By the time she finished speaking, she was already sobbing uncontrollably, as if she had truly been wronged by the heavens.

"Aunt Mao," she lifted her tear-filled, little face, looking at Mao Qingzhu with sincere eyes, "Master...he's just a big bad guy! You mustn't be fooled by him! He may be good to you today, but tomorrow, he might treat someone else well!"

"Really?" Mao Qingzhu hesitated.

"Really, really! Before, Master buried me in the snow and let senior sister step on my head! Before, Master even hung me up and whipped me! It hurt so much, so much."

The little girl shivered all over as she remembered.

Eh...how come she never noticed before that Master was so bad!

He even hung her up and beat her...

But Qing Jun had no idea that her words, spoken from the heart, seemed increasingly outrageous to Mao Qingzhu.

How could she believe the little girl's "nonsense"?

"Brother Ye has gone too far!" Mao Qingzhu said with a hint of anger.

"Yes, yes! Someone who likes to abuse children like that must not be a good person, he might abuse Qing Jun for a lifetime! Qing Jun suspects that Master is just afraid of beating Qing Jun to death now...when Qing Jun grows up, he'll definitely whip her again!"

The little girl started to believe her own words as she spoke.

Otherwise,

how to explain why Master always has that Bone-Scraping Whip at his waist? It's definitely for whipping her and senior sister!

She's so smart!

In this world, there are many men who love to whip women!

Master surely is such a person!

"Since that's the case, how about Aunt Mao takes you back to the Mao Family? Later on, go back and find someone to teach your Master a lesson?"

Mao Qingzhu saw the little girl crying with a runny nose and tears, quickly hugged her gently.

Feeling the soft, tender body in her arms, she half-joked, half-tested.

"!"

The little girl was startled, slipped out of Mao Qingzhu's arms like a slippery eel, scratched her head awkwardly,

"Actually, it's not that bad, well, Qing Jun is tired, wants to sleep..."

...

Meanwhile, Chen Ye sat cross-legged, meditating with closed eyes.

As for the eldest disciple?

Already wearing a white inner garment, lying straight on the bed.

"Master, aren't you sleeping?"

"I'll meditate a bit longer..."

Chen Ye casually replied, his gaze focused on the panel.

[Name: Chen Ye]

[Longevity: 41/168]

[Spiritual Root: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]

[Realm: Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer]

[Cultivation Technique: Introduction to Withering Glory and Profound Light: 4/10; Evergreen Technique Grandmaster: 2608/3200; Heavy Body Technique Limit Break: 780/800: Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Technique Great Success: 52/200]

[Skills: Hundred Refining Technique Great Success: 147/200; Jade Pointing Hand Perfection: 247/400; Qi Nourishing Pill Perfection: 345/400; Cyan Wave Sword Control Technique Perfection: 10/400, Bone-Scraping Whip Great Success: 100/200; Culinary Skill Perfection: 390/400; Disease Removal Saber Technique Limit Break: 256/800; Ganlin Nourishing Technique Perfection: 351/400; Cloud Rain Technique Limit Break: 527/800; Purification Technique Perfection: 328/400, Geng Metal Technique Master: 1450/1600; Water Element Shield Great Success: 2/200; Qi Concealment Technique Limit Break: 310/800]

He hadn't looked closely at the panel in a long time.

Today, seeing it, his progress during this period was very apparent.

The most notable progress was in various Spirit Plant Techniques.

Thanks to the constant busyness in Lisong Valley during these days,

not only did the Cloud Rain Technique break its limit, but the Ganlin Nourishing Technique and the Purification Technique were also about to break their limit.

Next was Alchemy.

His Qi Nourishing Pill was about to break its limit.

Ordinary Qi Nourishing Pills, even if they are top grade, cannot satisfy Chen Ye's cultivation needs.

But if the Qi Nourishing Pill successfully breaks its limit, it will undergo a qualitative change.

At that time, even a lower-grade Qi Nourishing Pill will likely show extraordinary changes.

Chen Ye looked forward to this greatly.

After all, the pill formula for the Solid Essence Pill is a tightly held secret, only known to the core disciples of Danxia Peak.

For now, he could only rely on the Qi Nourishing Pill to break its limit.

"However, should I cultivate the Evergreen Technique next, or the Withering Glory and Profound Light?"

Chen Ye contemplated thoughtfully, recalling the panel's incredible abilities, and resolved in his heart,

"Forget it, the Withering Glory and Profound Light requires gathering five spiritual objects to continue cultivation, which is a strict requirement. I can only max out the introduction's proficiency, besides, the Evergreen Technique is close to reaching transcendent..."

Chen Ye knew that the rank and growth potential of the Withering Glory and Profound Light was far beyond what the Evergreen Technique could compare.

