Chapter 15: Helpless

“Master, is this matter really settled just like that? A mere Hehuan Sect, a third-rate sect.”

On the way back, the young disciple couldn’t help but ask with some anger.

“Silence! Although the Hehuan Sect is only a third-rate sect, didn’t you see their Sect Leader? That’s a Convergence Realm powerhouse!” The Dan Sect elder glared fiercely at him and said coldly.

“W-what!” The youth was stunned, then couldn’t help but doubt, “How is that possible? Just a Hehuan Sect, how could their Sect Leader be…”

“I don’t know either, but I remember their Sect Leader’s official rank was only at the Transformation Spirit Stage… Maybe she had some extraordinary encounter these past few years.

But the most terrifying thing is, she’s very young, probably not even a hundred years old. Given time, it’s not impossible for her to step into the Great Ascension Realm.”

As he spoke, the elder’s face grew more deeply wary. He then shouted again to the disciples behind him:

“In short, I’m taking you all to the Ziyang Secret Realm. Don’t cause any trouble, understood?”

“Yes, Master.”

The Dan Sect disciples lowered their heads and answered reluctantly, but their eyes flickered with resentment.

Night. Chen Yuyang lay awake.

Unfamiliar with the bed, he couldn’t fall asleep.

So, he simply sat cross-legged and continued studying the properties of the Primordial Fire.

The Primordial Fire can burn all things, but it can also generate all things.

Achieving the former is easy, but the latter is difficult.

For the former, you just need to unleash the fire’s destructive power.

But the latter is almost equivalent to evolving nature itself.

Although after reaching the Half-Step True Immortal stage, one can use special methods to open an inner world and evolve natural life within it, it is still a crude imitation of natural laws, and such inner worlds often have many problems.

But the Primordial Fire is the very first flame when this world was formed, and from this single flame, all things were born.

In other words, the Primordial Fire can open a genuine, authentic world.

If one can use it to evolve natural laws…

Chen Yuyang felt his imagination, cultivated over hundreds of lifetimes, nearly run dry at this moment.

However, all of this was still too early for him now.

For the moment, he would focus on studying its characteristics and find ways to apply it in alchemy and artifact forging.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking interrupted Chen Yuyang’s thoughts.

He raised his head and looked toward the door.

Without spiritual perception, just relying on intuition and a simpler soul force sensing, Chen Yuyang knew the person outside was his master, Tai Lingxuan.

At this late hour, she came looking for him.

This made Chen Yuyang somewhat uneasy.

After all, something ambiguous had happened between them.

The best way to avoid similar incidents was to avoid being alone with her.

Then…He decided to pretend to be asleep.

Chen Yuyang thought silently and said nothing.

Click.

The door lock automatically opened in the next second.

“Who’s there!”

At this point, Chen Yuyang couldn’t pretend anymore and quickly asked with caution.

“It’s me.”

Tai Lingxuan’s gentle voice sounded, and her hand on the door handle stopped moving.

“Master, why are you up at such a late hour looking for your disciple?”

Chen Yuyang asked with suspicion through the door.

“I want to talk to you about something.”

“Can’t it wait until daytime?”

“Your junior sisters and senior sisters are awake during the day. It’s not very convenient.”

Chen Yuyang thought for a moment but still felt uneasy.

“What kind of matter?”

“It’s about your alchemy.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuyang finally nodded and went to open the door.

“Please come in, Master.”

Tai Lingxuan nodded, stepped inside, and walked in gracefully.

“Yuyang, why are you still awake at such a late hour?”

“Disciples can’t sleep, so I’ve been practicing.”

“Then why didn’t you respond when I knocked just now?”

“I was focused on cultivation and didn’t notice, thought it was noise from next door.”

Tai Lingxuan nodded, then bent down to sit on the edge of the bed and took Chen Yuyang’s hand gently.

“Yuyang, I owe you an apology.”

Hearing this opening, Chen Yuyang’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

An apology?

What did Master owe him?

Could it be about what happened before…

Was she planning to confess?

This was troublesome because he wasn’t ready to “accept” any of this yet.

Especially since he hadn’t prepared himself on how to face Tai Lingxuan afterward.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to take responsibility.

But…“I’m still just a child!”

“Master, w-why would you suddenly say that… did something happen?”

Chen Yuyang asked confusedly.

“I… offended the Dan Sect.”

“But Yuyang, if you want to achieve anything in the alchemy path in the future… the Dan Sect is a mountain you cannot bypass.”

