A sudden, overwhelming spiritual presence descended from the sky, and Atop the peak of the ancestral pagoda, a beautiful woman floated. She was draped in a white robe embroidered with shimmering gold, which, paradoxically, offered elegance while revealing vast stretches of pristine skin, her breast cleavage was visible, and the robe only fell to her mid-thigh, revealing her large, smooth legs. A gleaming straw-like hat, its brim edged with dangling metal chains, formed a delicate veil over her face, shrouding her features in mystery.
This was Lian Xiuyue, the last living ancestor of the Jade Harmony Sect.
She let her aura expand, testing the limits of her newly achieved Peak of the Nascent Soul realm. The pressure, which had already forced Elder Mu onto the defensive, swelled exponentially, momentarily crushing all sound. But silly her, she might have forgotten her disciples who would have been crushed under such spiritual pressure if she hadn't stopped, so she quickly ceased releasing her aura.
With the skill granted by the nascent soul realm, she performed the instant teleportation technique. In the blink of an eye, the space above the Ancestral Pagoda was empty, and she materialized silently on the stone ground of the Inner Courtyard, facing the two kneeling figures.
"So much noise… and all within my Jade Harmony Sect," she said, her voice soft, as her expression remained perfectly hidden by the veil.
Throughout the past one hundred and fifty (150) years, Lian Xiuyue had been in closed-door cultivation, desperately striving to transcend the limits of the Nascent Soul realm and attempt the legendary transformation into a God. The remaining sect ancestors had all perished, victims of the final lifespan limit of their realm. She was the final remnant of the sect's founder's lineage.
Her veiled gaze swept toward the core area. "Infighting? Have my descendants learned nothing of harmony?" She had sensed the powerful spiritual signatures of both the Golden Core and the Nascent Soul realm below, quickly attributing them to Teng Chi and Elder Mu, as she scanned their cultivation base.
In unison, every single person in the courtyard, from the humblest disciple to the newly formed Nascent Soul Elder Mu, dropped into a formal kowtow, their foreheads pressed against the cold stone.
Teng Chi, his body still trembling from the residual fear, pressed himself flat. "This disciple… was rash. I beg the Ancestor's forgiveness!"
Elder Mu, humbled by the overwhelming power he had just witnessed, also performed a deep kowtow. "Ancestor, I too am at fault for escalating the matter. I ask for your forgiveness."
At that moment, Su Yunhai—the Sect Master—arrived, having rushed from his cultivation chamber. He clasped his hands, performed a deep bow, the highest form of respect short of a kowtow for someone of his standing—and solemnly greeted the Ancestor. He promised immediate, severe punishment, one hundred years of closed-door confinement for both Elder Mu and Teng Chi, and they would be stripped of all spiritual stone payments for the next fifty years.
As the scene unfolded, Lin Ming, sensing the absolute submissiveness of the environment, quickly followed suit, bowing his head deep to the ground. He didn't know her, but his newly awakened comprehension and sensing of Qi instantly deduced that this woman was the ultimate authority, the 'big dog' around here.
The Ancestor prepared to leave, her attention seemingly already back on her breakthrough, as she turned toward the pagoda. But then, she paused.
Her body shifted, and she abruptly used instant teleportation, vanishing and reappearing at the back of the huddled mass of disciples. The disciples there instantly scattered and scrambled further away, performing frantic, deep kowtows, terrified of being singled out. Lin Ming, who was now at the back, followed suit, bowing again. He had messed with Inner Disciples because he was above them, and provoked Teng Chi because he could be restrained by the Elders, but this woman was the final word in the sect, and possibly the entire nation, considering the highest cultivators in a rank 4 cultivation country were peak Nascent Soul cultivators.
Lian Xiuyue extended her Divine Sense, scanning the disciples before her, searching for something unique. Every cultivator wondered what the Ancestor was seeking.
For her, she was searching for what she defines as 'charm fragrance,' an innate, internal signal of Yang essence. Where female cultivators were predominantly Yin, male cultivators were defined by their Yang Majority. Their "fragrance" was akin to the temperature of water; the hotter the water, the stronger the Yang essence. This fragrance had nothing to do with cultivation level, which was represented by the cultivator's aura, but rather the very essence of their being.
After scanning every individual, her veiled gaze finally landed on Lin Ming.
He emanated the single highest charm fragrance she had ever sensed in her long years of life—a pure, scorching heat. A profound confusion settled in her heart. But what caused such? Why Lin Ming? He should possess very little Yang essence, having absorbed the Ice Spirit Physique and spiritual roots into his body after his formal bond with Su Yueru, which should have given him a high Yin affinity.
Lian Xiuyue pointed a slender, pale finger at the kneeling figure of Lin Ming.
"You. Stand up."