Translator: CinderTL
"Alright," Jiang Ting replied, sticking out her tongue. "Why are you being so serious all of a sudden?" She obediently got up and moved to the side.
Swiftly, she began practicing the Star Martial Cultivation Method.
Jiang Ye watched intently.
Time passed. Half an hour later, Jiang Ting finished her demonstration.
Jiang Ye, however, remained deep in thought.
"Strange."
"There's no major flaw," Jiang Ye murmured, frowning inwardly. "But her progress is just too slow."
With his current insight, he could see it at a glance.
Each cycle of Jiang Ting's cultivation technique yielded only a negligible improvement.
The Star Martial Cultivation Method was a foundational technique used before the first breakthrough. Since Jiang Ting was still uninitiated, a flawless execution of the technique should have produced significant progress.
Just like when Jiang Ye was in his first year of high school.
Every day, his punching power increased.
It wasn't until he reached the entry stage of the Star Martial Cultivation Method—150 kilograms—that his progress gradually slowed.
"Brother," Jiang Ting called out, approaching him. "I'm done practicing."
"Hmm, not bad," Jiang Ye said with a wave of his hand.
Whoosh!
A luminous treasure materialized, radiating a faint glow.
A First-Tier Opportunity.
Crack! Jiang Ye crushed the opportunity in his palm, shattering it into fragments.
With Jiang Ting's current strength, she couldn't digest the massive energy contained within a First-Tier Opportunity.
Jiang Ye picked up a small fragment and said, "Eat this, then continue cultivating."
"Okay," Jiang Ting said, accepting the opportunity with a sullen expression.
Her brother was acting strangely today, not at all as gentle as usual.
She didn't say anything, though.
After consuming the opportunity, she resumed her cultivation.
"Hmm?"
"This time, the improvement is noticeably greater," Jiang Ye observed, his eyes flashing with insight but no surprise.
First-Tier Opportunities were typically used by martial artists nearing their first breakthrough or those who had already achieved it.
For Jiang Ting to consume such resources now was quite extravagant.
"Even a First-Tier Opportunity doesn't provide a significant boost for her."
"At most, it's comparable to a Nascent Aptitude," Jiang Ye murmured, shaking his head slightly.
To keep pace with her classmates, Jiang Ting would need to consume a First-Tier Opportunity with every cultivation session.
Even transcendent aristocratic families likely wouldn't indulge in such extravagance.
Opportunities, after all, were priceless and scarce.
"Fortunately," Jiang Ye thought to himself, "my trip to the Star Realm Sea yielded considerable reserves."
The Star Realm Sea, a Divine-Tier Opportunity Zone, was so abundant that even a common blade of grass could be a First-Tier Opportunity.
Jiang Ye had accumulated a considerable amount of resources.
Combined with the vast storage treasures he had acquired from alien races, whose collections were equally abundant, it was no exaggeration to say that Jiang Ye was now wealthier than an entire nation.
"Brother!" Jiang Ting exclaimed excitedly. "My cultivation seems to be progressing faster this time!"
"That's the result of hard work," Jiang Ye smiled warmly. "Keep striving, understand?"
"Hard work?" Jiang Ting pondered for a moment.
Then, she nodded vigorously. "Yes! Persistence and effort! Teacher Zhu Honglie always said that too."
Jiang Ye retrieved several First-Tier Opportunities, crushed them, and placed the fragments into a metal vial.
"Take one of these before each cultivation session," he instructed. "Come find me when you've finished them."
"Okay," Jiang Ting replied.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye tossed her another First-Tier Opportunity. "Continue cultivating."
"Alright!" Jiang Ting obediently agreed, thoroughly enjoying the exhilarating sensation of rapid advancement.
Without hesitation, she swallowed the new opportunity and resumed her cultivation.
Nearby, Jiang Ye watched quietly for a while before his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
Outside the villa.
"Jiang Ting's cultivation problem is basically solved," Jiang Ye thought, letting out a sigh of relief.
With the assistance of a First-Tier Opportunity, Jiang Ting's cultivation speed now rivaled that of those with Nascent Aptitude.
