LAVW – Chapter 43 Young Age

Long Ye pondered for a moment before firmly stating, “Impossible.”

“The Little Grandmaster of your Sword Sect has surely encountered countless extraordinary geniuses. Her standards must be incredibly high—how could she possibly take a liking to me? That’s the first reason.”

“The second reason: although I was in a state of enlightenment at the time, I was actually aware that a powerful figure had probed my body. That must have been the cause of the misunderstanding when the Little Grandmaster touched me.”

“I already know about this,” Wang Xingzhi said.

Long Ye was even more puzzled. “Then why did you misunderstand, Brother Wang?”

Wang Xingzhi glanced at the young man before him, who was only eighteen years old, and inwardly apologized to the Little Grandmaster. Lowering his voice, he said, “Because the Little Grandmaster privately asked me how many women you have. I confirmed that she was referring to romantic relationships.”

Long Ye felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

For a moment, he doubted whether he had been too confined to Luofeng Town and had fallen behind in understanding the way these geniuses of the outside world thought.

He thought over it again and again, his mind in a chaotic mess, but he still couldn’t fully believe it.

After some hesitation, he asked in confusion, “I don’t have an exceptional appearance.”

Wang Xingzhi lifted his gaze and affirmed, “Don’t underestimate yourself, Long Ye. You have a strong masculine presence.”

Beauty is about facial features, but some things… go beyond mere appearance. At the very least, Wang Xingzhi truly envied Long Ye’s physique.

“Thank you, Brother Wang, for informing me of this.”

Wang Xingzhi then asked, “So, are you still planning to return to Phoenix Courtyard with me?”

“Brother Qian—” Long Ye frowned.

Brother Qian had been taken away. How could he leave on his own?

“That’s right, the Little Grandmaster took Brother Qian,” Wang Xingzhi reassured Long Ye. “But there’s no need to worry too much. I believe they’ll return soon. The Little Grandmaster took Brother Qian with her after hearing that You Fang was causing trouble for you.”

Long Ye followed Wang Xingzhi in a daze, walking back toward Phoenix Courtyard.

Along the way, he couldn’t help himself. In his youthful curiosity, he raised a hand and lightly touched his own well-defined face before withdrawing it with a strange expression.

Near the courtyard, many people were engaged in polite conversation with Senior Brother Gou.

“As expected of a disciple from the Sword Sect—even forming a Golden Core is such a grand event!”

“The heavenly blessings upon his breakthrough were incredibly profound, the most intense I’ve ever seen. Though I lack extensive knowledge, I don’t mind admitting my ignorance—haha.”

“And judging by his age, he’s still very young. The Sword Sect truly produces an endless stream of genius disciples.”

Senior Brother Gou responded modestly, “You’re too kind. Every sect has its own talents—no need for such praise.”

In his heart, however, he thought: I should show more respect to this future Little Grandmaster’s husband.

Upon hearing movement, he saw Wang Xingzhi approaching with Long Ye and quickly dismissed the onlookers, pulling them inside the courtyard.

Long Ye noticed the meaningful smile on Senior Brother Gou’s face and sincerely thought, Perhaps it really was just a misunderstanding.

“No worries, no worries. Guests are always welcome. Why don’t you stay in my room?”

Senior Brother Gou’s room was right next to the Little Grandmaster’s. Wang Xingzhi shot him a glare and pulled Long Ye aside. “How could we disturb Senior Brother’s cultivation? Since I brought Long Ye here, he’ll stay in my place.”

Long Ye was deeply touched, thinking, Brother Wang is truly a good person.

And since their cultivation levels were now at the same major stage, with himself being even younger, he couldn’t help but consider—perhaps one day, he could really be of help to Wang Xingzhi’s sister, Wang Lianzhi.

If the opportunity arose, he would do his best.

At the same time, Shi Qian arrived at the Secret Realm Exhibition Hall.

The sky was dark, yet he found the Little Grandmaster even more dazzling than the crimson sun that had previously adorned the horizon.

Because she didn’t pay for an entrance ticket.

In the blink of an eye—so fast he couldn’t even see clearly—Shi Qian found himself following her into the Secret Realm where the exhibition hall was located, stepping into the section that Xu Miao greatly admired: the “Great Beings” section.

