Chapter 53
He thought to himself, how much can a game character really understand? What difference does it make to tell her about cancer? Even though this game is incredibly free and the characters are AI-driven, they still can't truly reflect human emotions, can they? That's the biggest shortcoming of AI.
Li Qingran's face turned pale at his words, her ears buzzing, her mind a whirlwind. Her heart tightened painfully, as if a branding iron had pierced through it, and her fingers, clutching the hem of her clothes, turned white.
If even a powerful senior cultivator like him couldn't find a way to detoxify, how fierce must that great demon be?
Just as she had suspected, the senior was a great hero, constantly fighting to protect the Cangyun Realm. Even with his busy schedule, he still made time to accompany her to Qingyun Sect, yet here she was, unwilling to let him go.
“Senior, I was wrong,” Li Qingran said, tears streaming down her face as she knelt before Chen Huai'an with a thud, startling him.
“What are you doing?” Chen Huai'an asked, his hands hovering uncertainly.
Even as an unseen force lifted her, she stubbornly remained kneeling in mid-air.
She was raised by Chen Huai'an, and they found themselves eye to eye in a strange manner.
“Senior, I have a single water spiritual root, and I’m also suited for alchemy. There are so many alchemical formulas in the Cangyun Realm! No matter what, I will definitely refine a detoxifying elixir for you!”
Li Qingran's tone was resolute.
Her thoughts were naive and somewhat ridiculous, yet she still clung to a glimmer of hope.
She believed that although the senior was immensely powerful, the methods he sought were likely the rare and precious formulas circulating in the market. Sometimes, however, the solution to a problem lay quietly in the scriptures of ordinary sects.
While the senior searched for grand solutions, she would do her utmost to find smaller ones.
That way, they could cover all bases and ensure nothing was overlooked.
Seeing Li Qingran's reaction, Chen Huai'an couldn't deny he was moved.
He even suspected that Li Qingran wasn't just an AI character, but rather a dedicated game master playing this role, handling voice acting and expression capture, all tailored just for him.
In her eyes, he could see an unshakeable sadness and reluctance.
More than that, there was fear and dread.
This girl before him was afraid of his departure, terrified that he might die.
Eyes never lie.
He wondered how much acting skill it would take to convey such emotions.
Three hundred thousand, truly worth it.
As he was about to leave this world, he felt a warmth in his heart once more.
He smiled gently, unable to resist comforting the girl before him: “Don’t worry, I’m a great cultivator at the Fusion stage. How could I be so easily poisoned by a mere demon? Just focus on your cultivation, and becoming the strongest cultivator in the Cangyun Realm would be the greatest comfort for me.”
Li Qingran noticed that the senior no longer referred to himself as “this one.”
But she found it more endearing that way.
That senior, once so far above her, now seemed within reach.
Even though she still couldn’t touch him.
“Senior, I want to become an alchemist. I must become an alchemist! I have a single water spiritual root, and Lingxi Valley will accept me.”
Lingxi Valley is a renowned alchemical sect in the Cangyun Realm, also known as the Holy Medicine Valley.
It is filled with alchemists and healers who can bring the dead back to life.
At that moment, a major sect in Tianquan City was holding a conference to recruit talented individuals with spiritual roots from among the mortals, including Lingxi Valley. However, considering that Li Qingran had already cultivated the Chiyun Jue, which conflicted with alchemy, he hadn’t considered Lingxi Valley as her future “nursery.”
“Qingran, I understand your intentions, but you’ve already cultivated the Chiyun Jue…”
Chen Huai'an paused mid-sentence.
He had seen the determination and resolve in Li Qingran's eyes.
Suddenly, he was struck by a thought.
“You…”
“Senior, I know that the Chiyun Jue, which is fire-based, is incompatible with alchemy. I’m fully aware of that.”
Li Qingran cupped her hands in a bow, and when she raised her gaze, it met Chen Huai'an's.
“Besides, the water spiritual root and the Chiyun Jue don’t match anyway.”
Her lips curled into a warm smile, radiating like the sun.
It was as if the one being comforted wasn’t her, but rather Chen Huai'an.
“Well then…
I’ll just disperse my cultivation.”
...
...
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Chapter 55: Master, Please Accept Your Disciple's Bow
No wonder the people from Chixiao Peak said Li Qingran was slow in her cultivation.
