How long had it been since he sought such a skill? Though he still didn't have the Records of the Eternal Night, and couldn't guarantee that future events would follow the plots he devised, at the very least, the Liberation Temple's foundational skill, Xinzi's gateway to transcendence…had now been unlocked.
Lost in this moment of ecstasy, Xinzi kept failing to take note of the loud banging sounds at his door. "Abbot! Abbot! Are you okay? Abbot!" A'Zhi and A'Zhu's balled fists slammed against the door. It had been four hours since they'd left Xinzi to focus on studying the Nine Paths, digest his yang qi, and perfect their cultivation bases. But about fifteen minutes ago, words came from Zi Yao's maids, ordering Xinzi to head for the Tower of Harmonious Bliss to receive the legacy skills alongside Chun Xu.
Without delay, the twins attempted to warn their master. Alas, still in a critical moment of enlightenment, Xinzi failed to respond. Even now that he'd completed his skill, the monk still gave no sign of life.
"Oops." At last, Xinzi realized his mistake and rose from his seat. A'Zhi and A'Zhu were just about to ram through the door when it opened wide, welcoming them both in. Taken by the charge, they flew right in, stumbled as they attempted to get ahold of themselves, and fell straight into Xinzi's arms.
"Sorry for making you worried. I was just in the process of a cultivation breakthrough—kind-of. Is it time?"
"Y-yes…" With blushing cheeks, the twins replied to Xinzi's nonchalant question. The monk nodded in approval, and after giving the twins time to get back on their feet, walked out of his study. Outside the Liberation Temple, Zi Yao's sword maids awaited, ready to lead Xinzi to the Tower of Harmonious Bliss. As expected of Zi Yao's sword maids, the three ladies had already cultivated to the Pulse Condensation stage. Still, despite their cultivation bases and mistress' strength, they didn't dare to put on airs before Xinzi.
"Congratulations, Abbot Xinzi, the sect has officially crowned Lady Chun Xu and you as the winners of the Yin-Yang Sword Contest. As per customs, the Yin Matriarch will be the one imparting the skills upon you. Lady Chun Xu and the matriarch are waiting already. Please follow us." After a polite bow, the sword maids said and motioned for Xinzi to follow them.
"My apologies for the delay. After you," Xinzi said, crossed his arms behind his back, and followed the sword maids to the Tower.
On the road, some bitter outer disciples would cast our monk dagger eyes. Others settled for dejected looks. But as soon as Xinzi glanced their way, they'd shift and act as if urgent business required them to vacate the roads and rush elsewhere. Amused by the disciples' behavior, Xinzi didn't take offense. In any case, the most valuable of them had been compromised by his Klesha Haze already, and would become his tools whenever necessary.
'Abbot. That Zi Yao is as ruthless as cunning and not only hopes that her disciple can turn you into a tail-wagging plaything, but also plans to have her ditch you for a better prospect some time down the road. And from what I could decipher, said prospect should be the top player of the Eastern Imperial court. You might not have to deal with this before decades or centuries—depending on Chun Xu's progression speed, but at some point in time, you will have to!' Tusha said with the utmost urgency. Hoping that her alarming words would rattle Xinzi enough that he'd feel indebted to her for the knowledge.
Alas, not a single ripple flashed on the monk's smiling face, and with the same carefree gait, Xinzi followed the sword maids. 'Like you said, I won't have to deal with that for decades or centuries so, why bother? I already know who Zi Yao is aiming for. Interestingly, with or without her interference, that man and I are destined to clash. I'm more curious about what goes on in Chun Xu's mind.' Xinzi said, confusing Tusha who, due to spending thousands of years in the Blood Spirit Valley, had no idea of who the monk was referring to.
'She…' Again, poor Tusha attempted to use the knowledge she gleaned through Chun Xu's soul to get some brownie points from Xinzi. Alas…
'Hush. Don't ruin my fun. I want to read it in her eyes.' The monk shut Tusha down, making the infernal nun go speechless. The true body in the Blood Spirit valley fidgeted with her fingers, and with inaudible whimpers, wondered when she could perform an outstanding deed that'd make her rise in Xinzi's esteem.
