The Weight of Discipline
In morning, whispers floated through the corridors of the Taiyin Sect and the halls of the prince's estate like pollen on the wind.
> "Did you hear about **Lady Lin Yuan**?"
> "The girl who's training Prince Xuanyuan Cheng?"
> "Yes! The one who locked herself in a cultivation room with him—for a full day!"
> "Alone?"
> "With no witnesses. Just the two of them… and soul formations."
---
In the estate's kitchens, the maids were already on their second pot of tea and third helping of gossip.
> "I saw her come out of the training room… her face flushed, robes wrinkled, and she said—*'I'm starving!'*"
> "Then the prince stumbled out after her, drenched in sweat and groaning *'I need a bath…'*"
> "What were they doing in there?!"
A younger maid whispered shyly:
> "Maybe she used a forbidden Yin cauldron technique to refine his qi?"
> "Don't be silly. She's a cultivator, not a seductress!"
> "You clearly haven't seen the way she stretches him."
---
In truth, **Lin Yuan**, posing as a graceful, sharp-eyed young lady, was doing her job **very seriously**.
"Okay, Your Highness, raise your arms," she said gently, hands guiding his elbows.
"Like this?"
"Lower. No, that's your shoulder joint. Now breathe."
The prince winced.
"Now twist to the side. Slowly."
"Is this… yoga?" he asked, sweating.
"This is called surviving past twenty," she said coolly, patting his back with a talisman to stabilize his qi.
---
Outside the formation, the maids stood with their ears pressed against the barrier.
> "I heard moaning."
> "That was just stretching."
> "Still moaning."
> "They've been in there since dawn!"
> "Maybe she's cleansing his body using… unconventional methods."
> "Her fingers are delicate, but I heard they're strong enough to twist a stubborn qi knot!"
---
When they emerged, Lin Yuan was calm, composed, and radiant from the qi rich air of the formation.
The prince, however, looked like a roasted dumpling that had barely survived steaming.
> "I smell like I was cooked in a hot spring made of onions," he muttered.
Lin Yuan simply bowed to the maids and said,
> "Please prepare a light meal. Just spiritual water and fruit. No buns."
She turned to the prince:
> "Go bathe. And next time, try not to scream during expersise"
---
In the inner sect's pavilion, **Sect Leader Yuexian** sat sipping tea with another elder.
> "Rumors are spreading," Yuexian said with a sigh.
> "Of course they are," She said."A beautiful girl spends all day behind a locked formation with a royal heir? The people's imagination will train harder than either of them."
> "And Lin Yuan?"
> "Did exactly what you expected. Stayed professional. Treated the prince like a pig in rehab."
Yuexian arched a brow.
> "We may need to intervene if this continues."
Mingyan smiled.
> "Or let them watch. The more they talk, the harder she'll train. That girl hates nonsense."
By dawn, the training yard behind the prince's estate echoed with low groans and rhythmic thuds.
Lin Yuan stood calmly in the center, her delicate figure wrapped in loose martial robes. Sweat glistened on her brow as she pressed her back against a boulder inscribed with glowing talismans.
**A 1000-kilogram weight seal.**
She exhaled slowly, pushing against it.
> *"Seven breaths... eight... hold—"*
The boulder rumbled slightly before settling again. Lin Yuan relaxed, her breathing smooth, controlled.
Nearby, the prince sat on a cushion, watching with wide eyes, a bowl of cold fruit in his lap.
> "That boulder weighs a *ton,*" he muttered. "She's barely grunting."
Lin Yuan straightened and turned, wiping her brow.
> "Good morning, Your Highness. You finished your fruit?"
> "Yes…"
He glanced longingly toward the meat grill at the side.
> "Could I… maybe have a bite of beef? Just a tiny one?"
> "No."
Lin Yuan's voice was sweet but firm.
> "Spiritual meat will only increase your yang energy and fat reserves. Your qi is impure. Fruit and cold water until we fix that."
The prince sighed dramatically and rolled onto his side.
> "But you're eating meat every day. "
> "Because my soul art burns calories and devours essence with every breath," she replied. "Yours doesn't."
---
Later that day, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged beneath the Soul Tree, unwrapping a crimson cloth pouch.
Inside, **52 Soul-Devouring Ants** squirmed, their shiny black carapaces etched with microscopic runes.
Lin Yuan let several ants crawl onto her arm.
They bit.
White-hot pain raced through her soul channels. She trembled, gasping—but refused to flinch.
> *"Perfect. It's working."*
She gritted her teeth and flicked her fingers, sending **one small ant** silently toward the prince's training mat.
The ant vanished under his sleeve.
---
A moment later:
> "AAAAAGHHHHH!"
The prince rolled across the yard like a dumpling on fire.
> "SOMETHING BIT ME!!It hearts like hell. "
Lin Yuan calmly walked over, handed him a cup of **Evergreen-infused spiritual juice**, and helped him sit.
> "You'll live. Drink. You've been purified."
The prince guzzled it with tears in his eyes.
Moments later, his expression shifted.
> "My… my meridians feel lighter. Like someone just… unclogged a drain."
> "Exactly. Now do your stretches. And stop yelling."
---
That afternoon, Lin Yuan resumed her weighted exercises, this time pressing the boulder while holding a flaming soul blade in each hand.
The prince, now ashamed, tried to mimic her with a small 10kg soul weight talisman.
He managed a single squat before collapsing like jelly.
Lin Yuan didn't mock him.
She simply walked past and said:
> "Don't compare your chapter one to someone else's chapter twenty."
> "But I was ahead of you," the prince muttered.
> "Not anymore."
---
By nightfall, Lin Yuan sat near the Soul Tree, quietly chewing on slices of spiritual beast meat. Her soul glowed faintly, stronger than before.
The prince approached, his robes cleaner, his posture a little better.
> "So," he asked cautiously, "what bit me today?"
Lin Yuan smiled.
> "A reminder."
He sat beside her, watching the moonlight filter through the tree's glowing leaves.
> "Thank you," he muttered.
Lin Yuan didn't respond.
She simply leaned back and looked up at the sky.
> *"Soul and body,"* she thought, *"I'll train both. One step at a time."*