Refined by Moonlight, Tempered by Pain

Lin Yuan woke up early, as usual.

The morning air was crisp. After a short bath, he gently washed Xiao Hu in warm water, drying the little black tiger's fur with a soft towel. With Qingxue still snoring in bed, he slipped out and returned from the market carrying twenty bottles of spiritual milk and a heavy sack of dried fruits—over a hundred kilograms.

He patiently sliced the fruit into small pieces, arranging them into neat piles for Qingxue.

Xiao Hu yawned. "Brother, I want a horse."

From the bed, Qingxue immediately added, "I want one too!"

Lin Yuan chuckled and pulled out his sect token. A soft glow, and not long after, Lady Yuexian arrived holding a basket of fried chicken.

"I brought you something warm," she said, placing it down.

Lin Yuan began tearing the chicken into smaller strips so his beast siblings could eat in their true forms. Afterward, Lady Yuexian pulled out a few mysterious boxes.

Qingxue wrinkled her nose. "I don't like them."

Yuexian didn't comment. Instead, she turned to Lin Yuan and gestured. "Come. Time for cultivation."

They walked together to **Moonmist Hall**. As always, she instructed him to bathe first. When he teased her with a, "So first?", she smiled. "I'm always clean."

After the cleansing, she helped him into the sacred spiritual pool. "You don't even flinch," she murmured, circulating her Qi through his body. "Aren't you in pain?"

"I'm used to pain," Lin Yuan said. "I've had great healing powers since childhood. I could eat high-grade healing pills even back then."

"Why?" Her tone softened.

"My stepmother trained me to endure." He looked away. "So I wouldn't break easily."

Lady Yuexian's expression darkened. *What kind of mother does that to a child…?*

"You know," she added, trying to sound light, "Most girls your age can take ten mid-grade pills a day. Yesterday, you took 160. And now you're fine."

That day alone, Lin Yuan consumed another 156 pills. He didn't flinch once.

Eight hours passed in stillness and Qi flow. When it ended, Lin Yuan stood, stretched, and smiled. "Let's buy horses."

Yuexian nodded. "Of course."

---

At the beast market, Lin Yuan followed Lady Mingyan's voice in his soul:

**"Buy horses numbered 21, 33, and 47. They're rare spiritual breeds."**

He obeyed, spending three high-grade spirit stones. Xiao Hu and Qingxue both fell in love with the same white horse.

"I want that one!" they shouted in unison.

Lin Yuan grinned. "We'll get another."

Qingxue folded her arms. "Don't need one. I'm faster than all of you anyway."

Xiao Hu raised his nose proudly. "My horse will become a unicorn! Faster than wings!"

They laughed and returned to camp, eating grilled steaks as the horses grazed nearby.

Later that evening, Xiao Hu whispered, "I miss my mother."

Qingxue gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "You have to grow up. Most beast cubs live alone by now."

"You're not older than me!" he snapped.

"I am!"

"No, you're not!"

Lin Yuan stepped in, smiling. "Even the horses aren't siblings, but they're peaceful. So should we be."

That night, the three of them lay under the stars. Lin Yuan woke up later, trying to lift Qingxue—only to find she weighed more than she looked. "How does she even fly?" he mumbled.

Instead, he whispered, "Let's eat a little fruit," and the trio had a quiet midnight snack before going back to sleep.

---

Days passed like drifting clouds.

Each morning, Lady Yuexian trained Lin Yuan in painful body cultivation. He consumed hundreds of pills. She guided his Qi gently, always watching, always present.

Ten days later, she handed him a pouch. "10,000 spirit stones. Your body can circulate Qi on its own now. You've awakened a **Spiritual Body**."

She smiled proudly. "Most disciples remain at the Mortal Body stage. You've surpassed them."

From then on, Lin Yuan cultivated alone—until **Lady An** emerged from his pocket dimension.

"I'll help," she said calmly. "I know Taiyin techniques too. I'll hide when others approach."

And so, more days passed. Painful cultivation in the morning. Warm meals and sibling games in the evening. Bedtime stories at night.

---

Then, one morning, Lady An told him, "Xiao Hu and Qingxue are ready to take human form.I think you can trust sect leader. "

The next day, Lady Yuexian arrived to find three children playing in the dirt.

"Who are they?"

Lin Yuan replied without hesitation. "Xiao Hu and Qingxue.I thought we don't need to hide this from you. "

Lady Yuexian raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you trust me?"

