True to his word, Nie Li entered seclusion immediately after announcing his intent. Nie Shiyun, feeling it would be improper to leave all the hosting duties to Nie Xingan, accompanied the Yingyue Sect cultivators on a tour of the grounds, much as he had done for Chiyan Cliff.
Though Zhai Bairong had visited before, he had never toured Yunqing Pavilion in detail. With his heart in a different place this time, he was deeply curious about the environment Nie Shiyun lived in, and thus joined the Yingyue Sect group with great interest.
Socializing was a reciprocal affair. Nie Shiyun led the Yingyue Sect disciples to the public forging rooms, where several disciples happened to be buried in their practice. Having already exchanged greetings earlier, the disciples merely stood and nodded to the visitors before returning to their work. Many of the Yingyue Sect disciples were seeing the interior of a forging room for the first time. As they looked around, quite a few immediately entertained the thought of coming to Yunqing Pavilion in the future to have a Dharma treasure forged.
These social obligations did not take much time, yet they were a win-win for both sects. Despite the personal connection through Zhai Bairong, the attitude displayed by Nie Shiyun and the Yunqing Pavilion behind him was friendly without being overly fawning, handled with just the right amount of tact.
After about two days, the accompanying elder from the Yingyue Sect felt they had imposed long enough. Having seen Yunqing Pavilion’s hospitable stance, he subtly expressed their intention to depart.
In truth, he had intended to convey this through Zhai Bairong, but Zhai Bairong stayed at Nie Shiyun’s residence every day, leaving the elder no opportunity to speak with him privately. Consequently, he had to find a moment to speak with Nie Xingan instead.
Nie Xingan, having been briefed by Nie Shiyun beforehand, acted as the intermediary. When the Yingyue Sect elder heard Nie Shiyun’s message, he understood the gist: "Safe travels to you all, but Zhai Bairong will be staying for a few more days."
According to the explanation Zhai Bairong had given Qu Zhanmeng, he and Nie Shiyun had gotten together during the Hantian Realm. Since they truly hadn't had much contact before that, this version of events gradually spread within the Yingyue Sect. The elder felt this was only natural; the young couple hadn't been together long, so they would surely want more time to themselves.
"I understand Fellow Daoist Nie’s meaning, but I am not the one who makes the decisions in the sect," the Yingyue Sect elder said politely. "I shall report this to his master. The Yingyue Sect has been quiet lately, so I doubt Senior Qu will force him to return."
"As it should be," Nie Xingan nodded. It was common sense for disciples to report and seek permission when staying away from the sect. He and Nie Shiyun held special status and were relatives, so they acted quite freely within Yunqing Pavilion. In a major sect like the Yingyue Sect, things were bound to be more cumbersome.
However, just as Nie Shiyun had expected, Qu Zhanmeng did not make things difficult for Zhai Bairong and agreed immediately. He even sent a personal transmission to Zhai Bairong, instructing him to rest well at Yunqing Pavilion and, while he was at it, observe how Nie Shiyun managed to cultivate with such incredible speed.
"Dual-element root cultivators are supposed to be much slower than single-element ones, yet he currently has the highest cultivation among the younger generation. If you stay by his side for a while, perhaps you will grasp some key principles and achieve a breakthrough yourself..." Zhai Bairong read aloud. "That is what he said."
Nie Shiyun sighed softly. "Is it really too fast after all?"
Setting aside the major opportunities from the original novel, Nie Shiyun had also stripped away many of the natural treasures that originally belonged to the protagonist's party in the two secret realms. Furthermore, the cultivators of this world—especially those with high cultivation—tended to be somewhat aloof regarding secondary professions. This was diametrically opposed to the mindset deeply rooted in Nie Shiyun’s mind from the twenty-first century—that one should strike the moment they smell a business opportunity. Consequently, he had raked in a fortune over the years. All things considered, his current cultivation was truly the result of investing a staggering amount of spirit stones and materials that others could hardly imagine.
Of course, no matter how many good things one had, the cultivator still needed to be able to digest them. More importantly, there was the slowed flow of time within the jade pendant space. Without such a treasure, it would likely have taken Nie Shiyun nearly a hundred years to reach the Nascent Soul stage.
"This is already the result of you balancing work and rest. If you had spent all your time on cultivation, you might have advanced several years ago, wouldn't you?" Zhai Bairong asked.
"Indeed. Although I’ve tried to control it, I still hope to keep my cultivation a head above Xu Yehua and the others. Otherwise, I simply can't feel at ease," Nie Shiyun replied. Whether this would arouse the curiosity or suspicion of Qu Zhanmeng or even the Deity Transformation cultivators was a matter for the future. If he didn't advance quickly, facing a crushing defeat or even a life-threatening situation at the hands of Xu Yehua was a concern for the present.
Recalling the perils during the Immortal Cultivation Grand Assembly, Zhai Bairong nodded with lingering fear. "You are right to do so."
"Since that clash in the Hantian Realm, I haven't heard any news of him for a long time. Although I hope we won't cross paths again, I have a feeling this won't just end here."
Nie Shiyun knew that although he had gained the upper hand in their last fight and the story's trajectory seemed to have been warped by his actions, the Heavenly Dao still existed. He never let his guard down regarding this.
