《My female disciples are scary》


 1 Prologue – POV of a former cultivator

    I am a sword cultivator in the Heavenly Plane. Well, I was.


    The reason I say that is because I am dead.


    While I had hopes of at least getting a heroic or peaceful death, my death was nothing short of tragic.


    I died after being swatted like a fly by some random young master A.


    Apparently, he was offended that I blocked his path.


    At that moment, I finally came into the realization that it was a great mistake on my part to have become a sword cultivator. I should have embarked on the smooth journey of being a pill master or inscription master instead.


    In the end, I ended up dying not only as an ''expert'' sword cultivator but also an (in)experienced wizard. Perhaps an arch-wizard?


    ¡­ Ha ha¡­ FMCL (Fuck My Cultivator Life)


    Thinking about it now, my life was not always like this. At least, not in the mortal plane.


    There was once a time when I was hailed as a rare genius of my era and had a pride which valued my words a thousand times more precious than gold.


    While my talent still paled in comparison to monster level geniuses, but I was still the creme of the crop. One must understand that those monster level geniuses were as rare as Qilins in the wild and phoenixes in the sky.


    Even the sect I cultivated in the mortal plane was a branch of the Immortal Divinity Sect of the heavenly plane. If I had just continued to stay there, I could have been directly accepted to the main branch of the sect after reaching the heavenly plane. Even my time in spiritual plane would be peaceful.


    But I just had to go and dump all those benefits in the dumpster by being too naive and prideful.


    After I elevated to the status of elder and became aware of the sect''s black dealings with devil cults, I became disillusioned and broke off all my ties with the sect by faking my death.


    I then started my new life as a rogue cultivator.


    To be honest, my time as a rogue cultivator in the mortal plane was not bad.


    By a swipe of my hand, people would fly unfettered like birds and by a swipe of my sword, legends would become filial to their ancestors by reciting their name.


    I was strong.


    In fact, I was so strong that I even broke through to the spiritual plane after just hundred more years of training.


    But then, everything changed after I reached spiritual plane.


    My status as a potential Xianxia protagonist slowly demoted to a mere mob fodder and I finally experienced the profound meanings contained in the legendary phrase "Karma is a Bitch".


    Because, this time, it was my turn to become filial to my ancestors.


    My earliest memory of being in the spiritual plane is of me acting all arrogant and aloof. My next memory is of me getting a palm mark on my cheek.


    My other memories of the time are a bit fuzzy, but I got a full internship on the dangers of the spiritual plane.


    Since then, I continued to further cultivate while making sure that I did not get into anyone''s bad side.


    While other people got cool names like ''flying sword Lin'', or ''the dragon fist Chen Fan'', I got my own unique name which was famous throughout the entire city.


    I was known by my title of ''Everyone''s Lacky Xing Fan''. (T_T)


    Although I knew that I was no longer an elder, an expert, or even a sect member and that I was merely a person with no background, I could not find myself to readily accept such a shitty name.


    So, I went down the forest to display my brilliance.


    The next day, I was given the new title of ''Everyone''s Piggy bank Xing Fan''. o(¨i©n¨i)


    After repeatedly being bullied and robbed in that harsh environment where my only friends were some strange things known as ''automatons'' and my only console was the daily broadcast of ''immortal idol XX'' via magic crystal, I meticulously tempered my Dao over a few years.


    With some filler adventures and some tragic backstory, I soon managed to surpass the limits of my talent and break through the spiritual plane to reach the heavenly plane.


    I thought that this breakthrough would be akin to carp jumping to be a dragon.


    In the end, I was proven wrong. Terribly wrong.


    Instead, this breakthrough taught me the fear of something other than physical injuries or death.


    It taught me the meaning of mental trauma.


    Unlike my previous experience with the breakthrough to the spiritual plane, this time I was teleported in the middle of a lake.


    And like a cliche MC scenario, there happened to be a figure bathing in the middle of the lake.


    Of course, you may have already guessed it at this point, but the figure before me was not a bishoujo.


    ¡­ it was a bishou Orc.


    That terrifying experience makes me shiver till this very day.


    Instead of hearing some words of threat or roar of anger that I expected, what reflected before my eyes that day were a pair of heated eyes of the Orc.


    My memories of that day remain incomplete, but I do remember using almost all the teleport scrolls in my possession and nearly committing suicide.


    Thankfully, I successfully evaded it since the orc was still young.


    At least, that is how my memory goes. I am still a wizard¡­ right? ©b?£¨£¯.£Ü£©?©b


    [AN: Yes you are. Rejoice]


    A few days later, some villagers found me in tatters and shivering in the wild.


    I don''t know if they felt pity or found the sight too unbearable to watch, but I was ''adopted'' by them.


    The village was situated in an impressive peak which reflected rainbow colors and the villagers were friendly enough to teach me the art of pill-making, cooking, and farming.


    Initially, I remained suspicious of their objective because many important-looking cultivators entered the village every day. As such, I was sure that it was not exactly a ''Village A''.


    But as years passed by, their carefree temperament affected me, and I lost all my immortal bearing or cautiousness.


    Now that I think of it, I suppose my current carefree thinking is a result of living in that place for many years.


    At any rate, my time in the village was rather peaceful.


    As a few decades passed, I gradually forgot the dangers of the wild.


    As more years passed by, I begun to long for an adventure.


    As even more years passed by, I finally decided to travel the world.


    Although some of the villagers protested my decision by saying that it was dangerous and that my talents would be wasted, in the end they still consented to my wishes.


    Thus, I packed my things and bade the villagers farewell to embark on my heroic Journey¡­ or not.


    I died on the first day to my greatness.


    FMCL.

 2 A good elder needs a good cash cow

    Ah, so cozy.


    How many years has it been since I have felt so peaceful?


    How many years has it been since I could relax like this?


    Who knew that death would feel so peaceful. If I knew about it, I would have already formed a hobby of blocking young masters long ago.


    "-al immediately"


    So soothing.


    "All elders, please attend the disciple selection trial immediately."


    So, co- "All elders, please attend the disciple selection trial immediately."


    ¡­


    "All elders, plea-"


    "Ah, fuck it. Can''t you even let me die in peace, you unfeeling piece of garbage."


    I roared as I threw the annoying speaker badge out from my bed.


    *huff* *huff* ''To think I would have to hear that voice once again. What a nightmare. I am already dead for god''s sake.''


    Hmm.


    Wait a second.


    How am I still thinking?


    Shouldn''t I be dead?


    Is this the afterlife?


    Opening my eyes with ''great difficulty'', I looked at my surroundings and was stunned.


    ''This¡­ isn''t this the abode I used to live back in the days when I was the elder of one of the branches of the Immortal Divinity Sect (mortal plane version).''


    Was my previous death an illusion?


    No, the sensation of death was too real. If someone could replicate death to that standard for a person of my cultivation level, there would be no need for all the pointless waste of resources to make me fall into illusion.


    He could simply slap me to the heavens.


    So, this means¡­


    ''Holy sh*t, have I returned to the past.''


    A little excited, I moved to the left corner of my room which had a mirror and examined my features.


    A super handsome face (in mc''s opinion) which could overshadow all beings reflected before my eyes. (in mc''s opinion)


    "Those cool looking eyes, that cold expression. Kyaaaah" [AN: narcissist fanboy].


    "My handsome face before it was ruined by those jealous ugly heretics from the spiritual plane."


    Tears swelled in my eyes as I gazed at the male god(lol) before me.


    "Finally, I can fulfill the long-lasting regrets of my past life."


    "Finally, I will be able to prevent the heart demon which prevented me from ascending to higher stages."


    With great determination I looked at the sky (the upper wall of immortal abode) and declared.


    "I, Xing Fan hereby swear to the heavens with the sky as my witness and the celestial bodies as my judge."


    "I, Xing Fan will become a rich deadbeat and no longer act like those crazy hot-blooded youngsters."


    "I will marry a wife who is filial, sweet, sexy, innocent, [insert all unrealistic expectation of your ideal waifu] and live peacefully with little Xing Fans."


    "I will become a NEET in the cultivation world."


    "I will become th-"


    "All elders, please attend the disciple selection trial immediately." (speaker)


    A vein popped in my face as I angrily glared at the speaker badge for ruining my moment. But when I recalled my previous frugal lifestyle and the cost of the badge, I immediately restrained my aura and placed it carefully in the table.


    Forget it. A gentleman does not mind such small things.


    Besides, I have more important things to do at the moment.


    Which is, of course, to attend this disciple selection trial.


    As for trying to understand how or why I reincarnated?


    A great Taoist from the village once said that you do not search fate, fate searches you before he dozed to sleep.


    As his filial half-disciple, I will continue to carry his legacy even though he may no longer remember me.


    At any rate, this is not the first-time crazy stuffs have happened to me.


    Even in the village of Heavenly Plane which I consider rather peaceful, there were times when I woke up in the middle of the sky, was chased around by a horde of Orcs, and later forced to enter the territory of those very creatures to get some ingredients in the name of training.


    Strange. Did I really just say that my time in the village was peaceful?


    Ha¡­ha.


    Damn, I am getting tears in my eyes. o(¨i©n¨i)


    Anyways, let''s get back to the main topic.


    The disciple selection trial.


    Although it is a pain, I need to attend the trial. After all, the benefits are too big for me to ignore.


    Once I get my first disciple, there is no need for me to bother about any more trials in the future unless I become a peak master.


    I get an increase in salary, my pension is guaranteed (constant spirit stone despite being in closed cultivation without work), and if my disciple does something good, I immediately reap the benefits.


    Simply speaking, having a disciple is like having a cash cow.


    Well, at the very least that is how it is supposed to be.


    ¡­I hope.


    My past life experience as a master was not exactly positive. In fact, it was downright traumatic.


    You see, some disciples love creating problems for their master and the disciple I chose in my last life, Scum Ch- Oops, I mean Young Che was exceptional in that regard.


    Young Che was a standard cultivating genius whose luck defied the heavens. But what was truly fearsome was not his luck, but his gigolo powers.


    That brat was basically the incarnation of seduction flags and lust.


    He never forced anyone or made any efforts to raise a flag, yet he extended his gigolo flags to maidens across the mortal plane.


    Peak mistresses, daughters of noble clans, princesses, maids, beast kin. Heck, the guy even seduced a devil cultivator.


    In the end, who was the one who had to clean up his troublesome mess?


    Me.


    I had to apologize, extend treaties, and gift valuable treasures for him. Yet, he never thanked me. Not even once. Instead, he only thanked the peak mistress for her ''care''.


    Thinking about it now, I feel like one of the reasons behind my past-self leaving the sect was him.


    Even after leaving the sect, all his pink and cheesy legends that I heard while going rogue almost made me throw up many times.


    From what I last heard, somehow or another, he managed to get to the Spiritual Plane during the time I was a rogue middle level cultivator in the said plane. It was quite surprising that he managed to get into Spiritual Plane, but his actions after reaching the Spiritual Plane almost made me faint in shock.


    According to the rumors, he tried to seduce the daughter of the Ming clan, one of the four noble clans in the spiritual plane despite having just arrived at the world for four days.


    Just four frickin days, and he thought he already had the cat in the bag.


    I truly wonder what went into that brain of his? Did he think that there was still a plot armor cheat master to clean after his mess from the shadows when he failed like the old times?


    In the end, I heard that he died a miserable death.


    Thank god I went rogue in time. Or else, the one to have his head separated from his body would not only be him.


    Having a disciple like that is basically asking a ticket to death express.


