Dian Dian squirmed in Yunxi's gentle caress, its beady black eyes flickering with curiosity. "Master, do you think that evil cultivator you captured let himself get caught on purpose? Maybe he just wanted to get back into the sect and cause a huge scene."
Yunxi narrowed her apricot-shaped eyes. That possibility wasn't far-fetched. Given how much those evil cultivators hated her, it wouldn't be surprising if he chose such a suicidal tactic to take her down with him.
"Dian Dian, you have a point. Those evil cultivators hiding in the shadows are buried too deep for righteous cultivators to trace. They could have been so sure that even if they failed, I wouldn't kill him on the spot. For the bigger picture, I'd bring him back for interrogation, which gave them an opening to act. I think I know how that Yuányīng managed to self-destruct despite being sealed."
Ever since recovering from her injuries, she had been pondering this matter and had come to a tentative conclusion. She just wasn't completely certain yet and planned to see her master to confirm whether her speculation was correct.
Fluffing up its tail with pride at being praised, Dian Dian asked, "Then how did he escape your seal, Master?"
"I really did seal him," Yunxi said with a calm voice, "but I believe what I sealed was actually the real Xin Qiujian."
"Eh? Wasn't Xin Qiujian's body already taken over? Why would you seal his soul?"
"That's what the evil cultivator said. I suspect Xin Qiujian's soul wasn't fully devoured. He deliberately left part of his own soul intact as a contingency plan, or even as a substitute to die in his place."
"I see. Then how will Master prove this guess?" Dian Dian's tail twitched as it spoke.
"Just ask Xun Kun. If Xin Qiujian's body-snatching hadn't been discovered, his soul lamp in Kunmo Sect wouldn't have gone out. But after this Yuányīng self-destruction, he must have truly perished. The soul lamp would have extinguished. If we check the timing, it'll prove my theory."
"Master is so clever!" Dian Dian chimed, shamelessly buttering her up.
Yunxi, however, shook her head. "I was too careless. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been injured this badly. These evil cultivators are getting more cunning. The methods they use against me never stop changing."
She tilted her head and glanced at the sky. Perhaps she had suppressed Wei Yunqing too ruthlessly, and now even the Heavenly Dao was trying to restrain her growth.
Sensing her low mood, Dian Dian quickly changed the topic. "Master, Zhu Sheng has woken up!"
"Zhu Sheng?" Yunxi murmured. It took her a moment to recall the Tear-marked Bamboo she had brought out of the secret realm. "It advanced?"
"Yes," Dian Dian said with a nod. "Zhu Sheng absorbed the bamboo resin left behind by his ancestor and has now become a second-grade spiritual bamboo. He also asked me to give you this as thanks for bringing him out."
Opening its mouth, Dian Dian spat out a short bamboo tube.
With a sweep of her divine sense, Yunxi knew this was something valuable. This bamboo resin must have been left before the Soul-devouring Bamboo was corrupted by evil energy. It was the essence of an ancient bamboo, a pure wood-element spiritual liquid. "This gift is wonderful. Keep an eye on Zhu Sheng in the future."
"Yes, Master," Dian Dian replied obediently.
Yunxi held the bamboo tube for a while in thought, then instructed Dian Dian to check on Xiao Lei before she returned to her cultivation room.
Sitting cross-legged on her meditation cushion, Yunxi drank the bamboo resin without hesitation and guided the pure wood-element spiritual power to flow through every meridian in her body.
She knew her own condition best. Though her cultivation had progressed quickly, she had sustained many injuries over the years. Even though she healed herself, hidden damage inevitably remained. These dark injuries were invisible to divine sense but were very real. The appearance of this healing bamboo resin couldn't have been more timely. She had no intention of stopping at the Divine Transformation stage, so it was better to resolve these hidden dangers early.
The bamboo resin didn't disappoint. As it flowed into her meridians, it diligently released its pure wood spiritual power, soothing and repairing her dark wounds. The gentle, nourishing energy relaxed every muscle in her body.
With the healing of her hidden injuries, her cultivation, which had long been at the peak of Nascent Soul mid-stage, finally broke through under the push of the resin's energy. She smoothly advanced to the Nascent Soul late stage.
