Luo Shuiling was very annoyed right now.
Ever since morning she had been stuck in this side hall arguing pointless matters with a group of old men and women.
According to the Proud Sword Sect’s rules, every disciple who completed a sect mission had to report to the Mission Reporting Hall.
The report generally covered how the mission was completed, whether any spiritual items were obtained, and what losses were incurred.
As the personal disciple of the sect master, Luo Shuiling naturally did not go to the ordinary disciples’ reporting hall.
Instead the task was reviewed personally by the sect’s three elders and her master, Jiang Shu’er.
Jiang Shu’er had already inquired about Luo Shuiling’s mission earlier.
Overall there were no issues and it was merely a formality on her end.
The real trouble came from the three elders.
Three years ago during the battle against the demonic path, not only had Luo Shuiling been heavily injured by the demonic cultivators but her immortal foundation had also been severely damaged.
A crack had appeared across her entire immortal foundation and the originally solid jade-like core had become somewhat faint and thin.
This gave the three sect elders an opportunity.
Although Luo Shuiling possessed extremely high immortal aptitude, the damage to her foundation would make future breakthroughs increasingly unstable.
The higher she climbed the harder it would become.
Over these past three years her cultivation had advanced from the early Dao Integration Realm to the late stage.
On the surface it appeared there were no problems with her cultivation but the three elders firmly believed she was forcing herself and that issues would soon surface.
The sect grand competition in two years would be the perfect opportunity.
As long as Luo Shuiling lost to their disciples during the competition, Jiang Shu’er’s lineage would lose its claim to the sect master position.
Because the sect grand competition was not only a contest to observe ordinary outer sect and outstanding inner sect disciples but also the event that decided this generation’s Holy Son and the next sect master.
They were all old now.
Their strength was at the late Great Vehicle Realm and they had lived nearly two thousand years.
They had at most one or two hundred years of lifespan remaining.
After that it would be dust to dust and earth to earth.
In this final period of time they all wanted to leave something behind for their own lineages.
The position of sect master was the best choice.
“Martial niece, has there been any issue with your recent cultivation?
The step from Dao Integration to Soul Division is one of the most critical on the immortal path.
You must pay close attention.”
“Rest assured, Martial Uncle.
This niece is currently cultivating very smoothly and has no bottlenecks at the moment.”
Luo Shuiling buried her disgust deep in her eyes and answered the old woman’s reminder—or rather her probe—with neither arrogance nor humility.
This old hag is just as disgusting as her disciple, as always.
Wang E saw the flash of disgust in Luo Shuiling’s eyes but did not care.
She had known for a long time that Luo Shuiling disliked her.
After all she had been the first to suggest to Jiang Shu’er that the upcoming sect grand competition should include the selection for the Holy Son.
In doing so she had essentially snatched away the Holy Maiden position that had originally been reserved for Luo Shuiling.
The two old foxes behind her saw that she had taken a stance and joined in as well.
This left Jiang Shu’er with no choice.
When three Great Vehicle Realm elders made the request together and Luo Shuiling had just suffered an accident, the pressure on her was immense.
She had to agree whether she wanted to or not.
I just don’t understand why my foolish disciple is so fixated on Luo Shuiling.
Wang E admitted that Luo Shuiling was indeed very beautiful.
Her cold and pure temperament was no less than Jiang Shu’er’s in her younger days and the appearance beneath her veil was top-tier.
But there were countless women in the world.
There was no need to abandon other flowers for one that could not be obtained.
Hanging oneself on a single tree was not a smart choice.
If it were mutual affection that would be one thing.
But anyone with eyes could see that Luo Shuiling did not like Zhou Yuan.
In Luo Shuiling’s eyes Zhou Yuan was at best a fellow sect brother or at worst a competitor.
“Master, if it is Martial Sister Luo Shuiling there will definitely be no problems with her cultivation.
I am one month older than her and I am still only at the early Dao Integration Realm.”
Zhou Yuan who stood beside Wang E spoke up in support of Luo Shuiling.
He looked at her with eyes full of infatuation that nearly overflowed.
Yun Hao is so much better than him. Disgusting bald head.
Unable to stand being stared at with such obsessive eyes, Luo Shuiling suddenly thought of the way Yun Hao looked at her when he was by her side.
It was also adoration and admiration but Yun Hao could control his behavior well and never made her feel overwhelmed.
On the contrary that childlike innocence and purity compared to the sticky adult desire made Luo Shuiling want to draw closer to him, possess him completely, dye him with her own colors, and train him into an obedient pet that belonged only to her.