    There is no way in hell I am going to take that troublesome son of a b*tch as my disciple who does not even know the meaning of gratitude in this life as well.


    If the worst situation comes where I have no choice, I will even resort to stealing some base tempering pills, aka Xianxia candies, from lolis and stay in home-prison for a few decades.


    Reputation? What''s that? Is it tasty?


    I guess taking other disciples would be fine as well. However, I don''t recall a single talent attending the trial this year who managed to even get into spiritual plane, much less the heavenly plane.


    Less talents mean less salary, and it is a greater pain to take a greater number of disciples, so I can''t slack off on this.


    It is a pity, but I suppose I will attend the ''golden disciple lottery'' next year instead.


    Good Night.


    ....


    (Around the same time)


    Church of Blood, Iron Blood City.


    The stained glass covering most of the front wall illuminated the nave with colorful dim light.


    The light revealed the silhouette of numerous priests in long black robes who were currently kneeling and chanting incoherent words in front of the coffin placed at the altar before them.


    The altar was carved out of a stone slab and had numerous runes and strange symbols engraved on it.


    A few web-like red veins could be seen connecting the altar to the outer periphery of the Sanctuary.


    What lied beyond the periphery were the corpses of numerous cultivators wearing Daoist robes of numerous colors, which represented their allegiance to different Sects.


    As time continued to pass and the dim light in the church begun to fade away, crimson red liquid begun to drip from the coffin placed in the slab and the chants of the priests begun to gain more momentum.


    One of the black robed priest kneeling in the middle of the group slowly stood up and placed a strange crystal near the coffin.


    After that, he lowered his head again and reverently said to the crystal.


    "Great Lord Armodeos. The sacrifices have been made as per the order of the lords of the great Devil Plane. May you start the great revival."


    It was unknown if the crystal could understand the words of the priest. However, after a few moments passed, the crystal begun to change its color to resemble the blood red webs around the coffin.


    Slowly but surely, the crystal slowly started to sink into the deep red web like it was merging with it.


    Yet, before any further change could take place, the crystal cracked and the deep red web lost its luster.


    Hearing the crack, all the priests stopped kneeling and a silent atmosphere permeated across the nave.


    Although he knew that this was the most likely result, the black robed priest could not help but sigh with a deep sense of disappointment.


    Recovering his bearing, he turned to look at the remaining kneeling priests and said in a low voice.


    "It seems like this timeline was a failure. The higher-ups should already be aware of this fact and be starting the alternative sequences of the plan."


    "We should start to prepare sacrifices for the first part of the play as well."


    "It is time to destroy the reality we live in."

 3 Elders are high right now, arenst they?

    A cacophony of birdsong resounded through the otherwise serene mountain.


    Accompanying those chirps were the sound of galloping hooves and the plashing platter of steady rain on the numerous young entrants steadily moving towards the entrance of the Immortal Divinity Sect.


    Although all these entrants seemed to be heading in the same direction, a closer look would reveal that there was a separation of group between them


    Youths in rich clothing could be seen riding on handsome steads and cheerfully talking with each other as they ignored the other people walking on foot.


    The people walking in foot could be seen to have formed their own clique, where they ignored the other people wearing poor clothes.


    People wearing poor rags could be seen walking in separation. For they had faced and lived the worst of mankind.


    While none of the upper groups were vocal regarding their statuses for fear that some of the people in the lower position may rise to become a disciple, there was a tacit understanding that until that time came, they were different from them.


    This was the truth of the mortal world and soon this would be the truth of their immortal journey.


    The only difference being that their currency would switch to their innate talent or their backing.


    Among those walking in isolation was a figure whose face was riddled with scars and had a skinny physique which was so malnourished that it was hard to determine its gender.


    Looking at the separation of group formed naturally among themselves, the figure had a certain thought.


    ''Sure enough, Human nature is hard to change.''


    ...¡­.


    (MC''s POV)


    People often say that dreams are nice, and reality is cruel.


    However, I would like to assert that the alarm clocks which rob us of the very ability to dream are even crueler.


    "-Elder Fan, wouldn''t you agree?"


    Almost by reflex, I replied.


    "Damn, right."


    Shit.


    Immediately after I said those words, a few sounds of gasp could be heard from the surrounding.


    Even my superior who just asked me the question opened his eyes in shock.


    Oops, I forgot that I was in the mortal plane where my image is of an icy cold master whose words are as heavy as gold.


    Well, the die has been cast and it is not like I can control time, so I will just keep on maintaining my cool image for now. (*???*)


    In case you are wondering, the reason I am here with these fogies (they are younger than him mentally) is because I ended up losing my epic showdown against the speaker badge.


    The speaker badge was a formidable foe. It even obliterated my famed sleeping technique like it was nothing.


    So, after agonizing over my defeat for an hour and maintaining my looks for four, I finally decided to watch over the trial.


    Of course, if I knew that this would happen, I would not have come.


    Still¡­


    Just how long are these guys going to act shocked and look at my face like that?


    I agree that I am cool, dashing, and handsome, but this is too much.


    And you, Elder Lan. Why are you looking like you want to eat me up?


    Stop it. You are bringing my trauma of Orcs back.


    Perhaps noticing my awkward situation, peak master Lin Fen (my direct superior) lightly coughed and tried to divert the topic.


    "So, whom do you guys have your eyes on?"


    Immediately after he said those words, the elders finally stopped paying attention to me and started a heated discussion among themselves.


    "The son of the Sunfire City Lord is a good seedling. It is rumored that he was born with innate strength attribute."


    "What about the daughter of the Phoenix City. It is rumored that she has a trace of phoenix bloodline in her veins."


    "My god. Could the rumor be real?"


    "Also, it seems like a direct descendant of Elder Quan is taking part on the trial as well."


    "You mean that absolute genius of the Quan clan who broke through the Qi refinement at the age of 13."


    "Heavens."


    Elder Quan who was seated beside me beamed happily as he heard the praises being sung about his great-grandson.


    He lightly stroked his beard and said happily.


    "Thank you, fellow brother and sisters for your kind words. Quan Luo still has a lot to learn from you all. Please guide him well."


    "Haha, Fellow Daoist is too courteous."


    "Yes, it won''t take too much time before Quan Luo surpasses us."


    "The youngsters today will surely surpass the old."


    I did not know what sort of expression I was making nor what sort of face I should have made when I heard their conversation, but currently, I am simply thankful that I was not drinking anything.


    Because if I did, I would surely be choking on it.


    Innate physical Strength?


    Are you guys high or simply retards? That body is simply a result of poor diet and a lot of exercise to make up for it.


    Phoenix Bloodline?


    Do you even know what you are talking about? That bloodline is a rarity even in higher realms. Would her clan be a no-name clan if they had even a drop of it?


    Although to be fair, she does seem to have the bloodline of the Flame Chicken which is a fearsome creature by its own right.


    It is a creature which can make your wallet grow empty without you being aware of it. A splendid delicacy prominent in the Flame Territory of the Spiritual Plane.


    A must recommendation.


    Damn, I went off-track.


    Still, that thought really made me hungry. (¡ä©·`*)


    Oops, a drool almost escaped from my mouth.


    Flame Chicken. Truly a fearsome creature.


    As for Quan Luo or whatever his name is.


    A rarely seen talent?


    True, he is indeed a talent which may appear only once in a time-span of a few centuries.


    A talent to be a fodder that is.


    In fact, quite a dedicated one I must say.


    He is like a Michelin Star fodder chef who knows exactly what ingredient will help Scu-Young Che develop.


    When Young Che is level 1, he will send level 2 mobs.


    When Young Che is level 2, he will send level 3 mobs.


    And when Young Che becomes strong enough, he will probably even offer his max level great-gramps as an ingredient. (My guess, I already ascended by then)


    Terrifying, Dumb, cockroach.


    He will be called by many names in the future.


    But sadly, genius will not be one of them.


    As a former caretaker of that diabolic brat, I can testify.


    This fodder will grow up to become a bona-fide death seeker.


    Amen.

 4 I want a beard as well

    The downpour soon subsided, and hints of sunlight started getting visible to those who were resting on the ground.


    The filtering of dim rays of sunlight along with the drops of crystal-like water on the leaves of trees in the forest created a visually pleasing sight.


    Yet, this was not of concern to the numerous entrants who had gathered around the entrance of the Immortal Divinity Sect holding various aspirations.


    For these young entrants, the gate of the Immortal Divinity Sect which represented the boundary between reality and fantasy was far more appeasing than the most stunning scenery in the world.


    Of course, this was not necessarily the case for all the people.


    For instance, for a certain youth in rich clothing whose entire attire screamed ''nouveau riche'' and body denoted ''macho-man'', what mattered to him was the elder who backed him rather than the trial itself.


    For a certain rich lady, what concerned her was the certain chill she continued to feel ever since she entered the periphery of the sect. She had a weird feeling that someone was coveting her body.


    She would probably never know that someone had already registered her as a defective recommended product.


    There was also a certain villager who seemed unconcerned about his surroundings.


    No one knew what made him so proud. However, he had a face which made males want to punch him and females to pound him.


    This was a youth who would later grow up to become the special type of leech who would act as the messiah exclusively for beautiful women by the use of (but not limited to) aphrodisiac, yin-yang coercion, seduction, and numerous other treacherous methods.


    His name was Young Che.


    Opposite to him was a certain youth who seemed aloof from worldly affairs and was a certified death-seeker approved by Xing Fan himself.


    The genius of the Quan clan and the Michelin star fodder chef- Quan Luo.


    He stood separate from the main crowd and raised his head like a proud peacock.


    Yet no one knew that it was simply because he was lonely.


    Yes, he was a loner.


    ....


    (MC''s POV)


    One of the major perks of being old is that you get to judge and bash the youngsters.


    And of course, none of us are willing to pass on that opportunity.


    "Toot toot. To be so amazed by a mere gate, these people need to temper their Dao Heart."


    Elder A said so while stroking his goatee.


    I do not understand why these fogies are so addicted to the feeling of stroking their goatee.


    However, every single male elder in the room with a goatee were currently stroking their goatee and/or beard.


    Seriously dude, stroking your goatee and/or beard does not make you intellectual.


    I swear I am not jealous of them.


    I definitely am not.


    I thought so as I lifted my chin up with my hand to make myself look contemplative.


    "In comparison, it seems like the son of Sunfire City lord and daughter of Phoenix City lord are cut-above the rest in terms of temperament."


    "Youngster Quan also shows signs of a future leader."


    Elder B and C stated their thoughts as they carefully looked at the participants from the magic crystal.


    "Also, that village boy. Although his attire may not look presentable, his temperament and attitude are beyond the common mass."


    Peak Master Lin Fen said so as he looked at the participants from the magic crystal.


    "Hmm, wait."


    Peak Master Lin Fen lifted his eyebrow a little and lifted his hand to make the image clearer.


    He closely looked at the magic crystal for a while before laughing loudly.


    "Good Lad. Good Lad."


    Most of the elders were confused at peak master Lin Fen''s abnormal behavior.


    However, soon after looking at the screen for a while, the other peak masters also begun to flush red almost as if they were on adrenaline.


    "Haha. Good. Good."


    "Truly a person destined to become a dragon among men."


    The elders became more curious after their peak master''s outburst. But they refrained themselves from asking any question since the truth would be revealed by the end of the trial.


    As for me, obviously I knew why they were laughing like mad men.


    It was because Young Che was born with an extremely rare lightning spirit root which greatly accelerated his cultivation speed and allowed him to use lightning arts.


