It's Not Just Us Moving Forward

Li Yingling, satisfied with the response, relaxed slightly and headed to the fourth floor.

For some reason, the thrill of getting a discount was truly addictive.

However, it had to be a high-tier establishment like the Treasure Pavilion. Most ordinary shops only required presenting the—Jade Sun Discount Card.

Only the Treasure Pavilion demanded additional proof of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect and Tianyan Sect discount cards.

Fortunately, the discount was substantial.

As Li Yingling stepped onto the fourth floor, she noticed that unlike the third floor, which still had a few Nascent Soul cultivators, only one solitary cultivator remained here, silently browsing items without even turning at the sound of her arrival.

The shopkeeper stood firm. "Esteemed guest, feel free to look around. If you don’t find anything suitable or have something specific in mind, you may call for me. I’ll assist you in finding the perfect item."

"Much obliged." Li Yingling gave a slight nod and moved forward, her gaze sweeping over the array of precious items protected by layers of enchantments.

Truthfully, Li Yingling wasn’t entirely sure what her master truly liked.

Her master always carried himself with a gentle smile, unhurried and unbothered, though occasionally his words could be provoking—yet even when teased, he never seemed genuinely upset.

When not refining pills, he would often wander outside, indifferent to fine robes or coveted magical treasures.

What ordinary cultivators craved, her master treated with casual disregard.

For instance, the top-grade spirit artifact sword in Li Yingling’s possession had been given to her without a second thought—her master hadn’t shown the slightest attachment to it.

In the past, he would occasionally visit pleasure houses, though it seemed he truly went only to listen to music and chat.

Later, after Elder Xie took up permanent residence in the sect, her master stopped going altogether.

Li Yingling knew that no matter what she gifted, her master would be pleased. But if she was going to do something, she would do it right.

She had to find something that would truly dazzle him.

Besides, she had already made bold claims—presenting something thoughtless would be an embarrassment she couldn’t bear.

But what would suit her master’s temperament?

Slowing her steps, Li Yingling scanned the rare materials and artifacts before her.

Suddenly, she remembered something and turned toward the shopkeeper standing by the entrance.

"Shopkeeper, I recall there was something made of dream gold, wasn’t there?"

The shopkeeper quickly approached. "The esteemed guest must be referring to the Dreamweaver Bell, correct?"

"Most likely. Could you bring it out for me to see?" Li Yingling nodded lightly.

If it was this item, even her lazy master would surely love it.

---

Tianyan Sect, Tianyan Peak’s grand hall.

Only three people were present in the hall now—Chu Xingchen, Yanyun, and Bai Xuanling.

For some reason, Lv Xuan, the one least likely to miss such a meeting, was absent this time.

Chu Xingchen held a teacup lightly, his gaze lifting to meet Bai Xuanling’s across the table.

As he had predicted, about half a month after Li Xingtian’s breakthrough, the man had started acting strangely—hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to voice it.

Chu Xingchen understood the situation at a glance.

After a cultivation breakthrough, there was always a period of consolidation. During this time, relentless training was inefficient since one hadn’t fully mastered their newfound power.

Most cultivators would choose to travel during this phase—broadening their horizons while tempering their abilities to lay a stronger foundation for the future.

After all, this was the ideal time for such experiences, where effort wouldn’t be wasted.

Li Xingtian was a wanderer by nature. Keeping him cooped up in the sect, wasting the prime opportunity to roam, would undoubtedly chafe at him.

But leaving right after a breakthrough—especially after Chu Xingchen had enhanced his aptitude—felt a bit like taking advantage of his master’s generosity.

So Chu Xingchen took the initiative and told Li Xingtian to go wander to his heart’s content, to temper himself and return as a pillar of the sect.

With that matter settled, Chu Xingchen now had to address his own affairs.

Lv Xuan had sent a letter some time ago, urging Chu Xingchen to visit Tianyan Sect at his earliest convenience.

At the moment, Bai Xuanling sat with her eyes half-lidded, looking utterly listless as she reclined in her chair, her left hand idly tapping the table.

"Shouldn’t you still be in seclusion, recovering?" Chu Xingchen set down his teacup. "Is it wise to emerge so abruptly?"

Bai Xuanling let out a soft yawn and straightened slightly, though her entire demeanor remained languid.

"After lying around for so many years, what harm could it do? Even my worst injuries never required this much rest."

Chu Xingchen frowned slightly. "You don’t exactly look fine."

Bai Xuanling ignored the remark—this disciple had a knack for picking up on details, and the more she explained, the more complicated it would get. Instead, she glanced at Yanyun and said,

"Didn’t the sect leader prepare something? Show it to him."

Yanyun gave a slight nod and retrieved a box from her spatial ring—one covered in dozens of talismans, so densely packed they nearly obscured the box itself. Each talisman pulsed with formidable spiritual energy.

Without a doubt, these were all high-tier suppression talismans, yet they were used solely to contain whatever lay within this box.

Yanyun formed a hand seal, sending wisps of spiritual energy into the box. One by one, the talismans lifted, revealing the dark surface beneath.

"Wait—" Chu Xingchen suddenly spoke up.

Both Yanyun and Bai Xuanling turned to him.

Chu Xingchen cleared his throat. "After you open this box, am I going to end up running all over the place, diving into fire and water for whatever’s inside?"

"That depends on you," Yanyun replied, her hand resting on the box. "If you don’t want to do it, no one can force you. But if you do, you might just blame me for not opening it sooner."

Chu Xingchen sighed. "Go ahead."

Without another word, Yanyun lifted the lid.

Before Chu Xingchen could even get a clear look, an eerie, instinctively repulsive energy surged from within the box.

Bai Xuanling also seemed to despise the energy, raising a hand to block it effortlessly.

Yanyun turned the box toward him.

Inside lay a faintly blackened, prismatic crystal.

Chu Xingchen recognized it immediately, his brow furrowing.

"Polluted and distorted rules? Though this seems like an experimental imitation—how was this even achieved?"

Yanyun nodded. "Close enough. The principles of the Heavenly Dao—what you call 'rules'—can, under certain conditions, be materialized. However, true principles cannot be tainted or warped."

"But this is merely a refraction, lacking the uniqueness of true principles. Like a flower painted on canvas—no matter how lifelike, it can still be altered by the artist’s hand."

"Still, achieving this degree of manipulation is… alarming."

"Both Tianyan Sect and the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect have conducted research and experiments, but no definitive conclusions have been reached."

"At worst, their ultimate goal may be to corrupt the principles themselves, triggering a collapse."

"This was discovered in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. The spread of such things may already be far beyond our estimations, and the consequences far more dire than we imagine."

"Over the course of thousands of years, we were not the only ones making progress."