Come on, Ayuan, be a good girl, call her sister-in-law.

Then, the voices became intermittent and indistinct again.

Presumably, both of them had deliberately emphasized their words earlier.

So... how did the discussion downstairs go?

Would they fail to reach an agreement and start fighting?

Yun Huang felt as if a kitten were scratching at her heart.

So itchy...

So desperate for... freedom.

Her fingers unconsciously twisted together, her knuckles turning white from the tension.

Freedom...

That word echoed in her mind, teasing her soul, which yearned to break free from its cage.

Just then, footsteps suddenly approached from a distance.

Yun Huang's heart clenched. She quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be deep in cultivation.

But her ears perked up, straining to catch every faint sound.

"They're coming up," she murmured inwardly.

Her heartbeat quickened, as if it might leap out of her chest.

Was it anticipation or fear?

Soon after, the heavy door of the cultivation chamber creaked open slowly.

Su Qi walked in, followed by his younger sister and that woman.

"Huang Huang," Yun Ting spoke, her voice softer than usual.

"Is this your friend?"

"We just had a long discussion... about your future, and the Yun Family's future."

Yun Huang feigned indifference, but her shifting gaze between that woman and Su Qi betrayed her.

"So... how did it go?"

A flicker of complex emotion passed through Yun Ting's eyes. "Huang Huang, it's not that Mom doesn't trust you or your friend. But the world is complicated, and I just don’t want you to get hurt. Still, since you’ve made your choice, I’ll respect your decision."

Yun Huang had no idea what kind of sweet talk Su Qi had fed this woman.

But she wouldn’t believe a single word of it—not even a punctuation mark.

Whenever outsiders were present, this woman would put on a sickeningly sweet act of being the doting mother.

"Mom will always give you the best."

Yun Huang felt something being pressed into her hand—a card.

[Card Name: I Wander Through Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon, Never Asking Heaven]

[Type: Consumable · Source]

[Rarity: Legendary]

[Energy Level: ??????? (7th Tier)]

[Description: If even after attaining immortality, one must still scheme day and night, with no time to pause for the scenery they love, then perhaps immortality isn’t worth seeking.]

[Special Effect ①: Pinnacle of Martial Arts]

[Pinnacle of Martial Arts: Follow the wind and clouds, wander freely, and pause for the scenery you love. After seven days, your martial cultivation will inevitably break through once. (Maximum breakthrough limited to the 7th Tier.)]

This was the real reason Yun Ting had compromised.

Remember the masterful scheme Su Qi had faced before leaving?

"Then, will Yuan wear pretty things for Brother to admire every day?"

Su Qi knew answering wouldn’t guarantee anything—might even earn him mockery from his foolish little sister.

Yet he couldn’t resist replying with a single word: "Yes."

That had given Su Qi a revelation.

Some things, some people, even when you know it’s a trap—you just can’t refuse.

Did Yun Ting really not see through Su Qi’s ploy?

If she accepted this card, it would mean letting Yun Huang slip from her control for seven days.

But...

So what?

Yun Ting wanted this card too badly.

She had nearly lost control and tried to snatch it earlier.

Once Yun Huang used it, she would undoubtedly reach the 7th Tier!

Even if it was only in martial cultivation.

But with the foundation of 7th-tier martial prowess, breaking through in spiritual and soul power would follow naturally.

As Su Qi had threatened, she didn’t want Yun Huang to fail to shine during the martial exams.

Truth be told...

Yun Huang’s reputation as a "Pathseeker" was something Yun Ting had fabricated with massive resource investments...

There was a precedent from the previous era—an author nicknamed "Sugar Umbrella Sister," whose writing was mediocre but somehow attracted endless readers.

Even when everyone criticized her, even after hiring ghostwriters, her readership remained sky-high.

The conclusion? Marketing was everything.

Yun Ting felt an inexplicable kinship with "Sugar Umbrella Sister," transcending time itself.

Under the barrage of relentless promotion, Yun Huang had effortlessly become a "Pathseeker."

Of course...

This reputation was limited to Jiangxia.

Spreading it across all of Great Xia? Even the Yun Family at its peak would struggle.

But lies always collapse eventually.

Yun Huang’s potential had been squeezed to its limit.

In the early stages, the lower the tier, the more obvious the rewards of hard work...

But from the 7th Tier onward, effort alone often wasn’t enough.

Yun Huang had lingered at the 6th Tier for too long...

If this dragged on, doubts would start to surface.

She urgently needed Yun Huang to break through to the 7th Tier—to silence all skepticism.

To stride into the martial exams with overwhelming 7th-tier dominance...

By then...

Who could tell truth from fiction?

...

After handing the card to Yun Huang, Yun Ting removed all monitoring devices from her.

Before leaving, she maintained her saccharine maternal act. "Huang Huang, take a good rest this week."

Watching Yun Ting’s retreating figure, Yun Huang felt no joy.

Only a surreal disbelief.

Dazed for a few seconds, she finally turned to Su Qi. "Thank you."

"Don’t mention it. It’s a paid service—30 million."

A 7th-tier legendary card’s market price in Great Xia was around 8 million.

Printing one on the spot was nothing difficult for Su Qi.

It had cost him a full [50 points of Radiance].

But this was a seller’s market.

A steep markup wasn’t unreasonable.

A perfect sucker.

Why not fleece her?

Yun Huang: "..."

Why did half her gratitude vanish in an instant?

Was this guy obsessed with money or something?

Then, Su Qi nudged Liu Yuan with his elbow.

"Come on, Yuan. Be a good girl—call her sister-in-law."