    But it was precisely because I knew the future that I could not help but feel pain for these poor souls.


    Especially peak master Lin Fen.


    Will he still be calling Young Che a ''good lad'' when Young Che starts to bang his wife? (ch 2, peak mistress)


    Will random Elder D still call him a ''dragon among men'' when he uses the dragon on his first love from the Ice Pavilion?


    Will random Elder E still say ''good'' when his male disciple dies from Young Che''s hands?


    I am not sure.


    But what I am sure is that I will attend the funeral of the poor lad who will become Young Che''s master.


    Well, good luck to him.


    Not that I will ever come 100 meters near him in this lifetime.


    Well, might as well look at the other mobs in the trial instead.


    I thought so as I looked at the participants of the trial through the magic crystal with mild disinterest before stopping at a certain entrant.


    Hmm.


    This is weird.


    It seems like there is another figure who seems indifferent towards the prospect of trial.


    "That beggar in the black rag seems to have a good disposition as well."


    Elder B chipped his thoughts again as he looked at the crystal.


    The Peak masters from the nine peaks stared at the ragged figure on the crystal for a while before losing interest.


    "He may be a good seedling but unfortunately, it seems like he has no fate with cultivation."


    Peak Master Lin Fen said nonchalantly before diverting his attention to other things.


    "Ah, a pity."


    "I doubt the ragged brat would be able to pass even a single stage of trial."


    Elder B and E commented with a hint of disappointment evident in their voice.


    Oh.


    I remember it now.


    This was the kid who passed the first two rounds of the trial before finally being kicked out in the final trial.


    If I remember correctly, the reason behind his failure was that¡­ he had no cultivation root.


    Huh.


    No cultivation roots?


    Then how the hell is this kid standing with no signs of discomfort in front of the spiritual pressure generated at the gate?

 5 The death-seeker awakens

(Random POV)


    ''

 6 So refreshing

    (Random POV)


    The mounting pressure the girl experienced each time she tried to lift her foot dissuaded her from moving any further.


    The discordant cries the girl heard from her surrounding persuaded the girl to remove her mask of indifference.


    Yet the girl did not cry out in pain.


    Nor did she remove her guise of nonchalance.


    Lifting her leg, she took another step forward.


    What lied beyond her destination was the only way to her future.


    ...¡­


    (MC''s POV)


    Lifting my cup of spiritual green tea like a refined expert, I thought to myself.


    What a wonderful day.


    "I will not give up. I-I have too much to do." (Entrant A)


    What made the day even more enjoyable was the wonderful values being preached by the young entrants through the crystal.


    "Father, your son won''t be able to visit you this year. Forgive me." (Entrant B)


    To think that the youngsters these years are so caring.


    I really misjudged them in my past life.


    Gazing at the crystal, a drop of (imaginary) tear gathered around my eyes.


    But what truly impressed me was youngster Quan.


    "*beep*" x 999 (Quan Luo)


    What a comprehensive knowledge of swearing.


    As expected of the death-seeker.


    How many years of effort must have been required to remember all those words.


    One can only admire his work of dedication.


    Still, it is truly refreshing to see him suffer like this.


    The feeling is even more pleasant as I recall the times I suffered in my past life due to the mess this idiot made with Young Che.


    Not just this idiot, but his entire clan was the same.


    Especially that gloating expression of Elder Quan when he took my belongings. It was fulfilling to see his face change colors like a broken bulb today.


    *sigh*


    I am going to be addicted to this feeling, aren''t I?


    I feel like I awakened something which I shouldn''t have.


    Bah, at any rate, it is quite satisfying so who cares.


    Normally speaking, someone like the young master of Quan clan would never swear such words in the middle of a trial.


    That is, if the trial took place the way it normally did.


    But sadly, a certain elder changed the contents of the trial yesterday. Consequently, making the current trial differ from the ones in the past.


    Previously, the ''potential gateway'' of the sect was activated as a method to weed out those with bad potential and the heart mirror was used to weed out those with poor determination.


    But this year, all those pointless procedures were scrapped by a certain handsome elder(me) to make the test more effective and faster.


    Thus, it was not anything strange for youngster Quan to feel so angry.


    After all, the trial was not something which was supposed to require true effort nor pain.


    It was supposed to be something like a lottery instead where you followed the policy of ''no pain yes gains''.


    But now the policy leaned more towards ''virtue above all''.


    A policy which could easily be felt by comparing the silent mountain a year ago to the prayer temple it is today.


    Of course, initially, there was a fierce opposition especially from some conservative elders who were against the change to protect the traditions of the sect.


    But a single sheet of paper listing the amount of spirit stones that would be saved by this method made them delete all the records of tradition from their mind.


    ''¡­''¡¥\_(¥Ä)_/¡¥


    Grandpas rock.


    ...¡­.


    (Third person POV)


    The originally tranquil mountain of the Immortal Divinity Sect was currently filled with prayers and vulgarities of different dialects unique to different regions.


    These prayers belonged to the numerous filial entrants who were trying to reach the destination of the trial while slowly picking up their pace.


    Behind them were another group of entrants who were currently kissing the ground and slowly being deported outside the gates of the sect by the ten cultivators overseeing the trial.


    They were the people who fainted in the middle of the trial.


    To avoid similar fate, the remaining group of entrants gritted their teeth and put more effort to reach the area where their spirit roots would be checked.


    Because if they failed to do so, all the efforts they exerted today would be wasted along with their hopes and aspirations.


    Even if they failed this time, there was a chance that they may get a similar chance in the future.


    However, for these entrants, the certainty placed right in front of them was much more convincing than the uncertainty that may or may not occur in the future.


    In fact, they were not wrong to think this way.


    The hidden purpose of the trial was to check the determination of the entrants.


    The moment they had chosen to exert efforts at the present rather than hope for the future, they had already passed one of the trials of the sect.


    With a few more steps, there was a high chance that these entrants could be chosen as the disciples of the immortal divinity sect if their roots met the bare requirement.


    There were also some who already understood this simple principle the moment the trial started.


    One of such figure was a young villager who stood at the very front of the cluster of entrants.


    He had a heroic expression on his face and was muttering some chuuni lines as he tried to reach towards the goal.


    Next to him was a certain death-seeking young master who previously spewed vulgarities like a random hooligan on the street.


    In comparison to how he was when the trial started, he now looked more composed and resistant towards the pain.


    After them were a certain burly son of city lord who was going full macho and the daughter of the Phoenix city who for whatever reason (hiding her ruined makeup) was wearing a fox mask.


    These people were currently the hope of the struggling entrants.


    A hope that the trial could be succeeded.


    Similarly, there was another one of these hopes who was currently moving separate from the crowd.


    The figure was wrapped with a gray rag and had her face disfigured by numerous scars.


    With a hint of indifference and hidden resolution visible in her face, she was taking a step forward.

 7 A new ligh

    (MC''s POV)


    "I must say, the youngsters taking the trial this year have exceeded this old one''s expectation."


    Peak Master A said so with a tinge of smile on his face as he gazed at the crystal which was currently broadcasting the trial.


    "Indeed. Especially the villager with the lightning root and the kid from Quan Clan have given this old one a pleasant surprise."


    Peak Master B added on while maintaining his looks like a (fake) Confucian.


    "Not only talent, but they also have the necessary firmness to strive for excellence. They are bound to become dragons in the future."


    Peak Master Lin Fen laughed joyfully along with other peak masters to show his satisfaction regarding the participants participating in the trial this year.


    In response, I, as well as all the other elders simply kept our business smiles and ''joyfully'' agreed with our superiors.


    After all, our paychecks (resources) depends upon our superiors.


    Hence, they are always right.


    Even if they speak stupid stuff like ''firmness to strive for excellence'' when all of us can hear the (un)holy sermon coming out of the crystal, they are right.


    Even if they include chuuni lines like ''this old one'' in their sentence which causes all of us to cringe, they are right.


    Even if they alienate all the five female peak masters on the room by pacing the conversation at their own pace, they are right.


    ¡­ Scratch that.


    Female peak master Xia Qingle seems to be on the verge of exploding.


    They are not right.


    Thankfully, Peak Master B managed to defuse the situation before it was too late by proceeding the conversation on a more neutral ground.


    "Still, it seems like the kid in rags is more interesting than I expected. The brat managed to persist till the end despite his potential."


    His words managed to shift the attention of the peak masters towards the crystal.


    Displayed on the screen was a scarred face filled with firmness.


    Seeing the resolute expression on the figure''s small stature caused peak master Xia Qingle''s heart to soften.


    Sighing slightly, she commented melancholily.


    "A pity."


    None of the elders nor peak masters said anything more.


    It was indeed a shame.


    Despite whatever performance the ragged figure displayed in the walking trial, it was useless.


    Since, the so-called disciple selection was nothing more than a sham in the first place.


    ...¡­


    (Third person POV)


    The daylight of the sun lost its grandeur and soft sliver light of the moon replaced it instead.


    With the soft touch of moonlight on the peak of the mountain, the trial finally came to an end.


    However, accompanying the end of the trial were not only the cheers of the entrants who passed the trial but also their remorse over losing something important.


    Most of them had a feeling that this trial would probably occupy a special place in their dark history. (/¡õ£Ü*)?


    Yet, they could not afford to dwell too much in this matter.


    This was because they clearly knew that the trial was not the end. In fact, it was only the beginning.


    Their cultivation root would determine whether they would succeed in the path of cultivation or not.


    Gazing at the changing expressions of the entrants with a nod of satisfaction, one of the ten examiners hovering atop a flying sword congratulated them.


    "Congratulations on passing the first two phases of the trial (one of which was hidden) which gauged your talent and resolution."


    "Your actions today have made you sufficiently worthy of my respect."


    "The final trial will simply check your spirit roots. Please proceed towards the platform."


    Knowing that this would be the last obstacle they would face before they could start cultivating, the young entrants were quite elated.


    Pacing their strained bodies with great effort, they made their way towards the large platform before them.


    Unlike smaller sects, Immortal Divinity Sect used the platform to conduct mass inspection of their spirit roots.


    While attribute of roots was hidden from public due to fear of them being used by rival sects and devil cultivators, the platform displayed the quality of spirit roots within the entrants based on the intensity of light shining over them.


    After which, the entrants were given the opportunity to select their master among those who were interested in them.


    When they formally begun cultivating, their specific roots would then be revealed by their master.


    Of course, even if their master did not do so, the attributes of the roots would reveal automatically when one formally started cultivating.


    Hence, all of these actions were nothing more than a sort of formality.


    ....


    (Random POV)


    Standing atop the platform, the girl silently waited for the light to fall over her.


    She did not hope for a bright light because she did not think that she deserved it.


    All the girl desired was a small ray of light.


    A small light to give her the hope she had stopped believing.


    One by one, her surroundings started to be engulfed by several lights of various intensity.


    The villager and the rich young master who arrived before her got a beam of light which seemed to pierce the heavens.


    The burly man and the masked girl got a slightly dimmer ray of light which shone brightly.


    Others had light fall atop them as well.


    Some shone brighter, some shone dimmer.


    However, it never failed to shine.


    She waited and waited.


    Yet, the light never fell upon her as if it shunned her.


    When she had once again given up hoping, he came instead.


    He grasped her hand and brought her away from the lightless world.


    He gave her a new home.


    He gave her a new hope.


    He gave her a new light to follow.


    He became her master.

 8 I wonder why?

    Once upon a time, there was a certain sword cultivator.


    Holding a sword in his hand, he aspired to protect the world he lived in.


    For that reason, he gained power.


