54, Weeping Bitterly

"Is it that obvious?" Lin Jiuge replied. It seemed that set of fist techniques only eliminated the restlessness caused by the monster beast blood within her body, but unexpectedly left behind a surge of vital blood energy.

"Your master's senses are simply sharper." Li Yun boasted, prompting Enlightened Thunder Dao-尊 to look away in speechless disdain.

"It's probably because my cultivation technique has advanced to another level. I feel like catching a mortal weapon barehanded shouldn't be a problem now," Lin Jiuge said conservatively.

Zhou Yan took out a low-grade spiritual weapon and forcefully stabbed his own palm, yet his hand remained completely undamaged.

"It seems low-grade spiritual weapons aren't a problem either," Zhou Yan concluded.

Enlightened Thunder Daozun was envious once again. What kind of cultivation technique was this? It was simply too good.

"Junior Brother, can this cultivation technique be popularized?" It was far too suited for the physiques of the disciples in the sect!

"Senior Brother, the cultivation technique was provided by the Golden Sword, and it requires a massive amount of thunder-lightning power, as well as the ability to withstand lightning strikes. Do you think those brats in the sect are suitable? Not to mention anything else, Senior Brother, your own disciple is a body cultivator—do you think your disciple can handle it?" Li Yun retorted.

Could he? Absolutely not! Enlightened Thunder Daozun gave up. Every single one of his disciples was broad-shouldered and strong enough to lift tripods, but compared to the disciples of the Sect Master's lineage, they were utterly crushed.

In the past, he used to mock the Sect Master's lineage for its decline, claiming their only disciple was just a pretty face pleasing to the eye. After taking in Lin Jiuge, however, the Sect Master's lineage gradually transformed. Zhou Yan, once valued only for his looks, was now formidable in physique, spells, and formations—an existence invincible among his peers. As for Lin Jiuge, she shattered common perceptions every single day. There was not a single person among them who did not envy this fellow Li Yun. Finally, the youngest disciple they took in, Lin Jiuzhi, was also a prodigy-level existence, the very first among the new disciples to step into the Mortal-Realizing Realm, not to mention what the future held.

So, disciples should be valued for their quality rather than quantity! Should he also go back and add this rule to the Body Cultivation Hall's regulations?

Others could take on ten by themselves, while their side couldn't even match one against ten. This realization was far too painful!

"Junior Brother, if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave." If he stayed any longer, he would come down with extreme jealousy!

"Tell me, what's going on with this blood energy?" Li Yun had brought it up on purpose earlier, deliberately glossing over it.

"Didn't I experiment with using monster beast blood for body tempering today? It had just a tiny, teensy bit of effect." Lin Jiuge used her right index finger to measure a tiny fraction.

"How does it feel?" Li Yun continued to ask.

"It hurts so much / It's quite comfortable." Two completely different answers blurted out simultaneously, and the two looked at each other.

"Junior Sister, from where on earth did you feel comfortable?" Zhou Yan was shocked.

"Senior Brother, what I soaked in was ten times your dosage. I only felt a slight stinging sensation, and afterwards my whole body felt completely relaxed and refreshed." This was the most effortless method of cultivation she had ever experienced, with no exceptions so far.

"No way! I was in so much pain I wished I could just faint on the spot!" Zhou Yan expressed his own feelings.

"It has to do with physical constitutions. Ah Yan, go fetch something from your Grand Senior Brother." Li Yun instructed.

"Understood, Master's Senior Brother." Zhou Yan took his leave.

"Jiuge, you have many wild ideas, but you must understand that too much is as bad as too little." Li Yun began to admonish his disciple.

"Master, this disciple understands." Lin Jiuge understood all these principles.

"You understand? Look at your current cultivation routine. In the morning, basic sword form practice—you must be doing five thousand repetitions by now."

Lin Jiuge nodded. That was correct; she could now sustain five thousand repetitions with both her left and right hands.

"You've also practiced bean-chopping to the point where you only slice one color out of three-colored beans," Li Yun continued.

"Not to mention fist and palm techniques, which have now entered the second realm." Which she had just broken through into, still fresh and brand new.

