Divine Family Mansion.
After Jing Ya, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling packed all their belongings, Xue Hui and Chen Linlin brought the trio back to the Divine Family Mansion.
Now that Xue Hui had decided to nurture the three girls into powerful experts, bringing them to the mansion would ensure their safety during the formative stages of their training.
Despite being commoners, Jing Ya, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling were all beautiful girls. With their looks and status, they were bound to attract unwanted attention, especially from the children of nobility. This was one of the main reasons they had tried to become close to Chen Linlin when they first got the opportunity.
After all, there were always some spoiled nobles who had no qualms about using their status to harass pretty girls like them.
Furthermore, once Xue Hui began training them, he wanted them to devote themselves entirely to cultivation.
Although the Holy Orchid Institute had facilities that students could use for training, it was severely lacking in the proper equipment and resources needed for serious cultivation.
The Divine Family Mansion, however, could provide everything they needed. By staying there, the three girls could cultivate freely without having to worry about their safety or resources.
"I-is this really okay?" Mei Lin asked nervously as the outline of the Divine Family Mansion came into view outside the carriage window.
Jing Ya and Yue Ling were equally pale as they realized they were actually going to stay at the Divine Family Mansion.
"Guys, relax. There's nothing to worry about. You three will be staying in my and Xue Hui's courtyard. It's a pretty nice place." Chen Linlin giggled, finding their nervousness amusing. "And if anyone in the mansion dares to bully you, just tell Hui-hui. Most of the people in my Divine Family are terrified of him, so you don't have to worry about anyone bothering you."
Chen Linlin laughed when she saw the trio look at Xue Hui with reverence. Xue Hui simply rolled his eyes at her boasting, though he didn't deny her words.
Once the carriage dropped them off, the five students entered a beautiful courtyard.
The first thing that greeted the trio was a long-eared, white-furred donkey lounging on the grass. The creature was casually sipping from an expensive-looking bottle while using a hoof to flip through the pages of a book.
The trio stared at the strange sight in confusion.
Chen Linlin, however, immediately lunged at the creature and clung to his back like a small child.
"SILVER, I'M BACK! DID YOU MISS ME?" she asked excitedly.
"Ra-ul!"
Feeling the weight on his back, Silver wiggled his body, trying to playfully shake the girl off. Unfortunately for him, his efforts had little effect.
As he struggled, Chen Linlin caught a whiff of something fermented. She sniffed the air before realizing that the bottle Silver was drinking from contained liquor.
"Silver, you're drinking again? Your breath stinks! Mother is going to be angry when she finds out. You know that, right?!"
Instead of stopping, Silver simply took another sip and looked at her smugly.
"Ra~ul!"
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Chen Linlin stifled a laugh. She wanted to see how long Silver could maintain that smug expression, knowing that her mother would kick his butt the moment she found out.
Fortunately for her, she didn't have to wait long.
Footsteps suddenly echoed from the hallway.
"Baby, is that you?" a voice called out, catching everyone's attention.
The woman's melodious voice echoed throughout the courtyard, making the trio nervous as they immediately recognized who it belonged to.
Hearing her mother call for her, Chen Linlin's face lit up. She was about to answer when she suddenly felt gravity pull her downward.
"Moth-oomph!"
She dropped unceremoniously onto the ground.
Bewildered, she looked around and spotted Silver already running away at full speed.
"COWARD!" Chen Linlin yelled indignantly at the fleeing donkey.
"Ugh, let me guess. Silver snuck another drink again?"
The trio of girls froze when they realized Chen Yinying was standing behind them.
Mei Lin, Jing Ya, and Yue Ling hurriedly tried to greet her properly, but they were so overwhelmed by her presence that they stumbled through their salutes.
As aspiring female Demon Spiritualists, they had long heard of the Battle Maiden, Chen Yinying.
Born into a struggling aristocratic family, Chen Yinying had been a Demon Spiritualist student when she first rose to prominence. Thanks to her outstanding innate talent, she became the number-one genius of her generation, accomplishing numerous feats and single-handedly saving her clan from decline.
To girls like them, she was an ideal example of what a female Demon Spiritualist could achieve.
With her hands on her hips, Chen Yinying examined the three unfamiliar faces before her.
Young, beautiful, and possessing the potential to become stunning women in the future.
Her eyebrow twitched.
The first thought that came to mind was that Xue Hui had brought these three girls home to become his concubines.
"Xiao Hui, you sure work fast, huh? Bringing girls home on the very first day of school. And here I thought you were different from those lecherous losers out there."
