7: My fiancée's master is Leng Qingshuang? Activate Lin Wanqiu's Phoenix Body Rebirth!

His Revered Master's lazy, half-awake voice faded completely into the cool morning mountain breeze as the light of the communication jade talisman dimmed.

Lu Yu held the jade talisman, standing before the charred ruins of Black Wind Fortress, his expression as if he had swallowed a whole unplucked pheasant—choked and a bit dazed.

Lin Wanqiu had already wiped away the tears on her face. She tightly gripped the now-warm scarlet phoenix pendant, feeling a faint resonance from deep within her Bloodline, her heart overflowing with gratitude toward her Revered Master.

When she looked up, she saw her newly acknowledged Revered Master staring at a dark jade talisman, his face turning pale and green by turns, his eyes wandering, and his mouth muttering something.

"Revered Master, were you just idle with nothing better to do back then..."

Lu Yu knew his Revered Master had a very lazy personality and loved to drink; sometimes, things would go wrong when she drank until she was muddled.

And now, he suddenly had a fiancée for no apparent reason!

"Revered Master?"

She called out tentatively in a small voice.

Lu Yu suddenly snapped back to his senses and let out a long breath of turbid air.

"Wanqiu."

He turned his head, his tone eerie.

"Your Disciple is here."

Lin Wanqiu quickly stood a bit straighter.

"Remember this."

Lu Yu spoke with earnest gravity, his expression serious.

"When you grow up and someone wants to arrange a marriage for you, you must stay sober. It's best to find a notary and have everything written down in black and white—how many people are in their family, who their Revered Master is, and if they have any strange backgrounds, understand?"

Lin Wanqiu blinked her eyes, which were still teary but now filled with confusion.

"Huh?"

The leap in the topic was too large; she couldn't follow his train of thought at all.

"Arranging a marriage?"

She wasn't even sure if she'd have enough to eat tomorrow.

Lu Yu didn't expect her to understand; he was just feeling stifled and needed an excuse to vent.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling his temples throb.

Canglan Sacred Sect, Luo Qingxue, fiancée.

Just these few words crashing down were enough for him to process for half a day.

The key was the next sentence.

Her Master is Leng Qingshuang.

Leng Qingshuang.

That Mahayana Stage female cultivator in the Secret Realm—the one with blood-red eyes and terrifying strength who had used him as an antidote, then left behind some items and ran faster than a rabbit, with a cultivation so high he couldn't even catch her exhaust fumes.

That face, cold yet carrying a complex expression, was now incredibly clear in Lu Yu's mind.

Now, his cheap Master was telling him that she was his fiancée's Revered Master.

This relationship made Lu Yu feel as if a string in his head had snapped with a 'pop.'

Then, all sorts of chaotic images began to play automatically.

In the magnificent main hall of the Sacred Sect, he stood in the middle. On one side was his cool and ethereal fiancée, Luo Qingxue, looking at him in confusion.

On the other side was the Sacred Lord Leng Qingshuang, her aura freezing enough to kill, her gaze scraping over him like a knife, likely carrying a hint of shame, resentment, and killing intent.

Just imagining it made Lu Yu feel a chill under his feet. He wished he could turn around right now, return to the Heavenly Evolution Immortal Sect, and hide in his small courtyard for a hundred or eight hundred years of closed-door cultivation.

"Revered Master, just how much did you drink back then..."

Lu Yu muttered feebly to the air. Other than that, he really couldn't think of any other reason to explain such an absurd arrangement.

"Revered Master, where are we going next?"

Seeing his expression shifting and him remaining silent for a long time, Lin Wanqiu asked softly. She had now set her heart on Lu Yu, so naturally, she would follow wherever he went.

Lu Yu shook his head, temporarily suppressing the chaotic prophecies of a 'shura field' in his mind. One must take things one step at a time, and troubles must be solved one by one.

The matter of this Little Apprentice in front of him wasn't finished yet.

"First, let's find a secluded place to awaken your unawakened Physique. Otherwise, you'll have a precious body for nothing; if you can't even open the door, all the cultivation in the world will be in vain."

Lu Yu pulled himself together.

The two left the ruins of Black Wind Fortress, which was filled with the smell of char, and wandered through the mountains until they found a cave half-hidden by vines.

Lu Yu casually set up two simple Formations for early warning and concealment.

The cave was relatively dry. Lin Wanqiu sat cross-legged, holding the now-complete scarlet phoenix pendant in both hands, looking at Lu Yu with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

Lu Yu sat down across from her.

"Don't be nervous. It's just Awakening your Physique. This Physique in your body indeed restricted you before it was awakened, making it impossible for you to Cultivate. But once it's awakened, your cultivation speed will be a thousand miles a day!"

"The process might be a bit painful. You'll have to endure it."

Lin Wanqiu nodded heavily, her expression determined.

"I can endure it!"

