Gu Qinghe's expression stiffened. His mouth shut tight, refusing to speak, while his eyes widened as they locked onto Lin Ruyue.
He had no way of knowing whether her words were true or false. Lin Ruyue's face remained calm, her gaze steady, never leaving Qinghe for even a moment.
"I don't believe you."
Lin Ruyue drifted to the side. "Wang Yunxi was once an elder of our sect. At that time, I served as the Elder of the Technique and Artifact Hall. We were close—like sisters."
"However, Gu Zhen fell for Yunxi's beauty and came to propose to her," Lin Ruyue continued.
"After she married into the Gu Clan, she severed all ties with the Yin-Yang Sect."
Her explanation sounded reasonable. There was no sign that Lin Ruyue was trying to deceive him.
Even so, Gu Qinghe could not trust her so easily. He still suspected the sect elders as the masterminds behind the Ice Meridian Curse.
Lin Ruyue was one of them.
Her claim of being close to Wang Yunxi did nothing to erase Qinghe's doubts.
"So you came all this way just to tell me that?"
"No."
The woman turned her head and met Qinghe's eyes again. "I came because I know how to destroy the Ice Meridian Curse."
Gu Qinghe was even more shocked. He flew forward, closing the distance between them. The hostility in his gaze faded, replaced by uncontrollable curiosity.
"How?" Gu Qinghe asked.
Lin Ruyue smiled widely and retreated a short distance. "The Ice Meridian Curse is a personal curse. Pills are useless against it."
"There are only two ways to break it: kill the caster, or use a secret sect formation," she said calmly.
"I'll tell you everything—as long as you fulfill my request."
Gu Qinghe fell silent.
He had already guessed that Lin Ruyue had approached him with ulterior motives.
His suspicion had only deepened when she cast the flag formation solely to protect him.
In Qinghe's view, Lin Ruyue needed help—help that only he could provide.
"What is it?"
Lin Ruyue's smile widened. She took out a token slip from her bag of holding and flicked it forward.
Gu Qinghe caught the token, activated his qi, and absorbed the information inside.
From the token slip, he learned about an auction scheduled to take place two months from now.
The auction would be held at the Minghua City Pavilion, one of the largest cities in the Song Kingdom.
Not only the Yin-Yang Sect, but many other sects and clans would also participate.
"You already know what you need to do, right?" Lin Ruyue asked.
Gu Qinghe stopped absorbing the information. The final item recorded in the token was the Spirit Infant Pill.
So that was her ambition—to break through to the Nascent Soul realm using a pill.
"The Spirit Infant Pill is one of the three main auction items. Many Golden Core cultivators are competing for it."
Gu Qinghe nodded. He understood what Lin Ruyue wanted.
The token flew back and was caught precisely by Lin Ruyue.
"I want you to help me using the resources of the Gu Clan," Lin Ruyue said.
"I already figured out your plan," Gu Qinghe replied. "Can you promise that you'll tell me everything about the Ice Meridian Curse?"
"Yes."
"I'll tell you everything."
Gu Qinghe remained silent for a moment, then let out a breath and nodded lightly.
He couldn't promise success—but he would inform her whether he could help or not.
He had two months to convince someone within the Gu Clan mansion. His relationship with Gu Zhen was strained.
His only option was Yanxue.
Lin Ruyue clasped her hands together in a formal salute. "I'll be waiting for good news, Qinghe."
Gu Qinghe acknowledged her words. The two of them flew off, leaving the winter region behind.
Along the way, Lin Ruyue informed him that he had been absent for an entire year.
Gu Qinghe was clearly shocked. He had thought he'd been in seclusion for only six to eight months.
In reality, a full year had passed just to break through to Core Formation.
The winter region faded behind them. Gu Qinghe saw other disciples training below, but their destination was not among them.
They were heading straight for the Core Disciple Hall.
From afar, Lin Ruyue and Gu Qinghe arrived in front of the hall. All eyes turned toward them. Li Xiaoman's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Gu Qinghe?!" Li Xiaoman exclaimed.
"Junior Gu!" Ming Hui barked.
A golden sword shot forward, targeting Gu Qinghe.
In an instant, Gu Qinghe formed hand seals and summoned a massive golden bell.
The bell appeared just in time, blocking Ming Hui's flying sword. Despite stopping it, a violent explosion followed, blasting Gu Qinghe backward. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Not bad! You're the first core disciple to ever block my sword," Ming Hui said with a grin.
Gu Qinghe wiped the blood from his lips, straightened his posture, and clasped his hands together. "Thank you for the guidance, Great Elder Ming."
Ming Hui recalled his golden sword and strode toward Gu Qinghe. His cultivation sense detected something different.
The qi aura around Qinghe was far stronger than before.
It was the fluctuation of a Core Formation cultivator.
"A Core Formation cultivator," Ming Hui said slowly. "Impressive."
"What? Early Core Formation?!" Li Xiaoman cried out.
Among the twelve core disciples of the sect, Gu Qinghe was the only one who had reached the Core Formation realm—specifically, Early Core Formation.
His strength now rivaled that of a hall elder, yet his status was even higher. Not only was he a core disciple, he was also a Core Formation cultivator.
As the person responsible for the male core disciples, Ming Hui immediately handed Gu Qinghe a sect permission token.
He no longer planned to punish Qinghe.
Now he understood why Gu Qinghe had been absent for a year.
The boy hadn't been slacking off—he had been in closed-door cultivation.
Ming Hui was deeply impressed. Gu Qinghe had broken through on his own, without any guidance.
That alone proved his extraordinary talent and comprehension, far surpassing the other core disciples.
"With this permission token, you may enter or leave the sect whenever you wish. It's a reward personally granted by the Sect Master to any core disciple who breaks through to Core Formation," Ming Hui explained.
Naturally, such a reward was expected. Core Formation cultivators were the backbone of a mid-tier sect like the Yin-Yang Sect.
And it didn't end there.
Gu Qinghe received two technique scrolls and two Earth-grade pills, personally handed over by Ming Hui.
"Study these techniques. With your comprehension, I'm confident you can master them on your own."
"The pills will aid your cultivation and improve your combat abilities."
Gu Qinghe accepted everything and stored the items in his bag of holding. "Thank you, Great Elder Ming."
Only now did he fully understand why Lin Ruyue had gone to such lengths to protect him.
Only after reaching Core Formation did he gain the freedom to leave the sect.
Now, he could return to the Gu Clan mansion and discuss Lin Ruyue's plan.
He didn't have much time.
A year had passed. He had no idea what condition Wang Yunxi was in now.
I should go back and check on Mother as soon as possible.