Chapter 358 - 353: Is the Zouma Gang a Pushover?

Just as Du Youqian had expected, Li Fei’s cultivation hadn’t progressed an inch in over a decade. She was still at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.

A Lowerest Grade Spirit Root...

It was just that pitiful.

In truth, however, after testing her loyalty, Du Youqian had come to value her greatly. He was deliberately suppressing her progress to let her properly temper herself.

Her cultivation was too superficial, her experience lacking, and her understanding of cultivation was only half-baked. Rapid growth would not be a good thing for her.

Otherwise, if Du Youqian had spent the last ten years piling vast resources on her and personally tutoring her, he could have absolutely pushed her to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, or even helped her break through to the Seventh Layer.

Especially Du Youqian’s teachings.

For a Qi Cultivation Cultivator, the guidance of a knowledgeable Golden Core Perfection Master was practically a fortuitous encounter in itself.

A single pearl of true wisdom from him could save her ten years of effort.

Once she endured this period of settling, Du Youqian would naturally arrange for her to have a period of rapid development.

She was only twenty-four. There was truly no need to rush.

But Li Fei herself was extremely anxious.

She had come running to Du Youqian hoping to hand off her current tasks. She wanted to seek out an Evil Pool for Body Tempering.

She didn’t hide her anxiety. "It’s been almost ten years, and I still haven’t broken through to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer. It feels like my cultivation is completely stagnant. My aptitude must be too poor. Brother Zong, please let me try the Evil Pool Body Tempering. I have great luck, I’m sure I’ll succeed."

The dark, scrawny ugly duckling from all those years ago had transformed into a swan.

The Li Fei of today was graceful and elegant.

However, once a woman’s physical beauty reached a certain level, the differences were minor, each having their own unique charm.

It was, instead, the beauty of one’s disposition that gave each woman her own unforgettable, distinctive allure.

For instance, Fang Hua’s biting Sword Intent; Lin Sha’s temperament, which could shift from frosty to as vibrant as a peach blossom in an instant; Feng Xiaoyi’s once bone-deep demonic charm, now replaced by Jie Yu’s inviolable sanctity; or the Daoist Nun’s graceful, immortal air...

’Uh, did something strange get mixed in there?’

’Never mind.’ Anyway, to put it simply, while Li Fei was beautiful, she was severely lacking in temperament.

Beautiful faces were a dime a dozen. You could find a whole host of Kun Cultivators with her level of looks, but there was nothing about her that moved Du Youqian’s heart.

The importance Du Youqian placed on her was entirely due to her loyalty.

Du Youqian believed that short of ordering her to her death, she would carry out any other command of his without question.

"You don’t need high cultivation to be able to help me," Du Youqian said gently.

"But, it’s not the same. I want to do more for you," Li Fei said, somewhat dejected.

Du Youqian didn’t ask "why."

He knew very well that Li Fei had always looked up to him with admiration.

Likewise, Li Fei also understood that Du Youqian would not choose her as a partner. He had made that unmistakably clear long ago.

But she just couldn’t control the affection and adoration in her heart.

Even if her feelings weren’t reciprocated, she hoped she could do more for him, to become important in his heart.

’Maybe one day, he’ll have a change of heart?’

Even if he never returned her feelings, it didn’t matter.

He had his dreams and his great undertaking. To him, those were the things that mattered. The charms of women were mere adornments.

’So, if I can’t be his woman, as long as I can participate in his grand undertaking and contribute to his important work... that’s enough, right?’

Du Youqian wasn’t omniscient about these thoughts of hers, but he had a pretty good idea, which was why he was so confident in her loyalty.

He didn’t even need to use PUA tactics on her; Li Fei would PUA herself.

’It’s about time to comfort her a bit,’ Du Youqian realized.

’Lest she go to extremes.’

"You might think that only with high cultivation can you do more for me. But you’re wrong. Loyalty comes first, and I have never doubted your loyalty to me."

Li Fei smiled.

Du Youqian continued, "As for your cultivation, you don’t need to be anxious. You’re only twenty-four, you still have plenty of time. I will make the proper arrangements for you to attempt to reach Foundation Establishment before you’re sixty. Do you believe my promise?"

Li Fei smiled and said, "Of course I do!"

Du Youqian teased her, "I also promised to marry you, you know."

Li Fei’s face flushed red with shyness. "That wasn’t a promise... That was just you teasing me like I was a child, Brother Zong."

Du Youqian laughed heartily. "Alright, go on and do what you need to do. Don’t rush your cultivation, really. I have a plan. I’ve also prepared all the resources you’ll need for your cultivation. Right now, we just need to temper your state of mind, understand?"

"Yes, I won’t rush, Brother Zong," Li Fei said with a sweet smile.

After Li Fei left, Du Youqian’s smile vanished, and he let out a sigh.

’That girl... why is she so stubborn?’

That night, after he finished his practice, he extended his Divine Sense to investigate and found that, sure enough, Li Fei was gone.

Without making a sound, he slipped out, broke off a tree branch, and tossed it to perform a Divination for Li Fei’s location. Then, he stepped onto a Flying Sword and gave chase.

Before long, he caught up to Li Fei, but he didn’t approach her. He simply put away his Flying Sword and trailed her from a distance.

Li Fei’s steps were fast and resolute.

There was no trace of hesitation or doubt.

