It's Not Easy Being the Boss at Seventy-One

Snow flies over Changbai, branches hang heavy with frost. Amid the vast, northern snow peaks lies a hidden valley, a veritable paradise. Here, emerald forests surge like waves, sapphire lakes glisten as if freshly washed, and ethereal spirit mist drifts silently through the valley. Pavilions are scattered here and there, sometimes revealed, sometimes concealed, and all around reigns a tranquil silence, an infinite serenity.

Suddenly, a clear, bright cry cleaves the sky—a sound like the ancient Himalayan snows melting into streams, or the sweep of a goddess’s wand across the wasteland, causing snow lotuses to blossom everywhere. Instantly, the valley is alive with the chorus of birds. A streak of golden light flashes between the mountains, whipping up a gust that sets the forest roaring; birds in the woods, as if summoned, take wing, chasing the golden glow and forming a magnificent procession across the sky.

At the head of this dazzling flock is the golden figure of Lo Yu, whose head has taken the form of a bird. Ever since he learned to fly, he’s made this spectacle a daily routine, leading a crowd of simple-minded, feathered followers to circle the skies in a show of dominance, infinitely flamboyant.

After patrolling his domain, the Lord of the Birds makes a graceful turn, disperses his followers, and alights elegantly on the lakeside terrace of the “Moon Gathering Villa.” There, he preens his wings and flicks his tail feathers, indulging in vanity that surpasses even the peacock’s pride.

Lost in self-admiration, he’s suddenly seized from behind—a slender, jade-like hand grabs his wings and lifts him up. The Lord of the Birds lets out a sharp chirp, instantly tumbling into a warm embrace.

Indignant, he chirps out his protest.

The jade hand gently covers his head, smoothing his delicate neck down to his back, and a clear, cool voice rings out: “Isn’t your morning mirror-gazing enough? Hmph, and now you’ve sneaked here to do it again.”

The Lord of the Birds rolls his eyes and chirps another retort.

Qin Yue’s lips curve in amusement. “It’s ‘envy,’ not ‘chirp.’ You could work on your pronunciation.”

The Lord of the Birds fumes: Fine, my tongue may be short, but you couldn’t speak bird language either! He sulks in the comfortable crook of her arm as she carries him into the Palace of Defiance.

Along the way, they encounter many spirited subordinates, who drop to one knee and greet them loudly, “Greetings, Lord!”

Qin Yue walks straight ahead, holding the phoenix in her arms and enters the rear hall. She addresses the guards flanking the doors, “I am cultivating. No one is to disturb me.”

The guards respond in unison, “As you command!”

Thanks to the efforts of Luo Li and Gong Jin Qian, the Palace of Defiance has become orderly. Luo Li, though young, is highly intelligent and has devised a comprehensive management system. Her methods for handling subordinates have matured; she and Gong Jin Qian delight in devising ways to make their followers courageous, loyal, and obedient. They frequently hold indoctrination sessions promoting “love for the sect and the master,” establish a rigorous system of rewards and punishments, and continually recruit new members to strengthen their faction. Though the foundation of the Palace is not yet deep, its numbers rival those of major sects; their strength is generally low, but Luo Li has developed a complete set of methods to enhance practical skills and various abilities—if cultivation is limited vertically, then they’ll develop horizontally through mastery of technique!

Before Qin Yue and Lo Yu refined their true blood, they often came to the Palace of Defiance for combat practice, imparting modern cultivation philosophies and teaching their followers to analyze their strengths and devise effective training. The two masters treat the sect as a pastime, but Luo Li has a grand ideal: to recycle all the rubbish of the world, purify them, and make them useful members of society. She is ruthless—she eliminates incorrigible social cancers, but for criminals who still yearn for the light, she keeps them for rigorous training, transforming them into warriors of justice, fighting the children of darkness under the guidance of the Goddess of Light! Gong Jin Qian, meanwhile, is an ambitious strategist, determined to help his benefactor and master one day unify the cultivation world and become the new Heavenly Emperor.

Qin Yue carries Lo Yu into the rear hall, passes through several palace gates, and enters a spacious chamber. With a wave of her jade hand, the double doors close silently behind them.

At the center of the hall stands a large circular training platform, surrounded by nine steps of jade, with eight cardinal directions. In the center of the platform is a fire-control array.

Qin Yue sets Lo Yu down, walks to the middle of the array, and sits cross-legged, channeling her power to activate the formation. “We can begin.”

The little phoenix shakes its feathers, walks gracefully a few steps, and stops five paces from Qin Yue. Its beak opens, and it spits a ball of golden-red fire toward her. The flames envelop her instantly; Qin Yue lets out a muffled groan, golden scales appearing on her skin as she channels her power to resist the tempering fire.

