In the Realm of Cultivation, for thousands of years, the forces of righteousness and evil have been in opposition, maintaining a delicate balance.
The Hehuan Sect originally belonged to the demonic cults.
But decades ago, countless righteous sects united and, during the “Decisive Peak Sword Discussion,” assassinated the then most powerful leader of the Moyuan Cult.
This act thoroughly shattered the balance of power between good and evil.
In the following decades, demonic sects of all sizes were purged.
The Hehuan Sect suffered grievously during this period.
Countless elders and protectors perished, and the previous sect leader also fell.
Perhaps due to concessions made to certain entities, or for other unknown reasons, the Hehuan Sect was not wiped out but rebuilt in this remote location.
However, its current scale is less than one-hundredth of its former glory.
Time flies, and fourteen years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Hehuan Sect, Alchemical Hall.
A young man with a handsome face, black hair, and black eyes gently closed the lid of the alchemy furnace.
He stepped down lightly from the stairs and bowed respectfully before a voluptuous woman.
The woman appeared quite young, perhaps around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, with a few strands of pale purple hair intertwined in her jet-black locks, loosely tied up with a jade hairpin.
Her face bore no makeup, yet she possessed a natural, pure beauty.
Her exquisitely sculpted features seemed innocent, but a faint charm lingered in her eyebrows and the corners of her lips.
She wore a simple, elegant purple gauze dress made of silk, which accentuated the fullness of her chest and hips before falling straight to her ankles.
This young, mature, and beautiful woman was none other than Chen Yuyang’s master, the eighty-eighth generation sect leader of the Hehuan Sect, Tai Lingxuan.
“Master, the remaining forty-nine days only require someone to maintain a steady furnace fire, and the Foundation-Building Pill will be complete,” Chen Yuyang reported the status of the pill.
“Thank you for your hard work, Yuyang.” Tai Lingxuan nodded slightly, her jade-green eyes shimmering as they fell on the youth before her.
Unconsciously, the infant she once held had grown into such a handsome young man.
Most importantly, he had an extraordinary talent for alchemy.
She had only provided a single tome, yet he had self-taught himself to the level of a second-rank alchemist and successfully refined the Foundation-Building Pill, the most crucial medicine for Qi-refining cultivators.
“With this batch of pills, we can trade for more of what our sect needs at the sect conference two months from now.”
“Yuyang, you know, ever since the Hehuan Sect pledged allegiance to the righteous path, many restrictions were imposed.Your senior sisters and juniors now depend heavily on you.”
Tai Lingxuan sighed softly and gazed out the window into the distance.
The Hehuan formula cultivated by the female disciples condensed the power of the Moon, making it potent but prone to backlash.
Therefore, it requires an external object with pure Yang attributes to harmonize Yin and Yang.
In the past, when the Hehuan Sect was still considered a demonic cult, it was common to abduct fine men from the secular world to serve as sacrificial vessels for the cauldron.
But now, having returned to the righteous path, such acts were no longer permitted.
Hence, after reaching the Foundation-Building stage, Hehuan disciples must either find a willing partner for dual cultivation who can supplement their Yin energy with Yang, or seek rare heavenly materials possessing pure Yang attributes for harmony.
The former is extremely rare; the latter comes at a high cost.
Because of these restrictions, even those with outstanding talent within the sect struggled to grow.
Since its reconstruction, the Hehuan Sect had seen no real progress.
If things continued this way, it might vanish from history within a hundred years.
Since assuming the position of sect leader, Tai Lingxuan had been troubled by this matter.
She had taken Chen Yuyang in precisely because of his unique constitution.
But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh toward him.
Fortunately, she had made the right choice.
His alchemical talent had significantly eased the sect’s financial burdens in the past two years.
If he could one day become a third or even fourth-rank alchemist…
The sect’s situation would continue to improve.
“It is my duty, Master,” Chen Yuyang replied respectfully and was about to leave.
“Wait, Yuyang.”
Suddenly, Tai Lingxuan called out to him.
“Is there something else, Master?”
“Although pure Yang objects can harmonize Yin and Yang, they are still no match for a real man.You are a pure Yang constitution.In other words, for those cultivating the Hehuan formula in our sect, you are the best partner for dual cultivation.”
“You are now an adult, and your relationships with your senior sisters are very close.I have warned them, but you are young and kind-hearted, so I worry you might not resist their temptations.”
“I do not oppose normal relations between you and your senior sisters, but if you cannot guard your pure Yang essence, it may ultimately lead to ruin.”
Tai Lingxuan spoke solemnly, her beautiful eyes lingering on the youth.
Yuyang was not only of pure Yang constitution but also extremely handsome.
Even without his constitution, his appearance alone would stir the hearts of countless lovesick girls.
This was a real concern for Tai Lingxuan.
“I will keep your teachings in mind, Master.” Chen Yuyang smiled gently, understanding her care, then bowed and left.
On his way back, Chen Yuyang thought little of Tai Lingxuan’s words.
Resist temptation?
After a hundred lifetimes and a hundred trials, what temptation hadn’t he faced?
Master, don’t underestimate me~Just then, a clear call suddenly caught the young man’s attention.
“Yo, Junior Brother Yuyang~”
Looking up, he saw a girl in white standing gracefully beneath a green pine not far ahead.
Her lips curled into a smile, slender fingers twining a lock of hair, a red string tied around her wrist contrasting with her pure white clothes.
Though there was no breeze, her robes fluttered gently.
Every movement was holy and pure.
Yet, the exposed collarbone beneath her jade neck added a touch of allure.
Looking at her, even a man of stone would involuntarily feel a stirring in his heart.
“Senior Sister Qiushui!”
