In the pavilion at the Blazing Sun Martial Hall, Fang Can felt his aptitude steadily improving, staying at an astonishing tenfold even without taking pills.
But he still couldn't figure out why being near the girl made it improve so quickly.
If being good-looking could improve one's aptitude, why didn't Senior Jiang have the same effect?
Or was this girl some kind of Heavenly Lone Star? The sort whose bad luck cursed her father, mother, brothers, and children, and brought misfortune to anyone around her?
As Fang Can circulated his energy, all sorts of guesses ran through his mind, but he wasn't the least bit worried about his safety.
Even if the girl really was a Heavenly Lone Star, he wasn't afraid. He could turn misfortune into treasure.
With such a powerful signal, Fang Can's cultivation speed began to soar.
Not far away, Yuan Dang stood dumbfounded after finishing the job of cleaning Fang Can's room, staring at the two people in the pavilion.
A breeze blew as Fang Can and Ye Qingshi sat with their backs to Yuan Dang, so close they seemed about to touch.
"How is this possible... How is this possible?" Yuan Dang shook his head, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. How had his senior sister and that bastard Fang become so intimate in such a short time?
Afraid he'd lose control of the murderous intent in his mind, attack Fang Can, and get killed in return, Yuan Dang turned and ran, trying to flee the area.
At that moment, a strange thought even crossed his mind.
Reincarnation?
This was nothing but a hallucination conjured by an ordinary second-stage Mysterious Pass disciple of the Blazing Sun Martial Hall as he lay dying. It was all an illusion.
Holding back the tears of frustration in his eyes, Yuan Dang disappeared without looking back.
"Did someone just pass by?" Ye Qingshi asked, a little embarrassed. Sitting so close to Fang Can was a real challenge for her temperament.
"Don't worry about it. Just sit still, Miss Ye." Fang Can sat cross-legged without opening his eyes and spoke calmly.
Looking at the young man, who had been cultivating for nearly an hour straight, and feeling his steady breathing, Ye Qingshi couldn't help asking,
"Is martial arts fun? You all seem so absorbed in it. Father and my senior brothers even gave up their manhood to practice."
"It's not fun for me. I often feel tired, irritable, and in pain," Fang Can replied calmly.
"If it makes you feel bad, why do you still want to practice martial arts?" she pressed.
"Because I'm good at it." Fang Can opened his eyes and replied,
"I know full well that no two people can follow the same path. And I can see the martial path stretching beneath my feet, all the way to the summit. If I keep going, I'll reach the top."
Looking at Fang Can, whose tone was incredibly arrogant, Ye Qingshi couldn't help asking, "What about me? What do you think of my aptitude?"
"You..." Fang Can glanced at her and shook his head.
"With your current temperament, you won't be able to keep going. Without an obsession like a blood feud, you can't pursue it with unwavering determination." Fang Can was honest.
"Does that mean aptitude can't be changed? Like when the protagonist in those storybooks suddenly has an epiphany and becomes incredibly resolute?"
"It's possible, but the price would be steep." Fang Can spoke evenly. Lately, he'd gained some new insight into the Idealist Martial Dao, and it had to do with aptitude.
He wondered whether falling into depravity counted as an excellent method for improving one's martial aptitude.
After all, the Idealist Martial Dao was about making one's thoughts and intentions as one.
And falling into depravity was exactly that.
If all you could think was, "If I leave my master's boobs, I'll die," wouldn't that count as being of one mind?
Then you could use that single-mindedness to cultivate. For example, you could threaten someone with the terrifying punishment of being forbidden from touching their master's boobs unless they got into Tsinghua University. Surely those who'd fallen into depravity would study incredibly hard for a taste of such a delicacy.
So making people fall into depravity and following the "Secondary Daughter Dao" might also be a way to improve one's aptitude.
Of course, this was only one of Fang Can's guesses. It was just a possible approach to cultivation. Without actually testing it, he couldn't draw any conclusions.
Hearing that the method came at a great cost, Ye Qingshi had no interest in understanding it. She didn't particularly yearn to cultivate right now, so she said casually, "Then forget it. I don't plan on cultivating anyway."
"Mm." Fang Can answered softly, closed his eyes again, and focused on his cultivation.
With the girl keeping him company, Fang Can cultivated diligently.
Meanwhile, inside the Martial Hall, Ye Yonglie covered his face and sighed. "Could my aptitude really be this poor? I've been trying to comprehend it for half an hour, yet I can't even glimpse the beginnings of a Heart Manifestation."
"Master, don't be impatient. Hasn't Mr. Fang already agreed to stay?" Yan Zhi tried to reassure him.
"As long as Mr. Fang stays for a day, you can spend a day comprehending. If he stays for ten days, you can spend ten days at it."
Ye Yonglie lamented, "It would already be good if Young Friend Fang stayed for three to five days. But what if my Heart Manifestation needs thirty or fifty days of comprehension to emerge? What am I supposed to do then?"
"Master, don't worry. When you're at a loss, think of your family," Yan Zhi said.
The words seemed to enlighten Ye Yonglie. He whipped around and asked, "What do you mean?"
"If Grandmaster wants him to stay for the long term, that wouldn't be difficult. It would just require a little sacrifice from Senior Sister Ye." The sunlight streaming in cast Yan Zhi's face in alternating light and shadow.
"Mr. Fang has only just entered the martial world, and he's easily persuaded. Perhaps we can use this opportunity to get close to him." Yan Zhi spoke unhurriedly. "If our families form a marriage alliance, then with Mr. Fang's aptitude, wouldn't Master have a chance to reach the heavens?"
"This..." Ye Yonglie hesitated.
It wasn't that he couldn't bear to part with his daughter.
After all, he'd already resolved to devote his entire life to the martial path when he gave up his Root of Troubles. How could a mere daughter matter more than his manhood?
He was just worried that if things went wrong, he might end up antagonizing Fang Can instead.
"Master, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child," Yan Zhi egged him on.
"What do you have in mind?" Master Ye looked up, seemingly having already made up his mind.
"You can't keep a thief away forever, but surely you can send him a gift. Master, just do this and that, then that and this, and everything will work out." Yan Zhi smiled delightedly.
On Fang Can's end, he used cultivation as an excuse to stay within three steps of Ye Qingshi as much as possible.
When he combined that with taking pills, his cultivation speed increased dramatically. He couldn't help wondering how fast he'd cultivate if he held her close at such a short distance.
After putting up with him for a whole day, the girl finally reached the door to her room. Feeling the highly noticeable presence of the young man behind her, she couldn't help asking, "Are you seriously going to follow me into my room?"
"Is that really... all right?" Fang Can was a little embarrassed too.
"That doesn't seem appropriate. How about I just cultivate outside? That way, I won't disturb your sleep."
"So you do know it's inappropriate." Ye Qingshi was so exasperated she almost laughed. She went inside and slammed the door shut.
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