Battle Through the Heavens: Beauties Abound Starting with Yunlan and Her Disciples

317: Section 317Xiao Mei’s heart was equally stirred. Recalling everything that had happened in the Xiao Family four years ago and looking at the peerless young man before her, she felt increasingly fortunate about her foresight back then; she truly had a keen eye for talent.

Yun Xiancheng reached out both hands, pinching Hu Jia and Xiao Mei’s elastic cheeks one by one, and instructed with a smile, ”You still need to practice diligently, understood?”

The two Young ladies were pinched until their speech became slurred, so they could only nod their heads vigorously.

Finally, there were Xiao Yu and Xue Ni. Xiao Yu said nothing, only wearing a charming smile as she intimately took Yun Xiancheng’s arm, subtly sinking his arm into her startling softness.

Seeing this, Xue Ni followed suit, timidly hugging Yun Xiancheng’s other arm, seeking the warmth that gave her peace of mind. ”Xue Ni, how was your experience in today’s battle?” Yun Xiancheng asked softly.

Xue Ni looked up, and those eyes that always held a hint of unease now held an unprecedented brilliance. She thought for a long time; someone with such low strength like her could actually play a small, insignificant role in such a battle... In the end, a thousand words condensed into two: ”Thank you.”

354 It feels like it’s not as concentrated as Brother Cheng’s.

Stepping into the depths of the cave dwelling was like stumbling into another world carved from nectar and jade. The narrow, dark passage from before had vanished completely, replaced

by a magnificent underground grotto that was breathtaking.

The vaulted ceiling hung high, its top too deep to see, with countless milky-white stalactites hanging down from the darkness like inverted glaciers or frozen waterfalls.

They were of various shapes; some were slender as bamboo shoots, others were as stout as pillars, and the longest even stretched for a hundred meters, like the tentacles of a god descending from the nine heavens. These stalactites emitted a soft, holy, pale white glow, their lights intertwining and reflecting off each other, illuminating this underground world as bright as day,

yet carrying a tranquility and dreamlike quality that did not belong to the mortal world.

The air was filled with an extremely rich and strange fragrance, mixed with the scent of earth and pure energy; just taking a deep breath made one’s entire body feel a wave of comfort.

Beneath their feet, the ground was also formed from layers upon layers of condensed stone milk. Occasionally, a drop of crystal-clear fluid would gather at the tip of a stalactite on the ceiling and quietly fall.

The crisp sound of water echoed in the empty grotto. When the fluid hit the ground, it splashed into a small, milky-white flower before merging into the jade-like earth.

”Wow.” A pure, heartfelt exclamation broke the silence of the place. ”This... this place is too beautiful!”

Liu Fei’s beautiful eyes were wide and round, her gaze filled with this fantastical milky-white world; that shock and joy almost overflowed from her sparkling eyes.

She had grown up in her family’s courtyard since childhood, and her only trip out was to the Inner Academy. Although she had seen many wondrous sights, when had she ever witnessed such divine craftsmanship, a creation akin to a fairyland?

She subconsciously gripped Yun Xiancheng’s arm beside her, like a child seeing a novel toy for the first time, shaking it excitedly and pulling him to point in all directions. ”Classmate Cheng, look! Look over there! Doesn’t that look like an inverted pagoda? And that one, that one looks like a big squatting rabbit!”

Her voice was full of joy, and her crisp laughter echoed in the grotto, adding a bit of vivid liveliness to this ancient silence. ”Yes, it’s very beautiful.” Yun Xiancheng nodded with a smile, letting her pull him along, his gaze as gentle as water.

Seeing Liu Fei’s unreservedly intimate actions and the pure joy on her face, Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan, and the others all showed knowing smiles. They did not step forward to disturb them, but instead tacitly gathered on Yun Xiancheng’s other side, leaving a small space to leave the current surprise entirely

to this new sister.

As elder sisters, it wasn’t right to get jealous with a sister who hadn’t even entered the household yet, right? Nalan Yanran thought with the air of a ”primary wife,” a mischievous smile curling her lips. Well, if they were to compete, it would have to be after she entered the household; then everyone would rely on their own abilities.

Zi Yan didn’t think about so many twists and turns; she just simply felt that it was good for the whole family to be happy together.

Since everyone was surrounding Brother Cheng, she went over too, intimately taking Yun Xiancheng’s other arm. The rest of the girls just smiled without saying a word.

Except for Han Yue and Liu Qing. Han Yue was fine, her face only slightly tinged with sourness. But within Liu Qing, a massive wave was surging.

