"Grand Elder (Grandpa)" everyone greeted the newcomer respectfully.
The newcomer was none other than the Grand Elder. He looked at Ling Xiao, stroking his beard and chuckling, "Not bad, you've broken through a small level so quickly. It seems you might even become a high-level profound practitioner before the clan competition."
Ling Zhan looked at his son in astonishment and said, "Son, you... you've already reached the mid-level cultivation level?"
Ling Xiao smiled and nodded, a gesture of acknowledgment. Then he said to his mother, "Mom, go tell the servants to prepare the feast. Let's have a good drink today."
Meng Xiyun smiled gratifiedly and retreated with Bai Yuxi.
"You, boy, are sensible enough to go easy on your father," Ling Zhan said, patting Ling Xiao on the shoulder. While happy for Ling Xiao, he also reminded himself that he needed to work harder and not lose to his son.
Soon, everyone finished their meal, and Ling Zhan drank heavily, passing out drunkenly in his wife's arms. After more than a decade, he had finally regained his Xuanzhe strength. It felt almost unreal. All of this was brought to him by his son, and he felt incredibly grateful to him.
"Grandpa, where are we going?" Ling Xiao was called out by the Grand Elder, but he had no idea where the old man was taking him.
"You'll know when we get there," the Grand Elder replied calmly, walking leisurely towards the Ling family's back mountain.
Along the way, many Ling family guards greeted the two men respectfully.
As they walked away, the guards began to whisper. "See? That's Young Master Ling Xiao next to the Grand Elder."
"Is he the Young Master Ling Xiao whose meridians were destroyed and then rebuilt? I never thought he'd be so lucky to be appreciated by the Grand Elder."
"Don't underestimate Young Master Ling Xiao. Although he's only a low-level Xuan practitioner, he defeated Young Master Ling Xing, a high-level Xuan practitioner, in the family test."
"Really? A low-level warrior defeating a high-level warrior? That's unlikely."
"Hmph. If you don't believe me, ask around. Everyone knows this."
...
Ling Xiao and the Grand Elder headed straight for the Ling family's back mountain.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they arrived at the Ling family's back mountain.
"Grandpa, why are we here?" Ling Xiao asked, puzzled. At this time, the Grand Elder finally explained his purpose: "To practice the second transformation of the Vajra Five Transformations."
The second transformation of the Vajra Five Transformations was "Tendon Refining."
Ling Xiao said no more, quietly awaiting the Grand Elder's instructions.
The Grand Elder softly called out, "Everyone, come out."
Five people then jumped out from different directions. They were all wearing uniform martial arts uniforms and respectfully greeted the Grand Elder, "Greetings, Grand Elder."
Ling Xiao looked at these people. Each one had a full divine foreground. He couldn't tell their cultivation level, but his intuition told him that they were at least at the Xuanshi level or above. "These five are Xuanshi-level masters of the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. From now on, they will take turns attacking you using different attributes. Your task is to not resist, but to use the Vajra Five Transformations Technique. For the first two weeks, you can take Huilu Dan to heal your wounds. After that, you can no longer take Huilu Dan. Every night, I will send someone to bring you potions to soak in. If you can't even endure this, you may end up crippled." The Supreme Elder discarded his usual gentle smile and spoke sternly to Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao's mouth dropped open, speechless. He knew that to cultivate the second transformation, he had to endure constant attacks from hard objects, especially the tendons in his limbs. He would then practice the Vajra Five Transformations Technique to reconnect broken tendons, repeating this process until his tendons became as strong as steel.
However, he hadn't expected the Supreme Elder to be so harsh, actually allowing Xuanshi to attack directly, and taking turns attacking with different attributes. This brutal training would probably scare anyone into dreading the practice. "Old Master, you wouldn't be so cruel, would you? What if my limbs are truly broken?" Ling Xiao said heartbrokenly.
"Don't worry, I'll have them go easy on you at first. I'll start with a full-strength attack from a high-level profound practitioner. Later, when you can withstand it, I'll gradually intensify the attack until you reach the Minor Success stage of your Second Transformation," the Grand Elder said.
Hearing this, Ling Xiao's heart finally settled slightly. He had already mastered the first transformation, "Skin Refining," and could withstand the full-strength attacks of a high-level profound practitioner.
"Alright, stay in the back mountains and cultivate for the time being. Don't come out until you reach the Minor Success stage," the Grand Elder said, turning and leaving.
Ling Xiao looked at the Grand Elder's departing figure and said angrily, "What a heartless old man."
"Young Master, we're about to attack," someone said to Ling Xiao as the Grand Elder left.
"Don't worry, Young Master, I'm not ready yet," Ling Xiao quickly stopped him. "The Grand Elder has instructed that if the young master slacks off and doesn't practice, he won't eat that day," the man said again indifferently.
"Damn, that's too harsh!" Ling Xiao cursed, then untied his cloak and patted his chest, saying, "Who's going first? This young master is not afraid of anyone."
As soon as Ling Xiao finished speaking, someone stepped forward and said, "Young master, I'm a gold-attributed person. I came first. Excuse me."
