I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Qin Yuan looked at her.

The confusion and forbearance that had been there before were gone from her eyes; only a clear and unwavering determination remained.

Qin Yuan nodded.

"I'm waiting for you."

An hour is too short.

But all that needed to be said has been said.

Qin Yuan got up to take his leave.

Lin Qing'er escorted him to the gate of the courtyard.

She didn't say anything more to persuade him to stay; she simply stood quietly by the door, watching Qin Yuan's figure gradually disappear into the distance.

Qin Yuan stopped when he reached the old plum tree outside the courtyard gate.

He turned around and looked at Lin Qing'er.

"Qing'er."

"Um."

"You don't need to tolerate Mu Sangzi anymore."

Lin Qing'er was slightly taken aback.

Qin Yuan said, "He withheld your resources and suppressed your nomination as a candidate for Holy Maiden. All the grievances you've suffered over the years can now be repaid."

He paused.

"From today onwards, you have the Taiyi Sect behind you."

Lin Qing'er opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that her throat was choked.

She could only nod vigorously.

Qin Yuan glanced at her one last time before turning and leaving.

His steps remained steady, his back still straight, and he soon disappeared into the shade of the trees at the end of the mountain path.

Lin Qing'er stood at the courtyard gate, watching his figure disappear, and remained motionless for a long time.

A mountain breeze blew, and the old plum blossoms fell, a few landing in her hair and on her shoulders.

She did not brush it away.

He simply looked down at the still-warm storage ring in his palm and gently clenched it.

"Brother Qin Yuan..."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself.

"Next time we meet, I won't make you worry anymore."

When Qin Yuan walked out of the Qingmu Sect's mountain gate, Mu Sangzi was still waiting there.

His face was even more gloomy than an hour ago, his eyes fixed on the storage bag at Qin Yuan's waist—a storage ring was missing, but a letter from the inner sect of the Green Wood Sect had been added.

Qin Yuan didn't look at him.

He walked straight towards the mountain gate, his steps steady, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"stop!"

Mu Sangzi finally couldn't help but speak up.

Qin Yuan kept walking.

Mu Sangzi gritted his teeth, flashed in front of Qin Yuan, his beard and hair bristling, and unleashed the full pressure of a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator.

"Qin Yuan! What have you done within my Green Wood Sect?"

Qin Yuan finally stopped and looked up at him.

That gaze was calm as still water, yet it sent a chill down Mu Sangzi's spine.

"I met an old friend and gave him some gifts."

"A gift?" Mu Sangzi's voice was shrill. "What kind of gift would require three thousand high-grade spirit stones, twenty Golden Condensation Pills, and five Qi Cultivation Pills? What kind of gift is worth giving away an eighth-grade Snow Jade Ganoderma?"

He grew increasingly angry, his voice almost roaring, "You're aiding the enemy! Lin Qing'er is a disciple of my Qingmu Sect, not a puppet of your Taiyi Sect! What right do you have to pay off her sect's resources? You're slapping my Qingmu Sect in the face!"

Qin Yuan looked at him.

Elder Mu.

His voice remained calm.

"This 'Qingmu Sect disciple' you mentioned has been in the sect for three years, but the resources allocated to her are less than 30% of those of a normal disciple. She should have completed the resource accumulation for the Golden Core stage two years ago, but now she has to buy her own Golden Core with spirit stones."

"You asked me what gift I gave?"

He paused.

"What I gave her was what Aoki-michi owed her."

Mu Sangzi's face flushed red, then turned pale.

He wanted to refute it, but found himself unable to do so.

Because every word Qin Yuan said was true.

"You...you..."

He pointed at Qin Yuan, his finger trembling.

Qin Yuan didn't look at his fingers again.

"Elder Mu, I have one more thing to say."

He looked directly into Mu Sangzi's eyes.

"From this day forward, Lin Qing'er's affairs are my affairs."

"What you owe her, I will collect it all, one by one."

His tone was flat, without any hint of threat.

But Mu Sangzi felt cold all over.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something harsh, but found that his throat felt like it was being choked, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Qin Yuan ignored him, walked past his frozen figure, and strode away.

The gates of the Aoki Sect slowly closed behind him.

Ancient trees stand tall on both sides of the mountain path, their branches and leaves intertwining to form a lush green canopy. Patches of light and shadow filter through the leaves, casting delicate golden spots on the bluestone slabs.

Qin Yuan walked alone on the mountain path, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

He didn't turn around.

It's not that I don't want to, but that I don't need to.

I met the people I needed to meet, said what I needed to say, and did what I needed to do.

Next, we just wait.

Once Lin Qing'er has established herself firmly in the Qingmu Sect.

Once she fully unleashes the potential of her innate wood spirit body.

When she walked up to him with her head held high, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

This process may take a year, two years, or even longer.

But he can wait.

Because the path of cultivation is long, he has plenty of time.

Also because—

She is worth waiting for.

When Qin Yuan walked out of the Green Wood Forest, it was already close to dusk.

The setting sun painted the horizon a magnificent orange-red, and the canopies of the vast Qingmu Forest rippled with golden waves in the evening breeze.

He did not immediately fly back to Taiyi Sect on his sword, but instead sat down on a blue stone by the forest.

Then, he opened the system panel.

[Host: Qin Yuan]

Cultivation Level: Early Stage of Void Refinement (Nine-Turn Nascent Soul)

[Cultivation Techniques: Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique, Level 7; Universe Star Undying Body, Level 2, 87%; Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique (Complete)]

[Supernatural Powers: Profound Origin Demon-Slaying Finger (Fusing Heavenly Punishment Sword Intent), Comprehension of Power]

[Magic Items: Enlightenment Stele (Recognizes Master), War God Token (1/9), Taiyi Magic Sword, Xuanyu Dao Tablet]

System completeness: 90%

Daily cultivation time: 350 years

[Energy Points: 18450]

[The host has completed an important storyline milestone: "Reunion with an Old Friend".]

[A major breakthrough in the host's state of mind has been detected: "Release from obsession."]

[Unlock new achievement: "A Place to Find Solace in the Dao". Rewards: 5000 Energy Points, 15% Resonance on the Enlightenment Stele.]

[Host's cultivation level has been stabilized; the compatibility between the Nine-Turn Nascent Soul and the "Undying Body of the Universe Stars" has reached a new high.]

[The system detected that the host possesses the essence of the God of War (unrefined), the core of the War Soul (absorbed), and the Heavenly Punishment Sword Intent (fused).]

[Host detected to have acquired the identity of a disciple of the Taiyi Sect; access to the sect's core scriptures has been unlocked.]

[Overall assessment: The host has met the prerequisites for the next stage of breakthrough.]

[Do you wish to initiate the third level breakthrough quest for the "Undying Body of the Universe"?]

Qin Yuan's gaze lingered on the last line for a long time.

The "Undying Body of the Universe Stars" has nine levels.

The first layer, the "Starry Skin," once completed, makes the skin as tough as armor, making it difficult for ordinary magical weapons to damage.

The second level, "Starry Bone and Tendon," once mastered, results in bones stronger than refined steel, tendons as flexible as dragon tendons, and a surge in power, allowing one to withstand magical artifacts with bare hands.

The third layer —

"Stars and Internal Organs".

After successful cultivation, all five internal organs can absorb the power of the stars, resulting in a continuous flow of internal energy and a significant increase in endurance. Furthermore, as the most vulnerable parts of the body, the internal organs will gain defensive capabilities equivalent to those of the muscles, bones, and skin.

This is a qualitative leap.

The leap from "physical strength" to "inner and outer harmony".

Qin Yuan did not hesitate for long.

"Activate".