For several days after the assessment ended, Chu Yunfei stayed behind closed doors.
As soon as the reward for placing first in the outer sect assessment arrived, he had someone purchase more than twenty low-grade demon cores.
First-tier demon cores were not high-grade items.
In the hands of ordinary disciples, they would either be exchanged for a few spirit stones or ground into powder to aid cultivation. Their value was very limited.
But in Chu Yunfei's hands, even scraps could be squeezed for oil.
The courtyard gate was tightly shut.
Spiritual power sealed the windows, leaving the room dim, with only the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate giving off a faint azure glow.
The ancient cauldron hovered in midair, the patterns on its body slowly lighting up.
Chu Yunfei flicked a finger.
The first demon core fell into the cauldron.
Hum!
Azure flames rose with it.
The violent demonic power within the core was stripped away layer by layer. Its bloody smell and lingering bestial nature were swiftly burned away, leaving only a wisp of the purest essence.
The second.
The third.
Chu Yunfei did not stop, tossing more than twenty demon cores into the divine cauldron in succession.
When the final core began to melt, he poured in all the Bloodcoagulating Grass, Bonetempering Flowers, Scarlet Yang Stone powder, and other materials he had purchased earlier.
Azure fire surged.
The mass of spirit herbs turned into medicinal liquids of different colors the moment they touched the flames. Impurities burned into nothingness, while the remaining medicinal potency continually collided and fused within the cauldron.
A fist-sized mass of essence grew smaller and smaller as it was refined.
In the end, only a single drop of golden liquid remained.
It was no larger than a fingernail.
Looking at that drop of origin essence, the corner of Chu Yunfei's eye twitched slightly.
More than twenty demon cores, along with costly spirit herbs and materials, had ultimately condensed into this tiny amount.
How was cultivation burning money?
It was swallowing money whole.
Fortunately, the presence emanating from this drop of origin essence was sufficiently potent. None of his investment had gone to waste.
With a thought from Chu Yunfei, it moved.
The golden droplet flew out of the divine cauldron and landed in his palm.
Warm and heavy.
The power within it was extremely concentrated, far beyond anything ordinary Spiritual Qi could compare to.
"Whether it was worth it comes down to this one mouthful."
Between guiding it into his body for absorption and swallowing it, Chu Yunfei chose the latter. He tipped his head back and swallowed it.
Boom!
The instant the origin essence entered his stomach, scorching power exploded.
Like a blazing torrent, it surged from his dantian toward every limb and bone.
Every muscle in Chu Yunfei's body suddenly tensed. The meridians beneath his skin bulged one after another, and low rumbles rang out repeatedly from his bones.
The pain had barely surfaced before the Boundless Creation Scripture was already circulating at full force.
The vortex of spiritual power in his dantian accelerated rapidly, drawing that violent force into itself before distributing it throughout his body.
Flesh, sinews, bones, and meridians.
Every inch of his body devoured the origin essence.
Chu Yunfei sat steadily in place, his breathing gradually growing long and deep.
The barrier between the eighth and ninth levels of Body Tempering lasted only a few breaths before that force crushed it head-on.
Boom!
Blood and Qi surged.
A force far exceeding what he had possessed before erupted from within him, making the room's tables and chairs tremble slightly.
Body Tempering Ninth Stage!
The remaining medicinal potency had yet to run out. It continued washing through his meridians and bones, swiftly stabilizing his newly attained cultivation.
Half an hour later.
Chu Yunfei opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
He stood and rolled his shoulders.
Crackle!
The joints throughout his body popped in succession.
Chu Yunfei casually clenched his fist, squeezing the air in his palm with a faint pop.
His physical strength had long since surpassed that of an ordinary cultivator at the Body Tempering Ninth Stage. Without spiritual power reinforcing them, ordinary blades and swords would probably struggle even to cut his skin and flesh.
"At least those spirit stones weren't burned for nothing."