Under her silver mask, the muscles in her cheeks had completely tensed up. What... what was going on? Feier... when did she become so close to this man?

Liu Qing’s mind was in a mess. Right under my nose, their private relationship... has actually progressed to this point?

She looked at her sister’s expression of pure trust, even tinged with a bit of obsession, and a strong sense of crisis and the anger of being betrayed arose spontaneously. She felt as if the little cabbage she had carefully nurtured for many years had been completely taken by a seemingly gentle and harmless fellow without her knowing.

She originally thought their relationship hadn’t progressed that quickly, but she didn’t expect this.

While Liu Qing was having an internal struggle, Yun Xiancheng, as if he didn’t see her murderous gaze, naturally raised his arm and very casually wrapped it around Liu Fei’s slender, soft waist, pulling her closer into his embrace.

”Watch your step, the ground here is a bit slippery,” he reminded her softly.

This sudden intimate contact caused Liu Fei’s body, which was immersed in excitement, to suddenly stiffen.

The sensation from that warm palm on her waist was so clear that she could feel the outline and strength of every finger.

A heatwave rushed from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head with a ”boom.” Only then did she wake up as if from a dream, realizing what a bold move she had made in her excitement.

And... it was in front of so many people! More importantly, her sister... her sister was also here watching! Liu Fei felt her legs go weak, as if all the strength in her body had been instantly drained.

She could no longer walk; shame and panic completely occupied her mind. Finally, she simply decided to throw caution to the wind and steeled her heart.

She buried her burning hot cheeks deep into Yun Xiancheng’s broad and warm chest, acting like an ostrich. ”I... I can’t walk anymore,” a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz came from his embrace, with a hint of acting spoiled.

Yun Xiancheng chuckled and didn’t expose her. He raised his other hand and doted on her by rubbing her soft cheek, then half-dragged and half-carried her, continuing toward

the depths of the grotto.

At the same time, he looked up, calmly meeting Liu Qing’s gaze that was almost spitting fire, and spoke in a calm tone as if he were merely stating a most ordinary fact:

”If I’m not mistaken, the natural treasure of this place should be the legendary Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid.”

His voice was clear and gentle, successfully diverting everyone’s attention from the little episode just now.

As he walked, he introduced it to everyone: ”Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid is the essence of the earth formed through thousands of years of precipitation. It has the miraculous effect of cleansing the marrow and transforming the bones for a practitioner’s physical body and Dou Qi. It is an extremely rare cultivation treasure.”

While speaking, the group had already reached the center of the grotto. There was a giant stalactite platform several meters high.

At the top of the platform, a depression like a jade bowl had naturally formed, filled with a crystal-clear, milky-white liquid emitting a thick white glow. An energy aura a hundred times purer than the surrounding air emanated from that jade bowl, the fragrance so thick it almost seemed tangible.

Just taking a sniff made one feel the Dou Qi in their body start to stir, as if they were about to prolong their life and ascend to immortality on the spot. ”Wow! It smells so good!”

The one with the least resistance to such high-concentration energy was, naturally, Zi Yan, being a Void Ancient Dragon.

A light like that of a hungry wolf instantly burst from her shining purple eyes. She let go of Yun Xiancheng’s arm and rushed over like a small cannonball.

She lay on the edge of the stalactite platform, her small nose sniffing hard, her mouth-watering appearance so cute it made people unable to help but laugh. She stared at that pool of viscous spiritual liquid, her purple eyes rolling for a while as if she were carefully tasting it.

Finally, she smacked her lips, tilted her head, and gave her evaluation in an extremely serious tone: ”Hmm... it’s good stuff, alright. But... why does it feel not as concentrated as Brother Cheng’s?”

355 Dividing the Spoils

As soon as these words were spoken, the air seemed to freeze in an instant.

Liu Qing, Han Yue, and Liu Fei, who was still burying her head in Yun Xiancheng’s chest, all paused their steps in unison.

What? Han Yue’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly, and she subconsciously shook her head, thinking she probably suffered a hearing hallucination from being shocked during the battle earlier.

A young girl like Zi Yan couldn’t possibly... couldn’t possibly have had something happen with Junior Cheng, right? She still looks so small. The gaze shooting from the gaps in Liu Qing’s mask instantly changed from angry to horrified.

She stared fixedly at Yun Xiancheng as if she wanted to see through him from the inside out. This man... this man... he’s a beast! He wouldn’t even let such a small child go?!

