Being continuously splashed with water, Ye Chuan called out, "Senior Sister, your clothes!"
Only then did Zi Ning'er snap out of her daze. In a flash, she transformed into a streak of light and dove back into the sacred pool, sending a splash of water high into the air.
"Junior Brother, don't look over here!" Zi Ning'er's flustered voice rang out.
Watching this scene, Ye Chuan also sank back into the sacred pool. He twitched his lips, suddenly realizing that his senior sister might be a bit single-minded—perhaps even a little scatterbrained—seemingly forgetting everything else once focused on one task.
The atmosphere grew awkward. In the distance, Zi Ning'er kept her back turned to Ye Chuan. Feeling the endless surge of spiritual energy from the sacred pool, she found herself reluctant to leave.
"Senior Sister, since the water level isn’t dropping anymore, why don’t we absorb the remaining spiritual energy?" Ye Chuan suggested. "It won’t take much longer."
"But..."
"Fluctuations in the water level are normal. Even the tides rise and fall—maybe the pool follows the same pattern."
"The pool does that too?" Zi Ning'er asked.
"Well, it is a sacred pool after all. It must have its own unique properties. It’s not like someone could’ve stolen all that water, right?" Ye Chuan reasoned.
Zi Ning'er found his logic sound. After sorting through her thoughts, she calmed down. "Let’s refine this spiritual energy first. If anything changes, we’ll leave immediately!"
Indeed, the water here wouldn’t vanish without reason—perhaps it was just part of the pool’s natural rhythm.
"Alright."
Once Zi Ning'er settled down, Ye Chuan fully activated his Indestructible Chaos Body. The spiritual energy in the sacred pool surged toward him, being devoured at an astonishing rate, like a whale gulping down water.
Though he had already reached the peak of his current realm, the absorbed energy could still be stored away, ready to be refined into his cultivation once he broke through to the Golden Core stage.
"Hmm?" Zi Ning'er, who had been quietly cultivating, suddenly sensed the shift in the pool’s energy. Surprised, she turned her head toward Ye Chuan—
She was stunned to see all the spiritual energy flowing toward him. Just what kind of monstrous talent did he possess, that even she couldn’t compete for it?
No wonder their master had been suppressing Ye Chuan—to prevent him from shining too brightly and overtaking her as the top rising star of Flying Sword Peak.
Yet, even after witnessing Ye Chuan’s talent, Zi Ning'er didn’t believe her master’s actions were justified.
Cultivation wasn’t solely about innate gifts. She was confident that with her own diligence and effort, she could match her junior brother’s strength in the future.
Setting aside her thoughts, she refocused on her cultivation.
An unknown amount of time later, Ye Chuan opened his eyes and glanced around—
Nearly seventy to eighty percent of the sacred pool’s spiritual energy had been absorbed by him. The once-glowing pool now lay dim, its spiritual essence nearly depleted.
"Not bad. Once I reach Golden Core, this reserve of energy will help me break through several more stages." Sensing the vast energy within him, he noticed Zi Ning'er still sitting motionless in the distance, absorbing the remnants of the pool’s energy.
Ye Chuan decided to wait patiently.
...
That night, Zi Ning'er finally opened her eyes, realizing she had broken through to the next minor realm. "I’ve advanced!"
Delight flashed across her face, but then she spotted Ye Chuan standing on a rock nearby, already dressed in fresh robes.
"Junior Brother, did you break through too?" she asked.
"I made some progress," Ye Chuan replied casually. Just then, Zi Ning'er began swimming toward him through the pool. Seeing certain buoyant objects, he reminded her again,
"Senior Sister, your clothes."
"Ah!" Zi Ning'er suddenly remembered and immediately submerged herself.
A long moment later, she reappeared on the opposite side of the pool, standing atop her flying sword. Her robes were clean but haphazardly thrown on, as if she’d dressed in a hurry.
"Ahem. As cultivators, we shouldn’t be troubled by such distractions. Forget about it—don’t dwell on it," Zi Ning'er said, her gaze flickering toward Ye Chuan.
"I wasn’t particularly bothered," Ye Chuan said with an amused smile, watching her flushed face. "Senior Sister, it’s time to leave."
"R-right."
After tidying up, the two crushed their teleportation talismans together.