    As he gained power, he realized that it was not enough.


    So, he trained and trained to seek more.


    Seasons passed.


    Months turned to years. Years turned to decades.


    Yet he never stopped.


    When he finally gained enough, he realized that the world he tried to protect had already changed.


    But he did not try to save it.


    He simply ran instead.


    He betrayed and felt betrayed.


    He drowned in his power and forgot why he gained so.


    He ran from his responsibility.


    He ran from his plane.


    He ran from his identity.


    He thought he could change.


    He believed he could start over again.


    Yet, when a group of normal residents in Spiritual plane placed their foot above his bloodied chest, he realized that nothing had changed.


    He was the same runaway he was then.


    One of those people who beat him to submission came near to his ears and asked him once in a volume so little that you would think it was a whisper.


    ''

 9 I will make my master happy from now on

    Sound of rustling leaves gave a unique sense of tranquility to the mountains of Immortal Divinity Sect which was filled with discordant noises just until yesterday.


    A day had already passed since the disciple selection trial.


    The entrants of the trial remained the same, yet their position totally different.


    The ones who were selected were now the disciples of the Immortal Divinity Sect who would walk in the path towards immortality.


    On the other hand, the ones who were sent outside of the gates would return to their hometown to live the life of a mortal.


    From this short point of converge, these two group of entrants would probably walk in a separate path that may never meet ever again.


    ...


    (MC''s POV)


    If you think that I have no idea on how to interact with females despite my years of experience.


    Then congrats, you are in luck.


    Because I really have no idea on how to raise this female disciple of mine.


    ...¡­.


    (Disciple''s POV)


    Standing before my immortal cave, I turned to look at the sky whose former blue had turned into a deep shade of yellowish red.


    Obviously, I was not here to admire the sky but to meet the person airborne in the middle.


    Hovering in the air on his flying sword was a young man who looked in his early twenties.


    He had a cool face which some may consider as stoic, white clothing which seemed spotless from external dirt, sharp eyebrows and a well-defined face which one could only describe as handsome.


    He was my master.


    Seeing his appearance, I subconsciously stepped back to hide my scarred face and lean body.


    To tell the truth, I never understood why he chose me as his disciple.


    It was obvious that I did not have any talent.


    Nor did I have any looks, nor background, nor resources.


    I had nothing to offer.


    Since I had nothing to give him, I could only make sure to keep my gratitude deep within my heart.


    "Take this as a gift from me."


    He said as he threw a small bag which seemed to be weaved with a red silk into my hands.


    A bit curious, I loosened the thin fabric binding the upper portion of the bag.


    Suddenly, my surrounding was filled with female clothing of various design and colors.


    "W-What."


    I was surprised.


    As a person who had not encountered much mysticism despite being a former noble (mortal kingdom), the scene was too bizarre for me.


    Not noticing my surprise, he said in a low tone.


    "You can have all of it."


    Eh.


    For me.


    I looked at the numerous clothing which seemed to be worn by princesses and daughters of great status, and then looked at myself.


    My elbows were as thin as stick.


    My torn rags showed my ribs.


    My hair was as short as a boy''s.


    And although I could not see it, I knew that my face was scarred because I had done so to survive in the slums at the past.


    But now, I realized that I was no longer a kid living in the slums.


    However, I also had a realization that my face was no longer the one I had when I was living as a noble either.


    Thinking so, I laughed bitterly at myself in irony.


    Truly, life never goes the way I want it to.


    Perhaps, it does not go for others as well.


    My thoughts had yet to progress when the stoic person in the flying sword called out to me.


    "Don''t forget to take the beauty and body pills as well. I will wait here while you go and change."


    "A disciple of Xin Fan does not need to live in misery."


    Then, I cried.


    This time in happiness.


    At the same time, I also made a resolution in my heart.


    No matter what would happen to me in the future, I would protect my master.


    I would forever make him happy.


    ....


    (MC''s POV)


    As I looked at the sight of my disciple crying, I was once again reminded of the simple fact that I know nothing about woman.


    No wonder the book ''Everything we know about woman'' is a best seller in the Spiritual Plane despite it being virtually blank.


    Sighing a little, I looked at the sky to look at the moon blanketed behind the clouds.


    It had been more than an hour since my disciple went to change her clothes. Yet, she was still changing.


    Finally, after the stars in the sky begun to become visible, she came out of the immortal cave.


    She was dressed in red silky clothes with a bit of a pink outline.


    Her face no longer had any scars and although it was considerably pale, there were signs that she would be a great beauty in the future.


    Overall, you could say that it was worth the wait.


    Although, I wonder why I am having a weird sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu when I look at her.


    Well, now is not the time to think about those stuff.


    Stretching my hand to her, I said.


    "Keep your palms above mine. I will use my spiritual sense to determine your roots."


    Hearing my words, her body jolted in surprise.


    "Spirit root? But I thought that I did not have one."


    It was a pain to explain my theories to her when she would not understand it, so I simply said.


    "It does not hurt to check."


    A bit hesitantly, she brought her palms above mine without much hope.


    Showing was better than saying any words of comfort, so I simply closed my eyes to inspect her spirit roots.


    Spreading my divine senses throughout her body, I sensed contrasting elements as I had expected.


    Flame and Ice.


    It was a considerably rare combination considering that ice spirit roots were as rare as lightning ones used by Young Che.


    But something about these roots was strange.


    Inspecting more precisely, I realized that it had strange runes and seemed to be capable of weakening my senses.


    Cold sweat begun to form in my back.


    As far as I knew, there was only one type of root with these sorts of characteristics.


    Primordial Spirit Roots.


    As the name suggested, it was a spirit root which existed since the beginning.


    Not necessarily the beginning of time, but at the very least it has existed since cultivators started recording history.


    Only eight primordial roots exist at a given time corresponding to eight elements. Once the possessor of the root die, the root gets recycled to another person in random plane and location.


    Although there are quite a few inheritances, bloodlines, and physiques which can match or even surpass the value of Primordial roots especially in the Heavenly Plane, those are exclusive to people with noble background or great backing.


    For people with none of those, unless you have a grandpa in a ring or heaven defying scriptures, primordial spirit roots are the peak of what one can have as a talent.


    Moreover, she has not one but two of these primordial roots.


    As far as I know, there is only one individual in the entire history of cultivation world with two of them.


    Feeling a little shaken, I asked my disciple in a voice as calm as I could possibly make.


    "W-What is your name?"


    Hearing my question, she bowed a little and answered with a voice filled with a sense of sadness.


    "Lily. Just Lily."


    After hearing her words, I almost fell off my flying sword.


    Mommy.


    Did I just agree to teach one of the future ten young talents of the Heavenly Plane?


    Moreover, the one who was originally the disciple of that female Godzilla?


    (¡¡;?;)


    Save me.

 10 Gimme my common sense back!

    (MC''s POV)


    "A cultivator may lose his pants, but never his face as an expert."


    I was once told those words by a certain Taoist (the one of ch 2) during my past life before being thrown off like a flying sword into a fantasy forest consisting of Orcs, bishou Orcs, and ugly Orcs.


    Ever since then, those words have become engraved in my very existence.


    Thus, even though I was initially shocked at the revelation from my disciple, I quickly regained my composure.


    Turning down to look at her, I said with a light smile.


    "That is a good name."


    Fidgeting lightly, Lily accepted my compliments with a happy smile.


    "Um."


    That''s right.


    I thought as I looked at her.


    She was she and the heavenly talent Lily of my past life was her.


    Although the body was the same, the paths they would take would now be different.


    Experiencing her own path to accumulate her own story, she would be a Lily completely different from the one I am familiar with.


    She would not just be known as Heavenly talent Lily in the future.


    She would also be known also as Xin Lily.


    The first disciple of Xin Fan.


    .....


    (Lily''s POV)


    "That is a good name."


    Moonlight shone on my master''s face when he said those words with a light smile.


    I don''t know why but I felt a bit happy when he said those words.


    Nodding my head, I softly said "Um" in agreement.


    Would that be too childish?


    I thought to myself embarrassingly as I tried to look at his face.


    With a smile hanging around his face, his natural cool face contrasted with the contemplating look he had now, making him look especially appealing.


    "Lily."


    He said as he stared at my face.


    Was I found out?


    I wondered as my face became a little red.


    "As per the tradition of the sect, if a disciple does not have a surname, he/she may take his/her master''s surname."


    "Do you wish to take my surname or just stay as Lily?"


    He said as he gazed into my eyes.


    His words vanished the pointless thought I had right now and instead had me seriously thinking.


    To be honest, I wanted to have his surname.


    If I had the same surname as my master, I would have a deeper connection with him more than just a master-disciple bond by name.


    That would indeed be quite pleasing. (*?v?*)


    But at the same time, the moment I took the new surname, it would also mean giving up my on my past identity.


    While my past would certainly not leave me, and neither would I part with it, I would no longer be Xuan Lily of the Xuan Household.


    I would be Xin Lily.


    ''

 11 Grandpa Heavens is partial

    (Random POV)


    Flames of high intensity burned through the ground atop which once lied a mortal village.


    The fumes of fire served as a cover to hide the heavy odor of blood and iron which permeated across its surrounding.


    A single figure emerged from the flames, unscathed and unburnt.


    Taking out a small crystal from his pocket, he chanted incoherent words until it turned black and vanished.


    With the vanishing of the crystal, the yellowish red flames burning the village turned into a deeper shade of unnatural black and the spilt blood of villagers converged to form a peculiar pattern.


    Looking at the results of his actions with a sense of satisfaction, the figure''s mouth curved into a cruel devilish smile filled with madness.


    He then looked at the full moon hanging on the sky, and said.


    "May the lord of the forgotten rise once again."


    ......¡­..


    (MC''s POV)


    Sometimes I have a random thought.


    How would pro-gamers feel when the leveling record they created through years of experience was utterly surpassed by a complete newbie they personally taught yesterday?


    Would they feel sad? proud? Or would they be happy?


    I suppose I won''t have to stress myself to search for the answer anymore.


    Because I will be the answer to that question soon.


    "Master, I think I have sensed Qi."


    Lily said to me nervously as she looked into my eyes.


    A bit speechless, I looked at her.


    She really had learned to detect Qi.


    Trying to maintain my complex emotions, I said to her.


    "Try to reach the threshold for early stage of Qi Refinement according to the book for now."


    Then the next day, she came to me again.


    "Master. I think I have reached the threshold for cultivating."


    Feeling a crack in my fragile self-esteem, I said to her.


    "Try to stabilize your realm."


    Then the next day she came to me again.


    "Master-"


    I think I am going to go into depression.


    Barely maintaining the expression in my face, I said to her.


    "Yes?"


    "I think I have got a better understanding of ice and fire since yesterday. Do you know the reason?"


    So, she has gained enlightenment which people take years to develop.


    Looking at the sky above my courtyard, I thought to myself.


    The Taoist from the village was correct.


    Heavens truly are lolicons.


    And then¡­


    Nine bolts of lightning hit my body.


    I reached the beginning stage of Spiritual Arrival.


    Then I thought again.


    Heavens truly are like beauties with great taste.


    ...


    (MC''s POV)


    In most Xianxia stories, MCs usually go through the baptism known as face-slapping to showcase their improvement in several tournaments.


    But real life is not that simple, and all people are not that insecure.


    There are a lot of consequences we need to consider before acting.


    For instance, let''s talk about Lily''s situation.


    Yesterday, it was determined that she had no roots yet today she was showing talents of a prodigy.


    If other people knew about it, what would their reaction be like?


