Ye Chen didn't care about Bei Bei and Tang Ya's affairs, and didn't even look, so as not to be caught by that old man Mu En.
After all, he hadn't deliberately manipulated Tang Ya and Bei Bei's feelings; this was all just a small lovers' quarrel between Tang Ya and Bei Bei.
Ye Chen only wanted to do his job as Vice Sect Leader of the Tang Sect and focus on serving the Tang Sect.
He also wanted to provide "help" with cultivation to the Tang Sect Leader, striving to "restore the Tang Sect's glory"!
He was so diligent, everything for the Tang Sect, so no one could find fault with him.
Entering the Inner Courtyard, Ye Chen, familiar with the way, arrived at Ma Xiaotao's room, opened the door, and entered.
"Xiao Tao Jie, I'm back~" Ye Chen called out.
Ma Xiaotao was still very diligent; even if she cultivated until the early hours of the morning every day, only sleeping for one or two hours, she definitely wasn't asleep yet.
Ye Chen first took a quick shower, then, wrapped in a bathrobe, he quietly approached Ma Xiaotao's door.
Through the crack in the door, he could see that the Soul Guidance lamp inside had already been turned off.
When Ye Chen had just returned, the light in Ma Xiaotao's room was still on, so it was clearly just turned off.
Ye Chen gently turned the doorknob.
"Click~"
Sure enough, the door wasn't locked.
In the morning, he had suggested that he wanted to sleep with Ma Xiaotao every night.
Although Ma Xiaotao had given a vague, perfunctory answer, she hadn't refused.
The unlocked door definitely meant tacit agreement.
"Sister Xiaotao, are you asleep?"
Ye Chen quietly crept to the bedside.
Although the room was very dark, Ye Chen still saw Ma Xiaotao wrapped in the quilt, and he could clearly hear Ma Xiaotao's gradually accelerating heartbeat.
Seeing this, Ye Chen smiled slightly, feeling confident, so he directly lifted the quilt with one foot and slipped inside.
"Ah--"
A wave of movement instantly came from within the quilt.
It quickly settled down.
Ye Chen held Ma Xiaotao, feeling her warm embrace, a look of satisfaction on his face.
Ma Xiaotao was only wearing a light silk nightgown.
The close-fitting sensation was as if she were wearing nothing.
Especially since the gown was very short, Ye Chen wrapped his arms around Ma Xiaotao's slender waist, one hand...
"It's agreed, we're just sleeping, no touching..." Ma Xiaotao gently patted Ye Chen's hand away, muttering softly.
"Mhm, mhm~ A gentleman uses his words, not his hands, I understand."
Ye Chen nodded, very obediently, and withdrew his hand.
...
...
The next day.
Ma Xiaotao woke up early.
Wiping the drool from her chest, she looked at Ye Chen, who was still sound asleep, and mumbled softly, "He's such a bad guy, he can't even sleep honestly..."
However, despite her confusion, Ma Xiaotao didn't refuse; if Ye Chen liked it, she would let him have his fill.
Moreover, sleeping with Ye Chen didn't disadvantage her; a night's sleep could essentially eliminate the Evil Fire accumulated in her body.
She had now recovered her previous cultivation speed, and the amount of Evil Fire accumulated daily was dozens of times more than when she wasn't cultivating.
And with the help of the cool Ye Chen, a single night could completely eliminate the Evil Fire accumulated over two or three days.
It had to be said, Ye Chen was truly useful.
She had been stuck at Spirit Emperor Rank 63 for over a year, but since using Ye Chen, without the trouble of Evil Fire, her soul power had now increased to Rank 64.
She could also be considered to have accumulated a lot of power; if things continued like this, she was confident she could cultivate to Rank 69 within a year, and reach the Spirit Saint realm within two years!
...
Ma Xiaotao prepared breakfast.
Ye Chen also woke up groggily, quickly washed up, and then sat down at the dining table, ready to enjoy Ma Xiaotao's loving breakfast.
"Hmph hmph, did you sleep well last night, you little rascal?" Ma Xiaotao extended her small foot, wrapped in white silk, and stepped on Ye Chen, humming softly.
"Mhm mhm, I slept very soundly~" Ye Chen chuckled, nodding honestly.
"Don't do that next time," Ma Xiaotao chided sweetly.
"Mhm mhm, definitely next time," Ye Chen still nodded obediently.
His main point was to listen to advice but not change.
"You're such a little rascal..." She gave Ye Chen a white eye, but didn't say much more.
She knew Ye Chen's personality; her words just now weren't to make Ye Chen change, but to prevent him from taking an inch when given a foot.
She hadn't slept well last night, mainly because she was only wearing a nightgown, which was very short, and she was hugging Ye Chen, so she was afraid that this guy...
"Next time I'll have to wear underwear..." Ma Xiaotao thought to herself, to avoid any accidents.
It wasn't that she was unwilling; it was just that Ye Chen was still young, and she couldn't lead him astray.
She had already regarded Ye Chen as her little husband; she would give herself to him when he grew a bit older.
"Xiao Tao Jie, why are you spacing out?"
Ye Chen saw Ma Xiaotao staring at him blankly and waved his hand gently in front of her.
"Oh... nothing... Oh, right..."
Ma Xiaotao snapped back, seemingly remembering something, and said, "Your assessment results should be out by now. Today, the teacher wants me to take you to Sea God Pavilion. Let's leave after breakfast."
"Oh, where is Sea God Pavilion? I haven't heard of it?"
Ye Chen pretended to be curious, chatting with Ma Xiaotao while eating.
"Sea God Pavilion is the sacred place of the entire Shrek Academy. The Titled Douluo elders of Shrek reside near Sea God Pavilion, and all matters of Shrek are in their hands..."
"Hmph hmph~ Junior Brother, let me tell you, you've hit the jackpot this time. Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan said a lot of good things about you, so you're definitely going to get a lot of benefits this time."
Ma Xiaotao hummed softly, a look of envy in her eyes as she looked at Ye Chen.
The most important thing was Zhang Lexuan's kind words and praise for Ye Chen, which would definitely greatly increase the cultivation methods the elders of Sea God Pavilion would use for Ye Chen.
"Is that so? Then I'll have to properly repay Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan if I get the chance~" Ye Chen showed a brilliant smile, while images from that night flashed through his mind...
Compared to Ma Xiaotao's fiery and straightforward nature,
Zhang Lexuan was gentle and considerate, and also a "big" sister.
"Since Bei Bei doesn't cherish you, then I'll cherish you properly~" Ye Chen thought to himself.
...
Ye Chen and Ma Xiaotao quickly finished breakfast.
The two changed into more formal school uniforms, and then hurried towards Sea God Pavilion.
Following several small paths, the two quickly arrived at the center of Sea God Island.
The area was perpetually shrouded in mist.
Sea God Pavilion stood like a colossal pillar reaching the heavens, soaring straight up into the deepest parts of the clouds.
Most people might not understand, only thinking that Sea God Pavilion was built quite tall.
But Ye Chen knew that the entire Sea God Pavilion was built from the trunk of the "Golden Ancient Tree."
The reason why there was so much mist in the sky above Sea God Island was because the "Golden Ancient Tree" was too large, covering the sky and sun, "replacing" the sky, and these mists were actually clouds.
The Golden Ancient Tree was also a good thing; it contained a "Seed of the Plane," and if he could seize it in the future, it would be very important to Ye Chen...