"You're the one who fell into a manure pit! Your whole family fell into a manure pit!" Hearing Qiu Xia's words, Ren Tingting snapped her eyes open and began cursing him out.
After her outburst, she realized she was still in the dining hall where they had eaten earlier. There was no "second version" of herself standing nearby.
"I'm... I'm not dead!"
Qiu Xia gave her an exasperated look. "Of course you aren't. I just used a Purification Talisman to clean that filth off you. Stop making such a fuss. It's late; I'm going to rest. Boil some water and wash up."
Once Qiu Xia left, Ren Tingting clenched her fists, her face flushed with indignation. "That damn guy... he spends all day scaring me. He must have been a 'steel straight man' in his past lifethe kind who stays single forever. How could he treat a girl like this?"
Over the next few days, Ren Tingting first returned to the Ren residence to inform Master Ren that she would be in seclusion at the mortuary. Once her father was at ease, she returned and began her cultivation,
sustained by the spiritual food provided there. During this time, Auntie Zhe originally intended to give her own cultivation manual to Ren Tingting, only to discover that the girl's constitution was incompatible.
In the parlance of the cultivation world's spirit roots, Auntie Zhe possessed a Wood-Fire Spirit Root, while Ren Tingting had a Water-Wood Spirit Root. Had it been Wood alone, it might have worked, but the presence of the Water attribute made it impossible for her to practice that specific art. Auntie Zhe was at her wit's end.
"Martial Aunt, I have a cultivation method here that's suitable for Tingting. Take a look." Seeing Auntie Zhe's frustration, Qiu Xia handed over a notebook.
Auntie Zhe took the notebook and flipped through it carefully, her brow furrowing. "This art is indeed a perfect fit for Tingting, but why is it so similar to the one I practiced? Nephew, where did you get this?"
"I created it myself," Qiu Xia replied without reservation.
"You created it? How? Could it be you looked at my manual? No, that's impossible. I've always kept that manual inside my ring!" Auntie Zhe was utterly baffled.
Qiu Xia thought for a moment before explaining, "Auntie, that manual and the pills in your ring were actually given to you by me. With my help, Master broke through to the Celestial Master realm. Once he reached that stage,
the likelihood of you two staying together would have plummeted. As the saying goes, 'it is better to destroy ten temples than one marriage.' To ensure I didn't get in the way of your relationship, I had to find a way to give you the resources to improve your strength. You know the rest."
Realizing that her sudden windfall of resources had been Qiu Xia's handiwork all along, Auntie Zhe was deeply moved. "You truly are my good nephew!"
"Alright, Auntie, enough with the pleasantries. Hurry up and teach Junior Sister how to cultivate!"
Ren Tingting hadn't expected Qiu Xia to be this formidable. It wasn't just his high cultivation level; he could actually create various arts. Whether it was the Godhood Mask, the Talisman of Heaven, Sage's Theft, the Fire Lotus Visualization Method, or the Azure Lotus Creation Art, they were all top-tier techniques.
Wait a minute... she thought, her eyes widening. Godhood Mask, Talisman of Heaven, and Sage's Theft... aren't those techniques from Under One Person? How does this guy know them? Did he get them from a cheat system?
Thinking of this, she turned to Qiu Xia. "Did your 'Gold Finger' give you those cultivation arts?"
Qiu Xia rolled his eyes at her. "You're overthinking it. My cheat doesn't give me manuals. I derived those myself through meditation. They aren't exactly like the originals. The original Godhood Mask required the collection of faith,
but mine works whether you collect faith or not; if you don't, it simply consumes more energy. Then there's Sage's Theftthe original was flawed and eventually led to a desire to consume humans, while mine has no such defect."
He continued, "As for the Fire Lotus Visualization Method and the Azure Lotus Creation Art, I created those from scratch. You don't honestly think it's difficult for a Zhenren like me to create a cultivation art for those below the Celestial Master rank, do you?"
Ren Tingting found his logic somewhat sound. This freak had indeed gained many benefits from his ability to travel between worlds, causing his strength to skyrocket. It was entirely possible he had obtained something that significantly boosted his comprehension.
