When the disciples heard Yang Gaochuan tell Xiang Shaoyun to stay, they all looked at him with an odd gaze. Of the 10, Xiang Shaoyun had the lowest cultivation level yet he was the one who received the best treatment from the Martial Hall Palace. Thus, it was understandable that he would be a target of resentment.
"I wonder what the palace master needs from me?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
Yang Gaochuan stared at Xiang Shaoyun for a bit before a kindly expression surfaced on his face as he said, "Shaoyun, isn't Qinyin pretty?"
That question completely confused Xiang Shaoyun. "Where do those words stem from, palace master? Well, she looks decent, I suppose."
"Kid, you are not being honest. I saw you staring at her just now," Yang Gaochuan teased, speaking unlike how a person of his stature would usually speak.
"Oh, I was only randomly looking around. Is that a problem?" Xiang Shaoyun countered in a self-righteous manner.
"Haha, you're right. Young people like you should not be afraid to show your love. There is nothing bad about that," Yang Gaochuan said, laughing heartily.
That confused Xiang Shaoyun even more.
Yang Gaochuan continued speaking matter-of-factly, "To speak the truth, Qinyin is the disciple I am proudest of, and she is no less talented than you. Both of you are the perfect match for each other. I do sincerely hope that the two of you can—"
But before he could finish his words, Xiang Shaoyun interrupted him. "Hold on. Palace master, you are overthinking it. I have never thought of that at all."
What a joke. As far as he was concerned, Gong Qinyun was like a fierce tigress. He loved himself too much to consider taking someone like her as his wife.
"Why? Do you think she is not worthy of you?" Yang Gaochuan asked, his voice turning cold.
Xiang Shaoyun replied, "This is not the question of who is worthy of who. We are both still too young. It is still not the time for us to talk about love and marriage."
"You are clearly lying. Let me tell you something. You might be talented and have Elder Zhen Peng as your follower, but if you manage to obtain the affection of Qinyin as well, you will be guaranteed to reach at least the King Realm in your cultivation," Yang Gaochuan enticed Xiang Shaoyun.
The more Xiang Shaoyun listened to the palace master, the more confused he became. He had a feeling this palace master was trying to matchmake him with that tigress.
"Palace master, that is only a one-sided wish of yours. You should ask for Miss Qinyin's opinion before making up your mind. If she is really willing, I won't mind accepting her either," Xiang Shaoyun said. He could no longer be bothered to keep explaining himself. Inwardly, he added an additional sentence, I won't mind accepting her as a maid to warm my bed.
If Yang Gaochuan heard that inner monologue of his, he would probably be coughing blood in fury. Gong Qinyin was his pride, and the number of talented young men pursuing her was so high it was uncountable. And yet this kid here was thinking of letting her be his bed-warming maid?
"Sigh, you really don't understand what's good for you. Fine, just don't regret this in the future," Yang Gaochuan said with a regretful tone. He then continued, "There are four more months before the Battle of Towns. Do you have the confidence to increase your cultivation by three stages before then?"
"Two stages," Xiang Shaoyun said. He added, "It won't be easy at all."
In truth, he was confident he could do it, but he was trying to be humble. After all, his actual plan was to reach the Transformation Realm in a year. If he wanted to meet his goal, he naturally had to be able to do something like increase three stages of cultivation in a few months.
"I know it's difficult, but I hope you can do it. I believe you can create a miracle," Yang Gaochuan said. He was placing his hopes on Xiang Shaoyun.
With his cultivation of fourth-stage Astral Realm, Xiang Shaoyun had defeated Li Tianba who was an eighth-stage Astral Realm cultivator. After increasing his cultivation by four stages, he would be able to face even those at the peak of the Astral Realm. That would greatly increase the hope of the Martial Hall Palace entering the top 10.
"Palace master, you are stressing me out." Xiang Shaoyun shrugged. "Why not give me a few stalks of mid-grade or high-grade spirit medicines? With that, it will be much easier for me to advance my cultivation by three stages."
"Kid, do you think spirit medicines are some common vegetables? Not long ago, the Medicine Hall's overseer told me that you have already withdrawn a large number of low-grade spirit medicines. Are those not enough? Furthermore, using spirit medicines will only give you a shaky foundation. If you really can't increase your cultivation in time, you can just wait and join the next Battle of Towns three years later. At that time, you’ll probably be in the Transformation Realm already. Entering the top 10 won't be a problem then," Yang Gaochuan said.
At this point, Yang Gaochuan seemed to have suddenly realized something as he said, "Yes, I was in too much of a rush. You should be joining the next Battle of Towns instead. Yes, you should sit this one out. Three years later, our Martial Hall Palace will amaze the world with a single brilliant feat! Yes! Why didn't I think of this earlier? Three years is nothing for us!"
"Huh? No, I don't think that's proper." Xiang Shaoyun blanked out. Although he had no idea what the Battle of Towns looked like, he still knew that it would be a good opportunity to temper himself. In fact, joining it might help him grow even faster. More importantly, he couldn't afford to sit around waiting for three whole years.
"What's not proper about that? I have only been focusing on your victory over Li Tianba. That was why I had placed all my hope on you. But now that I think about it, it's better if we wait," Yang Gaochuan said.
"No way. Three years is too long," Xiang Shaoyun said gloomily.
"No, it's not long at all. Alright, you will be sitting this one out. You may leave now," Yang Gaochuan waved his hand.
Xiang Shaoyun grew anxious as he said, "There are still four more months. I am confident I can increase my cultivation by about two or three stages!"
"Even so, that is still somewhat risky. It is best to wait for the next Battle of Towns. By then, you will have entered the Transformation Realm but still meet the age requirement to participate. Child, you have to be patient," Yang Gaochuan advised.
"I would rather not join at all if I have to wait." Xiang Shaoyun grew angry. If he had to wait three years, there was no point in participating. After all, by that time, the competition might no longer be the perfect venue for him to temper himself. He had many other places he could be at.
"Why are you so impatient, child? Being impatient is not good for your cultivation," Yang Gaochuan continued advising.
Xiang Shaoyun did not feel like talking to this person anymore as he directly turned and waved his hand. He walked away, saying, "Don't look for me if there is nothing important. Even if there is something important, don't look for me either. This young master is very busy."
The angered Xiang Shaoyun couldn't even be bothered to show the palace master any respect anymore.
Yang Gaochuan blanked out before he called out, "Fine, fine. Kid, come back. We can talk it out."
Xiang Shaoyun pretended he didn't hear anything and continued leaving.
"Fine. Do you still want to advance quickly or not? If you are so capable, be sure to not come back," Yang Gaochuan grumbled then added, "I originally planned to open the Martial Palace to help you quickly increase your cultivation, but looks like you are not interested in that after all."
Yang Gaochuan was indeed an old fox. He successfully attracted Xiang Shaoyun's attention with those words.
"Palace master, what is that Martial Palace you speak of?" Xiang Shaoyun turned around and asked.
"Just leave. It's not like we are lacking in disciples," Yang Gaochuan said resentfully. He would have long ago slapped to death any other disciple showing such disrespect. Unfortunately, this kid here was the one he didn't dare touch.
"Come on, my dearest palace master. You are a wise leader, a brilliant and magnanimous leader who is always kind and fair. You are also young and powerful, tall and handsome..." Xiang Shaoyun started buttering up the palace master.
In fact, the praises were so much that they embarrassed the palace master himself.