Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

The breakthrough at dawn was just the beginning. Not only had they broken through their bottleneck the night before, but their souls and vital energy had also been greatly nourished by the interaction of Yin and Yang. Unbeknownst to them, this profound cultivation continued until noon the next day.

When Chu Chang finally finished his practice and opened his eyes, a ray of dazzling sunlight slanted onto the bed.

He stretched his shoulders and felt refreshed. His spiritual energy had not been depleted by the all-night cultivation; on the contrary, it had become more condensed and pure.

Even his spirit has grown stronger.

The combination of his physique and the Extreme Yin Jade Marrow Body produced results that far exceeded his expectations.

Sitting opposite him, Zhou Linzi looked like a lotus emerging from the water; her already charming face became even more radiant after being nourished by the rain.

Her skin was as white as snow, with a rosy glow. Her beautiful eyes, which looked at Chu Chang, no longer held their usual coldness and calculation. Instead, they were filled with a pool of spring water, full of deep affection.

Seeing Chu Chang make a move to get up, Zhou Linzi leaned against him, her two soft, boneless hands gently climbing onto Chu Chang's shoulders, her whole body pressed against his chest as if she had no bones.

"Senior brother, you...you're leaving already?" Zhou Linzi's voice was sweet and charming, captivating to the bone.

Having tasted such immense benefits, how could she possibly let go?

One night was equivalent to several years of her usual arduous training, not to mention the wondrous sensations of soul-shaking and physical sublimation that had completely captivated her.

Chu Chang patted her rounded, fragrant shoulder and laughed, "Aren't you leaving? Do you expect me to stay here for lunch?"

"Why not?" Zhou Linzi twisted her body slightly in a coquettish manner, raised her pretty face, and looked at him with a pleading expression. "Senior brother, how about you move in with me from now on? Or, I can move to your place... I want to cultivate with you every day from now on, and I don't want to be separated from you for even a moment."

Her clingy manner left Chu Chang speechless.

He only knew that Zhou Linzi was a highly skilled manipulative woman, but he never expected that once this woman was completely conquered and tasted the sweetness, she would become so clingy, like a piece of chewing gum.

"Nonsense." Chu Chang put on a stern face, deliberately adopting a certain air of authority. "The path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation. If it's like this every day, it will only damage your foundation. Besides, as a disciple of the Enforcement Hall, I have many sect affairs to handle. How can I indulge in this every day?"

After much coaxing and cajoling, Zhou Linzi reluctantly let go of Chu Chang's hand, blushing as she helped him put on his clothes. After lingering tenderly for a while, she personally escorted him out the back door.

………………

………………

Chu Chang followed the quiet path all the way back to his residence.

As soon as he reached the courtyard gate, he smelled a rich aroma of food, mixed with a faint fragrance of medicinal herbs.

"Hmm? This scent..."

Chu Chang was somewhat surprised.

He pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard, where he saw that the stone table was already laden with a sumptuous feast.

Not only were there precious spirit grains grown in the spirit fields, but also soup stewed with the meat of first-tier spirit beasts, and several plates of exquisite medicinal dishes, all steaming hot.

Gu Ling Shuang, wearing a simple apron and carrying the last plate of vegetables, walked out of the small kitchen.

Upon seeing Chu Chang enter, Gu Ling Shuang's body stiffened slightly, and a complex expression flashed in her eyes.

Looking at Chu Chang's radiant appearance, with even the hem of his clothes carrying a faint, unfamiliar fragrance, she, as a woman with a keen mind, could easily guess where Chu Chang had gone and what he had done last night.

A wave of bitterness and grievance instantly surged into Gu Ling Shuang's heart.

She bit her pale lips and said in a slightly sore voice, "Chu Chang... you, you didn't come home last night. I, I thought something had happened to you."

Chu Chang looked at the clearly carefully prepared spiritual food on the table, and then at Gu Ling Shuang's somewhat resentful and jealous eyes, and immediately understood.

"I was out taking care of some things last night, which caused the delay," Chu Chang said, sitting down at the stone table and rubbing his nose. He gave a somewhat vague explanation.

Gu Ling Shuang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the jealousy in her heart.

After learning that Chu Chang had become a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall and displayed such terrifying strength on the life-and-death arena, her original sense of superiority had completely vanished.

She knew that Chu Chang was no longer the lowly disciple she used to be who could be bossed around at will.

If I continue to act aloof or even unreasonable as before, I'm afraid I'll only push him further away and let that vixen Zhou Linzi benefit from it all.

Thinking of this, Gu Ling Shuang forced a gentle smile, took off her apron, sat down beside Chu Chang, and took the initiative to scoop a bowl of steaming spirit meat soup with a jade spoon and hand it to Chu Chang, saying softly:

"You've been cultivating hard these past few days, and you also had a fierce battle on the life-or-death arena. Your body must be greatly weakened. This is spirit beast meat and nourishing herbs that I bought at the outer sect market before dawn today, using all my savings. I simmered it for a full three hours. You...you should try it and see if it suits your taste?"

