But, isn’t this all a bit too cruel for Xiao Mengyao?
After all, after spending several years together, Ye Ping’an now cares deeply for Xiao Mengyao. Even though he often lets Xiao Mengyao suffer in daily life, Ye Ping’an knows—
Those hardships never truly endanger Xiao Mengyao, and may even help with cultivation.
However, awakening is different. It’s a matter of life and death. Without pain that pierces to the bone, there’s no hope of awakening in this lifetime.
Take, for example, that handsome young man surnamed Pei from the Grain and Oil Shop. After his closest friend died, he immediately awakened the Outer Dao Demon Statue.
Ever since then, his mind’s been a little off, and he asks everyone he meets:
How many floors can a sack of rice be carried up, a sack of rice to the second floor, how much for a sack of rice, a sack of rice I’ll wash, so much mud washed off the sack of rice, and that pile of black socks, wa ka la!
Every grain has mud, who gave you a sack of rice, all right, add water!
Kill him.
So, if Ye Ping’an doesn’t use a heavy hand, the awakening is very likely to fail. If it fails, it would be better not to attempt it at all—after a few years, she’ll be taken by the Blood Demon.
But if he doesn’t do it this way, Ye Ping’an can’t guarantee that the awakening will succeed. If Xiao Mengyao fails to awaken, then the destruction of the Xuanxing Sect is practically certain.
Only if Xiao Mengyao successfully awakens and breaks through to the Jiedan Stage within three years, then goes to the Wudao Sect to hunt down the Blood Demon, can both the Xuanxing Sect and all of Moyou be saved.
And breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Jiedan Stage in three years is incredibly difficult, but for Xiao Mengyao—who would have awakened the memories of a top expert—it’s as easy as eating and drinking.
***
As for early Jiedan defeating mid-Jiedan, that’s even easier. Ye Ping’an even suspects that after awakening, his Shimei could easily defeat even Jiedan Great Perfection.
But if, in the moment, Xiao Mengyao shows those sorrowful eyes, could Ye Ping’an really bear it? With this, Ye Ping’an began to fall into deep conflict.
As if she had seen Shaoye’s worry and hesitation, Ningyue took Ye Ping’an’s hand, placed it over her own heart, and gently pressed his forearm with her chest:
“Shaoye, don’t worry! Xiao Mengyao will definitely succeed in Foundation Establishment.”
Her words were full of sincerity, and her expression was even more encouraging. If not for their current posture, anyone would think she was a loyal maid concerned for her Young Master’s feelings.
Ye Ping’an, comforted by Ningyue, snapped back to himself.
He was just about to thank her when he suddenly became aware of the soft sensation on his arm and the position they were in—his forearm sinking deeply, as if into an abyss. Ye Ping’an couldn’t help but take in a sharp breath.
You have to know, Ningyue is already fifteen now. Compared to when she was thirteen, she’s gone from merely matching the other senior sisters of the Xuanxing Sect to completely surpassing the entire sect.
In another way, she’s become the undisputed number one of Xuanxing Sect.
Most of the senior sisters in the sect aren’t that well-endowed, but with Ningyue’s current trend of surpassing them all, one can imagine her scale.
If at thirteen she was only beginning to develop, then now, Ningyue could truly be called “big.”
Ye Ping’an suspects that by the time she’s fully grown, her development will be truly magnificent. He thinks she could easily rival the grand heroines in the story.
This is an experience Ye Ping’an had never been lucky enough to have, even in his past life, let alone in this one. Just by being able to sink completely into her—
Ye Ping’an knew he was doomed.
Sure enough, just as Ye Ping’an expected, the great Bakar Daren awakened in an instant.
Although Ningyue often pulled such stunts, Ye Ping’an should be used to it by now. But for some reason, there’s a strange allure about Ningyue that constantly tempts Ye Ping’an.
Just a little teasing, and Ye Ping’an ends up like this, completely bewitched, like a natural-born seductress.
If Ningyue’s looks were as exquisite as those of the main heroines, she could probably rival the witches and fox spirits from the story.
Maybe it’s because Ningyue teases him so often, or maybe it’s Ye Ping’an’s own unique talent, but now, little Ping’an has officially begun to awaken.
And after awakening, the changes in the body are obvious. If Ningyue were to notice, she’d definitely tease him, making Ye Ping’an blush and unconsciously lean forward.
“H-h-hope so!” Ye Ping’an swallowed hard, stammered out his reply, and quickly pulled his hand back, savoring the lingering softness on his arm.
His imagination ran wild, so he hurriedly recited the legendary immortal scripture in his mind: “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”
Seeing Shaoye’s reaction, Ningyue nodded with satisfaction in her heart. Especially Ye Ping’an’s subtle movements—Ningyue saw them all.
It seemed that with the charm of her current figure, even without her face, Shaoye was already unable to resist.
Thinking of this, a mysterious smile appeared on Ningyue’s lips. She even began to imagine the day when she would “grow up” fully.
Because they were afraid of distracting Xiao Mengyao, even Ningyue didn’t go in for this Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
They didn’t want Xiao Mengyao to be disturbed in the slightest at this critical moment.
Naturally, they had no idea what Xiao Mengyao looked like inside the cave right now.
As one of the world’s top cultivation methods, the Dahe Yuanjue (Condensing Origin Art) naturally included the methods for Qi Refining Thirteenth Layer, as well as how to break through from each Qi Refining stage to Foundation Establishment.
If Qi Refining is about gathering spiritual power from the heavens and expanding one’s Spirit Sea, then the higher the Qi Refining layer, the broader the Spirit Sea.
Foundation Establishment is about constructing a Spirit Pool to store liquefied spiritual power.
The reason why it’s so hard for Qi Refinement to defeat Foundation Establishment is because the quality of spiritual power changes.
If you want to win by sheer quantity, you’d need an utterly terrifying amount. That’s why only those at Qi Refining Twelfth Layer or above have any chance of challenging a higher stage and winning.
This Spirit Pool is also called the Daiji (Dao Foundation).
Just as a tall building must have a solid foundation, if your Dao Foundation isn’t stable, the further you go in cultivation, the more likely it is to collapse.
Of course, for cultivators in Moyou, this concept doesn’t really exist. There are only three mid-Jiedan Stage cultivators in all of Moyou.
After all, to test the stability of one’s Dao Foundation, you’d have to reach the Nascent Soul stage to see results.
For people in Moyou, let alone Nascent Soul, there isn’t even anyone at that level—so there’s no point talking about Dao Foundation.
The sooner you break through, the sooner your lifespan doubles. What could be sweeter than that?