The morning sun fell soft across the mountain courtyards, the frost banners glimmering like silver flame.
The sect stirred with gossip and whispers, for at the front of the procession walked Shuyue — her cheeks glowing, her steps light, a new spring in her stride.
No longer quiet and burdened, she looked like a cheerful teenager, skipping once, then twice, before clinging tightly to Haotian's arm. She pressed herself close, her laughter ringing bright as though the weight of centuries had lifted.
Disciples lining the courtyard froze in shock.
"Is that… Shuyue?"
"Her whole face is different… she's glowing."
"She's hugging Senior Brother Haotian? So openly?!"
Envy sparked in the eyes of many. Their gazes lingered on her soft smile, her unashamed closeness, their hearts burning with jealousy.
And then the murmurs deepened.
"…Wait. Her cultivation—"
"It's fallen. She was peak Nascent Realm, and now… Core Condensation?!"
"How… how could that happen?"
Yinxue and Ziyue walked a little behind, their composure intact, but their eyes sharp. Both had noticed instantly — Shuyue's qi had reset, her cultivation washed away to the initial Core Condensation Realm. And yet she paraded happily, clinging to Haotian like a lover in spring.
Their hearts twisted.
So shameless… Yinxue thought, her eyes narrowing. To hug him in the open, as though she has that right.
Ziyue bit her lip, her violet gaze flicking away. We were with him long before her. And yet she dares…
Neither could hide the faint dissatisfaction etched into their eyes.
Yinxue's mental voice pressed into Haotian's mind, cool but edged with jealousy. This is too much. She has no respect for us, nor for you. Do you intend to let her flaunt herself like this?
Ziyue didn't speak aloud, but her qi flickered with the same silent protest.
Haotian chuckled under his breath, his golden eyes glinting with mischief. His reply brushed into both their minds at once. If it bothers you that much… shall I take the two of you together right now? Announce us in the open?
Both women stiffened, their steps faltering. Heat rose beneath Yinxue's veil; Ziyue's face turned crimson.
Haotian's laughter rang in their thoughts again, warm and teasing. Don't sulk. Tonight, I'll reward you both properly. To remind you — no one can take your place. Not even Shuyue.
The reassurance settled them, though the flicker of jealousy still lingered in their chests.
At his side, Shuyue clung tighter, her face radiant with joy, oblivious to the undercurrents swirling around her.
Haotian only smiled. Three flames, he thought, and each burns in its own way.
Meanwhile, the rival sects wasted no time. Alarmed by Moon Lotus Sect's surge, they dispatched spies in secret — men disguised as wandering cultivators, their task to slip inside, test the sect's defenses, and report from within.
But the first obstacle struck before they could even step into the courtyard.
The Moon Lotus Sect was all-female. Men were permitted only for low manual labor, tending grounds or carrying supplies. To seek entry as disciples was laughable.
At the gates, the watchers looked them over once, then shook their heads. "Rejected. Failed before you even began."
The men stiffened, their jaws tight. "This is unfair! We are cultivators, not commoners!"
Their protests echoed through the hall, but the response came swift. Disciples of the sect — many of them newly advanced into Dao Comprehension — gathered, eyes gleaming with quiet amusement.
"Cultivators?" one woman said, her tone lilting with mockery. "Then why are your auras so weak?"
Another laughed, her frost qi shimmering around her. "Look at them. Not one of them could even compare to Senior Brother Haotian."
At the mention of his name, the atmosphere shifted. Smirks spread across faces, and suddenly the men were buried in a storm of comparisons.
"Do you have his eyes that see through all flaws?"
"Can you command formations as easily as breathing?"
"Your alchemy — can it even compare to his? He makes pills the elders can't!"
"And your Dao comprehension? He's already beyond universes. What are you?"
The mocking grew louder, harsher, disciples piling on one after another. Even passing juniors, hearing the commotion, joined in with laughter.
"He is unmatched in martial arts. You? Ordinary."
"He created techniques we rely on every day. What have you created?"
"He carries our Sect Master openly — and you dare think you could sneak in here?"
The spies' faces turned red, then pale. Their protests grew weaker, drowned beneath the weight of scorn.
By the end, they stood hollow-eyed, surrounded by laughter.
"…They're insane," one muttered under his breath.
"A sect of crazy women…" another groaned.
Defeated and humiliated, they turned and walked away, their mission abandoned before it began.
