Three years later, inside the cave on Yanlai Peak.
The cave dwelling was not luxuriously furnished, but it was filled with a lot of resources needed for cultivation. In the center was a large Xuanbing Jade Bed, which exuded a chill. Ruan Qing'an, dressed in a plain white Taoist robe, sat cross-legged on it, his body covered with a thin layer of frost.
She seemed frozen in place, yet her body was enveloped in a sword intent, carrying a sharp aura, with Daoist principles emanating from it.
037: [Sigh, ancestor, you really haven't forgotten the strategy guide?]
For the past three years, Ruan Qing'an has occasionally come out of seclusion to accompany Shen Changlin, but he has spent most of his time in seclusion in his cave, extremely engrossed in cultivation, looking like he is focused on his career—thank you, ancestor, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do a perfunctory job with the system's strategy task!
But the most amazing thing is that Ruan Qing'an actually managed to grind Shen Changlin's affection level down to 65, and they only had a little time to spend together over the three years.
This made Shen Changlin cherish it all the more, and he would look at it with stars in his eyes every time.
"Phew... I'm about to break through."
Finally, after a long while, Ruan Qing'an opened her eyes. Her long, butterfly-wing-like eyelashes trembled slightly, and the frost gradually melted away.
037: [My ancestor, it's time to start the strategy, time to go to work...]
Ruan Qing'an blinked before she came to her senses: "Hasn't Shen Changlin's affection level increased? Little system, you don't understand how to win him over."
She was never meant to be a gentle and kind teacher.
What she wanted was for him to look up to her, to chase after her, to touch her with utmost care; for him to be a combination of respect, love, and desire; for him to yearn for her from a distance, like stars surrounding the moon.
037 glanced at the affection level, thought for a moment, and then decisively shut up.
You can't say anything carelessly, or you'll easily be proven wrong.
Especially when your boss is a hopeless romantic...
At this moment, Ruan Qing'an closed his eyes again, made a hand seal, and, based on the "Supreme Forgetfulness Record" cultivated by the original owner, made his spiritual power circulate through his body once again, as if he had faintly broken through some kind of restriction.
Spiritual energy flowed back between heaven and earth.
It enveloped her like a whirlpool.
Her breathing was even, and her elegant and beautiful face was calm and undisturbed, but her body was rapidly absorbing spiritual energy like a whale swallowing its prey. With Ruan Qing'an's spiritual power far exceeding that of the original owner, she quickly broke through to the late stage of the Void Refinement realm, which the original owner would have taken many years to reach.
But while Ruan Qing'an was cultivating with his eyes closed—
Outside Yanlai Peak, the power of the Heavenly Dao faintly converged on the horizon. As cultivators communicated with heaven and earth and attracted a large amount of spiritual energy in order to break through, the Heavenly Dao seemed to sense something.
'boom--'
A sudden clap of thunder rang out in the clear sky, but quickly disappeared.
Inside the cave, Ruan Qing'an suddenly opened her eyes. Before 037 could congratulate her on breaking through to the late stage of the Void Refinement Realm, her figure flashed.
The next moment, Ruan Qingan appeared directly above Yanlai Peak.
037 exclaimed in surprise: "What's wrong, ancestor?"
"The power of Heaven is shaking, what's going on?"
Ruan Qing'an lowered her eyes, no longer aware of anything, yet a sense of crisis inexplicably arose in her heart. She had been cultivating for the past few years, and time had passed in the blink of an eye.
But it seemed to have made her forget something...
037: [If you can't remember, just forget it, ancestor. It shouldn't be anything important, otherwise you would have dealt with it first.]
Ruan Qing'an, being cautious, shook her head slightly: "No, it's just that I vaguely feel like something has been awakened."
Just as Ruan Qing'an was pondering this, a voice came from behind him.
"Master!"
It has a youthful feel to it, and is clear and pleasant to listen to.
Ruan Qing'an looked down and saw Shen Changlin sitting cross-legged on a boulder by the stream. He was supporting his face with one hand and waving the other. He had handsome and dashing eyebrows and bright eyes, and his eyes seemed to be filled with stars.
His smile was both obedient and sweet: "Master has emerged from seclusion?"
"Well, I just managed to break through to the late stage of the Void Refinement realm by sheer luck."
Ruan Qing'an nodded slightly, suppressing the urge to rub Chen Changlin's head. The original owner's character was portrayed very well. He was rambling on and on in his mind, but his face remained expressionless.
Seeing Ruan Qing'an's clothes flutter as she landed lightly, Chen Changlin jumped up and ran forward like a weary bird returning to its nest.
He hugged Ruan Qing'an carefully and cautiously, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Her raven-feather-like hair seemed to carry a faint, cool fragrance, which should have been like frost, yet was unexpectedly alluring.
"Master, Changlin misses you so much..."
After Shen Changlin finished speaking, the embrace lasted only a moment before he obediently took half a step back, not daring to overstep the bounds, as if afraid of offending or desecrating her.
Ruan Qing'an gently patted his head and said, "Chang Lin."
"You've already reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage? Not bad."
After a brief examination with his divine sense, Ruan Qing'an nodded and said, "Your innate Dao body is damaged, and your unique advantages have been destroyed. It is already not easy for you to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage in these few years. Don't underestimate yourself."
"I understand, Master."
Shen Changlin nodded obediently.
In the cultivation world, the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages are generally reached within two or three years. As for the realms after Foundation Establishment, each realm is truly calculated in years.
Especially in the Golden Core stage, even Yang Lin, who had the best talent before, took four or five years to break through to this point.
What Ruan Qing'an didn't know was that, under the cover of the black mist, Shen Changlin's cultivation had actually reached the early stage of the Golden Core realm long ago. Even though his innate Dao body was damaged, Shen Changlin's cultivation was as if he was being fed by the heavens. Even without cultivation, the spiritual power in his body was constantly accumulating.
He couldn't even imagine whether, if his innate Dao body hadn't been suppressed, he would have been forced into the Nascent Soul stage in a short period of time.
Despite his rapid cultivation speed, Shen Changlin felt a hidden, chilling unease.
Thinking of this, Shen Changlin suddenly asked the black mist.
"What level of cultivation did I reach in my past life?"
The black mist thought for a moment and said, "I was only at the Mahayana stage. When I was preparing to break through to the Tribulation stage, I faced a life-threatening situation. But even if I hadn't died, I felt that I wouldn't have been able to break through."
"Isn't it said that there are no obstacles to breakthroughs for those born with a Dao physique?"
"...It's hard to describe that feeling."
The black mist paused: "I come from the Netherworld, and I'm afraid I've forgotten many things, so it's hard for me to explain..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Changlin had no choice but to give up for the time being.
At this moment, Ruan Qing'an, who was standing next to him, suddenly said, "Chang Lin, have you heard about the Hidden Dragon Competition recently?"
"I've heard about it, Master."
Shen Changlin said, "The Hidden Dragon Competition is a competition jointly organized by various sects. It is to allocate resources among the sects based on the results of the disciples' competition, in order to reduce unnecessary losses. The disciples will be ranked according to their different realms. It's in a month, right?"
Ruan Qing'an nodded: "Yes, the Wandao Sect stipulates that all direct disciples must participate, and you should participate in the Foundation Establishment stage competition."
Shen Changlin then asked, "Changlin understands, Master. Where will this year's Hidden Dragon Competition be held?"
"Sanyue City, Hidden Dragon Abyss".
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