The Disciples Awaken

Gu Changyuan closed the system interface and redirected his gaze to the Demon Peak.

The ten-colored light was still radiating.

And it was growing brighter.

This meant they were still evolving, the process not yet complete.

Gu Changyuan leaned back in his rocking chair, which swayed gently.

He opened his eyes and glanced down at his collar.

The bite mark that Mo Yingyue, that girl, had left yesterday hadn't faded yet.

Expressionlessly, he pulled his collar up to cover the mark.

Then he leaned back in the rocking chair again and waited.

The first light to go out at the top of the Immortal Demon Tower was from Tushan Youyao's room.

That deep purple light grew increasingly bright.

Then it suddenly contracted, turning into a thin thread of purple light that vanished into the room.

Inside, Tushan Youyao sat cross-legged on a cushion, her eyes slightly closed.

Behind her, a massive phantom slowly materialized.

Its figure was elegant and majestic, with nine tails gently swaying behind it.

The color of its fur had shifted from the earlier light purple to a deep purple, each hair exuding a cold, shimmering light.

The phantom lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then slowly dissipated.

The purple light receded like a tide, withdrawing from the surface of Tushan Youyao's skin back into her body.

From her limbs it retracted to her torso, from her torso to her dantian, and finally condensed into her demon core.

She opened her eyes, and those deep purple irises became even more profound.

Her bloodline evolution was complete. The moment she opened her eyes, she could clearly perceive the ultimate power of the bloodline's complete transformation and ascension within her.

Tushan Youyao stood up from the cushion, and with a flicker of her form, she vanished directly from the Demon Peak.

In the next instant, she was already in the rear courtyard behind the Heavenly Palace, standing beside Gu Changyuan's rocking chair.

Tushan Youyao's captivating eyes curved into crescent moons, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

"Master."

Gu Changyuan nodded, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Divine blood, a divine core, a talent rank of twentieth tier. Her current bloodline level had already surpassed the limits of demon cultivation knowledge in the Nine Heavens Realm.

"Not bad."

Gu Changyuan said slowly.

Tushan Youyao's smile deepened.

She didn't speak any polite phrases like, "It's all due to Master's excellent guidance."

Saying such things would only create distance.

Instead, she bent down and kissed Gu Changyuan on the cheek.

Just as she was kissing him, her gaze caught sight of the bite mark on her master's shoulder.

Judging by the aura of the bite mark, it should belong to either Mo Yingluo or Mo Yingyue.

Tushan Youyao lifted her head, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"It seems the two junior sisters have been sneaking a taste again~"

Gu Changyuan knew she had noticed the bite mark, and felt a trace of exasperation inside.

He didn't explain, just shrugged his shoulders slightly.

Tushan Youyao looked at her master's reaction without getting angry.

The current situation wasn't suitable for starting a round, after all, the other nine disciples hadn't finished their evolution yet.

After evolving, they would definitely come to report to their master.

So, Tushan Youyao bowed her body slightly again, leaning over Gu Changyuan.

She gently pulled his clothes down a little and gave him a gentle bite on the other side.

Finished, Tushan Youyao slowly straightened up, looked at her handiwork, licked her lips, and wore an expression full of allure.

Gu Changyuan looked at the newly added bite mark and Tushan Youyao's expression, sighing inwardly with helplessness.

Although these disciples got along very harmoniously, they always ended up vying with each other in some strange areas.

But for Gu Changyuan, it wasn't a big deal, and he rather enjoyed it himself.

If it were before, Gu Changyuan wouldn't have reacted to this.

But now it was different. With the seal removed, Gu Changyuan, seeing Tushan Youyao's charming expression, actually felt a stir from his Supreme Bone.

However, he also knew that now wasn't the time to release the Supreme Bone, so he continued to lie still.

Tushan Youyao wasn't in a hurry either. She stood quietly beside him, accompanying Gu Changyuan, her gaze fixed on the direction of the Immortal Demon Tower on the Demon Peak in the distance.

The second to finish was Luo Qingchen.

It wasn't because she was stronger than the others, but because she had experience.

Having gone through it once, the second time was much easier.

She knew when to guide, when to wait, and when to hold back.

When the light faded, she flew out of the Immortal Demon Tower, her four pure white wings spread behind her. The feathers shimmered with a faint golden light in the sun.

With a light flap of her wings, her form steadily landed from the top of the Immortal Demon Tower into the courtyard, standing on the other side of Gu Changyuan.

"Master."

Luo Qingchen's face was full of smiles, her brows and eyes curved. After the bloodline evolution, her fair skin glowed with a faint luster.

Gu Changyuan's gaze swept over her from head to toe.

Divine blood, a divine core. The bloodline of the Holy Radiance Pegasus had ascended from the saint tier to the divine tier.

Her talent rank was at the nineteenth tier.

Looking at her face full of expectation, with her eyes sparkling, Gu Changyuan nodded, his eyes carrying affirmation.

Luo Qingchen smiled and was about to move closer to her master when her gaze suddenly paused.

Her eyes inadvertently swept over and fixed on Gu Changyuan's shoulders.

Although it was partially blocked by his clothes, she could still sense the auras of two bite marks on both sides.

One was wreathed in a deep, pure demonic energy, and the other carried a familiar demonic beast aura—clearly the presence of her senior sister, Tushan Youyao.

Her mouth pouted slightly, and she moved her gaze from her master to the senior sister on the other side.

Tushan Youyao, caught red-handed in her little act by her junior sister, showed no trace of shame, embarrassment, or awkwardness. She remained perfectly composed.

A gentle, knowing smile hung at the corners of her lips. She calmly met Luo Qingchen's gaze, a hint of clever mischief in her eyes.

Luo Qingchen pouted even higher but said nothing. She just looked away from her senior sister and fixed her gaze back on her master.

Afterwards, eight other disciples—Lu Jiuyi, Zhu Jiuyin, Lan Caiyou, Xiang Xuanyin, Bai Zeming, Sun Buhuo, Chi Huang, and Ye Canglan—successively emerged from seclusion.

All ten had completed their earth-shattering transformations. Their bloodlines and demon cores, shackled for a thousand years, had completely shattered the mortal realm's limitations and had all advanced to the divine tier.

The talent ranks were twentieth tier for Lu Jiuyi, Zhu Jiuyin, Xiang Xuanyin, Bai Zeming, and Sun Buhuo; and nineteenth tier for Lan Caiyou, Chi Huang, and Ye Canglan.

Gu Changyuan quietly watched the ten disciples gathered around him, his mind calm and undisturbed.

In truth, regarding the talent ranks of his thirty disciples, whether twentieth or nineteenth tier, Gu Changyuan couldn't care less.

They were merely a string of cold numbers as judged by the system.

These disciples were all raised and meticulously nurtured by him, and the three major powers were slowly built up by them as well.

Whether talent at the twentieth tier or the nineteenth tier, in his eyes, there was no difference. They were all his disciples, all people he had watched grow and walk the path until today.

Moreover, only he could see this talent assessment; the disciples themselves were unaware of it.

Tushan Youyao didn't know she was judged as twentieth tier, and Luo Qingchen didn't know she was judged as nineteenth tier.

They only knew that their bloodline had evolved, their demon cores had upgraded, and their strength had grown.

They were all fellow disciples under the same master. What did it matter who was stronger or weaker?

After all, they were all their master's disciples, and they were all by their master's side.