"Who's speaking?"
Ye Chen turned around.
He saw a Daoist dressed in a purple Daoist robe, short and stout, with a kind and gentle face.
It was Daoist Yuan Yi, the Chairman of Tiandang Peak, who had saved him twice just now!
"So it's Daoist Yuan Yi!"
"Thank you, Daoist, for your timely rescue."
Ye Chen gritted his teeth and bowed.
This was only because he was down on his luck now. With his usual temperament, only others would bow to him; he, Ye Wudi, would never bow to anyone in this life!
"Hahahaha, it was just a small effort, no need to mention it."
Daoist Yuan Yi still maintained his smile. "I wonder, young man, would you be willing to join my Tiandang Peak lineage and become my direct Disciple?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen was first taken aback.
Then, a surge of overwhelming joy erupted in his heart!
Heaven is indeed still favoring me, Ye Wudi!
Once I join the Qinglan Sect, I'll have a chance to kill Lin Xiao for revenge. I can also find that arrogant fool who stole my opportunity and kill him with a single sword strike!
Thinking this, Ye Chen clenched his fists, genuinely tempted.
Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and made a decision that went against his beliefs!
THUD!
He dropped to his knees directly, performing a full kowtow!
"Disciple Ye Chen pays his respects to Master!"
I, Ye Chen, am kneeling today, not for anything else, but to prove that what I have lost, I will take back with my own hands!
A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm! For today's shame, I will repay it a thousandfold in the future!
The black-clothed youth lowered his head, consoling himself.
"You... Ye Chen! Although we haven't formally performed the master-disciple ceremony, I bestowed upon you immortal fate and taught you the Martial Arts, never holding anything back! I already considered you my disciple!"
"And now, you deign to bow to a mere Lower Realm cultivator as your master? Do you have any respect left for me, this old man!"
"You... just how many masters do you intend to acknowledge in this lifetime!"
An aged voice, filled with righteous indignation, emanated from the Soul Ring and resounded directly in Ye Chen's mind.
However, the black-clothed youth turned a deaf ear!
He knew very well.
This mysterious old man in the ring might have a grand origin, but right now, he was just a remnant soul, barely clinging to existence.
He couldn't leave him, the host, at all!
Since they were already in the same boat, why should he care about the feelings of a parasite?
"Hahahaha, good Disciple! Quickly rise, quickly rise!"
Seeing the youth so obedient, Daoist Yuan Yi's chubby face quivered with laughter as he affectionately helped him up with both hands. "To tell you the truth, my good Disciple, as your Master, I have cultivated in the hundred schools of techniques, and I am particularly skilled in face-reading! The moment you appeared, I, your Master, had already taken a liking to you! You, ah, possess the disposition of a Great Emperor!"
"This... Is Master serious?"
Hearing this, Ye Chen's eyes lit up, and he bowed once more. "From this day forward, Ye Chen is willing to follow and serve Master!"
Sigh, truly a hopeless case, like trying to prop up mud.
Could it be that I, this old man, miscalculated? Perhaps... the Son of Destiny is someone else?
Is it that mysterious existence who intercepted Ye Chen's opportunity and is hiding within the Qinglan Sect?
Within the boundless space of the Soul Ring, an old man in a white robe with a flowing beard stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his wrinkled face etched with deep regret.
...
...
Tsk, the mid-stage minor boss getting entangled with the protagonist. The absurdity of it is actually rather amusing.
Oh well, the plot has already unraveled to this extent. I can only take it one step at a time, sigh.
From a distance, Lin Xiao observed everything from the corner of his eye, a myriad of emotions swirling within him.
「The next second—」
"DING!"
"Congratulations to the Host for successfully restoring the main storyline!"
"You have received a reward: Qinglan Law Sword x1 (Already placed in your storage space. Description: Three-quarters sealed, currently the highest-grade Immortal Sword in this world. It contains boundless immortal power. At least half of the seal must be undone to attempt activation.)"
The system's reward notification sounded in his ear.
Lin Xiao's pupils contracted sharply; he almost fainted.
What the hell is going on?!
Isn't this Qinglan Law Sword the key item for his grandstanding that Ye Chen was supposed to obtain mid-story from the forbidden area in the back mountains of the Qinglan Sect?
In the original plot, it was precisely with the world-shattering might of this supreme Immortal Sword, after unsealing it halfway, combined with Xiao Hongling, that Ye Chen managed to repel the joint invasion of the Eight Great Demon Sects!
How did it inexplicably get forced into my hands?
Forget it. The lousy system is as cunningly unhelpful as ever; I won't get anything useful out of it.
I'll ignore it for now and act as the situation demands! I'll probe a few more minor plot points, have some in-depth discussions with the three Junior Sisters separately to ascertain the truth of matters, and then decide!
Lin Xiao gritted his teeth internally.
...
...
It wasn't until late at night that the Qinglan Sect's disciple recruitment ceremony, held once every three years, finally concluded.
In the end, Lin Xiao, as the Eldest Senior Brother of Divine Phoenix Peak, working with several stewards and Elders from his peak, selected around ten young girls chosen for their looks... oh, no, I mean, for their outstanding aptitudes, and entrusted them to the care of his three Junior Sisters.
As for why Junior Sisters?
Isn't it obvious?
As a perverted and lecherous Eldest Senior Brother, there can only be one man on Divine Phoenix Peak, and that is him, Lin Xiao!
Of course, those servants and Outer Sect disciples don't count.
After giving some instructions to his three Junior Sisters, Lin Xiao directly stepped into the teleportation array within the mountain gate and flickered to the Rainbow Bridge on Fairy Cliff.
One must have a conscience.
Tonight, he was determined to repay his Master's kindness with utmost gratitude and filial devotion... in a very personal way!
He had a hunch that the root of all the plot's derailment might lie with his beautiful Master, who was peerless in both martial prowess and appearance!
After all, that night's Sword Intent Baptism was definitely not just a spontaneous act brought on by wine!
It might even be related to his confrontation with Ye Chen today!
Could it be... she used some incredible immortal divination technique to calculate everything in advance?
Thinking this, Lin Xiao rapidly circulated his True Yuan, increasing the speed of his Sword Control.
Soon, he landed in the center of Fairy Cliff, approaching his beautiful Master's wooden cabin.
A light, refreshing fragrance wafted from the cabin, as usual.
"Xiao'er, you're here. Come in quickly."
Just as Lin Xiao was hesitating about whether to announce his presence, a gentle female voice came from within.
"Yes, Master."
Lin Xiao pushed open the wooden door and saw a stunningly beautiful woman in a thin silk nightgown. She held a jar of fine wine, her long, slender, snow-white legs elegantly crossed, looking at him with an enigmatic smile.
By the bed, there was also a basin of clear water, filled with flower petals, from which Spiritual Energy gently spiraled.
"You performed well today and didn't disappoint my expectations. Master... hmm, has decided to reward you!"
"Incidentally, the time has come to test your filial piety..."
Lin Xiao: ?