The interior of the Secret Realm was well-lit, but the first thing in sight was an array of enormous beast cages. Inside, various large-scale demonic beasts roared, their eyes gleaming with a feral light as they vented their hysterical rage, seemingly on the verge of breaking free.

Mo Sanchi swept his gaze across the area, and just like that, Shi Qian’s view was blocked—he could only see Mo Sanchi’s back.

Shi Qian: ?

Honestly, he felt just like Xu Miao at that moment—he wanted to see more.

But since he wasn’t allowed to, his curiosity only grew stronger.

Shi Qian crawled all around inside his golden bowl, trying to observe through its edges and corners.

One area resembled a brutal Roman-style gladiator arena, where people fought against demonic beasts.

Further in, the sound of a roaring crowd filled the air, their cheers deafening like an ocean wave.

Shi Qian pressed his face against the barrier of spiritual energy and finally saw two exceptionally beautiful cultivators battling in midair. Their genders were indiscernible, but their fight was fierce. Their injuries made their beauty appear on the verge of shattering, which only drove the audience even crazier.

Shi Qian watched for a moment, but found it too bloody. Besides, maintaining his viewing posture was tiring, so he gave up.

Continuing forward, he passed through several more sections before arriving at a bamboo forest.

The Little Grandmaster unsheathed her Qingfeng Sword and, with a single slash, shattered the hidden formation, revealing the true space beyond the bamboo—a row of tall, black stone buildings.

Mo Sanchi asked coldly, “Is You Fang inside?”

Her voice traveled through the stone walls, carrying clearly into the depths of the structure—and into You Fang’s ears.

At the deepest part of the building, in a pool of white lake water, a black crane raised its long neck and stood up, its slender legs reluctantly emerging from the water.

Upon stepping out, the black crane pecked at a red-colored herb beside it and transformed into the human form of You Fang.

“Who dares intrude upon my secret domain?”

Outside, Shi Qian heard the voice and nodded toward the Little Grandmaster. “Squeak Squeak.”

It’s this guy.

Mo Sanchi watched as he actively recognized her, feeling even more bewildered.

Since this spirit beast cub hadn’t appeared in the image, her wariness toward it wasn’t as strong as it was toward the beast’s owner, though she still remained somewhat cautious.

But if her guess was right, Long Ye was up to no good—colluding with You Fang inside to deceive the disciples of the Sword Sect. If this little spirit beast was so proactive, then wouldn’t that mean—

Forget it. She’d catch them first and investigate later.

Without hesitation, Mo Sanchi stormed into the tall stone house.

You Fang came out to meet her, only to find himself face-to-face with an aggressive Mo Sanchi. His gaze shifted to the golden bowl in her hand, where, to his shock, the very spirit beast cub he had set his sights on lay.

Suppressing his anger, he demanded, “Senior, what is the meaning of this?!”

“I have some questions for you.” Mo Sanchi looked at him and casually asked, “What do you want this spirit beast for?”

You Fang replied, “I have seen countless demonic and spirit beasts in my lifetime and have spent a hundred years in Beast City, yet I have never encountered a spirit beast of this appearance. My curiosity was piqued, so I offered to buy it from that man. If this beast had been in your possession from the start, I would never have spoken out of turn.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the Qingfeng Sword in her hand, clearly recognizing who she was. A trace of fear flashed in his eyes.

“Just because of its appearance?” Mo Sanchi didn’t believe him.

The cultivation world was vast—no one, not even a tribulation cultivator, could claim to have traveled everywhere and seen all spirit and demonic beasts.

She was certain he was lying to her.

Mo Sanchi raised her sword. “Stop hiding. Let’s peel off your disguise and see what you really are.”

Shi Qian: …

He was wrong.

No matter how stubborn his little martial ancestor was, she probably wouldn’t suffer much —because she was truly strong.

You Fang was no match at all. Within two moves, he was forced to reveal his true form under Mo Sanchi’s sword.

After transforming into his black crane form, his aura surged once more, inching closer to the late Nascent Soul stage.

Shi Qian: So he really wasn’t human.

Mo Sanchi struck again, easily subduing You Fang.

After sealing the black crane cultivator’s cultivation, Mo Sanchi forcefully sent her spiritual energy into his body, heading straight for his sea of consciousness.

A Nascent Soul cultivator’s sea of consciousness was far more resilient than the chaotic state of a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s.

