Chapter 55
If there was any change to speak of, it was that his skin had improved, and he had developed an indescribable aura.
How to put it?
Transcendent?
This word formed in his mind.
If he donned a celestial robe, perhaps he wouldn’t even need to manage his expressions to exude an ethereal charm.
“What are you staring at? So vain!” A guy next to him, having just washed his hands, grumbled as he walked out.
Chen Huai'an furrowed his brows at the remark, then relaxed and slapped his thigh: “Right! I am vain!”
He had an epiphany!
It was all those recent gaming sessions where he kept referring to himself as the main character, which had made him a bit narcissistic.
“Ugh, I’m such an idiot, boarding time!”
Chen Huai'an slapped his face, stepped out of the restroom, and walked with his head held high, no longer caring about the gazes around him.
Even when a few girls bumped into a billboard while trying to catch a glimpse of him, he didn’t notice.
Once inside the airplane, the scrutinizing eyes diminished significantly.
Chen Huai'an found his seat and sat down, and immediately a flight attendant approached him with a warm, friendly smile: “Sir, you seem to be having a bit of trouble. Let me help you with your seatbelt.”
Chen Huai'an replied, “Oh, um, I can manage…”
What trouble? He was just pretending to limp; his hands were perfectly fine.
“It’s no trouble at all, sir. It’s my job,” she insisted.
Once the seatbelt was fastened, another flight attendant came over.
“Sir, would you like some water? If you’re not thirsty, we also have drinks available~”
Chen Huai'an said, “Uh, no thanks, I’m not thirsty…”
The head flight attendant also approached: “Sir, do you get motion sickness? I can give you some tips to feel more comfortable.”
“I don’t get motion sickness, uh…” Chen Huai'an was sweating profusely; the service was just too enthusiastic.
‘No wonder it’s an airplane,’ he thought to himself.
With service like this, the ticket price of eight or nine hundred was totally worth it.
He didn’t notice that the girl next to him had turned beet red, wishing she could sink into her seat.
The flight attendants, however, were quite professional. Seeing there was no reason to linger around Chen Huai'an, they busied themselves elsewhere.
After a while, the plane had reached cruising altitude, and the noise had diminished significantly.
The girl next to him, after a good ten minutes of internal struggle, finally dared to sneak a glance at Chen Huai'an.
‘Ah~ So handsome! How can there be such a handsome man! But he looks so aloof…’
‘This is my chance! An encounter on a plane, this is fate!’
‘Xiao Ya'an, don’t be afraid, go for it!’
“Um, can I add you…” She mustered her courage, pulled out her phone, and handed it over, her palms sweaty and her breath trembling.
Chen Huai'an suddenly scoffed, “Heh, is this what a plane is? I can fly on my sword much faster than this!”
The girl was taken aback.
Silently, she retracted her phone.
...
...
------------
Chapter 57: Get Out (Tania +2)
Tianquan City.
The area in front of the Dao Inquiry Platform was packed with people.
Most of these individuals were not from Tianquan City but from surrounding areas.
Without exception, they were all mortals.
Among them were some martial artists with a bit of skill.
But no matter how skilled a martial artist was, they were still just martial artists. Even those hailed as top-tier experts or innate masters in the martial world had to bow their heads in the presence of cultivators. If given the chance, they would do anything to join a sect of immortals.
Unfortunately, the immortal sects only cared about spiritual roots and talent; no matter how high their martial skills, it was all in vain.
A few disciples from the Chiyang Sect looked at the crowd and couldn’t help but grumble.
“Sigh, this year’s disciples are dying off even more than last year… It used to be that the Dao Inquiry Conference was held once a year, then it became every six months, then quarterly, and now it’s every month. It’s exhausting even for an immortal.”
“Yeah, there’s no choice; the competition is getting fiercer. The elders of the sect are all stuck at bottlenecks, let alone us ordinary disciples?”
“I hope they can recruit a few with decent spiritual roots, preferably those with three or dual roots. A single root genius is just too much to hope for…”
Suddenly, a voice called out from the west side of the Dao Inquiry Platform.
“Li Qingran, single water spiritual root!”
At this announcement, the area around the Dao Inquiry Platform erupted in a commotion.
