The so-called one thing supersedes another, and with Xu Lianyu being such a little ancestor, Xu Ma’an simply couldn’t control her.
But Yang Yuemin was different; this Great Witch, despite equally doting on Xu Lianyu, was just as capable of strictly managing her.
Hearing the punishment from Yang Yuemin at this moment, Xu Lianyu immediately had eyes brimming with tears, casting a plea for help towards Xu Ma’an.
Xu Ma’an coughed twice, turned his head away, and dared not respond.
He was not only unable to manage his little junior sister, but he also internally praised and agreed with Yang Yuemin’s decision.
Xu Lianyu had been spoiled by him since childhood, with a fearless temperament; she had long needed to be disciplined. Now being in the Jade Cauldron Sect, if she were to go to the Mysterious Heaven World in the future, she would inevitably suffer, and being confined for a year would be good to temper her disposition.
Seeing that seeking Xu Ma’an’s help was useless, Xu Lianyu quickly turned her gaze towards Lin Chen.
After all, to her, being confined for a year was no different from being sentenced to death. On Jade Bird Peak, besides the three senior sisters who were severe, spoke little, and were always in seclusion, there was nothing else. Was she supposed to play with Junior Brother Lin Chen? Although that wasn’t impossible, the little junior brother also liked to cultivate in seclusion; she would definitely die of boredom.
Seeing Xu Lianyu’s pleading eyes, Lin Chen also felt a bit of a headache; he knew her temperament too well.
If he didn’t help her, she would probably resent him for a long time and sulk with him incessantly.
But if he did help her, it would be a different story. She would be tearfully grateful, always remembering your kindness in her heart.
Lin Chen smiled faintly, still deciding to speak up and say some good words for Xu Lianyu. After all, he was just talking; the final decision was up to the master.
"Master, please forgive my senior sister this time," Lin Chen began to intercede for Xu Lianyu. "When you were poisoned and fell into a coma, every day senior sister secretly wept, lost her appetite, and was in despair. As disciples, as long as we could remove the poison from our master, what would it matter if we lost our lives in the process? So master, senior sister entered the secret realm all for your sake."
As Lin Chen spoke up in Xu Lianyu’s defense, Xu Lianyu was stunned. When had she lost her appetite? Although the master was poisoned with a strong toxin, what use was it just to be sad? She still needed to eat and drink as usual.
Xu Lianyu found that she had never noticed before that Lin Chen had such a side to him, playing the drama so extensively.
"Enough, considering you did it all for your master, I’ll halve the punishment. You are confined for six months," Yang Yuemin said, her heart feeling bittersweet after hearing Lin Chen’s entreaty. "Since you pleaded so earnestly for your senior sister, you will be confined to Jade Bird Peak just like her."
Yang Yuemin, upon hearing Lin Chen’s words, felt a sour sensation in her heart.
Although she knew that Xu Lianyu was doing all this for her, if something happened to Xu Lianyu, she would feel guilty for life.
Afterward, Lin Chen and Xu Lianyu headed to the main peak, Jade Cauldron Peak, to receive their rewards.
And Xu Lianyu’s gaze towards Lin Chen indeed underwent some changes.
Lin Chen had just interceded on her behalf, and she was extremely pleased inside. Although the result was still confinement, the duration had been reduced by half. However, Lin Chen would also be confined like her; thus, he wouldn’t be able to go down the mountain to enjoy all the delicious food.
Thinking of this, Xu Lianyu suddenly felt a surge of guilt, secretly blaming herself for Lin Chen’s punishment.
However, what she didn’t know was that the six-month confinement was of no concern to Lin Chen since he had already planned to spend the next half a year in seclusion.
When the two of them arrived at the Spirit Martial Pavilion of the sect, Lin Chen was taken aback to see that the pavilion was actually an ancient stone cauldron that sent a shiver through his heart.
Lin Chen still remembered what Xun Xiangzhou had told him: The true martial arts inheritance of the Jade Cauldron Sect lay within a great cauldron.
Could it be referring to this Spirit Martial Pavilion?
Xu Lianyu walked into the pavilion with familiarity, and the two old doorkeepers greeted her neither servile nor overbearing, one in a black robe and the other in white. Their auras fluctuated unpredictably, giving Lin Chen the illusion that their strength was extraordinary, perhaps even greater than that of Xu Ma’an.
The two of them showed no particular interest when looking at Xu Lianyu, but when their gaze landed on Lin Chen, they lingered for a few moments more, as if they found it somewhat unbelievable.
"You go ahead, and remember, don’t pick more than one, and you can only choose from the first layer," Xu Ma’an said indifferently, before leaving immediately.
Lin Chen was shocked, wondering if the sect’s method of distributing rewards to disciples was so unique. There was no supervision, just a verbal instruction. Didn’t the sect fear that disciples might choose more martial arts skills than allowed?
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Chen walked into the Spirit Martial Pavilion. As he approached, the candles inside lit up one by one.
Remembering the two inscrutable old doorkeepers, Lin Chen knew that their divine sense was likely watching his every move, so he did not flip through things carelessly, but instead searched for martial arts skills on the first level of the pavilion.
After browsing, he was greatly surprised to find that most of the martial arts skills on the first level were of the Spiritual Grade, and many were of the top quality of that grade.
The Spirit Martial Pavilion was divided into three levels. If the skills on this level were already of such high grade, wouldn’t the second and third levels have even higher grades?
Among the many options, Lin Chen chose a Spirit Grade Top Quality martial arts skill called ’Scorching Sun Divine Fist.’ Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel-fire.ɴet
This technique was a method of body refinement. Once the body was tempered to enhance the divine power, it had nine levels. Upon reaching great success, even in the Spirit Gathering Realm, the power of one punch could rival that of the early stage of the Melding Earth Realm.
Thinking back on Wang Yilin’s performance in the Mire Longze Secret Realm, Lin Chen secretly resolved to fully unlock the potential of his Ancient Divine Body and follow the path of body refinement, not letting the divine body’s potential go to waste.
After selecting the martial arts skill, Lin Chen left the Spirit Martial Pavilion.
The moment he stepped out, the pavilion’s main gates closed by themselves, and the two old doorkeepers who had been guarding the entrance disappeared without a trace, making everything seem extremely mysterious.
"Don’t bother with them, Junior Brother Lin Chen. Those two old fellows have always been so secretive," said Xu Lianyu, who had been waiting outside for Lin Chen. Seeing Lin Chen looking around, she knew he was searching for the two guardians.
Then, the two of them prepared to return to Jade Bird Peak. Because Xu Lianyu was to be confined, she pulled Lin Chen to stock up on food in other peaks of the sect.
Even though she was a martial artist in the Melding Earth Realm, who wouldn’t starve even if she didn’t eat for a year by relying on absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth to replenish the body’s needed energy, Lin Chen had no way to deal with this gluttonous Xu Lianyu, so he followed her to procure a great many delicacies.
By the time they returned to Jade Bird Peak, night had already fallen. Lin Chen went back to his room and just as he opened the door, he felt an intent to kill rushing toward him.