Chapter 3

Under the moonlight, in another courtyard within Xuanzing City. A cold and elegant young woman was practicing her sword beneath a tree, dancing gracefully beneath the moon. The young woman had a slender figure, and her plain white dress fluttered in the breeze. Her long, jet-black hair was simply tied up with a jade hairpin. Her sword dance was as beautiful as flowers and the moon. Even from her profile alone, it was obvious that she was an unparalleled beauty. Swish~ A flash of sword light streaked across the night sky as the long sword in her hand swept through the air, unleashing a sharp burst of sword qi. The fallen leaves in the courtyard were sent swirling into the air, slowly spinning before gently settling back onto the ground. At the same time, the young woman spun around, sending out another burst of sword qi as she thrust her sword toward a white flower in the corner of the courtyard. In an instant, its petals scattered through the air. She was truly as graceful as a startled swan and as elegant as a swimming dragon. When the sword dance ended, Li Ruoxue sheathed her sword and stood still. Her white dress had been faintly dampened by sweat, becoming slightly translucent, while a few strands of her black hair clung to her fair cheek. She lowered her head and glanced at her sword, her eyes growing slightly dim. Once upon a time, she had been the heaven-blessed prodigy praised by everyone in Xuanzing City. At only sixteen years old, she had broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement and awakened a mutated Ice Spiritual Root. Countless people believed that she was destined to form a Golden Core in the future and might even have the opportunity to step onto the path of the Nascent Soul Realm. Unfortunately…… Everything changed after that accident. Her spiritual root was damaged, and her cultivation was completely lost. The praise that had once surrounded her disappeared overnight. Even the young man who had once been engaged to her couldn't wait to call off their engagement. At the thought of that name, Li Ruoxue's grip on her sword tightened slightly, and a trace of anger appeared in her eyes. Yu Xuan. That young man whose eyes had once held nothing but her. For some reason, after breaking off their engagement, not only had his personality changed drastically overnight, but he had even found himself a girlfriend just to spite her. “Ruoxue.” A gentle voice suddenly sounded behind her. “Master.” She turned around and saw a translucent figure quietly standing beneath the tree. It was the soul of a woman. Her name was Su Qiongyue, and she was Li Ruoxue's master. She was an extraordinary beauty as well, but her beauty was completely different from Li Ruoxue's. Li Ruoxue's beauty was that of a young woman—cold, sharp, and full of youthful vigor. Su Qiongyue's beauty, on the other hand, carried the maturity and elegance born from the passage of time. She wore a lavender Daoist robe. Her figure was voluptuous, her long hair cascading like a waterfall, and her brows and eyes were gentle and refined. Simply standing there, she possessed an otherworldly elegance, as though an immortal from the heavens had descended into the mortal world. A simple, ancient sword rested in her hand, its scabbard covered in mysterious patterns. Even as nothing more than a phantom, she still radiated an overwhelming sword intent that seemed to tower above all living beings. She had once been an unrivaled Sword Immortal who had dominated the Spirit Realm. She was also Li Ruoxue's greatest secret. Su Qiongyue looked at the young woman before her, a trace of heartache in her eyes. “Thinking about that young man again?” Li Ruoxue remained silent. After a moment, she softly replied, “Yes.” “But I just find it somewhat ridiculous.” She lowered her head and stared at the sword in her hand, an inexplicable heaviness filling her chest. …… “Achoo!” Yu Xuan suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose. “Who's talking about me?” “Could Lingya be missing me?” “Forget it.” Yu Xuan shook his head and refocused his attention on the matter at hand. At this moment, an ancient-looking book lay open before him. Several large pink characters were prominently written on its cover. *The Complete Compendium of Cauldron Physiques of the Spirit Realm.* The corner of Yu Xuan's mouth twitched. “The books in this library……” “Are they a little too improper?” Despite his complaint, he still began reading it seriously. Full moon…… fever…… Which one could it be? These symptoms were simply too strange. If he couldn't figure out the cause, he was afraid he would suffer the same fate again on the next full-moon night. After flipping through the book for a long time, Yu Xuan still couldn't find the answer he was looking for. Could it be that he didn't possess a cauldron physique after all, and he had simply been overthinking it? Although the characteristics of his physique were extremely similar to those of a cauldron physique, there was one crucial difference: during the dual cultivation he practiced with Lingya, Lingya's cultivation hadn't increased at all. So he wasn't sure whether he truly possessed a cauldron physique, or perhaps he simply hadn't discovered the correct way to use it. Just as he was racking his brains, a passage on the page caught his attention. **Moon-Soul Heavenly Soul Physique:** Contains