True Yin Body! The Perfect Cauldron!

Jiang Ye didn't hurry on. Instead, he paused for a while beside a tea stall in East Market, Prefecture City.

Over the time it took to drink a cup of rough tea, he'd learned most of what there was to know about the Azure Sky Sect.

The Azure Sky Sect was located in Azure Sky Mountain, east of Prefecture City.

Its towering gates presided over a hundred li of land. With its many disciples, it was without question the sacred center of martial arts across Cloud Ridge Prefecture's eighteen counties.

The sect was divided into the Outer Sect and the Inner Sect.

The Outer Sect took in disciples under extraordinarily strict conditions: applicants had to be under sixteen and possess at least above-average bones to qualify.

Even so, young men and women still flocked there every day to try their luck, crowding the square before the mountain gate until it was packed tight.

Joining the Outer Sect was only the beginning.

Once a year, the sect held a selection. Only the most outstanding disciples, those who made the fastest progress in their cultivation, could advance to the Inner Sect and become true "Azure Sky disciples."

The Inner Sect, in turn, was divided among six peaks.

They were Golden Star Peak, Azure Wood Peak, Mystic Water Peak, Heavenly Sun Peak, and Thick Earth Peak.

At the center stood Juding Peak, where the sect master resided and the heart of the sect lay.

Each peak had a different focus in its cultivation.

Wen Yueyao was a true disciple of Heavenly Sun Peak.

"What an astonishing foundation."

Jiang Ye set down his teacup, a complex note of amazement flickering in his aged eyes.

Even these few scraps of information had been enough to glimpse the tip of that colossal iceberg.

"Very well. This will be an eye-opening experience."

He didn't dawdle any longer. After paying for his tea, he headed east.

Cloud Ridge Prefecture was far larger than he had imagined.

He passed through seven or eight long streets and walked more than ten li, yet the rows of buildings still stretched endlessly on either side, and the crowds remained shoulder to shoulder.

After another half hour or so, the road ahead gradually widened and the pedestrians thinned. In their place came squads of young disciples in matching uniforms, weapons hanging at their waists.

Some walked in groups of three or five, laughing and chatting. Others hurried along alone, their expressions intent.

Without exception, they were all headed in the same direction.

Jiang Ye followed the flow of people with his eyes, his pupils narrowing slightly.

In the distance, a towering mountain gate came into view.

It stood more than ten zhang high, supported by two pillars of white marble thick enough for a man to wrap his arms around.

Intricate cloud patterns and cranes were carved into the pillars, so lifelike they seemed ready to soar into the clouds at any moment.

Three great gilded characters gleamed in the sunlight above the crossbeam—

"Azure Sky Sect"

The lettering was elegant and otherworldly, yet it carried an awe-inspiring majesty that seemed to look down on all beneath heaven.

Each stroke seemed to hold a mysterious rhythm. After gazing at them for a few moments, he felt almost dizzy and spellbound.

Beyond the gate, a broad flight of bluestone steps wound uphill, leading straight to the mountainside.

Ancient trees towered on either side of the steps, their branches and leaves crisscrossing overhead and filtering the afternoon sunlight into a patchwork of light and shadow.

Jiang Ye took a deep breath and climbed the steps with the crowd.

After about the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the view before him suddenly opened up.

A vast square stretched out before him, several hundred zhang across.

Its surface was paved with block after block of gray-green stone, smooth and level as a mirror.

Buildings and halls lined the square, their flying eaves and carved beams exuding an air of solemn antiquity.

A long queue snaked through the center of the square like a serpent, numbering several hundred people.

Most were young men and women, none older than their early twenties.

Their clothes varied. Some were poor youths in coarse garments, while others were young masters and misses from wealthy families, dressed in silks and finery.

All stood obediently in line, craning their necks to peer toward the front.

After asking around, Jiang Ye learned that they had all come to seek entry into the sect.

At the very front of the queue stood two long blackwood tables.

Two young disciples in Azure Sky Sect attire sat behind them, examining each applicant's bones in turn. One hand pressed atop each person's head while the other pinched their wrist bones. A moment later, they would announce the quality of the applicant's aptitude.

Those with above-average bones wept for joy and were led aside to register. Those with below-average or poor bones hung their heads and left dejectedly.

"So many people come to join the sect every day... How could the sect not flourish?"

Jiang Ye sighed inwardly. He felt the warm Black Iron Token in his robes, but didn't step forward rashly. Instead, he quietly joined the end of the queue.

The moment he took his place, the eyes of everyone around him snapped toward him.

An old man past seventy, his hair gray and white, standing among a group of teenagers—there was no denying the sight was a little bizarre.

The youths looked from one another to him, strange expressions appearing on their faces, but no one ventured to ask.

After all, this was the entrance to the Azure Sky Sect. No one dared cause trouble.

Just then,

"How come some old geezer's come here to join in the fun?"

A clear, melodious female voice rang out, though it carried a distinctly cutting edge.

A hidden glint of coldness flashed in Jiang Ye's eyes.

On his way here, people had greeted him too, and they'd all called him "old sir."

This was the first person to call him an old geezer right out of the gate.

Jiang Ye followed the voice.

Five or six paces ahead in the queue stood a young man and woman.

The girl wore a form-fitting black dress.

Its hem reached her ankles, while the waist was cinched tight, accentuating her full bosom and slender waist.

