A surge of Qi and blood churned in her chest, her spiritual power in disarray.
The arm gripping her sword ached with a sharp, numbing pain, and the tiger’s mouth of her palm had split open.
The barrier merely rippled with circles of ripples.
Behind the mountain gate, there was dead silence.
Lin Jingzhe staggered back over a dozen steps before barely managing to steady herself.
This was the gap.
The gap between an ordinary true disciple and a peak master.
The gap between Jiaoyue Peak and Heavenly Sword Peak, a mountain with profound foundations and martial prowess that reigned supreme over Cloud Hidden.
She recalled her Honored Teacher’s instructions before entering seclusion—”Jingzhe, take care of the peak’s affairs.”
She remembered her attitude toward Shen Mo upon returning from her travels—that condescending scrutiny, those sarcastic questions.
She recalled the way Shen Mo looked at her—calm, distant, holding no particular meaning.
Back then, she thought she was something special.
A Golden Core Cultivator, a veteran of travels, widely experienced.
And he was nothing more than a virtuous man who sought shelter by marrying someone.
She looked down on him.
But now?
He was locked inside, tormented day and night.
And she couldn’t even get through the gate.
Lin Jingzhe’s eyes turned bloodshot, her nails digging deep into her palms. Drops of blood fell onto the pristine white snow, a jarring sight.
An unprecedented craving for power surged within her heart.
In the darkness, she sensed something stirring inside her.
It was spiritual power.
The spiritual power in her Dantian, flowing slowly.
But not like its usual flow.
It was the kind—
The kind that was trying to break through something.
Lin Jingzhe froze.
She closed her eyes and looked inward at her Dantian.
Inside her Dantian, the Golden Core was emitting a blinding light.
The light was brighter than usual, warmer than usual, more—
Active.
It was a sign of breakthrough.
Lin Jingzhe’s heart jolted.
The leap from Golden Core Grand Completion to Nascent Soul was a monumental threshold.
Countless cultivators got stuck at this step—stuck for decades, even a lifetime.
She never expected that she herself would—
At this time, in this state of mind, feel the edge of that door.
‘Only with obsession can one break through the realm.’
In her mind, the powerless strike before the mountain gate replayed over and over, along with the deathly silence behind the barrier.
The spiritual power within her was circulating in a way she had never experienced before.
One cycle, another cycle, and another.
With each cycle, it became purer by a fraction.
With each cycle, it grew stronger by a degree.
She closed her eyes and let that spiritual power rotate.
Let that force surge, rush, and roar within her.
‘Shen Mo, wait for me.’
‘Wait for me to break through to Nascent Soul.’
‘Wait for me to grow stronger.’
‘Wait for me—’
She opened her eyes, a resolute glint flashing within them.
‘To bring you back.’
She turned around resolutely and walked back step by step, not even glancing at the supervisor lying pathetically on the ground.
*
At the same time.
A profound wave of spiritual power shot up from the forbidden grounds, shaking the spirit leaves all over the mountain into a rustling symphony.
Su Wan’er slowly opened her eyes. The hint of Time Dao Intent she had first glimpsed quietly faded from her gaze.
She gently exhaled a turbid breath, long and deep. It condensed in the cold cultivation chamber into a white arrow of air that lingered for a long time.
After seven years of bitter cultivation, she had finally achieved great success.
A faint, relieved smile finally touched her face.
But it was soon overshadowed by guilt.
It had already been seven years since her wedding night with Mo’er.
That night, the red wedding candles had burned high as she clumsily lifted the bridal veil, revealing a face—handsome, gentle, yet hidden with anxiety.
She had wanted to say something, to do something to comfort him.
Although she was cold and taciturn by nature, since they were now husband and wife, she would treat him well.
But the first words out of her mouth were as cold as ice.
They faced each other in silence.
When he lowered his head to help her undress, the sliver of neck he revealed was dazzlingly white.
Her mind had wandered at the time, just as she was about to consummate their marriage, she suddenly felt her bottleneck loosen.
It was a chance to break through a realm she had desperately sought for years—a fleeting opportunity not to be missed.
