Yin Spirit Mine

True Person Lone Moon Peak suppressed the trace of melancholy in her heart, her gaze sweeping over the four disciples standing respectfully below as she spoke indifferently: "During my time in seclusion, has anything happened on Lone Moon Peak?"

As soon as the words fell, Qin Wan stepped forward quickly to plead guilty to True Person Lone Moon Peak: "This disciple is guilty. A few days ago, I accidentally damaged the key to the secret vault. Please, Master, impose a punishment!"

Qin Wan kept her head bowed low, saying nothing of how Pei Hongling and the others had coerced her earlier.

She knew very well that Pei Hongling's uncle was an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall and a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm. With such a background, even her master had to show some respect.

The internal forces of the sect were intertwined, divided between the master-disciple lineage and the aristocratic family lineage. The two factions were deeply embedded within one another, yet they were secretly locked in fierce infighting.

In short, Qin Wan had no prominent family background and lacked the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Realm. If she were to clash head-on with Pei Hongling, she would undoubtedly be the one to suffer in the end. Therefore, she simply said nothing at all.

True Person Lone Moon Peak gave the kneeling Qin Wan a meaningful look before shifting her gaze to Pei Hongling and the others nearby, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Hongling, you tell me—did Qin Wan really break the key by accident, or... was she coerced by someone else?"

Although Pei Hongling usually acted arrogantly due to her background, she felt a sudden jolt of panic under her master's deep, piercing gaze. She stammered, avoiding eye contact: "Perhaps... perhaps it was just the Junior Sister's carelessness."

True Person Lone Moon Peak did not commit to an answer, instead turning her gaze toward Lu Qingshan.

A bead of cold sweat seeped from Lu Qingshan's forehead, and he quickly chimed in: "Since the Junior Sister says so, it must be true."

Finally, True Person Lone Moon Peak looked at Feng Fei. Feng Fei swallowed hard and hurriedly bowed to distance himself: "Reporting to Master, this disciple happened to be away from the mountain during this time, so I truly do not know what occurred here."

"Oh?" True Person Lone Moon Peak's voice rose slightly. "Where have you been during this time?"

Feng Fei braced himself and replied: "This disciple was at the foot of the mountain gathering spiritual herbs for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Hearing the words "Foundation Establishment Pill," True Person Lone Moon Peak could not help but sigh softly.

"Refining the Foundation Establishment Pill in private is easily exploited by the government, and these are troubled times indeed."

True Person Lone Moon Peak paused, as if having made a decision: "Let us do this. When I emerged from seclusion, the Sect Master sent a flying sword message stating that the Unborn Cult has been quite active lately. Taking advantage of the drought and plague, the Unborn Cult has been expanding wildly in secret and has already set its sights on several of our sect's important strongholds. Hongling, Qingshan, Feng Fei, the three of you will head down the mountain to guard the Red Fire Mine for three years. Once the term is complete, I will personally request a merit reward for you from the sect, and you shall each receive a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Upon hearing the words "Foundation Establishment Pill," the three, who had been feeling uneasy, were suddenly overcome with wild joy. Competition for the Foundation Establishment Pill within the immortal sect was currently brutal; such a reward was an immense grace.

True Person Lone Moon Peak continued: "Furthermore, the imperial court's Eagle-Wolf Guard has also dispatched men to the Red Fire Mine to assist in guarding it. Once you arrive, you must pay close attention to their movements and remember to report to me at any time."

"This disciple thanks Master for her grace! We shall not fail our mission!" The three bowed in unison to express their gratitude.

After dealing with the three, True Person Lone Moon Peak's gaze returned to Qin Wan, her tone turning stern: "Qin Wan, you were careless in your duties. I am revoking your authority to manage the secret vault and the peak's assets. You are to go to the Yin Spirit Mine to serve as a steward and reflect on your actions for three years."

"This disciple thanks Master for her mercy." Qin Wan's expression remained calm as she respectfully accepted the punishment.

Pei Hongling, standing to the side, could not help but let a trace of gloating mockery touch the corners of her mouth.

Although the Yin Spirit Mine was nominally a spirit stone mine, its spiritual energy had long since been exhausted, and its yield was extremely low.

More importantly, it was a site of an ancient battlefield left over from the catastrophe that caused the decline of heaven and earth's spiritual energy before the founding of the Great You Dynasty.

After the brutal war, the vengeful spirits of many cultivators and martial artists lingered there, and the pervasive Yin malevolence never dissipated, which was how the unique Yin Spirit Stone was formed. While the Yin Spirit Stone had some clever uses in artifact refining, the Yin malevolence in the mine was extremely damaging to a cultivator's soul, making it impossible to practice in peace in such a ghostly place.

So, no matter how one looked at it, Qin Wan had received a heavy punishment.

