Chapter 29: Best Friends

Chapter 29 Best Friends

Though the Crown Prince was quick to change his tune, Chi Yu still managed to secure private lessons.

Sometimes, one had to admire Long Aotian’s luck. First, Ling Hezhou guided him in foundational cultivation, and even after moving to a new place, someone still provided him with techniques and instruction.

What can I say? That’s Long Aotian for you!

Under his domineering aura, those who favored him automatically became his allies.

Chi Yu happily went down to the market and bought a mid-grade spirit sword. His cultivation base was quite weak, and he lacked understanding of many cultivation insights and techniques, so he couldn’t practice with a bonded spirit sword. Thus, he could only store the spirit sword in his Spatial Ring.

He spent two hours each day practicing sword techniques.

Xie Xiyi offered a lukewarm assessment: "It’ll take at least a hundred years to achieve any real skill."

Which sword cultivator doesn’t practice from dawn till dusk? Practicing just two hours a day—what kind of progress could that possibly yield?

Chi Yu shot back defensively, "It’s already pretty good. I only cultivate for three hours a day."

It wasn’t that he wasn’t diligent; he had to reserve some time for the restriction curse to activate.

He remembered the villain mentioning that the curse seemed to have a time limit, but when he peered into his mouth to check the root of his tongue, he couldn’t see it. Clearly, it didn’t usually manifest, and he didn’t know if it was still effective.

The villain also said there was a curse that could kill, but he had never triggered it and didn’t know what the conditions were.

However, based on his limited understanding of the villain, the guy had a warped, nasty sense of humor and might just be trying to scare him—that possibility seemed quite real.

So, he decided not to worry about it for now.

The mind should manifest without attachment, and go with the flow!

Xie Xiyi found it once again baffling that Chi Yu had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. How could such a lazy slacker achieve Foundation Establishment at seventeen? It was highly unusual. He warned Chi Yu, "If anyone asks how long you cultivate each day, always say eight or nine hours. Never say an hour and a half again."

Chi Yu instinctively asked, "Why?"

"Why? Can’t you see?" Xie Xiyi smiled faintly, with a hint of menacing amusement. "If you only cultivate for an hour and a half a day but still reached Foundation Establishment at seventeen, it suggests you used a lot of rare treasures to artificially boost your cultivation. Someone with malicious intentions could easily dismember you to refine pills and absorb the residual medicinal energy in your flesh and blood."

Finally seeing Chi Yu’s expression change, Xie Xiyi’s golden eyes gleamed with sweet satisfaction. "Like the cultivator behind your residence. He appears calm and restrained, but inside, he’s more obsessed with cultivation and advancement than anyone. Be careful not to reveal that your spirit root also requires short cultivation time, or he might dismember you for pill refining one day."

Chi Yu’s heart hammered wildly. "No way, I’ve never even heard of such a thing."

Xie Xiyi said lightly, "Not hearing about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The dirty business among cultivators is plentiful. It’s fine if you don’t believe me."

Chi Yu was successfully frightened by Xie Xiyi, but he quickly calmed down and said, "You sound like those nosy aunties in the mortal world telling kids their parents don’t want them. Rather than worrying about me, you should worry about yourself! You’re a once-in-a-generation talent who reached Golden Core before twenty. Instead of capturing me to refine a Human Pill, they’d rather capture you."

Xie Xiyi paused, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he thoughtfully said, "That makes sense."

Chi Yu: "…"

Makes sense? He actually thinks that way?

Chi Yu felt a chill. *Divine Path* never mentioned such things. Even if demonic cultivators slaughtered cities, nine times out of ten it was to refine Blood Abyss Pills, which were used for cultivating Magical Artifacts, not for consumption.

Xie Xiyi glanced at him, pulled an aura concealment technique manual from his sleeve, and tossed it to Chi Yu. "This technique can hide the traces of your breathing. It’s better to be safe than sorry—don’t casually tell others about your spirit root’s cultivation time."

Chi Yu was surprised. "I hadn’t even asked you for—"

Before he could finish, Xie Xiyi withdrew the manual. "Now it’s gone."

Chi Yu: "!!"

My benefactor! Don’t tease me!

Chi Yu wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Brother Xuan Ji, give it to me, please! I knew you were the best to me. It’s strange—we’re like Bo Ya and Zhong Ziqi, finding kindred spirits in flowing streams and high mountains, destined to be best friends."

