Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 108 Qiu Yun's Dilemma, Chen Ye Comes to the Rescue

The spirit boat was enormous, with a wide deck that could accommodate hundreds of people.

At this moment, the deck was filled with all sorts of people.

Besides newly appointed stewards like Chen Ye and Lingyin Sect disciples like Li Qiuyun, there were many other cultivators.

These cultivators were either traveling merchants or simply passengers.

They gathered in small groups, some meditating and regulating their breathing, others boasting about their experiences in the market, their voices creating a noisy atmosphere.

The most eye-catching were the ten young cultivators dressed in sky-blue Taoist robes.

Their aura was refined, clearly distinguishing them from the other outer disciples dressed in sky-blue Daoist robes, forming their own distinct sect.

These ten people are the best of the best who stood out in this competition and were promoted to the inner sect.

Chen Ye's gaze swept over them and unexpectedly spotted a familiar face—Duan Ling.

Back when he was on the outskirts of the Three Thousand Mountains, it was this person who reminded him of the remnants of demonic cultivators, and who was quite polite to him in his words.

When Duan Ling saw Chen Ye looking over, he nodded slightly as a greeting.

"Uncle Chen... In our Lingyin Sect, all outer disciples wear sky-blue Daoist robes."

Li Qiuyun appeared beside Chen Ye at some point, followed his gaze, and explained softly,

"Those wearing sky-blue Daoist robes are the inner disciples. If the robes are embroidered with cloud and crane patterns, they are the core disciples."

She paused, her tone filled with longing:

"In fact, the inner sect is the place where disciples are truly trained. The disciples there have different talents and strengths. Some are exceptionally gifted, like Uncle Bai, who directly entered the inner sect; others, like Senior Brother Duan, were selected through the outer sect competition; and still others were admitted through special circumstances because of their great contributions to the sect."

"Within the inner sect, there are also different levels. Only those who successfully break through to the Foundation Establishment stage can be promoted to core disciples and receive the sect's full support. Above the core disciples, there are nine true disciples, who are the pillars of the sect's future."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye silently complained to himself:
Of the twelve peaks within the inner sect, only nine have become true disciples.

In other words, regardless of the circumstances, there are three peaks that have no true disciples.

If I were one of those novel protagonists from my past life, I would probably have entered the inner sect, and ended up in one of the three worst peaks.

You might even encounter a beautiful, eccentric master who loves to drink, and then you'll go on a journey of showing off and slapping people in the face, making a name for yourself...

Unfortunately, Chen Ye is currently just a spirit plant steward, and the ever-changing inner sect is destined to be out of his reach.

His current goal is to settle down in the Lingyin Sect, improve his cultivation and proficiency, and raise his two disciples.

Suddenly, Chen Ye remembered the little blonde girl and asked:
"And who is that Martial Aunt Bai?"

When Bai Susu was mentioned, Li Qiuyun's expression became noticeably more respectful:
“Uncle Bai is naturally a true disciple! Her seniority is extremely high. Her father, True Man Bai Li, is a great cultivator who is famous throughout the Yan Kingdom. Therefore, most disciples in the sect respectfully call her Uncle Bai. Of course, some people also call her True Disciple Bai.”

Chen Ye understood and sighed inwardly.

He truly deserves to be called a Nascent Soul True Lord five hundred years later.

Now, at such a young age, he has already been recognized as a true disciple.

……

As they spoke, Li Qiuyun led Chen Ye to the door of a cabin:
"Uncle Chen, this is where you will rest. The spirit boat will be traveling a long way and it will take about three days to reach the sect's mountain gate. Please rest well for the next few days. If you need anything, please feel free to call me. Qiu Yun will be staying next door."

Ordinary independent cultivators could only meditate on the deck.

Cultivators of the Lingyin Sect, such as Chen Ye, have their own private cabins.

Under Li Qiuyun's guidance, Chen Ye attached the waist pendant to an inconspicuous groove at the doorway.

With a soft "click," the previously tightly sealed hatch slid open silently, revealing the scene inside.

The cabin wasn't large, but it had everything you needed.

A meditation cushion, a small wooden table, two bamboo chairs, a bed, and a round window offering a view of the sea of ​​clouds beyond the ship's deck.

Although not luxurious, it is quiet and elegant.

"Master, this place is so beautiful!"

As soon as Qingjun entered the cabin, she looked around curiously, touching this and that with her little hands.

This is the first time she has ever lived in the sky!
The little girl happily shook the bell.

Ring ring, ring ring.

Hearing this, Chen Ye even wanted to hang the bell around the little girl's neck.

Chen Ye glared at Qing Jun.
The little girl scratched her head and sheepishly put the bell back.

