A Saint-Grade Aptitude, on the Way

"This is what you call not too long??"

Dark lines appeared on Lu Changzhi's forehead.

"I'm definitely getting the short end of the stick here."

If he switched to eating food made by the sect, he couldn't say his quality of life would decline—it would at least be cut in half.

With that thought, Lu Changzhi chose to spend the experience points.

"Sit down cross-legged and feel the changes in your body."

Lu Changzhi spoke up to remind her.

Luo Ling'er sat down cross-legged with due form, her eyes half closed.

Whoosh.

The Earth Demonic Bear's spirit core flew out, and in an instant, an incomparably powerful, heavy presence emerged.

Though the spirit core was only half the size of a fist, it felt like a mountain, weighing down on people until they could barely breathe.

The next moment, that presence suddenly grew somewhat turbulent.

Faintly, it seemed about to condense into the enormous figure of a demonic bear.

And just then.

A hand suddenly condensed out of the void.

Whoosh!

Smack!

The spirit core took a solid slap.

It promptly burst apart.

Its terrifying presence vanished in an instant.

"Disciplining complete... activation in progress..."

System notifications rang out one after another in Lu Changzhi's ears.

Lu Changzhi fell silent for a moment.

The system's way of disciplining it... is pretty distinctive!

The shattered spirit core turned into specks of light.

Drawn by an invisible force, the lights began to converge on Luo Ling'er.

"Hmm?"

Luo Ling'er's long eyelashes fluttered as she sat cross-legged. A little surprised, she said:

"Master, it feels like something warm is entering Ling'er's body."

It's started, Lu Changzhi thought. He asked:

"Does it hurt?"

"Nope." Luo Ling'er shook her head. "Ling'er feels really comfortable."

"That's good." Lu Changzhi nodded.

It seemed the system was quite effective after all.

Judging by the time, at this rate, it would probably take a while longer for her to absorb it all.

So Lu Changzhi sat down cross-legged and kept watch beside her.

Time passed bit by bit.

The presence emanating from Luo Ling'er's body gradually began to grow stronger.

By the time night slowly fell, only a few specks of light remained around her.

"Activation complete... finishing up..."

The system's notification drew Lu Changzhi's gaze.

Boom!

A surge of ferocious spiritual power suddenly burst from within Luo Ling'er.

It was like a volcano under mounting pressure finally erupting.

Luo Ling'er's cultivation realm also began to rise at an astonishing speed.

Ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm...

Third level of the Qi Gathering Realm...

Eighth level of the Qi Gathering Realm...

Second level of the Spirit Sea Realm...

Finally, Luo Ling'er's cultivation stopped rising only after it reached the Peak Spirit Sea Realm.

And that was only because breaking through to the Dao Platform Realm could not be accomplished simply by flooding the body with spiritual power.

Lu Changzhi sensed that some power still remained within Luo Ling'er.

Once she broke through to the Dao Platform Realm, her cultivation would likely rise rapidly for another period.

"Check personal attributes."

Lu Changzhi checked Luo Ling'er's information again.

[Name]: Luo Ling'er

[Cultivation]: Peak Spirit Sea Realm

[Aptitude]: Mid-Grade Spirit Level

[Physique]: Giant Barbarian Physique (mid-grade spirit rank)

[Talent]: exceptional culinary skill

Her physique had fully awakened.

A mid-grade Spirit Rank physique was somewhat beyond Lu Changzhi's expectations.

Not only that, Luo Ling'er's aptitude had changed along with it, leaping to Mid-Grade Spirit Level.

"Congratulations, host. You now have three disciples with spirit-grade aptitude, triggering an additional reward."

The system's voice suddenly rang out.

"Hmm?" Lu Changzhi raised an eyebrow.

There's an additional reward too?

"The host has been rewarded with one person of Saint-Rank Aptitude. The reward is on its way. Please wait for some time."

"Saint-Rank Aptitude?"

As for Saint-Rank Aptitude, the Five Symbols Sect had gone far longer than a mere thousand years without seeing one.

It was just that,

This 'on its way'...

"System, how long do I have to wait?"

Lu Changzhi asked.

"Master, it will take some time. When the time draws near, the system will notify you."

Lu Changzhi thought about it and found that reasonable enough.

After all, it couldn't just conjure a person out of thin air.

"Master."

Luo Ling'er opened her eyes.

"I feel like I have so much strength in my body now."

As she spoke, she tried to stand up.

It was clear to feel that Luo Ling'er's strength had increased tremendously compared to before.

The moment she got up, she stomped a deep crater into the ground.

Immediately afterward, she lost her balance.

Bang, bang, bang!

After a struggle,

The flustered Luo Ling'er dug a deep pit into the ground through sheer effort.

"It looks like you'll need some time to get used to it, little girl."

Lu Changzhi couldn't help laughing.

Luo Ling'er seemed to have found it fun as well.

She lowered herself and sprang into the air.

The ground went bang, and cracks even spread across it.

Luo Ling'er shot up to a height of several people and called excitedly to Lu Changzhi:

"Master, look at me~"

Before her words had faded, there was a dull thud as she landed squarely on her bottom.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Luo Ling'er nearly fell to the point of tears. Clutching her bottom, she hopped around in pain.

"Master, what are you doing out here so late at night...?"

Mu Fan walked over from a distance and froze at the sight of Luo Ling'er clutching her bottom and crying out in pain.

"Never mind, I was just sleepwalking past."

As Mu Fan spoke, he got up and retreated.

"Mu Fan, you came at just the right time."

Lu Changzhi waved him over.

"Ling'er will be cultivating from now on too. Gu Chen is in seclusion these days, so you can guide her cultivation."

Mu Fan's expression changed the moment he heard that.

"Don't, Master. You can't do this to your disciple."

As he spoke, surprise appeared in his eyes.

"When did this girl Ling'er reach the Peak Spirit Sea Realm?"

"Master, did you do it?"

Lu Changzhi glanced at Mu Fan. "More or less. Ling'er has a special physique, and I activated it for her. He can cultivate from now on too."

"Ling'er has a special physique?" Mu Fan muttered. "How did I not notice?"

"All right, you'll be guiding Ling'er from now on."

With that, Lu Changzhi got up and headed toward his residence.

"Don't, Master! Let's talk this over some more," Mu Fan called at once.

Lu Changzhi had already disappeared from sight.

Mu Fan glanced at Luo Ling'er and heaved a long sigh.

"Everything was fine. Why did I even come out here?"

Everything was peaceful for the next ten-odd days.

Apart from the loud crashes Luo Ling'er caused from time to time.

And Mu Fan's sighs, utterly devoid of any desire to live.

There was still no news of the disciple with Saint-Tier Aptitude.

In his spare time, Lu Changzhi continued controlling his External Avatar and wandering around.

During that time, he encountered another person with a hidden physique.

Unfortunately, that person was nearly seventy and had never cultivated.

Even with the physique activated, beginning cultivation would have been harder than ascending to the heavens.

The person lived in a harmonious household with three generations under one roof, so Lu Changzhi did not go over and disturb them.

One day, Mu Fan came looking for Lu Changzhi with Luo Ling'er.

"Master, Ling'er wants a weapon that suits her hand."