by Dragon King
“How long have you been cultivating?” after a few minutes, Zhao Hongyu suddenly asked Xie Yujia.
“Um… about one to two weeks,” Xie Yujia looked at Zhao Hongyu and replied.
“It seems like you are at level 3 of the Qi Refinement Realm. Your progress is quite good,” Zhao Hongyu said.
“I’m quite dull in regard to cultivation. It is all thanks to Hao Ren’s guidance,” Xie Yujia smiled gently and said.
“This girl does make people feel comfortable…” Zhao Hongyu thought. Then, she asked again, “Are you normally busy with your studies?”
“It’s alright. Usually, I spend my days going to the library and reading books,” Xie Yujia answered.
“What if…” Zhao Hongyu suddenly lowered her tone, “Could Zi learn from you when you are free?”
“Huh?” Xie Yujia was surprised, “You mean… help her study?”
“Mom! I don’t want to study with her!” Zhao Yanzi yelled.
“Not studying,” Zhao Hongyu looked at Xie Yujia with her bright eyes and said, “I’m talking about cultivation.”
“Cultivation?” Xie Yujia was even more surprised, and she quickly waved her hands. “I’m really bad at cultivation right now…”
Hao Ren, too, was a bit shocked as he never would’ve thought that Zhao Hongyu invited Xie Yujia over to discuss this.
Since this was the case, then Zhao Guang wasn’t here not because of some emergencies; he probably wanted to give them a more relaxed atmosphere to discuss this issue.
“Hao Ren is at a higher level compare to me. Why not ask him to teach Zi?” Xie Yujia blushed when she saw Zhao Hongyu staring at her, so she tried to put the spotlight on Hao Ren.
“Oh, for some reasons, Zi can’t cultivate like Hao Ren,” Zhao Hongyu stopped for a moment before continuing, “Your master is willing to accept Zi as her non-official disciple, but Zi will need your help cultivating.”
“Zhao Hongyu had met that old Grandma already?” Hao Ren was more shocked.
“Zi was at Zhen-level before. Because of some incidents, she lost all her power. Now, she is getting weaker and weaker, which is what I’m concerned about,” Zhao Hongyu directly stated her concerns.
It was extremely dangerous for dragon cultivators to lose their dragon cores. Although it wasn’t easy for adult dragon cultivators to lose their dragon cores, they would definitely die if someone else took it away from them. Since Zhao Yanzi was still growing, she could stay alive for a few years even though she lost her dragon core. However, as a member of the Dragon Tribe, the weakening of her body would become more and more evident without the support of the dragon core.
Zhao Yanzi had never gotten sick before. However, she got a fever a while ago; that was an example.
Although she could be quite irritating sometimes, she did, in fact, need protection.
When that Old Grandma came to visit, she gave Zhao Hongyu some advice.
Although she couldn’t make a dragon core out of thin air, nor could she fix Zhao Yanzi’s problem, she informed Zhao Yanzi’s parents that Zhao Yanzi could cultivate like a human cultivator and absorb nature essence to improve her health. She might even be able to use some of the cultivation techniques.
This advice gave Zhao Hongyu some hope. Not even the best elixir pills or spiritual herbs from the dragon palace could change the fact that Zhao Yanzi’s body was becoming weaker and weaker. However, if Zhao Yanzi started to practice human cultivation techniques, it could at least assure Zhao Yanzi’s good health within three years.
In addition, Zhao Yanzi had a great body type known as the ‘Heavenly Spirit Body Type’ since she was a dragon. Compared to ordinary humans, she had much higher potential.
Another thing was that… Although Zhao Yanzi was a non-official disciple of that old Grandma, to others, she was related to a Soul Formation Realm cultivator.
Even if the old Grandma wasn’t going to do anything to help East Ocean, other people couldn’t dare to bully or hurt Zhao Yanzi anymore.
285 Frenemy
Because of the old Grandma’s status, she couldn’t be Zhao Yanzi’s master. However, Xie Yujia could.
It wasn’t appropriate for a human cultivator on the Soul Formation Realm to have a close relationship with dragon cultivators. Yet, Xie Yujia didn’t have that concern.
Zhao Hongyu understood the meaning of the old Grandma’s words and had been thinking about it for a few days. It was on her mind up until she met Xie Yujia yesterday and invited her over today.
