This Girl Is Not One to Scheme With

Fang Shu secluded himself in a quiet room until dawn the next day.

He opened his eyes at the bottom of the well, his eyes shining brightly.

Compared to yesterday's battle, his cultivation level has now increased significantly.

Within his Dao Register, the characters changed to:

[Realm: Second Tribulation Refining Essence Human Immortal (54% complete)]

After fighting with the "Luo Family brothers" for a while, Fang Shu's muscles, bones, Qi and Blood flowed more smoothly, and his cultivation level increased by a total of three points. Although it wasn't much, it was clearly better than arduous cultivation.

Furthermore, this was only what Fang Shu himself had gained from his understanding of combat techniques. In addition to these insights, he also had 50,000 Talisman Coins to help with his training, which he could use to buy various pills in the market to aid his cultivation.

"It's quite enjoyable to spar with others," Fang Shu thought to himself.

Although he had tasted the benefits, he no longer had any desire to get involved in such matters. Even if the Lone Pavilion Master tried to persuade him, he would either argue back or feign illness and leave.

After all, he was openly and honestly fighting someone in the marketplace, and yet he still encountered the Luo brothers trying to extort money from him, with Luo Dalang even revealing his third Bandit Cultivator level.

Although Fang Shu successfully decapitated the opponent, the situation was already quite risky.

If one experiences this kind of thing a few more times, and keeps walking along the riverbank, it's hard to guarantee that one won't be targeted.

As he pondered this, he thought to himself, "I came to this market to cultivate immortality and seek longevity. Such acts of violence and fighting Non-Self purpose; it's best to avoid them."

After summarizing the battle, Fang Shu closed his eyes again, intending to further refine his Qi and Blood see if he could make it surge upwards again.

Even if he can't break through, he can still use the afterglow of this battle to cultivate diligently for a few days and refine his body as much as possible.

However, when noon arrived, a note floated down from the well, landing silently, but Fang Shu still managed to see it.

He picked up the note and saw that it was written by Du Yu'er. The note asked him to come out of seclusion and, if he was too late, to remember to come back after he finished his cultivation.

Upon seeing this instruction, Fang Shu knew it was most likely the Lone Pavilion Master who was calling him.

Seeing that the other party was not urging him too much, Fang Shu did not immediately leave seclusion. He planned to finish his arduous training for the day and then go to find the Lone Pavilion Master in the afternoon.

Meanwhile...

In the council hall, Qin Min was summoned there first by the Lone Pavilion Master of the hall.

However, there was a slight discord between the master and his apprentice.

Qin Min gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and showed a stubborn expression, while the Lone Pavilion Master frowned.

"Master, you ordered me to give up the matter of helping out, and I did, but Fang Shu gained a great reputation in the process."

And now you've made me go into seclusion to cultivate until someone from the Immortal Sect arrives, and I'm not allowed to spar or fight with anyone else to gain experience. Isn't that basically confining me to my quarters?!

Qin Min's voice was muffled; she whispered:

"This disciple doesn't understand why you insist on suppressing me. Does Master intend to promote Fang Shu as the face of our institution? But what has this disciple done wrong...?"

"Enough!" Upon hearing this, the Lone Pavilion Master frowned even more, and his expression turned cold and stern.

She stared intently at Qin Min, her eyes like hooks:

"When I first took you in, I thought you were quite simple and obedient. Later, when I occasionally heard that you were not on good terms with the other disciples, I just assumed that someone was jealous of you and was bullying your background."

"How come you seem so impetuous and arrogant today?!"

The sudden, cold shout startled Qin Min, whose expression remained stubborn; she trembled with fear.

This was not only because the Lone Pavilion Master, who had always been kind and respectful to her, had suddenly changed his attitude, but also because when the Lone Pavilion Master spoke, his anger was evident as Divine Sense coldly swept his gaze over Qin Min.

Qin Min felt Divine Sense chill run down her spine as she was being watched by a predator, her Qi and Blood and qi becoming stiff.

Du Yu'er was still standing in the council hall. When she saw Lone Pavilion Master's appearance, she realized that Lone Pavilion Master was truly angry.

"Grandma..." Du Yu'er quickly stepped forward, trying to ease the tension between the two.

However, the Lone Pavilion Master raised a hand, signaling Du Yu'er not to interfere.

Then, seeing the panic on Qin Min's face, the old woman continued in a cold voice:

"I won't lie to you. This time, you were just lucky. Fang Shu happened to appear in the academy and killed Luo Dalang. If you hadn't had that kind of luck, it would have been you, a prominent figure, who had to face the Luo brothers."

Fang Shu clearly saved you from a disaster, and instead of thanking you, you dare to speculate about your fellow disciple like this!

Upon hearing this, Qin Min was taken aback and recalled that something was indeed amiss during the battle.

But she stubbornly refused to admit her mistake, instead gritting her teeth and speaking in a hard, unyielding voice:

"Even without Fang Shu, I can still kill those thieves!"

"You!!" Upon hearing this, the Lone Pavilion Master lifted her eyelids completely, staring straight at Qin Min, as if she wanted to scold Qin Min even more.

But after staring intently for a few moments, the Lone Pavilion Master closed his eyes again and exhaled a long breath.

"Alright, Yu'er, take her back to her room. Let her cultivate in seclusion. I've already taught her everything I needed to."

"Qin Min cannot leave seclusion until the disciples of the Immortal Sect descend the mountain to select people."

Without further ado, the Lone Pavilion Master forcibly placed Qin Min under house arrest.

In fact, after Qin Min contradicted the owner of the Lone Pavilion Master, seeing that he was truly about to get angry, she panicked and was somewhat at a loss. He hadn't seemed to take her previous confrontations so seriously.

Seeing that the Lone Pavilion Master was no longer angry or even punishing her, Qin Min secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As for the curfew order, although she felt that the old woman might be doing it for her own good, she couldn't be sure that the old woman didn't have other motives, and she was still resentful.

She knew when to stop, obediently remaining silent and agreeing without daring to utter another word.

"Yes, Grandma."

Du Yu'er responded and then walked to Qin Min's side, leaving the council hall together.

After the two disappeared, the Lone Pavilion Master sat alone in the council hall, staring at the empty gate for a long time.

Suddenly, the old woman's face appeared even older, with wrinkled skin and white hair, and she even exuded a sense of gloom.

Her expression was complicated as she murmured to herself, "It wasn't like this when I first entered the institution, so why is it like this now... Could it be that I made the wrong choice?"

The more he pondered, the more wistful the Lone Pavilion Master's expression became, to the point that a distinct bitter smile appeared on his lips.

She shook her head, laughing at herself for being so old yet failing to see through a little girl in time.

They also laughed at Qin Min, who hadn't even completed her apprenticeship or joined Immortal Sect yet, but had already revealed her true nature so early.

Aside from her Spirit Root, this woman is truly not someone to be trifled with.

An idea formed in the mind of the Lone Pavilion Master and was finally settled. "So be it. I'll just take care of her final journey, send her to the Immortal Sect, and that will be the end of it. The rest is up to her."

At the same time, another thought also began to grow in the old woman's mind:

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket; it's time to start giving more importance to another one..."