Chapter 10: The Seal Within

Xiao Jihan placed the spirit stones and clothing into his mustard seed pouch, then looked up at Yan Shu and said, “If you have other matters, Master, you may return first.”

Yan Shu, who seemed to lose favor points just by looking at him, was more than happy to leave at once. She nodded immediately. “Very well.”

She summoned her flying sword and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After she left, the steward of the General Hall accepted the three mid-grade spirit stones before him and snorted, “Becoming Elder Yan’s personal companion really is different—three mid-grade spirit stones are nothing to him. It’s true, with a pretty face, everything becomes easier.”

At these words, Xiao Jihan’s phoenix eyes grew cold. He stared at the steward, sneering. “You’re right, Senior Brother—it is much easier. Unfortunately, you want it but cannot have it.”

With that, Xiao Jihan withdrew his sneer and strode away.

Behind him, the steward spat disdainfully, “Bah! He’s nothing but a bedwarmer! Even with Elder Yan’s protection, trash is still trash!”

Xiao Jihan ignored the words trailing behind him and headed toward the Alchemy Pavilion.

Within the sect, disciples received a monthly stipend, but likewise, if you needed anything, you had to exchange spirit stones for it. Of course, if you obtained something by chance, it belonged to you.

Xiao Jihan entered the Alchemy Pavilion. The steward there was an elder, who showed little reaction upon seeing him and simply asked, “What are you here to exchange for?”

“An alchemy furnace,” Xiao Jihan replied.

The steward opened a register, and in an instant, the images of all available furnaces appeared in the air above, each marked with its grade and the spirit stones required for exchange.

Xiao Jihan examined them and produced twenty mid-grade spirit stones from his person. “I want to exchange for the Immaculate Furnace.”

“You have a good eye, young man. The Immaculate Furnace can be used for both alchemy and forging weapons.”

The elder took the spirit stones and handed him the Immaculate Furnace. “There’s just one thing to note: the Immaculate Furnace can only handle up to third-grade pills and artifacts. Anything higher, and it will be destroyed under the strain.”

Only after Yan Shu had given him the jade slip today did Xiao Jihan obtain a method for alchemy. The Immaculate Furnace had already cost him all the spirit stones he had saved, and the materials he possessed were only enough for practice.

He could not even refine a first-grade pill, let alone a third-grade one.

Xiao Jihan accepted the Immaculate Furnace and thanked the elder before leaving the Alchemy Pavilion. After a moment’s hesitation, he summoned the flying sword Yan Shu had gifted him and headed toward Supreme Peak.

At that very moment, in the bedchamber of the Supreme Peak’s main hall, Yan Shu sat cross-legged, circulating her spiritual power through the major and minor cycles.

When she struck out earlier with her palm, she had distinctly sensed a seal within her body, suppressing her cultivation to the Golden Core stage.

This detail was never mentioned in the novel; Yan Shu could not discern whether the seal existed because of her arrival, or if it had always been there.

Her divine sense followed the flow of spiritual power within, quickly locating the seal. She tried to break it with her spiritual power, only to sense a familiar aura. A strand of divine sense emerged from the seal and materialized before her.

This was... the fallen master of the Celestial Heaven Sect?

The former sect master hovered in the air, his transparent form frowning at her, his voice cold. “You act swiftly. I have only recently perished, and you already dare to attempt soul usurpation!”

Soul usurpation?

“No, no, it isn’t me!” Yan Shu hurriedly explained. “I am not from this world and have no idea how I ended up in this body. If you can send me back, I will leave this instant!”

At her words, the sect master looked somewhat surprised. He slowly reached out and touched her brow.

Yan Shu had no idea what he intended, but she obediently closed her eyes, allowing a stream of spiritual power to enter her through her brow and circulate within her mind.

After a while, the former sect master withdrew his hand, and Yan Shu opened her eyes, gazing at him with hope. “So? Can I return?”

“No.” The sect master’s form seemed even fainter now. He looked at her with a complicated expression. “From now on, you are bound to this body. Should it perish, you will vanish completely.”

Yan Shu had somewhat anticipated this outcome, but hearing it confirmed left her disheartened.

The sect master regarded her and said solemnly, “I probed your memories—only fragments, but enough to grasp the gist. You came to this world from another, which is fate’s decree, and the heavens’ mercy for the Celestial Heaven Sect.”

With that, he bowed deeply to her. “The fate of the Celestial Heaven Sect now rests entirely upon your shoulders, miss.”

Hearing this, Yan Shu felt tremendous pressure. She reached to support him, but her hand passed through empty air.

She forced a wry smile. “Since my own life is at stake, I will do all I can.”

The sect master straightened and, seeing the troubled look on her face, fell silent for a moment before speaking. “Since fate has brought you here, there must be hope. Your first task is to resolve the seal within your body. I left it at the end of my life.”

“It was to prevent Yan’er from falling into demonic ways and bringing disaster, and also to prevent soul usurpation. Thus, I left my divine sense and the seal, exhausting the last of my cultivation. Should a heart demon possess her or someone attempt usurpation, the seal would activate and suppress this body’s power below the Nascent Soul stage. To save yourself and the Celestial Heaven Sect, you must break this seal.”

So it was the seal suppressing her cultivation, not her own incompetence.

Yan Shu felt much relieved and spoke, “Then please, Master, break the seal for me.”

In her view, since the sect master had set the seal, surely he could undo it. But to her surprise, after she spoke, he remained silent for a long time.

Yan Shu: ????

A hint of guilt appeared on his face. “The seal was meant to prevent catastrophe and was not left with a method to undo it...”

Seeing her eyes widen, he hastily added, “But it’s not entirely hopeless. I can leave a final strand of my divine sense to assist you. Once you reach the Soul Transformation stage on your own, I can help you break the seal. Or else…”

“Or else what?” she asked.

“Or else, seek a man whose cultivation is above the Soul Transformation stage for dual cultivation. With his primordial yang, I can use the power within to help you break the seal.”

Yan Shu: o_o ….

So, not only would she lose her life, but her chastity as well?

The sect master cleared his throat. “I understand this is hard for you to accept, but in the cultivation world, dual cultivation is common. My disciples all have cultivations above the Soul Transformation stage. If you do not mind…”

“I do mind!” Yan Shu was utterly speechless. After inheriting the original host’s memories, she had become emotionally connected to her, and the four senior brothers were all like elders to her. Her sense of aesthetics and morality would never allow it!