Yu Chengyan remained cold and indifferent under Yu Wei’s pitiful gaze.
His acting was flawless. When he glanced sideways at Ning Suyi, she even felt the pressure she had always sensed was missing—the kind that came from someone truly strong.
“Lead the way,” Yu Chengyan said calmly. “Weren’t you inviting me to see where you live?”
This answered Yu Wei’s earlier question.
The little cat demon was completely intimidated, unsure why Yu Chengyan had suddenly become so cold and frightening. Ning Suyi led the way while Yu Wei nervously clutched her sleeve.
They entered the dormitory. The ten-bed female dorm was clean and orderly, each bed identical with the standardized outer-gate bedding.
Though the beds were indistinguishable, Yu Chengyan guessed that Yu Wei’s bed would be in the innermost corner.
Sure enough, Ning Suyi stopped with Yu Wei at the bed closest to the corner.
Yu Chengyan flicked his fingers, and his true energy quickly scanned the surroundings. The notebook hidden in Yu Wei’s bedding was pulled out and appeared in his hand in an instant.
“That’s mine!”
The little cat demon panicked and lunged to grab it, but Yu Chengyan raised his arm slightly, keeping it out of reach.
“You must train first before looking at your notebooks,” he said.
Yu Wei was furious. This was the first time anyone had taken her belongings! She could not reach the notebook, so she pounded his chest twice with her fists. The chest was as hard as anyone else’s, and Yu Chengyan remained unmoved. Her hands turned red.
Yu Chengyan looked at Ning Suyi. “Miss Ning, I remember you have a ring specifically for storing Yu Wei’s notebooks and snacks. Give it to me.”
What?!
Yu Wei quickly looked at Ning Suyi, who hesitated. “Ling Xiao… this isn’t necessary. You already have the notebooks. Keeping the ring doesn’t make a difference.”
“Miss Ning,” Yu Chengyan said coldly, “I have the sect master’s order to deploy whoever I need. Do you intend to defy the sect’s command?”
Unable to resist, Ning Suyi finally handed over the ring.
Yu Wei stared blankly, sensing something was very wrong.
It was over. Everything was over.
She had been upset over one notebook, and now the entire stash was gone!
Yu Chengyan showed no expression as he added, “You must behave to eat snacks or read your notebooks. If you misbehave, no treats, and your afternoon sunbathing and grooming time will be deducted.”
What?!
His words struck like thunder. Yu Wei froze. When she realized what he meant, her chest heaved, and tears streamed from her large, beautiful eyes.
“Waa! You big bully!” the little cat cried. “I hate you!”
“Don’t be sad, Yu Wei,” Ning Suyi comforted, holding her close. “It’s my fault. I couldn’t stop him… next time, if a disciple pretends, I’ll buy you more notebooks!”
Yu Chengyan: …
If the target of this attention had been anyone else, he would have applauded her acting.
Yu Wei’s distress tugged at his heart. To suppress his own emotions, he clenched his fingers under his sleeves so tightly they nearly sank into his palms.
Half an hour later, Yu Wei, now calm but still breathing unevenly, was led to the creek again.
For a month she had enjoyed this place, but today things changed. She stood aggrieved in the open, eyes red, looking at Yu Chengyan with helplessness that stirred a mixture of annoyance and concern in him.
“From now on, we will start proper groundwork for the Qi Refining stage. First…”
He suddenly paused, his expression shifting.
Ning Suyi asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Chengyan hesitated before murmuring, “…I seem to not know how to train at the Qi Refining stage.”
“What?” Ning Suyi could hardly believe it. “Then how did you train before?”
Qi Refining is the foundation of cultivation, building the body and learning to absorb and circulate spiritual energy. Ordinary disciples often spend ten years or more just mastering circulation.
Yu Chengyan’s expression grew uneasy.
“I don’t think I ever trained,” he said weakly. “Since my earliest memory, my body has already been circulating spiritual energy.”
Xie Jianbai was a prodigy who swept the world before thirty, and no one below the Heavens ever matched him. Yu Chengyan, though less talented than his father, was still leagues beyond ordinary people; his cultivation could rise almost effortlessly.
Ning Suyi: …
Damn prodigy.
“Yu Wei, first learn meditation with me,” Ning Suyi said, guiding her to sit cross-legged and close her eyes.
Still tired from crying, Yu Wei complied without resistance.
“Use your ears to sense the wind around you. Focus—can you feel the spiritual energy in the air?” Ning Suyi explained. “Some see it as glowing particles in darkness, others as flowing streams. How about you?”
This allowed them to gauge Yu Wei’s aptitude. Feeling spiritual energy is the first step.
