[Ding! Xiao Qingluan's favorability +2]
Chen Ye, who had just finished securing the Fire Spirit Fruits, froze mid-motion.
What was that for?
He blinked, utterly baffled. He hadn't done anything. Did I accidentally cook something so well it gave her a delayed reaction? Or did she have a particularly pleasant dream about me?
Just then, Xiao Qingluan emerged from the nearby bamboo grove, her expression a careful mask of neutrality. Chen Ye wasn't a fool. The pieces clicked into place with an almost audible snap. Ah, the little spy. She must have seen the whole exchange with their master.
Playing along, he beamed a warm, magnanimous smile. "Junior Sister, you're just in time! Senior Uncle Skyfire dropped these off for you. He said they're perfect for strengthening your foundation!" He presented the pile of glowing red fruits as if he were merely a delivery boy.
Xiao Qingluan looked at the fruits, then at her senior brother's honest face. A wave of profound respect washed over her. He could have easily claimed he fought a monster for these. I would never have known. But he didn't.
This upright, noble Senior Brother... compared to that degenerate, thieving Master...
In that moment, a firm resolution solidified in her heart. When she regained her power, her first act would be to rescue her senior brother from this place, to take him far away from the corrupting influence of that despicable woman, Shen Ziling.
"Thank you, Senior Brother," she said, her voice softer than usual as she accepted the fruits. With this treasure, she was certain she could shatter the barrier to the Golden Core realm within three days!
Night fell upon Jade Bamboo Peak.
For three days and three nights, Xiao Qingluan did not rest. Fueled by the Fire Spirit Fruits and a burning desire not to let her senior brother's "sacrifices" be in vain, she cultivated with a terrifying intensity.
On the dawn of the fourth day, the spiritual energy around her hut swirled into a vortex. With a final, explosive surge, the Spirit Spring within her dantian compressed and ignited. A gleaming, perfect Golden Core was formed!
At that exact moment, on the other side of the peak, Chen Ye, who was drooling slightly in his sleep, was jolted awake by a system prompt.
[Ding! Your junior sister, Xiao Qingluan, has successfully broken through to the Golden Core Realm!]
[Special breakthrough condition met! Issuing a random reward to Host...]
[Congratulations, Host! You have been rewarded with the Pure Yang Holy Body!]
Chen Ye's eyes shot open. Before he could even process the words, a furnace ignited within him. An indescribably pure, scorching energy erupted from the core of his being, surging through every meridian, every vessel, every cell. His mortal physique was being reforged in celestial fire.
He sat up, dazed and confused. "Wait, what happened to my cultivation feedback? Why a random reward?"
[This system possesses two feedback mechanisms,] the system explained coolly. [Standard cultivation feedback, and rarer, milestone-based random rewards. The latter occurs when a bound target achieves a significant breakthrough.]
A slow grin spread across Chen Ye's face. A Holy Body! He finally had a legendary physique of his own! This was even better than a simple jump in cultivation levels!
But just as he was reveling in this new power...
A silken, ethereal voice echoed directly in his mind, a voice that made him shudder.
"Ye'er... come to my cave."
It was Shen Ziling. Chen Ye's blood ran cold. He remembered his last "inspection" all too well.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qingluan, who was stabilizing her newfound Golden Core, saw Chen Ye's figure obediently walking towards their master's ominous cave. A cold fury gripped her. With a single, vicious slash of her sword, a towering bamboo tree nearby was instantly reduced to splinters.
Standing before the dark maw of the cave, Chen Ye hesitated. "Master, your disciple is here."
"Don't dally. Come in."
Steeling himself, he entered. The air was cool and smelled of ancient stone and faint plum blossoms. Shen Ziling was lounging on her massive jade bed, propped up on one elbow. Her silver eyes, glowing faintly in the gloom, bored into him with an unnerving intensity.
"Your physique has changed," she stated, not a question but a fact. "Come here. Strip."
"Master, this... this is highly improper!" Chen Ye stammered, his mind screaming. My chastity is at stake!
"Do you require my help?" Shen Ziling purred, a dangerous smile playing on her lips.
Defeated, Chen Ye reluctantly removed his outer robes. Shen Ziling rose from the bed and circled him like a predator. Her divine sense swept over him, followed by the feather-light touch of her cool fingers tracing his bones, his meridians.
"Incredible," she murmured, a genuine wonder in her voice. "From a mortal frame directly to a Pure Yang Holy Body... Your secrets are more interesting than I imagined."
She paused, looking him directly in the eye. "Ye'er, you must be very careful from now on."
"Why is that, Master?"
"Because the Pure Yang Holy Body has another, more infamous name," she said, leaning closer. "The Furnace Cauldron Physique."
Chen Ye gulped. "Not... not the kind of furnace cauldron I think it is."
"Oh, it's exactly the kind you think it is," she whispered, her voice a husky caress. "For a female cultivator, you are the ultimate elixir. Dual cultivating with you can cleanse their impurities, skyrocket their cultivation, and even open their path to the Saint or Emperor realms. To the unorthodox sects, you are no longer a person. You are a walking, talking treasure, waiting to be... harvested."
She licked her ruby-red lips. "They say it's best to keep good things within the family. Rather than let some vixen from the outside benefit... why not offer yourself to your loving Master?"
Chen Ye stumbled backward, horrified. Joking or not, with her power, he'd be sucked dry in an instant!
Shen Ziling closed the distance in a flash. Her delicate face was inches from his, her intoxicating scent filling his senses. The soft, undeniable pressure of her chest against his made his mind go completely blank.
"Are you so afraid of me, Ye'er?" she murmured.
Panicked, Chen Ye found his voice, launching into the only defense he could think of. "Master! I hold only the purest respect for you! You are a paragon of the righteous path, your integrity shines like the sun and the moon! You would never stoop to such unorthodox methods! I know you are merely testing my resolve! Rest assured, Master, your disciple will never be seduced by those coquettish temptresses out there!"
Shen Ziling stared at his earnest, righteous face for a long moment, then burst into peals of silvery laughter that echoed through the cave.
"Haha, very good, Ye'er! You haven't disappointed me. You may go."
"Yes, Master!"
Chen Ye didn't walk. He fled.
Safely outside, he leaned against the cave wall, wiping sweat from his brow. "Phew... every visit to Master's cave is a life-or-death trial!"