Chapter 286: Cultivation

...

Yan Que opened her eyes and found several people looking at her with strange expressions, making her feel a little nervous. "What's wrong with me?"

Ning Rongrong walked a few steps to Yan Que's side and couldn't help but reach out and pinch her fair and tender face. "So smooth, so fair, such tender skin!" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but exclaim.

However, Yan Que was confused by Ning Rongrong's words. Her skin was fair? Due to her cultivation, Yan Que's skin often got tanned from being under the sun, giving her a healthy wheat-colored complexion. And although she believed her own skin was smooth and tender, after all, she was still a child, a good complexion was natural. But fair skin? That had nothing to do with her.

"Wow, Little Yan Que, you've completely transformed, becoming even more beautiful!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in excitement, then took out a mirror and handed it to Yan Que.

Yan Que took the mirror in a daze and looked at her reflection. It startled her. She saw a fair face with slightly chubby cheeks, revealing a touch of rosy blush, making her look cute and charming. And her chestnut-colored short hair and spirited eyes added to her liveliness.

For a moment, Yan Que could hardly believe that it was her own face.

She had become beautiful!

Yan Que knew that her appearance wasn't beautiful, just plain at best. Moreover, she wasn't someone who placed much importance on looks. But which woman wouldn't want to become more beautiful? Even though Yan Que was still a child, becoming beautiful naturally made her happy.

But compared to the changes in her appearance, Zeng Yi and Chen Xin were more concerned about how much her spirit power had increased.

Zeng Yi asked "How much has your spirit power increased?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Que snapped out of her excitement over her newfound beauty and checked her own spirit power. But her expression froze, her eyes showing astonishment before transitioning into disbelief.

"My... my spirit power has reached level 20." Yan Que was amazed at the speed of her spirit power increase, even stammering as she spoke.

It was important to note that just half a month ago, she had only broken through to level 17. Now, in less than half a day, she had consecutively broken through three levels.

"Level 20?" Zeng Yi and Chen Xin exclaimed simultaneously, but their tones were completely different. Chen Xin was astonished, as though he had only heard about the terrifying effects of the Immortal Grass from Ning Rongrong, but hearing about it and actually witnessing it were two different experiences. On the other hand, Zeng Yi sounded somewhat skeptical.

Zeng Yi asked again "What was your previous level?"

"Level 17, Master." Yan Que replied.

"So you've increased by three levels?" Zeng Yi rubbed his chin and seemed somewhat dissatisfied with this progress. After all, Ning Rongrong and the others, after consuming the Immortal Grass, had increased by five levels and they were already Spirit Ancestors. However, upon further thought, Yan Que's previous level was 17, meaning she had only three levels of room for improvement. After all, without a second spirit ring, her spirit power would remain capped at level 20.

Nevertheless, the remaining medicinal power wouldn't go to waste and would accumulate in her body. When she obtained her next spirit ring, her spirit power would skyrocket in a short period of time.

With Yan Que's current level, once she obtained her second spirit ring, her spirit power would quickly rise to above level 25.

If Zeng Yi remembered correctly, Yan Que was just nine years old now. After consuming the Immortal Grass, not only did her spirit power increase significantly, but the speed of her spirit power cultivation during meditation would also be faster. Zeng Yi estimated that when Yan Que turned ten, she would be able to break through to the Spirit Elder realm.

A Spirit Elder at the age of ten—such a thought was terrifying!

Zeng Yi patted Yan Que's head, smiling. "Very good. You should continue cultivating for a few more days to stabilize your spirit power. When the time comes, I will take you to find a suitable second spirit ring."

"Okay." Yan Que nodded with narrowed eyes, her expression resembling that of a contented kitten being caressed.

...

For the next few days, Zeng Yi settled on the Divine Sword Peak, beginning his cultivation life within the sect.

The Divine Sword Peak belonged to Chen Xin and was generally uninhabited. Among the vast mountains and forests, the only residents were Chen Xin, Zeng Yi, and Yan Que.

Of course, during these days, Ning Rongrong also stayed here.

The Divine Sword Peak had a tranquil environment and abundant spiritual energy, making it an excellent place for cultivation and seclusion. Every day, Zeng Yi would wake up early to practice with Yan Que, also teaching Ning Rongrong swordsmanship.

Ning Rongrong had promised to train in swordsmanship with Zeng Yi. Initially, Zeng Yi thought she was joking, especially since she had been unwilling to train at Shrek Academy. But now she had changed her mind and woke up early every day, asking Zeng Yi to teach her swordsmanship.

