“Eldest Senior Brother, what are you doing?!”
Perfected Zizhu leaned forward abruptly, staring hard into Perfected Ziqiong’s eyes. Anger and lingering fear played across his gaze.
The reason he had given Chu Mingyao his own cave dwelling was precisely because it was his. Although the sect retained ownership and he held only usage rights, his deep refinement of the space allowed him a superior level of control. If not for that advantage, how could he have so effortlessly smoothed out the ripples in the formation that Perfected Ziqiong had created through sheer brute force?
If he hadn’t witnessed it himself, Perfected Zizhu would never have believed that Perfected Ziqiong would attempt to forcibly breach the formation at the exact moment of Chu Mingyao’s breakthrough.
Recalling Chu Mingyao’s strange behavior when she had first applied for a cave dwelling, Perfected Zizhu felt a pang of guilt. He had wondered why her outward strength didn’t quite match her astonishing talent. Was it all Perfected Ziqiong’s fault?
On the day of the sect tournament, Perfected Zizhu had been stationed at the Hall of Internal Affairs and hadn’t seen the events firsthand. He had only heard that Chu Mingyao fought Xiang Qingyun and ended up injured and unconscious. After she came to him, he had secretly examined her, confirming her injuries were healed and her divine sense had advanced. Only then did he feel reassured enough to withhold additional healing medicine.
Now that he thought about it, there must have been a hidden story behind that tournament as well.
Having guarded the Hall of Internal Affairs for years, Perfected Zizhu had rarely interacted with Chu Mingyao. In the shadows where he couldn’t see, just how many grievances had she suffered?
Dressed in elegant green robes, the handsome Perfected Ziqiong gave a cold snort. “What am I doing? Mingyao is my disciple. Do you truly think I would harm her?”
Perfected Zizhu didn’t answer. He simply continued to stare. In the depths of Perfected Ziqiong’s eyes, he couldn’t find even a trace of affection.
Perfected Ziqiong subtly avoided Perfected Zizhu’s gaze for a heartbeat before snapping his eyes back. His voice grew several degrees colder, “Since you are Mingyao’s martial uncle, you should think of her well-being. Her talent is far beyond ordinary, and her breakthrough requires more preparation than most. As her master, I have been gathering the necessary resources. It was only because they weren’t fully ready that I hadn’t given them to her yet.”
Perfected Zizhu remained half-convinced, half-doubtful. “Is that so?”
Perfected Ziqiong snorted again. “I had just finished the preparations and was about to summon her when I realized she’d already begun— and even triggered a spiritual energy vortex. Tell me, as her master, how could I not be anxious? She had almost no resources to support such a feat. If her absorption failed to keep pace with her consumption, what if the breakthrough failed?”
Perfected Zizhu couldn’t help but glance toward his cave dwelling. The spiritual energy vortex had mostly subsided, yet there was still no sign of the person in seclusion emerging.
He sighed, the sharp tension he had held while confronting Perfected Ziqiong easing slightly. “I am anxious as well. Who knows what state that girl is in right now?”
“Then……” A dark glint flashed in Perfected Ziqiong’s eyes.
He moved to strike the cave’s formation once more, but Perfected Zizhu, startled, moved instantly to intercept him. A faint ripple of spiritual power shivered through the air, expanding into a barrier that enveloped them both. Now, if Perfected Ziqiong wished to damage the cave’s formation from afar, he would first have to shatter Perfected Zizhu’s personal ward.
Perfected Ziqiong’s expression darkened. “Zizhu, what is the meaning of this?”
Perfected Zizhu narrowed his eyes and offered a casual, thin smile, waving a hand dismissively. “Nothing, nothing. Eldest Senior Brother, I know you are worried and wish to check on Little Mingyao, but I have already provided her with ten top-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. They should sustain her. Besides, you haven’t forgotten that I manage the Hall of Internal Affairs, have you?”
As he spoke, Perfected Zizhu watched Perfected Ziqiong’s face with eagle-eyed intensity.
“The sect allocates her significant resources every month. I can see her spiritual power is solid and not hollow. She clearly doesn’t rely solely on pills for her cultivation. She must have stockpiled her own resources. Furthermore, my cave dwelling is Di-ranked. Between the natural abundance of energy and the high-level Spirit Gathering Formation, it should be more than enough for her breakthrough.”
Perfected Ziqiong remained silent.
Perfected Zizhu, however, felt a prickle of confusion. When he mentioned giving Chu Mingyao the pills, he sensed only a fleeting trace of displeasure from Perfected Ziqiong. Yet, when he suggested that Chu Mingyao had saved up her own resources, Perfected Ziqiong actually seemed…… pleased?
Perfected Ziqiong masked his emotions with expert precision. Had Perfected Zizhu not cultivated the Sword Path of Seven Emotions— granting him an uncanny sensitivity to the hearts of others— and possessed a cultivation level nearly equal to Perfected Ziqiong’s, he would have missed it entirely.
After a moment’s thought, Perfected Zizhu added, “Eldest Senior Brother, think on it. No matter how Little Mingyao’s breakthrough concludes, once it has begun, the die is cast. Our worrying won’t change the outcome. To disturb her now would only fracture her foundation. Unless, of course, you possess some legendary treasure capable of mending a foundation? Given that girl’s talent, what treasure on earth would even suffice to repair such a loss?”
