A Terrifying Senior Sister!

The master and disciple drank until dawn. By the time Ye Tianming woke up, Mu Guanchen was no longer in the hall.

Ye Tianming's head felt terribly swollen. He hadn't used his cultivation to suppress the alcohol when he drank the day before. He shook his head hard and circulated the Profound Qi in his body, and the effects of the alcohol instantly vanished like smoke.

Ye Tianming said, "Tower Ancestor, I didn't say anything stupid last night, did I?"

Little Pagoda said, "What do you think?"

Ye Tianming: "..."

Little Pagoda continued, "Don't worry. Your teacher also said plenty of things he shouldn't have."

Ye Tianming was immediately curious. "What did he say?"

Little Pagoda said, "All sorts of outrageous, rebellious things. Ask him yourself."

Ye Tianming: "..."

Ye Tianming glanced around, then got up and went outside. Mu Guanchen was nowhere to be seen there either, so he could only head to the back mountain to cultivate. He slowly closed his eyes, and the power of the earth veins began to surge beneath his feet. This time, he began drawing that power into his body. Now that his physique had been strengthened, his body could withstand more of it.

Before long, vast amounts of earth vein power entered his body. He slowly clenched his fists, feeling his body fill with strength.

Suddenly, he pointed with two fingers. A strand of earth vein power traveled down his arm, turned into a golden Qi sword, and flew out in a slash. Dozens of zhang away, a massive boulder shattered with a boom. Not only that, but the Qi sword plunged straight into the ground, tearing open a fissure so deep that its bottom could not be seen.

A smile appeared on Ye Tianming's face at the sight. At his current realm, he could use Qi to control swords, but its power was nowhere near that of a Qi sword formed from earth vein power. Such a sword was far more powerful than an ordinary Qi sword-several times stronger at the very least.

And he could now control nine swords at once!

It was tremendously powerful, and because it used earth vein power, he didn't have to worry about consuming his Profound Qi at all. In other words, he could control swords with Qi endlessly. Of course, that was only in theory. Although controlling swords didn't consume Profound Qi, it did consume mental strength. The good thing was that it didn't consume the Profound Qi in his body.

For the rest of the time, he studied the power of the earth, the Sword Control Technique, and mental strength.

He could draw the power into his body, form it into a sword, and send it flying out to kill an enemy. Likewise, he could directly draw on the earth vein power without letting it pass through his body... But then its power would be beyond his control. That would truly be a way of taking his enemy down with him, because once he used it, his mental strength would certainly be unable to withstand it. At best, he would fall unconscious; at worst, he would be completely done for.

What he had in mind was to control the earth vein power outside his body without drawing it through himself. That way, the earth would be his dantian, his physical body.

He told Pagoda Master his idea. After listening, Little Pagoda said, "It's not impossible, but it places extremely high demands on your mental strength and control..."

Ye Tianming nodded. "I know, but my real goal isn't just to control the power of the earth."

Little Pagoda was puzzled. "Then what is your goal?"

Ye Tianming said seriously, "To establish a cultivation system of my own!"

"Huh?"

Little Pagoda was stunned. "You... what?"

Ye Tianming said solemnly, "To establish a cultivation system of my own."

Little Pagoda: "..."

Ye Tianming said seriously, "My cultivation method is rather special. Not only can it devour power, but it can also draw on it. Since I can draw on the power of the earth veins, I can naturally draw on other powers too. Of course, I won't bite off more than I can chew right now. I'll master the power of the earth and develop a complete cultivation system before I try anything else."

Little Pagoda was curious. "Why did you come up with this idea?"

Ye Tianming said gravely, "Tower Ancestor, my resources could never compare with those of disciples from the great clans and sects. If I follow the normal cultivation system and cultivate the normal way, I'll never be able to catch up to them-unless you give me a cheat!"

Little Pagoda was shocked. "You know what a cheat is?"

Ye Tianming asked in return, "Pagoda Master, you know too?"

Little Pagoda: "..."

Ye Tianming said, "I saw it in some books at the Great Dao Book House, so I asked the bookseller, and he told me what it meant. Tower Ancestor, how do you know what it means too?"

Little Pagoda said, "Have you forgotten? I'm a wise one, a great wise one. I've read more books than you've eaten meals."

Ye Tianming smiled. "That's true... Of course, even if I could use a cheat, I wouldn't want one."

Little Pagoda didn't understand. "Why not?"

Ye Tianming said thoughtfully, "Rely too much on external things, and you'll become their slave. Right?"

Little Pagoda said, "Right."

Ye Tianming said seriously, "Tower Ancestor, I think I can establish a cultivation method of my own, because my cultivation method still has many possibilities and a great deal of potential. Of course, I'm not saying I won't study existing cultivation systems at all. I can study them and learn from them, but I can still try to see if I can forge a path of my own..."

