Time slipped by in a blink, and before anyone realized it, more than a month had passed since Chu Mingwei entered seclusion.
Over that month, Ling Xiaozi used the incident of Xiao Lingyu’s ambush as a pretext to carry out several rounds of internal purges within the Cloud Sky Sect. Quite a number of people with ulterior motives were rooted out. Still, Ling Xiaozi knew that most of them were merely spies planted by other sects and had no real connection to the demonic presence in the back mountain.
Because he had grown suspicious of Leng Hanyuan, Ling Xiaozi carefully reviewed all of Leng Hanyuan’s close associations since entering the sect. What he found unsettled him—aside from Yilan Peak, every peak had disciples who were on good terms with Leng Hanyuan. The realization sent a chill through him. If these connections had remained undiscovered and those disciples had been allowed to grow stronger, then once Leng Hanyuan’s influence matured, Chu Mingwei might not have been able to contend with him.
Ling Xiaozi’s gaze moved slowly across the list of names. If his judgment was correct, many among them were likely connected to the demonic faction. During the sect’s repeated investigations, he had deliberately traced leads to these individuals—only to intentionally let them go. After several such rounds, he did not believe they could maintain their composure forever. Sooner or later, their anxiety would betray them.
Thinking of the faint disturbances that had been appearing in the back mountain over the years, and linking them to the undercurrents stirring throughout the cultivation world, Ling Xiaozi could not help but sigh. These were truly troubled times.
Originally, he had planned to pass the position of sect leader to Chu Mingwei in a few years and retire to the back mountain to pursue the Dao. But now, Chu Mingwei still seemed too young. Ling Xiaozi resolved to endure a few more years and deal with these matters himself, lest Chu Mingwei be overwhelmed in the future.
After mentally reviewing his arrangements several times and confirming there were no oversights, Ling Xiaozi prepared to leave. But just as he did, his eyes paused on a name—
Yao Wu.
Ling Xiaozi’s thoughts stirred. He recalled Junior Brother Yao—gentle, tolerant, always appearing like a kind and dependable elder. Back in their youth, Yao had already been somewhat dull and honest, and as the years passed, that disposition only deepened. He treated the disciples under him with great care.
In the past, Ling Xiaozi would never have doubted him. But now, after this investigation, many who seemed honest and harmless had turned out to be spies. A thought suddenly struck him—was Yao Wu truly as indifferent to worldly affairs as he appeared? Had he really been unaware of Leng Hanyuan’s constant maneuvering?
Ling Xiaozi tapped lightly on the name, lost in thought.
—
While the outside world churned with turmoil, those in seclusion knew nothing of it.
Xiao Lingyu slowly opened his eyes.
Spiritual energy coursed abundantly through his body, every limb and meridian filled with a sense of ease and vitality. A sweep of his divine sense confirmed it—his cultivation had reached the peak of the Void Realm.
He raised a finger.
“Void.”
The moment the word left his lips, a rift nearly twenty feet long tore open before him. Wisps of gray energy seeped out, and an icy, desolate aura quickly spread throughout the chamber.
The old ghost, who had fallen into a deep sleep during Xiao Lingyu’s seclusion, was jolted awake by the dense void energy filling the room.
“Xiao Yu! What are you doing?!” he shouted in alarm.
Xiao Lingyu ignored him, staring intently at the rift. After a long moment of contemplation, he raised his finger again.
“Seal.”
As the word was spoken, the rift slowly began to close. The void energy that had spilled out was drawn back in, thread by thread, until the chamber returned to its original state.
The old ghost stared in shock, speechless for a long while before finally stammering, “Xiao Yu… when did you comprehend the ‘Seal’ forbidden technique?”
“Forbidden technique?” Xiao Lingyu frowned slightly. “You didn’t know?”
The old ghost nearly lost his mind. “You didn’t know, and you still used it?!”
Xiao Lingyu cast him a glance, unconcerned. “Just a moment of sudden insight.”
“Sudden insight?!” The words hit the old ghost like a blow. His face twisted with envy and disbelief. “Why do I never get that kind of enlightenment?”
Ignoring his complaints, Xiao Lingyu asked, “What exactly is a forbidden technique?”
Resigned, the old ghost began explaining.