    Would they praise her as a divine loli? (I would)


    Or would they think there was something suspicious to it?


    The likely option was the latter.


    Consequently, I would also have a lot of explaining to do which was a bother.


    So, rather than all of that...


    Why not just go to a vacation and pass it off as fortunate encounter instead?


    Also, grab a couple of Young Che''s past life treasures along the way.


    After all, it never hurts getting richer.


    (????-)?


    ......¡­


    (Lily''s POV)


    Today morning, master asked me if I wanted to go with him to the outside world to gain experience.


    Although I did not understand why master needed to hide his abilities, and I was a bit reluctant to re-enter the mortal world I tried so hard to escape from, the thought of being together with master instantly made me say yes.


    Maybe we would get more closer from this trip.


    Tee hee. (¥Îv`*)


    I have become a bad girl.


    It is not too good to be greedy.


    I should take one step at a time and wait until I grow up.


    For now, I should just enjoy the trip.


    ¡­ is what I thought but.


    "Give up your valuables."


    A few hours after we left the sect and entered the mortal territory, we were surrounded by about twenty people who seemed to be bandits.


    The hell.


    Sure, we were currently wearing clothes commonly used among mortals and were riding carriage but still.


    You just had to choose us.


    Moreover, you had to ruin my time with master.


    The thought filled me up with rage.


    I wanted to kill them and destroy these pieces of trashes who robbed and killed for their own satisfaction (and interrupted her time with master).


    But what would I do if master saw me as some cruel girl.


    That thought made me hesitate.


    Fortunately, master solved the incident by a single swipe.


    Master is indeed awesome.


    Although, it seems like two of them are still alive.


    I wanted to finish them, but master said that it was too much of a bother to walk till there to finish them off.


    I am sure that he was just trying to spare those without bloodlust to him.


    My father and the leader of the slums used to tell me that those who try to harm should be prepared to be harmed regardless of the way they intended to do it.


    But it seems like master does not follow that principle.


    He punishes them according to their crimes.


    He is rather soft.


    I already knew that when he accepted me as his disciple and healed my face.


    But still, being soft will make others take advantage of him.


    As a person who stayed in the cultivation world, he may not be aware, but I am aware of the darkness of humans.


    They may be your friend one day, but the other day they won''t hesitate to betray you for riches.


    They may whisper words of assurance now but forget about them later.


    Also,


    What if some wanton woman tries to seduce master before I grow up?


    No, I will protect my master from those wretches.


    Master is mine.


    ....


    (MC''s POV)


    I have seen stupid people in my lifetime, but none as much as these bandits.


    Even fodder Chef may have to bow down to these death-seeking idiots.


    They dared to block the only way to reach the Immortal Divinity Sect from the Reynold Kingdom despite being mortals.


    What sort of IQ would one need to make such a bold decision.


    While it would be easy for me to turn them into meaty patty with a single slap but showing R-18 scene to my young disciple made me feel hesitant.


    So, I waved at them with the intention to simply shrug them off.


    But who knew they would fly and continue to fly until they crash landed on a rock.


    Ughh¡­


    They should not have forgotten to take their vitamins before coming.

 12 Leave it all to the undying cockroach

    (MC''s POV)


    Men die for riches.


    Heroes live for beauties.


    And cultural men like me seek for cliches.


    Yet why?


    Why is god not gracing me with a sexy runaway noble or a targeted princess?


    (¨i©n¨i)


    Lamenting silently at my fate, I looked outside of the carriage''s window with a tinge of disappointment.


    .....


    (Lily''s POV)


    ''Master must be contemplating on something important far beyond my comprehension.''


    I thought so admiringly as I stared at the figure of my master looking out of the window in a state of deep contemplation.


    I really wanted to do something to help my master after he revealed a look of disappointment.


    But perhaps because of my inability or his intention to keep me out of harm, I did not even know why he was feeling melancholic.


    That thought made me a bit sad but also re-ignited my passion to become stronger.


    ''I must get stronger.''


    I silently muttered in my heart.


    But before I could sit down to cultivate, a charred smell of burnt wood entered my senses and the carriage was suddenly stopped by the orders of my master.


    Taking a step out of the carriage despite the muddy puddle underneath, he muttered.


    "Smell of a number of different bloods hidden in smoke."


    With his eyes gleaming coldly, he then said in a serious tone which I had never heard from him before.


    "There has been a massacre."


    ....


    (MC''s POV)


    ''I wanted to find a beauty in my trip, not something bloody.''


    Sighing exhaustively, I looked at the scene before me.


    What was once probably a village filled with non-cultivators was now nothing more than ashes.


    Not even the corpses of the people who once lived here remained.


    What remained however, was their blood which had dried up due to the passing of time.


    Whoever did this was no doubt a lunatic.


    But the problem was that the perpetrator was a prodigal rich lunatic.


    And when someone speaks of wealthy lunatics, it can only refer to a certain bunch of crazies even among the demonic cults.


    The church of blood.


    The greatest nutjob of all.


    However, I cannot see the reason behind them using hell fire just to cover up dead bodies.


    No.


    To be precise, I cannot see the reason behind them hiding dead bodies at all.


    Could the burning of the village have any other meaning?


    I wondered.


    Looking closer, I found some of the dried blood to be oddly geometrical.


    Could these be forming a pattern?


    To verify, I levitated above the ground to check if a pattern of ashes and dried blood existed.


    And then I concluded.


    I see.


    I never came here.


    ©°£¨?¦²?£©©¼¡Ô


    ...¡­


    Risking your life for someone you don''t know is something I admire.


    What I admire even more is if you do so for someone who will never know what you did.


    Hence, I wrote an anonymous letter describing this event to the sect.


    Under the pen name of ''Tie Chong''.


    It is one of the many nicknames Young Che will take in the future when he attends a few auctions to sell his items.


    As his former master, I will bestow all my admirable deeds to him.


    I am really a great (former) master, aren''t I?


    Although I almost committed the sin of writing a random name instead.


    Then I recalled his ''help'' in my past life when he used my name to wreak havoc in other sects causing me to be targeted by all of them.


    After that, my hands just could not stop moving.


    This way, the church of blood will also not find me as they will think I am in another location.


    As for Young Che?


    No worries.


    His cockroach vitality will kick in every time he will fall in danger in the mortal plane.


    On the off side it does not.


    Well, I for one won''t be attending his funeral.


    ...¡­


    After sending the message to the sect by using a disposable dharmic messenger, I returned to the carriage with a grim expression on my face.


    I had already decided that I would no longer run away from the moment I took Lily as my disciple.


    As such, the reason why I sent the message to the sect under an alias was of course not because I was afraid of the church of blood.


    It was to buy time instead.


    The longer I could stay undetected, the better.


    And what better scapegoat than the undying cockroach (exclusive to mortal plane) Young Che.


    I needed to use this time to find out their plans which I missed in my past life and foil them while remaining as low profile as possible.


    If the matter only concerned a single village, perhaps I could stay unconcerned.


    But that symbol.


    ''The symbol of the Blood Cult.''


    The moment the symbol was used, it represented an event which would comprise of all three planes.


    An event bathed in blood.


    After all, that is the sort of concept the blood cult is.


    It is a concept which exists beyond the power blocs of all the planes.


    For instance, our world of mortal plane is divided between the four major sects which has ties to the upper planes and the imperial Qing Shan family which controls the mortal lands of the world.


    Yet, all these blocs need to work together to resist the church of blood which is one of its branches.


    Similar situations occur in all planes.


    Whether it is the spiritual plane where major bloc is the four noble clans or the heavenly plane where the major bloc is the seven holy lands.


    None have the power to individually contend against blood cult.


    This is because the blood cult operates on desires.


    The desires of the ones who wish but cannot ascend.


    The desires of ones who wish to use the Devil Plane as a proxy to other planes. (ch 10, connected to all planes)


    The desires of the ones who wish to live in the devil plane.


    For as long as cultivation exists, so will these desires.


    That is because cultivation is the path to seeking ascension.

 13 My deduction abilities frighten me

    (MC''s POV)


    Bustling sounds of a lively city greeted my ears as I walked along the main square of Black Rock City with Lily.


    Black Rock City was one of the many major cities existing in the territory of Rein Kingdom that served as vassal to the Qing Shan Empire.


    As such, its main square was marked by the presence of numerous street vendors opening their business atop the stony-paved ground below, and many gambling spots which nested their dealings inside the brick houses with a bell and poster hanging on the front.


    It had been five days since we arrived here, however, the workings of a crowded city still seemed foreign to me who had stayed in relative isolation from population for many years.


    Especially the reaction of these people as they saw me coming was rather unexpected.


    "Run, It is the crazy fox masked guy and his loli minion."


    "Heavens, what else does he want to rob from us."


    The merchants of the street vender hurriedly started closing their shops as my line of sight aligned with them.


    Currently I and Lily were hiding our face with similarly matched fox mask to hide our appearances as it could warrant unwanted attention.


    So, these words could only be for us.


    But I don''t think I have done anything to cause such a reaction among masses.


    There was even a merchant who was spreading salt in front of his stall as if to ward off evil spirits.


    My fragile heart is shattering.


    (?¡ä????¨F??? ??)


    I was even kind enough to point out their defective products and fix their broken balance to make more accurate measurements.


    Sure, the customers who were surrounding them at that time were furious and beat them black and blue, but it is not like I had anything to do with it.


    They should be thanking me instead.


    Such ungrateful brats.


    Shaking my head like an old man filled with disappointment towards the new generation, I moved towards my destination.


    Still,


    I wonder why those suspicious shops are closing the moment I walk through the streets?


    I don''t think I ever came near them before.


    I can vaguely make out the words they are saying in fear.


    Demonic Loli?


    Whom could they be referring to?


    It couldn''t be Lily could it?


    I thought as I looked down to see Lily''s face half-covered in fox mask.


    Noticing my gaze, she lifted her head to meet mine and said in a cute voice.


    "What happened master?"


    Nah.


    There is no way someone as cute as her can be called as a demonic Loli.


    They must be referring to the girl crying over her dropped candy next to me instead.


    Her cries are indeed demonic.


    My disciple is obedient and the epitome of being well-mannered.


    ...¡­


    Strolling aside, our purpose of visiting the city was to attend the yearly auction which takes place in the city every late summer.


    To be precise, it is to obtain the luminous crystal which has not been auctioned off for the past thirty years.


    Common sense would dictate the auctioning hall to lower the price and sell them through other platforms.


    But these were the people whose young miss formed amiable connection with Young Che five years from now when he first sold his garbage pills, so I can''t say common sense applies to them.


    Well, their stupidity is to my favor, so I can''t blame them for being stupid.


    In fact, I am glad.


    Thank you, Young Che.


    May your stupidity continue to grow from now on.


    Not that it needs to anymore.


    °Ë(£Þ¡õ£Þ*)


    ...¡­.


    The annual auction of the auctioning hall is one of the most prominent events in the Black Rock City and its neighboring cities.


    Hence, several people in rich and ostentatious clothing could be seen entering the premise of the hall to buy items of their liking.


    Not to look shabbier than these people, I and Lily wore clothes which were worth more than their net worth.


    I mean, why encounter an arrogant guard by dressing commonly when you can meet a sexy receptionist instead?


    Besides, I have a lot of clothes in my arsenal and see no reason to hide them.


    Ignoring Lily''s tight grip around my arm, I followed the sexy receptionist who came to receive me till the top floor of the auctioning hall.


    She even gave me a wink.


    Ha ha.


    This lord is finally living the Riajuu life.


