Na'er Takes a Master (Seeking Follow-up Reads, Seeking Votes)

Compared to Na'er, who remained sullen the entire way, Yang Fan was quite relaxed.

A black-level clearance was already decent enough. He had come to the Spirit Pagoda primarily to learn techniques, and if his clearance were too high, his every move would be under surveillance.

The black level was just right; it wasn't too eye-catching, yet it provided all the necessary permissions.

For a soul master who was ostensibly twelve years old and level twenty to receive such treatment, he had no reason to complain.

Life, after all, is about being content.

Much like many struggling web novel authors, as long as they could earn enough for a meal, they would update four thousand words day after day, occasionally dropping a bonus chapter whenever they received a tip.

Guided by a beautiful young lady at the Spirit Pagoda, Yang Fan and Na'er arrived at the room where Bi Ji was resting.

At that moment, Bi Ji was sipping tea. Before her sat a set of elegant white porcelain tea ware, the tea swirling in the cup with wisps of steam rising gracefully.

She held the cup lightly with her slender fingertips, her wrist turning slightly to let the fragrance of the tea drift into her nostrils with her breath.

Bi Ji lowered her eyes and took a small sip. The moment the tea touched her lips, her brows relaxed slightly, and a hint of a smile surfaced in her eyes.

"You're back? I trust it went smoothly."

Bi Ji's voice was as gentle as Lan Yin's, but unlike hers, it carried the warmth of an elder's affection for a younger generation.

"Yes, Na'er successfully awakened the Silver Dragon Spear martial soul and received a gold badge, and I managed to get a black badge by tagging along."

Yang Fan scratched his head and said with a smile.

In front of Bi Ji, it was naturally best to appear as simple and candid as possible.

"I don't know what you're acting for. When Tower Master Leng arrives later, I won't speak up for you. If you want a high-quality soul spirit, you'll have to bring out the same level of negotiation skills you used on the clan head."

Ever since Bi Ji had seen Yang Fan go head-to-head with Di Tian that day, she knew this child was no simple character. She wanted to take this opportunity to probe him further.

Yang Fan put on an innocent facade, but inwardly, he felt a twinge of regret.

Securing a suitable soul spirit was one of his goals, but he wondered if he had gone a bit too far when facing Di Tian. Yet, if he hadn't used such drastic measures, what if Di Tian had decided to kill him and seize his treasures?

Di Tian did have a sense of responsibility when it came to the fate of the soul beast race; in the original work, he had even moved against Tang Wulin behind the Silver Dragon King's back.

"I wasn't doing that for my own—mmph!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Yang Fan's mouth was covered by Bi Ji's soft, fair, jade-like hand.

"Watch where you are. The Heavenly Phoenix Crown is arriving soon. Keep your mouth shut."

Breathing in the herbal fragrance emanating from Bi Ji, Yang Fan didn't feel distracted; instead, he felt a rare sense of calm.

Before he could take another breath, Bi Ji pulled Na'er into her lap and sat back down where she had been drinking tea.

"If you want to be silenced by a woman, shall I come back and smother you to death?"

Hearing the sharp, coquettish voice from Lan Yin in his spiritual sea, Yang Fan instantly behaved himself.

It seemed this body was entering puberty; why was it always prone to wild thoughts?

Yang Fan muttered to himself.

It was fortunate he had Yin'er by his side; otherwise, if he started thinking with his lower half, he wouldn't be far from a path to self-destruction.

The greatest opportunity on the Douluo Continent was falling in love, and the greatest crisis was also falling in love.

Love-hate relationships were the eternal melody of this continent for tens of thousands of years. Even with a portion of the Love God's inheritance, he dared not take matters of the heart lightly.

The wait for Leng Yaozhu was somewhat grueling. Yang Fan didn't just stand there; he poured himself a cup of tea from the pot on the table.

Yang Fan lifted the cup and downed it in one gulp.

For him, tea was merely for quenching thirst. Sipping it was fine when entertaining guests, but among his own people, there was no need for pretense.

Just then, Leng Yaozhu entered. A well-tailored black uniform outlined her tall, graceful figure to perfection.

Her waterfall of red hair was draped loosely, her complexion like jade, and her temperament like fire.

The air was filled with a faint tea fragrance, yet it could not mask the subtle tension of the moment.

"Crown Feiyi, the Spirit Pagoda can sign this cooperation agreement. But there is only one condition..."

Leng Yaozhu walked in slowly and sat upright in the main seat.

At this moment, her beautiful eyes were fixed on Na'er, who was sitting in Bi Ji's lap having just awakened the Silver Dragon Spear.

"This girl has peerless talent, a once-in-a-century find. This Seat intends to take her as a personal disciple."

Leng Yaozhu's tone was overbearing.

"Vice Tower Master Leng, Na'er's talent is indeed rare, but..."