"That is so," Lin Jiuge nodded again.

"Your daily Golden Sword form practice has never been interrupted either."

"Yes." Wasn't that a given? Even though what she practiced wasn't the Golden Sword's forms.

"The medicinal baths at night have never stopped." Ever since the disciple memorized the *Complete Encyclopedia of Spirit Plants*, she hadn't needed her Grand Senior Brother to prepare the medicinal baths anymore, becoming entirely self-reliant!

"And now, you've added blood baths and hunting monster beasts. Aren't you wound up a bit too tightly?" Li Yun analyzed step by step.

"Master, isn't cultivation supposed to be like this?" Lin Jiuge was puzzled. What had she done wrong?

"Yes and no. Jiuge, your path is still very long. Your master can protect your growth; you don't need to push yourself this hard. You can be protected by me, and Jiuzhi can be protected by me as well. Even if I'm not enough, your Grand Senior Brother, your Junior Uncle, and even your Grand Junior Uncle can protect you. Jiuge, give yourself some breathing room."

As Li Yun's words fell, tears streamed down Lin Jiuge's face. Ever since she was brought here, the one who lacked a sense of security the most was actually Lin Jiuge. She wanted to work hard, to strive to gain a foothold, to do things well, to accomplish everything. Now, her master's words seemed to loosen the tightly strung cord within her.

Slowly, Lin Jiuge transitioned from silent tears to soft whimpers, until she squatted down and wailed aloud. Li Yun did not try to comfort her; he simply watched as Lin Jiuge cried.

At this moment, Lin Jiuge cried like a foolish child, releasing the bitterness and stifled oppression in her heart by more than half.

Although her face was smeared with snot and tears, Lin Jiuge felt a profound sense of relief.

Zhou Yan walked away from behind the door. So sending him away earlier was for this—for his junior sister.

When she had cried her fill, Lin Jiuge shouted toward the waterfall, as if screaming out all the grievances in her heart, acting wild and uninhibited for a full half-hour.

Once Lin Jiuge calmed down, she washed her face in the waterfall water, straightened her appearance, and reverted to the calm and resourceful Lin Jiuge of usual days.

"Master, this disciple understands." Lin Jiuge solemnly thanked her master. He seemed completely unreliable, yet he was utterly reliable at the core!

"As long as you understand, that's enough." Li Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Master, for your understanding, but Jiuge does not feel any dissatisfaction with her current cultivation. Jiuge will plan her time well. While having Master to guard my path is certainly wonderful, Jiuge also hopes that Master will one day be proud of Jiuge!" The last sentence was spoken with absolute firmness.

"Good. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask your master. I may not be good at other things, but my guidance and experience are definitely sufficient," Li Yun said confidently. After all, he had fought his way up from the very beginning of his cultivation; his experience was unquestionably rich.

"Yes, Master."

After clearing the air, the relationship between master and disciple became even more harmonious. That bout of heavy weeping was tacitly forgotten by both of them; some things didn't need to be kept on the lips—keeping them in the heart was far more important.

"Senior Brother, are you leaving the sect to begin a sect mission?" On this day, Zhou Yan came to bid farewell to Lin Jiuge. Having spent three years hanging around with his junior sister, he finally had the chance to venture out alone. What a pity his junior sister's cultivation was not yet high enough and their master wouldn't let her go; otherwise, if he and his junior sister teamed up, it would undoubtedly be foolproof!

"Yes, your senior brother can finally leave the sect to undertake a mission."

"In that case, Senior Brother, wait for me a moment." Remembering something, Lin Jiuge ran back to her room and rummaged through various storage bags.

A short while later, she emerged carrying several storage bags and a few slips of paper.

"Senior Brother, when you're out in the world, keeping a low profile is paramount. But with Senior Brother's face... maintaining a low profile might prove a bit difficult for you." Lin Jiuge paused briefly as she said this.

"Your junior sister hasn't prepared much, but please take these storage bags, Senior Brother. Remember to bring back souvenirs. Your junior sister wishes Senior Brother a smooth journey from within the sect."