As Gongsun Lin completely settled and focused her mind, the pure yang qi of the Warm Jade Spirit Spring and the essences of the spiritual medicines—including the Stalactite Body Tempering Fluid—surged furiously within her.
Following the profound pathways of the 《Jade Soul Glazed Body》, they rushed like a breached dam, yet were forcefully constrained and guided by her unyielding will.
Every wave brought tearing, excruciating pain, yet she gritted her teeth tightly, not even letting out a single groan. Only the beads of sweat rolling continuously from her brow and her faintly trembling body betrayed the sheer agony she endured.
Washed over by this gentle yet majestic power, her meridians greedily absorbed the boundless vitality like parched earth welcoming a long-awaited downpour.
The cold, lingering ailments accumulated over more than a decade were expelled, purified, and annihilated bit by bit under the supreme warmth of the medicinal efficacy.
Su Yi focused entirely on sensing her condition. Seeing that although her aura fluctuated violently, it remained steadily aligned with the circulation path of the 《Jade Soul Glazed Body》, his heart settled slightly, though he still dared not relax in the slightest.
After an unknown stretch of time, as if breaking through an invisible barrier, the faint glazed luster flowing across Gongsun Lin’s body suddenly flared with dazzling brilliance!
“Buzz—!”
A clear, resonant chime rang out from within her, like jade striking against jade.
Her aura underwent a drastic transformation, replaced by a harmonious, translucent, and indestructible presence.
Her exposed skin now truly displayed an immaculate glazed hue, warm, translucent, and seemingly flowing with an endless jade light from within.
The white robe soaked by the spring water could no longer conceal the pure radiance emanating from her; instead, it clung like a thin veil, accentuating the sacred, extraordinary nature of her glazed jade body.
The waters of the Warm Jade Spirit Spring seemed drawn to her, swirling around her even more vigorously as pure spiritual qi converged like rivers flowing to the sea, pouring endlessly into her body to consolidate this newly forged, formidable physique.
The Jade Soul Glazed Body was complete!
Gongsun Lin snapped her eyes open. Her gaze was crystal clear, with a faint glazed shimmer flashing across her eyes.
Feeling the surging, powerful new spiritual energy within her and her wide, sturdy meridians completely free of any obstruction, an unprecedented sensation of ease and strength washed over her entire being.
Watching her successfully forge the Jade Soul Glazed Physique, Su Yi wore a smile of genuine relief and gratification.
The Gongsun Lin before him had shed her old self, casting off every shadow of her past. In the future, she would undoubtedly become another mighty asset against the demon clan.
Enormous joy and post-success exhaustion swept over her simultaneously.
Feeling both the surging new power in her body and a lingering wave of weakness, Gongsun Lin barely managed to remain standing through sheer willpower.
Su Yi stepped forward at the right moment, handing over a clean set of robes he had prepared long in advance.
“Change quickly. Wet clothes are uncomfortable to wear.”
Taking the soft, dry clothes, Gongsun Lin couldn’t help the corners of her mouth curling up as she voiced her thanks.
Yet before she could revel in her happiness for long, Su Yi, who seemed to have recalled something else, watched her dry her damp hair and casually remarked:
“I almost forgot. Now that everything on your end is settled and the hidden danger is completely eliminated, it’s time for me to fulfill my promise to Junior Sister Tantai.”
The hand Gongsun Lin used to dry her damp hair abruptly froze. Her upturned lips instantly flattened, and her tone turned distinctly unfriendly as she raised her eyes to glare at Su Yi. “What did you promise her?”
“Nothing major,” Su Yi explained casually. “I just promised her in the secret realm that once we got out, I’d grant her one request.”
At that, Gongsun Lin curled her lips in a pout, the warmth and joy that had just blossomed in her heart feeling doused by a bucket of cold water. “You treat her so well, protecting her at every turn in the secret realm and helping her achieve Foundation Establishment. How could you possibly owe her anything?”
She had heard that Su Yi took great care of every junior brother and sister in the secret realm, which naturally included Tantai Yunzhi.
“You can’t put it that way.” Su Yi chuckled, habitually reaching out to rub Gongsun Lin’s still-damp hair. “A promise is a promise. Senior Brother can’t go back on his word, can he?”
He remembered Tantai Yunzhi’s character setting. Aloof on the outside, she had actually been strictly raised from a young age; her father had never kept his promises to spend time with her. Starved of affection, she harbored an almost stubborn, pristine reverence for promises.