Seeing Luo Shuiling slightly distracted, Zhou Yuan felt this was his chance.
He wanted to leave a good impression during this meeting so he said,
“Martial Sister’s cultivation has progressed so quickly.
You must have some insights into the Dao Integration Realm.
Your Senior Brother is untalented and would like to seek your guidance.”
Luo Shuiling stared coldly at Zhou Yuan.
She really wanted to stomp that ugly face of his into the ground so he could never look at her like this again.
But she had to endure.
She did not want to give the three elders any leverage whether through actions or words.
“If Senior Brother has any questions please tell me in detail.
Perhaps this Martial Sister has a way to resolve them.”
When Zhou Yuan heard Luo Shuiling actually reply to him he became extremely excited.
He completely ignored the coldness in her tone and believed that his display of seeking the Dao had attracted her attention.
He immediately began talking endlessly, asking several questions about cultivation.
In truth he already knew the answers to these questions and had excellent solutions of his own.
He had raised them only so that after Luo Shuiling answered he could deliberately share his own insights to earn the beauty’s praise and favor.
Luo Shuiling listened to these idiotic questions and nearly developed black lines on her forehead.
Still she patiently answered Zhou Yuan.
However Zhou Yuan continued raising more questions.
After each one he would speak only a short sentence before launching into another long monologue, completely disregarding Luo Shuiling beside him.
Luo Shuiling could only suppress the anger in her heart and listen to Zhou Yuan’s opinions.
She was forcibly dragged along for the entire night like this.
…………..
Early the next morning Yun Hao woke from his cultivation.
He walked out of the wooden hut and looked at the unchanged elegant pavilion.
A slight wave of disappointment washed over him.
Senior Sister didn’t come back last night…?
Then he patted his cheeks and encouraged himself.
Come on Yun Hao. You have to cultivate hard and try to give Senior Sister a big surprise when she returns.
Yun Hao did not know how long it would take him to break through since no one had explained these things to him.
But he had a feeling that his speed of absorbing and circulating spiritual power was very fast.
If he kept cultivating it probably would not take long for him to advance.
Yun Hao took out his token, activated the transportation array according to the instructions, and headed down.
He did not know where the miscellaneous service hall was but he could ask.
He would teleport to the foot of the Sect Master Peak first.
With a flash of light and a wave of dizziness, noisy sounds gradually reached Yun Hao’s ears.
When the light completely faded and he opened his eyes he was greeted by many sect disciples.
Most of them were chatting and laughing while a small number hurried along.
With a few leaps they quickly disappeared from view.
Yun Hao felt as lost as a child who had just entered a bustling market.
He turned around in all directions not knowing what to do.
In his sixteen years he had rarely left the prince’s mansion.
Only once when he was young had the steward sent him out to buy something.
Aside from that experience he was a complete blank slate in this regard.
He wandered east then north and soon became completely lost.
Looking at the increasingly unfamiliar surroundings, Yun Hao finally gave up on finding the miscellaneous service hall by himself.
He spotted a female disciple, decided to gather his courage, and walked up to her.
“Excuse me Senior Sister, do you know how to get to the miscellaneous service hall?”
The female disciple had been feeling annoyed that her companion who had agreed to go on a mission with her today had stood her up.
While she was waiting a handsome youth suddenly appeared in her field of vision.
Seeing Yun Hao appear so suddenly she was slightly stunned and somewhat dazzled by his appearance.
She wondered when such a good-looking youth had appeared among the outer sect disciples.
It was no wonder she assumed he was an outer sect disciple.
Inner sect disciples his age had basically all reached Core Formation while this youth was still at the early Qi Refining stage.
His talent must be quite poor so he could only be an outer sect disciple.
Yun Hao saw that she did not answer and tried again tentatively.
“…Senior Sister?”
The female disciple came back to her senses.
She covered her mouth with a light smile and said to Yun Hao,
“Of course I know, Junior Brother.”
Yun Hao was overjoyed.
He quickly bowed and said,
“Could Senior Sister please show me the way?
I have only recently arrived at the Proud Sword Sect and am still very unfamiliar with the place.
I do not know the roads well.”
The female disciple was still marveling at Yun Hao’s looks.
Hearing his words and thinking about her companions who had stood her up she said,
“I happen to have some free time.
I’ll take you there.”
Yun Hao thought for a moment and agreed.
Having someone accompany him was better than going alone so the two set off together.
Along the way they chatted a little.