Chu Yunfei changed into his inner sect disciple robes, strapped the Abyss-Devouring Sword to his back, and pushed open the door.
Qingyang City, the Pill Pavilion.
When Chu Yunfei stepped into the main hall, several attendants were serving customers.
He took out the access token Wen Jiao had given him earlier.
At the sight of the token, the attendant behind the counter immediately set down her ledger and bowed respectfully.
"Young Master Chu, please follow me."
She personally led the way, taking Chu Yunfei down a long corridor to a separate courtyard behind the Pill Pavilion.
This was the second treatment.
According to their earlier agreement, only three treatments were needed to completely remove the Yin Baleful Intent that had accumulated in Wen Jiao's body over the years.
The courtyard gate opened.
Wen Jiao was already seated in the hall.
Today, she wore a pale azure dress with a plain white silk sash around her waist. Her long black hair was pinned high, held in place by only a green jade hairpin.
Without a trace of makeup, she remained cool and breathtakingly beautiful.
But when those phoenix eyes settled on Chu Yunfei, they were noticeably colder than usual.
Chu Yunfei knew why.
Before leaving last time, he had told Wen Jiao to her face that he wanted to sleep with her.
It was hardly surprising that this woman still remembered it.
"Fellow Daoist Wen, it's only been a few days, but your complexion looks even better."
Chu Yunfei smiled and cupped his hands.
Wen Jiao lifted her teacup without even raising her eyelids.
"Let's begin."
Those few words were as cold as though they had just been fished out of an ice cellar.
Chu Yunfei rubbed his nose.
It seemed that debt had yet to be settled.
Wen Jiao rose and walked toward the inner chamber.
The brocade bedding inside had already been laid out. The bed curtains hung half lowered, while warm spirit lamps bathed the surroundings in soft, quiet light.
A black silk ribbon also lay on the low table beside the bed.
It had clearly been prepared for Chu Yunfei.
Who she was guarding against went without saying.
"Turn around."
Wen Jiao stepped behind the bed curtains, her voice still cool.
Chu Yunfei turned around as instructed.
Soft rustling of fabric soon sounded behind him.
Wen Jiao removed her outer dress and undid her thin undergarment at the back, exposing the few acupoints near her Gate of Life where the treatment needed to be applied. Only then did she lie facedown on the brocade bedding.
"Ready."
Chu Yunfei walked to the bedside, picked up the black silk ribbon, and blindfolded himself.
This time, the precautions could be considered thorough.
He sat beside the bed and slowly pressed his palm against Wen Jiao's back.
The instant their skin touched, Wen Jiao's body visibly stiffened.
Even after experiencing it once before, she still could not grow accustomed to a man's hand resting on her body.
Her lower back tensed, and her breathing faltered for a moment.
Chu Yunfei lightened his touch.
"Relax."
"The more nervous you are, the tighter your meridians become, and the harder it is to draw out the Yin Baleful Intent."
Wen Jiao closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
A faint blush spread across her fair little face.
Without her realizing it, her breathing also quickened.
"...Continue."
Her voice was very low, carrying a trace of embarrassment.
Chu Yunfei cleared away his distracting thoughts.
Boundless Creation Scripture, circulate!
Spiritual power surged from his dantian along his arm and into his palm.
Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate trembled softly. A suction force imperceptible to ordinary people entered Wen Jiao's body with it.
Chu Yunfei slowly pressed two fingers along either side of her spine.
The Yin Baleful Intent entrenched deep within her acupoints and meridians was immediately drawn out, gathering toward his palm strand by strand.
At first, Wen Jiao felt a bone-piercing chill.
That cold seemed to emerge from her marrow, constantly roaming along her meridians.
But in the next instant, the cold was drawn away.
Her meridians, clogged for years, flowed freely once more. Warm blood and Qi coursed through every limb and bone, and that comfortable sensation made her tense body soften little by little.
"Mmh..."
