Chapter 28: A Little Excited

“Mm-hmm!” Lin Xiaoyu nodded vigorously.

“The guardian elder said I set a new record, so my reward was tripled!”

Chen Ping looked at the proud girl before him, a complicated mix of emotions welling up in his heart.

Gratification, pride, and a trace of… envy?

He had toiled for twenty years just to reach half a layer of Qi Refining.

This girl had been his disciple for ten days and was already at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, setting a record and making her name known throughout the sect.

Was this the gap between a genius and an ordinary person?

But on second thought, this genius was his own student.

And he could get a hundred-thousand-fold feedback on any reward she received.

Chen Ping’s mood instantly brightened.

“Not bad.” He put away the reward, his expression turning serious.

“But don’t get arrogant. The Cultivation Tower is just the beginning. The real trials lie ahead.”

“This disciple understands!” Lin Xiaoyu nodded firmly.

She paused, looking at Chen Ping with some concern.

“Master, you went to take a mission yesterday… you didn’t run into any danger, did you?”

“No,” Chen Ping said calmly.

“Killed someone and traded them for some resources.”

“Killed someone?” Lin Xiaoyu froze.

“Who?”

“The Blood-Handed Butcher.”

Lin Xiaoyu: “…”

She opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

The Blood-Handed Butcher.

She had heard that name before.

An evil cultivator who had betrayed his sect and fallen to the demonic path, a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage with a fearsome reputation.

Master went out for a single day and killed the Blood-Handed Butcher?

“Master… what cultivation realm are you actually in?” Lin Xiaoyu couldn’t help but ask.

She had asked this question many times.

Every time, her master would just smile and avoid answering directly.

Chen Ping glanced at her, then suddenly reached out and lightly flicked her forehead.

“Ow!”

Lin Xiaoyu covered her forehead, looking aggrieved.

“Realm isn’t important,” Chen Ping said, withdrawing his hand, his tone indifferent.

“As long as you can win, that’s enough.”

Lin Xiaoyu rubbed her forehead and nodded, half-understanding.

She truly didn’t know how strong her master was.

But in the Cultivation Tower, she had to give it her all just to narrowly defeat five Golden Core puppets.

Yet her master had killed the Blood-Handed Butcher, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, in just one day.

That gap…

“Alright.” Chen Ping interrupted her thoughts, taking out the resources he had just exchanged from his storage ring.

“These are for you. Keep them safe.”

Lin Xiaoyu stared at the pile of spirit stones and pills, her eyes wide.

“M-Master… so many?!”

“Mm, you need a lot of resources for your cultivation,” Chen Ping said.

“Next, I will continue taking missions to earn more resources. Just focus on your cultivation in the sect and strive to break through as soon as possible.”

Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes reddened slightly as she nodded vigorously.

“This disciple will definitely work hard!”

Chen Ping looked at the determined girl before him, secretly calculating in his mind.

These resources, combined with her own reward, were still far from the tenfold requirement of the system.

However…

He raised his eyes and looked toward the southeast.

The Saintess of Tianyue should be arriving soon, right?

Once she delivered that batch of resources, Xiaoyu’s Heavenly Dao Qi Refining should be able to progress further.

Once she truly set foot on the path of Heavenly Dao Qi Refining,

what kind of feedback would he receive?

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Chen Ping’s mouth.

He was looking forward to it.

For three consecutive days, Chen Ping brought Lin Xiaoyu into the Map of Mountains and Rivers for hellish special training.

He held nothing back.

Not one bit.

On the first day, Chen Ping suppressed his cultivation to the third layer of Qi Refining and sparred with Lin Xiaoyu.

The result:

Lin Xiaoyu was beaten 18,327 times.

Under the Grand Dao Divine Eyes, even the tiniest of Lin Xiaoyu’s flaws had nowhere to hide.

Every time, Chen Ping used the most simple and unadorned moves to precisely send her flying.

Every time, Chen Ping would point out her flaws.

“Your sword is too slow.”

“Your footwork is messy.”

“Your spiritual energy flow is sluggish.”

“You’re impatient and full of openings.”

Lin Xiaoyu gritted her teeth, getting up and charging forward time and time again.

And time and time again, she was sent flying.

On the second day, Chen Ping suppressed his cultivation to the fifth layer of Qi Refining.

This time, Lin Xiaoyu couldn’t last three moves.

But she still didn’t give up.

Sent flying, she got up and charged again.

Sent flying, she got up and charged again.

Over and over, tirelessly repeating.

By evening, she was covered in injuries and her clothes were tattered, but she had a smile on her face.

