Under Mentor Yu Xuan’s eager ministrations, Yan Zhen spent his first night after arriving at the Jialan Holy Land, his heart brimming with happiness.
This only strengthened his determination to grow stronger. He absolutely could not repeat the mistakes of his previous life—not when he now had so many more people to protect.
The next day, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Yan Zhen awoke from a sweet dream. He blinked his eyes and saw that the spot beside him was empty. There was no sign of the beauty, only a faint, elegant fragrance lingering in the air. Instead, a large lump protruded from under the covers.
Yan Zhen gave a wry smile, closed his eyes again, spread his arms lazily, and said, “Good morning, Mentor.”
A muffled response came from beneath the covers. “Good morning~”
Her voice was indistinct, as if she were speaking with her tongue sticking out.
Yan Zhen slowly drew in a breath. “How come you’re up so early, Mentor?”
Mentor Yu Xuan’s voice was coy and sweet. “Because I wanted to wake you up.”
“You’re too good to me, Mentor.”
“Are you happy?”
“Thrilled.”
“Then here’s your reward~”
Yan Zhen slipped his hand under the covers, gently caressing his beautiful mentor’s cheek and hair. She clearly relished it, nuzzling her head against his palm.
“Don’t take your hand away, okay?”
“Got it.”
With that, Yan Zhen slid his other hand under the covers as well. She took hold of it, their fingers interlocking.
Just as the pair was lost in their affectionate moment, Long Ying’s voice called out from the doorway.
“Yan Zhen Zhen, where are you?”
The air rippled with spatial fluctuations as Long Ying passed straight through the closed door and entered the room.
The loli dragon girl rubbed her sleepy eyes. She had clearly just woken up and had followed Yan Zhen’s scent after failing to find him.
Yan Zhen jolted in surprise on the bed. He started to sit up and get dressed, but Mentor Yu Xuan gripped his hand tightly, refusing to let go.
“Mentor?”
She made no reply, only leaning in to kiss him tenderly.
Helpless, Yan Zhen spotted Long Ying entering and quickly lay back down. He pulled the covers over himself properly and let out a big yawn, feigning the look of someone just roused from sleep.
“What do you want, barging in this early in the morning?”
Spotting Yan Zhen put Long Ying’s mind at ease. “Yan Zhen Zhen, why are you sleeping over here? I thought you had disappeared.”
Yan Zhen replied with utmost seriousness, “It doesn’t matter where I sleep. I just came over to catch up with Mentor Yu Xuan.”
“You were doing naughty things, weren’t you?” Long Ying stood by the bed with her arms crossed, eyeing him askance. “Yan Zhen Zhen, you big pervert. I’m telling Sister Cai Lian.”
It was pretty embarrassing to be called out like that by such a tiny girl.
Yan Zhen coughed awkwardly a couple of times. “I’ve already come clean to Cai Lian about everything with Mentor Yu Xuan—er, I mean, my mentor. She won’t be mad.”
Long Ying huffed arrogantly and glanced around. “Where’s Sister Yu Xuan?”
Yan Zhen blinked. “I think the mentor went out for some morning exercise.”
“Then why aren’t you up yet, Yan Zhen Zhen?”
“Just indulging in a little lie-in. Once I officially become a disciple of the Holy Land, there won’t be any more chances to slack off.”
“Makes sense.” Long Ying nodded, agreeing with Yan Zhen’s logic. “In that case, I’ll catch some more sleep too.”
With that, she started to climb onto the bed and squeeze into Yan Zhen’s covers. He panicked and quickly stopped her.
“Whoa, whoa, hold on.”
“What?”
“Well… you didn’t take a bath yesterday. Don’t get on the mentor’s bed.”
Long Ying’s little face instantly flushed red. She protested, “I-I only skipped it because I fell asleep by accident…”
Yan Zhen shot her a sidelong glance. “Then hurry up and wash. It’ll be so awkward if the mentor smells it on you.”
Long Ying hurriedly sniffed her own small arm. With her sensitive nose, she could indeed detect a faint scent. With a wail, she bolted from the room.
