Peaceful Cultivation Life

After returning to Quiet Leisure Manor, Ye Liangchen summoned the Chun Jun Sword and began practicing the Myriad Plum Blossom Swordplay.

"Rising Stance Extending Sword, Immortal Pointing the Way, Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg, Left Bow Leveling, Entwining Roots Crossing Swords, Horizontal Slash Stand, Lifting Step Holding Sword, Right Bow Level Step Thrust, Backward Horse Sword, Standing Split Mount Hua, Lifting Fire to the Sky... Ten Thousand Plums in the Wind."

"Swish, swish, swish..."

As Ye Liangchen recited the mnemonic, he demonstrated the sword forms. Blossoms of sword light bloomed from the blade in his hand, unpredictable and dazzlingly magnificent.

In the Douluo World, a Martial Soul was essentially an outward manifestation of one's soul and was closely connected to it. The Chun Jun Sword was originally Ye Liangchen's Martial Soul, so the sword could move as his heart desired.

As Ye Liangchen continued his practice, he gradually entered a state of self-forgetfulness, as though there was only himself between heaven and earth.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Ye Liangchen's practice also aroused the curiosity of Shui Lingfeng, Mu Qingxue, and the others. They came to Quiet Leisure Manor one after another and watched from afar as he demonstrated those incomparably exquisite Sword Techniques.

"This little fellow's talent is simply heaven-defying. Such profound Sword Techniques are becoming more and more refined in his hands. It seems there's nothing we can teach him."

Su Lin smiled. She was Ye Liangchen's teacher in name, but there was truly nothing she could teach him.

"This is probably the talent brought by his Sword Spirit. Ye Feng's Martial Soul was also a sword, and his comprehension of the sword surpassed even Sword Douluo's. It seems that talent has been perfectly inherited by this little fellow."

The Lan Xiao Die sisters recalled Ye Feng's talent from back then and thought, As expected of his son!

Shui Lingfeng reminded everyone, "All right! Let's stop disturbing the little fellow and let him cultivate in peace. We also need to work hard to improve our strength. Hopefully, we'll be able to help him in the future."

Now that she had the miraculous Primordial Chaos Sutra to assist her, Shui Lingfeng had growing hope for rebuilding the sect. If the core members around her could all reach the level of Titled Douluo, they would be able to help the little fellow.

Ye Liangchen did not mind these people watching him cultivate. In any case, these Cultivation Techniques were no secret to them. He simply did not know how far they could cultivate them. Still, Ye Liangchen felt that no matter how hard the others trained, they would never be as capable as him. After all, they were already older and had long passed the ideal age for cultivation.

After finishing the Myriad Plum Blossom Swordplay, Ye Liangchen rested for a while before taking the Five Elements Tracing Steps and the Spirit Refining Art from his Game Backpack. He had not yet found time to cultivate these two peerless Cultivation Techniques, so he intended to practice them properly today.

The Five Elements Tracing Steps were an unfathomably profound movement technique, similar to the lightness skill Lingbo Micro Step. In the Douluo World, it was practically a divine skill.

Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was also a mysterious movement technique. Its evasions, shifts, and ghostlike footwork were extremely useful whether in battle or for escape.

Now that Ye Liangchen was practicing the Five Elements Tracing Steps, he would see whose movement technique was superior when he faced Tang San in the future.

"Treading the Two Extremes, Metal and Wood as Firmness, Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Perched in Water,

Within heaven and earth, intent reaches Kan and Li; Hidden Dragon Do Not Use, Fire Soars,

All Phenomena Return to Origin, Earth Connects Warp and Weft, Five Elements Illusory Tracing Step."

Ye Liangchen studied the mnemonic for the Five Elements Tracing Steps and began demonstrating the movements step by step according to the diagram.

"Swish, swish..."

As Ye Liangchen's understanding of the movement technique deepened, he became more and more enthusiastic. His movements were elegant, his robes fluttered, and his actions transformed endlessly. Once his practice reached an exceptional state, he gradually entered self-forgetfulness.

For some unknown reason, Ye Liangchen could quickly master the Cultivation Techniques brought by the game. This was probably because he possessed a Cheat System and was blessed by the Protagonist Halo.

An hour later, Ye Liangchen finished his practice. His steps felt incredibly light, as though he could float like a swallow.