Ning Rongrong was willing to learn, and Zeng Yi was willing to teach. But Zeng Yi wouldn't waste his own cultivation time. In the mornings, he would guide his disciple, Yan Que, and Ning Rongrong in their training. In the afternoons, he would seek his master, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, to learn swordsmanship, and at night, he would focus on his own cultivation and reflections.

Zeng Yi's schedule was packed every day.

However, Zeng Yi felt that his expectations for Ning Rongrong were too high. For the first few days of her training, she could wake up early and practice swordsmanship with him. But swordsmanship training was monotonous, and with Ning Rongrong's skill level, every day was spent on the basics—almost the same routine. At first, Ning Rongrong found it interesting, but as time went on, it became boring. Eventually, she started sleeping in, no longer practicing swordsmanship with Zeng Yi.

In the end, Ning Rongrong realized that it would be better to just be an auxiliary beauty. Leave the fighting to others.

Zeng Yi had no choice. After all, Ning Rongrong was the precious darling of two Titled Douluos. He couldn't force her. Moreover, he anticipated that Ning Rongrong's enthusiasm would fade soon. After persevering for a week, she had done enough.

As for Yan Que, who had consumed the Immortal Grass, her spirit power had been stabilizing for a week and couldn't be more stable. Now, Yan Que was not only Zeng Yi's disciple but also two Titled Douluos' precious disciple. Even the Sect Master, Ning Fengzhi, treated her like his own daughter. So when she needed to obtain her second spirit ring, it naturally caught their attention.

This matter couldn't be taken lightly. The spirit ring they needed to obtain had a requirement of 700 to 800 years of age and belonged to a Earth Element spirit beast. It would be challenging to find a suitable spirit ring for Yan Que in the regular spirit beast forest. They would have to venture into the wild, where spirit beasts gathered to search.

Since Zeng Yi was just a Spirit Ancestor at level 43, it didn't give a sense of comfort to have him accompany Yan Que to the spirit beast forest to find a spirit ring. They were two precious disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, after all. If anything unexpected were to happen, it would be too much for the sect to bear.

Therefore, for safety, both Chen Xin and Gu Rong, decided to accompany Yan Que to the spirit beast forest to search for the spirit ring. And they would go to the Crescent Moon Grand Forest, the closest forest to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

This left Zeng Yi unsure of what to say. It was just obtaining a second spirit ring, yet two Titled Douluos were mobilized, both of whom were Super Douluos above level 95. With this lineup, they could even take a bath in the lake inside the Star Dou Forest.

Initially, Ning Fengzhi also intended to go together. However, considering that the sect still needed someone to manage, he stayed to guard the sect.

With two Titled Douluos above level 95 accompanying Yan Que to obtain a spirit ring in the Crescent Moon Grand Forest, naturally, it would be a comforting expedition.

With two Super Douluos accompanying her, the spirit beasts in the Crescent Moon Grand Forest wouldn't even be like little kittens, allowing Yan Que to choose whichever she liked.

It was easy without any accidents. Yan Que obtained her second spirit ring and returned to the sect.

Ning Rongrong had been in the sect for nearly half a month and was now ready to return to Shrek Academy. After all, she was still a student there, unlike Zeng Yi, who needed to prepare for the upcoming Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament.

When Ning Rongrong returned to the academy, the whole sect quieted down significantly, which Zeng Yi noticed the most. Ning Rongrong kept seeking him when she was here, driving Zeng Yi crazy. Zeng Yi couldn't bully her either because if she reported to the Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo about it, it would be Zeng Yi who suffered.

After Ning Rongrong left, Zeng Yi finally felt a sense of tranquility.

At the Divine Sword Peak, Zeng Yi closed his eyes tightly and stood at the edge of a cliff. His jet-black hair and his cyan robe fluttered in the gentle breeze. Zeng Yi placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.

The white crane appeared ethereal in the clouds, occasionally letting out a crisp cry. The scenery was beautiful and natural.

And Zeng Yi remained still, as if turning into a statue, even his breath disappeared, seemingly blending into the surroundings.

On his shoulder, two little birds stood, chirping and treating Zeng Yi like a tree, frolicking and making noise.

Suddenly, Zeng Yi opened his eyes, but this tiny movement caused the birds on his shoulder to sense it and frantically flap their wings before flying away.