“Apply for a cave dwelling?!”
Chu Mingdong’s voice nearly cracked. He spun around, staring intently at Chu Mingyao’s retreating back.
“You’re really going to break through? To the Nascent Soul stage?!”
“How could a breakthrough be fake?” Chu Mingyao replied calmly, not even slowing her pace. “My Divine Sense has already reached the Nascent Soul level. As for how far my cultivation will progress during this seclusion, I cannot say. Perhaps I will reach Golden Core Perfection and need to polish it indefinitely. Or perhaps, if I’m not careful, I’ll push through in one breath and reach Nascent Soul as well.”
Chu Mingdong nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Breaking through could happen just by ‘not being careful’?
Then again…… if it were Chu Mingyao, perhaps it truly could.
He still remembered a night more than half a year ago, before Xiang Qingyun had even entered the sect. While he was sleeping soundly, he had been dragged out of bed by his own father, the sect master. His father had viciously shoved several bottles of pills at him, ordered him to use the sect master’s private cave dwelling, and told him to go into immediate seclusion.
His father had explained that Chu Mingyao, while simply practicing, had accidentally broken through to the late Golden Core stage. To save face, Chu Mingdong had to reach the same level before anyone discovered her advancement.
Dazed and sleepwalking, he had mounted his flying sword and headed for the cave dwelling. There, he encountered Chu Mingyao, her late-Golden Core aura still raw and unrestrained. She had hurriedly stuffed two bottles of pills into his hands, claiming she no longer needed them. Before he could even react, she was gone, leaving only the fading trail of her sword light.
That feeling had been wretched.
The world called him a genius, but he knew the truth. Chu Mingyao was the peerless one. Every time he received a gift from her, it felt like charity bestowed by a goddess upon a beggar.
And yet…… he lacked the backbone to refuse.
His father had reminded him more than once that their Sword Sect, an ancient lineage, had always stood firm among the top cultivation sects. Though it was no longer at its peak— with many ancient relics sealed away and unusable— its foundation remained. Crucially, that foundation could only be accessed and refined by the sect master.
Therefore, no matter the cost, he had to become the sect master.
Because the position was traditionally chosen from the chief disciple of the new generation, Chu Mingyao’s monstrous talent was a direct threat. If he could not at least maintain the appearance of standing alongside her, his future was forfeit.
He had to grasp every advantage and climb. As long as Chu Mingyao was willing to give, he would take— no matter how much it insulted his pride or soured his stomach.
After all, the resources Chu Mingyao gave him were undeniably useful, and her guidance had helped him bypass countless cultivation detours.
What Chu Mingdong couldn’t grasp was why she had suddenly become so high-profile about her breakthrough. Had her accumulation truly reached the point where advancement was a natural, inevitable tide? Or was it that she lacked confidence this time? Was she so shaken by her defeat under Xiang Qingyun’s sword during the sect competition that she was throwing caution to the wind, using a forced breakthrough to silence the detractors?
Chu Mingdong quickly convinced himself it was the latter.
Even though she had displayed Nascent Soul-level Divine Sense, he clung to his theory. He knew of numerous treasures that could temporarily project the pressure of a higher realm. There were even obscure techniques within the sect that could mimic such power, though they were notoriously difficult to master. Usually, only the old relics of the Sword Sect, those who had given up on ascension to spend their final centuries in eccentric research, bothered with such tricks.
But Chu Mingyao was an anomaly. In the past, she had mastered complex methods at a single glance. If she had secretly learned those Divine Sense techniques, would it really be that strange?
What would be strange is reaching the Nascent Soul stage this quickly!
That had to be it! It was precisely because she lacked confidence that she was making such a public show of applying for a cave dwelling.
Just as a streak of light flew from between Chu Mingyao’s brows and transformed into a hovering longsword, Chu Mingdong rushed forward.
With a look of intense, righteous indignation, he shouted, “Mingyao, don’t force yourself!”
Chu Mingyao was bewildered.
Where exactly was she forcing herself?
She turned to look at Chu Mingdong. Meeting his firm, overconfident gaze, she realized with a sinking feeling that he had profoundly misunderstood something yet again.
Sure enough, Chu Mingdong grabbed her arm and began to lecture.
