"Just a mountain chicken, how much energy could it possibly contain?"
"Besides, both of us are in the Qi Condensation Stage. Why is it that you can't refine it when you eat it, but I can?"
"Just because you're the useless Peak Master of Xiaoyao Peak, idle all day and doing nothing except fishing?"
"I understand," Lin Yaoyao nodded.
Seeing the disappointed look on her disciple's face, Yekong instantly softened. He took out a jade bottle and cautiously squeezed a single drop of divine oil from the phoenix meat, letting it fall inside.
"Here, try this drop of oil first. Just lick a tiny bit from the tip of your tongue every day, and be careful not to be greedy."
Yekong handed the jade bottle and identity token to Lin Yaoyao, then closed the doors of the main hall.
"Your Master will rest for the night, and tomorrow I shall teach you the cultivation method."
Lin Yaoyao took the jade bottle in her hand and froze in place.
Then, her pretty face instantly darkened.
You... you're only giving me a drop of oil?
And I'm supposed to lick a tiny bit every day?
How can this Master be so stingy?
"No wonder I've been the only disciple on Xiaoyao Peak for ten years," Lin Yaoyao sighed. "Oh well, this is fine too. I'll cultivate in peace for ten years, and once I'm invincible, I'll just leave Xiaoyao Peak."
"By then, I'll catch ten thousand of these mountain chickens for you, you old geezer, just to show you what real power looks like."
With black lines all over her forehead, Lin Yaoyao turned and left.
She seemed to have already foreseen her Master standing there, so overwhelmed and excited that he wouldn't know what to do with himself.
When she reached the edge of the Bitter Sea, she looked at the jade bottle in her hand and muttered with self-mockery, "I don't deserve to eat something this good."
She tossed the jade bottle into the Bitter Sea and returned to Tao Mountain to cultivate.
The jade bottle drifted slowly, and before long, it reached the center of the Bitter Sea.
A massive dragon carp swam over, staring at the jade bottle with big eyes full of curiosity.
Thump!
It nudged the little jade bottle with its head, having the time of its life.
Pop!
The stopper was pushed open, and a drop of golden divine oil spilled out.
Since all the essence had already been refined by Yekong, the dragon carp couldn't sense anything special about it. Finding the thing rather dull, it turned and swam away elsewhere.
The divine oil continued to float on the water's surface.
A leaf drifted over, carrying a tiny black ant upon it.
The little black ant trembled as it gripped the leaf tightly.
It was extremely hungry, and seeing a drop of oil right beside the leaf, it swallowed the whole thing into its body in one gulp!
Delicious!
Pure satisfaction!
Hum!
Its body began to vibrate, as if an entire river had been poured inside!
The little black ant's body burst open instantly!
Yet, the moment it shattered, the sound of a phoenix crying seemed to ring out, and the flesh and blood all over its body began to reassemble!
Phoenix Nirvana!
Its body swelled violently, bursting apart... then reassembling, swelling, bursting apart...
Repeating this process over and over again, after continuing thousands of times, the commotion inside the little black ant's body finally subsided.
Its cultivation level leaped all the way from Qi Condensation, breaking through Foundation Establishment, and finally stopping at the Golden Core.
A single drop of divine oil instantly formed a Golden Core!
Rumble!
Heaven and Earth tribulation lightning began to brew, descending upon the Bitter Sea.
Yekong, who was currently enjoying a phoenix drumstick, heard the thunder outside and said impatiently, "Go away, go away, go find someone else to strike."
All the surrounding spiritual power surged toward the sky as if trying to obliterate the tribulation lightning.
The heavenly lightning grew even more intense, rumbling a few times as if extremely dissatisfied with this little cultivator's defiance.
And then...
And then the tribulation clouds simply dispersed.
The little black ant had completed its evolution.
Its body was still just as tiny, but a single horn had grown out of its forehead.
Heaven-Horned Ant!
Bloodline awakened!
Having received this great fortune, the little black ant looked in the direction of Xiaoyao Peak and bowed deeply.
It flicked its hind leg, instantly producing a sonic boom that stirred up a wave across the Bitter Sea.
It sprang away, returning to its anthill to help the queen propagate the family.
