"Indeed, such things can’t be rushed."
Chen Ye nodded in agreement.
Since he didn’t need to risk his life immediately, that was naturally excellent.
He planned to reach the Middle Period of Foundation Establishment as soon as possible to avoid embarrassment in front of Bai Susu.
Fortunately, the Heart-Burning Technique was on the verge of success, and breaking through to the Middle Period of Foundation Establishment was almost a certainty.
"Alright, the tasks are assigned, I should head back now."
Bai Susu stretched lazily, her curves accentuated,
"For this period, just stay at Baopu Peak and don’t wander around. Wait for my news."
With that, she stepped on her Flying Sword and vanished into the vast night in an instant.
"This person... comes and goes as she pleases, I thought she would torment me a bit more..."
Chen Ye felt a little inexplicably melancholic.
Though she was mischievous, she was delicate and soft, with fair skin and beautiful features...
Watching that flash of golden light disappear, he turned and pushed the door open to return indoors.
As soon as he entered, a biting cold air greeted him.
Startled, Chen Ye quickly glanced at the bed.
There, Jin’er, who had been lying quietly, was now surrounded by a dense azure halo.
The halo wasn’t still; it flickered like flames, emitting an astonishing chill.
Her eyes were tightly shut, brows slightly knitted, as if enduring great pain or undergoing some transformation.
Her aura was unstable, sometimes surging violently like a torrent, other times silent like an abyss.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi was frantically converging into her body, forming a visible vortex of Spiritual Qi.
"Is she... about to reach Foundation Establishment?!"
Chen Ye’s pupils shrank, suddenly realizing.
Lin Jin had been at the Qi Cultivation Perfection threshold, harboring the abundant Cold Flame Power for over a decade.
What surprised Chen Ye was that she would break through at this moment!
A glint of joy flashed in his eyes, but mostly he felt solemn.
Lin Jin’s situation was unique; she relied on the Cold Flame for Foundation Establishment.
If not properly controlled, it could easily backfire, leading to madness at best or death and Dao extinction at worst.
"Master..." the girl looked at the man with some trepidation.
"Don’t be afraid, Master is here."
Chen Ye quickly approached the bedside and sat cross-legged.
He formed hand seals, and a surge of Wood Element Spiritual Power emerged, creating a gentle barrier around his disciple, shielding her from external disturbances and stabilizing the surrounding violent Spiritual Qi.
"Sink your Qi into the Dantian, guard the Spirit Platform!"
Chen Ye’s Divine Sense conveyed the message directly into Lin Jin’s sea of consciousness,
"Though the Cold Flame is intense, you are its master. Do not resist it, guide it, make it the cornerstone of your Foundation Establishment!"
Upon hearing her master’s voice, Lin Jin calmed down from her initial panic.
Following Chen Ye’s guidance, she ceased trying to suppress the Cold Flame and instead attempted Foundation Establishment using it.
Azure flames surged through her meridians, broadening and reshaping them, making them stronger and wider.
"Tsk... My disciple’s future is truly limitless..."
Chen Ye observed the changes with astonishment.
The time for Jin’er to attain the Golden Core would likely be much shorter than he anticipated.
He casually summoned the Ice Soul Pill and fed it to Jin’er.
The pill played a crucial role at this moment, acting like a refreshing stream that neutralized the excessive violence within the Cold Flame, making this power gentle and controllable.
Time slowly passed.
The chill within the room intensified, even forming a thin layer of ice on the tea on the table.
Yet, Chen Ye remained utterly still, continuously supplying Spiritual Power to safeguard his disciple.
Finally.
After a night had passed,
"Boom!"
The Spiritual Power within the Quiet Chamber boiled, then swiftly returned to calm.
Simultaneously, the pervasive chill withdrew entirely into her body.
In its place was the formidable oppression of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!
Jin’er opened her eyes in a daze.
Those eyes remained vacant, but within the depths of her pupils, a faint blue flame quietly burned.
Foundation Establishment was achieved!
It happened naturally, without any difficulties!
Even.
Jin’er hadn’t even realized: "Master, did I... did I reach Foundation Establishment?"
