Wen Li picked up the testing stone and examined it closely.
A second later:
“My mistake. This one's expired.” Its energy had depleted long ago.
Casually tossing the testing stone aside, she rummaged and rummaged through her small storage space.
Finally, she pulled out another piece...
Blowing off the dust—straight onto Yao Dai's face—she held it out to the little girl.
“Try again.”
“...!”
Yao Dai sucked in a sharp breath, dust fluttering down from her face.
Stiffening her neck as she questioned the reliability of her choice of master for the umpteenth time, she couldn't shake the creeping dread that the rest of her life was thoroughly doomed.
She placed her hand on it once more. This time, the testing stone finally reacted.
It trembled slightly, emitting a faint, icy-blue glimmer across its surface.
In the next instant, brilliance erupted, nearly blinding them both.
As the light faded, a string of numbers flashed into view.
“Bone age: thirteen. Water Spiritual Root. Root value... ninety-three. A Supreme Spiritual Root.”
Spiritual roots were divided from lowest to highest into Mystic Grade, Earth Grade, and Heaven Grade, separated at intervals of thirty. Above Heaven Grade was the Supreme Grade. Far beyond one in ten thousand, it was one in a million, firmly placing its bearer among the ranks of peerless geniuses.
Wen Li's eyes flickered slightly. A purity of ninety-three was nearly unblemished. In this day and age, someone with such talent could only be accepted by the One Hall and Three Palaces of the Central Province; smaller sects simply lacked the resources to nurture such a genius.
A root value above eighty was already extraordinarily rare.
“Master, how is it? Is my talent considered decent, or really good?”
Yao Dai didn't fully understand, but she could vaguely sense that it was good.
Looking down at the hopeful eyes of the little girl who barely reached her waist, Wen Li nodded impassively, showing little excitement. “Mm, passable. But there is always someone better out there; talent and hard work are both indispensable. Tonight, we will attempt drawing Qi into the body to see if you can enter the Dao.”
“I can finally cultivate! Hooray!”
“Master, Master, the sun is almost down! You've worked hard today, you must be hungry! I'll go catch a spirit rabbit. Just sit here and wait for me, don't wander off, I'll be right back!”
【Ding! +3. Progress on Saving the Villain Yao Dai: 6%】
After half a month of self-reliance, Yao Dai's cooking skills had improved considerably. Wen Li's attitude had shifted from “Master isn't fond of eating” to “good food should naturally be offered to Master first.”
Watching the girl, who was now far more lively and relaxed compared to her previously sullen and timid self, Wen Li stood in the sunlight with an expression of mild disdain before calmly sitting down. Such noisy chattering was truly ill-suited for a ten-thousand-year-old elder like herself.
“System, now that I've taken her away, will the Hehuan Sect still track her down because of the plot?”
The System, which hadn't come online in ages, replied:
【That's hard to say... After all, you tricked Yao Dai into apprenticing. If she finds out one day, she might just pack up and leave you.】
“Can a cultivator's business really be called trickery...?”
Wen Li's cool eyes remained indifferent as she looked up at the rosy clouds and misty haze drifting across the azure sky, looking exceptionally tranquil and detached.
She was indeed at the top of the Aptitude Ranking; she had just remained in the Foundation Establishment realm for ten thousand years without changing.
She had guarded the empty Wuji Sect for ten thousand years, so the Wuji Sect was indeed an ancient sect with ten thousand years of heritage. And since the sect had only had her as a disciple, with no one else around, she was naturally its leader.
Every single word was the absolute truth; none of it was a lie.
Even so, after a brief pause, a faint, breezy murmur drifted into the air:
“If she's unwilling, I'll just break her legs so she can't go anywhere...”
Barely audible, the words dissipated with the wind into the blue mist of the mountains.
The System shivered. Why did this host feel increasingly unhinged—and not just in an eccentric way?
...
“Swallow this pill. Follow the breathing technique I taught you earlier to draw in Qi, sense the spiritual energy, and try to accept it.”
Night fell. The moon shone bright and the stars were sparse against a pristine, cloudless obsidian sky. Spirit beasts murmured in Mount Huangyun as the wind rippled across the lake's surface, a subtle stir brewing within the tranquil stillness.
“Okay.”
Taking the pill Wen Li handed her, Yao Dai swallowed it without a second thought.
“Blegh!”
“Master, this isn't expired too, is it?!”
Wen Li frowned, reassuring her, “It isn't. I checked it this time.”
It shouldn't be. She had already fed all the expired ones to the old hens. It was probably because the pills had sat in the kitchen for too long and absorbed the smell of the chicken-poop-covered eggs.
