Chapter 57: Liking Herself?

“The cultivation methods of body cultivators are rather unusual. Your estate is quite large, so you could spend some money building a few high-temperature rooms, freezing rooms, and lightning rooms.”

“In short, whatever best tortures the body. Ideally, it won’t put your life in danger—but for a body cultivator, the more punishing the environment, the better.”

Zhou Chen gave Xiao Yunmei his instructions.

Xiao Yunmei nodded, then asked somewhat shyly, “May I ask if there’s any way I could cultivate too, Senior?”

Zhou Chen looked her over. “Were you unable to practice ancient martial arts before?”

Xiao Yunmei sighed. “I had no talent for ancient martial arts. Otherwise, my father wouldn’t have favored my younger sister so much. She’s extremely gifted, and she’s only just graduated, yet she’s already close to reaching the Transformation Realm.”

Zhou Chen scoffed. “You lack talent for ancient martial arts because your constitution is special and your aptitude is too extraordinary. Those low-level techniques simply aren’t suited to you.”

Though the Enchanting Fragrance Spirit Body was a furnace constitution, its owner could advance extremely quickly if she devoted herself to cultivation.

After all, the higher a furnace’s cultivation, the more effective it was to harvest from.

At Zhou Chen’s words, Xiao Yunmei was instantly overwhelmed by joy.

Her aptitude had always been her greatest weakness.

Because she lacked aptitude, she had remained an illegitimate daughter.

Because she lacked aptitude, her father had always favored her younger sister.

Because she lacked aptitude, her family had never accepted her.

Now Zhou Chen was telling her that she possessed extraordinary talent and a special constitution. How could she not be overjoyed?

If anyone else had told her she was gifted, Xiao Yunmei would never have believed it.

But if a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhou Chen said so, then her talent had to be exceptional.

That meant her gift lay not in ancient martial arts, but in immortal cultivation!

Quick-witted as she was, she immediately dropped to her knees before Zhou Chen.

“Please accept me as your disciple, Senior!”

But no matter how hard she tried, she could not kneel. Zhou Chen held her up with his spiritual power.

“I don’t take disciples,” he said calmly.

Xiao Yunmei’s expression dimmed.

Then Zhou Chen continued, “However, I can pass an immortal cultivation technique on to you. What you achieve in the future will be up to you, and will have nothing to do with me.”

In truth, Zhou Chen had intended to teach Xiao Yunmei an immortal cultivation technique from the start, so she would have the means to protect herself.

As an Enchanting Fragrance Spirit Body, she was a living furnace. Any male immortal cultivator would want to harvest her pure yin essence.

Even ordinary cultivators, let alone immortal cultivators, would find it difficult to resist Xiao Yunmei’s allure—and might act on impulse.

Zhou Chen pressed a finger to Xiao Yunmei’s brow and imparted the cultivation method, the River Luo Immortal Art.

It was a high-level technique, with equally high demands on its practitioner.

But as an Enchanting Fragrance Spirit Body, Xiao Yunmei was perfectly suited to it.

“While the Spirit Gathering Array here is being sustained by spirit stones, focus on reaching the entry level. The River Luo Immortal Art requires abundant spiritual energy. I’ll set up a Spirit Gathering Array on this estate. Whenever you have free time, cultivate diligently and try to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.”

“Most importantly, hurry to gather the spirit herbs needed to refine Foundation Establishment Pills. I’ll make them for you. This is crucial.”

In truth, Zhou Chen was worried that something might go wrong when he tried to break through to Foundation Establishment, so he wanted the pills as insurance.

But in Xiao Yunmei’s eyes, Zhou Chen was already a Foundation Establishment senior.

She assumed he was refining the pills specifically for her.

She couldn’t help feeling deeply grateful. He was making Foundation Establishment Pills for her and setting up a Spirit Gathering Array, too. Wasn’t he being a little too kind?

Could he be interested in her?

Xiao Yunmei quickly put the thought aside.

Zhou Chen was a Foundation Establishment senior who had lived for at least a hundred years. What beauty had he not seen?

Besides, when he had made his request earlier, if he’d been attracted to her, he could easily have added a condition—something like asking her to become his woman.

She was surely just imagining things.

And indeed, she was.

Zhou Chen had no improper intentions toward Xiao Yunmei.

He was refining the Foundation Establishment Pills mainly for himself. He could simply give her one when the time came.

Besides, with Xiao Yunmei’s aptitude as an Enchanting Fragrance Spirit Body, she would need no pills to reach Foundation Establishment.

As for setting up the Spirit Gathering Array, that was simply for Zhou Chen’s own benefit.

After spending the time to lay out the array, he also installed a defensive array and a trapping array around the estate.

That way, if the Yunmei Auction House ever acquired a genuine treasure of immortal cultivation and attracted the covetous attention of ancient martial arts experts or fellow cultivators, Zhou Chen could at least hold them off—even if he wasn’t there.

In Zhou Chen’s eyes, the Yunmei Auction House was no longer just Xiao Yunmei’s. It had become a tool for his own cultivation as well.

This was Zhou Chen’s first time working with arrays, but with the legacy of an ancient, supreme Qi Refiner, setting up a few low-level formations posed no challenge.

The Spirit Gathering Array could draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, sustaining the defensive and trapping arrays.

Zhou Chen worked until dawn before finally returning to the training room, looking slightly tired.

Xiao Yunmei had stayed up all night, yet she felt more alert than ever.

After a night of cultivation, she had successfully crossed the threshold into immortal cultivation. Her cultivation had reached the first level of Qi Refining.

Seeing Zhou Chen’s evident fatigue, Xiao Yunmei felt a pang of concern.

“Senior, would you like to rest? I’ll prepare a room for you at once,” she said, rising to her feet.

Zhou Chen waved a hand. “No need. I’ll be leaving soon. Before I go, take me to see the spirit herbs you’ve collected, and prepare a quiet room for me. I’ll refine a few batches of pills.”

“Yes.”

Led by Xiao Yunmei, Zhou Chen entered the estate’s underground vault.

Its security was even more robust than that of a bank vault.

Many jade boxes sat inside. Jade could effectively prevent spiritual energy from leaking away, making it an excellent way to store treasures.

Zhou Chen extended his spiritual sense and looked surprised.

The boxes held mostly spirit herbs. Their grades were low, but they were just what he needed right now.

Many of them were herbs useful to Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.

“This room stores medicinal herbs. The room on the left holds various ores and gemstones. The one ahead is for magical artifacts, antiques, and the like,” Xiao Yunmei explained as she showed him around.

The medicinal room contained many herbs infused with spiritual properties, known as spirit herbs.

It also held herbs such as ginseng, rich in life energy. Though not technically spirit herbs, they were even more effective than ordinary ones.

Zhou Chen did not hold back. He selected more than twenty spirit herbs and two ginseng roots, each at least five hundred years old, intending to feed them to the Life-Devouring Insects.

“That’s enough. Let’s go.”

Seeing Zhou Chen turn to leave, Xiao Yunmei asked, puzzled, “With your discerning eye, Senior, aren’t you going to look in the other rooms? You might find something you like…”

Zhou Chen shook his head. “No need. You’ve already given me plenty of surprises. I’ll save the rest for my next visit.”

The bunny girl carried the more than twenty jade boxes Zhou Chen had selected to a quiet room.

Zhou Chen sat cross-legged on the floor and began refining the pill furnace.

Xiao Yunmei stood guard outside the door, making sure no one disturbed him.