The fresh-out-of-pot dumplings were steaming hot. The comforting scent filled the four-part architecture.

  It was lovely.

  Before everyone started to eat, Qin Manyun came back. It was merrier.

  Everyone gathered around the table and ate dumplings happily.

  Li Nianfan asked curiously, “Lady Manyun, what’s the result of the zither competition?”


  Qin Manyun instantly replied, “I won by a hair. It’s all thanks to your teachings, Mr. Li.”


  “Yo, nice! It’s because you worked hard and you’re talented.”


  Li Nianfan laughed. He was not surprised at all. He was already confident in his zither skills. Plus, he gave Qin Manyun a classic music sheet. She probably could not lose.

  Qin Manyun looked at Li Nianfan with deep respect and admiration.

  She heard about the secrets of the Chaos from Taishang Elder. Her respect for Li Nianfan was through the roof.

  Initially, everyone thought that Li Nianfan was a powerful being that loved to play around. They thought he wanted entertainment in life, so everyone just went along with his acting.

  However, they had a huge turn in theory!

  ‘It appears that the expert’s one of the Elites! He carries a huge responsibility. He represents the Humans and protects the countless living beings in the Chaos. He’s a hero that fought the Eldritchs!

  ‘He must have a deeper reason for being an approachable ordinary man. He’s probably making plans for the future. This is a much more sound theory than playing around! He’s a legend!

  ‘And I’m lucky enough to be chosen as his zither student.

  ‘In the future, they will see me, Qin Manyun, on the path of fighting the Eldritchs!’


  She was excited and emotional. Her face was slightly flushed.

  Li Nianfan noticed the changes in her facial expressions. He thought to himself, ‘I only asked casually, but she seems flustered. It seems like it was a tough battle.’


  They ate and drank until they were full. Xiao Bai handled washing the dishes. Li Nianfan comfortably laid on the chair like a lazy person.

  As for Qin Manyun and Shi Tuqin, they focused on the gym equipment.

  They were curious.

  Blackie looked at them and asked, “Do you want to try it? It’s very useful.”


  “Alright.”


  Qin Manyun nodded. She carefully stepped on the treadmill.

  Blackie stood up and started to pick a mode for her. Then, the treadmill started to move.

  Qin Manyun frantically walked.

  She was not aware at first. She thought it was only an exercising toy for Blackie. After all, the treadmill did not look fast to her. Moreover… It was only jogging. How skillful could it be?

  However, she widened her eyes when she made the first step. Her body went tense as she moved.

  She felt endless pressure over her body. Each step felt exhausting.

  She was shocked and wanted to stop. However, the treadmill did not allow her to stop. She jogged with full force.

  Qin Manyun had a great body. She was curvy. As she jogged, her long legs moved with her waist and hips. It was very enjoyable to watch.

  Li Nianfan saw that. He immediately suggested, “Maintain a steady breathing, control your pace. Jogging is great for your health. Don’t stop and keep going.”


  Qin Manyun was instantly determined to jog.

  Then, she felt the blood in her body start to flow. She felt hot. The heat in her blood spread all over her body.

  ‘Strength!

  ‘Powerful strength!’


  Qin Manyun felt like she had endless strength!

  Meanwhile, the powers in her body started to grow.

  Boom!

  Her cultivation improved in a matter of seconds like an erupted volcano.

  Initially, she was a pre-Daluo Golden Immortal. She breathed in and became a mid-Daluo Golden Immortal. Then, she breathed out and became a post-Daluo Golden Immortal!

  She was about to become a Quasi-Saint!

  “This…this is…”


  Qin Manyun was shocked. She almost fell over.

  “This treadmill helps me absorb better!”


  The delicious food of the expert and the air in the four-part architecture were all blessings and opportunities. However, it was too much to process. The cultivators could not absorb it all. They had a limit.

  After all, it was too much. They could not absorb it properly no matter who it was. They stored a lot of it in their bodies to cultivate in the future. It was impossible to process and absorb it in a short amount of time.

  However, the power in her body was absorbed as she jogged!

  ‘Scary, terrifying!

  ‘This is better than Chaos Spiritual Plants!

  ‘The expert knew that I have too much power stored inside me that I can’t absorb, so he allowed me to jog on the treadmill. My powers and cultivation have suddenly improved.

