Chapter 1189: Ye Tu
A little courtyard was located in this trench. The seawater steered clear from it, revealing old green tiles. One glance was enough to tell that this little home had been built a long time ago.
Li Qiye went inside to find a young man lazily basking in the sun. He looked a little over twenty, but despite his young age, he had an aura of sophistication and maturity.
The young man immediately stood up when Li Qiye approached. He cupped his fists and smiled: "May I ask what you are here for, Sir?"
Li Qiye looked him up and down before speaking: "You are a disciple of the Void Imperfection School, correct?"
The youth answered right away: "Yes, my name is Ye Tu from the Charming Spirit Race, the Void Imperfection supervisor of the Shallow Beach Branch."
Li Qiye insipidly revealed: "I know, charming spirits make up the majority at the three schools and have been in control for generations. The demon boss at the inn is an exception, a disciple like that is quite rare in your sect."
"Ah." Ye Tu smiled and said: "Sir, you must be talking about my senior uncle. He likes to play around."
He looked at the youth and declared: "I want to visit the Void Imperfection School. It is good that you are the supervisor here, let me in so I won't have to barge in myself."
Ye Tu scratched his head in response: "May I ask for your name, Sir?"
"Li Qiye." Li Qiye calmly answered: "There's no need to tell you my race, right?"
"Li Qiye…" When Ye Tu heard this name, he was shocked to the point where he almost jumped. He took a careful look at Li Qiye.
"Are you wondering why I don't have the aura of an imperial bloodline?" Li Qiye nonchalantly spoke after noticing the youth's reaction.
"Well…" Ye Tu rubbed his palms and coughed before smiling: "I wouldn't dare. It is just that my vision is lacking and can't see through Brother Li at all."
"Your choice of words isn't bad." Li Qiye smiled: "Did Golden Isle inform your schools?"
"We received their message not long ago." The youth replied: "I heard Brother Li had left Golden Isle, so the elders there asked our Charming Spirit Race to keep an eye out and help you if necessary."
The Void Imperfection Three Schools were lineages of charming spirits while Golden Isle was a treant lineage. Logically speaking, Golden Isle should have informed the treants first.
There was a reason why Golden Isle did it this way. It was because the charming spirits were even more eager than them to marry humans with noble bloodlines. In fact, they married more humans than the sea demons and treants added together.
"As their groom?" Li Qiye laughed. He understood their hidden intentions.
"Ah, I heard you haven't married the golden daughter from the isle yet, correct?" Ye Tu smiled and immediately brought a chair for Li Qiye to sit in.
Golden Isle informed them in order to let the three schools know that Li Qiye was already their groom and to not compete for this bloodline with them!
In fact, at the Jade Sea, the behemoths like the three schools had received a lot of information. For example, Li Qiye, with his imperial bloodline, had been kidnapped by someone.
Li Qiye sat down cooly without any reservation. Meanwhile, Ye Tu was very enthusiastic and showed good hospitality as well.
"It is our honor to have Brother Li here at Shallow Beach. I represent the beach to thank you for granting us this chance…" Ye Tu quickly poured some tea for Li Qiye, playing his part as a good host.
Li Qiye smiled after hearing the flattering words. He touched his chin and leisurely mused: "I never thought I had such charm before."
"Brother Li is a master the likes of which rarely appears. A meeting with you has to be the blessing of fate. Despite your noble status, you have no hint of arrogance…" The youth smiled.
Li Qiye took a sip and asked: "So? You want to betroth your senior sister or your junior sister to me?"
"Er—" Ye Tu had no response to Li Qiye's directness. After a while, he grinned: "If you are willing to be our guest at the Void Imperfection School, you can have your pick."
Li Qiye just smiled and shook his head: "Forget it, don't make me participate in this 'noble' cause. In your minds, I am only a stallion to produce more royal bloodlines for the charming spirits to groom another Immortal Emperor, just like Immortal Emperor Yan Shi." 1
"Immortal Emperor Yan Shi…" Ye Tu was moved by this name. He murmured: "It would be a great honor if the Void Imperfection Three Schools could have a human Immortal Emperor."
