"He can't stand loneliness, and you're flattering him by saying that," Ye Qingyi chuckled. "Although this ancestor hasn't been involved with the Soul Erosion Sect for a long time, I did hear some stories about him when I was young."
"When you were young?" Ye Bufan paused slightly.
"What, you think I didn't have a young phase?" Ye Qingyi looked at Ye Bufan.
Ye Bufan's reaction was swift. "How could that be? Aren't you always young, sister?"
"That's more like it," Ye Qingyi laughed and continued to tell Ye Bufan about the Soul Erosion Sect's ancestor.
According to Ye Qingyi, this ancestor of the Soul Erosion Sect had attempted to reconstruct his physical body by breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage two hundred years ago. However, due to the limitations of Earth, he had not succeeded. This had even negatively impacted his cultivation to a certain extent.
Now, it seemed, the nutritionist from Sakura Island had offered to create a physical body for him. Otherwise, given the ancestor's personality, he wouldn't have easily collaborated with outsiders, especially foreign powers.
"The Scarlet Sword Sect is already making moves. I believe we can uproot them entirely," Ye Qingyi said.
After returning from Meishan, Ye Bufan entered the ancient tower again to cultivate. Meeting Ren Hongfei in Meishan had intensified Ye Bufan's sense of urgency. Although he was currently at the peak of the Core Formation mid-stage, he needed the ability to protect himself if he were to travel to the Vast Radiance Starfield where Ren Hongfei resided.
Especially now that the celestial confinement had disappeared, the Heavenly Seal era, where peak Core Formation cultivators were invincible below the Nascent Soul stage.
Therefore, if Ye Bufan wanted to journey to that vast world, he had to reach the great perfection of the Core Formation stage. This way, even if cultivators from the Vast Radiance Starfield pursued him to Blue Star, Ye Bufan could still stand a chance in a one-on-one fight at the great perfection of Core Formation.
After Ye Bufan reached the Core Formation mid-stage, he had already entered the sixteenth level of the ancient tower. The time flow here was significantly faster than in the outside world, with one day outside equivalent to one month inside.
Ye Bufan spent three months in the ancient tower. Even with the help of the spirit stones, he was still a single step away from breaking through.
"Why is it still not working!"
Ye Bufan pondered continuously, unaware of where he was going wrong.
"I think you should go out and experience things. Ye Bufan, you've been sitting here every day, relying on spirit stones to improve your cultivation." Bai Qi appeared beside Ye Bufan without a sound. Ye Bufan turned to look, and Bai Qi spoke, "I admit, you are indeed very strong and talented. Even when I was in the Core Formation stage, I hadn't achieved what you have now."
"However, what you need now is experience. Cultivation isn't just about cultivating true qi; your Dao heart and your body also need to experience this world. Sometimes, the harder you try to achieve something in a short period, the more difficult it becomes. As the old saying goes, 'Intentional planting may not yield flowers, but unintentional planting may yield shade.'"
Ye Bufan took a deep breath. Bai Qi's point was that he was putting too much pressure on himself and needed to relax. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to improve his cultivation.
"I understand. Thank you, senior." Ye Bufan bowed to Bai Qi with his clasped fists and then left the ancient tower.
Ye Bufan walked alone through the city of Kyoto, this being his first time exploring the city in a long while.
From the ancient city walls to the imperial palaces, Ye Bufan absorbed the city's cultural depth. In that moment, all thoughts of Blue Star's confinement and cultivation breakthroughs were cast aside, and his mood was unprecedentedly relaxed.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way."
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded from behind. Ye Bufan sensed a group of people approaching.
A bodyguard in a black suit pushed Ye Bufan aside. Immediately afterward, a girl appeared, surrounded by an entourage, walking forward.
At first glance, the girl was quite beautiful. Her facial features were perfectly proportioned, and her beauty stood out even among many stunning women, possessing a hint of an ethereal fairy.
"Yao Tong! Yao Tong! She's the hottest star right now!" two passing boys exclaimed excitedly.
"I heard she's in Kyoto this time because she wants to terminate her contract with her current agency and go solo," another person chimed in.
"Really? Given her acting skills, her boss would never agree, right?"
"Who knows. But I heard about their boss. Many female artists in their company have a certain... relationship with him."
"What kind of relationship?"
"A rather improper romantic one."
"What? Then it's no wonder our Yao Tong also..."
"Don't worry about that. Since Yao Tong debuted, her agent has protected her very well. I heard their boss tried to fire her agent several times because of this. But now that Yao Tong is at the peak of her career, the boss dares not."
Ye Bufan chuckled, listening to their conversation. He had often heard Wang Xinyan talk about entertainment gossip, but he hadn't realized there was so much more to it.
"Huh? Brother, are you here to see your idol too?" The two boys noticed Ye Bufan and asked.
"Let's go together." Before Ye Bufan could reply, one of the boys pulled him into the group.
"Brother, when did you start liking Yao Tong? I've been a fan since she starred in 'New Condor Heroes.' How about you?"
Ye Bufan was momentarily speechless and replied, "I don't follow celebrities."
The two boys exchanged glances and looked at Ye Bufan with disdain, saying, "If you don't follow celebrities, why are you here? Aren't you wasting our time?"
Ye Bufan was both amused and speechless. Just as he was about to explain, they cursed, "You're crazy," and rejoined the crowd.
"Ye Bufan!"
At that moment, Ye Bufan heard a familiar voice. Turning around, he saw Nangong Yi standing behind him.
"Ye Bufan, why are you here?" Nangong Yi looked at Ye Bufan excitedly. "I haven't had a chance to thank you for what happened last time. I lost contact with you after you entered the ancient tower. I never expected to run into you here today."
Ye Bufan paused slightly. He noticed two men in suits standing beside Nangong Yi, roughly the same age as Nangong Yi, holding some documents.
"What's this...?"