“I know you’re struggling to accept falling under Yun’er’s sword, and now you’re desperate to break through as soon as possible. But breakthroughs require extreme caution! If you aren’t careful, you’ll shatter your foundation. Don’t let a moment of wounded pride destroy your Dao! If you insist on forcing this, I don’t believe even the Hall of Internal Affairs would approve your application for a cave dwelling.”
He finished his lecture in one breath, finally allowing himself to exhale. Yet halfway through, as he met Chu Mingyao’s gaze, he had desperately wanted to stop.
How should he put it? The way she looked at him was…… complicated. If he had to summarize it, she was looking at him as if he were an idiot. Her reaction made him feel like a fool who had just finished a loud tantrum, only to be casually placated.
She withdrew her hand and gave an indifferent nod. “Oh. Got it.”
Before the words had even fully landed, Chu Mingyao was already standing atop her hovering longsword, looking down at him from the air.
“Anything else? If not, I’m going to the Hall of Internal Affairs.”
Of the Sword Sect’s nine peaks, the main peak belonged to the sect master’s lineage. It housed the entrances to many of the sect’s secret realms and its most vital treasure vault.
To the left stood Zhanglao[1]Elder jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Peak, where the sect’s seniors resided— Chu Mingyao had lived there for years while staying by Perfected Ziqiong’s side.
To the right was Neiwu[2]Internal Affairs jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Peak. While its individual storehouses for pills or artifacts couldn’t match the specialized peaks, its sheer variety— integrating resources from the entire Sword Sect— made it the wealthiest hub in the sect.
The Hall of Internal Affairs sat upon this peak, staffed by elders tasked with reviewing disciple applications for precious resources. Access to a high-level cave dwelling was a privilege of immense value.
The remaining six peaks included Yuxiu[3]Nurturing Excellence jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Peak, reserved for the most talented disciples, and where Chu Mingyao currently resided; Qianren[4]Towering Heights jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Peak, for the general inner disciples; Zidan[5]Purple Elixir jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Peak, specializing in alchemy; Mingqi[6]Resonant Sound jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Peak, dedicated to artifact refining; Sixiang[7]Four Symbols jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Peak, focused on formations; and Lingfu[8]Enchanted Talisman jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Peak, specializing in talismans.
Chu Mingyao didn’t give Chu Mingdong much time to dwell. She waited for a heartbeat, heard nothing more, and prepared to streak away.
But just as the sword light ignited, Chu Mingdong’s voice chased after her. “Wait!”
Chu Mingyao halted abruptly, though the momentum carried her nearly out of sight. Even with the mountain terrain and thick trees obscuring the view, the sheer distance she had covered in a split second made Chu Mingbei’s throat bob as he swallowed hard.
He had always known his eldest senior sister was powerful— that she had comprehended Sword Intent early and mastered the Path of the Swift Sword. But he had never imagined she was this fast.
Chu Mingdong felt as though a massive hand had squeezed his heart. What was happening? Was Chu Mingyao really this strong? Could she truly be on the verge of a breakthrough?
No— no way!
A vicious glint flashed through his eyes before he quickly masked it. He reached out, intending to grab Xiang Qingyun and pull her into the conversation, but a sudden thought made him withdraw his hand. He merely gave her a sharp nod before executing his movement technique to catch up to Chu Mingyao.
“Mingyao.” He said, his voice smoothed back into the practiced, gentle politeness he displayed before the other disciples.
“Regarding what happened earlier— Yun’er has already apologized to you. There’s no need to take it so deeply to heart. A breakthrough is a momentous event. While advancing from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul stage doesn’t trigger a Heavenly Tribulation like the transition to Soul Transformation does, it is still best to temper yourself thoroughly. In my view, why not challenge Mingxin[9]Clear Mind jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1804726_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1804726_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Cliff first? You can consider your breakthrough once you’ve found your focus there.”
Chu Mingyao raised her brows slightly, a faint, sharp curl touching the corners of her lips.
“Yun’er apologized, so I shouldn’t take it to heart?”
Her smiling gaze swept past the approaching Chu Mingbei and settled on Xiang Qingyun at his side.
“Eldest Senior Brother, what exactly are you implying? Are you saying that I wasn’t at fault, and because Junior Sister was the one in the wrong, she owed me an apology— and now that she’s given it, I should just let it go? Or are you saying……”
She paused, her eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint.
“……that I was the one at fault, but since she is so magnanimous as to apologize and give me a way out, I shouldn’t be petty or push my luck?”
References[+]