Chapter 523: Concealment
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Inside the Treasure Chamber now, Miaomiao peered around mysteriously, looking left and right. Only after confirming no one was nearby did she slowly find a secluded corner to sit down.
Though called a treasure vault, it was essentially Ye Qinghan's junk storage, used to house low-grade mundane supplies.
For the Lingxian Hall of today, wealth had become useless.
Master now had his personal attendants. Though he was a bit stingy, hunger was never an issue.
The treasures, still gleaming even without light, continued to accumulate day by day.
Lingxian Hall possessed over a dozen such treasure vaults, nearly bursting at the seams. This was one of the few still with space to spare.
Generally, none of the sisters would come to such a place. After all, the items here were of no use to them. Only Miaomiao would occasionally drop by to see if there were any useful materials.
Though the senior sisters disdained those low-grade materials, she would occasionally browse when refining pills or crafting artifacts, needing something specific. Sometimes she found exactly what she sought; other times, she discovered suitable substitutes.
With her current strength, items her senior sisters dismissed were all treasures to her.
For now, though, she decided to put her treasure hunt on hold. Even though she'd spotted a beautifully crafted box, she didn't rush over to examine it. Instead, she pulled out the cultivation technique manual from her bosom, already warm from her body heat.
The manual appeared to be only a few pages long, but Miao Miao didn't believe her master would deceive her. Though it looked thin, perhaps its contents held great value?
After all, how much her master loved them was plain for all to see.
And no matter how clueless the Master might be, he wouldn't do something that made his disciples feel unfairly treated, right?
Recalling the senior sister's footstool ordeal that morning, Miao Miao was convinced the Master had done this deliberately!
But why would Master do this?
Miaomiao wouldn't dare speculate about the Master's thoughts. She knew she was too clueless to ever figure out what the Master was thinking.
In any case, the Master must have had their reasons for acting this way!
The golden glow emanating from the cultivation technique even revealed occasional ripples of spiritual essence, making it look like a divine artifact. For a moment, Miao Miao felt completely dazed!
Everything she possessed now was bestowed by her Master, and this divine treasure was no exception.
How could she not be moved?
Even now, as the fifth direct disciple, Miao Miao still felt as if she were in a dream. Holding the cultivation technique in her hands, it all seemed somewhat unreal.
With a solemn expression, Miao Miao cradled the cultivation manual in both hands and gently placed it on her lap.
The first page was identical to those given to the previous disciples. It was precisely after reading that first page that Miao Miao hurriedly sought out a secluded spot. The phrase "consequences are your own responsibility" had nearly scared the pants off her!
Having already seen this page, Miao Miao quickly turned it, eager to discover what mysterious techniques lay recorded within!
But Miao Miao found herself in a situation somewhat similar to Chu Youwei's. She flipped through several pages in a row and didn't see a single character!
What on earth was going on?
Miaomiao now held the blank manual, utterly bewildered.
Could… could Master really be playing a joke on her?
Driven by the need to confirm, Miao Miao finally turned to the last page…
Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. There was good news and bad news.
The good news was that there were words. The bad news was that the last page wasn't the cultivation technique itself, but rather the location where it could be found.
[Miaomiao's cultivation manual is with Shiyao. Figure it out yourself.]
A huge question mark formed in Miao Miao's little mind!
With Second Senior Sister? Did that mean her cultivation technique was contained within that thick volume of Second Senior Sister's?
"Figure it out yourself"… Does that mean she should go to Second Senior Sister and find a way to get the cultivation technique?
But her own cultivation technique—she couldn't possibly reveal it…
How could Second Senior Sister possibly agree?
Second Senior Sister had always been kind to her, but…
She probably wouldn't just hand over something bestowed by the Grandmaster, would she?
Besides, Miaomiao suspected Second Senior Sister's cultivation technique was likely strange in itself—she certainly wouldn't let him see it easily!
Perhaps the Master had even written something in Second Senior Sister's cultivation technique forbidding disclosure, with warnings of dire consequences for disobedience!
If that were the case, how could she possibly obtain the cultivation technique?
Miaomiao tucked the cultivation manual away and headed toward the courtyard. After all, without the manual, there was nothing to cultivate, right?
Even if she did cultivate, it would still be the same old routine—that so-called Seventh Set, the Rainbow Sunlight Technique that even elementary and middle school students practiced.
Master said she needed to build a solid foundation with this Rainbow Sunshine technique first. Only after establishing her foundation would he give her a new cultivation method.
But!
This damn Rainbow Sunshine Technique looked simple, but it was actually incredibly complex!
It took him ages just to master the third-level chest expansion exercise!
Even so, just the third-level Rainbow Divine Technique already made her feel like she'd crossed the divide between mortal and immortal!
She eagerly anticipated the day this divine technique reached perfection—the day she would establish her Foundation!
But she was equally eager for the new cultivation technique…
She decided to check on Second Senior Sister to see if she could get any hints about her cultivation technique.
Coincidentally, all three senior sisters were in the courtyard at that moment. Yet, something seemed off about each of them…
"Didn't you sisters go cultivate?" Miao Miao could read their expressions and had already guessed the situation. Perhaps the cultivation technique each needed was in someone else's hands?
Then Master had told each of them not to reveal the cultivation techniques to others…
"No rush. Cultivation can't be hurried. Only when the time is right will effort yield double the results," Chu Youwei replied calmly. Truthfully, even now, he hadn't figured out how to make the characters appear on that wordless cultivation technique.
Ye Qinghan rolled her eyes. "As if Master actually gave me any cultivation technique."
Li Shiyao thought to herself, Well, he did give it to her!
If she completed this cultivation technique, she felt becoming an immortal might be a bit of a stretch, but she could definitely pass the imperial examinations!
"Well, Shiyu isn't in a rush to cultivate either. Our master said maintaining a sound mental state is paramount to cultivation."
"But Miao Miao, how did you manage to escape without diligently cultivating?"
Miao Miao: Heh, if Second Senior Sister would kindly give me the cultivation technique, I'd return to practice immediately…
"Well, not exactly. I just hit a snag in my cultivation and came out to figure something out."
Ye Qinghan had no cultivation technique, so naturally, he spent the entire morning serving as a footstool.
But seeing both Li Shiyao and Miaomiao in this state, Chu Youwei thought to herself: Of course. How could the Master possibly show favoritism?
This challenge was likely the same for every disciple!
As for Ye Qinghan, her lack of cultivation techniques was likely the challenge her master had set for her~
Chu Youwei understood her master well. While he might harbor a slight preference for certain disciples, he would never let them sense it.
The reason for this wasn't fear that a disciple might feel disliked, but rather the Master's concern that the disciples themselves might perceive favoritism.
Therefore, the Master was undoubtedly fair this time—it just appeared unfair.
What exactly was this perceived unfairness masking?
Chu Youwei pondered for a long time, yet she couldn't fathom the underlying issue. What did the Master need to conceal?
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