Initially, Yu Wei sensed nothing, just darkness. Soon, she noticed strange flows of light, like colored smoke.
However…
“I don’t see spiritual energy,” she muttered. “But I do see smoke coming off both of you.”
“Smoke?” Ning Suyi frowned.
In Yu Wei’s mind, Ning Suyi radiated faint purple mixed with red, while Yu Chengyan’s aura was more complex.
Blue, red, and black swirled around him, with the red and black like storm clouds obscuring the blue.
When Yu Wei described it, Yu Chengyan fell into thought.
After a while, he said, “This may be a cat’s innate ability. Some weaker demons can sense others’ marks to avoid danger or gain information.”
Hearing this, Ning Suyi’s eyebrows twitched. She looked at him, noting he did not appear to investigate further, then turned back to Yu Wei.
“What do we do?” she frowned. “Yu Wei cannot sense spiritual energy but has a strong perception of demonic energy. This…”
She was not belittling demon skills, but in the Lower World, cultivation is supreme. Ascension is the only path. Demonic training has no precedent for a demon to achieve ascension.
If the future was a dead end, was training necessary?
Yu Chengyan frowned. The situation was far more complicated than planned.
Demonic power is inherited through mother-daughter bloodlines. Yu Wei would naturally excel in demon cultivation, not cultivation.
Yet demons in this era faced harsh conditions. Even a Golden Core demon cultivator would be respected; a Golden Core demon would struggle to survive.
Training in demonic arts was the least favorable option. Yu Chengyan did not want Yu Wei to choose it before exhausting other options.
Ning Suyi and Yu Chengyan spent the afternoon trying to guide Yu Wei, but she still sensed no spiritual energy. They were not discouraged; cultivation is never easy.
By sunset, Yu Chengyan noticed Yu Wei’s subtle rejection.
She was usually cheerful and attentive, focusing on those she liked. Withdrawing that attention created a stark gap.
All afternoon, no matter what Yu Chengyan said, Yu Wei ignored him. Even when their eyes met, she quickly looked away.
Her coldness cut deeper than any blade.
As the sun set, Yu Wei immediately tried to leave.
Yu Chengyan, at a loss, asked softly, “Hungry? Eat dinner first.”
“No.” Yu Wei ignored him, tugging Ning Suyi along. “Let’s go, A’Ning.”
Ning Suyi’s expression was complicated. Seeing Yu Chengyan’s dejection, she also felt uneasy.
“Ling Xiao, you should rest too. It’s a long time ahead. No rush.”
Yu Wei, naive and perceptive, was easy to console; a few meals would cheer her up. Pulling her along, she soon left.
The creek returned to silence, the water the only sound.
The young man stayed there for a long time, leaning against a tree.
Night fell.
Yu Chengyan sat immersed in darkness, gazing into the void. The melancholy that had once vanished returned to his features, lending him a cold, distant air.
At that moment, his magical artifact rang—a message from Starcold Immortal Lord of the Heavens.
The projection illuminated his sharp features. Starcold lifted his gaze, meeting Yu Chengyan’s deep, unreadable eyes, causing his words to falter.
“Are you proceeding smoothly, sir?” Starcold asked cautiously.
Yu Chengyan slowly looked up.
“Yes,” he said. “I have found my mother. Thanks for your help, Starcold.”
“Good. You are welcome,” Starcold said, though puzzled. He expected finding Miss Yu would lighten Yu Chengyan’s mood.
Why did it still feel so cloudy?
Starcold wanted to ask more but sensed the mood wasn’t right.
Yu Chengyan spoke first, “Ask what you wish.”
It was strange. Starcold still found Yu Chengyan unfamiliar, yet the response suggested he knew him well.
“Lord Ling Xiao, have your thoughts changed?” Starcold asked softly.
Changing the future is anxiety-inducing, even for Starcold. The future rested in Yu Chengyan’s hands; even confident as he appeared, Starcold wanted to be sure.
“No change,” Yu Chengyan said calmly.
“But…” Starcold hesitated but could not hold back. “You must realize, if you sever your parents’ connection, then you…”
Would cease to exist.
Starcold had never faced such a situation. He did not know if Yu Chengyan’s disappearance would be soul-shattering or erasure from all memory, as if he had never existed.
The former could be called death; the latter was cruel beyond measure.
Moved by compassion, Starcold tried to persuade him.
At that moment, Yu Chengyan laughed softly.
Starcold looked up, and Yu Chengyan’s previously unreadable black eyes flickered with a dangerous delight.
“Then so be it. Just as I wish.”