These flames are none other than the “True Fire of Nirvana,” unique to the divine phoenix. While on par with the “Sun Extreme True Fire,” their effects differ. The Sun Extreme True Fire is fierce and yang, devastating to living beings and objects, and subdues ghostly entities—a supreme offensive flame. The True Fire of Nirvana, though less fierce and unsuitable for refining tools or ghosts, is a lethal weapon if unleashed fully; but when its power is controlled and applied gradually, it becomes peerless for body refinement.

At this moment, Qin Yue is using Lo Yu’s help to temper her body and soul. The method is highly effective; after just three months of practicing the “Heavenly Gold Dragon Sutra,” she has reached the intermediate stage, her body impervious to most magical treasures, able to withstand direct collisions.

After the tempering, Lo Yu withdraws the true fire and resumes his habitual surveying—hardly his fault, as there’s little to do as a bird, not even arguing properly, so he can only enjoy himself. Once Qin Yue finishes her cultivation, she glances at him and says, “Later I’ll make you a perch and hang a mirror above it—you’ll love it.”

Lo Yu is mortified: Damn! This is species discrimination! He must learn to revert to human form as soon as possible… but why can’t he find the right feeling? Ah, he’ll ask the cat for guidance!

Though his form changes, his inner constitution and cultivation remain the same—still four spirit roots and at the Foundation Establishment stage. As an ancient divine bird, the phoenix’s innate qualities are nearly perfect; once the method is mastered, it can freely switch forms, unlike half-blooded divine beasts who require ages to transform.

Lo Yu, furious, waves a wing at Qin Yue in mockery, then, not waiting for retaliation, spreads his wings, flings open the doors, and escapes as a golden streak.

Qin Yue snorts coldly, “Audacious… you’ll learn your lesson soon enough.”

Lo Yu finds Luo Li, and after much bird-chatter and scratching words in the dirt, finally makes his meaning clear. Luo Li patiently imparts her experience, and after half an hour, Lo Yu successfully transforms back—

“Huh? Where are my old clothes? What is this thing?”

Lo Yu stares wide-eyed at the golden robe and strange shoes on his feet—where did these come from?

Luo Li proudly explains, “That’s your ‘innate celestial garb!’ I have one too!”

Lo Yu asks, “You do? Why haven’t I seen it before?”

Luo Li replies, “Once you reach Foundation Establishment and can fully take human form, your fur turns into celestial garb. It can be hidden inside your body or worn outside.” She tugs at her military uniform: “This is the celestial garb transformed!” Her body flashes red, and the uniform turns into a red robe. “Only you can wear it! Don’t throw it away. If you don’t wear it, just store it inside, or else you’ll be bald after transforming.”

Lo Yu curiously touches the robe—it truly feels linked to his soul. He tries to control it, and it morphs at will, becoming whatever he desires—amazing! So convenient!

He transforms his innate celestial garb into a military uniform and, full of pride, goes to show off to Qin Yue: “I’m back! I’ve got my innate celestial garb—do you have one? Do you?”

Lo Yu, now back in human form, stays in the formation for just a day before obediently returning to his studies.

After this trip to the Palace of Defiance, Lo Yu feels a heavy burden: the subordinates revere him and Qin Yue with unwavering loyalty—quite different from his original plans!

Qin Yue picked up these rejects just to use as exercise equipment, caring nothing for their futures. But now the Palace’s population is booming, and though everyone is satisfied with their territory, to Lo Yu, who’s used to upgrading with pills, meditation-based cultivation is daunting. Major sects occasionally get pills; his people shouldn’t fare worse.

Yet, the leaders themselves lack enough, and the subordinates face even greater shortages. Though the spiritual gardens are lush with herbs, most are seedlings—he can’t bear to use any, hoping for future abundance. But that takes so much time.

Other cultivators are accustomed to slow progress through meditation, but Lo Yu still thinks life is short: by the time a spirit herb matures, the mortal world has changed generations... It feels unbearably slow. Even after a hundred years, when the fast-growing herbs are harvested, half his Foundation-stage lifespan will be gone. With his mediocre spirit roots, gaining full experience is a concrete problem. Though he now enjoys the phoenix’s immortality, he doesn’t want to go through Nirvana again—coming back as a chick, his clan’s innate abilities would be forever out of reach… Why bother? Why suffer? He must find a way to earn experience!

Cultivation Chronicle of Comrades 71—Cultivation Chronicle of Comrades Full Free Reading—71 The Leader’s Hardship Updated!