Luo Shuiling stood there with great difficulty.
A wave of dread surged straight into her heart. Her previously straightened back began to tremble again. One jade-like hand gently pressed against her head as her delicate brows furrowed tightly. In her daze, she felt as though she had made an extremely grave mistake.
For some reason, the youth’s desperate cries and pleas from that day echoed in her ears once more. It made her body feel cold.
Back when she had misunderstood him, she had found those pleas hypocritical and disgusting. He had clearly committed such a shameless act, yet still refused to admit it. That had filled her with both pain and anger.
But now, more than ten days later, with the truth revealed, she realized there had been no deception in the youth’s desperate pleas that day. He had probably been telling the truth. Yet she…
Luo Shuiling slowly squatted down, feeling an inexplicable tightness in her chest. The joy from discovering that her primordial yin remained had been completely washed away.
“Don’t… don’t… Senior Sister, please believe me… believe me…”
“I didn’t disrespect you… You have to believe me…”
Yun Hao’s tear-streaked face as he sobbed resurfaced in Luo Shuiling’s mind, continuously tearing at her heart.
She suddenly felt a surge of regret and sharp pain. Looking back now, the youth’s expression that day had clearly been filled with sincerity and urgency. So why had she insisted on believing that Yun Hao had defiled her purity?
He had stayed by her side for two years. She knew him better than anyone. The youth was not that kind of person.
Luo Shuiling lightly bit her silver teeth and forced herself to calm down. The deep fear gradually faded as rationality returned, and the bone-chilling cold slowly dissipated. She buried her emotions back into the depths of her heart.
But her hand remained pressed against her chest. The dull ache continued to torment her quietly. Yun Hao’s crying face lingered in her mind for a long time, refusing to fade.
“……”
Luo Shuiling gently closed her eyes and exhaled a turbid breath. She managed to pull her scattered thoughts back together somewhat.
Looking back now, what she had done to Yun Hao that day had indeed been excessive…
But it was also understandable. After all, the upcoming sect grand competition concerned the fate of the entire sect master’s lineage. There was no room for error.
Moreover, it had only been an… accident. She thought for a moment and deliberately used the word “accident” instead of “mistake” to cover for herself. Since it was the first accident between her and Yun Hao, their relationship could still be mended.
After all, the youth had always respected and admired her so deeply…
Luo Shuiling was making excuses for herself.
She steadied herself and wanted to go out and bring Yun Hao back. But the moment she moved, she stopped again, a question rising in her heart.
How was she supposed to bring it up?
She was the one who had driven Yun Hao out that day. She was also the one who had declared that their relationship was over. Yet now, several days later, she was supposed to tell the youth that it had been an accident and that they should reconcile… Wouldn’t that be improper?
Her strong pride made it impossible for her to say the words asking Yun Hao to return. After all, doing so would be equivalent to apologizing.
Luo Shuiling paced back and forth in front of the elegant pavilion, her mind constantly searching for a way to bring Yun Hao back without losing face.
But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a good solution.
She gently raised her head. The wooden house where Yun Hao used to live unconsciously entered her line of sight. Luo Shuiling’s beautiful eyes lit up slightly as an idea formed in her mind.
She couldn’t bring herself to speak first, but Yun Hao could. She was the one who had brought the youth to the Proud Sword Sect. The only place he had to go was here. So he would most likely return eventually.
As long as the youth came back, she wouldn’t mention what happened. She would treat him well and make it up to him. Then everything could be considered in the past. She would still be the understanding eldest senior sister, and Yun Hao would still be the obedient junior brother. They could return to the comfortable days they once had.
The more Luo Shuiling thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Her beautiful eyes regained their former brilliance. She let out a soft breath of relief, and the dull pain in her heart seemed to lessen somewhat as well.
She glanced toward the Back Mountain. Two quarters of an hour had already passed since her master had called for her. If she didn’t go soon, her master might start getting anxious.
Luo Shuiling no longer hesitated. She suppressed the wavering in her heart, circulated her spiritual power, and flew toward the Back Mountain at full speed on her sword. She could have flown normally without drawing attention, but the fact that her primordial yin remained had made her far too happy. Combined with the solution she had come up with regarding Yun Hao, she poured all her spiritual power into her flight, releasing her emotions.
Under the full activation of her spiritual power, the Ice Jade Physique activated on its own. For a moment, an icy blue radiance illuminated the originally gloomy sky, while a bone-piercing chill spread across every peak she flew over.
Many disciples below stopped to watch. Even some outer sect elders raised their heads to look at the swift, proud figure streaking across the sky. Their eyes were filled with envy.
So this was what a heaven’s favorite with a special physique was like? Just the pressure from circulating her spiritual power was already this strong. If she were to truly fight, probably no one in the same realm could match her.
Even those one realm above her would likely suffer a crushing defeat if they were careless against her.
Before long, Luo Shuiling arrived at the Back Mountain of the sect. She withdrew the brilliant spiritual power around her and respectfully bowed.
“Master, your disciple has arrived.”
Space fluctuated, and an oval entrance opened. Jiang Shu’er’s slightly tired voice came from within.
“Come in, Shuiling.”
