...
Baopu Peak, Transmission Hall.
As dawn broke, a group of ten-year-old children paired up on the White Jade Plaza before the hall, practicing basic sword techniques.
Chen Ye did not rush to reveal himself, but hid and stood at a corner of the eaves on the hall’s roof, looking down with great interest.
His gaze quickly locked onto the figure at the center of the crowd.
Zhang Chuxi was wearing the standard disciple robe of Baopu Peak today, and though it was a uniform Taoist robe, it couldn’t hide her noble demeanor.
Chen Ye had to admit.
This wicked little group’s appearance was indeed extremely beautiful and cute.
Her skin was whiter than snow, like the finest suet white jade.
The eyes that often appeared arrogant or fearful in front of him were now calm and serene, as tranquil as water.
The breeze swept by, lifting a few strands of hair by her temples. She raised her hand to gently tuck them back, her movements smooth and pleasing, utterly like an ethereal fairy.
"Hmph! I must say, this fellow really is a little fairy..."
Chen Ye thought to himself.
"Senior Sister Zhang, I always struggle with this stepping sword-drawing move, could you teach me?" A chubby little boy approached, his face flushed.
"Of course."
Zhang Chuxi nodded slightly, patiently correcting his posture. Even though he was clumsy, she only slightly furrowed her brows and smiled a little.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Chen Ye laughed from the rooftop.
This acting, this composure—if someone didn’t know her true nature, they’d really be fooled by her model student façade.
The chubby boy couldn’t see it, but Chen Ye could clearly see the disdain in Zhang Chuxi’s eyes.
Clearly teaching him swordsmanship, but she always inadvertently embarrassed the boy, causing the surrounding disciples to burst into laughter.
Even though the chubby boy was already embarrassed to the point of mortification, he didn’t realize that it was Senior Sister Zhang intentionally making him look bad.
"Have you seen enough?"
An elderly voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
Chen Ye turned around and cupped his hands in greeting to Xu Henshan, who had appeared unnoticed: "Senior Xu."
Xu Henshan, leaning on a crutch, also looked at Zhang Chuxi on the plaza and sighed:
"That girl, her talent is first-rate, but her nature is too quirky. Now with you here to temper her, perhaps it’s a good thing."
The two did not linger on the rooftop and with a flicker, had already arrived in the hall behind.
"Regarding the current situation of Baopu Peak, I must be upfront with you first."
Xu Henshan motioned for Chen Ye to sit down, his expression turning more serious,
"There aren’t many disciples on Baopu Peak, counting them all, only thirty-seven in total. There used to be five resident instructors, but not long ago, during the demon cultivator assault... three instructors unfortunately perished."
Hearing this, Chen Ye’s face turned solemn.
Five instructors, three killed, showing just how heated the battle at Lingyin Sect was that day.
"Therefore, the Sect Master appointed you here, not only valuing your strength but also your background and temperament."
Xu Henshan looked at Chen Ye and said with a grave voice,
"The children here are all descendants of great cultivators or those who have made significant contributions to the sect. They are the future foundation of Lingyin Sect and must not suffer any mishap. The teaching position at Baopu Peak cannot be assigned to anyone other than one who is both powerful and trustworthy."
"I understand," Chen Ye nodded.
So what if they are third-generation immortals.
Chen Ye wasn’t worried at all.
No matter how strong the backgrounds of these disciples, no matter how arrogant their personalities, they couldn’t compare to Bai Susu...
"Additionally..."
Xu Henshan pondered for a moment, his gaze landing on Chen Ye,
"I recall that you are skilled in the Alchemy Dao? You can just as well teach them some basic alchemy theory and herb identification. Having multiple skills won’t hold you down, and on the battlefield, perhaps it could save their lives."
Chen Ye had no objections: "That’s easy."
"There’s also one more important point."
Xu Henshan’s tone suddenly took on a subtle nuance,
"The sect has decided that these children should be exposed to practical combat earlier. They are still young, and in the past only learned formal sparring techniques. But demon cultivators... they don’t play by the rules."
He looked at Chen Ye, smiling meaningfully,
"You are a rare loose cultivator who’s clawed your way up through hardships. Surely, you have quite a bit of experience in those... ahem, loose cultivator tricks and dirty moves?"
Chen Ye gave a wry smile.
Seems the sect’s higher-ups believed he had gone through countless battles coming up from a loose cultivator background.
In reality, he was just an unassuming spirit plant cultivator.
Nonetheless, when it comes to teaching the brats, Chen Ye indeed had some insights!
...
A half an hour later.
In the Hall of Teachings, the bell rang, and thirty-seven disciples quickly gathered, forming neat rows within the hall.
