Dawn broke over the horizon, painting the sky in vibrant shades of gold and crimson. As the flying vessel descended through the sea of clouds, a breathtaking sight opened up below.
Sprawled across the vast valley was a large city, a sprawling urban expanse so vast its outer stone walls vanished into the morning haze. At the very center of this city rose a majestic, jagged mountain range, rearing up like a sleeping dragon. Perched atop these impossibly high peaks, surrounded by floating mist, sat the Sun-Moon Sect.
The sect ruled this entire domain, maintaining protective grand arrays over the city while drawing upon its massive pool of resources, trade, and disciples.
The flying vessel glided smoothly toward the grand skydock of the Sun-Moon Sect's main plaza. The moment the heavy ship docked, patrolling guards and disciples straightened their backs, bowing deeply as Su Yan stepped off the gangway.
"Welcome back, Senior Sister Su Yan!"
"Look, it's Senior Sister Su Yan! The top talent of Lotus-Phoenix Peak!"
"Wait... weren't there rumors that her fire meridians were ruined during her last mission? She looks completely healthy!"
"Who is that standing beside her? His charcoal robes look completely torn... is he some beggar she picked up on the road?"
Whispers rippled through the gathering crowd, but Su Yan ignored them completely. She kept her head held high, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Gu Chen through the bustling outer plaza.
Gu Chen glanced around with deadpan indifference, completely unbothered by the stares. "So, what is the procedure now?" he asked casually. "How do I officially join the sect?"
Su Yan turned to him, her eyes softening. "It is far too early in the morning, and it would be impolite to disturb my Master at her private quarters right now. Let us rest first. I will take you to Lotus-Phoenix Peak, make arrangements for your stay, and take you to meet my Master once the morning assembly begins."
"Very well," Gu Chen replied smoothly.
They crossed the main plaza and arrived at the base of Lotus-Phoenix Peak. A monumental stone staircase spiraled endlessly up the vertical cliff face, disappearing into the clouds above. For ordinary mortals, climbing such a peak would take days, but for Gu Chen and Su Yan, their light-body footwork made the ascent trivial. They glided up the thousands of stone steps like two shadows, arriving at the summit within moments.
Upon reaching the top, Su Yan led Gu Chen into a quiet, fragrant bamboo garden near the edge of the peak.
"Wait here for a short moment," Su Yan said softly, meeting his gaze. "I will have a servant prepare a residence for you."
Gu Chen nodded, leaning casually against a stone pillar. Moments later, a low-ranking servant girl arrived, bowing nervously before guiding Gu Chen down a winding, isolated path toward the eastern cliff edge.
The servant brought him to a secluded, standalone courtyard surrounded by high stone walls. It was far removed from the main disciple quarters, an isolated location where few people ever walked.
Gu Chen raised a single eyebrow, recognizing the deliberate placement. ‘Isolated, private, and far from prying eyes... perfect for stabilizing my cultivation.’
Gu Chen accepted the quarters without complaint. He closed the heavy wooden doors, engaged the latch, and walked straight to the polished stone meditation mat at the center of the room.
Sitting cross-legged, Gu Chen closed his eyes and sank his divine sense deep into his dantian.
Now that the immediate danger was past, the lingering side effects of his rapid breakthrough began to manifest. Because he had forcibly consumed multiple high-grade pills, absorbed the chaotic ambient energy of the secret realm, and used raw Abyssal force to burn off the Lin Clan Soul-Beacon, his newly formed 1st-Stage Foundation Establishment was experiencing a violent, turbulent backlash.
Unrefined, hot residual Qi was thrashing against his meridians like wild waves. His body temperature spiked rapidly, a dense, dark heat radiating outward from his skin.
‘Tsk... this host body's physical shell is still too fragile to comfortably digest such a violent influx of power,’ Gu Chen analyzed internally, his dark brows knitting together in a tight scowl. ‘I need a pure, harmonious element to catalyze and temper this volatile energy, otherwise my meridians will suffer hairline fractures...’
Knock. Knock.
A soft, hesitant tapping echoed at his door.
Gu Chen did not open his eyes or respond, remaining entirely focused on suppressing the chaotic Qi in his chest.
