82: Chapter 82, "The Yin-Yang Acupuncture Technique," Xiwei becomes an apprentice.

The scene before them was like the beginning of Chaos.

Beneath their feet lay a desolate rocky continent, barren and devoid of any vegetation or living creatures.

The sky was a hazy grey, with no sun, moon, or stars. Only the ceaseless flow of Chaos Qi rolled and surged at the distant edges, marking the boundaries of this world.

Strangely, while standing within it, Ling Hao felt that the rules of this place were exceptionally clear and stable; although the Spiritual Qi was thin, it was extremely pure.

"Revered Master, where is this...?"

Qin Zhaoxue gripped Ling Hao's arm tightly, looking around with a mix of shyness, curiosity, and a hint of awe for the unknown.

What kind of place had Revered Master brought her to! She had to remember that she was currently only draped in one of Revered Master's outer robes!

Just as Ling Hao was about to answer, an ancient Jade Slip suddenly fell from the Void Realm. He caught it instinctively, and at the same time, lines of text emitting a faint golden light appeared in the void before them:

"Those who enter Changming Hall may enter the Cave Heaven."

"Those who Cultivate the 'Yin-Yang Aperture Drilling Method' may open up a personal Spiritual Domain within the Cave Heaven."

"By borrowing the power of the Spiritual Domain, within the Sect's territory, one's Realm can be temporarily raised by one major Realm (up to the Void Refinement Stage)."

"The more people who Cultivate this method, the faster the Cave Heaven evolves."

Ling Hao scanned the text in the void, understanding it in his heart, and explained to Qin Zhaoxue:

"This is Revered Master's Cave Heaven world, newly born. As for its function..." He lifted the Jade Slip in his hand, "The answer might be here."

Ling Hao opened the Jade Slip, and the opening lines were two profound maxims:

"Use the body as a chisel to break the Grandmist, use the union of spirit and flesh to shape the universe!"

A surge of realization washed over him. Ling Hao's mouth twitched slightly; he finally understood why he couldn't find any Dual Cultivation Technique in the Sect's Scripture Pavilion—the most top-tier one was hidden right here at the core of the Cave Heaven!

In essence, this 'Yin-Yang Aperture Drilling Method' was a supreme technique that used Dual Cultivation to communicate with heaven and earth and open up a Spiritual Domain!

Wonderful!

As long as he was hardworking enough, those who entered Changming Hall, under the reinforcement of the Cave Heaven's Spiritual Domain power, could temporarily raise their Disciple's Realm by one major Realm as long as they were within the Sect's territory!

This meant those in the Qi Refining stage could fight those in Foundation Establishment, and those in Foundation Establishment could rival those in the Golden Core stage! Coupled with the Cave Heaven's ability to accelerate evolution... this was simply the perfect cornerstone to solve the Moonshadow Sect's lack of strength in the early stages!

Qin Zhaoxue looked around and found that, apart from the barren land and the Chaos Qi, there wasn't much to see, so her attention quickly returned to the Jade Slip in Ling Hao's hand that was emitting mysterious fluctuations.

"Revered Master, what is this Cultivation Technique...?" she asked curiously.

A hint of mischievous amusement flashed in Ling Hao's eyes as he handed the Jade Slip to her: "Naturally, it is... a good thing that can make both this Cave Heaven and us stronger."

Qin Zhaoxue took it doubtfully and probed it with her Divine Sense. When words like "Aperture Drilling as a Guide," "Union of Spirit and Flesh," and "Positional Dao Diagrams" poured into her mind, she was stunned at first, and then her cheeks instantly flushed with an intoxicating crimson glow, even her earlobes turned bright red, and the hand holding the Jade Slip felt slightly hot.

Watching her shy and embarrassed appearance, Ling Hao smiled inwardly and asked in a low voice: "How is it? Little Xue, my Disciple... are you willing to... comprehend this supreme technique with Revered Master?"

Qin Zhaoxue lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling, and after a moment, she shyly replied:

"Mm... let's go back—"

"Here will do—"

Ling Hao waved his hand, and a patch of soft grass appeared.

As the Revered Master of the Cave Heaven, he could still manage to change the terrain a little for a short time.

Ling Hao reached out and pulled, and the outer robe on Qin Zhaoxue fell into his hands.

"Right here, with the earth as our bed and the sky as our blanket, wouldn't that be delightful?"

...Three days later, by the Twin Lakes.

When Ling Hao finished demonstrating the final hand seal and announced the end of this lecture, Lin Xiwei took a deep breath, suppressing the caution and hesitation she habitually felt in her heart.

She stood up, and under the gaze of hundreds of people, she walked steadily out from the crowd and went straight to Ling Hao.

"Sect Master!"

"Disciple Lin Xiwei admires the Sect Master's profound Dao techniques and deep insights, and I earnestly request that the Sect Master accept me as a Disciple and impart your teachings!"

After a long period of observation, Lin Xiwei was absolutely certain.

This Sect Master Ling was definitely not as simple as his surface-level Nascent Soul stage! The depth of his Dao Foundation and his understanding of the rules of heaven and earth far exceeded his Realm. If she could receive his guidance, whether it was the recovery of her own cultivation, the Dao of Earth she hadn't fully comprehended in her previous life, or even this path of combining talismans and Formations, she would benefit infinitely.

As her words fell, the lakeside fell into instant silence.

The expressions on the Disciples' faces shifted instantly from the focus of listening to astonishment. The Sect Master's four Personal Disciples had all been personally selected by him, and the Sect Master had never expressed any intention to take on more Disciples.

For a Disciple to take the initiative to step out and solemnly request apprenticeship in public like this was a first!

Countless gazes focused squarely on Lin Xiwei; some were incredulous, some admired her courage, but more were filled with boundless envy after the disbelief.

