The Master's Responsibility

Zhu Zhuqing was a little genius after all; combined with this environment, her breakthrough went quite smoothly.

"There is still an hour left. Do you two want to cultivate nearby?"

Having estimated the time, I figured that just waiting around would be a waste for the two children and might even make them restless, so I made the suggestion.

The two children wore different expressions; Ning Rongrong looked rather unwilling, having hoped to slack off, never expecting to be assigned extra training.

It felt like the illusion of having just asked for leave to go home, only for the boss to demand overtime.

Luo Xiaoshi, however, was quite willing; for him, aside from teaching others martial arts, he simply enjoyed cultivation.

As for why he cultivated, he couldn't really say.

Looking at the expressions of the two children and considering my plans, I looked at them with a smile like a smiling tiger.

They couldn't help but shiver, then said in unison.

"Alright, we'll go right away."

After they went inside, Chen An looked at the two doors, lost in thought.

Regarding Ning Rongrong's identity, her father would come sooner or later; I wasn't afraid, but dealing with a shrewd old fox would be exhausting.

Compared to Ning Rongrong, Luo Xiaoshi's situation gave me more to think about, especially with my few days away and Zhu Zhuqing going into seclusion.

Fortunately, I still had students to teach, otherwise, the inexplicable thing inside my body might have affected me even more.

"Hehe, they've finally left."

Chen An immediately changed his expression. The matters regarding the two children weren't difficult for me right now; Luo Xiaoshi's situation was slightly tricky, but only slightly.

After they went in, Chen An confirmed Zhu Zhuqing's time once more and headed outside.

Having just checked on my eldest disciple and feeling relieved, I had to find some joy; this was the perfect time for something sneaky.

"So delicious."

Eating something in secret was a great joy; everything tasted better that way.

Calculating that the time was about up, I tidied up a bit and returned to the Cultivation Room, only to find the two had already come out.

The sharp-eyed Little Stone had already noticed the telltale signs on Chen An, but out of respect for the occasion, he didn't say anything, choosing to save his master some face.

When Ning Rongrong saw Chen An return, she didn't think much of it at first, but upon seeing the trace at the corner of his mouth, she rubbed her eyes, thinking she had seen wrong. She looked again, but she hadn't been mistaken.

"Master, did you go sneak a snack?"

When she said that, I was a bit puzzled as to how the two children had discovered me, until I saw Little Stone pointing at the corner of his own mouth.

After a sudden realization, I wiped the corner of my mouth naturally and said as if nothing had happened.

"What do you mean 'sneak'? Can a master's affairs be called sneaking?"

Ning Rongrong shrank her neck; she could only express that, fine, you're the master, you have the final say.

At this moment, the movement inside the Cultivation Room quieted down, and the beautiful young woman pushed open the door and walked out.

Her temperament was now a bit more refined, possessing a hint of the demeanor of a master of the underworld, but that cold, aloof look didn't last long before it crumbled the moment she saw Chen An.

"Master, I heard that."

"Uh."

It was truly a case of it never rains but it pours; once caught by my eldest disciple, there was no escaping.

As if giving up and accepting my fate, I said.

"Alright, I'll make you a big feast tonight."

I heard the three of them say in unison.

"Yay!"

This was, after all, a Cultivation Room, and being too rowdy wasn't great.

Although it wouldn't affect others' cultivation, none of them wanted to be too noisy in a place like this.

Once they reached the outside, Zhu Zhuqing shared the good news.

"Master, I have successfully broken through to level 30."

She was quite happy to reach level 30; reaching it at the age of twelve meant her cultivation speed had surged, which greatly boosted her confidence.

As the saying goes, a confident person's spirit and appearance will improve significantly. Her current state was much better than before.

"Well done."

The greatest satisfaction and joy of being a teacher is watching one's students make constant progress. Seeing them happy made me happy too.

"Master, is what you said before still true?"

She was referring to the idea of a ten-thousand-year third soul ring.

When she first heard it, she was indeed expectant, but after returning to the academy and calming down, she felt a bit of fear.

Even though she trusted Chen An deeply, if something went wrong with that, it could really be fatal.

That was why she had felt a bit uneasy while breaking through her level.

Yet, remembering what Chen An had taught her—that one must destroy to build, and that following standard cultivation would never allow one to surpass others—she felt she had to try, especially with the pressure looming from Star Luo.

She trusted that Chen An would not lead her astray in such a matter.

To this, Chen An replied with a smile, "I am serious."

Having reached level ninety, he felt much more confident; the source energy he could now tap into was significantly more abundant, making the provision of a God-Condensed Soul Ring not entirely unfeasible.

However, he still had no way to construct the Soul Tower; the unlocking condition in the Library required him to cultivate one Soul Saint, two Soul Emperors, and a number of Soul Kings.

He was quite confident in achieving this, though it would simply take some time.

"Teacher, may I ask what this agreement is?"

Luo Xiaoshi asked timidly, knowing he shouldn't have brought it up at such a moment.

But seeing that Ning Rongrong also wore a look of confusion, he decided to be the one to voice the question.

"It is nothing, just an agreement with Zhuqing that her third soul ring will be ten thousand years."

Ning Rongrong felt as if she had been struck by lightning, losing her composure for a moment.

"Impossible!"

She had intended to refute it, but seeing the look of affirmation on Zhuqing's face, she knew it couldn't be fake.

At this point, she could no longer care about the etiquette of a noble lady, and she spoke with a hint of agitation.

"I believe it is possible to break through limits to obtain a soul ring, but for a third soul ring to reach ten thousand years—isn't that too risky? No, that is a death sentence with no chance of survival, Master."

Everyone had known for some time that the limits of soul rings were not fixed but varied from person to person; Luo Xiaoshi was the prime example of this.

Yet, a leap of eight thousand years for a soul master who had just reached level thirty was like the chasm between heaven and earth.

It was equivalent to asking a Soul Elder to beat a Soul King to death in a head-on fight.

"Junior Sister, please rest assured; I trust Master."

Zhuqing comforted her, as they all understood Ning Rongrong's agitation; they hadn't fared much better when they first heard the news.

By now, Luo Xiaoshi had also recovered. His trust in Chen An was even greater than Zhuqing's, so he helped persuade her.

"That's right, Junior Sister, I am the best example."

The corners of Ning Rongrong's mouth twitched as she thought to herself, Can these two difficulties even be compared?

But since the parties involved had already made their stance clear, what more could she say? She looked toward Chen An, seemingly wanting confirmation.

Chen An nodded, then said earnestly.

"You must understand, since you call me Master or Teacher, I will naturally live up to that title."

The ancients said, "Master and father, a day as a teacher is a lifetime as a father." Having brought them through this door and onto this path, he knew the responsibilities and burdens he carried.

How could a master hide when his disciples were in trouble? If he hid, what would they do? Solving problems for his disciples and protecting them were things a master was meant to shoulder.

Since embarking on the path of a teacher, Chen An had already considered these things. As far as he was concerned, as long as they didn't violate his principles, he would protect every disciple equally.

If he did not have absolute certainty, he would never let Zhuqing aim for a ten-thousand-year third soul ring; even if there were a sliver of a chance of failure, he would never gamble with it.