Immortal Emperor Yan Shi was the second emperor from Gu Chun's four branches. Legend states that her father came from the Exquisite Valley. Moreover, she was also a descendant of Immortal Emperor Mu Zhuo, thus she had an imperial bloodline running through her veins. 2
Later on, her father married a beauty with a pure bloodline from Gu Chun's four branches. In the end, they gave birth to a daughter, the unfathomable Immortal Emperor Yan Shi. 3
In the minds of the charming spirits, Immortal Emperor Yan Shi's achievements were incredible. She was someone comparable to their first emperor, Immortal Emperor Gu Chun! Because of this, her title was Yan Shi. It meant that under her reign, the nine worlds would have peace, a golden era!
Because of this, the charming spirits wanted to marry humans even more than treants and sea demons. They wanted to produce a better bloodline, a second Immortal Emperor Yan Shi in order to bring about prosperity to their race.
Li Qiye glanced at Ye Tu and said: "Forget about this stallion matter. The beauties here at the Heaven Spirit World and I are not meant to be." He laughed after making this statement.
Some people considered being a stallion to be their pride while others deemed it a shameful matter. However, Li Qiye thought nothing about it. Of course, he wouldn't become any race's stallion either.
"Ah, ah, we can take our time talking things through." Ye Tu smiled in response: "I welcome your presence here at our school very much. If you are willing to stay, I can take you there."
Of course Ye Tu wanted Li Qiye to stay. Although the Void Imperfection School was relatively low-key and not famous among the three since they didn't want to compete with the rest of the world, they also didn't want to give up someone with a bloodline like Li Qiye's. Nothing could be better than having this bloodline join their school.
The enthusiastic youth gave some orders to other disciples before bringing Li Qiye to his school.
Very few people could enter the Void Imperfection School, only certain talents with some influence were able to. Moreover, not too many knew where the school was located.
The only thing others knew was that the school's ancestral ground was not stationary. They were aware that it was built around the sea-territory of the school itself, but the exact location was unknown.
On the other hand, Li Qiye knew exactly where the school was located. However, he wanted to go there in a friendly manner this time, so he didn’t forcefully enter.
Blue skies along with the blue sea and the occasional wafting clouds painted a scenic view worthy of a poem.
Ye Tu and Li Qiye stepped onto a white cloud. The scene suddenly changed. A flying continent was before them with rolling mountains and faint valleys. This was a nature-filled place with gurgling streams accompanied by buildings and temples.
This continent floating in the sky seemed incredibly surreal, just like a painting. People would think that this was a paradise, taking their breath away with its beauty.
It turned out that the ancestral ground of the Void Imperfection School was hidden among the clouds. This group of clouds traveled around this region of the sea. Because of this, no one knew where the school was actually built.
Visitors were met with serenity. Many of the ancient buildings with closed doors had been unoccupied for a long time. Even the ones with opened doors seemed to have no signs of people.
Occasionally on one or two hills, a few disciples could be found sweeping the leaves away from relatively newer temples. Nevertheless, this didn't break the tranquility of this area.
Outsiders would be shocked at this scene. With so few disciples, no one would believe that this was the greatest lineage in the Heaven Spirit World!
In the minds of many, a great lineage should have plenty of talents and geniuses that appeared in waves. As for regular disciples, they should number in the millions.
"After so many years, your branch is still the same — peaceful and taking things easy. It is remarkable that such an inheritance has continued this way until now." Li Qiye emotionally murmured while looking at the tranquil mountains and rivers.
The Void Imperfection School was different from the other two schools. It rarely appeared or let anyone inside. Outside of the three schools themselves, outsiders didn't know how many disciples it had.
