Chapter 75: The Early-Death White Moonlight in a Cultivation Novel (Part 6)

These past few days, Zhou Yanxi had been feeling unusually anxious. Her mind constantly wandered: When will Li Haochen go out? Will he find that Spirit-Cleansing Herb…?

But right now, she had no effective means to monitor his every move.

She couldn't ask other disciples—doing so might easily expose her. And modern surveillance equipment was useless in this cultivation world.

So Zhou Yanxi remained frustrated and uneasy. During one recent blade practice session, she nearly injured her own foot by mistake.

When her senior brother Yuan Hen discovered this, he uncharacteristically gave her a stern look and warned seriously, "Junior sister, you should put your training on hold for now. Your mind is in turmoil—continuing to force yourself to practice blade techniques will only lead to accidents."

His words struck right at the heart of Zhou Yanxi's inner demons: ever since arriving in this world, she had lived in constant unease. She feared that Li Haochen would someday skyrocket in cultivation and pose a threat to her and her family's lives.

But… her life shouldn't be like this. The cultivation world was vast and full of opportunities. She shouldn't be stuck fretting over someone like Li Haochen. She needed to focus on her own growth—that was the only true path.

In that moment, Zhou Yanxi fell into a mysterious mental state. She didn't know exactly what was happening, but instinctively sensed that it would benefit her.

Yuan Hen immediately transmitted a message via divine sense: Junior sister, you're having an epiphany. Anchor your mind and circulate your cultivation technique. I'll protect you—don't worry.

Zhou Yanxi, hearing his voice, dared not be careless and instinctively followed his instructions to the letter.

Truth be told, she had no idea how to handle an epiphany—her original body's knowledge was mostly focused on alchemy and lacked basic cultivation common sense.

While she cultivated, Yuan Hen stood guard like a gate deity, even placing a fourth-grade defensive array around her to prevent any accidents—after all, one person's attention could only stretch so far.

Speaking of which, her father, True Lord Chongyuan, was the most skilled seventh-grade array master in the sect. Yet he had only one personal disciple—Yuan Hen. Since his daughter Zhou Yanxi also needed his guidance and care, he had never taken in a wide circle of disciples like other peak lords.

Thanks to this epiphany, Zhou Yanxi's cultivation made a breakthrough, jumping from early Foundation Establishment to mid Foundation Establishment—a feat that normally required several years of hard work.

In the cultivation world, rising even a small realm usually took years, unless one experienced enlightenment or consumed rare spiritual treasures.

Having benefited so much from her senior brother's help, Zhou Yanxi decided to treat him to a proper meal in a few days—after she had stabilized her cultivation. She would invite Yuan Hen to Ke Yunlai Restaurant, the most famous spirit food restaurant in the market district.

Their dishes were made by professional spirit chefs, and if not for her father's personal reserved booth, the average person would have to wait in line forever just to get in.

She couldn't go now, though—just after breaking through, she needed time to stabilize her foundation and refine her cultivation.

Besides, she'd been troubling Yuan Hen constantly. It wouldn't be right to take it for granted—she felt compelled to repay him somehow.

While she was busy stabilizing her realm, word of her epiphany and breakthrough spread like wildfire throughout the sect. Many were awestruck and marveled at Zhou Yanxi's "heaven-sent" good fortune.

That's just how things were in the cultivation world—whenever someone had a breakthrough or obtained a treasure in front of others, word would get out quickly. The only way to keep it quiet was to strike it rich in total secrecy.

When Li Haochen heard the news of Zhou Yanxi's breakthrough, he felt like he had swallowed a pile of dung. Lately, he had been so irritable that he couldn't even perform Qi Introduction, the most basic cultivation technique. How could he not feel frustrated?

What made it worse was that he had once felt a vague attraction to Zhou Yanxi, thinking he might be able to latch onto her as a backing. But now, the gap between them was like a chasm. No matter how delusional he was, he no longer dared to even fantasize about her.

Still, this humiliation ignited his fighting spirit. He no longer wasted time sulking and finally began cultivating in earnest.

After more than twenty days, Li Haochen broke through to Qi Condensation Level 1. With that, he decided to visit the market district. He still had his monthly allowance—thirty low-grade spirit stones issued by the sect.

At the same time, Zhou Yanxi and Yuan Hen were also preparing to head to the market for a meal. She was in high spirits—it was a rare outing to relax.

For the past few months, she had been too busy cultivating or obsessing over how to handle Li Haochen. She hadn't had a single day to enjoy the peaceful side of the Canglan Continent.

When the two arrived at Ke Yunlai Restaurant, the attendant at the entrance immediately recognized the exclusive token in Zhou Yanxi's hand and respectfully led them to her father's private booth.

Zhou Yanxi, being the host today, planned to let Yuan Hen order. He didn't refuse and straightforwardly picked eight dishes and a pot of fruit wine.

Yuan Hen had no reason to be modest—he knew that their master always made sure they were well-stocked with spirit stones.

Especially toward his junior sister, their master spoiled her endlessly. Yuan Hen knew full well: to his wealthy junior sister, this little expense was just a drop in the bucket.

Still, Yuan Hen harbored no ill will toward her for being the favorite. He had been an orphan, and if not for their master, he wouldn't even be alive today—let alone enjoy the life he currently had.

Moreover, he was more than fifty years older than Zhou Yanxi and had always treated her as his own younger sister, cherishing her deeply.

As the two sipped spirit tea while waiting for their food, Zhou Yanxi strolled over to the window to take in the view of the market below.

The last time she had come here, she'd been preoccupied with scheming, too distracted to enjoy the scenery.

Now, as she looked down at the bustling crowd of cultivators and vendor stalls, she couldn't help but feel that a cultivation market wasn't so different from a mortal city's busy streets. When cultivators found something they liked, they also haggled passionately with stall owners.

Just as she was happily taking in the lively scene, Zhou Yanxi suddenly spotted a familiar figure appear at a stall below.