Lie Xingyuan did not dare to advise him while Elder Ouyang and Ouyang Xue were around. It was because she was just an ordinary protégé. She was thinking now, "Do you even know who this Ouyang Xue is?"
And who was Ouyang Xue?
She was a core protégé of Immortal Celestial Yun Xing who was the grand elder of the Yellow Hills Martial Hall. On top of that, she was ranked among the city's top twenty beauties!
Not only that, at only 19, she was already a third realm enlighten celestial.
Lu Qingyun had suddenly stood up and said solemnly, "I thank Elder Ouyang for your kind gesture but I am afraid that I must decline your kind offer."
Elder Ouyang was startled and so was Ouyang Xue as he panicky asked, "Is there a fault with my daughter?"
Lu Qingyun politely said, "Of course not. It is just that I have already someone in my heart. Therefore I must decline your kind offer."
Elder Ouyang heaved a soft sigh of relief as he quickly laughed, "The life of a cultivator is long so it is not unusual to have a couple of wives. My daughter certainly doesn't mind being second fiddle or a concubine."
Ouyang Xue looked at Lu Qingyun with her large bleary eyes as she muttered shyly, "I really do not mind at all."
Lu Qingyun smiled bitterly, "I am only a lowly first realm cultivator. I am really not worthy…"
Lie Xingyuan who was listening next to him was secretly cursing him, "At least you still have this common sense…"
Elder Ouyang continued to laugh heartily, "This isn't an issue at all. Low cultivation level can be improved. What you have is your noble self that I like about you. This is something more precious than anything else."
Lu Qingyun laughed, "Is that so?…"
Lie Xingyuan rolled her eyes as she thought, "Why is that I don't see anything noble about you. Elder Ouyang is simply bullshitting his way through…"
Elder Ouyang was suddenly smiling, "Moreover my daughter is a third realm cultivator. She will certainly benefit you in the future."
When Lu Qingyun heard that this demure maiden was a third realm cultivator, he was stunned and he had suddenly ceased his smiles. The disparity between them was simply too great!
But he was also secretly pleased. After all, this was the perfect excuse to turn Elder Ouyang down.
He became very solemn as he looked gently at her, "Miss Ouyang, our realm difference is simply too vast. It will be mostly me that will be taking advantage of you. As you have already known, I am just a lowly first realm cultivator and there is no promise that I will ever breakthrough to the second realm in the future. As for ever reaching the third realm, it is but an impossible dream for me. How good is my innate talent, I know myself best."
Ouyang Xue lit a faint smile, "I do not mind at all. You ought to have some faith in yourself. You're someone with the Golden Roc Flame and I don't see any issue with you not attaining to the fourth realm in the future. As for me…"
She began to sigh melancholy, "Ever since I have attained to the upper enlighten celestial level, I have realized the disparity between the third realm enlighten celestial and the fourth realm immortal celestial level. It is easy enough to attain to the third realm if the cultivator is willing to cultivate their inner spiritual sea…"
Lu Qingyun and Lie Xingyuan were secretly cursing her at the same time, "Easy enough to attain to the third realm if the cultivator is willing to cultivate their inner spiritual sea? My foot!"
The purity of one's inner spiritual sea and growing it was a painstaking process of extreme loneliness. Whether the cultivator was able to experience enlightenment depends on their own fortuitous occurrence.
Although spiritual mountains may help to hasten the growth of a cultivator's inner spiritual sea but how to purify it to solidify it into a cultivator's inner core depends on the cultivation methods and latent talent. The same cultivation method was experienced differently for all the cultivators!
Lie Xingyuan was also startled at the same time, "I've thought that she is an intermediate enlighten celestial. She has broken through to the upper enlighten celestial in such a short time? She is now short of a realm to catch up with her master. What a monstrous genius…"
Ouyang Xue inhaled deeply, "My energy techniques are a little weak. Therefore I have reached a deadlock to the fourth cultivation realm. This is something that I am anxious about."
Lie Xingyuan thought wryly, "Once she has overcome to the fourth realm, she will cease to age and she will be an eternal beauty. Of course she is eager to attain it. If I were her, I would be eager as well."
Elder Ouyang dropped in to say, "My daughter is a core protégé of the Yellow Hills Martial Hall. Although the energy techniques of the Yellow Hills Martial Hall aren't weak but it is nowhere as profound as the White Spirit Hall and the Crystal Cloud Spirit Hall."
Lu Qingyun was suddenly stammering, "What…she is a core protégé too? She is my senior sister…"
Lie Xingyuan was laughing secretly, "So now you know…"
Ouyang Xue smiled gently, "Correction. You are my senior brother while I am your junior sister. Although I have joined first but in term of seniority, you are higher than me. After all, you are the sect leader's core disciple."
Lu Qingyun was smiling bitterly. He really did not know that she was in the same clan as him. He had thought that once he had rejected her then everything would be easily forgotten. Moreover this junior sister of his was an upper third realm expert…
He quickly composed himself and said, "Surely you can approach Celestial Bai Laoxiong for some pointers? After all he is the grand elder of the White Spirit Hall. Or even the Crystal Cloud Spirit Hall for some pointers? It is not so difficult right? You still need to meditate on the pointers though. Miss Ouyang is still so young. Surely you are not in a hurry right?"
There was an awkward expression on Ouyang Xue as she lowered her glances to say slowly, "These extra pointers come at a price."