Her accusation made Xue Hui sigh in exasperation. He had only wanted to help them, so why was he suddenly being accused of being a womanizer?
The three girls, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, let out startled squeaks as their faces turned bright red.
Quickly clearing up the misunderstanding, Xue Hui shook his head and denied the accusation.
"They're not my girlfriends, Aunt Ying. They're your daughter's girlfriends."
Chen Yinying covered her mouth and gasped in surprise, her shimmering gaze darting toward her daughter.
"Oh, baby, I didn't know you liked girls too!"
Chen Linlin shuddered at her mother's words. She hurriedly scrambled to her feet, her face flushed red.
"I am not! I only brought them here because they're my new friends… Wait! What do you mean by 'too'?!"
Xue Hui stifled a laugh, only to receive a sharp glare from Chen Linlin. Her expression clearly told him to stop laughing and explain everything to her mother.
After a brief explanation of what had happened on their first day of school and why they had brought the girls home, Chen Yinying finally understood their circumstances and began warming up to them.
"Well, I'm glad you girls decided to genuinely be friends with my Lin'er instead of just using her. There's nothing wrong with that, but my Lin'er's situation is rather unique, so it took her quite a while to make new friends."
Mei Lin, Jing Ya, and Yue Ling lowered their heads apologetically, but Chen Yinying wouldn't have it.
She gently patted each of them on the head, reassuring them that there was nothing for them to feel guilty about.
"I assure you three, this kind of relationship will be much more beneficial to your growth, both as people and as Demon Spiritualists. So stop kicking yourselves and start training. Become strong ladies like me!"
Chen Yinying flexed her arm proudly, leaving the trio staring at her in awe.
After their brief meeting, Chen Yinying left the five children to search for Silver.
"That donkey is going to empty our entire stock of good liquor if no one stops him," she grumbled while cracking her knuckles.
Once she left, the group headed to a nearby gazebo and sat down.
Xue Hui had promised the trio that he would help them become Demon Spiritualists, and he intended to begin as soon as possible.
"Before we begin, I want to know your innate talents first. That way, we can determine which cultivation path is best suited for each of you."
The trio exchanged glances before nodding.
They had all been tested for soul force talent before entering the academy, so they told Xue Hui their soul realm types.
Jing Ya had a yellow soul realm, while Mei Lin had an orange one. Both were decent talents.
When it was Yue Ling's turn, however, she lowered her head in embarrassment and quietly revealed that hers was red.
"What's with that look? I also have a red soul realm, so there's no need to be ashamed of it. With me guiding you, how could you not become a powerful expert like the rest of us?" Xue Hui said confidently.
Yue Ling stared at him in astonishment.
"Furthermore, what I want to know isn't the type of your soul realm, but your soul form."
Jing Ya, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling all looked at Xue Hui in confusion.
They had never heard of soul forms before.
Seeing their expressions, Xue Hui continued.
"Finding out your soul form will help us determine the cultivation path best suited to each of you."
He took three unused primary soul crystals from his interspatial ring and handed one to each girl.
"Jing Ya, take one of these soul crystals and insert a strand of your soul force into it."
Jing Ya hesitated.
Unused primary soul crystals were quite expensive, costing five thousand Demon Coins each. For commoners like them, that amount was equivalent to an entire year's allowance.
However, after Chen Linlin convinced Jing Ya not to worry about the cost, she inserted a strand of soul force into the crystal in her hand.
The crystal immediately shone with a yellow glow.
Xue Hui leaned closer, examining the soul force within it.
"Soul force of thirty-two. Yellow soul realm…"
His eyes widened slightly when he discovered her soul form.
"Water attribute, World Devourer
Python soul form."
Seeing the complicated expression on Xue Hui's face, Jing Ya nervously asked if there was something wrong with her soul realm.
"No, no, nothing like that." Xue Hui waved his hand, easing her concerns with a smile. "Your talent is actually quite extraordinary. With the right cultivation technique, you'll surely become a Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist in the future."
Jing Ya stared at him in disbelief.
Mei Lin and Yue Ling were equally stunned as they listened to Xue Hui. They couldn't help wondering what kind of cultivation technique could produce such an incredible result.
Jing Ya was just as shocked, but another thought quickly surfaced in her mind.
If she truly became a Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist as Xue Hui claimed, she could finally seek justice for her grandfather's death.
She remembered the day when one of the Sacred Family elders had crippled her grandfather's cultivation right in front of her.
Back then, she had been told that they couldn't pursue the Sacred Family for their crimes, because doing so would only bring even greater disaster upon their clan.
