If Li Yan were to call her "Senior Li," Li Yuyin would probably flip out. If he called her "Senior Sister Li," what would become of his own master?
This woman's relationship with his portly master was murky and unclear. If, in the future, it was possible... truly possible...
Then if he got used to calling her "Senior Sister Li," it would be awkward to change his address later!
If it had been Mo Qing who came today, Li Yan would have unhesitatingly called him Senior Brother, without so many complicated relationships to consider.
In the end, Li Yan decided to address her as "Peak Master Li." With a smile, he gestured to the chair opposite him, indicating for Li Yuyin to take a seat.
Li Yuyin didn't stand on ceremony, plopping down and occupying most of the chair. Her clothes remained stretched taut, appearing full of elasticity.
Then she looked at Li Yan again, her fine brows slightly furrowed.
"Hmm, what should I call you? Li... Junior Brother Li? Not quite right, you might have to change it later! Fellow Daoist Li? Too formal! Hmm, I'll just call you Li Yan..."
Li Yan, who was still smiling, suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment. He hadn't had much contact with this great Peak Master Li before. Most of the time, he had only heard things about her.
Mainly, Li Yuyin was a senior back then, while Li Yan was just a low-level disciple.
Moreover, Li Yuyin's reputation for beauty and her penchant for tormenting people made every cultivator in the Malevolent Spirit Sect avoid her like the plague. After hearing about it, Li Yan, of course, also avoided her whenever he could.
Looking at her now, it was clear that Li Changting's fiery personality was indeed inherited.
"The Nascent Soul ceremony is tomorrow. I just came from your master's place. He was going to have that little lecher Li Wuyi come and remind you. I happened to be there, so I thought I'd come over and see, and also to tell you to come out of seclusion!"
As Li Yuyin spoke, she quietly scanned Li Yan with her Divine Sense. Her heart was suddenly filled with surprise. This Li Yan's aura was even more condensed than she had imagined.
'His foundation is not as deep as mine, but the circulation of his magical power is a bit more stable than mine.'
'Junior Brother Wei said that this disciple of his had a great fortune on a foreign continent, which is why he stood out among the next generation of disciples and faced the heavenly tribulation. It seems this fortune was not small at all!' Li Yuyin thought to herself.
"Thank you, Peak Master Li. I observe that the circulation of Peak Master Li's magical power is still somewhat stagnant. Could it be that you are still injured?"
Li Yan felt a chill upon hearing her refer to his Eldest Senior Brother in such a way. This former great Peak Master Li had always been dissatisfied with his Eldest Senior Brother, feeling he had wronged Li Changting.
At the same time, he could see that although Li Yuyin appeared normal on the surface, the circulation of her magical power was somewhat impeded.
After withdrawing her Divine Sense, Li Yuyin nodded, a look of sorrow on her face as she said, "It's all the fault of that heartless master of yours..."
Li Yan's expression froze. How had his master offended her again? Then he heard Li Yuyin continue.
"He clearly knew that my natal Gu was severely injured during my Nascent Soul formation, and I myself was also badly hurt, needing a long period of closed-door seclusion."
"Yesterday, he still sent me continuous voice transmissions, acting as if he wouldn't stop until he woke me."
"He insisted I must come out of seclusion in these two days, saying the date of the Nascent Soul ceremony had arrived, without any concern for whether I had recovered from my injuries..."
Hearing this, Li Yan's head felt as big as a bushel basket.
'This great Peak Master Li's way of speaking is too... too prone to misunderstanding. If Master were here, I wonder if he'd be holding back an internal injury right now!'
He had no desire to know these details and quickly interjected.
"Hahaha... there's no helping it. For the sect, the Nascent Soul ceremony is all about keeping up appearances. It's a must-have!"
Li Yan could only offer this dry remark.
"So, I have to show up tomorrow even with my injuries. I came over today to discuss with you. Tomorrow, I'll only show my face for the first half. You'll need to hold the fort for the second half. I need to hurry back to recuperate!"
Li Yuyin spread her jade-like hands helplessly.
Li Yan was once again speechless. He had originally planned to use Li Yuyin as a shield, since she was so eloquent anyway.
He had planned to show his face and then hide, but unexpectedly, Li Yuyin had brought it up first.
"This..."
A look of difficulty appeared on Li Yan's face.
