The afternoon sun cast long shadows across Jade Lotus Peak as Yu Xiang settled into her cultivation position on the pristine white stone platform.

Her violet eyes reflected the dancing light filtering through the ancient jade formations, while her long black hair caught the breeze like silk ribbons.

She had been looking forward to this moment for weeks—finally, a chance to properly absorb the breakthrough pill that Emperor Tianlong had given her.

The bottleneck loosening pill still pulsed with spiritual energy in her dantian, waiting to be fully integrated through focused meditation.

'Today, I'll break through to Late Core Formation,' she thought, adjusting her flowing robes around her elegant form. 'Once I reach that level, I can begin planning how to convince Emperor for anotger help.'

Just as she was about to enter deep meditation, the sound of approaching footsteps made her frown.

The heavy, uneven gait was unmistakably familiar, accompanied by a stench that made her delicate nose wrinkle in disgust.

Zhao Chen appeared at the edge of her private platform, his once-pristine robes now stained and wrinkled from weeks of living in the horse stables.

His golden hair, which had always been perfectly maintained, now hung limp and unwashed around his face.

But it was the smell that truly assaulted her senses—a pungent mixture of horse manure, straw, and unwashed sweat that clung to him like a miasma.

"What are you doing?" Yu Xiang asked, her voice sharp with irritation as she covered her nose with her sleeve.

Zhao Chen's bronze eyes flashed with barely contained fury as he stalked closer, his movements jerky with suppressed rage.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm here to cultivate, obviously."

She blinked in disbelief, taking in his disheveled appearance and the dense spiritual energy radiating from his body. Despite his poor hygiene, she could sense that his cultivation had indeed progressed—he was now at the peak of Early Core Formation, just one step away from breaking through to the middle stage.

"You can't cultivate here," she said firmly, rising from her meditation pose. "This is my private platform. Besides, in your current state, you'll only contaminate the spiritual formations."

His jaw clenched, a vein pulsing visibly at his temple.

"Contaminate? You think I'm some kind of filth?"

"Well..." Yu Xiang gestured vaguely at his appearance, her meaning clear.

Zhao Chen's fists tightened until his knuckles went white. The month of humiliation, of sleeping with horses, of being treated like a servant—it all came rushing back in a wave of bitter resentment.

"Fine," he spat, dropping into a cultivation position right there on the platform despite her protests. "But I'm not leaving until I break through. Not just to Middle Core Formation either—I'm going straight to Peak Core Formation in one sitting."

Yu Xiang's violet eyes widened in shock.

"That's impossible! Breaking through two major stages in a single cultivation session? Even with the best pills and resources, that kind of advancement would take weeks, maybe months of careful preparation."

Chen's lips curved into a cold smile.

"Impossible for ordinary people, maybe. But I'm not ordinary." He closed his eyes, spiritual energy beginning to swirl around him in visible currents. "I'm a genius that appears once in a million years. A chosen one blessed by heaven itself."

She shook her head, exasperation clear in her voice.

"Chen, be reasonable. You don't have any breakthrough pills, no rare cultivation resources. Your spiritual foundation isn't—"

"It doesn't matter!" he interrupted, his voice rising with arrogant certainty. "Resources are for the weak, for those who lack true talent. I have something far more valuable—destiny."

The spiritual energy around him intensified, creating small whirlwinds of qi that made her robes flutter.

Despite herself, Yu Xiang found herself taking a step back as power radiated from his seated form.

"Just watch," Zhao Chen said, opening his bronze eyes to stare directly at her. "Watch as I prove that I'm far more blessed and chosen than that bastard Tianlong could ever be. When I break through to Peak Core Formation today, everyone will see the difference between true heaven's favor and stolen power."

Before Yu Xiang could respond, he closed his eyes and dove deep into meditation.

The transformation was immediate and startling—despite the stench clinging to his body, his spiritual aura exploded outward with shocking intensity.

'This... this is actually working?' Yu Xiang thought, her composure beginning to crack as she witnessed something that should have been impossible.

The qi flowing around Zhao Chen was not only dense but remarkably pure—purer even than her own, which had been refined through expensive pills and careful cultivation.

Golden light began emanating from his skin as his Early Core Formation bottleneck started to crack under the pressure of his focused will.

Minutes passed in tense silence, broken only by the sound of spiritual energy crackling through the air like miniature thunder.