With that, the man swung his fists simultaneously, sending two beams of golden light blasting towards Ling Xiao's arms.
"Boom."
"Wow!"
Ling Xiao was struck by the beams and couldn't help but scream in surprise.
"Huh, I'm fine!" Ling Xiao checked his arms and found them to be fine, feeling a little surprised.
"Young master, that was just the force of a mid-level Xuan practitioner's attack. What's coming next is the force of a high-level Xuan practitioner's attack. Watch out, young master," the gold-attributed warrior said. Immediately afterwards, two more golden rays struck, each more intense than the last.
"Boom!"
"Ah, it hurts so much!" This time, Ling Xiao cried out in agony, his teeth bared. The clothing on his hands shattered, and red, swollen bruises appeared on his arms.
Although the first layer of refined skin could withstand the full force of a high-level Xuan practitioner, it wasn't completely immune. Basic swelling and pain would still occur.
Then, the gold-attributed warrior used Ling Xiao as a punching bag, controlling his strength to that of a high-level Xuan practitioner and continuously hammering at him.
At first, Ling Xiao screamed in agony, like a criminal being tortured, allowing himself to be hammered. Later, he activated the Vajra Five Transformations Technique to resist, and the pain gradually subsided. He also noticed that with each blow, the speed of his Xuan energy increased by a point.
By the end of the day, Ling Xiao's entire body was covered in bruises, and his limbs were extremely red and swollen, even oozing blood. He looked quite frightening. In the evening, Bai Yuxi arrived with a basket of food for Ling Xiao.
Seeing Ling Xiao like this, she felt an unspeakable pain in her heart.
"Master, you're so wounded!" Bai Yuxi caressed Ling Xiao's wounds, but she couldn't help but shrink her wrist, thinking of her own status.
Ling Xiao took the opportunity to hold her slender hand. The delicate, smooth feeling of it made Ling Xiao's heart flutter.
"Master," Bai Yuxi whispered softly, her pretty face lowered, a blush spreading to her ears.
"Yuxi, come and feed Master! Master, I can't move my hands," Ling Xiao said reluctantly, letting go of Bai Yuxi.
"Yes," Bai Yuxi nodded with a hint of disappointment, then picked up the food and fed Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao looked at her delicate, rosy face, her obedient and well-behaved expression, and a warm feeling washed over him. Bai Yuxi noticed Ling Xiao staring at her, and suddenly felt nervous. Her heart had long been devoted to Ling Xiao, and now, being the first time she was intimately serving him, her heart was pounding.
After dinner, two waiters immediately arrived with a large bucket of hot water, already steeped in various precious medicinal herbs.
"Young Master, it's time for a bath. The old master said you should bathe in this medicine every day from now on. It will aid your cultivation," Bai Yuxi said, remembering the Grand Elder's instructions.
Ling Xiao nodded and stood up, but his legs gave way, and he nearly fell. Fortunately, Bai Yuxi, standing beside him, caught him in time.
Smelling the faint fragrance of virginity, Ling Xiao felt a little distracted. He cursed inwardly, "How pathetic it is to have lived two lives without losing your virginity!"
Bai Yuxi helped Ling Xiao to the wooden bucket, where the water was still bubbling and steaming. "Master, I... I'll help you bathe and change your clothes," Bai Yuxi said nervously. Ling Xiao usually bathed himself, but today, Ling Xiao's limbs were not working properly, so she was prepared to serve the Master from start to finish.
"Well, I'll do it myself," Ling Xiao said a little sheepishly, still unused to being seen naked.
However, this time, Bai Yuxi didn't leave as obediently as usual. Instead, she looked at Ling Xiao with a hint of grievance, a faint mist in her beautiful eyes.
"Yuxi, what's wrong with you?" Ling Xiao asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Master, do you really hate me?" Bai Yuxi asked with a pitying tone. "How could that be? I love you so much, how could I possibly hate you?"
"Then why don't you need me to serve you? Other masters and young masters would have maids help them bathe and change clothes, and even... even warm their beds. But... but Young Master, you never let me do these things. Don't you think you hate me?"
Ling Xiao raised his swollen hand and scratched Bai Yuxi's nose. "Silly girl, are you really willing to do these things for Young Master? Those maids sacrifice themselves out of necessity. I don't want to do this to you. Don't forget, you're my godsister."
"Young Master, I can do anything for you. I volunteer." With that, Bai Yuxi actually untied the silk gauze sheath herself, revealing a serpentine, curvaceous, and alluring body before Ling Xiao's eyes. It wasn't Ling Xiao's first time seeing a girl's body; in his previous life, he'd spied on his senior and junior sisters bathing. But when she appeared before his eyes, his blood immediately raced, his lower body almost instantly formed a tent, and his throat involuntarily rolled.
"Young Master, will you let me help you bathe and change clothes?" Bai Yuxi's face flushed bright red as her bare hands worked tirelessly to help Ling Xiao remove his martial arts uniform.
Suddenly, a lingering, ambiguous atmosphere permeated the cave.