Chapter 10: Clarification, Contract

"Master, are you alright?" Luo Yexi looked at Lingyun with an anxious face.

After the Array of the Bamboo House opened, she had hurried into the Bamboo House, only to discover that Ling Tian, who had always given her a feeling of being unfathomable, was now radiating an aura possessed only by ordinary people, which made her feel somewhat panicked.

"Oh my, no need to worry! It was just a small breakthrough, and the previous injuries have all been resolved," Lingyun smiled. "It's just that as a price, my strength has returned to zero."

"Strength returned to zero?" Luo Yexi's expression changed slightly, then her face suddenly became determined. "Don't worry, Master, I will definitely protect you. No matter what identity those who come have, I will cut them down under my sword, no matter what price I have to pay! Ah, ouch, ouch, ouch..."

Hearing Luo Yexi's words, Ling Tian already knew she had misunderstood, so he reached out and gave her a flick on the forehead: "When has Master ever needed your protection? With your current strength, how could you protect me? You had better obediently go practice the Nine Suns Heavenly Art for me. Do you really think that just because Master's strength has returned to zero, I can't deal with those clowns? Practice well, there are some things you will understand later!"

"What is that! The Nine Suns Heavenly Art is so hard to practice, and Master, you won't let me practice the odd-numbered sword arts before the even-numbered ones. Practicing step-by-step is really too exhausting!" Luo Yexi said, acting a bit spoiled.

"Practicing the odd-numbered sword arts first can indeed lead to a quick mastery of the Nine Suns Heavenly Art, but it would mean losing the foundation, making it difficult to improve in the future; it can be called abandoning the root to pursue the tip. Moreover, there is a possibility of being injured by the Nine Suns Sword Qi; it is a heterodox method," Lingyun waved his hand. "Only by practicing step-by-step from the beginning can you achieve the purest Nine Suns Sword Qi, and with the assistance of the Nine Yang Divine Art, you will be able to enter the Zhiyang Realm in one go!"

"I know, I know. Master, you say that every time, but I am really very frustrated. I have practiced martial arts for so long, and I was even seriously injured by the joint efforts of several Hall Masters and Protectors of the Listening Heaven Tower. I am really very unwilling!" Luo Yexi shook her head vigorously.

"You, you have only practiced for a dozen years or so, and you were able to wipe out a portion of the experts in the Listening Heaven Tower in one strike; that is already a shocking enough battle record," Lingyun shook his head. "If others knew of your current strength, I don't know how many people would beat their chests and stomp their feet, lamenting that their life's Kung Fu was learned in vain. You still think it's not enough? What you need most now is to continuously accumulate your foundation and lay a solid enough base for your future march toward higher levels!"

"Oh, oh, oh, I understand. Master, you are still so fond of preaching!" Luo Yexi rubbed her forehead hard.

"It's good that you know! After all, the time Master can spend with you is not much left!" Lingyun looked at the disciple he had raised for fifteen, nearly sixteen years, and couldn't help but feel some emotion.

"What's wrong, Master? Are you going to leave me? Is it because I didn't do something well enough?" Luo Yexi's heart tightened, her hands suddenly hugged Lingyun's arm, and a layer of mist covered her eyes.

Feeling the softness of those two mounds pressed against his arm, Lingyun felt on one hand that his disciple had grown up, and on the other hand, he felt somewhat uncomfortable. Who could have imagined that Lingyun, having experienced countless worlds, was still a virgin to this day... After all, his only thought before was to cultivate the World Seed well and find his way home; he had no thoughts of finding a girlfriend. Having feelings and then being forced to separate was something Lingyun had seen quite often, and it was something he did not want to experience.

However, a turning point had now appeared; it was one of the greatest opportunities he had realized from the opening of the Cloud Realm and his tribulation crossing in the River of Time and Space, known as the Eternal Contract. Once an Eternal Contract was signed with him, it meant that this person would be connected to him forever, for a lifetime, never to be separated. And he could also sever the connection between the person who signed the contract with him and that person's world, taking them away from that world. Furthermore, he had the Heart Realm, as well as the still-growing Cloud Realm, which could fully accommodate others living within them.

Regarding this disciple he had raised for over ten years, Lingyun also felt reluctant to part. Without delay, Lingyun pulled his hand out of Luo Yexi's embrace and earnestly told her about his origins and the matter of the Eternal Contract.

Listening to Lingyun's narration, Luo Yexi was also shocked to the extreme. She had never imagined that the Master who had raised her for sixteen years actually had such an unknown secret. Finally, she couldn't help but ask: "Then Master, how old are you now?"

Lingyun was startled, then said to Luo Yexi with a serious face: "Ye Xi, you must remember, your Master is forever an eighteen-year-old youth; this point will never change!"

Seeing Lingyun's look as if this was a very important matter, Luo Yexi giggled: "I know, Master. By the way, Master, you said that once an Eternal Contract is signed with you, one can leave this world with you; is that true?"

"Yes, but leaving this world with me means you must abandon everything in this world, and you may not necessarily be able to return in the future. Even if you can return, it is possible that a long time will have passed!" Lingyun nodded. "So you must think it through before making a decision; don't let yourself regret it."

"Oh my, Master is really a fool, isn't he?" Luo Yexi hugged Lingyun's arm again. "In this world, apart from Master, Ye Xi no longer has anything to be concerned about!"

"Didn't you say you still wanted to investigate your own background? Perhaps there are still relatives of yours in this world! In that case, are you willing to give that up?" Lingyun suddenly spoke.

"To those who abandoned me for their own selfish interests, I will never be their family. My only family now is you, isn't that right, Teacher?" A cold glint flashed in Luo Yexi's eyes.

"So you knew all along!" Lingyun sighed lightly.

Luo Yexi smiled faintly: "Did Master think that my wandering outside these past few years was just causing trouble and fooling around? Alright, let's not talk so much; the Contract, the Contract is the most important thing!"

Looking at Luo Yexi's expectant face, Lingyun asked: "No regrets?"

"No regrets!"

"Then, the Contract is established!" As Lingyun's words fell, an extremely complex Array appeared under their feet, then faded into the Void.

"Ugh!" Luo Yexi shook her head hard. At the moment the Array disappeared, she felt as if something on her body had been severed, and then something else had connected with her.

"Alright, the Contract is complete. Rest well for a few days; in a few days, we will return to my hometown!" Lingyun said.

"Yes, Master!"