Besides, Mo Sanchi suspected that this deceitful, secretive man was no good—his behavior was reminiscent of the demonic cultivators that always lurked in the shadows.

The moment her spiritual energy touched his sea of consciousness, the black crane let out a shrill cry. His elegant long neck stiffened, and a terrifying demonic aura erupted from him.

A dark shadow suddenly descended, crushing Mo Sanchi’s spiritual energy and enveloping the black crane that was You Fang, shielding him completely.

Because he was close, Shi Qian caught a glimpse of the enormous shadow and instantly felt as if his very soul was about to be drawn away. He was momentarily dazed.

Mo Sanchi flipped her hand, immediately storing the golden bowl and the spirit beast cub into her sleeve’s dimensional space.

Shi Qian tumbled along with the golden bowl, his consciousness slowly returning, leaving him shaken.

“Squeak.”

Too powerful!

Just a mere shadow had the ability to steal souls with a single glance. Though Shi Qian wasn’t particularly strong, it still shattered his understanding of power.

Who was that?

Shi Qian recalled the fleeting glimpse he had caught. That shadowy figure seemed to be wearing a black cloak, its face completely obscured, with only a few strands of lighter-colored black hair hanging down the front of its chest. In its hand—it seemed to be holding… a wine jug?

Mo Sanchi was also deeply shaken.

She hadn’t expected to reel in such a big fish with just one move.

But something about this still didn’t make sense to her. The black crane’s memories were so important that even touching them was off-limits.

Would someone of this caliber really be used to set a trap?

It seemed she had misjudged the connection between Long Ye and this figure. The danger was real—but by sheer coincidence, she had stumbled upon a much bigger catch.

With her sword in hand, Mo Sanchi fearlessly swept through the surging waves of demonic energy with her attacks.

As she fought for real, a blinding green light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire area. Complex sword patterns surfaced on the Qingfeng Sword, an ancient aura radiating from it. The glow highlighted her strikingly androgynous features, exuding an awe-inspiring sharpness and brilliance.

The shadowed figure, still wrapped around the black crane, swiftly dodged. Then, lifting the wine jug, it flung a stream of liquor toward Mo Sanchi—one foot in length.

The Qingfeng Sword struck first.

Boom—

The stone house split in half, and the entire secret realm trembled violently.

Meanwhile, the red liquor from the jug spread like a thin line of blood. Everywhere it touched, life withered and died.

“Leave this place at once!”

Mo Sanchi shouted, warning everyone. She wielded the Qingfeng Sword, unleashing layers of razor-sharp sword energy to obliterate the blood-red liquid.

The secret realm instantly fell into chaos as countless cultivators turned and bolted toward the exit.

When powerful figures fought to the death, escaping was the top priority.

Meanwhile, inside the Sleeve Universe, Shi Qian made a bold guess—

That shadowy figure had to be a Tribulation Crossing powerhouse, right?

After all, his little martial ancestor was at the Soul Formation stage. If someone was even more terrifying than her, then it made sense to assume they were a Tribulation Crossing cultivator.

Was this… a battle between a Tribulation Crossing incarnation and a Soul Formation expert?

A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

If only he could actually see it.

Lying uselessly in the golden bowl, Shi Qian cheered for his little martial ancestor in his heart.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder—had Long Ye’s situation been resolved by now?

The Long Ye that Shi Qian was thinking about was inside a meditation chamber.

Supposedly, he was seated in meditation cultivating.

In reality, he had taken off his upper garment and was examining the state of his body.

The scales that had first appeared on the back of his hand were still spreading, now extending from his arms to cover half of his chest.

The scales lay smoothly against his skin, feeling extremely hard when touched while motionless. Yet, when he moved, they seemed almost alive, bending and flexing along with him.

Long Ye picked up a dagger, channeled his spiritual power, and stabbed it into his scaled arm.

With a sharp hiss, followed by a crisp snap—

The dagger, overwhelmed by excessive spiritual energy, couldn’t withstand the force and shattered.

Long Ye lowered his gaze.

His arm remained completely unscathed—not even a single white scratch was left behind.

It was practically comparable to a legendary divine weapon.

If Brother Qian were here, Long Ye might have even let him take a bite to test it out. After all, that tiny set of teeth—though small—was surprisingly powerful, capable of gnawing on Star Silver Ore like a casual snack.

