Liu Ming sat cross-legged in the corner of the cell, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Circulating the Xuanpin Art was becoming increasingly difficult. The yang energy within his body was boiling like a raging furnace, threatening to break free from his control at any moment.
He had no idea how long he had been trapped here. All he knew was that the serving girls had brought him food twice, and he had eaten both meals.
Whether the food was drugged or not, he didn't care. He only knew one thing—if he didn't eat, his starving body would no longer be able to suppress the rampaging yang energy within him.
The other men were suffering as well, each struggling to suppress their own surging yang energy. A few looked like they were on the verge of collapse.
One man, however—a burly brute—looked completely fine. Instead, his eyes scanned the cell eagerly, waiting for someone else to be the first to "lose control."
"Tomorrow should be soon…" Liu Ming gritted his teeth, enduring the increasingly violent heat within his body.
Summoning his clone earlier had drained a vast amount of mental strength. His head was spinning, his vision blurring.
"No… if this keeps up, I won't be able to hold it back!"
He frantically pushed the cultivation technique, but without the nourishing yin energy to balance it, his yang surged like a runaway stallion, harder and harder to suppress.
Just then, a harsh laugh echoed beside him.
"Hahaha! This brat's about to lose it!" The burly man shot to his feet, pointing at Liu Ming. "Guards! His yang energy is about to explode!"
Liu Ming snapped his head up, fury flashing in his eyes as he glared at the brute.
The man sneered. "You're dead anyway, so I might as well report you and earn myself another chance at survival!"
Footsteps hurriedly approached outside the cell.
"Who's losing control?" a cold female voice demanded.
Liu Ming's heart tightened. The serving girls were coming. If they discovered his unstable condition, death would be certain!
[A new day has arrived. You may summon a new clone.]
The system's voice rang like heavenly music in his ears.
Liu Ming's eyes lit up. In his mind, he gave the order without hesitation:
"Summon a clone!"
[Summoning clone…][Clone appearance randomly generated.][Please assign an item or trait to the clone.]
"Assign it my yang energy!"
He made the choice without hesitation.
He had wanted to try this for some time—if even his innate abilities could be shared with a clone, then surely his yang energy could as well.
If it worked, it might save his life!
[Yang energy assigned successfully.][Please name your clone.]
It worked!
Relief washed over Liu Ming as the burning yang within him suddenly subsided.
He was about to casually name the clone when he froze.
This time, the system had generated… a female clone!
A delicate young girl appeared in his mind's eye, slender and graceful, waiting to be summoned.
"A… girl?" Liu Ming was stunned.
He realized the truth—clone appearances really were random, even gender!
But there was no time to think further.
"She'll be… Liu Meng."
[Summoning clone… please wait.]
Outside, the serving girl in the black mask arrived at the cell.
"This one?" she asked coldly, staring at Liu Ming.
The brute eagerly nodded. "Yes! It's him! His yang is about to explode!"
The masked girl pressed her hand against Liu Ming's chest, sensing his energy.
Liu Ming held his breath, his heart pounding like a war drum.
Moments later, the girl withdrew her hand and snorted. "Nonsense. His yang energy is calm. There's no sign of losing control."
The brute's face twisted. "Impossible! I saw—"
"Silence!" The masked girl slapped him across the face, sending him staggering. "Lie again, and I'll feed you to the pigs."
The brute cowered, clutching his cheek, but the hatred in his eyes burned deep.
Liu Ming secretly exhaled in relief. Just as he expected—if nothing seemed wrong, the serving girls wouldn't act rashly.
But then, the masked girl's eyes suddenly narrowed. She turned toward the corridor.
"You. Who are you?"
Liu Meng—the newly summoned female clone—stood awkwardly just outside the cell.
Her heart skipped a beat. Being discovered should have meant certain death. But since she had absorbed Liu Ming's yang energy, saving his life, she felt it was already worth it.
But to her surprise, this time… she was female.
Perhaps that meant she could play along a little longer.
"I… I'm new here," she whispered, lowering her head timidly.
The serving girl studied her for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "So it's you. What took you so long? Lady Su has been waiting."
Liu Meng bowed her head further, voice trembling. "I… I was delayed on the way. Senior Sister, I… I shouldn't say this, but…"
"Just say it. I'm not that strict."
"I think… someone didn't want me to come. But I'm not sure…"
"Oh? Is that so?" The serving girl gave her a playful look. "No matter. You're here now. Follow me—I'll take you to your quarters."
With that, she turned and led the way down the corridor.
Liu Meng cast one last glance at the prison cell, then quietly followed.
The corridor stretched on, lined with many rooms. This, it seemed, would be her residence.
She lowered her head, clutching the yang energy now swirling inside her.
A bold idea sparked in her mind.
The Xuanpin Art required both yang and yin to cultivate. Liu Ming had failed because he lacked yin. He could only suppress his yang endlessly.
But she—Liu Meng—was female, possessing innate yin. Combined with the yang gifted to her… she might be able to cultivate the art properly!
But with the serving girl by her side, she had no chance to try. For now, she kept her energy suppressed, waiting for an opportunity.
"Your room is here," the masked girl said, stopping at a door. "Oh, and what's your name?"
"…Liu Meng," she whispered.
Before anything else could happen, hurried footsteps sounded at the end of the hall.
"Senior Sister! The new girl has arrived!" another serving girl in a white mask rushed over, dragging along a timid young maiden.
The black-masked girl froze. Slowly, she turned her icy gaze toward Liu Meng and the other "new arrival."
Her lips curved into a cold smile. "Interesting. Since when did we recruit two new maids in one day?"
The other girl instantly dropped to her knees, trembling, head pressed against the floor.
The black-masked servant sneered. "No matter who you are, once you serve our Lady, betrayal is never an option."
"But we only need one maid." She raised her hand casually. "You two will compete. The winner serves us. The loser… dies here and now."
"As for the competition…" Her eyes gleamed coldly.
"Let's see which one of you can first draw yang energy into your body."