The Three-Year Gambit and Profound Awakenings

If Xia Yi were granted more time, and placed under their tutelage, a glimmer of hope might yet remain.

Three years, however, was simply too short.

Given their conviction that Xia Yi could not possibly claim the top rank among direct disciples within three years, acquiescing to the Saintess’s proposal appeared to hold no real disadvantage.

Jiang Tianjian was the first to speak, stating, “Naturally, there is no objection.”

Ran Wu, known for his fiery temper, was the second to agree. “Fine!”

Danyang and Chu Xiuzhu pondered briefly before offering their own responses:

“Acceptable.”

“No issue.”

“Very well, then it is settled,” the Saintess declared. “Let him cultivate on his own for now. It is merely three years; surely, with the esteemed power of you seniors, you will not find yourselves wanting for such a brief span of time?”

Though they recognized this as the Saintess’s provocation, her words were undeniably true.

It was only three years; given their capabilities, recovering this lost time would not be difficult.

Furthermore, it would allow them to observe Xia Yi’s other abilities, proving to be a win-win situation.

Jiang Tianjian responded, “Naturally, we are not lacking.”

Chu Xiuzhu added, “I have no objections.”

Ran Wu affirmed, “Fine!”

Danyang stated, “We shall heed the Saintess’s command.”

“Excellent,” the Saintess proclaimed. “So that he may participate in the Grand Competition for Direct Disciples three years hence, from this very day, he shall temporarily be acknowledged as a direct disciple of my Ziwei Peak.”

With these words, the Saintess, as if having anticipated this outcome, promptly sent Xia Yi and Bing Yingying back to their residence, right under the watchful eyes of Jiang Tianjian and the others.

It was as if she feared they might renege on their agreement.

“Very well, very well,” Jiang Tianjian sighed. “It is merely three years; let him gain more experience for a while longer. Senior Brother, Pavilion Master Dan, Pavilion Master Ran, I shall take my leave first.”

With that, Jiang Tianjian departed from Gongfa Cliff, and the others also exchanged farewells before leaving one by one.

Once the ‘instigators’ had departed, Gongfa Cliff swiftly returned to its former tranquility.

However, from that day forward, the Azure Feather Immortal Sect gained new legends surrounding Xia Yi.

****

The profound impact of the two Phenomenon Cultivation Techniques drew Bing Yingying, her heart deeply entwined with Xia Yi, into a shared auspicious enlightenment.

So deeply engrossed were they that neither knew what transpired afterward, nor did they even notice being sent back to their peak by the Saintess.

Fei Miaoyun, coincidentally, had gone with Li Junying to complete the onboarding process for becoming a deacon of the Azure Feather Immortal Sect.

Only Pei Yunxiang remained in their dwelling.

For days, Xia Yi had been cleansing the Evil Cold Yin Fire from her body, though the recovered strength was not substantial.

Nevertheless, she could sense a difference.

‘She’s a girl, isn’t she? I should chat with her when I get the chance.’

Observing Xia Yi and Bing Yingying, whom the Saintess had meticulously returned, Pei Yunxiang offered a faint smile.

It was a smile much like the one she wore when she first learned of Bing Yingying’s existence in Hanhai City.

Through this incident, she also confirmed the identity of the influential figure within the Azure Feather Immortal Sect who had provided them with special privileges.

Leveraging her draconic perceptive abilities, Pei Yunxiang discerned that the girl harbored no malevolent intentions.

Instead, she harbored an indescribable, enigmatic affection for her cherished disciple.

Moreover, it bore a striking resemblance to the feelings her own junior sister had initially held, which made it all the more intriguing.

Having been by Xia Yi’s side since childhood, Pei Yunxiang was absolutely certain that her ‘cherished disciple’ had not known this ‘influential figure’ in the past.

How, then, had this ‘influential figure‘ come to develop feelings for Xia Yi?

‘It feels connected to something Yi’er has been keeping secret.’

Pei Yunxiang’s beautiful eyes narrowed, much like a curious large cat.

A woman’s intuition was generally keen, especially that of a dragoness.

