Hearing Lin Tian’s invitation filled An Yue and Luo Mei with excitement as they left the sect hall building together.

They informed Ya Fei, Yun Yun, and Ji Xue. The three of them smiled brightly.

It was the first time in several years that they would eat at a restaurant in the city.

Lin Tian did not care much about eating at a city restaurant.

His thoughts were still focused on the reason behind Luo Mei’s rapid cultivation speed.

There’s only one possible answer... the Extreme Yin-Yang Seed.

If that seed really helps improve their cultivation bases, then I can help them go even further in the cultivation world.

Lin Tian pushed those thoughts aside for now. His focus should be on tonight’s dinner celebration at the city restaurant.

He considered it a bonus and reward for all the hard work they had put in so far.

He waved his hand to the side, changing his appearance from his sect robe into luxurious-looking ordinary robes.

The sun had already set. Lin Tian opened the door and stepped outside.

An Yue and the others were already waiting in the sect’s front courtyard. They immediately turned around and were shocked by Lin Tian’s appearance.

"Woah, a new look. I like it," Ya Fei said.

Lin Tian gave a faint smile while glancing at Ya Fei. The man knew exactly what she meant.

An Yue and the others were still wearing their sect robes.

"Alright. Let’s go," Lin Tian said.

They nodded in agreement. Lin Tian flew without relying on a flying sword, while he provided qi-condensed flying swords for An Yue and the others.

Traveling to the city by flying proved far more effective than walking. It saved energy and shortened travel time.

From the front, Gui City stretched as far as the eye could see.

Lin Tian and the others descended and stepped onto the ground, standing right in front of the city’s wooden gate.

The nighttime atmosphere was lively. Oil lamps illuminated the city streets.

Many mortals and cultivators moved around carrying out their activities.

Some were shopping, some were eating, and others were on dates.

Among all the restaurants in the city, there was one large and extremely popular restaurant known for its delicious food.

The restaurant was located in the city center, near the shopping district that sold equipment and supplies.

Luo Mei looked around, noticing many vendors selling their goods, including candied fruit snacks.

However, their goal was not to buy snacks, but something more than that.

Lin Tian stopped in front of a two-story restaurant. Its walls were built from wood and stone, while bright oil lamps glowed both inside and outside the building.

One of the waiters approached and welcomed Lin Tian. "Welcome. Would you like to dine here?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to eat on the first floor or the second floor?" the waiter asked.

Without hesitation, Lin Tian requested a table on the first floor. An Yue and the others did not seem to mind. They were given a round table with fairly comfortable wooden chairs.

"What would you like to order?" the waiter asked while carrying a notepad.

An Yue and the others instinctively turned toward Lin Tian, unsure of what to order.

However, Lin Tian gave them complete freedom.

They could choose anything from the menu. No matter what happened, Lin Tian would pay for it.

Hearing that made them much more confident.

From An Yue to Ji Xue, they all ordered the dishes they wanted.

The waiter wrote everything down and said he would bring the food once it was ready.

"Junior Sister Mei, how did you break through so quickly? Can you tell us your secret?" Ya Fei asked curiously.

"I’m curious too. Please teach me later, Junior Sister Mei," An Yue added.

"I want to be like Sister Luo Mei too," Ji Xue chimed in.

Lin Tian smiled faintly as he watched their interaction. However, among all of them, only Yun Yun did not ask anything.

She appeared to be smiling, but her eyebrows were tightly furrowed as if she were looking down on Luo Mei.

The man narrowed his eyes, sensing jealousy from Yun Yun.

Even so, Lin Tian could not accuse her directly. He needed concrete proof that Yun Yun truly envied Luo Mei’s achievement.

On the other hand, Luo Mei might have been happy about this celebration, but she never realized there was another woman secretly envying and hating her.

Competition in the cultivation world was incredibly intense.

It was no wonder stories in this world were always filled with slaughter and revenge.

Lin Tian reached out and poured tea into his ceramic cup before slowly drinking it.

Not long after, the food arrived, and the five women looked excited.

"Won’t you eat with us?" An Yue asked.

