Dawn mist lingered over the towering bamboo groves of Lotus-Phoenix Peak as the golden morning sun began to pierce the cloud sea.
Gu Chen stepped out of his secluded courtyard, clad in a crisp set of dark charcoal robes. Bound across his back was the Asura Blood-Spite Sword, its blood-red sheath completely wrapped in thick, plain cloth to obscure its malignant crimson aura. Thanks to the Ring of Qi Suppression resting on his finger, his outward spiritual presence remained perfectly sealed, radiating only the humble, unremarkable resonance of a 5th-Stage Qi Refiner.
A soft rustle of silk sounded near the entrance gate. Su Yan stood waiting, bathed in the early sunlight.
Seeing Gu Chen walk out with a refreshed, perfectly stabilized demeanor, her eyes softened, a faint glint of warmth flitting across her delicate features. The deep connection forged through their night of dual cultivation fluttered beneath her skin, making her heart skip a beat. Yet, recovering her composure as Lotus-Phoenix Peak’s head Senior Sister, she adjusted her posture and offered a dignified, elegant nod.
"You rested well," Su Yan said softly, her voice carrying a sweet, gentle tone reserved for him alone. "Come. Master Meng Xue is expecting us at the main pavilion."
"Lead the way," Gu Chen replied calmly, his pitch-black eyes entirely unreadable.
They walked along the winding marble pathways that threaded through the upper gardens of Lotus-Phoenix Peak, heading straight toward the Lotus Pavilion.
As they ascended toward the core sect grounds, groups of inner and outer disciples gathered along the stone courtyards. When their eyes fell upon Su Yan, respectfully low bows and eager greetings immediately erupted.
"Senior Sister Su Yan!"
"Look... Senior Sister Su Yan has returned!"
However, the moments that followed were filled with bewildered mutters and hushed whispers. Trailing half a step behind their idolized Senior Sister was an unfamiliar youth in plain dark robes, carrying a heavy cloth-wrapped parcel on his back.
"Who is that youth with Senior Sister Su Yan?"
"I just swept him with my divine sense... 5th-Stage Qi Refinement? Is that a joke?"
"Why is Senior Sister personally escorting a mere 5th-Stage Qi Refiner up to the Peak Master's pavilion? Even inner disciples aren't easily granted an audience!"
Gu Chen ignored the murmurs and sharp glances sent his way, walking with steady, unhurried steps. Su Yan kept her expression cold and lofty, shielding Gu Chen from prying eyes as she led him up the grand steps into the towering entrance of the main pavilion.
The massive double doors of the Lotus Pavilion stood open. A fragrant scent of burning spirit incense and warm lotus wood filled the wide, quiet hall.
Standing atop the elevated marble dais of the hall stood the Master of Lotus-Phoenix Peak, Master Meng Xue.
Her presence radiated an absolute, regal grandeur. She wore a stunning, multi-layered Hanfu in a luxurious blend of royal purple and soft lavender silk. The off-the-shoulder, golden-trimmed neckline gracefully framed her throat, with delicate golden lotus motifs embroidered across the bust. A sheer, delicate violet veil covered the lower half of her face, leaving only her alabaster forehead and piercing eyes visible.
Her cascading lavender-silver hair was pinned partially in an intricate bun held by a carved purple lotus hairpin. Most striking of all were her sharp, golden-amber eyes, glowing like polished topaz, filled with the icy, intellect-driven arrogance of a ruler who commanded thousands.
The moment Su Yan and Gu Chen crossed the threshold, Master Meng Xue’s sharp gaze descended upon them.
First, her divine sense swept over Su Yan. In an instant, the cold, arrogant aura surrounding Master Meng Xue melted away. Her glowing golden eyes softened into a rare, tender warmth, the affection of a strict master looking upon her most cherished disciple.
"Yan'er..." Master Meng Xue’s voice lost its harsh edge, softening into a warm, melodic purr. She gestured gently with her silk sleeve. "You have returned. Come, let your Master look at you."
As Su Yan stepped forward and bowed, Master Meng Xue’s divine sense probed her meridians. Shock flickered through the Peak Master's golden eyes, followed by a proud, fond smile hidden behind her veil.
"Your fire meridians... they are completely healed," Master Meng Xue breathed softly, her voice filled with genuine relief and tenderness. "Not only are your injuries gone, but your Pure Fire Qi is far denser, warmer, and more refined than before. You have suffered much, my dear, but you have emerged stronger."
"Thank you for your concern, Master," Su Yan replied softly, her heart warming at her mentor's rare gentleness.
