C5 He Accepted Me as His Disciple

After sheathing his spear, Xiao Han turned to leave the troubled spot.

"Wait a moment, fellow student!"

The girl in white, seeing Xiao Han about to depart, quickly called out to him.

"Is there something you need?"

Xiao Han furrowed his brow upon hearing the girl's voice, realizing he had forgotten there was another person present.

He turned to face the girl in the white coat, who rushed over to Xiao Han and said,

"Hello there, I'm Lee Xueyun, a fellow student at Starry Sky Academy. I wanted to thank you for coming to my rescue."

With that, Lee Xueyun gave Xiao Han a respectful bow.

"Lee Xueyun? Are you the talented sword cultivator who transferred to my class after I left?"

Xiao Han's eyebrows lifted in surprise, not expecting that the person he had inadvertently saved was his own classmate.

"Ah?"

Lee Xueyun looked visibly puzzled, not grasping the meaning behind Xiao Han's words.

"I'm Xiao Han. That should clarify things for you, right?"

"Ah?! You're the Xiao Han who was recently attacked by evilkind, lost his cultivation, and got expelled from Starry Sky Academy!"

Lee Xueyun's face registered shock and disbelief. She couldn't reconcile the image of the man before her with that of someone powerless. If someone deemed worthless could defeat a wolf demon of the evilkind's rank, what did that make her?

"Have I become that notorious? That's all history now. I've since returned to the academy."

Xiao Han, with a wry smile, then gestured to the Starry Sky Academy emblem on his chest.

"But hold on, isn't it said that a person can only awaken their Blade Spirit once in a lifetime? How could you..."

"Who told you I awakened a Blade Spirit? Didn't you notice I was wielding a spear?"

Upon hearing this, it dawned on her.

"Speaking of which, why was that wolf demon after you?"

Xiao Han steered the conversation back to the wolf demon, which had been reduced to a pile of ashes by the flames.

"I was on my way home to pick up some things when I stumbled upon the wolf demon devouring someone. I couldn't defeat it, so I had no choice but to run."

Lee Xueyun couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness as she spoke. It was beyond her wildest thoughts that she would end up being rescued by a classmate like Xiao Han, who was merely at the early period of Spirit Energy cultivation.

Hold on!

A sudden recollection of Xiao Han's impressive display of skills during the fight prompted Lee Xueyun to ask urgently, "How did you manage to conjure those flames and lightning earlier?"

"Why would I tell you? Do people normally reveal their ace in the hole?" Xiao Han replied, half-amused, and then started walking towards Starry Sky Academy.

Not to be left behind, Lee Xueyun quickly caught up to Xiao Han, her voice tinged with frustration, "Just tell me where you learned those techniques, and I'll do whatever you ask."

"Anything at all?" Xiao Han quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Lee Xueyun, whose cheeks turned a shade of red upon catching his teasing look – she had clearly taken his words the wrong way.

"Well, not just anything. Whatever you ask of me has to be within my limits," she clarified.

"Would money suffice?" Xiao Han was in dire need of everything at the moment, money most of all. Life on Blue Star was expensive, and he had reached a point where he couldn't even afford the materials needed for alchemy.

"Money? That's easy to discuss. How much do you need?" Lee Xueyun breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that Xiao Han was after money. Money was the least of her concerns – being the sole heiress to the wealthiest Lee family in the region and blessed with extraordinary talent, she saw money as no more significant than scraps of paper.

"This amount," Xiao Han said, holding up a finger, indicating ten thousand. However, Lee Xueyun hastily agreed, mistaking his gesture.

"Done! One million it is. If anyone reneges, they're the scoundrel," she declared.

Xiao Han, taken aback, managed to say, "Ms. Lee, you truly have a knack for business. How did you guess I was asking for a million?"

Lee Xueyun swelled with pride at his comment, completely missing the sarcasm in his voice.

She then produced a Black Card from her purse and handed it to Xiao Han, who quickly stowed it away in his storage ring.

"Now that you've received the money, could you explain how you managed to pull off those tricks earlier?"

"Sure, I can. The tricks I used are known as magic arts. It's a technique for utilizing Spirit Energy that I stumbled upon when my cultivation was at its lowest."

Xiao Han, a sly fox with millennia of experience, could spin a lie with ease.

Lee Xueyun was familiar with the concept of Spirit Energy, but she thought it was only used in weapon attacks.

With a puzzled look, she turned to Xiao Han, who could clearly see the confusion in her eyes and went on to explain.

"I discovered that Spirit Energy isn't just for weapon attacks; it can also be transformed into various types of elemental attacks. Like the ones I used in my battle with the wolf demon, those were magic arts."

"Magic arts..."

Lee Xueyun mulled over the term once more, sensing there was more to the man before her than met the eye.

"Are magic arts easy to learn? Is it possible for me to become like you?"

"You're interested in learning?"

Xiao Han got the message; the person before him was eager to learn the magic arts from him!

Lee Xueyun nodded earnestly, "Initially, I didn't understand much about magic arts, but your explanation has piqued my interest! If you're willing, could you teach me? I'm not afraid of hard work!"

"It's not about whether you can handle the hard work. Magic arts are more complex than you might think."