As for Liu Fei, after the initial shock, a realization flashed through her mind like a bolt of lightning.

She suddenly looked up, the flush on her face not yet faded, but her eyes were filled with sudden clarity. Dense... so that’s how it is? No wonder... no wonder Xun’er and the others’ cultivation speed is so fast! Is it... as long as I get Classmate Cheng’s ’denser’... I... I can too.

An incredibly bold idea, one that made her so ashamed she felt like fainting, uncontrollably and wildly grew in her heart. ”Zi Yan.”

Just as the atmosphere became incredibly strange, a cold yet gentle voice rang out.

Xiao Yi Xian stepped forward slowly and came to Zi Yan’s side. She folded her arms across her chest, and though she wasn’t speaking harshly, she exuded an air of authority.

”Have you forgotten what I told you? Don’t say things that could be misunderstood when we’re outside.”

Xiao Yi Xian’s presence was surprisingly powerful at this moment. Even Zi Yan, who had noble dragon blood flowing in her veins and usually feared nothing, was now completely subdued.

She shrunk her neck and unconsciously took half a step back, standing still like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to move.

After a long while, she looked up pitifully and defended herself in a small voice, ”I... I wasn’t wrong. When Brother Cheng cultivates, the energy he emits is much more powerful than this.”

”Pfft.” Nalan Yanran hurriedly burst into laughter and stepped forward to smooth things over, ”You little thing, you always speak in such a confusing way. You’ve really frightened the senior sisters.”

Cultivation? Aura?

Liu Qing and Han Yue finally realized what was happening, and their tense nerves relaxed, both feeling a bit exasperated and amused.

Liu Qing felt her cheeks burning intensely beneath her mask, unsure whether it was out of shame for her previous thoughts or something else.

”Ahem...” Liu Qing cleared her throat, forcing the conversation back on track. She stared at the pool of spiritual liquid, her voice returning to its usual coldness, though it couldn’t hide a hint of excitement.

”With this Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid... within half a year, I will definitely be able to break through to the Dou Master realm!”

”Coming here was truly the right decision.” Han Yue also sighed with emotion. She turned her head, looking at Yun Xiancheng with bright eyes, her way of addressing him having unconsciously become much more intimate.

”Junior Brother Cheng, this is a treasure you led everyone to find. How it is distributed should be decided by you.”

Hearing this, Liu Qing also turned around and looked at Yun Xiancheng with a complex gaze. She didn’t speak, nor did she make any further moves to object. This silence was, in itself, a form of recognition.

Yun Xiancheng felt the two gazes filled with scrutiny and trust, then looked at the group of Young ladies around him, who were smiling beautifully with eyes only for him, and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

He nodded, broke free from Liu Fei’s embrace, and stepped forward slowly.

”Senior Sister Han Yue is right,” he continued as he walked, ”but in reality, although the spiritual liquid in this pool is a precious treasure, compared to the true treasure in this cave dwelling, it still falls a bit short.”

Under everyone’s puzzled gazes, Yun Xiancheng extended his slender finger and lightly tapped the giant stalactite platform itself.

”The real treasure is hidden inside here.” His voice clearly reached everyone’s ears. ”What’s in this pool is merely the actual Earth Core

Body Tempering Fluid source liquid, which overflowed and was diluted by the water vapor here.”

After speaking, before anyone could react, he held his fingers like a sword and casually pointed at the stalactite, which was harder than fine steel.

With a soft ”pop,” a finger-sized, smooth hole appeared silently on the side wall of the stalactite. A stream of spiritual liquid, a hundred times more

pure than that in the pool, and so dense it had almost materialized into a milky white liquid, slowly flowed out.

In an instant, an indescribable surge of vitality and energy boomed, filling the entire cavern!

At the same time, more than a dozen crystal-clear jade bottles flew out of his storage ring, their stoppers popping open automatically. They flew in an orderly fashion beneath the hole, precisely catching the incredibly precious Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid source liquid.

Just enough, after filling a bottle for every young lady present, the liquid stopped flowing from the hole.

”This...” Liu Qing and Han Yue held the warm jade bottles, feeling the terrifying energy contained within, and for a moment, they didn’t know what to say.

The girls also solemnly put the jade bottles into their storage rings, treating them like precious treasures. Having done all this, Yun Xiancheng did not stop there.

With a thought, a crystal-clear droplet, seemingly containing the vitality and elegance of an entire world, appeared at his fingertip—it was the Jade Lake Holy Water he had refined.

