I've realized from a comment that some people hadn't read the Side Chapters, and while usually, they aren't necessary or even canon for most stories, they are rather important in this novel.
There are some things in this chapter that won't make sense if you haven't read the Li Rou side chapter. So if you would like to not be confused, please read that and then come back to this chapter.
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Grounded
Thanks to his Wind Chasing Horse, Xue Bai would be able to travel for another two days nonstop. Where he eventually reached Soaring Sword City safe and sound, and after returning the Wind Chasing Horse to its owner, he teleported back to the sect.
However, once he got off the teleporter, Xue Bai realized his mistake.
Only he, Ye Rou, Jiang Xiaorou, Xiao'er, and Zhu Que had access to teleport to Yue Zifeng's mountain, and since he was the only person of the five not on the peak, as soon as Yue Zifeng heard someone arrive, he instantly knew it was Xue Bai.
Xue Bai realized this too late, and before he could turn the array back on and return to Soaring Sword City, Yue Zifeng arrived.
"So you're back then?" Yue Zifeng coldly spoke to his rebellious disciple, "I assume you think my words to be just air over your head, don't you?"
"Master, I know I was being impudent, and I should've listened to your words but look!" Xue Bai quickly released his cultivation base, trying to lower his punishment.
Sadly Yue Zifeng was unmoved.
"You could've broken through to the 9th stage if you stayed on the peak." Yue Zifeng didn't care about Xue Bai's advancement. He was in the Spirit Awakening realm and could already see Xue Bai's cultivation even if the kid hid it.
"But I also figured out some of my faults." Xue Bai was reluctant to be locked up on the peak.
"Is that all you have to say?" Yue Zifeng was still unmoved, "If so, then go back to your peak. I'm turning off the teleportation array."
"Wait!" Xue Bai shouted out suddenly. He obviously just remembered something.
"What?" Yue Zifeng was starting to get impatient.
"Master, the person on the bounty had the inheritance of an expert demonic cultivator look!" Then, throwing the jade slips over to Yue Zifeng, Xue Bai yelled out.
"Hm?" Yue Zifeng's attention was obviously caught.
Bringing the jade slip to his forehead, Yue ZIfeng swept his mind through the cultivation technique, and as he read deeper and deeper, his eyebrows became more and more furrowed until he couldn't help but curse.
"Those demonic bastards still didn't learn their lesson from the last war, then." Yue Zifeng angrily spoke.
"Master, does that mean I can still leave?" Xue Bai inquired.
"Nonsense. Why did you even get your hopes up?" Yue Zifeng snorted as he placed a seal on the teleportation hall, "Go back and cultivate diligently. I'll let you out again when you break through to the Organ Tempering realm."
"But that is going to take two months at the quickest!" Xue Bai cried out.
"Two months? You're at the peak of the Bone Strengthening realm. Why would it take two months to break through?" Yue Zifeng asked as he raised an eyebrow until he remembered something, "Oh right, you're cultivating the Purification Stages. Li Rou told me about that."
Seeing Xue Bai's expression and knowing just how rambunctious this child could be, Yue Zifeng eventually decided to compromise.
He knew that Xue Bai had already spent his almost entire life locked up at home and wanted to finally be freed. So if anything, locking him up at the Soaring Sword Sect would only cause the boy to become more and more rebellious.
"I'll let you take a mission once a month." Yue Zifeng sighed, "How you have to break through a stage each month to be let out. If you squander your potential and waste time, I'll extend this time to half a year!"
"Deal!" Xue Bai agreed quickly and ran off, scared that Yue Zifeng would go back on his offer.
Once a month was good enough.
And as for the second part, Xue Bai didn't care much about it. With his potential, resources, and the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, all added up, Xue Bai could break through a stage in a week and a half, let alone a month.
Yue Zifeng let the child run off and only shook his head as he watched the kid run further and further away. He could tell where Xue Bai was coming from.
Xue Bai knew he was a greenhouse flower, and because of that, he felt unworthy of both his talent and standing. So to stop that, he was always in a rush to strengthen himself and fight things.
However, Yue Zifeng didn't understand what Xue Bai was always in a rush about.
He was not even 14 yet but still had a Small Success stage Sword Law, a 9th stage Bone Strengthening realm cultivation, and was a decent formation master as well.
And yet even with all of that, he still wanted to perfect his combat strength and fight against seasoned criminals?
If this wasn't going against the heavens, then what was?
While Yue Zifeng always played the role of a harsh Master who wanted nothing but the best from Xue Bai, he was also the child's uncle.
So while Yue Zifeng did say that he was locking Xue Bai onto the mountain so he could cultivate diligently, he was really doing it so that Xue Bai could become stronger before leaving safely.
After all, it was much harder for a Dharma Idol or Law Engraving realm cultivator to die compared to a Bone Strengthening realm cultivator.