Ye Tu explained: "Many senior and junior uncles are traveling and training. A few senior brothers and sisters also went outside, leaving only us, the young ones, behind to take care of the trivial matters in the sect."
Yan Shi means peaceful/repose/prosperous/feast era, or a golden age. ↩ Gu Chun = First Immortal Emperor of all races, a charming spirit. Mu Zhuo = Wood Refinement. I'm not sure what the four branches are though, not clear here. ↩ Remember that only Hong Tian has Empress in her title. Keeping true to the raw, even female Immortal Emperors have emperor in their title. It works in the narrative this way because the author likes to hide the sex sometimes, if we change it to empress to keep it grammatically correct, it might create some problems with the narrative. This particular issue has popped up several times before. ↩Chapter 1190: Void Imperfection Schoolmaster
The great Void Imperfection School was unique and very different from other lineages.
Each generation slowly spread outside. Regardless of their status, both high elders and ordinary disciples would travel everywhere. More often than not, they wouldn't participate in worldly affairs or get involved with cultivation feuds.
To a large extent, they pursued freedom and serenity. Because of this, it was difficult to find the disciples from this sect in the Heaven Spirit World.
For many lineages, especially the larger ones, their disciples would band together to live in the cultivation world for both resource competition and wars. Thus, it was often quite eventful for these sects.
In this respect, the Void Imperfection School was different from others. Its gate and ancestral courtyard were completely empty. If one didn't know about this place beforehand, they would wonder if they had come to the wrong location.
Thus, the traveling disciples were rather undisciplined, but no one in the Heaven Spirit World has been able to shake the school's status or have any ideas about them.
From this, one could see that the three schools have enough power to deal with any kind of trouble. Their true power was difficult to fathom.
Ye Tu took Li Qiye to an old temple with a very imposing presence. Just one look was enough to tell how extraordinary it was.
However, one would find that this place had not been cleaned in a long time. Dust had accumulated into layers in some places.
An imperial lineage being so lazy was truly difficult to believe. When inside the temple, one would see a rocking chair with a man lying on it. In fact, it was very easy to miss him due to the leaves that covered him. He was deep in sleep. After seeing this situation, others would most likely think that he was already dead.
"Schoolmaster, Brother Li is here to see you." Ye Tu bowed in front of this sleeping man.
Leaves began to fall as the man opened his eyes and stood up. Just how long had he been sleeping here to accumulate this many layers of leaves?
He eventually revealed his appearance without the leaves. This was a very thin elder dressed like a commoner. He looked like an ordinary old man without any noteworthy aspects. However, the occasional glimmer in his eyes showed that he was a hidden master.
"Is this the Young Noble Li with the imperial bloodline?" He immediately judged Li Qiye after waking up.
Ye Tu quickly replied: "Schoolmaster, Brother Li is indeed the groom from Golden Isle—"
Before he could finish, the Void Imperfection Schoolmaster interrupted him and corrected: "Little Ye, how can you say that? Young Noble Li has yet to marry and he won't necessarily marry that little girl from Golden Isle, so how can he be their groom?"
"That's true, that's true." Ye Tu understood and smiled while nodding.
Li Qiye only chuckled after seeing this. Meanwhile, the schoolmaster circled around Li Qiye to take a good look. He seemed to be carefully appreciating Li Qiye, similar to how in-laws might like their son-in-law more and more.
Li Qiye happily let him do as he pleased while taking a seat on the rocking chair…
The schoolmaster ignored his lack of formality and cheerfully smiled: "Virtuous Nephew, your fame is like thunder ringing in my ears. You are the prodigy of the human race, the hero of the world—"
"These words are too fake." Li Qiye couldn't help but smile while shaking his head: "Schoolmaster, there's no need to flatter me, I know myself very well. I am only a nobody at the Heaven Spirit World, this ringing thunder bit, it is just artificial rhetoric."