  ‘He really takes care of everything. He treats me too well!’


  “Huh? What’s this?”


  Shi Tuqin was unaware of how Qin Manyun felt at that moment. She curiously looked at a yoga mat and inspected it. “A mat?”


  “That’s a yoga mat. Yoga’s quite interesting. Let me teach you a few poses.”


  Li Nianfan was interested. He immediately walked over.

  “Come on. First, lay down.

  “Tighten your stomach, chest up.

  “Bend your knees, legs slightly apart, and lift your waist. Tighten your hips…


  “That’s right. Lift up more.”


  Li Nianfan dragged her body and corrected her pose.

  He had to say that the body of a cultivator was truly flexible. They were naturals at yoga. With his help, she quickly completed a wonderful yoga pose.

  Buzz!

  Shi Tuqin felt a heat in her abdomen. A sudden wave of heat shocked through her body like electricity. Her body slightly trembled.

  The Spiritual Fruits she ate and the chaotic powers she gained from devouring the Sky Wing White Tiger were instantly calmed. It quickly merged well with her body!

  She became a Quasi-Saint!

  Shi Tuqin was utterly shocked. She breathed fast. “This pose incorporates Wisdom!”


  Li Nianfan turned around and saw Blackie doing pull-ups at the horizontal bar. He instantly laughed. “Nice, Blackie. You look great doing pull-ups. You’ll be a muscular dog soon.”


  …


  Time flew by. Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

  It was nighttime.

  Two figures met in the night.

  One of them was Left Messenger, the other cultivator was a middle-aged man with a thin face and a goatee.

  Left Messenger said, “East Shadow Guard, the Minister has assigned us a task.”


  The Minister had the biggest authority in the Ministry. Followed by the Left Messenger, Right Messenger, and the four Shadow Guards. They were the six guards of the Ministry.

  The six guards were powerful Realm Cultivators and they were incredible elites.

  They had Realm Cultivators who worked for them. Those were the superior members of the Ministry.

  “Assignment for us?”


  The six guards were equals. Therefore, they would compete with each other. As powerful cultivators, they were naturally arrogant.

  The East Shadow Guard sneered, “You can’t even finish a small task. Many superior Ministry members are dead. Even the Right Messenger’s dead, too. I’m very worried about collaborating with you.”


  Left Messenger scoffed. She said, “This is an order from the Minister. You can choose to reject it because I don’t want to collaborate with you either!”


  The East Shadow Guard asked, “Fine. What’s the Minister’s assignment?”


  “The Minister needs three items.” The Left Messenger passed a piece of paper to the East Shadow Guard.

  The East Shadow Guard glanced at it. He was instantly surprised. He exclaimed, “The Repose Herb, Pond of Spirits, and the Blood Thirst Spiritual Wood. Lord Minister wants these three items now? Is it because there’s progress in the experiment?”


  Left Messenger said, “Is this what we should worry about? Hurry up and follow the Minister’s orders!”


  East Shadow Guard said, “Tell someone to gather information on these three items. I have more important matters at hand.”


  Left Messenger had to frown. “What is it?”


  “Something important!”


  The East Shadow Guard had a creepy gaze. “Once I succeed, the rewards will be huge. The Minister will be pleased.”


  Suddenly, Left Messenger and the East Shadow Guard sensed something. They looked in the same direction.

  The East Shadow Guard smiled and said, “Yikes. I just mentioned it and here he comes.”


  A young man sat on a Black Tiger under the night sky.

  He was Shi Tuyu from the Legendary Beast Sect.

  He looked at the East Shadow Guard. He bowed and greeted, “Greetings from Shi Tuyu to the East Shadow Guard.”


  Left Messenger was surprised. She said, “I can’t believe you’re working with someone from the Legendary Beast Sect.”


  The Legendary Beast Sect cultivated alongside Beasts and Demons. The cultivators were close with their Demons—they had a unique relationship. On the other hand, the Ministry loved to capture Demons for breakthroughs in their experiments.

  Therefore, the Legendary Beast Sect and the Ministry hated each other. They would fight on sight.

  “He isn’t an ordinary disciple of the Legendary Beast Sect. Soon, he’ll be the Sect Master of the Legendary Beast Sect!”


