"Take you as my master?"
A tremor ran through Li Zixuan upon hearing Qin Yang's words. She clasped a hand over her mouth in shock.
Happiness had come so suddenly. It was like a colossal fortune had descended from the heavens, leaving her utterly stunned!
"Is this really happening…?"
She murmured in a daze. 'The master I've dreamed of day and night really wants to take me as his disciple?!'
The moonlight bathed the mountains in a serene, natural glow, making the black-robed figure before her seem like something from a dream.
Everything felt so surreal.
'No, calm down. I have to calm down…'
Li Zixuan parted her lips and bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, forcing the surge of excitement to recede.
Accepting a master was a solemn affair; she absolutely could not lose her composure in front of such an expert.
'Li Zixuan, oh, Li Zixuan, you can't be discourteous. You can't let this senior of the Sword Dao look down on you.'
At this thought, she took a deep breath, forced herself to settle, and looked once more at the black-robed figure.
"Well? What is your decision, little girl?"
Qin Yang lowered his voice, standing with his hands clasped behind his back in the posture of a transcendent master. He spoke slowly, "I never force things upon others. If you are unwilling, then so be it. You may act according to your own wishes."
"I… Of course I'm willing, Senior! It's just…"
Seeing his posture, Li Zixuan spoke up quickly, but then she remembered something. She hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Senior, to be perfectly honest with you… I already have a teacher."
As she spoke, her eyes misted over, and it looked as if she could burst into tears at any moment.
Being able to become this master's disciple was a monumental opportunity, but Li Zixuan didn't dare hide the fact that she already had a teacher.
Otherwise, if Senior were to find out someday after accepting her today, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But the problem was, if she told him now, he might be displeased that she'd had a teacher before.
If that happened, this hard-won opportunity to become his disciple might just vanish!
'Is this my fate...? To seek but never obtain, to be filled with regret…'
Li Zixuan lowered her gaze, her hands gripping the corners of her clothes. She tried to suppress the feeling of being wronged as she awaited the master's response.
However.
When Qin Yang heard this, he froze for a second.
'Crap!'
'How could I have forgotten this girl has a teacher?'
'Tsk, the intelligence Xia He gathered before mentioned that this girl had received the true teachings of the Martial Arts Academy's dean.'
Qin Yang's brow furrowed slightly, but on second thought, he realized it wasn't a big deal.
'It doesn't matter how many teachers Li Zixuan has. It has nothing to do with me.'
'I just need to obediently take her as a disciple and get the damn system's rewards. That's it.'
'I'm just here to reap the disciple benefits. I don't give a damn if the world floods!'
At this thought, Qin Yang's mind cleared. He brought a cupped fist to his mouth and coughed lightly. "No matter, little girl. When I take a disciple, it is based entirely on my personal preference. I do not care whether you have a teacher."
"Senior, do you truly mean that?"
Hearing this, Li Zixuan snapped her head up, the light returning to her dim eyes.
"But of course. My word has always been my bond, and I never speak a single lie. However…"
Qin Yang nodded slightly, adding thoughtfully, "I dislike the pomp and ceremony of the secular world. If you are to become my disciple, you must not publicize this matter and bring me trouble."
"Yes, I understand! I will obey Senior's decree and will never reveal anything about you to anyone!" Li Zixuan was overjoyed. She cupped her hands in a salute and expressed her thanks.
Back when she was studying under the dean of the Martial Arts Academy,
she often heard Elder Li speak of the deeds of great masters.
It was said that most of them had profound Cultivation, were detached from the world, cared nothing for mortal fame or fortune, and possessed temperaments vastly different from ordinary people.
Now, after this meeting with the black-robed man, Li Zixuan's suspicions were finally confirmed.
"What? Are you still going to call me Senior?"
Qin Yang narrowed his eyes, patiently guiding Li Zixuan into his verbal trap.
"Yes, Sen—no, thank you, Master."
Li Zixuan understood immediately and quickly amended her words. "If you will not abandon me, I am willing to honor you as my master for all of eternity!"
As her voice fell, she adjusted her position, landing on a slightly thicker branch, and performed a grand kowtow to Qin Yang.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The three successive sounds echoed distinctly in the quiet mountain valley.
"Mm, not bad, not bad… Rise, my good disciple."
Hearing this, Qin Yang breathed a sigh of relief. 'This should count as successfully taking a disciple.'
But…
'Why can't I hear the system's notification?'
'Hmm? Don't tell me I missed a step?'
Qin Yang's thoughts raced. He suddenly recalled that the ancient rituals for accepting a master were quite cumbersome.
'Adjusting one's robes, washing hands before kowtowing, presenting a gift of dried meat… a whole pile of tedious trifles. I can't possibly be expected to go through all that, can I?!'
'No, I shouldn't think like that. Why don't I try teaching her something first.'
'Once I've passed on a Cultivation Technique, that should be enough to establish a master-disciple relationship.'
At this thought,
Qin Yang shook his head slightly. An idea suddenly flashed in his mind. He looked at Li Zixuan and said:
"Alright. Since I have already accepted you as my disciple, I will first give you a small entry gift."
"An entry gift?"
Li Zixuan looked at Qin Yang timidly, somewhat bewildered.
The next moment, however, she saw Qin Yang raise a finger and tap it toward the space between her eyebrows.
WHOOSH!
A strand of exquisite sword light flashed.
It shot directly into her mind.
In an instant!
Her mind felt like it had exploded. A torrent of memories surged in, throwing her Divine Sense into chaos as the pure and profound true meaning of the Sword Dao reverberated within her.
"This technique is called 'One Sword Opens the Celestial Gate'! For one who cultivates it to the extreme, the barriers of this world are nothing but a matter of one sword strike. Even the Immortals in the heavens must shy away from its edge!"
Qin Yang shouted sternly, his voice like a great bell booming by Li Zixuan's ears. "Today, I will bestow this Sword Skill upon you. Comprehend it well!"
As his voice faded,
Li Zixuan's eyes widened in utter shock!
The Sword Intent surging in her mind was profound beyond anything she had ever learned in her entire life. Even Dean Li couldn't hope to compare.
'If this were out in the world, it would be treated as a sect-defining treasure!'
'But Master is giving away such an esoteric Swordsmanship as a mere entry gift?'
Unbelievable!
'Just how powerful is Master?!'
At this thought, Li Zixuan gave Qin Yang a deep look.
But this was not the time to overthink.
Comprehending Sword Intent required a mind free of distractions.
So, she shook her head, decided to think no more, and began to close her eyes and concentrate, carefully receiving the true meaning of the Sword Dao in her mind.
'This should be enough, right?'
Qin Yang watched Li Zixuan, who had entered a state of epiphany. 'I've already passed on the Sword Dao.'
'The master-disciple relationship is established. Why hasn't the damn system shown up?'
'System, speak!'
He thought, directly calling the system in his mind.
After calling several times, he finally heard the system's belated response:
"HOLY SHIT! An Empress-level expert actually kowtowed and took you as a master!"
"Host, you are truly a god!"
Listening to the system's mechanical voice, Qin Yang snorted coldly. "Don't fuck around with your old man. Why didn't you respond just now!"
"Lord Host, the information overload was too great just now. This system didn't know what to do and ended up crashing…"
"Host is truly a ruthless badass reincarnated…"
The system's trembling voice transmitted.
"This system is kneeling to you right now!"