Dual Cultivation

Once Cai Yan began studying the technique, Su Yang gave Wang Shuren and the other two disciples their own technique.

"The three of you will learn the flame controlling technique I'd just demonstrated," he said to them.

"Read through it a few times and ask me any questions that you have regarding the technique and I will answer them to the best of my ability."

They nodded and immediately began reading the technique with a serious expression on their faces.

Sometime later, Wang Shuren and the others asked Su Yang about the things which they were unable to understand from the technique, and it took almost a hundred questions from each person before they could understand the technique just enough to put it to practice.

Many hours later, Wang Shuren spoke in a joyful tone as she controlled the tiny worm on her palm that was created from her alchemy flames, "Look! I can finally make it move!"

The worm-like flames on her palm began moving extremely slowly, almost as slow as a snail. However, a few seconds later, the worm-shaped alchemy flame exploded and disappeared into thin air.

"Oh…" Wang Shuren sighed afterward. It had taken her many hours of practice for that achievement, but she could only control it for a few seconds. It was very disheartening for her.

Seeing this, Su Yang said, "Shuren, your progress is already very fast. You can't expect to master the technique in a few hours. Nobody is that talented."

"Un…" she nodded.

Once Wang Shuren and the other two disciples could practice the technique by themselves without Su Yang's supervision, Su Yang approached Cai Yan and began lecturing her.

"Master… I can only start using my alchemy flames at the Earth Spirit Realm, right? Then why do I need to practice a technique meant for my alchemy flames now?" Cai Yan suddenly asked him.

"It's always better to prepare for the future, as it will save you much more time than starting once you can start using your alchemy flames. If you start now, you'll be able to use this technique immediately when you can instead of needing to wait a few more months or even years."

"That makes sense…" Cai Yan nodded.

And then she asked, "Master, this isn't related to alchemy, but I heard that all of the female participants during the Regional Tournament were personally trained by you, is that right?"

"The disciples? Yes, that's correct. I personally trained them." Su Yang nodded, and he continued, "Most of them were only at the Elementary Spirit Realm when we first started."

"What about those two participants at the Earth Spirit Realm? Fang Zhelan and Sun Jingjing? What cultivation level were they before? And how long did it take for them to reach the Earth Spirit Realm?" Cai Yan continued to ask, her intentions unclear to Luo Yixiao and Senior Zeng who were listening in the background.

"They were at the True Spirit Realm before, and it took roughly half a year of training. Of course, it required them to train almost day and night every day," Su Yang said as he recalled his time with them in the bedroom throughout the months.

"Half a year…" Cai Yan mumbled.

After a long moment of silence, she looked at Su Yang with a serious look on her face before speaking, "Master, do you think you can also train me to the Earth Spirit Realm?"

"Eh?" Luo Yixiao and Senior Zeng stopped practicing to look at Cai Yan with wide eyes. Even Wang Shuren was staring with a surprised look on her face.

"You are aware that I— we are Dual Cultivators, right? Our method of training may not be what you are thinking," Su Yang said to her.

However, Cai Yan shook her head and said, "No, I am fully aware of what training with you entails, Master, and I am prepared to do everything it takes to reach the Earth Spirit Realm!"

"I know you want to reach the Earth Spirit Realm and start training your alchemy flames as soon as possible, but you shouldn't sacrifice your body in order to do so, as you might regret it afterward."

"Though, if you truly want to train with me using that method, I won't reject you, since it's my job as your Master to train you— no matter the method. However, you should take some time to think thoroughly whether you really want to go through with that decision or not, as it's not something you can take back afterward," Su Yang said to her.

Cai Yan turned silent and nodded a moment later. "Okay, I will think about it some more, Master."

"Good, now ask me any question you have regarding the technique."

Cai Yan proceeded to ask Yuan questions she had regarding the technique, acting as though their previous conversation never happened.

Meanwhile, Wang Shuren and the others were still dumbfounded by Cai Yan's boldness. If it were them, they would definitely not have the courage to ask Su Yang such a personal question before other people.

'Such dedication! This young lady is on another level!' Senior Zeng admired Cai Yan's dedication to alchemy.

A few days later, Su Yang said to them, "Okay, this is the end of our lecture for this month. Continue practicing what you have learned during this lecture because I will evaluate your progress again the next time we meet, and if your results are not satisfactory, I will disown you."

"Yes, Master!"

Sometime later, Luo Yixiao and Senior Zeng left the building whilst Cai Yan remained in the room to speak with Su Yang.

"Go wait in your room, I'll come back later to 'train' you some more," Su Yang said to Wang Shuren, who immediately nodded with excitement before leaving them alone.

Once Cai Yan was alone with him, Su Yang asked her, "Well? Have you thought about it properly?"

Cai Yan nodded before speaking with a serious expression on her face, "Master, do you remember what you said to my family? That I was your 'woman'? I want to make that into a reality."