A small rift opened behind them, swallowing them whole.
"..."
"..." When Ye Chuan opened his eyes again, he found himself back at the teleportation array.
Though their gains weren’t immense, breaking through a single realm was already a significant achievement for Zi Ning'er. After all, progressing beyond the Golden Core stage was notoriously difficult.
"Junior Brother..." Zi Ning'er, still embarrassed by what had happened in the pool, hesitated before speaking. "I’ll go rest first."
"Mm." As soon as Ye Chuan acknowledged, Zi Ning'er summoned her flying sword and soared toward her cave abode. But before she’d gone far, she turned back in a streak of light, holding a communication token.
"Junior Brother, Master wants to discuss something with us. I wonder if it’s about the sacred pool."
"The sacred pool?"
"Yes." Zi Ning'er nodded. "I think we should also report what happened in the sacred land."
Ye Chuan thought for a moment, then smiled. "In that case, let’s go."
Zi Ning'er agreed, and the two flew toward Tianheng Peak.
The journey wasn’t long. After about half an hour, they arrived and stepped into the grand hall.
"Where is Elder Ziyun?" Zi Ning'er asked a gatekeeping disciple.
"Inside. Just head straight in," the disciple replied, his expression slightly odd as he pointed the way.
"Let’s go, Junior Brother."
"Mm." Watching Zi Ning'er walk ahead, Ye Chuan withdrew his gaze from the disciple and suddenly said, "Senior Sister, you’ve always been so kind to me. I feel a bit ashamed."
"What are you talking about? You’re my junior brother," Zi Ning'er said with a smile. "It’s only natural."
Ye Chuan chuckled softly but then murmured, "What a pity."
A pity?
Zi Ning'er was puzzled. What did he mean?
Just as the two stepped further into the hall, an overwhelming pressure crashed down on them, as if the very air had solidified!
"Hum—"
"Hum—"
"Hum—"
Dozens of golden divine senses shot forth, forming layer upon layer of restraints around Ye Chuan!
"Junior Brother?!" Before Zi Ning'er could react, a powerful force yanked her aside, sending her stumbling to the ground.
"Master?" She looked up to see Elder Ziyun standing beside her.
Not only that—dozens of elders surrounded them, even the Sect Leader was present!
Elder Ziyun ignored Zi Ning'er, his cold eyes fixed on Ye Chuan as he demanded sharply,
"Huang Haotian! You’re the thief who stole the cultivation manuals, the herb garden, and the pill formulas, aren’t you?!"
What?!
"Master, are you mistaken?" Zi Ning'er asked in disbelief, unable to comprehend why her master would say such a thing.
She immediately turned her gaze to Ye Chuan, only to find his expression eerily calm. Even under the oppressive aura of the assembled elders, he merely let out a light, indifferent chuckle.
"Not at all."
In that instant, Zi Ning'er felt as if her heart had plunged into an icy abyss.
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
o a martial world and obtained a system that allowed him to draw one entry per year. Unfortunately, all he drew were useless white-tier entries. The probability for high-quality entries was extremely low, with the highest-tier mythic entry having a mere 0.001% chance! To increase the probability, he had to improve his martial realm, but he lacked the innate talent for cultivation. At the age of eighteen, Chen Yi fell into the hands of a gang and was forced into hard labor. Just as his life seemed destined for a bleak end, on his 18th entry draw, he actually pulled a mythic entry—Simulator! In the simulation, he could also draw one entry every year that passed, and upon ending the simulation, he would inherit all entries and his martial realm! In his first simulation, Chen Yi struggled desperately just to survive, knowing that living one more year meant one more entry draw! Finally, with hair turned white, he drew the entry he had longed for—Low-Grade Innate Talent! "Hahaha! Don't bully the old and poor! Time to cultivate and inherit my cultivation base!" ... From then on, Chen Yi continuously simulated and drew entries, his martial realm soaring higher and higher! Epic, legendary, and even mythic entries were gathered into his collection one after another! "What demon race or devil race? What dark turmoil? I don't know anything about that. They just charged at me screaming 'How can you possibly ascend to immortality?!' and got stuck to my fists, unable to be shaken off. Blind spots, speed bumps... go talk to my simulator. We're all struggling to survive out here. I'm trying so hard, so how are they still alive?"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