“Mom! I don’t want to cultivate!” Zhao Yanzi started complaining.
Zhao Hongyu ignored Zhao Yanzi’s complaint and looked at Xie Yujia sincerely. “What… what do you think?”
Xie Yujia hesitated for a few seconds and said, “If that is what master wants, then… I will try my best to teach Zi.”
Zhao Hongyu smiled gratifyingly. “Alright. That’s settled; Hao Ren will guide Zi with her schoolwork and Yujia will guide Zi with her cultivation.”
“Mom!!!” Zhao Yanzi put down her bowl as she was fuming with rage.
“Zi,” Zhao Hongyu finally turned her head to Zhao Yanzi. “From now on, Ren will have many things to do. Do you wish to stay at home, or go with him? Such as the Nine Dragon Palace, do you wish to follow Ren there but do nothing? Or do you wish to be able to help him?”
Zhao Yanzi remained silent. Deep down, she understood that she had become a mortal after she lost her dragon core. All those places she used to be able to go were now prohibited, and she couldn’t even touch the dharma treasures she used to be able to use.
“From now on, you will go through many things with Ren. If you want Ren to cultivate by himself to solve your crisis, that’s fine. But, are you really not going to work hard for yourself?” Zhao Hongyu asked Zhao Yanzi.
Zhao Yanzi pouted as she wasn’t able to refute.
If she still had the power of Zhen-level, she could at least team up with Hao Ren, go to the border of the Demon Sea, and get a few demon beasts as pets.
Or she could go to famous mountains and collect herbs that couldn’t be found inside the dragon palace.
Of course, once she practiced human cultivation techniques, she could pretend to be a human cultivator, sneak into Fifth Heaven, and steal some good stuff from there. She just hadn’t thought about that yet.
When Zhao Hongyu saw Zhao Yanzi’s silence, she knew Zi implicitly agreed. Zhao Hongyu smiled at Xie Yujia and said, “Thank you so much for helping with this.”
“No problem,” Xie Yujia replied with a gentle smile.
“Also, about the elixir making matter you asked me yesterday, it isn’t a problem. You can do that at the dragon palace tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I will ask Premier Xia to assign you a specific room,” Zhao Hongyu said.
“Thanks, Auntie!” Xie Yujia nodded happily.
“Ren, starting from this weekend, you should come to my studio and start learning things about architecture,” Zhao Hongyu said to Hao Ren.
“Okay, Auntie.” Hao Ren nodded immediately.
Zhao Hongyu finally showed a satisfied smile as she had everything arranged properly.
Zhao Yanzi did not have any chance to express her thoughts. Even though Zhao Hongyu seemed like a gentle mother, her decision was not to be questioned and shaken.
After dinner, Zhao Hongyu cleaned up by herself so that Xie Yujia and Hao Ren could start giving Zhao Yanzi her first basic cultivation lesson.
Even though Zhao Yanzi didn’t want to, she couldn’t argue with Zhao Hongyu. So, all she could do was pout as she stomped up the stairs.
Xie Yujia smiled gently at Hao Ren and followed Zhao Yanzi to the second floor. Hao Ren looked at Zhao Hongyu and saw her waving at him. Therefore, he went upstairs as well.
Zhao Yanzi’s room was warmly decorated. Compared to Xie Yujia’s room, this room was 100 times more beautiful.
The chandelier was shaped like a flower, and the light spread to all directions through the petals and was reflected by the walls
of the room, filling the entire room with warmth.
“May I call you Zi?” Xie Yujia walked into the room carefully and asked Zhao Yanzi.
“Huh!” Zhao Yanzi sat at the edge of the bed and remained quiet.
Xie Yujia looked at Hao Ren helplessly and said to Zi, “I will first teach you this basic cultivation technique called the ‘Qi Refinement Technique.’”
Zhao Yanzi tried to keep a straight face, but her ears were listening to everything.
Xie Yujia kept quiet for a few seconds, preparing. Then she said softly, “Heaven and earth, the beginning of all things…”
Hao Ren heard the first few sentences and thought it felt familiar. He tried to recall it from his memories and thought, “Isn’t this the scripture that was on the stone monument inside the Heavenly Oneness Temple at the mountaintop when we toured the GreenStone Mountain?”