However, as Lu Qingshan and Feng Fei stood to the side, their eyes met with thoughtful expressions. They were not as foolish as Pei Hongling, for they clearly remembered a piece of old sect gossip: their master, True Person Lone Moon Peak, had also once been punished to serve as a steward at the Yin Spirit Mine.

It was only after that experience that their master stood out within the sect, eventually gaining her own peak to preach the Dao.

Furthermore, Junior Sister Qin possessed the "Thunder Spirit Root."

Thunder techniques were the most rigid and masculine, naturally suppressing evil spirits and Yin entities. Sending her to an ancient battlefield mine dense with Yin malevolence and wandering spirits was not a mere punishment—it was clearly a perfect place for her to hone her Dao.

Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan and Feng Fei felt quite conflicted.

Although they were all direct disciples under their master, this arrangement clearly showed that their master favored Qin Wan, even hinting that she was being groomed as her primary successor.

Each of the three harbored their own thoughts; Pei Hongling was full of triumph, while Lu and Feng felt a secret sense of dread. They all bid farewell to True Person Lone Moon Peak and exited the main hall.

The main hall returned to silence, leaving only True Person Lone Moon Peak and her disciple Qin Wan.

True Person Lone Moon Peak withdrew her previously stern gaze, looking at her young disciple standing with her head bowed, her tone softening: "Going to the Yin Spirit Mine to reflect for three years—do you feel aggrieved?"

"This disciple does not." Qin Wan looked up, her expression calm and firm.

True Person Lone Moon Peak nodded slightly, then changed the subject: "Hmm. How is that boy at the foot of the mountain doing lately?"

Qin Wan knew her master was asking about Xia Dong. Her heart skipped a beat, but she remained composed on the surface. She cautiously omitted the secret transactions of talismans and pills they had been trading and reported only the visible changes: "He performed a meritorious deed and has already attained the position of Flag-Bearer in the Eagle-Wolf Guard. Furthermore, his progress in the martial path is extremely rapid; he has now entered the Internal Strengthening Realm."

Upon hearing the title "Flag-Bearer," True Person Lone Moon Peak's expression remained indifferent, as if it were only natural. After all, as a holder of the Great You Dynasty's "Dao Registry," once one entered the imperial system, there was an invisible force pushing them forward; promotion was merely a matter of time.

But upon hearing the latter part, a flash of astonishment crossed True Person Lone Moon Peak's cold, stagnant eyes.

"How many years has it been, and he has already reached the Internal Strengthening Realm?" True Person Lone Moon Peak asked softly.

Although the mundane martial path was not as profound as the immortal path, the tempering of the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones in the first three stages was grueling. Many martial artists spent half their lives without even touching the threshold of the Internal Strengthening Realm. How could that boy have achieved such progress?

"He truly has a talent for the martial path and possesses astonishing perseverance," Qin Wan replied truthfully.

"He is a talent, indeed... what a pity." True Person Lone Moon Peak sighed lightly.

No matter how stunning one's martial path was, without a spirit root, one's achievements would ultimately be limited. A hundred years later, he would still be nothing but a handful of yellow soil, unable to attain the Great Dao of longevity.

True Person Lone Moon Peak did not ask further.

She had failed in her attempt to break through to the "Purple Mansion" during this seclusion; although her Dao foundation remained intact, her spirit had been dealt a heavy blow.

Since she could not open her Purple Mansion, she was destined to form only an ordinary Golden Core in this lifetime, with no hope of reaching Spirit Transformation.

Given this, she had all but extinguished the thought of using the Ascension Order to seek the Dao in the vast Three Islands Sea Region.

Since that was the case, Xia Dong's value to her had become rather dispensable.

However, as a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, she had a lifespan of nearly two hundred years; there was still plenty of time, and she was in no rush to force a Core formation.

After all, while reason told her that the hope of opening her Purple Mansion was already extremely slim, what cultivator would truly give up and accept their fate before they were forced to by the exhaustion of their lifespan?

Therefore, it was enough to keep the connection with Xia Dong for now; forming a good relationship never hurt, but there was certainly no need to pay as much attention to him as before.

This time, she had conveniently sent Qin Wan to the Yin Spirit Mine to temper herself; if she could endure it, her path ahead would be easier to walk.

If she could not endure it, then it would simply mean she had misjudged the person.

The inheritance of Lone Moon Peak could not, in any case, fall upon Pei Hongling and the other two.

They were all mere common vessels, incapable of accomplishing great things.

"Failed to condense the Talisman Seed again. Could it be that I really must use the extreme method recorded in the Peaceful Yin Talisman Scripture and seek out a place of absolute Yin and extreme malevolence?"

Xia Dong felt a wave of disappointment.

He had anticipated the difficulty of condensing the Talisman Seed, but he had not expected it to be this hard.