On the other side.
At the Lin Residence, Lin Zhongyu was still practicing diligently late into the night, neglecting sleep and food.
What had happened earlier at the Immortal Alliance seemed to have hit her hard, making her feel her strength was still far from enough.
If it weren’t for Yun Zhonghe’s intervention, who knows what fate might have awaited her.
Not only that, but her actions had nearly implicated Xue’er.
Lin Zhongyu felt deeply powerless.
Now that she had finally regained her innate talent, she was determined to work twice as hard to make up for the years she had fallen behind.
“If possible… I want to enter the Xuantian Sect with Xue’er.”
Using her Golden Emperor’s Sacred Eyes, she could see the threads of spiritual energy being drawn into her body.
This sparked the thought in her heart.
In just a few days, Mu Jixue would officially enter the Xuantian Sect.
The two of them would then be separated, and who knew when they’d meet again?
Lin Zhongyu didn’t want to be apart from Mu Jixue.
In the past, she had no choice but to let go, but now that an opportunity was before her, she didn’t want to give up.
She wanted to fight for it.
However, the spiritual energy in Cangzhou City was thin.
Even with the Golden Emperor’s Sacred Eyes allowing her to see and efficiently absorb spiritual energy aligned with her attributes—bypassing the refining process—her energy accumulation rate was still low.
So far, her spiritual energy had only just barely reached the threshold of breaking into the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.
Reaching that stage in just a few days would already be considered genius-level talent in the entire Eastern Continent.
But Lin Zhongyu was not satisfied.
“Too slow. After reaching the sixth layer, each subsequent stage will require much more energy. But in seven days, the Xuantian Sect will hold an additional outer disciple selection here in Cangzhou… I wonder if I can make it in time.”
This was her only chance.
If she didn’t want to be separated from Mu Jixue, she had to be chosen.
Otherwise, the next time the Xuantian Sect came to Cangzhou for recruitment would be five years later.
By then, who knew if they would still belong in the same world?
Just as Lin Zhongyu was deep in thought, someone knocked on her door.
“Xiaoyu, are you still awake?”
It was Mu Jixue.
Why was she here so late?
Lin Zhongyu’s heart stirred.
She quickly responded, “I’m here,” and went to open the door.
When the door opened, she saw Mu Jixue standing outside in plain clothes, holding a pillow.
Lin Zhongyu asked curiously, “Xue’er, you…?”
Mu Jixue couldn’t sleep. Her mind kept replaying images of Lin Zhongyu and Yun Zhonghe, leaving her restless and uneasy.
Without realizing it, she had wandered to Lin Zhongyu’s door.
Feeling a little embarrassed, she hugged her pillow tightly to cover her face, her eyes peeking out from behind.
“I… I want to sleep with you tonight. Is that okay?”
Through the moonlight, Lin Zhongyu could see the longing and hope in Mu Jixue’s eyes.
Lin Zhongyu smiled warmly.
“Of course.”
“Yay!
Mu Jixue lit up like a child, overjoyed.
They used to sleep together often when they were younger, but after Lin Zhongyu’s cultivation began to regress, they stopped.
Now that Lin Zhongyu finally agreed again, Mu Jixue was thrilled—as if returning to those innocent childhood days.
“Xiaoyu, let’s do it like before—you sleep inside, I’ll sleep outside. Is that okay?”
Seeing Mu Jixue so excited, Lin Zhongyu found it both amusing and heartwarming.
It looked like there’d be no cultivation tonight.
But being able to sleep beside Xue’er again—she didn’t mind one bit.
Late at night.
Lin Zhongyu and Mu Jixue lay holding hands.
Though the room was dark, Lin Zhongyu could feel Mu Jixue tossing and turning.
“Xue’er, can’t sleep?”
“Eh? You’re not asleep either.”
“Mm… something’s on my mind.”
“Me too… same.”
After that, silence returned to the room.
After a long while, Mu Jixue finally couldn’t hold back.
She turned to face Lin Zhongyu, her small hand gripping hers tightly.
Lin Zhongyu could feel the tension in her grasp.
Finally, Mu Jixue spoke:
“Xiaoyu, do you trust me?”
The sudden question made Lin Zhongyu pause.
But when she saw Mu Jixue’s glowing purple eyes in the dark, she realized the question was deeply sincere.
Lin Zhongyu took a breath and replied softly:
“Xue’er, of course I trust you. You’re the person I trust most in this world.”
She meant every word.
After a while, Mu Jixue continued:
“Xiaoyu, I’ve been struggling with something about that Yun Zhonghe.”
“I know he helped you, and I should be grateful to him… but I just can’t shake the feeling that he’s dangerous.”
“Do you think… I’m being too sensitive?”
After saying this, the room fell into a long silence.
Lin Zhongyu hadn’t expected Mu Jixue to be worried about that.
But she could tell this had been weighing on her friend for a while, and that it was really bothering her.
Lin Zhongyu gently comforted her:
“Not at all. I trust you, Xue’er. Honestly, I just don’t like owing people favors. As long as I can repay the debt, it’ll be fine. But since you said this, I’ll be more cautious around him.”
“Really?”
Lin Zhongyu smiled and nodded:
“Of course. We’re best sisters, after all.”
“Xiaoyu, thank you for trusting me!”
Mu Jixue finally relaxed.
She nodded hard, a bright smile spreading across her face.
“I feel so much better now. Thank you, Xiaoyu!”
“Let’s go to sleep!”
Mu Jixue quickly drifted off, letting out soft, adorable snores.
It was clear her heart was finally at ease.
Watching her fall asleep so easily, Lin Zhongyu smiled helplessly.
She was still just as pure and straightforward as ever.
But then again, Mu Jixue had always had sharp instincts since childhood.
So if she sensed something off, maybe Yun Zhonghe really was a problem.
Truthfully, Lin Zhongyu had her own doubts too.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Yun Zhonghe was going out of his way to help her — that he was intentionally trying to get close.
Yet she couldn’t understand why.
She didn’t think she had anything worth scheming for.
In the dead of night, Lin Zhongyu sat up quietly from the bed.
Without disturbing Mu Jixue, she slipped silently out of the room and left the Lin Residence, stealthily making her way toward the Yun estate.
If you want to untie the bell, you must find the one who tied it.
She had made up her mind: she would confront Yun Zhonghe and get some answers.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhonghe was practicing swordsmanship in his courtyard.
Unlike Lin Zhongyu — a young lady abandoned by her clan — Yun Zhonghe had his own private estate.
Even if he threw a party in the middle of the night, no one would complain, so he could do whatever he pleased.
He was practicing a sword technique called “Nine Heavens Questioning Sword”(Wen Tian Jiu Jian), a mid-tier yellow-rank profound skill.
As for the “Eight Desolations Sword Technique” (Ba Huang Jian Fa), it was a high-grade mysterious-rank technique.
Although extremely powerful, it required immense spiritual power to control and had a high energy cost.
It wasn’t suited for basic, everyday practice — especially for someone still in the Foundation Establishment stage.
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