CHAPTER 3

— Beauty —

"There, there, relax! The so-called demonic path is just a different way of cultivation, that's all! The essence should be the same... They don't eat people..." 'right?' Her voice trailed off, swallowing the last uncertain syllable.

Facing Tong Tong's inquisitive eyes, Ding Ding couldn't bring himself to say something irresponsible like "Actually, I'm not too sure either." Instead, he simply grinned foolishly and changed the subject. "Ah, you must not know who saved you yet!" The moment the words left his mouth, Ding Ding nearly bit his own tongue. D@mn it, he forgot the instructions from his beautiful master. The 'Big Iceberg' probably didn't want Tong Tong to know who had saved her...

As Tong Tong nodded and looked over earnestly, he continued to chuckle awkwardly. "Ahaha, actually, I don't know either..." Under the other's gaze, which clearly read "Are you messing with me?" and "Are you an idiot?", he scratched his nose awkwardly and explained, "Well, when I arrived, you were the only one lying unconscious on the bed... It was my beautiful master who asked me to take care of you, saying we might have come from the same place..." The probability of meeting someone from the same hometown after transmigrating wasn't exactly high. Truly, one must thank the wind, thank the rain, thank the sunlight shining upon the earth!

But didn't this also mean that the possibility of this young master being the protagonist had just dropped by more than half? Ding Ding instantly grew gloomy.

"Beautiful master? Who is that?" Tong Tong was a bit curious about the person Ding Ding had mentioned multiple times.

"Hoho, when it comes to the beautiful master, she's this young master's idol!" She clasped her hands together, gazing up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, utterly enchanted. "She firmly holds the top seat in Chonghua, the highest cultivation level in the cultivation world, the best personality, the finest temperament, the most perfect figure... In short, the perfect Sect Leader, Fairy Ye, is now a grandmaster at the Great Ascension stage!"

When speaking of her, Ding Ding's face was filled with admiration, even more ecstatic than those little girls who see celebrities at concerts. It seemed as if an unknown liquid was about to drip from the corner of her mouth. Seeing Tong Tong's bewildered expression, she quickly began to educate her. "This cultivation thing is divided into levels, from low to high: Qi Refining [Lianqi], Foundation Establishment [Zhuji], Core Formation [Jiedan], Nascent Soul [Yuanying], Spirit Division [Fenshen], Great Ascension [Dacheng], Tribulation Transcendence [Dujie], and beyond that, I don't know... Anyway, each stage is further divided into early, middle, late, and great perfection stages. Advancing each time is incredibly difficult! Someone like my beautiful master will definitely reach the Tribulation Transcendence stage, and after that, it's becoming an immortal or a god! But the path of cultivation is so long—who knows how many thousands or tens of thousands of years it will take to reach the level of immortals and gods!" Remembering something, the excitement on Ding Ding's face faded. "Just think, with my exceptional talent, I've only managed to reach the late stage of Qi Refining after twenty years of cultivation. Truly, heaven has no eyes, and the world is unjust!"

"Wow, so you can already ride clouds and summon mist?" Tong Tong looked at her with a mix of excitement and skepticism.

"Of course... not." Perhaps feeling that admitting it outright would be a loss of face, Ding Ding coughed lightly and added, "But once I build my foundation, I'll be able to manipulate the energy of heaven and earth. Turning my hand to summon clouds or rain will be a piece of cake!"

T/N: [Foundation Establishment Stage is ​​also called as "forming/building a foundation.]

Attracted by his confident tone, Tong Tong imagined herself casually summoning a lightning bolt to strike the vice president who had been exploiting her, leaving him charred and disheveled. She quickly grabbed Ding Ding's sleeve and said ingratiatingly, "So cool! Young Master Ding, I want to become a disciple too!"

"Taking you as a disciple is a must... but," Ding Ding struggled quite a bit to pry Tong Tong's hand off his sleeve, smoothing out the wrinkles before meeting her pitiful gaze—though he knew it was feigned, it still made his righteous heart tremble slightly. "You know, a country has its laws, a family its rules. The vast Chonghua Sect naturally has strict regulations as well. It's not something you can just join as you please, right?"

