CHAPTER 72: MU QINXUE RETURNS

"Almost," Meng Shen echoed dryly, though there was a tiny smirk tugging at his lips. He jabbed at the broth with his chopsticks. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Once we start climbing toward the Core Sect, this kind of free time will vanish."

Xiao Rou stuck her tongue out at him. "Don’t jinx it! Besides, when I become a Core disciple, I’ll make sure we still sneak out for hotpot. It’s practically cultivation fuel if you think about it—meat for strength, mushrooms for vitality, broth for soul nourishment—"

Wei Zhen nearly choked on his soup, coughing. "Soul nourishment? That’s just your excuse to eat more."

"Call it whatever you want. It works," she said proudly.

Tian Lei set down his chopsticks, his gaze flicking between them, softer than usual. "Then I’ll hold you to that. Next time, Xiao Rou, you’re paying."

Her eyes went wide. "Me?! Why me?"

"Because," Tian Lei said evenly, "you declared mushrooms the heart of hotpot. That makes you the... caretaker of the heart. Naturally, it falls on you."

The table erupted again—Wei Zhen pounding the table in laughter, Meng Shen smirking into his bowl, and Xiao Rou sputtering furiously about "unjust reasoning."

When the last drops of broth were gone and the pot lay bare, they all sat back groaning with full bellies.

The server came with the bill, and Tian Lei was quicker than anyone else to lay down a pouch of spirit stones.

"From me this time," he said, almost casually.

A beat of silence—then the table lit up with cheers.

"Senior Brother Tian is generous!" Wei Zhen crowed.

"Now that is personal Disciple behavior!" Xiao Rou chimed in with a mischievous grin.

Meng Shen only gave a quiet nod, though his eyes showed approval.

One by one, they bade their goodbyes, laughter still echoing as they left the little restaurant behind.

****

Tian Lei returned alone to the towering peak that housed his master’s abode. The sect master’s peak was vast, crowned with mist and quiet as if cut off from the bustle of the rest of the sect. It was said no one lived here but two souls—Sect Master Mu Qinxue herself, and now, her lone disciple.

He stepped through the wards and slipped into his own immortal cave, its halls faintly glowing with spiritual light. The simple stone chamber greeted him with silence.

He lay down on his bed for a while, one hand over his comfortably full stomach, letting the warmth of the hotpot settle. His eyelids grew heavy, and before long, sleep claimed him.

By the time he awoke, the sun had shifted. Stretching lazily, Tian Lei settled into meditation posture, sinking into cultivation. The flow of spiritual energy wrapped around him like a tide, his mind and body sharpening with every breath.

Hours passed in stillness.

Until—

Bzzzzt.

The sound was sharp in the silence. His communication talisman pulsed faintly, glowing with runes. Tian Lei’s eyes flicked open. A familiar voice, cool and clear as snow, slipped through the jade.

"Tian Lei," Mu Qinxue’s voice rang softly, yet carried undeniable authority. "I’ve returned. Come see me."

His master was back.

Tian Lei came out of his own immortal Cave and went to hers.

The stone corridors wound deeper into the heart of the peak until Tian Lei emerged into a wide garden shaped immortal cave. It was her Immortal cave—ancient pines swayed lazily, lotus ponds shimmered with spiritual light, and the air smelled faintly of plum blossoms.

At the center sat Mu Qinxue.

The Sect Master reclined at a low gazebo, her snow-white robes rippling with a faint glow, the kind of stillness that made even the air hesitate. A slender jade cup rested in her hand, and she was—unsurprisingly—sipping tea again.

Tian Lei stood there for a moment, watching her. I swear... Master’s body isn’t seventy percent water like a normal person. It’s seventy percent tea.

Her gaze lifted toward him, eyes clear and calm, yet sharp enough that even his wandering thoughts felt exposed.

"You came quickly," Mu Qinxue said softly, setting her cup down with a faint clink. "Good. That means you’ve not been wasting time."

Tian Lei stepped forward, bowing with practiced respect."Disciple greets Master. You’ve returned safely."

Her lips curved ever so slightly—was it a smile, or simply the warmth of the tea?

"Mm. Sit," she said, gesturing across from her. "There are matters we must discuss."

