Apprenticeship

Li Qingyue naturally noticed Gu Yue studying him.

But he did not much care. He did not even turn to look at her.

As the car rolled along, they soon arrived at the Spirit Pagoda Branch.

The master of the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda Branch was only around the Soul Saint level.

This master already belonged to Leng Yaozhu's faction. Once she arrived, she swiftly took over his position and all its core authority.

When the two appeared, a black-clad youth was already waiting silently at the entrance.

The Black-Clad Youth clearly recognized them, or had seen their photographs. After bowing slightly, he stepped aside and let them enter the Spirit Pagoda.

They took the elevator almost straight to the top floor.

Leng Yaozhu had already finished remodeling it.

What had once been a vast office and lounge was now her private residence.

Ordinarily, this would have broken the rules. But Leng Yaozhu was a Level 98 Super Douluo. Once she gave the word, no one dared refuse, nor could anyone.

Even Li Qingyue was stunned by the sheer splendor of the enormous room.

It was about the size of a sprawling apartment. The problem was that this was the Spirit Pagoda's top floor, the very heart of the entire tower.

Turning the whole floor into her personal quarters struck even Li Qingyue as rather outrageous.

As the two entered, the first people they saw were several housekeepers.

The place seemed to have been prepared only recently. It was spotless, and the table was already covered with neatly arranged dishes.

When Li Qingyue and Gu Yue arrived, the women bowed to them in turn before quietly withdrawing.

Only after everyone had left the top floor did the innermost door open, and a striking figure slowly emerged.

The woman wore pale purple pajamas of an ordinary cut.

But in all honesty, even those somewhat loose pajamas could not hide Leng Yaozhu's stunning curves. One glance at her made it hard to look away.

Leng Yaozhu's figure was exquisitely proportioned. From her full, rounded hips to her high-set breasts, the sight was striking.

Her cool, breathtaking face remained composed, and a trace of quiet detachment lingered in her eyes.

Even before these two juniors, both fairly close to her, Leng Yaozhu remained calm.

She merely nodded to Gu Yue and Li Qingyue, then invited them to sit. They settled on either side of her.

"You two have probably met already, but I should still introduce you. This is Gu Yue, my personal disciple."

"Gu Yue, this is Li Qingyue. He's from a collateral branch of my family."

An uncommon note of warmth entered Leng Yaozhu's voice.

The two exchanged a calm glance. Gu Yue gave only a cool nod, while Li Qingyue offered her a gentle smile.

The boy's smile was warm, his eyes free of the slightest guile.

Meeting his gaze, Gu Yue turned her head slightly away, unable to look him in the eye.

Leng Yaozhu paid no mind to the exchange.

She had come partly to let them meet, but also because she had finally handed off her affairs at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.

Of course, she could not abandon them entirely. She was not only the head of the Leng Family but also a deputy master of the Spirit Pagoda, where she held considerable influence.

But things were not going well. The Qiangu Family had deliberately targeted them, and they were unwilling to meet the threat head-on.

Beyond protecting Li Qingyue, her main reason for coming was to formally take him as her disciple.

Three years earlier, everything had been too rushed for her to formally accept him as the disciple who would inherit her teachings.

Yet the boy before her possessed astonishing talent, from his powerful Phoenix Martial Soul in its atavistic state to that strange Deep Blue Armor.

Even the Support-Type Martial Soul he had most recently revealed had shocked Leng Yaozhu.

She had not pressed him for details. Being born with two Martial Souls was already heaven-defying; being born with three defied even that description. Leng Yaozhu did not know the reason behind it.

But she was not someone who liked meddling in others' affairs, nor was she especially possessive.

So Leng Yaozhu had no interest in the origins of Li Qingyue's three Martial Souls or their terrifying abilities.

She intended to take him as her disciple not only because of his astonishing talent, but also because of that supposed connection between his mother and herself.

Perhaps part of her original intent was to make amends.

For that reason, Leng Yaozhu was quiet throughout the meal. Gu Yue, whose temperament was rather cold at present, said nothing either.

It was only halfway through dinner, when everyone had nearly finished eating, that Leng Yaozhu turned to Li Qingyue.

"Qingyue, I asked you here to discuss two things."

"First, I'd like to formally accept you as my personal disciple. Gu Yue would be your senior fellow disciple from then on. I hope you two will get along."

"Would you be willing?"

Leng Yaozhu spoke earnestly and sincerely.

Li Qingyue nodded calmly. He had no reason to refuse.

After all, the Qiangu Family was still hunting him. Having Leng Yaozhu as his teacher

would certainly do much for his safety, or at least reduce the danger he faced.

He naturally welcomed that. With her as his teacher, the risks to him would plummet.

Before Leng Yaozhu's arrival, he had needed to keep a low profile in Eastsea City.

Now that she was here, it would be far harder for high-level Soul Masters to come after him, and his safety would be all but assured.

After nodding, Li Qingyue rose and bowed ninety degrees to her as his new teacher. Leng Yaozhu wasted no words.

She had no use for hollow ceremonies like serving tea to one's teacher. Those were for old fossils, and she cared little for them.

She was cool by nature and disliked making a fuss over anything.

Once Li Qingyue had bowed, Leng Yaozhu raised a hand. A fiery-red ring appeared in her palm.

The ring clearly had some history. It was probably a treasure of the Leng Family.

She studied it for a moment, a complicated look flickering through her eyes, then calmly handed it to Li Qingyue.

"This is a special Storage Ring with roughly three hundred square meters of space. Consider it my gift to you as your teacher."

"I hope you'll treasure it."

"This ring is linked to my power. If you channel your Soul Power into it, I'll sense it and come to your aid."