“This pill was something I came across by chance. It can help you increase your cultivation. I’m giving it to you today—take it now, and then immediately go into seclusion.”
“Master, this pill is so important, your disciple dares not take it.”
Xiao Yunyuan looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand. When he heard Pei Qingxuan say this, he was instantly shocked, his face full of apprehension.
“I have already reached the Spirit Consolidation and Void Return Realm. This pill is useless to me; it is only effective for those at the Refining Qi, Transforming Spirit stage. You are a disciple I personally raised, and I’ve watched you reach this point step by step. Take it.”
Xiao Yunyuan hesitated slightly and bit his lip.
“Yes! Thank you, Master, for your great kindness—I will never forget it!”
Seeing her disciple act this way, Pei Qingxuan nodded slightly.
For this child, she had indeed poured in much effort.
As she watched him unseal the porcelain bottle, the enticing scent of medicine instantly spread through the air.
Even Pei Qingxuan herself couldn’t help her throat moving slightly, let alone Xiao Yunyuan, who was now holding the bottle.
When the medicinal aroma reached his nose, he nearly acted on instinct and poured the pill from the porcelain bottle into his mouth.
The moment the pill entered, Xiao Yunyuan felt a surge of powerful spiritual energy explode from his throat, flooding through his entire body.
Immediately after, the spiritual energy followed his meridians and rushed straight to the Baihui point at the top of his head!
Xiao Yunyuan only felt a ‘buzz’ reverberate in his mind, then an unprecedented clarity washed over him.
At this moment, he sensed the complex information of the entire world surging in.
His consciousness became incomparably lucid in an instant, feeling the nature of all things—so mysterious, the Dao Law of Heaven and Earth, so wondrous!
Without needing any instruction, Xiao Yunyuan instinctively sat cross-legged on the spot, letting the cultivation method he’d learned operate on its own.
In this instant, the principles of all things seemed to swirl and echo in his divine sense, entering a state of enlightenment.
At the same time, his body underwent rapid change.
Spiritual energy surged up, rushing madly through his external acupoints and into his meridians.
Though this spiritual energy appeared wild, under the stabilizing effect of the pill, it gently expanded his meridians.
Much denser spiritual energy than ever before finally formed a stream of spiritual power, quickly gathering at the Golden Core in his dantian.
Visible to the naked eye, a tiny crack appeared on the Golden Core.
Next, a little figure emerged, breaking free from within the Golden Core.
When the vast spiritual energy finally settled, Xiao Yunyuan opened his eyes once again.
He felt as though something had changed.
And yet, nothing had changed.
“Master… your disciple has reached the Nascent Soul.”
“Good. For the next month, enter seclusion. Matters within the Sect can be left to the other disciples.”
“Yes, Master’s great kindness, I will never forget. Your disciple takes his leave.”
Xiao Yunyuan turned to go, his gaze carrying no reluctance—only gratitude.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and gave a self-mocking laugh.
“Heh~ a blessing in disguise? It’s not so bad.”
The effect of the Three-Lives Heart-Severing Grass was not to erase one’s emotions, but to remove the feelings of love for a specific person.
And it could only be the one currently loved.
Once this effect passed, naturally, one could fall in love with another.
This, too, made the cultivation benefit from the Three-Lives Heart-Severing Grass even greater.
Because it erased love, it was tantamount to passing through a Heart Tribulation for those who consumed it.
Both cultivation and temperament would soar.
Yet, as Xiao Yunyuan regained clarity, he suddenly sensed something.
He looked back at the Pavilion of Immortal World, and then at the nearby Autumn Water Hall.
“Could it be… Master?”
Before, he had been lost in the situation. Now, with his feelings severed, he could see things as an outsider.
Whether it was the sudden appearance of this ‘junior brother’ or Master’s attitude towards him—
It all seemed to hint at something.
This Senior Xu’s relationship with Master seemed… different from everyone else’s.
Could it be… Master had already sensed his feelings, and that’s why she sought out this pill for him to take?
Suddenly, it all made sense!
Yes, only then would Master have given him this pill.
Xiao Yunyuan’s eyes widened as he turned abruptly to look at the Pavilion of Immortal World.
He knew full well just how shocking his own feelings were.
If word got out, it would be a huge disgrace for the entire Floating Cloud Sect.
Even Pei Qingxuan’s reputation as Sect Master would suffer.
Master had gone to such lengths to obtain this rare pill, all for him…
At this moment, Xiao Yunyuan was filled with endless gratitude.
He hurriedly turned, bowed once again in the direction of the Pavilion of Immortal World.
“Many thanks, Master, for saving your disciple from Water and Fire, pulling me back from being Doomed for Eternity! I will never forget this favor and kindness for as long as I live!”
Xiao Yunyuan turned and departed, his steps now firmer than before.
In fact, his feelings went against the morals of this world.
At the same time, they had tormented him within.
This had become an obstacle to his cultivation.
If he couldn’t overcome this Heart Tribulation, it wouldn’t be long before he fell into Demonic Possession because of it.
By then, it would be too late to save him.
Because, once possessed, one would become mad.
No atrocity would be out of the question.
Cultivating the Dao was not only about refining the body, but also the heart.
At this moment, Pei Qingxuan stood on the fifth floor of the Pavilion of Immortal World, watching her departing disciple, her brows slightly knitted.
“Saved him from Water and Fire? Doomed for Eternity?”
What effect did that pill have, that it made her senior disciple say such things?
Her heart was full of confusion, and she wondered if she should tell Xu Ping’an.
For a moment, Pei Qingxuan hesitated.
Yet while she was perplexed and lost, Xu Ping’an’s side was far more relaxed.
After all, the pill had already been given out, and judging from the spiritual energy fluctuations earlier, it was clear that Xiao Yunyuan had already taken it.
That meant the matter he had worried about before no longer needed worrying over.
All in all, he felt this was a good thing—at least for Xiao Yunyuan, it was not bad.
As for whether he’d feel grateful, that didn’t matter much to Xu Ping’an.
From the start, what he cared about was not Xiao Yunyuan himself, but Pei Qingxuan.
Xu Ping’an definitely did not want to see his beloved’s reputation ruined someday.
“Sir, you’re back.” “Mm.”
Xu Ping’an smiled and nodded. Standing by the door, Xiao Jing’er stared at him for a while.
“Sir… you seem really happy. Did something good happen?”
Oh?
He didn’t expect this little girl to have such keen eyes and notice his happiness.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
Though Xiao Jing’er was straightforward and innocent, after all, she’d been following Li Yuer all along.
When it came to reading people’s moods, she had some skill.
“Yes, there’s something good.”
“What is it, that made Sir so happy?”
Xu Ping’an laughed heartily and patted the curious girl’s head.
“In a few days, you’ll find out.”