Finding no answer, the heavy wooden door creaked open slowly. Su Yan stepped into the quiet room, carrying a tray of iced spiritual tea. Seeing Gu Chen sitting motionless on the meditation mat, she paused, setting the tray down silently near the entrance.
She stood there in the quiet room, her breath catching as she observed him.
Suddenly, a scorching wave of raw heat blasted from Gu Chen’s body, causing the ambient temperature in the room to surge.
Su Yan gasped, her eyes widening as she sensed the dangerous friction inside his body. Her background allowed her to immediately identify the issue: his newly formed Abyssal Foundation was violently clashing with his physical shell, radiating an unstable, destructive heat!
Gu Chen’s eyelids fluttered open. His dark-violet eyes locked directly onto Su Yan.
"You arrived at the right time," Gu Chen spoke, his voice deep, raspy, and heavy with pure dark authority. "My newly formed Foundation is turbulent from forcing the breakthrough. I require a thread of your Pure Fire Qi to act as a gentle catalyst to soothe my meridians."
Su Yan’s heart thundered in her chest. She looked into his dark, irresistible eyes, her mind filled with deep gratitude and devotion. He had saved her life and restored her cultivation path....helping him now was beyond question.
"I will assist you, Gu Chen," Su Yan whispered softly with quiet resolve.
Without hesitation, she stepped onto the stone platform and sat cross-legged directly opposite him on the meditation mat.
Su Yan raised her hands, placing her fair palms directly against Gu Chen's outstretched hands.
"Guide my Qi where it is needed," she murmured.
Gu Chen closed his eyes, instantly activating the energetic dual-cultivation mechanism of his Abyssal Sovereign Technique.
SWIRL!
Su Yan channeled a smooth, steady stream of her refined Pure Fire Qi through her palms into Gu Chen's meridians. The moment her hot Fire Qi crossed into his body, Gu Chen’s cold Abyssal Sovereign Qi wrapped around it like a dark dragon.
Her Fire Qi acted like cool water thrown onto searing iron, instantly tempering the wild, turbulent residual power thrashing inside his dantian.
The volatile energy settled, fusing smoothly into his newly formed Abyssal Foundation!
As the energy cycle completed, Gu Chen reversed the flow, sending a purified, rich stream of dark Abyssal Qi back through their touching palms into Su Yan’s meridians.
The physical and spiritual resonance immediately triggered a profound dual-cultivation exchange.
The room filled with an ethereal glow of dark-violet and crimson light. Sitting face-to-face, their Qi circulated in a harmonious, continuous loop between their dantians. Gu Chen’s pitch-black Abyssal Qi flowed deep into Su Yan’s body, soothing the lingering inflammation in her fire meridians and expanding her dantian capacity. In return, her pure Fire Qi and feminine Yin essence washed over Gu Chen’s Foundation, polishing his newly formed base until it turned crystal clear and solid as divine diamond.
The meditative session continued through the quiet hours of the night. The dark, volatile aura around the room gradually settled into a serene, powerful harmony.
By the time the final wave of refined energy completed its circuit, Su Yan slowly withdrew her hands. She exhaled a long, misty breath of purified Qi, her face glowing with health and vitality. Her meridians had surged with newfound power, stepping straight toward the peak of her cultivation realm, while her respect and devotion to Gu Chen stood unwavering.
When the bright morning sunlight pierced through the paper window lattices, Gu Chen slowly opened his dark eyes.
He sat up, feeling a wave of unprecedented strength coursing through his body. His 1st-Stage Foundation Establishment was completely stabilized, deep as an abyss, and solid as ancient steel. Thanks to the Ring of Qi Suppression on his finger, however, his outward aura remained perfectly masked as a weak 5th-Stage Qi Refiner.
Gu Chen looked across the quiet room. Su Yan was no longer present; she had quietly slipped away earlier in the morning to prepare her official report and inform her Master of his arrival.
Gu Chen rose from the mat, dressed in a fresh, clean set of dark charcoal robes, and tied the Asura Blood-Spite Sword, still safely wrapped in plain cloth, across his back.
He stepped out of the secluded courtyard, standing under the bright morning sun on Lotus-Phoenix Peak, ready to begin his official first day inside the Sun-Moon Sect.
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