The night grew deep. At An Cailan’s fervent invitation, Qi Yuan and Bai Xirou agreed to stay overnight at the City Lord’s Manor and set off at first light.

An Cailan personally escorted them to a secluded, elegant courtyard. The grounds were paved with white jade and lush with flowering trees, while the architecture exuded a refined, magnificent style.

“Holy Scion, Senior Sister Bai, please rest here tonight. It is getting late, so I will not disturb you further.”

Inside the lavishly decorated guest room, An Cailan bowed deeply to Qi Yuan and Bai Xirou before taking her leave.

Due to the recent calamity, most of the manor’s servants had either fled or scattered. Aside from a few loyal old retainers, the vast estate was now empty and desolate.

Qi Yuan scanned the room to ensure nothing was amiss, then turned to Bai Xirou.

“Eldest Senior Sister, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head to the guest room next door. You—”

His words caught in his throat. His eyes widened in sheer astonishment.

Bai Xirou, usually the picture of dignified composure, seemed to have lost all her strength. She slumped limply into a chair, her porcelain-white skin flushing a deep, vibrant crimson like a ripe apple.

Her breathing grew ragged and heavy. Subconsciously, her hands began to tug at the collar of her dress…

“Senior Sister, what… what’s wrong?”

Witnessing such a tantalizing scene, Qi Yuan swallowed hard, his voice stammering.

Bai Xirou shook her head, her face burning. She bit her lip and whispered, “I… I don’t know… I suddenly feel so hot…”

As she spoke, her clear eyes glazed over, misted with a drunken haze.

“What’s going on?”

Frowning, Qi Yuan stepped forward to check her pulse. He realized the problem almost immediately.

Earlier, to protect Bai Xirou from the ghostly entities, he had injected a stream of Pure Yang energy into her body.

For some reason, that intense Yang energy hadn’t dissipated. Instead, it had gone rogue, rampaging through her Dantian and meridians like a wildfire.

Bai Xirou’s body was scorching to the touch, as if a furnace were burning inside her. If he didn’t resolve this immediately, the consequences would be disastrous.

Qi Yuan didn’t dare delay. He quickly placed his palm over Bai Xirou’s Dantian and began to siphon out the violent Yang energy.

Not good!

As the torrent of Yang energy flooded back into his palm, Qi Yuan sensed something was terribly wrong.

The energy was too domineering. Its quantity had multiplied, and its quality had skyrocketed to an unbelievable level.

Qi Yuan’s face turned blood-red in an instant. A terrifying heatwave threatened to drown his consciousness.

A Cauldron Physique!

Just before his reason evaporated, the realization hit him. He shoved the clinging Bai Xirou away, scrambled onto the bed, and sat cross-legged to suppress the terrifying energy ravaging his insides.

He knew this was both a crisis and an opportunity.

If he could tame this returning Yang energy, his cultivation would soar, and his Innate Extreme Yang Body would ascend to the next level.

On the other side of the room, Bai Xirou felt a wave of cool, gentle comfort wash over her the moment the Yang energy left her body. Her discomfort vanished, and her cultivation surged forward, breaking straight through to the peak of the Foundation Building realm.

“What… what just happened to me?”

She let out a soft breath, the blush lingering on her cheeks. But when she looked up and saw Qi Yuan’s condition, her face paled in horror.

“Junior Brother Qi!”

Qi Yuan’s clothes had already incinerated into ash. His skin was glowing like red-hot iron, his lips were cracked, and blue veins bulged across his trembling body.

Qi Deviation?

Panic seized Bai Xirou. Ignoring everything else, she rushed to the bedside and whispered urgently into his ear.

“Junior Brother Qi, I can save you! Clear your mind, relax your spirit, and circulate the Scripture of Yin-Yang Metamorphosis…”

The next moment, Qi Yuan, currently roasting in his own personal hell, felt a soft, familiar sensation press against his lips. A stream of sweet, cooling energy flowed into his mouth, jolting his spirit awake.

Finding relief, Qi Yuan instinctively craved more. He reached out, his arms wrapping around the fragrant, soft body before him…

Soon, a majestic surge of Extreme Yin energy flooded his limbs and bones, gradually extinguishing the boiling flames within him.

[Ding! Mission Complete: Use the ‘Scripture of Yin-Yang Metamorphosis’ to save Eldest Senior Sister Bai Xirou and stabilize your foundation.]

[Rewards: 1,000 Counterattack Points, 15 Top-grade Essence Condensing Pills, Top-grade Magical Artifact ‘Dark Light Qilin Sword’. Personal Space expanded from 300 to 500 cubic meters. Acquired New Talent: ‘Moocher’s Might’.]

[Ding! Rewards have been deposited into your Personal Space. You may select the binding target for the new talent in the System Talent Interface…]

The System’s cold mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

Qi Yuan groggily opened his eyes. After a brief moment of confusion, his gaze landed on the exquisite, ethereal face sleeping beside him.

Bai Xirou’s eyes were closed, a trace of exhaustion lingering between her brows. Her long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly, evoking a sense of tender pity.

Huh?

Qi Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. He sat up abruptly, the cool air hitting his bare chest and shocking him fully awake. The memories of the previous night flashed through his mind like a highlight reel.

Internally, he was screaming.

He never expected the righteous, dignified Eldest Senior Sister of Falling Cloud Valley to possess a top-grade Cauldron Physique!

The Yang energy he had lent her had incubated within her body, growing wildly until it became something even he—the original owner—couldn’t withstand.

If she hadn’t sacrificed herself to save him, he would have exploded like a meat balloon.

Qi Yuan looked at Bai Xirou with a complicated expression.

Originally, he planned to build their relationship slowly and let nature take its course to complete the System mission without looking like a scumbag.

He didn’t expect “nature to take its course” at mach speed.

Checking his internal state, he found his spiritual power had more than doubled. It surged like a vast ocean. His Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul had undergone a metamorphosis, becoming dense and profound, radiating a terrifying power.

Mid-Nascent Soul Stage!

Qi Yuan was stunned.

Thanks to the System’s previous enhancements, his aptitude was already monstrous. He leveled up just by breathing, eating, or sleeping. A day of his cultivation was worth half a month for anyone else.

Even so, he had only reached the Nascent Soul realm less than a month ago. He should have been miles away from the Mid-stage. Yet, he had crossed that gap in a single night.

The combination of the System’s Heaven-grade Scripture of Yin-Yang Metamorphosis and a top-tier Cauldron Physique was simply broken.

Just as Qi Yuan was immersing himself in the joy of his breakthrough, Bai Xirou let out a soft hum—part pain, part allure. She pushed herself up, slowly sitting upright.

As she moved, the thin fur blanket covering her shoulders slipped down…

Noticing Qi Yuan’s frozen stare, Bai Xirou realized her state. She hurriedly yanked the blanket up to cover her chest, her eyes glistening with complicated emotions.

“You…” She looked at him, her voice trembling slightly. “Did you do this on purpose?”