    ¡­ Why am I feeling a chill behind my back?


    Must be my imagination.


    Anyways, the event followed smoothly.


    So smoothly that I quickly felt sleepy.


    After barely managing to contain my sleepiness, the auctioneer finally called out the thing I was waiting for.


    "And next is the mascot of our auctioning hall- The luminous Crystal."


    "No one knows the use nor ability of this crystal other than the fact that it cannot be destroyed."


    "However, it was excavated from the ruins of Evergarden. Due to the difficulty of obtaining this mysterious crystal, the starting bid is 500 low grade spirit stones."


    Unlike the deafening bids of the previous items, this one was met with a resounding silence.


    Not surprising I guess.


    Who in their right mind would buy a single crystal whose only use was equivalent to a lighting stone costing only 5 low grade SS?


    No one.


    Unless, they knew the use of it that is.


    That stone is a rare item even in the heavenly plane which goes by the name of Luminous fairy.


    As many of you may have guessed already, the crystal is used to create weapons.


    In particular, light weapons.


    I can use it to create one for Lily and me.


    The only catch of creating a weapon through this crystal is that it needs to be refined in a special way which is only popular in the heavenly plane.


    I wonder how Young Che got to know about it?


    Although, I think it probably has something to do with that grandpa who stays in the ring he wears every time.


    As for how I know he has something in his ring?


    Unless he has a serious case of depression or mental illness (which he may have), I can''t see any other reason behind him talking to his ring and replying to it every day.


    In the trial alone, he did it 5 times.


    I wonder how other people ignore it.


    As for how I know it is a grandpa?


    Although it shames me to say this, I know Young Che well.


    If it was a beauty, he would occasionally tease it.


    If it was a handsome lad, he would treat him as a semi-BL brother.


    But he treats him normally, which means that he must be a grandpa.


    Damn.


    My deduction capabilities even frighten me.


    I thought with pride as I placed my bid and smiled at the sexy receptionist who brought the crystal later.


    For some reason, my disciple was staring at me.


    I wonder why?

 14 Heaven-defying

    (MC''s POV)


    Beauty is a sin.


    Beauty is a sorrow.


    Especially ones like mine ought to be downright illegal.


    ( ?? ¦à?? )?


    I thought so as I received an invitation card from the sexy receptionist right after the auction ended.


    It seems like the young mistress of the auctioning hall was interested in meeting me.


    Damn.


    I knew that even the fox mask could not hide my overflowing charm (self-proclaimed).


    But for it to be this potent.


    *sigh* my existence is destined to be a tragedy for all men.


    Lamenting at my great destiny, I followed the receptionist towards the receiving room where I was supposed to meet the young mistress of the auctioning hall.


    With Lily following behind me.


    You gotta have protection from female molesters.


    After all, we are going to meet female B from Young Che''s past life harem.


    B instead of A because of her heaven-defying breasts.


    ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    I swear if this was a wuxia world instead of a Xianxia, she just needed to keep her posture straight and she would gain muscles.


    Even for my tastes, she was a bit¡­ too heavy.


    "Welcome young sir and miss. Please have a seat."


    Soon after I and Lily entered the room with the receptionist, I was greeted by a female who seemed to be in her early twenties.


    She had a face which could be described as above average, lips which glossed seductively, a sharp outline of eyebrows which resembled a smooth curve, and a dirty blonde hair which had a strange charm of its own.


    No matter whom you asked within the city, one could only describe her as a beauty.


    But as a person who was an ardent fan of ''Immortal Idol XX'' in the Spiritual plane and had seen geniuses of the Heavenly plane, I could only register her as female B.


    My lackluster reaction seemed to have surprised her, as evident by her briefly widened eyes.


    Seriously girl, just how high is your ego to think everyone must act amazed.


    Geez.


    Spoiled brat.


    No wonder she got scammed by Young Che when he visited her the next hour after he exhausted his ''vital Yang Qi''.


    In comparison, Lily is much better.


    Although she will turn into a beauty capable of shocking all three planes after she grows up in the future, she shows no signs of arrogance now and neither did I hear such rumors in my past life either.


    Feeling pleased with my excellent choice of disciple, I patted Lily''s head with a sense of satisfaction.


    After which, her grip around my arm loosened and she gave me a cute smile.


    What an angelic smile.


    My disciple is indeed the cutest.


    (?¡ä¨Œ`?)*??*


    Reaffirming my thoughts, I sat across female B along with Lily.


    Pouring tea in the tea cup placed before us, female B said.


    "As you may be aware, our Auctioning hall is one of the most prominent halls in Black Rock city as well as its nearby areas."


    "As such, we take good care in having a good relationship with potential business partners. Judging from your attire and how you casually bought a useless crystal for 500 low grade SS, we are very interested in you."


    She said as she leaned forward to look seductive.


    However, from my perspective it looked as if she was trying to lift her ''heavy'' body upward.


    How in the world did Young Che take this absurd scene without laughing?


    I wondered as I circulated my qi to contain my laughter.


    Trying to look calm, I said in a deep voice.


    "What do you have to offer?"


    She then said in a tone with a hint of proudness.


    "Anything within our capabilities as long as you pay the required fees."


    Heh.


    Big stuff to say for someone whose hall is cheaper than Lily''s clothes.


    It seems like she only knows that our clothes are expensive not how expensive.


    "Armories, scrolls, cultivation technique, connections. Anything of your choosing. Even marrying any woman from our clan may be allowed."


    Is that so.


    Hearing her words, I gave her a kind smile and said.


    "Shut up."


    Her smile froze.


    ....


    I should have known that birds of a feather flock together.


    To so casually sell off your own blood kin like they are commodities yet pretend it to be normal.


    I wonder how females E, G, and H that were saved from forced marriage by Young Che would feel if they heard this statement from B.


    I wonder how her clanmates would feel when they heard her say this.


    Perhaps nothing? Or would they feel betrayed?


    Well, I am not necessarily in the position to talk nor disparage them.


    After all, I am a hypocrite as well.


    Even though tragedies occur beyond my sight, I don''t act.


    Even though it plays before me, I don''t mind.


    That is because in the end, it does not affect me.


    If it does not affect me, it does not matter to me.


    I know my thinking is twisted.


    In fact, to achieve my goals I may even end up working with those I hate.


    But the topic regarding this matter is different for me.


    It reminds me of some memories of the Spiritual plane I would rather forget.


    {related to ''some tragic backstory'' mentioned in ch 1}


    ''

 15 Greatest Pervert Qinglan

    (Lily''s POV)


    Master is truly kind.


    I thought so as he deployed numerous dharmic artifacts to free the girls who were once bonded by their fate.


    This fact made me feel proud.


    But it also made me feel ashamed of myself.


    Numerous times, I terrorized those shops on petty jealousy alone.


    Yet not once did I bother to consider most of their background.


    Perhaps I had lived too much in darkness to consider these things.


    Which is why I am thankful to master.


    Not only for being a reason for me to move forward, but also for helping me slowly regain the humanity I had once lost.


    Still, master.


    I wonder why?


    Why are you showing such an expression?


    With an ache in my heart, I gazed at master''s face.


    His face was currently half hidden by a fox outlined mask, almost as if to hide the sorrow hidden deep within.


    Yet it failed to hide the numerous meanings being told by the hint of smile visible on his face.


    It was not his usual smile filled with care, compassion, or even sentiment nor anger.


    It was a smile which seemed much more complex.


    It was a smile which seemed interwoven with stories of his disappointment, sorrow, nostalgic feelings, resolution, and a sense of self-mockery.


    A smile which could not be expressed by mere words.


    A smile¡­ whose meanings I could not understand.


    Although I would have liked to understand more about master, I suppose it was not the time yet.


    Maybe one day, he would tell me himself.


    Thinking so, a smile appeared in my face and I asked him.


    "Master"


    Hearing my voice, he broke down from his trance and looked at me with a smile.


    This was the smile I was familiar with.


    One which showed his care and tenderness.


    The one I liked.


    "Yes Lily."


    With the cutest voice I could make, I asked him.


    "Where are we going next?"


    "The tomb of some pervert whose remains lie in the forest."


    "Ok."


    I nodded while not forgetting to give a smile of my own.


    ?(^?^)?


    Yipee. Another date with just the two of us.


    ...¡­


    (MC''s POV)


    With the passage of time, the world has given birth to many perverts.


    Perverts who seek pleasure in cat ears.


    Perverts who seek their dao in kneeling before lolis.


    Perverts who spoil shotas for their own nefarious purposes.


    And many more whom we unfortunately cannot list in a single day.


    Through one way or another, all these perverts have managed to leave some stain in world''s history before passing to spread their culture in the afterlife.


    However, even among all these gentlemen/ladies of culture is one figure so illustrious that all the perverts in the world must bow before him.


    That figure is Immortal Qinglan.


    The one dubbed as the greatest pervert of millennia.


    To tell the truth, he is a rather tragic figure.


    He is the Romeo in the world of culture.


    One without Juliet, of course.


    But that is only one of the few things that makes his story more heartbreaking than the original.


    He cultivated the Pure-Yang technique in his lifetime which required the cultivator practicing it to remain a virgin while keeping ''all his things'' intact.


    While the technique slowly made him more powerful, he also started getting lonely and frustrated.


    It was one thing if he was a eunuch, but he was not.


    Many times, he contemplated being a mortal.


    At least, he would be free from this agony.


    At least, he would not die a wizard.


    Until one fateful day changed his destiny forever.


    Some perverts celebrate this day as the day of great revelation.


    In this day, Qinglan discovered the new feature of crystal cameras.


    He realized that he could capture embarrassing moments of his opponent female cultivators.


    What started as lucky picture shots slowly evolved into a situation where his life-death battles turned into wear-this-uniform-if-you-lose battle (exclusive to females).


    Nurse uniforms, stockings, corsets, maids, secretary, and more costumes started getting popularized.


    All females became his enemy.


    But he was no death seeker.


    So, all his pictures were R-13 and only those who signed the treaty with him would get pictured.


    However, that did not stop rumors from flying around.


    After all, the scope of his activity was too large.


    Soon, he died.


    According to Qinglan Chronicles, his last words were "At least let me graduate from being a wizard".


    Truly a legendary figure.


    That is the person whose tomb (and spirit) we are about to visit right now.


    ...¡­..


    ''A mighty and valiant figure from the heavenly plane.''


    That was how the spirit of Qinglan introduced himself to me and Young Che in my past life.


    Believing him, I searched about him when I reached the heavenly plane where he claimed he came from.


    After that, I got my ''revelation''.


    At the cost of being treated like a pervert follower of his by many immortal fairies nearby.


    ( ??? ?? ???)


    That damn wizard turned me into a wizard as well. (Not his fault)


    I should have realized that he was a pervert the moment he chose Young Che as his successor despite peering into his heart.


    That old spirit must have chosen him for the free porn scenes.


    Obviously, there is no way I am going to take Lily to such a place.


    In the first place, there is no rule that states masters cannot grab the hidden treasures for their disciples.


    I believe in practicality rather than hot-blooded reasoning.


    So, might as well grab the treasure alone while letting Lily rest in the self-efficient carriage.


    I thought so as I explained my reasoning to Lily.


    But unlike what I expected, she fervently started protesting my decision before going into despair while chanting date, date, something.


    Meh.


    Throwing her a set of calendars, I made my way to the entrance of the immortal cave.


    "Great Pervert Qinglan, here I come."


    I said with a hint of determination visible in my face.


    ...¡­..


    "Good lad. If only understanding people like you existed when I was alive."


