Bai Qiao looked at Ye Ling, biting her lip tightly, trying her best not to cry.
Since her grandmother passed away, she hadn't felt any warmth from others.
What Ye Ling had just said struck her at her core!
If her decision to become his disciple earlier was mainly about gaining the power to control her own destiny, then now, she truly saw Ye Ling as her own family.
From this moment on, she would no longer be alone.
Seeing Bai Qiao's eyes redden, Ye Ling affectionately rubbed her head and chuckled, "Silly girl, your master is famous for being protective. What's there to cry about?"
"I, I'm just a little too excited..."
Bai Qiao wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, then asked Ye Ling cautiously, "Can I... hug you, Master?"
"Hug me?" Ye Ling was taken aback, not expecting such a request from Bai Qiao.
Bai Qiao quickly added, "Master, please don't misunderstand! I, I don't mean anything else, it's just that for some reason... I feel a very familiar aura from you, Master... I want to feel that aura more closely."
Hearing Bai Qiao's explanation, Ye Ling smiled and shook his head, understanding why she wanted to do this.
He had absorbed the power of the Sword Spirit, and it had essentially merged with him.
Bai Qiao had lost her parents at a young age, and sensing the residual aura of the Sword Spirit from him, she subconsciously treated him as a father figure.
With this in mind, Ye Ling didn't refuse Bai Qiao. He opened his arms and said with a smile, "Alright, hug me for as long as you want."
"Thank you, Master!"
Bai Qiao, who had been feeling a little apprehensive, now showed a look of joy when Ye Ling agreed. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
Burying her head in Ye Ling's embrace, Bai Qiao closed her eyes, quietly listening to his heartbeat, and whispered, "Indeed... I feel so at peace when I hug you, Master. I knew it the first time I met you..."
"Is that so?" Ye Ling looked down at Bai Qiao, who was holding him tightly, and smiled gently, embracing her back.
He had to admit, Bai Qiao was a girl starved for affection.
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Qiao finally came to her senses and quickly let go of Ye Ling, saying somewhat sheepishly, "I, I'm sorry, that was presumptuous of me!"
Ye Ling asked with a smile, "Was it comfortable hugging me?"
Hearing Ye Ling's question, Bai Qiao's face instantly turned red, but she still nodded subconsciously, replying in a voice only she could hear, "Mhm."
At this moment, she was unsure what kind of feelings she had for Ye Ling.
Seeing Bai Qiao's reaction, Ye Ling burst into laughter, his mood instantly brightening.
However, after teasing Bai Qiao, Ye Ling didn't forget the main task. He took out a jade slip from his spatial ring and handed it to Bai Qiao, saying, "This 'Xiantian Sword Art' is currently the most suitable cultivation technique for you. Start with this to get the basics, and I'll teach you others once you're familiar with it."
"Thank you, Master!" Bai Qiao took the jade slip from Ye Ling and suddenly felt a flood of information entering her mind.
Ye Ling continued, "The cultivation methods and precautions are all imprinted in your mind. Just follow the information in your head, and getting started won't be difficult."
"Although you've missed the best time to start cultivating, with my help to regulate your body and your innate Sword Embryo, your future cultivation achievements will not be low."
"Now, strike while the iron is hot and begin your initiation."
"Okay..."
Bai Qiao sat down on the ground and began to cultivate according to the methods in her mind.
Soon, Bai Qiao felt the spiritual energy flowing in the air and began to absorb it.
Seeing the surrounding spiritual energy flowing towards Bai Qiao, Ye Ling couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of an innate Sword Embryo. She can already sense spiritual energy right after starting to cultivate. Ordinary people would probably spend several days just on this step."
"At this cultivation speed, it's likely that it won't be long before this girl's cultivation surpasses most people in the 'Yi Shi' circles and reaches the realm of a first-class expert."
"When that time comes, I'll let her come into contact with the Three Realms and tell her about the Sword Spirit..."
Ye Ling muttered to himself. He set up a barrier around them, filled it with his own spiritual power, creating an artificial blessed land to accelerate Bai Qiao's breakthrough.
The spiritual energy in the surroundings suddenly became dense, and Bai Qiao's cultivation speed seemed to skyrocket. She quickly achieved Qi induction into the body and broke through to the first rank, officially becoming an 'Yi Shi'!
However, Bai Qiao seemed unsatisfied. Her absorption of spiritual energy became faster and faster. Without solidifying her foundation, she directly began to impact the second rank.
The bottleneck of the second rank cultivation was like paper to Bai Qiao, offering no resistance. She broke through to the second rank almost without any hindrance!
"What is this?"
Seeing Bai Qiao break through consecutively within a few seconds, Ye Ling couldn't help but frown.
Normally, consecutive breakthroughs were a good thing, but Bai Qiao's situation was different.
Bai Qiao's innate Sword Embryo had not yet awakened, and she was still a mortal. Coupled with missing the optimal age for cultivation, she needed to proceed steadily and consolidate her foundation now.
Ye Ling had also included these precautions in the cultivation technique he gave Bai Qiao, instructing her to focus on consolidating her foundation after breaking through to the first rank.
But now, Bai Qiao was too eager for success, forcefully breaking through to the second rank. This not only disrupted Ye Ling's plan but also put her in danger!
"This girl is a bit too hasty. Right now, she's essentially enduring the spiritual power of the second rank with her mortal body. The pressure on her meridians is likely already at its limit..."
Ye Ling frowned and was about to wake Bai Qiao up when she once again absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, her aura rapidly soaring again, on the verge of breaking through to the third rank!
"No, this is too fast!"
Seeing Bai Qiao wanting to break through again, Ye Ling immediately stopped her, "Bai Qiao, stop cultivating immediately! Your foundation is not yet solid!"
However, Bai Qiao seemed not to hear Ye Ling at all. She continued to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy on her own, her aura soaring rapidly.
Although spiritual power would continuously strengthen the body as cultivation increased, Bai Qiao was still an ordinary person just over ten seconds ago. She was currently attempting to break through to the third rank with her mortal body. The speed at which spiritual power strengthened her body could not keep up with the speed of her cultivation growth.
Furthermore, the spiritual energy around them was all filled by Ye Ling with his own power, and its quality was far superior to ordinary spiritual energy. Now, with Bai Qiao rashly absorbing so much, her meridians simply couldn't withstand it!
Soon, cracks began to appear on Bai Qiao's skin!
"Damn it! What's wrong with this girl? Can't she hear me?"
Ye Ling hadn't expected such an unforeseen event just by having Bai Qiao start cultivating. As he was about to intervene and forcibly interrupt Bai Qiao's cultivation, she suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with ferocity!
Her eyes were filled with endless hatred!
"This is... a heart demon?"
Seeing Bai Qiao's current state, Ye Ling's eyes flashed with shock. He never expected Bai Qiao to develop a heart demon during her cultivation!
Logically, heart demons were evil manifestations that only arose in the cultivation of Saints. Yet here was Bai Qiao, who had just begun cultivating and was only at the third rank, already manifesting a heart demon. Such an abnormal event was something even Ye Ling had never witnessed!
Looking at Bai Qiao, who was now possessed by a heart demon, Ye Ling sighed, "Now I understand... why the Shadow Hall wanted this girl..."