On the thirtieth day, just before the closure of the Middle Mountain Secret Realm, disciples began to emerge. As the realm sealed its gates for good, the original twenty disciples had dwindled to only twelve. Eight from the Green Cloud Sect. Four from the Misty Sect.

The elder from the Green Cloud Sect smiled with satisfaction. In the world of cultivation, death was an all-too-common occurrence. This time, only two had perished—by all means, it was a fortunate outcome.

Moreover, the gifted such as Ye Chen and Fa Zhen had emerged unscathed. There was even the likelihood that the spiritual fire had already been secured. It could truly be said to have been a fruitful venture.

The elder laughed heartily, summoned a flying boat, and led the disciples away. Yet the elder from the Misty Sect wore a somber expression. He cast a glance at Su Yuxuan, who sat silently on a branch, swinging her bare feet. Her silence made him frown, and he spoke in a low tone, "Why did so many from the Green Cloud Sect survive?"

He had initially thought that with Su Yuxuan's presence, not a single one from the Green Cloud Sect would make it out alive.

Su Yuxuan curled her lips in disdain. Why? It was simple—she had been unable to defeat them. Her thoughts drifted to Ye Chen, to the humiliation and torment she had suffered that night. A bitter, vengeful fire ignited within her heart.

You think your Buddhist techniques can suppress me, do you? I will return and find a way to counter your Buddhist spells. Next time we meet, I'll trap you in the same manner, leaving you to languish in a monster's den for an entire month, ignored.

And as for Ye Chen, wasn't he so fond of looking at her feet? She would make it her mission to trample on his face every day, subjecting him to the utmost humiliation. Men were all proud creatures. To be trampled upon by a woman's feet was a fate worse than death.

When she had tired of the game, she would refine Ye Chen's flesh and blood into nothingness. But even that would not be the end. She would not spare his soul either, but bind it into the Human Emperor Banner, to torment him for eternity.

In truth, Su Yuxuan's hatred for Ye Chen ran deep into her very bones. Yet, as her gaze swept over the Spirit Turtle Blood Pills in her storage bag, a satisfied expression crossed her face. All of them were of the highest quality. The vast amounts of blood qi contained within these pills were enough to help her reach the pinnacle of her cultivation and break through to new heights.

But Su Yuxuan remained cautious about Ye Chen. Someone as abnormal as him—who could say what tricks he might have played behind the scenes? It was better to have them appraised by an expert before making any decisions.

...

On the way back, Ye Chen was in high spirits. The top-grade Spirit Turtle Blood Pills were exceedingly valuable. One single pill was worth five medium-grade spirit stones. Sending out ten would return five hundred. That amounted to twenty-five high-grade spirit stones. It was truly a substantial profit. One couldn't help but appreciate the advantage of having a high base multiplier.

Thus, as far as Su Yuxuan was concerned, Ye Chen genuinely looked forward to meeting her again. Next time, he would prepare just the right things she needed. With a fifty-fold increase, plus a critical hit—wouldn't that be a direct ascent to the heavens?

Lost in thought, the elder arrived, his expression slightly strange as he asked, "Direct Disciple Ye, I heard you defeated Su Yuxuan? You captured her, yet why did she emerge again?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen cast a glance at Fa Zhen. It was certainly that guy who had tattled, making the elder question him. He'd have to deal with this later.

Ye Chen shook his head and replied, "She's exceptionally powerful. It appeared as though I had suppressed her, but in truth, it was all a trap. In the end, she managed to escape, and I nearly met my own downfall."

The explanation sounded perfectly reasonable. After all, the other party had cultivated for three years and reached the ninth level of Qi Refining—having many tricks up her sleeve was only natural. Had it been any other disciple, the elder would likely have believed this explanation.

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But Ye Chen's reputation was so firmly established that the elder couldn't help but feel skeptical. He began to suspect that Ye Chen had been charmed or tempted and had let Su Yuxuan escape. After all, when Fa Zhen reported the incident, he mentioned that the rope Ye Chen had used to bind her was strangely tied. It didn't seem like an enemy's method of restraint. It seemed more as though Ye Chen had been playing some special game with Su Yuxuan.

"That spiritual fire... Direct Disciple Ye, you must have obtained it, correct? It wasn't taken from you?" the elder asked seriously. If the spiritual fire was lost too, that would raise many suspicions.

