First Disciple Level

A silent pressure spread throughout the entire shopping mall; everyone was like a duck with its throat pinched, unable to make a single sound.

"Tap!"

A bead of sweat slid silently down a forehead, traced a path along a rugged cheek to the chin, and finally dripped onto the clothes over the chest.

Manshang swallowed hard, feeling as if a massive mountain were pressing down on him, leaving him unable to catch his breath. The master of that mountain was none other than Li Yilin, standing right before them.

He glanced at Si Yao, who was kneeling on the ground, looking up at the lord with burning eyes, and felt a sense of admiration in his heart.

A girl who had just escaped a den of demons, a person without even the status of a universal citizen, actually dared to beg a powerhouse whose strength far exceeded the Universal Realm to take her as a disciple!

It was too bold, truly too bold!

But it had to be said, such boldness was rare in ordinary people.

If she succeeded, she would soar into the sky!

Of course, if she failed, she would be reduced to dust.

Manshang swallowed again, feeling his heart pounding wildly.

In any case, he would never have such audacity.

He no longer cared about whether he was making money or not; he only hoped that the lord would not lose his temper.

The weak could not even withstand a sliver of aura accidentally leaked by a powerhouse in their anger.

This was reality!

Li Yilin lowered his eyes, his gaze landing on the young girl's delicate face. Her blue eyes were dazzlingly bright, as clear as when they first met, though now they held a hint of nervousness, anticipation, and longing.

He smiled faintly, and the invisible mountain pressing down on everyone dissipated like the tide. Everyone subconsciously let out a sigh of relief; for a moment, the sound of breathing rose and fell throughout the vast shopping mall, and an inexplicable atmosphere permeated the space.

Li Yilin said, "Although I like you, I have yet to take on a disciple. It is not because no one wants to be my disciple, but because my standards are too high." He lowered his head, his gaze meeting those bright blue eyes once more.

"Give me a reason to take you as my disciple."

A reason!

Si Yao clenched her hands tightly, her small face turning deathly pale, filled with tension. She looked at Li Yilin, her small mouth slightly agape, wanting to say something, but then she thought of something else. The words about to spill out swirled in her throat before she swallowed them back down.

She almost choked on her own saliva, her face flushing red.

No, she couldn't!

She couldn't say it.

Mother said she couldn't tell anyone, absolutely not.

But—

Thinking of something, a look of conflict flashed in her eyes. Her long, curled eyelashes cast a shadow beneath her eyes, and her blue gaze deepened.

She looked up at Li Yilin. Li Yilin smiled without a word, watching her calmly. His smiling eyes held scrutiny and appraisal—no longer the gentleness and reassurance from moments ago.

A long time passed.

Seeming both unwilling and resigned, she knelt on the ground, head bowed, saying nothing.

The room was silent.

"Heh!" Li Yilin laughed.

He raised his hand, and amidst the surprised gazes of everyone, it slowly landed on her head. Si Yao felt a weight on her head, and her heart gave a sudden jolt.

Just as she felt uneasy, the hand on her head gently ruffled her hair and then patted it twice. The force was neither heavy nor light; it didn't hurt, yet it successfully made her eyes turn red instantly.

Every time she caused trouble outside, her mother would be very angry and punish her. But no matter how angry her mother was, as long as she knelt on the ground with red, teary eyes, looking at her stubbornly, her mother would always forgive her.

And whenever she heard her mother forgive her and stop being angry, she would burst into tears of joy, feeling as if she had escaped disaster once again. Every time her mother saw this, she would helplessly ruffle her little head and give it a light pat as a final reprimand—

She sobbed, her eyes filling with crystalline tears that hung precariously, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Little one." A gentle voice came from above, the tone carrying helplessness and a hint of imperceptible compromise.

"Plop."

A single tear finally gave way, dripping onto the ground and splashing into a tiny plum blossom shape.

Li Yilin lowered his eyes, his gaze landing on that tiny plum blossom on the floor, his thin lips parting slightly: "I can give you a chance."

