Chapter 274
They hadn’t managed to extract any useful information from the master, nor could they comprehend his intentions.
In such situations, it was usually enough to just muddle through and coast along.
The principle of "the law does not punish the many" applied to them as well.
…
The person sent by the Hua Jin sect to handle the aftermath was Hong Li, the senior sister of Wang Shouyi.
Like Wang Shouyi, she was an orphan fortunate enough to be taken in by the master, though Wang Shouyi had already been given a name long ago.
Hong Li wore a flowing red gown and a veil hat, her cultivation having reached the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Upon arriving at the summit of Ling Mountain, she immediately gathered everyone for a meeting.
Aside from settling the rewards from the Demon Hunting Conference, the leaders of the various hidden sects had already been confirmed dead. To ensure that their plans for recruiting disciples after the conference were not affected, new leaders for each hidden sect needed to be selected on the spot.
As soon as the game’s warning prompt disappeared, Chen Huai'an took off his VR headset, bringing along Li Qingran and Lin Lingling.
He didn’t care much about the rewards; he was mainly curious about how they would enlighten the ascenders.
“Now, those whose names I call, come up to submit the materials for the demon beasts and evil spirits to exchange for points!”
Hong Li scanned the crowd, her gaze stern.
As soon as she spoke, most of the members from the Demon Slaying Division and the aristocratic families turned pale.
They had allowed only a limited number of participants in the Demon Hunting Conference, and the originally planned three-day event had unexpectedly lasted less than a day. Some had only managed to kill a few minor demons, while others, less fortunate, had come away with nothing.
…
“Demon Slaying Division from Province C, come up to submit your materials!”
Soon, it was Chen Huai'an’s turn.
Most of the disciples from various sects and families had already submitted their materials before him.
The highest score was just over twenty thousand.
Chen Huai'an had no idea how many points he would earn.
After all, he had mostly relied on Li Qingran to swiftly eliminate the demons and evil spirits, while he was responsible for collecting the proof of their existence.
When he pulled out the materials from his spatial equipment, he was taken aback.
The eyes, ears, and noses of the demons and evil spirits were piled into a small mountain on the table.
“So many?!” Hong Li’s eyes widened, darting between the materials and Chen Huai'an, incredulous.
This handsome man before her was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator…
In the mid Foundation Establishment stage, not an ascender, which was indeed rare.
But he shouldn’t have the strength to kill so many demons and evil spirits in such a short time.
“Did you kill all of these?” she squinted at Chen Huai'an, her gaze icy.
“No, part of them… I killed, and part was done by my disciple,” Chen Huai'an pointed to Li Qingran beside him.
“Golden Core, disciple?” Hong Li felt a chill as she sensed the early Golden Core aura emanating from Li Qingran—someone who could cultivate to Golden Core during the initial revival of spiritual energy, yet wasn’t an ascender? What terrifying talent! She certainly couldn’t do that.
“Are you sure she’s your disciple?” Hong Li asked.
“Absolutely,” Chen Huai'an nodded. “Who says a master has to be stronger than their disciple? Is that a rule you made? Or is it a heavenly decree?”
Hong Li was at a loss for words.
There was indeed no such rule.
It was just that the combination of a weak master and a strong disciple was quite contrary to common sense.
She took a deep look at Li Qingran, silently committing her appearance to memory.
It would be a shame if such a talented individual couldn’t be utilized by the Kunlun Celestial Palace. As for this governor of the Demon Slaying Division from Province C, he must have used some underhanded means to keep such a talent by his side and even take her as a disciple? Did he teach her properly?
What a waste of precious resources!
“Alright, your points total is twenty-three thousand seven hundred and fifty. You’re currently the highest scorer among everyone, so go wait over there.”
Hong Li pointed to a massive rock on the eastern side of Ling Mountain, where ascenders were already setting up a formation.
It seemed they were preparing for ‘transmission of teachings’?
“Is this reward mandatory to claim?” Chen Huai'an asked.
“Are you out of your mind?” Hong Li rolled her eyes. “If you don’t want it, you don’t have to take it! Do you really think these rewards are so rare that they’re being offered just for you?”