Lu Qingyun looked at the heavenly lotus tea and the precious sword that was given to him, "Hmm, is the price expensive?" Can it be more expensive than these? He was thinking.
Ouyang Xue took an extremely awkward look at him. He did not seem to catch the hint so she said quietly, "I have to accompany Celestial Bai Laoxiong."
Even if Lu Qingyun was dense, he was able to understand it immediately.
He almost dropped his cup as he stared at Ouyang Xue…
Bai Laoxiong was a fifth realm golden celestial, the same realm as his master. He was a full two realm higher than Ouyang Xue. For him to demand such a price from her was preposterous. There was only a simple explanation and that was he was trying to obtain Ouyang Xue's primordial yin to prolong his own vitality.
Lu Qingyun was speechless, "Isn't he a grand elder? He is asking for a price to help his own clan?"
Ouyang Xue was now smiling bitterly, "Senior brother, you have just joined the clan and there may be many things that you do not know. Although all the six masters of the martial halls appeared to be working cordially with one another, there are actually fierce rivalries between them as they compete for the clan's resources."
Elder Ouyang heaved a soft sigh as he said, "The Red Heaven Sword Hall, the Green Fields Martial Hall and the White Spirit Hall are the three most powerful powerhouses in the Heavens Ridge Villa. The Yellow Hills Martial Hall that my daughter is in, is only a lesser influence in the clan. Unless there is a clear advantage, Celestial Bai Laoxiong won't even try to benefit the other martial halls."
As Lie Xingyuan listened to their conversations, she had suddenly realized that she was listening to something that she should not have. So she was trying to keep as quiet as possible and hoping that everyone would not be able to notice her. What if Elder Ouyang and Ouyang Xue have decided to silently remove her? She was smiling bitterly when she had this thought.
Lu Qingyun said weakly, "If Miss Ouyang is just trying to breakthrough to the fourth realm then I don't think I will be of much help. My cultivation level is too lowly and I've no pointers to give…"
Ouyang Xue interrupted him quietly as she looked at him with her bright alluring eyes, "But you have the Golden Roc Flame."
Lu Qingyun was startled and he was stammering, "You want to obtain my Golden Roc Flame?"
She had finally stated her true objective. Lu Qingyun was naturally unwilling to give her the Golden Roc Flame. The only person that he was willing to give was Qin Keqin and she was the one that had given it to him. Moreover, he had formed an attachment with Yan'Er who had gained sentience.
Ouyang Xue quickly said, "I am not so foolish to steal your Golden Roc Flame. If your master found out about it then I may not even have a place to hide. This is your personal resource. Moreover, the mere act of transferring a spirit entity will also weaken it. I merely wish to study it with you."
The insight of studying a ninth rank spirit entity was an enticing attraction to many cultivators who were hoping for a breakthrough…
"However…" She lowered her glances to say shyly, "I won't let it be a disadvantage to you. That's why…"
She did not continued and no matter how dense Lu Qingyun was, he would be able to understand. Moreover, Lu Qingyun was not a dense person. He was a weak cultivator but he was never a stupid one.
Lie Xingyuan was suddenly spirited. Why did she not think of that before? She could study his spirit entity for her own benefits. At the same time, she could also study from Ouyang Xue too. Although Lu Qingyun was only a first realm cultivator but Ouyang Xue was a third realm cultivator. She basically could have the best benefits of the two worlds…
Therefore she could not resist saying, "Senior brother, I think both of you are a match under the heavens. You may not know this but senior sister is ranked among the top 20 beauties in the city."
Ouyang Xue was flushing shyly and it was shown on her countenance as she said with great shyness, "I am willing to help you to reach the second realm quickly. You…can do whatever you want with me."
Lu Qingyun muttered, "It is too much of a price for you to pay…"
Ouyang Xue turned to look at him quietly. It was as though she was silently saying to him, compared to Celestial Bai wasting half my potential, giving you some of my primordial yin was but a small price.
Lu Qingyun smiled bitterly as he suddenly made a respectfully bow with his hands to Elder Ouyang and Ouyang Xue, "Thank you for looking up to me. However I must really decline. If you want to study my Golden Roc Flame, feel free to approach me. Who knows if I may gain some pointers too?"
With that he had already walked to the doors and had opened it.
But when he had opened the door, he and all the others in the room got the shock of their life.
It was because a ravishing beauty that was like a goddess was standing there quietly. It looked like she had been standing there for a long time. Even though all of them were cultivators, none of them were able to sense her presence.
But this was not the most shocking part, especially when Elder Ouyang had suddenly stammered out. "Sect leader, you are here…"
When Ouyang Xue realized that she was their sect leader, she had immediately turned ashen! She quickly performed a humble curtsy as she trembled uncontrollably.
Even Lie Xingyuan was shocked beyond words and did not even know how to react. The sect leader must have heard their conversations and goodness know what her reactions would be for conspiring with each other. She was now regretting that she had spoken out for Ouyang Xue…
Qin Keqin was smiling as she looked at Lu Qingyun intently with her mesmerizing eyes, "Hmph. Are you sure you want to give such a great marriage proposal a miss?"
Lu Qingyun was delighted to see her as he said nonchalantly, "Hm, what's wrong with that?"
Qin Keqin smiled, "You may be struck as a low level cultivator for making such a bad choice."