the essence of the Yin Moon and innate soul energy. Those born with this physique possess an inherently clear and unobstructed sea of consciousness, with spiritual sense far surpassing that of cultivators at the same level. This seemed to be it. Yu Xuan muttered under his breath. He had always thought his spiritual sense was so powerful because he possessed the memories of two lifetimes. But now, it seemed that adding two cups of thirty-degree water together still only made thirty-degree water. The real reason his spiritual sense was so powerful was probably his special physique. After carefully reading through the records, Yu Xuan finally understood. The reason he lost control during the full moon was because his cultivation was too low. He was unable to control his absorption of the Moon-Soul power. His physical body simply could not withstand the strength of his soul. It was like receiving too much nourishment at once—the excess energy had overloaded him. If that was the case, he had to hurry up and cultivate. Only by increasing his cultivation could he gain better control over his physique. Wait. According to the book, there seemed to be another method. Dual cultivation of the body and soul. Yu Xuan: “……” He fell silent for a moment before flipping back through the book to make sure he had read it correctly. He hadn't. It really did say dual cultivation of the body and soul. “Forget it.” Yu Xuan silently turned the page. A Nascent Soul cultivator who could separate their soul from their body might exist in the Spirit Realm. But the Profound Heaven Continent…… Even the ancestor of the strongest force, the Profound Heaven Holy Land, was only at the Nascent Soul Realm. Ask him to find a Soul Formation cultivator right now? He might as well just ascend directly. Besides, dual cultivating the body and soul with some Soul Formation cultivator he didn't even know was simply too indescribable. “Looks like I still have to cultivate on my own.” While pondering this, he continued searching through the ancient texts. Soon, another one caught his attention. “This…… seems feasible, but isn't it far too dangerous? Forget it. I'll keep it as a last resort in case I'm ever desperate.” Yu Xuan silently memorized the contents and sighed. “Ah, cultivation is so difficult.” “I wonder if I can mooch off some of Lingya's Sign-In System rewards in the future. Even if I could only mooch one Immortal Pill, that would still be wonderful.” But after thinking about it, he decided against it. Although this was a matriarchal world, he still thought like a man. He couldn't bring himself to snatch opportunities that belonged to his own woman. If he was going to mooch off her, he would wait until Lingya's cultivation was far higher than his. Then he could openly become a kept husband. Yu Xuan rubbed his temples, stood up, and left the library. After returning to his room, he calmed his mind and began cultivating. …… Cultivation knew no passage of time. In the blink of an eye, five days had passed. “I've reached the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refinement!” Feeling the sea of qi in his dantian expand a little further, joy welled up in Yu Xuan's heart. Just then, the communication jade tucked inside his clothes began to grow slightly warm. He infused it with spiritual energy. An excited female voice came through. “Xuan'er, I've reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement! I'm about to establish my foundation!” “……” Yu Xuan fell silent. Seriously, girl, are you kidding me? The Sign-In System wasn't even pretending to hide its cheats anymore. He was still feeling smug about breaking through a minor cultivation level, while Lingya was already about to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. The gap was simply too devastating. Perhaps sensing Yu Xuan's mood, Feng Lingya couldn't help but giggle. “Don't be discouraged.” “Once I establish my foundation, I'll go sign in at more places and gather more resources.” “When the time comes, I'll take you along and help you establish your foundation too!” Hearing her talk about establishing her foundation first and then dragging him along afterward, Yu Xuan's eyelid twitched for some reason. Still, he quickly adjusted his emotions and accepted the reality that the protagonist could break through realms as easily as drinking water. “Alright, Lingya. I'll wait for you at home to come back and help me establish my foundation!” “Home?” On the other end of the communication jade, Feng Lingya's heart trembled when she heard that word. Even a wandering traveler could have a home. Thinking of how she had a handsome, considerate, and capable husband waiting for her at home, sweetness spread through her heart. She suddenly felt as though even her motivation to cultivate had increased tremendously. After exchanging a few more sweet words, the communication ended. The smile on Yu Xuan's face, however, gradually faded. He raised his head and looked out the window. The sky had already darkened. Tonight…… Was the night of the full moon. He hadn't told Feng Lingya what he was planning to do. The places she was currently traveling to for her Sign-In System were all fraught with danger. If he told her about it, he would only distract her. He had already prepared everything he needed. As for what happened next…… He could only leave it to fate.