Lin Ze'an blinked his clear eyes and directly skipped over the topic. Turning to Yan, he said, "Senior, the plaque for my courtyard still hasn't been inscribed."
"Plaque?" Yan was taken aback, then immediately understood. "Hahaha, you mean that empty plaque above the entrance to your little courtyard?"
Lin Ze'an nodded. "Mm, that's the one. I wanted to write the name myself, but I can't reach it. Could I trouble you, Senior?"
He tilted up his little face, a hint of hopeful appeal in his gaze as he looked at Yan. "Senior, could you... inscribe something for me?"
"Sure, little junior." Yan readily agreed. "What would you like me to write? I can carve it on there for you while I'm at it."
As the two spoke, Hu Liena and Xie Yue exchanged glances from the side, both seeing the same helplessness in each other's eyes.
Where had Yan's brains gone? How could he be led along by such an obvious change of subject...?
Hu Liena climbed down from the bed and walked over to Lin Ze'an, bending slightly toward him. "Little junior, my handwriting's pretty good. How about I help you?"
Hearing Hu Liena speak up so suddenly, Lin Ze'an froze for a moment, then raised his head to look at her.
Although what had just happened had taken place, she still carried an innate allure in every gesture. But her smile now held a little more sincerity.
A well-behaved, polite smile appeared on his face. "Sure. Then I'll trouble you, Senior."
The next morning.
Lin Ze'an sat at the table, nibbling at the delicate breakfast Yue Guan had prepared.
A cup of warm milk, a few freshly baked cakes, and a small plate of fresh fruit.
He had no idea who had come up with this bizarre combination, but at least it tasted good.
Sitting across from him, Yue Guan asked with interest, "So Hu Liena tried to probe you, then had her own spiritual power turn against her?"
Lin Ze'an was nibbling on a piece of cake. At the question, he nodded. "His Holiness the Pope probably hasn't told her about my Innate Soul Power yet."
"If Hu Liena had known the quality of my Martial Soul or my Soul Power Level, she wouldn't have acted so rashly and hurt herself."
Yue Guan smiled and nodded. "It's perfectly normal for young people to interact. Besides, you treated her, and His Holiness the Pope won't interfere."
After Lin Ze'an finished breakfast, Yue Guan finally spoke. "Disciple, after obtaining your Second Soul Ring, your Soul Power has reached level 22."
"That means you've officially become a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster. You'll have to work even harder in your training from now on."
Lin Ze'an sighed faintly. His Soul Power should have been higher, but... alas.
He forced a smile and nodded to Yue Guan. "Mm, Master. I'll work hard!"
Judging by Hu Liena and the others' ages, he was probably a few years younger than the protagonist group, right?
But his talent was good. If he put in the effort, he could still catch up in Soul Power Level.
Yue Guan smiled with satisfaction and continued, "Good. Now that you're a Soul Grandmaster, it's time to introduce you to some cultivation resources."
"After a while, I'll take you to the Mimicry Cultivation Field."
"You can choose an environment suited to your Martial Soul's characteristics and cultivate there. It'll speed up your training."
Lin Ze'an's little face took on a thoughtful look. He tilted his head and blinked his clear eyes. "Master, I don't think we need to go to all that trouble."
Under Yue Guan's puzzled gaze, Lin Ze'an stood up and slowly raised his little hand.
"Buzz—!"
A gentle yet immense emerald-green light suddenly spread out from his small body.
In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the entire courtyard.
The next second, countless flowers burst through the soil across the courtyard, blooming at a visible speed.
That wasn't all. The few bamboo stalks in the courtyard began to grow wildly, their trunks thickening and their leaves turning lush and green.
Thick thorny vines surged out from the ground, the corners of the walls, and even beneath the eaves. They intertwined and wound together, wrapping around the entire courtyard in the blink of an eye.
In just a few breaths, the courtyard had been utterly transformed.
What had been an ordinary, simple residence had become a miniature forest, vibrant with life, filled with the fragrance of flowers, and wrapped in tangled vines.
The rich, intense fragrance of plants and trees washed over them. One deep breath felt as though it cleansed the soul, leaving it exceptionally refreshed.
Yue Guan stared blankly at his disciple, the corner of his mouth twitching. "This... works too, I suppose."
It had all grown into the real thing. What was the point of going to a Mimicry Cultivation Field?
Still, this was a good thing. Cultivating at home could save them from prying eyes.
Just then, a slightly hoarse voice suddenly sounded from the direction of the courtyard gate. "This...?"
Lin Ze'an reflexively turned his head and looked toward the sound.
At the entrance to the courtyard, a figure had appeared at some point, without making a sound.
Gui Mei stood silently there, his gaze fixed on the plants that had newly grown throughout the courtyard.
His gaze shifted slowly to Lin Ze'an, whose face was all innocence, then to Yue Guan, who looked both amused and exasperated.
Lin Ze'an lifted his little face obediently and greeted him in a clear voice. "Good morning, Uncle Ghost."
Gui Mei: "...Morning."
Seeing Gui Mei's expression, Yue Guan rubbed his forehead helplessly and quickly explained what had just happened.
After hearing Yue Guan's account, Gui Mei fell silent for several seconds.
With a disturbance this big... how could it not attract attention? Plenty of people must have seen it.
Just then, Yue Guan seemed to remember something.
He rummaged around in his Storage Soul Tool for a moment. Then a gemstone necklace glowing with an emerald-green light appeared in his palm.
The gem was about the size of a thumbnail and crystal clear all the way through.
Holding the necklace, Yue Guan walked over to Lin Ze'an, a hint of apology on his face. "Disciple, I took you on in such a hurry that I didn't have time to prepare a proper gift for my apprentice."
"This necklace is something I happened to find while traveling outside the city years ago."
He bent down and fastened it around Lin Ze'an's neck.
The emerald gemstone rested right against Lin Ze'an's chest. After a cool touch, a gentle stream of Soul Power began flowing into his body.
"This necklace is called Emerald Leaf. It can accelerate the cultivation speed of plant-type Soul Masters, and it works especially well in places full of vegetation."
"But it's no use to my current Soul Power, so I'll give it to you... I hope you don't mind it."
Truth be told, if this necklace hadn't been useful to his disciple, he really wouldn't have had anything suitable to give him.
Lin Ze'an lowered his head to look at the softly glowing green gem on his chest, then looked at Yue Guan.
Master had served Qian Xunji for so many years without getting much out of it, and then Qian Xunji died.
After that, he served Bibi Dong. As for this new master... well, after all those years of working himself to the bone, he still hadn't gotten anything good.
If I'm not mistaken, the reason he's only giving it to me now is that this necklace... is probably the best thing he can offer.
Thinking this, Lin Ze'an hugged the slightly worried Yue Guan in front of him and said with a smile, "Thank you, Master!"
Before you continue