"Something's wrong!"
Yun Qing abruptly lowered his head and looked at the vast swath of Heart-Cleansing Vine growing unchecked in the courtyard, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
No wonder memories of his past had suddenly surged into his mind, nearly leaving him mourning beneath the moon and shedding tears in the Heart-Calming Courtyard. These vines were the culprit.
Heart-Cleansing Vine was an innate spiritual root. Its spiritual resonance aligned with the soul, drawing out a cultivator's past obsessions and regrets. Only by enduring this "baptism of the mind" with an unwavering Dao heart could a cultivator receive the pure spiritual energy within its vines, helping them see through illusions, understand their heart and true nature, and advance both their state of mind and cultivation.
This was precisely why ancient aristocratic clans with foundations as deep as the Yun Clan's chose Heart-Cleansing Vine as the principal material for the Discipline Whip. The Yun Clan never inflicted pointless hardship.
This courtyard truly was an excellent place for "calming the heart" through cultivation. Even that stone monkey from his previous life who had wreaked havoc in Heaven would probably have had to sit down and ponder the Buddhist wisdom of turning back toward the shore of salvation. A rare, distinctly modern quip slipped through Yun Qing's mind.
Why not find the second elder tomorrow and ask which talented steward was responsible for the landscaping at the Perching Phoenix Hall? Yun Qing grumbled inwardly. Even if our Yun Clan has deep reserves, and Heart-Cleansing Vine isn't some peerless rarity, surely there's no need to... plant it with such extravagance?
Of course, "not a peerless rarity" applied only to a leviathan like the Yun Clan.
Gathering his thoughts, Yun Qing walked slowly back into his room and placed the food box the steward had delivered on the table. Its exterior was unremarkable, even excessively plain.
Yet when he habitually activated his double pupils and casually scanned the contents-
Yun Qing sucked in a sharp breath, momentarily dazzled by the immense, pure spiritual power within. How could the contents of that seemingly ordinary box be ordinary spiritual fare? These were clearly rare treasures of heaven and earth, their spiritual energy so abundant it had almost liquefied, radiating an enticing Dao resonance! Their pure energy was who knew how many times more precious than the "extravagant" Heart-Cleansing Vine he had just complained about. Even their restrained radiance nearly dazzled his double pupils!
Yun Qing quickly opened the food box and froze on the spot (°ー°〃).
Inside, netherworld cold marrow emitted wisps of ghostly white frost, keeping a Glazed Jade Cup firmly chilled. Seven-colored nectar swirled within the cup, with hazy phantom phoenixes actually dancing through it amid misty spiritual light and a rich, heady fragrance! Beside it, three cakes shaped like Azure Lotuses sat quietly on a celadon plate. They looked simple, but Yun Qing's double pupils could clearly "see" natural Dao patterns slowly flowing across every "lotus petal," releasing incomparably pure chaos aura!
Even the composed Yun Qing could not help swallowing. Good heavens-the Phoenix-Perching Glazed Cup and Chaos Azure Lotus Cake. Such immortal-grade spiritual dishes required supreme treasures of heaven and earth and the skill of a top culinary cultivator. Even with his Chaos Dao Embryo constitution and his position as the Yun Clan's eldest young master, barring exceptional circumstances, he might not receive a single plate in a hundred years!
Yun Huang had suddenly given him-no, this time he had to call it a "reward."
Why had he suddenly bestowed such a lavish reward?
Still bewildered, he took a sip of the nectar. The liquid melted the instant it entered his mouth, and an indescribably sweet, warm current swept through every limb and bone. Wherever it passed, his meridians felt as though they were being washed by the gentlest spiritual spring. The tiny hidden injuries left by the recoil from approaching Yun Huang over the past few days healed in an instant. Even his Chaos Dao Embryo gave a soft, delighted hum, as though infused with primordial vitality, and his perception of the world's spiritual energy grew a fraction sharper!
An immortal dish that can nourish a Chaos Dao Embryo... terrifying indeed! Yun Qing was shaken. This showed just how lavish Yun Huang's gift was. Such an immortal delicacy contained boundless energy. Without his special constitution, anyone else would probably be unable to withstand even a single drop, their body exploding the instant they drank it.
This was an immortal treasure that even those in the upper ranks could scarcely obtain!