Taking a deep breath, Yao Dai had no choice but to choke down the bitter pill through her nausea, then sat cross-legged and closed her eyes to begin regulating her breath and circulating Qi.
Meanwhile, Wen Li leaned against Ah Da's fluffy tiger belly and closed her eyes for a nap.
Yao Dai felt the pill dissolve in her throat, followed by a noticeable warmth flowing down past her lungs to her belly. It swirled through her stomach as if gathering strength, before suddenly bursting outward toward her dantian.
Dispersing into all her limbs and bones, the soothing warmth was followed by an icy tingle that weaved and climbed along her meridians.
For a moment, Yao Dai furrowed her brows in discomfort. Her fingers curled slightly as she hastily calmed her mind to continue sensing the sensation.
In the next instant, the cooling sensation seemed to open up her body in a flash. Countless wisps of spiritual energy from the surrounding world surged into her meridians. As Yao Dai absorbed the spiritual energy according to Wen Li's instructions, she suddenly felt a vast, cloud-like sea forming in her dantian.
Who knew how much time passed—even the spirit tiger Ah Da was dozing off—when suddenly:
“Master, I did it!”
“I successfully entered the Dao! Master, look quickly, did I do it?!”
The sudden joyful shout in the quiet air caused Wen Li to open her eyes. Seeing Yao Dai's face flushed with excitement and delight, she didn't spoil the mood and gave a nod.
“Not bad. First Layer of Qi Refinement, and it only took two shichen.”
The cultivation realms of the cultivation world were divided into seven realms: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Mahayana, and Tribulation Transcendence. Aside from the thirteen layers of Qi Refinement, each realm was subdivided into early stage, mid stage, late stage, and great perfection. The further along one progressed, the harder advancement became, with some remaining stuck at a single realm for their entire lives.
Amidst her jubilation, Yao Dai couldn't help grabbing Wen Li's hand, her eyes glistening slightly red. “Master, I'm really cultivating now! I won't be useless anymore!”
Her life over the past half month hadn't been any easier than her three years of wandering, but she had endured it willingly. She wanted revenge. She hated being weak, and she hated being bullied.
Wen Li lowered her gaze to her tightly gripped hand. In ten thousand years, this was the first time she had engaged in such direct physical contact with someone, to the point that she had almost forgotten that a normal human's body temperature carried warmth.
Understanding the child's feelings, she raised her free hand and gently patted Yao Dai's fluffy head in reassurance.
“Mm. You did it.”
“Master, what kind of Dao do you think suits me? I heard the Dao of Heartlessness is extremely formidable. Do you think I can do it?”
The hand resting on her head stiffened. With a bizarre look in her eyes, Wen Li pulled her hand back.
“Forget about the Dao of Heartlessness.” Of all things to cultivate, why that garbage?
“Why? Is it very difficult?”
“For no other reason than the graduation rate is abysmal—bordering on total annihilation. Those who walk the Dao of Heartlessness invariably end up trapped by love, easily develop inner demons, and are prone to betraying their masters, destroying their ancestors, and getting struck by lightning.”
From all the novels she had read, which protagonist cultivating the Dao of Heartlessness ever had a good ending? They always dragged their entire sect down with them. It was truly at the top of the blacklist.
Being young, Yao Dai couldn't fully grasp her meaning and could only sigh with regret.
“Then forget it. If I'm going to cultivate, it has to be a Dao that makes ascending easy.”
Wen Li said, “It is still far too early to worry about what Dao to pursue. When your cultivation is higher and the right opportunity arises, you will naturally comprehend your own Dao. What you need to choose now is your discipline, such as sword cultivator, medicine cultivator, formation cultivator, artifact cultivator...”
Yao Dai asked only one question: “Which one is best at fighting?”
“A spell cultivator?”
Wen Li said, “Squishy.”
“A talisman cultivator?”
“A paper-throwing squishy.”
“A medicine cultivator?”
“A fake-medicine-peddling squishy.”
“A music cultivator...”
“A singing squishy.”
Yao Dai: “...”
Was there any cultivator at all who could actually fight?!
“Master, what Dao do you follow? What discipline do you cultivate?” Yao Dai asked curiously, having never heard her mention it.
“I have yet to comprehend a Dao. My specialty is... spell cultivation.”
Yao Dai fell silent once more: “...”
So you're the leader of the squishies.
“Ahem.”
Clearing her throat, Wen Li turned aside with an impassive face.
“When we descend the mountain tomorrow, you'll naturally find what suits you when the time is right.”
“Ah? We're not staying here anymore?”
