Chapter 193: Even Stronger Than Innate

“For the next month, your most important task is to cultivate and break through to the Refining Organ Realm. Everything else can wait until after your breakthrough.” Meng Yu Jin’s voice was quiet, but it carried an authority that brooked no argument.

Chen Yue looked at Meng Yu Jin’s earnest expression. Her eyes, usually as calm as still water, now held an undisguised concern and insistence.

Chen Yue fell silent for a moment. His lips moved, but he ultimately swallowed the words he was about to say.

He clasped his hands in a salute. “Thank you, Master!”

Seeing Chen Yue’s expression, Mo Ciqiu couldn’t help but giggle. Her laughter, crisp as a bell, echoed along the mountain path.

“Don’t get too moved. Your master is in the Innate Realm now. Her wealth is on a completely different level than when she was in the Refining Organ Realm. The Elixirs you’re consuming are just a drop in the bucket for her.”

Hearing this, Meng Yu Jin couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her friend, Mo Ciqiu.

Mo Ciqiu returned an unconcerned smile. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just purely jealous that you took on such a good disciple.”

Her gaze shifted to Chen Yue, and the teasing look in her eyes suddenly grew more serious, as if she were genuinely considering a very interesting matter.

“Little Chen Yue, how about you consider taking me as your master? My cultivation speed is faster than your master’s. Following me would be a better deal, you know.”

Chen Yue was slightly taken aback, then he clasped his hands and said, “Elder Mo, you must be joking!”

Mo Ciqiu looked at Chen Yue, her previously giggling expression suddenly sobering. Her gaze turned serious, a stark contrast to her earlier teasing.

“I’m not joking.”

Mo Ciqiu’s voice grew heavy, losing its light tone and taking on a solemn one instead.

“Within our Sect, there’s no rule that a disciple can only have one master. Many disciples with outstanding Talent cultivate under several Elders at the same time. It’s not uncommon in the Sect.”

“With your master and I both guiding you, you’ll grow much faster. It will be far more helpful than having just one teacher.”

Meng Yu Jin looked at her friend in surprise, her gaze filled with unconcealed astonishment.

Over the years, Mo Ciqiu had seen many promising young talents. Some had approached her to become their master, others were recommended by Elders, but she had never accepted a single one.

She always said teaching a disciple was too much trouble. ‘How free I am cultivating alone. I’ll reconsider if I ever meet a particularly interesting one.’

Chen Yue was silent for a moment. He could sense the seriousness in Mo Ciqiu’s words, but he still clasped his hands and said:

“Thank you for your high praise, Elder Mo. My foundation is still shallow, and I have much to learn from my master. For now, I don’t have the energy to learn anything else.”

Mo Ciqiu, who had been looking serious, suddenly broke into a wide grin upon hearing Chen Yue’s reply and began to laugh heartily.

Her laughter echoed through the mountain path, startling a few resting birds in the woods.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and faint laugh lines crinkled at the corners of her eyes. She completely broke free from her earlier solemn state, reverting to her usual self.

“Excellent, excellent!”

She clapped her hands twice, her laughter filled with undisguised admiration. “Mengzi, you’ve found yourself a good disciple. This one is worth cultivating properly!”

Meng Yu Jin looked wearily at her friend, her usually dignified face now etched with exasperation.

‘If Chen Yue weren’t standing right there, she would have already started beating Mo Ciqiu up. Where do all these nicknames come from?’

‘When did I become Mengzi?’

Chen Yue stood to the side, trying his best to keep a straight face and not let any strange expression show.

Meng Yu Jin took a deep breath, pushing all distracting thoughts to the back of her mind. She then looked at Chen Yue again, her tone regaining the calm composure of a master.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to go back and cultivate. We’re going to take you to visit someone. It might be helpful for your upcoming cultivation.”

Chen Yue looked at Meng Yu Jin in surprise, his eyes filled with curiosity and a silent question.

Mo Ciqiu chuckled from the side, her voice laced with mystery. “We’re taking you to visit an elixir-guzzling Innate!”