Yun Qing gazed at the towering outline of the sleeping palace in the distance. Recalling the steward's report, a faint smile of understanding curved his lips. Could this be... an apology for that bowl of Iceheart Soul-Calming Soup?
So that's how it is...
How could someone in power readily admit to being "wrong"? A single "I failed to give it due consideration," followed by a reward, was enough to acknowledge the matter. That admission Yun Huang had instructed the steward to relay was probably the most humbling concession he had ever made in his life.
A blow from the stick, followed by an immortal pill sweeter than anything imaginable?
Well... I suppose I wouldn't mind a couple more blows, then.
Yun Qing stroked the smooth, warm jade cup. This "little brother Huang" of his really did have a domineering yet distinctive way of doing things.
Looks like my service has pleased His Majesty's imperial heart?
Not everyone received reassurance and lavish rewards after Yun Huang reprimanded them. Far more people received... the whip.
This golden thigh shines so brilliantly, and it seems rather nice to hold, too? The young lord-no, my little brother Huang truly deserves to be the foremost figure who looks down upon the nine heavens and rules through the ages! Just look at that magnanimity! That extravagance! That thigh!
He, Yun Qing, was clinging to it for good!
Of course, he would never speak such outrageously disrespectful words aloud.
What a joke. This place was barely a hundred paces from Yun Huang's sleeping palace. With that man's divine abilities and the reach of his spiritual sense, he probably knew exactly how many beats faster Yun Qing's heart was pounding.
Thus, ever since entering the courtyard, apart from the startled cry of "Something's wrong!" prompted by the Heart-Cleansing Vine, Yun Qing had only grumbled inwardly, keeping every last thought buried in his heart.
What Yun Qing had not noticed, however, was that the stillness of an ancient well he had attained through nineteen years of secluded cultivation in the Primordial Chaos Ancient Cave had quietly become much more "lively" after just one day with Yun Huang.
Was Yun Huang really the only one whose heart had been disturbed today?
The next day, before daylight broke, the spiritual mist had yet to fully disperse.
Yun Qing stepped out of Serenity Courtyard. In a rare departure from his usual fitted attire, he wore an azure robe touched by the cool freshness of morning dew, with a jade belt cinching his waist. He looked a little less brisk than usual and a little more like an elegant, carefree scholar. His ink-black hair was pinned up with a simple azure jade hairpin, making his face appear even more handsome. As his double pupils opened and closed, a faint light of wisdom flowed within them.
He strolled along, preparing to report for "duty" at the Perching Phoenix Hall. As he passed the outskirts of Yun Huang's sleeping palace, his steps abruptly halted.
Outside the vermilion palace wall stretched a vast expanse of green vines. Their leaves caught the morning light like scattered pieces of jade. They were none other than Heart-Cleansing Vine.
The vines appeared to grow naturally, but with Yun Qing's discerning eyes, how could he fail to see that their placement and spacing subtly conformed to some spirit-gathering, soul-soothing formation?
Heart-Cleansing Vine... planted outside the sleeping palace? Doubts crowded his mind, and he instinctively activated his double pupils to investigate more closely.
Yet just as he focused his mind, a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear:
"What are you looking at?"
!
The voice was clear and cold, arriving without the slightest warning.
Yun Qing's back stiffened slightly. The instant he raised his head, the scene before him had already changed.
Morning light pierced the spiritual mist. The path outside the palace wall had become an enormous Martial Arena in the blink of an eye. The entire ground was paved with dark earth-suppressing blackstone, its natural sunlight patterns edged in gold. It was cold and hard, with several towering Spirit-Gathering Pillars standing around its perimeter. Runes flowed over their surfaces, and an aura of deadly severity struck him head-on.
This Martial Arena had not existed when he passed by yesterday. Now, however, it blended seamlessly with Yun Huang's sleeping palace, radiating an ancient, boundless aura.
An exceptionally sophisticated spatial concealment formation!
His double pupils opened slightly, piercing the strange veil to reveal the proud figure standing at the center of the grounds.
Yun Huang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his robes fluttering without wind. Though he stood right there, not the slightest stray fluctuation could be sensed from him.
Even with Yun Qing's cultivation, he had failed to notice Yun Huang before he spoke, as though both the man and the Martial Arena were merely phantoms merged with heaven and earth.
While he was still pondering this, Yun Huang looked at him and spoke as casually as though discussing some trivial matter: "Come down and spar?"
!??
Before you continue