Chapter 553: Request

Every afternoon, Ming Nianwei would appear promptly before Zhu Ju’s door, waiting to be summoned.

Of course.

Most of the time, she never saw him.

But that didn’t stop her from waiting there every day.

After all, in her mind, the current ‘Zhu Ju’ was a grandmaster at the pinnacle of Magic who was now cultivating a new path.

And in fact, he was.

If she could receive ‘Zhu Ju’s’ guidance, it would be hundreds, even thousands of times better than exploring and cultivating on her own.

Without guidance, she wouldn’t know where to start, even with the complete inheritance of the Golden Palace Jade Book.

“The path of the Golden Core demands absolute essence and purity. Since you’ve already switched to the Golden Palace Jade Book, you should abandon your old Cultivation Technique.”

Zhu Ju said, holding his tea,

“It’s pointless anyway.”

“Yes.”

A flicker of reluctance crossed Ming Nianwei’s mind, but she nodded in the end and presented an Array Plate.

“Master, this is the Little Five Elements Array I inscribed. It contains twenty spells of the Five Elements.”

“Mm.”

Zhu Ju took it and, after testing it for a moment, slowly nodded.

“Not bad.”

“Most of the Magic and Divine Techniques in the Golden Palace Jade Book won’t be very useful to you. Only the Arrays are crucial. You must not abandon them, even if you switch to Martial Arts in the future.”

“Yes,” Ming Nianwei agreed.

“I am currently studying the Smoke and Mist Heaven-Connecting Array. I expect that even if I don’t reach Sixth Grade, I’ll find a way to break it within two or three years.”

“And then…”

“I’ll be able to claim the treasure at Ze Lake!”

Li Chengxia had left her not just memories and an inheritance, but also several secret caches of treasure.

Ze Lake was one of them.

According to Li Chengxia’s memories, the Ze Lake treasury was filled with treasures, including many that would tempt even Fourth-Grade masters or those in the Upper Three Grades. Naturally, she was eager to get her hands on them.

“Two or three years…” Zhu Ju nodded.

“That’s fast progress. It seems you’ve made significant gains recently.”

“It is all thanks to your grace, Master.” Ming Nianwei smiled sweetly, making her already gorgeous features even more alluring.

Li Chengxia’s True Spirit had disintegrated within her Sea of Consciousness and, in a way, had merged with it.

With Zhu Ju’s guidance,

Ming Nianwei performed a Refinement technique, causing her Divine Soul Power to advance by leaps and bounds, and her Cultivation surged toward the Sixth-Grade Realm.

“That was your own lucky chance…”

“Huh?”

Zhu Ju’s brow twitched.

‘Why is she here.’

‘Who?’

Before Ming Nianwei could ask, a set of hurried footsteps echoed from outside.

Then, the door was shoved open.

“Zhu Ju.”

Zhou Ruxuan strode in, her lovely face flushed.

“I need you to help me.”

“Ru Xuan, you’ve come out of seclusion.” Zhu Ju waved his hand, signaling for Ming Nianwei to leave. “What do you need my help with?”

“Master Ming?” Zhou Ruxuan watched with a strange expression as Master Ming took her leave. Pursing her lips, she said,

“So that’s your type.”

Compared to herself, Yuanyang, and Qian Shiyao, Ming Nianwei’s figure was far more voluptuous.

She was also older.

Mature and graceful.

‘Mages spend all day meditating and chanting. They don’t need to temper their Physical Bodies, so certain parts of them certainly look better.’

‘No wonder he never touched Yuanyang.’

As she thought this, Zhou Ruxuan pouted.

‘It’s true that Martial Artists have well-developed pectoral muscles, but they can’t be too large, or it affects their speed.’

‘She wasn’t flat-chested, but she couldn’t compare to Ming Nianwei’s impressive assets.’

‘And they felt different, too.’

‘A Mage’s body is soft and delicate, yielding to the touch. A Martial Artist’s, on the other hand, is firm and smooth.’

“Such improper thoughts.”

Zhu Ju shook his head.

“What nonsense are you thinking about?”