Xie Xiyi frowned slightly, unable to bear it, and tossed the manual out. "Enough, shut up. Don’t say such corny lines anymore."

Chi Yu knew he was susceptible to this and secretly laughed. The Crown Prince was really easy to understand.

He took the manual, flipped through it casually, and found it much simpler this time—he could actually understand it. He thanked him promptly.

He had already gotten quite a lot from the Crown Prince and couldn’t push his luck further. He hadn’t figured out what to give in return, which was really making his head hurt.

After returning, he remembered he still had the system panel and tentatively wished for the guitar from his home. After making the wish, he punched the system a few times, once again making the panel snow with static.

Chi Yu wasn’t worried about breaking it. The system was like an old TV—a few knocks and it still worked.jpg

After punching it, he waited a while, and the system finally spat something out: a pack of cotton underwear he had just bought but hadn’t opened.

Chi Yu: "…"

Seriously, what’s the use of you?!?!

Even though it was unopened, he couldn’t give it as a gift! The Crown Prince’s build was half his size—even if he gave it, it wouldn’t fit!

Useless system!

Left with no choice, Chi Yu used the new underwear himself and stopped fiddling with the broken system. He went to the market and found a spirit treasure guqin for the Crown Prince as a return gift.

He didn’t deliver it personally but had Little Ball bring it over.

Little Ball wanted to say it was useless—His Highness wouldn’t accept it—but he swallowed his words. If His Highness did accept it, that broken guqin could finally retire, which might be a good thing.

So, he excitedly brought the guqin to Xie Xiyi. Before he could even speak, he said, "This is a guqin from Brother Aotian. It’s a mid-grade spirit treasure—must’ve cost a small fortune."

Xie Xiyi plucked the guqin strings a few times. Though he didn’t use spiritual power, the sound waves still transformed into sharp blades that flew out, leaving deep gashes on the hall’s pillars.

Little Ball, utterly impressed, exclaimed, "What a treasure! Your Highness, if you don’t want it, give it to me. I don’t have an attack Magical Artifact yet."

Xie Xiyi retorted, "Do you understand music?"

Little Ball hesitated, embarrassed. "I’ve learned a little."

Xie Xiyi said, "Then don’t embarrass yourself."

Although he looked down on the guqin, he still accepted it.

Even if he didn’t want it, he couldn’t just pass it to Little Ball.

He took out a few top-tier spirit stones and tossed them to him. "If you like it, go buy one. Would I ever short you?"

Little Ball quickly caught them and laughed. "It’s not the same. A gift from Brother Aotian has meaning."

Xie Xiyi glanced at him with his golden eyes, wanting to scold him but swallowing his words. He only said, "Brown-noser."

Little Ball grinned foolishly. "Your Highness, whatever you say. But you’ve been getting pretty chummy with Brother Aotian lately."

Xie Xiyi said coolly, "Don't you have work to do? Get out."

Xiao Qiu let out a long, "Oh—"

He’s just acting out of embarrassment and anger.

*

A few days later, Chi Yu and Xie Xiyi submitted their team application and received jade tokens. They were assigned to Group D.

Chi Yu asked Xie Xiyi, "Xiao Qiu didn’t even enter the Heart-Proving Platform—how is he able to join a team?"

Xie Xiyi replied indifferently, "These things don’t matter."

Chi Yu understood—it meant external help was allowed.

As expected, Zhi Guan also teamed up with Suoluo Qiye, and they even brought in an external member at the Golden Core Stage.

Suo Luo and Qi Ye had a heavy workload and hadn’t yet found a substitute for Adamantine. Chi Yu didn’t mind; instead, he took the two processed jade tokens, gave one to Brother Xuan Ji, and demonstrated how to use it—

"There’s a communication channel inside that can store messages for up to a month. Whenever I have questions about cultivation, I can just ask you, Brother Xuan Ji!"

Xie Xiyi laughed, his tone laced with sarcasm again, "If you’re sincere, why not just formally take me as your master? I’d naturally teach you with all my effort."

Although they were both studying at the Zen School, they weren’t from the same sect or lineage—what obligation did he have to teach him?

Chi Yu also laughed, "No need to take a master. As they say: an elder brother is like a father. If you don’t mind, I can even call you Dad."

Xie Xiyi: "…"

He was utterly shocked, his elegant composure nearly breaking, "What did you say?"

