Cultivator from the Modern World

After a while, the lady broke the silence by introducing herself. She spoke anxiously with warm formality, presenting her shy but respectful personality. "I'm Chen Yunqing, an inner disciple of Master Fireblade. I'm here today to decorate the hall today for Master's 4000th birthday. May I ask who you are?""

"I am Shen Long, Master's personal disciple. Sorry for entering here uninvited! I wasn't aware of the celebratory event - and I usually train here… I formally apologize for my rudeness and scaring you." Shen Long answered as the usual lights suddenly lit up. It caused Shen Long's eyes to be temporarily blinded. Slowly, the blindness faded away as the figure of the suspicious lady became clearer and clearer.

Standing in front of Shen Long was a black-hair lady who seemed to be in their early twenties. Her charcoal-black hair fell to her shoulder as it covered up her jade-like skin. Her delicate eyes sat below her willowy eyelashes, making her seem extremely appealing. Her lips were soft and bright-red in perfect symmetry. Her height was only slightly above average, though her body proportions were perfect. Shen Long's eyes were glued to her figure like a perverted old man.

"Senior Brother Long, I apologize if I have offended you in any way! I was being slightly informal as I didn't expect a personal disciple to be here. Yes, this is a secretive event, lead by the Apothecary Department. As it was Master's 4000th birthday tomorrow, our Matriarch - Li Qingyu - decided to surprise our Master. We have always thought that this area was unused, so we decided to prepare our gifts here. However, we didn't know that you, Senior Brother, was training here. I will leave immediately and inform our Matriarch." The lady prepared to turn around and leave upon finishing her words.

Shen Long, of course, didn't want to let this opportunity slip. Back on Earth, Shen Long had never developed a relationship with a girl. His self-esteem was crazily low despite his normal arrogant attitude towards most things. Even though one's appearance was not Shen Long's first priority, the girl - standing in front of him - was shockingly beautiful. Also, Shen Long also felt slightly guilty for scaring her, especially after her sudden switch in attitude as she was overly respectful.

"Thanks for informing, Senior Brother Long. I shall clean up everything and take my leave then. Have a good day." The female disciple replied with grace and respect while keeping her words concise and short. This, however, was the exact opposite of what Shen Long wanted.

"Am I really not charming enough? Surely, with my fame, most disciples should be willing to exchange words with me. Even if they aren't willing to be my future wife, they should at least befriend me, right? My cultivation level, despite not high, was higher than her for sure. Why is she being so cold to me? She isn't like any other disciples of this palace!" Shen Long thought to himself.

"I am actually quite free right now. Why don't I help you decorate this room and prepare while you instruct me? Master won't be suspicious if it's just me in the room. This is the closest to his banquet hall, and there are no other places like this in his residence. It'll be the simplest for you to just leave everything here!" Shen Long attempted to persuade her as he hoped to know her better.

"Let me consult the Matriarch first. My authority is not great enough to make such important decisions. Thank you for your offer though! I will definitely tell the Matriarch about your suggestions. However, I still think it's improper for you to help us out. You're not in the Apothecary Department, and it is impolite for me to accept your help since you're a personal disciple of Master. I will return right away, and I'll come back to let you know about her decision." The disciple left promptly as Shen Long stared disappointedly at the entrance.

Receiving a soft rejection, Shen Long decided to just jump back into cultivation. Shen Long looked around to find open-space in the training ground, as the centre of the room was filled with random torches and marks. As he was about to resume his Qi Cultivation, his Master's word rang into his mind. Daoist Fireblade specifically told him to wait until tomorrow to start the Seventh Level yesterday, but he never justified the reason behind it.

Shen Long decided to take it safe, to wait until he met his master in a couple hours. However, Shen Long couldn't train in his sword, nor his strength as the pieces of equipment had all vanished. Rolling his eyes, Shen Long sat back down and contemplated what he should do right now.

"It's impossible for me to train my strength without the machines. I hate doing push-ups and those resistance-training exercises. Space here is too narrow for me to do any sword training as well. What can I do? I really don't want to head to the public training ground. It's a shame that I'm still not in the Top 50s, so I don't have a private training ground as well. I guess I can only meditate right now, to wait for her return." Shen Long sighed repeatedly as he sat cross-legged in the corner of the room.

Meanwhile, the female disciple had just returned to the Apothecary Department. She immediately headed straight to her office and discussed what she should do next. She explained everything in great details to Li Qingyu, who nodded throughout.

As the female disciple finished explaining, Li Qingyu grinned slightly as she seemed to understand the intentions of her Junior Brother. "What a good move to win over a girl's heart. It would definitely work for most disciples, shame that Chen Mei is the daughter of the Patriarch of the Chen Clan. She's too used to people befriending her. That's unfortunate, Shen Long. As your Senior Sister, I will try my best to set you two up."

Chen Mei felt slightly uneasy after hearing Qingyu's abnormal laugh. Judging from her chuckle, it was obvious that she was clearly not thinking about the current matter. Chen Mei continued to stand and wait for Li Qingyu's instructions.

"Go find Shen Long. Since he's also a personal disciple, he should also take part in the secret celebration. There are only two personal disciples in the palace right now. So why don't you spend some time... I meant to discuss with him on what we should do? If he can't handle it, I'll help you two at the crucial moment. The gifts are already prepared, so you two just need to work on the surprise element of the event. Now, off you go! Don't disappoint me. It better be flawless." Qingyu said as she dismissed Chen Mei.

"Hello Senior Brother Long... I'm back..." Chen Mei embarrassingly said as she entered the training ground. Chen Mei was blushing slightly, totally different from her attitude before. It was because she now had no excuses to leave, but to work with Shen Long. Chen Mei barely spoke to any males, which was typical in the Cultivation World.

Unlike Shen Long... who didn't really have an excuse.