“Me?” Zhang Xian turned back, his brows furrowed in genuine surprise.

“Elder Wang Ya’s heartache is legendary within the sect,” Zhiyin explained, her voice steady and clinical.

“Yun Wanqing, the Pavilion Lord of Cloud Raiment Pavilion, is the woman he has adored his entire life. But after she married another, Wang Ya completely sealed his heart.”

“He threw himself into the ‘Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra,’ our sect’s supreme technique. It is designed to refine the Dao heart by ruthlessly suppressing the seven emotions and six desires.”

“It is the perfect path for a man whose heart is like dead ashes, yet who possesses transcendent talent.”

Zhiyin paused, her gaze locking onto Zhang Xian’s.

“His cultivation had hit a bottleneck. However, rumors of Pavilion Master Yun’s peculiar interest in you have reached his ears. Elder Wang Ya feels that even the final, flickering ember of his hope has been extinguished.”

Zhang Xian blinked, momentarily speechless. “And… that’s a good thing?”

“From love comes desolation; at the peak of desolation, enlightenment is born,” Zhiyin continued.

“The total death of his hope has left his Dao heart hollow, pure, and utterly detached. If this continues, he may actually trigger his Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation even sooner than Sect Master Xing Jie.”

Zhang Xian stood there, dumbfounded. Was this the legendary “Heartbreak Method” of cultivation?

It sounded exactly like Lu Rending’s path back at Green Wood Peak. That poor soul had been obsessed with Inspector Liu Qingxuan until Zhang Xian snatched her away.

The resulting heartbreak had sent Lu Rending’s cultivation skyrocketing, though he still ended up tasting Zhang Xian’s blade in the end.

Zhiyin didn’t linger on the elder’s tragedy. She pivoted sharply. “Cloud Raiment Pavilion is facing a crisis. Are you aware of Pavilion Master Yun’s current situation?”

The confusion left Zhang Xian’s face, replaced by a cold seriousness. “I know the surface. It’s the business with her husband, Xuan Zhou. His soul lamp refuses to go out, sparking suspicion. Combine that with her daughter’s chronic illness, and she’s at a breaking point.”

Zhiyin nodded. “That is the public struggle. But you don’t know the full extent of the pressure.”

Zhang Xian’s frown deepened. “Tell me.”

“She is likely getting married,” Zhiyin dropped the bombshell.

“What? Married?” Zhang Xian’s voice rose in shock. “Impossible. I haven’t heard a single whisper about this!”

He realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. His entire intelligence network was tied to Cloud Raiment Pavilion. If Yun Wanqing wanted to keep a secret, he was the last person who would hear it.

“Wait… knowing her, no one can force her hand. If she’s agreeing to this, it has to be for her daughter.”

“Precisely,” Zhiyin confirmed. “My source is impeccable. The terms being offered are simply too great for the Pavilion to refuse.”

“Who is the groom?”

“Hu Yanzhi, the Young Master of Baoqing Workshop.”

The image of that insufferable, pampered brat—the one Su Ling had swatted away like a fly—flashed in Zhang Xian’s mind.

“That useless second-generation heir? He’s a minor character. What could he possibly offer that’s worth her hand?”

“Hu Yanzhi is nothing, but he has the full weight of Baoqing Workshop’s Central Continent headquarters behind him. They have laid out three conditions.”

Zhiyin held up three fingers, counting them off.

“First: A Pent-Earth Divine Sky Shield. It is an Earth-grade, single-use Ephemeral Artifact capable of absorbing and converting massive amounts of lightning. It is a priceless treasure for anyone facing Tribulation Crossing—specifically, Yun Wanqing’s father, Yun He.”

“Second: Upon marriage, Yun Wanqing will step down as Pavilion Lord. In exchange, Baoqing Workshop will cede thirty percent of its Southern Region market shares to Cloud Raiment Pavilion. Permanently.”

“Third: The decisive blow. Baoqing Workshop will hire a grandmaster from the Central Continent’s titan, the Guiyuan Sect, to perform a forbidden technique: [Myriad Phenomena Return to Origin].”

“It requires three Nascent Soul cultivators acting in unison to mend her daughter’s fractured soul. It is a debt of favor that money alone cannot buy.”

Zhang Xian let out a long, heavy sigh. “I see. The third condition is the trap. The first two are just sweeteners to buy off her father and secure the sect’s interests.”

He understood the weight of it. For a mother, that third condition wasn’t a choice; it was a surrender.

Then, a realization struck him. “Wait… how do you know the specifics of a secret deal like this? And why are you telling me now?”

He remembered Wang Ya’s recent bouts of anxiety. “Was this his idea?”

“Senior Brother Wang Ya entrusted me to relay this to you,” Zhiyin admitted. “He has exhausted every method to stop her, but he failed. You are his last hope.”

Zhang Xian was floored. “Huh? Elder Wang Ya… is he actually this selfless?”

He paced for a long while, his mind racing. “The first two conditions are just resources—I can handle those with enough gold. But that last one… curing a soul deficiency? I don’t have a solution for that.”

Zhiyin looked at him with a calm, knowing smile. “Actually, we do. Even if Wang Ya hadn’t asked, I would have come to you.”

“We?”

“During the mission to Penglai Immortal Island, the Grand Elder and Su Ling secured a legendary treasure: the Creation Immortal Pill.”

“A pill near the Heaven-grade,” she continued. “It can repair foundational damage and rebuild the very essence of life. It’s a secret treasure of the Island, said to have the power to mend the heavens themselves.”

Zhang Xian’s heart thundered against his ribs. A thought struck him like a lightning bolt: If it can heal her daughter, could it also fix the flaws in my False Core?

“Wait!” He caught himself. “If the sect has such a divine pill, why not let Elder Wang Ya give it to her? That solves everything.”

Zhiyin’s smile didn’t waver. “Elder Wang Ya is too ‘good.’ Even if he saved her, the two of them would never end up together. His character is too upright to demand anything in return.”

“You, however, are different. Zhang Xian, you are a shameless flirt with skin as thick as a city wall. More importantly, Yun Wanqing actually harbors an interest in you.”

“If you show up with this pill and your endless resources, there is a high probability she would choose you.”

Zhang Xian’s face went flat. “We were having a perfectly good conversation. Why the personal attacks?”

“It is the optimal solution,” Zhiyin ignored his protest. “You marry the Pavilion Lord, and the heartbreak pushes Elder Wang Ya to the Nascent Soul stage so he can take over as Sect Master.”

“By then, Cloud Raiment Pavilion will be yours, giving you the leverage you need to deal with Sect Master Xing Jie.”

“Rest assured, Elder Wang Ya is open-minded. He wants her saved more than he wants her possessed. Seeing her with you is at least ten thousand times better than seeing her ruined by a scoundrel like Hu Yanzhi.”

“Poor Elder Wang Ya…” Zhang Xian muttered. “His life is truly tragic.”

“You don’t want the pill? Fine. I’ll give it to Wang Ya. I’m sure he’ll be happy to try his way.”

“I want it!” Zhang Xian said decisively.

“There are conditions.”

“Of course there are.”

Zhiyin smiled. “Su Ling and I love the new puppets you gave us. Consider the Creation Immortal Pill as extra compensation for your ‘generosity.'”

“However, the Grand Elder has two requirements for you: First, you must not leave the sect grounds until instructed. Second, you must win the championship at the Demon Sweeping Assembly.”