"You wouldn't watch me try to hold on while injured, would you, my dear?"
A sickly pallor suddenly appeared on Li Yuyin's face, and she looked as if she might collapse at any moment. This made Li Yan break out in a cold sweat.
"Fine... alright!" Li Yan managed to force out the words.
Upon hearing this, the sickly look on Li Yuyin's face instantly vanished. The change was astonishingly fast.
Immediately after, she glanced around, then suddenly raised her jade-like hand, and an invisible barrier enveloped the entire room.
Li Yan seemed to have anticipated this. He didn't show much surprise at Li Yuyin suddenly casting a spell to envelop them both, but simply sat quietly in his chair.
"Alright, the real reason I came, I imagine Junior Brother Li already knows why!"
After lowering her hand, the alluring charm on Li Yuyin's face was completely gone. She looked at Li Yan with a solemn expression, her mode of address having changed.
"Peak Master Li, you're too kind. Your advancement to the Nascent Soul realm is a blessing for the sect, and also a testament to your profound cultivation. You were just missing that final little spark."
"Even without that 'Tribulation Essence Qi,' I believe Peak Master Li would have successfully formed her Nascent Soul on her own soon enough. The 'Tribulation Essence Qi' was merely the icing on the cake!"
Li Yan waved his hand slightly. He of course understood Li Yuyin's purpose in coming. It wasn't to inform him about tomorrow's Nascent Soul ceremony, but to thank him for his assistance.
"Why would Junior Brother say such a thing? You and I both know how difficult Nascent Soul formation is. That so-called final spark has been the downfall of countless Pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivators."
"This great debt, I, your Senior Sister, will forever remember. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will certainly repay it with all my strength!"
As Li Yuyin spoke, she had already stood up gracefully and performed a Daoist salute to Li Yan with a solemn expression.
That day, in a state of trance, she had suddenly comprehended the bottleneck that had plagued her for so long. In an instant, the heavenly tribulation descended...
After she passed the tribulation, heavily injured, she immediately entered closed-door seclusion. Fortunately, the "Tribulation Essence Qi" that descended on its own had first restored about eighty percent of her injuries.
Otherwise, with her injuries and the backlash from her natal Gu, it might have taken a hundred years of seclusion to recover most of her vitality.
Li Yuyin's injuries were, on the whole, much more severe than Li Yan's, especially the shock her Divine Soul received during the "Inner Demon Tribulation." This was why Li Yuyin's injuries had not fully healed even after ten years.
But it wasn't as serious as she had just told Li Yan. Currently, she was spending most of her time helping her natal Gu recuperate.
Therefore, she couldn't stay outside for too long and wanted to return as soon as possible.
Back then, after Li Yuyin absorbed the "Tribulation Essence Qi" and her injuries had mostly recovered, she had a brief exchange with Wei Zhongran, who was protecting her, and then hurriedly entered a secret chamber on the peak to stabilize her realm.
Like Li Yan, before meditating, she first sorted out what she had gained after forming her Nascent Soul and checked her own injuries.
During this process, she discovered an extra purple jade slip in her storage ring. Because the color of this jade slip was so vibrant, Li Yuyin noticed it at first glance.
The jade slips she normally used were mostly milky white. She didn't remember ever buying a jade slip of this color.
For a moment, Li Yuyin thought that perhaps she had been in seclusion for too long and had forgotten when she had obtained this jade slip.
However, she still picked up the purple jade slip with suspicion and probed it. Immediately, an aged voice echoed in her mind.
"Your opportunity is at hand, a blessing from Li Yan of Little Bamboo Peak. I have taken two particles of his 'Tribulation Essence Qi' to aid your comprehension. In the future, you shall bear the karma of this fortune or misfortune! This matter must not be spoken of to anyone other than Li Yan. Remember this!"
There were only these two short sentences in the purple jade slip, but they left Li Yuyin stunned for a moment.
She had participated in the great war against the demons and had a deep and vivid memory of the person who turned the tide at the end. Therefore, she recognized this voice in her mind.
It was the voice of the sect's most mysterious "Chimei Emissary"—Gu Jiuqi.
'Li Yan? Hasn't that boy been dead for many years? How did he reappear? And... and he formed a Nascent Soul?'
