"What is this?"

For the first time, the mature and stunning face of Gu Yunyun showed genuine shock. She immediately closed the jade box, staring at Ye Chen in disbelief. She had always known Ye Chen had secrets. And she had suspected that since Ye Chen had taken the ancient jade from her, he must have been confident in obtaining a better spiritual object.

But she never expected Ye Chen had actually obtained something of this level. This was absolutely on par with Phoenix Blood, maybe even higher. What was most important was how perfectly it suited her.

Just feeling the terrifying aura of the Sword Dao made her cultivation tremble, as if she were on the verge of a breakthrough. It was impossible for Gu Yunyun not to be stunned.

Ye Chen smiled softly. "This is the Bone of the Sword Peng. If you refine it as the core for forming the Golden Core, you will get a Nine-Rank Golden Core and awaken the Golden Core's Divine Ability. The most important thing is, if you're lucky enough, Master, you may even inherit the Sword Peng's Divine Ability."

Gu Yunyun's hands trembled as she held the jade box. The Sword Peng? This was an ancient vicious beast. Its rarity was beyond imagination. Ye Chen had actually obtained it and gave it to her?

Gu Yunyun was still in shock when Ye Chen continued, "To be honest, this Sword Peng doesn't even make it into the Vicious Ten, it's a bit underwhelming. I was actually hoping to find something even better."

Ye Chen truly felt a bit disappointed. After all, the little demoness's multiplier was only fifty times. Even though it could trigger critical strikes, the feedback still wasn't enough. If it had been like his Master's multiplier of two hundred times, plus the critical strikes, he could have definitely gotten a spiritual object even stronger than the Sword Peng's bone.

At this point, Gu Yunyun's lips twitched. The Sword Peng, as an ancient vicious beast, though it didn't make the top ten of the vicious beasts, was still incredibly powerful.

For Ye Chen to be dissatisfied with such a spiritual object?

To be honest, Gu Yunyun, as the Grand Elder of Green Cloud Sect, had never experienced what it was like to be poor or to be unworldly. Yet, in front of Ye Chen, for the first time, Gu Yunyun felt the gap…

"I..."

Before such a treasure, Gu Yunyun was almost at a loss for words.

Ye Chen smiled, knowing that his Master, who appeared cold but was warm inside, must be feeling embarrassed. He immediately reassured her, "Master, there's no need to overthink it. With Master becoming stronger, I'll naturally benefit from it too. Besides, this Sword Peng's bone isn't suited for me. If you don't want it, I have nowhere to return it to. So, please, Master, go ahead and use it!"

Hearing Ye Chen's words, Gu Yunyun bit her lip with force. She owed Ye Chen more and more. Even if she broke through to the Golden Core, it would be impossible to repay him. Could it really be that only by accepting Ye Chen's distorted filial piety could she ever repay him?

But Gu Yunyun hadn't truly figured it out yet. She undeniably had feelings for this disciple of hers. But the issue was that the Master-disciple relationship itself was a limitation, and it made Gu Yunyun hesitant.

Moreover, Gu Yunyun had never considered sharing her Dao companion with another woman. Yet Ye Chen was affectionate with everyone. This made Gu Yunyun's heart even more conflicted.

After a long silence, Gu Yunyun finally gave a serious bow to Ye Chen and thanked him. "Thank you!"

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Ye Chen immediately waved his hand. "No need to be so polite, Master!"

Gu Yunyun shook her head, silently sighing to herself. It was precisely because they were Master and disciple that she had to be polite. If Ye Chen weren't her disciple, how much better would it be?

Gu Yunyun's mind was in turmoil, and she decided not to dwell on it. Everything would be dealt with after her breakthrough. For now, she would go into closed-door meditation.

"Then I'll congratulate Master on a successful closed-door meditation in advance!"

Ye Chen sincerely congratulated her. Breaking through to the Golden Core stage usually took about six months. Thinking about not seeing his Master for six months, Ye Chen felt a bit regretful.

After seeing Ye Chen off, Gu Yunyun used a sound transmission talisman to inform the Sect Master that she would be entering closed-door meditation.

The Sect Master arrived in the blink of an eye. His weathered eyes were filled with anticipation. "That sword Qi just now... Could it be the Golden Core spiritual object?"

For the Sect Master, Gu Yunyun's breakthrough to the Golden Core was the most important thing. He only had about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years left to live. If he couldn't nurture the next Golden Core cultivator during this time, Green Cloud Sect would inevitably decline.

Gu Yunyun nodded. "I've obtained a better spiritual object for forming the Golden Core, so I'm preparing to go into closed-door meditation now."

Upon hearing this, the Sect Master smiled brightly and looked Gu Yunyun up and down. Her spiritual energy was flowing smoothly, her spirit sense was perfect, and there was a faint, unique Dao rhythm surrounding her. Her chances of success in the breakthrough were extremely high.

With a spiritual object even better than the ancient jade, once she formed the Golden Core, it would definitely be a top-three rank. A top-three rank Golden Core would vastly outperform a bottom-three rank in combat power. The future held limitless possibilities. It would certainly allow Green Cloud Sect to advance further.

However, the experienced Sect Master noticed something from the details, and his brow furrowed slightly. "Your heart isn't still enough. There's a strong chance that during the breakthrough, you might encounter a heart demon, causing your efforts to be in vain!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunyun fell silent. She was well aware of this herself.

"It's alright, I've prepared the best Clear Heart Pills to ward off the heart demon."

Upon hearing this, the Sect Master stopped speaking. He simply reminded her, as long as she was prepared, everything would be fine.

...

Soon, the formation atop Sword Peak opened. It emitted a faint green glow. No one could approach.

Ye Chen, sitting in his courtyard, looked up and knew that his Master had officially entered closed-door meditation. Next, it was time for him to start preparing for his own Golden Core formation.

With his Heavenly Spirit Root, the Myriad Star Body, the Heavy Pupils, and the Exquisite Heart, Ye Chen felt that even without spiritual objects, he could still form a nine-turn Golden Core.

However, Ye Chen wasn't foolish enough to form the Golden Core directly. Though most of his journey had been paved by his own efforts, fraught with difficulties, he knew that the system had also played a part. The system's feedback could open up more possibilities.

What he needed to do next was find a Golden Core spiritual object comparable to Phoenix Blood or the Sword Peng's bone. Then, he would find a female cultivator to trigger high-multiplier feedback and critical strikes.

Ye Chen was curious to discover what the most top-tier Golden Core spiritual object in the world could be.

"System, let me see where your limits lie."

That night, as Ye Chen was being served by the maidservants and preparing to rest, his brow furrowed slightly. With his powerful spirit sense, he detected that the formation atop the peak had been opened. His Master had stepped out of the formation.

What was going on? Had his Master encountered a problem during the breakthrough?

Curiously, Ye Chen realized that his Master had flown to the outside of his courtyard but hadn't entered—she was just standing there. Had she come to find him? He waved his hand, signaling for the maidservants to go back to their rooms.

Ye Chen then stepped out of the courtyard. In the night breeze, his Master stood before the gate, her red dress flowing, and her black hair gently swaying. Her dreamlike, ethereal phoenix eyes quietly gazed at him.

"Master, why are you out…"

Ye Chen approached her and was about to speak. But before he could finish, Gu Yunyun moved closer and silenced him with a kiss. In that moment, Ye Chen felt a cool sensation on his tongue, sweet and clear, like peach blossoms with a hint of lotus fragrance...

The scent that reached his nose was the same fragrance that sometimes came from the pond in his courtyard. So, had his Master come to give him a little 'benefit' before her closed-door meditation?

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