It had already been two weeks since Yun Ling and Zi Xia, now named Yun Xia, met each other. In these two weeks, Yun Ling divided his time into cultivating in silence and spending time with his daughter.
He wanted to just spend time with her and make up for the years that he wasn't there in her life but the Golden Dragon Election was fast approaching. He had to cultivate diligently and prepare himself for the unknown factors he might face if he wanted to come out on top.
If this was a normal competition, Yun Ling was a hundred percent sure he would win against any of his peers ten out of ten times. In the entire Jin Empire, he was the strongest among his generation, no one was his match. That, he was sure of.
However, this was the Golden Dragon Election. Everyone was desperate to be the winner or at least come out on top. The competitors wouldn't hesitate to use dirty tricks against each other to win. It was because anyone who got into the top ten of the Golden Dragon Election would receive the support of the emperor.
Not enough cultivation resources? No problem. The emperor will make sure you will never run out of cultivation resources.
Don't have a good weapon? As long as you can provide a reasonable explanation, the emperor himself will grant you one of the best weapons he keeps in his treasury.
Need some protection? Who would dare make trouble for you if you have the emperor's backing? Even if you offended a powerful elder from a sect, or even the sect master himself, they would still have to think twice about laying a hand on you.
Of course, the amount of support they'll get from the emperor will vary among their rankings. The winner of the Golden Dragon Election will comparatively get more support than those who rank lower, which is why Yun Ling wants to win.
Although he already has the Yun Clan's support, their wealth is nowhere near enough the wealth of an empire. Having the emperor's support, as well as the Yun Clan's, will only make his cultivation journey much smoother. He will get stronger faster if he wins the Golden Dragon Election.
"What is Papa thinking about?" Yun Xia was about to show off her drawing of a Six-Winged Lion King when she noticed her father being in deep thought.
Yun Ling looked at her and smiled. If he's going to win the Golden Dragon Election, he'll have to keep some of the resources he'll get from the emperor and save it for his daughter. He was five years old when he started cultivating himself, the little girl was already five years old, he should prepare her soon for cultivation.
"Papa will be participating in some competition soon. Xiaxia will cheer for Papa right?" Yun Ling called her Xiaxia. It was his nickname for the little girl.
"Competition? Of course! Yun Xia will always cheer for Papa!"
Yun Ling let out a small laugh.
"Good girl. Papa will surely win the competition if the lovely Xixia cheers for him."
"Young Master," a frail-looking guy slowly walked towards them and softly called out. It was Yun Yi, Yun Ling's aide.
"Yun Yi, what's up?" Yun Ling asked.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Young Master, however, the clan master asked me to bring you to his study," Yun Yi said. Then his eyes traveled towards the little girl as he smiled. "Nice to meet you, Young Miss."
"Hm..." Yun Xia nodded cutely, a little embarrassed. She was very shy around new people.
"Father did? Is it a new mission? But the Golden Dragon Election is coming soon..."
"I have no idea. The clan master didn't say anything," Yun Yi shrugged.
Yun Ling let out a sigh. He turned towards Yun Xia and said apologetically, "I'm sorry Xiaxia, I guess you'll have to play with your grandma and great-grandma for now... don't worry, I'll come back after I'm done talking to your grandpa."
"Hm, come back soon okay, Papa?" Yun Xia said adorably almost making Yun Ling's heart melt.
"I will."
Yun Ling and Yun Yi brought Yun Xia towards her grandmother's place. After reassuring the little girl again that he'll be back soon, the two finally continued on their way towards his father's study.
Yun Yi looked at Yun Ling a few times and chuckled.
"It's really strange to see you act so differently towards your daughter, Young Master. If other people know of this, I wonder what their reaction will be? They probably won't believe it," Yun Yi laughed.
Yun Ling snorted at him. He didn't bother to reply.
However, Yun Yi continued, "To others, your arrogance knows no bounds. You look down on everyone, thinking no one can compare to you. You don't even put the other clan's clan elders in your eyes, only treating them as if they are nothing but mere insects in your eyes. I find it strange and funny to see an arrogant person like you act so lovingly towards a stranger even if it is your daughter. Did your daughter's presence made you weak, Young Master?"
Yun Ling stopped walking. His cold gaze slowly swept towards Yun Yi, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
"So scary... this is the Young Master that I know, the one that looks down on everyone, the one that is superior to everyone!" Yun Yi smiled as if everything was normal.
"Yun Yi, you should watch your tone when you speak," Yun Ling started. "Or else, I won't be able to explain to uncle why his son is missing his tongue."
Yun Yi and Yun Ling's eyes met. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Yun Ling's cold eyes sent chills down Yun Yi's spine while Yun Yi's playful eyes made Yun Ling feel as though someone was prickling his skin.
"Alright, I give up. I was just joking with you, Young Master. I just wanted to see whether the presence of your daughter made you soft or something... turns out I was wrong. The old Young Master is still there," Yun Yi continued smiling pleasantly.
"That's right, you are wrong. I am only like this when it comes to my family, but when it comes to outsiders..." Yun Ling paused and snorted. "Yun Yi, although you are my aide, you are also my cousin. I'm sure you know why, after all, you and I have been raised in the same way. Had it been someone else who said that to my face..."
Yun Ling didn't continue his sentence but Yun Yi understood what Yun Ling was trying to say.
"I understand, Young Master."
"You are also mistaken about another thing. I don't look down on everyone— you, especially. I have never looked down on you and I never will," Yun Ling said as he looked at him with a smile.
"Isn't that just because I'm your cousin, Young Master?"
"That too. But I truly think highly of you. Had it not been for me, the Yun Clan would've treated you as a pearl. They would have given their full support towards you instead of me," Yun Ling continued ahead after saying that.
Yun Yi's smile disappeared. He watched Yun Ling's back as he sighed.
"Yeah, if only you weren't here."