Unlike the Holy Maiden Dantai Xuan, whose aloof and emotionless demeanor resembled an untouchable iceberg, An Miaoli radiated an ethereal, immortal charm. Her gaze wasn't cold or indifferent but serene and tranquil, far more approachable than Dantai Xuan's icy presence.
Ye Chen particularly adored the sight of An Miaoli, her face composed and serene, as she diligently helped him purge the Nether Poison. The sensation was uniquely captivating.
The poison had accumulated heavily, surging in relentless waves. It took a full half-day to complete the detoxification.
"My apologies, Senior, for imposing on you again…" Ye Chen said, his tone brimming with sincerity as they stood before her cave abode.
An Miaoli's expression remained unruffled, her eyes calm and clear. "No matter. It's all for Yuyi's sake. You're afflicted by the poison, so there's no need to dwell on it. A clear conscience is enough."
Ye Chen nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, a clear conscience!"
After a brief exchange, he drifted away, returning to his own cave abode.
Seated cross-legged on the cool, jade-like stone bed, Ye Chen's mood was buoyant. The top-grade spiritual artifact he'd gifted An Miaoli seemed to evoke different sensations depending on its color. And perhaps because of their time apart, this reunion felt like a honeymoon—An Miaoli had been more open, allowing him access to new "territories."
But Ye Chen didn't linger on these thoughts. Detoxification was merely a pleasant diversion in his cultivation journey. Strength and cultivation were the true foundation.
He knew his current comfortable life stemmed from his power. If he were still that anxious little cultivator in Silver Moon Market, trembling at the mention of a Foundation Establishment beast, even getting someone like Lin Ke'er to serve him would've been a struggle, let alone catching the eye of a Nascent Soul sect's grand elder. He wouldn't even have the qualifications to meet such a figure.
In the cultivation world, strength was everything.
With that in mind, Ye Chen activated his system. The notification that had chimed earlier now resurfaced.
"Congratulations, Host, for successfully gifting an item…"
"Processing feedback…"
"Two-hundredfold feedback in progress…"
"Detected significant emotional fluctuations in the recipient… Critical reward triggered…"
"Reward: Shakyamuni Heart Refining Art!"
"Shakyamuni Heart Refining Art: Created by Shakyamuni during his Golden Core stage, this heart-refining technique was later perfected after he ascended to immortality, becoming a supreme Buddhist heart-refining art of Immortal grade. Only a handful of the most exceptional Buddhist prodigies in each generation are permitted to cultivate it. This technique vastly enhances the upper limit of spiritual sense, greatly increases its sensitivity, and significantly boosts the quality of the Nascent Soul formed. Upon reaching the pinnacle of the Immortal Path, it can manifest extraordinary phenomena…"
Ye Chen's eyes gleamed as he read the system prompt.
Buddhist sects were rare and declining in the Great Yan Continent, but it was common knowledge that Buddhist cultivators possessed the most formidable spiritual sense. And now, the system had granted him the Shakyamuni Heart Refining Art, a technique reserved for the direct disciples of Shakyamuni himself?
It was almost too incredible to believe.
Every cultivator's spiritual sense had an inherent limit. Ordinary heart-refining techniques—Yellow or Black grade—could only push a cultivator's spiritual sense to that natural ceiling.
Earth-grade techniques, however, could break through that limit, elevating spiritual sense beyond its innate boundaries. Heaven-grade techniques, like the Sword Peng Heart Refining Technique, went further, not only raising the ceiling higher but also infusing spiritual sense with greater sensitivity, leading to a higher-grade Nascent Soul.
But none of these compared to the Shakyamuni Heart Refining Art. It promised to dramatically increase the limit, enhance sensitivity, and elevate the quality of the Nascent Soul formed. Most intriguingly, it could even produce extraordinary phenomena upon reaching the pinnacle of the Immortal Path.
The description didn't specify what those phenomena were, but based on Ye Chen's experience, anything extra was bound to be valuable. He could figure out the details later.
Without hesitation, Ye Chen extended his spiritual sense into the jade slip. Instantly, a vast and intricate scripture flooded his mind. After fully comprehending and digesting it, he frowned slightly.
With his current talent, bolstered by his Primordial Supreme Heart, Immortal Scripture, and Heavenly Spirit Root, mastering the technique was well within his grasp. But cultivating the Shakyamuni Heart Refining Art required a decade of relentless refinement to strengthen his spiritual sense. For him, with his exceptional gifts, it might take only six or seven years.
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To most cultivators, a decade was a trivial price to pay for a top-grade Nascent Soul—especially for prodigies who deliberately delayed breakthroughs to perfect their foundations.
But Ye Chen was different. His entire cultivation journey, from start to now, had barely spanned a decade. His sense of time still lingered closer to that of a mortal. The thought of spending six or seven years grinding his spiritual sense felt agonizingly slow.
Then, a spark of inspiration hit him. If he could pair the Shakyamuni Heart Refining Art with a Buddhist holy fruit—the Shakyamuni Fruit—the results would be far more potent. Not only would it amplify the technique's effects and raise the spiritual sense ceiling even higher, but it could also slash the cultivation time to a mere fraction, perhaps just a tenth of the original duration.
The catch? Shakyamuni Trees only grew in Buddhist Holy Lands. Legend had it that when Shakyamuni ascended to immortality, his blood, shed during his heavenly tribulation, transformed a grove of bodhi trees into Shakyamuni Trees. These trees bore a single Shakyamuni Fruit every millennium, a treasure capable of vastly enhancing spiritual sense and Buddhist affinity.
