A Young Girl's Worries

Returning to the castle, Li Yilin looked at the strongest woman he had purchased on this trip, a Star Level 9 spirit reader whom he named Shuang Yue.

"From today on, Shuang Yue, you are temporarily responsible for all matters in the castle. Take these nineteen people away and settle them in; do not let them disturb me."

On this trip to the slave market, he had purchased a total of thirty slaves, including ten spirit readers and twenty martial artists.

Among them, five spirit readers and five martial artists were servants for Si Yao, while the remaining twenty were the servants responsible for maintaining the castle.

In truth, maintenance was handled by robots; the purpose of these servants was more to add a bit of life to the castle.

Shuang Yue was as her name suggested—a woman with a cold temperament. Standing two meters tall, she had a stunning face and long, slender limbs, her graceful physique perfectly accentuated by her form-fitting black combat suit.

"Yes, Master."

Shuang Yue nodded and led the nineteen servants under her charge away.

Li Yilin turned his head to look at the silent Si Yao.

He pointed to another palace behind his own and said, "That palace will be your residence from now on."

The castle he had purchased was among the most luxurious on Qiu Dragon Planet, nearly ten kilometers in length and width, containing several palaces within its grounds.

Si Yao raised her eyes and glanced at the magnificent, golden palace. Even without stepping inside, the gilded exterior alone was enough to imagine how exquisite and luxurious it must be within.

She lowered her gaze and respectfully replied, "Yes."

"Although these ten servants are under your control, your priority remains your cultivation. Do not let trivial matters affect your progress. You may choose one of them to act as a captain to manage the others," he said.

Generally, those who comprehended the Thunder Law would be influenced by it to varying degrees—for instance, their personality and temperament might manifest as the explosive irritability of fire, the silent nourishment of water, the hidden vitality of wood, the steady weight of earth, the unpredictable nature of light, or the sharp, cold edge of metal.

Yet, Li Yilin seemed to be an exception. His gentleness, composure, and meticulous patience were more a reflection of his past life. To those unfamiliar with him, one could never tell that he had comprehended the most violent of laws: the Thunder Law.

"Yes, Senior." Si Yao nodded, then, just like Li Yilin, she selected the strongest spirit reader to serve as captain and manage the remaining nine.

Li Yilin fell silent for a moment before saying, "Call me Teacher."

Si Yao looked up in shock. Li Yilin continued, "Before you earn my recognition and become my true disciple, you may call me Teacher; you are my student." It was just like his relationship with Weide; he was merely Weide's student. When he called Weide "Teacher," it wasn't the title of a disciple, but simply a respectful term for a mentor.

A flash of dimness crossed Si Yao's eyes, but it quickly turned into determination.

Sooner or later, she would become his true disciple.

Thinking of this, she looked up, her blue eyes curving like crescents. Meeting Li Yilin's smiling gaze, she called out crisply, "Teacher."

Time passed unhurriedly, and another five years went by. There were ten years left until the Clone was fully gestated.

On the azure planet.

Barren ruins, symbols of the prosperity of past civilizations, dotted the vibrant continent. Everywhere—

monsters roared, their shrill cries shaking the clouds and exposing the fierce avian beasts hiding within.

"Screech—" A fierce bird let out a high-pitched cry, spreading its wings, which spanned a full thirty to forty meters. With a light flap, it soared dozens of miles away—

In a massive base city crowded with millions of humans, a young man who had worked hard for over a decade finally passed his assessment, bringing his family to live in the big house he had dreamed of.

Soon, he would move on to the next assessment to earn his ticket to step into the real world.

Qiu Dragon Planet.

Li Yilin's castle.

In the vast, open-air training ground, Si Yao held a silver longsword, practicing her sword techniques diligently. Her speed was extremely fast, phantoms appeared repeatedly, and sharp sword winds swept across the space.

Under a large tree not far away, a table and a chair were set up.

