Chen Ganliu gave an awkward smile. He really had no idea what kind of monster Yang Shiyilang was.
Although Yang Xuesheng had pretended to be a fox spirit several times, he had always felt that this girl was definitely not a little fox.
Seeing that he had not taken the bait, Yang Xuesheng pulled a face and said, "My mother is the Green Leaf Sect's grand elder. She wouldn't let me cultivate demonic arts, so I joined the Green Leaf Sect when I was little."
Chen Ganliu thought, The Green Leaf Sect even accepts monsters. As expected, their teachings truly spare no one.
Yang Xuesheng was slightly surprised. "When did you reach the Second Layer of Qi Condensation?"
Only then did she realize that Chen Ganliu had actually broken through.
Chen Ganliu gave an embarrassed laugh and replied, "A few days ago, while I was meditating and cultivating, I happened to gain a little."
Yang Xuesheng had originally felt that the two of them shared some affinity. At this moment, her heart stirred, and she wondered, I don't know what cultivation art he practiced before, but to reach the Second Layer of Qi Condensation at such a young age, he must have some talent. Why not recommend him to Senior Sister?
Back then, her senior sisters—later Jiang Ningxue and Xie Zhanrou—had both possessed Golden Core Realm cultivation. Only with that level of cultivation had they been able to investigate what kind of spiritual vein Chen Ganliu possessed and its quality.
Compared to the likes of the Spiritual Gate, Yang Xuesheng was naturally far stronger, but she was still only in the Qi Refining Realm. She had never examined him carefully and truly could not tell how high or low the boy's aptitude was. He had only half a Severed Vein. Since he had managed to reach the Second Layer of Qi Condensation and achieve Boiling Liquid into Qi at such a young age, she figured his aptitude was probably "not bad."
Yang Xuesheng patted him on the shoulder and said with a grin, "I told you earlier that I would recommend a good master to you. I certainly won't go back on my word."
She had other matters to attend to. After asking about Chen Ganliu's identity and origins, she had nothing more to say and drifted away.
When Chen Ganliu returned to the mountain terrace, the descendants of Green Leaf who had come to seek masters became even more cordial toward him.
Although everyone claimed to be descendants of Green Leaf, their lineages had been passed down for so long that they no longer had any reliable connections. In their eyes, someone like Chen Ganliu, who was familiar with a senior figure, was a "thick thigh" worth clinging to.
At first, they had addressed Chen Ganliu as Brother Nan, Fellow Daoist Nan, Senior Brother Nan, Junior Brother Nan, Junior Brother Sixing, and all sorts of other names. But after Chen Ganliu left with Yang Xuesheng once, they unified their form of address. Every one of them called him "Brother Nan."
Chen Ganliu's cultivation had already been high to begin with. Now that he had connections within the sect, he had practically become the leader of this group of young people seeking masters.
He himself disliked socializing, but he also could not bring himself to put on a cold face. Thoroughly troubled, he used cultivation as an excuse and hid in his room.
Less than half a day after Yang Xuesheng left, a young girl arrived with a Flower Basket slung over her shoulder. In a melodious voice, she called, "Who is Nan Sixing?"
Everyone hurriedly pointed toward Chen Ganliu's room. The girl came over, knocked on the door, and said, "Junior Brother Nan, you don't need to take the examination with them anymore. Master told me to bring you over. She has already agreed to Aunt-Master Yang's request and will accept you as her disciple."
Chen Ganliu had been refining the Wood Demon Pearl. Hearing someone call at the door, he hurried out.
In his previous life, he had begged bitterly for a good master but never found one. In this life, he had tried to become someone's disciple several times, only to be rejected again and again. He had thought that he was once more fated not to have a master. Hearing this news so suddenly, he was overjoyed. He wanted to ask, "Who is my master?" but felt that it would be impolite.
The girl had no mind to explain. She assumed that her master was known to everyone on Green Leaf Mountain, and that everyone also knew she represented her master. She grabbed Chen Ganliu and led him straight up the mountain.