When he was having a hard time getting to Kan-level, he got help from someone in the sky, and the technique that rushed through his mind was precisely the same technique Xie Yujia was teaching Zhao Yanzi.
“This… so, this is the basic cultivation technique of human cultivators – Qi Refinement Technique.”
“Yujia, should I leave?” Hao Ren asked as he realized that Zhao Yanzi had started to listen seriously.
Eavesdropping on other people’s cultivation technique, even if it was the basic cultivation technique, was considered a taboo.
“It’s okay, you can stay,” Xie Yujia said. She thought that if Hao Ren were to leave, Zi would definitely start opposing her. Therefore, she might as well let Hao Ren stay to make sure everything was in place.
“Okay.” Hao Ren sat down on a chair nearby.
After she recited the technique that was more than 1,000 words, Xie Yujia started to explain it carefully to Zhao Yanzi. Although Zhao Yanzi was in a rebellious mood, she didn’t want to give up cultivating and let Xie Yujia surpass her. So, she listened carefully to every word.
On the other hand, Hao Ren was quietly practicing his own Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll and ignored Xie Yujia’s explanations. Both ‘Spirit Concentration Scroll’ and ‘Qi Refinement Technique’ had the same effects. However, they focused on different types of bodies and had different ways of cultivating.
As two hours passed, Zhao Yanzi memorized and understood the entire ‘Qi Refinement Technique.’ This surprised Xie Yujia as she did not expect Zhao Yanzi to be so talented.
“Hao Ren, do you still want to help her with her schoolwork?” After a long exhale, Xie Yujia asked Hao Ren.
“Not today, we won’t have enough time.” Hao Ren summoned Little White from the necklace. “We should leave now.”
Little White looked around and started rolling on the ground excitedly as it saw the three people inside the room.
Hao Ren threw an Essence Replenishment Pill to it and slapped its butt.
Bang! Little White turned into the snow lion form.
After opening the door to the balcony, Hao Ren sat on Little White’s back and pulled Xie Yujia onto its back as well.
Zhao Yanzi’s cheeks were bulging as she felt wronged.
“Don’t worry, I will not fight with you on certain things,” Xie Yujia smiled awkwardly and said to Zhao Yanzi.
“Hey, this is for you!” Zhao Yanzi suddenly opened her backpack and took out a disc before she threw it to Hao Ren.
Hao Ren reached out his arm and caught it. “This is…”
“You will know when you see it!” Zhao Yanzi closed the door to the balcony.
With a loud banging noise, Little White carried Hao Ren and Xie Yujia to the sky.
Zhao Yanzi stood behind the balcony door and started thinking.
She walked back to her bed and tried to cultivate the technique Xie Yujia taught her.
Shoo…
A shallow white nature essence suddenly gathered around Zhao Yanzi’s body.
286 Super Cute Beauty
While Hao Ren and Xie Yujia were flying toward the school on Little White’s back, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili were visiting the old Grandma in her house.
One shabby desk, one worn-out bed, and three cups of tea.
The Lu sisters had been sitting across from the old Grandma for more than two hours.
The old Grandma remained silent, and the Lu sisters also stayed silent.
“You two have the cultivation strengths of Three Lotus Petals,” the old Grandma finally spoke.
“Elder, you have a cultivation of Four Lotus Petals, right?” Lu Linlin said.
“Almost.” The old Grandma picked up her teacup and took a sip.
Politely, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili also picked up their cups and sipped.
In the teacup was high-quality Tiger Club Grass which was a spiritual herb with the effect of steadying people’s nerves.
“In the mortal world, there are specific rules. You must abide by the rules even if you don’t belong to this world,” the old Grandma put down her teacup and said slowly.
“Elder, do you want to send us back?” Lu Linlin stared at the old Grandma and asked in a measured tone.
Sitting next to her sister, Lu Lili blinked.
The old Grandma shook her head. “I invited you to my place to discuss the necessity for you to abide by the rules.”
“Rules?” Lu Linlin looked at the old grandma in defiance. “You almost hurt our Gongzi last time, and we haven’t held you accountable yet!”
“Since we can’t agree with each other, then more talking is useless.” The old Grandma waved her hand.