‘Sometimes, being too perceptive isn’t a good thing. It’s too easy to pick up on others’ stray thoughts.’

“Hmph!”

Zhou Ruxuan snorted.

“You haven’t been with a woman in so many years. I thought you were an honest man, but it turns out you’re just like the rest.”

“Enough,” Zhu Ju sighed.

“You’re full of anger because you failed to break through. I can understand that, but there’s no need to take it out on me.”

“I haven’t failed yet!” Zhou Ruxuan gritted her teeth.

“There’s still a chance.”

“Oh?” Zhu Ju rubbed his chin. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and his brow furrowed.

“You’ve used a Secret Technique to lock your Qi Blood… That’s not good.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it.”

Zhou Ruxuan pulled over a chair and sat. Her expression shifted as she spoke.

“If the breakthrough fails, my Qi Blood will decline, and I won’t be able to recover for five or six years.”

“And even after recovering, a successful breakthrough isn’t guaranteed.”

Zhu Ju nodded.

In five or six years, Zhou Ruxuan would be nearly thirty. Though she would still have a chance, it would be a slim one.

“What’s your current condition?”

‘Magic.’

‘He could even claim to be the best in the world.’

‘But when it came to Qi Blood Martial Arts, this was his first real encounter. He might not understand the situation as well as the person experiencing it.’

“Think of a breakthrough like boiling water. When the water boils and lifts the kettle’s lid, that’s a successful breakthrough.”

“Failing to lift the lid means the breakthrough failed.”

Zhou Ruxuan explained grimly,

“Right now, I’m like the boiling water just as it’s trying to lift the lid, but I’m running out of steam.”

“Maintaining this boiling state consumes my own Essence and blood, so I can’t hold it for long. And the moment I stop adding ‘firewood’ to the fire, my Cultivation will regress.”

Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered.

‘This is an interesting metaphor. The so-called ‘firewood’ is, in fact, a Cultivator’s Essence and blood.’

‘Every breakthrough consumes a great deal of Essence and blood.’

‘Success is one thing, but in failure, the consumed Essence and blood will inevitably cause one’s Cultivation to regress.’

“I’m so close.”

Zhou Ruxuan gritted her teeth.

“I was so close to a successful breakthrough, but my brother and the Zhou Family are unwilling to give me another Innate Pill.”

“So you came to me?” Zhu Ju said, spreading his hands.

“I don’t have any Innate Pills on hand either.”

‘He’d had them before, but he’d long since consumed them to advance his Cultivation. He truly had none left.’

“Besides the Innate Pill, other things can also help me break through.” Zhou Ruxuan’s cheeks flushed.

“Pure Yang Qi…”

“I know you have already cultivated a wisp of Pure Yang Qi.”

“Heh…” Zhu Ju chuckled.

“The Pure Yang Qi is the key to my advancement to the Sixth Grade. If I give it to you, what will I do in the future?”

“You probably won’t reach Sixth Grade anyway,” Zhou Ruxuan said.

“But I…”

“Can!”

As if realizing how shameless that sounded, she added,

“Once I reach Sixth Grade, I’ll definitely help you get an Innate Pill. It’s not like you need it right away.”

“Two!”

“Two Innate Pills!”

Zhu Ju remained silent, merely shaking his head.

“…” Zhou Ruxuan gritted her teeth, her expression conflicted.

“Let’s get married!”

‘Hm?’

Zhu Ju froze.

“If we get married, what’s mine is yours, and you won’t have to worry about me betraying you.”

Zhou Ruxuan took a deep breath. She was shy at first, but her voice gradually steadied.

“After we’re married and I break through to the Sixth-Grade Realm, I can protect the Zhu Family. Maybe the Zhu Family can even become a great house like the Zhou or Nie families one day.”

As she spoke,

she puffed out her chest and lifted her chin, as if to show off a bust that was only slightly less impressive than Ming Nianwei’s, a gesture of both display and pride.

“My wife must be a fellow traveler on my path, not just a passerby on a short leg of life’s journey.”

Zhu Ju smiled faintly.

“So…”

“I refuse.”