Thinking of his missing Brother Qian inevitably reminded him of the one who had taken him away. Long Ye glanced at his own chest and hurriedly pulled his robe tight.

“It must be a mistake.” Long Ye remained convinced.

Perhaps it was because he had witnessed Little Martial Ancestor’s awe-inspiring swordsmanship up close. He firmly believed that someone who possessed such a sword path could never be a degenerate indulging in worldly lusts.

That person’s sword path, though domineering, was filled with righteousness—it left a strong impression on Long Ye.

However, during his enlightenment, he hadn’t comprehended the sword path at all, but rather something similar to the body cultivation methods of demon beasts.

Upon reaching the Golden Core stage, cultivators would typically choose a magic weapon to nurture as their lifebound weapon.

As their cultivation improved, they would also temper and refine this weapon, allowing both cultivator and weapon to grow together, maximizing their strength.

But for demon beasts, their own bodies were their weapons. They rarely forged magic artifacts, instead tempering their own flesh. A well-trained body granted boundless vitality and fearsome combat prowess, making demon beasts naturally formidable.

Among human cultivators, few chose body cultivation, and even fewer practiced it alongside another path.

One reason was that it was too grueling and resource-intensive. Another was that it diverted focus, making it harder to comprehend the Dao and achieve breakthroughs.

Simply put, there was no future in it—so no one bothered to train in it.

Long Ye hadn’t initially thought much of it either—an enlightenment wasn’t always useful or correct.

However, as more and more scales appeared on his body—scales unlike any he had seen before—Long Ye realized that he absolutely could not let others see them.

Testing things out, he followed his enlightenment and channeled his spiritual power into his arm, where the scales had grown.

Thirty breaths later, a tingling sensation spread across his arm. When Long Ye opened his eyes, the scales had completely retracted into his skin.

And at that very moment—

He sensed it.

Brother Qian’s presence had reappeared!

After forming a contract, they could naturally perceive each other’s existence when nearby, making it easy to locate one another.

Long Ye immediately opened the meditation chamber from within and strode out without hesitation.

As soon as he stepped out of Wang Xingzhi’s residence, he saw a black-clad woman on Lingyun Platform, surrounded by Sword Sect disciples.

The moment Long Ye appeared, that pair of phoenix eyes with sharp, upturned corners immediately swept toward him—carrying a strong, oppressive gaze filled with dominance.

Long Ye didn’t see Brother Qian by her side, so he frowned and stepped forward.

He had barely taken three steps when a powerful pressure suddenly bore down on him—like relentless tidal waves, pressing onto every inch of his body.

Without making a sound, Long Ye continued forward against the crushing force.

The others quickly noticed that Mo Sanchi was deliberately exerting immense spiritual pressure on Long Ye.

Especially Wang Xingzhi—still only at the Golden Core stage—who could feel the weight of the pressure even from the sidelines, making it hard for him to breathe.

The disciples of the Sword Sect were all thinking the same thing—this situation feels off.

Wang Xingzhi, feeling a sense of justice, spoke up:

“Little Martial Ancestor, are you testing Long Ye? He just formed his Golden Core, and his foundation is still unstable—please go a little easier on him.”

The words sounded reasonable at first, but the more he spoke, the more they seemed… off.

Go easy on him? What kind of phrasing was that?

Regardless, it worked—Mo Sanchi retracted her spiritual pressure and casually pulled a golden bowl from her sleeve, tossing it toward Long Ye.

To Shi Qian, that moment felt like—

“I suddenly appeared… and then suddenly flew away?!”

Shi Qian looked around in a daze, then let out a deep sigh of relief when he saw Long Ye’s face.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Thankfully, Brother Ye, your hands are steady.

But with the thick spiritual energy barrier between them, Long Ye couldn’t hear a thing Shi Qian was saying—he could only see his mouth move.

Long Ye asked, “Brother Qian, you just spoke, didn’t you?”

Shi Qian nodded and Squeaked again, pointing at Long Ye and his own ears, trying to tell him that he could hear.

Long Ye quickly placed his hand on the semi-spherical spiritual energy layer covering the golden bowl, trying to open it and let Shi Qian out.

But the spiritual energy was so dense that it felt like a solid crystal—it was completely beyond his ability to break.

Left with no choice, Long Ye looked up and proactively asked the Little Martial Ancestor, “Senior, how can this spiritual energy barrier be removed?”

