Chapter 68: Wen Yueyao

Jiang Ye stretched his limbs, feeling the unprecedented solidity beneath his skin, and nodded in satisfaction.

This was only the beginning.

Later came Copper Skin, Iron Body, and Golden Vajra.

Each realm was a complete transformation.

“With this hardening art, how did this improve too...”

Jiang Ye lowered his gaze slightly, glancing downward, an expression of shock crossing his aged face.

Even Stone Skin alone has this effect—what would happen upon reaching Golden Vajra? Who could withstand it?!

Unconsciously, he flashed on Xu Qinghuan’s limp, boneless form.

Maybe this woman could.

In some ways, this woman was even stronger than Liu Yiyi and Su Yan.

Indeed, everyone’s strengths are different...

As Jiang Ye was lost in random thoughts, a sudden, urgent voice came from outside the door—Lü Ming’s chubby one, loud and breathless.

“Master Jiang! Something huge has happened!!!”

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, then calmly redressed himself before opening the wooden door.

Outside, Lü Ming stood panting, his round face flushed with urgency.

“What’s the big crisis now? Did Chen Lili get bitten by the fire centipede too?”

After all, the last time Lü Ming rushed over with bad news, it was Fang Ming, that sycophant, who’d been killed by the fire centipede.

Jiang Ye naturally assumed it was something similar.

“How could that be? Sister Chen isn’t as foolish as Fang Ming.”

Lü Ming shook his head like a rattle drum, then took a deep breath to steady his panting before speaking:

“It’s Sister Wen! She cultivated Qi for seven days, condensed it into a core, and entered the Condensed Core realm!”

“This news is already spreading like wildfire across Tianyangfeng—it’ll reach the entire Tianqing Sect any moment!”

He paused, his face glowing with excitement and pride:

“You’re close to Sister Wen, so I came straight to tell you!”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye froze slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes: “That little girl, Wen Yueyao, entered the Condensed Core realm?!”

He was astonished.

Condensing Qi into a core after only seven days of cultivation? Could the Condensed Core realm really be that easy to reach?

After a moment of stunned silence, a smile spread across his face as he nodded slowly: “Hmm, this truly is good news.”

If that little girl broke through to Condensed Core, she’d soon gather enough merit points to exchange for the Qi Condensation scripture for me.

Lü Ming clearly misinterpreted Jiang Ye’s smile; he chuckled, leaned closer, and lowered his voice:

“Exactly! This is absolutely huge!!!”

“Sister Wen condensed Qi into a core after just seven days—this speed isn’t just unprecedented on Tianyangfeng...”

“Even across the entire Tianqing Sect, it’s unmatched!”

“Although Tianyangfeng does have one true disciple, Senior Brother Zheng Feng.”

“But everyone can see that Sister Wen’s potential far surpasses Senior Brother Zheng Feng’s!”

He grew more excited, his eyes gleaming:

“Unless something unexpected happens, Sister Wen is the next candidate for Tianyangfeng’s Sect Master.”

“Master Jiang, since you’re close to Sister Wen, your status will rise with hers!”

“When you’re well-off, don’t forget to lift up your old colleagues like me and Sister Chen!”

The boy was shrewd—he dared not ask for favors for himself outright, so he dragged Chen Lili in too.

Jiang Ye watched him, amused, and shook his head: “I’m already an old man—what prosperity could I possibly have?”

“Hey, Master Jiang, that’s not right.”

Lü Ming shook his head like a rattle drum, solemnly saying: “You look like a man destined to live a hundred years! If you succeed in Qi Condensation and reach Condensed Core, you’ll live another fifty years at least!”

Jiang Ye was about to reply when—

A graceful figure approached steadily from afar.

Her form was light and agile; each step sent her full chest swaying with a breathtaking rhythm through the air.

As she drew nearer, the surrounding air grew subtly hot, as if an invisible flame were approaching.

The woman was none other than Wen Yueyao.

“My heavens! It’s Sister Wen!”

Seeing her, Lü Ming’s face instantly filled with shock.

He knew Master Jiang had been introduced by Wen Yueyao and that they were acquainted.

But he never expected Wen Yueyao to come find Jiang Ye so soon after breaking through to Condensed Core.

Their relationship must be extraordinary...

His mind raced, and his resolve to cling tightly to Jiang Ye’s coattails grew stronger.

Still, he knew his place.

He knew when to show himself and when to vanish.

“Master Jiang, Sister Wen’s here for you—I’ll take my leave.”

Lü Ming bowed to Jiang Ye, then turned to Wen Yueyao and bowed deeply with respect: “Congratulations, Sister Wen, on your breakthrough to Condensed Core!”

“Mm.”

Wen Yueyao nodded slightly, her gaze already fixed on Jiang Ye.