Chi Yu said nonchalantly, "I said, if you don’t mind, I can call you Dad. Dad—"

Xie Xiyi reached out and covered Chi Yu’s mouth, his golden eyes flashing with a dangerous light, and whispered, "Are you insane? How could I possibly have a son as old as you? If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll make sure you can’t use that mouth again."

Chi Yu laughed, thinking it was quite amusing to tease the Prince. Didn’t the Prince also enjoy teasing and scaring him? Now it was his turn to be startled—the tables have turned.

Only after Xie Xiyi was sure he wouldn’t spout any more nonsense did he release his hand and take the jade token. "I’ll keep this. Now get out of here."

Chi Yu exhaled, sniffed the air slightly, and noticed the lingering elegant and rich fragrance on Xie Xiyi’s hand. Even after his hand moved away, the air was still filled with a clear, pleasant scent. He couldn’t help but say, "Brother Xuan Ji, what incense do you use? You smell amazing."

Xie Xiyi: "…"

Xie Xiyi said expressionlessly, "Get out!"

Chi Yu studied his expression but couldn’t decipher anything, so he reluctantly said, "Alright, I’m leaving."

As he reached the door, he turned back, a sly grin on his face, and said, "Brother Xuan Ji, is that your natural scent?"

With a "thud," a compressed tea cake came flying at him. Chi Yu dodged backward, and the tea cake hit the vermilion-painted door before falling to the ground and rolling in a circle. Chi Yu bent down, picked up the tea cake, brushed off the dust, and said, "This tea cake is dirty now. You definitely won’t drink it, Brother Xuan Ji, so I’ll take it and have it myself. Thanks, Senior Brother."

Without waiting for Xie Xiyi’s reaction, he turned and made a quick exit.

Xie Xiyi: "…"

Once again, he wondered—how did he end up mingling with this crude dragon?

Why exactly?

*

Qing Xuan came to visit Chi Yu again.

Chi Yu originally had no particular thoughts about Senior Brother Qing Xuan, but the Prince was right—better safe than sorry.

The reason he had paid special attention to the Prince initially was because he was the future Bodhisattva who would defect, and he also had a young child with him.

As the saying goes, someone who carries a young child around, especially one who shows no fear or apprehension toward him, speaks volumes. At the very least, it meant this person was definitely not bad.

That’s why he felt so relaxed around the Prince.

Although Chi Yu wore a smile for everyone, beneath that boundless affability was a subtle, almost imperceptible distance.

This was his way of navigating the world—smiling at everyone to avoid making unnecessary enemies.

So when Qing Xuan arrived, though Chi Yu felt slightly guarded inside, he still greeted him with a smile.

He poured tea for Qing Xuan and asked him, "Senior Brother Qing Xuan, who did you team up with for the Hongbao Trial?"

Qing Xuan said, "With my senior brother. He’s in the Truth of Suffering Meditation Hall. The Luo Po Zen School doesn’t prohibit cross-hall team-ups."

Chi Yu remembered what Lian Chi said about Qing Xuan’s senior brother having a short temper and laughed. "Senior Brother Qing Xuan, studying here with your senior brother must be nice—at least you have company."

Qing Xuan neither agreed nor disagreed. After a moment, he proactively asked, "What is this?"

He pointed at the test paper Chi Yu had left on the table.

Chi Yu: "Oh, this is a chemistry test."

He picked up the test paper and handed it to Qing Xuan. "Chemistry. Actually, I think the cultivation world could make use of it too, since it’s somewhat related."

Chi Yu’s humility faded as his know-it-all attitude rose, and he launched into a lecture, "Actually, I’ve been thinking during my cultivation and found that it really aligns—I’ve always wondered what the essence of cultivation is. Recently, I realized that cultivation is actually a kind of reaction. For example, when I learn water-based spells, spiritual energy moves in a certain way to draw out water from the air. Fire-based spells also use spiritual energy to react with the fire energy in the air to produce flames.

And as for talismans, my research shows they’re essentially a kind of contract agreement. The talisman master, as Party A, uses different pathways of spiritual energy to exchange with higher-level heavenly dao for specific functions.

