A Master's Responsibility

Zhu Zhuqing was a little genius, after all, and with an environment like this, her breakthrough went quite smoothly.

"There's still an hour before we're done. Do you two want to cultivate on the side?"

After estimating the time, he figured that just waiting around would be a waste of time for the two children and might leave them bored, so he made the suggestion.

The two children reacted differently. Ning Rongrong looked rather reluctant. She'd thought she could use this chance to slack off a little—who would've guessed she'd have to put in extra practice?

It felt like she'd just gotten leave to go home, only for the boss at the shooting range to make her work overtime.

Luo Xiaoshi, on the other hand, was more willing. Apart from teaching people martial arts, cultivation was what he liked most these days.

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

Seeing their expressions, he thought over his plans and gave the two children a sly, smiling look.

They couldn't help shivering, then said in unison,

"Okay, we'll go right away."

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

As for Ning Rongrong's identity, her father was bound to come sooner or later. He wasn't afraid of him now; it was just exhausting dealing with a shrewd old fox.

Compared to Ning Rongrong, Luo Xiaoshi was the one who gave him more to think about. He'd be away for several days, and Zhu Zhuqing would be going into seclusion.

Fortunately, he still had students to teach during this time. Otherwise, whatever inexplicable thing was inside him might affect him even more.

"Hehe, finally got them out of here."

Chen An's expression changed at once. The two children weren't a problem for him now, and only Luo Xiaoshi's situation was a little tricky—but only a little.

After they went inside, Chen An checked Zhu Zhuqing's timing again, then headed outside.

He'd just come out of seclusion and confirmed his eldest disciple was fine. Now that he could finally relax, shouldn't he enjoy himself a little? This was the perfect time to do something on the sly.

"Delicious."

Sneaking a bite without anyone knowing was such a pleasure. Everything tasted great.

Once he figured enough time had passed, he tidied himself up and returned to the Cultivation Room, where he found the two of them already out.

Luo Xiaoshi was sharp enough to have noticed what Chen An had been up to. Out of consideration for the occasion, he didn't say anything, figuring he'd let his master save some face.

When Ning Rongrong saw Chen An return, she didn't think much of it at first. But then she noticed the mark at the corner of his mouth. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she must have seen wrong, then took another careful look. Nope, she hadn't imagined it.

"Master, did you sneak off to eat?"

At that, Chen An was a little puzzled about how the two children had found him out. Then he saw Little Stone point at the corner of his own mouth.

Realizing what had happened, he very naturally wiped his mouth and pretended nothing was amiss.

"What do you mean, sneaking food? Can a master's business really be called sneaking food?"

Ning Rongrong shrank back a little. All she could say was, "Fine, you're the master. You say what goes."

The noise in the Cultivation Room died down, and the pretty young woman pushed open the door and walked out.

Her bearing was even more dazzling now, with a hint of the Netherworld's mistress about her. But that cool expression didn't last long. The moment she saw Chen An, it crumbled.

"Master, I heard you, you know."

"Uh."

It was a case of one disaster piling atop another. Now that his eldest disciple had caught him, there was no escaping it.

As if resigned to his fate, he said,

"All right, I'll make you all a feast tonight."

The three of them immediately chimed in together:

"Yay!"

After all, they were in the Cultivation Room, and making too much noise wouldn't be appropriate.

It wouldn't disturb anyone else's cultivation, but they didn't want to make a racket in a place like this.

Only after they went outside did Zhu Zhuqing share the good news.

"Master, I've successfully broken through to Level 30."

She was delighted to have reached Level 30 at the age of twelve. Her cultivation speed had surged, giving her a great deal more confidence.

As the saying went, a confident person always looked more spirited. She was in noticeably better shape now than before.

"Nicely done."

The greatest satisfaction and joy a teacher could feel came from watching his students make steady progress. When his students were happy, he was happy too.

"Master, do you still mean what you said before?"

She was talking about the claim that her third Soul Ring would be ten thousand years old.

When she'd first heard it, she'd been excited. But once she returned to the academy and had time to calm down, she'd grown a little afraid.

Even though she trusted Chen An deeply, this was no joke. One mistake could cost her life.

So when she was about to break through, she'd felt uneasy too.

But then she remembered Chen An's teaching: no breaking, no making; if she cultivated the ordinary way, how could she ever surpass others? What's more, with pressure coming from Star Luo Empire, she had to at least try.

She trusted that Chen An wouldn't put her in danger over something like this.

Chen An smiled and replied, "I mean it."

Now that he'd reached Level 90, he had plenty of confidence. He could draw on a much greater supply of origin energy, so providing a God-Condensed Soul Ring wasn't out of the question.

He still had no way to construct the Soul Tower, though. The Library's unlock conditions required him to train one Soul Sage, two Soul Emperors, and several Soul Kings.

He was confident he could meet those conditions. It would just take some time.

"Teacher, may I ask what agreement you made?"

Luo Xiaoshi asked timidly. He knew he shouldn't have brought it up just then.

But when he saw that Ning Rongrong was just as confused, he spoke up and asked for her.

"Nothing much. Zhuqing and I agreed that her third Soul Ring would be ten thousand years old."

Ning Rongrong was stunned. For a moment, she lost her composure.

"Impossible!"

She'd been about to argue, but then she saw the way Zhu Zhuqing nodded. There was no mistaking it.

At that moment, she couldn't care less about the manners expected of a young lady. She spoke with barely concealed alarm.

"I believe it's possible to exceed the limit and obtain a Soul Ring, but making the third Soul Ring ten thousand years old—isn't that too dangerous? No, it's certain death, Master!"

By now, everyone knew that the limits for Soul Rings weren't fixed, but depended on the individual. Luo Xiaoshi was a case in point.

But a difference of eight thousand years was a chasm for a Soul Master who'd only just reached Level 30.

It was like asking a Soul Elder to kill a Soul King head-on.

"Junior Sister, don't worry. I trust Master."

Zhu Zhuqing reassured her. They understood Ning Rongrong's alarm; when they'd first heard about it, they hadn't reacted any better.

By now Luo Xiaoshi had recovered, too. He trusted Chen An even more than Zhu Zhuqing did, so he joined in to reassure her.

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

Ning Rongrong's mouth twitched a little. She wondered how those two situations could possibly be comparable.

But the people involved had already made their positions clear. What else could she say? She looked at Chen An, seemingly hoping he'd confirm it.

Chen An nodded, then said seriously,

"You should understand that if you call me Master or Teacher, I'll live up to that name."

The ancients had a saying: a master is a father; once a teacher, a father for life. If he'd brought them through the gate and set them on this path, he had to understand the responsibilities and burdens he carried.

How could a master abandon his disciples when they were in trouble? If he did, what would they do? Solving their problems and protecting them were also part of a master's duty.

From the moment Chen An had taken up teaching, he'd thought these things through. As long as none of his disciples crossed a line of principle, he would protect every one of them equally.

If he didn't have complete confidence, he wouldn't let Zhu Zhuqing make her third Soul Ring ten thousand years old. He wouldn't risk it even if there were the slightest chance of failure.