With her doubts cleared, Ren Tingting began to cultivate diligently. Relying on the high-quality spiritual vegetables, she reached the perfection of the Taoist rank in less than half a month,
condensing over seven hundred strands of mana. She was far more efficient than "pigs" like Qiusheng and Wencai, partly due to the quality of Qiu Xia's vegetables and partly because she ate so much of them.
With over seven hundred strands of mana, Ren Tingting had no trouble breaking through from Taoist to Human Master. Upon her breakthrough, she immediately opened eight meridians while simultaneously purging her body of impurities and consolidating her foundations.
From that point on, her progress was meteoric. In just a few days, she opened all twelve principal meridians. She could have broken through to Earth Master right then, but she chose to wait. Instead, she continued practicing the Azure Lotus Creation Physique to further clear the rest of her meridians.
After all, the Azure Lotus Creation Physique not only strengthened the constitution and increased cultivation speed but also enhanced one's appearance. Though Ren Tingting was already exceptionally beautiful, no woman would ever turn down the chance to become even prettier.
A day before Qiu Xia was scheduled to return, Qiusheng and Wencai finally arrived back at the mortuary.
"Wow! Mistress, you actually took in such a beautiful little Junior Sister? Hello, Junior Sister! My name is Qiusheng. You can just call me Senior Brother Qiusheng. If you need anything, I'll"
"Hello, Junior Sister, I'm your Senior Brother Wencai. I"
Even before her cultivation, Ren Tingting had been a head-turner, but the "cultivated" Ren Tingting made it impossible for Qiusheng and Wencai to look away.
Seeing them act like fools, Uncle Jiu hit each of them over the head with a flick of his thumb ring. "You two brats, shut up! I told you to come back by the end of the month at the latest, and you actually waited until the very last day."
Qiusheng and Wencai grumbled inwardly. Ever since the last incident, Uncle Jiu had been looking for any excuse to discipline them. The further away they were, the safer they felt, so they had delayed their return as long as possible to avoid unnecessary suffering.
As they muttered to themselves, they spotted Qiu Xia standing to the side. Their eyes lit up. "Junior Brother! When did you get back?"
"I've been back for a while," Qiu Xia said dryly. "But your eyes were so fixed on our Junior Sister that you didn't even notice me."
"Ahem, Junior Brother, don't slander me," Qiusheng said awkwardly. "I'm not that kind of person. I... I was just surprised!"
Wencai didn't take that lying down. "Don't talk nonsense! I'm not that kind of personyou're the one who is!"
"Alright, save it. I know exactly what kind of people you two are," Qiu Xia said with a roll of his eyes. "You're never going to wash yourselves clean of this."
"Junior Brother, how can you say that? You're wronging me!"
After some lighthearted bickering, Qiu Xia informed Qiusheng and Wencai of his intentions. Upon hearing that they could travel to other worlds, the two were more than willing. They agreed instantly; regardless of what the other worlds were like,
at least they wouldn't have their Master there to scold them. As for danger, with a Junior Brother who was even more powerful than their Master, what was there to fear?
"Master, I want to go too!" Seeing Qiusheng and Wencai about to be whisked away by Qiu Xia, Ren Tingting looked toward Auntie Zhe. She wanted to explore the Movie World as well.
Auntie Zhe turned her gaze toward Qiu Xia. "Qiu Xia, would it be convenient to take one more person along?"
"I can," Qiu Xia said plainly. "But once we're there, you have to be obedient. No causing trouble."
"Yes, yes, I understand! Don't worry, I definitely won't cause any trouble for you!"
Qiu Xia added tonelessly, "If I feel like you're being a nuisance, I'll just knock you unconscious, let a month pass, and then bring you back."
"You jerk!" Ren Tingting's almond eyes glared with fury. She lunged at Qiu Xia with a "bratty claw" strike, but against Qiu Xia's peerless footwork, it was useless. No matter how she chased him, she couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
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