The icy spiritual energy of Lingxue Peak surged into her courtyard, rushing eagerly into her body. Under the guidance of the Mingyue Frost Condensation Art, the energy was refined and channeled into her dantian. There, her miniature Yuányīng, seated atop a lotus phantom, absorbed it greedily, growing noticeably plumper.
When Yunxi opened her eyes again, a month had passed. The feeling of her body brimming with strength was invigorating. After tidying herself up, she stepped out of the cultivation room.
Dian Dian, who had been anxiously waiting, leaped into her arms the moment she appeared. Its beady eyes were squinting with joy as it transmitted, "Congratulations, Master! Your cultivation has advanced again!"
Yunxi chuckled, rubbing Dian Dian affectionately. "You're the sweetest. Nothing happened while I was in seclusion, right?"
"Don't worry, Master. Lingxue Peak is always quiet, nothing troublesome. Even Xiao Lei has been focused on cultivation. Master Yuling came to check on you during your breakthrough, but when he saw you were fine, he left."
Yunxi nodded, then flashed away from Lingxue Peak to meet her master.
Yu Ling was reading a jade slip when the Hive pendant at his waist vibrated twice. Casting a glance at it, he spoke to the cultivator standing nearby. "Let Ran Xi in."
Moments later, Yunxi stepped into the hall and bowed deeply. "Ran Xi greets Master."
Yu Ling put down the jade slip. The cold expression he usually wore softened into a faint smile, like melting snow, drawing a surprised glance from the cultivator standing to the side.
He waved the attendant away before speaking. "Ran Xi, you've just come out of seclusion?"
"Yes, Master. I wanted to stabilize my cultivation in preparation for the Five Region Grand Tournament. Now that I'm ready, I've come out."
Yu Ling's tone grew gentle. "You advanced to Nascent Soul late stage thanks to misfortune turning into blessing. It would be best to temper your foundation now and not rush your next breakthrough."
Yunxi had already sat down at the jade table, attentively pouring him tea as she replied, "Please rest assured, Master. Even if you urged me to, I wouldn't plan another breakthrough so soon. I know I still have many shortcomings and much to learn. I won't even consider advancing for at least a century."
"Of course, if circumstances forced her hand, that would be a different matter". Yunxi kept that thought to herself. Looking back at her previous breakthroughs, each had been fraught with danger. She had managed to survive every ordeal so far, but it was only because of her resilience and her willingness to fight against the Heavenly Dao itself. Anyone else would have broken down by now.
Yu Ling glanced at her, lips curving in a faint smile as he sipped the spiritual tea. "During your seclusion, Kunmo Sect sent word. Thanks to Xin Qiujian, they captured a group of deeply hidden fallen demon cultivators. The entire Southern Region was in turmoil for some time."
===
Hey guys~ just a quick update ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
Technically, I've got 9 ongoing projects listed on my account. But! Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log, The Invincible Money-Grubbing Fairy, and My Daughter is the Empire's Lucky Charm are all fully translated already. Right now (as of September 29), Reborn as the Fallen Idol, I Leaned Into the Chaos! has less than 50 chapters left to go.
That means, out of the last 5 projects that are truly active, 3 of them are complete works (the original novels are already finished). The other 2 are still being serialized by their authors, but I've already caught up with the latest chapters—those are also queued up in my drafts with over 400 chapters ready to roll (148+260).
So really, my current active projects are just 3. Yay progress! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
On my side, I also just got a job offer starting in October. I don't know the exact details yet, so I'm holding off on picking up any new big translation projects for the moment. If I do start working, I'll have to juggle both job and translations, and I don't wanna push myself into burnout (ง •̀_•́)ง.
Originally, I planned to dive into another historical-themed novel right after finishing Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log, but that might have to wait a bit. Or if I do take it, I'll probably slow things down to about 2 chapters a day instead of my usual 5. Some of you have also asked me about continuing Glitched: Highway Apocalypse, and I'll see if I can sneak it into my schedule ( •̀ ω •́ )✧.
For now, until I know how much free time I'll actually have, I won't be starting any giant 400+ chapter novels (unless the chapters are really short). If it's on the longer side with heavier word counts, I'll probably cap it around 300 chapters.
Thanks as always for reading and supporting my translations! Your patience and encouragement really keep me going (｡♥‿♥｡).