Perfected Ziqiong nodded heavily. “You are right.”
“That’s settled, then. Eldest Senior Brother, we shall wait together. It was my oversight not to inform you earlier. The fault is mine. If Little Mingyao’s foundation has suffered for it, I will personally see to its restoration!”
Perfected Zizhu spoke with absolute conviction, but Perfected Ziqiong offered only a dry, hollow laugh in response.
Perfected Zizhu was about to continue when he suddenly let out a soft exclamation, his face instantly lighting up with joy. “Eldest Senior Brother, you can rest easy now! Little Mingyao has succeeded! She’s on her way back!”
Perfected Ziqiong’s expression shifted abruptly. “She succeeded? Nascent Soul?!”
“Yes! Nascent Soul!” Perfected Zizhu beamed, radiating pride. “Congratulations, Eldest Senior Brother! Among all our martial brothers, you are the first to foster a Nascent Soul disciple. You were the first to produce a Golden Core, and now you’ve taken the lead again!”
“Hehe…… yes. I suppose I’ve been fortunate enough to lead the way once more.” Perfected Ziqiong’s reply was brittle and stiff.
Perfected Zizhu, oblivious to the frost in the other man’s voice, chatted on animatedly, “Think of it— Little Mingyao is still in her teens, isn’t she? Has she even reached twenty? A Nascent Soul cultivator at such an age…… across the entire cultivation world, you could count them on one hand, even including those who have already ascended! Eldest Senior Brother, isn’t our Little Mingyao truly extraordinary?”
“Hehe……”
As Chu Mingyao emerged from the cave dwelling, Perfected Zizhu withdrew his barrier. He moved to the doorway, waiting eagerly with a face full of joy to welcome her back.
The journey from Di-ranked Cave Dwelling Fifty-Three back to the Hall of Internal Affairs was short. Perfected Zizhu did not have to wait long before a light, graceful figure came into view.
A girl in white robes appeared, her hair secured simply by a wooden hairpin. A brilliant smile lit her face— the kind of smile that made observers unconsciously mirror it, their own moods lifting in her presence.
“Martial Uncle Zizhu!” Her voice rang out, clear and pleasant. “I’ve come to return your jade token! Thank you so much for the use of your cave. I couldn’t have reached Nascent Soul so smoothly without it……”
This was, of course, Chu Mingyao.
She had lingered within the waning spiritual vortex just long enough to stabilize her new realm and thoroughly mask her true feelings. Now, she radiated the pure pride and joy expected of a young genius who had just broken through.
She hurried toward them, only noticing the second figure standing in the shadows of the doorway as she arrived.
It was Perfected Ziqiong.
After a momentary, almost imperceptible stiffening, her smile grew even more dazzling. “Master! This disciple has not disgraced your name. I have successfully reached the Nascent Soul stage!”
Her eyes were bright, shimmering as if filled with starlight. The admiration on her face appeared flawlessly genuine, as though she revered Perfected Ziqiong with all her heart and saw her success only as a way to bring him glory. Her smile was pure and natural, projecting a facade of absolute trust and a desperate eagerness to share her triumph with him.
“……Not bad.”
It took a long, strained silence before Perfected Ziqiong finally managed to squeeze out those two words.
He wanted nothing more than to lash out and scold Chu Mingyao harshly!
But with Perfected Zizhu standing right there, his hands were tied. Chu Mingyao’s post-breakthrough aura was powerful yet perfectly restrained. By any objective measure, she had prepared meticulously. He couldn’t even manufacture a charge of recklessness or accuse her of causing a disturbance by failing to report to him beforehand.
Had Perfected Zizhu not been present, he could have easily invented an excuse to suppress her. But with Perfected Zizhu’s keen eyes and ears on them, how could he?
Suppressing his simmering dissatisfaction and anxiety, he forced an indifferent tone, “Though you succeeded this time, your actions were still rash. Had it not been for your Martial Uncle Zizhu’s intervention, do you truly believe your breakthrough would have been so seamless? In the future, you must report to your master before attempting such a feat.”
Chu Mingyao’s brilliant smile froze.
She lowered her head, a misty sheen of moisture welling in her eyes. “……Yes, Master. It is only because your disciple is too weak and my cultivation too slow that I have brought such worry to you. I have shamed your name.”
Suddenly, she snapped her head up, locking eyes with Perfected Ziqiong. “Master, rest assured! Your disciple will advance with even greater courage and diligence. I will strive to become your greatest pride— and the pride of the entire sect— as quickly as possible!”
Perfected Ziqiong: ???
That was not what he meant at all!
Every fiber of his being wanted this unfilial disciple to slow down, to stall, to give Chu Mingdong a chance to catch up. How had his reprimand backfired so spectacularly?
Beside them, Perfected Zizhu let out a resounding clap. “Well said! Little Mingyao is absolutely right! This is exactly the spirit a cultivator should possess!”
Perfected Ziqiong felt weariness wash over him. But no matter how exhausted he felt, he still had to find a way to pave the road for Chu Mingdong.
The mere thought of the labor ahead made his spirit feel even more spent.