Yun Che stood before the young woman without saying a word.
The wind slowly passed between the trees in the courtyard, moving some of the dry leaves scattered across the ground, while the two stared at each other as if they were negotiating something far more important than a simple cultivation technique.
The young woman crossed her arms and kept her chin slightly raised. Her gaze carried distrust, but also curiosity.
Yun Che knew he had gained her attention. The problem was turning that attention into trust.
"Then let me understand," she finally said.
"You, Yun Che, the disciple who has been considered useless by the sect for years, approached me to propose a technique capable of helping me break through a bottleneck that even my own resources have failed to overcome?"
"Exactly."
She let out a short laugh.
"You really have courage."
"Not just courage. It is also the solution to our problems."
"If you say so. But that is not proof of competence either. What guarantees me that your words are true?"
Yun Che remained calm.
"I’m not asking you to believe my words alone."
"Then what exactly are you asking for? Or do you simply want to sleep with me?"
"That’s not why I’m here. I brought you an opportunity."
She approached him a few steps.
"An opportunity for what? To experiment with an unknown technique on my body, or an opportunity for you to do whatever you want with me? To find out whether what you discovered actually works? And what if it fails?"
Yun Che remained silent for several seconds.
"Then you need a guarantee from me."
Her expression changed.
"Finally, you said something sensible."
She turned and slowly walked across the courtyard. She wanted to enter the Secret Realm.
"I’ve been working for months to overcome this bottleneck. I’ve spent Spiritual Crystals, used herbs, taken pills, and sought guidance from more experienced disciples. Nothing worked."
She stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"I’m not going to put all of that at risk because of a young man who suddenly appeared claiming to possess a wonderful technique."
Yun Che understood perfectly.
The woman was not stupid.
On the contrary, she was protecting what she had achieved.
"Then tell me what you want in return."
She smiled.
"Since you were the one who came to me, you’re the one who should figure it out."
Yun Che frowned slightly.
She approached him again.
"I want a pill."
"We’re in a sect known for producing countless pills, and you say you want a pill?"
"A Veil-Breaking Pill."
Yun Che froze.
He knew the name only from a few stories he had heard during his tasks within the sect. It was a rare pill used by cultivators who encountered difficulties breaking through certain bottlenecks.
She noticed the change in his expression.
"You know it?"
"I’ve heard of it."
"Then you know I’m not asking for an ordinary pill."
"I do."
"I want an authentic one. Not a low-quality imitation."
Yun Che took a deep breath.
"What exactly for? If we practice dual cultivation, you’ll easily break through the bottleneck."
She answered without hesitation.
"If your method works, excellent. If it doesn’t, I’ll still have a chance to break through the bottleneck with the pill."
Her gaze became cold.
"I’m not going to gamble my future on a promise. Besides, if you give me what I’m asking for, you’ll enjoy an unforgettable night with me. So it’s a win-win."
Yun Che slowly nodded.
"I understand."
"We’re not finished."
She raised three fingers.
"I also want thirty Spiritual Crystals."
Yun Che became serious.
"Thirty?"
"Yes. You didn’t think I’d open my legs for you with just one pill, did you?"
"That’s too much."
"For you, perhaps. But for me, I’m being quite generous, considering your reputation. If it weren’t for the Secret Realm, you wouldn’t even have me in your dreams."
She approached until she was standing directly in front of him.
"But for a cultivator who is about to enter a critical period of cultivation, I’ll make an exception for you."
Yun Che discreetly tightened his fingers.
He did not even possess a fraction of that amount.
She noticed his hesitation.
"Now you’re beginning to understand the problem."
Yun Che raised his eyes.
"Is there another condition?"
She smiled.
"Yes."
Her tone became deliberately arrogant.
"If you want my body to perform dual cultivation, that is the price."
Yun Che remained silent.
She continued:
"I’m not going to accept empty promises, pity, or speeches about trust. If you truly believe this technique can benefit us, prove first that you are capable of paying the price I’ve set."
Yun Che felt pressure in his chest.
The system’s mission was still active, and he needed that partnership.
He needed to reach the Elementary Profound Realm before the opening of the Secret Realm.
And above all, he needed to stay alive.
But at that moment, he possessed neither the pill nor the thirty Spiritual Crystals.
The rational choice would be to give up.
However, giving up meant death.
"Fine."
She seemed surprised.
"Fine?"
"I’ll get the pill and the thirty Spiritual Crystals you asked for."
She studied him for several seconds.
"You?"
"Do you doubt me?"
"Do you know how much a Veil-Breaking Pill costs?"
"I don’t know, but it is possible to acquire one, and that’s all that matters."
"Do you know where to find one?"
"Not yet."
"Then you have nothing."
Yun Che stared at her.
"I have seven days. That’s all I need for now."
She let out a small laugh.
"Seven days aren’t enough for someone like you, even if I gave you an entire month."
"We’ll see."
Her arrogance disappeared for an instant.
There was something different in the way Yun Che spoke.
It was not the empty confidence of the old Yun Che.
It was determination.
And she noticed it.
"If you fail to fulfill the conditions, you don’t need to return to my courtyard."
Yun Che nodded.
"And if I succeed?"
She remained silent before answering.
"Then we’ll proceed with the agreement."
"Deal. I’ll return in a few days. Keep yourself clean and smelling nice for when I come back."
He turned around and began walking away.
"Yun Che."
He stopped.
"What is it?"
"Don’t confuse things."
"Of course."
"Until now, you haven’t done anything that would make me trust you."
Yun Che looked at her.
"Then I’ll give you a reason."
Without waiting for a response, he left the courtyard.
His determined expression disappeared as soon as he was out of her sight.
"Thirty Spiritual Crystals... What the hell..."
Yun Che slowly exhaled.
"A Veil-Breaking Pill..."
He checked his belongings and discovered that he had only a few coins and some low-level herbs.
Nothing that could even come close to the required price.
The interface appeared before his eyes.
[Time Remaining: 6 Days.]
Yun Che stared at the message.
"Six days."
He clenched his fists.
"I have no money, no influence, and nobody considers me important. Where the hell am I going to get everything?"
For a moment, that feeling of helplessness returned.
It was exactly how the old Yun Che had lived.
Always beneath others, without resources, and considered useless.
But that feeling lasted only a few seconds.
Yun Che raised his head.
"Then I’ll start with what I have."
He returned to the Massage House.
When he opened the door, he found Mei Liang organizing some herbs on the table. She immediately raised her eyes.
"You’re back."
"Yes."
"You have a strange expression. What did you do?"
"I’m just tired."
Mei Liang observed him closely.
"I don’t believe you."
Yun Che walked toward the small area where he usually kept the cleaning supplies.
"You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to."
She remained silent.
Then she asked:
"You did something reckless, didn’t you?"
Yun Che stopped.
"Maybe."
Mei Liang sighed.
"Yun Che, since yesterday, you’ve been acting like a completely different person."
He turned toward her.
"Maybe I’ve finally found something worth pursuing."
Mei Liang did not answer.
Yun Che entered the small room he used to sleep in and closed the door.
He sat down on the bed.
The interface appeared again.
[Main Mission.]
[Reach the Elementary Profound Realm through the Supreme Dual Cultivation System.]
[Time Remaining: 6 Days.]
[Failure: Death.]
Yun Che stared at the words for a long time.
Then he muttered:
"Six days to obtain a rare pill, thirty Spiritual Crystals, and an opportunity for cultivation."
He let out a small humorless laugh.
"This definitely won’t be easy."
Yun Che began to understand that surviving in that world would not depend solely on power.
He would need intelligence, courage, and above all, the ability to turn impossible situations into opportunities.