"I should talk to Little Rou." Yue Zifeng muttered as he watched Xue Bai run down his stairs. However, he quickly shook his head, "No, not her. Brother Feng would be easier to talk to."
Making an internal decision, Yue Zifeng quickly made a seal at the bottom of the mountain as well that would last for a month before leaving in the direction of The Great Xuan Empire.
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"Young Master, you're back!" Xiao'er yelled as she saw Xue Bai enter the Training Pagoda.
However, she was still beaten and exhausted on the ground and didn't run up to greet him but instead stayed on the floor and waved.
"Why are you two on the third floor?" Xue Bai questioned as he finally found the two.
Xue Bai had been on the peak for almost an hour, but even after looking around every single building, he still couldn't find them.
He had even looked in the Training Pagoda earlier. But since he didn't expect Xiao'er and Zhu Que to be on the third floor, he missed them. The floors also had soundproofing, so he didn't hear them either.
"Big Sister Xiao'er needed a reality check." Zhu Que explained vaguely. Thankfully from the fact that Xiao'er was lying beaten on the ground, most of the picture was already painted, allowing Xue Bai to guess what had happened.
Xue Bai could only shake his head.
Going into his spatial ring, Xue Bai pulled out a Tiger Strength Pill that was good for recovering stamina and healing minor injuries and fed it to the immobilized Xiao'er before helping her off the ground.
The pills that Li Rou made were always at the top of their grade, so almost instantly, Xiao'er felt better.
pαпdα Йᴏνê1,сòМ "It's late. Let's have dinner quickly before going to cultivate." Xue Bai spoke.
Neither of the girls had an objection, and after sending a request to the maids living on the peak, the group of three had a quick fulfilling dinner.
Other than cultivating with each other during the nighttime, the trio had a tradition of always eating a small dinner together right before.
While Zhu Que had just broken through to the Blood Exchange realm, that was only while Xue Bai was gone. Before that, she was still in the Vein Transformation realm and was still required to eat her three daily meals as any mortal would.
At first, she was shy about it since, in order to eat, they would have to send a request down to the Core Region and find available maids to cook her meals. However, after Xiao'er and Xue Bai started to eat with her, Zhu Que would find herself anticipating her meals because of how fun they were.
And to make it less awkward for Zhu Que, During the short time that the trio had been at the peak, they had also managed to convince Yue Zifeng to let them have a small group of maids that were responsible for their meals.
So after hearing that they would be able to eat together for the first time in a week, the girls were excited and ran off happily, pulling Xue Bai along.
'I guess I had missed these two.' Xue Bai smiled inwardly as he let the two pull him along.
Dinner was quick, and after being pulled along once again, the trio arrived at Xue Bai's courtyard, where they closed up for the night, planning to cultivate.
However, before they started, Xue Bai brought up something.
"Xiao'er, you're at the 9th stage of the Organ Tempering realm, right?" Xue Bai suddenly asked. The only reason he could think of where Xiao'er would suddenly try and fight a Qi Sea realm sword puppet was if she had broken through to the peak of the Organ Tempering realm.
"Yes, I am Young Master." Xiao'er nodded, "I broke through yesterday night."
"Then why don't you cultivate the Purification Stages?" Xue Bai proposed, "While they seem excessive and unimportant now, the further you cultivate, the more important your foundation becomes, and the Purification Stages are the perfect way to make sure one has the most stable foundation once they break through to the Qi Sea realm."
"But aren't they extremely time-consuming?" Xiao'er was slightly worried about the daunting tasks that were the Purification Stages, "I heard that breaking through to the 10th stage of any realm takes twice as long as it did for the 9th."
"I phrased myself wrong." Xue Bai spoke, correcting himself, "You're going to cultivate the Purification Stages. And if you don't, then you'll see how I deal with you." And with a snort, Xue Bai sat on the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus.
Xiao'er wanted to try and argue, but Xue Bai was merciless and got into his own mediation state, ignoring the world around him.
He knew that if he asked Xiao'er to cultivate the Purification Stages, normally, she'd be fussy and lazy about it. So instead, he just decided to out and threaten her. Xiao'er wasn't hardheaded and wasn't motivated by persuasion, and every once in a while, Xue Bai needed to resort to a threatening stance to get her to do what he wanted.
Of course, he didn't actually plan on doing anything to Xiao'er in the scenario she didn't cultivate the Purification Stages, but she didn't know that.
And just as he predicted, Xiao'er was easily led around by her nose and obediently started cultivating the Purification Stages of the Organ Tempering realm and not trying to advance into the Qi Sea realm.
Zhu Que also quickly started cultivating, fearing that the two people around her would hog all of the Spiritual Qi mist.
The night would pass simply like this, with them all cultivating diligently as any genius did.
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