Shortly after it left, the Peak Master of Yushou Peak arrived riding a crane, staring at the Bitter Sea with eyes full of shock and suspicion.
He asked the immortal crane beneath him, "Are you certain you just sensed the aura of an ancient fierce beast in this place?"
The immortal crane nodded in fear.
The Peak Master of Yushou Peak grew even more puzzled. "Strange, I also seemed to sense the aura of a tribulation just now, why did it vanish all of a sudden?"
"Search carefully. This Xiaoyao Peak has been abandoned for a long time, who knows what kind of exotic beast might have awakened."
If he could find it, the strength of Yushou Peak would undoubtedly skyrocket.
...
Early the next morning, Yekong woke up fully rested and well-fed, and went fishing.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for fishing out the third special item!"
A special item? It was actually a special item?
Yekong was quite astonished. Over all these years, he had only fished out two special items in total.
One of them was a hammer, which the System claimed was the Heaven-Opening Hammer.
Yekong had been puzzled at first—didn't Pangu use an axe to open the heavens? Why had it turned into a hammer?
It wasn't until Yekong obtained the second special item that he understood.
"This is a sword manual. I reckon it's a divine-grade swordsmanship, with infinite variations of Sword Intent."
"Since it doesn't have a name, I'll just call it the Stellar River Reincarnation Sword. It'll be just right for my disciple to practice with."
Thinking this, Yekong finished his fishing for the day and walked toward Tao Mountain.
"The pointy tip of the peach leaf, Master comes to impart the Dao..."
Not long after walking, Yekong suddenly spotted what looked like a graceful, slender woman bathing in the peach pond at the foot of Tao Mountain...
Chapter 4: How can this Master give this Great Emperor so much to worry about?
Lin Yaoyao stripped off her red dress, revealing shoulders as smooth and tender as mutton-suet jade.
Her long, dark hair draped naturally over her shoulders, while her jade-white feet and slender, fair thighs were exposed, looking incomparably alluring.
Peach petals drifted down onto her shoulders from time to time, falling into the water, adding yet another layer of ethereal beauty to this peerless beauty.
Matchless in grace and elegance, with a countenance beyond compare!
"Who is it?"
Lin Yaoyao suddenly became alert, quickly putting on her red dress and looking toward the outside of the peach grove.
Cough, cough!
She saw Yekong walking over with a trace of awkwardness, holding a yellowed ancient book in his hand.
Scholarly aura!
Those four words flashed into Lin Yaoyao's mind.
Years of fishing, combined with his innate, effortless handsomeness, gave Yekong a unique scholarly temperament that left Lin Yaoyao momentarily dazed.
"It seems the soul fusion isn't thorough enough; I actually found myself feeling a sudden flutter of maidenly thoughts..."
Lin Yaoyao quickly snapped out of it, a flash of annoyance crossing her pretty face.
"I wonder why Master has come here?"
If you dare to use force, with your mere Qi Condensation cultivation, I can suppress you with a single hand.
Lin Yaoyao thought to herself.
Yekong smiled slightly and said, "Didn't I teach you the Xuanhuang Formula yesterday? Master specially came to see which level you've cultivated up to."
The Xuanhuang Formula was the treasured manual of Xiaoyao Peak, divided into nine tiers in total, and was extremely difficult to cultivate.
However, Yekong had never experienced any difficulty with it; aided by the Heaven-Opening Hammer, he had spent half an incense stick's time cultivating it to the very peak.
Hmph, you still want to test this Great Emperor? You didn't even look at what my aptitude is like; speaking of it would scare you into doubting your entire life.
Lin Yaoyao scoffed inwardly.
"Reporting to Master, this disciple spent a night's effort and has already cultivated it to the fifth tier," Lin Yaoyao said calmly.
In truth, she had already reached the seventh tier, but she chose not to say so, worried that she might seem too boastful.
She only wanted to display her talent moderately so she could get a few more cultivation resources.
At the same time, she was afraid that this cheap Master would be too deeply stimulated and damage his Dao heart.
After all, she had previously heard her fellow sect members chat in the Ascension Land about how the manuals of the Nine Peaks of the Stellar River Sect were all abstruse and hard to comprehend.
