How rare the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid is, every cultivator in the cultivation world knows.
Even the many Mahayana-stage venerables of the Taiqing Sect had only heard of its name but never seen its true form—until Xu Wanci extracted it from her own flesh and blood.
The higher one's cultivation, the more one understands the terrifying power of something that can overturn the predetermined rules of heaven’s will without bearing any karmic consequences.
Even with the vast abilities of an Immortal Venerable, one might scour the entire cultivation world and barely find a single stalk.
At this thought, Ning Menglan’s gaze grew increasingly complicated.
Xie Tingbai, standing before him, had turned his head at some point, quietly gazing at the bamboo grove ahead:
He had once coveted the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say—no cultivator could remain indifferent to it.
But the moment he learned it now resided within Jiang Qiuning, he abandoned all thoughts of it.
He would not oppose the Jiang family, the foremost cultivation clan in the world.
Moreover, he had the Thousand Elixirs Transformation formula as his safeguard. Even without the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid, he might still advance further.
Yet...
As if recalling something, Xie Tingbai’s fingertips twitched imperceptibly:
If the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid had been personally sought out by Immortal Venerable Qingyan and gifted to Xu Wanci, she would never have offered it as an apology to Jiang Qiuning.
To obtain the Three-Leaf Lotus refined by the Immortal Venerable, she had thrown herself into the sect’s grand competition without regard for her life—how could she possibly give away a gift from him?
So...
Perhaps the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid was indeed found by the Immortal Venerable, but not personally handed to her.
Most likely, he had placed it somewhere along her travels, letting her believe it was sheer fortune that led her to it.
A way that wouldn’t burden her or entangle her in unnecessary karma.
How...
Deeply devoted.
That Immortal Venerable Qingyan—once standing above all, holding life and death in his hands, his temperament so aloof it bordered on emotionless—had treated someone with such meticulous care.
No wonder Xu Wanci had been ensnared for a hundred years.
A shadow flickered through Xie Tingbai’s eyes as the smile on his lips faded:
With a nearly callous thought, he mused:
Wasn’t it just a pastime for those in power? What did it matter how sincere it was?
In that person’s eyes, could Xu Wanci ever outweigh the Great Dao?
For a hundred years, who had ever known of her true standing?
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the figure seated by the bamboo table:
A woman who had been dead for a century, someone whose connection to him was never publicly acknowledged—
Was she truly worth her sacrificing everything, even her life?
Xu Wanci wasn’t the only one being watched. Chu Qingchuan’s eyes, too, were fixed on her.
All emotion in his gaze had dissolved into bewilderment the moment he heard her words:
The Thousand Elixirs Transformation... was created for her by the Immortal Venerable.
He lowered his head, staring at his own hands:
That day, it was he who had used the Thousand Elixirs Transformation to grievously wound her.
The memory of her leaping into the all-consuming Thousand Silent Flames flashed before him. Slowly, he closed his eyes:
What had she been thinking in that moment?
Had she grieved that the technique he crafted for her had become the weapon that harmed her?
Or had she found solace in being wounded by something tied to him?
No one knew.
But he felt no regret.
Chu Qingchuan opened his eyes, his gaze clear and resolute:
The path of cultivation was one of relentless advancement—stagnation meant regression.
Every step he took was for the sake of contending for the Great Dao.
Given another chance, he would still fight with everything he had to defeat Xu Wanci.
This was his path.
His eyes lingered on her frail, sickly appearance, and he forcibly ignored the dull ache in his chest, his expression firm:
As compensation...
From now on, he would protect her well.
The bamboo grove was silent.
After a long pause, Ning Menglan seemed to recall another matter and coughed lightly:
"Wanci, in seven days, the Taiqing Sect’s Boundless Secret Realm will open. The top three from the sect’s grand competition are granted entry."
"The Boundless Secret Realm opens once every decade, each time requiring three Mahayana venerables to expend half their spiritual power. If you wish to enter, this is your only chance."
"The realm holds immortal herbs and treasures accumulated by the Taiqing Sect over millennia. Merely stepping inside guarantees..."
He trailed off as he noticed Xu Wanci’s utter lack of reaction.
With an almost imperceptible sigh, he continued:
"Given your recent recovery, it’s understandable if you’d rather not go."
Xu Wanci listened, her expression unchanging, but inwardly, her thoughts stirred:
The Boundless Secret Realm.
In the original story, a month after the sect competition, the Boundless Secret Realm had opened.
As Ning Menglan said, while fraught with danger, it was also rich in opportunities.
Among them was a Jade Soul Bell Orchid, just reaching maturity.
This was a supreme spiritual herb—consuming it guaranteed a successful breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.
If that were its only effect, it would be rare but not extraordinary.
What made it unique was that this particular Jade Soul Bell Orchid, though outwardly identical to others, possessed triple the potency.