    Immortal Qinglan sighed sentimentally as he looked at the pictures I gave to him.


    "Respected elder, it is all due to your footwork that we young generation have come so far."


    I said as I passed him more pictures.


    Obviously, I was only buttering him up.


    After all, there is no way he and I are cut from the same cloth.


    I thought as I shed tears of men while passing my collection.


    All for my disciple. All for Lily.


    I silently chanted in my heart.


    Finally, after my hand drawn Ai-chan was stolen from me, I got the thing I desired.


    It was the equipment I came here for.


    The enlightenment stone.


    It is an item which could help cultivators understand the laws of cultivation easier so that they could progress faster.


    Although it is not quite important to me since I have already memorized most of the laws from my past life, it will prove to be quite a cheat for Lily.


    I thought as I imagined the smile on her face after she received the item.


    Pacing my steps, I made my way to the place I had parked my self-efficient carriage.


    But when I reached the site, what greeted my sight was not the figure of Lily welcoming me.


    It was the sight of her barely breathing bloody body leaning on the tree nearby.

 16 Lets talk

Note: Ignore MC''s POV at the end if you cannot stand R-15 blood and violence.

 17 Frickin Riajuu

    (MC''s POV)


    ''Never trust a person with a perpetual smile on his face.''


    Those were the exact words that a certain wise old Taoist once told me.


    Before he attached me to a pole and ran away to have me fend off his debtors.


    Since then, I have developed a profound sense of distrust towards them.


    "S-second prince Lin Xan is planning a rebellion."


    The mob cultivator beneath my sword stuttered fearfully as he looked at my face.


    That smiling maniac huh.


    I see.


    I nodded as I slashed my sword downward.


    I may be angry, but I had not lost all my sense of reasoning.


    The reason why I killed those guards was to take revenge for what happened to Lily and because they were devil cultivators who had accumulated heavy bloodlust.


    However, the reason why I fought against this mid-stage Spiritual Arrival expert was because of the weapons on the wagon.


    Weapons of this quantity was meant for war.


    Since he had no qualms about disrupting lives of the innocent for his own benefit by collaborating with devil cultivators, I saw no reason to spare him either.


    That said, the problem seems to be more complicated than I thought.


    Lin Xan.


    That name itself is a headache for a person like me who wants to laze around.


    He is the current second prince of Rein Kingdom as well as someone who will end up being its King.


    In my past life, he even managed to become the adviser of Qing Shan Empire before I ascended.


    Wealth, fame, looks, background.


    He has it all.


    That bastard is a Riajuu.


    The type that we seek to explode.


    (¸ö_¸ö)


    Damn.


    What is so good about that flowery boy anyways?


    He is just a bit more handsome than me.


    A tiny bit.


    Okay, a bit more than tiny.


    Still, looks are not everything you know.


    I consoled myself as I made my way to the new (temporary) carriage/home.


    And then I remembered.


    ''Didn''t that bastard have an air carriage which could fly?''


    Fuck.


    ( ?????? )


    Frickin Riajuu.


    ...¡­..


    (Random POV, kinda like SS of mortal plane''s antagonist)


    The candles placed atop a bronze antique at the left of a long dining table carved from oak illumined the room with a hazy yellow light.


    The light was meant for the two figures who sat at the extreme opposites of the table.


    On one side was a young man who seemed to be no more than in his mid-twenties smiling lightly as he swirled the wine cup on his hand.


    On the other side was an old man who was currently looking at the young man with an indignant expression. Numerous scars covered his face which seemed to represent his vast experience with fighting deadly beasts.


    The young man shook his head lightly and said while gazing at the old man.


    "Commander-in-chief Leo, I gave you five minutes before your death to resolve any of your last wishes. Angrily looking at me won''t change anything and neither will it cleanse your body of the poison."


    The old man whom the young man called Leo looked at him with a mocking smile and said.


    "If my last words were ''go fuck yourself'', would you register it?"


    Still maintaining his smile, the second prince said while sipping the wine in his hand.


    "Many people wish to do so. Although, I have not given anybody the opportunity, despite public opinion regarding the matter."


    Leo gazed into the eyes of second prince Lin Xan and asked seriously.


    "Why are you colluding with the devil cults? You should know about them more than anybody. After all, you-"


    "It is precisely because I know. They are my tools as I am theirs."


    "Just for the sake of throne, you would dare to sell your country."


    The old man roared angrily with a sense of helplessness. His body was steadily failing with each passing second.


    "Throne? Don''t make me laugh. As if I would want to have anything related to that man if I could help it."


    Second prince Lin Xan said with a rare expression of detest.


    "Then why?"


    The old man asked with a sense of confusion.


    "Throne is merely a tool. Just as devil cults, my reputation or even my expression."


    Gazing deeply into the ripples of wine in his wine cup, he continued.


    "My intention is to separate the influence of all other upper planes from the mortal plane."


    "To be precise, I want to decrease the influence of the four great sects. Many people have died for their whims already."


    With a slight chuck filled with scorn, he said.


    "They meddle in mortal affairs but when the need of people arises, they claim they are aloof."


    "Each year, numerous mortals take a walk towards the gate of four sects despite great risks to beg for a pill that could save their kin''s life. A pill which could be easily created by a normal cultivator if they had a furnace. Yet they ignore them."


    "Each year, talented people who were once citizens of our nation leave to take the yearly assessment of four sects. Each of these times, we lose our talent."


    "They claim to contribute in the fight against Church of Blood. However, wasn''t the Church of Blood almost extinct about thirty thousand years ago before the arrival of four great sects. Who allowed them to grow?"


    With each of his words, his grip on the wine cup strengthened until the cup shattered into numerous glassy pieces.


    Wine spilt across the woody table as it dripped down to the stony floor.


    "Oops, I forgot to mind my behavior."


    Smiling shyly, second prince Lin Xan waved his hand to remove all wetness from the floor and his clothes using qi.


    He then turned to look at the figure sitting in his front.


    The old man had long turned cold with his eyes wide open.


    Standing up from his seat, second prince Lin Xan walked towards the now deceased commander-in-chief Leo and closed his eyes.


    "If only you did not notice my ties to the church of blood, we could continue to spar as we did in the past."


    Chuckling sentimentally as he lightly closed Leo''s eyes, second prince Lin Xan continued.


    "You were the only father figure I had after all."

 18 Going fishing

    (MC''s POV)


    It had been five days since the incident in the forest.


    It had also been five days since I understood my poverty.


    Lying exhaustively on the cushion, I thought to myself.


    ''I really need to start scamming money from young masters after I reach the capital.''


    But before that.


    I looked at the haggard expression on my once handsome face in the mirror and thought.


    Yeah, I should sleep.


    Can''t beat young masters without impressing ''their'' ladies, now can we?


    ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    ...¡­..


    (Lily''s POV)


    ''Master must be tired.''


    I thought so lovingly as I gazed at his face which now seemed to be in sleep.


    He seemed so peaceful now, a stark difference to his former anxious and worried expression when I could not move from my bed.


    I remember him softly patting my head while tirelessly creating pills for me to consume.


    Although it hurt me to see master suffer like that, I could not help but feel appreciative and happy for being cared for.


    What made me even happier was the realization that only I had seen the vulnerable side of my master.


    ''I am his disciple after all.''


    I thought so proudly while looking at the glassy sword in my hand which seemed to glisten as light fell on it.


    This was the sword that master gave me yesterday along with enlightenment stone to aid me in cultivation.


    It was created from the same crystal which master used to create his sword.


    As a matter of fact, both of our swords looked similar.


    Like a matching pair.


    He he.


    ???¡ä?¨F????


    ...¡­


    (MC''s POV)


    Fishing is one of the most memorable experiences shared between an elder and his protegee.


    As an upright master, it is my responsibility to create good memories with Lily before she sets off on her own path.


    Hence, I am going fishing with Lily today.


    Obviously, we are not going to hook fishes.


    After all, we are cultivators.


    We are going to grab some wild young masters instead.


    "Is it really fine going like this?"


    Lily asked while tightly holding my hands, a bit embarrassed.


    Today, we were not wearing any fox masks to cover our face.


    As a result, we attracted a lot of attention.


    "Don''t worry. Have some confidence in yourself."


    I said softly to Lily while lightly patting her head.


    "Ok."


    Lily replied with a charming smile.


    But she did not loosen her hands with mine.


    "Hey you."


    A voice cut us off in the middle when we were happily bonding.


    Ah.


    I thought.


    It finally appeared.


    A fresh young master.


    "How dare you block this young master''s way."


    Oh my god.


    I exclaimed in my heart.


    The exact same words.


    The exact same styles.


    How do these young masters manage to replicate the exact scenario?


    I mean, the three planes are supposed to be separated in the world of cultivation.


    Do these young masters practice some sort of ''How to be Young Master'' manual or something?


    "Hey, are you deaf?"


    He asked angrily while looking down on me.


    How long have I waited for this?


    "Hey-"


    Before he could speak any more, I waved my hand and lightly slapped him.


    He then flew like a rocket towards the sky.


    After my experience with bandits, I had learned to control my strength.


    Thus, even though I fulfilled his childhood dream of flying in the sky like a bird, he returned to ground as a human, albeit one that could not stand.


    "I will kill you. I will make you regret living." X 10


    He said angrily while glaring at me.


    Ignoring him, I paced my way forward.


    It was my intention to not take any actions right now.


    As per the ''Young Master tactics'', his next course of action would probably be to take the help of other young masters more powerful than him.


    Rinse and repeat, the process would continue till the matter reached their families.


    I just needed to wave my hand every time they did so until the household got involved.


    After that, I would get the money I want.


    ....


    It seems like I was wrong.


    This was a pettier young master than I thought.


    In fact, I would even claim that this crybaby was a shame in the name of young masters.


    "Sister, it was him."


    He said while pushing a woman whose face was covered with make ups of various proportions forward.


    What happened to ''I will kill you''?


    You are a hermit, aren''t you?


    I looked at him pitifully.


    The sister looked at my face arrogantly before it got replaced by a blush.


    Fidgeting slightly, she said.


    "Listen. If you agree to be my-"


    *Slap*


    I don''t know when, but Lily teleported to the sister''s side and made her fly towards the heavens.


    It seems like she broke through the middle stage of Qi refinement.


    Although, I am starting to get a bit worried about her behavior.


    She is learning bad things.


    ....


    (Random POV)


    Along with the numerous fainted cultivators on the courtyard of Ling clan, one of the four major clans of Spiritual plane, was a lone figure standing.


    The figure was a girl of about twelve with silky blonde hair, deep blue mesmerizing eyes, and a well-defined structure which attested her ethereal beauty.


    With a sword in her hand, she had alone managed to defeat thirty geniuses who were twice her age.


    Yet, none of the audiences spectating the battle gave out any gasp of astonishment nor surprise.


    After all, winning was expected of her.


    She was Ling Xiaoya.


    One of the greatest genius in Ling clan''s history.


    As well as the hope of Ling clan to gain footing in heavenly plane.


    Perhaps predicting the nonchalance of the crowd, Ling Xiaoya did not bother to exchange any pleasantries before returning to her quarters.


    To the outsiders, it gave them a feeling of aloofness and respect.


    However, the ones who knew her the best including her parents and teachers were having a different thought.


    Sending a sound transmission to his wife, the clan leader of Ling clan said.


    "That girl is going a bit too fast. You don''t think she is going to do something crazy again, do you?"


    His wife replied with a sigh of helplessness.