A strong wind lifted Lu Linlin and Lu Lili up.
The shabby house was obviously the old Grandma’s Xumi Space. Before they could react, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili were tossed out of the house.
“Sister, she’s so fierce!” Lu Lili looked back at the house and said.
When she was in the house a moment ago, she was almost out of breath under the aggressive suppression.
“Humph! We are no match for her right now! We have to endure her for now!” Lu Linlin pulled her sister up into the sky with a five-colored energy sphere around them.
Although they were top-tier masters in East Ocean City, they were no match for the grandmaster of the Soul Formation Realm.
At their levels, they didn’t need a battle to test each other’s strength. By emitting auras, they get a feel of rival’s cultivation strength.
The combined strength of the sisters was no match for the old Grandma!
Also, the old Grandma knew quite a lot of things about the Heavenly Realm that was above Ninth Heaven.
Meanwhile, Hao Ren walked Xie Yujia to her dorm building. After putting Little White away, he returned to his own dorm with the disc.
He borrowed Chen Ke’s laptop from the other dorm again to watch the content on the disc Zhao Yanzi gave him.
As predicted, the disc was a video of Zhao Yanzi’s performance from last night.
In her fancy dress and tight-fitting jacket, Zhao Yanzi looked vibrant.
When watching the video, he had a different feeling than when he watched the play in the auditorium.
Zhao Yanzi’s performance was quite good.
Her presence on the stage was grand and fearless. Occasionally, her eyes scanned the audience as if she was looking for someone.
“Silly girl… you were distracted during your performance?” Hao Ren almost laughed as he watched.
In the second half, Zhao Yanzi was more focused and recited the long lines smoothly while her movements and expressions were more natural and accurate.
Her crisp voice was ear-pleasing; one couldn’t get tired of hearing it.
When the video ended, it was almost time for the curfew. Exhaling deeply, Hao Ren thought that Zhao Yanzi was indeed a cute girl.
He was about to stand up when he saw a group of guys standing behind him.
“Damn! What are you all doing?” Hao Ren was startled.
With his cultivation strength on Zhen-level, he didn’t even notice that a group of guys was standing b
ehind him! He had been taken by the video.
“Wow! Who’s this little beauty? She is so cute!”
“Super cute!”
“And her voice is great. Which school’s play is this?”
“She must be more adorable in person!”
“Is it a viral video? How come I’ve never seen it before? Hao Ren, where did you get it?”
The moment the video ended, they immediately talked animatedly among themselves.
Hao Ren didn’t answer their questions. Quickly, he removed the disc from the laptop before putting it away.
The guys tried to grab the disc from his hands, but Hao Ren stopped them.
“Please loan it to me. I’ll make a copy and return it to you!”
“It will go viral if we post it online!”
As they talked, they looked at the disc with coveting glances. However, Hao Ren got up to his upper berth and placed the disc under his pillow.
He planned to bring the disc back home this weekend to show it to Grandma. He guessed it was one of Zhao Yanzi’s intentions when she gave him the disc.
“Forget it! We’ll search for it online. She must be a new star on the web!” Seeing Hao Ren hide the disk, the guys rolled their eyes before going away.
They didn’t believe that Hao Ren would know such a cute girl; they had already forgotten that Zhao Yanzi had once come to East Ocean University.
However, Zhao Yanzi did look quite different on the stage. Besides, the guys only had a vague impression of her and couldn’t make the link.
“It would be great to have such a girl as a girlfriend!”
“You pervert! She is a teenager!”
“I can wait!”
“You guys know nothing! Tons of middle schoolers are dating these days! A lot of them are dating high-schoolers.”
They walked out of Hao Ren’s bedroom while talking.
If they had known that the super cute beauty was, in fact, Hao Ren’s fiancée, they would probably have climbed up to his upper berth and strangled him in jealousy.
Hao Ren spent half the night cultivating and the other half sleeping. Thursday morning came in the blink of an eye.
Su Han’s course was still taught by the substitute teacher. During the class, the guys got sleepy, and none of them tried to grab the seats in the front. At Zhao Jiayi and other buddies’ urgings, Hao Ren sat in the front row with Xie Yujia and Ma Lina. Not wanting to be the third-wheeler, Ma Lina sat with Zhao Jiayi and the others in the back.
