Within a hundred-mile radius of the foot of Heavenly Peak, there were no towns or settlements. With nowhere else to go, Leng Qingqiu could only find a cave at the mountain's base to rest.
Though he held himself in high esteem, he never underestimated his opponents. Sleeping right next to an enemy was asking for trouble. No one knew what might happen.
Human nature could never truly withstand temptation. Even though he wielded the power of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, he would never act recklessly or assume that those at the Nascent Soul Stage were harmless.
Of course, if the remnant soul within the Jade Pendant, his Master, could still respond, he would not have been afraid. Sleeping within the Heavenly Gate Sect would not have bothered him in the least.
But ever since he arrived near Heavenly Peak, he had not received a single response from his Master.
"Master? Master?"
As if going through the motions, Leng Qingqiu called out twice more toward the Jade Pendant. Just like before, there was no reply.
He did not grow anxious. His Master occasionally entered secluded cultivation, and being unable to make contact for a short time was normal. Even so, his Master had never before entered cultivation without discussing it with him first.
Still, since there was no response, there was nothing more he could do.
"What kind of methods will the Heavenly Gate Sect bring out tomorrow?"
Lying on his bed, Leng Qingqiu pondered the coming confrontation. The bed itself had been taken from his storage ring, so at least he did not have to lie on the grass.
Ye Ling's cultivation level was low, yet he had left an exceptionally deep impression on him, surpassing anyone else of the same generation that Leng Qingqiu could recall.
His gaze was steady, his reasoning sound, his words sharp, and his thoughts clear.
He neither clung stubbornly to an advantage when he had the upper hand in an argument, nor did he let a single flaw in the other party's words slip by.
With only Fourth Level Qi Cultivation, the pressure he exerted far exceeded that of others at the same level.
"He's not afraid of me?"
There was a trace of amusement in Leng Qingqiu's voice, and curiosity filled his emerald-green eyes.
After all, the gap between Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment was like heaven and earth. A higher rank alone could crush someone, not to mention a difference of six levels and an entire major realm.
Even with Bai Yiyi, a Nascent Soul Stage Master, backing him, Leng Qingqiu himself stood behind the Righteous Path Alliance, an existence that every sect had to treat with courtesy, at least on the surface.
But Ye Ling?
He showed not the slightest fear and even dared to argue his case head-on. If it were any other third-rate sect, they would have done whatever he said without question, never daring to talk back or issue threats.
No. Forget third-rate sects. Even second-tier or third-tier sects would not dare to speak to him the way Ye Ling did.
How interesting.
Thinking of Ye Ling, Leng Qingqiu could not help but consider bringing him under his command.
A man who left such a deep impression should not be wasted in a third-rate sect.
As for Bai Yiyi?
To be honest, she had also left an extraordinarily strong impression on him.
He believed himself well-versed in judging people, yet he had never encountered such a shameless Nascent Soul Stage expert.
In some sense, Bai Yiyi was even more outrageous than Ye Ling.
This strange master and disciple pair truly broadened his horizons.
That was why he was even more curious about what kind of surprise they had prepared for him at the summit of Heavenly Peak.
As for whether he might lose?
A Foundation Establishment cultivator defeating a Qi Cultivation cultivator with hands and feet tied was the confidence granted by a major realm difference.
When victory was handed to you, how could you possibly lose?
Moreover, he was no ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. He carried a Primordial Inheritance. Though his Master was only a remnant soul, that remnant possessed power that reached the heavens and shook the earth, far beyond what modern cultivators could compare to.
More importantly, his background was anything but ordinary. Born into a hidden clan, his physique could not be measured by the standards of common cultivators.
At three, he began Qi Cultivation. At five, he started Body Tempering. At eleven, he reached Foundation Establishment.
Unfortunately, certain events occurred afterward. Otherwise, his name would have echoed throughout the entire cultivation world, rather than leaving him as a minor steward within the Righteous Path Alliance.
Even so, at only eighteen, becoming a steward of the Righteous Path Alliance already marked him as an exceptional talent. Stewards of the Alliance were, at the very least, equivalent to Elders of third-tier sects.
And although he had only just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, his Qi Cultivation had been reforged nine times. Calling it flawless would not be an exaggeration.
Under his Master's guidance, he believed himself invincible among his peers. After all, cultivators who obtained a Primordial Inheritance like his were exceedingly rare.
On top of that, the Righteous Path Alliance had lost a vast amount of inheritance due to the Heaven-Defying Demon Emperor.
He was destined to be a rising star of the future.
With visions of tomorrow in mind, Leng Qingqiu slowly drifted off to sleep.
...
Heavenly Peak, Bai Yiyi's bedchamber.
"My good disciple, aren't you cultivating yet?"
After teaching Ye Ling Body Tempering for the entire day, Bai Yiyi still saw no sign of him beginning his cultivation.
Originally, she had planned to have Ye Ling skip Body Tempering today and focus obediently on cultivation instead.
After all, in her view, no matter how fast one cultivated, progress could never be achieved overnight. It always took time.
"Master, don't worry."
Ye Ling waved his hand casually, looking relaxed and unconcerned.
After a full day of Body Tempering and a soak in the Spirit Spring, he felt unbelievably comfortable. If he could just have a maid to massage his shoulders, knead his back, and warm his bed, that would be perfect.
Unfortunately, at most, he was the one warming Bai Yiyi's bed.
"My good disciple, Master knows you're gifted, but absorbing Spiritual Qi still takes time. You can't just sit there and wait for it to flow into your body on its own, can you?"
At this point, Bai Yiyi was starting to doubt Ye Ling a little.
Of course, she knew he was not deliberately deceiving her. It was simply a gentle lie.
To challenge powerful enemies for her sake and for the sect's sake… what a good child.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious Bai Yiyi became.
Seeing the clear change in her expression, Ye Ling instead felt reassured.
He had deliberately dragged things out for an entire day precisely to make Bai Yiyi anxious. Otherwise, his plan would have had no room to unfold.
Although he did feel somewhat guilty toward Bai Yiyi, this was all for her and for the sect. Some sacrifices were necessary.
"Master, didn't you previously bring the purified Spiritual Qi right in front of me?"
Ye Ling spoke in a half-joking tone as he continued, "If you add my ability to directly seize Spiritual Qi into the mix, wouldn't that be the same as Spiritual Qi pouring straight into my body?"
"By the way, what kind of cultivation method was that?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he carefully watched Bai Yiyi's expression, worried that this might be a top-secret technique of the Heavenly Gate Sect.
After all, even with powerful enemies pressing in, aside from hurting Bai Yiyi's pride, things could still turn out exactly as she said. At worst, the Heavenly Gate Sect could simply be rebuilt.
If he showed too much eagerness for that cultivation method, it might instead raise her guard.
A technique capable of directly purifying the surrounding Spiritual Qi was something Ye Ling had never even seen in novels. He understood very well just how important it was.