Seeing her, Chen Yuyang’s face lit up with his usual gentle smile.
“You’re back? When did you return?”
“Just now.”
“How did your external training go this time, Senior Sister?”
“Hm, it went well.
I’ve reached the peak of Golden Core, just one step away from transforming the pill into a core embryo.”
Gu Qiushui said proudly.
“Congratulations, Senior Sister.
Master plans to attend the sect conference in two months.
There will be trade among the great sects; she should be able to get enough pure Yang materials to aid your breakthrough.”
“That may be, but how many spirit stones does Master still have?” Gu Qiushui smiled wryly.
“Besides me, the other senior sisters and juniors are all waiting for the trade.”
Chen Yuyang smiled bitterly and shook his head.
Although, in his Xumi Consciousness Sea, he had a large quantity of top-grade spirit stones and countless treasures accumulated over a hundred lifetimes, one of his principles for retraining was to keep wealth hidden.
He was only at the third Foundation-Building stage.
If even a single treasure slipped out, it could spell disaster.
Showing his second-rank alchemist skill to repay the sect and ease its financial burden was already his limit.
Beyond that, he could do no more.
“Um, Yuyang~ Senior Sister wants to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“While I was away, did you happen to be with Senior Sister or Junior Sisters…” Gu Qiushui’s last words were replaced by a highly expressive gesture.
A wave of black lines immediately appeared across Chen Yuyang’s forehead.
Is this really a question a senior sister should ask?!
“N-no, I, I still am…”
“So, Yuyang, you’re still a perfect gentleman~”.
Seeing the youth’s nervousness, Gu Qiushui smiled slyly, her eyes narrowing as she leaned in with overwhelming pressure.
The tall object in front of the girl also advanced, pressing close to Chen Yuyang.
He flared his nostrils.
For a moment, he caught a faint scent of… milk?
Chen Yuyang was only fourteen, a full head shorter than Gu Qiushui.
Her actions and graceful figure were undeniably imposing.
“I… I have things to do, Senior Sister Qiushui, I’ll… I’ll leave now.”
Chen Yuyang stammered and fled like the wind.
Gu Qiushui remained where she was, watching the youth’s retreating back, smiling softly.
“Oh dear~ Junior Brother really is as cute as ever~”.
“So cute, it makes one want to get close to him~”.
Muttering to herself, a faint trace of infatuation flickered between her brows.
At this moment, inside the Alchemical Hall, Tai Lingxuan was still gazing at the furnace, contemplating the upcoming sect conference.
“Master, I’ve returned.”
Tai Lingxuan turned and smiled with relief upon seeing Gu Qiushui enter.
“Oh, not bad, you’ve reached the peak of Golden Core.”
“My luck was good during my trip down the mountain,” Gu Qiushui said, her proud smile barely restrained.
“Hmm, to break through, you’ll need some pure Yang heavenly materials.
I will keep an eye out for you at the conference in two months,” Tai Lingxuan nodded approvingly.”
“Master needn’t worry; I can try my luck in the Humble Peak Secret Realm then,” Gu Qiushui said quickly.
At this, Tai Lingxuan fell silent for a moment.
She knew this was Gu Qiushui’s way of avoiding competing with her senior and junior sisters over the already scarce cultivation resources.
“It’s too dangerous.You’re only at Foundation-Building; the Humble Peak Secret Realm is too risky.”
“Master, there’s no need to persuade me; I have made up my mind.”
Gu Qiushui bowed respectfully.
With a soft sigh, Tai Lingxuan saw the determination on the young girl’s delicate face and finally nodded.
“Very well, if that is so…”
Saying this, Tai Lingxuan flipped her hand and drew out an ice-blue ribbon from the Xumi Consciousness Sea.
“What is this…?”
Gu Qiushui’s eyes widened in surprise.
“This is a fifth-rank spiritual artifact, the Cold River Ribbon.”
“I now bestow it upon you.With this by your side, you will have a better chance of self-protection in the Humble Peak Secret Realm.”
“This… I cannot accept, Master; this artifact is too precious. I…”
Gu Qiushui’s expression changed, and she quickly tried to refuse.
But Tai Lingxuan’s stance was equally firm.
“Do you dare disobey me? Accept it!”
Gu Qiushui bit her lip, her eyes reflecting the ice-blue ribbon that flowed like water, seemed to freeze like ice, yet was as thin as cicada wings.
To say she was not tempted would be a lie.
Especially since this artifact’s attributes perfectly matched her ice-attribute spiritual root and complemented the battle skills she cultivated.
“Thank you, Master, for the gift!”
“Hm, the Hehuan formula condenses ultimate Yin energy; the Cold River Ribbon is also an item of ultimate Yin.
If you have sufficient spiritual energy, forcibly refining it is possible, but since you’re only at peak Golden Core, it may be difficult to suppress it.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qiushui’s face showed hesitation.
“Then Master, what should I do?”
“The solution is simple.
Yuyang is pure Yang to the extreme.
The flames he stokes contain solar fire, which strongly suppresses this artifact.”
“When you try to refine it, just have Junior Brother Yuyang assist you in suppressing it.”
Gu Qiushui immediately understood and nodded repeatedly.
“Thank you for your guidance, Master.”
“When you have Junior Brother Yuyang assist you in refining, remember to—” Tai Lingxuan intended to continue, but her expression suddenly changed, her brows tightening.
“Master, what’s wrong?” Gu Qiushui noticed the anomaly and stepped forward worriedly, taking Tai Lingxuan’s hand.
Tai Lingxuan quickly waved her off, moving the girl aside.
“It’s nothing.You should leave for now; I have urgent matters to attend to.”
Gu Qiushui looked at Tai Lingxuan with concern but obediently nodded and withdrew.