He had just undone his outer robe—

“Have her leave.”

A woman’s voice, devoid of emotion, rang out in his sea of consciousness.

It was the Azure Lotus Empress.

Xiao Che jolted.

“Cough…”

He pressed a hand over Xiao He’s, gently guiding her back. “Um… Xiao He, you should go out first.”

“Huh?”

Xiao He froze. Tears welled up in her eyes again. “D–Did A-He do something wrong…?”

“No, no.”

Xiao Che waved his hands hurriedly. “Your young master just… wants some quiet.”

Xiao He blinked. Though still confused, she never disobeyed him.

She obediently retreated.

Xiao Che finally let out a breath, removed the rest of his clothes, and stepped into the bath.

Steadying himself, he cautiously asked in his mind,

“Your Majesty the Empress… didn’t you say you were going to sleep to recover?”

“Hmph.”

“What, am I awake at a bad time? Ruined your good thing?”

“How could that be!”

Xiao Che denied it at once, though inwardly he muttered that her timing was perfect.

Then something occurred to him, sending a chill down his spine. “Wait… can you see what’s going on outside?”

“Since the Hongmeng Heavenly Book has acknowledged you as its master, I can roughly sense everything within ten zhang of you.”

Xiao Che’s face turned green.

“Then right now, I’m completely naked… and you’re also—”

“I’ve seen it before.”

The empress replied calmly.

“What’s so unusual about it?”

Xiao Che silently dunked his face into the water, holding his breath for a full ten seconds before resurfacing.

Great. So he came with a built-in, all-day, all-angle surveillance system—complete with live commentary?

“Um… Your Majesty, the Empress,”

He tried to reason with her. “Could we maybe come to an agreement? At certain times… could you temporarily block your perception? Give me a bit of privacy?”

The sea of consciousness fell silent for a moment.

“And if I refuse?”

Xiao Che: “……”

“Xiao Che, remember this. Your life and your path are now bound to mine.”

“Until you are strong enough, stay away from flirting and distractions.”

“Focus on cultivation and help me recover as soon as possible. That is what matters.”

Well then.

He wiped his face, and whatever lingering thoughts he had were completely gone.

He hadn’t even gotten a taste of that sweet dependence, and the ‘terms and conditions’ of this arrangement had already slapped him in the face.

Xiao Che shook his head.

Fine. Even if the terms were tyrannical, the benefits were real.

What mattered most right now was seeing just how much he’d gained from all this.

He gathered his thoughts and closed his eyes to look inward.

Inside his dantian, everything had changed.

The once-shattered, clogged qi sea had transformed into a vast lake of crimson spiritual liquid. Waves surged beneath the surface, spiritual light flowing endlessly.

This was the sign of successful Foundation Establishment with a top-grade fire spiritual root—spiritual energy fully condensed into liquid form.

At the center of the lake floated a moon-white and azure seal, like a budding lotus. It radiated an aura identical to that of the Azure Lotus Empress—the manifestation of that ten-thousand-year primal yin.

Xiao Che’s mind stirred as he tried to draw upon the power within the seal.

But the primal yin was deeply rooted in his Dao foundation, like a sleeping lotus seed—immensely profound. No matter how he urged it, it didn’t budge in the slightest.

“Hmph.”

A soft snort echoed in his consciousness.

“You’ve only just reached the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, and your realm is still unstable. You think you can shake my seal?”

“Calm yourself and settle your cultivation. When your foundation is firm as bedrock, you may draw upon the next strand of power.”

Xiao Che’s mind sharpened. He immediately dispelled stray thoughts and examined himself more carefully.

Sure enough, although the spiritual liquid in his qi sea surged powerfully, it felt slightly unstable

—far from the perfectly unified, abyss-like stillness of true stability.

He understood.

What mattered now was fully consolidating this explosive increase in cultivation—truly standing firm at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.

Only then could he draw out the next strand of sealed primal yin.

This encounter had truly been a rebirth from the brink, shattering his former limits in one stroke.

But the path of cultivation still required steady, deliberate steps.

Xiao Che sat quietly in the bath, calming his mind as he circulated the family’s inherited Fire Dragon Art.

After several full cycles, the previously unstable spiritual power within him grew a bit more solid.

When he opened his eyes again, night had already fallen outside the window.

