CHAPTER 27

—The One in the Coffin —

"Yan'er, what interesting things did you encounter at the market this time? Tell your master about them." Ye Zhiqiu took the Qiankun pouch Su Yan handed over and asked casually with a light smile.

"Reporting to Master, I noticed the presence of the Qianyu Sect and Nichang Valley at the market this time. I found it unusual, so I deliberately provoked some friction, but neither side took the bait. It seems they have deeper plans." Su Yan replied with a grave expression, unaware of the interest in Ye Zhiqiu's eyes.

—So, in your eyes, old master, these matters were all things you foresaw and even orchestrated with a mere wave of your hand?

Yeah, right!

If Ding Ding heard her say this, she'd be mercilessly teased for it.

"Oh? I understand." Ye Zhiqiu took a sip of tea and spoke leisurely, her expression entirely unconcerned.

"Also, this disciple discovered an alchemy shop in the town. The old alchemist there is deeply hidden, with at least a Nascent Soul cultivation or higher. I couldn't see through him..." Su Yan noticed that her master was still calmly drinking tea, even taking a piece of crispy sugar cake from the Qiankun pouch she had presented and biting into it unhurriedly. Unable to hold back, she raised her tone, "Master!"

"Hmm? Yan'er, do you want some too? Fine then..." Ye Zhiqiu smiled helplessly, took another piece of pastry from the Qiankun pouch, and handed it to her, her eyes filled with reluctance—a look that didn't match her usual dignified image as a sect master at all.

Su Yan, however, was used to her master's unrestrained demeanor in front of her. Seeing this, she knew Ye Zhiqiu had already made her decision. So, she bowed respectfully and turned to walk out of the hall.

Just as she had one foot out the hall door, Ye Zhiqiu's leisurely, amused voice drifted from behind: "For the next three months, Little Seven is in your hands. Don't disappoint your master, alright..."

Her foot faltered, and Su Yan's face frosted over. Huffing with anger, she stomped away without looking back, soaring off on her sword. The junior disciples in white robes outside the hall were so frightened they dared not make a sound, terrified of provoking the senior sister's foul mood.

Thus, in the small courtyard of Qiuye Peak, the drowsy Tong Tong—who had been sleeping like the dead while cuddling the equally lazy Cookie—was mercilessly dragged by the ear to a remote little grove.

The dissatisfied Cookie was left to Lord Jiya's 'special training.' As for Tong Tong, Su Yan took matters into her own hands.

After briefly explaining the basics of the Inner-Sect Minor Competition , the bleary-eyed girl remained sullen. Fueled by her lingering sleepiness and a muddled mind, she even dared to talk back to Su Yan.

"Why do I have to participate?" she grumbled loudly.

"All disciples of the sect must participate." Su Yan replied calmly.

"With my rock-bottom cultivation, wouldn't I just embarrass our master?" When one tactic failed, she switched to playing the sympathy card.

"Precisely because of that, you must work even harder." Su Yan coolly shut her down.

"Then—can I forfeit?" Tong Tong asked, unwilling to give up.

"Of course—you cannot." Su Yan continued, calmly crushing her hopes.

"Starting today, I will take you into seclusion for intensive training, aiming to break through from the early Foundation Establishment stage to the mid-stage." Su Yan raised an eyebrow, fixing Tong Tong with a steady gaze as if appraising a lamb for slaughter.

"No way..." Tong Tong wailed, clutching her head and shutting her eyes like an ostrich, but there was no escaping the rigorous training that awaited her.

Thus, what Ding Ding later dubbed the most insane and merciless "Tong Tong Transformation Plan (Foundation Establishment Edition)" officially began—

Instructor Su's teaching plan was as follows: spend the first two months cramming swordsmanship, and the last month focusing on mystic arts, striving to present a completely transformed Tong Tong to the public in the shortest time possible!

Of course, ideals are plump, but reality is bony. For Tong Tong, these three months of living hell made her fully feel the deep malice from this world—and from Su Yan.

"Today's goal is slashing." Su Yan held her sword in a reverse grip, signaling Tong Tong to watch her movements. With a casual sideways swing, a crimson sword aura whistled past—and nothing happened.

"Tch..." Tong Tong pouted in disappointment, about to crack a joke, when a thunderous boom echoed. Where Su Yan's sword aura had passed, the trunk of a massive tree—so thick it would take three people to encircle it—slowly slid diagonally downward.

But that wasn't all—in a straight line from that giant tree, seven or eight more trees were cleanly severed at the same height, collapsing one after another with deafening roars that left Tong Tong's jaw hanging open. First Senior Brother is practically a human weapon!

"Give it a try." Though she hid it well, a trace of pride was still visible in her eyes. Su Yan slightly lifted her chin, giving Tong Tong a challenging look.

"Fine, I'll give it a try!" Unwilling to back down, Tong Tong straightened her chest—though it lacked any noticeable curves—and mimicked the other's proud tilt of the chin. Summoning the Biling Sword, she flipped her wrist and executed a graceful flourish, her stance looking quite impressive. Muttering an incantation under her breath—"Biling, Biling, show your might! I slash!"—she swung the sword.

A flash of green light, though not as sharp as the sword aura Su Yan had conjured with her true essence, was still dazzling enough to make one squint.

Tong Tong held her breath, waiting for the result... but after a long while, nothing happened.

Su Yan sneered, curling her lips mockingly at her.

