NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 5 - Master Wants Me to Cultivate with You!
Chapter 5: Master Wants Me to Cultivate with You!
As she stepped out of the hall, Nangong Ling still felt utterly dazed.
She couldn’t believe that the “opportunity” her master had mentioned turned out to be this!
Even her rapid breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage in just a century had been because of this reason!
When Nangong Ling first heard the news, she felt as though her entire belief system was about to collapse.
So, this was the sect’s greatest secret?
Realizing this, even her usually cold and composed expression began to falter.
She cultivated the Path of the Heartless Sword, yet what her master asked of her left her utterly horrified.
How could she possibly do such a thing?
If she did, it would destroy her completely!
Her sword heart would shatter. How could she wield her sword after that?
But her master valued the promotion of the Qinglian Sect above all else, and her life had been saved by this very master.
She simply couldn’t bring herself to disobey.
Lifting her delicate chin, Nangong Ling gazed at the sky, only to see a blanket of dark miasma above.
Forget it!
She couldn’t go against her master’s orders.
Even if her master ordered her to die, she wouldn’t refuse.
As the cool breeze swept past, Nangong Ling inexplicably felt a chill. She tightened her grip on the sect master’s token in her hand and walked away quickly.
***
The night was dark, the wind cold, and it was midnight.
At the rear mountain of the Qinglian Sect, faint rustling sounds, akin to whispers of the wind, could be heard.
In an instant, a slender figure clad in black nightwear, tightly wrapped from head to toe, appeared before the Demon-Suppressing Prison.
The figure glanced left and right before taking out a glowing token and pressing it against a specific spot on the prison gate.
The next moment—boom!—a deep rumble echoed as the massive gate trembled and slowly creaked open, revealing a narrow gap.
Without waiting for the gate to fully open, the black-clad figure retrieved the token and slipped into the dark dungeon beyond.
As she stepped into the Demon-Suppressing Prison—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The lamps lining the corridor flickered to life, one by one, illuminating the path ahead.
“Grrr!”
“Roar!”
“Hissss!”
The imprisoned beasts and spirits, awakened by the disturbance, let out menacing growls and cries.
The black-clad figure ignored the cacophony and first removed her head covering, revealing a cold, emotionless face with eyes tightly shut.
Who else could it be but Nangong Ling?
The token she used was none other than the sect master’s token.
The prison gates only responded to the sect master Liu Ruyan’s unique aura and this token.
Releasing her spiritual sense, Nangong Ling mapped out the path ahead while walking deeper into the dungeon.
Yet, the slight trembling of her hand gripping the sheathed sword betrayed the turmoil within her.
She tried to focus on the imprisoned beasts and spirits around her, as though distracting herself could provide temporary relief—but it was futile.
She didn’t know how much time had passed. The cages holding the beasts and spirits disappeared from her sides, yet the path stretched endlessly before her, as if leading into an abyss of despair.
***
At the very bottom of the dungeon, in a stone chamber—
Ding!
[Congratulations, host! You’ve successfully cultivated in seclusion for one day and earned 101,000 cultivation experience points, now deposited into your experience pool.]
The system’s voice echoed in Ning Chen’s mind, rousing him slightly from his drowsy state as he lay on the bed.
“Not bad, not bad,” Ning Chen grinned.
“Finally, something to look forward to in these days of misery.”
When the time came for him to emerge from seclusion, he swore to pay back those who had wronged him, tenfold.
Let that woman suffer the same pain he had endured—no, a hundred times worse!
As Ning Chen envisioned his revenge, he suddenly paused.
Wait…
If he went about this the wrong way, wouldn’t that just reward Liu Ruyan?
Damn it!
“Forget it.” Ning Chen shook his head.
He would take it one step at a time.
Everything could wait until he emerged from seclusion. Then he’d decide how to exact his vengeance!
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take to catch up to Liu Ruyan, who had used him as a cultivation accelerator.
At a daily rate of 101,000 experience points, it still felt far too slow!
What a shame Liu Ruyan was such a pauper—she had nothing to her name.
As he grumbled to himself, faint footsteps echoed from afar.
Ning Chen froze and listened carefully.
Sure enough, the sound grew clearer and closer.
Ning Chen’s face turned green.
Didn’t she say she’d be too busy for a few days?
Why was she here again, right after midnight?
Did Liu Ruyan think his vital essence was some kind of seasonal treat, like the first pumpkin spice latte of autumn?
A sense of irritation gripped Ning Chen’s heart.
No matter how delicious abalone might be, eating it every day for a hundred years would make anyone sick of it.
Since the Demon-Suppressing Prison had been designated as a forbidden area of the sect, Ning Chen had long dismissed the idea of anyone else coming here except Liu Ruyan.
He sat up slowly, leaning against the bedpost, his cold gaze fixed on the outside.
To his surprise, a figure in black appeared—a completely unfamiliar, elegantly beautiful woman.
Ning Chen froze.
It wasn’t Liu Ruyan!
***
Nangong Ling reached the end of the path.
Just as her master had described, there was indeed an unusually large stone prison here.
As she approached, she immediately noticed the youth leaning against the bed, staring at her coldly.
In such a dim environment, spiritual senses were far more acute than sight, but they perceived no colors—only black and white.
Even so, she found the youth so flawlessly otherworldly that she couldn’t imagine how breathtaking he must look in full color.
Though she cultivated the Heartless Sword Dao, Nangong Ling felt a faint ripple in her heart at this moment.
So, this was the senior brother who had been imprisoned for a hundred years with his cultivation sealed by her master?
***
“Who are you?” Ning Chen’s voice remained wary.
Seeing the youth’s guarded demeanor, Nangong Ling, for the first time, began to doubt whether her master had made the right decision.
She opened the gate to the stone prison and stepped inside.
Wanting to express some goodwill, she attempted to greet him.
However, her years of cultivating the Heartless Sword Dao had left her expressionless, and her tone came off awkward and stiff.
“Greetings, Senior Brother.”
Ning Chen became even more confused, sitting up straighter. “You’re calling me ‘Senior Brother’?”
“Yes. I’m the second disciple of Master,” Nangong Ling explained.
“Heh.” Ning Chen chuckled coldly, suddenly understanding. “So, it’s that woman.”
His disdain was unmistakable.
“What did she send you here for?”
“Master… Master told me to…” Nangong Ling hesitated, struggling to find the words.
More than resistance, what she felt was shame.
Her senior brother had already suffered enough, being imprisoned here for so long. Yet she was tasked with…
“Speak!” Ning Chen’s voice turned cold and impatient.
“Master wants me to cultivate dual techniques with you to break through to the Core Formation Stage!” Nangong Ling took a deep breath and blurted it all out in one go.
Ning Chen almost laughed out of sheer anger.
Did Liu Ruyan think of him as some kind of communal cucumber?
He opened his mouth, ready to spit out a harsh “Get lost!” when a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Detected an individual nearby with a copyable divine ability—Sun and Moon Divine Eyes. Would you like to inspect?] [Detected an individual nearby with a copyable innate talent—Heartless Sword Heart. Would you like to inspect?]
Ning Chen: Huh?