A woman floated out from the mist.

“So, arrogant mortal cultivators have dared cross into my garden…”

They way she moved made everything shake, her breasts, her buttocks, her entire luscious curves, they all vibrated.

She had silver hair that flowed down her back like a silken waterfall.

This was heavenly, irresistible jade-like beauty.

She wore a robe of deep emerald adorned with celestial patterns. Her porcelain skin, though ageless, reflected her wisdom earned through centuries of existence. Her lips appeared juicy and sweet like honey, yet also plump and alluring like cherries. At the center of her forehead, a delicate crimson mark, no larger than a rose petal, shimmered with mystic energy.

Despite her timeless appearance, her beautiful blue eyes sparkled with the fire of a thousand stars. In her delicate hand, she held a jade scroll.

However, beneath her calm exterior lay a potent force—one that made her presence absolutely terrifying. It was like a primal energy pulsing with the ferocity of a primordial beast!

Hmm, that woman looks familiar… she thought.

Elder Qian looked down on them with a cold gaze.

Her stare treated them like mere ants she could crush with her aura alone.

“I’ve spoken, yet you two insignificant seeds who dared to peek beyond End Mountain and disrupt my cultivation are still silent.”

Her voice carried such power that each word seemed to echo with the weight of an ancient power.

Guo Xiaomei clenched her fist in her other hand and respectfully bowed her head as she greeted, “I pay my respects to you, Grandmaster.”

But then, she noticed Yang Wei hadn’t bowed his head.

Instead, he stood there proudly, unfazed.

Urgently, Guo Xiaomei whispered to him, “Wei, pay your respects now!”

Is he trying to get us killed?!

Yang Wei shook his head and replied, “When has an emperor ever lowered his head to someone who disrespects him?” He casually pulled out his folding fan from his storage pouch and began to fan himself.

A powerful rush of fear crept up Guo Xiaomei’s spine. She quickly adjusted her posture, ensuring her prostration was proper, and bowed her head even lower as she pleaded, “Please forgive him for his slow-wittedness, Grandmaster of the Eternal Garden. He’s an inexperienced Star Disciple of our Inner Sect, yet to learn common manners of respect.”

Guo Xiaomei spoke desperately, as if she knew they would die if they couldn’t appease Elder Qian.

And truth be told, they couldn’t. Elder Qian’s eyes narrowed as she gazed at them and declared, “Insolence!” In that moment, a powerful aura, akin to a thousand raging beasts, swept across the area, compelling everything to bow before her overwhelming presence!

“You dared perceive beyond the End Mountain!”

Elder Qian took one step and the entire forest beneath her snapped like twigs.

“You dared disturb my eternal seclusion!”

She took another step and the rivers turned to steam.

“Child, do you seek death?!”

Another step, another natural disaster.

“You, a mere Star Disciple, would dare speak so arrogantly in my regal presence? Do you not comprehend the presence of a perfected being before?!”

Her wild aura surged like a tempest, tearing through everything in its path. The mere sight of these two nobodies hovering at her level irked her to no end. Guo Xiaomei, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was knocked off her levitation and forced to the ground by the powerful aura, but she managed to anchor herself using her dragon sword to stab into the ground.

This pressure… has Master really gotten this strong? It feels like my soul is being crushed!

She spat out blood and gasped, “Master, we didn’t mean to trespass!”

Elder Qian’s aura intensified, pressing down on reality itself, as she demanded, “Is that your only crime?”

Coughing up more blood, Guo Xiaomei pleaded, “Please forgive him. He didn’t mean to disrespect you.”

Elder Qian slowly turned her gaze towards Yang Wei, her voice sounding threatening, “And as for him, he’ll be lucky if his soul remains intact. I’ll cripple his cultivation base and—”

But her threat was cut short when she saw Yang Wei hovering confidently on his dragon sword, seemingly unaffected by her beastly aura that raged of murderous intent. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stuttered, “I-, Impossible, how can y—”

Yang Wei interrupted with a yawn, dismissing her disbelief. “Oh yes, ‘Impossible’, that word is quite overrated in the Martial World.” He held out his fan, and with a casual wave, the intense aura vanished instantly, leaving no trace. It wasn’t his cultivation base that dispelled the aura, but the magic potions he had taken to resist supernatural spiritual pressures.