Si Yao looked up abruptly, struggling to keep her eyes open, wanting to see clearly. But there were too many tears in her eyes, blurring her vision. Yet, the words spoken by the person before her still clearly drilled into her ears.

"I will give you a chance to become my disciple, how about that?" he asked gently, like a good-natured senior looking at a promising junior.

Hiss!

Gasps rose and fell. Everyone looked at Si Yao in unison, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and longing.

She actually succeeded?

Even if it was just a chance, and not becoming a disciple right away.

But this lord had said he had no disciples yet. As long as this little girl worked hard, she could strive to become his disciple before this lord found someone he truly favored.

That is the first disciple of the sect!

The senior sister level!

Even if those who came later had higher talent or greater strength, they would still have to obediently call her senior sister.

If this isn't soaring to the heavens, what is?

Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of everyone, Si Yao nodded heavily. Although her voice was still choked with sobs, she replied loudly and with absolute firmness.

"Okay."

After shouting this, she squeezed her eyes shut and kowtowed three times heavily on the ground, both to express gratitude for changing her fate and to thank him for giving her this opportunity.

Seeing her heart of gratitude, Li Yilin felt even better. He used his domain force to lift her up and placed her on the sofa to the side.

Si Yao bit her lip nervously, obediently following his force to sit on the sofa.

The soft, comfortable, and oversized sofa made her appear even more petite and delicate. The wings behind her fluttered slightly, and the soft, snow-like feathers trembled, shimmering with silver light.

These wings were practically like a weather barometer.

Li Yilin smiled again. He raised his hand to hand her two spirit fruits the size of a baby's fist, and while telling her to eat them, he laughed: "I possess the strength of a Domain Lord level Giant Axe Warrior from the Giant Axe Arena. Having you follow me is not a grievance to you."

"At the very least, you will not lack cultivation resources."

Hiss!

Another wave of gasping sounds rose and fell.

"Domain Lord level Giant Axe Warrior."

My goodness!

The star lord of Qiu Dragon Planet is only at the Domain Lord level, right?

And he isn't even a "Giant Axe Warrior," so what does that mean?

It means that this handsome man before them possesses strength even greater than the star lord of Qiu Dragon Planet.

Thinking of this, the crowd's gaze toward Si Yao became even more intense, and Si Yao's hands, gripping the armrest of the sofa, tightened involuntarily.

A Domain Lord level powerhouse?

How lucky she was!

Half an hour later.

Li Yilin walked out of the slave market with Si Yao, followed by a long line of slaves.

Some belonged to Li Yilin, and some belonged to Si Yao.

"Take care, my lord. If you want to buy slaves next time, come find me. I will give you the biggest discount and will never let you suffer a loss."

Manshang and Fang Zhen watched them leave. Before they departed, they didn't forget to push their services, though their eyes couldn't help but drift uncontrollably toward Si Yao, who was being led by Li Yilin, filled with emotion and a hint of envy.

Everything that happened here today would surely spread throughout the entire Black Dragon Mountain Star Domain before long.

Those who could come to the slave market were no ordinary people. As long as they carried an auxiliary light brain and scanned the lord, they would know the extent of his power.

Not to mention that the lord himself had directly admitted he possessed Domain Lord level strength, and was a Domain Lord who had earned the title of "Giant Axe Warrior."

A little slave controlled by a Bio-Chip, whose life and death were not her own, had transformed in the blink of an eye into the apprentice of a Domain Lord level powerhouse!

A plot twist that even games wouldn't dare to write had actually occurred.

As expected, the boss was right.

The universe is so vast, anything is possible!

Fang Zhen's expression on the side was not nearly as good. The smile he had been barely maintaining since Li Yilin said he would give her a chance made Manshang shake his head every time he saw it.

Poor guy.

Fortunately, that girl was not in his assigned area. He had no connection with her, so there was no possibility of having offended her, and perhaps there was even a bit of favor involved.

Thinking of something, his eyes narrowed slightly, and the atmosphere of good mood radiating from him made Fang Zhen grit his teeth in frustration.