Volume 2: Phantom Traces of the Demon

Volume 2: Phantom Tracks, Chapter 3: Taking an Apprentice

"Not at all. Women are the same as men; born between heaven and earth, capable of running, jumping, and cultivating. In my eyes, men and women are equal."

"Yes, the True Qi proliferating in my body can do more than just break through one level."

"With such catalysis, given the Martial Ancestor Uncle's situation, let alone breaking through one level, it would be more than enough to even Attempt Foundation Establishment."

Seventh Elder Liu Yun suddenly brightened and clapped her hands, asking.

Liu Yun suggested, "Miss Tang is also at the same Heavenly Spirit Root level as you were back then, and her temperament is acceptable. She is barely qualified to be your disciple."

"I just wanted to see what kind of sect the Azure Nether Sword Sect is." Bai Qiuran rolled up his other sleeve.

"Exactly, exactly." The maiden came here mostly out of curiosity, wanting to see what the sect of her benefactor was like, but one could not rule out the subtle affection and feelings she held for the person who saved her life, her family, and her country.

Tang Ruowei hesitated for a moment and whispered a reminder, "Please stop calling me Miss Tang. Once I have entered the sect, I am a disciple of the sect, and you are a great elder within the sect. I should address you with respect; etiquette cannot be lost."

Fifth Elder frowned and asked curiously, "How did the Martial Ancestor Uncle break through a level just like that? So casually?"

Nearby, Elder Qing Yun also chimed in at the right moment, "The Martial Ancestor Uncle speaks the truth; I can testify to that."

Tang Ruowei thought this to herself and nodded at Bai Qiuran, "I am certainly willing. I don't really understand the division of realms for Cultivators, but even if your realm is very low, your strength is the real deal."

Tang Ruowei reached out to cover her forehead.

Bai Qiuran offered a compliment.

"Mm." In front of the Sect Master and the elders of the Azure Nether Sword Sect, Tang Ruowei decided to maintain her image.

Princess Shangxuan was suddenly choked for words, not knowing what to say.

Hearing Bai Qiuran's words, Tang Ruowei felt both angry and indignant.

Seeing their actions, Bai Qiuran asked suspiciously.

Liu Yun turned her head and frantically signaled to her fellow senior brothers and sisters.

"However, now that you have entered the sect, even though you are only a black-robed candidate disciple, you are a member of our Azure Nether Sword Sect. Welcome, Miss Tang."

Hearing Bai Qiuran's words, the group did not decline. Third Elder took the Sect Master Jueyunzi down from the crooked tree, and then the group of elders dragged the Sect Master along with Tang Ruowei into the small courtyard where Bai Qiuran lived.

"Miss Tang, are you willing to take me as your master? Let me state first: I really only have the cultivation of the Qi Refining Stage."

Everyone present clicked their tongues in wonder.

Bai Qiuran shot her a glance.

"Really?" Second Elder Xuan Yunzi slapped his thigh and said, "Who dares to say that the Martial Ancestor Uncle's teaching level is not good? Isn't that saying that the seven of us, or even the Grand Elder, or the Azure Nether Sword Sect itself is no good?"

Bai Qiuran waved his hand, "So let us each stick to our own seniority. Besides, my existence is known to very few people other than the Sect Master and the elders, so you don't need to worry about others saying you lack etiquette."

Bai Qiuran waved his hand, "Which of you seven wouldn't be better at teaching her?"

Bai Qiuran greeted Tang Ruowei and the elders.

Bai Qiuran picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "I am very idle, so what?"

Bai Qiuran replied with a deadpan face, "That is why I feel like I am about to break through again immediately."

"Don't mind it. If we really had to rank my seniority, then forget about you; even Jueyun and the others wouldn't be able to talk to me properly."

Seventh Elder asked, "If you need to continue your closed-door cultivation to Attempt Foundation Establishment and this is an inconvenient time, we shall take our leave and bring this girl back another day."

He greeted the elders, "Everyone, tell him."

Tang Ruowei subconsciously looked at the elders of the Azure Nether Sword Sect, only to find that these elders—except for the relatively honest Third Elder and the fainted Sect Master—were all winking at her. The Second Elder's mouth was almost twisted out of shape.

Bai Qiuran asked suspiciously, "That day, you chased me for ten miles relying on your first-level Qi Refining Stage cultivation."

"Everyone, tell him."

"But I didn't intend to lay a hand on you."

"Oh, well then, welcome."

"No, no, absolutely not."

"So that means, for the time being, the Martial Ancestor Uncle has nothing to do?"

Bai Qiuran looked at Tang Ruowei, who was sitting to the side drinking tea silently, basically not daring to interrupt.

"I am not angry anymore."

"Yes, Bai Yun's skill is quite good."

"By the way, who is going to take that blockhead down from the tree?"

"Yes."

"Besides, Bai Qiuran, as a gentleman, shouldn't you be petty with a woman?"

Although she did not covet the position of Princess Shangxuan, nor did she want to hand over her life and destiny to her Father Emperor to be decided at will, she had run so far, given up everything she once had, and gone through layers of selection just to enter the Qingming Mountain gate and see Bai Qiuran again.

Tang Ruowei sighed gloomily, feeling somewhat powerless.

Upon hearing this, a smile immediately appeared on Bai Qiuran's face.

"It's just like holding in a bowel movement."

Hmm, although I don't know what they are doing, considering they are the big shots of the sect, I should cooperate with them for now.

"No, no need, I don't want to break through for the time being."

"Little girl."

"I'm asking you all, are you doing something behind my back?"

The elders nodded hurriedly.

"Holding it in."

"What could I possibly teach her? I'm only in the Qi Refining Stage."

"Then what does the Martial Ancestor Uncle plan to do?"

"Really."

"In any case, this matter still needs to be decided by the person herself."

Fifth Elder, who was most familiar with pharmacology, sniffed and asked somewhat woodenly, "Martial Ancestor Uncle, this... did you use so many herbs that catalyze True Qi in this Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Then why not leave little Miss Ruowei for you to teach?"

"Alright, don't just stand outside, come in together."

"Yes, the seven of us were taught by the Martial Ancestor Uncle, which is why we have our current achievements."

Inside Bai Qiuran's residence, Bai Qiuran had already used his divine abilities to brew a pot of tea. He personally carried the teapot and poured tea into the nine teacups placed on the table. As soon as the elders and Tang Ruowei entered, they smelled an extremely rich medicinal fragrance.

"Hey, the Martial Ancestor Uncle's teaching level is something the seven of us have personally experienced; it is absolutely trustworthy."

Bai Qiuran kept a deadpan face.

As a result, things had turned out like this: he had finally met the person, but before they could exchange two sentences, this person asked if she had traveled thousands of miles to chase him down to hack him to death, and while saying that, she had even rolled up her sleeves.

"How do you suppress a realm?"

The six elders shook their heads in unison. The Sect Master Jueyunzi had already fainted, so the Sixth Elder held his head and shook it along with them.

"Hm?"

"So as a man, I will be accommodating to women, but when it comes to fighting, I will never go soft, especially after having fought that old, frustrated woman from the Hehuan Sect. Miss Tang, we are friends, and I am in a bad mood right now, so don't push me."

"My volume of True Qi is too large. It is difficult to find supplements in this world that have a practical effect on me. Rather than wasting such precious treasures, it is better to catalyze my own True Qi and let it grow on its own."

Tang Ruowei asked curiously.

"If I am unprepared, another breakthrough will just be another level. I plan to suppress my realm to see if I can compress my True Qi into a liquid state."