Elder Qian and Guo Xiaomei stared in astonishment as the natural disaster ceased as quickly as it had begun.

With a Spirit Gathering realm cultivation, he could withstand my spiritual pressure completely, and even nullify it through physical strength alone. It makes no sense…

For a brief moment, Elder Qian closed her eyes, channeling her spiritual Qi to enhance her vision. When she opened her glowing eyes, she scrutinized Yang Wei closely. Everything seemed normal at first—his Harmony Earth Veins were standard, and his mastery of the Dragon Sword Formation realm was commendable, though still basic in her eyes.

She also detected traces of blood Qi in his meridians, indicating his practice of demonic cultivation.

However, her eyes widened in disbelief when she observed his spirit root.

“Is that a Heaven-defying Multicore Spirit Root?!” she exclaimed, unable to hid her shock.

Yang Wei looked equally surprised. “Wait, you can see my spirit root?”

Elder Qian composed herself, masking her shock at encountering such a rare spirit root, one that appeared only once in 500 years. She closed her eyes gracefully and remarked, “Of course. Those who dedicate themselves to the Dao of Medicine can perceive beyond the capabilities of normal vision.”

Yang Wei nodded thoughtfully. “Interesting.”

He paused and turned to Guo Xiaomei, who was slowly getting up, her robes slightly torn and appearing a bit weak. Elder Qian also looked at her and softened her expression, saying, “Little Xiaomei, I apologize for the sudden attack. It seems your cultivation has greatly improved since our last encounter three hundred years ago. Back then, your bones would have been crushed by now.”

Crushed bones? What sort of apothecary disciple training was she undergoing? Yang Wei thought.

Guo Xiaomei, standing upright now, bowed respectfully and replied, “Thank you for your kind words, Supreme Grandmaster. I am currently a Nascent Soul cultivator.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Elder Qian remarked, “I can see that.”

It seems Zirou didn’t come with her… hmm, as expected.

Elder Qian let out a heavy sigh before addressing Guo Xiaomei again. “Xiaomei, I presume you’ve come here to plead for me to pass on my inheritance to him, haven’t you?”

Ooo, she catches on fast… Yang Wei thought.

Guo Xiaomei smiled gently and nodded. “Yes, Master. I believe this time…”

Elder Qian cut her off abruptly. “Absolutely not. I’ve given up on passing down any inheritance to my disciples, let alone one who has never received a single lesson from me in my countless millennia of existence.”

This was the biggest hurdle Guo Xiaomei knew she had to overcome—convincing her master to reconsider passing down her inheritance. With filial piety, she lifted her head and expressed her plea. “I understand neither I nor Huo Zirou were able to fully cultivate the inheritance you bestowed upon us. But if you could make an exception this one time, I would be truly grateful.”

Elder Qian shook her head resolutely. “I don’t need your insufferable gratitude. Besides, I’m surprised you would put so much faith in a man. Don’t you believe in the superiority of women?”

Guo Xiaomei faltered, unable to find a response. She knew Elder Qian’s words rang true.

She’s right, if anything Xie Xiang should be the one I bring here, but when it comes to pill refinement, she doesn’t have the same level of aptitude that Yang Wei has…

To no one but Guo Xiaomei’s surprise, Yang Wei spoke up in defense of her. “Qian, you’ve been running your mouth and awful lot since I arrived here,” he spoke.

Elder Qian shot him a glare. “What?!”

Yang Wei pointed at Elder Qian and grinned, declaring, “You’ve underestimated me too much, and I can’t let such an insult slide.” He paused and chuckled before continuing, “Let’s make a bet. If I successfully cultivate your inheritance, then you’ll share a bed with me and become my woman.”

Elder Qian and Guo Xiaomei’s jaws dropped, both exclaiming, “Eh?”

Even Tianyi, who was in the storage pouch, let out a puzzled “Rawr?” It didn’t understand exactly what Yang Wei said, but it certainly wasn’t anything polite.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep