The applause rang out across the grand hall, the sect master rising from his seat with both hands spread wide. His voice boomed, filled with warmth and authority:
"Today, all gathered here have witnessed it. Haotian, our sect's rising pillar, not only stood his ground against a venerable elder, but did so with restraint, composure, and respect. This is the mark of a true cultivator, not merely in strength but in character."
The disciples cheered, the other sect delegations murmured among themselves, and the council members nodded in agreement. Elder Wei himself, still pale from the overwhelming display, clasped his hands and offered a stiff bow to Haotian—acknowledging the outcome.
The celebration resumed its flow with music, laughter, and the exchange of wine cups. No further incidents dared disturb the air. By the time the moon hung high, the festivities drew to a close.
Haotian and Lianhua returned side by side to their quarters, steps slow and steady, hands intertwined beneath the lantern light. The night seemed peaceful, yet just as they reached the threshold, a voice called out softly.
"Haotian."
He turned, and both he and Lianhua froze. Yangshen and Yuying stood there, shadows of their legendary presence draped across the quiet courtyard. The two ancestors approached with measured steps, their faces unusually unreadable.
Haotian and Lianhua bowed deeply. "Ancestors."
At first, the silence was awkward—like a storm lingering just past the horizon. Then Yuying coughed delicately into her hand and gave her husband a sidelong nudge.
Yangshen cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably before speaking. His voice carried the weight of a mountain, yet hesitated on the edges:
"The… matter of dual cultivation."
Haotian and Lianhua's eyes widened. Their bodies stiffened as if struck by lightning.
Yangshen's gaze softened, though his tone remained stern. "It is a dangerous path. To merge yin and yang so deeply is not merely intimacy—it is risk. Many in the past have fallen, consumed by desire, losing themselves to carnage and corruption. Do not think yourselves immune. Be cautious."
Lianhua's face burned red, her hands gripping her robe tightly. Haotian opened his mouth, but no words came.
Yuying's lips curved into a faint, wry smile, easing the tension. "What he means is simply—be careful. Do not overdo it. The bond between you is rare and strong. Treat it with reverence, not indulgence."
Haotian and Lianhua bowed again, stunned into silence.
Before either could gather a response, the two ancestors exchanged a glance. In the next instant, their figures blurred into streaks of light, vanishing into the night.
The courtyard fell still once more, leaving Haotian and Lianhua standing side by side, flushed and speechless, the weight of their ancestors' warning heavy in their hearts.
The courtyard was quiet again, yet the weight of Yangshen's words lingered. Haotian and Lianhua stood frozen for a moment, until she exhaled softly and leaned closer.
"Haotian… do you think they were right? Could we…" her cheeks glowed red even in the dim lantern light, "…fall like that?"
Haotian's gaze turned inward, calm yet thoughtful. Instead of answering, he drew out the Union of Dual Souls Sutra from his golden text library, the parchment manifesting in his palm with a subtle flicker of golden script.
Lianhua blinked in surprise. "You're going to—right now?"
Haotian's universe eyes shimmered open, galaxies swirling in his irises. The characters of the sutra lit up faintly, and as he focused, six tiny red dots emerged across the scroll like drops of blood upon silk.
His jaw tightened. "Flaws," he whispered.
Lianhua leaned forward, her expression tense. "You see them?"
"Yes," Haotian replied, his tone heavy. "I suspected something each time we cultivated… small irregularities in the flow of yin and yang. It wasn't smooth, as if something was twisting the energy toward imbalance. These flaws… if left unchecked, they would have dragged us straight into the corruption our ancestors warned about."
He laid the sutra flat, drew out brush and ink, and began making careful strokes, his hand steady as his eyes continued to glow. Lianhua sat quietly beside him, watching as if each movement of his brush carried the weight of their future.
Time passed—an hour, then two, until the night deepened into silence. At last, after three long hours of adjustments, Haotian set the brush down with a decisive breath.
"There," he said, leaning back with a faint but satisfied smile. "No more flaws."