Lin Yuan met her eyes. "Not completely."

She laughed. "Good. I like honest children."

She gifted Qingxue a little princess dress. "So cute!"

Xiao Hu pouted. "Where's my gift?"

"Want a princess dress too?"

"No! I want a sword!"

She gave him a flying sword and a magical amulet. "This will protect you. I'll also shield this place with a spell."

---

Seven more peaceful days passed.

The sect leader herself cooked meals, washed clothes, and even cleaned up after the kids. But one morning, she warned Lin Yuan:

"Be cautious in Moonmist Hall. An ancestor may appear. No more swimming. Speak less."

But that very day, while training alone, a woman appeared beside the spiritual pool.

"Why are you in **my** pool?"

Lin Yuan moved aside silently.

The woman studied him, tested his Qi tolerance—and was shocked. 237 pills. Seven hours. No sign of collapse.

Eventually, she vanished.

Later, she confronted him again.

"Who's your father?" she asked.

"He's dead."

"I know your mother."

Lin Yuan froze. *Which one? He thought in his mind,Mingyan? Baihua? An? Fengyuan?*

She grinned. "Qingxuan."

Lin Yuan exhaled. "She's my master."

She didn't believe him. The pain trials resumed—until he activated his sect token.

Lady Yuexian arrived instantly and bowed deeply.

"Ancestor," she greeted.

"Why is she here?" the woman snapped.

"She will not return."

---

Back home, Lin Yuan rested. Yuexian brought Xiao Hu and Qingxue. She cooked porridge, read poems aloud, and tucked them into bed.

The next morning, she brought him to a new location—**Moonlight Hall**.

"It draws true moonlight. You'll feel scorched, but this is where your **Treasure Body** will awaken."

She handed him fasting pills. "Don't leave. Just focus."

Once alone, Lady An emerged again. "This is a good place," she said. "I'll help."

The days became intense. No rest. No food. Just spiritual water, healing pills, and Taiyin Qi.

Ten days later, Yuexian returned, proud.

"You've come far. But now, you must enter the **sect competition**."

Lin Yuan blinked. "Do I have to fight?"

She smiled. "No. Games."

"…Games?"

"Yes. Jump rope. Long jump. Flower arranging. Candy picking. Painting. Making clothes. Smashing pots. Cooking."

"…I've never made a flower in my life."

"I'll teach you."

---

Each day after, they trained.

Jump rope: Qingxue came first.

Running: Xiao Hu always won.

Painting: Everyone was bad.

Clothes-making: Lin Yuan pricked his fingers a hundred times.

Smashing pots: A hit!

Candy-picking: Qingxue dominated.

And Lin Yuan?

Always third.

He trained harder, focused more, woke up earlier. But still… always third.

He didn't complain. He cleaned up after meals. Tended the fire. Encouraged his siblings. Bandaged their scrapes.

*I don't want to win,* he thought. *I just don't want to be left behind.*

---

That evening, Lady Yuexian stood alone beneath a flowering tree, watching them laugh and run.

She remembered training her disciple sixty years ago. The blood. The betrayals. The loneliness.

So many years alone… pretending it didn't matter.

But watching these three, she felt something shift.

*If I'd taken a different path… maybe I'd have children like them.*

For now, she was just a match lit in a cold world—warming her frozen heart, one small flame at a time.

The sun rose above the violet peaks of the Taiyin Sect, scattering petals across the mountain like blessings from the heavens. Drums echoed from the central plaza, where laughter, banners, and the scent of candied lotus filled the air.

Today marked the Taiyin Sect's Garden Festival, a cherished tradition where female disciples gathered for a friendly—but fiercely competitive—series of games.

A chance to show grace. A chance to bond.

And in Lin Yuan's case… a chance to suffer.

Lin Yuan stood in a lavender robe trimmed with moon-patterned thread, a flower hairpin stabbed into his bun, face flawless thanks to Qingxue's precise makeup.

"I look like a porcelain doll," he muttered, staring at his reflection in a pond.

"You look perfect," Qingxue said gently.

"You look fake," Xiao Hu added, stuffing a candied chestnut into his cheek. "Go get 'em, Princess."

The opening gong rang.

Round 1: Spirit Rope Jumping

"Elegance! Coordination! Spiritual balance!" shouted the hosting elder with dramatic flair. "You may begin!"

A hundred girls leapt into motion, skipping on spirit-thread ropes that floated and twisted in the air. Some flipped mid-air. Some added sword formations while skipping.

