Chapter 84 – Misery Loves Company

  Jun De was miserable.

  When he was inside the Ninefold Refinement Array, time seemed to lose all meaning. Days and nights bled together, and without a window, he had no idea how long he had been in there. He could only estimate based on how many fasting pills he had taken.

  And, throughout every waking moment, there was agony. It wasn’t the same as when he had been injured or on the verge of death. This was different. It was more like a spiritual agony, combined with a constant pressure that ground against his body and threatened to grind him into dust.

  That agony led to loud and increasingly creative cursing.

  “The Ninefold Refinement Array? This is a torture pit! The Tranquil Mountain Sect is filled with lunatics and liars. Do you hear me! You’re all a bunch of liars!” Jun De groaned as another wave of intense spiritual energy washed over him.

  He was hunched over near the wall of the chamber in the hope that he could gain some distance from the array’s attacks, but everywhere he went was the same. Sweat poured from his body like he had been thrown into a boiling lake, and he had long since discarded his robes that had become soiled.

  Naked, he was also covered in a layer of filth from the few impurities that the array had drawn from his flesh. Unlike the last time he had been forced to stay in the array, the intensity was so strong that Jun De’s body was being refined of all the contaminants that a mortal accumulates.

  So, Jun De did what any sane person would do in his situation. He lashed out at everyone and everything around him.

  “What kind of deranged lunatic designed this thing!? I swear if I survive this, I’m going to hunt them down and lock them in here for a year!” Jun De’s threats devolved into unintelligible muttering as another pulse of spiritual energy surged through him.

  It was like bathing in molten lava that would alternate with bitter cold, all while being pricked with needles in every piece of exposed skin.

  The array was ruthless. The spiritual energy inside didn’t just flow around him, it slammed into his body like a wave crashing against the shore. It was trying to grind him down to dust, grain by grain. It would ebb and flow, receding to provide some relief before hitting him again.

  His Qi had no choice but to cycle constantly, racing to reinforce his body and stabilize his Dantian. Every second was a war between him and the array, and he couldn’t falter for even a moment.

  “Whoever cranked this thing up to eleven is going to get theirs when I get out!” Jun De hissed.

  But despite the pain and his continued anger that was only satiated by cursing the Tranquil Mountain Sect, Elder Mu, and a whole host of people who had little to do with his current circumstances, Jun De was changing.

  His muscles, sore and weary, were stronger than before. His skin was smoother and seemed to glow with an inner light. The few impurities that his body contained were being ruthlessly drawn out and burned away.

  Even his meridians, which had been robust and above average, were expanding and becoming clearer. They were gaining an efficiency that was a perfect conduit for his Qi. His foundation was as solid as someone who had spent their entire life cultivating.

  And, worst of all in Jun De’s mind, the Dawnheart Flame inside his Dantian appeared to be having the time of its life.

  It floated there like a happy child on a summer lake, bobbing gently on the currents of his Qi. It would occasionally spin with joy whenever a wave of refining energy passed through it. Jun De could feel the flame’s delight, and it would only make him even angrier.

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  “Oh, I’m so happy that you’re enjoying this! Good. Great! Just fantastic! I’m glad that I’m taking this beating so that you can get something out of it!” Jun De shouted inwardly at the flame.

  But, frustratingly, the Dawnheart Flame twirled around, smug and serene as it basked in the refining energies of the array. Its colour was changing, and it seemed to be growing bigger and brighter than before.

  A month later, Jun De lay sprawled on the stone floor of the Ninefold Refinement array, his limbs twitching and steam rising from his body. His hair was a soiled mess, and he was soaked in sweat. His face no longer had the calm, gentle and serene expression that everyone remembered him having at all times.

  Instead, he alternated between scowling and crying.

  The spiritual energy in the array surged like a tide again, unrelenting and merciless. His every breath felt like he was inhaling lightning, and every heartbeat would send ripples of force through his bones.