Zhiwei was the most obedient. She quietly took off the small package she was carrying, which contained her and Qingjun's changes of clothes and some daily necessities.

The older girl found a towel and began busily cleaning the cabin.

How could Chen Ye see that Zhiwei was working so hard?
She quickly stepped forward and snatched the towel from Zhiwei: "Let Master do it... Oh right, Master also has two storage bags, which I forgot to give to you before."

The reason Chen Ye didn't sell the storage bag he received from the Kong brothers was precisely because he wanted to keep it for his two disciples.

He had worried that the two girls carrying the storage bag would attract thieves, which was why he hadn't given it to them.

But now that I've come to Lingyin Sect, I no longer have this concern.

Qingjun glanced at the storage bag, not caring at all.

She tucked it haphazardly into her waistband, then leaned against the window, chattering incessantly, asking all sorts of wildly imaginative questions:
"Master, Master, are the clouds in the sky made of cotton candy? Can we pick them and eat them?"

"Master, do you think that long-haired lady might get her hair cut off by her own flying sword?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye couldn't help but glance out the window as well.

Outside the spirit boat, several disciples were seen riding flying swords, frolicking around the boat and occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise.

There was one cultivator with long hair among them, but he was clearly a male cultivator!
Chen Ye rolled his eyes at the little girl, annoyed: "Open your eyes wide and take a good look to see if it's a boy or a girl!"

The little girl shrank her neck and stared intently at the cultivator outside the window: "Clearly... he's an older sister, isn't he?"

The three of them, master and apprentices, were bickering and making noise, which made Li Qiuyun smile slightly: "Uncle Chen's apprentices are really lively and cute."

There was a hint of inexplicable envy in his words.

She thought of her father, an outer sect instructor of the Lingyin Sect, who always had a serious and unsmiling demeanor.

Although he was called an instructor, his cultivation level was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, making him unremarkable within the sect.

When her father was young, he failed to enter the inner sect, so he had extremely high expectations for her.

From childhood to adulthood, her memories consisted only of endless seclusion and self-cultivation, and she was constantly reminded by her parents' teachings that "one must not slack off" and "diligence can make up for shortcomings."

Playing and frolicking seem to be words completely foreign to her.

Even when she occasionally stepped out of her meditation room and faced her fellow disciples who were either enthusiastic or curious, she was always at a loss for how to respond.

Over time, she earned the nickname "Iceberg Senior Sister".

But she's not some iceberg. She just... just doesn't know how to get along with people.

Even when teased by her fellow disciples, she could only helplessly watch... Seeing the natural intimacy between Chen Ye and his two disciples, sometimes bickering and sometimes showing tenderness, Li Qiuyun would feel an indescribable emotion welling up in her heart.

That kind of warmth between a father and daughter, like that of an ordinary family, was something she had never experienced before.

"Uncle Chen is so good to them..."

Li Qiuyun thought to herself silently, her eyes softening unconsciously.

"Qiuyun?" Chen Ye called softly when he saw that she was lost in thought.

Li Qiuyun snapped out of her daze, hastily averting her gaze, a barely perceptible blush rising on her cheeks: "Uncle Chen, if there's nothing else, Qiuyun will take her leave now. There are still some matters to attend to at the sect."

"Thank you for your trouble, Qiuyun," Chen Ye nodded.

After Li Qiuyun left, Qingjun immediately went to Chen Ye's side, tilted her little face up, and asked curiously, "Master, why was that Qiuyun sister so fat? Will Qingjun ever be as fat as her in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and gently pinched Qingjun's nose, saying, "What nonsense are you thinking, little girl? Sister Qiuyun is just... just well-nourished. Don't be rude!"

"Hehe, I'm obviously fat! Besides, does Master think Qingjun doesn't know? Master... was he peeking at me, wasn't he?"

Qingjun made a face and then continued talking in a serious tone.

"Sister Qiuyun's legs are so long! Longer than the two senior sisters!"

Chen Ye and Zhiwei coughed in unison:
"cough--"

The older girl seemed to be meditating with her eyes closed, but upon hearing Qingjun's words, she couldn't help but glance at her short legs.

Mingming... has eaten so much these past few days...

……

The night was as dark as ink, and the spirit boat sailed silently through the sea of ​​clouds, with only the occasional starlight passing by the portholes reflecting the flickering lights inside the cabin.

Chen Ye sat cross-legged on the futon, his eyes slightly closed, his mind sinking into his sea of ​​consciousness, continuing to meditate on the Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Method.

The vast star map in the jade slip slowly unfolded in his consciousness, and the seven main stars flowed in his sea of ​​consciousness according to mysterious trajectories.