Lin Yuan's first jump was a disaster. His robe snagged.

The second was better.

By the third, his steps flowed with inner chi, and the rope obeyed his rhythm. He danced through the air, light as mist, focused and graceful.

"Who's that?" whispered a senior sister.

"So elegant!"

"So mysterious!"

Lin Yuan grimaced. "This isn't worth the praise…"

He placed fifth.

Round 2: Mountain Path Sprint

"From Cloudstep Ridge to Moonrise Cliff! First to arrive wins!"

A spiritual race across uneven terrain with hidden traps and illusions.

The signal flared—BOOM! Dozens of girls flew forward.

Lin Yuan sprinted across narrow ridges, dodging thorn spirits and ducking illusionary boulders.

A senior sister tossed a talisman at him mid-run.

"Oops, slipped," she smirked.

Lin Yuan sidestepped, deflecting it with his sleeve. "Nice try."

He arrived at Moonrise Cliff in fourth place—dusty but breathing steady.

Sect Elder watching from the pavilion whispered, "That girl… doesn't use much magic. But her foundations are absurdly solid."

Round 3: Moonlight Painting

"Paint your heart," instructed the art elder.

Each girl was handed spiritual ink, a floating canvas, and silence.

Lin Yuan frowned at the brush. He wasn't an artist.

Still, he painted:

A single tree on a snowy hill.

A child curled beneath it, asleep in a nest of light.

A shadow behind him—shaped like wings.

The painting pulsed softly with spiritual resonance.

When the elder saw it, he stared for a long time.

"Second place," he said at last, voice unreadable. "She has seen loneliness."

Round 4: Clothing Craft – Grace in Thread

"Design a robe that reflects your inner self," the seamstress elder declared.

Silk, feathers, golden thread, and beast-leather scraps were piled on the tables.

Lin Yuan looked around at the masterpieces being woven—robes of light, veils of fog, capes that shimmered like the ocean.

He closed his eyes.

His hands moved.

He wove together shadow-dyed silk, plum-colored accents, and moonlight thread. The result was simple—but elegant. Quiet, strong, humble.

When he held it up, the Sect Leader standing at the pavilion narrowed her eyes.

"This one... is dangerous," she whispered.

The elder gave him third place.

Round 5: Pot Smashing – Luck and Precision

Dozens of floating clay pots drifted across the field—some full of rewards, others full of traps.

"Hit as many as you can in 30 seconds!"

Lin Yuan picked up a hammer.

Smash! — A rain of spirit candy.

Smash! — A nest of squealing spirit rats.

Smash! — A glowing talisman.

BOOM! — A smoke bomb covered him in pink dust.

"Pfft—she turned into a strawberry bun!"

Xiao Hu couldn't breathe from laughing.

Lin Yuan clenched his jaw and kept smashing.

He placed sixth—but was the crowd favorite.

Final Round: Candy Cauldron

A giant golden cauldron filled with hundreds of spirit candies—sweet, bitter, hot, cold, rare, or cursed.

Blindfolded contestants dove in to find the Blue Orchid Crystal Candy—a spiritual candy with healing and cleansing effects.

Most girls grabbed too fast or got cursed sweets.

Lin Yuan sank his hand in. Felt the cold. The soft ridges. The crystalline shape—

He pulled it out.

The crowd gasped.

Blue light shimmered like morning frost.

He won the round.

Closing Ceremony

The sun dipped low, bathing the field in golden light.

The Sect Leader, Lady Yue Qingxuan, stepped onto the stage.

"In first place... the silent, silver-eyed maiden in lavender—Xiao Lin!"

Lin Yuan stood still.

Someone pushed him.

He stepped forward.

Cheers erupted.

"She's so quiet!"

"So elegant!"

Lady Qingxuan appeared at his side, grinning far too smugly.

"My disciple… always full of surprises," she murmured, slipping a flower crown on his head.

Lin Yuan whispered back, "You're enjoying this far too much."

"Indeed."

As the crowd celebrated, Lin Yuan caught his reflection in a hanging mirror.

Long hair, pale skin, flower crown, gentle robes.

A girl?

A boy?

A shadow in between?

He sighed.

"I just wanted to train."

From the crowd, Xiao Hu shouted, "You just wanted snacks, don't lie!"

Lin Yuan turned red.

Qingxue offered him a candy.

He smiled, quietly.