Chapter 16: Three Years Later

Time flew by, and since Yun Tianming moved into the Sect Master's Residence, three years had swiftly passed. The originally dilapidated room had been cleaned and tidied by Yun Tianming, becoming refreshed and new. In the vacant land behind the house, he had cultivated a lively medicinal field.

At this moment, Yun Tianming, situated in the fields, continued to use his Wood attribute Dou Qi to catalyze the growth of medicinal herbs in his hands. This process was also a part of his Dou Qi cultivation. Rain or shine, he persevered every day, propelling himself from Dou Disciple Fifth Stage to the Ninth Stage! In addition to Yun Tianming's personal efforts, the rich natural energy contained in this place played a crucial role in his smooth progress in cultivation.

Yun Tianming is currently cultivating medicinal herbs suitable for refining Second Grade Pills. Due to the lack of growth years in artificial cultivation, the quality of the herbs is relatively average.

"As expected, I still need to use the old method."

Yun Tianming skillfully employed the system's enhancement skills.

[Enhancement successful!]

[Celery Grass with a quality of 1.7 upgraded to 2.2]

[Enhancement successful!]

[Whisker Leaf with a quality of 1.9 upgraded to 2.3]

[Enhancement successful!]

[Kunsheng Flower with a quality of 2.3 upgraded to 2.6]

[Enhancement successful!]

[Dancing grass with a quality of 2.5 upgraded to 2.7]

[Enhancement successful!]

[Double Petal with a quality of 2.7 upgraded to 2.9]

One by one, the low-quality medicinal herbs transformed miraculously in Yun Tianming's hands, becoming qualified materials for refining Second Grade Pills.

Following two sets of standards, Yun Tianming stored the qualified herbs below 2.5 quality in the left-hand Sect Spatial Ring, intending to submit them to the sect. High-quality herbs above 2.5 quality were stored in the right-hand personal Spatial Ring.

Intercepting cultivation resources is a routine operation. It has been the case for the past three years, never discovered and never arousing suspicion from the sect. Because Yun Tianming continuously submitted qualified medicinal herbs, he has earned unanimous praise among the sect's alchemists!

By the way, after becoming an official disciple, submitting herbs is no longer a mandatory duty for Yun Tianming. He can exchange them for Pills and Dou Techniques of equivalent value from the sect.

With a flicker of thought, Yun Tianming immediately gathered the enhanced medicinal herbs. After three years of practice, he felt that his control over Soul Power had become increasingly proficient. A long distance away, he sensed Nalan Yanran's aura approaching. Yun Tianming had also attempted to use the system's enhancement skills to break through the Soul Realm, but he failed. The system provided detailed feedback this time, stating that the soul of a late-stage Mortal Realm requires the physical body of a Dou Practitioner to endure.

The day is not far away!

Yun Tianming sat in meditation, waiting for a while, and then heard a crisp and pleasant girl's voice coming from behind.

"Tianming Senior Brother, are you free? I've come to spar with you again today!"

The bright sunlight bathed the girl's fair and tender face. She wore a moon-white dress with a delicate silver belt cinched around her slender waist, perfectly accentuating her slightly petite figure. Due to her early maturity, Nalan Yanran's height had almost caught up with Yun Tianming's. With graceful and agile steps, she brought a breeze of fragrance, exuding a strong aura of youthful and lively vitality.

"Yanran Junior Sister, you're here."

Yun Tianming smiled indifferently, his heart undisturbed.

In his eyes, the girl before him had merely transitioned from an elementary school student to a middle school student. Essentially, she was still just a young girl and not within Yun Tianming's range of interest.

"Hehe, Tianming Senior Brother, how do you find me today?"

Nalan Yanran placed her hands behind her back and leaned forward, giving him a playful shake.

"Don't shake your head, young lady. Your mind is narrow, no matter how you shake, you can't stir up any waves."

Yun Tianming squinted his eyes. Of course, he couldn't straightforwardly express this blunt truth in his heart. He had to come up with a way to evade it.

"Mmm~ Tianming Senior Brother, what impolite thoughts are you having!"

Nalan Yanran keenly noticed the slight downward shift of his gaze, and her cheeks immediately puffed up with a rosy blush.

"I'm thinking that Yanran Junior Sister looks very lovely today!"

Yun Tianming genuinely couldn't discern anything different about her, so he could only compliment her for now.

"So perfunctory!"

Nalan Yanran glared at him with an annoyed expression, but her dissatisfaction decreased a lot.

Girls are like that, even if they know the other person's words are just flattering, compliments always bring joy, don't they?

"Hmph! Dull Tianming Senior Brother, with this attitude, be careful that no girl will like you in the future!"

Nalan Yanran lectured with an indignant expression.

"Ah, yes, yes."

Yun Tianming looked indifferent, thinking it didn't matter if no girl liked him; having a beautiful big sister liking him was enough.

"Tianming Senior Brother, can you please open your eyes wider?"

Seeing his seemingly indifferent attitude, the impatient Nalan Yanran didn't continue teasing. Instead, she slightly tilted her head, reached out to gather her hair, revealing her delicate and tiny ears.

"Oh! It's a new earring!"

At this moment, Yun Tianming finally noticed. Hanging between the tender lobes of the girl's ears were a pair of emerald green jade pendants. The pendants emitted a faint tinkling sound as they swayed, like a captivating melody played by mountain springs and rocks.

"How is it? Beautiful, right? This is a gift from my teacher!"

Nalan Yanran happily nodded with hands on her hips, proudly displaying her new toy to her companion like a child.

"Such beautiful earrings! No wonder the Sect Master has such good taste!"

When Yun Yun was mentioned, Yun Tianming's enthusiasm was ignited.

"Is the earring beautiful, or am I more beautiful?"

Nalan Yanran lightly flicked the earring with her fingers, posing a classic easy question.

"Well, of course, Yanran Junior Sister is more beautiful."

Yun Tianming's eyes were filled with tenderness.

Nalan Yanran's heart shook, then couldn't help but roll her eyes dramatically.

"Tianming Senior Brother, when you're pulling someone's leg, at least look at me, okay?"

The tenderness in Yun Tianming's eyes was directed towards Yun Yun's residence. He was just that kind of honest man.

"Yanran Junior Sister will always be the cutest~"

This time, Yun Tianming's gaze returned to Nalan Yanran, but his tone seemed a bit perfunctory.

"You big liar!"

Nalan Yanran suddenly became furious, taking a step back. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She directly drew her sword, assuming an attacking posture.

"Tianming Senior Brother, let's battle!"

Under the sunlight, the silver sword emitted a sharp and cold light, clearly not an ordinary weapon.

"Alright!"

Yun Tianming didn't waste time either. With a flash of his Spatial Ring, he drew out a long staff. This was a weapon he obtained by exchanging medicinal herbs at the Miteer family auction. Despite its unassuming appearance, it was forged from Black Gold Bamboo grown deep in the Magic Beast Mountains. It not only matched the hardness of swords but also possessed exceptional flexibility.

The two locked eyes and simultaneously released their Nineth Stage Dou Disciple aura. Over the past three years, Yun Tianming and Nalan Yanran had sparred frequently, growing together in battle and gradually forming a deep friendship.

****

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