That's Right

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.