Days passed one by one.
During the day, Gu Changyuan remained the notorious piece of trash in the Servant Quarters. Every day, he fed the pigs, swept the grounds, and did the lowliest, most degrading chores.
No one knew that his meridians had already been completely reconstructed, and his cultivation had returned to the absolute peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation.
He deliberately concealed his terrifying strength, quietly waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Meanwhile, Feng Jiuli cultivated in the Outer Sect under the identity of "Feng Ling."
Her Heavenly Spirit Root had initially drawn a massive amount of attention, but she deliberately acted low-key and introverted, never fighting for the spotlight. Gradually, the intense scrutiny surrounding her began to fade.
After all, while a Heavenly Spirit Root was incredibly precious, if the person possessing it didn't perform exceptionally well, it was merely a waste of heaven-defying talent.
And the strength "Feng Ling" displayed was merely at the Early Foundation Establishment Realm—good, but certainly not at the very top among the Outer Sect disciples.
"That Feng Ling... her Heavenly Spirit Root is real, but her actual combat strength is just mediocre."
"Yeah, she's probably just a rogue cultivator with an unstable foundation."
"What a waste of a Heavenly Spirit Root."
Feng Jiuli heard many such discussions behind her back.
But she didn't care in the slightest.
This was exactly the effect she wanted.
Every night, the two of them would secretly meet in the hidden cave in the back mountain.
This was their unspoken agreement.
They moved independently during the day, and at night, they exchanged information and seamlessly cooperated.
"How is your cultivation of the Heaven-Burning Art progressing?"
Feng Jiuli sat cross-legged on the stone bed, watching Gu Changyuan circulate his spiritual energy.
"Not bad," Gu Changyuan opened his eyes. "In another half a month, I should be ready to attempt the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment."
"Do not rush," Feng Jiuli advised seriously. "The Heaven-Burning Art is an overbearing, tyrannical technique. The Heaven-Burning Agony during a major breakthrough will be excruciating. You must be fully prepared."
"I know," Gu Changyuan nodded.
He looked at Feng Jiuli, a trace of concern flashing through his eyes.
"How is your forbidden curse holding up?"
"It is fully suppressed by the Soul Pact," Feng Jiuli replied. "It still flares up periodically, but it is nowhere near as violent as before."
"Do you need any specific medicinal materials?"
"I do." Feng Jiuli pulled a piece of parchment from her robes and handed it to Gu Changyuan. "This is a list I compiled. These materials can be used to refine a specific pill that will further suppress the curse."
Gu Changyuan took the list and scanned it quickly.
"Nine-Sun Grass, Glacial Frost Flower, Purple Spirit Mushroom..."
He frowned deeply.
"These materials are all extremely precious and very hard to come by."
"I know," Feng Jiuli said. "Which is exactly why I need your help."
"You are a servant disciple; you have access to every miscellaneous chore and discarded pile in the entire sect. Some of these materials might just be found hidden within those mundane tasks."
Gu Changyuan thought for a moment and nodded.
"I will try."
Over the following days, Gu Changyuan began to pay close attention to the various materials flowing through the sect.
Although servant disciples had the lowest status imaginable, their work granted them access to nearly every corner of the Profound Heaven Sect.
While sweeping the Alchemy Pavilion, he secretly collected discarded medicinal dregs, painstakingly extracting the tiny, usable remnants of Nine-Sun Grass.
While organizing the chaotic lower levels of the Scripture Pavilion, he found an ancient, forgotten text detailing the distribution of rare herbs, pinpointing the exact micro-climate where Glacial Frost Flowers grew.
While helping the kitchen staff procure ingredients, he used the opportunity to slip deep into the back mountain, successfully harvesting a few hidden Purple Spirit Mushrooms.
Bit by bit, scrap by scrap, he managed to gather every single material Feng Jiuli needed.
"You actually managed to find a way."
Looking at the rare materials Gu Changyuan brought back, a flash of genuine surprise crossed Feng Jiuli's eyes.
"The one perk of being a servant disciple," Gu Changyuan said lightly. "No one ever pays attention to what a piece of trash is doing."
Feng Jiuli looked at him, falling silent for a long moment.
"Gu Changyuan."
"Mm?"
"Thank you."
Gu Changyuan froze for a second, then shook his head.
"No need to thank me. We are companions; helping each other is only natural."
Feng Jiuli looked at him, her feelings incredibly complex.
Through the Soul Pact, she could vividly perceive Gu Changyuan's current emotional state.
At this very moment, his overarching emotion was... absolute sincerity.
He genuinely wanted to help her, not because he expected any grand reward in return.
"You..." She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't find the right words.
In the end, she simply gave a gentle nod.
"Alright."
As the days passed, their cooperation grew increasingly tacit and seamless.
Gu Changyuan helped Feng Jiuli gather materials, and in return, Feng Jiuli guided Gu Changyuan in his cultivation of the Heaven-Burning Art.
"The absolute core of the Heaven-Burning Art lies in the word 'Burn'."
Feng Jiuli sat cross-legged opposite Gu Changyuan, explaining with utmost seriousness.
"To burn does not simply mean to set something on fire. It means to incinerate all impurities, leaving behind only the most absolute, pristine power."
