"Lotus Blooms in the Heart of Fire", The Harmony of Heaven and Humanity

At the summit of Jade Cluster Peak.

"It seems Elder Qian never intended for my cheap master to repay her debts—just to remind her not to borrow anymore."

Li Mo gazed at the sparse furnishings atop the peak, his lips twitching slightly.

A crude wooden hut, with a few broken walls and scattered ruins.

That was it.

If he didn’t know this was within the Qingyuan Sect, he would’ve thought the place had just been ravaged by disaster beasts.

"Master? Master?"

Li Mo called out twice, but there was no response. He pushed open the wooden door.

The room reeked of alcohol.

On the bed, a woman lay sprawled under a blanket, her sleeping posture utterly unrestrained, a faint trail of drool glistening at the corner of her lips.

"Master?"

"Mmm..."

The woman grunted lazily like a sloth, rolled over, and continued sleeping.

Li Mo had no choice but to lean in close to her ear and whisper:

"Elder Qian is here to collect debts..."

The effect was immediate.

Shang Wu shot upright, but upon seeing Li Mo standing before her, her drunken, wary eyes flickered with confusion:

"Who are you?"

"I’m your disciple," Li Mo replied helplessly.

"Disciple... Oh, right, I remember now."

Shang Wu scratched her head, seemingly recalling, though her almond-shaped eyes remained dazed. "What do you need?"

Awake, but not quite.

Li Mo paused for a moment before speaking. "Since I’ve joined your tutelage... shouldn’t you teach me something?"

"That... does sound reasonable."

Shang Wu’s delicate shoulders were exposed, completely oblivious to how indecent her current posture was.

She stood up, her robes hanging loosely off one shoulder, revealing half of her collarbone. Surprisingly, she was even slightly taller than Li Mo.

"Yesterday, I did plan to teach you something."

"Without alcohol, my memory’s just terrible."

She frowned slightly, looking genuinely troubled.

No sooner had she spoken than a soft pop echoed—the sound of a cork being pulled.

Shang Wu’s nose twitched, and she immediately rattled off like an expert:

"Green Ant Brew? Specially made by the Ten-Mile Slope Winery, aged five years for the best amber hue. A ten-year vintage is even rarer—where’d you get this?"

She snatched the jar from her unfortunate disciple and took a deep swig, the liquor trickling down her chest, tracing a breathtaking curve.

Your memory isn’t that bad after all.

Li Mo could barely stand to watch.

Shang Wu wiped her mouth and declared:

"Now I remember. Yesterday, I made a bet with that old ghost Han He."

"He dared say I couldn’t teach a disciple. Can I tolerate that?"

Li Mo: "..."

The man wasn’t exactly wrong.

No other master would hand their disciple an account book as a welcome gift.

"Just because he took in Murong Xiao, he thinks he can strut around like a peacock. Pah!"

"So, I made a wager with him."

"If a disciple from Jade Cluster Peak ranks higher in the next Nine Peaks Tournament, he’ll clear my debts with the Internal Affairs Hall."

"And if we lose?"

"Lose? As my disciple, can’t you have a little confidence?"

With that, Shang Wu turned and rummaged through a chest, pulling out a manual.

She declared with full confidence:

"This is my unique cultivation method. I’ll have you mastering it by the end of the day."

Li Mo took the manual and read its title:

"Flame Heart Lotus Method"

It sounded impressive.

Even the system had evaluated Shang Wu as exceptionally powerful.

Well, all these debts must’ve been racked up through sheer skill.

The fact that she owed the Internal Affairs Hall so much, yet Elder Qian could only tactfully remind her not to borrow more, spoke volumes.

Li Mo felt slightly reassured and flipped open the manual.

After reading through it, he asked:

"Master, there’s a part I didn’t quite understand..."

"Snore... Snore..."

"Master?"

Li Mo looked up.

His carefree, beautiful master had somehow fallen asleep again, the wine jar now completely empty beside her.

She was thoroughly drunk—no amount of shaking would wake her.

Sister, could you be a little more reliable?!

Just as Li Mo was drowning in exasperation—

[Investment successful. Investment: One jar of ten-year Green Ant Brew.]

[Reward calculation in progress...]

[Congratulations, Host. Reward: Ten Years of Martial Insight!]

[Ten Years of Martial Insight]: "Can be applied to any martial technique, granting the host ten years of mastery in it."

Huh?

Ten years of martial insight?

The progression of a martial technique was divided into six stages: Novice, Familiar, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, Perfection, and Transcendence.

Even the most common martial arts in the world had few who could reach Perfection, let alone Transcendence.