“It will dissipate with time.”

Mo Sanchi replied indifferently, retracting her gaze from Long Ye’s hands.

Those hands were different as well.

Then, she took a step forward and threw out a curt “I’m going to rest” before disappearing from Lingyun Platform.

Shi Qian stood on tiptoe, stretching as high as he could, and called out, “Squeak Squeak!”

Little Martial Ancestor, let me out first! Let me out, then you can leave!

But after seeing Long Ye, the Little Martial Ancestor didn’t spare Shi Qian a single glance and coldly vanished without hesitation.

Shi Qian’s excitement immediately turned to disappointment. “Squeak Squeak…”

I really am just a crow on the rooftop, nothing but a background decoration.

Long Ye reassured him, “As long as you’re fine, that’s what matters. I’ll try another method later.”

At this moment, the expressions of the Sword Sect disciples were growing increasingly complicated.

They had just received a voice transmission from the Little Martial Ancestor—”Do not help him.” And the “him” clearly referred to Long Ye.

Senior Brother Gou even got an extra two instructions. The Little Martial Ancestor told him, “Keep an eye on Long Ye.”

A moment later, another message followed—”Don’t let him escape.”

If she really cared, she only looked at him a few times before leaving. But if she didn’t care, those few looks were already unusual—she had never troubled a junior cultivator like this before, let alone specifically warned them not to let someone get away.

Yet, if she was making things difficult for him, she had just avenged Long Ye moments ago. And now, she was giving him the cold shoulder.

This whole thing was incredibly strange—awkward to the extreme.

Wang Xingzhi walked over to Long Ye, taking a peek inside the bowl at Shi Qian.

Seeing that Brother Qian’s energy was abnormally stable, Wang Xingzhi commented, “Brother Qian seems to have been well taken care of—his aura is even steadier than yours.”

Inside the bowl, Shi Qian nodded and lifted his little paws, gesturing toward the sky. Then, he tried to mimic the sun…

After considering the difficulty of the gesture, he gave up again—frustrated, he unleashed a wind blade at the spiritual energy layer above his head.

The barrier didn’t budge in the slightest, arrogantly showing off its absolute solidity.

Long Ye recognized the motion of Shi Qian unleashing a wind blade and encouraged him, “That’s a good method. Eventually, you’ll wear down the spiritual energy layer.”

Shi Qian: “Squeak Squeak.”

Thanks, but that didn’t comfort me at all.

Not wanting to stay trapped inside the bowl, Shi Qian had an idea. He patted the bottom of the golden bowl, hinting to Long Ye—try from below.

Long Ye: “The bottom is also wrapped in a spiritual energy barrier.”

Shi Qian: … “Squeak Squeak.”

No way up, no way down.

The Little Martial Ancestor must have really wanted to protect him back then—so much so that she completely sealed off any exit from this bowl.

Wang Xingzhi openly ignored the Little Martial Ancestor’s warning and helped Long Ye think of ways to break through the spiritual barrier, but even with the two of them, it was useless.

Since they couldn’t do anything about it, Long Ye switched topics and started discussing serious matters with Wang Xingzhi.

“I don’t think your Sword Sect’s Little Martial Ancestor has that kind of interest in me,” Long Ye said. “If anything, she seems inexplicably disgusted, as if she looks down on me.” He glanced at Shi Qian. “This is just a way to make things difficult for me—and, by extension, for Brother Qian.”

Shi Qian had already resigned himself to his fate and didn’t want to say anything. Not like anyone could hear him anyway.

But internally, he was quite smug—You should actually be thanking me for this special treatment. Don’t be so picky. Learn to appreciate what you have.

Wang Xingzhi nodded, “I find it strange too. It doesn’t seem like affection—it’s more like some kind of love-hate entanglement.”

Long Ye: “I swear, I’ve never seen the Little Martial Ancestor before.”

Then, he turned to the dejected little white fluffball in the golden bowl. “Brother Qian, you really don’t know the Little Martial Ancestor either?”

Of course not.

Shi Qian confidently nodded, then raised his tiny paw and pointed at Long Ye.

This is on you.

Meanwhile, Wang Xingzhi suddenly realized something—Long Ye was now referring to the Sword Sect as “your” sect instead of “ours.” He rubbed his nose but didn’t ask why.

