
I actually stopped reading somewhere bc i also read spoiler that the direction of the story is a bit weird. It has sci-fi element later on. But for the spoiler about these two relationship...
MC used to have a good standing as immortal disciple of a sect. Then one day he discovered a hidden disciple which was ML. ML's master also has high standing in the sect but for some mysterious reason ML was hidden from public and basically neglected by his own master. MC and his gangs befriend him. There was one incident where ML was accidentally kidnapped and MC tried to save him but in return MC lose some of his memory about that time. This incident created some sort of bond (like blood bond somthin) between them. In the future ML will be able to use MC blood/energy or something to restore his mysterious power. Who ML actually is I also havent read that far. But he has some kind of immortality and probably not human.
Btw if i recall correctly, after this incident MC lost his core/spiritual vein i dont remeber but anyway this make him like wwx, unable to use his qi. So he started to go to another path which is mechanism or something. Time gap. He later dropped out of the sect thus make him some sort of traitor and he made his own place/faction but later his right hand man something sold him to immortal sect so he could be executed. That's how he is now in the current predicament.
Btw while MC in his own faction he faced ML several times and thought that ML must have hated him. Serioisly their relationship cant be anymore similar to wwx and lwj
ah I mtl-ed the novel. so if someone misunderstand, they were "enemies" because they were from different faction, however it's not necessarily they hated each other. being "rival" also doesn't mean they do. it's similar to wei wuxian and lan wangji's relationship before they "made up". that's as much as 'spoiler' i can give you, the real truth is much spoilery.
anyway you can see here mc definitely doesn't hate ml. btw i like how they drew the characters here. it's just style i rarely seen in cn webtoon idk how to explain it... it less cartoonist or webtoon-ist and look like manga(?) ok what the hell i am talking about
edit: i realized how this can be misinterpreted. i originally mean when wwx & lwj relationship after wwx become ghost cultivator (thus different faction), but for more spoiler, they do too are friends even before mc changed faction. so yeah they are more similar to wwx lwj relationship than what it seemed. i cant help but want to give spoiler because it will be a long time before the webtoon will be finished, if it ever get finished anyway TT