On a plaza constructed at the edge between the inner court and core zone, a black and white tower stood. Over 90 meters tall, the brick tower didn't follow the traditional pagoda style so common in Dongli—instead mirroring a fortified city's watchtower. One curving stairway welcomed all visitors, rising as far as the eyes could see, and leading to a succession of marble doors embedded in the tower's walls.
'Unusual.' Xinzi thought. Aware that minor spatial disruption was at play here, Xinzi knew that these doors all led to spacious cultivation rooms where some of the White Immortal sect's elite often came to cultivate in seclusion. Near the tower's top, one last door stood, also black and white, with the White Immortal sect's sword emblem standing above the door handle.
To Xinzi's great dismay, the sword maids didn't whip out any teleportation talisman, leading him up the stairs like a mortal climbing up a mountain road. However, with each step, strands of black and white qi flew out of the ground, merging with Xinzi's dantian, and nurturing his yang qi while guaranteeing the harmonious balance of yin and yang.
For Xinzi who had an Harmonious Duality Physique in the first place, the benefits shouldn't have been that significant. But due to his massive blood energy growth, Reincarnation of Mahasura, and various extreme dual cultivation sessions, the quality of his Yang Qi had risen so high, so fast, that even his physique struggled to maintain the balance. These strands of yin-yang energies helped sustain the balance, pairing with the Harmonious Duality Physique to return Xinzi's inner energy structure to perfection.
By the time the monk had reached the top, lustrous rays laced his robes, giving him the air of a celestial being. The sword maids stopped here, and the black-white door leading into the tower's highest room opened wide. Xinzi walked right in, and as expected, two alluring figures awaited within.
One, a tall hourglass beauty with long purple hair and lavender eyes; the other, a dazzling young woman with sizzling yet proportionate curves that stood out in spite of her loose, traditional robes. Zi Yao and Chun Xu.
Runic symbols stretched as far as the eyes could see, covering the ground, walls and ceiling, while array nodes and spiritual stones shone and shifted ceaselessly. The formation layers pervading the room rotated at maximum speed, and Xinzi's eyes swept the two fairies. Zi Yao stood at the center of the formation, arms crossed behind her back while Chun Xu sat crossed-legged, right at her left—immersed in what seemed to be an enlightenment session.
"Welcome, Xinzi. Chun Xu is currently getting enlightenment in the Nine Paths of Yin and Yang. Since you've looted the Soaring Crane Mountain clean, I assume that you'd like to skip that part of today's ceremony and go straight for the Yin-Yang Sword Array? What do you say?" Zi Yao flashed Xinzi a disarming smile and said with refreshing candor.
But where others would see their world shrink and their hormones take over as the matriarch took sole ownership of their attention, Xinzi ignored her, focusing on Chun Xu instead.
"Protocol is protocol," Xinzi said, neither admitting to nor denying Zi Yao's words, then ambled at Chun Xu. Never in her life had the matriarch been treated with such indifference. That fact alone didn't bother her. Quite the contrary in fact, as it showed that Chun Xu's hold over Xinzi was much stronger than they initially thought. But the longer she peered into the monk's gaze, the less confident Zi Yao became of her assessment.
These weren't the eyes of a love-struck boy. Rather, they reminded the matriarch of a hyena closing in on prey it'd been tracking with patience and avid yearning. These eyes, aimed at her disciple, annoyed Zi Yao, making her wish to reach for Xinzi's neck and snap the insolence out of his bones.
The Harmonious Bliss Array powering the room flashed, drawing a demarcation line that forced Xinzi to stop three steps away from Chun Xu. The monk could have ignored the line, but knew that following the array's patterns would make the ritual more beneficial for all parties. So, he restrained himself, and sat before Chun Xu.
For a moment, Zi Yao attempted to regain control of Xinzi's attention, but as if fully entranced by the Sword Fairy's shine, the monk ignored her all the same. An unsettling silence followed, and for the first time in decades, Zi Yao lost her temper.
"Vile and immoral monk, how dare…"
"Yes?" Interestingly, it was only when the matriarch let her anger get the best of her that Xinzi spun towards her, choking the words she was about to say.. Now faced with the monk's dark-brown eyes and smiling face, Zi Yao couldn't help but wonder if, from the start, he wasn't messing with her as well.