Behind Li Meng, Su Can’s lackeys let out a collective sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Senior Brother Su hadn’t been foolish enough to provoke Junior Brother Li right here and now. This was the Main Peak Plaza, the heart of the Sect. Committing such a transgression under the watchful eyes of the public would only invite scorn and possibly the enforcement hall.

“These steps are truly interminable,” Li Meng murmured to himself, gazing up at the long staircase leading to the main hall.

The path was steep, but even the longest staircase has an end. When Li Meng finally reached the summit, the magnificent gates of the Sect’s Main Hall loomed before him, radiating authority and ancient power.

With a casual flick of his sleeve, Li Meng strolled inside, his demeanor relaxed and unhurried.

“Disciple Li Meng pays his respects to Sect Master Senior!”

In the vast, echoing hall, Li Meng bowed respectfully towards the graceful figure seated behind the massive desk.

Li Qiushui looked up from the jade slip she was browsing. Seeing Li Meng, a faint, knowing smile played at the corner of her mouth. She waved her slender, jade-like hand, and the heavy doors of the main hall swung shut with a resounding boom, sealing them off from the outside world.

Li Qiushui rested her chin on her hand, looking at her Junior Nephew with amusement. “It seems Junior Nephew wants to give me a surprise?”

Who doesn’t enjoy a surprise? A flicker of anticipation flashed in her eyes.

Li Meng chuckled, straightening his back with the confidence of a man holding all the cards.

“Your Junior Nephew has not failed his mission!”

With a flick of his sleeve, a small jade bottle shot out from the Sword Nurturing Gourd at his waist, gliding through the air to hover precisely before the Sect Master.

Li Qiushui extended a hand, catching the bottle with practiced grace. She released a strand of Divine Sense to probe its contents.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

She stared at the bottle in her hand, her expression shifting rapidly from curiosity to disbelief, and finally to shock.

He… he actually succeeded?

He had successfully refined a Flawless Third-Grade Pill?

Li Qiushui felt her heartbeat accelerate violently. A strong sense of suffocation gripped her chest—the sheer value of this item was incalculable.

“Hah…”

She took a deep breath, forcing her racing heart to calm. With a wave of her sleeve, she stowed the bottle away safely. Then, she looked up at Li Meng, her smile now containing a hint of genuine respect and calculation.

“Junior Nephew Li,” she purred, narrowing her eyes as she sized him up. “What do you want?”

Her mind was already racing. Li Meng was a treasure. She had to bind him closer to the sect—and to her lineage. Although his cultivation was low, his talent in Alchemy and Artifact Refining was monstrous. If she could betroth her younger sister to him… her sister would benefit from his resources for centuries.

The smile on her lips widened. Yes, that was the best course of action.

“Junior Nephew Li, tonight you should go to Canghai Peak and…”

“I want you, Sect Master Senior.”

Li Meng’s voice was calm, cutting through her proposal like a blade.

Li Qiushui froze. She stared at him, her mouth slightly open in stunned silence.

What… what did she just hear?

Li Meng met her astonished gaze with complete composure, his eyes clear and burning with intent.

“This Junior Nephew wants only the Sect Master Senior,” he repeated, his voice steady.

Before she could recover or respond, Li Meng bowed deeply.

“This Junior Nephew takes his leave!”

He turned and walked away, his exit as clean and decisive as a sword stroke.

At a moment like this, he knew absolutely better than to pressure her. He had dropped the bomb; now he had to give her time to process the explosion. No woman, especially one of her stature, would react well to being cornered immediately.

Li Qiushui sat frozen behind her desk, staring blankly at his retreating back.

She wanted to speak, but the words died in her throat. A faint, rare blush crept up her neck and stained her cheeks.

She had no hope of forming a Nascent Soul; her path was nearing its end. What use did Li Meng have for her? He possessed the Five Spirit Roots waste physique, making the union of Yin and Yang useless for his cultivation. She couldn’t help him ascend.

Did he… simply want to seek pleasure with her? Did he desire her solely as a woman?

Li Qiushui raised a hand, her cool fingers touching her burning face.

“Junior Nephew Li… you really know how to present a difficult problem,” she sighed, her voice filled with a complex mix of melancholy and flustered distress.

Creak.

The doors of the Main Hall opened, and Li Meng walked out unhurriedly. He paused at the top of the stairs, sweeping his gaze over the magnificent scenery of the Main Peak, the sea of clouds churning below.

[+50 Affection] [+250 Sub-profession Experience]

A faint, satisfied smile touched his lips.

It seemed the Sect Master Senior had already made her choice.

She cared deeply about her sister, Li Qiulan. Presumably, the key to maximizing Li Qiushui’s affection would eventually involve helping her sister as well. But for now, he had made his claim.

Li Meng flicked his sleeve and began his leisurely descent down the stairs.

Junior Nephew Li, come find me at Welcome Moon Peak tonight!

Just as his foot touched the first step, Li Qiushui’s Divine Sense voice transmission echoed in his mind.

Li Meng stroked his beard, a gleam of triumph in his eyes.

It seemed tonight would be a sleepless one.

After leaving the Main Peak, Li Meng returned to his home on Moon Gaze Peak.

Inside the pavilion’s refining room, Li Meng sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, utterly unable to focus.

Every time he tried to calm his mind, the image of the Sect Master’s voluptuous figure and her flustered expression filled his thoughts.

“Women truly are poison,” he chuckled, shaking his head.

But poison or not, it wouldn’t kill him. Occasionally tasting such a sweet poison was the best way to relieve the fatigue of the long, lonely path of cultivation.

“Forget it. Forcing myself to be calm now will only lead to Qi Deviation.”

He stood up, glancing briefly at the Soul Nurturing Wood still being tempered by the Five Elements Li-Fire Array above his head. Satisfied that the automation was holding, he turned and walked out.

Only the Sect Master Senior could soothe his restless heart tonight.

Stepping out into the courtyard, Li Meng settled into his reclining chair. He sipped a cup of tea, basking in the warm afternoon sun, feeling incredibly pleased with life.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a streak of sword light tore through the sky from the distance. Its speed was blinding, plunging through the protective clouds of his peak in the blink of an eye.

It was a Message Flying Sword.

It circled sharply in the air above his courtyard, emitting a low hum.

Li Meng looked up, his good mood instantly evaporating. “Could my luck be this bad?”

Every time a Message Flying Sword appeared with such urgency, it was never good news.

Sure enough, as the sword hovered, his Master’s voice—imprinted via Divine Sense—echoed in the courtyard.

“There are rumors of a Bodhi Tree appearing in the Western Desert Wilderness. Go and investigate immediately!”

Li Meng’s face fell. Of all the days…

“Yes, Master,” he sighed towards the sky, his dreams of a romantic evening shattering like glass.