Inside the cave, the resplendent Dao aura enveloping Qiong Xiao's body slowly withdrew into her like weary birds returning to the forest.
A moment later, Qiong Xiao's tightly shut eyes finally opened slowly.
Buzz!
It was as though two bolts of lightning containing endless mysteries flashed through the cave and vanished.
Her aura remained at the Mid Golden Immortal realm, unchanged in the slightest.
Yet her entire temperament had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
If the previous Qiong Xiao had been an immortal sword with its edge fully bared, cold and piercing, then she was now an ancient jade piece—warm, restrained, and containing all things within.
All her sharpness and fierceness had been replaced by a deeper, more ethereal Dao aura.
She sat there quietly, as though she had merged with heaven and earth itself—natural and effortless, yet incomparably profound.
Qiong Xiao did not immediately examine her vastly improved attainments in formations, nor did she savor the supreme wondrous state of her enlightenment.
The instant she opened her eyes, her gaze locked firmly onto the indifferent man seated atop the stone platform.
Awe?
No, that was no longer enough to describe how she felt.
That was... fanaticism!
The ultimate fervor and worship of a mortal gazing upon a god, of a believer worshipping truth!
What sort of being was this master of hers?
With a wave of his hand, he had repaired her Dao foundation and reforged her roots.
With a single thought, he had increased her cultivation and shattered her bottleneck.
With a casual bit of guidance, he had revealed the ultimate principles of the Great Dao, allowing her formation Dao—which had trapped her for a million years—to achieve sudden enlightenment and point directly to its origin!
This could no longer be described merely as "powerful."
This was creation! This was transformation!
Compared to the effortless gifts bestowed by her master, the methods of a Saint were nothing more than fireflies before the bright moon!
All of Qiong Xiao's pride and reserve were washed away completely at that moment.
To become the maidservant of such a supreme being was the blessing she had cultivated over countless lifetimes? No, it was a supreme opportunity she had obtained only by burning through the fortune of hundreds and thousands of lives!
The Three Immortal Maidens of the Interception Sect, a personal disciple of a Saint—those identities she had once been so proud of were all mere dust before the title of "maidservant to Master Lin Feng," not worth mentioning at all!
Qiong Xiao took a deep breath, suppressing the tsunami of emotions raging within her, and made a gesture that would have shocked all living beings in the Primordial World.
She did not stand. Instead, while still seated cross-legged, she solemnly and slowly bowed toward Lin Feng.
Her forehead, elbows, and knees all touched the ground.
She prostrated herself completely!
In the Primordial World, this was the highest kneeling salute, used only when facing the Dao Ancestor or a supreme being who had created oneself!
"Master, I will never forget your Grace of Rebirth! In the long road of immortality ahead, Qiong Xiao is willing to serve you before horse and after saddle, to hold your whip and stirrup, and to die ten thousand deaths without regret!"
Her voice no longer carried the slightest trace of shyness or panic, nor was it merely simple awe and submission.
It was absolute loyalty born from the deepest depths of her soul and branded upon her true spirit!
The instant Qiong Xiao kowtowed, the system's prompt sounded quietly in Lin Feng's mind.
[Ding! Maidservant Qiong Xiao's Dao heart has ascended, and her loyalty to the host has undergone a tremendous increase!] [Current Loyalty: 98 (Die-hard Loyalty)!]
The corners of Lin Feng's lips curled slightly.
Good.
Ninety-eight points of die-hard loyalty meant that from this moment onward, even if he ordered her to fight a Saint or self-destruct her primordial spirit, she would not hesitate in the slightest.
This once lofty, aloof, and cold immortal maiden of the Interception Sect had been completely branded with Lin Feng's mark, body and soul.
Lin Feng slowly rose from the stone platform, walked over to Qiong Xiao, and extended a hand in a distant supporting gesture.
A gentle yet irresistible force lightly lifted Qiong Xiao to her feet.
Qiong Xiao did not dare disobey. She rose with the force, but still kept her head lowered, not daring to look directly into Lin Feng's eyes.