The bathwater had long since gone cold.

He rose, dried himself, changed into clean inner robes, and quietly returned to the bedroom.

Pushing open the inner door, he saw Xiao He curled up asleep on the small couch by the wall.

Her breathing was even, a little pillow clutched in her arms.

Xiao Che paused.

In the original owner’s memories, ever since she’d been old enough to keep night watch, this girl had always slept on that couch.

Officially, it was to serve at close hand, ready to answer his call at any time.

He clicked his tongue softly.

“This life… is dangerously addictive.”

Not disturbing her, Xiao Che walked over and sat on his own spacious bed.

But he wasn’t sleepy at all.

The events in the hall earlier that day—the Sun family’s threat, his sister’s situation, the confrontation tomorrow… and the power within him that he had yet to fully master.

He stood up again, pushed the door open, and entered the cultivation chamber.

The room was small and simply furnished. Only a sheathed longsword hung on the wall—the original owner’s usual weapon, the low-grade spirit sword Clear Edge.

Xiao Che took it down and held it in his hand.

With a flicker of intent, the Pure Yang Golden Flame Sword Art surfaced naturally in his mind, like flowing water.

There was no need to recall it—it felt as though it had always been there, a part of him.

He drew the sword.

With a flick of his wrist, the sword followed his body.

At first, his movements were slightly stiff, but after two or three forms, the spiritual power within him flowed as naturally as his own limbs, surging along the eighteen meridian routes recorded in the sword art and perfectly aligning with each move.

What delighted him even more was that as he unleashed the sword techniques, he could draw out that hidden strand of pure yang energy within his Pure Yang Dao Body and channel it directly into the blade!

Though it was only a momentary burst, it allowed him to truly grasp the terrifying potential contained within his Dao body.

The sword light grew brighter, crimson and gold interweaving—searing yet controlled—circulating through the small chamber as if alive.

The more he practiced, the smoother it became.
The smoother it became, the faster it flowed.

All stray thoughts vanished. Only the sword in his hand, the qi in his body, and the art in his mind remained.

By the time a pale glow appeared on the horizon and a ray of morning light filtered into the chamber—

Xiao Che sheathed his sword and stood still. His aura was perfectly unified. The Clear Edge sword hummed softly in his hand, a point of crimson-gold light flickering at the tip before slowly dispersing.

He let out a long breath, his eyes shining.

That was it… complete mastery?

According to the original owner’s memories, combat techniques were divided into seven stages: Entry, Proficient, Minor Mastery, Mastery, Great Mastery, Perfection, and Transformation.

In a single night, he had taken a peak yellow-grade sword art from Entry straight to Great Mastery.

Five stages broken through at once.

Perfect compatibility, indeed.

So this was the joy of being overpowered—plain, simple, and utterly satisfying.

Xiao Che returned to his room and lay down, dozing for a short while.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun was already high.

He rolled over and sat up, only to see Xiao He sitting on a round stool nearby, elbow propped on the table, chin in hand, gazing at him eagerly.

When she saw him awake, her eyes lit up, and she jumped to her feet.

“Young Master, you’re awake!”

She hurried over lightly, about to help him wash up.

“Wait.”

Xiao Che raised a hand to stop her. “I’ll do it myself.”

Xiao He halted, her round eyes filling with grievance.

“Young Master… is A-He not serving you well?”

“No.”

Xiao Che got out of bed and walked to the washstand himself, keeping his tone casual. “Your young master wants to stretch a bit today. I’ll do it.”

He couldn’t exactly say there was a female emperor watching, could he?

Xiao He let out a small “oh” and stood to the side, a little dejected.

He stopped in front of the copper basin.

The surface of the water was calm as a mirror, clearly reflecting a young face.

Sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, a straight nose, well-defined lips—his features looked especially sharp in the morning light.

Xiao Che paused.

This face… bore six or seven parts resemblance to his former self.

Only, his past self had long since been worn smooth by life, his brows always carrying fatigue and compromise.

The reflection in the water, however, was all unpolished sharpness—like finely carved jade, brimming with youthful vigor.

Well then.

He raised an eyebrow at his reflection.

At least he hadn’t transmigrated into an ugly face.

This deal wasn’t a loss.

With his thoughts settled, he finally bent down, scooped up a handful of clear water, and began to wash up.