📖 Chapter 1012 - Raging Flame Galaxy's Tradition!

27 Jun, 2023

“The Violet Gold Civilization won’t dare to mess with you anymore. They’ll be sending some compensation over in a bit. Just accept it.” The Flame Patriarch smiled slightly. His eyes held undisguised appreciation for Wang Baole, and his tone was also very gentle.

“Many thanks, Master!” Wang Baole felt extremely grateful for the Flame Patriarch’s help. He once again cupped his fists and bowed deeply.

“We are master and disciple. There’s no need for this.” The Flame Patriarch smiled and waved his right hand, causing a gentle wind to blow and lift Wang Baole back into an upright position. Then he turned his head to look at Wang Baole’s First Senior Sister.

“Dong’er, Master is often out or in secluded cultivation, so if I’m not around, you must teach your Little Junior Brother well.”

First Senior Sister’s expression straightened. Nodding solemnly, she gave Wang Baole a stern glance and spoke.

“Sixteenth Junior Brother, be it cultivation or other issues, just come to me if you have any questions.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister!” Wang Baole turned to look at First Senior Sister. Her gaze was severe, but he could still sense the care in it, so he cupped his fists and bowed. At the same time, he couldn’t help but have some more doubts about Little Missy’s previous words.

At the side, Fifteenth curled his lips and muttered under his breath.

“Looks like Sixteenth is gonna be out of luck…”

“Fifteenth!” When she heard Fifteenth’s mutters, Twelfth Senior Sister shot him a glare and whispered sharply.

Fifteenth was about to speak, but when he looked up, he saw First Senior Sister’s stern expression, as well as the Flame Patriarch stroking his beard. He instantly bowed his head again and shrank back, not daring to say anything.

“Master, although Fifteenth is a little naughty, he has been cultivating diligently lately. He’s much better than before.” Seeing the fear on Fifteenth’s face, Twelfth Senior Sister’s heart seemed to soften. She bowed to the Flame Patriarch and spoke in a gentle voice. Fifteenth quickly looked up and shot a grateful look her way.

When Wang Baole saw all of this, he grew even more confused. According to Little Missy, this whole conversation was just his master talking to himself…

But their interactions seemed very genuine… As Wang Baole puzzled over this, Seventh Senior Brother suddenly laughed loudly.

“Master, if you ask me, Little Fifteenth needs to be taught a lesson. When he brought Sixteenth Junior Brother to meet me a few days ago, I heard him badmouthing you!”

“Seventh Senior Brother, you!!” Fifteenth wanted to cry but had no tears. He hurriedly bowed toward his master.

“Master, I’m being wronged, I-”

“Master, I heard it too.” Before Fifteenth could finish speaking, Third Senior Brother spoke up as well.

“That’s right! Master, I also heard Fifteenth criticizing you!”

“Yup, yup, I heard the same thing!” Several other senior brothers and sisters suddenly spoke up one after another. Some were smiling evilly, and some coughed dryly before adding fuel to the fire. As everyone piled accusations on Fifteenth, Second Senior Brother suddenly cleared his throat and spoke.

“Master, perhaps Little Fifteenth said it by accident.”

“Second Senior Brother, you can’t do this to me… Sixteenth, quick, tell them! I didn’t badmouth the master, right?” Fifteenth hurriedly pulled on Wang Baole’s sleeves.

Wang Baole blinked and became even more confused. It was hard for him to accept that all of this could actually be a one-man show. And with Fifteenth pulling at his sleeves, he really didn’t know what to say, so he just smiled wryly.

“Alright, enough!” The Flame Patriarch seemed to have a headache. He massaged his forehead and called the disciples to a stop, then shot Little Fifteenth a glare. Ignoring Little Fifteenth’s wronged expression, the Flame Patriarch turned to look at Wang Baole again.

“Baole, you’ve only just arrived, so you’re still not familiar with the Raging Flame Galaxy. Don’t worry, you will gradually grow accustomed to this place in the future. When Master went out this time, I found a cultivation technique that’s suitable for you…” After speaking to this point, the Flame Patriarch waved his hand, and two jade slips appeared. One flew toward Wang Baole, while the other went straight for Fifteenth.

