Liu Qingyu even began to suspect that Lin Ye might have improper intentions, since he had instructed her to do such a thing to the Senior Sister.
But when she saw Lin Ye's back—completely focused, fully absorbed in refining the medicinal liquid—she thought to herself that Senior Brother Lin Ye should not be that kind of person.
And besides, it was far better that she did it than Lin Ye himself.
So Liu Qingyu began removing Chu Mengxi's clothing piece by piece.
In an instant, Chu Mengxi's nearly flawless figure was revealed before her eyes, like a piece of transparent, immaculate jade.
"This shape… this skin… my heavens…"
Even Liu Qingyu could not look away. Her eyes went wide and fixed, and a deep envy surged in her heart.
She even felt saliva threatening to slip from the corner of her mouth.
Shaking her head, Liu Qingyu wrapped Chu Mengxi's body in a bedsheet. Then, when placing her into the bath barrel, she pulled the sheet away at the last moment to avoid any accidental exposure.
By now, the medicinal bath had turned into a thick, milky-white broth, releasing a rich and intoxicating fragrance.
When Chu Mengxi's body sank into the liquid—only her head remaining above the surface, with nothing else visible—Liu Qingyu could not help comparing.
She had always believed herself to be quite attractive within Fenglei Xuanzong, but in front of Chu Mengxi's figure and aura, she felt nothing but shame.
She was not even worthy of carrying the Senior Sister's shoes.
Liu Qingyu stood beside the barrel the entire night, her mind drifting through countless scattered thoughts—none of which she could properly recall afterward.
Lin Ye worked until deep into the second half of the night.
All the medicinal ingredients had fully released their potency, and he could clearly sense that Chu Mengxi's condition was improving.
At the very least, the agony had faded. But detoxification required time.
As for who had poisoned her, Lin Ye did not know yet. Perhaps Chu Mengxi knew the answer herself. He would ask once she woke up.
"The rest is up to you," Lin Ye said to Liu Qingyu.
"I will come again tonight to help purge the toxin. When she wakes, let her rest well."
Liu Qingyu was practically falling asleep on her feet. She cultivated diligently, but she still slept one or two hours daily—unlike Lin Ye, a cultivation fanatic who seemed never to rest.
"Oh… oh, okay. I understand, Senior Brother Lin Ye."
She looked at Chu Mengxi, still soaking in the medicinal bath. Her complexion had already begun returning to normal.
Liu Qingyu's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Senior Brother Lin Ye is amazing!"
Lin Ye returned to his own courtyard and adjusted his breathing for a short while.
By now, Fenglei Xuanzong's order had already been restored.
An official proclamation declared that Sixth Elder Geng Shiqiu and Fifth Elder Chen He had framed Lin Ye, deceived those above them, and used vile methods—and that they had been personally executed by the Sect Master.
To the disciples, it was announced that Lin Ye would continue holding the status of a Core Disciple.
But only those at the level of hall directors and above knew the truth: Lin Ye was now the true power behind Fenglei Xuanzong.
Five subordinate cities, three spirit mines, and a thirty-li medicinal mountain range had all become Lin Ye's resources.
And yet, no one voiced any complaint.
Because just last night, five people had broken through their cultivation realms—
All because they had consumed Lin Ye's Earth-Spirit Pills.
No one had expected Lin Ye's Earth-Spirit Pills to be so overwhelmingly effective.
Those who had stagnated for years broke through immediately. In an instant, Fenglei Xuanzong's momentum surged like a rising sun.
There had even been extra pills left over from yesterday. Lin Ye casually used them as rewards, handing them out to the remaining hall directors of the twelve halls.
Fenglei Xuanzong had seven peaks and twelve halls, plus the main Xuanzhong Peak. Its number of experts was not small.
The directors of the Law Enforcement Hall and the Affairs Hall had died, but selecting replacements was a matter of minutes.
The most stunned were the Grand Elder Song Wuque and Second Elder Jin Shengbai.
Both had received Lin Ye's Demon-Bone Golden Pills.
Although these pills were not refined from the bones of fifth-rank beasts, their medicinal power remained tyrannical.
Both elders broke through that very night.
They even felt as if their bodies had been refined from the inside out, as if they had become ten years younger.
Their vitality overflowed with new life.
Both of their cultivations rose by one realm.
Song Wuque reached the Fourth Layer of the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm.
Jin Shengbai reached the Third Layer.
And a large portion of the medicinal power still lingered within them, not yet fully digested.
Their cultivation speed would accelerate even further in the coming days.