Its rarity was unimaginable. Even the prodigies within Buddhist Holy Lands competed fiercely for it, and it was utterly unattainable to outsiders, no matter how many spirit stones one offered.
For an ordinary cultivator, the solution was simple: spend the decade cultivating diligently. But Ye Chen wasn't ordinary. He had the system.
His system was remarkably intelligent, often tailoring its rewards to his needs. However, it required the right kind of gift to trigger the desired feedback. Sending a technique jade slip or a spiritual artifact wouldn't prompt the system to reward him with a Shakyamuni Fruit. No, he needed to gift a spiritual fruit—something that could enhance spiritual sense.
Such fruits were rare and precious, but for Ye Chen, that was no obstacle. If it could be bought with spirit stones, it wasn't a problem. He immediately activated a transmission talisman, contacting Sun Ye to gather information on any spiritual fruits that could boost spiritual sense. Meanwhile, he settled in to focus on his cultivation.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, visitors flocked to Ye Chen's cave abode: the Divine Will Sect Master, various elders, An Yuyi, and more. It was a lively parade.
The sect master, naturally, was eager to recruit Ye Chen as a formal elder, offering generous terms. But Ye Chen declined. The Divine Will Sect was too small, a mere temporary stopover. His true destination was the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land.
After Ye Chen firmly declined the sect master's offer, his cave abode finally quieted down.
The only constant was An Yuyi, who visited daily to make her presence known. In their conversations, she'd casually mention her aunt An Miaoli's preferences, the techniques she cultivated, the spells she practiced, and more. She even remarked that while An Miaoli appeared aloof, her heart was rich with emotion—a clear attempt to nudge Ye Chen toward her aunt.
Ye Chen found it almost comical. Had An Yuyi given up on him and decided to push her aunt into the spotlight instead? It was absurd.
But there was no need for matchmaking. An Miaoli already knew the full extent of his "strengths."
When the day for gifting arrived, Ye Chen headed straight to An Miaoli's cave abode.
An Miaoli had clearly begun cultivating the Sword Peng Heart Refining Technique. Her eyes, when they met his, seemed even deeper, her entire presence more ethereal, as if she were a wisp of mist drifting above the mortal world.
The two sat together, gazing out at the boundless sea of clouds, their hearts light and unburdened.
"Yuyi has changed from how she used to be," An Miaoli said, a fond smile gracing her lips. "She was spoiled by me before, but since meeting you, she's grown so much. She's learned the meaning of gratitude."
Ye Chen nodded. That much was true. With his system, he could sense the sincerity of others' gratitude. An Yuyi had even triggered critical rewards, a clear sign she'd developed a genuine sense of appreciation.
The only downside? Her base reward multiplier was still too low.
Seeing Ye Chen's agreement, An Miaoli's serene eyes lingered on him. "Yuyi made mistakes before, but she's recognized her faults. Even if only for my sake, could you show her a bit more care in the future?"
An Miaoli understood her niece's fixation all too well. Though she held no guilt in her heart, a faint unease lingered. That was why, on the day of Ye Chen's return, she'd allowed him to "explore" more freely during their detoxification session, hoping he'd reciprocate by investing more in Yuyi.
Yet, a trace of confusion gnawed at her. If Ye Chen and Yuyi truly became Dao partners, where would that leave her? Could she still claim a clear conscience?
Ye Chen was momentarily speechless.
An Yuyi came to him, singing her aunt's praises, urging him to be bolder, claiming An Miaoli's cold exterior hid a warm heart. And now An Miaoli was asking him to care more for Yuyi?
It was almost too much.
After a moment's thought, Ye Chen agreed. He reached into his storage ring and produced an Azure Hill Jade Bamboo Core. "This can elevate the user's aptitude to an Earth Spirit Root. Let Yuyi try it."
An Miaoli's eyes widened. She'd only just asked him to care for Yuyi, and he immediately offered such a priceless treasure? His attentiveness to her words was almost overwhelming.
Her emotions swirled—gratitude mixed with complexity. After a brief hesitation, she didn't reach for it. "Since it's your heartfelt gesture, Fellow Daoist Ye, why not give it to Yuyi yourself? She'd be even happier."
Ye Chen nodded. The Azure Hill Jade Bamboo Core was a system reward, not something he could use for feedback anyway. Giving it directly to An Yuyi was fine. She'd redeemed herself somewhat recently, but her reward multiplier was still a measly hundredfold. Boosting her aptitude might help.
He tucked the Bamboo Core away and produced a jade slip, handing it to An Miaoli. "This is something I acquired in the Great Chu Empire—a single move from the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, called Phoenix Cry. It can unleash a sonic attack to devastate enemies, and it's especially effective against demonic beasts, as many instinctively fear the phoenix. I already have the True Dragon Treasure Technique and can't spare the focus, so I'm giving this to you and Yuyi."
The True Phoenix Treasure Technique had come from the Great Chu Ancestor. Ye Chen had inscribed it into a jade slip with his spiritual sense, leaving no restrictions so anyone could learn it.
An Miaoli's eyes widened again. The True Phoenix Treasure Technique was a coveted technique, even if it was just a single move—something most cultivators could only dream of. And yet, Ye Chen was offering it so casually, not just to her but to Yuyi as well, so they could study it together.
All she'd asked was for him to show Yuyi more care, and he'd responded with both an Azure Hill Jade Bamboo Core and a piece of the True Phoenix Treasure Technique. The weight he placed on her words revealed the depth of his feelings.
Knowing he already possessed the True Dragon Treasure Technique, An Miaoli didn't refuse. Her heart swelled with emotion, almost urging her to offer to detoxify him again right then and there.
At the same moment, a familiar system notification chimed in Ye Chen's mind, as expected…