Furthermore, if he remembered the original plot correctly, Tantai Yunzhi was supposed to have earned the qualification to receive a growth-type medicinal cauldron from Divine Might Manor’s treasury for her great contributions in the Foundation Establishment secret realm—one that would accompany her all the way to the late stages of the story.
Now that the plot had diverged because of him, he would likely have to make up for this missed opportunity himself. He couldn’t let the female lead, whose future potential he valued so highly, lack such a critical magical artifact.
Thinking of this, seeing that Gongsun Lin had already dried her body with spiritual power and was hurriedly throwing on her outer robe, he gave her a reassuring smile and waved his hand.
“All right, Junior Sister. You’ve just finished remolding your physique, so consolidate your realm well and get used to your new strength. Senior Brother will go handle some business first, and I’ll come check on you in a few days.”
With that, before Gongsun Lin could react, his figure blurred, darting out of Ningqiu Courtyard like a gentle breeze, moving so swiftly that he left behind only an afterimage.
“Hey! You... Tsk, running off so fast!”
Gongsun Lin stared in the direction he had vanished, her half-fastened sleeve still disheveled. She stomped her foot in vexation, her face full of displeasure.
The immense joy of just remolding her physique was somewhat dampened by Su Yi’s hurried rush to see Tantai Yunzhi.
...
“Thank you, Elder Ouyang,” Tantai Yunzhi said to Ouyang Qing on the other side, cradling several thick medical canons in her arms.
“No need, no need. That girl Qiu’er doesn’t care about medicine at all. Rather than letting them gather dust, giving them to you puts them to good use.”
Ouyang Qing stroked his beard, watching Tantai Yunzhi accept the medical canons with gratification, when a familiar figure arrived in a flash like a gentle breeze. It was none other than Su Yi, who had returned.
“Hmm?” Ouyang Qing looked surprised. “Brat Su? How are you back so soon? Over on Girl Gongsun’s side... did everything go smoothly?” He had calculated the time; consolidating and regulating one’s breath after successfully remolding the body would take several shichen at least, so he had not expected Su Yi to appear so quickly.
Su Yi nodded slightly to Ouyang Qing and said in an easygoing tone, “Everything went smoothly. Junior Sister is completely fine now and is consolidating on her own. I came over because Junior Sister Tantai happened to be here, so I figured I’d resolve what I promised her in one go to save the trouble of finding another time.”
Saying so, he turned toward Tantai Yunzhi, who stood dazed by his sudden appearance and words. Bearing a gentle, earnest smile, he said:
“Junior Sister Tantai, back in the secret realm, Senior Brother promised you that once we left, you could make one request of me. A gentleman’s word is his bond. As long as it is within my ability, I will surely fulfill it for you.”
His words were clear and solemn, without the slightest hint of jest.
Hearing Su Yi’s words, Tantai Yunzhi was completely stunned, the heavy medical canons in her embrace seeming to lose all weight.
He... he actually remembered?
That promise, made during a moment of mortal danger and seemingly meant only to soothe her emotions, was something she had kept in her heart, even while knowing how ethereal it truly was.
In her past experience, such verbal promises were the cheapest of all—nothing more than tricks adults used to appease children, never to be taken seriously.
She had assumed Su Yi only said it to comfort her. While it had genuinely touched her heart, she truly had not expected him to take it so seriously!
Besides, wasn’t Su Yi afraid she might seize this chance to make exorbitant demands, asking for some priceless treasure or an unreasonable favor?
Looking at him, she suddenly felt that using up such a precious opportunity right now might be a waste.
“Th-That, I haven’t...”
“Isn’t that perfect? This girl Yunzhi happens to lack a top-grade medicinal cauldron.”
In an instant, Tantai Yunzhi’s beautiful eyes widened as she looked at Elder Ouyang who had spoken up, her gaze slightly blank.
“D-Do I lack one?”
Ouyang Qing raised an eyebrow.
“You do! Of course you lack one! If not a medicinal cauldron, what else could you want?” Ouyang Qing, assuming Tantai Yunzhi was just a novice who had barely stepped onto the path of alchemy, urged her persistently. “Don’t be like those mediocre fools who think cultivation techniques are more important than a cauldron.”
“No, it’s just that I...”
Tantai Yunzhi grew somewhat anxious, yet she had no idea how to phrase her thoughts.
Rate on N.U.
