Senior Brother: I Insist on Ninety-Eight Percent

"Senior Disciple Brother!"

Hearing Li Yang's voice, Lan Ling'e's pout instantly vanished as she flew toward him.

Smack!

Li Yang reached out and pressed his hand directly against Lan Ling'e's face, stopping her advance.

"Stinky senior brother, and here I was worried about you. You're so mean."

Shaking off Li Yang's hand, Lan Ling'e planted her hands on her hips, fuming.

Li Yang flicked her forehead. "Nonsense. You really worried about me? I see you've got melon seeds and milk tea ready—were you planning to watch the show?"

Lan Ling'e's face drooped, then she fawned over Li Yang, kneading his shoulders.

"Senior brother, what's your plan with Senior Disciple Brother? Tell me!"

Li Yang ignored her, turning instead to Li Changshou and making a bow.

"Senior Brother, my True Body will arrive in ten days. I'll need you to arrange things then."

Li Changshou was pleased. "So you've become an immortal?"

"I have, and I even weathered the Primordial Wilderness's fourth-ranked Heavenly Tribulation."

What?

Li Changshou was shocked, stepping forward to grab Li Yang's Avatar. "Is your body alright?"

"No trouble. Easy as can be."

Li Yang said it lightly, then his expression shifted, turning serious.

"Senior Brother, I discovered a problem you overlooked during my tribulation. You need to pay attention."

"What problem?"

Li Changshou grew anxious. He was nearing his own tribulation, with most preparations already in place—what could still go wrong?

And judging by his junior brother's demeanor, the issue seemed severe.

On the other side, Lan Ling'e had gone from initial shock to full-on spectator mode.

She knew Senior Disciple Brother was formidable, but she didn't know exactly how much. Now it seemed he was about to become an immortal too.

"Senior Brother, the big problem is this: my Seventy Percent is right, but your Ninety-Eight Percent is wrong—at least when it comes to tribulation crossing..."

Li Yang detailed his findings to Li Changshou, then added with a meaningful tone, "Senior Brother, you're too cautious. Too much is as bad as too little. At least before becoming an immortal, you don't need to be like this. I can say this: those items you use to obscure heavenly secrets will only drag you into greater danger."

In truth, that was exactly how Li Changshou was in the original story. His excessive caution caused a mishap during his tribulation, leaving half his body immortal and half mortal. He then endured the second-ranked Heavenly Tribulation, took a hit from Heavenly Punishment, and later got lashed by some lunatic using Purple Firmament Divine Thunder like a whip.

It could be said that without that initial Ninety-Eight Percent, Senior Brother could have avoided many affairs and troubles.

Hearing Li Yang's words, Senior Brother actually fell into rare contemplation.

Finally, he shook his head. "Junior Brother, what if mine is the Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation? Your method isn't safe—not safe at all."

Li Yang: "..."

Now that he was an immortal, he couldn't speak directly of the Heavenly Dao or the tribulation in such matters, or Senior Brother might truly fail to cross it.

Immortal and mortal—they really were different!!!

"Senior Brother, whatever makes you happy!"

Li Yang ground his teeth as he said it.

This senior brother seemed cautious, but he'd gone overboard, becoming reckless instead.

And then he...

Forget it.

Li Yang, exasperated, changed the subject.

"Senior Brother, how are things with Master?"

Li Yang's plan was simple: delay Master's seclusion until he returned, then let Master go into seclusion while he refined the Melting Immortal Pill to boost Master's chances of successfully crossing the tribulation.

But Master's fate always hung like a shadow over his heart.

Because Master's destiny had long been set by that lunatic.

Yet Li Yang was also puzzled—maybe his Master hadn't been fated after all.

If he could stop Senior Brother, perhaps Master's calamity wouldn't come.

After all, becoming a disciple of the Grand Pure Sage—Master couldn't bear that burden no matter what.

A Turbid Immortal sharing a generation with a Sage—that would spell trouble.

Perhaps that was exactly why Master's fate had been sealed.

Having read the original story, Li Yang didn't understand. The lunatic's world was beyond his grasp, and the so-called Heavenly Dao was, in some cases, impossible to read.

All he could rely on was himself.

But...

If things were as he suspected, what was the deal with Youqin Xuanya?

These matters were tangled like a mess of hemp, intertwined with the Heavenly Dao Neurosis, and Li Yang had no clue where to start.

Li Changshou had no idea what Li Yang was thinking and replied without hesitation: "Master went to Sky Breaking Peak to visit a friend; he should be back soon. When he returns, I'll request to take you out with me, and we'll come back after meeting up."

"Good!"

Li Yang uttered a single "good," then grabbed Lan Ling'e, who was slurping milk tea beside him, and dragged her out.

The moment they stepped outside, Li Yang's face instantly fell.

"I've recently refined the Gourd Heaven Method a bit more. I'll pass it to you first—study it well. When I get back, I'll test you thoroughly."

"Huh?"

Lan Ling'e was so startled that the milk tea in her hand dropped to the ground, her eyes full of disbelief.

"Senior Brother, I haven't even fully learned what you already taught me. How about we just skip this?"

"You haven't fully learned it?"

Li Yang exclaimed in shock, his face darkening even further. Lan Ling'e quickly caught herself and scrambled to cover up.

"No, I mean, what I meant was..."

"You've learned it all, but your cultivation has fallen behind, so you don't want to learn any more!"

Just as Lan Ling'e was racking her brain for an excuse, a voice like heavenly music answered for her.

"Yeah, that's it!"

As the words fell, Li Changshou appeared beside her, smiling warmly.

"Gulp!"

Lan Ling'e swallowed hard. She could tell that her Senior Brother's smile didn't reach his eyes—there was no trace of amusement in them.

"Um... that..."

"Junior Brother, Junior Sister used up all the poison you gave her, the knockout drug I gave her, and the bombs we made together in one go during her last training trip."

Li Yang turned to stare at Lan Ling'e in disbelief.

Wait, this wasn't the East Sea Coast, so how... oh, it was just a higher place. Never mind.

"It's fine, Senior Brother. She's just a little waste at about the Void Refining Stage. Using them up is no big deal."

Li Changshou nodded in agreement.

"So, she only poisoned a bunch of Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals, knocked out a Dragon, and blew up an Immortal Island."

"... "

Li Yang lunged instantly, grabbing Lan Ling'e as she tried to flee, flipping her over. With one hand on her ankle and the other on her collar, he shook her vigorously.

"Come on, hand everything over!"

Li Yang was hysterical. This girl had studied with the two of them to learn stability—how was she still so reckless?

"Master is back."

Just then, Li Changshou sensed their Master's return and quickly alerted him.

"Oh!"

Li Yang moved with lightning speed, shoving Lan Ling'e behind his backside so hard that her face scraped a mark across the ground.

When Old Daoist Qi Yuan returned, Li Yang flew toward him joyfully.

"Master, your disciple has reached the Void Refining Stage!"