He flicked his finger, and the drop of Jade Lake Holy Water turned into a streak of light, precisely entering the hole he had just opened.

”Treasures of heaven and earth are taken from nature.” He looked at the slowly healing hole, his voice light but carrying a captivating Dao rhythm.

”One must not be so short-sighted as to drain the pond to catch the fish... If one has the strength, one can also give back a little, extending its future fortune.” As his voice fell, a dazzling light suddenly erupted from within the giant stalactite.

The purest and most pristine life-source power of the Jade Lake Holy Water was merging, intertwining, and sublimating with the remaining Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid source liquid.

The entire stalactite platform trembled slightly, and the quality of the spiritual liquid inside was slowly but steadily improving at a visible rate.

Perhaps in hundreds or thousands of years, this place would give birth to an even more miraculous and rare treasure that surpassed the Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid. Looking at this miracle before them and hearing the Zen-like words in their ears, Liu Qing and Han Yue were completely speechless.

They gazed at the snow-white-clad, peerless figure from behind, and the last traces of doubt and wariness in their hearts quietly dissolved in this silent fortune.

356 The Secret Snacking Competition

After that hearty and dripping experience, the Young ladies’ enthusiasm for cultivation was ignited like never before. Of course, besides cultivation, the Young ladies’ regular program naturally couldn’t be missing.

Zi Yan’s comment—”How come it doesn’t feel as dense as Brother Cheng’s?”—sent ripples through the hearts of all the Young ladies who had already tasted Yun Xiancheng’s flavor.

While the Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid was indeed a rare treasure, it paled in comparison to their husband. This realization made their minds wander.

Thus, a tacitly understood feast centered around their shared husband quietly began.

The first to take action was Xiao Yi Xian. Using the excuse of having discovered several rare poisonous herbs in the forest that required Yun Xiancheng’s help to identify and harvest, she led him away from everyone’s sight and into the dappled shadows of the trees under the setting sun.

The deep forest became a secret world for the two of them. Once she confirmed there was no one else around, Xiao Yi Xian no longer hid her feelings. She wrapped her arms around Yun Xiancheng’s waist from behind, her cheek pressed against his broad back, her breath carrying the fragrance of herbs: ”Cheng, I’ve been poisoned.”

The Woeful Poison Body being poisoned? You can’t even be bothered to find a proper excuse, can you?

Yun Xiancheng smiled helplessly, turned around, and pulled her into his arms.

Yun Xiancheng was very tall now, tall enough to hold Xiao Yi Xian completely in his arms and feel her entire body heat.

She looked up, her eyes misty, lightly biting her lower lip as she breathed like an orchid: ”What do you say? Cheng, you must have the antidote, right?” Yun Xiancheng kissed her and held her in his embrace.

Xiao Yi Xian was proactive and passionate, pouring all the longing and desire she had accumulated during this time into every close contact and deep entanglement.

When Yun Xiancheng straightened his clothes and returned to the courtyard with the scent of herbs and post-satisfaction laziness, Nalan Yanran, who had been waiting at the door for a long time, stepped forward to meet him.

She didn’t say much, only smiling as she led Yun Xiancheng into the room and closed the door. Soothing incense was already burning inside, and steam rose from the bathtub.

”Senior Brother, you’re tired, aren’t you?” Nalan Yanran’s breath was warm, carrying the sweetness of the incense. ”Let Yanran soothe your fatigue.”

She didn’t choose a direct method like Xiao Yi Xian, but instead used her specialty—the unique tacit understanding of childhood friends—to show her advantage.

She knelt before Yun Xiancheng, her slender fingers skillfully untying his belt and exploring downward along his firm chest. Nalan Yanran was familiar with every reaction point of his body, knowing exactly how to elicit his best response.

Just as the atmosphere in the room was getting heated, there was a soft knock on the door. ”Yanran, are you in there? Is husband back?” Xiao Yan’s inquiry came from outside.

Nalan Yanran’s movements paused, and she raised her flushed face, her eyes shimmering. At the same time, she responded in a nonchalant tone: ”He’s here,

he’s here. Senior Brother just returned and is currently bathing. Do you need something?”

Her voice ended with an uncontrollable gasp and tremor, which was also a deliberate provocation. She knew Xiao Yan was standing just outside the door, and she wanted her to hear, to know that the one possessing this man right now was her, Nalan Yanran.

Surprisingly, Xiao Yan outside did not make a choice. She didn’t push the door open and rush in, nor did she turn and leave. She simply leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, listening intently.