The next day—
Lin Chen unwillingly accepted his fate as a direct disciple. It wasn't as if he had much of a choice anyway.
"Hmmm… Aiva, that talent modification data we got from Yu Feng—was it useful?" Lin Chen asked, sitting on his new bed. The mattress was far softer than the one in his old quarters, almost luxurious.
[Insufficient. From just one body, the data isn't enough to modify your physique. According to my calculations, at least ten bodies' worth of data will be required before any meaningful modification can be applied.]
Lin Chen scratched his head. "What about that lunatic's body inside the storage ring? Can you use it to gather data?"
[No. His body is a mess. Not usable.]
"Figures. Guess I'll have to find a good place to dispose of that trash."
There was no point keeping a useless corpse in his storage ring. If anyone from the Divine One's Cult—a name he'd given to that deranged group worshipping the so-called Divine One—traced its aura, it could bring him endless trouble. Better to dispose of it quietly before it caused problems.
He leaned back on the bed, stretching lazily. "So, how's the Azure Thunder Art modification coming along?"
[Seventy percent completed. Estimated time: five hours.]
"Good," Lin Chen said, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Then it's time to meet my new master and collect the benefits of being a direct disciple."
As he rose, a thought crossed his mind — his new master, Lan Yaoye, wasn't just any elder. She stood at the Eighth Stage of the Heaven Mark Realm, a single step away from breaking through to the legendary Void Shatter Realm.
Within the Sect, such cultivation already placed her at the very peak.
The Sect Master himself was said to have reached only the Fourth Stage of the Void Shatter Realm — enough to make the sect one of the continent's first-rate powers.
Beyond that realm lay the ancient sects — their foundations stretching back tens of thousands of years, their power hidden yet immeasurable.
Those ancient sects housed numerous Void Shatter experts, but above them was a realm that had long faded into myth — the Celestial Realm.
Celestial cultivators were rarer than phoenix feathers, almost extinct. Across the entire continent, only a handful remained — ancient monsters who had lived for over two thousand years.
No one knew why, but ever since that distant era two millennia ago, no new Celestial cultivator had ever emerged. It wasn't that the world lacked talent… it was that the path itself had been severed.
Those ancient beings were now the hidden pillars of the world — silent watchers who had transcended mortal ambition, their mere existence enough to suppress an entire generation.
"I wonder what really happened two thousand years ago…" Lin Chen murmured softly. It was one of the great mysteries that still haunted this age, yet none had ever uncovered the truth.
"Whatever. Not my business for now." He shrugged, pushing the thought aside as he walked down the path toward his master's residence.
***
In Lan Yaoye's residence.
Lin Chen sat cross-legged before his master, his face expressionless and his thoughts unreadable.
"Among all the elders in the sect, I am the most powerful. You should feel honored that I took you in," Lan Yaoye declared proudly, her eyes glimmering with confidence.
"I'm indeed honored," Lin Chen replied flatly, clapping his hands with a deadpan look. Inside, however, he rolled his eyes. Powerful? Sure. Let's see how long that pride lasts.
For now, he decided to play along. It wasn't worth arguing with her — he could already read her personality like an open book.
"Hehe~ Then as your master, I've prepared a few things for you," Lan Yaoye said cheerfully, gesturing toward a low jade table beside her.
"Five bottles of Essence Forging Pills, and two hundred high-grade Spirit Stones," she announced with satisfaction.
Lin Chen's gaze flickered with brief surprise. So this was the treatment of a direct disciple… The difference in resources was like heaven and earth.
Two hundred high-grade Spirit Stones — that was twenty thousand mid-grade stones. Enough for most inner disciples to cultivate for years.
Without hesitation, he swept his sleeve lightly, storing all the treasures into his storage ring.
Lan Yaoye picked up a peculiar-looking fruit. Its surface glowed faintly, crimson petals overlapping like a blooming lotus, yet its core shimmered with the luster of ripe jade. "And this," she said with a proud smile, "is your reward for taking first place—the Red Lotus Fruit."
Lin Chen held it carefully. He could feel the dense Essence Qi radiating from it. This was by far the finest item he had received since arriving in this world.
If he swallowed it directly, it would strengthen his body and purify his meridians… but that would also waste most of its medicinal essence.
Better to collect the proper ingredients and have it refined into a Jade Leaf Pill, he thought. Only then can its power truly bloom—and maybe even raise my cultivation talent up a notch.
