Chapter 39 – The Unofficial Teacher

Lynn Naya was walking back up the mountain, feeling a little pleased with herself. She was happy that she had succeeded in teaching, and at the same time, she had gained some new insights.

Maybe being low-key means not being at the very top, but also not being at the bottom. Not being too conspicuous, but also not intentionally hiding your skills. Being too conspicuous can get you cut down, and hiding too much might not be a good thing either. When everyone thinks they can step on you, trouble will follow.

Hiding everything would only make it easier to expose yourself. In the future, if she had ten parts of skill, she could hide seven, show three, and only reveal one. She would keep a backup plan, and the more backup plans, the better.

She also reflected on her class at the Talisman Academy today, but she didn’t think she was being too high-profile. It was like when a person first learned to read and thought the character for “A” was incredibly profound. But in reality, once they had read all the beautiful literature in the world, they would realize that the character “A” was just the beginning.

Over time, as people saw more and learned more, the impact of this incident would naturally fade away.

While she was lost in thought and walking toward the foot of the mountain, Lynn Naya suddenly stopped and looked toward the edge of the safe zone. She saw many Dao Palace disciples arriving on their swords.

Is this the second time they’re coming back from clearing out the evil cultivators?

Just as Lynn Naya thought these Dao Palace disciples would fly back up the mountain as usual, she saw them all land at the edge of the safe zone and walk toward the Dao Palace.

Some were in a hurry. One moment they were at the entrance, and the next, they were walking past Lynn Naya. Others weren’t in a hurry and strolled leisurely, savoring the peace in their hearts as they walked toward the Dao Palace.

Some of these disciples were familiar to Lynn Naya, and some were not. Compared to the noble and refined aura they had a few years ago, their current auras were much colder, and their cultivation had progressed a lot.

There was one disciple Lynn Naya was familiar with. Last year, she saw that he was only at the fourth layer of QiCondensation, but now she couldn’t sense his cultivation.

This meant he was at least at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation. Jumping up two levels in half a year showed that he not only had talent but also that the Dao Palace’s training was indeed effective.

You either break out of the ivory tower and die, becoming a stepping stone for your fellow disciples, or you survive, and the resources you’ve plundered will benefit you.

Lynn Naya stood by the road for a moment and saw that Yun Xian was also at the end of the road. She hadn’t noticed her yet. It was the black-robed man next to her who pointed her out through the crowd, and only then did Yun Xian look over.

“Naya!” Yun Xian waved at her and came bouncing over. As soon as she arrived, she noticed a change in Lynn Naya. “You refined a beast core? Didn’t you say you were still considering it? I was thinking I would help protect you when I got back.”

“I was worried that if an evil cultivator snuck in, I wouldn’t have any way to defend myself.” Lynn Naya smiled. “Are you coming home with me or are you going to rest first?”

My friend is back. The cold moon grass can skip a meal tonight.

“Of course, I’m coming with you. It’s so good to be back. It feels like coming home.” Yun Xian said. “I want to eat the noodles you made for me last time.”

“Alright, then did you bring the chicken that lays eggs?”

“Uh…” Yun Xian scratched her head. “My Senior Brother has a crane mount. How about I steal it and give it to you to raise?”

Lynn Naya politely declined. “No, you can just bring it to me next time.”

“Ha, why do I feel like you’re so scared of getting involved with my Senior Brother? He’s actually a really nice guy.”

Lynn Naya, whose thoughts had been exposed, let out a snort and naturally changed the subject. “A few months ago, someone told me her Senior Brother was a monster. Now, only a few months later, he’s a really nice guy? A person’s heart is so fickle.”

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive. I still hate him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s a good person,” Yun Xian said, running in front of Lynn Naya and spinning around. “Guess what my cultivation is now?”

Lynn Naya had already sensed it. She was at the third layer of Qi Condensation and was on the verge of breaking through. She might be able to reach the fourth layer with just another opportunity.

Gaining almost two levels in a little over three months would make anyone’s heart race. It was no wonder Yun Xian wasn’t as sad when she talked about Yanxi.

“The first layer of Qi Condensation? It can’t be the second layer, right?” Lynn Naya said, playing along.

“Guess again.”

Lynn Naya felt like her acting had reached its peak. She stopped and looked at Yun Xian with an expression of disbelief. “What do you mean, guess again? Don’t tell me… you’re at the third layer? Is that for real? That’s impossible. You haven’t been cultivating for that long. Xue Yong and the others are only at the first layer of Qi Condensation.”

“Hehe, I didn’t expect it either,” Yun Xian said, feeling extremely happy. “I was lucky this time. The evil cultivator I killed had a spiritual herb on him. After I ate it, my cultivation increased a lot. It wasn’t just me. Almost all the disciples who went this time gained something and improved. We were originally supposed to rest for a month, but everyone decided to shorten the rest period. We’re leaving again in half a month.”

“I’m so envious of you all.” Lynn Naya said. She knew Yun Xian just wanted to share what had happened to her outside.

So, for the rest of the walk, Yun Xian talked excitedly while Lynn Naya listened attentively, exclaiming in surprise from time to time and asking, “What happened next?” When they got to the front door, Yun Xian still hadn’t finished talking.

