Following behind the Inner Sect Foundation Establishment Senior, Li Meng took the opportunity to admire her graceful silhouette from behind. The curve of her waist was exquisite, her jet-black hair swayed gently with each step, and her gait was a rhythmic pleasure to behold.

[Name: Liu Siyue] [Age: 85] [Luck: 1500] [Cultivation: Mid-stage Foundation Establishment] [Aptitude: Water-Earth Dual Spirit Roots] [Affection: 0]

Mid-stage Foundation Establishment at eighty-five years old; her talent was quite respectable. A faint smile touched Li Meng’s lips. This Senior was rather interesting.

“We’re here!” Liu Siyue said, coming to a halt before a door. She turned and offered Li Meng a graceful smile, cupping her hands in salute.

Li Meng returned the gesture. “My thanks, Senior!”

“Make yourself at home, Nephew.” Liu Siyue shot Li Meng a coquettish glance. Then she turned and walked away, her slender waist swaying provocatively.

Watching Senior Liu’s alluring retreat, Li Meng narrowed his eyes slightly. This woman was something else; she had clearly put considerable effort into her Charm Technique. The seductive aura she exuded had nearly unsettled his mind. A woman like her could be considered a perfect “Cauldron.”

Li Meng withdrew his gaze, turned to face the door, and bowed respectfully. “Disciple Li Meng pays his respects to Master!”

She probably won’t see me, right? Li Meng was mentally prepared to be turned away. Suddenly, with a soft click, the door swung open.

“Enter.” A gentle, soft voice sounded from within the room.

Li Meng stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He proceeded toward the inner chamber but stopped outside the curtain that separated it from the outer room. He bowed, about to speak, but the gentle voice from behind the curtain preempted him.

“I do not know why Master insisted on making you my Registered Disciple. With your Lifespan Limit approaching, it is meaningless. But as it is Master’s command, I must obey. Since Master has given you the Supreme Elder’s Token, you are no longer an Outer Disciple. Return to the sect and seek me out at Masked Moon Peak.”

“Yes, Master!”

“You may go.”

Li Meng turned and left. Exiting the room, he grumbled inwardly. His new master was rather stingy. Even for a Registered Disciple, shouldn’t there be a meeting gift? To be dismissed with just a few words?

“Ah, this old man just isn’t popular,” Li Meng muttered, shaking his head as he walked away.

“Senior Brother!”

Just as he rounded a corner, Qi Wei’s small head popped out. Her petite body followed closely behind. “Senior Brother, did I scare you?” she asked, covering a giggle with her hand.

Li Meng walked forward with a grin and ruffled his Junior Sister’s head. “Your Senior Brother wasn’t raised on scares.”

Qi Wei’s eyes curved into crescents. “Huh? Senior Brother, you had a Breakthrough?”

Although Qi Wei’s cultivation was only at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, her Divine Sense had long reached the Peak Qi Condensation realm. Naturally, she could tell her Senior Brother had advanced.

“Just a stroke of luck, nothing more.”

“That’s wonderful! Senior Brother, you must focus on cultivating now. Don’t you know Alchemy? Forget about Pill Poison for now and consume them vigorously. Perhaps you can reach Foundation Establishment before your Sitting Death.”

Senior Brother was already a ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator. He wasn’t far from Peak Qi Condensation. And if he reached that height, he wasn’t far from Foundation Establishment either. Qi Wei tightly hugged her little old Senior Brother’s arm. Even if there was only a sliver of hope… hope was still hope, wasn’t it?

“Junior Sister, I’ll take your auspicious words to heart.”

Why choose death when one could live? Wasn’t the pursuit of immortality the very reason cultivators ascended the mountains? Even if there was only the tiniest possibility, one had to strive for it. Moreover, Li Meng didn’t believe for a second that he would meet a Sitting Death.

“Senior Brother, I must go cultivate now. Master said if I don’t break through to Peak Qi Condensation within a year, I’ll be in serious trouble!” Qi Wei reluctantly let go of his arm. She really wanted to talk with him longer, but neither of them had time to waste.

Li Meng chuckled and gave her head another pat. “Go on, Junior Sister. Come find your Senior Brother when you have time.”

Qi Wei left, looking back every few steps. Li Meng watched her receding figure with a smile. His Junior Sister was adorable and quite attached to him. Having a True Disciple as a close Junior Sister was, from any perspective, a massive boon. Only after she disappeared around the corner did Li Meng turn and walk away.

In the following days, Li Meng found himself idle. Xuan Hao and Yuan Baobao were Dao Companions; the two were inseparable on the ship. Junior Sister Yuan couldn’t find an opportunity for a private meeting. As for Junior Sister Hua… he hadn’t seen her since that night.

On the sixth day of their return journey, they finally arrived at the Joyous Union Sect.

It was afternoon in the Outer Sect territory. The massive Heaven-Piercing Spirit Vessel glided slowly among the mountain peaks. It appeared leisurely but was actually moving swiftly as peaks passed by one after another. Outer Disciples on the deck began taking flight on their swords, scattering in all directions.

“Senior Brother, Junior Sister and I will take our leave now!” On the deck, Xuan Hao and Yuan Baobao bowed toward Senior Brother Li.

Li Meng returned the salute.

“Junior Sister, let us go.” Xuan Hao turned to Yuan Baobao before soaring into the air on his sword. Yuan Baobao blinked at Senior Brother Li, who chuckled and stroked his beard.

“Go on, Junior Sister.”

Yuan Baobao offered a radiant smile before she too took flight. Li Meng watched as her figure receded, her robes fluttering gracefully. Beautiful things were always pleasing to the eye.

Shifting his gaze, Li Meng spotted two figures by the railing: Junior Brother Qian and Junior Sister Hua. Noticing his glance, Qian Wen hurriedly bowed. Hua Biying looked at Senior Brother Li with a smiling gaze before also bowing. Her eyes held nothing but gratitude. Li Meng gave Junior Brother Qian a slight nod, and the two soared away.

Squinting slightly, Li Meng watched Junior Sister Hua’s graceful figure until it vanished. While her immortal bearing couldn’t compare to Senior Qu’s… when it came to feminine charm, she undoubtedly surpassed every female cultivator Li Meng knew.

Finally, Li Meng himself took flight on his sword.

Outer Sect, Little Bamboo Peak.

Within a dilapidated courtyard compound, Li Meng descended from flight. Looking at the overgrown weeds filling the space, he shook his head slowly.