Zhai Bairong recalled that after that incident, Xu Yehua had left Duan Mingyu’s side. This time, after exiting the secret realm, Xu Yehua hadn't come to flirt and joke with Duan Mingyu before leaving as he used to. It felt off. "Perhaps he was provoked by your cultivation level and has gone to focus on his own training. I feel that man has changed quite a bit. When he first met Duan Mingyu, he carried an air of unrestrained, bohemian grace. Later, after he lost his seat as the top cultivator of the younger generation, that feeling slowly vanished entirely."
Nie Shiyun smiled. "I was there when you first met him, too." Though at the time, his head had been filled with nothing but thoughts of making a quick escape.
Zhai Bairong paused, murmuring a vague "True," not wanting to dwell on the past. The Miwu Realm held the memory of his "first time" with Nie Shiyun, but it was also filled with the embarrassing situation of being trapped by his feelings because Duan Mingyu had found a new love.
While Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong were leisurely chatting, the subject of their discussion was not having a particularly pleasant time.
"I heard the elder and disciples our sect sent to Yunqing Pavilion returned yesterday."
"Was it to celebrate Senior Nie’s advancement to the Nascent Soul stage?"
"That's the one. Shh, keep your voice down..."
Two Chiyan Cliff cultivators were discussing something when they caught sight of Xu Yehua walking past in a hurry. they quickly fell silent.
Xu Yehua looked displeased, but he didn't lash out. The whispered conversation of those two juniors naturally reached his ears; it was hard not to hear it. Hearing about the event was indeed annoying, but the way those two were walking on eggshells for fear of provoking him was even more irritating.
Since parting ways with Duan Mingyu to cultivate alone, although he lacked a beauty in his arms, Xu Yehua’s cultivation efficiency had noticeably improved. The state of mind that had been disturbed after his defeat by Nie Shiyun had stabilized considerably.
But the good times didn't last. When Xu Yehua, whose cultivation had just reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage upon leaving the secret realm, returned to his sect, he didn't receive the praise and envy of his peers. Instead, he heard the news of Nie Shiyun’s advancement to the Nascent Soul stage.
A young Nascent Soul cultivator under fifty years of age, and an artifact refiner capable of producing high-grade spiritual tools—the eyes of everyone in the cultivation world were instantly focused on Nie Shiyun.
"Nie Shiyun... It’s Nie Shiyun again..." Xu Yehua seethed inwardly.
After making his routine report to the sect, it wasn't long before Xu Yehua learned of Chiyan Cliff’s move to send cultivators to "apologize and make peace" with Nie Shiyun on his behalf. Since that day, he hadn't stepped foot outside his cave, focusing entirely on cultivation, until he was summoned by the higher-ups today.
The fact that Zhai Bairong had left Duan Mingyu was now common knowledge. Fei Moyin, the Sect Leader of Chiyan Cliff, had learned that the Yingyue Sect had not brought Duan Mingyu along on this trip to Yunqing Pavilion. Recalling his previous suspicions, he summoned Xu Yehua for questioning.
The moment Fei Moyin saw Xu Yehua, his gaze turned sharp and cold. "There is a limit to your recklessness! Did you attempt to break through on your own?"
Xu Yehua was startled; he hadn't expected to be found out. "It was just a sudden impulse. I didn't truly begin..."
It couldn't even be called a failed advancement. It was merely a flicker of his mind during cultivation, which he quickly abandoned upon realizing the spiritual energy in his dantian was unstable.
Fei Moyin sighed without concealment. Xu Yehua must have grown anxious after hearing the news of Nie Shiyun’s advancement and acted without proper method.
Seeing that the Sect Leader said nothing more and only showed a look of disappointment, Xu Yehua felt even more restless.
The man on the seat stopped asking about Xu Yehua himself and turned the conversation toward Duan Mingyu.
"The Yingyue Sect seems to have suddenly changed its tune. Our people went to gather information and heard that after the Hantian Realm ended, Duan Mingyu has rarely appeared in public since returning to his sect. Was there anything suspicious in the secret realm?"
Xu Yehua had already reported the two clashes with Qi Miaohan and Nie Shiyun in the secret realm. But regarding Duan Mingyu, Xu Yehua hadn't originally intended to tell the others everything.
He hesitated for a moment. Recalling the look Fei Moyin had just given him, Xu Yehua didn't want to return like this. He spoke up, "The Hantian Realm was extremely cold. Duan Mingyu’s cold constitution seemed even more severe than before."
"You mentioned that old ailment of his long ago. It’s nothing special," Fei Moyin said, waving his hand. He had wondered about it too; though Ice Root cultivators were rare, none had their bodies affected by their roots to such a degree. Moreover, Duan Mingyu was a man; his yang energy should have offset the cold. It shouldn't have been that severe.
However, having heard much about the junior’s conduct, Fei Moyin eventually assumed he was just more fussy than others and stopped caring.
Xu Yehua paused, then continued, "There is one more thing that was quite strange. We found a residence in the secret realm, hidden extremely well. The door to that residence emitted a frigid aura so intense that I couldn't even get close. Yet, he opened the door with ease and walked through without any hindrance..."
Xu Yehua briefly described the appearance and environment of the residence. Although there was nothing inside except for an Ice Lotus, he still remembered seeing the destroyed formations and the scroll painting
