Finally, Chapter 20! A milestone worth celebrating—applause.

  Today’s final update.

  Yun Che welcomed the newfound quiet.

  Though he had been expelled from the main courtyard and occasionally overheard sneering remarks from other nominal disciples, he paid them little mind. His month spent under Sun Dazhu’s watch—combined with the manual Introduction to Qi Guidance—had already given him a basic understanding of the cultivation world.

  The path of cultivation was divided into five major realms:

  Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation.

  Each realm was a chasm unto itself, difficult beyond measure.

  Within the entire Frost Profound Sect, there were only two or three Core Formation–stage elders, figures regarded as living ancestors. They resided year-round in the deepest forbidden grounds where spiritual energy was most concentrated, emerging only in times of sect-wide crisis.

  Foundation Establishment cultivators formed the backbone of the sect, yet even they numbered fewer than ten. They enjoyed various privileges—ample spiritual stones, access to artifacts, and priority in resources.

  As for the rest, the overwhelming majority of disciples were stranded in the Qi Condensation realm. Sun Dazhu himself, after decades of bitter cultivation, had only reached the fifth layer.

  Cultivation was difficult precisely because it demanded immense amounts of time and resources. With mediocre talent, even an entire mortal lifespan might not suffice to accumulate enough foundation within the Qi Condensation realm—let alone attempt the breakthroughs to higher stages, which required extraordinary opportunities and insight.

  Spiritual energy was the foundation of everything.

  Yun Che understood this deeply, and his desire for the mysterious stone orb grew stronger by the day. Though he had yet to successfully draw qi into his body, he firmly believed that long-term consumption of spring water infused by the orb would accelerate the process. After all, the essence of Qi Condensation lay in gradual accumulation.

  Judging from the importance Sun Dazhu had once placed on the gourd, the water steeped by the orb clearly contained a considerable amount of spiritual energy. What truly quickened Yun Che’s pulse, however, was the fact that he had hidden away three gourds’ worth of pearl dew—liquid secreted directly by the stone orb itself. Far more potent and refined, its effects were likely no worse than the bitter medicinal brews he had been forced to consume over the past month—perhaps even better.

  Thus, being freed from Sun Dazhu’s surveillance filled Yun Che with quiet relief and restrained joy.

  As a nominal inner disciple, he was no longer permitted to live in the main courtyard, but he still retained the right to choose lodging within the subsidiary courtyards of the four halls: Body Tempering, Menial Affairs, Lectures, and Discipline. Yun Che chose a secluded corner within the Body Tempering Hall’s grounds, near the eastern gate, and settled into an empty room.

  From Sun Dazhu’s casual remarks and sect regulations, Yun Che also learned of the basic benefits afforded to inner disciples. On the tenth day of each month, disciples could collect their stipend from the Pill and Artifact Hall: one fragment of a low-grade spirit stone and a single Qi-Gathering Pill. Ten fragments could be exchanged through one’s master for a complete low-grade spirit stone.

  After settling in, Yun Che did not immediately retrieve the stone orb. Suspecting that Sun Dazhu might still be watching, he continued his routine—sitting by Cold幽潭 during the day and practicing breathing techniques in his room at night.

  As expected, Sun Dazhu secretly monitored him for another ten days or so. Seeing that Yun Che showed no abnormalities—doing nothing but staring blankly and engaging in fruitless meditation—Sun Dazhu finally gave up, consigning this insignificant “failed investment” to the back of his mind.

  Half a month later, certain the danger had passed, Yun Che slipped out under the cover of a moonless night. Moving through the familiar forest in winding paths, he reached the hidden crevice. Carefully digging away the soil, he retrieved the gray-white stone orb and the three hidden gourds, inspected them, and placed everything into his storage pouch. The pouch was small but more than sufficient for these items—and inconspicuous.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  After several more days of cautious observation with no sign of attention, Yun Che finally relaxed. He stopped visiting Cold Abyss Pool altogether and devoted himself to studying the orb and the gourds in seclusion.

  The moment the stone orb was back in his hands, Yun Che noticed a change. The cloud-like patterns on its surface had increased—from seven to nine. The ninth cloud was as clear and solid as the others.

  “Likely the dense moisture of the forest nights and mornings,” he mused. “The orb must have absorbed a great deal of water essence on its own.”