The schoolmaster didn't mind being called out. He gave a thumbs-up and said: "Virtuous Nephew, you are quite straightforward and genuine like a real man. Since you are here as a guest, it truly brightens up this place. Don't be reserved, just consider my school as your home."
Li Qiye smiled and shook his head, then he went straight to the point: "My time is limited so I won't stay for long. I want to meet your ancestral whale to take something away."
"The ancestral whale?" The schoolmaster was startled. He dryly coughed and shook his head: "Virtuous Nephew, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, but since you know of the ancestral whale, you should know how hard it is to meet it. In fact, even I would find it difficult…"
"I know, which is why I'm asking you to learn where it has run off to." Li Qiye nodded.
The schoolmaster gently shook his head: "I won't lie to you. I don't know where it is going either, this is a secret."
Li Qiye looked at him: "I do not doubt your words. The ancestral whale of the three schools travels around the vast seas in the Heaven Spirit World without leaving behind a trace. Outside of your whale riders, no outsiders truly know of its whereabouts."
"Yes, yes." The schoolmaster smilingly replied: "It is good that you understand, but—"
"But…" Li Qiye slowly continued: "I know that the school has a method of communicating with the ancestral whale. I believe you should know about it."
"Well…" The schoolmaster contemplated for a bit before looking back at Li Qiye with a grin: "That is true as well. If you really want to see the ancestral whale, I can discuss it with the ancestors. If they agree, then you can definitely see it, but before then, why not stay at our place? We definitely welcome you here."
Li Qiye gently shook his head again: "I think you misunderstand something. I am not only here to see the ancestral whale, I also want to go to the Void Imperfection Spring to fetch some water."
This alarmed both the schoolmaster and Ye Tu. The schoolmaster, in particular, took one step back right away and put on a vigilant expression.
"Schoolmaster, there's no need to be so alarmed. If I wanted to take some by force, I wouldn't be here speaking to you like this." Li Qiye noticed their response and smiled.
"I don't know too much about the Void Imperfection Spring." The schoolmaster shook his head. At this time, he had become a lot colder and didn't have the same enthusiasm as before. It was a tremendous change in attitude.
Li Qiye only laughed: "Schoolmaster, I'm not here to exchange friendly words with you or to hear your excuses. I only want to tell you that I will meet the ancestral whale as well as fetch water from the spring."
"Virtuous Nephew, do you wish to use force?" The schoolmaster's face turned darker: "This old man is not deliberately making things difficult for you. If you know about the spring, then you should definitely know that not just anyone can go there. Outside of a few ancestors, others aren't allowed!"
"I am aware." Li Qiye said: "The Void Imperfection Spring is a place that has obtained the fortune of the heavens. In the past, Immortal Emperor Wu Gou spent countless efforts to bring the spring here. One can say that it didn't originally belong to you."
Here, he glanced at the schoolmaster and continued: "The emperor moved the spring to the ancestral whale first. From then on, it became yours and outsiders couldn't see it any longer."
"I don't know much about the past." The schoolmaster dismissively said: "I can only apologize since I am not in charge of anything relating to the spring."
Li Qiye smirked and declared: "Regardless of whether you are in charge or not, I will see the ancestral whale and take water from the spring."
"Are you always so forceful like this?" The schoolmaster's eyes turned fierce and flashed a glint that crossed through time and space. This truly showed how powerful he was.
"Who said that I'm being forceful?" Li Qiye smiled and stood up while reaching out with his hand.
Ye Tu was scared by this and thought that Li Qiye wanted to fight. At the same time, the schoolmaster put up his guard to fight against Li Qiye at any moment.
However, Li Qiye didn't attack the two. He simply took down a group of clouds from the sky. He casually kneaded them to make the clouds float in front of him. Next, he sat down on them, letting them slowly lift him up for a spin before coming back down.
"The Void Imperfection Clouds!" The schoolmaster was surprised after seeing this, not believing his own eyes.
Ye Tu was shocked as well. He had heard about these clouds since a young age. They had always been floating there, but he had never heard of anyone capable of bringing them down or riding them.
