At Liu Meng's fingertips, streams of spiritual energy flickered as she channeled a sub-technique of her Mysterious Yin Art into the mind of the Qi Refining third-layer cultivator before her.So long as he chose to circulate it, the technique would etch itself into his soul, branding him with her mark, and he would become her third servant of equal cultivation.
Yet to her surprise, the man clenched his jaw and refused.Even as the profound scripture surged through his sea of consciousness, crashing again and again, he would not move. He would not cultivate.
He actually resisted
Liu Meng frowned slightly.This was the first time she had encountered such defiance.
All those before—be they handmaidens or prisoners—had trembled before her "immortal" aura, desperate not to miss such a heaven-bestowed opportunity.But this man, though he possessed spiritual energy, should have known resistance meant only death.And still… he refused.
For once, she found herself at an impasse.If she killed him, she would need to seek out another "furnace," wasting who knew how many days. Worse yet—would this disappoint Su Meier?But if she spared him… how was she to bend him?
As uncertainty clouded her thoughts, a languid voice drifted down from the high platform.
"Do as she says."
Su Meier's tone was soft, yet a ripple of strange spiritual power spread with her words.
Before Liu Meng could even react, the man who had been desperately resisting suddenly grew vacant-eyed, his gaze hollow as if his soul had been stripped away.In the next instant, he sat cross-legged involuntarily, and began circulating the very technique he had sworn to resist—the Mysterious Yin Art!
Liu Meng's pupils contracted sharply.This was… Su Meier's power?To command the heart with a single word?
What cultivation could Su Meier possibly have…?
Before her shock had even settled, Liu Meng suddenly felt it: a bond forming, invisible yet undeniable, between herself and the man.Within his soul, her unique mark had taken root.
Her third servant—was complete!
Boom!
At that moment, an immense surge of spiritual power erupted from within Liu Meng's body.She understood instantly—her time had come. The moment of breakthrough was here!
"Calm your mind, guard your core," Su Meier's voice rang out at just the right moment."Draw upon the strength of your three servants, merge it into your dantian, and shatter the bottleneck in one decisive strike!"
Liu Meng dared not hesitate. At once, she sat cross-legged, circulating her technique in full.
She could feel them—three faint spiritual vortices forming around her, resonating with her own inner flow.Drawn by these currents, her spiritual power grew more violent, more ferocious, surging like a flood.
Without delay, she guided this torrent again and again against the invisible shackles within her.Cracks began to form—tiny at first, but widening, spreading. The barrier was close to breaking!
Almost there… just one step…
Her senses screamed that she was already half a foot into the mid stage of Qi Refining. All she needed was the final push.
But then—a crushing fatigue swept over her.Her body trembled.The repeated assaults had nearly drained her completely; nine-tenths of her energy was already gone, leaving her on the verge of collapse.
At this rate, she would fail. The breakthrough would shatter, leaving her in ruins.
In that desperate moment, she instinctively reached out to the three vortices swirling at her side.
Help me!
Instantly, far outside the cave dwelling, Liu Six and Liu Eight both jolted violently.They could feel it—their spiritual power was vanishing, rushing out of their bodies like a flood through a shattered dam!
Such a bizarre occurrence would have left any normal cultivator in utter panic. They would have resisted, clawed to preserve their hard-earned power.
But Liu Six and Liu Eight were not true cultivators.Like Liu Meng, they were only fragments of Liu Ming himself.
Between avatars—what need was there to cling to sacrifice?
Sensing the pull, instead of resisting, they released control, even guiding their energy faster toward her, willingly offering up their strength.
Boom!
Two vast torrents of power, and a smaller one, broke through space itself and surged into Liu Meng's dantian.The dried-up lake within her body roared back to life.
With their aid, her body shuddered violently—then the bottleneck shattered!
A wave of power far greater than before burst forth from within her.
Qi Refining, fourth layer!She had broken through to the mid stage!
Liu Meng steadied herself, breathing slowly, her expression unreadable.She had not expected this breakthrough—something she thought simple—to become so perilous.
"Well done," Su Meier said with satisfaction. "Never before have I seen one ascend to mid-stage Qi Refining with such smoothness. It seems you have already grasped the art of drawing upon external power. Truly a genius worthy of my eye."
Inwardly, Liu Meng exhaled in relief.Her success was one thing—but her fortune lay in her servants being none other than her own avatars.Had they been others, instinct would have made them resist. Instead, they had given freely, allowing her to uphold her image as a "genius."
Keeping her composure, she bowed respectfully."Thank you, Master, for your guidance."
"Go," Su Meier waved lightly. "Report to the Mission Hall, confirm your cultivation, and receive your disciple's token. With it, you may enter the Scripture Pavilion once per month. But in return, you must also complete a sect mission each month. Do you understand?"
"Disciple understands!"
Excitement flared in Liu Meng's heart.The Scripture Pavilion!At last, she would step into the Scripture Pavilion!
Qin Shuang's sinister technique had left her deeply scarred, yet it had also opened her eyes.If within the Pavilion she could find other techniques—great in power yet dangerous in cost—then her avatars could cultivate them in her stead.
And if so… she would gain safeguards of unimaginable strength.After all, the backlash fell only upon her avatars—never upon her true self.