If I stay in the Hehuan Sect, I'll live off the pampered daughters of the Heavenly Pride Sect.

Ice Soul Peak.

The cataclysmic Nascent Soul celestial phenomenon dissipated, but the lingering spiritual energy in the world did not subside.

The air still retained an extreme chill, as well as a trace of newly born, captivating Daoist charm.

Several streaks of light pierced the sky and landed steadily in front of the main hall of Ice Soul Peak.

The person in the lead was none other than Jiang Wei, the sect leader of the Hehuan Sect.

Today, he was dressed in the dark robes of a sect leader, and his already handsome face was glowing with joy, his eyes almost overflowing with happiness.

"Elder Yuexin!"

Before Jiang Wei even arrived, his booming voice had already echoed throughout the entire Ice Soul Peak.

"Congratulations, Elder, on breaking through the profound barrier and achieving the Great Dao! Our Joyful Union Sect has gained another pillar of the Nascent Soul stage; truly a blessing from Heaven!"

Behind him, several supreme elders with profound and unfathomable auras also showed joy on their faces, stroking their beards and smiling.

Having one more Nascent Soul cultivator means having a powerful trump card in the struggle against other forces, allowing a sect to stand taller.

Leng Yuexin walked out of the palace.

She was dressed in a pristine white gown, immaculate and radiating an ethereal and unpredictable aura.

On that stunningly beautiful face, there was no trace of the pain from the breakthrough; only an otherworldly, serene coolness remained.

With each opening and closing of her phoenix eyes, it seemed as if ice crystals were being created and destroyed, chilling the heart to the bone.

She simply stood there quietly, becoming the only and most dazzling sight in this snowy landscape.

"Greetings, Sect Master, and all my fellow martial uncles."

Her voice was clear and cold, like an icy spring, without a trace of joy or excitement after the breakthrough.

Jiang Wei strode forward and waved his hand with boundless pride.

"Elder, there's no need for such formalities! Your successful formation of the Nascent Soul stage is the most significant event in our sect's history! I intend to immediately issue invitations to heroes from both the righteous and demonic paths to come to our Hehuan Sect to witness this momentous occasion!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice rose several decibels.

"We will hold an unprecedented Nascent Soul Ceremony for you! We will make sure the entire cultivation world knows the might of the Joyful Union Sect! Let's see who dares to underestimate us from now on!"

Several senior elders nodded in agreement, clearly showing their strong support for the proposal.

This is not just a celebration, but also a show of force and a strategic deterrent.

However, faced with the sect leader and elders' enthusiasm, Leng Yuexin simply shook her head indifferently.

"Sect Master, you mustn't!"

The atmosphere in front of the main hall froze instantly.

Jiang Wei's smile froze, and he looked at Leng Yuexin with some confusion.

"Why not? Junior sister, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase the might of our sect!"

An elder with a slightly impatient temper frowned and said, "Yuexin, have you just broken through and your Dao heart is unstable? How can you refuse such an important matter?"

Leng Yuexin ignored the elder's questioning. She simply looked calmly at Jiang Wei and slowly raised three fair, jade-like fingers.

"Firstly, although there are frictions between the righteous and demonic paths, they are generally maintaining a fragile balance. If our sect makes a big show of itself at this time, it will only become a target of everyone's criticism, attracting the vigilance and even encirclement and suppression of those hypocrites in the righteous path. Making enemies for no reason is not a wise move."

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly audible to everyone.

The excitement on Jiang Wei's face faded, replaced by deep thought.

Leng Yuexin bent down another finger.

"Secondly, I cultivate the Path of Ruthless Slaughter, preferring tranquility to noise. With this breakthrough, my mindset still needs refinement, and my realm needs to be stabilized. Rather than wasting time on empty formalities of welcoming and seeing off guests, I would rather go into seclusion and cultivate in seclusion, completely transforming this power into my own."

This reason is perfectly reasonable and leaves no room for criticism.

Finally, she looked at everyone, a complex light flashing deep in her eyes that no one could detect, and lowered her last finger.

"Thirdly, and most importantly."

"It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."

"Instead of revealing my new card too early and letting everyone know our true strength, it's better to... keep it hidden and feign weakness to the enemy."

"Let everyone think that the Hehuan Sect is still the same as before, so that they will lower their guard. If any ignorant villains dare to attack, I can be used as a trump card for the sect, to deliver a fatal blow to them at the most critical moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire summit of Ice Soul Peak fell silent.

Jiang Wei and the other elders, these old foxes who had lived for hundreds of years, were all stunned at this moment.

They looked at each other, both seeing the horror and shock in each other's eyes.

They originally thought that Leng Yuexin was just a top-notch fighter with exceptional talent and explosive combat power.

