Long Time No See, Black-hearted Boy

Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge.

Winter, heavy snow.

“Time flies so quickly…” Chu Xingchen stood in the corridor, gazing at the fluttering snowflakes drifting down.

Though the entire Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge now appeared blanketed in white, the flowers here did not wither under the snow.

Beneath the snow layer, vibrant blossoms could still be seen.

This was not a result of spiritual energy nourishment.

According to San Dong, this was a unique feature of Ten Thousand Flowers Ridge—it had been this way since the moment it gained consciousness.

This naturally defied some of Chu Xingchen’s common sense.

But in this world, not everything could be judged by conventional logic.

Though curious about the phenomenon, Chu Xingchen couldn’t be bothered to investigate personally. Besides, Cui Hao had been acting restless lately, so he tossed the task to him.

If Cui Hao had spare time outside of cultivation, he could look into it.

However, this matter did reveal something to Chu Xingchen—though not the truth behind the winter blossoms.

Rather, it showed that Cui Hao had little to do outside of cultivation.

He was either out gathering information or digging around aimlessly.

Still, Cui Hao’s progress in cultivation was decent, so Chu Xingchen didn’t say much.

But compared to the other disciples acknowledged by the system, Cui Hao’s advancement was noticeably slower.

Lin Luoyu had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, ready to break through to the Golden Core stage at any moment.

Meanwhile, Cui Hao was still struggling to reach mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

The spiritual energy density within the sect had increased significantly compared to before, and under such conditions, the gap in talent became even more pronounced.

Li Yingling and Li Xingtian were both diligently cultivating.

However, even with the [Genius in Cultivation] trait, Li Yingling’s progress could no longer be described as rapid after reaching the Golden Core stage.

She was now working hard to break through to late-stage Golden Core—this time with genuine effort, almost to the point of seclusion.

Perhaps Li Xingtian’s progress had also pressured the senior sister.

After all, if her somewhat foolish junior brother surpassed her in cultivation, where would the pride of the self-proclaimed genius go?

Li Xingtian’s cultivation was truly relentless—he barely even took breaks to breathe.

The main reason was that he possessed experience Li Yingling lacked.

He had genuinely reached the Nascent Soul stage before, granting him insights she didn’t have.

Li Xingtian only needed to cultivate diligently, while Li Yingling still had to comprehend the Nascent Soul realm.

But once they reached that stage and his advantage vanished, he would likely struggle to keep up with her.

In truth, aside from ample spiritual energy, occasional medicinal pills could greatly aid cultivation.

Especially when their master was a renowned alchemy expert—wouldn’t it be a waste not to take advantage?

The bitterness of the pills wasn’t an issue, and as for side effects… they could be treated as tempering experiences!

Chu Xingchen’s suggestion was immediately and vehemently rejected by Li Yingling.

She declared—she’d rather swallow raw spirit stones than consume her master’s pills.

However…

After careful consideration, Li Xingtian resolutely stated—he was willing to give them a try.

Chu Xingchen would never forget the determination on Li Xingtian’s face. Truly, his second disciple was made of sterner stuff!

But even more unforgettable was Li Yingling’s reaction.

First, shock. Then, a look that screamed—Have you lost your mind eating Master’s pills?!

“Junior Brother, I underestimated you,” she said before turning and leaving without hesitation.

Beyond his direct disciples, the sect’s guardian beast, Green Snake, had also broken through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment.

It had also received a divine ability from the system.

Its combat power had undergone a qualitative leap—from being evenly matched with the sect’s mascot San Dong to utterly crushing him.

A several-fold increase in strength was certainly cause for celebration.

Xie Lingyu didn’t spend much time at the sect either, mostly returning to the Tianyan Sect to cultivate.

She only visited occasionally, either when invited by Chu Xingchen or after long intervals.

According to her, Bai Xuanling had left on a sect mission.

She hadn’t returned since that day.

Xie Lingyu had asked Lv Xuan about it, but the response was that it was confidential, with all information currently sealed.

However, Bai Xuanling was safe and had sent letters back.

Considering her master’s cultivation level, Xie Lingyu knew she couldn’t intervene even if she wanted to.

She could only ask the sect leader to forward her letters, hoping Bai Xuanling would stay safe.

Many events had unfolded, yet without firsthand experience, they felt strangely distant.

Add to that the timeless nature of cultivation—it felt like summer had turned to winter in the blink of an eye.

“Brewing winter tea in anticipation of spring’s harvest.”

Chen Baiqing stood beside Chu Xingchen, gazing at the stone chair she usually sat on, now covered in snow.

She continued, “Master, would you like some winter tea?”

Chu Xingchen turned to look at her. Perhaps she had hit a growth spurt—though they saw each other daily, he could clearly tell she had grown taller.

From reaching his waist, she now stood at his chest.

Instead of answering, Chu Xingchen smiled and said,

“I won’t be able to call you ‘Little Baiqing’ much longer.”

Chen Baiqing looked at him in confusion.

Chu Xingchen pinched her cheek lightly and said,

“Soon you’ll be as tall as your senior sister. Once you’re grown, ‘Little Baiqing’ won’t fit anymore.”

“Master can call me whatever he likes. Baiqing will always be your Little Baiqing.”

Chu Xingchen nodded with a smile, then said,

“Call Cui Hao and Lin Luoyu. If Miao Yu is free, invite her too. And anyone else available—we’ll drink tea here in the corridor instead of by the pond today.”

Chen Baiqing gave a slight nod. “Then please wait here, Master.”

“Mm.” Chu Xingchen acknowledged softly.

As Chen Baiqing’s footsteps faded, Chu Xingchen’s gaze returned to the snow-filled sky.

He had spent considerable time studying the system’s reward—the Shattered Spirit Jade Butterfly.

Whether infusing it with spiritual energy or trying other methods, the jade disc remained as unresponsive as a plain plate.

The system provided no additional instructions, and Chu Xingchen didn’t dare be too forceful, fearing it might shatter.

After all, the disc was already covered in cracks, looking as though the slightest pressure would break it apart.

Li Yingling offered a blunt conclusion—Master must’ve picked up some junk. At best, it’s a dinner plate now.

Chu Xingchen naturally ignored such thoughtless remarks.

The system had given it such a lofty name—surely it wasn’t just a plate?

What if collecting three fragments could forge an invincible artifact?

Maybe this was just a piece of something greater, with future significance?

For now, though, it could only serve as a plate.

Yet… for some reason…

Chu Xingchen couldn't shake the feeling that things were too calm, as if a storm was brewing just beyond the horizon.

He could only hope... it was just his imagination.

"Hey, you little rascal! Long time no see!"

Qinghe came running through the heavy snowfall, her horns peeking out from beneath a white scarf as she waved with a bright smile.