"No," Lin Tian replied softly. "This is specifically for all of you. Enjoy it."

An Yue and the others nodded before happily devouring the food they ordered with excitement and satisfaction.

Lin Tian was happy when they were happy. His cultivation eyes reacted as he noticed an increase in their emotional levels.

An Yue gained 12 points, Luo Mei gained 15 points, Ji Xue gained 12 points, Ya Fei gained 13 points, while Yun Yun only gained 7 points.

Yun Yun received the lowest emotional level increase.

That was definitely caused by the jealousy in her heart, preventing her from fully enjoying the moment.

[Congratulations!] 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

[Emotional increase detected]

[Name: An Yue]

[Emotion Level: Trust (68/100)] [+12]

Competition would only grow more intense when the sect had only five disciples.

It seemed he had no choice but to recruit more disciples.

Two hours passed, and An Yue and the others had finished all their food.

Sleepiness could be seen on their faces from being so full.

Lin Tian smiled faintly. "Alright. Let’s head back."

They left the restaurant after Lin Tian paid for their meals.

Flying swords appeared beneath their feet, allowing them to leave the city and return to the Lingxian Sect.

They were still talking about the restaurant food, saying how delicious it was, how tender the meat tasted, how savory the texture was, and how spicy the soup had been.

"Can we go to that restaurant again someday, Master?" Ya Fei asked.

"Yes. If your cultivation reaches Early Foundation Establishment, I’ll allow all of you to go there on your own."

"YEAAYY! I’ll train even harder then," Ya Fei replied excitedly.

Not long after, they arrived at the Lingxian Sect. Lin Tian turned around and gave them an order.

"Rest tonight. You can continue cultivating tomorrow," Lin Tian said.

An Yue and the others nodded in understanding.

They cupped their hands and lowered their heads respectfully toward Lin Tian.

Lin Tian dashed away in a flash of white light, returning to the sect’s main hall.

Ever since breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, he no longer needed food or drink very much.

As long as his body continued receiving qi, that alone was more than enough.

His hands formed seals as he began cultivating again. His mind was empty, and his heart was calm like the surface of a lake.

Nothing could disturb him.

However, when midnight arrived, Lin Tian’s ears sharply caught the sound of footsteps approaching from the front.

His eyes opened, looking forward through his qi aura vision.

The qi aura emitted by the approaching person was different from Luo Mei’s.

The sect hall doors opened. Lin Tian pretended to keep his eyes closed and remained sitting cross-legged as if fully focused on cultivation.

"Master... Lin?" Yun Yun’s hoarse voice sounded out.

Lin Tian reacted naturally, opening his eyes to look at Yun Yun, "What is it, Yun Yun?"

"I want to know... what’s wrong with my cultivation technique?"

"Are you jealous of Luo Mei’s achievement?" Lin Tian asked.

"I don’t know," Yun Yun answered hesitantly, "But it feels frustrating to realize my efforts are meaningless when compared to hers."

"Even though among all of us, I’m the one who cultivates the most often."

The man fell silent for a moment, continuing to stare at Yun Yun, who looked uncertain and restless.

Lin Tian felt that he needed to deal with the doubt in Yun Yun’s heart.

"Success in cultivation is not determined by how often you cultivate, but by how calm and peaceful your heart is when accepting the flow of qi."

"If you still think about pride and popularity while cultivating, then all you will receive is failure."

"Learn to understand that meaning, Yun Yun."

Yun Yun fell silent. Her head lowered as she felt ashamed and humiliated.

"I’m sorry for my behavior that disturbed you, Master Lin."

[Warning!]

[Emotional decrease detected]

[Name: Yun Yun]

[Emotion Level: Trust (48/100)] [-7]

Damn it! Her emotional level decreased.

I need to do something.

"Wait, Yun Yun."

Yun Yun stopped walking and turned around with teary eyes, "What is it, Master?"

"If you don’t mind, tonight I’ll help you improve your cultivation base."

"However, there is one condition," Lin Tian explained.

The woman smiled brightly, "I’ll do anything."

"You must obey my orders and not argue!"