Because on the 56,372nd try, she had finally managed to leave a sword mark on the corner of Chen Ping’s robe.

Even if it was just the corner.

Even if it was just a shallow mark.

But it was the first time she had touched her master.

Chen Ping looked at the sword mark, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Not bad.”

Lin Xiaoyu lay on the ground, panting heavily, but her eyes were astonishingly bright.

On the third day, Chen Ping suppressed his cultivation to the sixth layer of Qi Refining.

At the same time, he adjusted the spiritual energy density inside the Map of Mountains and Rivers to its maximum.

Spiritual energy ten times denser than the outside world enveloped the entire space in a hazy spiritual mist.

Standing in the spiritual mist, Lin Xiaoyu closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, she opened her eyes.

“Master, this disciple is ready.”

Chen Ping nodded.

“Come.”

This battle lasted a full six hours.

Lin Xiaoyu’s movements grew faster and faster, her swordsmanship sharper and sharper, her spiritual energy flowing more and more smoothly.

From being defeated in a single move at the beginning, to lasting three moves, and finally, at the very end…

A flash of her sword, and another sword mark appeared on the corner of Chen Ping’s robe.

And this time, it had torn a large hole.

She froze.

Chen Ping froze too.

Master and disciple stared at each other across the three-inch blade.

“Master, this disciple…” Lin Xiaoyu hastily withdrew her sword.

“This disciple didn’t do it on purpose…”

Chen Ping didn’t say anything.

He looked at the girl before him, drenched in sweat, clothes tattered, yet with such bright eyes.

Three days.

Just three days.

From being completely crushed at the third layer of Qi Refining, to leaving a mark on his clothing.

Even he was startled by this rate of growth.

“Very good.”

Chen Ping suddenly smiled.

He reached out and ruffled Lin Xiaoyu’s hair.

“I didn’t misjudge you.”

Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes reddened. She lowered her head and bit her lip.

“Alright, let’s stop here for today.”

Chen Ping withdrew his hand, took out a pill from his robes, and handed it to her.

“Take this.”

Lin Xiaoyu took the pill and put it in her mouth.

The pill dissolved instantly, transforming into a warm current that spread throughout her entire body.

Her wounds healed at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The bruises faded, and the scabs fell off to reveal fresh new skin.

Even her fatigue was swept away. She felt completely refreshed, as if she had just slept for three days and three nights.

“Master, what pill is this? It’s so powerful!”

“Something good,” Chen Ping said with a smile, not explaining further.

This pill was one he had exchanged for contribution points in the Mission Hall.

A single pill cost five thousand contribution points. Ordinary disciples couldn’t afford it.

But for Lin Xiaoyu, it was worth it.

“Alright, let’s go out.”

With a wave of Chen Ping’s hand, the Map of Mountains and Rivers retracted, and the two reappeared in the small courtyard on Luoxia Peak.

The setting sun slanted westward, dyeing the entire mountain peak a warm golden color.

Lin Xiaoyu took a deep breath, taking in the familiar fragrance of grass and trees in the air, and a smile spread across her face.

“Master, this disciple is going to cook.”

“Mm.”

Lin Xiaoyu turned and walked toward the kitchen, her steps light and quick.

Chen Ping watched her retreating figure, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The girl was clearly exhausted, yet she still insisted on cooking.

He knew that Lin Xiaoyu genuinely loved to cook.

It wasn’t because she was hungry, nor out of habit.

It was because, while cooking, she could temporarily set aside the pressure of cultivation, let go of her obsession with revenge, and just be an ordinary girl making a meal for her master.

Chen Ping didn’t stop her.

The path of cultivation was long and arduous. Having something that allowed her to relax was a blessing.

In the kitchen, smoke curled up faintly from the chimney.

Lin Xiaoyu tied on an apron and skillfully chopped vegetables, tossed them into the pot, and stir-fried them.

The light of the setting sun streamed through the paper windows, casting a soft golden glow on her face.

As she cooked, she hummed an unknown tune.

It was a song her mother had taught her.

A long, long time ago, when her mother was still alive, she would hum this song every time she cooked.

Lin Xiaoyu closed her eyes and deeply inhaled the aroma of the food.

In a daze, she felt as if she had returned to that small village, back to her mother’s side.

The corner of her mouth lifted, but the rims of her eyes stung slightly.

“Mother, I… I met a very good master.”

She said softly.

“He treats me very well. Very, very well.”

“This disciple will work hard. I will definitely work hard.”

The stove fire crackled, as if responding to her.