He tried to focus his mind and visualize one of the stars.

Initially, his mixed five elements spiritual roots made his perception like a scattered spider web, often disturbed by other stars, making it difficult to capture the pure power of the stars.

But as his proficiency slowly increased, he was able to barely sketch a blurry image of Jupiter in his mind's eye, feeling the faint, warm vitality nourishing his soul.

Jupiter is most compatible with the Evergreen Skill, and is much easier to visualize than other stars.

[Seven Luminaries Soul Nourishing Method (Visualization): 8/10]

With each improvement in proficiency, he felt his mind and soul become more focused, and his five senses became more acute.

Tonight, as he slowly emerged from his meditation, he felt his hearing and vision sharpened, and he could even vaguely perceive the subtle movements in the surrounding cabins.

"Hmm?" Chen Ye's eyebrows twitched slightly.

There seemed to be some unusual noises coming from outside.

It wasn't a fight; it looked more like several people were having a conversation.

Interspersed among them were Li Qiuyun's somewhat brief and helpless response, as well as several slightly loud and solicitous male voices.

Chen Ye understood.

You can tell from the fact that Li Qiuyun was often teased in the past.
Despite her seemingly cold demeanor, she is actually quite bad at socializing.

Chen Ye got up, straightened his robes slightly, and pushed open the door.

Li Qiuyun was surrounded by three or four disciples, who were dressed smartly and had a somewhat arrogant demeanor.

The leader was an inner disciple.

He was a man with feminine features, delicate appearance, and long hair that reached his waist.

It was Qingjun who had mistaken her for a female cultivator's disciple during the day.

He kept showing off a newly acquired magic sword to Li Qiuyun, his words filled with boasting.

Li Qiuyun stood there with an upright posture, her sky-blue Taoist robe making her figure even more slender.

She simply lowered her eyes slightly, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

He only responded to the disciples' enthusiastic words with occasional "hmm" or "oh," his expression appearing somewhat stiff and distant.

The disciples didn't notice Li Qiuyun's discomfort. Instead, they tried even harder to impress her because of her "aloofness" and get her attention.

"Junior Sister Li, what do you think of my Flowing Flame Sword? It is a first-grade high-quality magic weapon that my father found for me. When activated, the sword can be covered with flowing flames, and its power is extraordinary!" The effeminate disciple presented the magic sword to Li Qiuyun as if it were a treasure.

Li Qiuyun subconsciously took half a step back, avoiding the scorching sword energy, and said in a cold voice, "It's acceptable."

Her reaction was interpreted as disdain by the effeminate disciple.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across his face, but he forced a smile and said, "If you like it, Junior Sister, I can lend you this sword to admire for a few days another day."

The other disciples chimed in, some boasting about their magical artifacts, others showing off their achievements in the competition, making the scene somewhat noisy.

Chen Ye could see clearly that beneath Li Qiuyun's seemingly calm expression lay a hidden unease, a desire to escape.

She wasn't arrogant; she genuinely didn't know how to handle the situation.

"This girl really is a socially awkward person," Chen Ye thought to himself.
As the disciples got more and more excited, Li Qiuyun's expression became increasingly unnatural.

Chen Ye coughed lightly and called out to Li Qiuyun, "Qiuyun, come here for a moment. I have some cultivation matters to discuss with you."

His call of "Qiuyun" was so natural that it instantly silenced the noise of the disciples, who all turned to look at him.

Upon hearing this, Li Qiuyun felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She turned around almost immediately and nodded slightly to the disciples, saying, "Senior brothers, please excuse me."

After saying that, she walked quickly toward Chen Ye, her steps carrying a lightness rarely seen on her usual face.

The disciples were all taken aback.

"Junior Sister Li, you're leaving already?" The effeminate disciple looked bewildered.

“Yes, Junior Sister Li, we haven’t finished talking yet…” another disciple said, somewhat unwillingly.

"Isn't this the newly appointed Spirit Plant Steward from a few days ago? What's his background? Why is Senior Sister Li so close to him?"

Amidst the murmurs, Li Qiuyun had already reached Chen Ye. She lowered her head slightly and said softly, "Uncle Chen, you were looking for me?"

At this moment, the disciples suddenly realized what was happening, and the remaining hostility in their eyes vanished completely.

So, he was just Li's elder.

Perhaps... he's a friend of Instructor Li?

The effeminate man indeed looked exactly like that.

No wonder!
Those deacons would give a top-tier rating, so it seems that Deacon Chen has connections within the sect.

Although Instructor Li is unremarkable, since we can get to know Instructor Li, we might also get to know other senior members of the sect.
He's also Li's elder... We should get closer to him in the future!
(End of this chapter)