Next, he began comprehending the Spirit Refining Art. He had been greatly looking forward to this Cultivation Technique for cultivating the soul and Spiritual Power.

The Spirit Refining Art had seven layers. Each layer increased the strength of the soul and Spiritual Power by twenty percent. Upon reaching the third layer, one could see through all illusions. At the fifth layer, one could launch a Soul Attack. At the seventh layer, one could transform one's soul into one's own likeness and roam the void with it.

After carefully reading the general outline of the Spirit Refining Art, Ye Liangchen felt that it was similar to the Spirit Refining Art cultivated by Han Laomo. If that was truly the case, then it was incredible.

"Hands Embrace Zi Wu Seal, Four Gates Tightly Closed Guarding the Center.

Ten Thousand Thoughts Return to One Entering Void, Feeling and Penetrating, True Meaning Arises."

Following the diagram, Ye Liangchen sat cross-legged. He used the thumb of his right hand to pinch the middle finger of that hand into the Wu seal, then inserted his left thumb into his right hand and formed the Zi seal. His left hand embraced his right, forming the Hands Embrace Zi Wu Seal. With his palms facing upward, he naturally placed them beneath his navel, between his legs.

The Four Gates were tightly closed: the eyes did not observe, the nose did not smell, the mouth did not speak, and the ears did not hear.

All worldly attachments remained unmoved, while one's intent guarded the center. Over time, ten thousand thoughts returned to one thought, and one thought returned to no thought.

Ye Liangchen sat quietly, Holding This Without Thought and calming his mind as he contemplated. An hour later, he suddenly felt his heart blossom with joy, his entire body relaxed, and all attachments washed away. His mind became empty and bright, and his spiritual platform instantly turned clear. Although his eyes were closed, it felt as though nothing around him could escape his perception. Yet that perception was still vague and indistinct.

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

"As expected of a Daoist Spirit Refining Art. It's truly incredible. If I cultivate it to mastery, I'll be able to know everything around me with Spiritual Sense alone, even with my eyes closed."

After cultivating for an hour, Ye Liangchen discovered that his mind had become much sharper. This was only his first time practicing it, yet he had already gained so much. It was truly not bad.

"Cultivation can't be completed overnight. I'll rest first."

Ye Liangchen brewed a pot of tea and sat in the pavilion, slowly savoring it and enjoying the tranquility. He thought, Compared to the miserable working life of my previous life, this is what real life is supposed to be.

At this time, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er had also finished class. Carrying three boxes of food, they entered Quiet Leisure Manor. When they saw Ye Liangchen sitting in the pavilion, they immediately skipped over and placed the food on the stone table.

"Big sisters, you're out of class." Ye Liangchen greeted the two girls.

"Little Chen, eat first!"

"Thank you, sisters."

The three children happily ate dinner in the pavilion. The academy's meals were plentiful and especially heavy on meat, making them excellent for students who were still growing.

The peaceful days passed one by one. Ye Liangchen completely immersed himself in this kind of life. Every day, he cultivated, ate, and slept. Sometimes, he left the manor and went to the academy Plaza to look at pretty girls. His life was filled with enjoyment.

Time flew like an arrow, and the sun and moon raced on. In the blink of an eye, two years had passed, and Ye Liangchen was already eight years old.

Over the past two years, Ye Liangchen had grown much taller, approaching 1.6 meters. He had also become much more handsome, though the childishness had yet to fade from his face. After all, he was only eight.

Ye Liangchen was now several times stronger than when he was six. He had cultivated the Five Elements Divine Fist, Myriad Plum Blossom Swordplay, Celestial Flight Sword Techniques, and Five Elements Tracing Steps to the minor mastery stage. As for the Spirit Refining Art, he had reached the second layer.

Although Ye Liangchen had spent most of the past two years cultivating those profound martial arts and had cultivated the Primordial Chaos Sutra relatively little, his Soul Power had still reached level 20.

One morning, inside Quiet Leisure Manor, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, Xue Wu, Yu Hairou, Qiu Ruoshui, Gu Qingbo, Shen Liuyu, and the other girls were learning Sword Techniques while Ye Liangchen sat some distance away and instructed them.

At first, only Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er had studied under Ye Liangchen. Later, after Xue Wu and the other girls witnessed his incomparably exquisite Sword Techniques, they went to weapon shops in Skywater City to buy swords and began learning Sword Techniques from him.