When they got home, Lynn Naya took out a stack of Light Body Talismans from her room and gave them to Yun Xian. There were a hundred of them. Besides the Light Body Talismans, Lynn Naya also put the Spring Recovery Talisman that Qiao Guanyuan had given her inside. “This Spring Recovery Talisman was a gift from someone else. You can use it when you’re injured. I heard it can heal wounds and restore spiritual energy immediately. The Light Body Talismans are ones I made myself. If you’re ever in danger, just slap a charm on and run. Run as far as you can.”

“So many?” Yun Xian asked, then realized. “You made these talismans yourself? You’re a talisman master?”

“Yeah, I got lucky. I can only make Light Body Talismans right now. When I can make Five Thunder Talismans in the future, I’ll get you a hundred of those. Don’t hold back and use them when you fight. If you run out, I have more.” Lynn Naya said. She was still practicing the Five Thunder Talisman, so she could only promise that she might succeed this year. She couldn’t guarantee anything else.

Yun Xian looked at her and then at the talismans in her hand.

Although these Light Body Talismans were all low-grade, and the materials were made from the lowest-grade, unrankedbeast hides, making a hundred charms required at least two hundred hides.

The talisman materials weren’t cheap. Her friend had no other source of income besides her share in the market, so these talismans were probably her entire savings.

Yun Xian had only ever met one person who was willing to give her almost their entire life savings.

“Alright, I’ll take them.” Yun Xian said without being coy. She put the things in her storage bag. She wanted to take something out but didn’t feel it was right. In the end, she took off the bracelet she was wearing and put it on Lynn Naya.

“I was going to give you a storage bag and a weapon, but you’re not strong enough yet, so giving you those things might get you into trouble. This bracelet is a defensive magical artifact. It can withstand a fatal blow from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

A single blow from a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

This was like having an extra life.

“This is too valuable.”

“It’s not valuable at all,” Yun Xian said, holding her hand. “I have many magical artifacts like this. This is just an insignificant one. You hope I can live, and I hope you can live well too. I hope I can eat the noodles you make for me every time I come back and drink the wine you stole for me.”

Feeling the warmth of the bracelet on her wrist, Lynn Naya could genuinely feel Yun Xian’s wish for her to live well. She really did need this magical artifact. “You really have more?”

“Of course. My mother was an artifact cultivator. What kind of magical artifacts would she not have?” When she talked about her mother, Yun Xian’s face was filled with a subtle pride. Unlike when she praised Yanxi, this pride in her mother was something she wanted to hide but couldn’t.

An artifact cultivator…

“Alright, I really do need this, and it would be fake of me to refuse. But from now on, Lynn Naya owes you a life.” It was one thing for someone to be generous enough to give her a valuable gift, but it was another for her to take it for granted.

A hundred Light Body Talismans couldn’t compare to a high-grade defensive magical artifact. It would be shameless of her to think they were even. “Now you go rest, and I’ll get you something to eat.”

“Hurry up, hurry up. I’ve been thinking about this all the way here.”

Lynn Naya immediately started bustling around in the small courtyard. When she finally finished making the noodles, she saw that Yun Xian had already fallen asleep from exhaustion.

Killing people isn’t easy. She was just pretending to be okay.

For the next half-month, Yun Xian came to Lynn Naya’s house often. When she left, Lynn Naya thought about it and decided to be a little more cautious. She asked Scarface Qing to have someone start paying attention to anyone who approached their courtyard, whether they were familiar or not.

Yun Xian’s position was quite special. She was the only mortal cultivator who had participated in the clear-out mission. She could be said to be the representative of the mortal cultivators.

At the same time, her status in the Dao Palace was unusual, and her relationship with Yanxi was quite close. If an evil cultivator were to sneak in, Yun Xian might be a target.

Regardless, it was better to be prepared. It was best if nothing happened, but if something did, she could prepare in advance.

Half a month later, the Dao Palace disciples left in a large group again.

Soon after, Lynn Naya’s first outer sect mission was assigned.

With the bracelet that Yun Xian had given her, she took on a patrol mission outside the safe zone with Xue Yong and the others.

The mission wasn’t difficult. They just had to patrol the area about 20 miles from the safe zone for ten days. The reward was two spirit stones. Lynn Naya and the others completed it smoothly.

After their first mission, they didn’t encounter any more accidents.

Time passed as Lynn Naya practiced her martial arts and talisman-making. Four months later, after failing to make a Five Thunder Talisman three times, she took out the twenty first-grade talisman papers she had managed to get from the Talisman Master Association.

Before, she had been using unranked beast hide to practice, but now she felt she had the hang of it. She wanted to see if better materials could help her.

After preparing everything, Lynn Naya meditated to calm her mind a little and then began to write.

The first one failed because her spiritual energy was too light for the new paper.

The second one failed because her hand was too heavy.

The third one was perfect, but her spiritual brush ran out of beast blood.

……

The sixth one failed because her hand trembled.

……

The tenth one almost succeeded, but she lost her composure.

……

The seventeenth one……

Fxck, it’s finally a success!