Finally Taking a Disciple!

"Teacher, do you agree?"

After stating his thoughts, Ye Yan cautiously asked Xuan Yi.

After hearing Ye Yan's words,

a trace of gratification quietly flashed through Xuan Yi's eyes, and the corners of her lips curled up imperceptibly.

"I've already given it to you. It's yours now. How could I disagree?"

No one wanted someone they had taught to be cold-blooded and heartless.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Ye Yan's eyes lit up as he thanked Xuan Yi.

"It was your own decision. There's no need to thank me." Xuan Yi waved it off.

"Don't worry, Teacher. When I return from this journey, I'll definitely bring you good news."

"Just don't cause trouble outside and drag your master into it."

Xuan Yi smiled. In her heart, she had already acknowledged this disciple.

"Otherwise, I won't be able to save you."

"Master... Master..."

Hearing Xuan Yi refer to herself as his master, Ye Yan's eyes widened. The corners of his lips rose into a genuine smile.

Before Ye Yan, Xuan Yi watched that smile appear on his exceptionally handsome face, and her mood brightened somewhat.

Over the past year, she had discovered that she seemed to be what Ye Yan called a looks-obsessed person.

At first, she had wanted to refute him. How could she possibly be such a shallow person? But now, looking at that smile and thinking of Tian Leizi and the others, she suddenly felt that being a little shallow was fine.

There was no need to force herself to suffer!

"Disciple Ye Yan pays respects to Master!"

With a thud, Ye Yan dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times to Xuan Yi.

Every word was filled with sincerity!

Over the past year, Xuan Yi had expended no small amount of effort on his behalf.

He remembered that, in the beginning, Xuan Yi had refined medicinal liquid for him continuously for an entire month to help him cultivate the Blazing Flame Force.

Afterward, she had taken time away from her own cultivation to guide him in alchemy, allowing him to refine second-grade pills while only at the seventh or eighth star of the Dou Zhe realm.

Later, she had even taken him to train in the nearby Magical Beast Forest.

Even masters and disciples who had known each other for more than a decade might not have done so much for one another.

"Alright, get up!"

Xuan Yi stepped forward, took hold of Ye Yan's arm, and helped him to his feet.

"This time, I broke Pill Tower's rules to accept you as my disciple. But before your cultivation reaches a certain level, I do not intend to spread this news."

"This disciple understands!"

Ye Yan nodded.

If the news spread, with his current cultivation and alchemist rank, he would easily become a target.

Especially since his talent was high but had yet to fully manifest, he could very well become a thorn in some people's eyes.

"It's good that you understand!"

Xuan Yi tossed another scroll from her hand into his.

"You've learned some hand-to-hand techniques, but the human body can hardly compare with a weapon. Seeing how you often mutter about spears, I found you a low-grade Earth Tier spear technique!"

"A spear technique?"

Ye Yan lowered his head to look at the crimson scroll in his hands, and his eyes lit up.

Who hadn't dreamed of wielding a spear as a child? Who hadn't dreamed of becoming Zhao Yun?

Seeing that Ye Yan liked the spear technique, Xuan Yi also breathed a sigh of relief.

It was her first time accepting a disciple. Naturally, the apprenticeship gift had to suit her disciple's preferences.

Ye Yan seemed to think of something as well and suddenly sighed in regret.

Then, he hurriedly pulled Xuan Yi into the cultivation room and had her sit on a stone stool.

"What is it?"

Xuan Yi sat on the stone stool in confusion and looked at Ye Yan.

"This disciple nearly forgot that this is Master's first time taking a disciple. We have to complete the proper first-time ceremony. Things were too rushed just now—I haven't served you tea yet!"

As Ye Yan spoke, he rearranged the tea set on the stone table and washed it with Spirit Spring water.

Since this was a cultivation room Xuan Yi often used, Spirit Spring water and tea leaves were naturally kept here at all times.

Listening to the sound of Spirit Spring water flowing through the tea set, Xuan Yi looked at her disciple again and inexplicably felt a sense of peace.

After waiting for a moment,

Ye Yan poured away the first brew, then used a flawless jade cup to pour another cup and placed it somewhere within his reach.

Then, with another thud, Ye Yan knelt on the ground again.

"You..." Xuan Yi was somewhat surprised and tried to rise to help him up.

Seeing this, Ye Yan hastened through the kowtowing and picked up the jade cup from the nearby stone table.

"Disciple Ye Yan invites Master to drink tea!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Xuan Yi said "good" three times in a row, delightedly accepted the tea personally brewed by her disciple, and drank it in one gulp.

"Alright, did that hurt your forehead? You didn't need to kowtow so hard."

After finishing the tea, Xuan Yi set down the cup and reached out to help Ye Yan up.

"Your master isn't someone who rigidly follows convention."

"Don't worry. This disciple is a ten-year-old Dou Shi. How could a few kowtows hurt me?"

Ye Yan was only tall enough to reach Xuan Yi's shoulder, so while holding his hand, she was also able to pat his head.

"You really are full of yourself. During this journey, you must pay attention to your safety."

Now that Ye Yan had formally become her disciple, their relationship had grown closer, and Xuan Yi became even more concerned for his safety.

Ye Yan nodded, suddenly feeling that Xuan Yi's nagging manner seemed remarkably similar to someone else's.

Her stunning face also seemed to overlap with an ordinary, wrinkled one.

Xuan Yi's gentle voice and the sound of the earth fire burning in the cultivation room faded away at that moment.

Ye Yan suddenly remembered that he had not seen that ordinary face from his previous life in a very long time.

A glimmer of tears appeared in Ye Yan's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Xuan Yi noticed something unusual in Ye Yan's eyes and stopped her reminders.

"Nothing."

Ye Yan quickly composed himself and stubbornly replied.

"Alright, alright! Nothing!"

Thinking of Ye Yan's background, Xuan Yi did not press the matter and changed the subject.

"When do you plan to leave for your journey?"

"Probably three days from now!"

Ye Yan thought for a moment.

In three days, it would be time for his tenth trait draw.

If he did not make the draw in Sacred Pill City, he could only do so aboard the Space Ship.

But if he needed anything then, it would be troublesome, so he might as well complete the draw in Sacred Pill City before leaving.

After another round of casual conversation that further strengthened their bond as master and disciple,

Ye Yan eagerly took the two scrolls away.

He still needed to do some convincing work with Ye Jingheng and have him bring the scrolls back.

He also needed to try cultivating the battle techniques.

Some time after Ye Yan left,

Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi appeared in the cultivation room.

Unlike before, Tian Leizi's face was somewhat pale.

"Who would've thought that the scroll I worked so hard to obtain wouldn't be used by my martial nephew, but would instead go to that old fellow Ye Zhong?"

Tian Leizi complained.

Xuan Kongzi looked at Xuan Yi and slowly said,

"That kid hid some things from us. But the news about the Bone Spirit Cold Flame that he released is not enough to draw Battle Sovereign experts into attacking the Ye Family... Xuan Yi, he..."

Seeing Xuan Yi staring at him expressionlessly, Xuan Kongzi promptly stopped talking.

"Yao Chen suddenly disappeared back then. Perhaps something happened, and there may truly be some hidden circumstances surrounding the Bone Spirit Cold Flame."

"So I trust my disciple."

"Perhaps that scroll might really help uncover the reason behind Yao Chen's disappearance."

Xuan Yi paid no attention to Xuan Kongzi's words and merely gave a simple explanation.

Leaving only Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi exchanging bewildered looks.

Thinking back to the apprenticeship ceremony earlier, Xuan Yi felt that it was rather strange.

So this was what it felt like to take a disciple!

It felt pretty good!