This had greatly shocked Li Yuyin at the time. Of course, she knew who Li Yan of Little Bamboo Peak was. In her memory, Junior Brother Wei had searched for this person and his daughter for a long time.
But what surprised Li Yuyin the most was that her successful Nascent Soul formation was due to her having absorbed two particles of Li Yan's "Tribulation Essence Qi." This sort of thing was the biggest taboo among cultivators.
But when she thought about it carefully, since it was Gu Jiuqi who had acted, she no longer found it strange.
The primary responsibility of the "Chimei Emissary" was to strengthen the sect. As long as it didn't particularly violate his own bottom line, he could use any means necessary. For him to do such a thing was actually the most normal course of action.
This took Li Yuyin a long time to calm down. She knew she now owed a debt that could not be easily repaid.
At the same time, she felt a little disappointed. After her successful Nascent Soul formation, she had felt somewhat proud in front of Wei Zhongran.
She had finally caught up to him on her own strength, unlike that Zhao Zhi, who had had an affair with her Junior Brother while she was attempting to break through to the Golden Core realm, causing him to never dare face her directly again.
But just as she was beginning to feel a little smug, the answer she received was that she had only succeeded with someone else's help...
...
Seeing Li Yuyin's solemn salute, Li Yan also hurriedly stood up and returned a Daoist salute.
"Peak Master Li!"
After performing the Daoist salute, Li Yuyin's face instantly returned to its previous charming state. Her expression changed faster than one could flip through a book.
"Giggle... Alright, what needed to be said has been said. You should prepare well for tomorrow's Nascent Soul ceremony. I won't disturb you any longer!"
As she spoke, she raised her hand again, and the restriction that had just been cast was immediately dispelled. With a charming smile, her figure flashed and disappeared from the room.
Li Yan had still been immersed in her sudden solemnity, but in an instant, Li Yuyin's expression had changed. The pace was truly hard for him to adapt to.
Looking at the empty hall, with her charming laughter still echoing in his ears, Li Yan stood there somewhat dazed.
'Master, if you really marry her as your Dao companion, I wonder if you'll be tormented to the point of going into seclusion, then more seclusion, and then even more seclusion, just like Eldest Senior Brother?' Li Yan thought to himself silently.
Li Yuyin had come to thank him personally. "Martial Uncle Gu" had said not to speak of this matter, so Li Yuyin naturally did not dare to say anything carelessly. Therefore, Wei Zhongran must not know about it either.
Although Li Yuyin ultimately only gave a verbal promise and did not offer any treasures or spirit stones in gratitude, the promise of a Nascent Soul cultivator was not something that could be compared to ordinary treasures.
Moreover, a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator was at their poorest. Their entire fortune had likely been spent during the heavenly tribulation, with little left.
After Li Yuyin left, Li Yan immediately summoned Qian Ji.
"Where is Zi Kun?" Li Yan asked, getting straight to the point.
Looking at Li Yan with his short, upright hair and his increasingly placid expression, Qian Ji somehow felt that this version of Li Yan was even more terrifying.
"Replying to Master, isn't your Nascent Soul ceremony tomorrow? Zi Kun was pulled out to help by Fellow Daoist Wuyi and the others a few days ago."
"Oh!"
Li Yan nodded. He then closed his eyes for a moment before instantly opening them again. With a quick sweep of his Divine Sense, he had already taken a rough look at the core area of the sect.
He sensed that not only was Little Bamboo Peak decorated with lanterns and colored streamers, but the entire sect was filled with a festive atmosphere. Moreover, there were many visiting cultivators in different attire within the sect.
"Why didn't you go out?" Li Yan looked at Qian Ji.
"Oh, this subordinate was waiting here for Master's orders."
Li Yan nodded. This Snow Mosquito King knew he would be coming out of seclusion in a day or two and was waiting here for his orders. This was indeed in line with his character.
"Alright, I have nothing else for you. You may go!"
Li Yan waved his hand. He had just entered the Nascent Soul stage. He had already given Qian Ji and Zi Kun all the medicinal pills he could. For now, he had no other treasures that could help them advance.
Li Yan had just discovered several familiar auras within the Malevolent Spirit Sect, which was somewhat of a surprise to him. Thinking that he would definitely be busy tomorrow, he wanted to go and see them now, so he sent Qian Ji away.