Two Weeks go by, Visitors at the Peak

Xue Bai's life for the next two weeks would stay the same. The monotone and simple lifestyle he lived in the Soaring Sword Sect was extremely fulfilling to him. And it also gave him a much better environment to grow than at home.

His youth was something he would never gain again, so he needed to make every moment worth it. And that he did.

In the two weeks, Xue Bai managed to break through 2 more stages, reaching the 8th stage of the Bone strengthening realm. But, unfortunately, he had also stopped comprehending his Sword Law, meaning that it stayed at 21%.

There wasn't much he could do about it, sadly. It was already too strong for him to use casually and was only fit to be used as a trump card meant to finish a fight quickly rather than in an extended brawl. It took too much Spiritual Qi to use to fit the latter situation.

As for his combat strength, it had also improved. Xue Bai, during this week, went from having a 4-stage leapfrog ability to a 5-stage one, making him as strong as someone at the 4th stage of the Organ Tempering realm.

Xiao'er also broke through. However, since she was in the Organ Tempering realm, her breakthroughs needed more Spiritual Qi, and she couldn't gather as much as Xue Bai, which led to her only being able to advance 1 stage, reaching the 7th stage of the Organ Tempering realm.

She was, however, in her own words, 'very close to the 8th stage.' So Xue Bai guessed she was at the peak of the 7th stage.

Her combat power had also surprisingly caught up to her cultivation, making her useful for the first time in a long time.

However, her personality hadn't changed, and when she first realized this, she spent two days boasting about it at dinner, only stopping when she noticed Xue Bai and Zhu Que grew numb to it.

But the biggest surprise from the trio was Zhu Que, who advanced a whole 4 stages, reaching the 7th stage of the Vein Transformation realm. She, of course, knew the complete Vein Transformation realm from the Azure Dragon God and planned to cultivate the realm to its true completion, not the castrated Baishen Plane version.

This, to the outside, was something mind-boggling, but to Xue Bai, it was rather slow. She had a Peak Earth-grade Martial Vein and a bloodline in the Heaven-grade.

With those two factors, he had thought that two weeks was more than enough for her to at least advance to the Blood Exchange realm.

He even constantly asked her if she wanted some resources. Zhu Que was a Core Disciple, so she was allocated a monthly allowance of resources. However, she shook her head, saying not they were unneeded.

And while he wanted to press her in hopes of her changing her mind, Xue Bai didn't. She had a determined look on her face, and it didn't look like she was doing it out of pettiness or guilt.

'Maybe it's part of her cultivation technique or something.' Xue Bai could only guess.

Some races, like the phoenix race, had cultivation techniques they needed to adhere to even before the Qi Sea realm, so maybe the dragon race wasn't different.

Zhu Que had also surprised Xue Bai with her strength because she was just as strong as someone in the middle stages of the Blood Exchange Realm when she went into her hybrid form to fight.

But since the form made her look too 'ugly,' she rarely went into it.historical

Seeing her strength boost so much in her hybrid form also made Xue Bai curious as to how much his strength would increase in his own hybrid form. But after remembering the seductive aura, his curiosity dimmed.

How could he use it while fighting another man? Such a situation would make him feel too awkward to continue fighting.

'I gotta learn how to suppress that.' Xue Bai could only note down for the future.

On a side note, Yue Zifeng hadn't left his peak much since they returned to the sect, so the trio stayed by themselves on the peak, not even leaving to eat since they could call servants over to cook for them on theirs.

Ye Rou would join and play with the girls whenever she was bored but other than that, nothing disturbed them.

Zhu Que and Xiao'er had also gotten much closer during this time, but it was to the point where it was odd. Apparently, sometime when Xue Bai hadn't paid attention, Xiao'er and Zhu Que had become Sworn Sisters, with Xiao'er being the big sister.

Xue Bai had no idea how this happened, and the two didn't bother explaining it to him. So he could only wave it off as girl things, which left him even more confused.

"Young Master, that mat of yours is magical!" Xiao'er yelled as she stretched her slender body.

Ever since she had started cultivating alongside Xue Bai, her speed was more than double what it was before. And while she couldn't sleep in it, she also got to share a bedroom with Xue Bai. It was a win-win!

"Yes, but you have to stop announcing it, Xiao'er. There are ears everywhere." Xue Bai reminded as he stored the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, "Also, quickly go back. What if someone sees you two here."

Today was the morning of Xue Bai and Ye Rou's first showcase to the world, and they had just finished their cultivation session.

So before anyone entered their peak and saw their scandalous setup, Zhu Que and Xiao'er usually ran out of his courtyard.

Reminded by his words, Xiao'er and Zhu Que quickly snuck out like thieves in the night. However, sadly, they were too late.

"Bai'er, this is quite the nice thing you have going here. Having two girls accompany you in the night and warm your bed. Even some emperors are worse off than you." A sarcastic voice full of love came from above his courtyard.

Hearing he was caught, Xue Bai froze up, but after registering the voice to its owner, he was more confused than afraid.

"Mother?" Xue Bai yelled out, stunned.

In the air, instead of Yue Zifeng as he expected, it was Li Rou.