However, the moment Master Meng Xue shifted her gaze past Su Yan and locked onto Gu Chen, her warmth vanished as if it had never existed. The air in the hall turned instantly frigid.
Her golden-amber eyes narrowed into two razor-sharp slits, inspecting the dark-robed youth standing at the hall's center as if he were an intrusive speck of dust on her polished floor.
"Disciple Su Yan pays respects to Master," Su Yan spoke formally once more.
Gu Chen offered a casual, polite nod, remaining standing erect without lowering his head or bending his knee.
Under her sheer violet veil, Master Meng Xue’s brow twitched slightly at his utter lack of deference. Her intellectual, analytical mind immediately began picking apart his posture, his breathing, and the faint energy radiating from his body.
"Su Yan," Master Meng Xue spoke, her tone returning to a stern, haughty, and deeply arrogant pitch. "You know the rules of Lotus-Phoenix Peak. The core assembly hall is reserved for elite disciples and honored guests. Why have you brought a ragged, 5th-Stage Qi Refiner before me?"
Before Su Yan could answer, Master Meng Xue let out a soft, condescending chuckle. She tilted her head, her golden eyes gleaming with sharp, mocking intellect as she leaned back against her carved throne.
"Or perhaps..." Master Meng Xue said, her voice dripping with playful, arrogant disdain, "...you are foolishly trying to hide your true cultivation, boy? Did you think a simple concealing technique or artifact could fool my eyes? Such childish tricks might work against the inexperienced, dim-witted trash of the lower realms... but do not think you can play the fool before a Core Formation Peak Master."
Su Yan immediately stepped forward, placing herself between them.
"Master, please do not insult him!" Su Yan spoke with firm, passionate conviction. "Gu Chen is my savior! when my meridians were shattered and I was poisoned by my body constitution it was Gu Chen who saved me. Through his brilliance, composure under pressure, and unyielding willpower, he preserved my life and helped me restore my cultivation. I humbly request Master to grant him entry into Lotus-Phoenix Peak as an official disciple!"
Master Meng Xue remained silent, tapping one slender, silk-clad finger against her throne armrest. Her arrogance did not falter, but her sharp mind quickly weighed Su Yan's words. Su Yan was prideful, she would never praise a truly useless man.
"brilliance? Willpower?" Master Meng Xue scoffed softly, her golden eyes flashing with cold, regal dismissiveness. "In the cultivation world, willpower without strength is merely the pathetic crawling of a worm. If he cannot even bear a fraction of true power, his so-called 'brilliance' is worthless to my lotus peak."
BOOM!
Without another word, a suffocating, terrifying pressure erupted from Master Meng Xue’s body!
The air inside the grand pavilion instantly froze. A crushing wave of Core Formation spiritual pressure slammed down directly onto Gu Chen like an invisible, falling mountain! The sheer weight was meant to instantly force him to his knees, break his arrogant posture, and shatter his pride before her throne.
Su Yan’s face turned pale. "Master, stop!"
"Silence, Su Yan!" Master Meng Xue commanded imperiously, her purple robes fluttering wildly as her aura intensified.
At the center of the spiritual storm, the crushing weight of a Core Formation expert slammed mercilessly onto Gu Chen’s frail mortal vessel.
Though his soul was that of an ancient Demonic Sovereign, his current physical body was still weak, a mere 1st-Stage Foundation Establishment frame forced to carry mortal limits. The sheer mountain-like pressure caused his bones to utter a faint, agonizing creak. The blood inside his meridians surged violently, and a fine bead of sweat broke out at his temple as his muscles strained under the crushing load.
‘A mere Core Formation insect... forcing my body to strain?’
A surge of cold, dark rage ignited in the depths of Gu Chen's consciousness. In his former life, an existence at Master Meng Xue’s realm was less than dust, a single thought from him would have incinerated her soul into nothingness. Having to physically endure the weight of a low-tier cultivator's authority wounded his ancient pride, sparking a bitter, dangerous fury beneath his stoic facade.
Gritting his jaw, Gu Chen secretly circulated a strand of Abyssal Qi through his core, forcefully locking his joints through sheer, unyielding willpower. His eyes, burning with an icy, pitch-black intensity, remained locked directly onto Master Meng Xue through her sheer veil. His shoulders quivered slightly under the physical load, but his knees remained rigid, refusing to bend even an inch toward the marble floor.
Yet, as her Core Formation aura washed over his straining body, Gu Chen’s battle-honed Sovereign sense picked up a subtle dissonance buried deep within her spiritual pulse.