He couldn’t figure it out, and he definitely didn’t dare to ask the other involved party—the Little Martial Ancestor. He had a feeling that if he asked, he might not make it out alive.

From Shi Qian’s determined efforts to write things down, they also learned that You Fang was a black crane, rescued by demonic cultivators. If they left recklessly, it could be dangerous.

After weighing his options, Long Ye decided to play it safe for now.

But first, he had to settle some debts.

He handed over the promised portion of Star Silver Ores to Wang Xingzhi, instructing him to sell them at a discounted rate to the Sword Sect disciples.

Senior Brother Gou and a few other Nascent Soul cultivators were more generous—they gave Long Ye some leftover resources from their own Golden Core years, which happened to be useful to him.

Then, Long Ye summoned Xu Rui and entrusted her with some Star Silver Ores to sell on his behalf. Thinking of Brother Qian’s kindness—and since he no longer needed to buy anything for his own Golden Core breakthrough plan—Long Ye casually mentioned, “If you come across any good spiritual medicine, buy some for Xu Miao first.”

Xu Rui hadn’t expected such an unexpected surprise. She burst into tears on the spot, thanking him repeatedly.

Far away, Mo Sanchi vaguely heard the man’s voice, followed by a woman’s crying.

She swore she hadn’t meant to eavesdrop—it was just that her overly sharp senses had been left open after her meditation was interrupted.

And because she shut them down too quickly, she didn’t even grasp what had happened—she just instinctively thought:

Annoying men will always be annoying men.

One glance, and I already know it’s the same unlikable face from that infuriating scene.

Later, when Xu Rui returned, she brought along Xu Miao, two roasted lambs, and a Stone Bone Thorn Fruit.

The Stone Bone Thorn Fruit was exactly the treasure Shi Qian had been talking about.

With this, the Treasure-Seeking Rat earned another merit. Long Ye couldn’t help but praise him, amazed at Shi Qian’s exceptional ability to find treasures.

At times like this, Shi Qian would just shake his head calmly, as if it were nothing special—appearing both detached and innocent.

This particular Stone Bone Thorn Fruit wasn’t as aged as the Stone Bone Thorn Flower that Long Ye had retrieved from the Pill Hall’s stone chamber, but the rare thing was that the two spiritual herbs could be used together for an even better effect.

The downside? The pain would double in the process. Strength comes at a price.

When Long Ye saw the Stone Bone Thorn Fruit, his face lit up with joy. Meanwhile, Shi Qian silently called him a real man in his heart.

He knows full well it’ll be hell, yet he insists on walking right into it.

Shi Qian wasn’t like that, and he had no intention of ever being that kind of person.

That night, he secretly sent out a signal to the Bureau, requesting a connection with 1958—and finally, the connection went through.

Right from the start, Shi Qian played the victim:

[1958, the cultivation world is so hard. It’s really, really hard.]

1958’s voice immediately turned anxious:

[Brother Qian, what happened? You sound like you’re locked up?]

Brother Qian: [It’s fine. I’m just locked up, that’s all. I’m already used to it. The last time I was locked up, I had to fight to the death. Nearly lost my life.] (Actually, he hadn’t even lifted a finger.)

1958: [The difficulty level of the cultivation world is just too high. But don’t worry, Brother Qian! After I went back last time, I filed a complaint with the Sub-Division Main System. They said that if you complete your mission, they’ll reward you with a personal storage space. It’s only eight square meters, but you can carry it permanently—it’s worth a whole 100,000 points!]

Shi Qian: ?

Systems these days… are they all this ruthless?

The Sub-Division Main System—wasn’t that 1958’s direct superior?

Shi Qian was impressed:

Brother Qian: [Baby, thank you for fighting for my fair treatment. You’re the best system I’ve ever met! By the way, that dream I had about the martyrs’ cemetery—was that you sending it to me?]

1958: [That was the department’s holiday benefit package.]

This department’s actually not bad—it’s got a human touch.

Satisfied, Shi Qian reported his findings:

Brother Qian: [1958, I think I’ve found the hidden threat affecting this world—it’s the Little Martial Ancestor who was reborn. Her cultivation is at the Nascent Soul stage. She’s way too strong.]

Brother Qian: [Meanwhile, I’m worried I won’t even survive my Golden Core breakthrough—the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning is brutal. You have no idea how fragile my current totoro body is.]

