Fortunately, Li Nian’er didn’t hear Cheng Lu’s complaints. Otherwise, she would have undoubtedly lost her temper, starting a huge fight with him and possibly even coming to blows.

Li Nian’er pulled Ye Qingchen along. He could feel her soft, seemingly boneless hand, and a captivating feminine fragrance wafted through the air, making his mind wander. As Ye Qingchen was a full head taller than Li Nian’er, he had a clear view of the magnificent curves of her chest, even from behind.

However, Ye Qingchen quickly cleared his mind of such distracting thoughts. Since they had already left the grounds of the Divine Wood Academy, he discreetly pulled his hand away.

In terms of looks, Li Nian’er was certainly no less stunning than beauties like Xiao Xiao, Zi Xing, and Xue Zhao. In fact, her voluptuous figure was arguably even superior to theirs. Still, she was his Senior Sister, so Ye Qingchen wouldn’t harbor any improper thoughts about her.

Only after Ye Qingchen withdrew his hand did Li Nian’er realize her own actions had been overly affectionate. She had never taken the initiative to hold a boy’s hand before, and her face couldn’t help but flush a faint red.

But then, a sense of indignation welled up inside her. I’m the one holding your hand; you’re the one benefiting! I didn’t even pull away, yet you dared to let go first. Are you looking down on this young lady?

The more Li Nian’er stewed on it, the angrier she became. She shot Ye Qingchen a glare.

"Junior Brother, give me your hand!"

Ye Qingchen felt a shiver run down his spine from her glare, but under her imperious gaze, he could only obey and stretch out his hand.

Li Nian’er snatched it and huffed, "From now on, you’re not allowed to pull your hand away without my permission. Got it?"

The corner of Ye Qingchen’s mouth twitched. I was just being considerate by pulling my hand back, and that’s what set this firecracker off?

"Understood, Senior Sister!" he replied, nodding obediently, as docile as a new bride.

Seeing Ye Qingchen’s submissive demeanor, Li Nian’er was instantly filled with satisfaction. A smug twinkle appeared in her beautiful eyes as she changed direction. Trailing behind her, Ye Qingchen sensed the triumphant aura she was emanating and, without overthinking it, quickened his pace to keep up.

Soon, they arrived before a waterfall.

A hundred-zhang-high waterfall cascaded down the cliff, plunging into the deep pool below with a deafening roar. Li Nian’er pointed at it and began to speak, but the sound was so overwhelming that Ye Qingchen couldn’t hear her, despite standing right beside her.

Realizing this, Li Nian’er had no choice but to convey her message through a mental transmission. "Take off your clothes!"

Her words made Ye Qingchen’s jaw drop. He glanced at the deserted surroundings and awkwardly transmitted back, "Senior Sister Nian’er, this... this isn’t very appropriate, is it?"

What kind of training is Senior Sister planning? She’s starting by telling me to undress... Could it be the legendary Dual Cultivation Method? I absolutely cannot do anything to betray Qin Yue. But then again, if it really is the Dual Cultivation Method, it could greatly enhance my strength, giving me a better chance of rescuing her. Besides, this is a kind gesture from my Senior Sister. If I refuse her outright, I’ll surely hurt her pride. Sigh... alright. It’s all for Qin Yue and for Senior Sister’s pride! I’ll just have to endure this little grievance!

Having found a way to justify it to himself, Ye Qingchen nodded at Li Nian’er. Then, with a look of resignation, he closed his eyes and began to slowly remove his long robe. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

At first, Li Nian’er didn’t understand. But when he closed his eyes with that resigned expression, she recalled the ambiguity of her mental message and instantly understood the misunderstanding. Her face flushed crimson.

Though Ye Qingchen’s eyes were closed, his hands moved swiftly. If Li Nian’er hadn’t stopped him in time, he would have been stark naked in moments. As it was, he now stood bare-chested in only a pair of shorts. The sharp, defined lines of his muscles made his physique look like a masterpiece of art.

Li Nian’er couldn’t help but let her gaze drift toward his chiseled, block-like abs. Her face grew even redder. She let out a soft huff before transmitting her next message.

"Junior Brother, in a moment, I want you to jump into the deep pool. Don’t use your Spiritual Energy to resist the water. Instead, focus on carefully sensing the nature’s spiritual energy around you. When you can’t hold on any longer, just wave to me, and Senior Sister will pull you out."

Her words made Ye Qingchen’s eyes snap open, and he gave her a strange look. So it wasn’t Dual Cultivation; she just wanted me to jump off a cliff! To think I was agonizing over it for so long...

He was speechless. Still, seeing Li Nian’er’s crimson face, he kept his thoughts to himself. He simply nodded and, without hesitation, jumped.

This time, it was Li Nian’er’s turn to be surprised. I was just angry with him and wanted to use this to scare him a little. After all, the impact of a waterfall from this height is terrifying. I figured that once I told him he couldn’t use Spiritual Energy and had to rely solely on his physical body, he would surely back down. Then I could scold him, vent my frustration, and the matter would be settled. After that, I’d take him to do some real training.

But she never expected the blockhead to actually jump, showing no regard for the danger.

Li Nian’er quickly turned her gaze to the deep pool. By now, Ye Qingchen was floating on top of it, striving to swim towards the center of the waterfall.

"That silly boy! He actually listened and didn’t use any Spiritual Energy! He’s trying to get himself killed!" Li Nian’er stomped her foot in frustration when she sensed the absence of Spiritual Energy fluctuations around him. Though she complained, her hands were already forming a Seal Formula, ready to intervene and rescue him at a moment’s notice.

What Li Nian’er didn’t know was that Ye Qingchen’s body had been tempered by the Fen Tian Earth Fire, making it incredibly tough. Furthermore, after he joined the Divine Wood Academy, Elder Yang had performed the Divine Light Bestowal on him, increasing his physical strength yet again.

Therefore, a waterfall that would be daunting to others was nothing remarkable to Ye Qingchen. Besides, compared to the training demands made by his Senior Brother Qin Chuan, this request from his Senior Sister was relatively normal.

While the waterfall’s impact didn’t cause him any substantial harm, its force still pushed him to the bottom of the pool. Since he couldn’t use Spiritual Energy, he was unable to fight the pressure and swim back to the surface.

However, as a powerful expert of the Martial King Realm, holding his breath underwater was effortless. So, Ye Qingchen simply gave up trying to swim up. Instead, he closed his eyes at the bottom of the pool and began to sense the nature’s spiritual energy around him.

Watching from above, Li Nian’er saw the waterfall slam Ye Qingchen to the bottom of the pool, and she began to worry. At first, she wasn’t overly concerned; if he were truly in danger, he could always use his Spiritual Energy to leap back to the cliffside.

But time ticked by, and Ye Qingchen still didn’t reappear. Slowly, Li Nian’er found it harder and harder to remain calm...