In the morning, in the lobby of the studio.
A bowl of spicy soup, two fried dough sticks, and a flatbread, this was the breakfast portion for everyone today.
Actually, Lin Zhao was initially reluctant about the fried dough sticks. Seeing them reminded him of that brat Zhang Luobai, but these were bought by Wang Ju early in the morning from the breakfast stall across the street. The fried dough sticks made by Old Uncle Zhang were so crispy and fragrant that they were impossible to refuse.
"The official website has released the expansion pack for the Southern Barren Chaos."
Chen Xue took a sip of the spicy soup, her pretty face slightly flushed from the heat. "You've been busy with the Southern Barren Chaos these past few days, haven't you? The expansion pack shows you leading people from the Mountain Peak Villa to fight a fourteenth-realm undefeated inner demon on Changming Mountain."
"Mhm, quite tricky."
Lin Zhao frowned and smiled, "I almost got myself killed."
"That dangerous?"
Ding Chi frowned, "Be careful from now on."
"Lin Zhao."
Shen Xingchen looked up at him, "I heard Bing Lan has descended to the mortal realm?"
"Yes..."
Lin Zhao nodded, "My master, she's incredibly good."
Shen Xingchen's pear dimples showed as she smiled, "Naturally she's good. I've read the background stories of the Yue Heng series, from the first 'Yue Heng' to the second 'Ling Dong', and then to 'Tian Zong' and 'Tian Xing'. The lineage of the Dragon Speakers has been passed down through generations, and Bing Lan the Dragon Speaker has always been a crucial character throughout the entire story."
"Right."
Chen Xue's lips curved up, "It's said that those who become Bing Lan's disciples are basically guaranteed to be Heavenly King level players. In those almost forgotten expansion packs, there are actually many records from a hundred years ago that are quite interesting."
"Tell me more?" Lin Zhao picked up a fried dough stick.
"Mhm."
Chen Xue said, "Yue Heng's first generation Heavenly King, Lin Fan, was friends with Bing Lan in the background story. The second generation Heavenly King, Ding Shusheng, was directly Bing Lan's disciple. The third generation Heavenly King, Lu Chen, was of the Undead element and had a relationship of both teacher and friend with Bing Lan. The fourth generation Heavenly King was your third senior brother, Ding Muchen."
"My senior brother he..."
Lin Zhao frowned. He actually didn't want to think about his senior brother in reality, after all, he was a person from over a hundred years ago, and it was highly likely... he had already vanished into thin air.
"In any case, make good use of this opportunity."
Chen Xue said, "Grow quickly and become the only one between heaven and earth. That way, you can also lead this super battleship, the Scarlet Moon Knights, forward."
"I know."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly, "I will not fail my mission!"
"Mhm!"
Ding Chi, Luo Man, Zhang Jun, Mo Chenxue, and the others all nodded and chuckled in unison.
Just then, Lin Zhao's phone rang. It displayed the avatar of his cousin, Mu Rong Feiyue. He immediately stood up, holding his phone, and walked onto the balcony. With a wave of his hand, Mu Rong Feiyue's figure appeared before him. He smiled and said, "Cousin, what's up?"
"It's almost New Year's."
Mu Rong Feiyue said, "I've applied for some leave and plan to go back and spend it with you. Clean out two rooms for me. Ning Yu and I are both coming back."
"Alright!"
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled, "The rooms don't need cleaning. Sister Ju always cleans your room regularly, and we have a guest room too. Ning Yu can stay in the guest room."
"Okay, then see you then!"
"Alright~~~"
...
Lin Zhao returned to the dining table, wolfed down the last fried dough stick, then rushed to the restroom before logging in. His master was still at the Mountain Peak Villa, so he couldn't delay!
"Whoosh!"
His character appeared in Tianranju, it was already afternoon.
By the lotus pond, Dong Zang and Liu Liying were washing a basin of lotus roots, preparing tonight's dinner. In the distance, Tang Guangjun squatted by the roadside with his sleeves rolled up, waiting for tonight's dinner, but he didn't dare to approach Tianranju because the woman in white was sitting in the living room of Tianranju, drinking tea. Tang Guangjun felt that even appearing within her sight was a form of transgression.
