Jumi's eyes fluttered open, her body drenched in sweat, her breath unsteady. For a long moment she stared at the wooden ceiling above her bed, unable to comprehend the heavy pulse of qi coursing through her meridians. It was violent yet intoxicating, a flood of energy that made her limbs tremble and her heart pound like a war drum.

She sat up abruptly, clutching her chest. Her aura burst out uncontrollably—waves of force rippling through the small chamber, making the lanterns on the walls flicker. The jade bead on her bedside table cracked into two pieces from the pressure.

"No… this can't be…" Jumi whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. She extended her hand, conjuring a small sphere of light. But instead of the faint glow of a disciple-level cultivator, the light roared like a flame, sharp and refined—undeniably belonging to the elder rank.

Her entire body shook. "I… I broke through? But… but how?"

Panic and confusion swirled inside her mind. She recalled last night—the overpowering scent of Aphrodite powder, Mo Han's calm yet defiant eyes, her desperate attempt to bend his will. She remembered leaning close, her breath warm on his ear, whispering incantations meant to ensnare his heart and body. She remembered her own pulse racing, her meridians quivering as though touched by lightning.

Then darkness. A long, dreamless slumber. And now this.

She clenched her fists, horrified. "No… no! Did I… did I lose my Pure Yin to him? But… I still… I still feel intact. Then why…?"

Her lips trembled as she whispered to herself, "Mo Han… that man… his body constitution is real. A heavenly-ranked dual cultivator. Just standing near him, just brushing against his aura… it must have sparked this breakthrough. How terrifying… how tempting…"

Her heart throbbed with a dangerous mixture of fear and longing. "If just a touch can push me to the elder rank… then… what if…?" She shook her head, covering her face with her hands. "No! I cannot think like this."

But the temptation rooted itself deep.

After pacing her room for an hour, Jumi finally resolved herself. She had to tell her master. She had to convince Elder Park that this man was more than just an enemy. She wrapped herself in a dark robe and hurried through the stone corridors of the Eternal Night Mansion, ignoring the stares of disciples who felt the sudden pressure of her upgraded aura.

When she burst into Elder Park's chamber, she immediately fell to her knees. "Master!"

Elder Park, seated cross-legged before a cauldron of simmering herbs, opened her eyes slowly. Her sharp gaze fell on Jumi. "Why do you look so frantic?"

"Master…" Jumi bowed until her forehead touched the floor. "Something… something incredible happened. I… I broke through."

Park's brow furrowed. "Broke through? At your level, it should have taken at least another decade. Stand up."

Jumi obeyed, releasing a controlled burst of aura. The air in the chamber trembled as the energy of an elder rank cultivator filled the space.

Elder Park's expression finally shifted from calm disdain to cold surprise. "Impossible… You… you truly advanced."

Tears welled in Jumi's eyes. "It happened last night, Master. I… I confronted Mo Han, just as you instructed. I used the Aphrodite powder, I tried to bend him… but instead…" Her voice faltered.

Park narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Instead what?"

Jumi swallowed hard, her face flushing with both shame and excitement. "Instead, his heavenly dual cultivation constitution… it stirred something in me. I thought I was losing my Pure Yin, I thought I was ruined—but when I woke up… my cultivation had risen. Master, it's real. He is real. With him, many of your disciples could advance just like I did. Think about it—our entire division could grow stronger! We could use him for good, Master!"

The words spilled from her lips, trembling with eagerness. Her eyes glowed with a kind of desperate hope.

But Elder Park's expression darkened into a storm.

"Use him?" Park repeated, her voice sharp as a blade. She rose from her cushion slowly, every step making the air thrum with killing intent. "You dare speak to me of using him? You dare speak of that man—who humiliated me, who dares to walk this sect as if he belongs—as if he were a gift to us?"

Jumi's breath caught. She lowered her head, pressing her palms together. "Master, forgive me. But… isn't it better to turn an enemy into a tool? If he can help us, then—"

The sound of a sharp crack silenced her words. Elder Park's palm had struck her cheek with such force that Jumi staggered backward, clutching her face.

"You fool!" Park hissed. "Do you not see the danger? That man is poison. He carries fame like a plague, and now even the commoners chant his name as if he were some divine healer. If we allow him to remain, his influence will grow beyond control. He will not strengthen us—he will eclipse us!"

Jumi trembled, tears sliding down her cheeks. "B-but Master—"

"Silence!" Elder Park's voice thundered. She advanced on Jumi, eyes blazing. "Do you know what happens to women who get too close to men like him? They lose themselves. Their loyalty, their will, even their cultivation becomes bound to him. Do you want to become his slave? His plaything?"

Jumi's lips quivered, but she couldn't speak. Her heart screamed, No, I don't want that… but what if he truly could help us rise…

Elder Park's aura flared, pressing down on her disciple until she could barely breathe. "Do not ever mention this again. Do you understand me? Not a word to anyone—not to another disciple, not to another elder. If the sect learns what happened to you, his fame will soar higher, and everything I've built will crumble. You will keep silent."

Jumi nodded furiously, tears spilling down her face. "Y-yes, Master."

"Good," Park spat. "Now get out of my sight. Do not show me your face again until you've cleansed your mind of this madness."

Jumi staggered to her feet, bowing again before rushing out of the chamber, her cheeks burning from the slap, her heart torn between fear and longing.

As she ran down the corridor, she clutched her chest, whispering to herself, "Mo Han… what are you? How could just your presence change me so deeply?"

Behind her, Elder Park sat back on her cushion, but her hands trembled as she clenched them into fists. Her teeth ground together as a single thought consumed her.

If I don't crush him now… he will destroy everything.

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