As Pei Yunxiang pondered how best to approach this ‘influential figure,’ she simultaneously activated all the protective arrays of the dwelling, lest anyone return and disturb Xia Yi and Bing Yingying’s enlightenment.

Enlightenment was a state deeply coveted by cultivators.

Those who entered enlightenment would invariably gain some increase in strength, the extent of which depended on the duration of their profound state.

At this moment, Xia Yi and Bing Yingying remained immersed in this very state of enlightenment.

Their simultaneous entry into enlightenment was a direct result of the Marriage Fruit.

A full six months had elapsed since Xia Yi and Bing Yingying were returned.

Throughout these six months, the spiritual aura surrounding Xia Yi and Bing Yingying grew increasingly potent.

From the second month onward, ethereal projections of the Ancient Silver Dragon Sword would intermittently appear beside them.

Originally, they should have awakened around the third month, but Pei Yunxiang noticed that Xia Yi’s comprehension of the Silver Dragon Cultivation Technique was not entirely complete.

When it came to dragons, who could understand them better than a dragon itself?

Thus, under the guidance of Pei Yunxiang, a true dragon, their period of enlightenment was extended by a full three months.

Finally, today, as a lifelike silver dragon let out a roar that seemed to shake the heavens, Xia Yi and Bing Yingying at last opened their eyes.

Naturally, with Pei Yunxiang’s and Xinghuo’s tokens present, the dragon’s roar did not propagate outwards, and the external world remained undisturbed.

As Xia Yi rose to his feet, a series of crackling sounds emanated from his body.

His body, long inactive, showed no signs of stiffness; instead, it appeared even more robust.

As his mid-Foundation Establishment aura unfurled, Xia Yi’s oppressive presence subtly carried a trace of dragon might.

Bing Yingying, who had accompanied Xia Yi throughout this auspicious enlightenment, also seized the opportunity to successfully break through to the Core Formation realm.

A faint aura of the Divine Phoenix emanated from her.

This auspicious enlightenment brought immense gains for both Xia Yi and Bing Yingying.

For Xia Yi, first and foremost, he not only successfully comprehended the operational methods of ‘Heavenly River Draining Dream’ and ‘Calamity: Soul-Slaying Burning Decree’.

More importantly, building upon this, he utilized the newly acquired ‘Great Evolution Myriad Sword Canon’ to perfectly integrate these two techniques with his Vast Righteous Sword Intent.

The power he unleashed surpassed anything before, and Xia Yi was confident that even Bing Yingying, now having reached Core Formation, could not easily withstand these two moves.

They had, after all, tested them during their auspicious enlightenment.

As for the ‘Azure Radiance Dragon Transformation Art’, thanks to Pei Yunxiang, a true dragon, Xia Yi directly bypassed the first layer of Dragon Qi tempering and leaped straight to the second layer of Dragon Blood transformation.

Consequently, a certain individual now possessed an exceptionally vigorous vitality, his lifeblood, previously depleted by Fei Miaoyun and Bing Yingying, having been completely restored.

Specifically, this manifested as a strong desire to unleash his masculine wildness.

On Bing Yingying’s side, not only had she broken through to Core Formation, but her understanding of the Ice Lotus Celestial Phoenix Art had also deepened considerably, unlocking several aerial techniques.

Furthermore, the Weaving Thread Cultivation Technique she obtained at Gongfa Cliff was now fully mastered.

All that remained was some practical experimentation to refine her proficiency.

Furthermore, it was during this auspicious enlightenment that Bing Yingying realized stockings, high heels, and similar items were merely the tip of the iceberg among her husband’s trove of ‘yellow waste materials’.

She had been utterly unaware that her husband harbored so many peculiar clothing fetishes he had yet to disclose.

Catwoman outfits, glasses, OL attire, sailor uniforms with small leather shoes, Lolita fashion, exotic styles, and so on.

Some designs were practically ‘ready to wear’ in their provocative simplicity, or even consisted of little more than a single, symbolic thread.

There were so many, and the styles were so elaborate; Bing Yingying felt as if she had opened a door to a new world.