Chapter Eighteen: Senior Brother, Yang Energy Is Too Abundant
The next day at noon, Ye Anping was still sleeping in when Xiao Die hurriedly pulled him out of bed. After applying powder and dressing him in new clothes, she transformed him into the image of a wealthy young master in a short while. Appearance is crucial; even a horse needs a good saddle.
Normally, at Hundred Lotus Sect, he would wear a simple linen shirt, tie his hair into a ponytail, and avoid accessories. If other disciples didn’t recognize his face, they would likely mistake him for a junior brother from a less fortunate family. Now, under Xiao Die’s meticulous preparation, he finally looked like the young master of a prominent immortal sect. With embroidered cloud sleeves, an air of immortality, and a bright, upright demeanor, he would undoubtedly be a tempting target for traffickers if he were to walk among ordinary people.
Xiao Die, standing beside him, couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle, praising, “Young Master, you look so handsome now. I can’t help but want to pounce on you.”
Ye Anping looked at himself in the full-length mirror, sighed faintly, and asked, “Has the Grand Void True Person Elder from Xuan Xing Sect arrived yet?”
“Yes, Elder Wang is playing Go with the Sect Master. The Sect Master specifically asked me to remind you, Young Master, to dress a bit more formally for the noon ceremony later.”
“Yes, yes, I understand.”
Hearing this, Ye Anping understood his father’s intentions—most likely, he wanted him to make a good impression on the elder from Xuan Xing Sect, hoping for an opportunity for the elder to take him to Xuan Xing Sect to broaden his horizons. He could only say that his father’s intentions were good, but unfortunately, Hundred Lotus Sect had neither powerful cultivation method legacies nor famous cultivators. His title as the young master of Hundred Lotus Sect was akin to a “kindergarten graduation award” on a resume—insignificant.
After tidying his attire, Xiao Die hung a Golden Jade Tassel on him before escorting him to the Tian Ge of Hundred Lotus Sect. Ye Anping, not wanting his father to lose face, entered the Tian Ge and, as Xiao Die had instructed, formally saluted Ye Ao and the white-haired old man beside him. He then proactively offered tea to his father and the elder.
After an hour of pouring tea and refilling cups, he yawned more than a dozen times before the two finally finished their game of Go.
“Senior’s Go skills are truly remarkable; Ye humbly admits defeat.”
“Hehe…” Elder Wang smiled and stroked his beard. “My Sect Master often asks me to play Go with him, and I’ve even won against him several times. If I were to be defeated by Sect Master Ye, it would be difficult for my Sect Master to maintain his dignity.”
“Haha, of course, of course.”
Listening to their back-and-forth exchange, Ye Anping glanced at the chessboard and felt utterly exhausted by their forced compliments. In his past life, during high school, he had participated in a youth Go competition and won first place. The skill of these two old men, in his opinion, was like a fight between kindergarten children. Ye Anping even suspected that these two old men, who had lived for hundreds of years, might not even be able to defeat his high school classmate from his previous life. However, this old man claimed to have defeated the Sect Master of Xuan Xing Sect? Could it be that the old woman who had lived for thousands of years was also that bad at Go? That shouldn’t be right.
After a period of mutual flattery, Elder Wang turned his head to look at Ye Anping and asked, “Sect Master Ye gifted this old man a 500-year-old spiritual herb. Surely you didn’t just invite me here to play a game of Go, did you?”
“Ahaha…” Ye Ao chuckled apologetically, then put his arm around Ye Anping’s shoulder and said, “Elder Wang, actually, this is my son. He’s already fifteen years old and has come of age. I wish to ask Elder Wang for some guidance.”
“Guidance is easy, but…” Elder Wang stroked his beard again. “If Sect Master Ye is hoping to have Young Master Ye enter the inner sect of Xuan Xing Sect, then please forgive my inability. Sect Master Ye should know that Xuan Xing Sect’s standards for inner disciples’ aptitude are extremely strict, something a mere vice-elder like myself cannot influence.”
“Yes, this junior understands.” Ye Ao cupped his fists and asked, “Then, is it possible to enter the outer sect?”
“Entering the outer sect is not a problem, but you must have heard the saying, ‘It is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.’ ” Elder Wang looked at Ye Anping again. “Rather than having Young Master Ye become an outer disciple of Xuan Xing Sect, it would be better for him to remain the young master of Hundred Lotus Sect.”
“In that case, please guide my son, Elder Wang.”
“Certainly.” Elder Wang fluttered his cloud sleeves and beckoned Ye Anping over. He then lightly touched Ye Anping’s wrist with his sword finger and scanned his body with his spiritual sense.
“Hmm—”
“How is my son?”
“He has dual water and wood spiritual roots. At fifteen, he’s already at the third level of Qi Refining. He is indeed outstanding, but…” Elder Wang frowned slightly and pinched Ye Anping’s shoulder and thigh again. He carefully examined him with his spiritual sense, then couldn’t help but glance at Ye Ao, inwardly lamenting how harsh Ye Ao was on his own son. He could see that all of Ye Anping’s bones had basically been broken at least once, and his internal organs were poisoned with cold energy. It was no wonder he had dual spiritual roots and was already at the third level of Qi Refining at fifteen. This boy’s cultivation method was a form of arduous training, and he must have consumed countless venomous insects, making him immune to all poisons. His body had become exceptionally robust through continuous tempering. He estimated that even if Ye Anping’s meridians were shattered and his internal organs pulverized, he could still survive for three to four more days without medical aid.
