An uncut jade waiting to be sculpted among flowers?
Xiao Ran thought that this sounded fake, but his master, as an honorable crème of the crème, was massaging him, straightening his collar, and saying nice things…
As long as he refrained from believing her words and just enjoyed her treatment, it would be impossible to suffer a loss from this!
Lingzhou Yue did not have the ability to pick up someone but she had the features to pick up someone that made every woman in the cultivation world envious and jealous.
The mountain breeze blew softly, making strands of hair flutter as though it was revealing the portrait of a face. Her glassy eyes reflected the sky and clouds, glowing with the twinkle of stars. Her voluptuous body was close, her ample bosom moving as she breathed, and a fragrance of alcohol was mixed with her unique scent…
This was Xiao Ran's first time discovering his master gave off a womanly vibe.
He thought that if his master became a woman, she would be divine given her face and figure.
Forget the handsome prodigies of the cultivation world. His filial devotion as her disciple might be corrupted as well.
It was lucky that his master did not like men, thus enabling Xiao Ran to keep up a gentlemanly image.
'Thank you, Master. You have to continue liking fairy-like pretty girls, okay?'
'Then you can help this disciple out in the future and get me a pretty wife. Ah, wonderful, isn't it?'
Xiao Ran's heart thumped, feeling dreamy and anticipating.
Noticing his starry-eyed look, Lingzhou Yue breathed in relief.
Tricked! He got tricked!
This little virgin boy was really easy to trick—far simpler than wooing a pretty little fairy!
As she mused, Lingzhou Yue's fair long hands that seemed to reflect sword light let go of Xiao Ran's collar.
She walked up to the pine root with her wine pot and looked ahead at the waves of clouds.
Xiao Ran turned to look at the sea of cotton as well.
What surprised him was that he had not received the corresponding DP for standing up for his master during the Elder meeting. He guessed that DP was probably only considering acts that would delight his master and make her happier than her basic state.
If he had only made his master go back to her basic state from suffering, a rescue act like that probably would not account for any DP.
Otherwise, he would have hit the jackpot if he drugged his master every day after this and fed her the antidote to heal her after making her suffer.
After a while, the system gave Xiao Ran a slap.
"Late Devotion Points: Congratulations, you've earned 5 Devotion Points! Accumulated total: 35 DP."
Xiao Ran understood now. He was going to drug her from now on… Cough.
Xiao Ran guessed that an act of devotion that reclaimed his master's pride like this might require his master's approval after it happened. Only when his master acknowledged his act of devotion would he receive DP.
In that case…
'Does Master really think I'm uncut jade?'
Although her expression had looked fake, Xiao Ran's DP should not have gone up if his master had been making everything up.
Never mind, he was too lazy to make more predictions.
He would just see how his master was going to sculpt him!
…
Life on the Sword-Wielding Mountain was dull.
Cultivators did not have to eat or drink, and the master did not have to teach her disciple.
Other than when the Wraiths came every 1,000 years and required some action, Xiao Ran's master drank wine and slept daily. She only went to meetings occasionally… She was basically acting older than a retiree.
It was no wonder the Commandment Elder and the Cultivation Alliance could not stand her!
Lingzhou Yue sat on the thin pine branch by her side. The straight branch formed not even a single arch despite their weight. She was as light as a fairy.
Her gaze was rarely distant and calm.
After gulping down the last of her wine, she patted around her chest, only to realize that she had no more wine. Sighing softly, Lingzhou Yue watched the clouds drift for some time before she said, "Do you know something? I'm not as strong as you think."
That was strange! Had she drunk fake wine again?
Since his master was permanently bound to him in the system, Xiao Ran could only utter filial words.
"Being strong or weak doesn't matter. Master will always be my master."
Lingzhou Yue grinned but did not comment. The words that she was unable to speak were left sunken in the wine.
It was not even half of his second day with the sect, yet Xiao Ran planned his schedule for the latter half of the day.
The disciple challenge would begin tomorrow, but the duration would be a month. He might not necessarily go there the next day. As a Direct Disciple, he had his pride too. He would just go over for fun whenever he felt like it.
Today… he had to find something to do that could increase his DP.
As he was looking at his master, who was seated on the pine tree and lamenting about her finished wine, a lightbulb lit above Xiao Ran's head.
He had specifically asked around, only to learn that Zongzhi Mountain did not produce wine.
The wine that his master was drinking was most likely inferior wine bought in the capital of the nearby Blazing Nation. That was why she peed after drinking it.
This tarnished the image of his master in his mind. He had to bring his master a pure immortal brew!
According to Xiao Ran's plan, farming, cooking, and brewing were his three-in-one gourmet act of devotion and the main tool responsible for earning him DP.