Lianhua's eyes widened. "Really?"
Haotian nodded, his voice firm but tinged with relief. "Yes. If we had continued as it was, we would have eventually been consumed. But this…" he tapped the corrected pathways, now glowing with a faint golden light under his gaze, "…this new version repairs the imbalances. The yin and yang chi will merge far more naturally. The circulation is smoother, broader—no blockages, no forced strain. And more than that, the body tempering effect will multiply."
Her lips parted, astonished. "By how much?"
Haotian's eyes softened, though his voice was resolute. "If my calculations are correct… triple the original effects."
Lianhua gasped aloud, covering her lips with her hand. "Triple?"
He nodded once. "With this, our cultivation speed and physique tempering will far surpass what we've known. The path of dual cultivation, perfected."
Silence fell between them for a heartbeat. Then Lianhua, still flushed from both awe and embarrassment, picked up the corrected scripture with delicate hands. She scanned the flowing golden lines of text, her breath quickening.
When she looked back at him, her entire face was crimson, but her voice steady. "Then… let's do it."
Haotian blinked. "Now?"
She nodded, her hands trembling slightly but her eyes unwavering. "Yes. If you've fixed it… if this is truly the right path… then I want to walk it with you."
Haotian's heart stirred. He reached out, brushing a strand of her hair back, then pulled her gently into his arms. Their lips met—tentative at first, then hungrier, fueled by the relief of avoided danger and the promise of new strength.
Moments later, the scripture dissolved into their bodies as the new cycle began. The corrected pathways roared to life, their chi merging with breathtaking smoothness, yin and yang entwining in perfect resonance.
The night was filled not only with the rising hum of cultivation energy, but with the whispered confessions of love, the cries of passion, and the rhythm of bodies forging a new legacy together.
By the time dawn's first light touched their quarters, the echoes of moans and the glow of their dual cultivation still lingered in the air.
The morning sun had barely risen when the sect was shaken by two thunderous bursts of qi erupting from Haotian and Lianhua's quarters. The shockwaves rattled windows, stirred dust from rooftops, and sent disciples stumbling out of their rooms in alarm. Auras so fierce they seemed carved from heaven itself flooded the sect grounds, pressing down on the weaker disciples until they gasped for breath.
When the golden light finally subsided, whispers filled the air.
"They broke through again…?!""In just days—impossible!""Mid-stage Soul Transformation… both of them?"
The courtyard became a sea of gawking faces, awe and disbelief rippling through the ranks. Some disciples looked on with sparkling reverence, while rival factions clenched their fists in frustration.
Before the crowd could swarm the couple, Yangshen and Yuying descended in a streak of celestial light, landing directly before Haotian and Lianhua. Without a word, they pulled the pair into a private space. Moments later, Jinhai and Meiyun appeared as well, their expressions stern.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Yangshen's voice boomed first, sharp enough to cut through stone. "What did we warn you about? And yet here you are—daring to dual cultivate recklessly again!"
Jinhai's frown deepened. "Barely days after your first step into Soul Transformation, and now mid-stage already. Do you understand how dangerous this looks? How reckless this is?"
Haotian tried to speak, but Yangshen waved him down, eyes blazing. "Silence! You two are unbelievably naïve if you think you can simply waltz down the dual cultivation path without consequence. You're courting disaster!"
Lianhua lowered her head, cheeks red not only from embarrassment but from the sting of being scolded by the revered ancestors.
Yangshen pressed on, his voice sharp. "Do you even realize what kind of precedent this sets? Do you think power gained so quickly comes without chains binding you? You will end up enslaved by your own desires, pulled into corruption before you realize it!"
Each word struck heavy. Haotian clenched his fists, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Yangshen jabbed a finger toward him. "Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?"
Haotian opened his mouth—but again Yangshen cut him off. "Oh? Nothing to say? You admit your mistakes then? Good. Perhaps you'll—"
"Yangshen," Yuying interrupted sharply, folding her arms. "Enough. You've roared at them enough. At least hear them before you pass judgment."