Arduous training was indeed the best cultivation method for cultivators. However, in reality, very few people could persevere. Most cultivators who attempted arduous training either went mad in the process or died directly. Of course, Ye Ao was unaware that Ye Anping was constantly undergoing arduous training. He had always adopted a laissez-faire approach to Ye Anping’s education, giving him whatever he wanted as long as his demands weren’t excessive.
Ye Ao craned his neck and asked, “Elder Wang, how is it?”
“Extremely good. Among the dual spiritual root cultivators I have met, he is likely unparalleled.”
“Is that so…” Ye Ao was somewhat surprised. “Do you have any suggestions?”
To subject his only son to a path of arduous training, Ye Ao was truly ruthless, Elder Wang thought to himself. He then chuckled awkwardly and said, “Sect Master Ye, you may teach him according to your own methods. I have nothing more to say about your educational approach.”
Ye Ao was stunned. In his impression, Ye Anping usually just bullied that girl Pei every day. Was bullying other girls also a method of cultivation? But since Elder Wang said so, he could only nod and agree with a smile.
“Ahaha… Very well.”
Elder Wang paused and asked, “What cultivation method is Sect Master Ye teaching him?”
“Uh…” Ye Ao hesitated and quickly looked at Ye Anping, signaling him to speak.
Ye Anping sighed deeply and cupped his fists. “My father had me learn the introductory cultivation method of Si Yang Sect, combined with the Nine Yuan Heart Method. For swordsmanship, it’s the Inquiring Sword Art from Moon Shadow Sword Sect.”
“Oh?” Elder Wang was somewhat surprised. “With the combination of these cultivation methods, Sect Master Ye has truly spared no expense. Those people from Shadow Moon Sword Sect don’t sell cultivation manuals cheaply.”
“Ah… Haha…” Ye Ao’s eyebrows twitched, and he looked at Ye Anping, asking with his eyes: What Si Yang Sect? What Nine Yuan Heart Method? Inquiring Sword Art? Where did you get those cultivation manuals?
Ye Anping gave him a sideways glance: I found them myself.
Elder Wang pondered for a moment, then cross-referenced the cultivation methods Ye Anping mentioned. He suddenly sighed and asked, “Then Sect Master Ye should also know the drawbacks of practicing these methods together, right?”
“Ah…” Ye Ao was stunned and asked, “This… Senior, please elaborate.”
“Let’s not even mention the Inquiring Sword Art. The Si Yang Sect and the Nine Yuan Heart Method are both extreme Yang cultivation methods,” Elder Wang said earnestly. “Practicing both simultaneously will inevitably lead to an overabundance of Yang energy. If this excess Yang energy accumulates in the internal organs without proper regulation, it will definitely cause problems in the future.”
Ye Ao didn’t understand and asked: “What do you mean?”
“Fifteen years old is also an age to seek a cultivation partner,” Elder Wang said, patting Ye Anping’s shoulder. “He needs to engage in sexual intercourse appropriately to regulate his body and mind, expelling excess Yang energy from his body.”
“???” “???”
Two question marks appeared above the heads of the father and son. Ye Ao wasn’t sure, and Ye Anping himself wasn’t aware of this issue, as he had followed the cultivation method combinations from a game. In the game “Heaven Sword Wonder Tale,” there were no fixed sects; instead, “builds” were formed by combining cultivation methods, differentiating various professions. Different combinations of cultivation methods yielded different effects, such as summoner builds or flying sword builds…
Elder Wang sighed again and said, “However, with Young Master Ye’s cultivation method, if he has a cultivation partner, his partner might suffer.”
“Suffer?” Ye Ao asked, confused. “What do you mean?”
“Frequent sexual activity harms men; it’s the same for women. With Young Master Ye’s cultivation method and these two techniques, unless he finds a cultivation partner who is one or two major realms higher than him, his partner will likely have to flee to her parents’ home every few days.”
Hearing this, Ye Ao’s jaw almost dropped. A cultivation partner one or two major realms higher? Was he expecting his son to find a woman in the Core Formation Stage as a cultivation partner? How would he find someone like that? He himself was only at the Core Formation Stage. Furthermore, if Ye Anping reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, he would then need to find a Nascent Soul cultivator as a partner? Which female cultivator in the Core Formation or Nascent Soul Stage would willingly become the cultivation partner of a Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator?!
“Then… what should we do?”
Elder Wang also understood that finding a cultivation partner one or two major realms higher was unlikely. After stroking his beard, he said, “You could take in several concubines to share the burden.”
“This… I see.” Ye Ao looked at Ye Anping, nodded awkwardly in agreement, and then patted Ye Anping forcefully. “Junior understands. Hurry up and thank Elder Wang.”
“Ah…” Ye Anping cupped his fists and quickly stepped forward to help refill the tea. “Tha… Thank you, Elder Wang, for your guidance.”
Ye Ao pursed his lips, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He was already worried about Ye Anping getting married. That girl Pei used to be bullied by this boy every day, and she might not be willing to marry him. Now, with the prospect of taking in several concubines, wouldn’t she be even less willing? He wasn’t the type of tyrant who would use his cultivation to forcibly take a mortal woman for his son. Forget it… this matter could be discussed further later.
Ye Ao sighed and then said, “Senior, I actually have someone else I’d like to introduce to you.”
“Introduce?”
“Yes, it’s a girl my son rescued from a Demonic cultivator a few days ago. She also has a letter of recommendation from Grand Void True Person, and it seems she was already planning to go to Xuan Xing Sect.”
“Grand Void True Person?!” Elder Wang’s eyes widened, and he quickly asked, “Where is that girl?”
“She is recuperating in the adjacent room. Please follow me, Senior.” Ye Ao stood up and looked at Ye Anping. “Anping, you come along too.”
“Okay.”
