Elder Song took out a formation compass, its surface glowing with intricate runes as he tried to locate the source of the high-grade formation.
The compass needle trembled and pointed toward a dense section of the forest.
"Little Ling, let's go," Elder Song said calmly.
They moved swiftly, weaving through the thick underbrush. But after a while, a wide cleared area opened up before them—completely unnatural in the heart of the dense forest.
Bai Ling was stunned.
"How can such a large open space suddenly appear? Wasn't this a dense forest just now?"
She turned to Elder Song, uncertain. "Grandpa... is this a formation?"
Elder Song nodded, eyes narrowing. "Yes, it can be called a formation—but it's much more than that."
He checked his compass again—but to his shock, the needle began spinning erratically.
His expression darkened. "This isn't just a fourth or fifth-grade formation. It's an ancient formation. Extremely complex to decipher and dangerous to handle."
He looked around warily, his heartbeat rose quickly. With a serious look, he warned her "We must leave now. If we don't escape quickly, we'll be trapped in an illusion."
"An illusion?" Bai Ling asked, her brows furrowed.
"Yes. Look closely. Though your eyes might not perceive it, tiny specks of dust linger in the air—almost transparent, forming a mist. It's subtle, but deadly. The longer we stay, the more our soul power will be eroded. Eventually, we'll lose control of ourselves."
"So can't we..." She wanted to ask something but elder Song interrupted her.
His voice grew urgent. "No more questions. We'll talk later. Hurry up! We don't have much time."
They turned and quickly fled the clearing, re-emerging into the thick forest. As soon as they stopped, both felt an intense wave of exhaustion. Their whole body trembled because of this sudden weakness.
"Now do you understand?" Elder Song asked.
Bai Ling nodded reluctantly. "Yes, Grandpa. I was too focused on completing my task and ignored these signs."
Elder Song ruffled her hair with a sigh. "Little girl, killing people isn't the only thing in life. There are other things to experience too."
"Like what?"
"Like marrying someone and starting a family," he said with a chuckle.
"Elder Song! Did you find anything else during this trip?" she quickly deflected.
"Hmph, you sly girl…" he shook his head, then grew serious. "That ancient formation is definitely fourth-grade or higher. Even Void Transformation cultivators would struggle to break it. You'll need to seek help from your sect leader or perhaps an ancestral elder. After all, your sect leader's strength is close to Transcendent level."
Bai Ling fell silent, staring into the forest. After a long moment, she whispered:
"They won't stay hidden forever. After the Tournament of Ascension, I'll come back and break that formation myself. Just wait... you pesky rats."
Elder Song sighed as he watched her.
This girl is still as stubborn as ever.
With that, the two departed from Mirrorleaf Forest.
-------------------
Spirit Lake Courtyard
Back in the Spirit Lake Courtyard, Li Chen and Yu Qingci arrived at the study hall, hand-in-hand with little Li Xuan.
Su Lingxue greeted them with a warm smile and asked, "Husband, how was your trip to the Silvercloud Trade Hall?"
Li Chen returned the smile. "Wonderful. And we've brought three new maids with us."
Yu Qingci bent down and patted Li Xuan's head. "Go find those aunts and play with them. You can take the falcon too."
At the mention of the falcon, Li Xuan's eyes lit up. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, shot Su Lingxue a mischievous grin—and ran off before she could scold him.
Li Chen came up behind Su Lingxue and wrapped his arms around her, gently resting them just beneath her breasts.
"I missed you, my wife," he whispered into her ear.
His fingers started to roam around her breasts and playfully caressing them.
"You've only been gone a day, and now you're talking like a smooth flirt," she said with a pout and slapped his fingers to stop his mischievous movement—but the blush on her face betrayed her emotions.
Li Chen was Li Chen . How could he miss such opportunities?
He didn't stop his fingers but rather he pressed his palm against her breasts.
Su Lingxue's breathing became fast and soft moans started to emit from her cherry mouth.
After some teasing and laughter, Su Lingxue and Yu Qingci sat opposite Li Chen.
"I'll be resuming my training soon," he began. "But before that, there's something important I want to show you both—something I just discovered."
"What is it?" they asked in unison.
Without answering, Li Chen took them by the waist and teleported them to the pond behind the courtyard.
In his mind, he commanded: "System, locate the Celestial Lotus Pool within this pond."
The moment his thought ended, the tranquil waters began to ripple. The pond expanded, and glowing lotus flowers bloomed in radiant colors. A brilliant light bathed the entire area.
Su Lingxue and Yu Qingci were left speechless.
Before their eyes, what had once been an ordinary pond was now a breathtaking landscape of divine beauty. Lotus blossoms shimmered like pearls opening from within jade shells and a stunning scene slowly unfolded.
Su Lingxue gasped. "This… these details… it's exactly like the Celestial Lotus Pool recorded in the ancient texts."
Yu Qingci was still in awe. "Even the Springwater Sect only had a smaller version of this. Their pool wasn't even half the size of this one…"
Neither of them questioned how the pool came to be. Instead, their excitement grew.
Su Lingxue clutched Li Chen's arm tightly. "Now, we can awaken Xuan'er's bloodline… but we still need the spirit herbs and beast cores."
"No need to worry," Li Chen said gently, patting her shoulder. "Just give me another six or seven months. By then, I'll have everything we need."
Then his expression turned playful as he wrapped his arms around both wives.
"Cici, Xue'er… tonight, why don't we bathe in the pool together? Spend some… quality time."
Su Lingxue rolled her eyes. "Husband, you're getting naughtier day by day."
"Oh, as if you two don't want to," Li Chen said with a teasing grin.
He waited expectedly, yet no reply came.
"Alright, fine. Tonight, I'll bathe alone. No need for your company."
Li Chen frowned.
Shouldn't they be saying something like, 'No, husband! How can we let you bathe alone in such cold weather? We'll accompany you!'
But silence still lingered between them.
He stared at his lovely wives, confused.
"Hm…Why isn't this trick working?"