"A bet?"
Luo Ziyun raised an eyebrow. He knew Chen Ye was trying to provoke him, but if he refused, wouldn't it show a lack of confidence?
He said calmly, "What do you want to bet?"
"I've heard that Soaring Sword Peak has a famous Sword Pavilion, containing many legendary blades. If my junior sister wins, how about you let her go in and choose one?"
Xiao Qingluan, standing to the side, was stunned.
He was actually trying to get a sword for her?!
[Ding! Favorability from Xiao Qingluan +2]
Chen Ye smiled to himself.
At this rate, he would probably max out his junior sister's favorability score soon. He wondered what would happen when it was maxed out. He guessed she would probably treat him as her closest family.
That wasn't a bad outcome at all.
Xiao Qingluan was a reincarnated empress, destined to be a remarkable figure. Having such a close relative was something many could only dream of.
Luo Ziyun frowned. "The Sword Pavilion is a restricted area of Soaring Sword Peak. I have no authority to let an outsider take a sword at will!"
"Well, if that's the case, then forget it. Let's not fight. There's no benefit to it anyway. It's better to avoid such a pointless fight."
Chen Ye sighed theatrically.
"I'll agree to your terms!"
Just then, a voice descended from the clouds.
A man in pristine white robes landed gracefully. It was none other than the Eldest Senior Brother of Soaring Sword Peak himself... Luo Tian!
He was also one of the top cultivators among the younger generation of the Azure Cloud Sect, rumored to have already reached the Soul Formation realm!
Luo Tian had been worried about Luo Ziyun, so he had followed quietly. He never expected Chen Ye to propose such a wager.
Moreover, he found that Chen Ye was different. He had met him before. A mortal physique, Qi Gathering cultivation—completely insignificant. The Chen Ye of today was still a mortal physique, but he exuded an unfathomable aura that even gave him a sense of apprehension.
This made him intensely curious.
What could have possibly happened to cause such a drastic change?
Or perhaps... Chen Ye had never changed. He had been hiding his true strength all along.
Besides, Xiao Qingluan also piqued his curiosity. She looked very young, yet had already reached the True Qi realm. Not only that, but her physique was so mysterious that even he couldn't see through it.
That was why he had agreed to Chen Ye's bet. He wanted to use Luo Ziyun to test Xiao Qingluan's true capabilities. And through Xiao Qingluan, he hoped to probe Chen Ye's secrets.
"I am the Eldest Senior Brother of Soaring Sword Peak. If your junior sister can truly defeat Ziyun, I can make the decision to let her enter the Sword Pavilion and choose a blade!" Luo Tian declared.
Hearing this, the corners of Chen Ye's mouth curved up. "It's a deal!"
"However, I will only give you half a month. In half a month, if your junior sister cannot defeat Ziyun, I want you to come to my Soaring Sword Peak and apologize to Zhang Bai and Wang Zheng!" Luo Tian stated his own condition.
"It was their fault in the first place! Why should my Senior Brother have to apologize?" Xiao Qingluan said, dissatisfied.
But Chen Ye simply waved his hand. "It's fine. I agree."
"In that case, we shall meet at the Azure Cloud Arena in half a month!"
The Azure Cloud Arena, as the name suggested, was the sect's martial grounds, a place for sparring and settling personal grudges.
With that, Luo Tian took Luo Ziyun and departed.
Xiao Qingluan watched them leave, her brows furrowed. "Senior Brother, why did you agree to their unreasonable request?"
"Ah, Junior Sister, in the Azure Cloud Sect, all resources must be earned through strength and talent. You are now a disciple of Jade Bamboo Peak, but unfortunately, our peak has never been taken seriously. We are denied many resources. If you want to speed up your cultivation, this is the only way."
Xiao Qingluan understood instantly.
Chen Ye was doing this to display her talent and strength, to gain the attention of the sect's upper echelon and secure more cultivation resources for her!
To do this, he was willing to wager his own dignity. If she lost, Chen Ye would have to go and apologize.