Chen Yue froze. ‘What a nickname…’

He nodded without asking any more questions and followed Meng Yu Jin and Mo Ciqiu down another mountain path.

A short while later, the three of them arrived before a quiet courtyard on True Inheritance Peak.

The courtyard was situated on a protruding platform halfway up the mountain, its back against a cliff wall and facing a valley, offering an expansive view.

The courtyard walls were built of rough, gray-blue stones. The tops of the walls were unadorned, with no flowers or decorations, only a few clumps of weeds growing stubbornly from the crevices, swaying gently in the breeze.

The gate consisted of two plain wooden doors, without any carvings or lacquer.

Before Mo Ciqiu could knock, the gate swung open on its own.

A voice, warm and resonant, came from deep within the courtyard. “Junior Sister Mo, Junior Sister Meng, what brings you to my place today?”

As soon as the voice faded, a burly figure appeared by the gate.

The man was extremely tall, a full head taller than an average person, with broad shoulders and a sturdy build, like a small, moving mountain.

He wore a loose, gray robe with its corners hanging casually, and a dark cloth sash tied around his waist. He looked simple and unpretentious, more like a farmer tilling the mountain fields than an Innate Realm expert.

But his face was square and his features open. His eyes shone brightly, and a wide smile played on his lips, giving him an air of warm and sincere approachability.

Meng Yu Jin clasped her hands in a formal and respectful salute. “Senior Brother Liu, we’re intruding.”

Mo Ciqiu was much more casual, grinning at Liu Zhengyi. “Senior Brother Liu, long time no see! Sorry for the intrusion!”

Liu Zhengyi waved his hand, a large and casual gesture. “Intrusion? What intrusion? Come in, come in!”

As he spoke, he stepped aside, ushering the three of them into the courtyard.

The courtyard’s furnishings were rather simple: a stone table, a few stone stools, a coarse pottery teapot and several teacups on the table, and an old, half-read book resting beside them.

A clump of green bamboo grew in a corner, its leaves rustling in the breeze, casting fragmented shadows on the ground.

Along one wall stood a simple rack holding a few pots of common flowers and plants, all growing vigorously.

The entire courtyard showed few signs of deliberate design, yet it possessed a simple and lively beauty that made one feel naturally relaxed and peaceful upon entering.

The three sat down at the stone table. Liu Zhengyi naturally took the host’s seat, bent down to retrieve a packet of tea leaves from under the table, and began to briskly prepare tea.

Meng Yu Jin introduced Chen Yue to Liu Zhengyi. “Senior Brother Liu, this is my disciple, Chen Yue.”

Liu Zhengyi was just about to pour tea for Meng Yu Jin when his teapot froze in mid-air.

He looked up, his gaze falling upon Chen Yue. A flicker of surprise crossed his bright eyes as he sized Chen Yue up.

“The Chen Yue from the Life and Death Decision against the Liuyun Sword Sect disciple?”

Mo Ciqiu also looked at Liu Zhengyi with some surprise, her eyebrows raised with an astonishment that seemed to say, ‘You actually pay attention to this kind of thing?’

Her gaze lingered on Liu Zhengyi’s square face for a moment, and her tone held a hint of curiosity and teasing.

“Senior Brother Liu, you care about things like this? Don’t you usually not even know who in the Sect has broken through to the Innate Realm?”

Hearing this, Liu Zhengyi laughed. He waved his hand and poured the tea from the pot into the three cups before them. The tea was clear and bright, and steam rose in wisps as a rich, crisp aroma filled the air.

“I rarely inquire about these things,”

Liu Zhengyi set down the teapot and lifted his own cup to his nose, sniffing it. “But because of this incident, Elder Wei Kuang was harshly scolded by Elder Feng yesterday.”

“He said Elder Wei Kuang was unworthy of being an Elder, that he couldn’t even uphold justice for his own Sect’s disciple while on duty at Cloud-Gazing Hall. He said Wei Kuang is not to be on duty at Cloud-Gazing Hall anymore.”

Meng Yu Jin and Mo Ciqiu exchanged a look, a flicker of surprise in both their eyes. They hadn’t heard about this.

