Under Long Jingyue’s worried gaze, Li Muzhan leaped up, balancing upside down on Bai Mingqiu’s Baihui point with his head, perfectly still.

Long Jingyue frowned. She had never seen such a method. The Baihui was a critical vital point; the slightest mistake could damage the brain, leading to madness in mild cases or death in severe ones.

Afraid to interrupt, she could only watch silently.

Both Li Muzhan and Bai Mingqiu kept their eyes closed, appearing to be in deep meditation—one inverted, the other cross-legged.

Moments later, an invisible force suddenly spread outward. Long Jingyue instinctively retreated a step, her spirit lifting as she recognized the critical juncture of the process.

Bai Mingqiu abruptly opened her eyes and floated off the jade couch, assuming a strange posture before it, still supporting Li Muzhan’s inverted weight above her head, appearing utterly weightless.

Long Jingyue stared at Bai Mingqiu, her brow furrowed. Seeing her eyes as cold and clear as ice and snow, devoid of any emotion, she shivered with mounting concern.

Bai Mingqiu held the strange stance, moving no further. Yet, Long Jingyue felt a surging power descending from above, pressing down until she struggled to breathe.

Bai Mingqiu’s white robes billowed as if she stood in a gale. She slowly drew her sword, startling Long Jingyue, who had no idea what she intended to do.

Bai Mingqiu slowly swung the blade, executing a set of movements Long Jingyue had never witnessed. The motions were lethargic, yet the sword felt weighted with tons of gravity.

Long Jingyue felt as if she had been plunged into the ocean; subject to the ebb and flow of the waves, her own strength felt utterly insignificant as she moved involuntarily in response.

The more astonished she became, the more closely she scrutinized every stroke. At first glance, the movements seemed unremarkable, lacking any obvious profound mystery. Yet, she knew that facing such an attack in combat would leave no chance of victory; the power behind the sword was too immense.

The stone chamber was engulfed by the overwhelming force. Long Jingyue struggled to remain stable, swaying with the momentum of Bai Mingqiu’s swordplay, like bamboo dancing in the wind.

The surging power intensified until Long Jingyue felt on the verge of suffocation. Unwilling to retreat, she could only brace herself rigidly against the onslaught.

Half an hour felt like several days to her. Then, Bai Mingqiu paused her sword stroke. The surrounding immense energy abruptly retreated, funneling into her body. Her white robes swelled outward, and she floated into the air.

Long Jingyue watched the pair in the air, frowning, her worry deepening. How could her body withstand such an immense power forcing its way inside?

A sound like dry beans popping—pāpāpāpā—emanated from Bai Mingqiu’s body. Long Jingyue was utterly bewildered, unsure what trick Li Muzhan was playing.

The popping continued for hundreds of crackles before ceasing. Suddenly, Bai Mingqiu spun, and her white robes disintegrated into scraps of cloth, revealing her body, which was as crystalline as jade.

Long Jingyue started, then quickly cast aside her apprehension. She stripped off her outer garment and threw it aside. With a swift turn, a gown the color of pale moonlight now draped her own body.

Long Jingyue peered at the tattered scraps, then beckoned. A piece of shredded cloth floated toward her. Examining it, she saw that while the outer white fabric was fine, the inner layer was coated in a gray substance that emitted a strange odor.

It dawned on her: Qiu’er was undergoing Famao Xisui (Marrow Cleansing)!

Bai Mingqiu settled into a cross-legged posture in mid-air, suspended motionlessly. Li Muzhan remained inverted. Silence returned.

However, Long Jingyue felt an increasing pressure, an invisible force raining down from above, like a waterfall cascading into the chamber, thinning the air until she struggled for breath.

She channeled all her internal energy to fight the pressure. Though hopelessly outmatched, she managed to hold her ground, fixing her gaze on the pair.

Time crawled by. Long Jingyue estimated an hour had passed when Bai Mingqiu moved again, forming intricate hand seals. The invisible power was once more drawn into her body.

“Mū…” Bai Mingqiu hissed softly.

Long Jingyue felt her internal energy freeze instantly, her blood seemingly locked in place, unable to move.

Shocked, she stared with wide, stunned eyes at Bai Mingqiu. This technique seemed utterly alien to anything she had ever seen her learn.

“Om!” Bai Mingqiu formed another seal and uttered a syllable.

Long Jingyue’s blood flow immediately returned, not just normalized but surging with overwhelming vitality, circulating wildly. A sense of panic gripped her; her vital energy was running out of control, her heartbeat accelerating as if threatening to burst from her chest.