"Master!"
Lin Zhao entered the living room and poured tea for his beautiful master.
The woman in white smiled with dimples, "Xiao Zhao, the climate and soil of your Mountain Peak Villa are quite good. Dong Zang and Liu Liying are all doing well, but... they could be better. Master wants to bestow some opportunities upon them. What do you think? Will it be adding superfluous detail?"
"How could that be?"
Lin Zhao slapped his thigh and laughed, "Master bestowing opportunities upon them is a blessing they've cultivated for eight lifetimes!"
"Good, I understand."
The woman in white stood up and stepped into the bamboo grove beside the lotus pond. She looked up at the gaps in the sky above the bamboo grove, took a deep breath, and said, "Dong Zang, come here for a moment. I have something to tell you."
"Ah?!"
Dong Zang looked a little flustered. She glanced at Lin Zhao from afar. Lin Zhao gave her a look that said "Go ahead," and only then did Dong Zang wipe her hands and cautiously walk into the bamboo grove.
The woman in white gently waved her long sleeves, creating a small world that was not too dense but absolutely undetectable. She looked at the tenth-realm Xing Nü before her and smiled, "Dong Zang, thank you for keeping the Thousand Cavalry Rolling Snow for Xiao Zhao all these years, ensuring that his Military Grand Dao was not severed. I also thank you for accompanying him all these years."
"Immortal Above, I..."
Dong Zang pursed her red lips, unsure how to respond.
More importantly, Dong Zang herself felt humble. She had always relied on Lin Zhao at Mountain Peak Villa. If Lin Zhao wasn't there, what right would she, a mid-fifth realm Xing Nü, have to sit as an equal with people like Wu Zhi, Huang Tingyu, and Tang Guangjun? Therefore, her mindset had always been somewhat uneasy.
"It's alright."
The woman in white smiled slightly, "To thank you, I've decided to bestow upon you an opportunity to enter the Upper Five Realms, to help you clarify your Xing Nü Grand Dao meridians, and grant you a wisp of the fortune of the Divine Tree from the Upper Realm. Are you willing?"
"Ah?"
Dong Zang hurriedly knelt down, "Immortal Above, Dong Zang accepts no reward for no merit... and Dong Zang does not seek the Grand Dao, only wishing to remain by Young Master's side. I have also been relatively lax in my cultivation, I fear I will disappoint Immortal Above..."
"It's alright."
The woman in white smiled faintly, "The Xing Nü lineage is not adept at cultivation, so it's rare to find an Upper Fifth Realm Xing Nü in this world. You are someone by Xiao Zhao's side, and you have virtue. Moreover, you once guarded such a sacred military artifact as the Thousand Cavalry Rolling Snow, so you are capable of bearing this Upper Fifth Realm."
She said softly, "Relax, everything will happen naturally."
"Yes..."
Dong Zang hurriedly curtsied.
"Look up."
The moment Dong Zang looked up, the woman in white pointed a finger at her brow. Instantly, Dong Zang felt a tremor in her soul. Following that, her chaotic innate meridians as a Xing Nü were gradually sorted out. Additionally, a strand of incomparably transcendent wood spirit fortune was injected into her spiritual void.
For a moment, Dong Zang let out a soft hum, and her beautiful eyes became dazed. She was completely unaware that at this moment, not only were her innate meridians being clarified and she had gained a wisp of fortune from the Divine Tree of the Upper Realm, but also the secrets deep within Dong Zang's heart were being revealed one by one.
Someone by Lin Zhao's side, and one of Lin Zhao's most trusted people. As a master, she had to carefully consider.
The woman in white imperceptibly examined Dong Zang's state of mind. It was indeed pure and flawless. After becoming a Xing Nü, all she had ever wanted was to be the maidservant of the past, under the jurisdiction of Mountain Peak Villa and the Commander's Mansion of Tianchi Army, with no other desires.
At once, the woman in white's gaze softened. Such a woman was truly rare.
She gently withdrew her fingertip, waved her hand, and the small world disappeared.