In the original story, after obtaining it, Chu Qingchuan had not only defied the limitations of the Thousand Elixirs Transformation to form his Nascent Soul but had also triggered celestial phenomena during his breakthrough.
This spectacle had further cemented his identity as the Child of Destiny.
At this thought, Xu Wanci’s long lashes fluttered faintly:
In the cultivation world, strength was the only true currency. If she wanted to live—to live well—she couldn’t rely forever on the fabricated identity of being the Immortal Venerable’s beloved.
What mattered most was her own power.
She was already at the late Golden Core stage, just a step away from Nascent Soul.
The sooner she broke through, the better.
But these past months, to sell her lie, she had endured too many severe injuries.
Even with countless elixirs and herbs mending her body, the lingering damage still affected her cultivation.
Even if she could form her Nascent Soul without external aids, she still needed the Jade Soul Bell Orchid—needed the celestial phenomena it would summon during her breakthrough.
A hundred years ago, Immortal Venerable Qingyan had sacrificed himself to the heavens.
The grander the spectacle during her ascension, the more it would seem like heaven itself favored her—further solidifying her claim as his beloved.
Words could be lies, but celestial phenomena never lied.
The Fifth Elder would soon emerge from seclusion.
She couldn’t stop him from divining her secrets. All she could do was keep stacking chips in her favor, until he wouldn’t dare.
So it couldn’t just be the Three-Leaf Lotus, the Thousand Elixirs Transformation, or the Thousand Returns Pill—things that might be uncovered through other means.
She needed something undeniable, witnessed by countless eyes.
By then, even if the Fifth Elder still harbored doubts—
Would he truly dare to divine her fate?
Countless treasures are associated with Immortal Venerable Qingyan, so why has no diviner ever dared to covet them?
Because no diviner could afford the price.
Naturally, the Fifth Elder would be no exception.
Therefore.
She had to go to the Wuwang Secret Realm.
Yet, in front of everyone, she appeared utterly despondent, indifferent to all things.
How could someone like her suddenly take an interest in a secret realm?
Unless…
Just as Ning Menglan and the others had assumed Xu Wanci would not enter the secret realm, she finally shifted her gaze away from the three-leaf lotus.
Her eyes fixed on Ning Menglan, her voice hoarse from long disuse:
"Wuwang… Secret Realm."
"I’ll go."
At her answer, identical astonishment flashed in everyone’s eyes.
Ning Menglan frowned slightly as he studied Xu Wanci, about to question her when he caught the profound melancholy in her gaze.
As if realizing something, he abruptly stopped himself, sighed, and averted his eyes.
A month ago, when Xu Wanci resumed her cultivation, everyone thought she had finally let go of the Immortal Venerable. He, in particular, had been heartened by this.
But what happened afterward was plain for all to see.
Now, even if she showed interest in the Wuwang Secret Realm, no one believed it had anything to do with cultivation.
It was surely because of the Immortal Venerable.
At this thought, Ning Menglan’s frown deepened:
But…
What connection could the Wuwang Secret Realm possibly have with the Immortal Venerable?
Given the Immortal Venerable’s stature, a mere secret realm like Wuwang was beneath his notice.
No matter how perplexed he was, Ning Menglan refrained from voicing his doubts.
Instead, he spoke with a blend of authority and warmth:
"Then, Wanci, rest well."
"We depart in seven days."
After Ning Menglan left with Chu Qingchuan, Xu Wanci seemed to finally snap out of her daze.
She rose to her feet, her eyes no longer hollow and lifeless as they had been in recent days, but calm and distant once more.
Clutching the three-leaf lotus tightly in her right hand, her voice still carried a faint rasp:
"I’ve troubled the Seventh Elder these past few days."
Xie Tingbai’s tone was gentle:
"Bamboo Peak has always been a solitary place with only me in residence."
"If anything, I should thank Wanci for keeping me company all this time."
Xu Wanci’s voice was cool:
"You flatter me, Elder."
"Now that my injuries have healed, I won’t disturb your cultivation any longer."
At her words, Xie Tingbai’s gaze flickered briefly before he chuckled softly:
"Then let me see you off."
Xu Wanci brushed past him, her voice laced with quiet exhaustion:
"There’s no need, Seventh Elder."
As their shoulders grazed, Xie Tingbai caught the faint scent of medicinal herbs clinging to her, his fingers twitching imperceptibly.
A long moment later, he turned to face the now-empty bamboo grove, his expression unreadable.
A few breaths passed before he flicked his wrist, sending a talisman flying silently toward Guiyuan Peak.
On Guiyuan Peak, Ning Menglan arched a brow in surprise as he read Xie Tingbai’s message:
"How unusual."
