Haotian's tone remained calm, practical as always. "There are flag posts within the bathhouse. Each contains a concealment array and a soundless formation. When the disciples surrender themselves to the cultivation cycle, their privacy is absolute. No one sees, no one hears. With the Heavenly Fire Treasure in place, I don't even need to be present. Any female disciple may enter, but they must employ the Union of the Dual Souls Sutra to circulate the chi correctly. Without it, the resonance won't activate."
He glanced at her steadily. "If you truly want access for your divisions, I can return to Yinxue and raise the matter with her. She'll have the final say—"
Before he could finish, Lin Xiangyin suddenly leaned forward, her voice sharp but trembling with something like… relief.
"Yes."
Her violet eyes glittered, her cheeks touched with the faintest color. "Immediate access. If you grant the Eternal Yin Orchid Sect's disciples entry to the bathhouse, then the Sovereign-level texts are yours."
Her tone carried urgency — a little too urgent for her usual serenity.
Haotian blinked, caught off guard. "…That quickly?"
Xiangyin straightened, composing herself, but the flicker of joy in her eyes betrayed her. "I am not in the habit of delaying when a fair bargain is offered. The bathhouse is… clearly invaluable."
What Haotian did not know was that for decades, Lin Xiangyin had quietly struggled with her own sect. Her disciples, devoted to yin cultivation, often carried unspent desires that gnawed at them in silence. Night after night, their suppressed needs leaked into the halls in muffled moans and restless cries. For years, the Sovereign Sect Master had endured endless headaches, her nightly meditations constantly disrupted by their voices.
Now, here before her, was an answer she had never dared hope for: a sanctum that would not only stabilize her disciples' cultivation, but also give them safe release through the very structure of the Dual Souls Sutra.
She pressed her lips together, trying and failing to hide the flicker of relief. "So. Do we have an agreement?"
Haotian hesitated only a moment, then inclined his head. "…We do."
Xiangyin leaned back, exhaling softly as if a great burden had just lifted from her shoulders. For the first time, her smile was not the poised curve of a Sovereign, but the weary, genuine smile of a woman who had been granted peace after years of strain.
The evening moon hung low, its silver light spilling across the mountain peak that now belonged to the Moon Lotus Pavilion. Steam rose faintly from the bathhouse, curling into the night like ribbons of mist.
Lin Xiangyin herself stood at the entrance, her robes shimmering faintly in the glow of moonlight. Around her, a carefully chosen group of Eternal Yin Orchid disciples gathered, each one a Saint-level cultivator. Their eyes flickered with curiosity and faint unease — the rumors about the bathhouse had spread fast since its completion.
Xiangyin's voice was calm, yet carried an unusual edge of anticipation. "Tonight, you will see for yourselves what our sisters of the Moon Lotus Pavilion have created. This place will temper your bodies, stabilize your qi, and…" She paused briefly, recalling Haotian's words. "…challenge your self-control."
The disciples bowed in unison. "Yes, Sect Master!"
They entered.
The moment the doors closed behind them, the disciples gasped. The interior glowed with light from the Source Crystal and Frost Vein Crystal, while the three Heavenly Treasures pulsed above, releasing waves of yin-yang chi into the pools. The air itself seemed to thrum with power, heavy yet intoxicating.
Xiangyin gestured toward the flag posts aligned around the baths. "Each flag carries concealment and soundless formations. Privacy is assured. Follow the cycle of the Dual Souls Sutra as you've been instructed. Let the treasures guide you."
The disciples nodded, some more nervously than others, and began slipping into the shimmering waters.
Almost immediately, their eyes widened.
One girl gasped, clutching her chest. "The… the chi is pouring straight into me—!"
Another's lips trembled as her body arched involuntarily. "It's… too strong—ahh! It's like fire and ice all at once!"
Then the pleasure hit them.
As the Heavenly Fire Treasure ignited the yin-yang resonance, the cycles of chi surged through their bodies. The disciples' faces flushed crimson, their moans spilling into the air despite themselves — only to vanish into silence as the soundless formations swallowed them.
One disciple trembled violently, tears streaking down her cheeks as she gasped, "S-Sect Master… the Sutra, it's driving the energy so deep… every pore, every vein—!"
