Chapter 203: All Sides Come to Celebrate

In front of the Heavenly Secret Hall, Lu Ye paused to ponder. "Regarding the recruitment of disciples, I'll return and consult with the sect master. I'll let you know once I have news." He didn't give an immediate answer.

"Then I'll trouble you, Fellow Daoist Yi Ye."

After Chen Yu left, Lu Ye was about to check his gains from this trip when his battle imprint buzzed with a message. He opened it to see a message from his Second Senior Sister: "Time to come home for dinner!"

Recalling the delicious meals his Second Senior Sister prepared, Lu Ye stood up, dusting himself off. He walked to the Heavenly Secret Pillar, placed a hand on it, and the next moment, he was back in his sect.

Second Senior Sister must have timed it perfectly, preparing a table full of dishes while waiting for Lu Ye and Hua Ci to return.

Lu Ye first went to pay his respects to the sect master. Hua Ci had already returned earlier and reported her safety, but upon seeing Lu Ye, the sect master still scrutinized him from head to toe. Only after confirming Lu Ye was completely unharmed did he nod with satisfaction. "Go eat," he said, "Your Second Senior Sister has prepared many good dishes." He didn't ask Lu Ye about his experiences in the Spirit Stream Defensive Battle. For the old man, it was enough that his few remaining disciples could return safely; he didn't ask for anything more.

"Understood!"

The dining table was lively, with all the few remaining disciples of the Bloodfiend Sect gathered there. The group ate the delicious food, and laughter filled the air.

Amber stood outside the door, its beast eyes scrutinizing the mechanical wolf Hua Ci had brought back. Then, with a tiger-like pounce, it knocked the mechanical wolf to the ground, stepping on it with its paws, looking smug.

Meanwhile, in the sect master's sleeping quarters, the meditating sect master opened his eyes and sensed his personal imprint. It was a message from Pang Zhen, a sudden and seemingly out-of-context sentence: "Old Tang, the Bloodfiend Sect has really taken in two excellent disciples!"

The sect master frowned, puzzled by its meaning. From the tone of Pang Zhen's message, it seemed Lu Ye and Hua Ci had done something extraordinary in the Spirit Stream Defensive Battle. Just as he was about to inquire, another message arrived. This time, it was from that old geezer of the Danxin Sect: "When is the Bloodfiend Sect disbanding? I want those disciples of yours named Lu Ye and Hua Ci."

"Scram!" the sect master retorted unceremoniously.

Immediately after, messages continuously poured into his imprint. Each message was from the sect masters, patriarchs, or leaders of major sects across the Nine Provinces, and the sect master couldn't even check them all in time.

After quite some time, the barrage of messages thinned out somewhat, but messages still flowed in continuously. The sect master checked them one by one. Some messages offered congratulations, others conveyed thanks on behalf of their disciples, and some even proposed an alliance with the Bloodfiend Sect.

The sect master was truly bewildered. However, from the information revealed in those messages, it was clear that his two disciples had indeed accomplished something significant this time. It concerned many sects, even the entire Haotian Alliance, but the exact details were still unknown.

Finding Pang Zhen's imprint, the sect master sent a message: "What's going on?"

Pang Zhen quickly replied: "Old Tang, you don't know yet? Haven't your two disciples returned?"

"They have returned."

"Since they've returned, Old Tang, why don't you ask them directly?"

"The youngsters are having dinner," he replied. "It wouldn't be good for an old man like me to go disturb them. Just tell me about it."

Pang Zhen then recounted all the details of the Spirit Stream Defensive Battle. The sect master stared blankly, remained silent for a long time, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. He truly hadn't expected that Lu Ye and Hua Ci, merely at the sixth-layer realm, could stir up such a storm in the Sea of Chess. Originally, he had just wanted them to broaden their horizons and gain some experience. Who would have thought these two young ones would indirectly save the fate of the entire Haotian Alliance for the next few decades? Such a great achievement was rarely seen in a century, comparable only to his eldest disciple's decisive battle forty years ago. It was a pity that his eldest disciple ended up disgraced and ruined, even implicating the sect, which gradually declined and became regarded as a place of sinners. Today, decades later, what the two disciples of the Bloodfiend Sect had done could somewhat be considered washing away the sect's past sins. The sect master was genuinely relieved and delighted.

"Old Tang," Pang Zhen messaged again, "I have already given orders to seal off the news. It won't be spread outwards, to try and prevent the Myriad Demon Ridge from focusing its attention on the Bloodfiend Sect again."

"Much obliged," the sect master replied.

"Protecting the younger generation, just as you protected us back then, is only right."

After ending the communication with Pang Zhen, the sect master busied himself for a while longer, replying to all the sect masters and leaders who had sent messages. Only then did he walk out of his sleeping quarters.

In the dining hall, Lu Ye and the others were eating when a figure flashed at the door. It was the sect master, and everyone quickly stood up. The sect master raised a hand, gesturing them to sit, a wide smile on his face. "Keep eating," he said. He turned to Shui Yuan. "Go get some good ingredients," he said. "This old man feels a bit antsy today; I'll show you my skills." Saying this, he walked towards the kitchen.

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Lu Ye stared at his Second Senior Sister in astonishment. "The sect master cooks?" he asked.