Bi Ji wanted to politely decline. She tugged at the other party, thinking that her Lord carried the fate of the entire soul beast race on her shoulders; if she were to be completely bound to the Spirit Pagoda, it would require sufficient benefits.

In other words, she needed to pay more!

Before Bi Ji could finish speaking, Na'er, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, suddenly looked up.

"Vice Tower Master Leng, I can become your disciple."

Na'er's voice was somewhat childish.

She pointed a small, fair finger at Yang Fan, who was watching the show while drinking tea: "But I have one condition. I want you to take my brother as your disciple as well."

The air inside the VIP lounge froze instantly.

"What?!"

Leng Yaozhu was stunned, a flicker of astonishment flashing through her lofty, beautiful eyes.

The dignified Vice Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, a rank 99 Limit Douluo, was offering to take an apprentice, yet she was being asked to negotiate terms?

"Nonsense!"

Leng Yaozhu's brows furrowed slightly, and a terrifying pressure belonging to a Limit Douluo emanated from her involuntarily.

"Do you have any idea what kind of resources I would provide to cultivate you? Are you really content to let this person with mediocre talent take half of them?"

Na'er, however, did not back down. Her purple eyes stared fixedly at Leng Yaozhu, her tone carrying a stubbornness that made Yang Fan feel a sense of dread: "He is different."

"You..."

Leng Yaozhu's chest heaved slightly with anger. Having dominated the continent for many years, this was the first time she had encountered such an unreasonable little girl who dared to bargain with her.

Seeing the atmosphere reach a stalemate, Bi Ji glanced at Yang Fan, who was quietly setting down his teacup, and sighed inwardly, thinking that she truly owed him.

This was not what she had hoped to secure, but the will of the Lord was the supreme will of the soul beasts.

"Vice Pagoda Master Leng, please calm your anger."

Though she was unwilling to help Yang Fan, Bi Ji finally spoke at the opportune moment, tossing out a compromise: "How about you take Na'er as your personal disciple, and let this child, Yang Fan, be an honorary disciple? He can stay by Na'er's side and listen in occasionally. What do you think?"

An honorary disciple?

Leng Yaozhu was slightly taken aback, her gaze sweeping over the twelve-year-old boy, Yang Fan, who had remained calm from start to finish with a profound look in his eyes.

"An honorary disciple..."

Leng Yaozhu let out a cold snort and withdrew her pressure. In Na'er's stubborn eyes, she seemed to see her own sister who had been missing for many years.

"For Na'er's sake, I will make an exception this once. However, I will not provide you with any resources, though you may ask me about cultivation matters at any time."

Kiss me? Yang Fan stared at Leng Yaozhu's red lips, momentarily stunned, before realizing he had misinterpreted her words.

"Many thanks, Pagoda Master Leng!"

Yang Fan had not expected such an unexpected gain. He did not care about cultivation resources, but he was quite in need of guidance.

He had been stumbling along on his own throughout his journey. Although he had Lan Yin's guidance later on, it certainly could not compare to Leng Yaozhu, a Limit Douluo of the Douluo Continent 3 era.

This era was a full twenty thousand years ahead of his own. The emergence of mechas and battle armor made cultivation techniques and individual combat power systems far superior to those of the Douluo Continent 1 era.

It was just that the limelight of being an outer disciple of Leng Yaozhu was quite significant, which ran contrary to his own philosophy of keeping a low profile. But with Na'er as a personal disciple standing at the forefront, it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Moreover, Na'er had awakened the Silver Dragon Spear. Perhaps once Shrek heard the news, Yun Ming would also come to compete with Leng Yaozhu for the apprentice.

Shrek had done such things more than once or twice. As long as it served their own interests, they disregarded all principles of law and human sentiment.

What is yours is mine, and what is mine remains mine.

All treasures and talents in the world are destined to be with Shrek.

Come to think of it... Leng Yaozhu wouldn't be taking Na'er as a personal disciple just for the sake of Yun Ming, would she?

In the era of the Legend of the Dragon King, there were many geniuses with innate full soul power. Even with the intention of maintaining good relations with the Longyuan family, Leng Yaozhu might not necessarily give them face.

In fact, Yang Fan was overthinking it. Leng Yaozhu was one of the few people on the Douluo Continent who was not blinded by romance, as she had already lost her sister to such folly. Her feelings for Yun Ming were more of a regret for a love that could never be.

Her decision to take Na'er as an apprentice had been premeditated. The pressure from the Qiangu family had been too great lately, and only with the support of a reclusive family like the Longyuan would her situation improve.

Bi Ji took the opportunity to push the prepared cooperation agreement toward Leng Yaozhu.

Seeing this, Leng Yaozhu did not hesitate and signed her name cleanly and decisively.

"Na'er, from today on, you are my, Leng Yaozhu's, disciple."