Guidance

With Chu He watching over her, Zhao Yuling's breakthrough went smoothly.

Though it had not happened in one effortless rush like water flowing into a channel, it had not taken much trouble either!

"Little Chu Brother! I'm Innate now!"

Zhao Yuling was thrilled, her excitement impossible to contain.

She swung her little fists, stirring up fierce gusts that lashed the air with sharp, rustling cries.

"Stay calm. It's only the Innate Realm."

Chu He smiled faintly.

"Remember this: unless you reach the King Realm, do not reveal your cultivation. You're too weak; accidents can easily happen."

Chu He reminded her again.

Though he had told the little girl this long ago,

young people were simply too high-spirited.

Now that the little girl had broken through today, she would inevitably get carried away.

Perhaps in a moment of carelessness, she would start wanting to show off!

So he had to remind her from time to time.

"Got it, Little Chu Brother!"

Zhao Yuling withdrew her fists and nodded.

"Mm!" Chu He said with satisfaction. "You're leaking a little too much of your aura. Stay in the Book Repository for a while and raise your Breath Concealment Technique by another level before going out."

"Okay!"

Zhao Yuling obediently agreed.

Over the past few years, she had often stayed in the Book Repository anyway, so she would not find it unfamiliar.

Time flew by in a blur.

In the blink of an eye, another five years passed.

After consolidating his Fourth Turn cultivation, Chu He began advancing slowly but steadily.

He was now at the third level of the Fourth Turn, making his way toward the fourth level.

The days of cultivation passed quickly.

Teasing Little Turtle and teaching the little girl made life feel rather fulfilling.

However, the little girl's cultivation had begun to feel somewhat obstructed.

And it was something Chu He could not interfere with.

There was a problem with her state of mind.

She had now reached the Innate Ninth Level and had begun accumulating her foundations, which seemed perfectly normal.

Yet Chu He, whose cultivation was profound and whose discernment was extraordinary, discovered that a great flaw lay hidden within her foundation.

It was something ordinary people could not detect.

If this continued, Zhao Yuling might have no trouble breaking through to the King Realm, but that would be the end of her potential. Any further progress afterward would be beset by difficulties at every turn.

Since the problem had been discovered, it naturally had to be solved.

Zhao Yuling's problem was that she was a vibrant young person, utterly unable to compare with Chu He's old man's state of mind.

Yet over these years, following Chu He, she had been constantly restrained by him and had become like him, leaving her vitality with no outlet.

Put simply, her strength had improved, but she had not gone out to swagger and show off, so she did not feel free and exhilarated inside.

"Little girl, come here!"

Chu He beckoned.

Zhao Yuling, who was beside Little Turtle and straining to pull its retracted head back out, hurried over.

"You're already at the Innate Ninth Level and barely have the ability to protect yourself. You can go outside to relax, see the world, and roam the martial world!"

Chu He said with a smile.

Zhao Yuling's eyes lit up at his words.

She had entered the Book Repository at nine years old, determined to become an expert.

She had stayed there for eight years.

Though her temperament was far better than that of others her age,

she was still in the flower of youth. After being lonely for so long, a burning restlessness had been rolling through her heart. At her age, the fact that she had managed to suppress it and not take the initiative to ask to go out for a walk was already no easy feat!

Now that Chu He had brought it up, she was naturally more than willing!

"But, Little Chu Brother, if I leave, who will keep you company?"

Zhao Yuling hesitated before asking.

Though she could hardly wait to go out and explore the martial world, she still had a bit of conscience and could think of Chu He, all alone.

Over these years, Chu He had taught Zhao Yuling, while those outside believed this was a test to earn an audience with an expert.

To avoid disturbing them, it was likely the Lin Family's arrangement that the entire Book Repository, including the houses around it, no longer had anyone else living there!

Usually, there were only Chu He and Zhao Yuling here... plus one Little Turtle.

If she left, Chu He really would be quite lonely!

"Enough, little girl! It's not a parting in life and death. Just go out for a walk. Are you saying that once you leave, you won't want to come back?"

Chu He could not help rubbing her head, shaking his head with a laugh.

Lonely? Solitary?

Nothing of the sort.

Those were the very things Chu He feared least.

If he truly feared them, the Book Repository was not a cage. If he wanted to leave, he could go out whenever he wished.

"Take this. Open it if you encounter a life-threatening danger."

In the end, Zhao Yuling took the brocade pouch Chu He gave her and left to roam the martial world.

The Book Repository became quiet.

Chu He sat in a reclining chair with a book in hand, reading as he rocked back and forth.

Little Turtle, now much bigger, basked in the sun outside the Book Repository. It raised its head to gaze at the sky, contemplating the philosophies of life.

The liveliest one was gone!

One man and one turtle were remarkably quiet.

"Little Turtle, come here."

Chu He put down his book and suddenly spoke.

Little Turtle shifted its mung-bean eyes away from the sun, glanced at Chu He, then slowly crawled toward him.

Chu He was not in a hurry and simply watched it crawl.

After a while, Little Turtle reached Chu He. Its two hind claws touched the ground as it squatted upright, assuming the posture of one awaiting a lecture.

"Little Turtle, do you want to cultivate?"

Chu He realized that he seemed to be growing fond of being a teacher!

There was no one else here!

With nothing to do, a whim seized him, and he wanted to give this turtle some guidance.

After all, this was a turtle that intended to compete with him over who would live longer. He had to take better care of it.

Little Turtle froze. Though it did not quite understand what cultivation meant, instinctively, it felt that this was a good thing.

So the turtle's head bobbed repeatedly, and it agreed on instinct.

Chu He nodded and placed a finger on the tip of Little Turtle's head. His intent poured into it, transmitting a stream of profound information into Little Turtle's consciousness.

What Chu He imparted was a body-tempering cultivation method.

This method was not particularly high-level, but with Chu He's profound martial attainments, after analyzing it, he found it to be the method most suitable for Little Turtle's cultivation.

After all, it was not human and was incompatible with most of the cultivation manuals Chu He possessed. Finding one that suited it was already quite good.