These girls were all close sisters of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er, as well as their future teammates in the Spirit Master Competition. Ye Liangchen simply taught them all together. As for how much they could learn, that depended on their own comprehension.

Two years of growth had made the girls much taller and increasingly beautiful. Xue Wu in particular was already twelve years old and looked almost like an adult beauty. She kept her hair short, making her look both beautiful and dashing, with the air of a King Flower.

Yu Hairou, Qiu Ruoshui, and Gu Qingbo were a year younger than Xue Wu, but they were much the same, all having grown into poised young beauties. Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and Shen Liuyu were a little younger than them, but they too were growing into lovely young women. In a few years, these girls would become the most beautiful girl group on the Douluo Continent.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Watching the girls practice, Ye Liangchen felt as though they were dancing. Their graceful figures resembled beautiful butterflies fluttering through a field of flowers.

Suddenly, Ye Liangchen recalled the Sword Dance of the sword maiden Gongsun Da Niang, especially her dance of sword weapons that shook the four directions. It was truly breathtakingly beautiful.

Gongsun Li from the Honor of Kings game was also modeled after Gongsun Da Niang. If Shui Bing'er and the other girls changed into outfits like Gongsun Li's and danced, it would definitely be stunning.

Ye Liangchen closed his eyes and imagined Gongsun Li's dance poses. He planned to choreograph them in the future and make these girls try them.

"Little Chen, how did we do just now?"

"Little Chen, what are you thinking about?"

Just as Ye Liangchen sank into thought, several crisp and pleasant voices rang out beside him, startling him awake. Shui Yue'er was hugging one of his arms and even reached out to pinch his face.

"You've finished practicing?" Ye Liangchen asked slowly, brushing away a certain girl's mischievous hand.

"Little Chen, weren't you watching us just now?" Shui Yue'er reached out and touched Ye Liangchen's forehead, asking with a grin.

"Little Chen, with a group of beauties standing right in front of you, you actually got distracted." Xue Wu, Yu Hairou, and the others held their foreheads, thinking that this little fellow was truly unreliable.

"I was watching. You practiced very well. Keep working hard." Ye Liangchen chuckled. Naturally, one had to praise beautiful girls.

"Girls, you did well."

At that moment, Lan Xiao Die, dressed in a black close-fitting outfit, entered Quiet Leisure Manor with a smile.

"Aunt Lan, you're here."

Ye Liangchen knew that Lan Xiao Die had come to find him because she was surely going to help him obtain his Second Soul Ring.

"Hello, Dean!"

As juniors, Xue Wu, Yu Hairou, and the others sweetly greeted Lan Xiao Die.

Over the past two years, the girls had all reached the Soul Grandmaster realm through cultivating the first half of the Primordial Chaos Sutra. They had also all obtained their Second Soul Rings. Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er had respectively reached level 24 and level 26, while Xue Wu had reached level 27. Since she was the oldest, her Soul Power was naturally a little higher than everyone else's. The other four had all surpassed level 23.

Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er had benefited from the Cheat System effects of the Foundation Establishment Pill and Body Tempering Pill. In addition, both cultivated the complete Five Elements Divine Fist, greatly strengthening their bodies. Their Second Soul Rings had broken through the age limit and reached nine hundred years. As for Xue Wu and the others, although they also cultivated the complete Five Elements Fist, Ye Liangchen had not used pills to give them a Cheat System advantage. They lagged far behind the Shui Bing'er sisters, so their Second Soul Rings could only follow the standard age limit.

In Ye Liangchen's view, since these girls had cultivated the complete Five Elements Fist, they could all completely absorb Spirit Rings over eight hundred years old. The Shui Bing'er sisters could even absorb thousand-year Spirit Rings. However, Lan Xiao Die did not dare take the risk and only allowed the two girls to absorb nine-hundred-year Spirit Rings.

Although the girls' Soul Power had increased quickly, they still could not defeat Ye Liangchen. A few days ago, they had sparred, and all seven of them had been defeated by the little fellow alone.

It was not that the girls were weak, but that Ye Liangchen was simply too powerful. Especially when he used the Five Elements Tracing Steps along with his incomparably exquisite Sword Techniques, the girls could only last seven or eight exchanges before they were defeated one after another.

