Li Hanguang held the spiritual spring water in his hand and slowly poured it over the tea leaves.

His movement paused for a brief moment.

He looked at Ye Chengying, and lines of text surfaced before his eyes.

[Ye Chengying: True disciple of the Proud Sword Immortal Sect, top-grade wood spiritual root, secretly has a crush on you.

In Taicang Prefecture, her aptitude, looks and abilities are already top-tier, but in the entire cultivation world, there are quite a few women more outstanding than her.

Faith Value: 520 points.]

Ye Chengying’s feelings for him were something Li Hanguang naturally understood.

Even without ‘Omniscient Insight’, it was obvious from every action and gesture.

But Li Hanguang didn’t want to decide a lifelong matter too early.

The reason was simple: a single idol was often more likely to gain the admiration of others, especially the worship of the opposite sex.

Li Hanguang’s trump cards were ‘Omniscient Insight’ and ‘Faith Copying’.

If he formed a dao companion too early, then later on, when he encountered other even more outstanding female prodigies, the difficulty of obtaining Faith Value would definitely increase.

If his dao companion wasn’t sensible, then even normal interaction with other members of the opposite sex would be restricted.

This was a problem.

Felling one tree and abandoning the forest, taking one ladle and discarding the vast sea, was not wise.

Want Li Hanguang’s love?

At the very least, it had to be the woman with the strongest talent and strength in the cultivation world.

Otherwise, what right did she have to make up for what he would lose with other immortal maidens?

…After a brief consideration, Li Hanguang already had his answer.

He looked at Ye Chengying and said calmly, “You’re very good, but we’re not suitable.”

Ye Chengying said seriously, “Why, what isn’t suitable?”

Li Hanguang looked toward the sky outside the window.

“I have the ambition of a great swan, the immortal realm is my stage, Taicang Prefecture is not. The woman by my side must at least have the bearing of an immortal, and you still aren’t enough.”

You’re very outstanding, but you’re not worthy of me.

Li Hanguang’s words were blunt and simple.

He didn’t talk about any empty feelings or nonsense.

Ye Chengying went blank, as though she hadn’t expected this outcome.

“I…”

After a long while, Ye Chengying seemed to realize something.

“Senior Brother, I understand! A dragon does not dwell with snakes, Senior Brother’s future will surely soar into the nine heavens and battle the storm. The only one who can fly wing to wing with a true dragon can only be a phoenix equally noble and powerful and I’m still far, far from that.”

‘Mm, good that you know you’re not worthy of me.’

Li Hanguang nodded slightly, feeling rather pleased.

Ye Chengying added, “But I absolutely won’t give up! Senior Brother once said, ‘When kings and heavenly emperors arise, are they born different?’ ‘The Great Dao has three thousand paths, and within them there will always be a single thread of hope.’ As long as I work hard enough, one day I’ll definitely attain longevity, ascend and gain the Dao! I don’t seek immortality, I only seek to accompany you within this mortal world!”

“???”

‘After saying all that, that’s what you understood?’

…What a pain.

If he’d known when they were little he shouldn’t have told junior sister so many novel stories.

One flashy line after another, to the point even he couldn’t refute them.

Fine.

Anyway, from childhood to now, Ye Chengying had always been that little tail by his side.

If she liked following him, then let her follow.

If she really could rise against the heavens and become the strongest female emperor of this cultivation world, then letting her get him wasn’t something he couldn’t accept.

Either way, he wouldn’t be losing out.

Li Hanguang didn’t take this matter too seriously.

“Chengying, later have Shengye keep an eye on that kid Chu Xiaolian.”

Ye Chengying asked in confusion, “Does he have a problem?”

Li Hanguang shook his head slightly.

“He has no problem, but with Qi Refining Third Layer becoming a true disciple, the other inner sect disciples might do something.”

Ye Chengying didn’t understand.

“Since that’s the case, why did Senior Brother still promise him true disciple status?”

Li Hanguang laughed.

“In this world, there’s a kind of person whose normal cultivation is slow as hell, the more hatred you help him pile up, the faster his ‘cheat’ activates!”

‘Cheat?’

Ye Chengying frowned slightly, but she didn’t care.

After all, from childhood to now, Senior Brother often tossed out words she couldn’t understand.

