Outside the Council Hall of the Supreme One Sacred Sect.
Several disciples clustered together, whispering in low voices.
“Did you hear? The Sect Leader has brought back a personal disciple.”
A round-faced disciple spoke first, his tone full of surprise.
“Huh? Really?”
Another disciple’s eyes widened.
“Didn’t the Sect Leader stop taking personal disciples after the last one died at the hands of a demon cultivator?”
“Yeah.”
The round-faced disciple nodded.
“I thought Senior Sister Shen Qian would be the closest to becoming a personal disciple… I never expected the Sect Leader to suddenly bring one back.”
“Who would’ve thought.”
The others chimed in, their words filled with curiosity and a hint of sympathy for Shen Qian.
In the corner behind them, a female cultivator lowered her head, fingers tugging at the sleeves of her Dao robe.
Her delicate face was almost twisted with jealousy.
It was Shen Qian.
“Senior Sister? What are you doing here?”
A passing disciple, Wang Teng, happened to notice her and quickly came over to greet her.
Shen Qian’s movements abruptly stopped.
She released the fabric, and the twist on her face was instantly replaced by a perfectly measured smile.
She looked up, her delicate, pretty face beaming as if nothing had happened.
Wang Teng saw that face and that smile, feeling his heart skip a beat.
“It’s Junior Brother Wang,” Shen Qian said, her voice soft and pleasant.
“Long time no see. Is there something?”
“Nothing… nothing…”
Wang Teng scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
“I was just thinking, didn’t Master summon all the nominal disciples? Why is Senior Sister Shen still here…”
“Oh, I was just about to head over.”
Shen Qian gave a faint smile and nodded to Wang Teng.
“Thank you for your concern, Junior Brother.”
With that, she turned and flew toward the mountaintop.
Wang Teng stood there, watching her retreating figure, muttering to himself: “Senior Sister Shen Qian is truly beautiful…”
Inside the Council Hall.
All the disciples had arrived, lined up on both sides, silent as a graveyard.
Feng Xianyun walked in through the main door, his steps unhurried, robes fluttering.
His gaze swept over the crowd, pausing for a moment on Shen Qian, who sat at the head of the disciples.
Through Ye Qingyi’s eyes, Ye Chu noticed this detail.
‘This old man is looking at that female cultivator,’ Ye Chu muttered in his sea of consciousness. ‘What’s the deal? A connection?’
‘Forbidden illicit romance? The domineering master falls for me? The disciple who defies the master shames me?’
Ye Qingyi didn’t respond.
She was nervous and too preoccupied to entertain Ye Chu’s rambling.
Feng Xianyun settled into his seat at the head, glanced around, and slowly spoke: “You all probably know why I called you here.”
The disciples nodded one after another.
“In that case,” Feng Xianyun turned his head, “Ye Qingyi, come out.”
The words fell.
Everyone’s gaze shifted to the side door of the hall.
Ye Qingyi took a deep breath and stepped out.
She was clad in the Supreme One Sacred Sect’s distinctive white Dao robe—exquisitely crafted, light against her figure, accentuating her slender, graceful frame.
In an instant, all eyes were on her.
In the sea of consciousness, Ye Chu watched the scene and couldn’t help but remark: “These guys look like they’ve never seen a woman before.”
Ye Qingyi almost lost her composure.
She struggled to maintain her expression, walked steadily to the center of the hall, and stopped.
Feng Xianyun looked at her, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
Ye Chu noticed that the female cultivator sitting first among the disciples, Shen Qian, wore a smile on her face, but her eyes were as sharp as knives.
“Interesting,” Ye Chu said in the sea of consciousness.
“That female cultivator is looking at you with a very off expression. There’s a story there.”
Ye Qingyi responded in her mind, ‘What story? The domineering senior sister falls for me?’
‘Falls for you?’ Ye Chu’s tone was certain.
‘She’s jealous of you. She must think you’ve taken her place. Even if she did fall for you, early on she’d definitely come to pick a fight. You want a deep, anguished romance with her?’
‘Wow? Then what do I do?’
‘Don’t worry about her.’
Ye Chu yawned.
‘She’s just a minor character.’
Inside the hall, the disciples whispered amongst themselves.
“So beautiful…”
A disciple couldn’t help exclaiming.
“Absolutely stunning…”
Another disciple echoed.
Hearing this, Ye Chu almost burst out laughing.
That straight-male disciple’s cultural level needed improvement.
Ye Qingyi’s face reddened slightly.
Just then, another disciple suddenly said: “Why do I hear the sound of someone grinding their teeth?”
Ye Chu’s gaze swept to Shen Qian.
She was still smiling, showing no teeth.
But Ye Chu noticed her molars were clenched tight.
‘She’s putting on a good act,’ Ye Chu commented inwardly.
‘I feel a bit uneasy…’
Ye Qingyi murmured.
‘What’s there to be uneasy about?’
Ye Chu asked.
‘That Shen Qian… the way she looked at me…’
‘What’s there to fear.’
Ye Chu’s tone carried a hint of disdain.
‘If she dares to make a move, I’ll help you beat her up.’
Ye Qingyi: ‘…Can you stop resorting to violence at the drop of a hat?’
Ye Chu: ‘Then what do you want me to do? Reason with her?’
Ye Qingyi: ‘…’
Ye Chu: ‘See? You know reasoning won’t work either.’
After the meeting, Ye Qingyi returned to the cave dwelling that Feng Xianyun had assigned to her.
The cave was not large, but rich in spiritual energy, simply yet tastefully decorated.
Ye Qingyi sat down on a cushion and raised her hand to summon the jade slip Feng Xianyun had given her.
This was the secret art of the Supreme One Sacred Sect.
Ye Chu glanced at it in the sea of consciousness and snorted:
“The Clear Heart Self-Awareness Technique. That old man really has high hopes for you, giving you this technique right off the bat.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t you initially urge me to accept him as my master precisely for this technique?”
Ye Qingyi asked.
“This technique, though beneficial, is extremely difficult to start.”
Ye Chu paused.
“Only those with a pure heart can practice it. Those with impure thoughts will progress slowly and risk qi deviation.”
“To put it bluntly, if you gave this to an unknowing demon cultivator, it would kill them without you lifting a finger.”
Ye Qingyi was curious.
“Then what would an informed demon cultivator do?”
“An informed demon cultivator would breed gu—find someone who could practice it, then regardless of gender, use them as a cauldron for harvesting.”
Regardless of gender… Ye Qingyi felt a shiver.
“Whether it succeeds or fails, there’s such a big risk, and you still want me to practice it?”
“The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish! The benefits far outweigh the risks. I’m not saying you have to practice it; it’s up to you.”
Ye Qingyi hesitated, but in the end, she pressed the jade slip to her forehead and sank her mind into it.
‘What kind of technique is this, to earn such praise from Ye Chu?’
Ye Qingyi silently recorded the technique’s contents in her mind.
Then she tried circulating her spiritual energy.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths…
Twenty breaths later.
“Mm… Done?”
Ye Qingyi was stunned.
It was too simple.
So simple it didn’t seem real.
She even suspected Feng Xianyun had given her a fake.
Ye Chu was silent for a moment in the sea of consciousness.
“You already succeeded?”
His tone was laced with disbelief.
“It seems… yes?”