"Even the Seventh Elder, who’s never shown interest in such matters, wishes to join the expedition to the Wuwang Secret Realm."
Three days later.
In the Guiyuan Hall, a figure with hair coiled high like clouds and a face as radiant as a lotus sat quietly to one side.
Her fox-like eyes, upturned at the corners, held a haughty allure that made others reluctant to meet her gaze.
From the main seat, Ning Menglan regarded the Taiqing Sect’s Third Elder—Gu Yunqi—with a complicated expression.
The pungent scent of the sea clung to her even from meters away. Unable to hold back any longer, Ning Menglan finally asked, his face twisting with hesitation:
"Third Elder… did you truly go to the Silent Sea?"
Rumors had recently spread about a "Featherfall Carp" in the Silent Sea, said to grant immense cultivation breakthroughs or even enlightenment in techniques.
"Was it for that…"
Before he could finish, Gu Yunqi nodded expressionlessly.
Ning Menglan’s face went blank. This was exactly the sort of thing Gu Yunqi would do, but still…
"No matter what kind of carp it was… how could it possibly appear in the sea?"
Wasn’t it obvious at a glance that such a tale was fabricated?
Gu Yunqi didn’t even look up as she nibbled on a spirit fruit, replying matter-of-factly:
"Precisely because it’s so rare is why I had to see it for myself."
After finishing the last bite, she added flatly:
"If it was false, I’d have only wasted some time. But if it was real…"
The First Elder cut straight to the point:
"So, was it real?"
Gu Yunqi paused briefly:
"No."
Ning Menglan’s expression was one of resigned expectation. Still, noting Gu Yunqi’s current state, he coughed and asked with concern:
"If it was false, why did you only return now, and why…"
"Does the scent of seawater cling to you so strongly?"
As a Transcendent Realm cultivator, why did she look like she’d been marinated in seafood?
Gu Yunqi’s hand froze mid-bite. She took another crunch of the spirit fruit and replied tonelessly:
"The locals said the Featherfall Carp is a master of disguise, blending in perfectly with ordinary fish. The only way to confirm its identity was to gut them."
A sense of foreboding crept into Ning Menglan’s voice: "So you…"
Gu Yunqi’s answer was heartbreakingly succinct:
"Bought them all."
"Gutted them all."
"Found nothing."
Ning Menglan stared at Gu Yunqi’s single-minded fruit-munching and didn’t dare ask how much of her fortune remained.
After polishing off another spirit fruit, Gu Yunqi finally looked up and raised a brow:
"Aside from the Sect Competition, has anything else happened recently?"
"Why do I keep hearing disciples talk about someone named Xu Wanci?"
At her question, the hall fell silent.
Finally, the Second Elder sighed and poured her a cup of spirit tea, recounting everything that had transpired concerning Xu Wanci.
As the story unfolded, Gu Yunqi propped her chin on one hand, her eyes gleaming brighter by the second.
Before the Second Elder could finish, she slammed the table, her gaze blazing:
"An opportunity! A once-in-a-century opportunity!"
She paid no heed to the tale’s veracity or Xu Wanci’s undying devotion.
Her focus was solely on how this could advance her cultivation:
"This is our only path to severing karmic ties with the Immortal Venerable! This is providence bestowed upon our Taiqing Sect!"
The others in the hall wore expressions of weary familiarity at Gu Yunqi’s fervor.
The entire cultivation world knew of the Taiqing Sect’s Third Elder—obsessed with cultivation, chasing opportunities to the point of madness.
If a region lacked spirit stones, the best solution was to spread a rumor about some legendary opportunity, just as the Silent Sea cultivators had done.
Soon enough, the Third Elder would arrive.
The Second Elder calmly used his spiritual power to send the spirit fruit in front of him to Gu Yunqi’s table, his voice gentle:
"Junior Sister, do not be impatient."
"Matters of fate cannot be rushed."
Ning Menglan sighed and added:
"Xu Wanci has suffered severe injuries repeatedly, hindering her cultivation."
"Moreover, she currently has no will to live. Though I’ve left countless defensive artifacts on her, they are still just external aids."
"If she herself does not wish to live, no one can save her."
"What’s most important now is to reignite her will to survive."
Only if she lives can the threads of karma be resolved.
Hearing his words, Gu Yunqi’s delicate brows furrowed briefly before smoothing out again.
No will to live?
She rose to her feet, flicking her sleeve as she declared:
"Leave this matter to me."
Ning Menglan, upon hearing her words, suddenly recalled Gu Yunqi’s past… exploits.
A flicker of panic crossed his face, his voice trembling slightly:
"Actually, there’s no need to hurry."
"This matter need not trouble the Third Elder—"
Before he could finish, the Third Elder waved her hand with serene confidence:
"Sect Master, there’s no need to worry."
"I have my own methods."