Wen Jiao let out a soft moan.
Only after the sound escaped did Wen Jiao realize her lapse in composure.
Her pretty face instantly flushed crimson.
Chu Yunfei's movements also paused, but quickly returned to normal.
What a temptress.
Even treating her illness gave a man no peace.
He suppressed his distracting thoughts and continued guiding the Yin Baleful Intent.
Large amounts of black currents flowed through his palm into the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate, where the azure flames swiftly refined them.
To Wen Jiao, this was the root of an illness that had tormented her for twenty years.
To Chu Yunfei, however, it was a cultivation resource delivered right to his door.
And an exceptionally high-quality one at that.
Pure Yin Baleful Intent origin essence continually merged into his body, further stabilizing his newly attained Body Tempering Ninth Stage and making his spiritual power even more concentrated.
The treatment lasted a full incense stick's worth of time.
Only after more than half the Yin Baleful Intent within Wen Jiao had been drawn out did Chu Yunfei slowly withdraw his palm.
He exhaled a breath of turbid air. Sweat already covered his forehead, and his complexion had grown somewhat paler.
The exhaustion was genuine to begin with.
Chu Yunfei simply made no effort to hide it, letting his shoulders slump as well.
"All done."
"Today's treatment is over."
Wen Jiao dressed again, her face still carrying a lingering blush, and turned to look at Chu Yunfei.
She saw his pale face, heavy breathing, and weakened appearance.
The little resistance she had felt toward him finally dissipated considerably.
Although this man spoke frivolously, he had never been perfunctory when actually treating her.
And his method of drawing out Yin Baleful Intent was something even the Pill Pavilion's grandmaster alchemists could not accomplish.
"Are you all right?"
Her voice remained restrained, but it carried a trace of concern.
Chu Yunfei waved a hand.
"I won't die."
"It's just that your Yin Baleful Intent is too fierce. Guiding it out consumes quite a bit of spiritual power. I'll be fine after a short rest."
Wen Jiao fell silent for a moment.
She took a brocade box from her storage ring and placed it on the table.
"This is a gift of thanks."
Chu Yunfei raised an eyebrow and reached out to open the brocade box.
A yellowed ancient book lay quietly inside.
On its cover, three characters were written in ancient seal script.
Heaven-Severing Slash!
Chu Yunfei's gaze sharpened slightly.
"An earth-grade martial technique?"
"A low-tier earth-grade sword technique."
Wen Jiao's tone was calm.
"With your talent in the way of the sword, it shouldn't go to waste."
Even within the Azure Mystic Sect's inner sect, an earth-grade martial technique was a treasure countless disciples sought but could not obtain.
Wen Jiao's thank-you gift was no small offering.
Chu Yunfei put away the ancient book and said earnestly, "I'm in your debt."
Wen Jiao nodded lightly.
Chu Yunfei rose and walked toward the door.
Just before stepping outside, he suddenly stopped.
"Fellow Daoist Wen."
"Hmm?"
"Only one more session left."
Chu Yunfei turned sideways and looked at her.
"Once the next treatment is finished, the Yin Baleful Intent accumulated in your body can be completely cleared away."
Wen Jiao's body stiffened slightly.
One last session.
There was finally hope of being completely rid of the Heavenly Yin Baleful Intent Physique that had plagued her for twenty years.
This was clearly the outcome she had dreamed of.
Yet, for some reason, when she heard those words, she felt none of the relief she had imagined. Instead, an inexplicable emptiness briefly opened in her heart.
Wen Jiao lowered her eyes, pressing that trace of emotion that should never have surfaced back into the depths of her heart.
"Understood."
Her voice regained its cool detachment.
Chu Yunfei smiled, then turned and left the Pill Pavilion.
Wen Jiao remained seated, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of her sleeve.
Beyond the half-open window, the figure carrying a black sword on his back gradually receded into the distance.
Yet she never looked away.