He paused, then added, "Tower Ancestor, do you think I'm overestimating myself?"

Little Pagoda said, "Never mind what I think. What do you think?"

Ye Tianming said earnestly, "This is only my own idea, but I know full well that my knowledge and understanding of cultivation are still very shallow. In particular, I've never really seen much of the world, and I know nothing about the world outside. So even though I want to walk a different path, I'm still a little uneasy and lost. That's why I wanted Tower Ancestor to point me through the fog and help me find a direction for my future."

Hearing this, Little Pagoda immediately smiled as fondly as an old father. "I'm very gratified. All this time, what I feared most was that you'd grow proud and complacent after achieving a little success. But now it seems you haven't at all."

Ye Tianming hurriedly said, "It's all thanks to Tower Ancestor's excellent guidance."

"Haha!"

Little Pagoda laughed. "Don't be like that. I'm not a vain pagoda. I'm a pagoda above vulgar tastes."

Ye Tianming said seriously, "I'm not flattering you, Tower Ancestor. Every word comes from the bottom of my heart. Tower Ancestor, I'll take care of you in your old age."

Little Pagoda smiled. "I believe you mean every word, because you're an honest and decent person."

Its happiness came from the bottom of its heart. What kind of life had it led with those previous three fellows?

The first spent every day either burning his soul or blowing himself up. The next two thought of nothing but tricking it and setting it up. Heaven knew how it had survived all these years.

Now its fortunes had finally turned, and it had met a loyal, honest person.

Little Pagoda smiled. "You just said you wanted to establish a brand-new cultivation system. I think it's a good idea, and entirely feasible. Don't worry about anything. Think boldly and act boldly."

Ye Tianming said worriedly, "I'm just afraid that later on..."

Little Pagoda cut him off. "Don't be afraid. Listen to me: think boldly and act boldly. Tower Ancestor is here for everything. I'll guard you every step of the way."

Ye Tianming grinned. "With those words from Tower Ancestor, I can put my mind at ease."

He wasn't flattering Little Pagoda, nor was he playing any tricks. He meant everything he said. He had never underestimated Tower Ancestor. In his eyes, Tower Ancestor was many, many levels above him, and Tower Ancestor treated him very well. So his respect for Tower Ancestor also came from the heart.

He also understood one thing: when facing a big shot like this, the only thing a nobody like him could do was be sincere. He must never pretend to understand what he didn't or play any tricks, because a big shot like this could see through any trick at a glance. Playing tricks and resorting to schemes would only bring humiliation upon himself.

Simply put, he would treat people and matters sincerely. As for whether he would gain good fortune and opportunities, that was up to heaven.

After that, he continued studying his Sword Control Technique and the power of the earth. He wanted to master them both completely.

Before he knew it, he had cultivated until the afternoon. He tidied up and returned to the academy. As soon as he arrived, Academy Master Song Shi appeared before him. "Come with me tomorrow morning."

Ye Tianming said excitedly, "Academy Master, are we going to engage in actual combat?"

Song Shi glanced at him. "Hmm... why are you so excited?"

Ye Tianming grinned. "No reason. I just really want to try some actual combat."

Song Shi smiled. "Don't be happy too soon... Get some rest early tonight. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Ye Tianming nodded. "All right."

After Song Shi left, Ye Tianming entered the hall where Mu Guanchen lived. Mu Guanchen was sitting behind his desk, writing something.

When he saw Ye Tianming enter, Mu Guanchen put down his brush and looked at him with a smile. "Has the academy master spoken to you?"

Ye Tianming nodded. "Yes."

Mu Guanchen said, "Then get some rest early."

Ye Tianming nodded. "Teacher, you should rest early too."

With that, he walked over to the bed in the corner and lay down. Ever since his room had been given to his senior sister Fu Zang, he had been sharing a room with his teacher, Mu Guanchen.

He didn't sleep. Instead, he took out the book the bookseller at the Great Dao Book House had given him. He read it every night before bed. As he looked at the book, he read silently to himself, When it comes to the question of class, there can be no mercy. We must overthrow everything...

Mu Guanchen sat at his desk, sometimes writing, sometimes lost in thought.

The night passed.

The next day, after getting ready, Ye Tianming arrived at the mountain gate early. As soon as he got there, he saw Song Shi and Fu Zang.

Ye Tianming was surprised. "Senior Sister is going too?"

Fu Zang glanced at him but said nothing.

Song Shi smiled. "Of course. Follow me."

With that, he turned and vanished into the sky.

Fu Zang lightly stamped her right foot, and the sound of something tearing through the air suddenly rang out. In the next instant, she had already appeared at the far end of the sky, leaving a terrifyingly long rift behind her...

That single burst had torn space itself apart.

Ye Tianming stared, dumbfounded... Was his senior sister a max-level big shot visiting the newbie zone for fun?