Xuanyuan Zhen did not release Yin Mei immediately. His mind was already moving, analyzing the structure of the rune he had sensed within her lower abdomen.
A seal of that intricacy was not accidental.
It fed on her Qi and blood subtly, never enough to kill her, but enough to keep her frail. Enough to prevent awakening. Enough to hide something.
He gently guided her to sit.
"Yin Mei," he said quietly, "I need to remove something from your body."
She blinked. "Remove…?"
He nodded and placed his palm lightly against her lower abdomen, over the location of her sealed Qi sea.
The moment his hand touched her through the thin fabric of her robe, her entire body stiffened.
A flush crept up her neck to her cheeks.
"Y-young master…"
Her voice trembled—not from fear, but embarrassment. Xuanyuan Zhen noticed only after a breath.
His expression softened faintly. "Focus. It may hurt."
Her lips pressed together, but she nodded.
He closed his eyes and circulated his purple-golden Qi. Golden holy Qi surged first—pure and radiant—flowing from his palm into her meridians. Heavenly purple Qi followed, heavier, infused with Dao authority.
The moment his Qi touched the rune—
It reacted.
The dark seal flared with sinister light, lines writhing like living ink beneath her skin. It resisted, attempting to absorb his invading energy just as it had absorbed her vitality for years.
Xuanyuan Zhen's eyes snapped open.
"Burn."
Golden holy Qi intensified, blazing with saintly purity. Heavenly purple Qi descended like an imperial decree, suppressing the rune's resistance.
The two forces intertwined and pressed down.
Yin Mei gasped.
Pain shot through her abdomen like fire and ice colliding. Her fingers clenched into the fabric of her skirt. Her body trembled.
But she did not push his hand away. She endured.
The rune writhed violently now, dark tendrils attempting to retreat deeper. It had fed quietly for years; now it was cornered.
Xuanyuan Zhen increased the pressure. His purple-golden Qi sea churned, blood Qi boiling beneath his skin. Faint purple golden radiance began to emanate from him.
Cracks appeared in the rune.
Thin lines at first, then spreading fractures.
Yin Mei cried out softly as the seal resisted one final time.
Xuanyuan Zhen's gaze turned icy.
The aura of the Battle Saint Body and the Firmament Tyrant Body flared.
"Break."
The word was quiet.
But absolute.
Golden light flooded inward.
Heavenly purple Qi crushed downward.
The rune shattered.
Then a sudden wave of frigid air exploded outward from Yin Mei's body.
Xuanyuan Zhen was forced to withdraw his hand as frost rapidly formed across the courtyard stones. The air temperature plummeted in an instant. Mist curled around her like drifting snow.
Her eyes widened in shock.
A pure, freezing aura surged from within her newly liberated Qi sea—clean, vast, and overwhelmingly cold.
Extreme Yin.
The energy was not dark or sinister—it was pristine, crystalline, like the heart of winter itself.
Spiritual Qi rushed toward her from the surroundings as if summoned. Without guidance, without technique, it poured into her body.
Her cultivation realm rose visibly.
From nothing—
To Body Tempering first stage.
Second stage.
Third stage.
It stabilized there naturally, her foundation astonishingly stable for someone who had just stepped onto the path.
Xuanyuan Zhen stared.
Such aptitude…
The rune had not merely suppressed her.
It had hidden a treasure.
Gradually, the frost settled. The overwhelming cold condensed inward and returned to her body.
Yin Mei blinked.
Then looked down.
Her clothes were stained with dark grime—impurities expelled from her mortal body during the cleansing. Even her skin carried streaks of filth.
She gasped in embarrassment.
"I—!"
Without another word, she fled toward the bath area, face burning red.
Xuanyuan Zhen allowed himself a faint exhale.
So that was the truth.
Time passed.
When she returned—
He almost did not recognize her.
The sickly pallor was gone. Her skin was luminous, like moonlight reflected on snow. Her features, once overshadowed by frailty, now seemed delicate yet striking. Her long dark hair fell neatly over her shoulders, framing eyes that carried a soft, crystalline clarity.
She was no longer the fragile girl lingering in the shadows.
She looked… radiant.
For a brief moment, Xuanyuan Zhen forgot to speak.
Yin Mei noticed.
A blush spread across her cheeks under his gaze.
He cleared his throat and looked away, regaining composure.
"Congratulations," he said calmly. "You have officially stepped onto the path of cultivation."
Her smile was shy, but bright.
He continued more seriously, "Do not reveal this yet. Not your physique. Not your progress. The clan is not safe. We do not know who placed that seal."
Her expression grew solemn.
"I understand."
He studied her for a moment before asking quietly, "Your origins. Tell me everything you remember."
She hesitated, then nodded.
"I was an orphan," she began softly. "I don't remember my parents. I was taken along with other girls by an evil cultivator. He said we would become… cultivation cauldrons."
Her fingers trembled slightly.
"He locked us away. We didn't understand what it meant. But we were afraid."
Xuanyuan Zhen's eyes darkened.
"Then one day," she continued, voice warming, "your father arrived."
Xuanyuan Wudi.
The name lingered heavily in the air.
"He destroyed that place," she said, eyes shining faintly. "He rescued all of us. Many were sent back to their families. I had none. So… he brought me here."
Xuanyuan Zhen remained silent.
An evil cultivator wanting her as a cauldron.
A hidden seal suppressing her extreme yin physique.
The pieces aligned too cleanly.
Someone had interfered after her rescue.
Before he could speak further—
A knock sounded at the courtyard entrance.
A servant stood there nervously.
"Young Master Zhen," he said with a slight bow, "a message from the Patriarch. The younger generation is requested to gather at the main hall immediately."
Xuanyuan Zhen's eyes narrowed faintly.
So soon.
He glanced once at Yin Mei.
"Remain here. Cultivate quietly. Say nothing."
She nodded firmly.
Without further delay, Xuanyuan Zhen turned and stepped out of the courtyard.
The early sunlight cast long shadows across the Xuanyuan estate.
Another summons.