Hearing her master’s call, Luo Shuiling didn’t linger and quickly entered Jiang Shu’er’s spiritual abode.
She was slightly taken aback when she saw her master. Jiang Shu’er’s originally charming face now showed traces of fatigue. She was lying on her side on a stone bed, her aura somewhat weak.
Luo Shuiling felt worried. Her master was a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator with one foot already in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Logically, her energy should have been at its peak. How could she look so exhausted? This wasn’t normal.
With some concern, she hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Master… Did something happen?”
Hearing her disciple’s concern, Jiang Shu’er revealed a faint, gratified smile and shook her head. She then took out a pure crystal from her qi sea.
“Nothing happened. I just went out and obtained a Foundation Repairing Stone.”
“…Master… You didn’t have to go through so much trouble.”
Luo Shuiling felt somewhat distressed. After hesitating, she still spoke up.
“This disciple naturally has some methods of her own…”
Jiang Shu’er didn’t take her words seriously. She simply assumed her disciple was being stubborn again. After all, she had always been proud since childhood and didn’t like accepting help from others.
She smiled gently, her beautiful eyes filled with the care of an elder for her junior.
“I know you have your own methods, but as your master, I should still help you within my power.”
With that, Jiang Shu’er gently pushed the Foundation Repairing Stone toward Luo Shuiling with her spiritual power.
“Take this Foundation Repairing Stone. When you return, see if it can help repair some of the damage to your immortal foundation. This way, you’ll have more confidence in the upcoming sect grand competition.”
The transparent crystal floated gently in front of Luo Shuiling. Looking at her tired master, her nose stung slightly.
Luo Shuiling naturally knew about the Foundation Repairing Stone. She had used one before. This kind of spiritual object, born at the beginning of heaven and earth, was incredibly precious. There were only a few left in the world. Even though her master spoke lightly of it, she had probably gone through considerable difficulty to obtain it.
Luo Shuiling solemnly accepted the stone. Looking into her master’s eyes, she promised,
“This disciple will not disappoint you, Master!”
After that, she bowed and withdrew.
Jiang Shu’er watched the high-spirited Luo Shuiling leave and nodded slightly in satisfaction. This Foundation Repairing Stone had been snatched from a group of old monsters, some of whom were like her — half a step into the Tribulation Transcendence Realm.
It had not been easy for her to bring it back successfully.
Jiang Shu’er gently closed her eyes as she watched Luo Shuiling’s departing figure. She had already done everything she could. The rest would depend on Luo Shuiling herself.
Luo Shuiling soon returned to Sect Master Peak from the Back Mountain. She immediately sat down cross-legged and cleared her mind of distracting thoughts.
Ever since that day, she had fallen into a state of half self-abandonment and still hadn’t checked the condition of her immortal foundation. She wasn’t very clear about its current state.
Luo Shuiling slowly sank her consciousness inward and carefully sensed the changes in her immortal foundation. Gradually, her expression became strange.
Her immortal foundation… seemed to have been completely repaired?
She could hardly believe it. After all, there had been an accident before. She examined it carefully. The once-round immortal foundation now emitted a faint glow. The cracks that had previously appeared were long gone, replaced by a gentle white light that had filled them in.
Luo Shuiling sensed that white immortal foundation energy. It emitted a soft radiance and had perfectly fused with her own icy-blue immortal foundation, without the slightest rejection or flaw.
She became excited in an instant. This white immortal foundation energy must have belonged to Yun Hao. In the end, he had still helped her completely repair it!
An uncontrollable joy appeared on Luo Shuiling’s delicate face. There were still several months until the grand competition, and now her immortal foundation was as good as new.
She could use this time to attempt a breakthrough. Even if she couldn’t reach the Soul Division Realm, she could at least advance further within the Dao Integration Realm. That way, she would have even more confidence.
Previously, she hadn’t dared to break through because of the damage to her immortal foundation. Forcing a breakthrough could result in severe damage to her cultivation at best, or complete destruction of her path at worst.
Now that this hidden danger was gone, she could cultivate without worry.
In truth, Luo Shuiling felt that even without breaking through, she already had over an eighty percent chance of winning the grand competition. Because she could now circulate her spiritual power at full strength for extended periods without worrying about damaging her immortal foundation.
But to be safe, she still decided to attempt another breakthrough.
A faint joy rose in her heart. She had to admit, this was all thanks to Yun Hao. The words she had spoken in the past resurfaced in her mind.
After she won the sect grand competition and reclaimed the position of Holy Maiden, she would properly compensate the youth.
Now, Luo Shuiling felt that this idea could be realized ahead of time. She didn’t need to wait until she won the grand competition. She would start compensating Yun Hao right now and keep him by her side, treating him well.
Luo Shuiling thought about it and calculated the time. The youth should be coming to find her soon. She left behind a strand of spiritual power that enveloped the entire Sect Master Peak.
The moment Yun Hao stepped onto the peak, she would know. When that time came, she would personally come out to welcome him. She would offer him a cup of clear tea. That could also be considered a subtle way of expressing her apology.
The more Luo Shuiling thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Her consciousness slowly sank into cultivation.