The Sect Master's Breakthrough, the Might of Soul Formation

The next day, early morning.

The Water and Fire Sect was still shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist.

Shui Yan'er sat in front of her cave dwelling, playing with a spiritual herb in her hand, but her mind was elsewhere.

[Mother... she really went into seclusion?]

[Could it be that she's trying to avoid me?]

She recalled the time her mother spent alone with that bad guy yesterday, and how her mother's flushed face and panicked eyes looked after she came out...

[Hmph! Something must have happened that I don't know about!]

She thought angrily.

[However... today is the day to go to Storm Mountain for the ceremony.]

The thought of those treacherous old men in Storm Mountain filled Shui Yan'er with worry.

[Is Mother... really okay?]

Just as she was lost in thought!

"BOOM--!!!!"

A vast and terrifying aura, far surpassing that of Nascent Soul, suddenly erupted from the direction of the sect's forbidden area without warning!

In an instant!

The entire Water and Fire Sect seemed to be pressed down an inch by an invisible force!

Countless disciples who were cultivating were startled awake and looked towards the back mountain in horror!

"What... what is this aura?!"

"What... what terrifying pressure! It's more than ten times stronger than that of Nascent Soul Ancestor!"

The few remaining Nascent Soul elders rushed out of their secluded cultivation place immediately. They exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they saw undisguised... ecstasy and shock!

"Could it be... could it be the sect leader?!"

"This aura... it's governed by laws, its Words Become Law! This is... the Soul Formation realm!"

"May Heaven bless my Water and Fire Sect! May Heaven bless my Water and Fire Sect!"

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and excitement!

A figure dressed in a light blue palace gown, with an aura that was more aloof and dignified than ever before, slowly emerged from the forbidden area.

With each step she took, illusory lotus flowers seemed to bloom in the Xukong beneath her feet, creating a series of wondrous phenomena!

Indeed, Shui Qingrou!

"Welcome back, Sect Master, upon your return from seclusion!"

All the disciples and elders knelt down in unison, their voices filled with boundless awe and... reverence!

"Sect Master..." the Grand Elder asked in a trembling voice, "You... you really..."

Shui Qingrou, a smile that conveyed a sense of composure and confidence in control of everything.

"By sheer luck... I broke through."

"Boom--!"

Upon receiving a positive reply, the entire Water and Fire Sect erupted in jubilation!

Soul Formation!

This means they are more confident in dealing with the upcoming major conflicts.

"Excellent! Excellent!" The First Elder exclaimed, tears streaming down his face. "With the Sect Master advancing to the Nascent Soul Formation, the revival of our Water and Fire Sect is in sight!"

"Alright." Shui Qingrou waved her hand, silencing the cheers. "Today is the Storm Mountain Alliance Ceremony. Now that I've emerged from seclusion, I naturally must attend."

"Pass on my order! Select a few Nascent Soul elders to accompany me!"

"Yes!"

The group accepted the order and went to make their preparations.

After everyone had left, Shui Yan'er could no longer contain her curiosity and skipped over.

"Mother! You... you really broke through?!"

She looked her mother up and down as if she were a monster.

"What? You don't even believe your mother?" Shui Qingrou and affectionately pinched her nose.

"It's not that I don't believe it..." Shui Yan'er pouted, "It's just... you know, you've been stuck at the Nascent Soul Perfection for many years. How... how could you break through so suddenly?"

She looked at her mother suspiciously.

"You guess?"

Shui Qingrou looked at her daughter's curious expression and deliberately kept her in suspense.

She turned around, gazing at the rolling sea of clouds on the horizon. Her eyes, as they moved, revealed a charm and allure she had never shown before.

"Yan'er, you said..."

"If only I could engage in 'dual cultivation' with a... peerless genius possessing unparalleled talent..."

"So what is that bottleneck?"

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Shui Yan'er was struck dumb!

Her eyes widened as she stared at her mother in disbelief, her small mouth slightly agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time!

[Dual cultivation... dual cultivation?!]

[Mother... Mother actually... really... ate him?!]

An uncontrollable sour feeling surged up in her heart, making her feel as if a bottle of five flavors had been spilled, a mixture of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty!

"He... he's really that amazing?" she couldn't help but ask, a hint of envy in her voice.

"That's natural."

Shui Qingrou recalled the wonderful feeling of that vast, ocean-like supreme magical power flowing through her body yesterday, and a captivating blush involuntarily rose on her pretty face.

"That feeling..." she whispered, biting her red lips, her voice low as if in a dream, "Was simply... indescribable."

Although they didn't actually do that.

But in front of Shui Yan'er, she inexplicably wanted to... show off a little.

"Snort!"

Seeing her mother's smug expression, Shui Yan'er stomped her feet in anger!

[Damn it! Absolutely awful!]

[I clearly saw it first! How did Mom beat me to it?!]

[I want one too... I want one too!]

"Alright, stop fooling around." Shui Qingrou looked at her daughter's adorable jealous expression and chuckled inwardly, then said seriously, "You shouldn't go on this trip to Storm Mountain."

"Stay in the sect and take good care of it."

"No!" Shui Yan'er refused without hesitation, "I want to go too!"

"Nonsense!" Shui Qingrou said sternly. "That place is now a den of monsters and fraught with danger. What would you do there?"

I'm going to find him!

Shui Yan'er straightened her chest, her eyes shining with determination. "He will definitely go! What if he gets bullied by himself, all alone? I'll go and... stand up for him!"

"Support?"

Shui Qingrou's heart tightened upon hearing this.

Of course she knew who "he" was.

[But...]

Behind Storm Mountain stands the ancestral court of the Upper Realm! Moreover, that ancestor is Void Refinement expert who is about to achieve the Body Integration!

[Our Water and Fire Sect, even with me as a Soul Formation, how can we possibly contend with them...?]

[Are we really going to... gamble the fate of the entire sect for an outsider?]

A flicker of deep hesitation and... struggle flashed in her eyes.

"Mother!"

Shui Yan'er keenly sensed her mother's wavering. She suddenly grabbed Shui Qingrou's hand, her voice filled with unprecedented seriousness and... determination!

Are you still hesitating?

"Are you still thinking of protecting yourself?"

"But... Mother! Don't forget!"

"He saved my life, Shui Yan'er!"

"From that moment on, I was no longer just the Holy Maiden of the Water and Fire Sect!"

"I..."

A touching expression of affection appeared on her face.

"... I am the one who will stand with him through thick and thin!"

Shui Qingrou looked at her daughter's determined eyes and her heart trembled!

She had never seen this usually carefree girl possess such a... persistent side.

[turn out to be...]

[Have her feelings for him... deepened to this extent?]

[Even more pure than me, a mother...]

a long time.

The Shui Qingrou and deeply.

Those hesitant eyes gradually hardened.

"That's enough, that's enough."

She turned around and took her daughter's hand, a relieved smile appearing on her face.

"Since that's the case..."

"Then let's go crazy with him...!"

"Hehe! I knew it! Mom is the best!"

Shui Yan'er cheered and rushed into her mother's arms!