Thinking of this, a warm current flowed through her heart. In her past life, she had no senior brothers or sisters. No one had ever sacrificed so much for her.
[Ding! Favorability from Xiao Qingluan +5]
Chen Ye blinked.
What did this girl just imagine to make her favorability jump like that?
His only reason for doing this was to motivate Xiao Qingluan to cultivate even harder. The harder she worked, the stronger he would become!
As for apologizing...
Was he kidding?
Did he look like the type of person to apologize?
If Xiao Qingluan really lost, he would just unleash his Divine Sea realm cultivation. Who would dare ask for an apology then? Zhang Bai and Wang Zheng would have to be able to withstand it first!
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I will not let you down!" Xiao Qingluan said with determination.
She resolved that she must grow strong enough to defeat Luo Ziyun within half a month, if only to protect her senior brother's dignity. She had already received so much care from him. She would never let him lose face because of her!
Chen Ye reached out and patted her head. "Good. Senior Brother believes in you."
Xiao Qingluan froze.
She, the empress, was just... patted on the head?!
Her face flushed crimson, and she was about to shout, "Insolent!"
But seeing the gentle smile on Chen Ye's face, she swallowed the word. Hmph. Since you're doing this for my sake, I'll forgive you this one time!
In the following days, Xiao Qingluan began to cultivate with frantic intensity. She wished she could split a day into two. As a Phoenix Holy Body, once she truly focused, the results were terrifying.
Her cultivation level changed almost daily.
Correspondingly, Chen Ye's cultivation was also constantly improving!
[Ding! After one night of diligent cultivation, Xiao Qingluan has advanced from the third level of True Qi to the fourth! Random feedback... Congratulations to the Host for advancing to the fourth level of the Divine Sea!]
[Ding! After one night of diligent cultivation, Xiao Qingluan has advanced from the fourth level of True Qi to the fifth! Random feedback... Congratulations to the Host for advancing to the fifth level of the Divine Sea!]
[Ding! After one day and night of diligent cultivation, Xiao Qingluan has advanced from the fifth level of True Qi to the seventh! Random feedback... Congratulations to the Host for advancing to the seventh level of the Divine Sea!]
Xiao Qingluan's cultivation was soaring, and so was Chen Ye's. He was overjoyed.
Looking at Xiao Qingluan, who was cultivating almost without sleep, Chen Ye felt both emotional and a little distressed. His good junior sister was working so hard while he was just lying down and getting carried. He felt a bit guilty. He should make her more delicious food as a reward!
Chen Ye went down the mountain to buy ingredients.
Passing by a mountain range, he smelled a rich medicinal aroma. Upon closer inspection, he found a spiritual Ganoderma mushroom, emanating a fragrant scent, growing on a nearby cliff.
"Good stuff! If I use this for soup, my junior sister's cultivation will definitely see a huge improvement!" Chen Ye smiled.
He flashed to the cliff and reached for the Ganoderma, but a massive python shot out from a cave and lunged at him.
Seeing this, Chen Ye casually swatted his palm.
The python was knocked clean off the cliff, falling to its death with its eyes wide open.
Chen Ye didn't give it a second thought. The python reeked of demonic energy and had likely eaten many people. Killing it was a service to the public.
After picking the Ganoderma, he hummed a little tune as he headed home. He used the spiritual mushroom to make another chicken soup. During dinner, Xiao Qingluan saw the Ganoderma in the soup and recognized it at a glance as a superior spirit herb.
Such herbs were often guarded by powerful demonic beasts.
Even if Chen Ye was a Golden Core master, he must have expended great effort to obtain this Ganoderma.
She had already conjured a vivid mental image of Chen Ye engaged in a bloody battle with a monster just to pick this herb for her!
Xiao Qingluan was deeply moved that he would use such a hard-won treasure to make soup for her. Looking at Chen Ye, who was smiling and urging her to drink up, she couldn't help but murmur:
"Senior Brother... why are you so nice to me..."
[Ding! Xiao Qingluan's favorability +10!]