Though Yuyang was a genius, his experience was still limited.
“This heart method is indeed powerful. Come, Yuyang, take off your clothes and sit on the bed. I will help you circulate this method.”
“Need to take off clothes…?”
Chen Yuyang was momentarily stunned.
“Of course. Just explaining the content won’t be digestible for you now. So I’ll directly help you circulate the technique—you only need to remember the feeling. The content of the method can be understood gradually afterward.”
Tai Lingxuan couldn’t help but be anxious.
Not only had she once harmed Yuyang, but his senior sister was also coveting him.
So now Tai Lingxuan only hoped Chen Yuyang could master this method as soon as possible.
“Alright…”
Chen Yuyang sighed helplessly, thinking he’d been seen naked since childhood anyway.
He stripped off his clothes, leaving only his underpants.
“Good, disciple, your master will begin now.”
Tai Lingxuan said as her jade hand extended toward the boy’s body.
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