Nie Li walked into the cafeteria in a slightly oversized white robe, looking every bit the dignified young master.
Director Yang Xin walked beside him, her face beaming with warmth.
"Nie Li, you look so handsome in that outfit! Don't tell me you passed the Alchemist Guild's exam." Lu Piao's eyes lit up. He stood and hurried over, then started touching the robe all over.
Xian Wu glanced at Nie Li, then at Yang Xin, but said nothing.
Judging by the white robe Nie Li wore, he should have already become a junior alchemy master.
Xian Wu wasn't surprised. Every reincarnator was impossibly cool and powerful; a mere alchemical art was nothing worth mentioning.
The others all got to their feet to welcome them.
Nie Li pressed a hand down, signaling everyone to sit.
"Director Yang, this is my junior fellow disciple. From now on, if you need anything, you can go to him just as you would come to me." Nie Li walked behind Xian Wu, patted him on the shoulder, and introduced him to Director Yang Xin.
Junior fellow disciple? Xian Wu was completely baffled.
What was Nie Li up to?
"If I remember correctly, your name is Xian Wu, right?" Yang Xin was beautiful, like a flower in spring. "You'll have to look after your big sister from now on." As she spoke, Yang Xin handed Xian Wu a brand-new white robe.
Nie Li and the influential figure behind Xian Wu possessed many precious, long-lost alchemical recipes. Befriending the two disciples would help revive the Alchemist Guild and strengthen the City of Brilliance, allowing it to better withstand the attacks of demonic beasts.
"Sister Yang, what's this for?" Xian Wu took what Yang Xin handed him without thinking.
Yang Xin explained, "Since you're also that esteemed person's disciple, you don't need to take the test. The Alchemist Guild has decided to promote you directly to junior alchemy master."
"I really shouldn't..." Xian Wu said, half-heartedly tucking the robe into his arms.
Having Nie Li as his adoptive father sure had its perks. He'd gotten a junior alchemy master's title for free, and now he had an even more legitimate reason to visit Yang Xin at the Alchemist Guild.
To be honest, he and Yang Xin were about the same age mentally.
As the saying went, a talented man deserved a beautiful woman, and a wolf deserved a tiger. The first part described him and Yang Xin.
Incidentally, once his bruises had faded, he'd stopped wearing his heavy cloak and switched to a coarse cloth shirt.
It was already early summer, and the weather had warmed up. The cloak had become too stifling.
Lu Piao stared blankly at Xian Wu, who had somehow become Nie Li's junior fellow disciple. Then he hurried over to Yang Xin and said, "Sister Yang, I'm actually Nie Li's junior fellow disciple too. Could I get a white robe as well?"
Yang Xin looked at Nie Li, who shook his head.
Yang Xin nodded, took several small white porcelain bottles from her Space Ring, and handed one to Lu Piao. "Don't be silly, little brother. Take these Soul Gathering Pills and use them. No need to be polite with your big sister."
It was clear that the five people present got along well with the two fellow disciples. A few small gifts were a nice way to show goodwill.
Soul Gathering Pills? Lu Piao and the others took the bottles, their hands trembling with excitement.
In the City of Brilliance, Soul Gathering Pills were extremely expensive. Only Prominent Families and Peak Families could afford them.
Even noble families rarely used such costly pills, let alone commoners like them.
With the pills in hand, Lu Piao stopped pestering Yang Xin for a white robe. He hurried back to his seat and began absorbing and refining the pill.
"You can all stay at the Alchemist Guild and focus on your cultivation for the next few days. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me."
Seeing the doubtful looks the youngsters were giving her, Yang Xin lifted her chin proudly. "Don't underestimate me. I'm a Gold Spirit Master. Guiding a few little Bronze-rankers like you will be a piece of cake."
"Sister Yang, what about Sacred Orchid Academy...?" Du Ze asked, concerned.
Yang Xin waved a hand. "Don't worry. Leave Vice Dean Ye Sheng to me. You just focus on cultivating without a care. For the next few days, eat well, drink well, and enjoy yourselves."
After giving them her instructions, Yang Xin swayed her rounded hips and sashayed out of the cafeteria.
The alchemical recipes Nie Li had contributed were extremely precious. She needed to get back and study them carefully.
Xian Wu gazed dazedly at that alluring figure for several minutes.
She was... simply too captivating.
"Stop staring. She's already gone!" Nie Li turned Xian Wu's head to face forward, then leaned close and said earnestly, "This is all your adoptive father can do for you. From here on out, you're on your own."
Even so, he still couldn't believe a mature woman like Yang Xin would be interested in a little kid like Xian Wu.
Xian Wu patted the back of Nie Li's hand. Don't worry. Before long, you'll have plenty of beautiful goddaughters-in-law.
That afternoon, the sun blazed overhead.
The group found a pavilion, sat in a circle, and began cultivating their techniques.
But only six people were in the pavilion.
Xian Wu couldn't gain Soul Force through cultivation, so he'd gone off to have fun with his darling Yang Xin.
"This isn't fair! We all have Chaos-type Seas of Soul, so why doesn't Xian Wu have to cultivate?" Lu Piao protested. With the help of the Chaos Sacred Spirit Art, he'd spent ages cultivating his Soul Force to thirty-six points.
But Xian Wu? He'd just taken a casual breath, and in less than a few seconds, his Soul Force had risen to twenty-one points.
It was like he was cheating. It was way too unfair.
"Brother Nie Li~ I want to change my technique~~" Lu Piao whined, shaking Nie Li awake from his meditation.
Nie Li's face darkened. Lu Piao's syrupy voice was way too seductive. It had nearly made him hard.
Hard in the fists.
Nie Li rolled his eyes. "The technique I gave you is the one best suited to your Sea of Soul. Besides, what's wrong with the Chaos Sacred Spirit Art? You don't need to cultivate too hard. You only need to nurture the Chaos energy inside your body."
Du Ze's Sky Kylin Art and Wei Nan's Holy Light Cross Art required diligent cultivation, constantly using Soul Force to expand their Seas of Soul.
Lu Piao's Chaos Sacred Spirit Art, on the other hand, only required him to absorb and refine the energy of heaven and earth and nurture his Chaos energy. As his Chaos energy increased, his Sea of Soul would naturally expand. Everything would fall into place.
He had such a good technique and was still dissatisfied. He really didn't know how lucky he was.
"Could you teach me Xian Wu's Chaos Spirit Devouring Art?" Lu Piao asked hopefully.
Nie Li slowly got to his feet. "Wait here. I'll go get him and have him teach you!"
"No, don't! There's no need! The Chaos Sacred Spirit Art is great. Just pretend I was talking nonsense. I didn't say anything, and you didn't hear a thing." Lu Piao quickly sat back down, meek as a quail.
Nie Li said reassuringly, "It's fine. After he absorbs your Soul Force, I'll just have him give it back to you. Xian Wu listens to me."
Lu Piao swallowed audibly.
Give his Soul Force back? He'd rather be killed!
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