Just as everyone was preparing for their respective journeys, Ji Rufeng suddenly remembered something and said to Li Xue, "Sister Li, Yun Mingxuan has also reached the Golden Core stage. He sent me a transmission saying he wants to head out to gain some experience."
"Oh? It’s been a long time since I last contacted Mingxuan. Is he doing alright?" Li Xue asked with concern.
"He might have run into some trouble. We’ll ask him for the details once we see him," Ji Rufeng replied before exiting the Dream Realm with Bai Xingyu.
Soon, news of Yun Mingxuan reached them. When the group arrived on Planet Jinxing and saw him, they were all profoundly shocked.
Yun Mingxuan stood before them with a head of grizzled, white hair and a face etched with wrinkles. No matter how one looked at him, he appeared to be an old man.
"Mingxuan, how did you end up like this?" Yu Ming asked, stunned.
"Sigh, don't even mention it. Something went wrong during my Golden Core Tribulation," Yun Mingxuan said helplessly.
"Didn't you already overcome a heart demon during your Foundation Establishment?" Li Lin asked, frowning.
Yun Mingxuan’s expression turned somewhat sorrowful. "It was all because of the trouble the family caused. Sigh!"
As it turned out, once the Yun family of the Yunjin Sect learned that Li Xue and Li Lin were being highly valued by the Yuxuan Sect on Planet Jinxing, they began to pay close attention to Yun Mingxuan. Everyone in the sect knew that Yun Mingxuan shared a deep bond with Li Lin. Originally, this was only natural and beyond reproach.
However, there are always those who cannot bear to be left out, among whom was the familiar Sect Leader’s wife, Yiyi. Ever since her relationship with Li Xue and Li Lin had soured, she had tried countless ways to mend the rift, all to no avail. Li Xue and Li Lin were simply too busy—if they weren't in secluded cultivation, they were traveling—and eventually, they had moved to Planet Jinxing. Consequently, Yiyi set her sights on Yun Mingxuan.
Yiyi possessed a Yin-type constitution, making her most suitable for dual cultivation; this was no secret within the Yunjin Sect. Initially, Yun Mingxuan had no thoughts of dual cultivation at all. When Yiyi first approached him, his attitude was one of avoidance. Unfortunately, even heroes have a weakness for beauties. Under Yiyi's relentless flirtations, he eventually fell into her "gentle trap."
Dual cultivation was a common phenomenon in the cultivation world. Since Yiyi herself had consented and the Sect Leader seemingly turned a blind eye, Yun Mingxuan saw no reason to remain reserved. For a period of time, Yiyi and Yun Mingxuan indulged in their shared practice without weariness, and his cultivation level rose rapidly.
On the eve of the Nascent Soul Magic Arts Tournament on Planet Yuanshi, Yiyi desperately pleaded with Yun Mingxuan to take her along. Yun Mingxuan lacked the status to attend on his own, and Yiyi naturally wanted to ride on the coattails of Li Xue and Li Lin. In the end, Yun Mingxuan had no choice but to agree to contact Li Lin. But before anything could be done, the Sect Leader caught wind of the news and severely punished the two of them.
What business did those at the Foundation Establishment stage have at a Nascent Soul tournament? Even those at the Golden Core stage wouldn't dare go without a Nascent Soul elder leading them. If one accidentally crossed a foul-tempered Nascent Soul Daoist, they could be obliterated with a mere flick of a sleeve. How could the Sect Leader allow Yiyi and the others to head into such danger?
Yun Mingxuan was naturally happy to drop the matter, but Yiyi threw a tantrum and had been cold toward him ever since. Yun Mingxuan was extremely frustrated. He couldn't exactly barge into the Sect Leader’s cave dwelling and say, "I still want to dual cultivate with your wife," as that would be asking for a beating.
Under such mental strain, it was a stroke of luck that he managed to survive his Golden Core Tribulation at all.
After hearing the story, Yu Ming couldn't help but step forward and punch Yun Mingxuan hard, saying coldly, "You really don't know the value of your own life. You dared to attempt Core Formation in that state? You're lucky to be alive!"
The others shook their heads as well. This kid was truly fortunate; he had been far too reckless.
Li Xue frowned and asked, "Xiao Xuan, what about now? Are you and Yiyi still seeing each other?" Li Xue’s opinion of Yiyi had plummeted; the woman’s behavior was nothing short of fickle and loose.
"I look like this now; how could she still be interested?" When Yun Mingxuan spoke of her, there was no ripple of emotion in his voice. It seemed he had truly moved on.
"You have no principles at all. You actually slept with a woman like that?" Ji Rufeng said with great disdain.
"I was just playing a part," Yun Mingxuan chuckled. "While I was out gaining experience, I found a cultivation technique suitable for dual cultivation. She just happened to come knocking, so I figured I might as well make use of her."
"You're too wretched!" Dongfang Jing said contemptuously.
"Alright, alright, Sister Li is still here. We can discuss this further in private!" Yun Mingxuan said, winking and nudging them.
Li Xue couldn't help but laugh. When did these boys become like this? Had they all finally "awakened"? They were of the same generation as Li Lin, so in her eyes, they were still just children.
"I also picked up a spirit beast egg that requires Pure Yin energy to hatch. I don't know much about beast taming. Xiao Feng, help me take a look and see what kind of spirit beast it is." Yun Mingxuan took a blue spirit beast egg out of his storage bracelet.
"So that's why!" Ji Rufeng realized. He added, "I was wondering how you could have lost all sense of taste."
"Heh heh," Yun Mingxuan gave him a look that said 'you understand,' making his wrinkled face look even more wizened.
"You didn't become this way on purpose, did you?" Li Lin said, unable to agree with his methods.
"Eh, it couldn't be helped. Since I've turned old, I'll stay old," Yun Mingxuan said nonchalantly.
"What kind of spirit beast is this?" Li Xue asked.
Ji Rufeng channeled spiritual energy into his hand, performed a hand seal, and struck the egg. Under the stimulation of the spiritual energy, the egg emitted ripples of power.
Except for Yun Mingxuan, everyone’s eyes widened. This aura was very familiar—it was the aura of a Divine Beast.
"Damn! What is this? Is it another Divine Beast?" Dongfang Jing cursed in surprise.
Were Divine Beasts as common as cabbages these days? Before Li Xue could finish her internal lament, Yu Ming performed a hand seal, and Heiyan appeared before them.
"Heiyan, come and take a look. What kind of Divine Beast is this?" Yu Ming asked.
Heiyan stepped forward to carefully sense the egg's aura. He knit his brows and shook his head. "It has the aura of the God Race and it's a blue egg, but I cannot recognize which divine avian it might be. Lord Jin Sang might know."
Hearing this, Li Xue performed a hand seal. As soon as Jin Sang appeared, he sensed the aura of the blue egg.
"A Blue Sable egg!" Jin Sang’s eyes widened, and he suddenly began to laugh.
"A Blue Sable? Aren't they viviparous?" Li Xue found this hard to believe. She remembered that sables should give birth to live young, not lay eggs.
"Sables in the lower realms are indeed viviparous, but among the Blue Sables of the God Realm, some are oviparous and some are viviparous," Jin Sang explained. "Only the female Blue Sables are born from eggs!"
"That's amazing! Mingxuan, congratulations on obtaining a Divine Beast!" Dongfang Jing offered his congratulations.
Yun Mingxuan was overjoyed upon hearing this. "I knew this spirit beast egg—no, Divine Beast egg—was special. She really does love Pure Yin energy!"
