Chapter Twenty-Four: The Blood Jade Ring

Master Chongzhen, a true golden immortal, coughed dryly and cast a cold, sidelong glance at the beautiful junior master, “Wu Rui, how is it possible I know nothing about such a major event?”

The beautiful junior master pouted, “You never asked, so how would I know you didn’t know?”

Chongzhen pondered a moment before speaking, “So, you ascended together with that hidden ace from the Immortal Realm?”

“A hidden ace?” Li Chengzhu was puzzled.

The junior master spat, “What hidden ace? Master, why are you just like the others? I think that woman treats our Chengzhu quite well.”

Only then did Li Chengzhu realize, “Are you talking about Gu Linglong?”

The junior master glared at Li, “You just realized? That woman suffered terribly because of you. In the entire Immortal Realm, among the immortals, her cultivation is the lowest. She’s mocked and scorned by all the others.”

Li Chengzhu was stunned. He hadn’t imagined Gu Linglong would face such circumstances. No wonder she tried every possible way to extract the immortal spiritual energy from his body.

Li sighed heavily. It wasn’t as though he had wished for this. Who could have foreseen that he’d accidentally stumble upon her ascension? Most likely, the array Gu Linglong had set up was destroyed by heavenly lightning, otherwise an ordinary mortal like him could never have trespassed upon her ascension site.

“This is rather strange,” Chongzhen frowned slightly. “Even if your talent is exceptional, in two years, a Nascent Soul shouldn’t reach the middle stage of Spiritual Transformation.”

Li Chengzhu rubbed his head awkwardly. “Well, I had a bit of a fortunate encounter.”

“What kind of fortunate encounter?” the beautiful junior master asked curiously.

Li Chengzhu blushed. “Can we not talk about it?”

The junior master looked mischievously at Li, her eyes curving as she laughed softly, “You little rascal, I know how to read minds, you know.”

Li Chengzhu was startled and about to protest, but the grandmaster intervened, “Wu Rui, how many times must I tell you? Don’t use mind-reading techniques to pry into others’ hearts.”

Chastened by the grandmaster, the junior master pouted and whined, “It’s just for fun, really.”

Chongzhen shook his head, “Ah, at your age, still so immature.” With that, he waved his hand and cast a golden light upon Li Chengzhu.

The junior master stomped her foot at the sight of the golden light, “Master! You’re spoiling him like this.”

Li Chengzhu was bewildered. He had no idea what the golden light was for, so how could he be spoiled? He secretly prayed it wasn’t some tracking spell. Last time, it was precisely because of such a low-level spell that Gu Linglong had caught him.

Once bitten by a snake, you’ll fear even a rope for ten years.

Seeing Li Chengzhu’s confusion, Chongzhen explained, “This is merely a restriction, preventing others from using mind-reading techniques on you. As long as their cultivation is not above mine, they cannot break this barrier.”

Li Chengzhu was overjoyed, “Thank you, Grandmaster!” Now he no longer had to worry about the beautiful junior master peeking into his mind.

His mind was full of schemes; if the junior master saw even a fraction, he’d be in for quite a show.

Seeing the junior master sulking, Li Chengzhu grinned, “I’ll tell you about it later, okay?”

She pouted, “Who cares!”

Li Chengzhu scratched his head awkwardly. Why are all women like this?

“All right, don’t be so childish,” the grandmaster smoothed things over again. “As for your cultivation, I can’t see any problem for now. Here, I’m giving you three immortal pills for protection. If you sense any irregularity in your spiritual energy, take one. Each pill will suppress your spiritual energy for a month, but remember, after taking it, your cultivation will temporarily disappear.”

With that, the grandmaster performed a spell. Streams of light emerged from the red storage ring on his left hand and transferred into the ring on his right, continuing for some time.

Finally, the grandmaster removed the red storage ring from his left hand and handed it to Li Chengzhu, “Inside are three Red Spirit Pills. Use them wisely. There are also some communication jade slips—if you’re in danger, crush one and the message will reach me.”

Li Chengzhu took the dark red storage ring with trembling hands, bowing repeatedly, “Thank you, Grandmaster.”

He had coveted that ring ever since he first saw it, but never expected the grandmaster would gift it to him personally. How could Li not be overjoyed?

Then he wondered, could the grandmaster have used mind-reading on him? Otherwise, how could he know so precisely? Raising his head, he met the grandmaster’s ambiguous smile.

Sweat! The old fellow must have used mind-reading on him. And just now he’d told the junior master not to do it—how hypocritical!

The beautiful junior master remarked sourly, “The Blood Jade Ring isn’t just for storage, you know. It also symbolizes a certain status.”

Li Chengzhu was bewildered, waiting for her explanation.

“With the Blood Jade Ring, you’ll be the leader when you return to the Phantom Sword Sect. Even your master won’t dare touch you!” The junior master was practically wearing her jealousy on her face, muttering, “Master is so biased!”

Li looked at the grandmaster, then at the junior master, and suddenly understood. Surely the junior master had explained his awkward situation to the grandmaster, prompting him to pass on this symbol of status.

Li was so moved, tears streamed down his face, and he was choked with emotion, unable to speak.

The beautiful junior master reached out and pulled him over, “Come on now, you’re not a child anymore.”

Li covered up, “No, it’s just the wind and sand—got in my eyes.”

With these two, Li Chengzhu finally felt a touch of home and a sense of being cared for. In the more than two years since arriving in the Immortal Realm, apart from his ancient, obstinate master, he finally had other family. How could Li not be happy?

After a while, Chongzhen finally spoke, “All right, your junior master and I have other matters to attend to. If you need us, you can crush the jade slip for a message. Take care of yourself—war is no child’s play!”

“Thank you for your concern, Grandmaster!” Li Chengzhu bowed.

The junior master suddenly turned, “Oh, by the way, the Blood Jade Ring has an independent space inside—it can store living creatures. Use it well!”

“Thank you for the reminder, Junior Master!” Li Chengzhu bowed again.

He hadn’t expected the Blood Jade Ring to have a space for living things; carrying pets would be so much more convenient.

Li was instantly excited—it really was a treasure! The storage space was dozens of times larger than his most expensive ring, and inside were many refining materials and herbs, clearly left for him by the grandmaster.

Among the pile, Li finally found the three Red Spirit Pills the grandmaster had mentioned. These lifesaving immortal pills must be carefully kept.

He looked up, only to realize his two seniors had vanished without a trace. Li Chengzhu panicked—heavens, how could they leave him alone?

In the immortal camp—

“Master, why did you leave him there alone? It’ll take him some time to fly back,” Wu Rui teased.

“Heh, who told him to call me ‘old fellow’ in his heart?” Chongzhen answered with a sly grin.

“Master, who was it just now that said we shouldn’t pry into others’ minds with mind-reading?” Wu Rui clung tightly to Chongzhen’s braid.

Chongzhen looked unconcerned, “Just keep cultivating and break the restriction I put on you—then you can use mind-reading all you like.”

…