Qin was greatly intrigued. How could Senior Sister Huangfu's power surge to nearly half of the legendary Ice Soul Sword's might? What arcane cultivation technique had achieved such a feat?

After pondering for quite some time, he finally nodded in reluctant agreement.

He had carefully considered whether the method she intended to use would endanger him. Initially saving this Huangfu sister was purely out of fellow disciple sentiment when they first met. Yet these past days together had earned his cautious trust - within the desolate caverns beneath the Wanku Ridge, she always took point herself, never treating him as expendable Qingdan Sect fodder or ordering him to face danger ahead. That alone proved she didn't value her life more than this common disciple's.

He even noticed a subtle detail: during their battle with that fifth-tier magma beast, instead of calling for help she deliberately distanced from his position to prevent collateral damage. Such instincts in mortal peril couldn't be faked - she truly hadn't tried to sacrifice him.

This was why he rescued her twice more. Good and evil had their own measure in his heart; saving this innocent girl who showed no malice seemed right, even if it meant being trapped here with no clear escape.

The veiled maiden saw Ye Qin's reluctant agreement and her face lit up with joy. Though his acceptance came with hesitation, she didn't mind - after all, the crisis stemmed from her. She retrieved a golden foundation pill from her embroidered pouch, one she'd carried for three years without daring to consume.

A dream object for every Qi Cultivation practitioner, yet he hadn't taken it when she was unconscious. Why? If she had no debts to pay now, perhaps his fate would have been different...

Ye Qin's eyes widened at the golden pill in her hand - unmistakably a foundation pill. He recognized it both from its appearance and his own alchemical knowledge.

He'd searched through her storage bag but ignored personal items like this pouch. Even if he had noticed, what use? With sufficient spirit stones, he could brew dozens of these pills himself. Why covet another's?

What puzzled him was why she delayed using the pill for so long. With cultivation complete, she could have easily descended to claim that purple ore without danger.

The veiled maiden explained with a soft voice: "I attained ninth tier Qi Cultivation at fourteen and acquired this foundation pill. But my dual-element Meridian Condensation Method requires absolute balance between ice and fire affinities - even minor imbalances can cause catastrophic failure."

She held up the pill, her gaze distant. "My father gathered ice essence at great risk, but I still lack that crucial fire crystal. This is why I ventured here."

Ye Qin nodded slowly. His own Meridian Stillness Method had similar risks in its concealment technique. Many eccentric cultivation methods bore fatal flaws - yet common manuals from the Immortal Capital's bookstalls often had fewer issues despite their simplicity.

"My ice affinity is 49, fire 48," she revealed solemnly. "This one-point difference nearly killed me before."

With a clear gaze, she asked, "Senior Brother Ye... are you certain about this?"

He nodded uncertainly, still not grasping the full implications.

Suddenly she knelt in the narrow crevice and clasped his hands. "By heaven's witness, I Huangfu Bing'Er pledge to share my life with you."

A crimson drop of her blood touched his brow, then vanished into his skin. As if compelled by fate, he found himself biting his own finger, mirroring her ritual.

The vows complete, the girl rose and began consuming the foundation pill. Her body trembled as icy frost spread, then flames erupted - cycles of frigid agony and searing torment marking each attempt to transcend limitations.

She cried out in pain as the Ice Soul Sword's power clashed with the purple crystal's fire essence. But still it wasn't enough. Only through dual cultivation could this balance be achieved...

Ye Qin stood helpless until suddenly consumed by her fiery aura, screaming in unbearable heat before being encased in glacial cold. Their intertwined bodies became a battlefield of elements - every day another trial of ice and flame.

Nine brutal days passed before the storm finally abated. In their cramped crevice sanctuary, what followed was an inevitable intimacy between dual cultivation partners...

When they emerged from this union, Ye Qin's eyes held distant fire but his hands lingered on her smooth curves. "I have some concerns about Elder Chen," he murmured. "Even with your foundation complete, you're still vastly beneath her power."

Huangfu Bing'Er leaned into him, recalling how her mother had died due to similar entanglements. "My father once opposed Elder Chen's actions toward my mother, but as a core sect pillar she couldn't be challenged." Her voice turned wry. "That's why I insisted on being your first - better safe than sorry."

Ye Qin remained silent. Whether by fate or necessity, there was no turning back now.