Suddenly, Tong Tong perked up her ears, signaling Su Yan to be quiet. Gripping the Biling Sword in a reverse hold, she cautiously moved toward the direction of her strike. After just two steps, she stepped on something soft. Looking down, she immediately shrieked, "A snake! Ahhh—!"

Startled by her scream, Su Yan, who had been calm moments before, also let out a piercing shriek, her voice a hundred times sharper: "Ahhh— A snake? Where? Ahhh—!"

—'Curses! how could there be a snake here? Weren't they all cleared out? Those lazy bastards! Jiya! Where's Jiya? Curses! it went to fetch Cookie... Relax, stay calm! You can do this!'

Clutching her long sword tightly, Su Yan closed her eyes, fighting back her fear.

She began slashing and thrusting wildly with her Changhong Sword, bursts of energy hissing through the air. Leaves and grass flew in all directions, as if a sudden gale had swept through the forest, leaving chaos in its wake.

After a while, Su Yan finally stopped her frenzied sword dance. She smoothed her hair and straightened her collar, maintaining a stoic expression as she glanced at Tong Tong, who was hiding behind a tree, both frightened and awestruck. Clearing her throat, she said, "Ahem... it's fine now."

Before Tong Tong could speak, Su Yan cut her off: "Don't be afraid, Junior Sister. The snake is dead."

Tong Tong hurried over to where the snake had been and looked down. The small green grass snake had been sliced into perfectly even pieces of sashimi, each slice uniform in thickness—a level of precision even a master chef with years of experience would struggle to achieve.

With her fear of snakes gone, Tong Tong's inner foodie instantly took over. Forgetting to tease Su Yan about his earlier panic, she immediately pulled a small bowl from her Qiankun pouch and began gathering the snake meat. Beaming, she said to Su Yan, "Senior Brother, shall we have snake sashimi later?"

Noticing the paleness of Su Yan's handsome face, she thoughtfully added, "If you're not used to raw food, we could make snake soup instead! It's very nourishing..."

Before she could finish, Su Yan sheathed her sword and said coldly, "Five hundred slash practices. Otherwise, don't think about eating today!"

"Yamete—!" The words startled Tong Tong so much that she dropped the snake meat in her hands.

Jiuhan Palace, Bedchamber.

Ye Zhiqiu held the Qiankun pouch Su Yan had presented as a tribute. Twisting the neck of the statue of the Sanqing [Three Pures] Patriarchs enshrined on the altar beside the main seat, a mechanical click echoed through the room. Suddenly, a water mirror appeared on the empty wall, its surface rippling gently with soft, shimmering waves—mysterious and beautiful, almost enticing one to step inside and explore.

—This was the secret chamber, a staple in every generation of martial arts dramas, spy thrillers, and all sorts of fantastical tales!

Ye Zhiqiu was not worried that anyone would discover the location of this secret chamber. Not only was she a Great Ascension master whose senses were beyond evasion, but the entire Chonghua Sect knew that the Sect leader's private quarters were strictly forbidden to enter. Moreover, no cultivator would ever imagine that she had hidden the mechanism of the secret chamber within the revered statue of the Sanqing Patriarchs—such audacity and defiance!

Passing through the thin layer of the water mirror, Ye Zhiqiu's figure vanished instantly, and even the water mirror disappeared without a trace. The hall fell into a profound silence, devoid of any sound.

Beyond the water mirror lay an underground palace constructed from hundreds of millions of high-grade spirit stones. Looking closely, one would realize that the entire palace was built upon a natural spiritual vein, following its flow and subtly incorporating the principles of heaven and earth, as well as the myriad laws of the cosmos. The spiritual energy here was far denser than anywhere else in the Chonghua Sect. In comparison, even Su Yan's spirit stone cave dwelling paled into insignificance.

Continuing forward along the underground palace, she passed through a long crystal corridor. The deeper she went, the more intense the chill became—this was no ordinary cold, but a sinister, icy energy accumulated over millions of years from the depths of the earth. It was not something ordinary cultivators could withstand, and most would not dare to confront it head-on. Yet, for demonic cultivators, it held great benefits.

At the end of the underground palace lay a spacious chamber, in the center of which stood a transparent ice coffin. Crafted from the essence of ten-thousand-year-old glacial crystals from the far northern ice plains, it could suppress any soul in the world and preserve it for millennia without decay.

Inside the coffin lay a woman, her skin as fair as snow, her beauty so exquisite it seemed painted by a master's hand. Her charm was beyond words, her grace so captivating it could stir envy in every woman under heaven.

If Ye Zhiqiu were likened to a delicate chrysanthemum or a pure lotus, this woman was like a solitary plum blossom or a wild peach blossom—proud and untamed, coldly enchanting yet radiantly brilliant.

Her face bore a sickly pallor, while her pale pink lips held a faint hint of color, like an ice sculpture yet so lifelike.

Unfazed by the chilling aura emanating from the ice coffin, Ye Zhiqiu lifted the hem of her robes and sat down beside it. From her Qiankun pouch, she took out the food Su Yan had brought back, arranging it one by one. She placed a stick of Tanghulu on the edge of the coffin, keeping another for herself.

Gazing tenderly at the woman in the coffin, her eyes held a gentleness she had never shown even to Su Yan. "Yan'er, I brought your favorite Tanghulu. Are you pleased?"

Gently holding the woman's hand, which felt almost as cold as jade, Ye Zhiqiu's gaze was focused and affectionate, as if this woman were the only one in all the world worthy of her attention and her heart.

BACK | TABLE OF CONTENTS | NEXT