Forbidden techniques were spells comprehended by ancient cultivators through their understanding of the Dao. Because of their immense power, they were rejected by the Heavenly Dao and thus labeled “forbidden.” Their use did not rely on spiritual energy, but on the fundamental laws of the Dao itself.
The “Seal” technique Xiao Lingyu had used was exactly what it sounded like—a sealing art. In ancient times, powerful cultivators could use it to instantly seal the spiritual energy of a true god, reducing them to a mortal. It could even freeze vast oceans in an instant. Though Xiao Lingyu had grasped its essence, his cultivation was still too low—he could only unleash a fraction of its true power.
Xiao Lingyu listened carefully, already calculating how this technique might be applied in combat.
The old ghost, finally given the chance to speak freely after days of silence, rambled on enthusiastically from ancient times to the present. Only after satisfying his urge to talk did he stop. Then, with a sweep of his divine sense, he suddenly exclaimed, “You’ve already reached peak Void Realm! Why not push through to the Core Formation Realm in one go?”
Xiao Lingyu raised an eyebrow. “You want me to stay in seclusion longer?”
The old ghost shook his head vigorously. If Xiao Lingyu kept cultivating, he’d have no one to talk to—he might as well be under a silence restriction.
Xiao Lingyu calmly put away the spirit marrow and said, “Cultivation has no shortcuts. I’ve already used it to reach the peak of the Void Realm. Any further would be rushing things. I need to stabilize first.”
The old ghost nodded approvingly. “Good. You understand that much.”
—
Meanwhile, Chu Mingwei also opened his eyes.
Sensing his own cultivation, he fell into deep thought.
Peak Core Formation Realm.
He had never imagined reaching this level so quickly. Now, he faced a choice—should he leave seclusion, or use the power of the lightning source to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm?
He wanted to leave, because he worried about Xiao Lingyu. With Leng Hanyuan and Xu Xuan harboring ill intent, and the looming threat of the demonic race, he could not feel at ease.
But if he stayed… once he reached the Nascent Soul Realm, he could formally propose becoming Dao companions with Xiao Lingyu at Yilan Peak. He could protect him openly, no longer needing to remain in the shadows.
After a long internal struggle, the thought of building a life together ultimately won.
Chu Mingwei exhaled slowly—and closed his eyes once more.
—
The day Xiao Lingyu emerged from seclusion, the happiest person was Wu Yunzi.
Seeing Xiao Lingyu reach peak Void Realm with the help of spirit marrow, Wu Yunzi immediately gave him another stern lecture about steady cultivation. Xiao Lingyu naturally agreed.
The second happiest on Yilan Peak was Zhu Yurong.
During Xiao Lingyu’s seclusion, Zhu Yurong had been handed over to an outer disciple for care. Though it lacked spiritual energy, years of being fed spiritual herbs had made it no ordinary pig, so it was treated decently at first.
But after Ling Xiaozi reshuffled the outer disciples, everything changed.
The new caretaker had once been poor in the mortal world—and had raised pigs.
To him, Zhu Yurong was just that: a pig.
So he fed it exactly as one would in the mortal world.
Faced with a pile of unrecognizable vegetables, Zhu Yurong nearly broke down. For the first time, it deeply missed Xiao Lingyu.
When it finally saw him again, it burst into tears and threw itself into his arms.
“Xiao Yu! You’re finally out! I’ve been starved—I’ve lost weight!”
Xiao Lingyu held it up, feeling its unchanged heft and glossy fur. He couldn’t see any sign of weight loss.
Zhu Yurong, undeterred, spat out a pile of vegetables as evidence.
“They’ve been feeding me this! I’m so miserable!”
Xiao Lingyu couldn’t help but smile. “From now on, you’ll have desserts every day.”
Zhu Yurong beamed.
Then Xiao Lingyu looked at the vegetables.
Zhu Yurong froze.
Moments later, it trudged over and began eating them with tears in its eyes.
“I hate you…”
That night, a strange event occurred in the Cloud Sky Sect.
The kitchen was suddenly filled with piles of fresh vegetables—still glistening with dew.
—
By noon the next day, when Xiao Lingyu heard about it, he silently stared at the green dishes on the table… and did not move his chopsticks for a long time.