Chapter 160 - 157: Breaking Through to Innate

Chapter 160: Chapter 157: Breaking Through to Innate

Liu Wenying nodded, her expression growing serious as well.

"Master went to see Elder Mo Ciqiu. Elder Mo is an Innate Realm expert, powerful enough to protect Master during her breakthrough and ensure she isn’t disturbed."

Chen Yue’s eyes flickered upon hearing this.

Mo Ciqiu. He had heard that name more than once within the Sect.

She was one of the most distinguished experts in the Panshi Sect’s Innate Realm. Her cultivation was unfathomably deep, and she held immense prestige and status within the Sect. She was a recluse who rarely appeared before ordinary disciples.

The fact that Meng Yu Jin could persuade such an expert to act as her guardian showed that their relationship was anything but ordinary.

The greatest fear when breaking through to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm was being disturbed. In that state, one’s Heart Spirit was completely immersed in comprehending the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and awareness of the outside world dropped to a minimum.

Lately, the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm had felt both distant and near to Chen Yue.

It felt distant because he was only in the Marrow Refining Realm. The great step of the Refining Organ Realm still separated him from the Innate Realm, a gap as wide as a thousand mountains and rivers.

It felt near because, in the process of cultivating the Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell, he had already faintly touched upon that level.

...

True Inheritance Peak was situated in the very center of the Panshi Sect’s mountain range. It was the place where the Primordial Qi of the entire Sect was most concentrated.

Unlike the other peaks, only Innate Realm experts and True Disciples were permitted to reside on True Inheritance Peak. Without special permission, an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple could not even set foot on the stone steps at its base.

Halfway up the mountain, a quiet courtyard was built into the slope. It had green tiles, white walls, and upturned flying eaves. A grove of verdant bamboo grew outside the courtyard walls, its leaves rustling in the gentle breeze.

A small flagstone path led to the courtyard gate, flanked by a few unknown flowers and plants that emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Meng Yu Jin walked along this path, her steps composed and unhurried.

She wore a simple, elegant aqua-blue dress, cinched at the waist with a matching silk ribbon. Her long hair was pinned up with a jade hairpin, and a few loose strands fluttered in the mountain wind.

Unlike the stern, dignified appearance she usually maintained in front of her disciples, her features now held a softer quality, and the corners of her mouth even carried the faint hint of a smile.

She reached the courtyard gate and raised her hand, about to knock on the vermilion wooden door, when it opened on its own.

Behind the door stood a small spirit screen, carved with a landscape painting. The brushwork was simple, yet the artistic conception was profound and distant.

Meng Yu Jin’s hand paused in mid-air. She froze for a second, then lowered her hand, the smile on her lips deepening.

A clear, gentle female voice drifted from deep within the courtyard. It wasn’t loud, yet it was as distinct as a whisper in her ear.

"What brings you here today?"

A warm, familiar smile graced Meng Yu Jin’s face, the kind one has when reuniting with an old friend.

She stepped over the threshold and into the courtyard, her voice naturally rising a little. "Can’t I come see you just because?"

The courtyard showed few signs of artificial design; instead, it exuded a rustic charm.

A few clusters of bamboo grew against the wall. A clear spring trickled from between the rocks of a small rockery. Lotus pads floated on the water’s surface, and several koi swam leisurely beneath.

In the center of the courtyard stood a stone table and several stone stools. On the table were a few vases, a pair of flower shears, and a handful of freshly cut flowers.

Mo Ciqiu was sitting on one of the stone stools, focused on arranging the flowers in her hands.

She wore a moon-white robe of a material as light as smoke. Her features were delicate and gentle, her brows like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn waters.

She looked to be no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but the composure and tranquility that radiated from her very bones were not something a woman in her twenties could possess.

Her fingers gently held a budding White Orchid as she compared it to the height of the vase, considering where to place it.

Hearing Meng Yu Jin’s footsteps, Mo Ciqiu turned her head. Her gaze fell upon Meng Yu Jin, and a soft smile flickered in her eyes.

"Knowing you," Mo Ciqiu said, her voice still as clear and gentle as spring water, "why would you come looking for me if nothing was the matter?"

She had known Meng Yu Jin for a long time. They barely saw each other a few times a year. Who was she trying to fool, suddenly showing up at her gate and talking in that "Can’t I come see you just because?" tone?

Meng Yu Jin didn’t argue. She just smiled and walked to the stone table, naturally coming to a stop beside Mo Ciqiu.

She glanced down at the artfully arranged flowers on the table, then at the White Orchid in Mo Ciqiu’s hand. She casually picked up a vividly blooming red camellia from the table and reached toward the vase in front of Mo Ciqiu.

Mo Ciqiu quickly reached out to stop her. The gesture wasn’t forceful, but her intention was firm.

"Don’t you dare!"

Mo Ciqiu’s voice held a trace of helpless exasperation. "You never do any arranging yourself, so don’t make a mess."

As she spoke, she gently pushed away the hand Meng Yu Jin was holding the camellia with, then carefully readjusted the few stems already in the vase.

At this, the smile on Meng Yu Jin’s face deepened.

"You’re right, I do have something to ask you."

The playful tone in her voice subsided, replaced by seriousness.

Mo Ciqiu placed the White Orchid she was holding back on the table and turned slightly toward Meng Yu Jin, her gaze focused.

At that moment, even the wind in the courtyard seemed to fall silent. The rustling of the bamboo leaves ceased, and the ripples on the water’s surface stilled.

"I want to attempt a breakthrough to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm," Meng Yu Jin stated her purpose.

She paused, looking directly into Mo Ciqiu’s eyes. "And I want you to be my guardian."