Even for disciples with outstanding talent, being able to comprehend one tier in a month was already considered quite remarkable.
"A night's effort? The fifth tier?"
Yekong paused for a moment.
This disciple's aptitude really is a bit too poor...
Seeing that her Master was shocked by her, Lin Yaoyao felt even more disdain in her heart.
Mortals are just mortals after all. If I told you I've actually cultivated to the seventh tier, would this Master's jaw drop right off?
Heh, he might even turn around and kowtow to beg this Great Emperor to be his master on the spot!
"This disciple didn't sleep a wink all night, suddenly entered meditation, and managed to gain some accidental insights," Lin Yaoyao explained.
What she meant was that her comprehension of the fifth tier was a sudden flash of enlightenment—pure coincidence.
She didn't want to crush her Master's confidence.
After hearing this, Yekong's expression froze once more.
Could... could this disciple's aptitude really be this pathetic?
Or was it only by sheer luck that she managed to reach the fifth tier?
That manual, the *Xuanhuang Formula*, did it even require comprehension? Didn't you just understand it at a single glance?
If I weren't so lazy and a bit slow at reading, I could have finished studying it in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
Yekong sighed helplessly.
Fine, fine. After all, she was his very first disciple since crossing over into this world, and also the first cultivator he had interacted with in any depth.
"Your aptitude is passable," Yekong suppressed the urge to criticize his disciple.
"Master, you don't need to hold back. Look at your expression, you're about to break character," Lin Yaoyao thought helplessly.
She didn't blame her Master; after all, she possessed the bearing of a Great Emperor.
This Master of hers was thoroughly mediocre—compared to her, the difference was like clouds and mud!
"Since you claim to have cultivated to the fifth tier, then Master shall test you to see how well you've comprehended it," Yekong continued.
He wanted to check if there were any areas his disciple hadn't fully grasped and help patch up any flaws.
"Alright."
Lin Yaoyao nodded on the surface while sneering on the inside.
This Master probably hasn't even cultivated to the fifth tier himself, and is using the pretext of testing me just to secretly steal my insights.
That's right, it must be so!
Lin Yaoyao understood everything in her heart, but she didn't expose him.
After all, her Master was rather pitiful; as a Peak Master, he was still stuck in the Qi Condensation Stage, and even getting scratched by a mountain chicken.
How pathetic.
Thinking of this, she cleared her throat, her red lips parting slightly as she said softly, "Master, the Xuanhuang Formula focuses on the changes of Xuan and Huang. The first three tiers mainly teach how to draw spiritual Qi from heaven and earth, while the subsequent tiers focus on how to open up the spiritual sea, causing one's spiritual power to double with every breakthrough in realm."
"Among all this, the most difficult part is how to circulate the cycle of changes..."
Lin Yaoyao explained it very earnestly.
An incense stick's time later, she finally finished explaining the manual clearly.
Ah, hopefully after hearing my insights, Master can break through to Foundation Establishment sooner.
"Not bad, not bad," Yekong nodded.
Although this disciple still had some flaws in her comprehension, it was already quite good—after all, she was just a young girl.
He took out that scroll of the *Stellar River Reincarnation Sword*, handed it solemnly to Lin Yaoyao, and exhorted:
"This is the unique secret swordsmanship of my Xiaoyao Peak. Take it and cultivate it well, and do not leak it outside!"
"If it's lost, I'm afraid..."
It would probably cause turmoil across the entire continent.
Yekong had already read it before coming here; it truly was a divine art, and quite difficult at that.
In certain places, he had even had to rely on the Heaven-Opening Hammer to achieve full comprehension.
You must know that the Heaven-Opening Hammer was a heaven-opening divine artifact and a primeval magical treasure; a single tap with it could instantly enlighten anyone and grant them an aptitude no less than that of an Innate Dao Fetus.
Afraid of what?
Lin Yaoyao scoffed with utter disdain.
A piece of trash swordsmanship like this—even if you gave it to this Great Emperor, I wouldn't even want to practice it.
Any random swordsmanship I could pull out would be a thousand or ten thousand times better than yours.
Lin Yaoyao was amused by her Master's solemn demeanor.
