CHAPTER 46: ACTING 2

In the heart of the majestic Sixth Peak stood a palace that could rival the mansions of ancient immortals. Towering jade pillars etched with golden phoenixes held aloft a dome painted with scenes of starry heavens and celestial dragons. Warm incense coiled upward in invisible streams, filling the luxurious bedchamber with a sweet, soothing aroma. The floor was polished spirit jade, glimmering faintly under the soft glow of floating lanterns.

Within this magnificent sanctuary, Su Lan sat on a wide silken bed embroidered with blooming lotuses, her flawless figure wrapped in a flowing violet robe only covering half of the body that shimmered like moonlight over water. Her long black hair cascaded behind her, still slightly disheveled from the earlier dual cultivation. Her delicate brows were furrowed, her cherry lips pursed slightly as she stared down at the silent young man before her.

Su Lan’s heart was in turmoil. Her usually cold and composed face was marked with flickering emotions, her eyes betraying a deep storm of worry and guilt. Yet buried within that chaos, something else began to emerge—determination.

Her gaze grew sharp, like a sword unsheathing. Sparks of resolve danced in her eyes as she thought to herself, "No, I have to think of something... some kind of excuse that could satisfy him... anything believable. I cannot let him leave like this, not when I’ve already...did it with him."

Her jade-like fingers trembled ever so slightly before curling into a tight fist over her lap. She closed her eyes, activating her spiritual sense at full capacity. Dozens of thoughts surged and clashed within her mind like warring armies on a battlefield. The shame of drugging her disciple, the failure of her original plan, and the fear of losing control—each thought was like a blade carving into her Dao heart.

Then suddenly, her eyes opened wide.

"Yes! This could work. At least... at least it’s better than leaving things unexplained. It sounds reasonable enough to pass."

Without wasting another moment, Su Lan turned her head toward the low bedside table beside her. Crafted from spirit wood and inlaid with golden cloud patterns, the table was arranged with a plate filled with plump and glistening fruits. Bright red apples, golden oranges, glimmering purple grapes, peaches covered in morning dew—they looked so pristine one could imagine they had been freshly picked.

With a wave of her slender hand, Su Lan plucked a flawless red apple from the platter. As soon as it touched her palm, her expression turned serious. Activating her spiritual core, she began pouring her Nascent Soul-level spiritual energy into the fruit. Gentle waves of white light flowed from her fingers into the apple, slowly transforming it into a vessel brimming with raw, condensed cultivation.

Her movements were so swift and refined that no ordinary cultivator could even hope to perceive them. At her level, a simple flick of the wrist could summon windstorms; her full speed, fueled by years of refined cultivation, made her a blur even to peak Foundation Establishment experts.

Meanwhile, Meng Hao stood a few steps away, still seated on the edge of the bed, his clothes loosely draped around his bare form. His eyes were slightly reddened, but not from physical pain—from the emotional wound that refused to close. He turned to Su Lan, and his voice trembled softly.

"Ma... Master... why did you do this to me?"

His words fell like needles into the already heavy silence of the chamber.

Su Lan flinched inwardly, though her face resumed its cold, emotionless expression. Her heart clenched tightly as she stared at her disciple’s vulnerable appearance. But even now, she could not afford to let sentiment override reason. She gritted her teeth silently and, after a breath’s pause, spoke with the same aloof tone she always used as a peak master.

"Disciple, what nonsense are you speaking?" Her icy voice rang out like a bell in winter. "What you believe is not entirely true. Do not trust only what your eyes see—use your brain for once."

Meng Hao blinked in surprise as her frigid voice sliced through his thoughts like a whip.

"You should already be aware... your talent is far from exceptional," Su Lan said, her voice cold and cutting like a blade wrapped in velvet. Her eyes narrowed, shimmering with a sharp glint as she stared into Meng Hao’s gaze. "With your meager constitution, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm—let alone stepping into the realms of Golden Core or Nascent Soul—would be no different than ascending to the heavens. It is a path that, under normal circumstances, would forever remain out of your reach."