Ling Hao's gaze fell on Lin Xiwei, and he was silent for a brief moment. This short silence made the hearts of the surrounding Disciples jump into their throats.

"Very well."

Ling Hao's voice was clear and calm, spreading clearly across the lakeside,

"From this day forward, you are the fifth Personal Disciple under my tutelage."

"Hum..." The whispers of envy could no longer be suppressed among the Disciples. It was done! The Sect Master had actually agreed!

Standing in the front row, Junior Sister Liu had her small mouth slightly open, her almond-shaped eyes wide, and she murmured: "Junior Sister Lin... actually... Heavens!"

The look she gave Lin Xiwei was full of disbelief and deep envy, and a strong fighting spirit welled up in her heart: "I must also work twice as hard to Cultivate! I will strive to gain the Sect Master's recognition soon!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for accepting the fifth Personal Disciple. Obtained rebate: Yin-Yang Spiritual Root, Dao of Formation, Samsara Space-Time Dao Body."

The System's notification in his mind made Ling Hao quietly breathe a sigh of relief, though he remained calm on the surface.

It was done! This little ancestor was finally willing to become his Disciple. If he kept lecturing every few days like this, the little bit of self-taught Formation knowledge he had at the bottom of his chest would likely be completely hollowed out and drained dry.

Fortunately, now that he had the Formation insights rewarded by the System, Ling Hao immediately felt full of confidence, and his back straightened a little—he could "do it" again!

"Disciple Lin Xiwei thanks Revered Master!" Lin Xiwei bowed deeply again, the stone that had been hanging in her heart finally landing, and at the same time, a hint of anticipation for the unknown path ahead welled up.

"Come with Revered Master," Ling Hao flicked his sleeve and turned around, "I will take you to meet your other Senior Sisters."

Inside Haoran Tower.

Ling Hao sat in the seat of honor.

"This is your new Fifth Junior Sister, Lin Xiwei." Ling Hao pointed to Lin Xiwei.

Chi Wanhe, dressed in a pink dress, smiled brightly:

"I am your First Senior Sister, Chi Wanhe. From now on, Senior Sister will look after you!"

Qin Zhaoxue wore simple and elegant green clothes, her temperament gentle as water. She nodded with a smile, her voice soft: "Qin Zhaoxue, welcome, Junior Sister Xiwei."

Du Yuqing, in a black dress, nodded. "Du Yuqing."

Lu Changning appeared a bit timid, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "Lu Changning, hello Junior Sister."

Lin Xiwei greeted them one by one, her gaze sweeping over the four Senior Sisters, secretly noting their characteristics in her heart. Her cautious instinct made her habitually assess the new environment.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ling Hao instructed Chi Wanhe and the other three: "Do not slack off in your Cultivation for this half year. Go."

"Yes, Revered Master!"

The four of them replied and took their leave. In the large Haoran Tower, only Ling Hao and Lin Xiwei were left.

Ling Hao's gaze fell on Lin Xiwei, and he brought up her information panel.

Name: Lin Xiwei

Age: 21

Spiritual Root: Earth, Earth-grade Spiritual Root (Yin-Yang, recessive special Spiritual Root)

Physique: Samsara Body

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment 4th Layer

Loyalty: 95

Looking at the young girl standing before him with an ordinary face, revealing only the cultivation of the 10th Layer of Qi Refining, the corners of Ling Hao's mouth curved,

"Foundation Establishment 4th Layer cultivation is considered quite good among your peers. You have hidden it quite securely."

Lin Xiwei's heart jumped violently, her pupils contracting slightly, but she immediately felt relieved.

As expected! How could Revered Master not see through her little disguise?

"Revered Master sees clearly." She lowered her head and replied, not denying it.

"No matter,"

Ling Hao's gaze was gentle, "Since you have the intention to hide it, there must be a reason. This is your own path; Revered Master will not interfere, nor will I tell others, including your Senior Sisters. Here with Revered Master, you only need to Cultivate with peace of mind."

Lin Xiwei's heart warmed. This kind of respect—to be understood and allowed to keep her secrets—was truly rare in the experience of deceit and treachery from her previous life.

"Disciple... thanks Revered Master for your understanding."

"Revered Master kept you here for another matter. Xiwei, do you know that you possess a Yin-Yang Spiritual Root?"

Lin Xiwei looked up abruptly, a flash of shock passing through her cold, clear eyes.

Yin-Yang Spiritual Root! This was one of the greatest secrets she had faintly deduced after her Rebirth, combining the knowledge from her previous life! She had originally thought only she knew, but she never expected... that Revered Master had even seen through this?!

After experiencing a complete cycle of Reincarnation, a Samsara Body indeed had a slim chance of less than one in a hundred million to Awaken this legendary Yin-Yang Spiritual Root.

It was clear on the surface that she possessed an Earth-grade Spiritual Root, and it was precisely because of this that she could subtly perceive that she could also absorb and convert a trace of Spiritual Qi of other attributes, which was why she dared to boldly speculate that she might have struck that infinitesimal stroke of luck and Awakened the Yin-Yang Spiritual Root.

This discovery had once filled her with joy, but because she could not activate or utilize it, it eventually turned into a deeply hidden helplessness.

She had thought that with her knowledge and caution from her previous life, she had already seen the outline of this Revered Master. But only now did she realize that Revered Master's unfathomability far exceeded her imagination! What she knew was probably just the tip of the iceberg!

Revered Master was bringing it up now—did he have a way to help her Awaken this Yin-Yang Spiritual Root?

A mysterious smile appeared on Ling Hao's face,

"You have a Samsara Body; Revered Master knows it all."

"How about it? Do you need Revered Master to help you thoroughly Awaken the power of this Yin-Yang Spiritual Root?"