The bathing pool was a sanctuary of rising steam and swirling mist. Han Lie leaned back against the smooth stone edge, his mind and body finally surrendering to a rare state of total relaxation. Every visit to the Jade Clear Pool was his most cherished reprieve.

“Han Lie.”

Qin Lan’s voice drifted over from the neighboring compartment, the sound vibrating through the humid air. Han Lie’s body jolted slightly, breaking the trance of his immersion.

“Senior Qin Lan, please, go ahead,” he replied.

“At your age, having just broken through to the Golden Core Stage… while your aptitude might not be called ‘peerless genius,’ entering the Inner Sect should have been effortless. Why are you still a lowly Servant Disciple?” Qin Lan asked, her voice tinged with genuine curiosity.

“It’s rather embarrassing to admit,” Han Lie said, his tone even and unbothered. “This Senior has been a Servant Disciple since the day I arrived at the Heavenly Void Sect, over a hundred years ago. Recently, the Elder Council issued me a token granting all the rights of an Inner Disciple. Whether I formally promote or not isn’t really important to me anymore.”

“I see… So you are an extremely rare case of a late bloomer rising against the odds? I understand.”

While such stories existed in the annals of cultivation history, they were Grandmaster for a reason.

“This is the first time I’ve personally encountered such an example,” Qin Lan continued. “Could you tell me… when exactly did this ‘rise’ begin?”

“This Senior doesn’t remember the exact day, but it was roughly one year ago.”

“A year ago?” There was a sharp hitch in Qin Lan’s voice, a clear sign of surprise.

“Yes, Senior Qin Lan,” Han Lie confirmed. “A year ago, This Senior was still an ant at the Qi Refining Stage. It was during this past year that my cultivation began to advance by leaps and bounds.”

Han Lie purposefully omitted the fact that he had been a “trash” disciple at the second level of Qi Refining just twelve months prior. He didn’t want to risk stopping her heart with the shock. Even so, the revelation he did provide exploded in Qin Lan’s ears like a thunderclap.

One year. Soaring from the Qi Refining Stage to the Golden Core Stage.

Every word in that sentence was simple, but combined, they formed a reality that most people on the Tianyuan Continent would find incomprehensible. If it hadn’t happened to him personally, even Han Lie would have dismissed it as a fairy tale.

After a long, heavy silence, Qin Lan finally spoke, her voice thick with astonishment. “Wait… what did you just say? One year? From Qi Refining to Golden Core?”

Han Lie chuckled softly. “Senior, I know it sounds outrageous. Indeed, it is. Even This Senior finds it utterly incredible, but I have no need to exaggerate. It is simply the truth.”

“…”

The neighboring compartment fell silent once more. When her voice finally returned, it carried a newfound weight of respect. “I have traveled and trained for decades, encountering countless ‘geniuses’ across the land, but never one like you. To bridge the gap from Qi Refining to the Golden Core in a single year… you have completely redefined my understanding of genius.”

“No wonder the Elder Council gave you that token,” she mused.

Qin Lan no longer doubted him. If Han Lie weren’t an old-timer making a late-life surge, his performance would have made him the undisputed candidate for Young Sect Master. Even among the top-tier sects of the continent, he would be treated as a supreme treasure.

“Haha, Senior’s praise is making me blush,” Han Lie joked.

“Most geniuses I’ve met are as arrogant as they are talented. In comparison, you are remarkably humble.”

“Senior flatters me. This Senior has simply outlived the age of youthful arrogance. If I were a hundred years younger, I might be the most insufferable brat you’ve ever seen,” Han Lie countered with some polite mutual praise. “Besides, for Senior to have ascended to the Nascent Soul Stage is proof enough that you shine brighter than any ‘genius’ I could name.”

Qin Lan responded with genuine humility. “On the Tianyuan Continent, geniuses are as common as carp crossing a river. I am merely one of the more ordinary among them.”

“Senior is too modest,” Han Lie smiled, then decided to test the waters. “Those who can break through to the Nascent Soul Stage are never ordinary. Since This Senior is a Servant Disciple, I have no master to guide me. If I encounter bottlenecks in my future cultivation, I wonder if I might seek your guidance?”

Han Lie was thinking ahead. Dual Cultivation with Zhuo Hongyi and Su Mei had hit a plateau; their Yin energy was no longer enough to push him forward. While Dual Cultivation with Ye Qingxuan yielded astonishing results, he couldn’t control her. If the Sect Leader didn’t summon him to the Violet Heaven Palace, he was left high and dry.

He needed another high-level partner. And Qin Lan, a Nascent Soul expert, was the perfect candidate.

After a moment of thought, Qin Lan replied, “With your current level, I am confident I can offer some insight. Since you are close with Junior Sister Zhuo Hongyi, feel free to find me at Enforcement Peak if you encounter a bottleneck.”

“Senior truly lives up to her reputation. Such broad-mindedness is rare. This Senior thanks you in advance.”

“No need for such courtesy. For me, it is a trivial effort.”

One day later.

Han Lie and Qin Lan finally finished their bath. As they emerged from their private compartments, Qin Lan’s cheeks still held a faint, rosy blush from the heat. A refreshing, natural fragrance emanated from her, more alluring than any perfume.

She glanced at Han Lie and suggested, “Though you are a Servant Disciple, you hold the token of an Inner Disciple. You should consider changing out of those coarse hemp clothes. It will save you a lot of trouble when moving through certain areas of the sect.”

“I shall heed your advice, Senior,” Han Lie replied with a smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

“Mmm. I must return now. Remember, if you have trouble with your cultivation, come to Enforcement Peak.”

They went their separate ways at the exit of the Jade Clear Pool.

The Pure Yang Sacred Body is truly a cheat code, Han Lie mused as he walked toward the Violet Heaven Palace. Attracting high-level female cultivators requires almost zero effort.

Previously, Zhuo Hongyi and Su Mei had been drawn to him like moths to a flame. Today, he had taken the initiative, and the results with a Nascent Soul expert were just as promising. He didn’t doubt for a second that without his unique physique, Qin Lan wouldn’t have given an old servant the time of day, let alone a long, intimate chat in a bathhouse.

“Wahhh! That scoundrel Wang Qiang actually went behind my back! I’ll never forgive him!”

“Caizhen, I told you: a man’s words are just deceitful ghosts! Believing a man is less reliable than believing a pig can climb a tree!”

“But… a pig that has absorbed spiritual energy can climb a tree!”

“…”

“I’m asking if you can let him go!”

“How could I? Since he found another woman, I’ll find a man just to get back at him!”

Han Lie overheard the conversation of two passing female cultivators. Their drama provided a bit of dark amusement; seeking “true love” in a demonic sect was a fool’s errand.

However, as Han Lie walked past them, the one named Caizhen suddenly shouted from behind.

“Hey! You! That servant over there! Stop right there!”