Xiao Che listened quietly, saying nothing.

The darkness hid the complex expression on his face.

Those casually spoken words concealed a decade of hardship, a girl ground down by the relentless tides of time.

“Sleep.” At last, he spoke only these two words.

“Mm, Young Master, you rest too,” Xiao He responded obediently.

Night returned to silence.

…

The next day.

At first light.

Righteous Sword Pavilion.
Quiet Chamber.

Xiao Che sat cross-legged, circulating his spiritual power along the pathways of the Fire Dragon Art.

Two hours later, after a full cycle around the Great Circuit, he furrowed his brow.

Although his cultivation had recovered to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, the spiritual liquid in his Qi Sea still churned restlessly, far from fully harmonized.

The Fire Dragon Art was, after all, only a high-grade Yellow technique, channeling just twelve meridians.

For his pure Yang Dao body, it was like trying to channel a flood through a tiny irrigation ditch—inefficient and utterly inadequate to consolidate his rapidly growing foundation.

It was as if a small engine tried to pull a heavy tank: the engine smoked, but the wheels didn’t budge.

This broken technique was a definite five out of ten at best!

Clearly, making money was now urgent.

“Young Master.”

Xiao An’s voice sounded outside the Quiet Chamber.

With permission, he pushed the door open and entered, carrying a heavy cloth bag.

“Madam instructed me to deliver this.”

Xiao An placed the bag aside. “Inside are one thousand low-grade spirit stones.”

Xiao Che was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. “Where did these come from?”

“They were part of the inventory from Third Young Master’s residence, sealed last night.”

Xiao An added evenly, “This morning, the family council decided to reward Young Master with a portion for yesterday’s achievements—neutralizing Sun Tao, safeguarding the jade token, and intimidating external threats.”

“Additionally, Young Master Li, upon verification, was involved in abducting the young lady. His cultivation has been revoked, and he’s also imprisoned in the Remorse Abyss.”

Xiao Che sneered inwardly.

Hah, traitors and ingrates—served them right.

He took the bag, feeling the pure spiritual energy inside, and couldn’t help grinning.

What he lacked had arrived just in time. A thousand spirit stones, enough to refine a strand of Hongmeng qi.

The twelve-meridian Fire Dragon Art could finally advance.

He dismissed Xiao An and closed the door.

With a thought, the phantom of the Hongmeng Heavenly Book appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.

He placed the spirit stones before him, guiding the book to absorb their power.

Watching all one thousand stones instantly disintegrate, his heart bled, and he couldn’t help twitching at the corners of his mouth.

“My money… this absorption speed is crazier than some game’s gacha system. Great, back to square one!”

Within the Heavenly Book, a thread of mystical purple qi began to form.

Xiao Che sank his consciousness into the book’s space.

Beside the purple jade tome stood a semi-transparent cyan cocoon, silent and immobile. Light shifted across it, revealing the faint outline of a stunning figure inside.

The female emperor, slumbering.

He studied the exquisite silhouette, and his lips curled involuntarily.

“Tch, as expected of the woman this Young Master stamped with authority… even asleep, she’s imposing.”

After lingering on the radiant form for a moment, he gathered his focus.

Touching the nascent purple qi, he transmitted the entire technique of the Fire Dragon Art.

“Deduce. Complete.”

The purple light of the book surged, engulfing the technique’s phantom.

In moments, a brand-new cultivation technique flowed into his Sea of Consciousness like a torrent.

It could channel eighteen meridians, perfectly matching his Fire Spirit root and pure Yang Dao body.

The cultivated spiritual power combined the fury of fire with the steadfastness of pure Yang, balanced and broad, with enduring potency.

Xiao Che’s mind stirred.

Pure Yang True Fire Art.

He opened his eyes. In the Quiet Chamber, a flash of reddish-gold light passed.

Within his Qi Sea, the once restless spiritual liquid began to resonate faintly with the new technique.

Without hesitation, he followed the new method to circulate the Great Circuit Afresh.

