"Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python—its nine extremes are auspicious, too. Why not keep that name? And when a python evolves to the very end, it can become a dragon. How about I call you Long Jiu?"
"Hm?"
"Long Jiu?"
That familiar name suddenly brought a stunning face from his memories to Zhang Nian's mind. He immediately shook his head and took back what he'd said. "Just kidding. I'll call you Cailin instead."
It might have seemed like he was stealing someone else's name, but whoever came up with it first got to claim it. Besides, who knew where Xiao Yan was at this point? When it came to names, whoever thought of one first got to use it.
"Cailin..."
She murmured softly, her delicate brows dipping slightly. Where Zhang Nian couldn't see, a strange glint flashed briefly in her cool eyes. Then she smiled brightly. "Thank you for giving me a name, Master. I really like Cailin~"
That smile was like a spring breeze rippling across the water, stirring Zhang Nian's heart.
[ Ding! Medusa's favorability +5. Current favorability: 80. Multiplier: 3000 ]
Oh my god! This was incredible news!
A higher multiplier meant his strength would grow faster. Excited, he stood and prepared to leave. Cailin rose to see him off, but Zhang Nian stopped her with a raised hand. "Get some rest. Remember to balance work and rest. You don't need to push yourself so hard. Your master is still here, after all."
"Creak~"
The door opened again. Hearing the noise, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong, who had been waiting outside, hurriedly bowed toward the doorway. "Saint~"
"Mm."
He nodded, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. He was no longer the "Dou Sheng" without any real strength that he'd been not long ago. As his power grew, so did a tremendous confidence in himself—unlike anything he'd felt while using the trial cards. Back then, he'd focused on completing his missions as quickly as possible. With only two cards and the system's harsh demands, he'd had to put up with things he otherwise wouldn't. But now was different.
It might make him sound like someone who became heartless once he'd gotten what he wanted, but as a three-star Dou Zun, he could already crush eighty percent of the people on the Dou Qi Continent. And with the Nanming Li Fire in his hands, Zhang Nian was confident that even a low-star Dou Sheng Expert would meet their end at his hands.
As though remembering something, Zhang Nian gave the two of them an instruction:
"From now on, there is no Queen Medusa in this sect—only Cailin. When I'm away, she'll be the sect master."
Those words firmly established Cailin's irreplaceable position in the sect. As her personal maids, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong would naturally rise in status as well.
They replied eagerly, "Yes~"
Exchanging glances, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong smiled happily. Such was the principle of sharing one's master's disgrace and standing ready to die for them. Their joy only made them more respectful.
Zhang Nian noticed their little exchange but said nothing. It was only human nature. As long as they didn't cause trouble, he'd let them be. After all, they were just a group of pitiful young girls.
Not long after Zhang Nian left, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong peered through the crack in the door. Inside, Medusa—no, the young sect mistress, Cailin—was lying on the bed. She looked a little dazed. Remembering what Ya Fei had once told them, they gathered their courage and knocked.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
"Come in." Cailin's cool voice came from inside. Though her voice was still calm, her delight was unmistakable.
"Creak~"
The two entered one after the other and bowed to Cailin, their faces beaming. "That's wonderful! You have no idea—Saint just told us that when he's away, you'll be the sect master~"
Xiao Qing nodded enthusiastically beside her, her eyes twinkling as if she were the one who'd been rewarded. She couldn't have been happier. "That's right, that means that in Saint's heart, you're the most important of all the disciples. No, maybe you're the most esteemed person in the entire sect besides him."
"Yes! I think that in Saint's heart, you, Young Sect Mistress Cailin, are the most important person."
Their chatter muddled Cailin's thoughts until she could barely make the simplest judgment. A blush spread across her lovely face. This girlish look of a heart beginning to flutter was completely unlike her usual cool self.
The two exchanged a glance and, in perfect understanding, quietly slipped out of the room together. This was the perfect moment for feelings to take root in her heart. If something really came of it... Still thinking about the benefits Ya Fei had mentioned, they hadn't considered the more important point: Ya Fei was no longer the manager she'd once been. She was now one of the disciples of Zhang Nian, Saint Qinglian, the sect master.
After leaving Cailin, Zhang Nian headed over to Yun Yun's place. There hadn't been many cultivation-reward notifications from her lately. It seemed she was slacking off, which wouldn't do. He couldn't leave all the pressure on Cailin, after all. A good master had to keep his disciples motivated. So Zhang Nian went to Yun Yun's residence, brandishing his little whip—no, his verbal whip.
There was no one in her room. From the bamboo grove nearby came the faint sound of something cutting through the air. Zhang Nian focused his mind and sensed the area to make sure. Then he strolled toward the source of the sound.
Above the bamboo grove, where mist curled through the air, a woman in green darted back and forth with a three-foot-long sword in her hand, like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal world. As her sword moved, clouds gathered and dispersed, her technique dazzling.
"Mm, not bad."
A voice suddenly interrupted Yun Yun's movements. She looked over and saw her master standing below, having appeared without her noticing. She immediately flew down and cupped her fists in greeting.
"Master~"
Without replying, he raised a hand. Space rippled, and the trick was as effortless for Zhang Nian now as any everyday task. In the blink of an eye, three scrolls appeared in his palm:
[Earth-Tier High-Level Dou Technique: Wind Extremity: Annihilation]
[Heaven-Tier Low-Level Dou Technique: Wind Extremity: Judgment]
[Earth-Tier High-Level Dou Technique: Cloud-Stepping Shadowless]
"These three techniques are upgraded versions of the ones you demonstrated that day. You may study them, of course, but you absolutely must not pass them on to anyone else."
Without another word, Zhang Nian left the three scrolls behind and slipped away. Yun Yun remained rooted to the spot, stunned. She hadn't thought Zhang Nian had taken the matter seriously at all. She picked up one of the technique scrolls.
"Gasp..."
"Oh my god..."
Earth-tier high-level... Earth-tier high-level... Heaven-tier!!!
It had only been a few days, and one was already Heaven-tier?
Was her master really only a Dou Sheng?
Yun Yun didn't know how powerful Dou Sheng Experts were, but Heaven-Tier Dou Techniques were the stuff of legends. For someone from a place like the Jia Ma Empire, they were the sort of thing that appeared only in ancient records.
"This is simply..."
Before you continue