1958: [Hold on, Brother Qian, 1958’s a little confused here. The logic isn’t adding up.]

Shi Qian: It’s normal if you can’t make sense of it. There’s no logic in it to begin with.

1958 was puzzled:

1958: [So is Brother Qian worried about the Little Martial Ancestor being too strong? Or about failing the Golden Core breakthrough?]

1958: [The Little Martial Ancestor is an uncontrollable variable. Since Brother Qian has already entered this world, the Bureau can’t interfere with its development anymore—it’s all up to you now.]

1958: [Only when you complete your mission and leave the world can the Bureau reassess the world’s memory, determining the final score and rewards. So right now, 1958 can’t confirm whether this threat is real or if it’s the only one.]

1958: [As for the tribulation, Brother Qian, you don’t need to worry. We’re here to assist you—how could the Heavenly Dao make things difficult for you?]

So I come with a backdoor built-in.

There could still be multiple hidden threats. Could be—not necessarily are.

Shi Qian took note of this key point and then asked the ever-reliable 1958:

BrotherQian: [1958, do you know how to break through this spiritual energy barrier?]

1958 carefully inquired about who had set up the barrier, its purpose, and its various properties before finally giving an answer:

1958: [If someone at the same cultivation level has strong enough control, they can try brute-forcing their way through. Aside from that, Brother Qian, if you cultivate and absorb energy from within, you can also accelerate the process of breaking it down.]

Shi Qian was dumbfounded.

You cultivation freaks… do you really have to bully a poor spirit beast like this? Forcing me to cultivate?

Lately, Shi Qian had been cultivating. Since Long Ye had called him over, and he had nothing better to do, he put in a little more effort than usual. But he hadn’t been paying much attention, so he didn’t notice that his cultivation was steadily draining the energy within the barrier.

After seeing 1958 off, Shi Qian buried himself in cultivation.

After an entire day of effort, he confirmed that the spiritual barrier above his head had indeed thinned.

Seeing the results, Shi Qian doubled down on his efforts. Long Ye watched in amazement.

Once Long Ye understood what was happening, he picked a moment when Shi Qian was resting and casually remarked,

“Brother Qian, how about this—if you don’t cultivate hard enough in the future, I’ll just lock you inside?”

Shi Qian was so outraged he actually spoke out loud: “Squeak Squeak!”

Your mouth is a warm 36–37 degrees, yet you can say something so cold?

Long Ye raised an eyebrow. “Thirty-six or thirty-seven degrees?”

Shi Qian: …

Wait. How did you hear that again?

Long Ye tapped on the now-thinner spiritual barrier and commented, “It must be thanks to your diligent cultivation.”

Shi Qian: See? Being too hardworking is never a good thing.

So he immediately started bullshitting again: “Squeak Squeak.”

Thirty-seven point six degrees is a hot spring. My big bro uses it for baths.

Technically, there was a hot spring on Five Leaf Mountain. It was just that his black-furred bro never went there.

Now, that ordinary hot spring had a new five-word name. If you took it seriously, it definitely wasn’t just any ordinary hot spring anymore.

After hearing the explanation, Long Ye suddenly felt that his mouth had been dirtied somehow.

He wanted to say, “Brother Qian, can’t you use normal words?” But then he thought about it and realized… that would be too difficult for a spirit beast.

Besides, he had to admit—Brother Qian’s comparison was oddly accurate.

So, Long Ye dropped the subject and instead asked the one question that had been bothering him all along:

“Brother Qian, that day, why did you suddenly say we should go back?”

Shi Qian glanced at him and sighed: “Squeak Squeak.”

Because of you, obviously.

Long Ye pondered. “Could it be that you… sensed my peach blossom luck?” No, that’s not right. “You must have smelled a sign—something that could either be good or bad, but you couldn’t tell which, so you hesitated.”

Shi Qian thought about it and found this explanation quite reasonable.

It sounded more logical than his own “smelling peach blossoms” theory, so he decisively nodded.

“So that’s it! No wonder you got mad and jumped onto Wang Xingzhi.” Long Ye nodded, as if he had figured it all out.

Shi Qian continued nodding along.

“But that Little Martial Ancestor’s behavior… is really strange.” Long Ye had been pondering this for days.