  Next, he carefully opened the three gourds one by one. A surge of spiritual freshness—several times stronger than before—washed over him. Not only had the liquid inside not diminished, it had grown noticeably thicker due to evaporation and condensation, resembling a translucent gel.

  The gourd that specifically collected morning pearl dew was the most striking. Its contents had nearly solidified into a lustrous, jelly-like substance, glowing faintly beneath the oil lamp—beautiful enough to leave one breathless.

  Yun Che glanced between the cloud-covered orb in his hand and the three gourds of concentrated spiritual dew. A thought he could not suppress surfaced in his mind:

  “If the stone orb grows by absorbing water essence… then if I were to use all three gourds of condensed dew on it… could I force it to immediately form… the tenth cloud?”

  His heart pounded.

  The orb itself was small, and the nine cloud patterns already covered nearly its entire surface. Only a thumbnail-sized blank area remained at the top, perfectly curved—as though reserved for the final cloud.

  “Nine is the limit. Ten is completion…”

  Curiosity burned fiercely within him. He desperately wanted to know what would happen once the cloud patterns reached ten and fully enveloped the orb. That final cloud was likely the key.

  However, today happened to be the tenth day of the month—the day to collect his stipend. Seeing the sun already slanting toward dusk, Yun Che forcibly suppressed the urge to experiment. Carefully stowing the orb and gourds back into his pouch, he straightened his robes and headed toward the main courtyard.

  He was now familiar with the sect’s pathways. Soon, he arrived near the Pill and Artifact Hall and quickened his pace before darkness fully fell.

  Before he could even reach the courtyard, a familiar voice drifted out—oily and deliberately ingratiating:

  “Senior Sister Zhou, Master ordered me into closed-door cultivation for three months to break through to the first layer of Qi Condensation. Yet my thoughts never strayed from you, making it impossible to focus. By sheer luck, I finally broke through late last night, and the very first thought in my heart was you. I went to the perilous peaks behind the mountain overnight to pick this Moonshadow Orchid for you! Look at these petals—don’t they glow like moonlight? There was even a venomous Ironthread Python guarding it. I fought it with all my strength and was wounded in the process—look, right here…”

  Yun Che slowed slightly, then resumed his calm stride into the courtyard.

  Another voice rang out—clear as flowing water, tinged with playful mockery:

  “Senior Brother Wang, my family has practiced medicine for three generations. That flower is clearly just a common night-blooming jasmine. They grow all over the back slopes. And this is the first I’ve heard of Ironthread Pythons guarding such plants. If that were true, wouldn’t the entire Frost Profound Sect be a nest of snakes? Senior Sister Zhou, don’t let him fool you.”

  Yun Che entered the courtyard. Four figures stood inside—two men and two women—all clad in the red robes marking inner disciples.

  One of the men, tall and handsome, looked visibly embarrassed and was about to argue—when he caught sight of Yun Che at the entrance. His pupils shrank, disbelief written all over his face.

  “Yun Che?! You—how are you here?! Shouldn’t you be back in that mountain village, playing with your herb baskets?!”

  “Yun Che? Oh—you’re Yun Che!” The lively young woman exclaimed, covering her mouth as she examined him with sparkling curiosity. “The one who became a nominal disciple by jumping off a cliff? The one who somehow sucked up to Elder Sun and got taken in as a disciple? So that’s you!”

  She wore a glossy braid, her features bright and expressive.

  The other two also turned their gaze toward Yun Che, scrutinizing him. The woman addressed as “Senior Sister Zhou,” with misty eyes and long lashes, blinked softly—her gaze carrying both appraisal and faint interest.

  Yun Che’s expression remained calm as his eyes swept over them.

  The sharp-tongued girl was clearly the one who had spoken earlier. Her face stirred vague recognition—after a moment’s thought, Yun Che recalled her as the third disciple, aside from Yun Han and Yun Feng, who had been directly admitted based on talent during the entrance trial.

  If she was here, then the gentle Senior Sister Zhou holding the flower must be the other directly admitted female disciple.

  As for the handsome young man clutching the flower, face twisted with shock and displeasure—he was none other than Yun Che’s once-arrogant, relentlessly mocking cousin—

  Yun Han.

  Being ignored is often the greatest form of concealment.

  When do you think the tenth cloud will finally appear?