"Mother, can we come along this time while you help Little Chen obtain his Second Soul Ring?" Shui Bing'er looked at her mother's attire and knew that she was preparing to help Ye Liangchen obtain his Second Soul Ring. She dearly wanted to go along as well.

Shui Yue'er, Xue Wu, and the others also gazed at her eagerly, wanting to go with them.

"The journey is far, and it would delay too much of your time. You should cultivate properly instead. Besides, the seven of you can't even defeat Little Chen alone. How can you still have the nerve to think about playing?" Lan Xiao Die chuckled.

"That's because Little Chen is too strong. If we fought Soul Masters of the same level, we would definitely win." Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, and the others were extremely unconvinced by their defeat at Ye Liangchen's hands.

"Ha...! A loss is a loss. Don't make excuses."

"Little Chen, hurry inside and change into your usual clothes. Then we'll set off."

Lan Xiao Die saw through the girls' desire to play at once and directly refused them. Since all seven could not defeat Ye Liangchen alone, she naturally would not let them waste time. They needed to cultivate diligently.

"Goodbye, big sisters."

Ye Liangchen waved to Shui Bing'er and the others before quickly running back into the house. He took off his sky-blue School Uniform and changed into white clothes. He also tossed several sets of clothing into his Soul Tool so he could change and wash them later.

"Goodbye, Little Chen. Go and come back soon."

After watching Ye Liangchen and Lan Xiao Die leave the manor, the girls could only remain at the academy and cultivate obediently.

After leaving the manor, Ye Liangchen discovered that Shui Lingfeng was also waiting outside in a black close-fitting outfit, which surprised him greatly.

"Grandma Dean, why are you here too?"

Shui Lingfeng stroked Ye Liangchen's head and said with a chuckle, "Grandma has nothing to do, so I'll accompany you on this trip."

"Aunt Lan, are we going to the Star Dou Forest again this time?" Ye Liangchen asked.

"Yes! Only there will it be easier to find a suitable Spirit Ring for you." Lan Xiao Die smiled. Since they were obtaining a Spirit Ring for the little fellow, they naturally had to seek the best one.

With the support of the Foundation Establishment Golden Pill, Shui Lingfeng and Lan Xiao Die had both reached level 86 Soul Power over the past two years. In another few years, they would likely break through to become Titled Douluo.

When the three arrived at the academy gates, they found that Su Lin had prepared a carriage, just like last time.

"Teacher Su Lin, sorry to trouble you again." Ye Liangchen greeted her.

"Little Chen is so well-behaved."

"Senior sister, teacher, get on."

Su Lin smiled at the three of them and invited them aboard, while she once again took up the role of driver.

"Little Chen, based on the attributes of your Soul Skills, we've found several types of Soul Beasts suitable for support. They are the Three-Leaf Begonia, Silver-Striped Tree, Emerald Swan, Snow Swan, and Pink Lady. The Three-Leaf Begonia and Silver-Striped Tree are Plant Soul Beasts, while the others are Animal Soul Beasts. Which type of Soul Beast do you want?"

When Ye Liangchen heard Lan Xiao Die and Shui Lingfeng mention the Emerald Swan, he was immediately startled. He thought, We definitely can't kill that kind of Soul Beast. Otherwise, Bi Ji's 40-Meter Long Blade will come chopping down at once. Besides, Emerald Swans are rare to begin with, so we probably won't encounter one anyway.

"Aunt Lan, Emerald Swans are too rare. We probably won't find one. Any of the remaining Soul Beasts will do."

Ye Liangchen did not care much about the other types of Soul Beasts. He was only worried that if they somehow had absurdly good luck and encountered an Emerald Swan, Lan Xiao Die and the others might kill it, which would cause trouble.

"Yes, Emerald Swans are indeed too rare. They are almost never seen and exist only in legends. Let's not hold out hope for one and choose among the other types of Soul Beasts instead."

Lan Xiao Die and Shui Lingfeng also felt that finding an Emerald Swan was nearly impossible.

To reach their destination as quickly as possible, the group hurried along the entire way. They arrived at the Star Dou Forest in only twelve days.

During this journey, Ye Liangchen did not encounter anything particularly novel. None of the major characters appeared either. It seemed he would have to wait until he left the academy in the future before meeting those people.