"Mistress!" Xiao'er was much simpler and only looked excited to be reunited with the woman who raised her into who she was.

Smiling happily, Li Rou flew down and rubbed the head of Xiao'er. She always did like the little maid. If not, how could she become the personal maid of Xue Bai?

"Mother, why are you here?" Xue Bai asked as he ran up to his mother.

"Your Sect Leader invited your father and me to your announcement ceremony." Li Rou answered as she finally started looking at Zhu Que.

Since the girl could stay in Xue Bai's bedroom during the night, she was obviously rather important to Xue Bai.

'Good looks, good temperament, but her cultivation..' Li Rou was at first proud of her son's selection skills, but when she noticed that Zhu Que was only in the Vein Transformation realm, her brows furrowed.

"Bai'er this is?" Li Rou asked as she looked over to her son for more information.

Though Zhu Que looked nice, Xue Bai could also get beautiful women with just a command, so it was obvious he didn't take her in just because of that. So there had to be another reason.

"Mother, this is Sister Zhu. She is someone that I found out during an excursion." Xue Bai briefly explained, "Don't focus too much on her cultivation. She is just as talented as me."

'Which you, the public you, or the real you?' Li Rou asked in a voice transmission.

Xue Bai raised a two behind his back, signifying his answer. Li Rou was in the Xiantian Great Realm and could obviously see what Xue Bai was doing. His tiny body couldn't stop her bird's eyes view Spiritual Sense.

Getting the answer she wanted, Li Rou's expression changed from a calculative one to a broad smile.

"Little girl, you can call me Auntie!" Li Rou dotingly spoke as she went over to examine Zhu Que closer.

Stunned by the sudden change, Zhu Que was confused and looked over at Xue Bai for help, but after seeing him nod, she could only say what Li Rou said.

"Auntie." Zhu Que shyly spoke.

"Good! Since you look at me as such, I'll give you a greeting gift." Li Rou happily spoke as she pulled out a spatial ring, "This is a Middle Yellow-grade spatial ring. Inside are also enough pills and treasures to raise you to the Organ Tempering realm. Though I might not look like it, I am a Peak Yellow-grade Alchemist. So my products are at the top of this continent's standards."

After getting such an extravagant gift for nothing from a woman she had just met, Zhu Que's personality made her instantly want to deny it, but after seeing Li Rou's stern face, she could only take it.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Zhu Que spoke as she put the spatial ring onto her right hand.

"It's fine. You called me Auntie. I should naturally give you something as a greeting gift." Li Rou waved it off as she patted Zhu Que on the head.

"Mother, is Father here as well?" Xue Bai asked as their conversation ended.

"Husband? Yes, he's speaking with your Sect Leader right now. I just didn't want to intrude on their barbaric discussion about swords, so I came to find you two." Li Rou answered.

"But never mind those brutes. How is your cultivation, Bai'er? After becoming the personal disciple of one of the strongest people on our continent, surely you must've advanced leaps and bounds." Li Rou asked.

Though Li Rou could sense his cultivation right now should she wish to, she didn't and instead wanted to hear Xue Bai's story. It would waste time, and she liked hearing stories from her son, so it was a good plan either way.

After asking, Li Rou also gently floated her way over to a pavilion that sat in the middle of the manmade pond in his courtyard. She also flew the three children toward her to sit with her.

It was big enough to seat more than five guests easily, so the group of 4 was comfortable with sitting at it.

After taking a seat, Xue Bai told his mother about what he had done so far at the sect, from his cultivation progress to his combat power boost.

But what he didn't notice when he talked about his Small Success stage Sword Law Li Rou's face cringed for a fraction of a second before returning to normal.

"That's great, Bai'er! But what about Xiao'er? I see she looks a lot different now. It's almost like she's a sword maiden now." Li Rou asked as she pinched the cheeks of Xiao'er, who wasn't paying attention.

Though Xiao'er hadn't much of a change in personality or temperament, there were other minor changes in her that Li Rou noticed. For example, she now walked steadily and firmly like a true cultivator and not a normal girl, and her eyes were much more focused, albeit there were only more focused when she wanted them to be.

Overall the change was noticeable, and Li Rou got curious. Xiao'er never tried to fight, and even just the thought of it before made her cringe. But only after a month in the Soaring Sword Sect, she changed?

To this question, XIao'er stopped Xue Bai and answered herself.

"The Sect Leader also accepted me as a disciple. And I, as one of Master's disciples, can't be such a greenhouse flower." Xiao'er explained.

Nodding at the answer, Li Rou felt that the maid had grown a lot since she joined the sect, more mentally than physically, however.

The trio would continue speaking about their lives since their separation, with Zhu Que sitting on the side, nodding and mentally taking notes from time to time.

They continued talking until suddenly, Xue Bai felt a buzzing from the identification token that he kept strapped onto his waist.

'Bai'er, come over to my peak. Your announcement ceremony is about to start. You can take the teleportation array with your father and me.' Yue Zifeng's voice came from the token.

The other three also heard the voice and stood up, ready to leave.

Xue Bai, Xiao'er, and Zhu Que already had their Core Disciples robes on, while Li Rou was only a guest, so she had already arrived in fashionable clothing.