Dual Cultivation

"When did you get back, Sect Master? And where did you go for an entire week?" Elder Sun asked right after they entered the building.

"Please, there's no need for such formality. You can just continue calling me Su Yang," he said with a smile.

After all, he'd already accepted Sun Jingjing into his family, which makes Elder Sun his grandpa, too.

"As for your questions, I just got back, and I went to the Southern Continent briefly."

"W-Wait… what? The Southern Continent?" Elder Sun stopped walking to look at him with a dazed look.

"Even if you somehow have the method to cross the Jade Sea, it would require at least a few years before you can reach the other Continents, much less round trip, and you were only gone for a week."

"Let's just say I have a very fast traveling method…" Su Yang casually responded with a smile.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Elder Sun turned to look at the beauty with the tanned skin beside him and asked, "Then who's this young lady? Don't tell me you picked her up from the Southern Continent, too."

"You are awfully sharp today, Elder Sun. Is it perhaps because of your breakthrough to the Earth Spirit Realm?"

"H-Hello! I am called Qin Liangyu, and I am indeed from the Southern Continent! Due to circumstances, I will be following Su Yang as of today! Please take care of me!" Qin Liangyu politely introduced herself to Elder Sun, since he seemed to have a good relationship with Su Yang.

"U-Un." Elder Sun nodded and said with a speechless look, "I am Elder Sun, a Sect Elder for the Profound Blossom Sect. I have never met anyone from the Southern Continent until today, so it's very nice to meet you."

After their introduction, Qin Liangyu asked, "Um… you called Su Yang 'Sect Master' just now. Does this mean he's…?"

"That's right. I am currently the Sect Master of the Profound Blossom Sect, a humble place with only a few dozen disciples at this moment." Su Yang said.

"Wow… a Sect Master…"

Qin Liangyu was impressed. Although there are also Sects within the Southern Continent, there were not many, so the title of Sect Master receives much more praise at the Southern Continent than at the Eastern Continent, where there are hundreds upon hundreds of unique Sects.

"Anyway, how have things been since the tournament?" Su Yang asked him.

"Well… as you saw outside, we have been dealing with similar events nearly every day after the tournament ended, but that's to be expected, since we are the first Sect to become champions of the Regional Tournament besides the Divine Sword Sect. Besides that, the disciples have been quietly cultivating inside their rooms, waiting for your return."

"I see…" Su Yang nodded.

A few minutes later, Su Yang returned to his room, and Fang Zhelan and Sun Jingjing were sitting cross-legged on the bed, silently cultivating.

When they noticed the door open, they stopped cultivating and opened their eyes.

"Su Yang! You are back!"

Once they saw his face, they immediately jumped off the bed with excitement all over their faces. Sun Jingjing even directly embraced him.

"I am back." He said with a smile.

"..."

When Qin Liangyu saw these two beauties, she wondered if they were also his partners, especially Sun Jingjing, who had a similar aura to him.

"Who's this girl by your side?" Fang Zhelan asked him once she noticed her, who clearly wasn't from around this place.

"What beautiful skin! It looks so smooth, too!" Sun Jingjing inspected her from top to bottom.

"Hello. My name is Qin Liangyu, I am from the Southern Continent, and I have followed Su Yang here."

She quickly introduced herself.

"The Southern Continent?"

The two girls looked at her with wide eyes.

"That's where your Master took you, Su Yang? To the Southern Continent?" Fang Zhelan asked him.

"Huh? My Master?" Su Yang raised his eyebrows in a puzzled manner.

"Eh? Then that white-haired beauty is not your Master? The one who took you and Hong Yu'er away right after the tournament ended." Fang Zhelan also made a confused expression.

"Hahaha…" Su Yang laughed after realizing who she was referring to and shook his head.

"She's not my Master."

"Is that so…"

Although she was interested in Qiuyue, Fang Zhelan did not continue to question him.

"Anyway, let's go to where the others are. I had Elder Sun gather everybody." Su Yang said to them.

Sometime later, Su Yang entered another room, where Liu Lanzhi and all of the other disciples had been waiting for him.

"Senior apprentice-brother! You are finally back!"

The Junior Disciples became jumpy when they saw his face.

"Calm down, little ones. I have only been gone for a week or so." Su Yang said with a smile.

"Welcome back, Su Yang." Liu Lanzhi said to him with a relieved smile on her face, as she was worried that something might have happened to him.

A few seconds later, when Qin Liangyu entered the room, everybody there turned their attention to her.

Although her skin is a rarity in this place, they were more interested in the person herself, as they have never seen her face before.

"..."

Qin Liangyu instantly became nervous. This is her first time seeing so many unfamiliar faces at once before, and they all had some kind of relationship with Su Yang, which made it difficult for her to think.

"Let me introduce to you a friend I made in the Southern Continent, Qin Liangyu. She will be with us starting today, so be nice to her." Su Yang said to them.

He then turned to look at Qin Liangyu and continued, "These people here are disciples of the Profound Blossom Sect. I will tell you more about them and the Profound Blossom Sect later."

"Southern Continent?"

As expected, that word was what the disciples there paid attention to the most.

Noticing their interest, Su Yang said with a smile. "It's a long story."

"I bet…" Liu Lanzhi mumbled in a dazed voice.

"Anyway, now that I have returned, let's return to the Sect. There's a lot of work to be done, but I will talk more about our future after we return."

Thus, the Profound Blossom Sect began preparation for their journey back to the Profound Blossom Sect.