Don’t you think that, once this idea is realized, talismans could be produced in batches? Not just talismans, but pills too. As long as there’s a formula, pills could be produced on a systematic process. Ultimately, aren’t pills just a combination of ingredients and spiritual energy? With the right tools, mass production shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

Qing Xuan was stunned. Though he didn’t understand some of the terms, he could grasp the general meaning from the context. It was precisely because he vaguely understood that he felt profoundly shaken and instinctively denied it: "Impossible—"

Chi Yu said, "No one can definitively say something is impossible without testing it. What if it is possible? If it is, then talismans and pills wouldn’t be rare commodities anymore, right?"

He laughed, his thoughts running wild. "Honestly, Senior Brother Qing Xuan, if you could create contract templates, you wouldn’t need to make talismans yourself anymore, right? Just stamp them out—you could produce tens of thousands in a day. Wouldn’t that make you rich?"

Qing Xuan’s usually calm demeanor flushed slightly with excitement, his heart stirred. "...Such a thing is utterly impossible. You simply don’t understand."

Chi Yu said, "I don’t understand, but sometimes outsiders see things more clearly. What do you think, Senior Brother Qing Xuan?"

Qing Xuan abruptly stood up and said, "Brother Long, I have matters to attend to. I take my leave."

With that, he hurried away.

Xiao Qiu came out from the kitchen and complained to Chi Yu, "Brother Aotian, he’s so standoffish, yet you taught him all that. And if he succeeds and gets rich, you’ll have nothing."

He spoke earnestly, "You should keep valuable knowledge to yourself. You can’t just tell everyone everything."

Chi Yu pinched his cheek and said amusedly, "Of course I understand what you’re saying. I was just giving him something to do so he wouldn’t keep coming to see me without saying anything, forcing me to make conversation."

"As for what I said—I was just speculating. How could there be such an exploit? Even if there were, how could no one have discovered it after all these years?"

Chi Yu was self-aware. He was well aware that, no matter the era, one should never underestimate others. The cultivation world had developed all sorts of techniques through experimentation—how could no one have researched such shortcuts?

He truly hadn’t expected that a few wild theories would actually fool Senior Brother Qing Xuan.

Would he go back and immediately start testing it out?

Chi Yu felt a little guilty, but then he thought, since he was just running his mouth, if Qing Xuan took it seriously, that was his own problem. So he shrugged it off.

For the next half month or so, Qing Xuan indeed didn’t come looking for him again.

Instead, he saw Senior Brother Qing Xuan looking for him. The man appeared handsome—but then again, most cultivators were good-looking; at the very least, they were decent-looking.

This cultivator was tall and robust, but his face carried a dark, intimidating vibe, making him seem difficult to get along with.

Chi Yu, not wanting to offend, called out "Senior Brother" to him. The cultivator glanced at him, noticed his young age and Foundation Establishment cultivation, and sneered, "Since you call me Senior Brother, can’t you show some respect? I don’t see any sincerity from you."

Chi Yu: "???"

Ugh, he shouldn’t have said anything.

Chi Yu rolled his eyes at him and turned to go back to his room.

Ming Xin blew up, chased after him, and banged on his door, "Hey, you punk, get out here now!"

Chi Yu shouted back, "You get out! This is my dorm."

Ming Xin: "Come out right now! As your senior brother, I’ll teach you what respect and decency mean! How dare you roll your eyes at me? Didn’t your master teach you anything? What backwater did you crawl out of? Get out here!"

Chi Yu, standing inside, hands on his hips, yelled back, "I’m not coming out! I’ve got plenty of senior brothers—who do you think you are? If anyone’s rolling out, it’s you! Get lost, dumbass!"

The Zen School dorm rooms were set up with restrictions; if activated, they could block entry. Otherwise, the flimsy wooden door wouldn’t have been enough to stop that cultivator.

Ming Xin rolled up his sleeves, about to break in, when he suddenly sensed a killer intent. His heart jumped, and he looked up to see a tall Golden Core Stage cultivator smiling at him. The smile was gentle, but those sharp golden eyes were ice-cold. "What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know fighting isn’t allowed within the Zen School?"

Seeing a Golden Core Stage cultivator, Ming Xin’s temper softened slightly. He defended himself, "I wasn’t fighting. I just wanted to talk with my junior brother."

The newcomer was naturally Xie Xiyi. Hearing this, he seemed to find it amusing, the curve of his lips growing wider. "A chat? By trying to break through the restrictions on his dwelling?"

Ming Xin figured it out—this guy was clearly backing him up. He got pissed, "So what if I am? He provoked me with his look. Shouldn’t I be angry?"