Others would certainly switch to the Withering Glory and Profound Light as soon as the spiritual objects were gathered, even if it meant giving up the cultivation techniques honed over a long period.

After all—cultivators can only cultivate one technique, unable to cultivate multiple techniques simultaneously.

This is the common knowledge: how could one's spiritual power possibly operate multiple cultivation techniques simultaneously?

But the existence of the proficiency panel has already defied common logic.

For Chen Ye, there's no need for such worry.

On the proficiency panel, the level after Grandmaster is called Perfection.

What is Perfection? It means understanding the profound mysteries of the world.

As the saying goes, when the nature is void, one enters meditation; the heart realizes and naturally reaches Perfection.

Once cultivation reaches Perfection, one can perceive illusions and comprehend the profound secrets.

This means at this stage, the cultivation of techniques has transcended conventional spiritual power operation and instead depends on the cultivator's understanding of "Dao," approaching the essence of the technique.

Chen Ye felt assured.

However, his Evergreen Technique still lacked six hundred proficiency points to reach Perfection; if he practiced day and night, it would take nearly twenty days. Meanwhile, the Qi Nourishing Pill only lacked fifty points and could break through within a day or two.

"Once the Qi Nourishing Pill breaks through, I will cultivate the technique while taking pills. By the time the Evergreen Technique reaches Perfection, my cultivation should also advance to the Ninth-Layer of Qi Cultivation."

Chen Ye secretly planned his cultivation route for the coming days.

At this moment... his eldest disciple should be asleep by now, right?

For some reason, Chen Ye felt a bit guilty.

He opened his eyes and glanced at his eldest disciple.

The night was deep; the bright moon cascaded its cool, water-like glow upon Zhiwei's delicate and slender figure.

She wore a fitted white inner garment, her silk-like ebony hair unbound, draping freely behind her, cascading down past her slim waist.

The eldest disciple hugged her knees, silently watching him.

Her face, exquisite like a porcelain doll, bore no expression. Yet those obsidian eyes were full of stubbornness.

"Master, is it time to sleep... or are you planning to cultivate all night? If so, Zhiwei will accompany you," she called softly.

"Why are you still awake?" Chen Ye came to his senses. He looked at his eldest disciple's faux-strong demeanor, though clearly filled with grievance, and felt his heart soften.

How could he not know that Zhiwei was just waiting for her master to accompany her to sleep?

"If Master doesn't sleep, how could I dare to sleep first?" Zhiwei spoke calmly, hugging her slender legs tight and watching him silently.

"Oh?"

Chen Ye showed a mischievous smile. He rose from the meditation mat, and, without regard for Zhiwei's startled expression, he scooped the small disciple into his arms, holding her securely.

"Master, you…" Zhiwei was stunned.

"How could your thoughts be hidden from Master? Alright, alright, I once told Qing Jun bedtime stories; it's time I told you one."

Ignoring her protests, Chen Ye carried her to his bedside, then slipped into the soft, warm blankets.

"Ah—"

Zhiwei only saw a blur before being pulled into the bedding by her master, pressed against his broad chest.

She tried to prop herself up, raising her face from within the blankets, biting her lower lip:

"Master! How can I possibly sleep lying on top of you?"

"Don't worry, no one will know anyway."

Chen Ye gently stroked her smooth ebony hair, smiling as he looked at his disciple in the blankets.

"Just go to sleep, and Master will tell you a story."

"No…" Zhiwei, ever so proper, shook her head immediately.

But,

Chen Ye knew all too well; outwardly, Zhiwei pretended to be unwilling, but inwardly, she was quite happy.

This wasn't a wild guess,

Rather… this little disciple of his, though saying no, was already quietly holding his muscular waist, almost pressing her little face against his chest.

"No use saying no! Objections are invalid, anyway, you can't really resist your master… right?"

Chen Ye whispered, giving her a graceful out.

"Is… is that so… Then there's no helping it… Master, you're a grown-up, yet still act like a child."

"What's wrong with being childlike? Innocent and lively, full of enthusiasm for the world."

"It's not good. If Master always acts like a child, no one will like Master in the future."

"Does Zhiwei not like Master, then?"

"Zhiwei respects Master."

"Ah, I thought I could win my little disciple's favor."

"That's just wishful thinking."

"But Master likes his two disciples, which means someone still likes children, right?"

"...Master." That is…playing unfairly!

"Alright, alright, Master will tell you a story, hm, let me think, alright, this one. It's said…"

The night grew deeper.

The girl lay atop her master's chest, quietly listening to his low voice.

She clearly didn't want to sleep, but the sense of peace was so overwhelming that she wished she could sleep there forever.

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