This was Li Qiye's first time here, yet he could easily ride them — to Ye Tu, this was simply incredible.
"My ancestors had a relationship with Immortal Emperor Wu Gou. They left behind a certain something that has allowed me to take down a group of clouds today." Li Qiye said in a matter-of-fact manner.
Of course, this was only a casual excuse. The person who knew Immortal Emperor Wu Gou was none other than him.
Chapter 1191: Bloodline
After seeing the Void Imperfection Clouds, the schoolmaster became less tense and patted his chest: "Then you are one of us, we can talk freely."
With that, his face turned a bit bitter as he looked at Li Qiye: "If you only took the clouds down in the beginning, then we wouldn't have had to do anything. I received quite a scare just now, my old bones can't handle this torture…"
"Sorry, sorry, I just arrived at the school so I forgot." Li Qiye smiled in response.
Both the schoolmaster and Ye Tu calmed down. They didn't want to fight at all.
The schoolmaster told Li Qiye: "Our Void Imperfection Three Schools do have an ancestral teaching. Seeing as how you could bring down the clouds, you are part of our family, so we won't say no."
Li Qiye gently nodded: "If Immortal Emperor Wu Gou has left behind a teaching, then nothing can be better. I have no other requests, like before, I only want to take water from the Void Imperfection Spring."
"I'm sure it will be fine." The schoolmaster quickly said: "Let me go report this to the ancestors to find out the ancestral whale's location. Once we find out, I'll inform you immediately."
Li Qiye agreed: "Very good, let me know when you find out. I'll be staying at Shallow Beach in the meantime." Having said that, he stood up.
The schoolmaster noticed that he was about to leave, so he rubbed his palms together and attempted to hold the guest back. With a big grin, he insisted: "It wasn’t easy for you to come here, so why not stay for a while? Check out our pretty sceneries and allow me to play the part of a good host."
Li Qiye laughed and told the schoolmaster: "Don't tell me you want me to pick a bunch of ladies from the school?"
Such words were very direct, so the schoolmaster coughed awkwardly. He became a bit embarrassed and smiled: "If you like any lass from our school, you can take her away anytime."
"A girl isn't an object." Li Qiye chuckled and shook his head.
The schoolmaster grinned, but he spoke with a serious tone: "All along in the Heaven Spirit World, many things remain unchanging. It was this way in the past and shall be this way in the future. Who can escape the trend of reproduction for the greatness of a race?"
"Yes, and it's not just the Heaven Spirit World, a few things will never change in the nine worlds." Li Qiye had grown accustomed to this type of marriage.
This matter happened a lot in the rest of the nine worlds as well. Countless lineages sought alliances forged through marriage.
However, the three grand races here were a bit different. They wanted excellent human bloodlines to have descendants with brilliant talents and bloodlines.
The schoolmaster earnestly said: "Virtuous Nephew, you have an imperial bloodline. Even if you don't care for the charming spirits or the other races, you should still consider doing something for your own sake. Your precious bloodline should be passed down. In this regard, do you think there is a more suitable race than us charming spirits to be your match?"
This was not boasting. There were many races in the nine worlds, but none of them dared to claim to be better than the charming spirits. They were called the favorites of the heavens — this was not something they claimed themselves but a fact recognized by many races.
Li Qiye looked at him and said: "Your Void Imperfection School wants more than just an excellent bloodline. You also want to imitate Immortal Emperor Gu Chun's four branches as well as train an ultimate Immortal Emperor, even if it is a human."
"It is not just our school. The other charming spirits, treants, and sea demons are also doing the same, am I wrong?" The schoolmaster replied.
Li Qiye insipidly said: "The legend is not necessarily true."
Among the charming spirits and even the entire Heaven Spirit World, there was a legend. It states that when an imperial bloodline from the human race comes together with an excellent charming spirit bloodline, the result would be the further perfection and strengthening of the human bloodline.