The disciples watched them leave, still chuckling. One leaned against the gatepost, her frost aura shimmering. "Compared to Senior Brother Haotian, all men are failures. Why waste our time?"
The others laughed again, their voices carrying across the mountain like bells.
The Moon Lotus Sect's pride had become untouchable.
In distant halls across the southern region, rival sect masters slammed their hands on armrests and shattered cups in rage.
"What do you mean… they were turned away at the gate?" one demanded, his voice trembling with disbelief.
The trembling spy bowed low, face still flushed with humiliation. "They… they rejected us instantly. They said the sect is only for women. We tried to argue, but—"
Another sect master cut him off, snarling. "And then?"
The spy's face twisted in shame. "…They mocked us. Compared us to him. To Haotian."
The room fell silent, but the spy forced himself to continue. "They laughed at our martial arts. Our comprehension. Our alchemy, our formations… everything was compared to him. They said none of us could measure up. More joined in until we… we couldn't stay."
The sect masters' faces darkened, their teeth grinding.
"Those women are bewitched."
"They worship him like a god."
"Moon Lotus Sect… has become untouchable."
One voice hissed coldly: "If we cannot infiltrate… then we will have to strike directly."
The room grew heavy with schemes and whispers.
Back at the Moon Lotus Sect, Haotian stood in the courtyard, surrounded by laughing disciples recounting the scene at the gate.
"They said you were the measure of all things, Senior Brother," one giggled, her eyes bright.
"Every man compared to you and failing," another added, smirking.
"They left calling us crazy women," a third said, unable to hold back her laughter.
Haotian doubled over, his golden eyes crinkling as he laughed openly, the sound warm and unrestrained.
"Hah! To think they even tried to slip men into this sect! And to be defeated not by strength, but by words!"
He wiped at his eyes, still chuckling, then glanced around at the flushed, proud faces of the disciples. "Careful, or I'll start believing you really do worship me."
The women answered at once, smiling, voices rising:
"Is it worship if it's true?"
"You're beyond all of them, Senior Brother!"
"No one else compares!"
Haotian laughed again, shaking his head, the amusement lingering in his eyes. So this is what terrifies the other sects… not just the breakthroughs, but the loyalty these women now have.
The spies had failed. The enemy sects schemed.
But here, within these frost-carved walls, the laughter of the Moon Lotus Sect rang clear.
And Haotian stood at the center, smiling.
In dimly lit halls, the rival sect masters raged and cursed, but the fury drained quickly into silence. Someone finally spoke the truth none dared voice earlier.
"The Moon Lotus Sect now shelters more than three hundred and seventy disciples at the Dao Comprehension Realm."
The words struck like a hammer. Even the proudest among them clenched their fists in bitter recognition. Their own sect masters — the strongest among their factions — had barely reached the Initial and Mid Stages of Soul Transformation. Against such overwhelming numbers, their fates were already shackled. To move against the Moon Lotus Sect now was to walk willingly into a tomb.
Another voice broke the silence, a whisper laced with fear. "They are already the hegemony of the northern continent. None can contest them. To even dream of it is… madness."
The rage in their eyes smoldered, but not one could deny it. Their grand schemes dissolved in the face of reality.
That night, the Moon Lotus Sect's inner sanctum glowed faintly under the shimmer of moonlight and frost. Yinxue rested against Haotian's shoulder, her long black hair spilling across his chest like silk ink brushed by starlight. Once, the burdens of leadership had carved faint lines into her face, the subtle weight of years worn by a sect master who bore responsibility through countless winters. But now, with Haotian's Beauty Restoration Pill, that age had vanished.
She appeared no older than twenty — skin like porcelain frost, eyes bright and youthful yet steeped with the wisdom of centuries. Not just her — the elders too, once weathered by cultivation strain, now stood reborn in their prime. Their sect radiated vigor as though time itself bent around them.
Yinxue's voice was calm, but her tone carried iron certainty. "They will never come. They know what awaits them. Even if they muster courage, the Cries of the Phoenixes Formation will rip their bodies and souls apart before they ever breach our walls."
Haotian chuckled, golden eyes glowing with mischief. "Hah. To think they scheme so desperately, and yet forget the simplest truth. This sect has already ascended beyond their reach. Even if a Saint Realm expert dared appear, the formation would still shred them."
Beside him, Ziyue tilted her head, violet eyes shimmering in the dim light. "And if one stronger came?"
