Little Junior Sister, We Can’t Handle This Grind Anymore - Chapter 12

Liu Canglan merely smiled, his eyes clear and knowing.

“Aaaah—!”

A sudden scream drew everyone’s attention, followed by Mu Qianjue’s frantic voice echoing from the cave:

“Someone go get the old man! If he doesn’t come back soon, his disciple is going to lose his mind!”

The group exchanged worried glances. This was the first time they’d ever seen Mu Qianjue so agitated.

“I’ll contact Master. Seventh Junior Brother, check on Fourth Junior Brother first.” Liu Canglan rubbed his temples. Their master, Ye Wentian, was notoriously elusive—getting him back would take time.

Sure enough, the moment Liu Canglan sent a message via transmission talisman, a reply came through:

“Eldest Disciple… Your master is currently in a secret—hic—realm… Can’t return… hic… Let Jinghong handle it.”

Liu Canglan’s eyebrow twitched. Those drunken hiccups really sell the lie, don’t they?

Suppressing a sigh, he turned to the others. “Master can’t return right now. Seventh Junior Brother, what should we do?”

“No need to worry, Eldest Senior Brother.” Mo Jinghong’s voice was calm, his gaze deep and unreadable. “Fourth Senior Brother isn’t in danger. He’s just obtained a rare flame and hasn’t learned to control it yet. Once he does, everything will be fine.”

Tension drained from the group. If Mo Jinghong said it was fine, then it was fine.

“I wonder what kind of flame it is,” Baili Wenyue mused, eyeing the charred mountain. “It burned an entire peak bald.”

Thankfully, each mountain had its own protective barrier—otherwise, the entire Lingyun Sect might have gone up in flames.

Mo Jinghong shook his head. There were many tiers of rare flames, and he wouldn’t speculate. But one capable of this level of destruction was undoubtedly high-grade.

Mu Qianjue would have to subdue it himself—only then could the flame truly become his.

……

Inside the Cave

Mu Qianjue, upon hearing Mo Jinghong’s message, nearly lost his composure.

Every piece of clothing in his spatial ring had been incinerated, and the flames on his body only burned brighter.

One particularly mischievous flame danced around the cave, reducing everything it touched to ashes.

He really wanted to grab it and give it a good spanking—but Mo Jinghong had just told him to tame it instead.

Even worse, he’d implied that if Mu Qianjue didn’t subdue this flame, he might never wear clothes again.

Gritting his teeth, Mu Qianjue sat cross-legged and steadied his breathing.

The flame had appeared after he consumed the Blazing Heartblood Fungus, catching him completely off guard. His panic had allowed it to run wild, scorching the entire mountain.

But if this flame was his, then it would obey him.

Channeling his spiritual energy, he discovered something astonishing—his dantian had expanded several times over, now as vast as a city.

Even his cultivation, previously stuck at mid-stage Golden Core, showed signs of breaking through.

Was this the power of a rare flame?

No wonder fire-attribute cultivators spent their entire lives searching for one.

A powerful aura emanated from Mu Qianjue as his divine sense locked onto the playful flame. A drop of his heart’s blood flew toward it—only for the flame to resist fiercely.

Gritting through the pain, Mu Qianjue relentlessly suppressed the flame’s spirit.

A flame capable of producing its own spirit was a treasure beyond compare for any artificer.

He couldn’t let this chance slip away.

Gradually, under his unwavering will, the flame’s defiance waned.

Finally—

A bond formed within his soul. The contract was complete.

But Mu Qianjue didn’t stop there. Harnessing the flame’s power, he shattered the barrier to late-stage Golden Core.

When he opened his eyes, the flames on his body had vanished.

With a flick of his wrist, a docile flame hovered obediently above his palm.

Problem solved, he stood to leave—only for a gust of wind to rush into the cave.

A sudden chill reminded him of his current state of undress.

Face darkening, he shouted toward the entrance:

“Seventh Junior Brother! Bring me some clothes!”

(Why not use a transmission talisman? Because they’d all been burned to ashes.)

But when Baili Wenyue sauntered in instead, Mu Qianjue’s expression soured further.

“Oh ho~ Fourth Senior Brother, not bad at all! You’ve got that ‘looks thin in clothes, secretly ripped’ vibe going on!” Baili Wenyue whistled, grinning shamelessly.

“Get out!”

Mu Qianjue snatched the clothes and flung Baili Wenyue out with a wave of his hand, sending him crashing into the barrier outside.

“What the—!?” Baili Wenyue scrambled up, staring in disbelief. “Eldest Senior Brother! We’re both mid-stage Golden Core! How is he so much stronger than me!?”

“Wenyue,” Liu Canglan said mildly, watching Mu Qianjue emerge from the cave, “Qianjue has already broken through to late-stage Golden Core. And as a dual-attribute cultivator, it’s natural he’d surpass you.”

Dugu Jianyi’s eyes flickered with surprise. Mu Qianjue had only reached mid-stage Golden Core three years ago. How had he advanced so quickly?

After reaching Golden Core, progress became exponentially harder. Even their prodigious Eldest Senior Brother had taken ten years to go from mid to late stage.

(Of course, freaks like Mo Jinghong didn’t count.)

Ning Shiyue circled Mu Qianjue, eyes sparkling. “Fourth Senior Brother, what kind of miracle pill did you take to break through? Spill the secret!”

Mu Qianjue flicked her forehead and fanned himself lazily, his peach-blossom eyes brimming with mischief. “Your Fourth Senior Brother is just naturally talented. Who needs pills?”

“Tch.” Ning Shiyue rolled her eyes. “Keep your secrets. I’ll surpass you sooner or later!”

Mu Qianjue then approached Feng Qingran and ruffled her hair affectionately. “I owe you thanks, Little Junior Sister. From now on, if you need anything, just ask. I’ll move mountains for you.”

Feng Qingran beamed. “Since Fourth Senior Brother offered, there is one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Name it.” Mu Qianjue’s interest was piqued.

No one noticed the amused glint in Mo Jinghong’s eyes as he watched them.