‘Hmm...?’ Gu Chen analyzed through his physical pain, his divine consciousness piercing her aura. ‘Her outward power is standard Core Formation... but underneath her Qi, there is an ancient, suppressed seal locked around her soul, It isn't a natural cultivation bottleneck, it's a high-tier matrix.’
Despite the heavy physical weight pressing on his shoulders, a cold, calculating smirk flickered internally within Gu Chen.
‘A Core Formation Peak Master in a lower realm, carrying a soul seal from the higher realms? She projects an aura of arrogant perfection, yet she is hiding a massive secret beneath that regal facade. Something about her spiritual origin is fundamentally different...’
Five seconds passed. Ten seconds.
Master Meng Xue’s golden-amber eyes widened beneath her veil. The arrogant smirk behind her sheer fabric completely froze.
‘Impossible...!’ her mind screamed internally. ‘My Core Formation pressure is heavy enough to crush a Qi Refiner's flesh and send a Foundation Establishment disciple coughing blood to their knees! His body is clearly straining, yet his soul consciousness hasn't yielded at all?!’
Gradually, Master Meng Xue reined in her spiritual pressure. The suffocating weight in the hall dissipated like morning mist.
Gu Chen subtly exhaled, resetting his breathing as his muscles relaxed, his dark eyes remaining unflinching.
Master Meng Xue stared down at him, taking in his incredible physical endurance and the terrifying, ancient depth residing in his dark pupils. Her haughty demeanor slowly yielded to a profound, intellectual wariness.
She let out a long, quiet breath, her fingers relaxing against the throne armrest. A subtle, sharp smile reformed beneath her veil.
"To strain against my Core Formation aura yet refuse to bend a single knee..." Master Meng Xue spoke, her voice carrying a mix of reluctant respect and regal pride. "It seems my Yan'er did not exaggerate. A soul fortitude like yours is rarer than supreme spiritual roots."
She leaned forward, her golden eyes locking onto Gu Chen with deep calculation.
"It is far better for a talent with a spine like yours to belong to our Sun-Moon Sect... than to stand as our enemy in the future."
Master Meng Xue reached into her wide lavender sleeve. With a casual flick of her wrist, a glowing jade token encased in soft purple light glided smoothly through the air, coming to a halt right in front of Gu Chen.
Gu Chen reached out his hand, calmly catching the cool jade token.
Etched on its surface was the emblem of a blooming lotus wrapped in divine flames, alongside four sharp characters: Lotus-Phoenix Outer Disciple.
As his fingers brushed the token, Gu Chen cast a subtle, penetrating glance toward Master Meng Xue, his pitch-black eyes making direct contact with her golden pupils.
‘She believes she was testing me, but in doing so, she exposed the subtle leak in her hidden seal,’ Gu Chen mused internally, his anger subsiding into cold, strategic calculation. ‘Whatever secret or trouble this Peak Master is hiding, I will need to investigate it, if she has some some sort of relation to the upper realms she might be useful.’
"From this day forth, you are officially an Outer Disciple of Lotus-Phoenix Peak," Master Meng Xue announced, restoring her regal, distant posture. "With this token, you may access the sect’s outer facilities, claim your monthly spiritual stones, and enter the Library Pavilion and Resource Hall."
"Thank you, Peak Master," Gu Chen replied smoothly, stowing the jade token into his dark robe without bowing.
Master Meng Xue’s eyes narrowed slightly at his continued lack of deference, but she chose not to pursue it further. She turned her gaze toward Su Yan, her tone softening instantly back into gentle concern.
"Su Yan, take him to register his name at the Resource Hall. Afterward, return to my private chambers, I must personally inspect your meridians to ensure there are no hidden side effects from your recovery."
"Yes, Master!" Su Yan bowed deeply, a hidden smile of relief breaking across her face.
As Gu Chen turned and walked out of the hall alongside Su Yan, Master Meng Xue remained seated high upon her throne, her golden-amber eyes silently following the dark-robed youth's retreating figure until he disappeared past the grand entrance.
‘5th-Stage Qi Refiner on the surface... yet his soul fortitude is deep as an abyss,’ Master Meng Xue thought, her mind working at terrifying speed behind her veil. ‘Gu Chen... just what kind of monster have you brought into my peak, Yan'er?’
Having secured his official identity inside the Sun-Moon Sect and identified an intriguing secret within Peak Master Meng Xue, Gu Chen walked out into the bright morning sun, his mind already calculating his next objective toward the sect's Library Pavilion.