Through their conversation the female disciple sensed Yun Hao’s pure and innocent nature.
She smelled the faint clean fragrance coming from him and became slightly lost in thought.
How long had it been since she had met such a good-looking and pure young man?
The outer sect of the Proud Sword Sect had far more scheming and infighting than the inner sect.
After a long time people with Yun Hao’s simple personality had become extremely rare.
The fact that Yun Hao had maintained such purity was probably because he had only just entered the sect.
She thought about how she had been cultivating for more than twenty years and had only just reached the mid Foundation Establishment stage.
With her talent reaching Core Formation would likely be the limit of her life.
Over these twenty-plus years she still had not settled her major life matter.
Although from a cultivator’s perspective she was still young, in the mortal world she was already considered an old maiden who had not yet married…
She did not want to entrust the rest of her life to a frivolous scheming man.
That was not worth it.
Perhaps this Junior Brother would be a good choice.
Although it was a bit like an old cow eating tender grass her own appearance was still quite good.
If they became Dao companions she would definitely treat him well.
In that case the Junior Brother would not be losing out.
Thus she casually asked as if the thought had just occurred to her,
“How many days has Junior Brother been at the Proud Sword Sect?
Where do you live now?”
Yun Hao hesitated for a moment when he heard the Senior Sister’s question but still answered,
“In reply to Senior Sister Li, this junior brother is currently living at the top of the Sect Master Peak.”
“How is that possible?
The Sect Master Peak is where Senior Sister Luo lives.
There are even restrictions preventing people from going up.
Junior Brother, are you lying to me because you think I’m easy to fool and trying to tease my ignorance?”
When Yun Hao saw that Li Wen did not believe him he did not say anything more.
He did not want others to know that he and Senior Sister lived together.
First he did not want to cause trouble for Senior Sister.
Second, Senior Sister felt that only the two of them lived on the Sect Master Peak.
It was like a secret that belonged to just the two of them.
If others knew about it the secret would no longer belong to them alone.
This was something he was unwilling to let happen and it was also his own small selfish desire.
Li Wen saw that Yun Hao stopped talking and thought she had probably guessed correctly.
She was not annoyed.
After all they had only just met.
If he had told her everything so quickly it would not be pure-heartedness but foolishness.
The two continued chatting as they walked and before long they arrived at the miscellaneous service hall.
Seeing that they had reached the destination Yun Hao cupped his hands and bowed to Li Wen, thanking her for accompanying him the whole way.
He told her that he could manage on his own now and that he had already taken up too much of her time so there was no need for her to stay.
Li Wen smiled covering her mouth with her jade-like hand.
She did not insist.
She told Yun Hao where she lived and said that if he ever ran into any difficulties he could come find her and she would help.
Then she left.
It was not that Li Wen had given up on Yun Hao.
She simply felt that a woman still needed to maintain proper reserve.
If she kept pestering him it would make her seem too forward.
Moreover men whether young or old never cherished things that came too easily.
For the sake of a longer-term relationship Li Wen decided to leave for now.
She believed that a small early Qi Refining disciple like Yun Hao would soon run into difficulties and come looking for her.
At that time she would help him and make him owe her a favor.
Once he knew how good she was they would naturally come together in the future.
Yun Hao felt relieved after seeing Li Wen off.
This Senior Sister was quite nice but she liked asking about people’s personal matters.
He wondered why.
Over the next few hours Yun Hao managed to obtain the ingredients for osmanthus cakes.
He also found a servant who successfully made a batch of osmanthus cakes with him.
The taste was actually quite good but he was still far from proficient and felt the heat control was a bit off.
Carrying a large amount of honey, flour, and other ingredients Yun Hao followed the same route back to the small wooden hut on the Sect Master Peak.
It was worth mentioning that when he first arrived at the miscellaneous service hall the gatekeeping disciples had questioned his identity.
After Yun Hao explained they still did not believe him.
Helpless he had to take out his token.
He had not wanted to do so.
This token held far more meaning to him as something to cherish than for ordinary trivial matters.
He did not want to flaunt it.
The moment the two disciples saw Yun Hao’s jade token their eyes went wide.
They immediately put on flattering smiles and eagerly asked what he had come to the miscellaneous service hall for.
After Yun Hao explained why he was there the two disciples tried even harder to help him.
This was also why he had been able to resolve everything so quickly.
After returning to the Sect Master Peak Yun Hao saw that Luo Shuiling had already come back and was sitting at the stone table drinking tea.
When she saw him return Luo Shuiling’s beautiful eyes stared straight at him.