Elder Huo Ling'er had been right earlier—if she were to return with these three pills, she would likely face countless schemes and ambushes along the way. With her depleted core immortal energy, she would be unable to defend herself, and the pills would inevitably fall into someone else's hands.
Thus, consuming the Fortune Source Pill within this branch hall was the best choice.
Seizing the moment, Chu Qingyi, having made up her mind, surveyed her surroundings and chose a relatively secluded pavilion. After some thought, she decided to set up a barrier outside the pavilion to prevent anyone from accidentally disturbing her progress.
Once everything was prepared, she sat cross-legged on the bed, placed her hands in front of her chest in a complex hand seal, closed her beautiful eyes, and entered a meditative state.
The Great Dao of Forgetting Emotions moved with her will, drawing in the immortal energy of heaven and earth, refining it within her body, and guiding it through specific meridians. Eventually, it transformed into strands of pure immortal energy, converging into the vortex of her core immortal energy in her heart.
The lifeless, dim vortex of her core immortal energy showed faint ripples, bursting into a pale blue glow for an instant before fading away and returning to stillness.
Sigh...
Though Chu Qingyi had faced this outcome countless times, witnessing her once-vibrant core immortal energy reduced to such a state still filled her with sorrow and regret.
She adjusted her state, ensuring her body was filled with immortal energy, then took out the wooden box. With two fingers, she gently picked up the leftmost pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
A warm current slid down her throat, flowing downward until it reached her dantian. By then, the pill had completely dissolved, transforming into a strand of exceptionally pure golden immortal energy. Wherever it passed, her meridians trembled with resonance, and every cell in her body seemed to leap with excitement.
With her eyes tightly shut, Chu Qingyi felt as though she were immersed in a warm ocean. The surrounding waters seemed to possess a magical power, nourishing every corner of her body, bringing immense comfort.
She guided the golden immortal energy through the specific meridians of the Great Dao of Forgetting Emotions, cleansing her bones, meridians, and nerve cells over and over again. Gradually, a faint golden glow emanated from her limbs and bones, and even the originally pale blue, yin-attributed immortal energy within her body was tinged with gold, creating a peculiar sight.
This step was merely to allow the golden immortal energy transformed from the pill to acclimate to its new environment. The next step—impacting the core immortal energy in her heart and awakening it—was the most critical and perilous part.
She cautiously guided the golden immortal energy toward her heart, but hesitated just as it was about to merge with her depleted core immortal energy.
She feared that if even the Fortune Source Pill could not restore her core immortal energy, then there might be no method in this world capable of reawakening it.
When there had been no hope before, she had not dwelled on it, comforting herself by accepting fate. Since it was destined that she would face this tribulation, she would endure it and accept it with peace.
But now, with the hope of recovery right before her eyes, she couldn't control the fear and hesitation in her heart. What if this attempt still failed…
These past days, she had forced herself not to think about the matter of her Primordial Immortal Qi, yet it was like a deeply embedded thorn in her heart. Until it was resolved, she would never truly find peace.
Since childhood, she had been burdened with countless expectations. As she grew older, she was revered by the outside world as the Qingyi Immortal Maiden—not only for her celestial beauty but also for her extraordinary talent in cultivation. But now, her cultivation talent was utterly ruined. As long as her Primordial Immortal Qi remained unrestored, her strength would never advance another step.
This had placed immense pressure on her. In Jinling City, a small town mostly inhabited by ordinary people, it still felt somewhat bearable. But what about when she returned to the Celestial Master's Mansion? Even if those within the mansion didn't care about her lost talent, what about the outside world? Not only would she herself face all kinds of doubts, but even the Celestial Master's Mansion would be affected.
At this moment, it seemed that if even the Fortune Source Pill refined by her mother couldn't help in the slightest, then she would have no choice but to resign herself to fate.
Now, the arrow was already on the bowstring—there was no turning back. She had no choice but to brace herself and guide the golden immortal qi toward the vortex of her Primordial Immortal Qi.
Boom!
The foreign golden immortal qi was met with fierce resistance the moment it entered the vortex. The two forces clashed fiercely. Though the vortex had withered, a starved camel was still larger than a horse—its explosive power was no less than that of the golden immortal qi.
This brought Chu Qingyi immense agony. Her delicate face twisted in pain, fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, and her pearly teeth clenched tightly against her crimson lips. Inside her body, it felt as if a violent storm had descended, wreaking havoc and assaulting every inch of her limbs and bones.