No matter how uncomfortable it was, could it be worse than watching her loved ones fall in a pool of blood?

Could it be worse than hiding and living like a wild dog for the past half-month, constantly living in fear?

Lu Yu wasted no more words and gestured for her to hold the jade pendant tightly against her heart. At this time, the two scarlet phoenix pendants of Yin and Yang attributes had merged into one, becoming a complete scarlet phoenix pendant.

He extended his right index finger, and a speck of pure golden light condensed at the tip. It was gentle yet contained an aura of extreme Yang—it was exactly the Phoenix True Flame.

Lin Wanqiu's Physique was the Nirvana Phoenix Body, and his Phoenix True Flame could assist her in her Awakening.

His Physique was special, and this power could carefully stimulate and guide the hidden things within Lin Wanqiu's body, preventing them from running wild and hurting her once they woke up.

"Close your eyes, calm your mind, and carefully feel the heat coming from the jade pendant. Imagine it flowing into your heart, and then slowly spreading throughout your body."

Lu Yu's voice was very calm, carrying a power that settled the mind.

Lin Wanqiu did as she was told and gradually felt the jade pendant on her chest getting hotter and hotter. A warm current of air entered and rushed straight toward her heart.

Deep within her body, something that had been dormant for a long time seemed to be disturbed by this warm current and began to groggily turn over.

"Now!"

Lu Yu's gaze sharpened. He pointed a finger through the air, lightly touching her brow.

That wisp of pure and gentle Phoenix heat, like a nimble little fish, silently swam in and carefully touched that newly awakened, slightly irritable heat power.

"Guide that heat and strike hard toward the spot three inches above your stomach!"

Lu Yu barked in a low voice.

Lin Wanqiu focused her thoughts and tried her best to control that strange and powerful heat within her, slamming it toward a particularly hard and blocked spot she sensed in the dark!

"Buzz!!!"

It wasn't a sound heard by the ears, but a roar that made her entire body and even her Soul tremble!

Lin Wanqiu's whole body jerked violently, her face turning deathly pale. She felt as if countless red-hot needles were stabbing her simultaneously, or as if she were being roasted over a fire. Sharp pain accompanied by scorching heat instantly swept through her body.

She let out a muffled groan, a metallic sweetness welling up in her throat. Her body swayed, nearly toppling over.

"Hold on, don't lose heart! Break through it in one go!"

Lu Yu's voice rang out just in time, steady and powerful.

At the same time, more warm and peaceful power poured in from his fingertips like a large hand, helping her smooth out those wild and rampaging currents of heat, gathering them together into a thicker and more turbulent flood.

Lin Wanqiu clenched her teeth so hard her lips were nearly bleeding.

Her mind flashed with the final looks her parents gave her, the grinning faces of the Black Wind Fortress bandits, and Lu Yu's composure as he incinerated the enemies with a flick of his finger.

She couldn't fall here. She had to become strong!

She had to take revenge!

There was still a mastermind behind Black Wind Fortress who hadn't appeared yet!

She didn't want to be a burden who could only hide anymore!

"Open for me!!!"

With a scream in her heart, she used all her mental strength to guide the gathered torrent of heat and slammed it once more against that stubborn barrier!

Crack... Crackle... A faint sound of shattering rang clearly within her body. Immediately after, as if a dam had burst, the majestic power that had been imprisoned for over ten years surged out cheering!

"Skree!!!"

A clear, melodious cry that pierced the heart rang out from within Lin Wanqiu without warning. Though the sound wasn't loud, it carried an indescribable nobility and vitality.

The temperature in the cave rose sharply. A faint reddish-gold light emanated from Lin Wanqiu's pores, and behind her, the magnificent phantom of a pair of Phoenix wings faintly appeared before vanishing instantly.

The blood-red mark and old scars on her face fell away in this light as if purified, revealing the fair and delicate skin beneath, like fresh snow.

Her originally yellowed and tangled hair became smooth and glossy black. Although it was still messy, it was already different.

The biggest change was in her eyes. Though they were bright before, they had been clouded; now they were crystal clear. Her blood-red pupils seemed to burn with a flame, and deep within them, two small golden sparks seemed to dance, strikingly vivid.

Image of fifteen-year-old Lin Wanqiu

Image of the grown-up Lin Wanqiu

A series of faint "crackling" sounds came from within her body as her clogged and narrow Meridians were forcibly widened and cleared by the violent power.

Her parched Dantian was like land receiving rain after a long drought, frantically absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi reflected back by the initial Awakening of her Physique.

Her cultivation began to soar at a pace visible to the naked eye!

Qi Refining third level, fifth level, eighth level... Perfection!

Without any surprise, she reached the Foundation Establishment Stage!

First level, second level... all the way to the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage before that explosive momentum finally began to slow down.

The Spiritual Qi feedback brought by breaking the Seal was too immense, forcefully pushing her up a major stage and more.