’My younger brother, Nie Tong, can’t cultivate his Qi Sea. I once taught him the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique so he could practice Body Refinement as a Demon Cultivator. Every detail about this person matches him perfectly!’

’But... my brother’s strength was so low. How could he possibly kill an Ultimate Venerable after we’ve only been apart for three or four months?’

’I’ve had my own fortuitous encounters; perhaps my brother has too...’

’I reached this level in just three or four months, so it’s entirely possible that Nie Tong also had some sort of encounter that caused his strength to advance by leaps and bounds!’

’I have to get to the Divine Holy Empire as soon as possible. If it really is my brother, we’ll fight side-by-side!’ Suppressing the shock in his heart, Nie Yun thought for a moment before turning to Tie Lan. "This information has been very useful. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave!"

With that said, his body blurred into a whirlwind and vanished from Tie Lan’s sight in an instant.

"Hey, wait! I still have more to say... You! That rotten Nie Yun! That jerk! I finally got to see you after waiting for so long, and you just leave this quickly? How infuriating!"

Tie Lan hadn’t expected the young man to leave the very instant he said he would, without even a moment’s hesitation. She stomped her feet again and again in frustration.

’First, I’ll go back and help Luoqing City improve her strength. Then, we’ll set off for the Divine Holy Empire!’

As he flew through the air, Nie Yun paid no mind to the furious Tie Lan. Having made his decision, he sped toward the Baihua Sect.

City Lord Luoo had disappeared along with Nie Yun’s parents. Now that he had a lead on his parents, there was a good chance he could find the City Lord as well. For that reason, he had to bring Luoqing City with him to the Divine Holy Empire.

In the time it took to draw a few breaths, Nie Yun was back at the small courtyard where Luoqing City resided.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The moment he entered the courtyard, Nie Yun felt an aura wash over him. It carried a rich floral fragrance, ethereal and dynamic, as it slowly converged.

"Who’s there?"

As he wondered what was happening, several figures instantly darted out from the surrounding yard. They were all young women dressed in white, presumably Luoqing City’s fellow disciples.

"Ah... Your Majesty! What brings you here?"

The young woman in the lead got a clear look at Nie Yun’s face, jumped in fright, and hurriedly fell to her knees.

It was none other than Luoqing City’s maidservant, Yalian.

"Why are there so many people here? What happened?"

Nie Yun raised an eyebrow.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Sect Leader ordered us to protect Senior Sister Qingcheng. Today, our senior sister has reached a critical juncture in her cultivation. We were afraid someone might disturb her, so we’ve been standing guard!" Yalian answered.

"A critical juncture?"

"Yes, Senior Sister Qingcheng is currently attempting to break through to the Qi Sect realm!" Yalian replied.

"Continue to stand guard out here. I’m going in to have a look." Hearing that Luoqing City was attempting her breakthrough to the Qi Sect, Nie Yun didn’t linger and strode toward the room.

’When I left, Luoqing City was at the Early-Stage Armor Realm. With over a month of unlimited resources from the Baihua Sect, it’s perfectly normal for her to have reached the Peak stage.’

"Yalian, is that really His Majesty, Nie Yun of the Empire?" As soon as Nie Yun had walked away, a few girls crowded around her, their dark eyes shimmering with an excitement one would expect from someone seeing their idol.

"Yes! That’s His Majesty!" Yalian nodded.

"He’s so young! And so charismatic!"

"He’s so handsome. No wonder Senior Sister Qingcheng pines for him day and night..."

"He truly is the Empire’s number one genius and top expert. Compared to him, all those other young heroes and so-called geniuses I’ve seen before are complete trash!"

"But of course! How could any of those guys we’ve met possibly compare to His Majesty? Someone like him only comes around once in ten thousand years. If I could win his favor, even for a single night of passion, I could die without any regrets!"

"A night of passion? Look at you, you hussy. Even if a man like His Majesty wanted a woman for a night, he would only choose someone like Senior Sister Qingcheng. He wouldn’t give you a second glance..."

The girls gazed at Nie Yun’s retreating figure, their adoration boundless. Each of them wished she could strip off her clothes and receive his favor.

"..."

Nie Yun’s power was immense; a casual sweep of his Spiritual Power could envelop the entire Baihua Sect. Hearing the girls’ conversation, he felt a wave of exasperation.

’Throughout the entire Empire, young men now see me as their goal, their idol, and they all cultivate desperately. Meanwhile, the young women see me as the object of their fantasies, all of them wanting to marry me. Hearing this kind of talk isn’t really anything new anymore.’

He pushed open the door to the room, and a peculiar fragrance rushed out to meet him. It was like a mix of orchid and musk. As the scent diffused, the entire room grew hazy, as if covered by a layer of morning mist.

’The Way of the Converging Shadow-Scent... this method of breaking through to the Qi Sect realm really is unique!’

’When one’s Qi Sea is cultivated to its absolute limit, they must achieve a confluence of a hundred rivers to become a First Generation Grandmaster. This requires a Cultivator to have a thorough understanding of various types of True Qi to succeed in their breakthrough.’

’However, to actually reach the Qi Sect realm, there is another method: cultivating a single Cultivation Technique to its absolute extreme!’

’The method of absorbing a hundred rivers is akin to using the stones of another mountain to polish one’s own jade; advancing to the Qi Sect this way is relatively simple. Cultivating a single Cultivation Technique to its limit, however, is exceptionally difficult. The fragrance diffusing through this room, thick enough to form a mist, points to only one possibility: Luoqing City isn’t using the confluence method. Instead, she is focusing on a single Cultivation Technique to attempt her breakthrough to the Qi Sect realm!’

’This method must be a Secret Technique of the Baihua Sect, one that follows the Way of the Converging Shadow-Scent. Judging by how the Baihua Sect Master caused flower petals to rain down and fragrance to fill the air with every move, she likely used the same technique.’

’Breaking through to the Qi Sect realm with a single Cultivation Technique is extremely difficult. I should lend her a hand.’

With a faint smile, Nie Yun strode toward the source of the mist.

Since he knew it was Luoqing City attempting a breakthrough, Nie Yun hadn’t bothered using his Tracking Qi to investigate. He took a few steps to the area where the fragrance was most concentrated, looked up, and his expression immediately turned very peculiar.

Luoqing City was indeed in the middle of her cultivation, and she was at a critical juncture.

’This breakthrough method... no wonder the Baihua Sect only accepts female disciples. There’s clearly a reason for that.’

Taking a deep breath to calm his flustered mind, Nie Yun quickly turned his head away.

PS: So, should he make his move? Should he? Or *should* he? If you want to see it happen, bring on the monthly tickets! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)