The cold, quiet moonlight of the Moonlight Hall washed over Lin Yuan as he sat cross-legged in the center of the formation circle. He silently began to absorb Qi into his treasure body, allowing the Taiyin essence to wash through his flesh and bones.
From the shadows of the pocket dimension, Lady An emerged with a warm expression. Without a word, she placed her hands behind his back and slowly circulated her Qi into him, assisting him in cleansing his body.
"This will help you refine your body further," she said softly.
He nodded, biting into a fruit before returning to his meditation. With every breath, the powerful Qi pulsed through his veins. Pain flared—but he endured. He knew what came with effort.
Elsewhere in the sect, Lady Yuexian sipped from a porcelain cup of herbal tea as she listened to whispers drifting on the wind.
> "Still pretending that girl is talented?"
> "It's a disgrace how she spends spirit stones."
> "Even her siblings are probably spirit beasts dressed up for companship."
She didn't respond. Her gaze remained serene. But her fingers tightened slightly around the cup, the only hint of her emotion.
Back in Moonlight Hall, Lin Yuan smiled faintly, despite the pain. For twenty-three days, he cultivated without rest, eating fruits, fasting pills, and healing pills. The pain never faded, but his resolve burned brighter.
"Mom," he said between sessions, "are you more powerful than our Ancestor?"
Lady An shook her head. "No, I'm not stronger. That day, the Ancestor helped you, but she didn't use her full power. I, on the other hand, am using everything I have."
"So… she injured me because she don't like me?" he asked.
Lady An smiled gently. "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. There are many who would endure that just to purify their body. You must know, in this sect, many have spiritual bodies. But very few are guided to treasure body. What you have now—people would pay any price for it."
"I understand," Lin Yuan said, bowing slightly.
Lady An continued, "From now on, you won't feel pain in Moonmist Hall anymore. But if you want to ascend from treasure body to king body, Moonlight Hall won't be enough. You'll need the full formation—and even then, the pain will be unbearable unless you're ready."
Lin Yuan gave a wry smile. "If I were poor, I'd be stuck in mortal body forever.I do I earn money"
Lady An nodded. "If you want money, missions at the Mission Hall can earn you contribution points. But it's not easy."
Thirty days passed like this. Lin Yuan consumed hundreds of pills. Now, only 43 high-grade healing pills remained.
When he finally returned to the sect leader's house, he found Qingxue and Xiao Hu in the courtyard, tossing a glowing ball back and forth.
"When did you two wake up?" Lin Yuan asked.
"I woke up on day eighteen," said Qingxue. "Xiao Hu woke on day twenty-three."
"What did you do while he slept?"
"I sat on Sect Leader's shoulders," Qingxue said proudly. "I went wherever she went."
"I didn't wake naturally!" Xiao Hu pouted. "She forced me to get up!"
At that moment, Lady Yuexian appeared in a flash of white robes. Lin Yuan bowed deeply.
"Nice to see you again, Grandmaster."
He raised an eyebrow. "How did you know I was here?"
She gave a faint smile. "If I didn't allow you, you wouldn't have gotten within three steps of my door. There is a good news for you.Remember the formation diagram you gave me?"
"Yes," Lin Yuan replied.
"That was no ordinary array. It's the Sun-Moon Great Energy Gathering Array. Extremely genius formation diagram. It can generate sunstones and moonstones. Not just gather energy —but refine weapons with moon light"
Lin Yuan's eyes widened. "I thought moonstones could only be found in deep forest ranges."
"They usually are," she agreed. "But your array can gather ambient Qi and refine it into moonstones—especially when powered by high-grade spirit stones. It can even recharge old moonstone."
She added, "When I submitted the array to the sect archives, I gained a massive amount of contribution points. I add my contribution and exchange for a rare opportunity,a Heaven and Earth Flame Seed."
Her smile deepened. "Let's eat first. Then I'll take you to choose one."