They had been powerless and could only endure the humiliation and swallow their anger.
But if she became a Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist like Xue Hui said…
BANG!
Chen Linlin, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling all jumped in surprise when Jing Ya suddenly bowed her head so low that she slammed her forehead against the wooden table.
"P-please, help me become strong. If you do, I, Jing Ya, will repay your kindness with my life. Just say what you want, and I'll do it, even if it costs me my life."
Despite the tremble in her voice, Jing Ya spoke with absolute conviction.
The girls immediately became distressed and tried to pull her up to check her forehead.
Xue Hui remained seated, quietly observing his old friend. He didn't need to ask what had caused her sudden outburst. Given her family's decline and the Sacred Family's involvement, it wasn't difficult to guess what was on her mind.
"There's no need to go that far, Jing Ya. Since I already promised Linlin that I would help you, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling, of course that includes giving you suitable cultivation techniques to help you reach Legend Rank."
Jing Ya lifted her forehead, a bead of blood trickling down her skin.
After quickly patching up her injury, Xue Hui took out an empty scroll and a horn sheep pen. With a swift movement of his arm, he inscribed a cultivation technique tailored to Jing Ya's soul form.
"World Devourer Cultivation Technique."
Xue Hui handed the scroll to Jing Ya.
Her usual stoic expression had vanished. Her eyes shifted between the cultivation technique and Xue Hui, filled with complicated emotions. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words to express what she was feeling.
"Just accept it," Xue Hui insisted, giving her a knowing look. "You don't have to say anything. We're all friends here, so it's only natural for us to help each other, right?"
Jing Ya nodded.
Her finger traced the surface of the scroll as she quietly muttered the name of her new cultivation technique.
Once Jing Ya accepted the scroll, Xue Hui also helped Mei Lin and Yue Ling find suitable cultivation techniques.
"Orange soul realm, fifteen soul force, Sun attribute, Lion's Pride soul form."
Mei Lin jumped in excitement. She had no idea what those words meant, but they certainly sounded cool.
"Oh! That sounds strong. Can I become a Legend Rank Demon Spiritualist like Jing Ya?" she asked eagerly.
Xue Hui grinned.
Unlike Jing Ya, who was reserved, Mei Lin was the outgoing one in their group. Once her initial shyness faded, she was the first to start acting casually around both Xue Hui and Chen Linlin.
"Yeah, it's pretty rare as well."
Xue Hui took out another scroll and wrote down a cultivation technique.
"This is the Sun Conqueror Cultivation Technique. In terms of strength, it's equal to the one I gave Jing Ya."
He presented the scroll to her, which Mei Lin accepted without hesitation.
"Nice! With this, my mother will stop nagging me about finding a husband," she said happily, completely oblivious to the strange looks she received from the others.
Yue Ling was the last.
The shy girl fidgeted nervously as she waited for Xue Hui to finish examining her soul form.
"Red soul realm. Eight soul forces. Attributeless."
"Compared to other soul realms, an attributeless soul realm could be considered the weakest."
"There were only three cultivation techniques in existence suited to this type of soul force: the Heavenly God Cultivation Technique, the War God Cultivation Technique, and the Void God Heavenly Technique."
Xue Hui placed a finger against his chin and pondered for a moment over which of the three would suit her best.
He had successfully cultivated all three techniques before within the space of the [CREATION ORIGIN ANCESTRAL MANUAL].
The Heavenly God Cultivation Technique was undoubtedly the strongest, followed by the War God Cultivation Technique. However, if he had to choose his personal favorite among the three, it would be the Void God Technique.
The Void God Technique surpassed the limits that the other two could reach in cultivation. Not to mention, once it reached Void Mastery, its combat prowess could easily overwhelm both the Heavenly God and War God cultivation techniques.
"Yue Ling, from now on, you'll have to work extra hard. Your cultivation technique is much harder to practice, but once you master it, you will undoubtedly become one of the strongest cultivators in this world."
Yue Ling was stunned by Xue Hui's words.
She had prepared herself to be told that she lacked the potential to cultivate. Instead, Xue Hui genuinely believed that she could become a powerful Demon Spiritualist despite her poor talent.
"Don't worry. I'll be helping the three of you from now on, so you'll be fine," Xue Hui reassured her.
It was unclear whether Yue Ling had even heard him. The small girl simply nodded absentmindedly while clutching the Void God Heavenly Technique in her hands.
"Now that that's settled, let's begin the training."
The girls looked at one another, each with a glint of determination in their eyes.
They all wanted to discover just how far they could go on their newfound paths.
End of Chapter 41