Another cried out, her voice breaking, "It's… three times stronger than anything I've felt before!"
The waters glowed with ripples of silver and gold, each disciple's aura flaring uncontrollably before settling, refined, sharpened, elevated. Breakthroughs came in waves, qi channels bursting open as if cleansed from within.
Xiangyin stood at the edge, her expression unreadable — but her clenched hands betrayed how much she understood now. Haotian hadn't exaggerated. This wasn't indulgence, it was cultivation at its peak — though bound to an intensity that few could have imagined.
Hours later, when the disciples finally emerged, their faces were glowing, their bodies trembling but steadier, their eyes wide with disbelief.
One whispered hoarsely, "Sect Master… this… this is salvation."
Another, tears streaming, bowed low. "Please, let us return here again. With this… we can climb higher."
Lin Xiangyin's violet eyes softened, her lips curving in a faint smile as she turned toward the misty pools still humming with resonance.
"…So this is what you've brought to my sect, Haotian," she murmured. "No wonder they follow you so absolutely."
For the first time in many years, the Sovereign Master of the Eternal Yin Orchid Sect felt hope burning clear in her chest.
The morning mist still clung to the mountain when Haotian finished his meditation. His body still ached faintly from the Eleventh Strike, but his golden aura pulsed steadily — refined, unwavering.
A soft ripple of sovereign qi brushed the air, and he turned as Lin Xiangyin descended the jade steps, her violet robes flowing like moonlight. She stopped a few paces before him, her expression carefully composed, though a faint warmth touched her cheeks.
"Haotian," she began, her tone even but tinged with something unspoken. "Last night, I permitted a group of my disciples to use your Pavilion's bathhouse."
Haotian tilted his head slightly. "And?"
Xiangyin's lips pressed together. She lowered her gaze briefly, then met his eyes again, though a faint blush lingered across her pale cheeks. "Their results were… undeniable. Several advanced half a stage in a single night. One broke through a barrier she had struggled with for years. All emerged steadier, their yin qi cleansed and sharpened."
Haotian's expression remained calm, though the faintest smile touched his lips. "Good. Then you understand now why the bathhouse is invaluable."
"Yes." Xiangyin exhaled softly, folding her arms into her sleeves. "I owe you thanks. For years I have struggled with… issues in my sect. My disciples' yin cultivation often leaves them with restless desires they cannot easily dispel. Their frustration has haunted these halls every night. But what you have given us… resolves both their weaknesses and their suffering."
Her eyes flickered away for a moment, her composure finally slipping as her voice lowered. "…Though the method was… unexpected."
Haotian chuckled quietly. "You mean the intensity."
Xiangyin's blush deepened, though she raised her chin quickly, regaining as much composure as she could muster. "Three times normal, as you said. I did not believe it until I saw them emerge — flushed, trembling, yet stronger than ever."
For a moment she was silent, then inclined her head slightly, her tone softer than before. "So I thank you. On behalf of the Eternal Yin Orchid Sect."
Haotian inclined his head in return. "It's nothing. As long as the sects grow stronger, we all win."
Xiangyin studied him for a moment longer, her violet eyes searching his golden ones. Then she gave the faintest smile, rare and genuine, before turning away, her robes trailing like moonlight.
The courtyard beneath the Frost Jade Tree bustled with new life. Moon Lotus disciples in pale robes mingled with Orchid disciples in violet, the air thick with chatter and laughter — though some Orchid girls still walked gingerly, their cheeks flushed from the night before.
One of the Moon Lotus Saints leaned in with a smile, her tone teasing. "Not bad. You lasted through your first bathhouse cycle without falling unconscious. That's rare."
The Orchid disciple she addressed froze, then laughed nervously, adjusting her robe. "…Y-Yes. Not all of us were so fortunate, though."
Another Orchid girl, sitting nearby with damp hair, flushed crimson. "Some of us… did pass out. Completely. We had to be carried out."
At that, several Moon Lotus disciples chuckled knowingly, exchanging glances. One whispered loudly enough to be heard, "We told you. The resonance isn't something you just… endure the first time."
The Orchid girls flinched, some hiding their faces in embarrassment. The memory of the overwhelming waves of chi and the helpless cries that had escaped their lips was still far too fresh.
