Cultivation: Starting from a Mortal Bone

A month or two means nothing at all to a cultivator.

You know, in the past, whenever Qin Yu left the city, it was always for at least half a year.

Now, although there’s chaos outside the city, with the Cyan Mountain Sect stationed inside, it’s still relatively stable.

At night, Qin Yu would stay with Lin Qianqian and Zhao Mengli; during the day, if he got the chance, he’d snack on his beautiful master’s little melons.

As a result, of course, his cultivation time was compressed.

His realm improved slowly, but his Flame Point increased extremely quickly.

It wasn’t that Qin Yu was unwilling to improve his realm.

Rather, the current situation wasn’t stable; even if he broke through to Qi Refining Fifth Layer or even the Sixth Layer in a month or two, it wouldn’t make much difference.

So it was better to build a solid foundation and improve his Root Bone—then cultivating later would yield twice the results with half the effort.

Apart from cultivation, he also spent time on improving his alchemy skills.

He couldn’t let master handle everyone’s expenses alone, could he?!

While honing his skills, Qin Yu gradually discovered something interesting...

For an ordinary Alchemist—and even highly skilled Alchemists—if they stopped practicing for a while, their skills would grow rusty, and using Spiritual Power wouldn’t be as smooth.

But Qin Yu was the exception.

Each practice and realization seemed deeply imprinted in his memory. Instead of fading with time, they only deepened with repetition.

Thinking back, even when he was outside the city, with no one to teach him, he could only grope forward alone. But he never made the same mistake twice, and so managed to work out a usable alchemy method on his own.

So, in just a short while, he could already weave a net with nearly two hundred threads.

Yin Qinghe had seen it all with her own eyes.

From surprise in the beginning, to numbness later on, until all she could do was comfort herself in the end.

Qin Yu’s talent in this area—let alone seeing it, it’s almost unheard of.

Even counting from the day he joined Danxin Herb Hall, it’s only been about two months, yet... he’s already surpassed her, his master.

She’d always thought she was only limited by her Root Bone, and her talent in Spiritual Power wasn’t inferior to anyone else. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

But only in comparison with Qin Yu did she realize the gap.

Still, having such a talented disciple naturally made her happy as a master.

Of course, such talent didn’t just refer to cultivation alone.

These days, Qin Yu could be said to have fed all three of them every single day, and he kept at it for ten straight days, yet didn’t show any signs of weariness.

He even seemed to have energy to spare.

It was truly unbelievable.

She, now at Qi Refining Eighth Layer, was still no match for her disciple.

More than once, Yin Qinghe suspected her rebel disciple of secretly taking some Treasure Medicine.

If only she weren’t too embarrassed to ask, she’d really want to question Qin Yu on how exactly he pulled it off.

After all, how could a normal person never need to rest?!

"Master, what are you looking at?"

Qin Yu withdrew his Spiritual Power, looked up, and saw his beautiful Master staring at him in a daze. He rose, walked over, and skillfully wrapped his arm around her enchanting waist.

Then he buried his head in the crook of her snow-white neck and took a deep breath.

Mmm!

So fragrant.

"No, it’s nothing."

Yin Qinghe squirmed away, ticklish, shoving at him a few times. But her little melons only got even more soft, changing shape again and again.

Hmph!...

A long whimper escaped her lips, half annoyance, half pain, maybe...

Her eyes narrowed to slits, and soon her cheeks were flushed bright red.

She could feel it.

She was being led more and more astray by this rebel disciple.

Just a while ago...

She used to spend her days either practicing alchemy or thinking about how to run the pharmacy business well. She never gave these boring matters a second thought.

But now...

Just seeing Qin Yu brought certain images to mind, utterly out of her control. Sometimes, just one look from Qin Yu, and her legs would reflexively clench together.

This often left her dazed for no reason.

Qin Yu’s palm traced over her plump, round curves, and all of a sudden he whispered in her ear, "Master, your disciple has an immodest request, and hopes Master will agree."

"If it’s immodest, just don’t say it."

The beautiful Master cast him a look—from under her lashes, it was a thousand kinds of charm.

And so—

Her lips grew red and swollen from his kisses.

Then, under her hazy gaze, Qin Yu leaned in and murmured something softly.

"No way!"

"Absolutely not."

The beautiful Master’s eyes snapped wide open, her mind snapping clear in an instant, and she rejected him outright, giving no wiggle room at all.

She was angry.

This rebel disciple was getting more and more out of line.

He even—he even wanted her, his master, to...

How could that be allowed.

It would...

It would break her.

No!

Absolutely not.

Every time before they started, she always insisted it’d be the last time.

But that rebel disciple would dare make moves on Li’Er right in front of her.

As her master, there was no way she could sit and do nothing, and so, she ended up...

Sharing the suffering with her.

This was already her last line!

But this rebel still felt it wasn’t enough, even wanting her to learn new things.