But clearly, when it came to understanding women, Long Ye was like a sealed bottle with six holes—completely useless.

Shi Qian’s eyes lit up. “Squeak!”

I know!

“Then tell me.”

Shi Qian launched into the script he had carefully prepared: “Squeak Squeak Squeak—”

Little Martial Ancestor must like someone else. She mistook you for him. I’m guessing their first meeting was just like ours—you had an epiphany, I had an epiphany.

Long Ye was stunned with realization.

That man must have been a genius cultivator too. That’s why Little Martial Ancestor looked down on him, found him annoying, and kept making things difficult for him on purpose. If he factored in that reasoning, then all the weird behaviors would suddenly make sense.

“I never expected the truth to be such a twisted tale of love. No wonder I couldn’t figure it out.” Long Ye sighed emotionally.

Seeing how well Long Ye accepted the “substitute love” theory, Shi Qian silently praised his own brilliance.

As expected of me. Now everything is perfectly covered on both sides.

But then Long Ye suddenly said:

“Brother Qian, you see? Not all beautiful women are kind and reasonable. You should be on guard.”

Shi Qian: ?

What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Weren’t all those pretty girls originally your ‘good little sisters’ and ‘wives’?

Long Ye, completely unbothered, improvised a tragic little story—one about a doomed spirit beast and an unfortunate cultivator, both of whom were tricked and killed by beautiful but wicked female cultivators.

Back in the Long Clan, he snatched up the cushy job of teaching kids precisely because he read a lot and could make up stories on the spot to trick them.

Shi Qian listened absentmindedly and gave a perfunctory response: “Squeak Squeak.”

Great story. Next time, don’t tell it again. You’re interrupting my cultivation.

Long Ye remained seated for a while. Only after confirming that Brother Qian had truly settled into deep cultivation again did he finally get up and leave.

If you say you’re going to cultivate, then you have to cultivate.

As for himself? Taking a break wouldn’t hurt.

Long Ye called up Wang Xingzhi and Senior Brother Gou, inviting them out for some spiritual wine.

After three rounds of drinks, Long Ye casually slipped in a question:

“Did Little Martial Ancestor ever have any interactions with a man in the past? Someone who might have been having an epiphany at the time, or maybe someone with a build similar to mine?”

He needed to figure out if he had any other similarities to this “genius cultivator”. If he did—he’d change them.

Both Wang Xingzhi and Senior Brother Gou were just as curious about Little Martial Ancestor’s romantic history, so they seriously tried to recall anything that matched Long Ye’s description.

Wang Xingzhi guessed: “Could it be the Young Sect Master of Dao Sect? He’s also quite tall.”

“No way. That guy’s a pretty boy! His whole vibe is completely different from Little Brother Long Ye’s.” Senior Brother Gou shook his head. “There’s a sword cultivator from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion who follows the path of the ‘King’s Sword.’ He supposedly sparred with Little Martial Ancestor for three days and nights. But I’ve never seen him in person.”

“There’s also the Divine Gate. Their ‘Little Saint’ is pretty tall too—he even came looking for her once, but she beat him up and chased him off. Maybe she’s had a change of heart but is too embarrassed to admit it?”

“And there’s more—”

After that, Wang Xingzhi, the “new” disciple, and Long Ye could only sit and listen as Senior Brother Gou enthusiastically listed off every tall, genius male cultivator from the major sects, one by one.

Long Ye listened for a long while and, for now, could only gather one common trait—

All the men Little Martial Ancestor had met were from prestigious backgrounds, so they were all fair-skinned and well-dressed.

Determined to darken his complexion, Long Ye felt that simply tanning under the sun would take too long, so he smeared himself with black powder to speed up the process.

When Shi Qian saw Long Ye’s blackened face—making him look several years older—and then heard his grand plan, he forced himself to praise:

“Brother Ye, your wisdom is truly unmatched.”

But deep down, he thought—

With this look now, you’re definitely resembling that future “Long Aotian” even more.

Everyone knew that Long Aotian was always out in the wind and rain, battling through hardships. If you wanted to change your image, shouldn’t you make yourself look fresher and younger instead?

You’re still so young—what’s wrong with looking like it?

_{This ancestor is brainless and only knows bruteforce. Maybe that’s why she was taken advantage of by scumbag in her previous life. she needs to be smarter. this chapter was too too too long.}