Hearing this, Xu Qingyao was overjoyed. However, she maintained her earlier expression, only adding a touch of excitement and helplessness.
“Senior Sister, is it really possible?”
Liu Ruyan sneered inwardly. Keep pretending, will you.
“This is an opportunity that can directly help you break through to the Nascent Soul realm. Do you want it or not?”
Xu Qingyao understood Liu Ruyan, and Liu Ruyan understood her junior sister just as well. Even though she knew Xu Qingyao had always harbored ambitions of catching up to her, she bore no genuine malice toward Liu Ruyan and was genuinely devoted to the Qinglian Sect.
To improve the sect’s core strength, Liu Ruyan didn’t mind sharing a piece of the pie with her junior sister. Previously, she focused solely on her personal advancement, but now that her priorities had shifted toward the sect’s development, her attitude naturally changed.
Besides, with her overwhelming strength, she didn’t mind extending a hand.
“Yes! I want it!” Xu Qingyao responded immediately, flashing a fawning smile as she wiped away her tears. “Senior Sister, may I ask what this opportunity is…?”
“I’ll tell you, but first, you must swear an oath to the *Heavenly Dao. Whatever you learn today cannot be revealed to anyone else, not even a single word.”
[*Heavenly dao refers to nature and the cosmos, an implication which can be traced to the earliest classics of ancient China. In the Zhouyi周易 (“Zhou Book of Changes”), we find one such early expres- sion of this meaning in the phrase, “That which is above material form is called.].
“What?” Xu Qingyao froze.
She hadn’t even seen anything yet, and she already had to make an oath?
The Heavenly Dao Oath wasn’t something to take lightly. Once sworn, it would automatically invoke a response from the heavens. Cultivators were always extremely cautious about making such vows, as they dared not break them.
Seeing her hesitation, Liu Ruyan said indifferently, “If you don’t want to swear, that’s fine. You can leave.”
After weighing her options, Xu Qingyao finally let her desire to break through take precedence. She gritted her teeth, circulating her spiritual energy, and raised three fingers high. Her voice was steady and resolute:
“I, Xu Qingyao, hereby swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao that I will not divulge anything I learn today from my Senior Sister. Should I break this vow, may I face total annihilation of body and soul, never to enter reincarnation!”
This was the most severe form of Heavenly Dao Oath, showcasing her absolute sincerity.
Liu Ruyan nodded in satisfaction. After a brief pause, she explained everything to Xu Qingyao in the same manner as she had with Nangong Ling.
“You’ll see the results at midnight tonight. Try it for yourself. By the way, remember to return the sect master’s token to me tomorrow morning after you’re done.”
Liu Ruyan knew what she was doing wasn’t entirely honorable, so she finished her explanation in one breath. Without waiting for Xu Qingyao’s reaction, she tossed the sect master’s token into her arms and used a powerful spell to throw her out of the hall.
The sun rose and set, and the day passed in the blink of an eye.
Ding! You’ve successfully meditated for two days, earning 111,100 cultivation experience points. The experience has been stored in the experience pool.
The system notification rang on time.
“Has it already been two days?” Ning Chen closed the system light screen that had been displaying an anime from his previous life.
“I didn’t sleep at all today. I should get some rest.”
Previously, his cultivation had been sealed, leaving him unable to perform even the simplest circulation of energy. He could only sit still, and if not for his strong willpower, he would have gone insane over the past century.
Fortunately, he recently discovered that the system his Blue Star mother had tailored for his predicament came with various entertaining features.
Thus, he spent half his time gaming and the other half watching videos, thoroughly enjoying himself. For the first time in a hundred years, Ning Chen felt that time could pass so quickly.
With something to kill his boredom, he felt like he could remain in seclusion for eternity.
However, just as Ning Chen closed his eyes for two minutes, he reopened them. He couldn’t fall asleep.
He realized he had been foolish. His Supreme Sun-Moon Saint Body naturally refreshed itself at midnight, leaving him unable to sleep at such times.
“Well, guess I’ll keep staying awake.”
If he wanted to, he could stay awake forever and live eternally. Life was simply unfair like that.
Just as he was about to resume watching a few more episodes, he heard footsteps outside his quarters.
Ning Chen’s face darkened. Seriously? Again?!
Was it the same “junior sister” as yesterday?
He wasn’t interested. He had already reaped all the benefits; whether it was Liu Ruyan or Nangong Ling, it didn’t matter—they were just wasting time.
Leaning lazily against the bedframe, Ning Chen stared silently at the door. Might as well get this over with quickly. I have unlimited time and energy, so it’s no loss to me.
The footsteps grew louder.
Soon, a figure entered Ning Chen’s view.
It was a woman with long, deep purple hair styled into an intricate updo, held in place by three jade hairpins adorned with tassels.
Her features were alluring, with slender willow-like brows and fox-like eyes. A teardrop-shaped mole under her left eye added a unique charm, making her beauty even more captivating.
She wore a sheer, light-colored veil that clung to her voluptuous figure, exuding a mature and seductive aura.
Her outfit was particularly striking. The translucent fabric wrapped multiple times around her arms, waist, and legs, while her chest and lower abdomen were barely covered with just a single layer.
The scene was striking without needing further description.
Ning Chen’s newly awakened Sun-Moon Eyes temporarily couldn’t be used, but they had significantly enhanced his vision. Even in the darkness, he could see every detail of the woman before him.
Her beauty was entirely different from Liu Ruyan or Nangong Ling’s.
The woman noticed Ning Chen as well. After a brief pause, she smiled warmly, her tone as gentle as water.
“Martial Nephew, your Martial Aunt has come to visit you.”