Even so, she gritted her teeth, fighting desperately to overcome the pain while simultaneously trying to soothe the two turbulent forces of immortal qi within her, attempting to merge them together.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but both forces of immortal qi within her began to weaken, and the intensity of their collision gradually eased.
Her consciousness somewhat hazy, Chu Qingyi seized this opportunity to guide the two forces toward fusion.
The moment the two colors touched again, it was like thunder igniting a wildfire, stirring up towering waves. A flood of pain surged through her body, overwhelming her senses and nearly plunging her into unconsciousness.
"Ah!"
Unable to bear the agony, she let out a piercing cry, her voice hoarse and filled with despair.
Every part of her body trembled. The immortal qi within her gradually spiraled out of control, growing chaotic and violent. The two opposing forces of qi remained locked in a deadlock, neither willing to yield an inch.
"Merge… for me!" she ground out through clenched teeth, her delicate face etched with stubborn determination.
Finally, as Chu Qingyi once again guided the golden immortal qi toward the vortex, the latter showed clear signs of fear. Seizing the advantage, she pressed on relentlessly, pouring the golden qi into the vortex with all her might. At the same time, excruciating pain washed over her once more. A ringing filled her mind, and her consciousness began to fade into blankness.
Just as the last shred of her rationality vanished, she vaguely saw the vortex of Primordial Immortal Qi cease its resistance, and the two forces finally merged completely.
Utterly spent and unable to hold on any longer, she collapsed onto the bed, her eyes tightly shut as she fell into unconsciousness.
As her consciousness sank into darkness, a blinding golden light erupted within the vortex, which then transformed into a pale blue hue. All the immortal energy in her body surged uncontrollably into the vortex, flowing and swirling joyfully. Even her meridians faintly emitted a blue glow, rumbling with energy, creating a harmonious scene within her.
At the same time, in a small pavilion to the north of the Xuanji Pavilion branch, Huo Ling'er, who was in a state of cultivation, suddenly opened her beautiful eyes. She gazed thoughtfully into the distance through the window.
"That girl... tsk tsk, truly a blessing in disguise," she murmured to herself, her peach-blossom-like cheeks blooming into a smile that seemed to outshine all of creation.
By the time Chu Qingyi slowly awakened, three days had already passed.
Her long, curled eyelashes fluttered, and her clever eyes darted beneath her eyelids. Moments later, Chu Qingyi, who had been in a coma, regained full consciousness. Her eyes, as brilliant as the Milky Way, quietly opened, with a faint blue light flickering deep within her pupils.
The first thing she did upon waking was to check the primordial immortal energy within her body. What she saw was enough to send her into a frenzy of joy.
The once-depleted primordial immortal energy had now fully recovered. Pure, pale blue immortal energy gushed and danced joyfully within the vortex, swirling and leaping. Never before had the immortal energy in her body felt so abundant. Her limbs and bones were filled with inexhaustible strength, and the exhilarating sensation made her want to cry out in delight.
Not only that, but her cultivation realm had also advanced from the mid-stage of Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit to the late stage, and she even faintly felt as if she had touched the bottleneck!
This meant that in the near future—perhaps in a month, perhaps in half a year—as long as she encountered a suitable opportunity, she could break through the bottleneck in one fell swoop and reach the Yin-Yang Convergence realm, a level countless people could only dream of!
"To think... I broke through by sheer coincidence..." Even the usually unflappable Chu Qingyi couldn't contain her joy. Her delicate face flushed with excitement, like a gorgeous peony in full bloom.
For months, due to the issue with her primordial immortal energy, her strength had not improved in the slightest and had even shown signs of regression. Though she had pretended not to mind, maintaining an air of calm indifference, the matter had long become a thorn in her heart—an insurmountable obstacle.
Now that her primordial immortal energy had finally recovered and her strength had improved, the thorn in her heart vanished completely. She radiated vitality, glowing as if she had become a different person.
Feeling the unprecedented abundance of immortal energy within her, she couldn't help but activate the Great Dao of Heartlessness Art. Streams of immortal energy surged from her body, gathering in the palm of her hand.
"Is this the power of the late stage of Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit..." she murmured in awe, staring at the blue immortal energy flowing from her body. Not only was its color deeper and richer than before, resembling a flowing blue galaxy, but it also emitted waves of cold energy as it moved. Moreover, the immortal energy was purer, with every strand containing immense power.
"If I were to face that Profound Spirit Serpent now, I'd stand a good chance of winning," Chu Qingyi said to herself, a cold glint flashing in her beautiful eyes. It was precisely to deal with that Profound Spirit Serpent that she had hastily summoned her primordial immortal energy to block its final attack, allowing her and Li Ye to escape with their lives.
