Yi Tianyun tossed the long spear aside, and it landed squarely on a nearby weapon rack. He then stepped into the palace.
It was much warmer inside the palace. He had just stepped in when he was met with stares from all around. The room was filled with women—all of them female disciples.
This place was a man's paradise. Many outside disciples wanted to join, but the palace accepted only a small number of male Outer Disciples; the vast majority of its members were women.
The female disciples looked at him with disgust and discontent.
Their disgust and discontent toward Yi Tianyun stemmed from two things. First, he was a good-for-nothing who could drop dead at any moment from practicing martial arts. Second, he was the son of the previous Palace Master.
Merak Palace had a strict rule: the reigning Palace Master was absolutely forbidden to marry and have children. Yi Tianyun's mother had violated that rule; after giving birth to him, she had run off with his father!
If his aunt weren't watching over him, Yi Tianyun would have been thrown out long ago instead of being allowed to remain here.
Lian addressed him as Young Master, but the others wouldn't. They didn't even bother to greet him. Privately, they called Yi Tianyun "the waste" or "the bastard."
Faced with this situation, Yi Tianyun remained expressionless. His heart had long ago grown cold, and he had accepted this reality.
Every time he felt their contemptuous gazes, he would clench his fists. He felt immense anger inside, but he was powerless to change the facts.
Many times, he had thought of running away, but he couldn't bear to leave whenever he thought of his aunt.
"Tianyun, you're finally here! Have you been secretly practicing martial arts again?!"
As the chiding voice rang out, a petite and stunningly beautiful young woman walked over. She was in her twenties, not much older than him.
As she approached, the surrounding female disciples all lowered their heads and called out respectfully, "Palace Master!"
The young woman was none other than Yi Tianyun's aunt, Shi Xueyun. Despite her youth, she was the Palace Master of Merak Palace.
She had become Palace Master because of her astonishing talent; in her twenties, her cultivation had already reached the Core Formation Stage! One must understand that at this age, most cultivators were still at the Spirit Refining Stage.
"Aunt."
Yi Tianyun watched as the fuming Shi Xueyun approached and smiled to himself. In all of Merak Palace, she was the one who cared for him most.
Seeing her filled Yi Tianyun's heart with immense warmth.
When he arrived in this world a few years ago, he had felt completely lost. Throughout these years, Shi Xueyun had always been by his side, caring for him and helping him accept his reality.
'After all, accepting his predecessor's memories didn't mean he instantly felt a sense of belonging. That's something that has to be nurtured; it doesn't just appear after a few days.'
Although he called her "Aunt," the two of them shared no blood relation whatsoever.
His mother had entrusted his upbringing to her sworn sister, Shi Xueyun, so logically, he should have called her "maternal aunt." But since they had no actual blood ties, why call her that?
Besides, in this context, "aunt" wasn't limited to a paternal aunt; it was a respectful form of address for any female elder! It wasn't just applicable to Shi Xueyun; he could call any senior woman that, provided she was willing to let him.
No one cared for him more than her; her meticulous, constant attention was what made him feel truly at home.
Looking at her beautiful face, he was suddenly reminded of his early years. Shi Xueyun had been like an older sister, raising him and always keeping him by her side during her cultivation to protect him from bullies.
For his sake, Shi Xueyun had even dared to stand up to the elders of Merak Palace.
If not for Shi Xueyun's astonishing talent, the elders would have never agreed to let him stay.
'The bastard son of the previous Palace Master was one thing, but the fact that he couldn't cultivate was the real issue. To be precise, he *could* cultivate, but he had no Blood Qi. Continuing to do so would kill him. What was the difference between that and being a total waste?'
THUMP!
Shi Xueyun reached out and lightly tapped him on the head. Wrinkling her delicate nose, she said, "I don't blame you for cultivating, but you can't overdo it. Otherwise, you'll be in for it!"
As she spoke, she took out a box from within her robes. After she opened it gently, a powerful wave of Blood Qi emanated from the Jade Box. The surrounding disciples couldn't help but gasp, their gazes immediately turning to jealousy and envy. But there was nothing they could do.
'Who could complain when the waste was the Palace Master's relative?' Shi Xueyun had specifically gone outside to retrieve this. As long as she didn't abuse her power by requisitioning Elixir Pills from Merak Palace for Yi Tianyun to consume, giving him Elixir Pills obtained through other means didn't count as breaking the rules.
"This... this is a Dragon Blood Divine Pill..."
Yi Tianyun was stunned to see the Dragon Blood Divine Pill. It was an incredibly precious item capable of replenishing a great deal of Blood Qi. He never expected Shi Xueyun to obtain one; it must have cost her dearly.
"That's right. It's a Dragon Blood Divine Pill. Take it and consume it. It should significantly improve the Blood Qi levels in your body."
Shi Xueyun smiled gently, not at all concerned about the value of the Dragon Blood Divine Pill. She only wanted Yi Tianyun's condition to improve.
"But..."
Yi Tianyun's eyes reddened, and his heart ached. For years, his aunt had always found numerous Elixir Pills to increase his Blood Qi, but they had little effect, only managing to prolong his life for a few years. This time was no different, except she had found the even more precious Dragon Blood Divine Pill.
"No 'buts.' Focusing on your recovery is the best way to repay me, understand? Don't overthink it."
Shi Xueyun reached out and pinched his pale face, giving it a slight tug like a playful girl.
"Yes!"
Yi Tianyun nodded firmly. He knew what he had to do now; recovering his health was the best way to repay her!
"Palace Master, people from the Celestial Spirit Sect are here!"
Just then, a disciple rushed in from outside to report.
"The Celestial Spirit Sect is here?"
Shi Xueyun's brow furrowed, and a flash of killing intent crossed her eyes. It was a complete reversal of her attitude toward Yi Tianyun, a display of her true authority as Palace Master. Then, she smiled at Yi Tianyun and said, "I have to go handle some matters. You go and get some rest."
Lian also nodded at him; she too had to go along to handle these affairs, as this was a top priority.
"Mm, I understand."
Yi Tianyun nodded. Watching Shi Xueyun's departing figure, he clenched his fists, frustrated that he was unable to help.
The Celestial Spirit Sect was here to intimidate them, trying to secure slots for entry into the ancient ruins. He knew all of this but was powerless to help.
'I'll have to try taking this Dragon Blood Divine Pill... see if it can help me recover some of my Blood Qi...'
Yi Tianyun put away the Dragon Blood Divine Pill and turned to head back to his room.
Just as he stepped out into the courtyard, three figures moved to block his path.
"Well, well, our dear Young Master. How about you let us have that Dragon Blood Divine Pill? We're on the verge of a breakthrough. Hand over the Elixir Pill. It has no effect on you anyway, so you might as well give it to us."
"Yeah, just give it to us. Once we take it and break through, we'll take you down the mountain with us sometime. We'll show you what the real world is like!"
"That's right! It's completely useless for you. Taking it would be a waste. It'd be much better if you gave it to us!"
The three before him were male disciples who had been recruited, but in reality, they had been forcibly pushed into the sect by outside powers and were not considered true disciples of Merak Palace.
Judging by their tone, they completely regarded Yi Tianyun as trash. They hadn't been here long, but they already knew he was a good-for-nothing who hid behind a woman's skirt!
"Oh? And what if I say no?"
Yi Tianyun's gaze turned cold. 'This is a gift from my aunt. How could I possibly hand it over to them?'