"Young... Young Master!!" Lin Meng's soft call interrupted Ling Xiao's contemplation.
But the moment he looked up, his eyes narrowed sharply.
Before him now was another perfectly exquisite figure.
Skin as white as snow, a graceful and curvaceous figure, especially those full, shapely jade legs beneath her slender waist – they were simply too alluring.
Gulp.
This world was truly strange.
Why did breakthroughs always have to involve such temptations?
I'm no Liu Xiahui; what am I supposed to do?
Not looking would seem disrespectful, wouldn't it?
"Young Master!! I broke through!!"
"Mmm..." Ling Xiao swallowed hard, his eyes roving over Lin Meng's form.
Although the girl's looks couldn't compare to Nian Qingyun's, her figure was in no way inferior.
"Very good, very good."
Feeling Ling Xiao's intense gaze, Lin Meng's pretty face froze. When she looked down, she let out a startled cry.
"Ah!!"
Blazing flames instantly surged out, condensing around her into a fiery red long dress that accentuated her alluring figure even more.
But her flushed, shy little face was like a ripe cherry, making one unable to resist... wanting to taste it.
Ahem, ahem. "Very good. I didn't expect your physique to be so special, capable of making a heaven-and-earth Spiritual Flame submit." Ling Xiao's expression remained calm, even carrying a hint of authority.
Seeing this, Lin Meng felt a pang of panic.
Does the Young Master think I did it on purpose? Someone as upright as him probably doesn't like overly flirtatious women, right?
What should I do? How do I explain this to the Young Master?
"Lin Meng, from now on... ahem... you will stay at the Dan Yuan Holy Land for now. My mother will diligently teach you the Alchemical Dao and cultivation. I hope you won't disappoint me." Ling Xiao turned his head, spotted Xuan Yuan Yue walking into the hall from outside, and a smile curled his lips.
"Young Master... you mean... Holy Master will personally guide my cultivation?!" Lin Meng covered her red lips with her hand, her face filled with astonishment.
She was originally just an insignificant disciple from a minor sect in the Eastern Territories.
She hadn't even managed to become a true disciple in that small sect.
Forget a top-tier Divine Emperor powerhouse like Xuan Yuan Yue; she had only seen the Flaming Cloud Sect Leader once, on her first day entering the sect.
But now...
She actually had the honor of training under a Divine Emperor!
What kind of heavenly fortune was this?
And all of this... was bestowed upon her by Young Master Ling Xiao!!
"Correct. From now on, you will stay by my side. I will teach you the Alchemical Dao and cultivation. I hope you won't betray Xiao'er's trust." Xuan Yuan Yue nodded coldly. Even though Lin Meng had awakened the Ta Ling Fire Body, in her eyes, she was still a weak ant.
In this world, talent was one thing; achievement was another.
To earn respect, one must reach the pinnacle.
And Lin Meng was clearly still far from it.
Of course, when it came to Ling Xiao, cultivation and such... it didn't really matter.
Whatever he wanted, Xuan Yuan Yue would give. If she couldn't give it, she would definitely find something else as a substitute.
"Yes! Holy Master!" Lin Meng gritted her silver teeth, vowing inwardly not to betray the Young Master's sincere intentions.
For a lowly mountain girl like me... the Young Master must have pleaded with the Holy Master for a long time.
She probably didn't realize that, with her current cultivation and abilities, she could absolutely be considered a top-tier genius even within the entire Sacred Dynasty.
"Alright, I have some matters to attend to. You focus on cultivating here. I'll come to see you when I have time." Ling Xiao reached out and gently rubbed Lin Meng's head, then turned and walked out of the hall.
"Mother, I'm going to check on Qingchan, then I need to return to the sect."
"You little rascal, do you even have me, your mother, in your eyes?" Xuan Yuan Yue snorted coldly. A mysterious light suddenly glowed in her hand, and she tossed it towards Ling Xiao. "This is a communication talisman. The six Divine Kings of the Dan Yuan Holy Land are at your disposal at any time."
"Thank you, Mother." Ling Xiao grinned, took a large step forward, and a black light erupted between his legs, instantly transforming into the shape of a demon dragon as he sped towards the distant mountains.
"Young Master!!" Lin Meng ran to the front of the hall, watching the figure riding the dragon into the distance, a trace of reluctance flashing in her beautiful eyes.
"Stop staring. Cultivate diligently. Only by making yourself useful to him can you obtain everything you desire." Xuan Yuan Yue's words were undeniably direct, but to Lin Meng's ears, they were the best motivation.
Yes. Only by being useful to the Young Master can I be remembered in his heart.
---
Meanwhile, Ling Xiao rode the wind, arriving high above the Heavenly Sword Immortal Sect.
As dark clouds pressed down, sword intent shot straight into the sky from the entire immortal sect.
The first step in space management is having two completely separate spaces.
This was the reason Ling Xiao hadn't left Ye Qingchan at the Dan Yuan Holy Land back then.
Firstly, Ye Qingchan cultivated the Sword Dao; staying at Dan Yuan wasn't suitable.
Secondly... Heh heh heh.
Coincidentally, he was running low on immortal wine.
"What terrifying demonic aura! May I ask which Demon King from the Northern Territories has arrived? What business brings you to my Heavenly Sword Immortal Sect?" Xu Jibo and several other elders shot into the air, looking with shock at the demon dragon coiling in the sky, their expressions suggesting they faced a formidable enemy.
Ling Xiao was intentionally concealing his aura at the moment, so even Xu Jibo couldn't sense his presence.
"I heard the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Sword Immortal Sect possesses some delicious immortal wine. I wonder if this king might have the honor of tasting it..."
"'This king'? It really is a Demon King level expert..." Xu Jibo's eyes narrowed slightly, a thoughtful expression flashing across his face.
Just a few days ago, the Heavenly Sword Sect Leader, Duan Wuyong, had chosen to enter seclusion for cultivation.
Now, the entire Heavenly Sword Sect was left under the care of him and the other Divine King elders.
Although this demon dragon's aura didn't seem overwhelmingly powerful, the pressure of its bloodline was extremely alarming.
Moreover, the one currently truly in charge of the Ten Thousand Demons Holy Land was a demon dragon.
In the current Sacred Dynasty, anyone connected to the dragon race had significant backgrounds.
If they could avoid provoking it, it was best not to.
Otherwise, if it brought great disaster, Xu Jibo couldn't bear that responsibility.
Although that immortal wine was his treasure, trading a few jars of wine for the goodwill of a demon dragon wasn't too great a loss.
"Heh heh heh, since the Demon King has personally come to our door, I shall go and fetch a jar for you." Though his heart was bleeding, Xu Jibo didn't dare show the slightest neglect.
"Silence! I'll name a number. Ten jars!" At that moment, the demon dragon seemed dissatisfied. Its dragon maw opened wide, its roar rolling out like thunder, startling many Sword Sect disciples, their faces changing color as fear arose in their hearts.
"Ten jars!!!" Xu Jibo's eyes narrowed, but in the end, he didn't dare say anything more. He nodded silently, turned, and vanished from the spot.
This demon dragon's cultivation isn't high, but its tone is certainly not small.
But the more it acts like this, the more it suggests it probably has powerful backing and feels secure.
Soon, Xu Jibo's figure reappeared in the air above. With a flash of spiritual light from his hand, ten jars of immortal wine flew towards Ling Xiao.
The latter chuckled, instantly storing them away, then stepped forward, walking towards Xu Jibo and the others.
"Heh heh, the Grand Elder is as generous as ever."