She asked, “But Senior Brother, you casually promised true disciple status, so when the time comes, which elder will you find to take him as a disciple?”

Li Hanguang shrugged.

“Of course we find Aunt Zhu Yan!”

Ye Chengying said helplessly, “If Aunt takes him herself, she might accept it, but for you to decide it for her…”

In the Proud Sword Immortal Sect, everyone knew that among the five inner elders, water and fire did not mix.

The “water” referred to Vast Sea Sword Venerable.

And the “fire” naturally referred to Zhu Yan Sword Venerable.

They were senior brother and junior sister who had grown up together, and even back when they were infants, they couldn’t stand each other, wishing they could chop the other to death.

Now several hundred years had passed, and the relationship had never improved.

Especially in the last ten-plus years, Vast Sea Sword Venerable had started a family and given birth to Li Hanguang, a son who truly delivered.

Meanwhile, because Zhu Yan Sword Venerable had a fiery temper, she still didn’t have a dao companion.

When the five elders held meetings, Vast Sea Sword Venerable had brought this up to show off more than once, practically rubbing it right in her face.

As a result, Zhu Yan Sword Venerable had an inexplicable fire toward the entire Vast Sea branch.

On ordinary days, disciples of the two branches almost never interacted.

And now he was stuffing a disciple into Zhu Yan Sword Venerable’s hands without permission?

There was no way she’d be happy about it!

Li Hanguang didn’t care at all.

“If she won’t agree, so what, the sect doesn’t have only one elder. Among the Proud Sword Immortal Sect’s five elders, my father is the number one expert, letting him take Father as his master isn’t exactly a grievance, is it?”

Ye Chengying gave a bitter smile.

“Will Uncle Vast Sea agree?”

Li Hanguang nodded.

“At worst, when the time comes I’ll tell Mother, does Father dare disobey Mother?”

Ye Chengying’s peerlessly beautiful face was filled with helplessness.

“That, naturally, he doesn’t dare.”

She only feared that Uncle Vast Sea would end up chopping the senior brother to death.

Making a peerless water-attribute sword immortal take a fire-attribute disciple, arranging it all nice and neat.

It was absurd.

But thinking again, it also seemed like it was nothing.

After all, if Chu Xiaolian really could join their little circle, did it matter who he took as his master?

Ye Chengying was taught by Elder Qingye among the five elders and after ten years of bitter cultivation, she trained her Green Leaf Sword Qi to major success.

But after receiving Senior Brother’s guidance, in only three short months her Green Leaf Sword Qi had already been cultivated to the perfected realm.

If one could gain Senior Brother’s favor, then whether one was or wasn’t a true disciple honestly didn’t matter at all!!

Ye Chengying left and went to find people to keep watch on Chu Xiaolian.

Li Hanguang sat upright with a dignified posture and lightly brushed his sleeve.

A sheet of xuan paper suddenly appeared on the desk.

His brush moved like a roaming dragon and a dancing serpent, and very quickly two lines of writing appeared on the paper.

[Chu Xiaolian: Third young master of the Chu family of Hong City, top-grade fire spiritual root, upper-grade metal spiritual root, has a powerhouse’s remnant soul residing in him, just got his engagement broken off, currently desperately wants to become stronger.

Faith Value: 85]

[Yan Chixiao: Taicang Holy Son from seven hundred years ago, titled ‘Hao Ran^[1] Sword Saint’, one of the strong contenders to become Taicang Holy Lord, later assassinated in Fallen Saint Valley, currently residing in Chu Xiaolian’s ancient ring in the form of a remnant soul.

Faith Value: 25]

He folded the xuan paper in half and put it away into his storage ring.

With the corner of his eye, Li Hanguang glanced around.

After confirming no one was in the pavilion, he finally couldn’t hold it in and directly slumped limply in the chair.

“So damn tired!”

To be honest, Li Hanguang was originally a simple and honest youth, and he didn’t like showing off.

This time, delivering flashy lines again and again was truly helpless.

But he hadn’t expected Chu Xiaolian to love hearing those lines so much, and after one set, his Faith Value directly broke eighty.

At this rate, wouldn’t this guy’s top-grade fire spiritual root be as good as already in his pocket?

Not only that, the kid even had an old grandpa on him!

Interesting, truly too interesting.

[1] Hao Ran means “vast, upright, righteous, and awe-inspiring.”