Before the silence could grow awkward, Shuyue — bright-eyed and always too honest for her own good — suddenly stood, hands on her hips.
"That's nothing!" she blurted. "Senior Brother can push the intensity up to six times the normal cycle!"
The courtyard froze.
Shuyue jabbed a thumb proudly at herself and her sisters. "Sister Yinxue, Sister Ziyue, and I had to endure that nearly every night!"
Silence.
Utter silence.
Dozens of Orchid disciples stared, mouths open, their faces flushing scarlet. Several Moon Lotus girls slapped their foreheads in unison, groaning audibly.
"What…?" Shuyue blinked, looking around in confusion. "Why are you all staring at me like that?"
Yinxue's icy voice cut across the courtyard like a whip. "Shuyue."
The younger sister flinched, paling. "Ah… oops?"
Ziyue sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Every. Night. Did you really have to tell them that?"
The Orchid disciples broke into a storm of whispers, their faces a mixture of shock, envy, and something else entirely.
"Six times…?""Every night!?""No wonder their qi feels so dense—!"
Haotian, who had just stepped into the courtyard, stopped dead in his tracks as the words registered. He looked around at the stunned faces, at Shuyue's sheepish smile, at Yinxue's glare that promised retribution later.
He sighed, long and heavy, rubbing the back of his neck. "…This is going to spread through the entire Orchid Sect by nightfall, isn't it?"
The courtyard erupted into laughter and flustered cries, the ice between the sects broken in the most awkward way possible.
The moon had barely risen when Haotian was called to the Eternal Yin Orchid Sect's highest pavilion. Disciples whispered as he passed, their faces flushed crimson, some covering their mouths with their sleeves as he walked by. He already knew why.
At the top, Lin Xiangyin sat waiting, her expression carved from stone — or at least, trying to be. The faintest twitch in her lips betrayed that she wasn't as calm as she wanted to appear.
"Sit." Her tone was clipped.
Haotian lowered himself to the cushion opposite her, back straight, golden eyes calm. "…You've heard."
Xiangyin's violet eyes narrowed, her composure cracking around the edges. "Shuyue. In front of dozens of Orchid disciples. Every night, she said." Her cheeks flushed faintly despite herself. "Six times the intensity. Every. Night."
She leaned forward slightly, her voice sharper than intended. "Tell me this is an exaggeration."
Haotian exhaled slowly. "It isn't."
The Sovereign Master of the Eternal Yin Orchid Sect — who had faced demon tides and rival sects without blinking — actually choked. Her hand went to her mouth, and she coughed once, her cheeks brightening. "…Seven hundred and fifty women already think the bathhouse is overwhelming at three times the resonance. And you— You—" She cut herself off, her voice lowering as though saying it aloud made it worse. "…You truly pushed those three sisters to six?"
Haotian's tone remained maddeningly matter-of-fact. "Yes. To temper their cores and bodies beyond normal limits. Without it, their progress would have plateaued. They endured. And they grew stronger."
Xiangyin closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "…Do you realize what you've done?"
"Kept my promise," Haotian said evenly. "To raise them higher."
There was a long silence. Finally, Xiangyin's composure cracked, and she laughed softly — half exasperated, half incredulous. "No wonder your Pavilion feels like it runs on a different law of heaven. I should have expected it. But hearing it out loud—" She cut herself off again, shaking her head, a hand brushing her temple.
Her voice softened, a rare mix of frustration and reluctant admiration. "…You're insane. Absolutely insane. And yet somehow, it works."
Haotian allowed the faintest smile. "Would you prefer I hold back?"
Her violet eyes snapped open, glinting with both ire and amusement. "…Don't you dare."
The night air was cool, orchids swaying softly outside the pavilion. Inside, Lin Xiangyin sat stiffly, violet eyes locked on Haotian, her composure balanced between disbelief and fascination.
"…If three Heavenly Treasures already produce this much," she said carefully, "then what are the true limits of your bathhouse? How far can it go?"
Haotian did not hold back. His tone was calm, almost too calm. "With three treasures, we stabilize the yin-yang circulation. But it's incomplete. My plan is to acquire two more Heavenly Treasures — Earth and Metal. Once added, the cycle will form the five elements. That balance will allow your disciples to cultivate a Five Elemental Body Physique."