The faint steam rising from her cup curled into the air, wrapping the quiet gazebo in the fragrance of immortal tea leaves.

Mu Qinxue lifted the jade pot and, with practiced grace, poured another cup. The liquid gleamed like liquid jade, its fragrance drifting like mist. She set it in front of Tian Lei without looking at him, her voice light but edged with praise.

"You did well—killing your enemy in dragon form," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "By doing so, you avenged yourself while keeping the sect uninvolved. That shows discipline."

Tian Lei nodded, eyes calm as he lifted the cup.

"My revenge is mine alone. It doesn’t have to implicate the sect," he said quietly before taking a slow sip.

"This one is good," he muttered, savoring the rich taste.

Mu Qinxue inclined her head in approval, watching him over the rim of her cup.

"Exactly. Your restraint makes you dangerous in the right way. Kill as you must, but leave no trail that stains your home."

Mu Qinxue set her cup down gently, fingers brushing the porcelain. Her eyes, cool and tranquil as a frozen lake, studied him in silence for a few breaths.

"Tell me," she finally said, her tone even but carrying the weight of a test, "how was your time in the secret realm? What did you see... and what did you gain?"

Tian Lei leaned back slightly, letting the steam from his tea drift across his face. "Chaotic," he answered after a pause. "Every step was like walking through a blade field. But in the chaos, there was opportunity. I gained strength... and insight."

Mu Qinxue arched a brow. "Strength, I can sense. Insight, however—" her lips curved faintly, "—must be spoken aloud to prove its truth. What did you truly understand there?"

Tian Lei tapped his fingers against the cup, eyes narrowing slightly. "That fortune favors no one blindly. If you want survival, if you want treasure—you fight, and you bleed for it. And if you hesitate, you die. The realm taught me that ruthlessness is a necessity... not a luxury."

A faint hum escaped her throat as she nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. That is the right answer. Many return with trinkets and fleeting arrogance. Few return with clarity. You’ve done well."

She refilled her own cup, jade pot tilting gracefully as her voice softened.

"And what did you bring back, aside from strength? Any treasures of note?"

Hearing her words, Tian Lei was suddenly reminded of an important topic.

"Yes... I also gained something in the secret realm," he said, setting down his cup.

Mu Qinxue’s hand stilled mid-motion, her expression sharpening. "What is it? Don’t tell me it’s something severe?"

"There are Soul Weapons within the Heaven-Piercing Pagoda," Tian Lei replied evenly. "The same pagoda that lies in the heart of the Oresmetal Secret Realm."

Her brows arched slightly. "Are you certain?"

Tian Lei gave a firm nod and, with a flick of his wrist, summoned forth a bow. It radiated a chilling aura, lightning crackling faintly along its body of crystalline ice.

"It’s true. This is one of them—the Twin Icicle Lightning Bow, a genuine Soul Weapon."

Mu Qinxue’s eyes lingered on it, her voice carrying rare surprise. "It really is a Soul Weapon..." She set her cup down slowly.

But Tian Lei wasn’t finished. "And not only this. There are more than a hundred Soul Weapons inside that pagoda. Just lying there... collecting dust."

Now her gaze turned sharp as a blade. "A hundred? How many trials did you go through to even set foot in the chamber where Soul Weapons were available?"

Her tone was not casual—she herself had once stepped into an Immortal Secret Realm, and the highest-grade weapon she obtained there had merely been Mythic. Yet here was Tian Lei, speaking of Soul Weapons as though he had walked through their vault.

"I don’t know the exact number of trials," Tian Lei admitted. "But it was around my hundredth—or a little beyond—when I finally arrived at that place."

"As you know, the Heaven-Piercing Pagoda transfers you to a floor based on the number of trials you’ve cleared. I eventually reached the floor where Soul Weapons were stored. But..." He let out a low sigh. "They are costly. So costly that I nearly ransomed half of total number of participants just to gather enough tokens. Only then was I able to obtain even a single Soul Weapon."

"So, it was you," Mu Qinxue said suddenly, her gaze sharpening.

Tian Lei raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Aside from moving in your dragon form," she asked slowly, "did you not also move about in a masked form... with simple white robes?"