In front of Ye Chen, An Miaoli found herself utterly powerless, without even a shred of resistance. Despite her usual confidence, she began to question herself.

Ye Chen, watching the immobilized An Miaoli, couldn't help but chuckle. With such a scene before him, shouldn't he do something?

Leaning down, he brought his face close to An Miaoli's flawless, ethereal beauty.

She froze momentarily, but her eyes showed no trace of struggle. Instead, she closed them willingly.

Ye Chen savored an unprecedented sweetness.

Unbeknownst to An Miaoli—or perhaps she noticed but chose not to act—the restraining force had already dissipated before he leaned in.

After a long moment, Ye Chen slowly pulled back. He slipped the immortal scripture jade slip into her hand. "No need to be polite, Senior. I have another copy."

To prove it, he waved the Deity Transformation chapter of the Eternal Cosmos Sutra, knowing she wouldn't realize it wasn't the Nascent Soul chapter.

Having been caught, kissed, and now holding the jade slip, An Miaoli no longer resisted. She carefully tucked it away. Her personality was never stubborn—if resistance was futile, she'd embrace it, as long as it aligned with her principles. Seeing Ye Chen had another copy reassured her.

He smiled as she accepted it. "So, Senior, are you heading into seclusion now?"

An Miaoli nodded gently, her expression serene. "This seclusion will take some time. Can your Nether Poison hold out that long? If it's unbearable, I can help detoxify you now."

Ye Chen nodded solemnly. "It's been a bit tough. Thank you, Senior. I'll have to trouble you again."

An Miaoli tied up her hair, retrieving the top-grade spiritual artifact without further comment. During the detoxification, Ye Chen's actions were somewhat bold, but it couldn't be helped—he was afflicted by the Nether Poison. She understood. As for his increasing audacity, she was powerless to stop it. After all, Yuyi loved him, so she chose to be accommodating.

But An Miaoli didn't dwell on it. A clear conscience was enough. The detoxification session lasted an entire day.

The next day, An Miaoli put away her white silk spiritual artifact, her serene eyes fixed on Ye Chen as she spoke solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Ye, I'm heading into seclusion now."

Ye Chen's gaze was clear, radiating a sage-like aura. "I wish you success in forming an Immortal Nascent Soul and a boundless immortal path, Senior!"

An Miaoli smiled gently. "While I'm in seclusion, please look after Yuyi."

Ye Chen nodded. "Of course."

Their relationship needed no excessive formalities. An Miaoli said no more, drifting away gracefully. After informing the sect master and elders, she returned to her cave abode, activated the defensive array, and entered seclusion.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen savored the lingering sensation, its subtle sweetness like refined sugar—flavorless yet intoxicatingly pure. With that thought, he settled into cultivating the Shakyamuni Heart Refining Art.

Over the next month, he visited his small world weekly to "feed" An Yuyi, gifting her treasures to trigger rewards. His spiritual sense surged dramatically during this time.

Concurrently, An Yuyi emerged from seclusion, leaving the small world. She had reached the peak of Golden Core, but the Star Pool's potent effects had caused her rapid advancement to leave her foundation slightly unstable. She'd need one or two years to stabilize before preparing for her Nascent Soul breakthrough.

After some reluctance, Ye Chen gifted her an ancient transmission talisman, a recent system reward capable of communication and location tracking across a hundred thousand miles.

Unlike Earth, with its base stations and signals, the cultivation world relied on short-range transmission talismans. Even the little demoness had to resort to letters to contact him, highlighting the challenge of long-distance communication.

Ye Chen had deliberately gifted talismans to trigger this ancient version, planning to equip all the female cultivators close to him with one. This way, if trouble arose, he could know instantly and rush to their aid.

Additionally, he contacted Sun Ye and sent word to the Great Chu Ancestor, instructing them to search for high-grade Nascent Soul techniques. His goal was to trigger a critical reward for the Great Emperor Scripture, the strongest immortal scripture for the Nascent Soul stage, once he broke through.

After leaving Ye Chen's small world, An Yuyi was in high spirits. Breaking through to late Golden Core had saved her decades of arduous cultivation. Receiving the ancient transmission talisman, a clear sign of Ye Chen's care, filled her with joy. Most importantly, with her aunt in seclusion, she had Ye Chen all to herself for the time being. The thought made her practically giddy.

In the days that followed, she visited Ye Chen's cave abode every few days, either clinging to him playfully or sneaking a quick kiss on his cheek when he wasn't expecting it. Each successful "attack" left her beaming, her eyes curving into crescents like a fox who'd snatched a chicken.

She grew more convinced that Ye Chen was gradually accepting her. He gifted her treasures weekly, and with his formidable strength, how could he fail to guard against her "ambushes"? Her successful kiss was proof that he was allowing it. Allowing meant consent. From another angle, it meant Ye Chen was willing to let her kiss him—and by extension, willing to be her Dao partner.

The realization made her grin even wider. She began to wonder if she should seize this opportunity to take things further. But constantly receiving gifts without giving back didn't sit right with her. She needed to offer a return gift. A thoughtful present would surely delight Ye Chen, and in that moment of joy, she could push him down, turning raw rice into cooked rice. That would be her ticket to soaring success—and it would spare her aunt the burden of always stepping in for her.

The more An Yuyi thought about it, the more perfect her plan seemed. The only question was: what to gift? Ye Chen's wealth was unimaginable—what could she offer that would make him happy?

Recalling the spiritual peach trees encircling the Star Pool in his small world, and the way Ye Chen occasionally gazed at them with a distant look, it clicked. Clearly, he loved peach trees and their blossoms. In that case, she'd gift him one.

She remembered a rare five-colored spiritual peach tree she and her aunt had stumbled upon deep in Divine Will Mountain. Its fruits could purify the spiritual power of Foundation Establishment cultivators, making it quite valuable. However, the tree was still young, requiring decades to mature, and neither she nor her aunt was skilled in spiritual planting, so they'd only marked its location and left. Now, it would make the perfect gift. Ye Chen would surely be thrilled to receive it.

An Yuyi was decisive. With a plan in mind, she immediately rushed to Spiritual Plant Peak, enlisting a mid-Golden Core elder to accompany her to the depths of Divine Will Mountain to retrieve the tree.

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