Zhang Xian returned to Spirit Sword Peak at a leisurely pace. As he dismounted from his flying sword, he happened upon Zhenhai and Chen Tiexin walking toward him.

“Junior Brother, you’ve arrived at the perfect time!” Chen Tiexin said, rubbing her hands together as she approached. “The second batch of puppets from Supervisor Xingxiu is scheduled to arrive tomorrow!”

Zhang Xian waved his hand dismissively. “We don’t want those anymore.”

“Ah?” Chen Tiexin’s face fell instantly. She had fronted the money to pre-order that batch; this represented a massive financial loss.

“We don’t want the goods, but we’ll still pay for them,” Zhang Xian added.

Chen Tiexin’s expression brightened immediately. “How can we possibly accept that?”

Senior Brother Zhenhai, standing beside her, looked around curiously. “Where is Master? I don’t see her anywhere.”

“Oh, I was just about to tell you.” Zhang Xian produced Li Fuxi’s jade token and waved it before them. “Master has been cultivating on my flying ship recently. I’ll have to trouble you both to look after Spirit Sword Peak in her absence.”

“Hiss!”

Both of them gasped sharply, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads.

“Junior Brother, your conquest speed is terrifying! Even the novels on our mountain wouldn’t dare write it this way,” Chen Tiexin said, giving him a thumbs-up. “It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already secured Master’s token!”

“It’s a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!” Zhang Xian insisted, waving his hands. He pulled out two heavy brocade pouches and stuffed them into their hands. “You two have worked hard managing the peak’s affairs. Consider this a small token of my appreciation.”

They took the pouches and secretly scanned them with their spiritual sense. Their breath hitched.

Zhenhai declared with righteous dignity, “Junior Brother, rest assured! From now on, Spirit Sword Peak will follow your lead!”

Chen Tiexin even patted her chest in assurance. “Junior Sister Yinyin is in secluded cultivation in the back mountain. Those clueless male disciples who tried to chat her up were all scolded bloody by me! I drove every last one of them away!”

“I was just about to go find her.” Zhang Xian cupped his hands in farewell and departed.

Watching his retreating back, Chen Tiexin shook her head with emotion. “Junior Brother is good at everything except being lustful. The future of our Spirit Sword Peak depends on him.”

Zhenhai straightened his robes, his face serious. “What do you mean ‘lustful’? Junior Brother has a great breadth of mind. ‘When prosperous, benefit all under heaven.’ Haven’t you heard that?”

“Senior Brother, you’ve changed.” Chen Tiexin looked heartbroken. Then, she and Zhenhai both hefted the pouches in their hands and sighed in unison. “There’s no helping it. Junior Brother simply gives too much!”

Zhang Xian stood before the cave dwelling in the back mountain and lightly knocked on the stone door. The restriction patterns glowed faintly before sliding open silently.

Lin Yinyin stood gracefully at the entrance, her eyes smiling and her skin like fresh snow. Most surprising was the spiritual energy circulating around her—Foundation Establishment, Eighth Layer!

Zhang Xian clicked his tongue. She was truly worthy of a Heavenly Spirit Root. Even with his vast resources and Master’s help, he still couldn’t catch up to her progress.

Lin Yinyin stood on tiptoe and leaned close to his face, a sly smile playing on her lips. “I thought you would have achieved Golden Core by the time you returned, Brother. It seems you still haven’t won over Master.”

“Nonsense!” The roots of Zhang Xian’s ears grew warm. He reached out to flick her forehead, but she nimbly dodged. “I came to take you to cultivate on the flying ship. Master is there as well.”

Lin Yinyin shook her head and pointed at a note pinned to the wall: No leaving seclusion before Golden Core.

Zhang Xian chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair. “Why are you so determined this time? What spurred this on?”

The young girl blushed. “I’m not telling you.”

Helpless, Zhang Xian produced a longsword that was entirely water-blue from hilt to tip. The sword moved without wind, tracing an elegant arc in the air as it circled Lin Yinyin.

“Is that all?” Lin Yinyin pouted.

“Look again.” Zhang Xian stood with his hands behind his back, a mysterious smile on his lips.