At the same time, the charming spirit's bloodline would increase in potency and its potential would be excavated to the extreme.
This all started with Immortal Emperor Yan Shi. She was an extremely unbelievable Immortal Emperor, so people took note of the conditions surrounding her.
In fact, there was some evidence of this later on as well. After the emperor, the four branches of Immortal Emperor Gu Chun passed down even better bloodlines, giving them a large number of outstanding bloodlines.
With this result, the future generations believed that a human imperial bloodline had a great effect in enhancing the bloodlines of charming spirits.
Due to this, human imperial bloodlines were especially welcomed whenever they appeared in the Heaven Spirit World. They were absolutely the best among stallions.
"Well, well, without trying, how would we know if it is true or not?" The schoolmaster chuckled.
The schoolmaster really wanted Li Qiye to stay at the three schools. If they could have his bloodline as well, it would fortify their status.
"Oh? You want to steal Golden Isle's groom?" Li Qiye couldn't help but chuckle: "If I am not mistaken, your Void Imperfection School has never interfered with mundane matters or competed with others."
The schoolmaster gave a natural smile in response: "Nephew, you still haven't married the miss from the Ye Clan yet, so how can this be considered stealing their groom? Plus, even if you had married, this is no big deal. Since the start of time, heroes would always have many companions."
"I see, you want me to turn into the best stud to spread my seed everywhere." Li Qiye laughed and shook his head: "Unfortunately, I have no interest in this."
The schoolmaster opened his mouth in order to say something, but Li Qiye waved his hand: "I'm not interested, even if you provide better conditions. It's not like Golden Isle hasn't tried before, either."
The schoolmaster could only softly sigh after hearing this, but he didn't give up: "You are still one of us, our doors will always be open for you. One day when you are tired of drifting in this world, you can come and stay with us here, at Void Imperfection."
"Thank you." Li Qiye didn't refuse the schoolmaster's kindness. He flashed a quick smile before turning around to leave.
He went back to Shallow Beach afterward. Meanwhile, Ye Tu stayed with him the entire time, entertaining him with great enthusiasm.
"You are the regional supervisor here, don't you have work to do?" Li Qiye looked at him with one eye and asked after seeing the youth working so hard.
Ye Tu smiled and replied: "Our Void Imperfection School aims for serenity and going with the flow. There is normally nothing to do, so we just sit there in a daze. Since you are here as our guest, let me be as good of a host as possible, lest others consider us to be inadequate with our hospitality."
Li Qiye smiled and knew that this was the schoolmaster's idea, so he didn't chase him away.
After two days, Teng Jiwen finally came. He bowed after seeing Li Qiye: "By the command of the forefather, this junior is here to obey your commands, Sir. Just let me know when you require my service."
"There's no need for formalities, I am not that old." Li Qiye gently waved his sleeve and told him to stand up.
Ye Tu also recognized Teng Jiwen and quickly chatted with him.
"If the two of you want to follow me, come then." Li Qiye glanced at the two before leaving Shallow Beach.
The two looked at each other, not knowing what Li Qiye wanted to do. Regardless, they hurried to catch up to him.
After leaving the beach, they continued traveling quite far on the seabed.
This was the Void Imperfection School's territory, so whether it was the surface or the seabed, Ye Tu was very familiar with it. He looked at the scene along the way and murmured: "Ahead is the Bottomless Trench, are we really going there?"
"Yes and no." Li Qiye answered while comfortably leading the way. He strode forward while remaining untouched by the water as if he was gliding through the liquid. This manner of movement was very elegant, like drifting clouds flowing with the current.
Ye Tu calculated the time and said: "The season of the needle fishes will be soon. Young Noble, could it be that you are here for them?"
"Needle fishes?" Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: "You are underestimating me too much. Needle fishes can indeed be regarded as precious. However, a fish king can barely be considered top grade, they can't get into my eyes."