“Single root! There’s a single root!”
“Let me see!”
“I’ll give you half a stick of incense to find out the details about that single root disciple!”
Li Qingran was still processing the information.
In the next moment, she found herself surrounded by eager cultivators from various sects.
“Little friend, come to our Chiyang Sect! Our sect leader will take you as a direct disciple!”
“Forget the Chiyang Sect; she’s a water root. She should come to our Su Shui Sect; we have the best water-based techniques!”
“Little friend, why not consider our Qi Sect?”
“Our Zen Sect… never mind, I’ll take my leave.”
...
Li Qingran looked at the friendly faces around her and felt a bit flustered.
Was a single water spiritual root really that popular?
She had been brought back to the sect by Lu Changtian, and this was the first time she was experiencing such a frenzy of attention.
Outside the crowd, an old man dressed in plain robes, with a sword at his waist, squinted at Li Qingran. After ensuring no one was watching, he took out a communication jade slip: “Sect Leader! Something big has happened! There’s a genius with a single water spiritual root here. Should we take action?”
After a moment, a hurried voice came from the jade slip:
【Don’t rush. I’m still busy here; this matter is more important. Just keep an eye on it!】
“How can I keep an eye on it?” The old man sighed, his face wrinkled like a chrysanthemum.
Those with a single spiritual root were geniuses; it wouldn’t be long before other sects snatched them away. He couldn’t possibly kill everyone here just to keep an eye on this girl, could he? That would be no different from the ways of the demonic path.
“Forget it, let it be. Those who are meant to stay won’t leave, and those who are forced to stay won’t be kept.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle female voice rang out from the crowd:
“Dear sister, I am Liu Shengyan, the elder from Lingxi Valley.
Your water spiritual root is most suitable for medical or alchemical cultivation. Why not come to our Lingxi Valley?”
The crowd parted, and a woman in blue, surrounded by several female cultivators, stepped forward.
She wore a veil, obscuring her features, and as she walked, the fragrance of flowers wafted around her, with lotuses blooming at her feet.
“It’s someone from Lingxi Valley…”
“Ugh, let’s disperse; this disciple will definitely be taken by Lingxi Valley.”
“What? You want to compete with Lingxi Valley for her? You’d better pray you don’t need to seek Lingxi Valley in the future.”
Li Qingran felt a surge of joy at the murmurs in the crowd. Her goal was to go to Lingxi Valley, and here it was!
Liu Shengyan approached Li Qingran, her enchanting figure stretching like a cat as she spoke in a clear voice, “Sister, you are truly beautiful, with a graceful figure and such excellent talent. Don’t go to other sects to give those filthy men a chance to gawk at you. Just come to our Lingxi Valley, and we’ll be like family~”
Li Qingran had heard that Lingxi Valley only accepted female cultivators.
In rare cases, they would accept male cultivators, but they would require them to undergo castration.
She had thought that joining a sect composed entirely of female cultivators would spare her many troubles. In other sects, she would have to interact with various senior brothers and elders, but her heart was set on her master, and she didn’t want to deal with those complicated and annoying interpersonal relationships.
With Lingxi Valley showing interest and her own feelings aligning, it was a perfect match. She bowed her head and said, “Thank you, elder, for your kindness. I would be more than willing to go to Lingxi Valley.”
Seeing Li Qingran so obedient, Liu Shengyan felt even more pleased and instructed the surrounding female cultivators, “Go, take this sister to see the young master. I’ll wait to see if there are any other promising candidates.”
“Yes, elder.”
...
Li Qingran was led by several female cultivators to a luxurious suite on the top floor of a grand restaurant.
A light pink curtain draped over a couch, behind which a seductive figure was faintly visible. Below the curtain, a snow-white leg dangled lazily, the pink toes resembling five pearls painted with rouge.
The person behind the curtain seemed to dislike noise, so the female cultivators merely bowed and silently exited.
This person must be the young master of Lingxi Valley.
Though she was a woman, Li Qingran still felt a bit nervous, lowering her head and waiting quietly, not daring to speak.
After a while, the delicate foot behind the curtain stopped moving.
The enchanting figure within stretched like a cat, and then a clear voice rang out.
Table of Contents
