As the Beloved Eldest Disciple, I Just Want to Get Off Work Chapter 46: The Ancient Awakening Liquid

Lu Fengmian did not say anything more and turned to leave.

He walked a few steps, then stopped.

He did not turn around, but his voice drifted over:

“There’s a protruding rock in the woods; you can hide beneath it to shelter from the rain.”

Then he continued forward.

Xiao Jin froze for a mont and turned to look deeper into the forest. He had been here many tis before, yet had never noticed any rock that could shield him from wind and rain.

Later, as the rain fell harder and harder, he ran over to check—and indeed found it.

The rock was not large, but it was just enough for one person to crouch beneath and stay dry.

He crouched there, listening to the sound of rain outside, and suddenly felt sothing was strange.

How had Senior Brother known about this?

And so, the days passed one after another.

Lu Fengmian was still that senior brother so busy his feet never seed to touch the ground. It was only that the number of tis he passed along that small path grew more frequent.

He could both avoid the sect’s clamor and conveniently accumulate connections.

Xiao Jin remained an outer disciple burying himself in bitter training, yet each ti he saw that moon-white figure, his heart no longer felt quite so tense.

Sotis he even wondered, would Senior Brother pass by today?

Then he would imdiately suppress the thought, telling himself not to think too much.

He was the Sect Leader’s first disciple, usually very busy—how could he possibly have the ti to co here every day?

Yet every few days, that figure still appeared on the forest path.

Sotis they would exchange a few words. Sotis he would nod. Sotis he said nothing at all and simply walked past.

But each ti he passed by, Xiao Jin felt that his training that day beca even more arduous.

Thus the days slipped by.

The turmoil within the Beast-Taming Sect gradually subsided, and the rumors about Enlightennt Cliff slowly turned into idle chatter among the disciples after als.

Lu Fengmian finally shook off the state of being “under surveillance” and returned to the life of an ordinary senior brother. Although he remained busy, at least when he walked on the road he was no longer treated as though he were so rare spirit beast.

That night, Lu Fengmian walked out of the Scripture Pavilion carrying a stack of jade slips in his arms.

《Research on the Ancestral Reversal Phenonon of Ancient Bloodlines in Spirit Beasts》

《Detailed Explanation of Awakening Formation Arrangents》

《Precautions During the Awakening Period of Spirit Beasts》

As he walked, he flipped through these texts and nearly bumped into a tree by the roadside.

There was no helping it. This was his first ti raising a spirit beast, so he had to make thorough preparations.

That bottle of Ancient Awakening Liquid had already been sitting in his storage ring for several days, yet he had not dared to use it. It sounded imnsely potent; if he injured the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon through improper use, he would be extrely upset.

So during this ti, he had checked every piece of material he could find.

Elder Shu watched him run to the Scripture Pavilion every day and thought he had finally co to his senses and understood how to study diligently. Very pleased, he almost made him morize two more ancient texts. Lu Fengmian hurriedly said he had urgent matters and slipped away with the jade slips.

Upon returning to the side hall, the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon was curled up in its new nest, dozing.

Hearing the movent, it slowly lifted its head, glanced at him, then lay back down again.

Lu Fengmian thought: Fine, you’re the ancestor here.

He set the jade slips on the table and began checking the things he had prepared.

One bottle of Ancient Awakening Liquid.

One set of spirit-energy gathering formation plates.

Three sticks of calming and mind-clearing incense.

Two Guiyuan Pills prepared in case of ergency.

And his personally written 《Ergency Handling Guide During the Awakening Period》, which referenced seven or eight ancient texts.

Everything was ready.

Lu Fengmian took a deep breath and crouched beside the nest.

Sensing his caution, the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon raised its head again and tilted it as it looked at him.

“Little one,” Lu Fengmian said softly, “I’ve prepared sothing good for you.”

He took out the small jade bottle from his sleeve and pulled out the stopper.

A cool and limpid aura spread through the air. The Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon’s pupils contracted slightly, and the muscles throughout its body tensed.

It stared fixedly at the jade bottle, the tip of its tail swaying gently.

Seeing this reaction, Lu Fengmian felt even more confident.