All eighteen meridians connected instantly.

Spiritual power surged like rivers returning to the sea.

Even better, the pure Yang energy long hidden in his Dao body was drawn out and blended with the fire energy.

Xiao Che’s mind cleared completely.

If the Pure Yang Golden Fire Sword Art taught him to “ignite” his Dao body’s power, the Pure Yang True Fire Art taught him to “extract” and “refine” it.

Transforming hidden pure Yang essence into an endless source of cultivation, while actively guiding the energy to purify and temper the body.

Compared with the Fire Dragon Art, the efficiency was like switching from a cart to a high-speed train.

The restless spiritual liquid settled rapidly under this more compatible circulation.

At this rate, consolidating the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment would take only a few days.

Xiao Che felt delighted.

A life with cheats doesn’t need explanations.

He decided not to return to his bedroom, instead nesting in the Quiet Chamber.

That enchanting little maid… even a glance could destabilize his mind. Best to avoid her.

Preserving life and his waist was priority one.

Time flew, and five days passed.

Under the high-efficiency circulation of the Pure Yang True Fire Art, the spiritual liquid in Xiao Che’s Qi Sea finally settled, perfectly harmonized.

The originally red Spirit Lake now shimmered with a pale golden halo, a fusion of crimson and gold, reflecting the deep integration of pure Yang energy and fire power.

The seventh layer of Foundation Establishment was completely consolidated.

At the lake’s center, a moon-white cyan seal, formed from the ten-thousand-year primal yin of the Azure Lotus Empress, floated like a budding lotus.

Xiao Che focused inward, his heart aflame.

Last time, it didn’t move because his foundation was unstable. Now, with the Spirit Lake settled and red-gold energy fused…

“This time, it should work.”

He held his breath, cautiously touching it.

The seal trembled slightly.

A thread of ultra-pure moon-white cyan energy, as fine as a hair, was drawn out.

“Nice!”

Xiao Che’s spirit soared. He immediately activated the Pure Yang True Fire Art and refined it fully.

Though the primal yin seemed weak, once absorbed, it transformed into a vast primordial force, surging through every limb and sinew.

For his seventh-layer Foundation Establishment with a pure Yang Dao body, refining it caused his meridians to swell. He circulated seven full Great Circuits, nearly three hours, before fully integrating them.

When he opened his eyes again, a gleam of refined light appeared.

His cultivation had reached complete seventh-layer Foundation Establishment, ready to break into the eighth with a proper opportunity.

“No wonder it’s the Empress’s primal yin… this single thread saved me at least a year of effort and solidified my foundation further.”

He inwardly praised himself and understood clearly.

This primal yin force was the “heavenly spring” for tempering a Dao foundation—not the “boost” for reckless breakthroughs.

It could perfect each stage, but the final push past a bottleneck had to come from one’s own insight.

Thinking back, the last time he dual-cultivated with the Empress, surging from Qi Refinement to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment at once, it was because the original owner had already reached the sixth layer and accumulated sufficient power.

Had he forced a breakthrough just now, he might have reached the eighth layer, but it would have been unstable.

One must advance step by step, eat bite by bite.

Steady progress is the hard truth.

Snapping back to reality, he found night had fully fallen.

Hunger pressed against him, and deep exhaustion followed.

Though post-Foundation Establishment cultivators needn’t sleep daily, five consecutive days and nights of practice had still drained his mind and body.

He popped a fasting-dispelling pill into his mouth, left the Quiet Chamber, and headed to his bedroom to rest properly.

Pushing the door open, warm candlelight spilled out.

“Young Master? You’re back!”

Xiao He’s delighted voice rang, and she hurried to the doorway.

She wore only a light cyan inner garment, thin silk clinging to her developing form, her dark hair loosely gathered over her shoulders.

Under the candlelight, the fabric was nearly translucent, revealing the soft skin beneath.

Xiao Che felt a rush of heat to his head, throat dry.