Following the girl, Chen Ganliu walked for more than half an hour before reaching a cave dwelling near the summit.
Whether it was the Green Leaf Sect or some other immortal sect, the higher the cave dwelling's location, the higher the owner's seniority generally was. He thought to himself, This master of mine has quite high standing in the Green Leaf Sect.
Outside the cave dwelling, the girl called out in a long voice, "Master, I've brought Junior Brother Nan here."
A voice drifted lazily out from within the cave. "Come in."
The girl led Chen Ganliu inside. There, he saw a Sickly Beauty leaning against a stone chair. She said, "Nan Sixing, Junior Sister said that you have excellent aptitude and asked me to accept you as a disciple."
"I am injured and must immediately enter seclusion to recuperate. Pay your respects and become my disciple first. Once we have completed the rites between master and disciple, I will enter seclusion. You need not worry about your lessons. While I am secluded, your Senior Sister Yu will temporarily teach you the cultivation arts."
Chen Ganliu had not even had time to ask his master's name, cultivation title, or seniority before he hurriedly kowtowed and completed the rites of apprenticeship.
The Sickly Beauty watched him finish kowtowing. Then her body scattered like light smoke, vanishing in an instant and leaving only a wispy, shapeless trace.
Chen Ganliu was still somewhat dazed. He thought, That counts as becoming someone's disciple?
I waited and yearned for this across two lifetimes, yet the apprenticeship ceremony was this perfunctory?
Seeing that the girl was about to turn toward the rear, he hurriedly asked, "Senior Sister, I haven't asked your name yet. How should I conduct myself?"
The girl said, "My name is Yu Qinghong. I was originally the only disciple under our master. Now that you've come, there are only the two of us in this cave dwelling."
"I need to put away the herbs I gathered first, then I'll talk to you. If they stay away from the soil too long, they'll lose their medicinal efficacy. Just now, while I was gathering herbs, Master sent me a Talisman Crane Message and told me to bring you back. It was truly too rushed."
The girl entered the rear cavern. Only after the time it took to burn a stick of incense did she return. She had delicate features and was a budding little beauty, but her brows were knitted with worry.
Unable to hold back, Chen Ganliu asked, "How was our master injured?"
Yu Qinghong replied, "Some time ago, a demon attacked the Immortal Encounter Sect. Our master was good friends with Fairy Nan Shiheng of the Immortal Encounter Sect, so she went to aid Fairy Nan and was injured as a result."
Hearing the name of his senior sister, Chen Ganliu could not help worrying. He asked one more question. "Was Fairy Nan Shiheng injured as well?"
He had only asked casually, but he had not expected Yu Qinghong to say, "Naturally. She was also gravely injured."
"According to Master, Fairy Nan's Golden Core Realm cultivation was nearly perfected, and she had also accumulated enough Spirit Medicine. She had originally planned to stabilize her cultivation over the next few years, then open the furnace and refine the supplementary pills before beginning her advance toward the Spirit Embryo Realm."
"But unfortunately, this time the Demoness injured Fairy Nan's foundation. Her future breakthrough into the Spirit Embryo Realm will inevitably be obstructed."
Chen Ganliu was slightly startled. He truly had not known that his senior sister's failure to break through into the Spirit Embryo Realm in his previous life had actually resulted from injuries sustained during this demonic calamity. He thought to himself, I wonder whether it was Jiang Ningxue or Xie Zhanrou who injured Senior Sister.
Or perhaps another disciple of that demon...
Senior Sister never mentioned it, but judging from what happened in my previous life, she likely made no further progress in her cultivation from that point onward. Forty years later, she forcibly attempted to break through her realm, only to suffer even more severe internal injuries. Her cultivation then began to decline, falling all the way below the Golden Core Realm and into the Qi Refining Realm.
Senior Sister...
She had originally been a prodigy. I wonder how she endured all these years.
What a pity that I'm only at the Second Layer of Qi Condensation. I'm adrift myself and can't help her.
I'll go eat first. No matter what, I have to struggle out a chapter before midnight.
I'm continuing to ask for monthly votes, collections, and investments...
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