He tilted the bottle, and a drop of golden liquid slowly fell.

The Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon opened its mouth wide and caught that drop of Ancient Awakening Liquid.

Lu Fengmian held his breath, staring at it.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

A layer of cyan light suddenly appeared around the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon’s body.

It curled up, burying its head into its body, remaining completely still.

Lu Fengmian tightened his grip on the Guiyuan Pill in his hand.

The aura grew thicker and thicker.

The cyan shifted from pale to deep, from deep to dense, until it almost entirely enveloped the little dragon. The Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon’s body trembled slightly, as if undergoing so intense transformation.

Sweat began to form in Lu Fengmian’s palms.

He did not know whether this was considered normal.

The “glowing” ntioned in the materials had not said it would glow for this long.

Just as he hesitated over whether to stuff the Guiyuan Pill into its mouth, the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon suddenly stopped trembling.

The cyan halo began to contract inward, condensing, and eventually slowly gathered into a small white sphere surrounding its body.

The sphere was not large, just enough to cover the entire Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon. Faint spirit patterns flowed across its surface, like ancient markings.

Lu Fengmian was stunned.

He reached out to touch it, then withdrew his hand.

This was… the beginning of awakening?

He opened the 《Ergency Handling Guide》 he had compiled and flipped to the page on “Cocoon-Style Isolation.”

It stated: When so spirit beasts awaken, they will condense spiritual energy to form a protective layer; this is a normal phenonon and requires no intervention.

Lu Fengmian let out a breath of relief.

He observed for a while longer, and after confirming that the small sphere showed no abnormal fluctuations, slowly stood up.

From today onward, the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon should remain indoors for so ti.

Over the following days, Lu Fengmian set aside ti each day to check on the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon’s condition.

He would glance at it before leaving in the morning and look again when he returned in the evening.

The small sphere remained there quietly. The spirit patterns on its surface occasionally flowed, proving that the small life inside was still alive and continuing its awakening.

Gradually, Lu Fengmian put his mind at ease.

That night, he had just stepped out of the side hall and was preparing to head to the dining hall for sothing to eat when the communication jade slip at his waist suddenly lit up.

It was deep purple—the deep purple that only the Sect Leader could use.

Lu Fengmian tapped it open to check.

“Co to Lingyun Hall imdiately.”

The signature was his master, who rarely showed himself.

Lu Fengmian looked at those four words, his feelings sowhat complicated.

How long had it been since he last saw him?

One month? Two months?

He calculated; the last ti they had t was before the small tournant. At that ti, his master had tossed him a Taiyi Golden Core, then said he was going into seclusion to cultivate so “Great Dream Fulfillnt Art.”

That seclusion had continued until now.

Lu Fengmian sighed, put away the jade slips, changed direction, and walked toward Lingyun Hall.

Lingyun Hall was brightly lit.

When Lu Fengmian pushed the door open, he found quite a number of people already seated inside.

Peak Master Leng of Wanren Peak, Elder Lin of the Rite Hall, Elder Wu of Duanxing Peak, Elder Chen of Tianyan Peak… as well as several other peak masters he did not often interact with had also arrived.

As soon as he entered, everyone nodded in greeting.

Lu Fengmian returned the courtesies one by one before finding a seat and sitting down.

At the seat of honor, Lingxuan Venerable leaned back in his chair, idly playing with a chess piece in his hand.

The material of that chess piece was sowhat special; at a glance, one could tell it was by no ans ordinary.

“Disciple Lu has arrived,” Elder Lin said with a smile. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Before Lu Fengmian could ask, “Waiting for for what?”, Lingxuan Venerable raised his head, his gaze settling on him.

“Since everyone is here,” his voice remained lazy, as if he had just woken from sleep, “This Venerable will get straight to the point.”

Everyone fell silent.

Lingxuan Venerable set down the chess piece in his hand, took out a jade slip from his sleeve, and tossed it into the air.

The jade slip unfolded, projecting a map.

At the center of the map, a flashing point was marked.

“A few days ago, I played chess with that old fellow from the north,” Lingxuan Venerable said casually, “and won a little trinket from him.”