Unexpectedly, after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, her strategic thinking became so shrewd and her mind so deep!

Show weakness to the enemy, and remain hidden until the attack is launched!

That's fucking tactical maneuvering—it's all filthy!

After a long while, Jiang Wei let out a long breath, his face gleaming with unprecedented brilliance, and he clapped his hands heavily.

"Excellent! What a masterful feint! What a fatal blow!"

His gaze towards Leng Yuexin had completely changed, now filled with admiration and praise.

"We only saw the splendor of the celebration, but never considered this deeper meaning! Junior Sister Yuexin, your insight far surpasses ours!"

The other elders nodded repeatedly, their gazes towards Leng Yuexin now filled with pure approval, devoid of any doubt.

This looks so familiar!

Which of those old, immortal Nascent Soul monsters in the sect isn't just hiding like this?

Including Yan Chenyu, who always lazes around on Qingquan Peak and sleeps all day. If it weren't for that ignorant Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator who sneaked into the mountain gate and made a fuss last time, who would have known that she could slap someone so hard that they would be stuck in the ground and never be able to be dug out?

"As Junior Sister says!" Jiang Wei decided immediately, "From this moment on, seal off the news! Only announce to the outside world that Elder Yuexin is in seclusion, and no one is allowed to inquire!"

A top-level meeting concerning the sect's future strategy was held atop Ice Soul Peak, and in an unexpected way, a consensus was quickly reached.

……

The Sutra Repository.

After confirming that the commotion at Ice Soul Peak had completely subsided, Mo Chengyue breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had come back to life.

He patted his chest, returned to his personal recliner, and immediately took out a communication talisman from his storage bag.

Without thinking, he whispered to the talisman:

"Master, are you there? I have a question for you. What is your cultivation level now?"

The transmission talisman transformed into a beam of light and flew towards Qingquan Peak.

A moment later, the communication talisman landed next to Yan Chenyu.

After Yan Chenyu replied, another telepathic message transformed into a beam of light and landed on Mo Chengyue's desk.

Mo Chengyue answered the call, and Yan Chenyu's signature lazy, slightly sleepy nasal voice came through.

"Hmm... early Nascent Soul stage, peak, I guess... What's wrong, my disciple? Why are you suddenly concerned about your master's cultivation level? Did you get into trouble outside and need your master to clean up the mess for you?"

Peak of the early Nascent Soul stage!

Mo Chengyue's eyes lit up, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart.

Very good!

Leng Yuexin has just broken through, and at most she's only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Her cheap master can easily outclass her!

Those thighs are thick!

He was overjoyed inside, took out another communication talisman, but quickly replied, "No, no, I was just asking casually. My disciple is very well-behaved, reading books in the Scripture Pavilion every day. What trouble could I possibly cause?"

His eyes darted around, and he changed the subject, tentatively asking:

"By the way, Master, there was such a commotion at Ice Soul Peak just now, and Elder Leng has reached the Nascent Soul stage. Why didn't you go and check it out?"

After the sound transmission talisman flew out, a new sound transmission talisman arrived within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, containing Yan Chenyu's matter-of-fact voice.

"I'm too lazy to go. There are so many people, it's so noisy."

"Besides, if something goes wrong, the sect leader and the other tall guys will take the blame. There are plenty of Nascent Soul stage cultivators in our sect, so they don't need me as their sole heir. I'd rather sleep a little longer than waste that time."

Mo Chengyue's lips twitched upon hearing this.

Good guy.

I exclaimed, "Wow!"

This salted fish is truly refreshing and unconventional, and its claim is perfectly justified.

He was utterly speechless, but also completely relieved.

Even if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. He'll continue being his librarian, slacking off, drinking tea, and secretly developing his skills—that's the way to go.

However, he had just breathed a sigh of relief.

On Qingquan Peak, on the soft couch covered with snow fox fur, Yan Chenyu, who was still sleepy, slowly opened her eyes.

Her half-closed eyes held no trace of sleepiness, only a sharp and shrewd gaze, almost like an X-ray.

Not right.

This apprentice of mine, whom I took for granted, rarely contacts me except to pay his respects and ask for resources.

For the first time ever, he's showing concern for my cultivation level today? And he even specifically mentioned Leng Yuexin, who just formed her Nascent Soul?

What's the connection between these two things?

Yan Chenyu's "gossip radar" instantly activated, and a bold and outrageous guess surfaced in her mind.

Is it...

The more she thought about it, the brighter her eyes became, and a mischievous smile, as if she wanted to stir up trouble, appeared on her lazy face.

There's some juicy gossip!

Big news!

With that in mind, she didn't hesitate to send out another communication talisman.