After all, cultivating such skills could be incredibly costly!

And wasn't he currently fretting over financial matters?

Lee Xueyun caught on to his concerns quickly.

"I'm willing to pay! Whatever the cost, I can afford it! Plus, I'd like to try first. If I find I'm not cut out for it, then I'll quit, but I'll still honor my financial commitment to you."

Xiao Han's face was a mix of emotions. Where did this girl come from, talking about money as if it were nothing? How could she be so endearing?

Lee Xueyun, adept at reading people, could tell she had swayed him.

"How about five million a month? I'll keep paying as long as I'm able to continue. I'll transfer the money to you at the start of each month. And if I decide to quit halfway, you won't need to refund any of it! Will you teach me?"

As the conversation drew to a close, Lee Xueyun's voice took on a hint of earnest pleading. She was genuinely fascinated by the magic arts that allowed for elemental attacks! To her, merely attaching Spirit Energy to weapons felt odd and was quite cumbersome to use.

She had struggled to articulate this unease before, but witnessing Xiao Han's technique today, it all clicked. They had been squandering the true potential of Spirit Energy! It was clear that Spirit Energy could be directly harnessed as a formidable offensive force, yet they had been relegating it to a mere supportive role.

Where Xiao Han had acquired such an unusual method was beyond her, but she couldn't deny her intense desire to learn it.

Xiao Han, on the other hand, was taken aback by the exorbitant fee proposed for his teachings. He had casually shared his knowledge of the magic arts with her and had effortlessly earned a million. Now, the prospect of taking on a disciple for a monthly fee of five million was staggering. This would mean he could soon afford anything he desired.

Lee Xueyun noticed Xiao Han's silence and grew anxious, her delicate features knitting together in concern, yet her beauty remained undiminished. "Well, do you agree or not? If the price isn't right, we can negotiate further!"

Her family was affluent; money was no object. If spending could secure such abilities, Lee Xueyun was confident she'd return home to accolades.

She could almost see the praise awaiting her, and her spirits soared at the thought.

Xiao Han felt a twinge of guilt at the idea of taking the young woman's money but found the offer too tempting to refuse. "Alright, I'll teach you and we can practice together. As for the price, we'll stick to what you've suggested."

Despite his financial needs, Xiao Han knew Lee Xueyun hadn't wronged him or done any harm. He wasn't the type to fleece someone just because he could.

Lee Xueyun was ecstatic and moved to perform the traditional apprenticeship ceremony as described in the books, but Xiao Han quickly intervened. "Our arrangement is purely professional. You provide the payment, I provide instruction. We're not entering into a master-disciple relationship, so please, don't feel obliged to act in such a manner!"

What's the point of taking on an apprentice when I haven't achieved anything significant in my own practice? If I deceive someone into apprenticeship under these circumstances, I'm likely to be resented!

"Alright, let's proceed as you suggested!"

Without hesitation, Lee Xueyun transferred this month's tuition fee. Despite it being the end of the month, she wasn't concerned about the money.

Feeling a bit awkward about postponing the lesson, Xiao Han decided to strike while the iron was hot and began explaining the fundamentals of the magic arts to her.

"First, you need to grasp the concept of elemental force. I'll write a primer for you to study at your leisure, and you can ask me any questions you have. Next, I'll show you how to Channel the Spirit into your body. Mastering this step will allow you to identify which elemental force you possess."

"Can I... Can I start now? Don't I need to prepare in some way?"

Lee Xueyun hadn't expected the practice of such mystical magic arts to be so straightforward, yet she was brimming with excitement.

Xiao Han nodded. Essentially, this form of cultivation was similar to their initial experiences with wielding Spiritual Power in weapons – the core principle was the same.

Lee Xueyun listened intently, increasingly convinced that her earlier decision was spot on. She became so engrossed that she began to absorb the Spiritual Power instinctively.

When she realized what she was doing, she was amazed to find she could actually do it!

This revelation only strengthened her belief that Xiao Han was at least a master-level practitioner, with formidable strength at the very least.

"I've made up my mind!"

Lee Xueyun's sudden outburst caught Xiao Han off guard as he was about to cover some additional precautions.

"What have you decided?"

"After giving it some thought, I've decided to formally become your disciple! That way, when you grow more powerful, I'll be the senior disciple, right? Yes, this is an excellent plan!"

Xiao Han felt a headache coming on. "I didn't plan on..."

"I'll add another fifty million for the apprenticeship ceremony!"

Lee Xueyun had noticed that despite Xiao Han's impressive abilities, he seemed to be in dire need of money, perhaps due to some unforeseen circumstances.

What he lacked, she had in abundance!

It's undeniable – his spending power was truly exceptional!

Xiao Han was left reeling from the staggering sums of money, unable to resist such a lure, and promptly agreed!

Lee Xueyun's laughter was filled with joy. Now that they had formally become master and disciple, she no longer feared her master would leave her.

Checking the time, Xiao Han noted it was getting late, so they decided to head back to Starry Sky Academy.

Walking side by side, particularly with the striking Lee Xueyun, they instantly became the center of attention!

Before long, onlookers couldn't help but whisper and gesture towards them.