Burial Furnace

"Mhm!" The two nodded repeatedly, their faces serious.

They then began to tour the crematorium with great interest.

Hua Jinhuan touched the brand-new tables and chairs.

He clicked his tongue in amazement: "Old man, your crematorium is really grand! It's even more beautiful than our Jade Maiden Sect's reception hall!"

Qi Jiaojiao looked up at the luminous pearl embedded in the ceiling.

The luminous pearls, about the size of pigeon eggs, emitted a soft white light, illuminating the entire front hall as if it were daytime.

Her eyes were filled with amazement. "These luminous pearls, each one must cost several mid-grade spirit stones, right? Master actually filled so many for you!"

"Old man, Jiaojiao, you two go and rest—no, go and cultivate. I'll watch the shop."

As Hua Jinhuan spoke, he kept giving Qi Jiaojiao meaningful glances.

His gaze was ambiguous, and there was a mischievous smile on his lips, clearly hinting at something.

She knew that although all four of them had spent the night with the old man, only Jiaojiao had actually had an intimate relationship with him.

She, Liu Mei, and Jiang Yao were just teasing the old man; nothing actually happened.

Qi Jiaojiao felt neither embarrassed nor ashamed; instead, she looked at Zhang Yuan expectantly.

Zhang Yuan, of course, saw Hua Jinhuan's little trick. His old face flushed slightly, and he said sternly, "From now on, call me Martial Uncle."

"It's safer to call him 'old man'," Hua Jinhuan said seriously. "If you get used to calling him 'uncle-master' and accidentally say it in front of others, you'll be in trouble."

Although the Hehuan Sect has changed its name to the Jade Maiden Sect, its reputation will not be reversed anytime soon.

If other cultivators assume that Zhang Yuan is also a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, it will naturally cause some unnecessary trouble.

"That's right. We have to play it safe." Zhang Yuan nodded.

Without further delay, he opened the small gate leading to the courtyard and led Qi Jiaojiao over.

The moonlight spilled into the flowerbeds, gilding the flowers with a silvery white hue.

The petals were adorned with glistening dewdrops, which shimmered under the moonlight like countless scattered diamonds.

The fragrance of flowers wafted in the night breeze, refreshing and delightful.

The winding path paved with bluestone slabs leads to the two-story building.

Warm light shone through the windows of the small building, making it look especially cozy in the night.

"So beautiful!" Qi Jiaojiao couldn't help but exclaim.

Both of them quickened their pace and went straight up to the second floor.

"I'm going to take a shower." Qi Jiaojiao let go of Zhang Yuan's arm and headed straight for room number three.

Even a fool could guess—room number one belonged to Zhang Yuan, room number two to his master, room number three to her, room number four to Senior Sister Hua, room number five to Liu Mei, and room number six to Jiang Yao.

She came out of the room very quickly.

She changed into a light white gauze dress, and her hair, which had been washed and dried with Taoist magic, flowed behind her like silk.

Her face was flushed, whether from the heat or something else, it was hard to tell.

Her eyes sparkled, like two pools of clear spring water, shimmering with light as she looked around.

She excitedly pushed open the door to Zhang Yuan's room.

One hour later.

She nestled in Zhang Yuan's arms, her long hair cascading onto the pillow, like a blooming black lotus.

She traced circles on Zhang Yuan's chest with her fingers, then looked up and whispered mischievously in his ear, "Old man, you've cultivated with your master twice already, aren't you tempted?"

The image of Hua Nongying's stunning figure instantly flashed into Zhang Yuan's mind.

A noble and elegant demeanor, a stunningly beautiful face, delicate features, exquisite curves, a pure and holy aura, and a subtle, lingering fragrance...

What man wouldn't be attracted to a woman like that?

"I knew it!" Seeing Zhang Yuan's infatuated expression, Qi Jiaojiao giggled, like a little fox who had stolen a chicken, her eyes full of cunning. "Master is so beautiful and sexy, she has made countless male cultivators fall head over heels for her, how could you not be infatuated, old man?"

"Don't overthink it. I was just cultivating with my junior sister," Zhang Yuan said, his face flushing red.

"You two are practicing dual cultivation!" Qi Jiaojiao blinked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "How could you not win her over?"

"Let's begin our cultivation," Zhang Yuan said, changing the subject.

He dared not imagine that he, at the Qi Refining stage, could win over his junior sister, who was at the mid-Golden Core stage. He would need to be at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, right?

Qi Jiaojiao pouted and stopped asking questions, letting him lead her to the secret room.

The two sat cross-legged facing each other, their four palms gently pressed together.

The moment their palms touched, their true energy began to resonate.

It was as if two sleeping fish had been awakened and began to swim slowly.

Soon, the true essence began to circulate within the two of them, automatically forming a large cycle.

She was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, far inferior to Hua Nongying.

Therefore, purifying true essence is much simpler and faster—like cleaning a small pond, which is much easier than cleaning a large lake.

The two were even somewhat dissatisfied with their current speed.

As if by telepathy, they both took out mid-grade spirit stones, held them between their feet, and began to absorb the spiritual energy from the stones to cultivate.

The spiritual energy within the spirit stone surged into the body like a flood bursting its banks, flowing through the palm and circulating within the body, transforming into new true essence.

That speed was more than five times faster than before!

Only then did Zhang Yuan truly realize how terrifying the cultivation speed of those geniuses with heavenly spiritual roots was.

Nine times out of ten, Lin Qingxue also possesses a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

Therefore, she only started cultivating at the age of eighteen, and it only took her sixty years to advance to the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

Such speed would be unbelievable for an ordinary cultivator.

As for Hua Nongying, whose talent in the Five Elements is considered trash, why was she able to advance to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm at the age of thirty?

Of course, it's because she has been cultivating since she was a child.

A sect can dedicate all its efforts to nurturing a core disciple, and even if the disciple has poor talent, they can still cultivate it through sheer hard work.

When Lin Qingxue first arrived at the Dengtian Sect, she was unlikely to receive any attention.

She must have persevered through hard work and some extraordinary encounters to achieve what she has today.

Thinking about this, Zhang Yuan's feelings were somewhat complicated.

But he quickly cleared his mind of distractions and focused on his cultivation.

Meanwhile, Hua Jinhuan was sitting behind the counter, wearing a veil.

Her heart was filled with excitement and anticipation.

Tomorrow I can finally practice dual cultivation with the old man!

You can purify your own impure and chaotic true essence!

Then, there's a great chance that I'll be able to break through to the Golden Core stage!

She was lost in her daydreams when the door was pushed open.

A male cultivator wearing a mask walked in.

He was wearing a gray Taoist robe, of medium build, and it was impossible to tell his level of cultivation.

After he entered the room, his gaze habitually swept behind the counter, and then he froze.

Wasn't he an old man before?

How did I become a woman?

"I'm helping the old man mind the shop, and I'm getting paid for it. He's busy today," Hua Jinhuan explained calmly, her voice as still as water, without a trace of emotion.

"Oh, oh." The male cultivator nodded, his gaze sweeping around the room, his tone tinged with a hint of probing, "It's become so luxurious now? Is cremation really that profitable? Is the Spirit Talisman Pavilion just going to swallow its pride like this?"