262: Chapter 262 What?! It's actually Junior Sister Xia!

Because he suddenly noticed—

Something was wrong with Xia Qingyue's situation.

Her cultivation was indeed breaking through, and her spiritual energy was indeed skyrocketing, but the speed at which the Spiritual Qi was circulating within her body was abnormally fast.

That spiritual energy was surging wildly through her Meridians, moving so fast it was almost out of control!

Furthermore, her Spiritual Qi vortex was still expanding, devouring Spiritual Qi faster and faster, like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

Ye Changge frowned.

Hmm? What's going on?

He sent his Divine Sense into Xia Qingyue's body and sensed carefully for a moment. A guess suddenly formed in his mind—

Could it be that her Cultivation Technique broke through, and her cultivation Realm is breaking through along with it?

No...

The Bottleneck of the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Art lies in the state of mind. Once the state of mind is broken, the Cultivation Technique naturally follows, and it's normal for the cultivation Realm to break through as well.

But this Breakthrough is far too loud and dramatic.

And...

Ye Changge's Divine Sense carefully investigated the changes within Xia Qingyue's body and suddenly discovered—

Although the circulation of spiritual energy in her body was violent, it wasn't out of control.

The Spiritual Qi pouring into her body was being refined, absorbed, and converted into her own spiritual energy in an orderly manner.

It was only because the scale of her Breakthrough was so large and required so much Spiritual Qi that it created such a terrifying Spiritual Qi vortex.

He felt slightly relieved.

It seemed to be a normal Breakthrough, just with a bit more commotion.

However...

Ye Changge looked down at the Face in his arms, slightly flushed from both passion and the Breakthrough, and a thought suddenly surged in his mind—

With this Breakthrough, is she going to skip the False Core stage entirely and charge straight for Core Formation?

After all, with a top-tier constitution like the Taiyin Spiritual Body, plus a Grade Four Ice Spiritual Root, and a Heaven-grade Cultivation Method like the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Art...

Accumulating strength and then soaring to the sky in one go wasn't impossible.

Ye Changge was secretly amazed.

But now was not the time for idle thoughts.

He focused his mind and continued to circulate the Yin Yang Creation Art. While refining the Taiyin Spiritual Body Origin pouring into his body, he used his own Yang-harmony Qi to nourish Xia Qingyue's Meridians and Dantian, helping her smoothly navigate this Breakthrough.

His movements did not stop either.

And the soft moans and whispers within the Immortal Cave continued amidst the roaring of the Spiritual Qi vortex, carrying on in such a manner.

Commotion in the Immortal Cave

Meanwhile, at the Immortal Cave rental office.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator in charge of registration was boredly flipping through an old book when he suddenly sensed the Restriction token in his hand growing slightly hot. He looked down, and his brow instantly furrowed.

"A Spiritual Qi vortex?"

He stood up and walked to the window, looking toward the Immortal Cave area.

He saw Spiritual Qi gathering frantically above a distant Immortal Cave, forming a massive vortex visible to the naked eye. Spiritual Qi from miles around was being drawn in, creating a grand spectacle.

"Is this... someone breaking through?"

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator's expression changed slightly. Such terrifying Spiritual Qi fluctuations were definitely no ordinary Breakthrough; someone was likely pushing through a major Bottleneck, perhaps even—

Core Formation?

His heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to investigate further, he saw a streak of light galloping from the horizon and landing in front of the rental office.

The newcomer was a young man, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a brocade robe with a jade pendant hanging from his waist. His Face was quite handsome, but his eyes held a hint of frivolity and arrogance, clearly showing he was used to throwing his weight around.

He strode in, swept his gaze around casually, and tilted his chin at the Foundation Establishment Cultivator. "Where did those Spiritual Qi fluctuations just now come from?"

Recognizing the man, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator's expression shifted slightly, and he hurriedly bowed. "Senior Brother Meng, it's East District Immortal Cave Number Seven. A Cultivator rented it and seems to be undergoing a Breakthrough."

"East District Seven?" The young man raised an eyebrow. "Who rented it?"

"This..." The Foundation Establishment Cultivator hesitated for a moment before answering honestly.

"It seems to be Senior Sister Xia Qingyue."

The young man's footsteps came to a sudden halt.

"What did you say?" He spun around abruptly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. "Junior Sister Xia? Xia Qingyue?"

Startled by the reaction, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator nodded quickly. "Ye-yes... Fairy Xia has indeed been entering and leaving that Immortal Cave these past few days. It's just... it wasn't very frequent, and I didn't dare to ask too much..."

The young man—Meng Zilang—felt his heart rate suddenly accelerate.

Xia Qingyue?

It was actually Junior Sister Xia!

The image of that cold, moon-like figure instantly surfaced in his mind—dressed in white as pure as snow, with hair like a waterfall and features like a painting, surrounded by an aura of ice that kept everyone at a distance.

Such peerless beauty and temperament had been impossible for him to forget since the first time he saw her at the Sect competition.

Unfortunately...

A trace of gloom flashed through Meng Zilang's eyes.

Although he was an Inner Sect Disciple of the Lingxiao Sect and had reached the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment—making him quite successful for his age in this region—he knew in his heart that his background was worth nothing in front of Xia Qingyue.

Who was Xia Qingyue?

A Grade Four Ice Spiritual Root, a Taiyin Spiritual Body, and a True Disciple of the Lingxiao Sect!

Her Revered Master, Meng Qingcheng, was even a Core Formation True Person!

How could a mere Inner Sect Disciple like him hope to climb to such a status?

Not to mention his grandfather—a Pseudo-Core True Person serving as a Sect Elder.

A Pseudo-Core True Person might sound similar to a Core Formation True Person, but the gap between them was like heaven and earth.

A Core Formation Cultivator, even one with the lowest Grade Nine Golden Core, has truly stepped into the Core Formation Realm. Their Lifespan increases greatly, they possess vast Divine Abilities, and even a Nascent Soul True Lord would show them some Face.

But a Pseudo-Core...

Meng Zilang gritted his teeth.

To put it bluntly, a Pseudo-Core Cultivator is someone among those at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection who failed to achieve Core Formation but were lucky enough to survive. What they condense in their Dantian is not a true Golden Core, but a "Pseudo-Core." Although their strength far exceeds Foundation Establishment, they can never progress further in their lifetime.

Therefore, a Pseudo-Core Cultivator will always be a step below a true Core Formation True Person.

When they meet, they must respectfully address the other as "Senior."

Even though his grandfather was a Lingxiao Sect Elder, he still had to wear a forced smile and show no negligence in front of Master Meng Qingcheng.

Thus, although Meng Zilang had coveted Xia Qingyue for a long time, he never dared to act out of turn.

But the more unattainable she was, the more he desired her.

That cold figure, that ice-cold temperament, and that lofty status—all of it was like a fire burning ever brighter in his heart, stimulating a deep desire for conquest.

"If I could have her..."

A flash of fanaticism appeared in Meng Zilang's eyes.

If he could get Xia Qingyue, wouldn't he then have a Core Formation True Person as a Revered Master?

At that time, wouldn't he be able to walk tall and do as he pleased in the Lingxiao Sect?

Thinking of this, Meng Zilang felt a surge of heat, and blood rushed to his head.

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his excitement, and turned to the Foundation Establishment Cultivator. "Can that Immortal Cave still be rented now?"

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator was taken aback and hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Meng wants to rent? There are still vacancies in several Immortal Caves next to East District Seven..."