Xiangyin's breath caught, her pupils narrowing. "A… a five elemental physique!? That's… that's unheard of outside divine inheritances!"
Haotian chuckled faintly, unshaken by her shock. "Not surprising at all. Why stop at five? Watch closely."
He raised a hand. Golden light surged from his palm, and as it spread through his body, his aura shifted — first blazing with fire, then freezing with ice, then crackling with lightning. Wind swept through the pavilion, earth pressed heavy against the air, light and shadow pulsed, water flowed, metal glimmered, wood bloomed. One after another, the elements revealed themselves — ten in all.
Xiangyin shot to her feet, her chair clattering backward. Her lips parted, her violet eyes wide, her sovereign qi trembling against her will. "T-Ten… Ten Elemental Body Physique!?"
Her voice cracked for the first time in centuries, stuttering in disbelief. "Not even the greatest sects of the Central Continent… not even the Emperors themselves—"
Haotian's expression remained calm. "Every member of the Zhenlong household now possesses it. Their armies, too. I forged it for them the same way I forged it for myself."
The Sovereign Master of the Eternal Yin Orchid Sect stood frozen, her mouth slightly open, struggling to breathe evenly. "…You— you gave your entire household… a Ten Elemental Physique?"
Haotian leaned back slightly, his tone almost casual. "I could do the same here. But without Heavenly Treasures, the process weakens. Herbs can be substituted, as I once did in the beginning. The effects would be lesser… but still effective."
Xiangyin gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white. She could scarcely process it. The bathhouse she thought was already unmatched… was only a fragment of what this man could build.
Her voice came hoarse, unsteady. "Do you even understand what you're saying? A single Sovereign with a five elemental body could dominate an entire continent. And you're telling me you've forged ten elements into an entire household's flesh!?"
Haotian only smiled faintly, his golden eyes calm as ever. "I told you before. The bathhouse is not luxury. It's a forge. And I intend to keep tempering my people until they are unbreakable."
The pavilion was silent but for the sound of orchids rustling in the night breeze. Xiangyin still stood, her hands pressed against the table, her breath shallow from Haotian's revelation. The image of ten elements flowing through his body burned into her mind, impossible to dismiss.
Slowly, her shock ebbed. Her lips pressed together, violet eyes sharpening as Sovereign composure gave way to calculation. She straightened, smoothing her robes, and when she spoke again, her voice carried the calm weight of decision.
"…Then we cannot stop here."
Haotian tilted his head, watching.
Xiangyin's eyes burned with conviction. "The bathhouse will be expanded. Larger — far larger. I will provide every resource, every hand, every array master needed. It must not only serve seven hundred and fifty disciples… but two thousand. More. If your method holds true, then all of my disciples must benefit."
Her voice rose, cold and sharp like steel tempered in frost. "Not just disciples. Elders. Even myself. We will all cultivate in this environment."
Haotian raised an eyebrow faintly, but remained silent.
She stepped closer, her sovereign aura flaring unconsciously, rattling the pavilion doors. "And more than that… I want the entire Eternal Yin Orchid Sect transformed. Not just one bathhouse, not one Pavilion. I want you to reshape this sect as you did the Zhenlong household. Create the environment, the circulation, the forges of chi. I want my disciples — every one of them — to have the chance to temper their flesh into a Ten Elemental Body Physique."
The words hung heavy, shocking even herself. But there was no hesitation in her voice.
Haotian studied her quietly. "You're asking me to rebuild your sect from its roots. To drag every disciple, elder, and master through a storm that could break them."
Xiangyin's violet gaze locked onto his golden eyes, unwavering. "Yes. If you could do it for your household, then you can do it here. With my sect's resources and your methods, we can become more than unshakable. We can become untouchable. Even Emperors would think twice before reaching for us."
For the first time since their meeting, there was no trace of embarrassment, no flicker of hesitation. Only resolve — hard and blazing.
She placed a hand flat on the table, leaning forward slightly. "So tell me, Haotian. Will you do it? Will you temper the Eternal Yin Orchid Sect into a force that not even the abyss could break?"
The orchids outside swayed violently, as though stirred by her ambition.
Haotian's lips curved faintly, golden light flickering in his eyes. "If that is what you wish… then I will forge it."