“Advanced alchemical formulas and refining techniques are mostly held by the Dan Sect… yet today, I offended one of their elders.”

Tai Lingxuan said with a troubled expression.

After returning earlier, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep because of this matter.

Hearing this, Chen Yuyang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

So that’s what it was.

“No worries, Master. Even without the Dan Sect, wouldn’t you still believe in your disciple’s talent?”

Chen Yuyang smiled easily.

“It’s not that, Yuyang. You may think alchemy is easy now because first and second-rank alchemists are relatively simple. With enough talent, you can self-learn to that level.

But becoming a third or fourth-rank alchemist without a specialized path is impossible… In the Beiyu Xiuzhenjie, the Dan Sect is that only path.”

Tai Lingxuan said with worry.

“You are truly gifted, which is precisely why you must not be buried or wasted.”

“You said maybe I should personally visit them and apologize in private, offering some gifts…”

As she spoke, Tai Lingxuan lowered her head, her eyes showing a trace of melancholy and helplessness.

“Absolutely not, Master. I don’t support you doing that at all.”

Chen Yuyang was slightly stunned upon hearing this but quickly firmly opposed.

“Master, today’s incident was their fault. You not pursuing it already gave them face.”

“If you apologize privately, I can’t accept it.”

“If you do that—even for my sake—I would be very disappointed.”

Chen Yuyang knew Tai Lingxuan cared about him.

So he spoke strongly, even decisively, hoping she wouldn’t make such a foolish decision.

Cultivation requires openness.

Though Master had good intentions, if she did that, both she and he would carry a knot in their hearts.

If Tai Lingxuan really did that…

In the future, he might only be able to destroy the Dan Sect’s lineage.

Having been reborn hundreds of times, Chen Yuyang was never a kind soul.

He had wiped out many sects for various reasons—hundreds big and small.

For Tai Lingxuan, the Dan Sect might be a giant, but to him, it was not worth his concern.

Hearing the youth’s slightly cold words, Tai Lingxuan’s delicate body trembled slightly.

What was going on?

It felt like Yuyang was a different person when he spoke like this.

The invisible pressure he radiated even made her feel a bit fearful.

At the same time…Her heart couldn’t help but beat faster.

Tai Lingxuan’s face flushed slightly.

Having practiced the Jingxin Jue for over a month, she felt her inner turbulence rise once more.

At the same time, a certain realization rippled through her chest.

After a long moment, Tai Lingxuan took a deep breath.

“I understand, Yuyang.”

“You’re right. If I really did that, even I would look down on myself.”

As she spoke, the spiritual energy around her suddenly surged wildly, stirring a whirlpool and waves within a small space.

Following this, her aura rose, stepping up another level.

“Oh? Master has broken through.”

Chen Yuyang was slightly surprised but only briefly; his expression soon returned to calm.

Perhaps his words had unintentionally unlocked some knot in Tai Lingxuan, or gave her a deeper insight into the essence and true heart of cultivation.

“Congratulations, Master.”

Tai Lingxuan was a bit surprised herself.

She had just listened to Yuyang’s words and thought carefully, concluding that was the way to go.

As a result, her realm unexpectedly broke through.

Though it was only a minor breakthrough.

But now she was at the Convergence Realm.

One minor breakthrough at this stage could take others a hundred or two hundred years to achieve.

Yet she had reached the fourth minor level of the Convergence Realm barely a month after breaking through.

This made Tai Lingxuan feel somewhat unreal.

But Chen Yuyang understood.

Cultivation can be difficult or easy.

With the same talent, some are stuck at one or two stages for life, while others break through smoothly.

The key to the Convergence stage is no longer the accumulation of external spiritual energy but cultivation of the heart.

Convergence means uniting the heart and body.

When heart and body become one, heaven and earth naturally respond.

“This is thanks to you, Yuyang. You helped me reach clarity in my thoughts.”

Tai Lingxuan smiled slightly and looked at the youth with gratitude.

Chen Yuyang smiled slightly and said, “Master’s enlightenment has nothing to do with your disciple. I only spoke what was in my heart.”

“You brat…” Tai Lingxuan laughed more joyfully, unable to help but reach out and stroke the youth’s cheek.

Looking at his handsome face…At this moment, Tai Lingxuan felt her heart flutter once again…

However, the month-long Jingxin Jue had its effect.

That uncontrollable impulse no longer arose.

After gently rubbing Chen Yuyang’s head, Tai Lingxuan, fearing she would lose control, reluctantly left the youth’s room to change her undergarments.