In the future, she would at least no longer be at the bottom of the rankings.
At that moment, a notification appeared:
You have achieved a new achievement: Guiding the holy maiden of the upper realm and assisting her in taking the first step in cultivation.
Unlocked title: Holy Maiden as Disciple
Reward: You have obtained the 'Holy Maiden Bond'. The holy maiden's innate talent will now be bound to yours. The stronger her talent, the greater the boost to your own. The holy maiden will also be subject to a certain degree of bond influence. Upon her ascension, you will receive tenfold rewards.
Jiang Ye stared in astonishment at the subtitles that materialized before him.
"Holy Maiden as disciple?"
"Holy Maiden Bond?" Jiang Ye was stunned. "The stronger Jiang Ting's innate talent becomes, the greater the boost to my own?"
But Jiang Ting's cultivation talent was utterly pathetic.
"After the Holy Maiden ascends, receive tenfold rewards." Jiang Ye frowned at the final line.
Ascend?
What did that mean?
Was it because she was the 'Holy Maiden of the Upper Realm'?
Or did the system recognize the concept of ascension in this world?
"Never mind."
"Overall, this is a good thing." Jiang Ye shook his head.
Solving Jiang Ting's cultivation problem while also earning an achievement was a win-win situation.
"Next..."
"I'll go check on Teacher Zhu first," Jiang Ye thought to himself.
With a swift movement, he vanished from his spot once more.
Moments later, Jiang Ye appeared in an office.
"What?"
"Teacher Zhu isn't here?" Jiang Ye stared at the man in the black suit before him—Zhu Honglie's assistant.
"Where did Teacher Zhu go?" Jiang Ye pressed.
"Teacher Zhu went to West Mountain Province half a year ago," the man in the suit said in a low voice. "To combat a sixth-tier Shadow Calamity."
"Combat a sixth-tier Shadow Calamity?" Jiang Ye's expression immediately changed.
Although a sixth-tier Shadow Calamity wasn't the highest level, it still meant the emergence of a large number of Shadow Clan members at or above the seventh breakthrough.
Teacher Zhu Honglie had gone to fight such a calamity?
And he'd been gone for over half a year?
Jiang Ye quickly pulled out his communicator, ready to contact him.
"There's no point in trying," the man in the suit said. "Teacher Zhu has already infiltrated the Shadow Clan World. The two realms are sealed off; you won't be able to reach him."
Beep. Jiang Ye had already dialed Zhu Honglie's number.
But as the man had said, the call wouldn't go through.
"Teacher Zhu went to the Shadow Clan Nest?"
"How dangerous!" Jiang Ye's face paled slightly.
Teacher Zhu Honglie possessed strength at or above the seventh breakthrough. Even if he encountered a Shadow Calamity, he could protect himself.
But the Shadow Clan Nest was teeming with endless Shadow Clan members.
Even experts at the eighth or ninth breakthrough wouldn't dare enter it lightly.
"How could this be?" Jiang Ye asked his assistant, the news completely unexpected.
"At the time," the man in the suit began, sighing, "a sixth-tier shadow calamity erupted in West Mountain Province. But due to its remote location, most high-realm experts were unwilling to travel there to provide reinforcement. Teacher Zhu had no choice but to lead the charge himself."
"West Mountain Province's defenses were weak," he pointed out.
"A full-scale battle would have resulted in countless civilian casualties," the man continued.
"So, after half a month of fierce fighting, Teacher Zhu and his team decided to enter the Shadow Clan World," the man said gravely. "Only by striking at the source could they stem the tide of the Shadow Clan."
Jiang Ye was stunned. This was the first time he had heard any of this.
A sixth-tier shadow calamity in West Mountain Province, and no one came to rescue them?
It was true that with high-level shadow calamities erupting across Blue Star, manpower was stretched thin. Most strong individuals would naturally prioritize defending their own homelands first. But the number of experts who had originated from West Mountain Province was woefully small, and those above the seventh breakthrough realm were even rarer.
In such a crisis, Zhu Honglie's willingness to step forward was truly remarkable.
(End of the Chapter)
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