"Good! Good! Good!"
Chen Ye said "good" three times, smiling with satisfaction,
"Of course, you reached Foundation Establishment! As expected of my disciple, building up over time to achieve success in one fell swoop! The solid foundation of your Foundation Establishment will make even the geniuses from major families envious."
"Oh..." Jin’er didn’t show much joy, only a slight curve at the corner of her lips.
Chen Ye understood.
The girl didn’t quite grasp the significance of reaching Foundation Establishment.
From birth, she had always been alone.
And since becoming his disciple, her progress in cultivation was rapid; she reached Foundation Establishment in less than two years... How could she realize the difference between a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and an ordinary person?
His disciple silently extended her hand, palm up, and a ghostly blue flame "whooshed" to life, no longer uncontrollable as before, but gentle as it danced at her fingertips.
"Master... from now on, does Jin’er no longer need anyone’s protection?"
She murmured.
From birth, she had always been a burden to her family.
Even after being accepted as his disciple, she still felt like a burden.
Chen Ye smiled: "A Foundation Establishment Cultivator, who would need someone else’s protection? Perhaps in the future, Jin’er will have to protect Master."
"Can Jin’er also protect Master?"
"Of course." Chen Ye nodded.
The more thighs, the better!
Each disciple was a wing for the master!
"Jin’er... understands."
...
Cangli Courtyard.
Qing Jun was idly stepping on an ant on the ground, while Zhiwei sat quietly in meditation nearby.
"Senior Sister, why hasn’t Master and Junior Sister Lin come out yet? It’s been a whole day." Qing Jun grumbled, "Qing Jun suspects that Master is mad! We stayed out half the night playing yesterday, so Master is deliberately staying close to Lin Jin to make us uncomfortable!"
Damn Master!
Always bullying his disciples.
Qing Jun admitted, Master’s plan succeeded; she now felt completely uncomfortable!
"Master is just safeguarding Junior Sister Lin, and we should not disturb him." Zhiwei said with her eyes closed.
"But it’s been too long..." the little girl said discontentedly.
"Because Junior Sister is at Foundation Establishment." Zhiwei replied calmly.
Yet the little girl’s strand of hair stood nervously erect.
She knew her Senior Sister too well!
Despite her calm tone, Qing Jun could sense the chill!
Qing Jun propped her chin up, gazing at her Senior Sister: "Isn’t Senior Sister unhappy?"
"No such thing."
Zhiwei shook her head,
"I’m happy for Junior Sister Lin’s Foundation Establishment as her Senior Sister."
Qing Jun showed a face of belief, blinking: "Oh—so now, Lin Jin’s the first disciple to reach Foundation Establishment? Is she Master’s most outstanding disciple?"
"..."
Zhiwei silently closed her eyes.
She had always strived to be Master’s most hassle-free, capable, and outstanding disciple.
She practiced tirelessly, learned alchemy and arrays, and even how to care for Junior Sisters and manage household chores.
Yet now, that usually quiet and reticent Junior Sister Lin had silently become the first to reach Foundation Establishment?
"Senior Sister, say something." Qing Jun leaned forward, mischievously poking her face,
"Are you jealous? Do you feel like Master is being taken away? Haha, Senior Sister, you have this day!"
"No."
Zhiwei brushed her hand away, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes again,
"I just think I should reach Foundation Establishment too."
"Tch, so stubborn."
Qing Jun pouted, turning to look at the tightly closed door, her cheeks puffing up.
Who the most outstanding disciple is remains uncertain,
but... but the most useless disciple...
It definitely couldn’t be her!
It was all Master’s fault!
For taking on three disciples!
Just when both disciples were burdened with thoughts, the door suddenly opened.
Piercing cold emanated from within, sweeping across the little courtyard, a frosty layer immediately forming on grass and trees.
"So this is Foundation Establishment..."
Qing Jun, although expecting it, couldn’t help but widen her eyes and form an "O" shape with her mouth upon truly experiencing it.
Now,
it seemed she wasn’t a match for Junior Sister anymore?
If she wasn’t a match for Junior Sister, how could she possibly... how could she protect Master!