After Xu Henshan delivered a brief speech, he withdrew to the background, giving his place to Chen Ye.
As Chen Ye, with his hands behind his back and a serene expression, walked into the hall, the previously somewhat noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
Standing in the most prominent spot in the first row, Zhang Chuxi almost lost her composure upon seeing Chen Ye, her small hands clenched tightly in her sleeves, knuckles turning white.
He’s here!
This devil... is really here!
She was so nervous that her breathing nearly stopped, fearing that Chen Ye would recount her embarrassing story from Black Cliff City in front of all these fellow disciples, or deliberately make her uncomfortable.
Luckily.
Chen Ye’s eyes merely swept calmly across the crowd, without specifically focusing on her.
He briefly introduced himself and then directly began to explain the essentials of magical battles.
In fact.
Chen Ye’s abilities in magical battles were indeed outstanding and widely acknowledged.
Not long ago, he killed Mei Suxin with Early Period Foundation Establishment cultivation, sparking considerable discussion within the sect, which was one reason the Sect Master appointed him as an instructor in practical combat.
Unfortunately... among the disciples below, very few listened attentively.
"Whew..."
Zhang Chuxi exhaled a long breath, silently cursing Chen Ye,
"This despicable shameless man, not as bold as he appears, is certainly afraid of my mother and won’t dare to bully me in the sect!"
"Senior Sister Zhang, do you know this new instructor? I heard he knows True Inheritor Bai!" a fellow disciple asked softly.
A pretty little girl curled her lips: "Not very well."
"That’s right, he used to be an Outer Sect Guardian, and wouldn’t have had the chance to meet Senior Sister Zhang."
That disciple firmly believed this, only asking because she saw Zhang Chuxi’s expression change.
"Heh, a cultivator from such a muddy pond, remember to keep a distance, or they’ll take a mile if given an inch..."
Zhang Chuxi said quietly, her voice full of resentment.
"Senior Sister is right! Just because he’s an instructor doesn’t mean we’re afraid!" The fellow disciple nodded repeatedly, her father being a Late Period Foundation Establishment cultivator, wouldn’t be afraid of ordinary instructors, would he?
In the vast Baopu Peak, only that old Xu is intimidating; other instructors wouldn’t dare mess with them.
"What gibberish are you muttering!"
The little girl struggled to poke her little head out from the crowd, glaring fiercely at the fellow disciple,
"Zhao Yuanyuan, if you dare to talk bad about my master again, I’ll tear your mouth apart!"
"You you you... Xu Qingjun, don’t think I’m afraid of you just because old Xu backs you!" Zhao Yuanyuan’s tough words belied her shrinking figure, evidently somewhat scared of Qing Jun.
The evil little brat posed like a sincere elder sister, smiling: "Don’t be like that, Qing Jun is just following her master, it’s unavoidable."
Zhao Yuanyuan snorted coldly: "Hmph, indeed! After all, she’s from Yunxi District."
Qing Jun couldn’t detect the hidden barbs in their words, blushing and pinching her little hands when Zhang Chuxi suggested she matched her master: "Eh... so you all think I match my master well!"
"?"
Zhao Yuanyuan paused, thinking it through—it did make sense, since she followed her master, it suggested they had similar temperaments, did it not mean they were well-matched?
Yet it felt rather odd to hear.
The happy little girl couldn’t care less about others’ thoughts; she grasped Zhang Chuxi’s small hand, her face full of emotion: "I knew Chuxi was my best friend!"
She only had Zhang Chuxi as a friend, making Zhang Chuxi her best friend indeed.
The little girl’s enthusiastic reaction momentarily stunned Zhang Chuxi.
Turns out, she is her best friend?
No wonder she always agreed so eagerly whenever asked to play...
Actually, Zhang Chuxi quite liked Qing Jun, but... but Qing Jun’s master was that bastard...
Thinking this, a certain evil little brat turned away stiffly:
"As long as you’re happy."
...
"These guys, chatting away privately, really think I don’t know they’re secretly transmitting sound, huh."
Chen Ye twitched his mouth.
You know what?
This was actually the first time Chen Ye had seen so many adorable brats.
Unfortunately, these kids were only outwardly cute, none of them behaved as good kids.
Chen Ye was imparting his magical battle skills generously, yet these people were merely pretending to listen seriously while whispering secretly.
Moreover.
Chen Ye even saw Qing Jun squeeze to the front, almost openly chatting with Zhang Chuxi.
"Damn brat, she must have corrupted Qing Jun!"
Chen Ye clenched his fist!
Time for some one-on-one actual combat guidance with the brat!