Upon returning to the sect, the elder would surely report Ye Chen for possibly betraying the sect.

Ye Chen shook his head. "The spiritual fire is with me."

"Direct Disciple Ye, might I take a look at it?"

The elder spoke with sternness.

Ye Chen sighed inwardly. What had become of this world? Couldn't there be any trust between people anymore? He had always been straightforward—how could he possibly engage in treacherous acts? It was enough to make one shiver with frustration.

Ye Chen took out the spiritual fire and opened the lid. Inside, the Green Stone Fire flickered, dancing with a radiant glow. The temperature aboard the flying boat rose sharply in an instant.

The elder's eyes brightened, and his heart finally settled. With Ye Chen's usual style, if he had truly been tempted, he would have been more than willing to part with the spiritual fire. Since he hadn't, it meant the female cultivator of the Demon Path had truly escaped on her own. The direct disciple Ye had not betrayed the sect.

"Direct Disciple Ye, please put it away," the elder urged. "But, do you plan to refine the spiritual fire yourself? If you have no intention of using it... I have a nephew with considerable talent in pill refining. With the spiritual fire, he would surely be even more formidable! I could certainly offer a satisfactory reward in exchange."

Ye Chen shook his head. "This spiritual fire, I intend to keep for myself."

Keep it for yourself?

The elder sighed upon hearing this, not quite believing it. His mind immediately turned to Yao Xi. She also had impressive talent in alchemy. Although she had recently failed in a breakthrough, it seemed her vital energy hadn't been significantly depleted, likely having taken a Foundation Establishment Pill. Everyone in the sect knew the origins of the Foundation Establishment Pills possessed by the elder's disciples.

Yao Xi had no other way of acquiring such pills. It was clear that the pills she used for her breakthrough had come from Ye Chen. And as for the spiritual fire... Ye Chen claimed it was for his own use, but the elder couldn't shake the suspicion that it was most likely meant for Yao Xi.

At this thought, the elder felt a surge of emotion. The direct disciple Ye was truly a man of deep affection. After being rebuffed, the elder did not press the matter further and sighed as he left.

Fa Zhen, too, shared the same thoughts. He believed that Ye Chen would give the spiritual fire to Yao Xi, and the thought caused him great pain. The spiritual fire should have been his.

Unfortunately, the Green Stone Fire continuously flowed with the magma, always shifting its location, making it hard to track down. He had searched for so long, and then encountered several disciples from the Misty Sect, wasting even more time. In the end, he had missed it by mere moments.

The thought that the spiritual fire, which he so desperately desired, would be given away by Ye Chen without a second thought only deepened his distress. A feeling of resentment gnawed at him. He couldn't help but wonder—if only he were a female cultivator, how much easier things would be...

Three days later, Ye Chen returned to the sect. He did not go to see Yao Xi. The main reason was that the system cooldown had not yet ended. So, he went directly to the Sword Peak to rest and recover. He was simply eager to resume his cultivation after so many days of idleness. It had nothing to do with the infuriatingly pure yet temptingly alluring Su Yuxuan.

Meanwhile, the events that had transpired in the Middle Mountain Secret Realm quickly spread throughout the entire sect.

Ye Chen had obtained the spiritual fire. He had subdued the most outstanding cultivator of the Misty Demon Sect's current generation. Ye Chen's reputation soared once more.

Previously, some had raised doubts about him due to his spiritual roots. But now, he had unquestionably become the number one Qi Refining disciple in the Green Cloud Sect.

At the same time, many elders and families within the sect had become quite interested in the spiritual fire in Ye Chen's possession. Several offers, reaching astronomical prices, were made in hopes of purchasing it from him. One elder even offered the price of a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. This left the Green Cloud Sect disciples in awe.

But, unfortunately for them, all offers were rejected. As for threats or forceful attempts to seize the fire? Ye Chen was merely at the ninth level of Qi Refining—wasn't it easy to snatch it from him?

Don't be ridiculous. Who would dare to scale the Sword Peak and steal something from the disciple of Gu Yunyun? Were they tired of living?

In the end, after Ye Chen firmly refused to sell the spiritual fire, things gradually settled down within the sect.

Once the system cooldown concluded, Ye Chen, having been busy for several days, stretched lazily and began walking down the mountain. It had been quite a few days since he'd held onto the spiritual fire, and it was time to finally give it away.

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