"Rest assured, Master, I will definitely not pass it on," Lin Yaoyao said listlessly.
"Mn." Yekong changed the subject. "This swordsmanship is slightly difficult, divided into seven tiers in total. If you can't figure it out, there's no need to feel sad."
Sad my foot.
Lin Yaoyao curled her lips; this Master truly had never seen the world.
Today, I am going to let you witness firsthand what the bearing of a Great Emperor really looks like!
Suddenly, Yekong's expression shifted slightly as he looked toward the peak of Xiaoyao Peak.
"You go on cultivating, Master has to go."
Yekong hurried off in a rush.
Lin Yaoyao looked at her Master's departing back with a strange expression, blinking her big eyes. "This Master was probably inspired by my guidance and rushed off to break through his realm."
Who knows if his comprehension is thorough enough, or if he'll suffer a deviation in his Qi.
Ai, how can this Master give his disciple so much to worry about?
Lin Yaoyao sighed softly, then turned her gaze toward the sword manual.
"Since I've got nothing else to do, practicing it casually won't hurt, at most it'll just waste a tiny bit of this Great Emperor's time."
...
The Hall of Xiaoyao Peak.
The array casually set up by Yekong was gradually cracking open.
He could sense that an unimaginably terrifying aura was about to descend upon this place!
Had he not set up the array, the entire Stellar River Sect would likely have been ground into dust by this terrifying aura.
"This intense killing intent—are they here to settle a score?" Yekong's gaze narrowed slightly.
Ever since he crossed over into this world over a decade ago, he hadn't made any enemies to speak of.
They had all been hammered into submission.
Crack!
The array fractured faster and faster, and beyond the spatial tunnel, a giant dharma-form appeared as if about to descend right here.
A roar that shook the heavens burst from its mouth, "Lin Yaoyao, you can't escape..."
An enemy?
Ah, how can this disciple give her Master so much to worry about?
Yekong picked up the Heaven-Opening Hammer.
Chapter 5: We got beaten up by an ant from Xiaoyao Peak
"Lord Xuan Emperor guessed correctly, that woman's remnant soul escaped from the Emperor Burial Pit!" A thunderous voice echoed outside the Emperor Burial Pit.
A giant was holding a bronze mirror, tracing the origin.
"If I kill that woman, it will be a monumental contribution!" Tuoba's copper-bell-like eyes were filled with killing intent.
He raised his giant axe, locked onto the space where Lin Yaoyao was located, and prepared to shatter the void to cross over.
Suddenly, he saw a young man smiling at him from across space...
That smile made a powerhouse on the verge of the Emperor Realm break out in a cold sweat.
In Tuoba's terrified gaze, Yekong simply picked up the Heaven-Opening Hammer and swung it down.
On Yekong's side of space, it was just a casual hammer swing, looking utterly ordinary.
However,
On the other side of space, it was as if nine days of stars were falling, the earth splitting apart, the Dao laws shattering, and an unimaginable giant force slammed right into the chest of the giant's dharma-form.
Boom!
With a earth-shattering roar, the giant dharma-form was blasted directly into dust.
Tuoba didn't even have time to let out a cry for help.
"Time for sleep, time for sleep," Yekong yawned.
A good child always puts sleep first.
...
"Heavens, what kind of swordsmanship is this?"
Lin Yaoyao's exquisite face was filled with shock.
In both of her lifetimes, she had never seen such a profound swordsmanship!
This had already surpassed the Heavenly Grade and reached the legendary Divine Grade, hadn't it?!
How could that cheap Master of hers possess such profound swordsmanship?
Putting everything else aside, Lin Yaoyao couldn't wait to begin practicing, starting to comprehend the first tier—Waning Moon!
Time ticked away drop by drop.
As she breathed in and out, a crescent moon seemed to rise, the moon-wheel curved like a hook and erupting with ultimate Sword Intent!
Clang!
Using her hand as a sword, Lin Yaoyao pointed abruptly toward a boulder on Tao Mountain.
Crack!
Sword Intent surged across the space, slicing the entire boulder into countless tiny stone fragments!
"This sword manual is too terrifying; it can gravely wound a Foundation Establishment cultivator in a single strike!"