After saying that, she turned to Li Qingran with a friendly smile. “Sister, you’re always welcome to sign up at the Kunlun Celestial Palace. The master loves talents like you. She will surely spare no resources to cultivate you… Just don’t be foolish and follow the wrong person, ruining your own future.”
“I belong to my master in life, and I will be her ghost in death,” Li Qingran declared, raising four fingers to the sky, her expression serious.
Hong Li’s face stiffened, forcing a strained smile, her gaze toward Chen Huai'an growing sharper.
But Chen Huai'an paid no mind to this.
He walked over to the rock, carefully observing how the ascender disciples were arranging the formation.
After watching for a while, he still didn’t understand.
But that was fine; he had a cheat.
“Disciple, let me test you. Just by looking at these formation patterns, what do you think this formation is for?”
The familiar testing phase with his master had begun.
Li Qingran’s heart leaped with joy—she could negotiate with her master again.
“If I answer correctly, is there a reward for the disciple?”
“There is!”
“What’s the reward?” The corners of the girl’s lips involuntarily lifted, then she bit them tightly.
It was as if she was trying to hide her excitement, but the smile that crept onto her slightly flushed cheeks was hard to conceal.
Chen Huai'an averted his gaze slightly, feeling a bit awkward as he said, “You can propose whatever reward you want.”
“The disciple wants…” Li Qingran began, but suddenly stopped, two red clouds blooming on her face.
“Say it out loud, or the master will laugh at me!”
Chen Huai'an immediately assured her, “I won’t laugh at all.”
He saw his little disciple’s lips moving, hesitating as she bit her red lip.
The embarrassment on her face rippled like a gentle breeze across a lake, creating waves on her fair cheeks.
She lowered her head, nervously fiddling with the hem of her skirt, her voice barely audible.
“I just… want to know the size of your underwear…”
…
…
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Chapter 293: I Want Money! (Username 23227731 +1)
Chen Huai'an had thought of many rewards that Li Qingran might ask for.
But he never expected her to want the size of his underwear.
What was this? Did she think he had ripped his clothes too often and wanted to make him a pair of super elastic, high-tech boxers herself?
Given what he knew about Li Qingran, he felt this possibility was quite high.
Wearing boxers made by his girlfriend would be the pinnacle of a man’s fantasy!
“No problem,” Chen Huai'an replied without a second thought.
In a voice that sounded like it had been through a dozen tractors, he said, “As long as you can answer correctly, the size is but a moment’s notice!”
“Really?!” Li Qingran could hardly believe her master would agree.
What an audacious request! She had prepared herself for rejection.
Long ago, she had already devised a plan: from now on, everything her master ate, used, or wore would be made by her.
Once he got used to it, he would never be able to part with her.
That was double insurance!
Starting from knowing her master’s underwear size, she would have him wrapped around her finger!
Nearby, several ascender disciples nearly choked on their meals upon hearing the conversation between Chen Huai'an and Li Qingran.
After finishing the formation in front of them, they hurriedly ran off to set up another one.
“Today’s master-disciple relationship is really going downhill!”
“Who says it isn’t? A Golden Core taking a Foundation Establishment as a master is one thing, but being so intimate! Ugh!”
Li Qingran ignored the snide remarks from the ascender disciples, her cheeks slightly flushed as she squatted down, wide-eyed, carefully observing the formation. Initially, it was just to cover her embarrassment, but the more she looked, the more confused she became, and her delicate brows furrowed.
“What do you think? Any clues?”
Noticing something was off with Li Qingran’s expression, Chen Huai'an asked casually.
“Um… Master said this formation’s function is to impart power to cultivators, right?”
“Correct.”
Li Qingran bit her lip, hesitating, wanting to say something but holding back.
Seeing this, Chen Huai'an immediately leaned in, pressing his ear closer.
Then he heard Li Qingran’s voice, strained and thin: “After careful examination, the core function of this formation is exchange.”
“Exchange?” Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow. “Elaborate.”
“The user of this formation needs to give something to receive a return. As for what needs to be given, the disciple can’t see it before the formation is activated.” Li Qingran looked at Chen Huai'an eagerly. Although this answer wasn’t perfect, it was all she could provide based on her knowledge.
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