Haotian laughed softly, a sound that rolled with absolute confidence. "Only a mid-stage Sovereign Realm expert could break the Phoenix Cries. And to summon such a being… the price would be astronomical. No sect in this region — not even a united front — could ever afford it. They'd drain their coffers, sell their bloodlines, and still fail. And even if they succeeded…" He smirked faintly. "I would crush the remnants they left behind."
Ziyue's lips curved into a quiet smile. "Then let them rage. Let them plot. Their fear has already become our shield."
Yinxue leaned closer against him, her renewed youthful beauty gleaming like frost-kissed jade in the pale moonlight. "And we… will continue to rise."
Haotian's golden gaze lingered above, laughter low in his chest. "Let them come. Their schemes are already ash. The Moon Lotus Sect will not fall."
And so, while rival sects whispered of desperate alliances, the truth was undeniable: against the reborn youth of their elders, against the legion of Dao Comprehension experts, and against Haotian himself — the northern continent already belonged to the Moon Lotus Sect.
The chamber was quiet, the moonlight pale across frost-carved walls, when Haotian's voice cut through the lingering warmth of laughter. His golden eyes glowed faintly, not with amusement now, but with the clarity of command.
"Yinxue," he said evenly, "send a messenger to the sects. Tell them this: as long as they remain in their own realms, we will not interfere. Let them know our goal lies elsewhere — the demon invasion in nine years."
Yinxue shifted against him, black hair spilling over her shoulder as she looked up. Haotian's words were not boast, but decree.
"Remind them," he continued, a faint, sharp smile tugging at his lips, "that if they insist on scheming and try to destroy us, then they are welcome to gamble their fates. But in nine years, when the demons arrive… they will face world destruction themselves. Even if a Sovereign Realm expert stands behind them, that sovereign will be ripped apart just the same."
The words hung heavy, like thunder that made the night itself shiver. Yinxue nodded her head once, acknowledging the order. She already knew the rival sects would tremble at this reminder.
Ziyue, however, lifted her face with curiosity, violet eyes catching the moonlight. "Then tell me, Haotian… what is the final realm you envision for our sect to meet the invasion?"
The question slipped into the silence like a blade.
Haotian did not hesitate. His reply came casually, as though speaking of a morning meal. "Emperor Realm."
Both Yinxue and Ziyue froze. For an instant, the air itself stopped moving. A sect of hundreds — not a handful, not elites, but hundreds — at Emperor Realm. That was not ambition. That was domination. That was a sect that could dictate the laws of heaven itself.
Their breaths caught. Yinxue's youthful form trembled despite herself, the weight of such a vision nearly overwhelming. Ziyue pressed a hand to her lips, eyes wide.
Haotian only smiled, golden pupils gleaming like the dawn. "Then… let's work toward that goal."
He leaned forward, closing the distance, his lips brushing against Yinxue's. She gasped softly before melting into the kiss, her black hair falling like a curtain around them. Ziyue pressed in from his other side, their warmth entwining, the night consumed once more by the rhythm of breath and desire.
The hours slipped away in fire and frost, moonlight and laughter, until the first pale gleam of dawn crept through the window.
The next day, the great training grounds of the Moon Lotus Sect stirred with anticipation. Disciples gathered in formation, their faces flushed with expectation. Today was no ordinary session. Today, the call was for mass dual cultivation — a tide of energy that would sweep through every courtyard and hall.
And for the first time… Shuyue stepped forward.
Her once-sealed heart now freed, her black eyes shone with determination as she joined her sisters. The frost-carved walls thrummed as the sect resonated in unity, breath and chi weaving together under Haotian's guidance. The very air quaked, as though the heavens themselves bowed to witness the rise of a sect walking toward the impossible.
The following dawn, the Moon Lotus Sect stirred with anticipation. Today was unlike any ordinary training, for today was the sect-wide mass dual cultivation day.
Within the innermost sanctum, the newly built bathhouse glowed with ethereal light. Layers of arrays shimmered faintly — concealment formations and soundless barriers that smothered sight and stilled sound. To the outside, only veils of mist drifted, masking what occurred within.
At the very center, Haotian stood calmly inside the concealment array, his hand resting near the core of the chamber. Before him pulsed the Source Crystal, a radiant gem that throbbed with condensed yin energy, its glow spreading into the bathwater. Beneath it, buried into the earth, slumbered the Frost Vein, drawing yin essence from the environment and feeding it upward. And above, suspended like a falling star, floated a Heavenly Treasure — a crystal sphere that radiated threads of dao clarity, allowing comprehension to flow like breath itself.
