The milky-white Step-Leaping Pill resting between Ye Yuetang's fingers felt as though it were scorching her skin.
For someone with a Low-Grade Spiritual Root, the temptation of advancing even a minor realm was nothing short of a divine revelation—a single ray of light piercing endless darkness.
By nature, Ye Yuetang was calm and resolute. Her Dao Heart was firm, her discipline unwavering. She had never once slackened in cultivation.
Yet aptitude was an unyielding shackle.
For years, she had remained stranded at Foundation Establishment Level Six, unable to advance no matter how diligently she trained.
She did not fully believe Chang Le's talk of Yin–Yang Harmonious Qi or Heart Demon disturbances. That strange Medicine Boy was of uncertain origin, his actions eccentric. The fact that he could refine such a heaven-defying pill was already difficult to accept.
And yet—
What if he was telling the truth?
She closed her eyes and drew a slow breath.
If fear of risk caused her to miss an opportunity, it would betray her Dao Heart.
How much worse could the consequences truly be?
As for side effects… she trusted her own cultivation. Her Ice-Heart Dao Realm was not mere reputation. A minor disturbance could surely be suppressed.
Back in her secluded chamber, Ye Yuetang laid down a simple isolation restriction, sealing the room from outside interference.
She sat cross-legged and swallowed the pill.
It dissolved instantly, releasing a vast yet gentle medicinal power that flowed through her limbs and surged into her dantian.
There was no violent impact—only warmth.
Like a tide both soft and irresistible, it pressed steadily against the barrier she had failed to breach for years.
Without resistance, the boundary between Level Six and Level Seven quietly collapsed.
Her aura surged, condensed, and stabilized.
Foundation Establishment Level Seven.
It worked.
For the briefest moment, disbelief and joy flickered through her usually indifferent gaze.
Then—
The medicinal power did not settle.
The warmth abruptly twisted, transforming into a fierce, blazing current that rushed upward through her meridians, charging straight toward her Sea of Consciousness.
"Mmph!"
Ye Yuetang's body trembled. Heat flooded her veins, her pale skin flushing with an unnatural crimson.
A sensation she had never experienced—primal, hollow, uncontrollable—crashed violently against the Ice-Heart Dao Realm she had maintained for years.
Unbidden, Chang Le's face surfaced in her mind: that respectful smile hiding something sly beneath.
Along with it came thoughts she could neither accept nor suppress.
This isn't a normal Heart Demon…
Alarmed, she clung desperately to the last thread of clarity.
She immediately circulated the Ice-Heart Formula, trying to quell the disturbance.
But the drug's effect was overwhelming—like raging waves smashing against a fragile shore.
The cold energy barely slowed the advance before being swallowed entirely.
Her body burned hotter. Her breathing grew uneven.
An unbearable thirst and yearning rose from deep within, forcing out a faint, shameful sound she could not restrain.
Reason faltered.
Instinct surged.
Outside the courtyard, in the eastern wing—
Chang Le paced back and forth like a trapped insect.
He no longer dared touch any pills.
His mind raced with absurd possibilities—Ye Yuetang hugging pillars? Muttering to flowers? The cold-faced Fairy dancing madly?
Nervous yet curious, he lingered nearby, torn between fear and anticipation.
Then—
A faint sound drifted from the main chamber.
Chang Le froze.
That noise… didn't match any scenario he had imagined.
It was completely wrong.
His scalp prickled.
Before he could stop himself, curiosity overcame caution.
He crept to the window, poked a tiny hole through the paper, and peeked inside.
"By the heavens—!"
His breath nearly stopped.
Inside, Ye Yuetang's robes were loosened, her hair disordered. The cold elegance she was known for had vanished, replaced by flushed skin and unfocused, glistening eyes.
She was repeatedly casting water spells upon herself, desperately trying to cool the unbearable heat.
The sight struck him like lightning.
The aloof Fairy—untouchable and distant—now revealed in such vulnerability.
The contrast was devastating.
Ice and fire. Sanctity and temptation.
Chang Le's throat went dry, his heart pounding.
Thank the heavens I didn't take that pill…
"This isn't something willpower can fight," he muttered bitterly.
As he wrestled with his conscience, Ye Yuetang—her mana exhausted—swayed and collapsed forward.
Without thinking, Chang Le burst through the door and caught her.
Warmth and faint fragrance enveloped him. Her body trembled faintly in his arms.
His thoughts went blank.
What followed felt like a chaotic dream—dangerous, overwhelming, impossible to fully recall.
At dawn, Chang Le woke with a sharp gasp.
Before he could move, a crushing force seized him and slammed him onto the cold floor.
Pain exploded through his back.
When his vision cleared, he met a pair of glacial eyes brimming with fury and killing intent.
Ye Yuetang stood before him, fully dressed once more—aloof, dignified, yet deathly pale. Her lips were bloodless, her eyes faintly red.
Cold intent radiated from her like winter itself.
Her hand gripped his waist. One burst of mana would be enough to cripple him.
"Speak."
Her voice was hoarse, yet colder than ancient ice.
"Give me a reason not to kill you."
The quilt lay scattered across the floor.
Chang Le stared up at her, his throat locked tight, unable to utter a single word.