For a water spiritual root to cultivate a fire-based technique at any speed would be a miracle.
They probably only thought about getting Li Qingran to join Chixiao Peak, without considering whether there was a suitable technique for her to cultivate. Coincidentally, the War Order had rewarded him with a copy of the Tide Rising Technique, which was a perfect match for a water spiritual root and could serve as a foundational technique for Li Qingran.
While Chen Huai'an was deep in thought, Li Qingran had already completed her dispersal of cultivation.
She stood there timidly, like a stubborn little flower, her smile bright as she looked at Chen Huai'an.
For any cultivator, dispersing one’s cultivation meant losing all their hard-earned progress.
No one would casually throw away the realm they had painstakingly achieved.
Li Qingran had no idea that the Tide Rising Technique was waiting for her.
She simply wanted to help Chen Huai'an, not just with words, but with immediate action.
Every sip and every peck has its own decision.
Chen Huai'an took out a jade slip etched with wave patterns: “This is the Tide Rising Technique, a water-based technique. Since you no longer have an internal cultivation method, you should practice this from now on. Once you reach the Great Perfection stage, I’ll give you something even better.”
Li Qingran didn’t reach for the Tide Rising Technique; instead, she tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with anticipation: “Senior, are you going to accept me as your disciple?”
“Ah?” Chen Huai'an was taken aback.
How could a fake at the God Transformation stage be a master to Li Qingran?
Of course, he didn’t underestimate himself; after all, he was a paying player and would eventually rise. He thought about accepting Li Qingran as a disciple once he achieved something significant. That way, he could stand tall and not fear being exposed.
“Senior hesitated.” Li Qingran smiled sadly, looking down. “That makes sense; you already have over a hundred eager female disciples. You wouldn’t have the energy to take on another little disciple…”
Chen Huai'an slowly typed out a question mark.
Over a hundred? Female disciples? Eager for attention?
When did this happen?!
“I have no disciples.”
Li Qingran suddenly knelt down with a thud, bowing deeply: “Master, please accept your disciple’s bow!”
Chen Huai'an: “…”
Just like that, she changed her title? He hadn’t even agreed yet! What if he got exposed later?!
But at this point, it was hard to refuse; his favorability had already reached eighty, and rejecting would only cause it to drop.
“Alright.” Chen Huai'an straightened his face, pretending to stroke an imaginary beard, and said solemnly: “From today onward, you are my most cherished disciple! I will teach you with utmost care, and you must cultivate diligently, enhance your realm and lifespan, and live long, so as not to disappoint my expectations.”
“Yes, Master! Qingran will remember!”
The two exchanged smiles.
In this ordinary tavern in the mortal realm, a bond was forged that spanned two worlds.
...
“All things in the world are interconnected by cause and effect, and it is precisely because of this connection that we draw closer to one another.” As Chen Huai'an removed the VR headset, this phrase unconsciously floated into his mind, causing him to shake his head in contemplation.
The disciple ceremony wasn’t overly grand; Li Qingran improvised and brewed a cup of spiritual tea to honor him.
When asked how she would manage to join other sects now that she had a master, Li Qingran simply replied, “A master is a master, and a teacher is a teacher.”
Many sects in the Cangyun Realm don’t have particularly strict rules.
Of course, for disciples who already have a master, the sect generally wouldn’t teach them the most core techniques. Joining a sect doesn’t necessarily require taking on a master; most disciples don’t have or aren’t qualified to have a master. Their knowledge primarily comes from the sect’s scripture library and the elders who take turns lecturing in the martial arts arena.
Chen Huai'an gave Li Qingran all the Thunderfire Talismans as protection before logging out of the game.
Li Qingran’s goal was Lingxi Valley.
From the map, all the cultivators in Tianquan City’s Lingxi Valley were represented by green dots, indicating absolute friendliness.
Such a sect could be trusted completely.
Sects like Yuling Sect, Zen Sect, and Rihuan Pavilion were less reliable.
Their cultivator dots were a mix of yellow and green, clearly not to be trifled with. Besides them, the Sword Pavilion also had friendly green dots, but they only accepted one new disciple at a time, which seemed rather meager.
“Qingran is going to pay her respects; I should go make some money now.”
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