    "She may be my daughter but even I don''t know where her adventurous spirit comes from."


    "Blame the other members of the clan if you must, who see her as nothing more than a weapon. Making a tomboy keep an aloof act for so long itself is an accomplishment in my part."


    Hearing the overbearing tone of his wife, the clan leader shrank a little.


    "But, but-"


    Before he could explain anything, the treasurer of the clan came running to him, his breath shortened.


    "T-the young miss mistook the mortal transportation stone with the long distance one and descended to the mortal plane."


    "She is now stuck in the mortal plane unless someone from the plane agrees to ascend with her."


    The clan leader fainted.

 19 Kind family

    (MC''s POV)


    Lily''s beautifully performed slap broke many things at that moment.


    Like the noble girl''s teeth.


    Her bones.


    Her face.


    My flag.


    (¡ä;¦à;`)


    Rip, nameless admirer of mine.


    As your idol, I will take good care of your property after your parents come to visit me.


    °Ë(£Þ-£Þ*)


    ...


    Haha.


    We are rich.


    I thought so happily as I bounced the dimensional bag in my hands.


    As I had expected, their family came to contact us.


    After a few talks and some friendly fist of justice, they kindly ''donated'' gold coins to us unfortunate folks.


    God bless their souls.


    The Taoist was right when he said, "A young master a day keeps the depression away."


    All my previous signs of sadness are now gone like my formerly (relatively) empty pocket.


    Although it seems like Lily is still hung up about slapping nameless young miss A in the main square.


    "Master. Did my actions create more problems for you?"


    Lily asked me while lowering her head, a hint of guilt and uneasiness visible in her face.


    With the red glow of sunset heightening her pitiful expression, I found it hard to scold her.


    "Don''t worry. Just don''t do such things in the future."


    I said while lightly smiling at her.


    To be honest, her actions had indeed caused a bit of problem for me.


    While robbing and scamming young masters was a wonderful sport which brought me spiritual healing and tranquility, the underlying reason behind this fishing was to establish a relation with the lower houses of Rein Kingdom.


    Not a peaceful one, as evident from my actions.


    But not a disastrous one either.


    Ruining a young mistress in marriage age was the secret recipe for a disastrous one.


    Hence, the plan to use them had gone down the drain.


    I now needed to search for another method to deal with the smiling maniac and his plans.


    Which was, in all honesty, a pain.


    Since the civil war would occur fifteen years from now.


    And there was no way in hell I would stay here like an idiot for fifteen years.


    There was the nuclear option of killing the second prince.


    But sadly, I could not do that.


    It was because I was the elder of Immortal Divinity Sect.


    I could not take such huge risks when I was merely at the beginner stage of Spiritual Arrival.


    Regardless of whether my actions were intentional or not, if it was found that I meddled in the contest for throne, the Qing Shan Empire would seek answers from the sect.


    In response, the sect would either wage war or sacrifice me.


    Both of which were options I would like to avoid.


    In the first place, I don''t even know what the second prince was thinking because I ascended before he could do anything as an adviser to Qing Shan Empire.


    As a king of Rein Kingdom, I don''t recall him doing anything out of line either.


    Unless it was worthy, I had no intention of risking my life for unclear benefits.


    Besides, my direct meddling would prove to be unbeneficial to the citizens.


    Because a lot of high-ranking corrupt officials would mysteriously die in this period.


    Most of whom supported the scummy first prince.


    As for the only other talented prince whom I wanted to win- the ninth prince.


    The guy was probably still a shota.


    *sigh*


    Too much stress.


    Instead of doing lovey-dovey with my waifus, I was out thinking for the world.


    Couldn''t heavens reward me for all my efforts?


    At least a sexy blonde waifu to share my burden would be nice.


    I thought.


    And then, a blonde loli rained down from the sky.


    ''¡­''


    Is it too late to specify my request as a blonde onee-san?


    Loli baba Heavens.


    ...


    (Lily''s POV)


    Master was surprised.


    I was surprised.


    People around us were surprised.


    The information was too much for us to process in a single moment.


    A girl rained down from the sky.


    Fine.


    That was okay since it did not matter to me.


    But why the hell did she have to land in front of master?


    Was it some sort of elaborate play to gain attention from master?


    How fearsome.


    Although I knew it was just a delusion of mine, I shuddered in fear.


    I had a low degree of self-esteem.


    It was a fact I was rather aware of.


    Master did encourage me to change, however change was not something which came suddenly.


    Though I had a higher understanding and tolerance compared to the time before I visited black rock city, I was still afraid of other females coming near master.


    What if they stole him?


    Would I still hold an important position in his heart?


    Would I still have any other person who cared for me?


    I had once been alone.


    Which is why I was afraid of being alone.


    Thankfully, this one was not a mature female.


    If the female was not mature, I had a certain degree of confidence in my appearance.


    At the very least, I had not seen another one with beauty as mine. (not narcissism)


    Besides, there was no saying what other people would do if she continued staying on the floor without any guardian.


    No guardian in the world of cultivation meant no protection unless you had a strong backing.


    As a fellow female and one who had tried hiding from such fate for a long time, I did not have the heart to see her possibly suffer that way.


    Sighing a little, I made my way towards her so that master would not need to dirty his hand and tried lifting her.


    While lifting her, I glanced at her face which looked like an angel from high heavens.


    And then, carefully and delicately.


    I placed her head back to the ground again.


    (*^?^*)

 20 Ling Xiaoya

    (MC''s POV)


    There are times when a man has got to act.


    ¡­ Especially when it involves money and benefits.


    "Such a good-looking lad, yet such strange fetish. *sigh*"


    Old lady A of the shop next to me sighed regretfully.


    "Don''t be a pervert like that guy when you grow up."


    A mother said to her kid while pointing at me.


    ©c(;¨Œ;)¥Î


    Currently, I was walking down the street with an unconscious loli at my back and an unwilling teary-eyed loli at my behind.


    It was a scene which could easily be misunderstood.


    But I was not willing to back down.


    After all, the loli at my back was no normal loli.


    She was probably the young mistress of one of the four major clans in the Spiritual plane.


    An inference which could easily be made by checking her cultivation which seemed to be sealed at the peak of Spiritual Arrival.


    And from her instant teleportation which could only be the work of a mortal transportation stone that was currently in possession of three of the four major clans of the spiritual plane.


    Well, I suppose two from now on.


    To add on, she teleported in front of Lily who had the primordial spirit root which was well known for its sensitivity towards nature and vice-versa.


    Thus, there was no doubt about my hypothesis.


    She was indeed a rich girl.


    A rich girl who was my hope to gain a nice and relaxing life in the spiritual plane.


    One filled with riches and beauties.


    o(^¨Œ^)o


    ...¡­


    (Lily''s POV)


    H-How could this be?


    I wondered with a sense of loss.


    ''My teary-eyed technique was ineffective?''


    Up until now, whenever I filled my eyes with tears or used my puppy eyes, master would do whatever I said.


    But now.


    "Hehe. I am gonna laze around."


    He kept repeating the same words again and again without pause.


    Initially, I was just jealous.


    But now, I am a bit worried.


    ''Master has not gone mad, has he?''


    I wondered as I gazed at the figure of master talking to himself.


    ...¡­..


    (MC''s POV)


    After reaching our temporary residence, I placed the unconscious girl at the bed located in our guest room.


    As glimmers of setting sunlight passed through the window, I finally understood why Lily did not allow me to glance at the girl''s face while we were walking.


    The fainted girl was beautiful.


    In fact, she was almost too beautiful.


    With a yellow blonde hair that glistened like daylight and a face which was otherworldly, this was the type of girl who would grow to become a blah blah shocking/shattering beauty in the future.


    It was a fact I could confirm since I realized the identity of this girl.


    She was Ling Xiaoya.


    The heaven-destined child from Ling clan who would grow up to become one of the top ten young talents of heavenly plane alongside Lily.


    As a matter of fact, she was also the best friend of Lily in my past life.


    A fact, which I always found strange since their past life personalities were totally different.


    On one hand was Lily who was as cold as ice. (past life)


    On the other was Ling Xiaoya who was a well-known sexy sword maniac.


    But I finally understand the reason now.


    No.


    To be precise, I understood it the moment Ling Xiaoya crash landed in front of me.


    Most probably, a similar incident must have occurred in my past life as well.


    Attracted by Lily''s spirit root, Xiaoya must have fallen in front of her.


    Perhaps, it may have been in the slums, or kingdom, or anywhere else.


    But she must have had fallen in front of Lily.


    Realizing her potential, Xiaoya probably taught Lily cultivation in her past life so that she could ascend with her.


    But somewhere along the line, Xiaoya most likely started genuinely caring for Lily and hid her existence from the rest of Ling clan.


    This could explain why I never knew Lily originated from lower planes in my past life and why the Ling clan never used this experience as a leverage to gain any advantages from Lily.


    Of course, the Xiaoya from my past life is different from the loli in front of me now.


    But, I am placing my hopes on the fact that she and Lily share some Karma ties with each other.


    Because, what Lily needs now is a friend rather than just me.


    A friend to share her burdens and difficulties, so that they can walk together throughout their journey.


    And although Lily tries to hide it, I can see that she is highly insecure.


    Which is why she has a great dependence on me.


    But, continuing to stay in that state will never let her progress.


    There is a fine line of difference between protectiveness and possessiveness.


    While I am protective towards her, I hold no aims towards binding her to me.


    She needs to grow and develop her own path because I cannot always be there for her.


    Perhaps interacting with Xiaoya will help her move from her small bubble and be more confident.


    Similarly, I need a non-stress life as well.


    Along with a good waifu.


    Ling Xiaoya''s sister is a great candidate for that.


    Smart, sexy, and curvy.


    Saving a little sister is gonna be a great entry to my credentials.


    Who knows, maybe she will even free me from my wizardry.


    ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    As a responsible future brother-in-law, I will take care of sister-in-law till then.


    ...¡­..


    Meanwhile in the spiritual plane, Ling Clan.


    The entire clan was in panic because of the descent of their genius into the mortal plane- Ling Xiaoya.


    However, there was one figure who was not only in panic but in a state of hysteria.


    "I need Xiaoya energy. I need to pat her, hug her, pamper her."


    A beautiful girl who seemed to be in her early twenties with a nice curvy body was muttering some dangerous stuff lifelessly like a broken robot.


    Looking at her eldest daughter''s state, the mother consoled her.


    "Don''t worry too much. If situation turns dire, we can give some benefits to sects with branches in mortal plane to have their people ascend with her."


    Perhaps to relieve her own anxiety, the mother then questioned.


    "By the way, what will you do if she ends up falling in love with someone?"


    Hearing her words, the sister laughed eerily.


    The entire residence was shrouded in a deep sense of fear for a few days.

 21 Ling Xiaoya 2

    (Xiaoya''s POV)


    Currently, I was dreaming.


    A situation that I was aware of but had no way of breaking.


    Because this was not a dream induced by my slumber but by my consciousness being affected by plane scale teleportation.


    ''I screwed up.''


    I sighed wryly with a smile leaking from my lips. (within dream)


    Originally, I had intended to use large scale teleportation to escape from my clan for a short awhile, but instead, I somehow got stuck in this unfamiliar plane.


    ''Well, it is not too bad I suppose.''


    Chuckling lightly, I tried to console myself.


    At any rate, the well-being of the person named ''Ling Xiaoya'' was not of concern to most of my clan members.


    What they were concerned about was only the ''Heavenly talent Xiaoya of the Ling Clan''.


    A reality that was currently being played in my dream right now.


    "