When you don't pay attention to it, time will pass like the blink of an eye. Without realizing it, 5 years had passed since the day Feng Yongrui celebrated his disciples' birthday. Now, Hou Renshu and Ma Bo were 16 years old. They had gone through puberty and now they were handsome teenagers.
His two disciples' cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. Hou Renshu was a late stage Golden Core Cultivator while Ma Bo was a mid stage Golden Core Cultivator. Feng Yongrui himself had already advanced to the early Soul Formation Stage.
To be honest, Feng Yongrui was quite baffled by his disciples' progress. As a rule of thumb, the protagonist is someone who can reach the peak of cultivation in a few years. While Ma Bo's cultivation speed was faster than other people, he was still slower than Hou Renshu.
Was this because Hou Renshu was the villain?
Feng Yongrui sighed. He once made the commitment not to treat the two disciples differently just because one was the protagonist and the other was the villain. While he did not treat them differently, he couldn't help himself from thinking about their roles in the future.
Based on what the System had said, Hou Renshu was the villain. However, after all the time they spent together, Feng Yongrui knew better than anyone that Xiao Shu was a good child.
Hou Renshu was like Ma Bo's older brother. Many times, he cared for Ma Bo more than himself. Ma Bo had also been very dependent on Hou Renshu, though over time, he gradually learned to do things by himself and become more independent.
With how close the two boys were, Feng Yongrui was sure that they would never be enemies and fight each other. He had checked the main task's progress.
The task of 'nurturing the protagonist' was 55% completed, but the task of 'turning the protagonist into the villain's best friend' was still 40%.
Feng Yongrui scratched his head as he fell into deep thought. Just what was wrong? The relationship between the two was very good... They were closer than best friends... So why?
Thankfully, the task of nurturing the protagonist was okay. Every year, Feng Yongrui would celebrate his disciples' birthday and give them gifts that he had bought from the System. And each year, the disciples were glad.
"But recently, the progress for nurturing the protagonist has remained stagnant at 55%. System, is there something wrong with your calculations?" Feng Yongrui asked.
"...Host, are you doubting this honorable System?" The System's low voice rang inside his head, tinged with anger.
"Well, aren't you always making one mistake or another? Don't forget that you lost the information on this world," Feng Yongrui retorted.
The System grew angrier, since its sore spot had been hit. "Host, I'm not talking to you. Hmph!"
Feng Yongrui left the System to sulk and thought of checking on his disciples. About three or four years ago, Feng Yongrui had managed to purchase 2 sword manuals from the System.
The first sword manual, "Blazing Sword Technique", was for Hou Renshu, whose advantage was his great strength. This manual was divided into 8 levels, and Hou Renshu and reached the 5th level.
The second sword manual was called the "Floating Clouds Technique", a sword technique that focused on swift, agile movements. This manual was divided into ten levels, and Ma Bo had reached the fourth level.
Both disciples didn't ask their Master where he had gotten those sword manuals from, and Feng Yongrui also didn't tell them. He simply gave it to them and told them to study hard.
Two years ago, Feng Yongrui had given his disciples swords as their gifts. The swords had been bought from the System and were pretty expensive, but it was worth it.
Just like how cultivation was divided into levels, weapons were also given ranks. There were low-grade weapons, mid-grade weapons, and high-grade weapons. After that, there would be godly level weapons, legendary weapons, and mythical weapons.
The swords that Feng Yongrui gave to his two disciples were both of the legendary rank. As their Master, Feng Yongrui naturally wanted the best for his disciples. He wanted to give them the mythical ranked weapons.
Unfortunately, he didn't have enough points, so he had to give up the idea.
Poverty was really painful, QAQ.
Hou Renshu's sword was made of a high quality metal that could slice through iron like slashing through soft mud. Unfortunately, the System didn't tell Feng Yongrui what material it was.
The sword's blade had a grayish-blue hue and its sheath was inlaid with black diamonds. The delicate engravings on its sheath gave it an elegant look.
Ma Bo's sword was thin and smooth, with a white blade that was made of the same material as Hou Renshu's sword. His sword gave off the feeling of weightlessness and its dark blue sheath was embedded with rubies, matching the color of his eyes.