Chi Yu opened the door and shouted, "You had it coming! I called you Senior Brother, and you still complained I wasn’t respectful enough. Did you want me to kneel and kowtow to you? Dream on."

Ming Xin: "You—"

Chi Yu’s fighting skills were still weak for now; he couldn’t take on a native cultivator. After saying his piece, he immediately shut the door again.

Leaving Ming Xin fuming.

Just as Ming Xin was seeing red, another voice came, "Senior Brother, what are you doing now?"

Ming Xin turned and saw it was Qing Xuan. He bit back his anger and said, "Nothing."

Qing Xuan frowned at him, then turned to Xie Xiyi. With a well-rehearsed tone, he said, "Brother Xuan Ji, please don’t be upset. My senior brother has a fiery temper, but he means no harm. He’s not…"

Before he could finish, Xie Xiyi cut him off rudely, a hint of mockery in his voice, "Instead of bothering to apologize for him, why not find him a tutor? He could use some more reading—save him from running his mouth everywhere."

That was too vicious. Ming Xin’s blood pressure spiked, his face turned red, "You—"

Qing Xuan gripped his shoulder, frowning, "That’s enough, Senior Brother. Stop causing trouble."

Ming Xin forced himself to hold back, shooting Xie Xiyi a deadly glare.

Xie Xiyi didn’t back down in the slightest. "What’s with that look? Keep it up."

Qing Xuan gave him a shove and pulled him toward his own room. "Sorry, Brother Xuan Ji. I’ll get him out of here now."

He dragged Ming Xin to his room, set up a restriction, and said, unable to hold back any longer, "Senior Brother, this isn’t the Five Aggregates Sect. Can’t you think twice before acting? He’s Xuan Ji, the Future Bodhisattva of the Anuttara Buddhist School. If he wants, he can kick you out anytime."

Ming Xin said angrily, "I didn’t do anything wrong! He has no reason to expel me! And he’s not even a Bodhisattva yet—what right does he have to kick me out?"

A spark of anger broke through Qing Xuan’s usually calm gaze. "Senior Brother, you can lie to others, but don’t fool me. I know you too well. If you clash with Brother Long, it’s definitely your fault. Stop causing trouble! If something like this happens again, even I won’t be able to help you if you get expelled."

Ming Xin rarely saw Qing Xuan this angry. He paused, then said resentfully, "Fine! I won’t cause any more trouble!"

On the other side, after they left, Chi Yu opened the door and deactivated the restriction. He said to Xie Xiyi, "Brother Xuan Ji, good thing you showed up. I was really afraid he’d break through and beat me up."

Xie Xiyi smiled. "So you do get scared sometimes."

Just as Chi Yu was about to smile back, Xie Xiyi’s expression turned serious. "If you’re scared, why do you only cultivate for an hour and a half each day? Your cultivation, your spiritual sense, your spells—they’re all lacking. How can you call yourself a Foundation Establishment cultivator like this?"

Chi Yu: "..."

His smile quietly vanished.jpg

Chi Yu said stiffly, "Uh, then I’ll increase it to two hours."

Xie Xiyi’s golden eyes were sharp. "Ten hours. You’re far too weak. Anyone could easily kill you. If you’re not afraid of death, go ahead and slack off. Don’t think just because you cling to me, we’re somehow close. Next time something like this happens, I won’t help you."

Chi Yu: "..."

Deeply struck, he said pitifully, "Brother Xuan Ji, so you think we’re not close? I consider you my best friend! —Brother Xuan Ji!"

"..." Xie Xiyi found this baffling. When did they become friends?

His thin lips parted slightly. "Meaningless nonsense."

Chi Yu: "Oh, fine. Then Little Ball is my best friend now."

Little Ball popped out from behind Xie Xiyi, looking excited. "Really!? I’m your best friend now?"

Chi Yu laughed. "That’s right! Now it’s Little Ball! Little Ball is my best friend!"

Little Ball cheered happily, "Yay! Brother Aotian, you’re my best friend too!"

He rushed over and threw himself into Chi Yu’s arms. "I’m so happy."

Xie Xiyi: "..."

He turned and left. Out of sight, out of mind.

Best friends? Why would he care about such illusory, transient things?

Only those with weak wills, like Little Ball, would crave such conditional connections.

Author's Note:

Later

Xie: Little Ball, how dare you put yourself on my level? *kicks away*.jpg