Inside the seventh floor of the Spring Requiem building, Mingyuan sat on a comfortable couch while a courtesan played the guqin behind an opaque screen.
Another maid by the side fed him sunflower seeds, and another stood behind his back, massaging his temples.
His head reclined back into a cushion of softness, his entire body relaxed and free of tension.
Bai Rouxi sat by her dressing table in an adjacent room, listening to her maid recount the audacious acts Mingyuan had committed since arriving here.
"That guy is an absolute menace, Miss!" said the maid, feeling aggrieved. "He doesn't even pay for the performance when my sisters serve him day and night!"
Bai Rouxi said, "No need to worry, he just purchased a plot of land and a mansion in the city. He will move in soon, so you won't have to fret over his antics."
The maid blinked her beautiful eyes. "That guy can afford land and a mansion in this city?"
She was rightfully shocked because even the most notable second-tier clans are leasing their current clan compound on rent from the sect, they don't have the influence or the purchasing power to own it.
Bai Rouxi didn't say anything in response.
Of course, Mingyuan didn't have the clout to force a purchase from the sect's hands, but her grandfather did.
For some reason, her grandfather actually agreed to his request and granted him a lavish mansion, a vast land, and a lot of maids and servants from the sect directly.
However, she was wise and knowledgeable enough to understand that this guy probably had a mysterious background that made both her husband and grandfather wary.
Wariness aside, they seemed to trust him to some extent, so she didn't nurture a headache and split hairs over it.
The maid exclaimed, "So he's going to move out of the Spring Requiem? That's wonderful news!"
"Well," Bai Rouxi sounded a little awkward as she coughed. "We're moving out with him too, else there wasn't a need for such a large mansion."
The maid was stunned, countless explosive thoughts tunneling in her head, but she ultimately puffed her cheeks and scoffed in anger.
…
One of the thirty-two mansions in the inner city was bought, and the owner was moving in these days.
News spread quickly.
The new owner was someone with the Wang surname, and as servants and maids shuttled in and out during furnishing, cleaning, and gardening, those clans with invested interests soon got their hands on plenty of intel.
This man surnamed Wang is seemingly a former servant disciple who struck it rich by cozying up to the granddaughter of a mighty figure.
To return the favor, that mighty figure bestowed upon him both land and fortune, maids and servants.
He went from a peasant to a noble overnight.
This story had many go red and green with envy, wishing luck would smile upon them at least once.
Two weeks later, the man surnamed Wang finally moved in. Three days later, a banquet in the Wang family's compound attracted the attention of many forces.
They finally set their eyes on this mysterious Master Wang.
Young, handsome, and easygoing.
Brilliant blue eyes like the curling locks of his hair that was otherwise black.
Dressed in a white shirt with matching pants and a piece of deep sea jewelry necklace around his neck.
He didn't follow Daoist traditions despite being a cultivator himself, though his specific realm and profession remained a mystery.
A perceptive Nascent Soul Ancestor claimed to have sensed the breath of Sword Intent on the young Master Wang.
Near the end of the banquet, this Master Wang requested not to be received with excessive formality, and his peers could simply call him Mingyuan or Brother Yuan.
Although it went against etiquette, anything goes if you're strong enough.
He also expressed great interest in planting medicinal herbs and spiritual trees, as explored in the rear garden that took over 80% of the land under his name.
The Ming Garden, he called it.
Gazebos and golden gilded terraces dotted the landscape, an artificial mountain carrying a spiritual waterfall that descended into a closed-loop river.
Other than living the relaxing life, he expressed no open interest in acquiring businesses or expanding his influence in the city, despite his connections to the sect.
When evening approached and the guests began to depart one by one, many clan leaders left some of their young daughters and promising sons to help look after the mansion.
It was an act of sincerity and support on the surface, but Mingyuan knew that they were nothing more than planted spies.
Anyway, other than the forbidden east courtyard, Mingyuan allowed them to venture anywhere in the mansion.
The east courtyard was reserved for Bai Rouxi and her entourage from the Spring Requiem.
Mingyuan took the west courtyard for himself and reformed it into the main courtyard.
The north courtyard was the open courtyard connected to the Ming Garden, while the south courtyard was reserved for servants and maids as separate dormitories.
…
The next morning, Mingyuan started by doing some cardio exercises by the running artificial river.
A white and elastic yoga mat spread on plates of limestone beneath his feet, apricot sunlight gracing his bare upper body.
While exercising, he watched the live stream of Lu Xuan's current situation from the corner of his eye.
This secret realm will be opened for the next three years, and the day it closes, an explosion of spiritual energy will baptize the participants and help them jump from Core Formation directly to Golden Core.
The quality of the Golden Core depends on the quality of the spiritual treasures of the five elements used during Foundation Establishment.
All five of Lu Xuan's treasures had the potential for growth, achieving spirituality, and embarking on the path of enlightenment in the future.
Well, theoretically, even a blade of grass has a chance to achieve enlightenment, despite the low odds.
However, the treasures Lu Xuan chose had a sliver of spiritual wisdom, the kind of treasures that flee from danger and seek opportunities autonomously.
This will help him establish a top-tier golden core for his promotion.
What Mingyuan was looking forward to was the battle for fortune between the countless prodigies after they advanced to the Golden Core realm.
That was something worth watching.
As such, time passed in the Ming Garden.
Tending to trees and flowers, stargazing from the edge of the artificial mountain, listening to the music drifting from the east courtyard, and enjoying the pampering of beautiful maids and their tender hands.
Three years passed in a flash.
In the live stream, Lu Xuan had finally advanced to the Golden Core realm.
At the same time, Mingyuan felt the feedback from fate, his spirit sublimated, and his nascent soul took form.
With an explosion from the depths of his mind, he entered a hazy illusion in a daze.
One moment, he was stargazing with a faint smile on his face. Next moment, he blanked out, falling unconscious and his body shaking.
Luckily, his stargazing time was always spent by himself.
Normal cultivators experience a heavenly tribulation upon achieving Nascent Soul, but Mingyuan was confident he was an exception to the rule.
What he hadn't expected though, was that his tribulation came from fate itself, and inside the illusion, he found himself undergoing the harsh years and tribulations Lu Xuan avoided thanks to his intervention.
All those years of humiliation, pain, loss, injustice, and indignation—they consumed him like falling into an abyss.
Time and time again, fate forced him to endure until his Nascent Soul was sturdy enough to withstand the trauma of the spirit.
Only then, by sunrise the following day, did Mingyuan slowly open his eyes with clear exhaustion.
He chuckled bitterly to himself while murmuring, "Heh, fate… how terrifying…"