Of course, the two disciples were more than happy to get their swords. Feng Yongrui didn't tell them that their swords were of the legendary rank, and he had put a spell on the swords so that cultivators wouldn't know how awesome those swords were.
Throughout these 5 years, Feng Yongrui had also been paying attention to the Intoxicating Fragrance House. Feng Yongrui had thought of telling the Sect Master of his discovery 5 years ago, but in the end he decided against it.
Feng Yongrui had read a lot of webnovels and seen a lot of dramas. His head was filled with conspiracy theories.
What if the Sect Master was actually the hidden person who was secretly colluding with the Demonic Forces? Or, what if the Sect Master was actually a Demonic Cultivator himself?
No, maybe the Sect Master used to have some sort of history with the Demonic Cultivators... Perhaps... Hu Zemin was the Sect Master's illegitimate son... And to stay close to his father, Hu Zemin stayed in the Intoxicating Fragrance House...
That's right... Feng Yongrui began cooking up a tragic love story inside his head. The Sect Master of the Immortal Pathway Sect and a Demonic Cultivator fell in love... Due to their differences, they were separated... The Demonic Cultivator was pregnant and gave birth to Hu Zemin.
As for Hu Zemin, he had a light spirit root but unfortunately, he had poor health...
Wait! Maybe... The Sect Master was a scum man who abandoned his wife and son for a higher position! Due to that... his young son, Hu Zemin, grew up with hatred and decided to take revenge --
"Host, please refrain from making delusional stories," The System said flatly.
"Oh come on," Feng Yongrui complained. "Isn't this your fault? If you didn't lose the information about this world, how could I be this clueless regarding everything?!"
"Also, since you yourself don't remember the information about this world, how do you know that my theories are delusional, huh?" Feng Yongrui retorted.
The System ignored his taunts and said, "Host, perhaps it would be better for you to be a novelist instead? With the amount of conspiracy theories you're making, you can probably make a name for yourself in the literary world."
"System, I can hear the sarcasm in you voice."
System: Heh.
Feng Yongrui rolled his eyes and continued walking to the back of his Mountain Peak. He wanted to check on his disciples and see their progress.
When Feng Yongrui arrived at the courtyard, he saw his two disciples sparring. Hou Renshu's internal energy was obviously stronger, and even though Ma Bo was as swift as a swallow, the gap between the two was still quite obvious.
Hou Renshu's face was full of concentration, his cold face not betraying his emotions at all. Meanwhile, Ma Bo was struggling. Drops of sweat could be seen on his eyebrows and if he looked closely, Feng Yongrui could see that Ma Bo's arms were slightly trembling.
Even though he was obviously tired, Ma Bo did not give up and still waved his sword bravely. Feng Yongrui squinted his eyes. Ma Bo's form was excellent and his moves were accurate and precise. However, something seemed to be missing...
Ma Bo twirled and the blade of his sword glinted in the sunlight. With light footsteps, he executed the most recent move he had learned from the "Floating Clouds Technique", a move called "Swallow Wind Dance".
This move was quite complicated and had to be done swiftly and accurately. Ma Bo moved his body fluidly, like a twisting snake, but at the critical moment, his steps faltered and the move became flawed instantly.
Seeing an opening, Hou Renshu pierced his sword and stopped right near Ma Bo's neck. The sparring session had ended; the winner had been decided. The two disciples sheathed their swords.
It was only then that they realized their Master's presence.
"Master!" The two disciples cried at the same time and saluted.
Feng Yongrui nodded in acknowledgement. Ma Bo's face became red almost instantly. Of course, Ma Bo was embarrassed that his Master saw him lose the sparring session.
Feng Yongrui laughed. Ma Bo was already 16 years old, but his temperament hadn't changed much. He was still the shy and cute boy from before...
***
Feng Yongrui: Maybe the Sect Master is a scum man...
Sect Master: *sneezes*
Feng Yongrui: Maybe Hu Zemin is his illegitimate son...
Hu Zemin: *sneezes*
***
On a side note, if you could create a sword technique or cultivation manual, what would you name it and why?
Comment below~