His gaze shifted toward Lan Yaoye, who was still smiling smugly as if she had performed some great deed.
Lin Chen's lips curved ever so slightly. Perhaps… becoming her direct disciple isn't so bad after all.
The other elders had countless disciples—resources divided like crumbs between hungry dogs. But him? He was the only one.
No rivals. No competition. No one to snatch away his share of treasures.
Heh, being her sole disciple means every resource flows directly to me.
And judging by her personality, Lan Yaoye wasn't the cautious type. She seemed impulsive, maybe even a little gullible.
If I play my cards right… perhaps I can "convince" her to hand over a few extra treasures for my 'cultivation progress.'
A faint smile flickered across his lips—calm on the surface, but mischievous underneath.
If anyone looked into his eyes at that moment, they might have thought—
This wasn't a disciple planning his cultivation.
It was a sly fox calculating how to milk his master dry.
"And finally, a personal lesson from me," Lan Yaoye said, stretching lazily before standing up. She motioned for Lin Chen to follow.
Lin Chen blinked in confusion. "A… lesson?"
He followed her out of the hall and into the garden behind her residence. The place was wide, filled with neatly trimmed trees, blooming flowers, and a small pond that gave off a faint spiritual aura.
Lin Chen glanced around, puzzled. "Here? What kind of lesson is this…?"
Don't tell me she's actually going to teach me a superior cultivation technique right away? Or maybe some powerful fighting art?
He rubbed his chin, half curious, half wary. After all, knowing this woman's personality, "lesson" could mean anything — from an advanced secret technique to getting punched for "training his reflexes."
Lan Yaoye stood in the center of the garden, her hands behind her back, looking rather pleased with herself.
"This is my personal teaching ground," she said proudly. "Consider yourself lucky — not many get to see my skills firsthand."
Lin Chen sighed inwardly. Yeah, that's exactly what I was afraid of.
"This is my most powerful technique — and one of the sect's supreme arts. I'll demonstrate it once, so watch carefully," Lan Yaoye said, her voice calm but carrying a quiet, deadly pride.
She drew her sword in a single smooth motion. The blade hummed softly, a crimson gleam running along its edge.
"This technique," she continued, her eyes narrowing, "is called Scorching Sky Dragon Tempest Art — a low-grade Saint-rank technique, yet one powerful enough to burn heaven and split earth."
As her words fell, the air began to twist.
Wuuum…!
The temperature surged in an instant. The serene garden transformed into a blazing furnace. Flowers wilted, the pond began to steam, and the air itself shimmered like molten glass.
Fiery Qi erupted around Lan Yaoye, swirling wildly before condensing behind her.
From the blazing maelstrom, a colossal shape began to emerge — scales gleaming like molten gold, whiskers of fire stretching into the sky.
A dragon — vast, sinuous, and awe-inspiring — coiled behind her, its presence alone warping the air.
The dragon's eyes opened, twin suns burning with fury.
"ROOOOOAAARR!!"
The sound tore through the clouds, shaking Lin Chen's bones. The pressure was suffocating — a living inferno pressing down from the heavens.
But then Lan Yaoye smiled faintly. "It's not over yet. That was only the first form."
Lin Chen blinked. First form?! That wasn't even the full power?!
She swung lightly, and the dragon roared again, surging upward. Its blazing body pierced the clouds, leaving a trail of scarlet fire as the sky itself seemed to ignite.
Lin Chen felt his skin crawl. Even standing far away, his entire body broke out in goosebumps. Just the aftershock of that power could have obliterated him ten times over.
Rumble!
Darkness spread across the sky as thick storm clouds gathered. Lightning crackled through the smoke, merging with the remnants of the fiery dragon.
The roar that followed was unlike anything he had ever heard — half thunder, half divine fury.
From the storm emerged the second form — the same fire dragon, now wreathed in crackling purple lightning.
Every breath it took made the sky tremble. Its scales glowed between gold, red, and violet, each shift tearing the sky open with light.
"This," Lan Yaoye said softly, "is the second form."
The dragon plunged downward, its body a blur of fire and thunder. The ground beneath Lin Chen quaked; his heart felt like it would burst.
Just as the dragon's claws reached them — the image shattered.
The air returned to calm. The garden was still again.
*****
A/N: If you're enjoying the story so far, don't forget to add it to your Collection and vote with Power Stones — your support really helps motivate faster releases!
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