Lin Feng extended two fingers and lightly pinched her jade-like chin. With a slight exertion of force, he lifted her lovely face and compelled her to meet his gaze.
Their eyes met.
Seeing that her beautiful eyes no longer contained the slightest impurity, leaving only pure fervor and adoration, Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good."
He spoke calmly, his voice as indifferent as ever, yet carrying unquestionable authority.
"From today onward, you are not only my maidservant, but also my Registered Disciple."
"I will personally teach you the supreme Dao of formations."
Boom!
Those two calm sentences were no less shocking to Qiong Xiao than countless Chaos Divine Thunders exploding at once!
Maidservant...
Registered Disciple...
These two identities were like two intertwined currents, the sweetest and most blazing torrents, instantly sweeping away Qiong Xiao's mental defenses and leaving her completely dazed.
Maidservant meant that she could remain at her master's side forever, serving him closely.
Registered Disciple meant that she had gained her master's acknowledgment and earned the right to listen to the Great Dao and inherit his teachings!
What an honor was this?
What immense favor was this?
One had to know that her master had been the lofty Sect Master Tongtian!
Yet even as a Saint's personal disciple, she had never witnessed supreme power like her master's—the ability to reverse heaven and earth with a wave of his hand and reveal the origin of all things with a single sentence!
To enter her master's sect, even as merely a Registered Disciple, held meaning and value far beyond the status of a Saint's disciple!
At that moment, an indescribable sense of happiness and glory surged forth like a mountain flood bursting through a dam, instantly drowning Qiong Xiao completely.
Her eyes reddened uncontrollably, and a glistening mist of tears quickly filled them.
"Disciple... Disciple Qiong Xiao thanks Master!"
She was so excited that even her voice trembled. Her legs went weak, and she was about to kneel again to perform the formal rite of becoming his disciple.
"Forget the unnecessary formalities."
But Lin Feng did not release her chin, still preventing her from moving.
Seeing Qiong Xiao so overwhelmed with excitement that she seemed ready to offer herself to him, Lin Feng felt no ripple in his heart. He merely thought it was about time for the next step.
He had bestowed both favor and authority. Now that he had given her the carrot, it was time to let her adapt to her new identity.
Lin Feng released her, turned, and walked toward the cave entrance. His calm voice followed behind him.
"Deal with the corpses of those flies outside."
"Gather everything they were carrying. Consider it a gift to celebrate your becoming my Registered Disciple."
"Clean everything up. Do not leave behind even a single fragment of a magic treasure."
As his words fell, Lin Feng's figure had already disappeared beyond the cave entrance.
Only Qiong Xiao remained inside the cave, still standing there in a daze as she processed the information Lin Feng had left behind.
Clean up the battlefield?
Take inventory of the spoils?
In the past, such rough work would have been done only by the lowliest servants. Yet now that the order had come from her master's mouth, Qiong Xiao did not feel the slightest humiliation.
No, quite the opposite.
What welled up in her heart was the honor of being trusted and entrusted with a task.
Her master was establishing her identity as his maidservant, allowing her to quickly settle into her role!
Moreover, those pursuers had all been Golden Immortals, and some had even been late-stage Golden Immortal experts!
The magic treasures, spirit pills, and materials on them added up to an absolutely considerable fortune.
Her master had simply... bestowed them upon her?
Qiong Xiao's heart began pounding wildly again.
That was wealth that even Grand Unity Golden Immortals would covet!
Yet her master had given it to her without a care, as though he were tossing away trash.
Having understood all this, how could Qiong Xiao hesitate any longer?
She respectfully bowed once more toward the cave entrance.
"Yes, Master! This disciple accepts the order!"
Before her words had even faded, she immediately turned and strode briskly out of the cave. Without the slightest complaint or dissatisfaction, she swiftly began cleaning up the battlefield.
Her expression was so serious and focused that it was as though she was not doing menial work at all, but carrying out an incomparably sacred ritual.
Before you continue