  The East Shadow Guard made Left Messenger jolt. She was shocked.

  ‘If that’s the case, the young Sect Master of the Legendary Beast Sect will be an ally of the Ministry. In the future… The Ministry can capture Demons and Beasts like it’s our own back garden. Right?

  ‘This is extraordinary.’


  She asked, “Why is he working with you?”


  “It’s simple!”


  The East Shadow Guard smiled. He was pleased with himself. “He has a grudge against the Legendary Beast Sect, and I can help him. It’s mutually beneficial.”


  ‘Surprised. Right? This is my skill.’


  The East Shadow Guard was pleased with himself. Left Messenger failed miserably and saw his success. ‘She must be feeling sorry for herself.’


  Shi Tuyu said, “I want to rule the Legendary Beast Sect. Once it’s done, I’ll leave the current Sect Master and the others to the Ministry. You can deal with them as you please!”


  The East Shadow Guard trusted Shi Tuyu. He said, “The Sect Master’s daughter of the Legendary Beast Sect, Shi Tuqin, was betrayed by him. He sold her out so we could capture her.”


  Left Messenger took a deep breath. She said with seriousness, “The Legendary Beast Sect has powerful cultivators. They have cultivators and Demons that are Realm Cultivators. More importantly, they’re stronger when they work together. What are you planning to do next?”


  The East Shadow Guard did not answer her question. He looked at Shi Tuyu instead.

  Shi Tuyu smiled and said, “Seniors, this isn’t a complicated matter. Shi Tuqin is out of the way. The Legendary Beast Sect needs a young Sect Master. First, I’ll become the Sect Master. Secondly, I’ll get rid of the current Sect Master. We’ll basically succeed at that point.”


  Shi Tuqin was better than Shi Tuyu in every way. She was meant to be the new Sect Master. Shi Tuyu could not do anything about it no matter how much he hated it.

  However, Shi Tuqin was now out of the way. All Shi Tuyu needed to do was become the new Sect Master. He would rule the Legendary Beast Sect soon.

  He had the powerful outside forces of the Ministry, plus the Legendary Beast Sect had its internal problems. Any powerful force would crumble within a short amount of time.

  The East Shadow Guard snickered villainously. He asked, “How can we help you?”


  Shi Tuyu said, “I want to become the young Sect Master. It’s not hard, but I hope you can fulfill two tasks. They’ll be forced to make me the young Sect Master whether they like it or not!”


  He paused and sneakily glanced at the East Shadow Guard. He said, “However, the two tasks are slightly difficult.”


  The East Shadow Guard saw through him. “No need to test us, just spit it out!”


  Shi Tuyu said, “First, I want my cultivation and my Black Tiger’s cultivation to be better! Especially the Black Tiger. If our blood improves, our talents and powers will be impeccable. The others won’t say no to making me the Sect Master!”


  East Shadow Guard retained his facial expression as he asked, “The second task?”


  “The second task is…”


  Shi Tuyu clenched his jaw. “The Legendary Beast Sect was set up in the Area of the Gods. There’s a Taishang Elder who guards the place. I need Black Tiger to be approved by Taishang Elder’s Familiar Beast!”


  It was… A hard task!

  Taishang Elder was without a doubt a powerful Realm Cultivator. His Familiar Beast was naturally powerful, too.

  They could not control the approval of Black Tiger.

  Moreover, Shi Tuyu most probably brought it up because the Beast did not approve of Black Tiger. Changing the mind of a Familiar Beast was harder than killing the Beast.

  The East Shadow Guard did not speak. Everyone went silent.

  Shi Tuyu was purely risking it, too. He bet the Ministry had a way to help him become the young Sect Master.

  “Ha. Since this is mutually beneficial, we’ll help you!”


  Finally, the East Shadow Guard spoke. He flicked his wrist and out came two boxes. He tossed it to Shi Tuyu.

  “These are the results of the Ministry’s experiments. This box can be used to improve your cultivation. This other box has something called the Sync Pill. Find a way to get the Familiar Beast to eat this pill mixed with Black Tiger’s blood. The Familiar Beast will like the Black Tiger in three days.”


  The East Shadow Guard had a slight glint in his eye. He tossed Shi Tuyu another pillbox. “To be safe, you and Black Tiger should eat this pill!”