51: Chapter 51 The Sect Leader Leaning Against the Wall Early in the Morning

The morning light filtered through the carved window lattices of Ningyin Hall, casting mottled shadows upon the mirror-smooth jade tiles.

Yet, the figure slowly walking into the Main Hall at this moment was completely out of place with this cold and beautiful scenery.

Xiao Nianyin supported herself against a cold pillar with one hand while the other gently pressed against her lower abdomen; every step she took was as slow as a snail's crawl.

Her back, usually as straight as a pine tree, was slightly hunched now. The hem of her plain white dress swayed gently with her steps, and every soft friction caused her brow to furrow deeper.

Her exquisite face, which was always shrouded in frost, was now pale to the point of being nearly transparent. Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and a few strands of raven hair clung damply to her cheeks.

Finally stepping into the Main Hall, she nearly stumbled as she lunged toward the nearest jade seat, only for her legs to give way just as she was about to sit. She slid down the back of the chair and onto the cold floor.

The morning light happened to fall on her face, illuminating the unmistakable exhaustion in her eyes...

Fortunately, the hall was empty, which allowed her to breathe a small sigh of relief.

If that old vixen Qingli were to see her like this—clothes in disarray, breath weak and unstable, and needing to lean against the wall just to stand—with the other woman's sharp eyes, she would likely guess in an instant where Xiao Nianyin had just been and what "ridiculous" things she had done.

The dignified Sect Master of Hehuan Sect, a former Saint Realm Expert, had actually failed at the hands of a mortal man time and again.

This thought was like a sharp needle, stabbing ruthlessly into the depths of Xiao Nianyin's heart.

She closed her eyes, attempting to regulate her breathing to alleviate her physical exhaustion, but the aching soreness and throbbing pain from her legs surged against her nerves like a tide.

The muscles at the base of her thighs felt as though they had been repeatedly stretched and torn, and every slight movement tugged at the stinging pain in her private areas.

Those shameful images uncontrollably surfaced in her mind—the man's burning palms in the darkness, that heavy and overbearing force, and the feeling of losing control as she was repeatedly tossed up and dropped like a small boat in a storm...

"Why..." She bit her lower lip, a faint scent of blood seeping from between her teeth. "Why is it that even though I took the initiative, used the 'Drunken Immortals Lure', and even... even humbled myself to that extent, it's still..."

Xiao Nianyin couldn't understand where the problem lay.

Could it truly be as Qingli jokingly said, that this Xu Ruyu was born to be the nemesis of the Hehuan Sect's Cultivation Techniques?

Xiao Nianyin's thoughts couldn't help but drift toward the path of cultivation she had chosen.

Ever since she stepped onto the path of the Dao, she had looked down upon the Charm Techniques that the Hehuan Sect was famous for.

The coquettish glances, the enticing smiles, and the methods of relying on pleasing and manipulating others to gain cultivation progress were, in her eyes, nothing more than unorthodox paths and tricks used by the weak.

A truly strong person should be like a sword drawn from its sheath, crushing all obstacles with absolute strength.

Therefore, she had chosen the most difficult and dangerous technique in the Sect: the Mystic Maidens Sun-Stealing Art.

This technique went against the natural order, using a female body to Cultivate pure Yang, seizing the most masculine Qi of heaven and earth to forge a Dao foundation. Its power was overbearing and matchless, but the price was this fatal "Yin and Yang imbalance."

For hundreds of years, relying on her supreme talent and tenacious will, she had forced this forbidden Cultivation Technique—which many others were too intimidated to attempt—to the Saint Realm, becoming the youngest Saint Realm Sect Master in the history of the Hehuan Sect.

But she had never even practiced the most basic Heavenly Charm Mysterious Maiden Heart Sutra.

In her view, that was merely a superficial embellishment, or even proof of an unsteady Dao Heart.

Why would true power need the help of these skin-deep Charm Techniques?

Yet now, on the cold floor of Ningyin Hall, feeling the emptiness and pain coming from deep within her body, an unprecedented thought—like a vine quietly growing in the dark—wrapped around her heart.

Perhaps... I was wrong?