Now that she had broken through to the late stage of Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, she believed that the Profound Spirit Serpent would no longer be her match.
If Li Ye were here, he would surely be astonished by Chu Qingyi's transformation. This change was not merely in her strength but a complete renewal of her aura. If the still-recovering Chu Qingyi could be likened to a harmless kitten, then at this moment, she was a fierce lion baring its fangs. Her entire being had undergone a dramatic transformation, radiating brilliance, and even the cool, aloof aura surrounding her had grown more intense.
Having fortuitously achieved a breakthrough, Chu Qingyi was in no hurry to leave. Instead, she continued to meditate on the bed, circulating the Great Dao of Forgetting Emotions to channel the abundant immortal energy within her body. After guiding it through specific meridians for several cycles, she gathered it all into her foundational immortal energy. Sensing that her foundational energy was as stable as before, if not even more robust, she finally relaxed, and her tense spiritual consciousness began to ease.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She detached her spiritual consciousness from her body, allowing it to drift silently through the branch pavilion of the Mystic Jade Pavilion.
Since her spiritual consciousness was condensed from a transparent energy, outsiders could not detect its presence. Only cultivators of equal or greater strength could perceive the existence of a foreign spiritual consciousness.
Her physical body remained seated in meditation on the bed in the secluded pavilion, eyes closed and motionless, while her spiritual consciousness had already drifted to hover above the branch pavilion.
It had to be said that from this aerial view, the branch pavilion truly resembled a picturesque manor, as splendid as a royal palace. A tall, thick wall separated the pavilion from the bustling outside world, making it appear even more like a secluded paradise—a beauty that seemed almost otherworldly.
Drifting leisurely, Chu Qingyi followed a few young women as they passed through pavilions, laughing and playfully teasing one another, their joy palpable.
"The newly arrived sister is truly beautiful. I've never seen such a lovely woman before—like, like a fairy from the heavens," said one woman, her arms carrying a basket as she picked flowers, her eyes brimming with delight.
"I think our branch master is even more beautiful," another woman gently patted her shoulder, unable to suppress a smile.
"The branch master has always favored beautiful women. Do you think this sister might stay here with us in the branch pavilion from now on, just like us?" asked a younger-looking woman curiously.
"I don't think so. That sister has an extraordinary aura—clearly from a noble family. How could we, unfortunate women, compare to her?" the first woman continued.
"Not necessarily. Our branch master is so remarkable. How many women in this world could resist her charm? If she's fortunate enough to receive her favor, she'll probably stay," the flower-picking woman paused her task, as if recalling the branch master's appearance, her face filled with admiration, her eyes sparkling like little stars.
"If that sister really stays, with her beauty, the branch master might linger with her night after night. But every time I think of the branch master's methods of affection, it truly makes me unable to resist," another woman chimed in with a coquettish laugh.
The casual banter among the women during their leisure time left Chu Qingyi utterly shocked.
Could it be... that Senior Huo Ling'er... was actually... a woman who favored other women?!
Although the Mysterious Continent primarily followed the tradition of marriages between men and women, the stringent demands placed on women's thoughts, morals, and behavior over a long period meant that any transgressive conduct would be punished by hypocritical leaders. This led to the suppression of women's minds and a lack of liberation. Over time, distorted views on love and marriage emerged. Two women who could not find happiness would comfort and rely on each other, gradually forming what is known as "mirror polishing."
As the name suggests, during their shared lives, two women would satisfy their necessary physiological needs by rubbing against or caressing each other's bodies to achieve sexual gratification. In this process, due to their shared physical structures, their intimate contact resembled placing a mirror between them, hence the term "mirror polishing."
In addition to the mirror-polishing relationships between women, men, in pursuit of sexual stimulation or true love, also developed a new type of relationship known as "cut sleeves," referring to two men who depend on and live together.
However, these two types of relationships were not accepted by ordinary people and were even regarded as ominous. Same-sex relationships were considered extremely filthy behavior. Once a mirror-polishing or cut-sleeve relationship was discovered by outsiders, the individuals involved would become social outcasts, scorned and cursed by everyone, with their ancestors for eighteen generations also suffering disgrace.
Therefore, the vast majority of those in mirror-polishing or cut-sleeve relationships would not reveal their identities, preferring to live their entire lives in anonymity.
Chu Qingyi had only encountered such relationships in storybooks, where she thought they were merely dramatic characters. However, the accidental revelation today overturned her understanding. It turned out that mirror-polishing relationships truly existed, and Senior Huo Ling'er was actually one of them!
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