Congratulations to My Junior Sister on Achieving the Golden Core Realm

"Junior Sister... if you don't get up soon, I'll be crushed into a corpse..."

For some reason, every word from Su Ji's voice sounded strained.

"...Stop talking nonsense!"

Su Jiu was both embarrassed and flustered.

"I'm not even heavy..."

It was clear that every girl cared deeply about her weight.

"Eh?! Don't blow air like that—I'm getting up now!"

Faced with Su Ji's silent protest, Su Jiu scrambled clumsily to rise.

But the more frantic she became, the more awkward her movements.

Her hand pressed against Su Ji's chest, the firmness beneath her palm sending another wave of disarray through her, leaving her limbs weak.

Gritting her teeth, Su Jiu stopped overthinking and rolled off Su Ji with all four limbs.

She turned her back to him, staring down at the molten lava, not daring to lift her head.

Finally able to breathe, Su Ji gasped heavily, inhaling the scorching air as he pushed himself up from the ground.

His gaze fell on Su Jiu, who, like him moments ago, seemed desperate to bury her head in the earth.

The corners of his lips twitched upward uncontrollably, but he quickly forced them back down.

Clearing his throat, he prepared to say something to break the unbearably awkward silence.

Yet, before he could, the familiar options appeared before his eyes.

[Conversation with Su Jiu triggered—target meets aesthetic preferences, romance options unlocked.]

[Option 1: Scold Su Jiu for her recklessness and tell her to be more careful next time. (Reward: Su Jiu’s favorability +1, green destiny ‘The Dao is Merciless’)]

[Option 2: Pretend to be severely injured, claiming she crushed your Dao foundation and must take responsibility. (Reward: Su Jiu’s favorability +1, special storyline)]

[Option 3: Say nothing about what just happened. Feign panic and ask Su Jiu if she encountered any trouble or was hurt. (Reward: Su Jiu’s favorability +1, partial intel gained.)]

Su Ji’s mind raced.

The first option was outright ridiculous.

"Be more careful next time"?

He’d prefer if she didn’t be careful at all next time.

The second option aligned with his usual antics.

But...

"A special storyline"?

Did he have a death wish?

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s body wasn’t made of iron.

Everything required balance and gradual progress.

Su Ji made his decision in an instant.

Dropping all playful thoughts, he adopted a perfectly measured look of concern.

His eyes settled on the white-haired figure whose ears were burning red.

"Junior Sister, you vanished earlier—did you run into trouble?"

His voice was soft, laced with a barely detectable tension.

"I searched for you for so long. Are you hurt?"

Su Jiu’s body trembled almost imperceptibly.

She slowly raised her head, her clear fox-like eyes wide with disbelief.

She had expected questioning, or demands to explain her earlier blunder.

Instead, she was met with... concern?

A surge of warmth rose abruptly from her heart, dispelling all her embarrassment and frustration.

Staring at Su Ji’s face, she felt her heartbeat skip.

"I... I’m fine."

Her voice wavered slightly, but she avoided his gaze as she murmured,

"Earlier... I was taken to a strange realm by a senior."

"And I gained some opportunities."

Opportunities?

Su Ji raised a brow.

He studied Su Jiu closely. Though she tried to suppress it, the vast, newfound aura around her was impossible to hide.

"Congratulations, Junior Sister, on forging your Golden Core."

A genuine smile graced his lips.

And why not?

Su Jiu reaching the Golden Core stage meant the Love-Longing Sect’s days under its current name were numbered.

Su Jiu’s head snapped up, her fox eyes filled with shock.

Su Ji had seen through it at a glance?

She nodded faintly in acknowledgment.

Then, the clarity in her eyes dimmed, replaced by an indescribable sorrow.

"Senior Brother, I..."

She trailed off, hesitating.

Today’s events had shaken her too deeply.

The secrets buried for a hundred thousand years weighed on her like mountains, suffocating her.

Su Ji didn’t press her. Instead, he instinctively sat down, about to pat the space beside him.

"Sit... OW!"

Ah, the perks of Foundation Establishment—leaping three meters in one bound.

After yelping, Su Ji finally learned his lesson.

He retreated to the spot where he had broken through earlier.

"Sit and talk?"

Su Jiu hesitated briefly before obediently walking over and settling beside him.

The two sat side by side on the scorching rocks, surrounded by churning lava, yet the atmosphere was strangely peaceful.

"That senior... was a true dragon. She was incredibly powerful."

Su Jiu chose her words carefully.

"She has lived for an unfathomably long time."

"She told me... the cultivation method of our Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox lineage is flawed."

Her voice was quiet, tinged with bitter self-mockery.

"The technique I took pride in—the one that guaranteed a ninth-grade Golden Core—was, in her words, nothing but a ‘dead core’ that severs the path forward."

"True greatness lies in forging a Heavenly Palace Golden Core."

Su Ji’s heart stirred.

He had seen the term "Heavenly Palace Golden Core" in the [Fallen Dragon’s Desolate Decree].

"She helped you rebuild your foundation?" Su Ji asked.

"Yes." Su Jiu nodded lightly. "With her supreme power, she summoned heavenly lightning and earthly flames to temper my Dao platform, allowing me to barely condense a Heavenly Palace Golden Core."

"Senior Brother, do you know why Great Xia has no path beyond Nascent Soul, why our legacies are severed?"

Su Ji shook his head, listening intently.

"Because a hundred thousand years ago, this world endured a cataclysm."

"Countless ancient sects and mighty races perished in that calamity."

Su Jiu’s fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her robe.

"My clan’s sacred land... was reduced to ashes overnight in that disaster. Not a single soul survived."

Her voice trembled slightly on the last few words.

After steadying herself, she continued, "Great Xia is a severed fragment of that world, its Dao incomplete, cutting off the path to Nascent Soul."

"Some of my clansmen who were outside by chance survived and chose to retreat into seclusion..."

"You know the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Foxes are not known for combat."

"Without strong allies to rely on, and bound by the limits of cultivation lifespans, each generation grew weaker. Some even compromised to preserve the bloodline, diluting it until many regressed into mere Nine-Tailed Fox Spirits."

"Now, compared to ordinary demonic beasts, our only advantages are early intelligence, human forms, and intact ancient legacies."

"And I... am the first Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox in nearly ten thousand years to experience a bloodline reversion."

"One day, the clan elders sought me out, saying a great era approaches. They even sacrificed their lives to divine a glimpse of the ‘future’ for me..."

"I was supposed to shoulder the responsibility of restoring my clan’s glory..."

"But now... a senior tells me even our legacy is wrong..."

"I’m lost..."

"Can I truly leave Great Xia...?"

"Fulfill my duty... revive my clan’s honor."

Su Ji fell silent.

He hadn’t realized Su Jiu carried such a heavy burden.

He reached out, intending to pat her shoulder in comfort, but halfway through the motion, he hesitated, sensing it might be inappropriate. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, Su Jiu's cold fingers wrapped around his, guiding it gently to rest upon her shoulder.