Lü Ming took his leave with quick, respectful steps, his figure vanishing at the end of the herb garden path.

“Congratulations, Miss Wen!” Jiang Ye grinned and bowed to her. “I just heard you broke through to Condensed Core, and here you are already.”

“Hahaha!”

Wen Yueyao stepped before Jiang Ye and laughed brightly, her smile as radiant as ever.

Her aura radiated heat, yet remained perfectly controlled—her realm was already stable.

“After my breakthrough, the Sect granted me thirty thousand merit points!”

She winked, her face tinged with pride and mischief: “I figured Old Master Jiang must be waiting impatiently, so I came right over!”

“You’re too kind to think of me, Miss Wen.”

Jiang Ye smiled, silently nodding in approval.

This little girl truly had integrity.

Saving her life back then was the right choice.

“Come on! Old Master Jiang, I’ll take you straight to the Service Hall to transfer my merit points to you—then you can go to the Scripture Hall and exchange them for the Qi Condensation scripture!”

Wen Yueyao laughed cheerfully and turned to walk away.

This girl still acted with decisive speed—no hesitation, no delay.

Jiang Ye smiled and followed, the two walking one behind the other along the mountain path toward Judingfeng.

On the way, Wen Yueyao suddenly remembered something and turned to ask: “By the way, Old Master Jiang, how much do you know about Qi Condensation scriptures?”

At this, Jiang Ye’s aged face flushed slightly with embarrassment as he chuckled and shook his head: “I know almost nothing.”

“Of course.”

Wen Yueyao wore an expression of “I knew it.”

Warriors from small counties like Jiang Ye had no access to information about Qi Condensation scriptures.

“Old Master Jiang, let me explain briefly.”

Wen Yueyao turned her head slightly.

“Thank you, Miss Wen—I’d be grateful.”

Jiang Ye bowed respectfully, his expression growing serious.

Wen Yueyao spoke slowly and softly:

“Qi Condensation scriptures primarily focus on nurturing the Five Elements’ true qi!”

“For example, Tianyangfeng specializes in fire-element true qi—within the Tianqing Sect, there are three Qi Condensation scriptures for cultivating fire qi!”

“They are the Great Expansion Sunfire Qi Condensation Scripture, the Furnace Truefire Qi Condensation Scripture, and the Earth Vein Truefire Qi Condensation Scripture.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye paused and asked: “What’s the difference between these three?”

Wen Yueyao’s expression grew serious: “The differences are vast—they determine whether you can even cultivate true qi and reach Condensed Core.”

“The Great Expansion Sunfire Qi Condensation Scripture is the hardest of the three to cultivate fire qi, because it draws upon the sun’s celestial yang fire!”

As she spoke, she lifted her gaze to the blazing sun overhead.

The sunlight was blinding, yet she did not flinch, her voice steady: “Unless a warrior possesses extraordinary talent and fortune, it’s nearly impossible to cultivate yang fire qi from the sun’s radiance!”

Jiang Ye followed her gaze upward, squinting against the glare—but within his eyes flickered an unusual gleam.

Huh!

So it draws fire qi from sunlight...

That sounds interesting.

Wen Yueyao lowered her gaze and continued:

“The Furnace Truefire Qi Condensation Scripture is the easiest of the three to cultivate fire qi, because it uses a furnace to directly absorb heat from the flames.”

“Eight or nine out of ten disciples on Tianyangfeng choose this scripture!”

As she spoke, her gaze shifted slightly.

There, numerous furnaces burned fiercely, flames leaping, and even from this distance, the heat could be felt.

“So that’s how it is.”

Jiang Ye nodded slightly.

When he first arrived at Tianyangfeng, he had been curious about why so many furnaces were placed on the mountain.

Wen Yueyao continued: “The Earth Vein True Fire Qi Cultivation Method is also quite difficult, for it requires cultivating fire energy deep within the earth veins.”

Her expression grew more serious:

“The depths of the earth veins are hard to reach, and such places often harbor demonic beasts...”

After speaking, she turned to look at Jiang Ye, her gaze sincere:

“Master Jiang, I chose the Furnace True Fire Qi Cultivation Method, and I recommend you choose this one too!”

“The one I least recommend is the Great Sun Heavenly Flame Qi Cultivation Method—do not choose it. Since the founding of Tianqing Sect, fewer than ten fingers’ worth of people have ever successfully cultivated fire energy and formed a Golden Core using it!”

“Those who succeeded were all prodigies or had extraordinary luck.”

“For an ordinary person, choosing it is merely a waste of time.”

Jiang Ye nodded thoughtfully, his face expressionless.

Hmm.

I’ll choose the Great Sun Heavenly Flame Qi Cultivation Method!

Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a waste of his talent?