New home

"Young Master, thankfully we managed to finish the palace on time." Standing in front of a magnificent palace, Xiao Lei looked at Yun Wuji cautiously and said.

It had been two weeks since he began building the palace. Thankfully, with the manpower from the Xiao Clan and the support of supplies from the Xia Clan, they managed to complete the palace within that time.

"Hmm, good work," Yun Wuji praised him as he looked at his new home.

The place was incredible. Tall columns stood at the entrance, holding up a ceiling decorated with gold accents that shimmered in the light. Inside, the grand hall was huge, with shiny marble floors and big chandeliers hanging from above. The walls were lined with beautiful tapestries and artworks, giving the place a touch of luxury.

Every room was furnished with a different style, and the gardens outside were just as stunning. Manicured lawns, colorful flowers, and peaceful water features made it clear that this was a palace that combined grandeur with comfort.

"I'm pleased with your work; this is your due reward. If you use these pills wisely, you might even reach the Earth Profound Realm," Wuji said, satisfied with the palace. He waved his hand, and ten bottles of pills flew toward Xiao Lei.

"Thank you, young master!" Xiao Lei quickly caught the bottles with his trembling hands and bowed deeply. He never expected such a generous reward from this young expert.

"Distribute these items among everyone who contributed as well," Wuji instructed, handing Xiao Lei a pile of items.

"Understood!" Xiao Lei said, placing the items into his storage ring.

"You can leave now," Wuji said, waving his hand to signal Xiao Lei to go.

"...Young master, if I may..." Xiao Lei hesitated, not leaving right away and searching for the right words.

"I know what you want to say. I have my own considerations, so don't worry," Wuji said, interrupting him.

Xiao Lei opened his mouth to speak but ended up sighing, turning around, and leaving.

It had been two weeks since his daughter and grandson stubbornly insisted on becoming Wuji's disciples. They had been kneeling in front of his room the entire time, and despite his efforts to dissuade them, they refused to listen.

They remained kneeling in front of his room, barely eating or drinking, insisting that they were demonstrating their determination and sincerity to the young master.

This left him helpless, he could only hope that Yun Wuji would deal with this.

Yun Wuji began working on the formation arrays, pulling out a large batch of materials from his storage: blood, profound stones, dragon skin, and more.

Array masters and alchemists are rare and highly sought after by major powers.

With Yun Wuji's genius, it was a piece of cake for him to master how to set arrays.

Using a special pen, he began drawing the array, starting at the palace gate.

A few hours later...

"That should be it," Yun Wuji said as he returned the remaining materials to his storage and stretched. He had spent hours working on the arrays without a break. Although it didn't consume much of his physical strength, the constant concentration drained him mentally.

He walked to the garden, took a deep breath of the night breeze, and then flew toward the Xiao Clan. He still had one last thing to handle before settling into his new home.

When he returned to the Xiao Clan, he found Xiao Yunhai and all the clan's elders waiting in front of his courtyard.

"Young Master!" They greeted him in unison as he approached.

Yun Wuji nodded in acknowledgment and tossed a sack filled with pills and other low-level resources toward them. "This is your reward for your efforts. How you distribute it is up to you."

Without waiting for their response, he turned and walked into the courtyard. He had little interest in minor characters like them, especially when they seemed so shortsighted.

"We thank the young master for his generosity," Xiao Yunhai quickly caught the sack, his whole body trembling with excitement as he and the elders bowed deeply. Although he didn't know the contents of the sack, anything given by such an expert would undoubtedly be invaluable to them.

In the courtyard in front of his room, Yun Wuji observed the two kids still kneeling.

"Honestly, I didn't expect you to do something this foolish," Wuji said, a hint of admiration in his voice. Kneeling in the same spot for two weeks with barely any food or water was no small feat, even for dedicated adults, let alone thirteen-year-olds.

"...Y-young master," Xiao Lingxi lifted her head slowly, her voice faint and barely more than a whisper.

"..." Xiao Che struggled to move his head slightly, his strength nearly depleted.

"Very well, I'll take you as my nominal disciples, but if you can't meet my requirements later, I'll kick you out," Yun Wuji said, shaking his head at their miserable condition and waving his hand.

Light profound energy fell like rain, showering them and flowing into their bodies.

"Ahn~" Xiao Lingxi moaned in relief as the fatigue and pain in her body melted away. She felt as though she were submerged in a hot spring, embraced by a warm, comforting presence that she never wanted to leave. Gradually, her eyes closed, and she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

The same soothing sensation enveloped Xiao Che, and he too succumbed to exhaustion, falling into a deep slumber.

Yun Wuji carefully picked up both Xiao Lingxi and Xiao Che and teleported back to his palace. He chose a random room for Xiao Che and threw Xiao Che in the bed. Afterward, he moved to another room, where he laid Xiao Lingxi in a separate bed.

At first, Wuji wasn't interested in taking on any disciples, including Xiao Che and Xiao Lingxi. Despite their roles as the main character and the Ancestral Goddess, they didn't seem particularly useful to him.

Xiao Che, in particular, clearly wouldn't offer any substantial benefits or support.

As for Xiao Lingxi, it was pretty much the same story. Any benefits from her would only come once she died naturally and the Ancestral Goddess could reincarnate.

In the novel, the Ancestral Goddess ended up failing her reincarnation because Xiao Lingxi died of grief after Yun Che's death.

So, Wuji would have to wait for at least a hundred years, and by then, he'd probably be just as strong, if not stronger than her.

Secondly, and most importantly, if Wuji were to develop feelings for Xiao Lingxi, he wouldn't want the Ancestral Goddess to reincarnate. That's because it would mean losing Xiao Lingxi as she is, with the reincarnation essentially making her a completely different person.

Anyway, after taking care of the kids, Wuji headed to his room on the second floor. He settled into a meditative position, took out a piece of Purple Veined Divine Crystal, and began absorbing its energy.

Since Wuji arrived at Floating Cloud City, his cultivation speed had slowed dramatically due to the energy here being over ten times thinner than in the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range.

However, with the Purple Veined Divine Crystal, his cultivation rate would be significantly faster compared to his time in the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range.

With the help of these Divine Crystals, he could reach the Tenth Level of the Sky Profound Realm in just a few weeks!

In the Xia Clan's Manor, Xia Hongyi entered the manor, followed by his guards. Today, he and Xiao Lei had finally completed the palace for that expert.

Recalling the day when that man descended upon the city, Xia Hongyi felt a shiver. The aura and power he unleashed, even briefly, had left him feeling utterly powerless. For the first time in his life, Xia Hongyi questioned whether his decision to neglect cultivation in favor of focusing on business had been a mistake.

"Ask Qingyue to come to the study room," Xia Hongyi instructed a servant after changing his clothes.

Soon, his thirteen-year-old daughter, Xia Qingyue, entered the study room.

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I forgot to save the chapter and I accidentally hit the F5 button. I had to rewrite the whole thing again.