It was the dead of night. Especially in the Desert Sea, aside from a few nocturnal species, there wasn’t even a ghost of a shadow to be seen.

Several hours later, Li Fei arrived at an Evil Pool.

This Evil Pool was rich with Evil Qi, but it was difficult to utilize and unsuitable for refinement, so it wasn’t very valuable. No faction occupied it.

Li Fei walked to the edge of the Evil Pool, took a deep breath, and was about to charge in.

But the next moment, a large, invisible hand seized her by the neck and yanked her back.

Li Fei kicked her legs frantically in the air. "Let me go!"

"You’re truly insane," Du Youqian said sternly, placing her down in front of him. "Are you just going to ignore everything I say?"

Li Fei stubbornly turned her head away. "You might have found me today, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to find me every time."

Du Youqian shook his head. "You’re completely incorrigible. How about this: if you don’t swear an oath today to never again seek out Evil Qi Body Tempering without permission, I will cripple your cultivation right now to stop you from seeking your own death."

"No!" Li Fei could naturally tell Du Youqian wasn’t joking. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out in alarm, "Brother Zong, don’t do this!"

Du Youqian said coldly, "I can’t let you die such a worthless death."

"I won’t die!" Li Fei struggled violently, but the invisible hand held her neck in a death grip, constricting just enough to let her speak but not move. "I have great luck!"

"Are you planning to rely on luck your whole life?"

"I only need this one time! This time, I should be able to reach Foundation Establishment! After I reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll be able to help you more!" Li Fei pleaded desperately.

Du Youqian stared at her as Li Fei continued to beg.

Finally, Du Youqian sighed. "Starting today, I will teach you a new Cultivation Technique called the ’Profound Void Three Treasures Decision.’ I will set aside one hour every ten days to explain the difficult points of your cultivation. On top of that, you may take any cultivation resources you need. That’s the deal. Come back with me, or I will cripple your cultivation right now."

Li Fei stopped crying, her eyes shining. "One hour every ten days? Can it be a little more? I don’t need the cultivation resources! How about one hour every day?"

Du Youqian shot her a glare, and she immediately changed her tune. "Half an hour every day is fine!"

"Get lost!" Du Youqian snapped.

Li Fei pouted, thought for a moment, and said, "Two hours every ten days."

Worn down by her persistence, Du Youqian gave a slight nod.

"Alright then," Li Fei said happily. "I swear, I will never again seek out Evil Qi Body Tempering without permission."

"Then let’s go!" Du Youqian glared at her again, summoned his Flying Sword, and pulled her onto it.

Once they were high in the air, Li Fei wasn’t scared at all. In fact, she was extremely excited, even trying to perform dance moves despite his warnings.

’Sometimes,’ Du Youqian thought, ’I should just let her fall to her death...’

When they returned to the Oasis, Du Youqian asked her why she was so happy.

Li Fei said naturally, "Because you took me flying, Brother Zong! This has been my dream."

’What a humble dream...’

Explaining the difficult points of cultivation to Li Fei once every ten days had no real impact on Du Youqian.

It was also a good opportunity for him to organize his own cultivation experience and system of knowledge.

~~~~~~~~~

The Zouma Gang’s oases, population, and number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators had grown to nearly match those of a First Class faction. The only thing they lacked was a Core Formation Master to preside over them, which prevented them from being officially designated as such. At this point, Du Youqian instructed the gang to halt its expansion and focus on consolidating its territory.

In the eyes of outsiders, the current Zouma Gang was a juicy piece of meat, possessing resources nearly on par with a First Class faction but without the corresponding Martial Force.

Logically, such a tempting prize should have been coveted by many.

Thus, many interested parties found it strange. Why hadn’t any First Class factions attacked the Zouma Gang to squeeze this soft persimmon?

Were all the First Class factions too busy to act?

Or was the Zouma Gang hiding some unknown power?

That night.

All was quiet.

Outside the Oasis that served as the Zouma Gang’s headquarters, a Core Formation Master gazed at the not-so-distant Oasis with sharp eyes, a cloud-shaped Flying Treasure under his feet.

He was hesitating.

Advance?

Or retreat?

To advance without announcing himself would be tantamount to declaring war.

But was the Zouma Gang’s strength really just what they showed on the surface?

Did this rapidly rising gang truly have no hidden, unknown measures up its sleeve?

Just then, a wave of Divine Sense, far more powerful than he could have ever imagined, enveloped him and transmitted a message: "You who have come from afar, are you friend? Or foe?"

’You’ve got to be kidding me! A Divine Sense this terrifying... it must be at the Nascent Soul Level!’

"A friend," the Core Formation Master replied, feigning composure.

It was the only possible answer. He could only be a friend.

If he weren’t a friend... he wouldn’t be leaving here safely today.

"Since you are a friend, please return during the day. Someone will be arranged to receive you, fellow Daoist."

"Yes. In that case, I will take my leave." After speaking, the auspicious cloud immediately drifted away. The Core Formation Cultivator didn’t dare to linger for even a moment.

’No wonder no First Class faction dared to attack the Zouma Gang, a prize as tempting as a choice cut of meat!’

’So this is how deep they were hiding.’

Du Youqian sat in his room and smiled faintly.

’Scared another one off.’

’Still, I need to reach Core Formation again as soon as possible.’