His master did not have a need for food temporarily, so he would start by making alcohol.
He concentrated his attention on accessing the system store…
"Maximum Level Brewing Skill: Makes any type of alcohol. Achieves a perfect standard of texture, fragrance, and enlightenment of alcohol without damaging and taking away the raw ingredient's spiritual energy. Costs 5 DP. Do you want to purchase it?"
'Yes!'
"Congratulations, you've obtained the Maximum Level Brewing Skill! (5 DP depleted, 30 DP left)"
There was a buzz in Xiao Ran's head. Then, information gushed in. At that moment, his mind felt like a clear starry sky.
Swiftly, he was filled with all sorts of tips on brewing, husking and grinding spiritual grains, culturing and cultivating yeast, grinding and making the brewing container, and brewing within one night…
It was strange how knowledge just grew!
When he looked again at the remaining drops of wine in his master's wine pot, he realized that was not wine. That was… Never mind, Xiao Ran was not making any comparisons.
He was going to cultivate on a farm in the Sword-Wielding Mountain by growing and brewing on his own. He wanted to brew beer with spiritual barley, distill baijiu with spiritual grains, and even make red wine with grapes.
All these things needed time.
Even if he got seeds today, sowed, and fertilized them with the highest efficiency, it would still take Xiao Ran at least 10 days to produce something when the Sword-Wielding Mountain's spiritual energy concentration lacked so much compared to the Hundred Herb Hill.
If he could buy good-quality spiritual grains, yeast, and other stuff directly, however, he could make some nice alcohol tonight.
Xiao Ran anticipated the expression on his master's face when she drank actual good wine. DP would definitely be dropping off her due to how gratified she was!
Before this happened, he was going to keep it a secret so he could surprise her.
Suddenly—grr, grr…
His stomach began rumbling.
Xiao Ran only then realized that he felt hungry and thirsty two days after joining the sect. Spiritual energy really could satiate hunger and quench thirst.
"Master, it's still early. This disciple will go away to buy some vegetables and grains to farm and cook back here."
Lingzhou Yue turned around to look at Xiao Ran in a trance.
"I almost forgot that you aren't at the Qi Refining stage yet and you need to eat and excrete. Go on, I'm going out too."
Xiao Ran guessed that she was going to buy herself some wine.
"Yes, Master."
Lingzhou Yue disappeared in a blink.
While descending the mountain, there was no need for Xiao Ran to risk hiking down this time. He retrieved a paper kite talisman and dropped a droplet of blood. The talisman expanded upon making contact and turned into a bright yellow paper kite of less than two meters in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Ran discovered that the weight-bearing ability and travel duration of paper kites were fixed, but the size could be adjusted. It was convenient.
Riding the paper kite, he floated into the sea of clouds.
Ever since he had learned the Art of Resonance, Xiao Ran's level of manipulating the paper kite had soared and his stance looked stable now as he surfed in the wind and raced with the cranes.
Like a racer who had been flying for years, he was calm no matter how exciting the scenery was and thus cruised easily. After that, he was like a sage who had seen above earthly affairs, hit with various feelings as he watched the fleeting immortal realm.
In the Dao-Ending Period, the sect disciples who had spent years in cultivation sects might think Zongzhi Mountain's spiritual vein was diminishing and the spiritual energy was thinning, but to Xiao Ran, who had suddenly entered the cultivation sect after spending three years living in a Wraith-frequented apocalypse, it was like rising straight to heaven from hell.
Charming as the empire was, it attracted countless heroes to sacrifice themselves for it. Charming as his master was, asking him to reap…
Xiao Ran let his thoughts run wild.
He was going to protect both this pleasant world and his beautiful but a little slow-witted master!
With the fervent ambition of a transmigrator, Xiao Ran flew for a few kilometers by keeping a low profile before he swiftly arrived at the stone tower of the outer sect and found Lin Yunzi.
It was only then that he broke out of his daze and left his sage reverie.
'What was I even thinking?'
After joining the sect two days ago, Xiao Ran had gone through the intrusion of the Wraith, farmed for the Medicinal Elder, gotten invited to have tea by the Sword-Tempering Elder, had argued with the Commandment Elder, given a massage, and had his collar straightened by his master…
In spite of this, he was still unfamiliar with the vast territory of Zongzhi Mountain. Collecting seeds and brewing ingredients was an inconvenience for him.
Lin Yunzi had spent years in the sect and was knowledgeable and experienced. He was a suitable guide.
Outside the tower, Lin Yunzi was clad in an outer sect yellow robe as he stood tall, facing the sun and squinting. He looked buoyant despite his age, like a wilting tree in spring.
"We parted for a day. You're here again, Junior Uncle!"