Ye Ling had no idea that, not far from him, a talisman lay in wait, ready to be activated.
However, the moment Ye Ling pushed the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant back, the talisman naturally dissipated into the air, turning into a wisp of dust.
Completely unaware that he had just brushed past the gates of death, Ye Ling still felt a pang of regret. After all, this was the first time he had ever seen a magical artifact with three separate abilities.
But Bai Yiyi wouldn't even give up ordinary clothes. The fact that she was willing to hand over such an incomparably precious jade pendant to him was already more than enough.
All the earlier unpleasantness quietly faded from his heart, replaced by a gentle warmth.
Really, why bother arguing with this girl?
Still, Ye Ling learned a valuable lesson. The next time there was a duel or a grand competition, he would definitely ask Bai Yiyi for a pile of magical artifacts to protect himself.
This girl was rich, ridiculously rich. There was no way she didn't have plenty of good stuff on her.
"Mm…"
Bai Yiyi bit her lip, her wine-red eyes fixed on Ye Ling. After confirming that he truly meant it, she finally put the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant back into her storage ring.
But then—
"Then this battle robe… you, you keep it safe…"
She pushed forward, and a hard object slammed into Ye Ling's chest, pressing the Foundation Establishment cultivator straight to the ground.
Without sparing him a glance, Bai Yiyi fled like a little rabbit that had done something wrong, disappearing in a flash.
???
Pinned to the ground by the heavy object, Ye Ling fell into utter confusion.
Hey, if you're giving me a battle robe, then just give it to me. Why run off so fast?
And what kind of battle robe is this?
Why is it so heavy?
Ye Ling gathered all his strength before barely managing to shove the robe aside onto the ground.
He had a vague idea of why Bai Yiyi had run away, but it wasn't until he saw the robe's description that his suspicion was fully confirmed.
[Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe (High-Grade Spirit Artifact, Scalable)]
[Description: Ordained by the Nine Heavens, none dare disobey]
[Ability ①: Force Dissipation. All damage received by the wearer is reduced by 50%]
[Ability ②: Ordainment. Designate one enemy; the next attack is guaranteed to hit]
[Note: This armor contains a concept-level curse. The wearer must not harm Bai Yiyi, must not abandon Bai Yiyi, and must not betray Bai Yiyi]
"Gulp…"
Ye Ling swallowed instinctively. He didn't understand what a concept-level curse really meant, but the system's text, glowing so red it was almost black, made the implications painfully clear.
Fortunately, he had no intention whatsoever of harming Bai Yiyi, nor did he have the strength to do so.
And besides, how could he ever abandon or betray such an adorable, easy-to-fool Master?
Because of that, wearing this battle robe came with no psychological burden at all.
Most importantly, it was insanely handsome.
The left and right shoulder guards were carved with dragon-head imprints, so vivid they looked as though they might fly off the moment their eyes were painted in.
The robe itself was white, but unlike ordinary fabric. The material was extraordinarily unique. It looked and felt soft, yet when lightly tapped it was hard, clearly something of exceptional quality.
The entire battle robe was suffused with a divine glow, exuding a faint Dao resonance.
The only pity was that it couldn't transform into steel eggs or wood. Otherwise, Ye Ling would have liked it even more.
Still, since it had growth potential, maybe there would be room for modification in the future.
Satisfied… no.
Extremely satisfied!
At this point, Ye Ling could honestly say he adored Bai Yiyi to death. After all, who wouldn't like such an adorable little rich girl?
But after struggling with all his might to put the battle robe on, Ye Ling discovered—
[This battle robe requires the host to reach the Golden Core Stage to unleash its divine effects]
???
Isn't this supposed to be an open world?
Why does equipping gear come with level requirements?
Terrible design!
Ye Ling tried channeling his True Qi into the battle robe, but it was like pouring water into a bottomless pit. No matter how much True Qi he fed it, the robe remained completely unresponsive.
After trying for quite a while, Ye Ling finally gave up on this foolish effort.
Sure enough, divine artifacts weren't so easy to use.
It was just like the Small Formless Sword in his hand. Even with a sword technique, it was difficult for him to control. He could only treat it like an ordinary mortal blade, unable to display even a fraction of a Flying Sword's true power.
Taking an enemy's head from a thousand miles away—that was what a Flying Sword was really meant for.
"But isn't the Void Sword Casket a Dao Artifact? Does that girl really have more True Qi than me?"
Ye Ling complained out of habit. He clearly remembered the Dao Artifact Leng Qingqiu had taken out back then. After all, it had completely overshadowed his Small Formless Sword right in front of him.
He was so much stronger than Leng Qingqiu. There was no way he shouldn't even be able to drive a high-grade Spirit Artifact.
Yet just as his doubts piled up, a familiar yet unfamiliar fragrance suddenly rushed into his nose.
"Someone's cooking?"
An image instantly surfaced in Ye Ling's mind. Ai Yueli, dressed in a cheongsam with an apron tied around her waist, deftly preparing delicious food.
But when he put the battle robe back into his storage ring and hurried toward the kitchen, the scene before him left him stunned.
Talismans floated in midair, glowing softly. Under their influence, meat, vegetables, and spices flew about, rapidly transforming into one dish after another, each more enticing than the last.
Over the past five days, Ye Ling had been living on Fasting Pills. Compared to pills, though, real food was far more satisfying.
He had thought that once he began cultivating, he would be completely cut off from the five grains and worldly flavors. But among the Six Arts was the Dao of Spirit Cuisine, and it had thoroughly awakened his inner foodie.
Unfortunately, Bai Yiyi clearly couldn't cook. Ye Ling himself could, but he couldn't go down the mountain. Even the cleverest cook couldn't make a meal without ingredients.
Now, however, things were different. Ai Yueli's return was practically a resupply for Heavenly Gate Sect.
"Junior nephew, my Spirit Cuisine skills are nothing special. When your Fifth Martial Aunt returns, I'll have her prepare an initiation banquet for you."
At some point, Ai Yueli had appeared behind Ye Ling without him noticing.
"Fourth Martial Aunt, you're too kind."
Though he had been startled, seeing Ai Yueli's stiff, serious face somehow calmed him down.
"How could I trouble Fourth Martial Aunt to cook? When the time comes, I'll definitely help."
"You certainly know how to talk."
Faced with Ye Ling's sudden wit, the corner of Ai Yueli's mouth twitched ever so slightly before quickly settling back into its usual calm.
"When an elder bestows something, one dares not refuse."
Ye Ling broke into a bright smile and looked at the lively kitchen scene.
"I may not be talented, but I can at least help with the prep."
"You've cooked before?"
Ai Yueli grew a bit interested. After all, Ye Ling's clothes were anything but ordinary, and he even wore a storage ring. No matter how one looked at him, he didn't seem like the type who would cook for himself.
"I've tried, but I'm pretty average. Naturally, I can't compare to Fourth Martial Aunt's skill."
"Save the compliments for the dinner table."
Ai Yueli seemed to be in a good mood. She didn't pursue the topic further and simply said, "Go invite the Sect Master. It's time to eat."
"Yes."
Watching dish after dish fly toward the next room, tears welled at the corners of Ye Ling's eyes.
Sniff… sniff…
After so long, he was finally getting a hot meal.