"Although the new Sect Master is young, it does not affect our admiration at all!"
Elder Peak, Wen Lang's residence.
After returning from Lin Ye yesterday, Wen Lang could no longer resist temptation. He directly refined the fifth-grade pill, Golden-Origin Pill.
The refinement process lasted the entire night.
Finally, at dawn, a vast surge of Heavenly Meridian Qi descended from above and gathered around Wen Lang.
The residents of other courtyards on Elder Peak all turned their gazes in that direction.
"A Heavenly Phenomenon Realm expert… Fenglei Xuanzong has produced another one!"
Song Wuque and the others arrived outside Wen Lang's courtyard, astonishment on their faces—along with undeniable joy.
The more Heavenly Phenomenon experts they had, the stronger they became.
Crushing other sects and forcing them to offer tribute was only natural.
Big fish ate small fish.
But the prerequisite was always the same: your fist had to be hard enough.
Wen Lang had broken through to the First Layer of the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm.
When Wen Lang appeared, everyone came to congratulate him.
Lin Ye had said yesterday that he would raise Wen Lang to the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm within seven days—
Yet Wen Lang had achieved it in a single day.
Since when did entering the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm become so easy?
Several elders still stuck in the Earth-Transformation Realm stared with boundless envy and growing hope.
They had followed Pei Tianzhuo for more than ten years and seen almost no change.
But now Lin Ye had taken over—
In one night, Fenglei Xuanzong had undergone tremendous transformation and received massive breakthroughs.
It made them believe that the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm might not be such a distant dream after all.
Lei River City.
Lei Yongbiao had been anxious ever since Lin Ye returned to the sect.
He waited desperately for news from the sect, so he could adjust his strategies for what came next.
But before any word of Lin Ye arrived—
The three major families of Golden Dragon City came bearing tribute of over one hundred million spirit stones.
To scrape together that amount, their industries had shrunk drastically.
Meanwhile, many of the Murong Clan's original businesses were being swallowed up at high speed by Wang Shu and the Golden Eagle Guards.
Golden Dragon City was now a storm of shifting power.
Soon, Lei Yongbiao finally received news from the sect.
Lin Ye had regained his status as a Core Disciple, and the Sect Master had personally executed Geng Shiqiu and Chen He.
Only then did Lei Yongbiao understand:
Lin Ye had won.
Lei Yongbiao brought the three major Golden Dragon families into the branch hall.
Originally, he wanted them to simply leave the spirit stones with him so he could deliver them on their behalf.
But the three families did not only want to pay.
They also wanted Lin Ye to show mercy and allow their clans to continue surviving.
So they temporarily stayed within the branch hall, waiting for Lin Ye to arrive.
Lei Yongbiao also sent a message back to the sect.
Carrying such an enormous fortune of spirit stones was unsafe anywhere.
Fenglei Xuanzong, Listening-Mystery Peak.
Chu Mengxi slowly opened her eyes, only to discover that she was completely naked inside a bath barrel.
She let out a sharp scream.
But amid the panic, she realized that the poison inside her body had already been purged by more than half.
"How could this be…"
"Senior Sister, you're awake!"
Liu Qingyu happened to be replacing Chu Mengxi's sheets and blankets with fresh ones.
"Was it you who detoxified me?" Chu Mengxi asked.
She remembered Liu Qingyu clearly—she was the one who had told her something had happened to Lin Ye.
"Xiao Ye… what about Xiao Ye?!"
Chu Mengxi's heart jolted. The memory of collapsing before still haunted her.
"Senior Brother Lin Ye is fine now!" Liu Qingyu said quickly.
"The Sect Master has cleared his name. Senior Brother Lin Ye has regained his Core Disciple status."
"And… Senior Sister, your poison was also removed by Senior Brother Lin Ye."
"These are detoxification pellets. Take one every two hours. Once you finish them all, the poison will be fully cured. Senior Brother Lin Ye said so."
Liu Qingyu brought over a box of pills.
During the time Chu Mengxi was unconscious, Lin Ye had also rushed to refine detoxification pellets, so he would not need to come personally again.
"These… these were all made by Xiao Ye?" Chu Mengxi's eyes widened.
She found it difficult to believe.
"Uh… I was the one who undressed you," Liu Qingyu added awkwardly.
"Don't worry, Senior Sister. Nothing was exposed."
Hearing that, Chu Mengxi only shook her head slightly.
"I belong to Xiao Ye. Even if he saw me, so what?"
Liu Qingyu's eyes widened like copper bells.
She never expected the always elegant and refined Senior Sister to have such a wild side.