Li Meng flicked his sleeve, his expression shifting into one of awe-inspiring righteousness.

“Slaying demons and vanquishing evil is the only true path for a cultivator!”

Yao Ning, standing beside him, looked on with pure admiration. To her, this white-haired, youthful-faced Senior Brother was the pinnacle of moral standing.

Ruo Shui, however, simply shook her head. She had no patience for her eldest disciple’s theatrical nonsense. She knew him too well—Li Meng was undoubtedly powerful, but his laziness was legendary. He had likely let the enemy leader escape simply because he couldn’t be bothered to give chase, leaving her to clean up his mess as usual.

“You handled the Lijiang City affair well enough,” Ruo Shui conceded, her voice like a cool breeze. “Speak. What reward do you seek?”

Li Meng chuckled and once again took Yao Ning’s hand. “Master, your disciple has already secured a reward. I’ve found a successor for you—Junior Sister Yao here possesses the incredibly rare Thunder Spiritual Root!”

Ruo Shui’s gaze shifted to the figure beside him. Though Yao Ning wore the mask of a middle-aged man, her feminine curves were poorly concealed, creating an incongruous and somewhat comical silhouette.

“Call her Senior,” Ruo Shui corrected, her voice soft but absolute.

Li Meng’s smile faltered. “Se… Senior? Master, surely that isn’t necessary?”

He felt a pang of annoyance at the system of the Joyous Union Sect. It seemed the Ancestor had already set her sights on this prime seedling, effectively snatching her away from his direct lineage.

Ruo Shui stood up, her graceful figure gliding out of the pavilion with effortless poise. “Junior Sister, come with me. We must present you to the Ancestor.”

Yao Ning was utterly bewildered. She looked at the veiled “Senior Sister” before her, then back at Li Meng.

Li Meng patted the back of her hand reassuringly. “Don’t be afraid, Junior Sister. The Ancestor is a Nascent Soul powerhouse. To be her direct disciple is a fortune most can only dream of. It simply means that, technically, I’ll have to address you as my Senior from now on.”

Yao Ning caught the crestfallen look on his face and offered a small, sincere smile. “Senior Brother, regardless of whose disciple I am, you will always be my Senior Brother.”

Li Meng’s lingering resentment vanished instantly. He gave her hand a gentle, appreciative squeeze. “Good. Go then, don’t keep them waiting.”

Ruo Shui watched the exchange with a keen eye. Her eldest disciple was clearly smitten with this girl. She used her Divine Sense to peer beneath Yao Ning’s mask, and even the stoic Golden Core master was momentarily taken aback.

Extraordinary beauty, Ruo Shui thought. After Foundation Establishment and forming a Golden Core, she will be breathtaking. She may even crack the top five of the Immortal Beauty Ranking.

“Let us go,” Ruo Shui commanded. With a wave of her sleeve, she swept Yao Ning into the air. The two women ascended like celestial maidens, their robes fluttering as they vanished into the swirling mountain mists.

Li Meng watched them until they were out of sight, then leisurely returned to his reclining chair. With a flick of his wrist, a command token soared from his Sword Nurturing Gourd into the sky.

The Cloud Mist Array surrounding Moon Gaze Peak began to dissipate. Within the hour, streaks of sword light converged from all directions as word spread that the peak was open once more. Li Meng’s brief respite was over; he was back in business as the sect’s premier Alchemist.

A few mornings later, a graceful figure landed in his courtyard. Li Meng sat by his tea table, steam rising from his cup, as he looked up at the newcomer.

“Greetings, Junior Brother Li,” the woman said, cupping her hands.

She was a Senior Sister in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage named Wan Yun. She exuded a heavy, fox-like charm, though it felt unrefined—almost vulgar. Her robes were cut lower than was standard, revealing a generous amount of snowy-white skin. In the Joyous Union Sect, true beauty was supposed to be alluring yet elegant; this woman had clearly veered into the territory of a common “woman of the world.”

Li Meng could tell at a glance that she had either practiced her Charm Technique incorrectly or had absorbed the Yang energy of too many different men, polluting her own essence.

“Senior Sister, please, sit,” Li Meng invited.

Wan Yun swayed her hips as she took a seat. With a flick of her sleeve, she placed a jagged metallic fragment on the table.

“I found this by chance,” she said with a seductive pout. “It’s incredibly hard; even my True Essence Fire can’t mark it. It’s a rare material for artifact refining. I’ll trade it for a single top-grade, second-grade Spirit Tempering Pill.”

Li Meng scanned the item.

[Red Flame Gold: Fragment of an unknown Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure]

Surprise flickered in his eyes. Red Flame Gold was a legendary material. He quickly swept the fragment into his storage and placed two bottles of pills on the table.

“Senior Sister,” Li Meng said gravely, “the Great Dao of Yin and Yang requires spiritual purity and clarity. The human body is a vessel for the Dao, but it is easily tainted. Mixed and impure energies will only act as an anchor on your cultivation. Do not sacrifice the foundation of our Dual Cultivation techniques for the sake of a quick power boost.”

Wan Yun’s brow furrowed. She knew he was critiquing her state, but she had only ever had one Dao Companion. However, Li Meng was a master Alchemist; his eyes saw things others missed.

She checked the bottles. “Two top-grade Spirit Tempering Pills… and two top-grade Spirit Nurturing Pills?”

Her expression shifted from confusion to a grim, sickly realization. Spirit Nurturing Pills were specifically used to repair damaged spiritual veins. She took the pills and bowed stiffly.

“Thank you, Junior Brother. I… I understand.”

[Favorability +30] [+150 Alchemist Experience]

She hurried away, her sword light flickering as she disappeared over the horizon. Li Meng watched her go, sighing. It seemed her Dao Companion was the one polluting her essence, likely using her as a filter for his own gains.

He shook his head. Typical Joyous Union Sect drama. With a thought, he pulled out the Red Flame Gold fragment along with the mysterious white bone he had retrieved from the Lijiang City tavern, beginning his study of the two strange artifacts.