“Mm. The rich spiritual energy here was meant to help you enter the Dao. It won't be of much use for your advancement now.”
“Oh. Then can I bring Ah Da with us?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“It hasn't been weaned yet.” What an unpretentious, straightforward excuse.
Yao Dai: “...” So Master employed child labor. Despicable!
...
The next morning. Dew and morning mist hung by the lakeshore.
“Master, Master, it's time for us to leave.”
Ever since she took in Yao Dai, Wen Li hadn't lifted a finger. She left all the chores to the girl, even relying on her to wake her up and call her for meals.
Wen Li got up, yawned, stretched lazily, and patted her fleshy cushion, Ah Da.
“Go on, head back to your tiger cave.”
Ah Da blinked its big eyes, took her sleeve in its mouth, and then raised a paw to pluck one of its own whiskers. Offering it to Wen Li, it let out a low whimper and nuzzled against her, then turned to nuzzle Yao Dai.
“Master, is it sad to see us go?” Yao Dai asked, touched, and affectionately stroked the tiger's head.
Wen Li chuckled. “It's terrified you'll come back. It wants the spirit beasts down the mountain to catch the scent and warn it to run.”
Ah Da stiffened: Meow meow meow, how did she know?!
Yao Dai glared at the spirit tiger, which was grinning guiltily, and rapped its head with a sharp knuckle.
“You scoundrel! And here I was sharing my chicken legs with you every single day!”
Ah Da whimpered, its gaze softening. No, really, I'll truly miss you guys!
Wen Li disliked dilly-dallying. She seized Yao Dai by the scruff of her neck and tossed a bottle to Ah Da.
“Alright, we're leaving. Cultivate diligently, and we'll meet again in the future.”
Watching Wen Li fly away on her sword, dangling Yao Dai by the neck, Ah Da's previously playful eyes instantly turned desolate.
“Roar!!!”
A world-shaking tiger roar fitting for the king of beasts echoed across the wilderness. Yao Dai knew Ah Da was saying goodbye.
Since she didn't know how to ride a flying sword yet, Wen Li carried her by the scruff like a chick to keep her from losing balance. Petrified of plunging into the bottomless abyss below, Yao Dai could only cling tightly to Wen Li's leg like an ornament hanging from her waist.
“Master, was that pill you gave Ah Da meant to increase its cultivation?”
Her chubby, rosy cheeks pressed against Wen Li as she watched the birds and azure clouds across the sky, her two beautifully intricate braids fluttering in the wind—braids that Wen Li had styled for her.
In truth, Master was probably reluctant to part with Ah Da too.
Wen Li replied nonchalantly, “It's medicine to give it explosive diarrhea for three days and three nights.”
“Why?!”
“Over the past few days, it licked our food and farted on it.”
Yao Dai: “?!!” No wonder there was such a weird taste!
“Wait, Master, you knew?! Why didn't you tell me?!”
No wonder Master hadn't fought her for food the past few days! She had actually thought Master had finally learned to care for her!
Wen Li looked down at the pendant clinging to her waist, who was glaring up in fury, and put on an innocent face.
“Did you ask?”
“...Does that even need to be asked?!”
Yao Dai's chest ached from anger. At such a tender age, her eyes were already filled with worldly weariness. Pouting, she lowered her head and clenched her tiny fists, thoroughly fuming.
Wen Li remarked indifferently, “Oh. I'll keep that in mind next time.”
Yao Dai: You're planning on a next time?!
Seeing that she had teased her disciple enough and fearing she might push the child over the edge, Wen Li leisurely offered an explanation:
“If Ah Da wants to advance, it needs to put in some hard work. That pill merely provides an extra boost, albeit with a few side effects.” Even though the pill was expired and would cause diarrhea, it wouldn't impair its efficacy.
Yao Dai, who had been stewing in her anger, immediately looked up with hopeful eyes.
“So Ah Da didn't actually lick my food and fart on it?” Master really does have a turnaround after all.
“...It did.”
In a way, this was Ah Da's method of commemorating its reluctance to let them go. Beasts, after all, always wanted to leave their scent on the things they loved.
“Ahhh! I'm dirty now!!” the little girl wailed.
“A little dirt never hurt anyone.” Wen Li rested a hand on her head.
“Then why didn't you eat it, Master?”
“Your master has no fear of sickness and lives for ten thousand years.”
High up in the sky, ten thousand zhang above the ground, the sounds of master and disciple bickering and bantering faded alongside a line of white egrets before the radiant sunrise, their silhouettes gradually shrinking into the distance.
【Ding! +3. Progress on Saving the Villain Yao Dai: 9%】
...
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