Dong Zang swayed in place, then felt her spiritual platform filled, a feeling of extreme refreshment washing over her. In fact, at this moment, Dong Zang had already touched the threshold of the Upper Five Realms and felt that she was on the verge of breaking through.
Once she entered the eleventh realm and became an eleventh-realm spirit, Dong Zang's foundation, lifespan, and everything else would undergo earth-shattering changes. After all, this would allow her to maintain her youthful appearance forever, and she could accompany Lin Zhao for a very, very long time. Young Master would surely become an Upper Fifth Realm Sword Immortal in the future, with an almost infinite lifespan.
"Thank you, Immortal Above!"
Dong Zang suddenly knelt down, her heart filled with gratitude.
"Alright~~~"
The woman in white smiled slightly, "Go about your business."
"Yes!"
Dong Zang returned to the lotus pond and continued washing the lotus roots.
...
Lin Zhao remained seated in the living room, making tea. He merely glanced from afar. He trusted his master and he trusted Dong Zang.
"Liu Liying."
In the bamboo grove, the woman in white called out softly and smiled, "Come here, I have a gift for you."
"Ah?"
Liu Liying's body trembled slightly. However, her status in Mountain Peak Villa was actually quite high. Due to the divine abilities of the Folding Fan Goddess, Lin Zhao had entrusted all financial matters to her management. Furthermore, due to her divine status, Liu Liying held a special position in Mountain Peak Villa and was not as humble as Dong Zang.
Thus, Liu Liying drifted over gracefully and bowed respectfully, "Divine Lord..."
"Mhm."
The woman in white again waved her sleeve gently, creating a fourteenth-realm small world. Then, looking at Liu Liying, she smiled, "Back in the Hundred Flowers Realm, you were manipulated by a wisp of an umbrella-wielding inner demon, and indeed had the thought and intention to destroy Xiao Zhao's Dao heart, is that not true?"
"I..."
Liu Liying immediately knelt down, tilting her fair neck upwards. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, and she said, "Divine Lord, please see clearly. Li Ying was indeed manipulated by Wu Yuanzi at the time, but... ever since I started following Young Master, I have never thought of harming Young Master. In fact, Li Ying likes Young Master very, very, very much..."
"???"
The woman in white's delicate brows furrowed. Three "very"s in a row, did she like him that much? It seemed my Xiao Zhao had quite good popularity with the ladies.
She smiled slightly and said, "Alright, stand up. Whether you have ill intentions towards Xiao Zhao, I can naturally perceive it. Let bygones be bygones for everything in the past. From now on, cultivate diligently by Xiao Zhao's side."
"Yes!"
Liu Liying nodded repeatedly.
"Get up."
"Yes, Divine Lord..."
Liu Liying stood up and looked at the exquisite and transcendent divine woman before her, saying softly, "Divine Lord, are there any other instructions?"
"Yes."
The woman in white slowly opened her hand, and a golden scroll intricately carved with exquisite patterns appeared in her palm. The golden scroll was shrouded in an incredibly majestic divine aura, making Liu Liying feel on the verge of suffocation.
"This is a Divine Seat Golden Scroll."
The woman in white smiled slightly, "Liying, you are a divine spirit transformed from the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth. You are fundamentally compatible with this Divine Seat Golden Scroll. This Divine Seat Golden Scroll is merely the edge material I refined from another treasure with my Divine Seat. It's of no use to keep it by my side, so I shall bestow it upon you. Accept it."
"Yes!"
Liu Liying dared not refuse. She respectfully accepted the golden scroll with both hands, her expression solemn.
"Refine it right here."
The woman in white said softly, "I will guard you."
"Yes!"
Liu Liying immediately sat down cross-legged and began to refine the Divine Seat Golden Scroll suspended in front of her chest. Instantly, wisps of golden divine light emanated around her. The Folding Fan Goddess appeared even more ethereal and refined.
...
Lin Zhao remained seated in Tianranju, casting a distant glance. His master and Liying were no longer in the bamboo grove, so they must be in the small world. He hesitated, feeling that his master should also teach him a sword technique or a swordsmanship manual, even just scraps.
If that didn't work, he'd shamelessly ask his master...
Otherwise, as the only tenth-realm Great Sword Immortal among players, it was quite demeaning.