Yangshen scowled, but Yuying's tone brooked no argument. He crossed his arms and leaned back, though his glare didn't soften.
Finally, Haotian lifted his head. His voice was calm, but beneath it was a quiet steel. "Ancestor, we did make a mistake—by underestimating the effect. But we did not ignore your warning."
The four ancestors leaned in slightly.
Haotian raised his hand, and with a flick of his universe eyes, a golden script of the Union of Dual Souls Sutra appeared in the air, glowing faintly. Six points pulsed where flaws once were.
"I found the flaws," he continued. "Six paths within the sutra that twisted yin and yang toward corruption. Left uncorrected, they would have led us to ruin. I rewrote them."
Jinhai's eyes narrowed. "You rewrote… a scripture?"
Haotian nodded firmly. "With my eyes, I traced the flawed pathways, tested corrections, and remade the method. It is no longer the same sutra—it is stable. Safe. Without risk of carnage or corruption."
Silence fell.
Then Haotian exhaled, his gaze softening as he glanced at Lianhua. "But the corrections had an effect. They tripled the resonance. Triple the chi, triple the body tempering—and…" he paused, cheeks heating, "…triple the pleasure. We lost ourselves. The cycle continued… and by dawn, we broke through together."
The ancestors froze.
Yuying and Meiyun exchanged looks of open shock. Jinhai's stern expression cracked for the first time. Even Yangshen, who had been halfway to barking another scolding, faltered.
"You… corrected the flaws?" he said slowly, almost disbelieving.
The weight of their gazes bore down on Haotian and Lianhua, not with condemnation now—but with stunned realization.
For a long heartbeat, the four ancestors said nothing. Their gazes bore into Haotian, as though searching for any crack of deception in his words.
It was Yangshen who finally broke the silence, his brows knit. "You corrected it… rewrote the very pathways of a flawed sutra. Hmph. That explains your recklessness." His voice lacked its earlier thunder, but it carried a strange weight, part disbelief and part reluctant pride.
Jinhai exhaled slowly, rubbing his chin. "To rewrite something like that… even in my youth, I would not have dared. Haotian, you've shown an audacity few would even dream of."
Yuying's sharp gaze softened, the faintest curve of approval tugging at her lips. Meiyun even smiled faintly, though her eyes glittered with disbelief.
And yet, Yangshen's sternness returned. His voice, though calmer, pressed down like iron. "Even so, the fact remains—you could not stop. That alone means you stepped into carnage and corruption, whether you realize it or not."
Haotian met his ancestor's gaze evenly. "But we did stop," he said firmly. "The moment we broke through. We ended the cycle there. It wasn't corruption—it was our lack of preparation. We weren't ready for the intensity of the tripled resonance." His expression tightened, but his voice stayed steady. "Now we know. Next time, we'll be prepared."
Yangshen opened his mouth—ready, no doubt, to unleash another round of admonishment. But the words caught in his throat. He snapped his jaw shut, eyes narrowing, and gave only a low grunt of frustration.
Yuying sighed, stepping forward. "You two… still so young. If nothing else, heed this: be careful. Moderation is the difference between cultivation and destruction."
Before Haotian and Lianhua could respond, Meiyun interjected crisply. "The real question is how we handle this. The entire sect has already felt your breakthrough. Days after you stepped into Soul Transformation, you soared another stage. Their curiosity will tear at you. We cannot ignore this."
Haotian straightened. "Then… we say it was my pill." He flicked his wrist, producing a smooth jade vial. Inside, a single gleaming pill radiated quiet heat. "The Solaris Ascension Pill—a refinement of the Solaris jadeheart fruits. Its potency is tuned to those of the Soul Transformation Realm. A one-time boost."
The four ancestors leaned in, eyes flashing.
But even as he spoke, realization struck Haotian. His brows furrowed. "…No. This won't work. No one knows of this pill except the Sect Master. If the elders learn of it, they'll tear the sect apart fighting for control. They'll compete with the Sect Master himself."
