Senior Sisters, I Don’t Want To Work Hard Anymore

Chapter 12: Tempering

Outside the secret hall.

In front of a large amethyst table, Senior Sister Xue Bingxuan was handling administrative affairs. Her bright beautiful eyes were filled with concentration. The table was piled with stacks of jade scrolls and books, and the green-gold lampstand was embedded with dozens of fist-sized night pearls, shining as bright as daylight within ten zhang.

In the corner, a purple bronze crane incense burner was burning Supreme Grade incense, and wisps of smoke curled up, filling the space with a lasting fragrance.

After a while, she gently put down the scroll in her hand, picked up the nearby glass warm jade cup, and sipped the warm Seven-Leaf Yunzhi ginseng soup inside.

"At this time, Junior Brother should have successfully broken through..." Xue Bingxuan pondered silently, her gaze drifting towards the tightly closed hall door. The prohibition formation at the entrance had already been fully activated, and countless symbols on the thick light curtain were flickering. Even a cultivator of similar cultivation level would find it difficult to forcefully break in within a short period of time.

Yesterday, Xue Bingxuan had entered the formation once and saw that Qin Muling was in a critical moment of breaking through. She didn't disturb him and left after leaving some pills and items.

At this moment, a petite inner disciple in a goose-yellow dress came in, saluted, and reported, "Senior Sister, the head of the Shang family is waiting in the side hall."

Xue Bingxuan frowned slightly, turned her head to look at the hall door, and said displeasedly, "Does this palace have time to deal with them now? Forget it, let them wait a while."

"Uh... alright."

The girl saw that Senior Sister's expression was not good and swallowed back the words she was about to say. She silently saluted and left. She thought about the dozens of distinguished guests from various sects and families waiting to be received later, and this matter was really quite troublesome.

Xue Bingxuan stood up gracefully, walked back and forth a few times, and had already made up her mind. Qin Muling's breakthrough in seclusion was the top priority, and she had to personally guard him. Other matters could be put aside for now.

Inside the secret hall.

Qin Muling silently adapted to the power of the new realm. At this moment, the mysterious seed in his sea of consciousness lightly rotated, and layers of obscure and profound ripples spread out. Then, more essence of spiritual power surged from the depths of the void like a torrent and was absorbed by the mysterious seed.

After a few breaths, scattered chaotic crystal radiance emerged from within the seed and merged into Qin Muling's soul and body.

The mana that had already calmed down inside his body suddenly became violent, and the majestic pressure steadily increased. The surging essence of spiritual power pushed Qin Muling's cultivation to rise again, breaking through the second barrier of the Profound Comprehension Realm, and then the third barrier. It finally stopped when it barely reached the peak of the third barrier.

The Profound Comprehension Realm is also divided into nine small realms. For ordinary cultivators, it would take decades to reach the perfect level by honing their mana step by step. Even for recognized geniuses who lack nothing in terms of resources, techniques, and renowned teachers, it would still take several years.

However, with the assistance of this mysterious and unfathomable Innate Hongmeng Spirit Root, Qin Muling felt that his cultivation speed could completely crush all opponents. Perhaps in the future, he could catch up with Senior Sister's progress, which was not an unrealistic idea.

Taking a long breath, Qin Muling opened his eyes and slowly stood up. This seclusion had taken several days, and Senior Sister must have been anxious outside.

Inside the tightly closed hall, there was a table, several white jade pill bottles, and a beautiful sandalwood box placed on top. Obviously, Senior Sister had sent them in and placed them here.

A warm feeling welled up in Qin Muling's heart. Although he hadn't been in Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace for long, the two Senior Sisters had treated him exceptionally well. They took care of every aspect of his life, making him feel like a carefree child. There was basically nothing he needed to worry about.

He had to admit that with two beautiful and capable Senior Sisters, his future days would indeed be extraordinarily happy.

Senior Sister, I don't want to work hard anymore...

He smiled self-deprecatingly and opened the sandalwood box. Inside was a set of brand new snow-white robes emitting a hazy cloud-like radiance. The familiar faint fragrance indicated that it was another Supreme Grade Spiritual Weapon personally refined by Third Senior Sister and had been tried on by himself.

Qin Muling wasn't being pretentious either. He immediately took them out and changed into them. After he received the news of his breakthrough, Qi Yalan would definitely come to visit. As long as he wore the clothes she personally made, it would naturally make her happy and satisfied.

After spending these days together, Qin Muling gradually understood the temperament of this proud Third Senior Sister. Although she seemed cold and indifferent on the surface, she actually cared a lot in secret.

One time, Qin Muling went to the Shadow Moon Peak to learn the way of swordsmanship from Qi Yalan. Before leaving, he forgot to change his clothes and was still wearing the robe issued by the Elder of the Refining Hall. Although the third senior sister didn't say anything, she was merciless when teaching him, practicing with him for three hours straight, until he was exhausted.

Since then, Qin Muling, having learned his lesson, only wore the clothes sent by the third senior sister. This made her change her anger into joy and no longer sought revenge on him.

After tidying up, Qin Muling closed the formation restrictions one by one and opened the hall door.

Xue Bingxuan came in with a fragrant breeze, quickly grabbed his shoulder, and looked him up and down. "How is it? Is your cultivation stable?"

"It's alright, everything went smoothly," Qin Muling smiled and released his aura, allowing her to sense his internal state.

"Mmm, your aura is exceptionally pure, your Dao Foundation is flawless, and your total amount of mana is much higher than those senior sisters of the same level..." Xue Bingxuan couldn't hide her delight. The purity and refinement of Qin Muling's mana surpassed even a core disciple who was one realm higher than him. His total amount of mana was more than thirty times that of disciples of the same level. Even Xue Bingxuan herself, when she was at the Profound Comprehension Realm stage, didn't have such exaggerated strength.

If this junior brother were to advance one or two realms in the future, how extraordinary would his performance be? Just thinking about it made her heart surge with excitement.

"Master should know about my breakthrough in seclusion, right?" Qin Muling asked.

Speaking of serious matters, Xue Bingxuan restrained her smile and said solemnly, "Yes, and yesterday, Master's incarnation came over and brought you some things, as well as conveyed the instructions of the elders of the sect..."

As she spoke, Xue Bingxuan raised her hand slightly, and seven bright lights emitting a terrifying pressure flew out from her body. After a brief circling, they merged into Qin Muling's body.

"These are the protective treasures bestowed upon you by Master," Xue Bingxuan explained. "The jade talismans and the secret treasures were personally refined by several elders. They can be activated by yourself in critical moments and have the power to sacrifice oneself to protect the master, ensuring your safety."

"Master has gone to great lengths," Qin Muling sincerely exclaimed. With these life-saving cards, his safety in the future would undoubtedly be greatly guaranteed. Even if he traveled alone, he wouldn't need to be overly nervous.

Xue Bingxuan nodded and continued, "According to the instructions of the elders, from now on, junior brother, you don't need to continue hiding your identity and can freely move within the sect. Of course, if you want to leave the sect for training, we still need to accompany you."

"They... are they planning to temper me?" Qin Muling quickly realized after a moment of contemplation. The principle of being born in hardship and dying in comfort applied even in this vast and unfamiliar time and space.

Even though he was a genius, if he always stayed in an overly comfortable environment, protected like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, it might not be a good thing in the long run.

On the contrary, keeping himself in moderate danger at all times could stimulate him to never slack off, maintain a state of constant vigilance, and make rapid progress in cultivation.

"It's good as long as you can understand Master's good intentions," Xue Bingxuan said with a smile. The junior brother's mind was clear and transparent, saving her the trouble of explaining further.

The end of this chapter.