Her neckline was slightly open, revealing a stretch of fair neck and delicate collarbones. Below them, a hint of—

Her face was pretty, but her brows and eyes held a bewitchingly sensual allure far beyond her years. The corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward, her lips were crimson, and she looked at him with a half-smile, her eyes full of undisguised disdain and mockery.

Beside her stood a youth about her age.

He wore a moon-white brocade robe, its smooth fabric shimmering softly in the sun. Delicate silver cloud patterns were embroidered around the cuffs and collar, making it obvious that it was worth a fortune.

His skin was so fair it was nearly translucent, and his features were refined, but his brows betrayed the arrogance and domineering air of someone spoiled rotten.

At that moment, he had an arm around the girl's slender waist and was eyeing Jiang Ye with open disdain.

"Brother Hua, look! That old geezer's still got the nerve to glare at me!"

The girl in the black dress clutched his arm and spoke in a syrupy voice.

As she spoke, she cast Jiang Ye a sidelong glance through her bewitching eyes.

The youth immediately looked at Jiang Ye with disdain and said coldly, "Old geezer, try glaring at me again!"

Jiang Ye looked at him without changing expression.

"Old geezer, you—"

Seeing that Jiang Ye wasn't the least bit intimidated by his threat, the youth flushed red and was about to curse him out.

Not far away, an Azure Sky Sect disciple tasked with maintaining order in the square seemed to have noticed the commotion and turned slightly.

The youth could only swallow his anger. Grinding his teeth, he said to the girl behind him,

"Qinghuan, don't worry. I'll deal with that old geezer after I join the Azure Sky Sect. For now, just put up with him."

The girl pursed her red lips and nodded reluctantly, her voice still cloyingly sweet. "Mm, I'll listen to you, Brother Hua."

Then, with perfect understanding, the two glared viciously at Jiang Ye and turned away, as if he no longer existed.

Jiang Ye watched them with an indifferent gaze, his expression barely changing.

About half an hour later, it was finally the young couple's turn to have their bones examined.

Qinghuan, the girl in the black dress, stepped forward with an elegant sway. Her slender waist moved in a captivating rhythm, drawing the fixed stares of many young men behind her.

She stopped before the blackwood table and held out her pale, slender wrist, a confident smile curling her lips. Clearly, she had great faith in her own aptitude.

The Azure Sky Sect disciple in charge of the examination pressed a hand atop her head and pinched her wrist bones. At first, his expression remained calm.

But a moment later, his fingers suddenly stopped!

Whoosh!

He sprang up from his chair. The chair toppled behind him, but he didn't even bother to right it.

His formerly placid face was now filled with shock. His eyes bulged so wide they seemed ready to leap from their sockets.

He stared fixedly at the girl, his gaze so heated it was frightening, as though he wanted to swallow her whole. Then he cried out,

"You—you actually have a True Yin Body!!!"

The shout rang out like a thunderclap, plunging the entire square into silence.

The other disciple, who had been about to examine the young man's bones, whipped around, shoved him aside, and hurried over to examine the girl's bones and take her pulse.

His movements were hurried yet careful, as if he were touching a priceless treasure.

A moment later, he looked up. His eyes shone just as brilliantly, and his voice trembled as he said,

"It... it really is the legendary True Yin Body!!!"

The entire square erupted.

"Wh... what's a True Yin Body?"

"Never heard of it..."

"Could this woman be some kind of prodigy?"

"If two Azure Sky Sect disciples are this excited, it must be something incredible!"

Voices overlapped in a buzzing din as hundreds of gazes turned toward the girl in the black dress.

Caught off guard by the sudden attention, the girl parted her red lips, at a loss for how to respond.

Just then, a youth in a gray brocade robe stepped out from the crowd.

He had refined features and an air of scholarly elegance, with a faint bookish aura about him.

He cupped his hands toward the two Azure Sky Sect disciples and spoke calmly and respectfully:

"Senior brothers, I once read an account of the True Yin Body in an ancient text."

"It says that a woman with this constitution possesses exceptionally pure maiden yin. If a man absorbs it, then below the Core Formation Realm, it can help him break through, cleanse his body, and temper his bones. Have I understood correctly?"

The two Azure Sky Sect disciples looked at him with some surprise and nodded, their voices carrying a trace of approval.

"Who would've thought someone so young would know so much? That's right."

As soon as he spoke, the entire crowd erupted.

"Take her maiden yin and you can break through?!"

"My heavens, is that for real? There's actually a constitution like that?!"

"Wouldn't that make her the perfect cauldron?!"

Countless gazes fixed on the girl once more. But this time, they held more than curiosity and envy. They were wild with naked heat and greed.

The young men's eyes reddened, and their breathing grew heavier, as if they weren't looking at a living person but at an immortal herb that could send them soaring to the heavens in a single leap.

Under the sweep of those gazes, the girl shuddered. Only then did a hint of panic finally appear on her pretty face.

Without thinking, she edged closer to the youth beside her and grabbed his sleeve.

"Hahahahahaha!!!"

The youth beside her gazed at her with feverish eyes and couldn't help bursting into wild laughter.

"Qinghuan!!! My dear Qinghuan!!!"

"You really are a woman who brings me good fortune!!!"

"I love you so much!!!"

In the crowd, Jiang Ye looked with pity at the youth laughing with wild excitement.

That silly boy.

Your Qinghuan will soon have a new sweetheart.