"The Bottomless Trench?" Teng Jiwen thought about a legend and speculated: "Sir, are you here for the legendary sea-crossing shuttle then?"
"Yes and no." Li Qiye smiled and flatly said: "Your thinking might not be as quick as Ye Tu, but you are much more meticulous than him."
"Sea-crossing shuttle?" Ye Tu heard this name and was surprised: "Legend states that the shuttle hasn't appeared for a very long time. Until now, all three great races of the Heaven Spirit World have been searching down at the Bottomless Trench, especially us charming spirits who do so every single generation."
"Certain things will appear when the time is right. The disappearance was only due to outsiders not knowing about its existence." Li Qiye plainly explained: "Like your ancestral whale, it also disappeared to those who are unable to see it."
Ye Tu felt that this explanation made sense.
Chapter 1192: Bottomless Trench
According to legend, the Bottomless Trench was the deepest and longest trench in the Heaven Spirit World.
For many years, many people have explored this particular trench, but none were able to do so fully.
Someone once said that this trench was long enough to cross the entire Jade Sea. Its depths remained a mystery because no one had been able to reach the bottom.
It spanned further than the territory of the Void Imperfection Three Schools and brought about a different landscape to this region.
This was especially true when they were closer to the three schools. It had been said that this end of the trench near Shallow Beach was the most beautiful stretch.
When Li Qiye's group got close, they saw a beautiful sight full of coral forests.
This coral field might span for thousands of miles along the two sides of the trench. Such a great field was truly spectacular, a sight only found at the Heaven Spirit World.
There were all kinds of colorful coral of varying shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see. Some were as large as trees that grew from the bottom of the sea all the way to the surface. Under these trees, groups of seaweed swayed about with happy fishes. There were also caves full of shrimps and crabs as well as large turtles lounging about…
Some grew in a criss-cross pattern and intertwined into a huge maze. If one entered this cave of coral, they would surely get lost.
All in all, this field was a dazzling spectacle of indescribable and unforgettable charm.
A depression could be found after crossing through this field completely. This was the renowned Bottomless Trench. It was broad to the point that it seemed to split the whole sea apart.
It was completely black; looking down into the trench was like looking into the gaping jaws of a monster that would devour anything that fell into it, a cause for fear and awe.
The group stopped inside the coral forest and didn't proceed further. Here, Li Qiye meticulously examined a huge coral.
The two of them didn't know what Li Qiye wanted to do. They stood behind him with bated breaths and didn't dare to disturb him.
Next, Li Qiye moved as swift as lightning. His fingers swept forward with a speed beyond the two's perception.
He then spread his palms before Teng Jiwen and Ye Tu to show an insect with fuzzy hair around the length of a finger. This insect was squirming on his palm and gave quite a creepy feeling. 1
"Okay, since the two of you are here, I'll entrust this important matter to you both. Catch these insects for me, the more the better. Afterward, roast and grind them into a powder." Li Qiye then threw the insect over to these two.
The two were quite perplexed and didn't know the purpose of this bug catching session. Nevertheless, they followed his orders and searched through these coral reefs without saying anything.
These two both had great statuses. One was a supervisor of the Void Imperfection School while Teng Jiwen was even better off as the prestigious successor of the Heavenvine Citadel. However, they obediently acted as Li Qiye's followers to find these insects.
After passing this menial matter over to the pair, Li Qiye immediately left for the surface of the sea and began to walk on the water.
After walking a bit while gazing at the sky, he plopped down and began to float with his face out of the water. He closed his eyes as if he was sleeping.
The sea was quiet and moved Li Qiye along. The entire process was without sound, as if Li Qiye was one with the sea.
He slept and let the sea take him wherever it wished. The day passed by just like this.
"Are you Young Noble Li?" Some time later, a sweet and clear voice came about as Li Qiye was drifting about.
Li Qiye opened his eyes to see a pretty fairy-like maid standing on the waves. It was a beautiful scene.