Wang Baole quickly grabbed his, but before he could check it, he saw that Fifteenth shot him a look before lowering his head again. The meaning in Fifteenth’s look was clear – “I was right, wasn’t I?”

“This technique is called the Star-Sealing Art. Even your master thought that it was unfathomably profound when I read it. You and Fifteenth will be cultivating this technique from now on.” The Flame Patriarch stroked his beard in satisfaction as he spoke. He didn’t continue to talk about the cultivation technique, but instead began asking the other disciples about their recent cultivation progress.

The mood of the hall gradually became amiable, and every disciple would offer a few words of flattery upon being questioned. Even First Senior Sister was no exception, making Wang Baole feel like his eyes had been opened. As he gained a deeper understanding of the Raging Flame Galaxy, he only became more and more confused.

‘Strange… Master and the senior brothers and sisters all seem normal, not like clones at all… Plus, Little Missy said that Master was narrow-minded and would hold a grudge due to my previous words, but looking at it now, he’s been very nice to me the whole time…’ Wang Baole secretly sighed in relief. He felt that Little Missy might not have been telling the truth.

‘Or could it be that what Little Missy knows is all old news? It’s not like that nowadays?’ When Wang Baole’s thoughts reached this point, the Flame Patriarch had already finished talking with the other disciples. His eyes fell on Wang Baole once again, and his face still held that gentle smile.

“Baole, Master isn’t some strict and formal person. When I accept disciples, there’s no need for any ceremony, and you can just do as you like. But the Raging Flame Galaxy does have a tradition that you must fulfill.

“The Raging Flame Galaxy’s guardian beast, the divine ox, used to be your master’s mount. It has always been loyal to me, and over the years, I’ve come to regard it as my peer. Thus, you must respect it as much as you respect me.

“After accepting me as their master, every single one of my disciples must groom the divine ox to show their respect. Your senior brothers and sisters all did this back then, and now it’s your turn.” The Flame Patriarch smiled as he spoke. Wang Baole quickly cupped his fists and expressed his assent.

At the side, his senior brothers and sisters all became emotional when they heard the Flame Patriarch mention the old ox.

“Senior Ox has really done too much for our Raging Flame Galaxy. I can still vividly remember the scene when I groomed Senior Ox back then.”

“Yeah, there was a time I almost died, and it was Senior Ox who saved me…”

“It’s been so many years already. I remember Master saying that the more thoroughly you groom Senior Ox, the more respect you show. Master, after Sixteenth Junior Brother takes his turn, I would like another chance to groom Senior Ox.” Each senior brother and sister seemed to be recalling fond memories. No matter how Wang Baole looked at them, they all seemed very real, especially Fifteenth. His voice was the loudest of them all, and his expression changed constantly as he spoke.

Although Wang Baole felt that something was a little off, he didn’t think too much into it. After agreeing, he chatted with the Flame Patriarch and the other disciples for a bit. Finally, the Flame Patriarch dismissed them with a smile, and they all left the hall.

But as soon as they walked out the door, Fifteenth’s pious expression instantly turned into one of schadenfreude. He patted Wang Baole’s shoulder and coughed lightly, but didn’t say anything. As for the other senior brothers and sisters, although they didn’t pat Wang Baole on the shoulder, they all looked at him with strange expressions. After smiling mysteriously at Wang Baole, they returned to their own pagodas.

Wang Baole felt a bad premonition as he stared at the departing figures of his senior brothers and sisters. It continued to grow stronger as he went to greet the fire ox, and when he explained his reason for coming here, it completely exploded.

That was because… after hearing that Wang Baole had come to groom it, the fire ox which was originally normal-sized suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed loudly. A moment later, its body began to expand rapidly, and in a few short breaths of time, it was already as large as four or five planets put together. As it floated in the starry sky, a joyful voice echoed out.

“Come, come, Little Sixteenth, make Old Ox feel good. Remember to brush carefully. Ah, it’s been too long since the last time.”

As he gaped at the incomparably enormous old ox, Wang Baole suddenly felt a little dizzy. It was just too big. If he relied on his own power to groom it, then even if he worked day and night, he probably wouldn’t finish even after a few months passed.

“This… is the Raging Flame Galaxy’s tradition?” Wang Baole was bewildered. In his opinion, this was more like punishment.