  The only thing keeping him alive was the Qi that constantly rotated through his body, fighting back against the pressure that was trying to grind him into paste.

  And, through it all, the traitorous little Dawnheart Flame merrily danced throughout his Dantian with glee. If it had a voice, the little bastard would have been singing.

  “When I get out of here, you’re going to….” Jun De’s voice echoed throughout the chamber as he rattled off threats against his only companion.

  While Jun De endured the Ninefold Refinement Array, Mu Yanyu sat alone in the depths of her secluded meditation chamber.

  The air was dense with spiritual energy, and pale moonlight filtered through the high windows above. As she lowered herself onto the jade meditation cushion, her usually calm expression was strained, and there was an uncharacteristic tension on her face.

  With a flick of her sleeve, she sealed the chamber, and the hum of the protective formation filled the room as it activated.

  Mu Yanyu exhaled slowly, gathering her Qi. But as the first rotation of her breathing cycle began, her thoughts drifted.

  Jun De’s face surfaced in her mind.

  She saw that calm, gentle smile he always wore. The warmth of his eyes and the way he would laugh. Finally, inevitably, she remembered the way his Qi had mingled with hers so effortlessly during their Dual Cultivation.

  Mu Yanyu knew that she had done it to save his life, and that, logically, it meant nothing. Jun De was the future of the Tranquil Mountain Sect. His life was even more valuable than her own, and her duty as his Elder was to protect him.

  But still, her fingers twitched at the memory of him beneath her. The feeling of his lips against hers, and how she had pressed her body against his.

  Her Qi faltered, and Mu Yanyu was forced to stop her cultivation for fear of deviation.

  “This is ridiculous. He is just a Disciple, and I was doing my duty as his Elder.” Mu Yanyu muttered, and her voice echoed throughout the stone chamber.

  Any yet, Jun De wasn’t just any disciple. Despite their Dual Cultivation being an act of necessity, it had left a mark on her that was far deeper than she had anticipated.

  She had connected with him in a way that she had never experienced before with anyone. It hadn’t just been a mingling of their Qi and bodies, but their spirits, minds and souls as well.

  Mu Yanyu’s face flushed red, and she forced herself to breathe in deep and slow.

  “This isn’t the time for this. You are a Core Formation stage Elder of the Tranquil Mountain Sect, and it’s Vice Sect Master! You have cultivated for longer than Jun De has been alive, and you reached a higher cultivation level than any of your peers in that short amount of time!” Mu Yanyu said, trying to convince herself to stop.

  At least Jun De was safe for the moment while she sorted through her thoughts and feelings. He would be training inside the Ninefold Refinement Array for the next six months, an experience he was no doubt joyous about.

  It would give her valuable time to settle her mind and emotions. That thought didn’t soothe her as much as she thought it would. And a part of her, deep down, even resented it.

  Still, his absence gave her room to think and feel.

  And, there was another thing that she needed to examine and understand. There was a lingering effect from her Dual Cultivation with Jun De that was affecting her as severely as her stray thoughts and emotions.

  Her Qi stirred more powerfully than usual, responding faster and with more fluidity. She focused on it intently and came to an undeniable fact. Her meridians were clearer, and her core steadier. Even her spiritual perception had sharpened slightly.

  It was subtle, but noticeable.

  “It must be Jun De. His Qi was far too pure for someone of his cultivation level, even if he had been hiding his true potential from the Sect.”

  “Does he possess a rare constitution?” Mu Yanyu wondered aloud.

  A Dao Body. They were incredibly rare, and each person who possessed them was monstrously talented.

  Could Jun De possess one as well?

  With a steadying breath, Mu Yanyu calmed her heart and pushed away the flickers of memory and sensation. The warmth of his Qi, the way he had looked at her, and the gentle touch of his hands.

  She needed clarity, and to achieve that, she needed time and space.

  Mu Yanyu closed her eyes and sank into a deep meditative state. Her breath steadied, her Qi circulated, and slowly, her turbulent emotions settled.