She took a step forward,Her flawless,half naked body lay beneath the soft glow of the morning light, an enchanting vision that seemed sculpted by the heavens themselves. A faint blush lingered upon her fair skin, tinged with a delicate shade of pink—evidence of the passionate dual cultivation from the night before. The marks of their union remained subtle, yet unmistakably alluring, enhancing her already intoxicating charm with an aura of vulnerability and seduction , each movement imbued with an ethereal grace. The air trembled faintly around her, spiritual pressure emanating from her every breath. Lifting her slender chin with a prideful tilt, her expression turned solemn and authoritative. "Therefore, I enacted a special ritual... a secret technique known only to the inner sanctum of our sect. Through this ritual—a method of dual cultivation—I channeled my spiritual energy into your body, allowing you to temporarily breach your natural limits and ascend your cultivation faster than you ever could on your own."

She let the words hang in the air like mist, allowing their gravity to settle.

"Thanks to this ritual," she added coolly, "you would break through to the seventh level of Qi Gathering."

Meng Hao stared at her blankly for a moment, then blinked. Internally, he almost burst out laughing.

"What the hell...? These women in this world have some serious brain problems," he thought, suppressing a smirk. "But that has nothing to do with me. Let’s see how far she can keep this ridiculous act going."

Outwardly, Meng Hao’s face turned even colder. His voice dripped with sarcastic doubt as he asked, "Oh? Then, Master... why am I still at the sixth level of Qi Gathering?"

His tone was just shy of mockery.

"By your words, shouldn’t I already have advanced? Shouldn’t my cultivation be visibly at the seventh level?"

Of course, Meng Hao already knew the answer. Thanks to the system’s concealment feature, his true cultivation level remained hidden from everyone. As far as Su Lan—and everyone else—was concerned, he was still stuck at the sixth level.

Su Lan, however, didn’t even flinch. Internally, she smirked with satisfaction. "Hmph, foolish disciple. I anticipated you’d ask that. Do you think I’d be unprepared?"

With an elegant flick of her sleeve, she revealed the glowing apple she had been charging with spiritual power. Its surface now radiated a soft silver glow, almost as if it were a fruit blessed by the heavens.

She stepped forward, and extended the glowing apple to him.

"You misunderstand," she said calmly. "The ritual isn’t complete. This fruit contains the final essence needed to activate its effects. Only by consuming it will the true results appear."

Meng Hao raised an eyebrow. "An apple? Really?"

Still, he didn’t break character. Keeping his expression guarded, he reached out and accepted the glowing apple with a hesitant nod. Holding it close, he sniffed its surface—it smelled sweet and earthy, tinged with a strange spiritual tang.

Taking a deep breath, he sank his teeth into the fruit.

The moment the juice touched his tongue, his spiritual core roared to life. A powerful surge of energy flooded his meridians, like a tide sweeping through a narrow canyon. His flesh trembled with the sudden influx. Carefully, he circulated the energy, allowing it to settle throughout his body.

Then, in a smooth motion, he manipulated his system to display the seventh level of Qi Gathering as his outward cultivation.

Su Lan’s eyes lit up instantly.

A radiant glow bloomed from Meng Hao’s dantian and spread across his body, enveloping him in a soft aura that screamed of newfound advancement.

"It worked," she thought with exhausted relief. "But... damn, transferring cultivation into another is so draining."

She swayed slightly but remained standing tall.

"This alone... just this apple... has cost me nearly two full years of cultivation. Most of the spiritual energy dissipates before even reaching his core."

Her thoughts were heavy, but she kept her face passive.

Meng Hao, meanwhile, faked a shocked expression and widened his eyes. "M-Master... it worked! My cultivation really broke through!"

He fell to his knees with exaggerated emotion, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Master! I was foolish to doubt your wisdom. Please forgive me."

Su Lan gave a small nod, hiding the deep fatigue that pulled at her bones.

Then, Meng Hao lifted his head, a subtle smirk playing on his lips as he added, "By the way, Master... when should we perform the next ritual?"