“Hmph!” Bai Mingqiu formed yet another seal and spoke another word.

Long Jingyue drew a deep breath, formed her own hand seals, and focused solely on circulating the Taishang Yuqing Jing (Supreme Purity Scripture). Only this cultivation method could purify the mind and ward off external interference.

Alas, under Bai Mingqiu’s seals and spoken words, even the Taishang Yuqing Jing proved ineffective. Her vital energy was thrown into chaotic flux, oscillating rapidly, completely beyond her control.

After uttering twelve syllables, Bai Mingqiu’s body began to howl like a raging wind, followed by the rumbling sound of thunder—an utterly bizarre manifestation that left Long Jingyue dumbfounded.

She truly could not comprehend what was happening to Bai Mingqiu or these phenomena, having never heard of such things. All she could do was wait, placing her complete faith in Li Muzhan.

Time flowed slowly onward. Bai Mingqiu sat cross-legged in the void, Li Muzhan inverted with his head resting against hers, both motionless.

The power descending from the heavens intensified, pressing Long Jingyue until she could barely draw breath. She stubbornly held on, unwilling to withdraw.

Time seemed agonizingly slow. A day passed, then two. Neither Li Muzhan nor Bai Mingqiu moved. They simply floated, still, and the strange phenomena ceased, replaced by a tranquility that frightened her.

Thankfully, the descending heavenly power never stopped strengthening; this offered her a sliver of relief. Otherwise, she would truly fear that both of them had suffered Zǒuhuǒ Rùmó (cultivation deviation) and fallen into a deep slumber.

On the morning of the third day, Long Jingyue suddenly felt a lift in spirit. She sensed her body grow light, the suffocating sensation vanishing entirely, leaving her breathing exceptionally free and easy.

She quickly focused her gaze on the pair. Li Muzhan opened his eyes, slowly descended to the jade couch, formed an unfamiliar hand seal with both hands, and immediately re-entered meditation, still.

Long Jingyue almost spoke, then quickly closed her mouth, afraid to disturb him. Yet, a measure of relief washed over her; at least Li Muzhan hadn't been lost in the process.

She watched Bai Mingqiu. Moments later, Bai Mingqiu slowly opened her eyes. A luminous current flowed within her normally cold gaze, contained but not hidden, causing Long Jingyue to pause in astonishment.

“Qiu’er…” she hesitated slightly.

Bai Mingqiu replied, “Master, I have successfully cultivated the Taishang Yuqing Jing!”

“Hm—?” Long Jingyue frowned, disbelieving. “The Taishang Yuqing Jing?”

Bai Mingqiu inclined her head lightly. “My thanks to Junior Brother.”

She turned and glanced impassively at Li Muzhan.

Long Jingyue sensed something fundamentally wrong. Seeing her demeanor, she suddenly understood, gasping in shock. “Qiu’er, you… you…”

Although Qiu’er had fiercely suppressed her emotions earlier, the way she looked at Wuji betrayed everything—it was obvious something was amiss. But now, her expression was utterly cold, devoid of any trace of feeling.

Could it be that the deepest passion had inverted into detachment?

She shook her head, denying the possibility. Qiu’er’s feelings for Wuji had accumulated over years; they couldn't fade so easily. In fact, the more she suppressed them, the stronger they became, impossible to contain.

Bai Mingqiu smiled faintly. “Master, from this day forward, our Tianyuan Pavilion need fear no one!”

“Did you truly master the Taishang Yuqing Jing?” Long Jingyue asked.

Bai Mingqiu extended her hand. Long Jingyue reached out to feel her pulse, but her fingers were abruptly flicked away, causing her to look up at Bai Mingqiu in surprise.

A formidable wave of power surged from Bai Mingqiu’s wrist, numbing half of Long Jingyue’s body. Such profound cultivation was simply terrifying.

“I never expected…” Long Jingyue sighed, shaking her head.

She turned to Li Muzhan. “Is Wuji alright?”

Bai Mingqiu replied coolly, “Junior Brother transferred his entire cultivation base to me. He will need a period of recuperation.”

“That foolish boy!” Long Jingyue’s face instantly changed upon hearing this.

Bai Mingqiu assured her, “Junior Brother’s foundation is solid; he will recover quickly.”

“Sigh…” Long Jingyue shook her head, sighing again. She truly didn't know what to say. Was the Taishang Yuqing Jing truly so potent that it could enforce Taishang Wangqing (Supreme Detachment from Emotion)? (To be continued) No Pop-up Novel Network