Seeing the light fade from Tong Tong's eyes, Ding Ding continued in an encouraging tone, "Given that we're fellow townsfolk... well, actually, it's our master's intention to make an exception and let you start as a junior disciple in cyan robes. As long as you can draw in spiritual energy and manifest your own lifebound sword within a year, Master will officially take you as a personal disciple!" Then, with a look that suggested she was getting a great deal, he coaxed, "Not just in Chonghua, but across the entire cultivation world, countless people are clamoring to become Master's disciple. Yet to this day, there are only six—the personal disciples of the sect leader! Extremely rare!"

After finishing, he gave her shoulder a firm pat in response to her dawning realization, wearing a smug grin that said, "I have high hopes for you." "Girl, you're already halfway onto the broad road to success. Once you manage to open the backdoor I've paved for you, you'll be roaming the world, commanding the winds, stirring up storms, and bathing in bl0od—"

"Stop, stop, stop! Hold it right there, Young Master Ding! I don't want to become a female demon, don't make it sound so extreme!" Tong Tong wore a faint smile, but the disappointment in her eyes was clear. "Hearing you say that, I know the hope of returning is slim. I might as well live well here... At least I have no attachments back in the Heavenly Dynasty [China]. My younger brother can take care of our parents, and my boyfriend is still nowhere in sight... Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it. Learning immortal arts might even allow me to become a legendary heroine, remembered through the ages! In any case, I won't let your kindness go to waste. I'll strive to succeed in cultivating qi as soon as possible so Master will accept me as a disciple!"

"Hmm, ambitious, optimistic, and driven—truly someone I have faith in!" Seeing her acceptance and the absence of the despair and sorrow he had feared, Ding Ding laughed heartily, slinging an arm over her shoulder like a brother and thumping his chest with a loud thud. "Don't worry, in Chonghua, just mention my name, Young Master Ding, and whether you walk sideways or upright, basically no one will dare give you trouble!"

After a moment's thought, Ding Ding added in a low voice, "But we should still try to keep a low profile! Don't go around picking fights without any sense of judgment! The waters in Chonghua Sect run deep, and there are a few formidable figures even I wouldn't dare provoke lightly..."

"Is that so... Young Master Ding, you're so impressive, yet there are still people who don't show you respect?" Tong Tong, unaware of the conflicted pride and caution in Ding Ding's expression upon hearing her flattery, asked innocently, "Who are they? Tell me so I can steer clear if I ever see them!"

"Ah! To be honest with you, aside from the peak masters and the senior elders of our sect who hold lofty positions, the one person in Chonghua you absolutely must not provoke is that cold, aloof, ruthless, and expressionless iceberg of a senior brother! His deeds are so numerous that even three days and three nights wouldn't be enough to recount them all. In short, he can subdue demons and vanquish ghosts on a grand scale, and on a smaller scale, he can silence a crying child at night. People lower their voices when discussing him, turn pale at the mention of his name, and weep upon hearing his tales..."

Under Ding Ding's horrifying embellishments, a terrifying image of a seven-foot-tall man with a green face and fangs appeared in Tong Tong's mind. She subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva and timidly asked, "H-how terrifying... What is the name of this senior brother we must not offend?"

In her heart, she had already made up her mind to stay far away from any place within a ten-kilometer radius where this person might appear!

Ding Ding took a breath, casually picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip to moisten his throat. Just as he was about to answer, a clear yet slightly deep voice came from the doorway: "My name is Su Yan."

The sound struck like a sudden clap of spring thunder, startling Ding Ding so much that he spat out half of the tea in his mouth onto the crimson silk brocade carpet on the floor. The other half caught in his throat, unable to be swallowed or coughed up, leaving him teary-eyed and struggling.

Tong Tong was also startled by the voice, and Ding Ding's reaction frightened her even more. Her neck stiffened as she slowly turned toward the doorway, like a puppet on a hinge, making a creaking sound.

With just one glance, she froze in place, unable to regain her composure for a long time—eyebrows like distant mountains, lips as red as cinnabar, shoulders as if carved, and a waist as slender as a ribbon. The phrase "peerless elegance" could not have been more fitting.

If there truly was someone in this world whose beauty could make others fall in love at first sight, then the person before her was exactly that.

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