She didn’t even have time to explain.
She could only hurriedly leave a “Mo’er, wait for me,” and frantically send a message to her Honored Teacher, asking him to look after things a bit.
She was then forced to suppress her turbulent feelings, leaving him alone in the bridal chamber.
She owed him so much.
Too much.
Away for seven years, without a single word.
During that time, how did he manage the massive Jiaoyue Peak?
Did he face criticism from others?
Did he… resent her?
The more she thought about it, the heavier her sense of indebtedness became.
The thought of seeing Shen Mo again made her nervous instead.
Maybe… she could prepare something else first?
Yes, a gift.
Even ordinary mortals, upon a couple’s reunion after a long separation, would prepare gifts to welcome each other. She owed Mo’er far too much to do less.
Her pure white silhouette transformed into a streak of light, heading toward a town beyond the mountain gate.
As she strolled through the bustling market, passersby sometimes turned their heads.
“Isn that Immortal Master Su from Jiaoyue Peak? I heard she was in seclusion for seven years. Why is she coming down the mountain today?”
“Shh, keep your voice down. Look at the direction she’s heading… That’s the men’s grooming district!”
Ignoring the surrounding gossip, Su Wan’er stood cheerfully before a counter.
She didn’t really understand men’s preferences. In her mind, men just liked pretty clothes, nourishing spirit pills, or little trinkets that would make it easier for them to serve their wives.
“Shopkeeper, wrap this, this, and this up.”
Su Wan’er pointed to a set of cloud-patterned brocade robes embroidered with golden thread.
It was woven from heavenly silk mixed with mithril, impervious to water and fire, cool in summer and warm in winter.
“This one is good. Shen Mo has fair skin; this will make him look noble.”
The fabric felt excellent, and it would frame someone perfectly.
She could even imagine how this water-like light blue would cling to Shen Mo’s body, outlining his slender form.
At that thought, a wave of heat rose from her Dantian.
Seven years of seclusion, pure and ascetic. Now that her cultivation was greatly accomplished, it was time to enjoy life.
She had seen Shen Mo’s physique—broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Even the elaborate wedding robes couldn’t hide his graceful bearing.
“And this box of Dragon Essence Tiger Vigor Pills. Taking them will strengthen the body… and at night, he’ll be better able to receive my favor.”
“Oh, and this too.” Su Wan’er picked up an exquisite box of rouge.
It was a popular beauty dew in the cultivation world, said to make a man’s body emit a unique fragrance.
“Before we married, he always said he didn’t like such trivial things. But what man doesn’t love beauty? He must have been afraid I would think him undignified.”
She even entered a bookshop specializing in curious gadgets and storybooks.
Hesitating for a long while in front of mechanical songbirds and novels with covers depicting talented scholars and beautiful ladies, she eventually selected a few that seemed the most exquisite, with the most splendid covers.
With a wave of her hand, the spirit stones were paid, and a large pile of items was loaded into her storage bag.
The shopkeeper, as he wrapped the goods, looked at the renowned Immortal Master Su with a sympathetic eye.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something.
But the thought of Immortal Master Qin’s methods made him swallow his words.
‘Immortal Master Su, oh, Immortal Master Su. You’ve been away from the mountain for seven years. You have no idea what kind of state your “virtuous husband” is in now, do you?’
‘The current Jiaoyue Peak? It’s a wolf pit with too little meat. Your lavish gifts here probably won’t even make it past the gate.’
Of course, Su Wan’er couldn’t hear these mental musings.
She kept walking, kept buying.
She didn’t understand prices, didn’t ask about uses, spending spirit stones on pure instinct, like an awkward, clueless young girl desperate to please the one she loved.
It wasn’t until dusk began to fall that she stopped her somewhat dazed shopping spree.
Standing at the street corner as the noise subsided, she looked at the heavy storage bag in her hand.
She whispered to herself, a tender light shining in her eyes. “Mo’er, I’m back. This time, I’ll treat you right. I’ll make up for everything I’ve owed you.”
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