Lin Aotian, ever since he transmigrated here, had always believed himself to be the protagonist of this world.

In his eyes, a protagonist was someone who could always turn misfortune into fortune, with heavenly treasures chasing after him and beautiful fairies falling for him.

In other words, he believed that all the beautiful women should be part of his harem.

So, when he saw Xiao Lin grab Ning Yunmiao's arm and pull her up, and Ning Yunmiao didn't resist, he had already sentenced this guy who dared to touch "his woman" to death in his heart.

However, despite his inner thoughts, when he heard Xiao Lin's question, he quickly put on a shy smile and said bashfully, "Yes, my name is Lin Aotian. Greetings, Senior Brother and Senior Sister."

"Oh, so it's Junior Brother Lin. I'm Xiao Lin, a disciple of Green Lotus Peak. You can call me Senior Brother Xiao in the future." Hearing Lin Aotian introduce himself, Xiao Lin reciprocated with his own introduction.

Then, after glancing at Ning Yunmiao, who clearly had a "I won't introduce myself" expression, Xiao Lin continued helplessly, "This is my junior sister, Ning Yunmiao. You can call her Senior Sister Ning."

Hearing the name "Ning Yunmiao," Lin Aotian was instantly delighted.

So this is the girl I'm supposed to win over? Hahaha, as expected, she's one of my harem!

Having made up his mind, Lin Aotian immediately bowed to Xiao Lin and Ning Yunmiao, then looked at Ning Yunmiao, scratching his head and smiling shyly, "I must say, Senior Sister Ning, you are truly beautiful. I've never seen such a beautiful sister before..."

In Lin Aotian's view, in this ancient-like cultivation world, openly praising a woman's beauty was probably rare, so saying this to such an obviously inexperienced girl would surely have a great effect. Maybe just this one line could win her over, just like the protagonists in novels who often make female characters fall for them with just a single sentence.

That's what Lin Aotian thought.

So when he saw Ning Yunmiao's disgusted expression, as if she had eaten a cockroach, he was dumbfounded.

What's going on? This isn't how it's supposed to go according to the script.

[Help! Help! In my nightmare yesterday, this guy said the same thing. Is he really the creepy guy from my dream!]

Thinking of this, Ning Yunmiao quickly sidestepped and hid behind Xiao Lin.

"......"

Xiao Lin turned to look at Ning Yunmiao, who was hiding behind him like a chick behind a mother hen, feeling a bit speechless.

However, having the same appearance could be explained by novel-like descriptions and coincidences, but having the exact same words was hard to explain... If what Fourth Junior Sister said was true, then there seemed to be only one possibility—Fourth Junior Sister's previous dream was a prophetic dream, and her sudden reluctance to meet Lin Aotian earlier might have been influenced by that dream...

Wow, even in a cultivation world, this development is a bit unusual, isn't it? Could it be that Fourth Junior Sister's true identity is actually a prophet?

While thinking about this, Xiao Lin heard Dongfang Yu's voice.

"Alright, Aotian, Ning Niece is not feeling well today, so let's not disturb her."

With a sigh, Dongfang Yu, lamenting the difficulty of heroes resisting beauties, said, "You two should catch the crane and leave quickly. Ning Niece needs to rest."

"Yes." Xiao Lin quickly replied, then looked at Lin Aotian and said, "By the way, Junior Brother Lin, reaching the Qi Refining Realm at your age is quite impressive."

You monsters from Green Lotus Peak are praising others' talent? I'll be grateful if you don't crush me, a new disciple...

Dongfang Yu thought this, preparing to continue urging them to leave, when he heard Lin Aotian beside him ask, "Senior Brother Xiao, you're too kind. When did you enter the Qi Refining Realm? I bet it was much earlier than me, right?"

Lin Aotian asked with a respectful expression and a tone full of admiration, perfectly portraying a new disciple's longing for a "senior."

However, his true intention was to see Xiao Lin embarrassed—since Xiao Lin praised his "impressive talent," he figured Xiao Lin's talent might be slightly inferior to his own.

Even if Green Lotus Peak had geniuses who reached Qi Refining at eight, such geniuses couldn't be everywhere. There had to be some ordinary disciples, right? It couldn't be that the entire peak was filled with geniuses and not a single ordinary disciple, could it? That would be too far-fetched.

Besides, he had asked Dongfang Yu before, and reaching Qi Refining at twelve was already considered rare talent. Normally, cultivators would first hone themselves in the Body Tempering Realm, so most would reach the Qi Refining Realm between sixteen and twenty.

So, this time, the advantage is mine!

This thought became even more firm in Lin Aotian's mind when he saw Xiao Lin's awkward expression.

"Uh..." Xiao Lin scratched his head, glanced at Dongfang Yu, and blinked, "Your Senior Sister Ning reached the Qi Refining Realm at eight."

So she's the prodigious genius?

Hearing this, Lin Aotian thought it made sense.

My harem member, besides being beautiful, naturally has to be a genius.

"Enough, why talk about this? Xiao Niece, you should leave quickly." Dongfang Yu suddenly spoke, giving Xiao Lin several meaningful glances.

"Master, I really want to know when Senior Brother Xiao reached the Qi Refining Realm." Lin Aotian immediately looked at Dongfang Yu, speaking earnestly, "This way, I'll have a goal to strive for in my cultivation journey!"

"This..." Seeing his disciple's earnest request, Dongfang Yu thought for a moment and nodded, "Very well, since you have the heart... Xiao Niece, tell him."

"Uh... alright, I... reached the Qi Refining Realm at six."

Previously, this "achievement" had once discouraged a promising disciple of Dongfang Yu to the point of damaging his Dao heart, and Xiao Lin scratched his head again, speaking with a helpless expression.