"When you circulate the technique, you must visualize burning every single speck of impurity within your body to ash, retaining only the purest, most concentrated spiritual energy."
Gu Changyuan listened intently, nodding from time to time.
Feng Jiuli's guidance gave him a far deeper, more profound understanding of the Heaven-Burning Art.
Although she couldn't cultivate the technique herself, her vast knowledge far exceeded that of anyone in this lower realm. Hailing from the Divine Realm, she had witnessed countless supreme experts and possessed unique, heaven-defying insights into the Great Dao of cultivation.
"What exactly is the connection between your Divine Phoenix Bloodline and the Heaven-Burning Art?" Gu Changyuan suddenly asked.
Feng Jiuli froze.
"Why do you ask?"
"Whenever I cultivate the Heaven-Burning Art, I always feel a strange power resonating with it," Gu Changyuan explained. "And that power... seems to be coming from you."
Feng Jiuli fell silent.
She had felt it too.
Whenever Gu Changyuan circulated the Heaven-Burning Art, the sealed Divine Phoenix Bloodline within her would grow faintly restless, as if it were actively responding to an ancient call.
"I don't know," she finally said. "But I have a strong premonition that there might be a deep, hidden connection between the Heaven-Burning Art and the Divine Phoenix Bloodline."
"Perhaps... they both originate from the exact same source."
Gu Changyuan frowned.
"The same source?"
"The Primordial Era," Feng Jiuli said softly. "The Heaven-Burning Art is a legacy technique left behind by a Primordial Almighty, and the Divine Phoenix Bloodline also originates from the Primordial Phoenix Clan."
"Perhaps, back in the Primordial Era, there was already a profound bond between them."
Gu Changyuan fell silent.
He thought back to his master's dying words.
"Changyuan... this is my life's work... the Heaven-Burning Art... maybe it can..."
His master hadn't been able to finish that sentence.
But now, Gu Changyuan seemed to understand a little more.
The true origins of the Heaven-Burning Art were likely far more terrifying and complex than he had ever imagined.
A few more days passed.
That night, the two met in the cave as usual.
Feng Jiuli was carefully refining her medicinal pills, while Gu Changyuan sat nearby, cultivating.
Suddenly, Feng Jiuli sensed a violently abnormal emotional fluctuation.
It was coming from Gu Changyuan.
It was... fury.
A suffocating, heavily suppressed fury.
"What happened?" She stopped her movements and looked directly at him.
Gu Changyuan opened his eyes, his expression terrifyingly dark.
"Nothing."
"You are lying to me," Feng Jiuli said coldly. "Since the Soul Pact was formed, we cannot lie to one another."
Gu Changyuan fell dead silent.
A moment later, he let out a heavy sigh.
"Today, Chen Xuanfeng came looking for trouble again."
"What did he do?"
"He humiliated me in public, trying to force me to kneel." Gu Changyuan's voice was eerily calm, but through the Soul Pact, Feng Jiuli could feel the volcanic rage burning beneath his words. "He even said that three years ago, he dreamed of making me kneel before him, and now his wish had finally come true."
A chilling, murderous glint flashed through Feng Jiuli's eyes.
"Did you kneel?"
"No," Gu Changyuan shook his head. "I just lowered my head and said absolutely nothing."
"He thought I was accepting defeat, but the truth is..."
He raised his head, a razor-sharp, predatory light flashing in his eyes.
"I am merely waiting."
"Waiting for the perfect opportunity to make him regret he was ever born."
Feng Jiuli looked at him and remained silent for a long moment.
"The Grand Sect Tournament?"
"Yes," Gu Changyuan nodded slowly. "At the Grand Sect Tournament, I will teach him the true meaning of regret."
Looking into his eyes, Feng Jiuli saw fury, she saw sheer unwillingness to submit, and she saw a terrifying hatred that had been meticulously suppressed for three agonizing years.
But more importantly, she saw absolute, chilling calmness.
He hadn't let his fury cloud his judgment; he was like a lone wolf, patiently waiting for the absolute perfect moment to strike a fatal blow.
"Gu Changyuan."
"Mm?"
"You are a very terrifying person," Feng Jiuli said with utmost seriousness.
Gu Changyuan froze for a second.
"Terrifying?"
"Yes," Feng Jiuli nodded. "To be able to suppress such violent hatred for three years, quietly waiting for the perfect moment to strike... that kind of person is... truly terrifying."
"But also deeply admirable."
Gu Changyuan looked at her, remaining silent for a moment.
Then, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"Thank you."
"That is the strangest compliment I have ever received."
Feng Jiuli smiled too.
Although it was merely a faint, fleeting smile, illuminated by the warm glow of the campfire, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Let's go," she stood up. "That's enough for today. We both need to wake up early tomorrow."
"Alright."
The two walked out of the cave together and parted ways at the entrance.
Feng Jiuli headed toward the Outer Sect, while Gu Changyuan headed toward the Servant Quarters.
The silver moonlight cascaded over them, stretching their shadows long across the rugged mountain path.
Although they were walking in completely different directions, they both knew their ultimate destination was exactly the same.
Three months later. The Grand Sect Tournament.
That would be the exact moment they stunned the entire world.