Just as Lin Yinyin was about to speak, her almond-shaped eyes widened. “Wait, you’re not using spiritual energy to control it?” She reached out and touched the blade, feeling the active spirituality within. “Could this be a spirit treasure?”

“Correct!”

“Wow!” Lin Yinyin circled the flying sword like a happy deer. “How can you possibly wield a spirit treasure? You’re only at the Seventh Tier of Foundation Establishment!” She leaned close again, her nose almost touching his. “Tell me quickly! Have you concealed your cultivation? Did you secretly break through to Golden Core?”

Zhang Xian smiled without answering; explaining the system was impossible. Although Su Ling had said one needed to be at the peak of Foundation Establishment to refine a spirit treasure, the system ignored such logic. It always allowed him to break through a cultivator’s natural limits.

“By the way, where are the Nurturing Golden Pills I gave you?”

“What Nurturing Golden Pills?” Lin Yinyin looked blank for a moment before remembering. She ran to the entrance to retrieve a pill bottle from the ground. “Ah! Sister Zhiyin gave them to me! I forgot about them because I was in deep meditation.”

As soon as she opened the stopper, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the air. A single pill could equal ten years of bitter cultivation for a normal practitioner. With so many gathered here, twenty years of progress was within easy reach.

The young girl’s ears burned. After the Foundation Establishment peak came the Golden Core. Once she reached minor completion in the Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra, she could finally be with her brother.

[Ding! Successfully triggered return: 500x Nurturing Golden Pills returned.]

[Nurturing Golden Pill: Mystic-grade pill; increases cultivation for late-stage Foundation Establishment or early-stage Golden Core practitioners. Effects diminish with repeated use.]

Zhang Xian pulled out several vibrant green spirit leaves and waved them in front of her. “I have more good stuff here, too. Come on, let’s go enjoy ourselves on the flying ship.”

“But my vow…” Lin Yinyin bit her lower lip, though her eyes were wavering.

“The ship has everything; it’s a one-stop service package guaranteed to satisfy,” Zhang Xian coaxed. “You’re just changing your location.”

In the ship’s sword chamber, Li Fuxi was still practicing her forms. Two spirit treasures wove a net of light around her. She didn’t stop her swordplay when they entered, merely giving a slight nod, beads of sweat glistening in her hair.

“Is this what spirit treasures are like?” Lin Yinyin asked, her eyes full of envy. Her small hands mimicked the movements. “So amazing! This chamber is beautiful, too—stars everywhere.”

“This is nothing,” Zhang Xian said casually. “I’ve already asked Zhiyin to upgrade the vessel; the costs will exceed twenty times what we spent last time.”

“T-twenty times!?” Lin Yinyin froze, her mouth forming a perfect circle. Such extravagance was likely unmatched in the entire Southern Region.

Li Fuxi sheathed her swords gracefully. As she did, the central area transformed into a white jade tea table through some unseen mechanism. The three sat down as an exquisite tea set materialized automatically.

“So beautiful…” Lin Yinyin murmured, gazing up at the starry ceiling while reaching out to catch falling starlight particles that drifted down like snowflakes.

“It’s a pocket dimension,” Zhang Xian explained matter-of-factly. “This room alone is ten times larger than the Spirit Sword Peak training grounds. Each ‘star’ is actually a high-grade spirit stone forming a gathering array. When the stones are depleted, puppets replace them automatically.”

Lin Yinyin was astonished. She stole a glance at her master, expecting a reprimand regarding wastefulness, but found Li Fuxi’s expression perfectly calm. It seemed the relationship between the two had deepened considerably.

A fragrant aroma wafted through the room, causing Li Fuxi to sniff lightly. “What kind of tea is this?”

“A specialty from the Liang Kingdom, gifted by a Duke,” Zhang Xian replied offhandedly, pouring a cup for each of them.

The tea was crystal clear yet tasted like divine nectar. As they sipped, their minds cleared instantly—previously obscure cultivation techniques suddenly became lucid.

Li Fuxi felt the urge to enter seclusion immediately. “This tea…” Her eyes shone as she took another sip.

“Be honest! Where exactly did you get this!?”