Take his father, Li Dalong, for example. His "Grasping Wind Palm" technique had been practiced for nearly twenty years, yet he’d only reached Major Mastery.

Of course, much of this depended on one’s innate talent.

"I wouldn’t call myself a genius, but I’m at least sharp-witted."

Li Mo stepped outside and sat cross-legged on the ground.

With that thought, he poured all ten years of martial insight into the Flame Heart Lotus Method.

[Ten Years of Martial Insight successfully applied.]

[Year One: You meticulously studied every word of the Flame Heart Lotus Method, conducted experiments, and successfully reached the Novice stage.]

[Year Three: You gained deeper insights, uncovering the method’s secrets, advancing to the Familiar stage.]

[Year Nine: Your mastery of the Flame Heart Lotus Method grew, reaching Minor Mastery.]

[Year Ten: You brushed against a bottleneck but lacked the foundation to break through.]

Instantly, countless images flooded Li Mo’s mind—as if he’d genuinely spent a decade refining the Flame Heart Lotus Method, now standing at Minor Mastery.

"Whew..."

"Ten years... Minor Mastery."

The sudden enlightenment felt like soaring above the clouds.

Eagerly, he began his first true cultivation session.

A warmth kindled in his dantian...

And the surrounding grass and trees swayed without wind.

"For the first attempt, just opening a meridian would count as success."

Li Mo steadied his mind.

Inside the hut, the drunken Shang Wu suddenly furrowed her brows.

She mumbled:

"Heaven-Man Unity?"

"Who’s got such damn good luck..."

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Qingyuan Main Peak, Training Hall.

Several elders stood by, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief.

The source of their astonishment was a young girl seated not far away, her posture perfectly aligned in meditation.

At this moment, these elders—collectively over five hundred years old—were questioning their entire lives.

Questioning whether their past decades had been wasted.

"A day to reach Novice?"

Xue Jing murmured in disbelief.

"To be precise, a quarter of an hour," Qian Bufan corrected, sighing deeply. He then turned and asked:

"Han He, you also practice this Frost-Seeking Origin Method. How long did it take you back then?"

Han He’s lips twitched. After a long pause, he replied:

"A month."

Back then, Han He had been young, a fresh disciple of the Qingyuan Sect.

He still remembered how his master had praised him as a genius when he mastered the technique in a month and successfully opened his meridians.

But compared to this girl before them...

As the elders spoke, their exhaled breath instantly crystallized into frost.

"Each generation surpasses the last. The Qingyuan Sect is destined for greatness."

Xue Jing solemnly declared.

His perception was razor-sharp.

As Ying Bing practiced her cultivation, it seemed as though an endless surge of Lunar Yin energy flowed within her.

Even as the master of this power, she could not avoid being harmed by it.

Consuming Yang-aligned herbs or elixirs could offset a fraction of the damage.

It appeared that the vial of Pure Yang Pills he had sold to Li Mo a few days prior had helped this young girl unblock her meridians.

Pfft—

A faint sound.

The cold wind seemed to swirl around Ying Bing, forming a vortex.

"She’s opened a meridian!"

Han He’s eyes widened in shock.

He could clearly sense that the first major meridian in Ying Bing’s body had been completely unblocked.

"If this continues, won’t she have all twelve meridians unblocked in just a few days?"

This statement was only half correct.

Ying Bing could indeed unblock all twelve meridians within days.

But what she sought to open was far more than just twelve.

The elders of the Qingyuan Sect were ultimately limited by their narrow perspective.

The human body was a treasure trove, and the number of major meridians far exceeded twelve.

Of course, ordinary martial artists in the Qi-Blood Realm, even if aware of their existence, could never hope to unblock them—it required an exceptionally refined and precise control.

But for her, this was no challenge.

What Ying Bing aimed for was to unblock twenty-four meridians, forming a grand internal cycle within her body.

Once she stepped into the Inner Breath Realm, her strength would increase by more than tenfold!

"Such a monstrous talent makes our guidance utterly redundant."

Xue Jing wore a bitter smile.

The Sect Leader, burdened with duties, had specifically assigned the three of them to instruct Ying Bing, answering her questions and preventing errors that might arise from a single teacher’s ingrained habits.

Now, their efforts were unnecessary.

Watching Ying Bing cultivate made them feel as though they themselves were riddled with mistakes.

"I’ll leave this to you two. I’m heading to Jade Cluster Peak."

"Why go there? It’s an ill-omened place."

At the mere mention of it, Elder Han He snorted coldly.

"Do you truly trust Shang Wu to teach disciples properly?" Xue Jing tugged at his patched robe.

Qian Bufan took a deep breath.

"Hurry, Junior Brother Xue. If you’re late, I fear it’ll be too late."