At this moment, Zi Linglong was hovering with her eyes closed and her legs crossed in the midst of the flames. Flames were surging from her body as the silhouette of a bird circled above her before nose-diving into her body. Following that, the flames in her surroundings rushed into her body, leaving only ashes and smoke in their wake.
When Jiang Ming sensed her energy was rising swiftly at this moment, he asked, "What's happening? Master, why aren't you doing anything?"
"She must've awakened some
Yet, Zi Linglong's aura was rising swiftly.
"What's happening, Master?" Jiang Ming asked. "Why aren't you doing anything?"
"She must've awakened to some latent ability. Her life isn't in danger," Gu Hai explained, "Don't worry. I'm here."
Jiang Ming sighed in relief upon hearing these words. Then, he brought the Human Path Records out in his mind before flipping it to the page that displayed Zi Linglong's information.
Name: Zi Linglong.
Gender: Female.
Cultivation base: 5th Stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
Background: Disciple of Jiuyang Sect's Chuyang Peak.
Relationship: 95
Status: She's growing stronger from her daily cultivation, and as a result, she has awakened the faint phoenix bloodline in her body. Her cultivation is currently rising swiftly.
'Phonex bloodline?' Jiang Ming was shocked. Although it was just a faint trace, it was still a legendary bloodline. No wonder there was such a huge commotion.
At this moment, he could sense the fluctuation in her cultivation base. She was now at the 7th Stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm, but it was still rising. He could also sense the spiritual qi in the surroundings converging on her.
Gu Hai, who had noticed this as well, frowned. He tossed a handful of spirit crystals in the air before shattering them with his mana and sending the shards toward Linglong.
Jiang Ming stared at the Zi Linglong's page on the Human Path Records. He was both worried and shocked.
Zi Linglong's cultivation base had already risen to the 9th Stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm. It merely paused slightly before it continued rising and broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The Qi Cultivation Realm was divided into nine stages. The next realm was divided into the early, middle, late, and perfect stages.
In the end, Linglong's cultivation base stopped at the Perfect Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Jiang Ming's lips twitched when he saw this. Even with the system, he had only reached the Perfect Foundation Establishment Realm when he woke up today. Nevertheless, he was relieved that his junior sister was fine.
When Linglong opened her eyes, they flashed red for a moment. When she saw the two men in the distance, she cried out in surprise, "Senior Brother! Master!"
She swiftly flew to their sides before she asked, slightly flustered, "What happened to me? I was cultivating when a terrifying energy began to surge in my body, and then…"
"Hold on!" Gu Hai grabbed her wrist and examined her. Then, he seemed shocked before he released her hand and laughed heartily. "What an impressive bloodline power! I finally have a gifted, extraordinary, and peerless disciple!"
After Gu Hai was done laughing, he said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Linglong. You only awakened your bloodline power. Moreover, it's the phoenix bloodline! This is definitely good news so don't worry! No one can compare to your talent!" Then, his expression suddenly turned grim as he continued to say, "Remember, Linglong. You have to keep an extremely low profile from now on…"
"Why should I keep a low profile if I'm a peerless genius, Master? Linglong asked innocently.
"It's so you can stay safe. Moreover, without other people's envy and jealousy, you'll grow swiftly as well," Gu Hai explained.
"That can't be right, Master!" Linglong shook her head. "The talented seniors are all showy. Only if you show off will the sect value you and nurture you. Isn't quicker and safer for me to grow stronger?"
"Uh… In any case, your master knows best!" Gu Hai said after a brief moment of hesitation, "Ignore your elders at your own peril!"
"The elders aren't always right. Otherwise, why are you being shunned, Master? I heard someone proposed to dismiss you from the position of First Seat."
"Who told you that?!" Gu Hai's face flushed red.
"That's enough, Linglong. You'll be sorry if you make Master angry," Jiang Ming hastily stepped in and said, "Master, Linglong is still young. Why are you picking a fight with her?"
"Hmph! Can't anyone cut me some slack around here?" Gu Hai said, annoyed, "Get to work, Ming! I want 16 dishes instead of 8 dishes now."
Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow at Linglong, and she covered her mouth and giggled.
Gu Hai waved his sleeve, stirring up a gust of strong wind to carry the debris and rubble from the flames to the mountains. Then, he said, "Ming, remember to build another pavilion for your Little Junior Sister when you're done cooking."
Jiang Ming felt rather speechless. Then, he said, "You're our master, you know? Shouldn't it be your duty to build a pavilion for Little Junior Sister?"
"A disciple should serve his master," Gu Hai said as he placed his hands on his back, "You're the Eldest Senior Brother in this place; it's only natural that you're in charge of handling any issues that arise here…"
At this time, Linglong hurriedly said, "It's fine, it's fine. I can stay with Senior Brother!"
"No!" Jiang Ming shook his head vehemently. "You'll soon become a woman, and you should learn to be independent…"
In fact, Jiang Ming was actually concerned about his little secret. If he were to live with another person, his secret would definitely be exposed.
Linglong pouted as her eyes reddened. "Senior Brother, don't you care about me anymore?"
Gu Hai did not bother with his two disciples and returned to the main pavilion.
"Cut that out," Jiang Ming said, "Come and help me in the kitchen!"
"Fine!" Linglong pouted. However, a smile soon appeared on her face as she said, "Senior Brother, my cultivation base is higher than yours now. I'll protect you in the future."
Jiang Ming only chuckled in response.
…
It was easy to prepare dishes for cultivators.
It only took Jiang Ming slightly more than an hour to cook eight meat dishes, eight vegetable dishes, and two kinds of soup.
When Jiang Ming sat down, he received a system notification.
[Ding! Congratulations on preparing a feast. Reward: Half a month's worth of cultivation]
Jiang Ming could not help but smile.
"Are you feeling accomplished just because you can cook?" Gu Hai scoffed. "If the other First Seats find out that my first disciple is a chef, I'd become the laughingstock all the way to the Western Region!"
"Are you going to eat this?" Jiang Ming asked with a smile.
"You've already prepared the food. It'd be a waste of your efforts if I don't eat it." Gu Hai picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of glistening meat. He placed the meat inside his mouth, closed his eyes, and slowly chewed on it.
"Isn't it delicious?"
"It is!"
"Eat more, then."
Gu Hai cleared his throat before he said, "Although it's delicious, the desire for good food can be satisfied anywhere in the world. You should focus on your cultivation. With a profound cultivation base, you can reach for the stars! When that day comes, you'll be able to hire a team of chefs to cook for you!"
"That doesn't sound as fun as cooking for myself."
"You're hopeless! If it weren't for this table of food, I would've beaten you into a pulp!" Gu Hai snapped. He quickly gobbled up another helping of vegetables before drinking a few swigs of wine to douse his anger. Then, he said, "Fortunately, Linglong has activated her bloodline. This clearly shows she's gifted. I can finally hold my head up high."
At this moment, Linglong looked at the two bickering men and rolled her eyes. Then, she said, "Master, I'm thinking of challenging the Tower of Trials soon."
"The Tower of Trials? No. Never. Absolutely not!" Gu Hai shook his head. "Your cultivation base has improved, but you're too young. You can't cast spells, and you're inexperienced. You'll be devoured in no time! Tell me, Linglong, why do you want to challenge the Tower of Trials?"
"It's stated in the sect rules that the more floors a disciple clears, the greater the reward the disciple will receive," Zi Linglong answered truthfully, "With more rewards, I'd be able to improve faster."
"I'm glad to hear these words. Unlike you, your senior brother is nothing but a disappointment. I won't care about him anymore. I'll give you all the good things that I have from now on," Gu Hai said as he glanced at Jiang Ming. When he saw that Jiang Ming did not seem to care at all, he almost lost his temper again. In the end, he said, "Linglong, you should focus on your cultivation for now."
"Thank you, Master," Zi Linglong said sweetly, "I'll protect Senior Brother once I grow stronger!"
Jiang Ming furrowed his brows as he looked at his ten-year-old junior sister. She seemed different today, but he could not put his fingers on exactly what was different.