Yangshen stroked his beard, then snorted. "Foolish boy. Do you think we don't have solutions for such things?" He turned, voice hard with authority. "We'll announce this pill came from us—the Four Saint Dragons. A gift to commemorate your rise as elders. And I will speak with your Sect Master personally about your dual cultivation." His gaze softened ever so slightly. "He will understand… and he will protect your secret."
With that, he let out a sharp harumph and strode away, his robes billowing with an air of finality.
Yuying shook her head, though her lips curved with quiet amusement. "Goes to show… you're still just children. Remember moderation, Haotian, Lianhua. Don't let fire consume you." She turned and left, her sigh trailing behind her.
Jinhai followed soon after, his silence speaking more than words.
That left only Meiyun, who lingered by Lianhua's side. She leaned in, her voice like a silken whisper. "If what he says is true, and you've forged a perfect method… then go enjoy yourselves. Who cares what others think?" She winked at Lianhua, then vanished in a ripple of qi, laughter echoing faintly behind her.
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by Haotian's wry chuckle. He glanced at Lianhua. "Well… I suppose moderation really is the key."
Her cheeks flared red, but she refused to look away. "It still felt… too good to stop," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe… maybe we should set a target cycle. Train our tolerance slowly, build control over time."
Haotian nodded, his smile soft. "Step by step. No rush."
And for a brief, unspoken moment, both felt the weight of the path they had chosen—its danger, its promise, and its fire.
The Sect Master sat across from Yangshen, the weight of the Burning Sun Sect's future pressing into his bones. Between them, a pot of tea steamed gently, ignored.
Yangshen sipped anyway, his face like carved stone. "They've broken through again. Mid-stage Soul Transformation, mere days after their first step. If we don't manage this properly, you'll have chaos in your halls."
The Sect Master exhaled, rubbing at his temple. "Elders have already begun whispering. Some are calling it a heaven-sent omen, others… a distortion of the Dao itself. If this isn't explained, half my council will tear each other apart."
Yangshen's eyes glittered. "Then frame it cleanly. Announce their rise as the result of a pill. Say it came from us—the Four Saint Dragons. A commemorative gift, one-time, not repeatable. That will silence envy and prevent your elders from sniffing too close."
The Sect Master hesitated. "And what of the truth? The… dual cultivation?"
Yangshen nearly spat his tea. He leaned forward, jabbing a finger. "The truth? Do you want every elder here undoing their pants and trying to 'recreate' the method like lunatics?" His voice dripped with biting humor. "Your sect library will collapse under the weight of half-baked manuals, and disciples will run around moaning instead of cultivating. Do you want that?"
The Sect Master coughed into his sleeve, half choking. "No, Ancestor. Heaven forbid…" He muttered under his breath, "We'd undo ten thousand years of cultivation knowledge in one month."
Yangshen grunted. "Exactly. Frame it as a pill. Let the world believe the breakthrough was clean, contained, and honorable. Leave no room for scandal. Haotian has crafted a flawless dual method, but it will stay hidden until he's strong enough that no one dares question him."
The Sect Master finally raised his cup, bowing slightly. "I'll do as you say. For the sect's survival, for his future."
Yangshen snorted, but his gaze softened as he stared toward the horizon. "Good. Because if you blunder this, the boy won't be the only one rewriting cultivation history—you'll undo it."
Haotian & Lianhua's Quarters
Later that night, the storm of reprimands and strategy gave way to quiet. Haotian sat cross-legged, his golden text library open before him, brush still faintly stained with the ink from earlier corrections.
Lianhua leaned against him, chin on his shoulder, her cheeks still faintly flushed. "Do you think they'll believe it? That it was a pill from the Saint Dragons?"
Haotian chuckled softly. "They'll believe what they're told. And if they don't, they'll keep silent. No one dares question the four." He paused, lowering his voice. "Still… the warning wasn't wrong. If we'd continued any longer last night, we might've… undone ourselves. All that noise, the qi spiraling out of control. Another few cycles and the foundations we worked for could have cracked."