After leaving Cloud-Gazing Hall yesterday, Meng Yu Jin had gone straight to find Mo Ciqiu, and the two had chatted in the courtyard all afternoon. They never expected that word of this matter had already reached Elder Feng’s ears.

Elder Feng’s status in the Panshi Sect was extremely high, far above that of a typical Elder. Even a veteran Elder like Wei Kuang wouldn’t dare say much in his presence.

Elder Feng rarely meddled in the Sect’s specific affairs, spending most of his time in seclusion cultivating. For him to speak out was to directly pass judgment on Wei Kuang.

Wei Kuang had mishandled the matter. It was a dereliction of his duty.

Seeing their expressions, Liu Zhengyi knew they hadn’t heard the news yet.

“Elder Wei Kuang originally wanted to argue a bit, but it seems he didn’t in the end. He has already announced he’s entering seclusion for a year.”

Mo Ciqiu laughed softly. “Elder Feng sees things clearly! Wei Kuang is always so hesitant. If he had just driven the Liuyun Sword Sect people away yesterday, none of this would have happened.”

Liu Zhengyi nodded, then looked at Meng Yu Jin. “So, you came to see me today to ask me to go to the Liuyun Sword Sect and give that Bei Sufang a beating? Though, that Guan Duhai is a junior, so it wouldn’t be right for me to make a move on him.”

Meng Yu Jin smiled and shook her head, her expression gentle and grateful. “No, that’s not it. We came hoping that Senior Brother would guide Chen Yue in his cultivation.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhengyi’s expression turned a little strange.

He set down his teacup, leaned back slightly, and let his gaze sweep back and forth between Meng Yu Jin and Mo Ciqiu before landing on Chen Yue again.

“Me, teach him? Junior sisters, you know I’ve never even taken a single disciple. That’s because I know my own experience works for me, but for most disciples, if they learned my methods, they probably wouldn’t live more than a few years.”

Mo Ciqiu let out a sly smile from the side, gently placing her teacup on the stone table.

She rested her hands on her knees and leaned forward slightly. “Senior Brother, this time is different. Chen Yue is a perfect fit for your teachings. Guess how many Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills he takes in a day now?”

At her words, Liu Zhengyi’s gaze shifted to Chen Yue.

He had been so engrossed in talking about Wei Kuang that he hadn’t carefully observed Chen Yue’s condition.

Now, prompted by Mo Ciqiu, he began to study Chen Yue in earnest.

For Mo Ciqiu to bring up the number of Elixirs with such gravity, Liu Zhengyi quickly made a mental calculation. Back when he was in the Marrow Refining Realm, he took four Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills a day, a number already unimaginable for an ordinary person.

Liu Zhengyi thought for a moment and held up three fingers. “Three?”

Hearing this, Mo Ciqiu burst into laughter, the sound as crisp and cheerful as a wind chime stirred by the breeze.

She shook her head. “Three is technically correct, but that’s for Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pills.”

Liu Zhengyi froze at her words, his hand, holding the teacup, halting in mid-air.

‘Three Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pills?’

He set down his teacup, his gaze lingering on Chen Yue for a longer time.

Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pills… those were Elixirs that focused on tempering the body. Their Medicinal Power was heavier than that of the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill, and the strain they placed on a person’s Qi Blood was far more direct.

‘To be able to take three Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pills a day in the Marrow Refining Realm without issue means Chen Yue must be practicing an extremely profound Body Refining Technique. All Things Return to the Source?’

‘If it really is All Things Return to the Source, and he has cultivated it to a considerably high level, his body’s endurance and refining capabilities would indeed be far beyond that of an ordinary person.’

‘If he can handle three Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pills a day, then how many Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills can he take?’

Liu Zhengyi readjusted his estimate, thinking it might be similar to his own past consumption. “Four Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills?”

Mo Ciqiu grinned, her eyes curving into crescents, so full of mirth they seemed ready to overflow. Then, she slowly shook her head.

“Seven Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills… a day!”

At these words, Liu Zhengyi’s expression went completely blank, his eyes widening in shock.