Li Yilin, dressed in a comfortable silver robe, lay on a rocking chair, his body swaying gently with the rhythm of the chair. With his hands behind his head, he watched the light-brain screen floating at the perfect angle in mid-air, which was playing scenes from death matches at the Giant Axe Arena.

--

Although he was watching the video, his gaze would occasionally drift from the screen to the person practicing swordplay nearby.

"The Flash Moon Sword emphasizes speed; if it is fast, it cannot be soft."

Si Yao did not stop her movements. Amidst Li Yilin's occasional guidance, she tried hard to capture the inspiration that flashed through her mind. Although her movements didn't seem to change, her force became increasingly steady.

Li Yilin nodded slightly, satisfied, and withdrew his gaze.

Feeling the gaze behind her finally shift away, Si Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly, this relaxation caused her to lose her focus; the tip of her sword jerked, and a stray gust of sword wind flew off, grazing the ground at an angle.

Li Yilin shook his head, "Your control over energy is still insufficient, and you lack steadiness."

Si Yao pursed her lips and worked hard to swing the sword in her hand.

"The speed and intensity of energy should be controlled by your own will." Li Yilin's voice continued to drift over, unhurried and gentle, showing no sign of annoyance at his student's mistake.

"When you can train until your sword moves with your intent, and your strikes are sharp and swift, your sword technique will be considered a minor success."

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already vanished from the rocking chair.

Si Yao quickly sheathed her sword, her blue eyes looking toward the now-empty, still-rocking chair. She breathed lightly, a look of annoyance on her face.

"I messed up again!"

Five years had passed, and she had grown another twenty centimeters, reaching nearly one point five meters in height.

The wings on her back were increasingly lustrous and beautiful, spanning three meters when spread. Her hair, smooth as silk, cascaded down, loosely tied in a fluffy, thick braid adorned with sparkling hair accessories.

She gently tucked away a stray lock of hair, her gaze falling on the silver sword in her hand—the Flash Moon Sword. Thinking of something, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

The Flash Moon Sword was a gift from her teacher when she first began her sword training, and accompanying the sword was the secret technique known as the Flash Moon Sword Art.

The Flash Moon Sword Art included not only a guiding technique but also the movement secret technique Flash Moon Evasion and the combat secret technique Flash Moon Swordsmanship.

The Flash Moon Sword Art was a cultivation technique based on the Wind Law, and her primary focus was the study of wind and time.

Five years had passed, and while her swordsmanship was still in the introductory stage with no hope of reaching minor success in sight, she was fortunate enough to have comprehended the Wind Domain, even if it was only at the first level.

However, she was only twenty years old; being able to comprehend a domain already qualified her as a genius, not to mention that her strength was only at the Planetary Level.

If word of this got out, there was no telling how many powerhouses would want to take her on as a disciple.

That was the kind of genius who could comprehend a domain while still at the Planetary Level!

Even within the Virtual Universe, she had never seen anyone who could comprehend a domain at the Planetary Level.

But Teacher—

Although her teacher never said anything, she knew that he was not truly satisfied. Of course, she hadn't seen any disappointment either, or else she would have been truly devastated.

"Just what level do I need to reach—" she couldn't help but stomp her foot.

She didn't care whether she was a genius or not; after all, being a genius didn't put food on the table. She only wanted her teacher's affirmation.

In her heart, her teacher was second only to her mother. What she wanted most was to earn her teacher's recognition and become his official disciple.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could never see that recognition in her teacher.

Even though he often encouraged her and praised her, saying that she was already very hardworking and diligent—

What good was that?

Her teacher had always been lenient with her and was a gentle, easygoing person by nature. His affirmation was more about wanting her not to dwell too much on his thoughts, to keep her from falling into the self-doubt of having no one to validate her—rather than because she was truly exceptional.

She still remembered five years ago, when her teacher brought her back to the castle and told her that only by earning his recognition could she become his disciple.