"Yes?" Li Qiye closed his eyes and lazily replied.
The pretty maid told Li Qiye: "Young Noble Li, my madam wishes to invite you. Will you please follow me?"
"I'm busy." He replied in a carefree manner: "Tell her to come and see me."
The pretty maid didn't know what to say in response to this rudeness. After a while, she said: "Young Noble Li, my madam is the schoolmaster of the Sacred Spring—"
"This uncle is not free." Li Qiye waved his sleeve and didn't bother opening his eyes: "Even if it is the supreme ruler of the heavens, let him come if he wants to see me."
The pretty maid turned red. She had never been in such a situation before with this type of arrogant and rude person.
She hesitated for a bit before silently floating away.
Li Qiye acted as if nothing happened and let the waves push him again as he immersed himself in the water.
More time passed and an extremely melodious voice came about: "I didn't know Young Noble Li was busy. Please excuse my uninvited visit."
This voice was very pleasant — sharp and clear yet silky soft. In the softness was a hint of allurement. In the allurement was a touch of elegance. Anyone would feel comfortable and relaxed after hearing this.
It was easy to imagine how elegant this woman was just from listening to her voice. She was mature and charming in a refined manner. This was a natural born empress.
Li Qiye opened his eyes again to see a woman standing on the sea. She wore a faint yellow dress with a simple white flower on the front. Her figure was graceful and ripe.
A quick first glance showed that she was nearly thirty with an exceptional aura full of grandeur. Her maturity made it seem like she was a married woman, yet within this sophisticated charm was the refreshing sensation of a young maiden.
These juxtaposing auras perfectly combined to provide an exquisite appeal.
She was not at the level of being peerless. Her appearance was not as incredible as Ming Yexue's or Mei Suyao's, and she was inferior compared to Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao as well.
However, her special charm of a new bride could truly pull on others' heartstrings. Her dress didn't wrap too tightly around her body, but her curves were apparent and attractive.
This charm resembled a grape ripe to perfection. She was neither overly mature nor completely innocent. Inside the purple skin was sweet flowing juice, anyone would want to pick this grape and have a taste of the flavor within.
"Not a bad job at cultivating the Sacred Spring Physique." Li Qiye glanced at her and stated before closing his eyes again.
The girl shuddered after hearing this. Li Qiye could tell what she was cultivating from just a single glance. This type of perception was simply too frightening.
She bowed and said: "Thank you for your praise. My name is Zhuo Jianshi, currently in charge of the Sacred Spring School. Please excuse my lack of courtesy for the sudden visit." 2
Li Qiye plainly spoke: "I know, to be able to cultivate the physique to this level, you can indeed handle the schoolmaster position."
She was not offended by his rather rude and haughty attitude and sat down next to him on the water's surface.
"We haven't been able to show our hospitality to you ever since you arrived…" Her noble demeanor was also natural and quite approachable.
Li Qiye waved his hand and interrupted her: "Speak if you will and fart if you must, do not beat around the bush with me. I'm not in the mood to guess and waste time."
Such an overbearing attitude made her secretly lament the situation. As one of the schoolmasters from Void Imperfection, she was quite an influential person. However, Li Qiye simply didn't take her to heart.
Eventually, she took a deep breath and earnestly spoke: "I would like to invite you to my Sacred Spring School as a guest."
"I see, so it is still the same. Everyone views me as the greatest stallion. No doubt, you want me to go there and find various ladies to get close to and take my seed."
These words were too direct and sexual, leaving Zhuo Jianshi momentarily speechless.
An imperial bloodline like Li Qiye's was too precious for the charming spirits. This was the same for their Sacred Spring School, so they wanted to recruit him.
Not sure what kind of insect this is since it isn't clear. Not a clear word for worm, caterpillar, or something else, so keeping it as insect to play it safe. ↩ She is very respectful this time, referring to herself as "little girl". "This little girl is Zhuo Jianshi". ↩