It was a perfect cycle. Yin essence flowed from the Frost Vein to the Source Crystal, then upward into the treasure, where it was distilled into comprehension before sinking back into the waters below. A furnace not of fire, but of yin, frost, and dao light.
Soon, the disciples began to arrive.
The bathhouse filled with mist as the first figures entered, their robes loosened and discarded, forms glowing faintly under the radiance of the arrays. Elders and young disciples alike stepped into the shimmering waters, each taking a seat beside one of the formation posts arranged around the pool. Runes etched into the flagstones flared gently as each participant attuned themselves, weaving the sect into one resonant cycle.
Yinxue entered with quiet composure, her black hair falling in silken strands across her bare shoulders. The restored youth in her features gave her the appearance of a woman barely twenty, though her eyes held the weight of centuries. She lowered herself into the pool with calm dignity, even as the first ripples of yin qi coiled around her form.
Ziyue followed, her violet eyes shimmering in the mist. She bit her lip lightly as she seated herself, the faintest tremor in her breath betraying her anticipation.
And finally, Shuyue entered. For her, this was the first time. The disciples parted slightly, watching her with subtle reverence as she slipped into the glowing pool. Her dark eyes burned with determination, though her body trembled as the water embraced her with both frost and warmth. She chose her place, sat cross-legged — and for the first time, joined the collective resonance of her sect.
The veil of mist thickened, concealment complete. From outside, nothing could be seen, nothing heard. But Haotian, with the Eyes of the Universe, perceived everything clearly. He would never reveal it, but nothing within this mist escaped his sight.
When all were ready, he began.
Placing his palm against the Source Crystal, Haotian sent his yang qi into its depths. The crystal pulsed, greedily devouring the fiery essence before releasing it back — now transmuted, a perfect blend of yin and yang. The waters of the pool glowed brighter, flooding every formation with balanced energy.
The disciples shivered as one. Their breaths hitched, their bodies responding not just with cultivation, but with instinct. Pleasure, clarity, and overwhelming resonance coursed through them. Some buried their faces against their hands, muffling their voices. Others clenched the edges of the formation posts as waves of energy rippled through their meridians.
Haotian allowed himself a small smile. The bathhouse truly functioned as intended.
His gaze flicked toward Yinxue. She sat upright, shoulders stiff, her composure iron-clad. Yet her fingers gripped tightly at the water's edge, her body trembling as she fought to keep her dignity. Her eyes flickered once toward Haotian, filled not with embarrassment, but yearning.
Next, he looked to Ziyue. She bit lightly into her fingertip, suppressing the shuddering tremors running through her form. But her eyes betrayed her — shimmering violet pools that burned with Haotian's reflection. Her lips parted soundlessly, shaping his name even as she fought to contain herself.
And then there was Shuyue. She did not restrain herself. Her body writhed openly in the water, her head tilted back, dark hair spilling down her shoulders as ripples spread outward. She gasped, her voice carried in muffled moans as her cultivation surged, untamed and wild. For her, this furnace was not simply tempering — it was rebirth.
The chamber thrummed with harmony, the pool alight with waves of power.
And then it broke.
Through the mist, Ziyue suddenly rose. She staggered forward, her body trembling, her violet eyes blazing with need. She pierced the veil of the concealment formation — and when she saw Haotian, she no longer hesitated. She lunged, her lips crashing against his.
Haotian's hand remained bound to the Source Crystal, feeding the cycle. Yet within his personal array, the sound of Ziyue's laughter and soft moans soon joined the pulse of the crystal.
Moments later, another figure pierced the mist.
Yinxue.
She stood frozen for a moment, her black hair clinging to her damp shoulders, her eyes widening as she saw Ziyue entwined with Haotian. She exhaled slowly, shaking her head with a sigh. "I knew… you would get ahead of me," she murmured, her voice filled with both resignation and gentle protest.
Haotian looked at her, golden eyes gleaming. "Then come here."
Her lips curved into a smile. With a soft laugh, she stepped forward, crossing the veil.
And soon, her voice too joined within the mist — the laughter, the gasps, the harmony of cultivation turned intimate.
The mist billowed, the crystal pulsed, and the Moon Lotus Sect trembled with another night of ascension.