Qing Yun's heart was focused solely on alchemy. He couldn't comprehend the tangled web of thoughts in these people's minds.
Xuan Feng chuckled and said cheerfully, "Please don't worry, Grand Elder. We're not that petty. Let's keep watching, shall we?"
Qing Yun frowned slightly. A vague unease had started to creep in.
Over in the Beastmaster Sect, the mood wasn't any better.
Liu Li's eyes held a trace of concern.
Unlike Qing Yun, she wasn't so naive. She understood all too well that for many cultivators, reputation held just as much weight as strength.
Right now, the Four Great Holy Lands stood united, sharing the peak.
But now, a new sect was emerging. Not only did it look like they intended to climb to the summit as well, there was even a possibility they would stand above the Four Great Holy Lands altogether.
How could they possibly accept that?
Liu Li let out a soft sigh. In her heart, a decision had already been made. Never mind the fact that Yun Jin was now her disciple. Even if she wasn't...
Even if it were purely for the sake of principle, she could not allow the Beastmaster Sect to become an obstacle to the Wushuang Sect's revival. She would do everything in her power to stop that from happening. Yet as Liu Li looked at the image of Yun Jin in the sky, that worry in her eyes didn't fade.
Until now—
Only a handful of them had known how extraordinary Yun Jin's talent truly was.
Now, everyone from the Four Great Holy Lands had seen it.
From this moment on—
Yun Jin would never be able to keep a low profile again.
Liu Li sighed once more.
Honestly, ever since Yun Jin obtained that key, there had never been any possibility of staying low-key. Her path was destined to be one of hardship and brilliance. If she made it through—
She would become the strongest in the mortal world.
If not...
She would be utterly destroyed.
Some were worried.
Some were relieved.
Some were wary.
Some were resentful.
Some were awestruck.
And Yun Jin was still moving forward.
Now that her Sea of Primordial Sense had been opened, the next step was cultivating her technique. As before, Yun Jin simplified the Mystic Codex. It rapidly evolved to match the Divine Transformation stage.
This time—
In addition to the Five Elemental Arts, the Mystic Codex had added a new soul-based technique.
Its function was simple: deterrence.
Once activated, anyone whose soul power was weaker than Yun Jin's would be suppressed. The actual effect would depend on how wide the gap was.
If the difference was too great, just a glance from Yun Jin could cause the opponent's spirit to collapse and die on the spot.
For most cultivators, this type of technique would seem impractical.
After all—
Those with powerful souls usually had equally high cultivation. Against those with weaker souls, you wouldn't even need to use deterrence to defeat them. And against strong enemies, it was useless anyway.
But Yun Jin was different.
She was a monster whose soul strength far surpassed her current cultivation.
Once she released more of her soul power, this technique would become a lethal weapon—perfect for killing enemies far above her level.
Soon, Yun Jin completed the transformation of her spiritual energy. The aura around her gradually shifted from outward release to internal restraint.
She had fully stepped into the Divine Transformation stage.
Opening her eyes, Yun Jin saw the crowd staring at her in stunned silence.
She glanced at her system.
[Emotional Value collected: enough to circle the planet twice.]
Oh!
That's a win.
Putting on a radiant smile, Yun Jin thought to herself—clearly, making a show of her power still paid off.
And not only should she continue, she needed to make it a habit. If you only dazzle once, the gains are limited. Only by dazzling persistently could she ensure a steady stream of income.
Not that it was a problem.
She figured she'd have plenty of chances to show off going forward.
This time, her Emotional Value had come from two major sources. First were the people within the Canglan Kingdom. Thanks to the image projection talismans, they were supplying her with constant Emotional Value. There were many of them, though each individual contributed little.
The second source was the cultivators from the Four Great Holy Lands. This group was small in number but each person contributed significantly more Emotional Value.
Moving forward, she just needed to expand her reach. Once her reputation and the Wushuang Sect's name spread across the world, would she ever need to worry about Emotional Value again?
"Why have you all stopped enjoying yourselves?" Yun Jin asked cheerfully, her mood clearly excellent. Her smile was brilliant. "Have I been a poor host?"
Silence.
After suffering this much of a blow, now they had to be taunted by Yun Jin's bright and innocent question?
This was unbearable.
Everyone looked at the spiritual fruit and wine in front of them, and could only turn their grief into appetite and resume eating.
Yun Jin was very satisfied with the outcome.
Mm.
She was a generous person, after all.
Leisurely, she raised her cup and began sipping again.
Her spiritual cultivation might have just reached early Divine Transformation, but this was far from her limit. Her soul realm had already reached the peak of Divine Transformation.
That meant as long as she accumulated enough spiritual energy, she could push her cultivation to match. As for breaking through to Unity...
She'd need to find a way to release even more soul power.
The higher her cultivation rose—
The less effect a single sip of wine would have.
Still, Yun Jin could feel her spiritual power gradually swelling within her. With a light smile, she raised her cup again. "Let us drink together."
Everyone lifted their cups.
After one small drink—
They all noticed something odd.
Their spiritual energy remained stable, simply stored within their bodies.
But Yun Jin...
Was it just their imagination, or did her aura just rise again?
She had already crossed a whole major realm. Was she not done yet?
Was this still not her limit?
Had she not crushed them enough already?
"This is good. One more," Yun Jin said, raising her cup again.
She pulled everyone into another round, cup after cup, drinking to her heart's content.
It was fine wine.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of spirit wine would have made them ecstatic. But now, all they felt was numbness.
Anyone watching Yun Jin drink while her spiritual power kept rising would be shaken to their core.
Cheng Su turned to glance at Yue Zhao and the others, only to find them surprisingly calm. She couldn't help but whisper, "You're not discouraged at all?"
Yue Zhao gave a small smile. "We're used to it."
Si Wanning grinned. "Discouragement? What's that?"
Yu Songnian quietly poured himself another drink.
Gu Jinghong looked completely unbothered. Of course—this was his Master. Whatever happened to her was perfectly normal.
Feng Linglong was actually shocked and on the verge of collapse.
But—
Now she was grouped with Yue Zhao's circle. Since they were all so calm, she couldn't afford to embarrass herself.
So Feng Linglong stayed quiet, lips curled into a mysterious and unreadable smile.
Cheng Su inhaled sharply.
That attitude...
They were acting like this was normal. Yun Jin hadn't suddenly turned abnormal—she had always been this way.
Yue Zhao's expression remained composed, but in his mind, he recalled the first day they met Yun Jin.
It had been a clear, sunny day. Their master was busy elsewhere. Everything had been peaceful.
The few of them had gathered to play tiles, enjoying their rare free time.
And then—
Yun Jin appeared.
He'd nearly been beaten to death by their master, which was bad enough.
But then Yun Jin sat there, calmly sipping tea while her spiritual power visibly increased.
It had been terrifying.
How terrifying?
Exactly like today.
They had already been through one rehearsal. Of course they could stay calm.
As for everyone else...
Sorry.
They'd just have to get used to it.