Feeling it was about time, Ai Yueli said to Ye Ling, "Let's stop here for today. It's almost noon, and I need to prepare lunch for the Sect Master."
Bai Yiyi couldn't cook, and Ye Ling only knew a few simple home-style stir-fries. He couldn't make Spirit Food either, so the burden of cooking still fell on Ai Yueli.
As she spoke, she had already brought Ye Ling back to the outside world.
A talisman floated before Ye Ling's eyes. If he probed it with his Mental Force, he could "see" the simulated space contained within.
He didn't pay much attention to the talisman. Instead, he turned to Ai Yueli and said, "Fourth Master, there's still something I don't understand."
"Hm? The Dao of talismans emphasizes steady, step-by-step progress. You should master that ancient text first before asking anything else."
Ai Yueli refused him without changing her expression. She assumed Ye Ling was trying to look for shortcuts. She had no intention of telling him any tricks. The hardships she had endured back then were things she wanted Ye Ling to experience in full as well.
After all, some things only made sense once you had gone through them yourself. Only then would you know whether it was chocolate or something else entirely.
She wasn't deliberately trying to make Ye Ling suffer. It was just that Ye Ling was far too talented. If everything went smoothly for him and he never experienced even the smallest setback, then one day, when he inevitably ran into a calamity he couldn't avoid, he might collapse completely.
That was why she hoped he would taste a bit of harmless hardship like this.
Besides, all of them had been taught this way by the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden. To Ai Yueli, there was nothing inappropriate about it.
Ye Ling wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Ai Yueli's words carried a faint hint of schadenfreude.
Still, when he looked at her stern yet beautiful face, he dismissed the thought.
This was the Fourth Master, after all. How could she possibly have such girlish, mischievous tastes?
Shaking his head, Ye Ling said, "Fourth Master, what I want to ask isn't about talismans. It's about why, at my current realm, I still can't activate this battle robe."
As he spoke, Ye Ling took out the Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe from his storage ring. He understood the deeper meaning behind this item, and precisely because he understood it, there was no way he could take it to Bai Yiyi and ask her about it.
At this point, the only person he could rely on was Ai Yueli.
Just as he expected, even Ai Yueli froze on the spot.
The Heaven-Ordained Battle Robe, taken literally, was something meant for a person personally acknowledged and approved by the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden.
Even if Ye Ling were slow on the uptake, he still understood what that implied. With Bai Yiyi's actions being so obvious, even an idiot would be able to tell what it meant.
But to say that Bai Yiyi liked him, he didn't believe that. At most, she was just lusting after his body.
To be fair, he was lusting after hers as well.
But if it came to saying he genuinely liked Bai Yiyi, he didn't think that was the case.
He had never believed in love at first sight. That kind of feeling was nothing more than physical desire.
In his view, liking someone was a process of mutual understanding, of being able to accept both the other person's strengths and flaws.
Bai Yiyi had far too many secrets. He needed more time to understand her. What he liked right now was nothing more than her outward appearance.
The same went for Bai Yiyi. Her understanding of him was limited as well. He didn't believe she could truly have feelings for him.
As far as he was concerned, Bai Yiyi taking out this battle robe was simply her way of repairing the bond between master and disciple. There were no extra thoughts behind it.
"Th-this battle robe… was it given to you by the Sect Master Bai?"
Ai Yueli's eyes widened. Her beautiful golden pupils flickered with a strange light.
My Sect Master… romantic feelings between master and disciple are forbidden love, taboo affection…
Wait!
A sudden flash of insight exploded in Ai Yueli's mind. It felt as though she had finally understood something.
So that's why you were willing to give such a genius disciple to me?
Ai Yueli's expression became exceedingly complicated. As her gaze shifted, she unconsciously looked at Ye Ling.
Appearance… full marks.
Talent… full marks.
Character… full mar—questionable!
His cultivation is a bit lacking, but with his terrifying rate of progress, that shouldn't be a problem.
But… but if that's the case, wouldn't you end up a generation below us?
Before Ye Ling could say anything, countless chaotic thoughts surged through Ai Yueli's mind.
"Yes, Fourth Master."
Ye Ling naturally noticed that something was off with Ai Yueli's expression, but it had nothing to do with him. Right now, all he could think about was putting on that handsome battle robe.
"But for some reason, even putting it on is difficult. With my current True Qi, I can't activate it at all."
"That's only natural."
Ai Yueli set aside the tangle of thoughts in her mind and explained calmly, "A Level One Spirit Artifact isn't something a Foundation Establishment cultivator can use. At the very least, you need to reach the Nascent Soul Stage to truly bring out a Spirit Artifact's power."
"Huh?"
Ye Ling was stunned. He frowned and asked again, "Fourth Master, when Envoy Leng came up the mountain earlier and fought me, she used a Dao Artifact. Does that mean once it reaches the Dao level, it can be used freely?"
"Artifacts are divided into two types," Ai Yueli explained. "One is the charge-triggered type. As long as someone injects spiritual power into it, it will activate automatically once the conditions are met."
"The other type is active. It requires the user to personally channel their own spiritual power to use it."
"However, there is also a special case. If the user's cultivation method is compatible with the artifact, then it's possible to use it across realms."
Her explanation was clear and professional. Despite her earlier distracted thoughts, she didn't gloss over any details.
"Thank you, Fourth Master. I understand now."
Ye Ling felt enlightened, though a trace of unwillingness still lingered.
"Oh right. Even if the Sect Master had given you a whole pile of artifacts back then, you still wouldn't have been able to use them."
Ai Yueli seemed to recall something and continued, "Artifacts require sufficient True Qi to operate. With your current strength, it's already difficult for you to fully unleash the power of a mid-grade Treasure Artifact. And as for Heavenly Gate Sect, we really don't have any artifacts below the Spirit Artifact level."
Huh?
No artifacts below Spirit Artifacts?
Ye Ling was dumbfounded once again. He had always assumed Bai Yiyi was rich simply because she was the Sect Master.
But judging from Ai Yueli's explanation, it wasn't just Bai Yiyi. The entire Heavenly Gate Sect was rich. Seriously, what kind of sect had he joined?
What Ye Ling didn't know was that Ai Yueli hadn't explained everything either. The artifacts she referred to weren't ordinary items found on the market, but Spirit Artifacts forged using ancient methods.
Much like how cultivation techniques had been simplified over time for convenience, modern artifact refinement also prioritized ease of use. As a result, artifacts crafted today were worlds apart from those of ancient times in terms of power.
Any artifact that couldn't integrate the Dao was naturally not a good artifact.
And to involve the Dao required an amount of True Qi far beyond what a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Ye Ling could possibly sustain.