If she were also proficient in the supreme Charm Techniques within the Heavenly Charm Mysterious Maiden Heart Sutra, would she have been able to firmly control the situation at that most critical moment?

When Xu Ruyu's consciousness was hazy and he instinctively fought back, could she have used a more sophisticated charm method to guide, soothe, or even suppress his ridiculous "talent," thereby successfully reclaiming the power that belonged to her?

This thought caused her to feel a strong sense of self-loathing and wavering.

Could the Dao she had adhered to for hundreds of years truly be unable to withstand those "tricks" she once despised?

But the reality was right before her eyes.

Two carefully planned "power-stealing" operations had both failed at the final moment, even leaving her in an even more pathetic state.

Xu Ruyu was like a volcano that seemed calm but contained a wild surge within; once a certain switch was triggered, he would erupt with a brute force that she found difficult to withstand.

It couldn't go on like this.

Xiao Nianyin slowly opened her eyes, the exhaustion in them gradually replaced by a cold determination.

The three-month deadline was like a sword hanging over her head. Undercurrents surged within the Hehuan Sect, Madame Qingli's intentions were hard to fathom, and her own condition was continuing to deteriorate.

If she couldn't recover her strength as soon as possible, what awaited her would be far more than just losing her position as Sect Master.

In extraordinary times, one must use extraordinary measures.

She painfully raised her hand, and with a glimmer at her fingertips, a warm Communication Jade appeared in her palm.

The remaining Spiritual Qi in her body was as weak as a candle in the wind. She focused her mind and gathered all her spirit at her fingertips, slowly injecting a trace of imperceptible Spiritual Qi into the jade.

"By my order—" Her voice came through the Communication Jade, deeper and raspier than usual, yet still carrying an unquestionable authority. "Grand Elder of the Hall of Power Transmission, bring the complete volumes of the Heavenly Charm Mysterious Maiden Heart Sutra and come to Ningyin Hall to see me immediately."

As her voice fell, the light of the Communication Jade dimmed.

Xiao Nianyin seemed to have exhausted all her strength. The hand holding the jade fell powerlessly, and she leaned her back against the chair leg, panting slightly.

Merely activating this lowest-grade Communication Jade was already a great burden for her current body.

However, at this very moment when her mind was most relaxed—

"Hehe..."

A light laugh, seductive to the bone and carrying undisguised mockery and playfulness, scratched through the silent hall like a feather.

The light and shadows seemed to distort for a moment, and a graceful and enchanting figure appeared silently in the center of the hall, as if stepping out of an ink wash painting.

A plain white dress and nine tails swaying gently—who else could it be but Madame Qingli?

Her soul-stirring Peach Blossom Eyes were now filled with a shimmering smile as she looked up and down at the disheveled Xiao Nianyin sitting on the floor. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the other's pale face, slightly messy collar, and still-trembling calves.

"Truly a sight that evokes pity."

Madame Qingli moved with graceful steps toward Xiao Nianyin, leaning down and speaking in a very low voice with a certain suggestive breath.

"Who would have thought that our Hehuan Sect's high and mighty Ice Mountain Sect Master, the Saint Realm's world-shaking Xiao Nianyin, would have such a... pitifully moving moment?

It seems that last night, oh no, this morning, our Young Master Xu was 'toiling away' once again?"

Xiao Nianyin's face instantly turned even paler, followed by a flush of shame and indignation.

But she quickly suppressed her emotions and looked up directly at Qingli, her gaze as cold as a blade. "Qingli, if you came specifically to see a joke, you can leave now.

If you still remember the agreement between us—"

"—Then I should help you stop that Grand Elder of the Hall of Power Transmission who is rushing over, right?"

Madame Qingli cut her off, her smile unchanging, though a flash of understanding crossed her eyes.

"Don't worry. Since I promised to act as your 'protective charm' until you recover your strength, I will naturally handle such a small matter."

She paused, her tone becoming a bit more serious. "But Xiao Nianyin, do you truly think that the reason you were overturned by Xu Ruyu time and again is simply because you haven't cultivated the Heavenly Charm Mysterious Maiden Heart Sutra?"

Xiao Nianyin's brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that?"