As she spoke, her beautiful eyes looked at Chu Chang with a mixture of hope and trepidation. Her cautious and eager-to-please demeanor was completely different from the proud and arrogant outer sect genius girl she used to be.

Looking at the fragrant spiritual soup in front of him, and then at Gu Ling Shuang who was starting to lower herself and even fawn over him, Chu Chang couldn't help but sigh: In the world of cultivation, strength is indeed the only passport to everything.

To be honest, he was a little unaccustomed to Gu Ling Shuang being like this.

Chu Chang picked up the soup bowl and took a small sip.

The broth is rich and flavorful, perfectly blending the savory taste of the spirit beast meat with the sweetness of the herbs. As it enters the throat, it transforms into a warm spiritual energy that slowly flows down the esophagus into the limbs and bones.

It's clear that Gu Ling Shuang put a lot of thought into this, and she controlled the timing perfectly.

"Your skills are excellent," Chu Chang praised sincerely.

Hearing Chu Chang's praise, Gu Ling Shuang's tense face finally relaxed, and a hint of undisguised joy flashed in her eyes.

She quickly picked up another piece of stewed, tender spirit beast meat and placed it in Chu Chang's bowl, her beautiful eyes full of concern: "If you like it, drink more. You're so young to have become an enforcement disciple, and you have heavy sect duties and cultivate diligently every day, so you must take good care of your health. In the future, whenever you want to eat something, just tell me, and I'll make it for you every day."

As she spoke, she naturally shifted her chair, moving closer to Chu Chang.

Her tender and caring manner was so gentle it was almost heartwarming; anyone who saw her would think she was an extremely virtuous Daoist partner.

However, after a moment of tenderness, Gu Ling Shuang couldn't help but bite her red lips and tentatively ask, "But...Chu Chang, there's something that's been bothering me, and I'm not sure if I should ask it."

Chu Chang glanced at her indifferently while eating the spirit grain: "Ask whatever you want, don't beat around the bush."

Gu Ling Shuang took a deep breath, her voice tinged with an undisguised sourness: "Yesterday on the battlefield... why did you lend Zhou Lin Zi 150 spirit stones in front of so many people? You, you didn't seem to have any connection with her before, did you?"

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt, and her voice lowered.

"Did you know that Zhou Linzi has a terrible reputation among the female disciples? She's always using those seductive tricks to maneuver among the male disciples, making them willingly spend spirit stones on her without paying anything in return. People in the outer sect call her... a gold digger! Don't be fooled by her seemingly weak and harmless appearance. She's only after your current status and the spirit stones in your pocket!"

Gu Ling Shuang blurted out everything she had been holding back, and at the end, she looked at Chu Chang with great anxiety, as if afraid that he would sink deeper into trouble.

After listening, Chu Chang simply continued drinking his soup, his face expressionless.

He slowly put down the bowl of soup after it was all gone and said calmly, "Ling Shuang, you can't judge a book by its cover. Zhou Linzi is actually a good person, and quite simple-minded. She's not as bad as you think."

"She's naive?!"

Hearing Chu Chang defend another woman so openly in front of her, Gu Ling Shuang's jealousy flared up completely.

A surge of intense bitterness and jealousy shot straight to the top of her head. She jumped to her feet, her eyes slightly red, her voice trembling: "If she were innocent, there wouldn't be any bad women in the world! Chu Chang, have you been bewitched by her? Or... did you stay at her place last night?!"

The thought that Chu Chang might have been making love with Zhou Linzi in bed last night made Gu Ling Shuang feel like her heart was being torn apart.

She was the one who met Chu Chang first, so why did Zhou Linzi steal all of Chu Chang's attention the moment she appeared?

Chu Chang frowned slightly, looked up at her, and said in a slightly cold tone, "Watch your manners. My private matters are none of your concern."

Seeing Chu Chang's cold gaze, Gu Ling Shuang was startled, and her anger was instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

She then realized that Chu Chang was no longer the weak and cowardly boy she could manipulate at will. If she continued to act unreasonably, she would only annoy him completely.

Tears welled in her eyes as she sat down again, biting the hem of her clothes. Her voice softened, tinged with a sob and pleading, "I... I was just worried about you. And, I was just jealous..."

Chu sighed, his tone softening slightly: "I know what I'm doing, you don't need to worry."

Gu Ling Shuang looked at Chu Chang, and then thought of the spiritual energy fluctuations that Chu Chang had just emitted, which were even stronger than yesterday, and even... his aura had become more mysterious.

Gu Ling Shuang grabbed Chu Chang's sleeve, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, a desperate longing shining within them: "I want... I want to improve! Now!"