Cleansed

As the Elder Dragon laughed joyfully, he immediately transformed into his mighty dragon form and flew outside.

The moment he was out of the pool, his appearance instantly attracted the nearby guards and people.

"Did the Elder Dragon go insane?" One of the guards uttered in disbelief when they witnessed him flying out in his true form.

"Quickly alert everyone and inform the Master and Madam!" Another guard shouted.

While some were going to be in charge of alerting the rest, the other guards all exuded their aura and were about to detain the lunatic dragon. 

How dare he escape the pool without permission? 

Yet before they actually took action, they heard a melodious voice.

"Leave Longzu alone. He's been tamed by Ming so just let him roam freely." 

"It's the Madam's voice." The guards easily recognized the voice and all of them bowed their heads in respect. 

After a few seconds, they no longer heard her voice, and only the Elder Dragon's maniacal laughter resounded through the sky. "THE TASTE OF FREEDOM!"

As the guards gazed at the scene, they all realized the order in their Eternal Celestial Dimension was about to change.

The Elder Dragon who had been suppressed was finally freed from the Dragon Cleansing Pool. No one could have predicted it.

But no one would question the decision either.

"Return to your position and cancel the previous order." The leader of the guard then announced. With Ye Qing Lei personally vouching for the Elder Dragon, they returned to their usual duty. 

Meanwhile, back inside the pool, both Ye Ming and Qing Lan clearly heard Ye Qing Lei's voice from earlier.

"Hoh, so mother has been eavesdropping the entire time." Ye Ming mused. Without a doubt, he was certain that Ye Qing Lei must have used some secret technique to oversee the situation. 

She had definitely remained very discreet, given that he had not sensed or detected anything amiss. 

"The Madam cares about you. There's no way she would relax and not spectate us." Qing Lan responded gently. 

She then took off her clothes and dipped into the pool. She felt the intense essence invading her as soon as the liquid made contact. There was some slight pain, but she easily endured and resisted it. 

"You were hesitant earlier because you were unsure, right?" Ye Ming suddenly asked, his gaze wandering around her clear body. 

Nodding, Qing Lan could only flash a bittersweet smile. 

"I apologize for concealing the matter, but the Madam wishes for the Young Master to feel no pressure." She said and swam toward him. She went to his back and started massaging his shoulders. 

Although there was the Dragon Scale Armor equipped on him, it was invisible and he could feel her hand helping his muscles to relax. 

He purposely leaned backward to make himself even more comfortable. "Ahh, the armor of the endgame level is really different. And I even have a maid in the Cosmic Immortal Realm to massage me." 

"Young Master is incorrect here." Qing Lan suddenly said. 

"I'm no longer in the Cosmic Immortal Realm." She continued, informing him that she had advanced in cultivation.

Sure enough, when Ye Ming focused a bit, he noticed that she had broken through and became a Universal Overlord Realm in the 1st level. Universal Overlord Realm was the 5th rank of the Celestial World—the rank above Cosmic Immortal Realm. 

"Holy smokes, you advanced just like that?" Dumbfounded, Ye Ming nearly wanted to touch her everywhere to ask how she did it. He had been soaking in the pool for a while, but he still didn't sense any changes. 

It can't be that he was truly one of those protagonist with some mega flaw, right? 

He glanced at his palm and didn't feel any changes. 

"Why am I not having any breakthrough?" He questioned. 

"It would have been weird if you did." Qing Lan suddenly said. 

"The Young Master's objective is cleansing to ensure your bone density is flawless. I broke through because I have been storing spiritual qi and thanks to Young Master's grace, I was able to unleash them while submerged in the pool." She explained. 

"Oh… so that's how it is." Ye Ming's mouth was left agape when he realized what happened.

"Please pardon my rudeness, but the Young Master should try to assimilate with the memories." Qing Lan suggested. It was honestly quite weird and awkward for her to have to explain basic stuff to him when he already knew them all.

But contrary to her surprise, Ye Ming turned to her and stared at her eyes.

He ignored her astonished look and said, "Hmm, if I assimilate with my memories, then you are technically just a maid. You won't be able to converse with me much and I'm probably going to return to the same cold and detached Young Master. Is that what you prefer?"

Sure enough, Qing Lan was caught in a dilemma. On one hand, she really enjoyed this unique interaction with Ye Ming. But on the other hand, she didn't want her Young Master to remain ignorant. 

Not to mention, she was positive that the Madam was overseeing the scene. If she misspoke, then it would be terrible. 

Unable to respond, Ye Ming didn't plan on making things difficult for her either. 

He turned back around and told her to continue the massage while he glanced upward. He couldn't perceive anything, but he was certain his mother was watching.

"Mother, I'm sure you're listening, so I'll say this once. Your son in the past self is gone. This current me is the one you'll have to see and interact with from now on. If you can't accept this, then I'll just leave this place or go back to the world I was in." 

Almost immediately after his words, a voice echoed throughout the pool. 

"Nonsense! What past-self and current-self? No matter what you've become, your soul is still the same, and your blood is still flowing with mine. You are my son and anyone who dares say otherwise, I'll let them know my fury." Ye Qing Lei was fuming, but the voice was still enchanting. 

Naturally, her fury wasn't directed at him, but at others.

And who else was here besides his maid. 

"Mother, don't frighten my maid. She's just concerned about me." Ye Ming spoke up on her behalf.