Lianhua frowned, recalling the near loss of control. "You're right. It was intoxicating. Too much. We nearly… lost the path itself." She shivered faintly, then reached for his hand. "But you corrected it, Haotian. And now… if we're careful, if we set our limits, we'll grow stronger without falling."
He squeezed her hand, eyes glowing faintly as his Eyes of the Universe flickered to life. "Moderation, then. Cycles capped, tolerance built slowly. We'll not be fools."
She smiled wryly. "Good. Because the sect will be watching us more closely than ever. One slip, and they'll think we've abandoned the Dao for desire."
Haotian tilted his head, kissing her lightly on the temple. "Let them watch. We'll give them what they expect by day—discipline, strength, leadership. But by night…" His smirk curved. "…we'll cultivate harder than they could ever imagine."
Lianhua's blush deepened, though her laugh was soft and genuine. "Harder cultivation, hm? I suppose we'll have to test our… limits again."
They sat together in silence after, their hands entwined, preparing themselves for the wave of attention that was already rolling toward them like a tide—disciples' envy, elders' scrutiny, rival sects' curiosity.
And beneath it all, the dangerous secret that only they shared—reforged, perfected, and nearly strong enough to shake the world.
The great hall of the Burning Sun Sect thrummed with tension. Elders sat in their carved seats, disciples filled the balconies, and visiting envoys from allied sects lined the sides. Rumors buzzed like bees—two breakthroughs in days, whispers of forbidden methods, impossibilities that shook the Dao itself.
The Sect Master rose, robes gleaming with embroidered suns, and raised a hand for silence. His voice carried with practiced calm:
"Brothers, sisters, honored guests. Today, let us put doubts to rest. The breakthrough of Elders Haotian and Lianhua was not born from recklessness, nor from dangerous shortcuts. It was the result of a gift."
He paused, allowing the words to ripple through the hall. Then, with deliberate weight, he bowed toward the front row, where Yangshen, Yuying, Jinhai, and Meiyun sat like immovable mountains.
"The Four Saint Dragons themselves bestowed upon their descendants a pill refined in ancient times—a pill that harmonizes body and spirit, guiding cultivators safely into the Soul Transformation Realm. This was given in honor of Haotian and Lianhua's appointment as the youngest elders in our sect's history."
The hall erupted in whispers.
"A pill from the Saint Dragons…""Then it makes sense.""Enviable beyond measure… but none can question such lineage."
Across the delegations, envy simmered, but no one dared voice it aloud. Some disciples clenched their fists in longing. Rival sect envoys looked sour, but all they could do was bow their heads in acknowledgment. To deny the Saint Dragons was to deny heaven's order.
Yangshen smirked faintly, his presence radiating enough pressure to squash any murmured dissent. Yuying sipped her tea, eyes half-lidded, while Jinhai and Meiyun simply exchanged knowing glances.
The Sect Master bowed again. "Thus, let us set aside unfounded doubts. Their achievement is real, their path secure, and their status beyond question."
The applause that followed was polite, restrained—yet heavy with the recognition that the matter was settled.
Over the next days, sects departed one by one. Envoys gave their formal congratulations, though some lingered with veiled questions that went unanswered. By the week's end, the Burning Sun Sect's courtyards were quiet again, the grand celebration fading into memory.
Haotian and Lianhua, relieved, turned their focus inward. With the suspicion resolved, they were free to resume their duties without constant stares. Yet both knew—the truth of their dual cultivation was far too sharp to ever be exposed carelessly.
They spent the following evenings with the Zhenlong household, sharing meals, recounting stories of the past, and listening to their ancestors' laughter filling the halls. For once, the sect felt like family, anchored by blood and legacy.
But beneath the warmth, both Haotian and Lianhua carried the same quiet thought:
We'll wait until they leave.
Only when the Zhenlong family and the Four Ancestors departed would they resume the Union of Dual Souls Sutra. Only then would the moans and surges of qi once more shake their quarters unseen.