Shui Yuan pursed her lips and smiled. "My cooking skills were all taught by the old man," she said. "You all continue eating." Saying this, she followed the sect master, feeling puzzled. *The old man seems very happy today?* she wondered. *Could it be that he and Madam Yun had buried the hatchet, and romance was blooming again?*

Everyone ate until their bellies were full. No one had expected that the esteemed sect master of the Bloodfiend Sect, a grand cultivator of the Divine Sea realm, would possess such extraordinary culinary skills.

Yi Yi reached out to poke Ruan Lingyu's slightly bulging stomach, making Lingyu squeal.

With their hunger sated, Lu Ye bid farewell to his Second Senior Sister and the others, walked into his room, and immediately collapsed into sleep. In the Sea of Chess, neither he nor Hua Ci had much time for rest. After this month, both of them were physically and mentally exhausted.

In a daze, his nose tickled. He opened his eyes only to find Yi Yi poking his nostril with his own hair. Lu Ye slowly sat up and sat there blankly, a bewildered expression on his face.

Yi Yi brought him wash water, wet a towel, and handed it to him. "Wake up quickly," she said, "you've been sleeping for a day and a night!" Seeing that he still wasn't reacting, Yi Yi pressed the towel against his face and vigorously wiped it.

"I'm awake!" The cold water jolted him, and Lu Ye immediately felt much more awake. He took the towel and got out of bed.

"How have things been recently?" Lu Ye asked while washing his face.

Yi Yi stood beside him, hands clasped behind her back, humming a tune. "Quite good, actually," she said, "It's just less lively now that you and Sister Hua Ci aren't here." Life was truly comfortable now. Recalling the first time she met Lu Ye on Qingyun Mountain, Yi Yi felt it was truly a fated encounter. If she hadn't met Lu Ye, she and Amber would still be on Qingyun Mountain and might have been captured by some cultivator any day. If that had truly happened, she dared not imagine the consequences. Although following Lu Ye had been thrilling and exciting, now that they were in the Bloodfiend Sect, with the sect master and senior sister's care, and Lingyu and Amber as playmates, life couldn't be more comfortable.

Lu Ye put away the towel and suddenly turned to look at Yi Yi seriously.

"What's wrong?" Yi Yi asked, baffled by his gaze.

Lu Ye reached out, pinched her cheek, and squeezed it.

"What are you doing?" Yi Yi asked indistinctly.

"This texture... it seems less and less different from a real body," Lu Ye said, his eyes showing surprise. "And... have you gotten fatter?"

Yi Yi suddenly felt a little flustered. "No, you're talking nonsense!" she exclaimed, patting her cheek uncertainly, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"Hmm, you really have gotten fatter, a bit bigger everywhere," Lu Ye said, nodding seriously. "Can you still grow physically in your current form?"

Yi Yi was stunned for a moment, then her face flushed. "Where are you looking?" she asked.

"Could it be related to Amber?" Lu Ye stroked his chin, falling into thought. This time, Amber's aura was much stronger, and it immediately asked him for that scale armor. Lu Ye naturally didn't refuse; he took out the scale armor and let Amber absorb some vitality from it. As expected, it then lay stiffly on the ground, looking quite high.

"I... I'm going to tell Sister Hua Ci that you're being a pervert!" Yi Yi stomped her foot and ran out.

Feeling refreshed, he walked out of his room and met Ruan Lingyu head-on. The little girl Lingyu glared at Lu Ye, purposely walked in front of him, placed her hands on her hips, stomped her feet, and let out a heavy huff to express her dissatisfaction with Lu Ye bullying her "little sister."

"Have you finished your cultivation today?" Lu Ye asked, looking down at her.

Ruan Lingyu immediately felt a bit guilty. "N-no," she stammered, "not yet, I haven't started."

"Then why aren't you cultivating quickly!"

"Oh!" The little girl ran towards the Heavenly Secret Hall, looking wronged, her two braids swaying from side to side.

"Second Senior Sister," Lu Ye greeted Shui Yuan, who was walking over.

Shui Yuan handed him a somewhat familiar wooden box. "The flesh of the Breath Fruit is being processed and will take some more time," she explained. "You can take this core. We don't know its use yet; you'll need to activate it with your spiritual energy and figure it out yourself. Some fruit cores recognize a master, and whoever first activates its power will be recognized as its master." It was precisely for this reason that Shui Yuan hadn't dared to rashly investigate the core's function.

The flesh of the Breath Fruit had extremely strong restorative effects, but eating it directly would be a waste. However, with Second Senior Sister, the fruit flesh would be utilized differently. Shui Yuan was not only a medical cultivator but also an alchemy cultivator. With her knowledge of pharmacology, she could naturally make good use of the fruit flesh. On another note, currently, apart from the sect master, even including Yi Yi, there were only six disciples in the Bloodfiend Sect in total. It was quite unusual that two of them were medical cultivators, as medical cultivators were typically the least common among other sects.

Taking the wooden box, Lu Ye gently opened it and found a blue, crystalline object lying inside. At first glance, this thing looked no different from a sapphire. He looked up at Shui Yuan, who said, "That's the Breath Fruit's core."

Lu Ye could only sigh with emotion, acknowledging that, as expected of a Breath Fruit, it truly defied conventional understanding.

"Want to try it?" Shui Yuan asked, also very curious about the core's function.

Lu Ye nodded, picked up the blue core, held it in his palm, and channeled spiritual energy into it. The next moment, a somewhat familiar sensation arose, like the feeling he got every time he entered the Heavenly Secret Treasure Vault...