How could that do!

Especially the kind of things he talked about—even listening made her feel unbearably ashamed.

Let alone actually doing them.

Seeing his beautiful master so adamant, Qin Yu didn’t insist—after all, if she wasn’t willing, she wouldn’t learn any new tricks anyway.

So, he didn’t force it.

But...

"Then your disciple will try asking Senior Sister—maybe Senior Sister could..."

"No!"

The beautiful Master grabbed him immediately.

She knew Li’Er well enough to know she probably wouldn’t say no to Qin Yu.

The thought of Li’Er’s delicate, fragile look...

She could already hear Zhao Mengli calling her, begging for help.

Damn it!

Fuming, the beautiful Master pinned the audacious rebel underneath her heel.

...

Qin Yu’s side was full of joy and laughter—but at the Cyan Mountain Sect, a major event had just happened!

Dong, dong, dong!...

As ancient, lingering chimes echoed through the mountains, the high echelons of Cyan Mountain Sect gathered in the main hall atop the main peak, solemn and tense.

Within the hall, the lights flickered, showcasing faces that were either indignant or anxious.

Sect Leader Su Xihe was arrayed in a robe as elegant and delicate as ink-wash, the color light but unable to hide the natural grace and majesty she exuded.

She sat with perfect poise in the highest seat, symbolizing ultimate authority, her gaze deep as a cold pool, sweeping over the elders below as they murmured furiously among themselves.

"Does anyone have a good proposal on this matter?"

Her voice was neither rushed nor slow, but naturally carried an irrefutable authority, instantly silencing the uproar in the hall.

"Sect Leader, the actions of Hundred Sword Sect this time are outrageous. Their past provocations already disgraced our Cyan Mountain Sect, and now, by such despicable means—sneaking in by a back door and stealing our chief Alchemist—their arrogance openly tramples the dignity of our Cyan Cloud Sect. I boldly propose we attack Hundred Sword Sect with overwhelming force—to sweep away past humiliations and restore our Cyan Mountain prestige!"

"Second Elder, those words are unwise. Right now, Sword Sect is at its zenith—especially now that Yun Danzi has betrayed us and swelled their ranks. If we act rashly now, it’s like striking a stone with an egg; not only will we fail to wash away our shame, but the foundation of our Sect will be jeopardized. It is not a wise move."

"But tell me, can we really just sit and endure such shame, allowing others to bully us? Are we to swallow this humiliation in silence?"

The voices in the hall were split in two camps: the radicals and the conservatives.

Though each may secretly covet the seat of Sect Leader...

Right now, with a common enemy, they needed to unite against outside threats first. Only then could they focus on internal rivalry and keep the sect’s foundation secure.

Sitting at the head, Su Xihe’s delicate brows furrowed. Unfazed by the commotion around her, she fixed her gaze at the first seat to her left.

A white-haired elder sat there, eyes closed in meditation.

"Great Elder, what is your opinion on this matter?"

At these words, the hall fell silent; all eyes turned toward the old man.

"Hehe, this old bag of bones naturally listens to the Sect Leader in all matters."

The old man opened his eyes slowly, a gentle smile on his lips as he replied with a chuckle.

At this, the elders’ expressions shifted subtly, but in the end, their eyes all focused back on Su Xihe.

Though they felt indignant, they understood that, for now, Su Xihe was still the Sect Leader, so final judgment was hers to make.

Su Xihe didn’t reveal her thoughts, instead looking to the elders and asking in return, "What do the elders think?"

Her tone was calm, betraying no joy or anger.

But in the elders’ ears, it sent a chill through their hearts. Their eyes met with complicated looks. When the Great Elder stayed silent and impassive as ever, the rest finally responded in unison.

"We all obey the Sect Leader’s commands, without exception."

In response, Su Xihe’s expression remained the same; she simply nodded lightly:

"In that case, from today onward, the whole sect must be on guard—ready for battle at any time to prevent similar incidents. At the same time, open the mountain gates and absorb all Immortal Seeds; as long as their hearts are pure, they may all be diligently cultivated."

The elders frowned slightly at her words.

But before they could speak, Su Xihe continued: "If our sect could nurture one Yun Danzi, then we can certainly raise another."

Saying that, Su Xihe said no more. She rose and left, leaving the elders staring at one another.

Back in her own quarters, Su Xihe’s cold exterior—so carefully maintained outside—melted away, replaced by rare relief and relaxation.

She parted her crimson lips and exhaled a deep breath, then gently massaged her brow, as if dissipating the heavy exhaustion and stress of recent days. After a moment of peace, she slowly took out a sound transmission jade token, smooth and warm as jade. Her fingers flicked, activating its spiritual light.

"Sect Leader, maybe you should just come and bring Xiyue back yourself..."

From the other end of the jade, Liu Zixiao’s helpless voice came through.

She truly couldn’t persuade Su Xiyue any further.