Later that night, when they parted ways:

The magma beast had long since retreated into the abyss after waiting in vain for days. But Huangfu Bing'Er cast one last lingering glance at where Ye Qin stood before vanishing with a burst of ice sword energy.

Below the river's surface, sensing her presence, the creature erupted once more from its depths...

"Freeze and shatter!" she commanded, sixteen ice blades converging into a single devastating strike. The magma beast shattered against this power, fleeing back into darkness as she soared toward distant caverns where her true battle with Elder Chen would soon begin.

She intended to acquire a Foundation Pill to help her junior brother Ye lay his foundation. However, she wasn't certain if one pill would suffice - perhaps more were needed. What truly troubled her was that she had no idea where to obtain these pills. She could only proceed step by step as things unfolded.

Shortly after the veiled girl departed, a young figure in green robes emerged slowly from the fissure. His expression remained indifferent as he approached the edge of the rock rift alone. He glanced up at the crimson Dan Dan cave's sky before crossing his legs and sitting motionless on the river of magma.

His face showed no emotion whatsoever - eyes empty and soulless. Even if heaven collapsed and rivers reversed course, it would take nothing to rouse any flicker of response in him now.

The Foundation Pill contained immense spiritual power. Not only did it break through her cultivation bottleneck successfully, but it also pushed his "Sitting Oblivion Scripture" technique to the peak of its Ninth Layer - the brink of foundation-laying breakthrough.

[The Sitting Oblivion Scripture: Upper Volume, "Sitting in Obliviousness"]

"Meditate into oblivion, without stain or wound. Conceal form and accumulate strength silently."

Layers 1-3: Meditate into Oblivion

Withdraw all outward energy manifestations - expressions, emotions, even bodily qi must convert to spirit essence. Absolute silence and indifference.

Layers 4-6: Without Stain or Wound

Retract gaze and consciousness entirely. Become as deadwood with minimal external reaction.

Layers 7-9: Conceal Form, Accumulate Strength

Completely seal physical energy leakage while accumulating every trace of essence internally to smash through the foundation barrier. The higher one ascends in this technique, the more perilous it becomes.

At its peak state, practitioners appear almost nonexistent - hearts beat once after long intervals, nearly ceasing entirely. When the heart truly stops, one's spirit will shut down completely. A thousand people could not awaken such a being even if they stood right beside them.

When his heart ceased beating, Ye Qin's mind became an empty void incapable of thought. This was precisely the most dangerous threshold before foundation-laying breakthrough.

Even the ability to feel his own heartbeat was fading from Ye Qin. He had sat unmoving on this magma river for two full days and nights.

A violent eruption of earthfire suddenly burst upward, reaching dozens of zhang high before crashing back into the river depths with a thunderous splash.

In the void-like depth of Ye Qin's eyes, a flicker of crimson firelight suddenly reflected through. At that instant, his heart gave one sharp beat and he abruptly stood up - death's terror had shattered his silence to restore thought.

He could no longer sit idly - destruction was inevitable if he did. He needed Foundation Pills immediately to smash through this bottleneck. Though he could brew them himself with the magma fire here, it wasn't safe. Not just from but other cultivators might stumble upon him collecting fire-element crystals along this river. It would be disastrous.

The safest choice was returning to Qingdan Mountain Range and finding an isolated chamber for cultivation.

With slow movements Ye Qin leapt up onto the magma-eroded cliffs, oriented himself carefully before racing toward the cave entrance in third layer of the Wanku Caverns. During those ten days helping the veiled girl cultivate here, this section had already transformed dramatically. After other sect's trial disciples discovered the cave entrance, hordes of cultivators had descended to clear out nests and establish mining operations for fire-element crystals.

Yet the were densely packed with most at Third Stage and dangerous Fourth-Fifth Stage beasts in certain areas. It would take years for these novice disciples from various sects to completely clear them - no matter how many died first.

Sects deliberately kept foundation-laying cultivators away during trials. Those who failed to survive the deadly field tests wouldn't just be weak - their foundations would crumble under real combat pressure later. Though heavy casualties were expected, each sect had long grown accustomed to this. Every foundation-layer cultivator had likely endured such brutal trials before reaching their current rank.

(To be continued... For more chapters and full support of author/legitimate reading, please visit www**com)