Noticing Ye Chen glancing around, the Old Sect Master huffed. "Stop looking. Your master's gone off traveling!"

Ye Chen froze. His master, out wandering? How could that be? She would've at least waited for him, right? What had happened?

His brow furrowed tightly.

The Old Sect Master, lips pursed, rummaged through his storage ring and pulled out the items Gu Yunyun had left for Ye Chen. Among them was a jade slip imbued with An Miaoli's aura and a letter from the little demoness Su Yuxuan.

Seeing these, Ye Chen pieced it together. He recalled telling Gu Yunyun about The Legend of the Condor Heroes and her final words. It was clear now—she'd learned about Su Yuxuan, met An Miaoli and An Yuyi, and, unable to accept it, chose to leave.

Ye Chen sighed inwardly. This was all the System's fault. If he'd awakened a normal system, things wouldn't have come to this.

"Did Master leave any message for me?" he asked.

The Old Sect Master hesitated. Not really—she'd just made arrangements. But he quickly said, "Yunyun told me to pass on a message: if you're still devoted, wait for her at her courtyard in twenty years. She'll return to meet you."

She'd return? Ye Chen exhaled in relief. As long as she was coming back, it was fine. He'd feared she'd never return.

But then he turned to the halved Sword Peak, its summit—where his master's courtyard once stood—now obliterated by the tribulation. He fell silent.

His master had barely left, and he'd already wrecked her home. If she found out while traveling, would she still come back? Would she think he did it on purpose to keep her away? He'd better find someone to rebuild Sword Peak, pronto!

As Ye Chen pondered, the Old Sect Master handed him a sword talisman and a jade talisman.

Feeling the aura of his master lingering on them, Ye Chen froze for a moment.

"This sword talisman was left by Yunyun," the Old Sect Master said. "If you find yourself in danger or simply miss her too much, crush this talisman. She'll sense it and come to you. As for this jade talisman, Yunyun has one just like it. If she's in danger, you'll be able to sense her general direction through it and go to her rescue."

"What are you standing there for? Take them!" the Old Sect Master urged. "Yunyun's already reached the Golden Core stage. Do you think I, an old man, should run out to save her if she faces something she can't handle? I'd just be throwing my life away! You're her disciple. You triggered a heavenly tribulation just by breaking through to the Golden Core stage. If you don't go, who will?"

Ye Chen stood there, still processing, as the Old Sect Master continued, noticing his confusion. "Don't just stare. Take them seriously."

Realizing the sect master was looking out for him, Ye Chen carefully accepted the talismans.

The Old Sect Master, pleased with Ye Chen's response, patted his shoulder. "Young man, don't feel too bad about it. I was like you once."

"You know how much female cultivators adore prodigies like us," he said with a wistful smile. "When I was traveling the world in my youth, I made mistakes too. There was a junior sister who stayed by my side through it all. But because of my errors, she left in anger. I didn't chase after her or apologize. I thought, 'She'll get over it eventually.'

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"A year or two passed, and I didn't think much of it. After all, for cultivators, a single closed-door session could last that long. But in the blink of an eye, a decade went by, and she still hadn't returned. I panicked and went down the mountain to find her. Only then did I learn that in the third year, she'd planned to return to the sect to see me. But on her way back, she was ambushed by rogue cultivators. She died.

"Young man, don't think you have all the time in the world to wait and wait. Sometimes, what feels like a simple parting might be the last time you see someone."

The Old Sect Master gazed at the sky, his eyes filled with nostalgia and regret.

Ye Chen knew the story was likely exaggerated, but it still struck a chord. Without hesitation, he took out the sword talisman and crushed it. First, he'd lure his master back.

The Old Sect Master nodded in approval. He didn't ask about the quality of Ye Chen's Golden Core. Having triggered a tribulation, it was undoubtedly a ninth-grade core of the highest quality. What was there to ask?

With a flourish, the Old Sect Master departed, calling all the elders to follow him. He told them it wasn't Ye Chen who had faced a tribulation.

"A Golden Core cultivator triggering a heavenly tribulation? Impossible. It was just the lightning forged by his cultivation technique, tempering his body. Nothing like a true tribulation. If it had been a real heavenly tribulation, Ye Chen would be dead by now."

The elders nodded in sudden understanding. It made sense. If a Golden Core cultivator could trigger a heavenly tribulation, the tribulation itself would seem too weak. Not to mention, Ye Chen had emerged unscathed. It definitely wasn't a tribulation.

Ye Chen slowly descended, landing before Lu Jing, Lin Ke'er, and Yao Xi. The three women gazed at him, their faces alight with joy.

The moment Ye Chen saw them, a system prompt echoed in his mind.

"Yao Xi: Hundredfold Feedback!"

Senior Sister had reached hundredfold feedback? The same as An Yuyi. It seemed that after consuming the Azure Hill Jade Bamboo Core, her spiritual root had ascended to a dual-variant spiritual root.

As expected, Yao Xi's excited voice transmitted to him: "Junior Brother, I've awakened a dual spiritual root! After using the Azure Hill Jade Bamboo Core, my cultivation broke through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Then, with the Glazed Purification Water, I reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. In at most two years, I'll be ready to attempt forming my core!"

Yao Xi was cautious, knowing the Azure Hill Jade Bamboo Core and Glazed Purification Water were treasures. To avoid causing trouble for Ye Chen, she spoke through transmission.

Ye Chen wasn't surprised. While the Azure Hill Jade Bamboo Core could elevate a spiritual root to earth-grade, it wasn't guaranteed, especially since his senior sister had only a ninth-grade spiritual root to begin with.

He smiled faintly. "Congratulations, Senior Sister! What spiritual roots did you awaken?"

Yao Xi grinned. "Wind and Fire spiritual roots!"

Ye Chen nodded. Those roots suited her alchemist identity perfectly. After a moment's thought, he retrieved a core-forming spiritual item from his storage bracelet—the Phoenix Stone, a gift from Li Feihuang.

Raising his hand, he offered it to Yao Xi. "Since your cultivation is progressing so quickly, take this core-forming item, Senior Sister. With your spiritual roots, it should help you form an upper-grade Golden Core."

Yao Xi's eyes widened at the mention of a core-forming item. An upper-grade Golden Core? That was the dream of every ordinary cultivator. Forming one meant a chance at reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Seeing how casually her junior brother presented it, she knew he'd prepared this precious item for her long ago. Her heart swelled with gratitude.

Before, she'd failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Now, not only had she reached this level, but she also had the potential to form an upper-grade Golden Core in the future, all thanks to her junior brother's support.

Yao Xi reflected inwardly. In the vast cultivation world, she was an unremarkable female cultivator, barely scraping by at the bottom. She didn't deserve such treasures. Yet her junior brother cared for her with unmatched devotion.

A gentle flush spread across Yao Xi's lovely face, like the glow of a sunset. She gazed at Ye Chen, her voice shy as she transmitted, "Junior Brother, didn't you say last time that once you reached the Golden Core stage, you'd let me test if you're up to the challenge? Since your courtyard was damaged by the tribulation, how about staying at my place tonight to rest?"

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