Yu Xiang found herself holding her breath as she watched the impossible unfold before her eyes.

With a sound like breaking glass, Zhao Chen's cultivation base shattered through the barrier between Early and Middle Core Formation.

The shockwave of released energy sent tremors through the stone platform, and his aura immediately stabilized at the new level.

"He actually did it," Yu Xiang whispered, her violet eyes wide with disbelief. "He broke through to Middle Core Formation without any resources at all."

But Chen wasn't stopping.

If anything, the successful breakthrough seemed to fuel his arrogance further.

The golden light around him intensified as he immediately began pushing toward the next major breakthrough—Peak Core Formation.

'Even I needed that precious pill from the Emperor to advance,' Yu Xiang thought, her mind reeling. 'Yet he's doing it through raw talent alone. Is he really...'

For a moment, doubt crept into her carefully constructed worldview.

Maybe Zhao Chen really was blessed by heaven.

Maybe her plans to use him as a stepping stone were more dangerous than she'd realized.

The spiritual pressure around him continued building, reaching levels that made the air itself feel thick and oppressive.

Yu Xiang had to circulate her own qi just to breathe properly in the overwhelming atmosphere he was creating.

But then, something went wrong.

The golden light flickering around Zhao Chen suddenly turned chaotic, wild spirals of energy lashing out unpredictably.

His face, which had been serene in meditation, twisted into a grimace of pain.

"Urgh!" A strangled sound escaped his throat, followed immediately by a spray of crimson blood that splattered across the white stone platform.

"Chen!" Yu Xiang shouted, instinctively moving toward him as his body began convulsing.

The telltale signs of qi deviation were unmistakable—his spiritual energy was turning against him, tearing through his meridians like acid.

But he stubbornly clenched his jaw, even as more blood poured from his mouth.

"No... I can... push through..."

"Stop, you fool!" Yu Xiang reached out to shake him from his meditation. "You'll damage your foundation permanently! Qi deviation at this level could cripple you for life!"

His bronze eyes snapped open, blazing with fury and pain.

"Someone... someone is doing something to me!" he gasped between bloody coughs. "This isn't natural! I should be breaking through easily!"

More blood splattered from his lips as his qi spiraled completely out of control.

The raw spiritual energy that had been Getting absorbed rapidly, suddenly, seems to hit some kind of wall, as if his luck didn't seem to support him.

"Master!" he cried out desperately, his voice cracking with pain and desperation. "Master, help me!"

:: Disicple Heaven's favour just flickered... I will help for now but you need to investigate how. ::

The response was immediate and overwhelming.

Golden qi erupted around Zhao Chen's body like a miniature sun, the light so bright that Yu Xiang had to shield her eyes.

But this wasn't the gentle, controlled energy of before—this was raw divine power that made the very air scream with pressure.

The shockwave hit Yu Xiang like a physical blow, lifting her off her feet and hurling her backward through the air.

She tumbled helplessly, expecting to crash painfully against the stone formations at the platform's edge.

Instead, she collided with something warm and solid—a broad chest that caught her with surprising gentleness despite the force of her impact.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, steadying her as the golden light continued to rage behind them.

Yu Xiang's breath caught in her throat as she looked up into a face that had haunted her thoughts for weeks.

Sharp jawline, perfectly sculpted features, and those unmistakable crimson-gold eyes that seemed to see straight through to her soul.

Emperor Tianlong looked down at her with that same infuriating smile that made her pulse quicken despite herself, his black hair flowing like liquid shadow in the chaotic spiritual winds still emanating from Zhao Chen's position.

"I must say," Tianlong murmured, his voice carrying that familiar mix of amusement and barely restrained desire, "I appreciate a beauty like you throwing herself into my arms. But I am about to become a married man, Fairy Yu Xiang."

His smile widened, showing perfect white teeth.

"So please maintain some dignity."

The casual way he spoke, as if catching flying women was a routine occurrence, sent heat rushing to Yu Xiang's cheeks.

She was acutely aware of how she must look—pressed against his powerful chest, her robes disheveled from the impact, violet eyes wide with shock.

"E-Emperor?!" she stammered, her usual composure completely shattered. "What are you doing here? How did you—"

'!'

"What?"

However, at that moment, Yu Xiang seemed to ignore everything except for the miraculous breakthrough of Zhao Chen, and she just focused on the man, her eyes flickering as she recalled what he had just said.

"About to marry?"

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