Lin Yaoyao's beautiful eyes flashed with brilliant colors.
"I've broken through—Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation!"
In just over ten hours, she had not only mastered the first tier of the sword manual, but had also broken through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation!
"Ah, if Master knew my aptitude was this extraordinary, wouldn't he be so angry he'd vomit blood and die?"
Lin Yaoyao felt a trace of gentle sorrow.
"Still, who would have thought the Stellar River Sect had such a rumored divine-grade sword manual? It seems their heritage is truly extraordinary."
Could it be that hidden experts existed within this Stellar River Sect after all?
Upon careful thought, Lin Yaoyao dismissed the idea as impossible.
Wouldn't a hidden expert be the kind of person who spent all day wandering around mountains and rivers, fishing, and catching mountain chickens?
The Stellar River Sect had no such people.
As for her Master... he was purely a decade-long stagnant Qi Condensation cultivator who had given up on himself.
How could he possibly compare to a hidden expert?
Lost in thought, Lin Yaoyao slowly stepped back into the peach pond, preparing to wash away the sweat from her body.
...
Yushou Peak.
Qin Shou, the leading disciple of Yushou Peak, was toying with a colorful parrot.
"Eldest Senior Brother, we've searched several times, but found no trace of spiritual beasts on Xiaoyao Peak," several disciples reported tremblingly, terrified that the leading disciple would send them to the ape garden to be favored by that group of female apes.
"Send people to keep looking," Qin Shou said with a calm gaze.
"But... after all, that is the territory of Xiaoyao Peak," the disciples hesitated, stopping at the edge of their words.
"It's fine, pay no mind to that Peak Master of Xiaoyao Peak," Qin Shou waved his hand. "Finding the spiritual beast is our top priority."
"Understood, disciples will obey!"
Watching the disciples retreat, the colorful parrot kept squawking: "Top priority, top priority..."
As it squawked on, it turned into: "We're done for," "We're done for."
...
Xiaoyao Peak.
Yekong had slept a wonderful, full sleep, not getting up until the sun was high in the sky.
He picked up his fishing rod, preparing for a new day of cultivation, only to find that the Bitter Sea was unusually lively.
Several disciples of Yushou Peak were riding aquatic beasts around, diving into the water from time to time.
What were they looking for?
Did they want to kiss the old turtle mouth-to-mouth?
Yekong cleared his throat and spoke up, "Respected junior fellow apprentices, the turtle in the Bitter Sea has already finished breeding; you junior apprentices don't need to help out."
The faces of the disciples on the aquatic beasts instantly darkened.
Yet they quickly adjusted their composure, continuing their search as if they hadn't seen Yekong at all.
Yekong was somewhat speechless. Were these disciples really this diligent, in such a rush to get the old turtle of the Bitter Sea laid?
"Alright, stop tormenting my turtle!" Yekong scooped up his fishing rod and lashed it toward the disciples.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Caught off guard, several disciples were whipped until their faces were covered in bloody welts, and the purple-robed deacon leading them was knocked straight into the Bitter Sea.
"You—what are you doing?!" the disciples of Yushou Peak were furious to the extreme.
A mere Qi Condensation cultivator actually dared to strike them?
The purple-robed deacon stood amidst the water surface, fury contorting his face as spiritual power began to surge around him.
He seemed intent on attacking Yekong!
Yekong stood calmly on the shore, feeling somewhat puzzled. Xiaoyao Peak had always remained aloof from the world, and disciples from all the other peaks avoided it like the plague.
Why were they all coming here treasure-hunting today?
Wasn't the turtle's mating season over yet?
"Want to make a move? This Eminence will stand right here and let you hit me!"
Yekong watched the purple-robed cultivator quietly. If the man dared to make a move, the fishing rod in his hand would immediately make him understand what it meant to have a cool breeze pierce his heart and refresh his spirit.
The anger in the purple-robed deacon's heart grew even fiercer, but reason ultimately won out, and he sent a message to the leading disciple.
"Senior Brother, should we attack that good-for-nothing?"
The leading disciple replied coldly: You tired of living? Hurry back!
The purple-robed deacon messaged back: Senior Brother, he's merely at Qi Condensation, what can he possibly do to me?