—No way was she a stinky dragon. She was going to be a sweet-smelling one!
There was a bathroom in the next room over, and it was in a pretty obvious spot, so Yan Zhen wasn’t worried about her finding it. He breathed a small sigh of relief as she dashed back to her own room, though he soon frowned again. It took a good while before he finally relaxed completely.
Yan Zhen let out a long sigh and patted the covers. “Mentor?”
Mentor Yu Xuan poked her head out from under the covers. She wiped the corner of her mouth with her small hand, her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes shimmering as she gazed at Yan Zhen with gentle obedience. “Time to get up? Let me help you get dressed.”
Yan Zhen felt a bit helpless. He had no idea why his mentor loved these kinds of games—it wasn’t the first time. She had pulled this stunt several times before.
The two got dressed and freshened up simply.
“I’ll make breakfast for you all.”
“Let’s do it together. I’ll try cooking with Extreme Flame.”
“You’ll burn the pot.”
“Uh…”
Lost in their loving banter, the pair prepared three simple servings of breakfast before calling Long Ying over to eat with them.
After breakfast, Mentor Yu Xuan took Yan Zhen and Long Ying to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to collect their identity tokens and disciple robes.
By the rules, Yan Zhen—with his Mystic King Realm cultivation—could only join the Middle Peak disciples. However, the Yu Shizun had made arrangements beforehand. Yan Zhen would cultivate alongside Mentor Yu Xuan and thus became an Upper Peak disciple directly.
Long Ying’s strength already rivaled that of a Mystic Ancestor, and with her Dragon God Clan background, qualifying for Upper Peak was a breeze.
That said, she refused to wear the disciple robes and insisted on draping Yan Zhen’s clothes over herself like skirts, striking the pose of a total homebody.
To avoid a poor impression, Yan Zhen half-forced the loli dragon girl to change into her proper robes. He donned his own set as well before following Mentor Yu Xuan to the cultivation grounds.
The cultivation facilities of the Jialan Holy Land were naturally no worse than those of the Holy Land Academy—not when Mentor Yu Xuan held such a prestigious status.
“The best cultivation spot on our Rain God Peak is the Misty Rain Pool—that unmoving sea of clouds up there, with the lotus pond on top. The pool’s waters are entirely condensed from pure mystic power. Every lotus flower serves as a seat. Sitting on a Lotus Flower Seat or a Lotus Leaf Seat allows you to absorb the mystic power efficiently.”
Yan Zhen recalled the “setting” from the script as well.
The Misty Rain Pool of Rain God Peak was a cultivation treasure land that surpassed even the Firmament Nine-Story Tower, painstakingly created by the Yu Shizun herself.
Lower Peak disciples could cultivate there for one day per month, Middle Peak disciples for three days, and Upper Peak disciples for five. Once the time was up, they would be forcibly ejected.
Short as the durations seemed, one day in the Misty Rain Pool was worth ten days of cultivation outside—a tenfold speed boost!
On top of that, one could spend points to extend the time, though it was pricey and capped at ten total days per person per month.
This was because the lotus seats in the Misty Rain Pool were limited and couldn’t accommodate too many people.
Mentor Yu Xuan led Yan Zhen and Long Ying onward, explaining as they flew toward the Misty Rain Pool atop the clouds.
The clouds themselves were a Mystic artifact, soft and squishy underfoot, with a marvelous texture.
The pool formed its own separate space. To enter, one needed a disciple token from Rain God Peak.
Talisman patterns were engraved on the token. Injecting mystic power activated them, granting entry to the Misty Rain Pool above the clouds.
Once time ran out, the runes would deactivate, ejecting the occupant.
The three soared into the air and landed lightly on the plaza outside the pool. They then activated their tokens one after another. Enveloped in blue light, they smoothly passed through the secret realm’s gate.
It felt as though they had plunged into water, their vision rippling before stabilizing. All around stretched endless green lotus leaves connecting to the heavens, vivid red lotus blossoms gleaming in the sunlight.
Figures sat cross-legged atop the massive lotuses and leaves. From time to time, someone was teleported out.
