Liu Zixiao was one of those women who were exceptionally pleasing to the eye, growing more beautiful the more one looked at her.

Beneath her cold and ascetic exterior, a deeper appreciation revealed her to be like fine wine, her flavor growing more lingering the more one savored, her demeanor more enchanting the more one admired.

"Let me down now!"

As a master, Liu Zixiao obviously found it difficult to accept being so nestled in her disciple’s embrace, which went against her usual perseverance and principles.

"Master."

Upon sensing her internal condition, Qin Yu’s expression suddenly turned grave, his brows furrowed, "Just what did you attempt earlier to result in your cultivation falling to this point?"

Liu Zixiao had originally possessed a late Golden Core cultivation, which now had fallen to the mid-Golden Core stage.

It was clearly related to the previous infusion of spiritual power!

That she could, for his sake, allow her realm to fall moved Qin Yu deeply, though it also brought some self-blame.

This was all due to his lack of comprehensive planning and consideration for unforeseen changes.

Who could have predicted his path of cultivation would be so different?!

"No matter, the realm drop is only temporary; it’s just a few more years of effort."

Liu Zixiao also detected the change in his emotions and, although weak, she still spoke to comfort him.

She didn’t speak of the cost of using the forbidden technique, Blood Spirit Medium!

At that moment with Qin Yu’s situation, she hadn’t the time to consider too much; besides, if some sacrifice on her part could help Qin Yu break through the Golden Core,

she felt it was worth it.

If Qin Yu were truly to suffer any mishap, how would she explain to the Sect Leader, how would she explain to Su Xiyue?

"Help me sit in meditation, a short recovery will suffice."

Qin Yu didn’t say much more, just gently and carefully helped Liu Zixiao to sit.

She took an elixir from her storage ring and swallowed it directly, then closed her eyes, beginning to absorb its effects.

Seeing her in meditation, Qin Yu didn’t sense the changes within her dantian but instead walked out of the cabin.

Standing at the bow, he leisurely lifted his head, his gaze piercing into the vast and boundless sky.

The sky was clear, an expanse of azure, seemingly as if nothing had ever occurred.

However, the surroundings were unusually silent; even the ever-present calls of birds and insects had completely vanished, and even the wind seemed unable to reach here.

Qin Yu activated the Celestial Eye.

Faintly, it seemed he could still see slight aftershocks of the space, as if some rippling resonance lingered.

He observed that the creatures on the ground, whether the birds soaring the skies or the beasts leaping through the forest, all maintained an uncommon silence. Some birds had tragically fallen, their bodies scattered across the land; the survivors huddled tightly, their heads deeply buried within their soft feathers, as if evading some unspeakable dread.

Even when he extended his sight beneath the ground, those usually unnoticed insects were now curled into themselves, their tiny bodies trembling slightly, as if beneath every inch of skin lay a profound awe and fear of an unknown threat.

All this silently spoke of what had just transpired here.

He seemed to hear the faint rumble of thunder.

"Could it be... Celestial Tribulation?!"

Qin Yu’s heart trembled fiercely, and he could even see the goosebumps rising on his arms.

It was a kind of instinctual reverence.

He was not unfamiliar with the concept of Celestial Tribulation.

One must undergo tribulation to pursue immortality, mustn’t they?!

However, in this world, it seemed different for cultivators; even those who cultivated to the Lotus Platform Realm, comprehending the supreme Heaven and Earth Dao, did not need to face the tribulation’s test.

As such, his two masters had never mentioned anything about Celestial Tribulation to him.

Even within the Library Pavilion, among the mountains of ancient texts, records of Celestial Tribulation were but sparse words.

It stated:

After undergoing tribulation, all beings revered one, known as... Harmonization Venerable!

What kind of realm was that? Qin Yu had no concept, and the ancient texts mentioned it only as something in legends.

It seemed this world had no such existence as Venerables.

After all, in the entire Yunlan Domain, even the Sect Leader of the Hundred Sword Sect, who hadn’t comprehended the Heaven and Earth Dao, could act recklessly without care.

Celestial Tribulation was certainly something extremely distant from him.

He had merely broken through to Golden Core, so how could this have attracted a Celestial Tribulation?!

Could it be...

His current condition was perhaps unacceptable to this world?!

Was this a warning from Heaven to him?!

Qin Yu’s brows furrowed deeply.

After all, he was simply cultivating like any normal cultivator, and there shouldn’t be any...

It seemed, perhaps, there were indeed some differences.

The cultivators of this world primarily cultivated Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Even those who were involved in Divine Cultivation, which was so-called... Spiritual Power, were inconsistent.

For instance, Su Xiyue, although being the First Fairy, the Immortal Sect Saintess, cultivated Qi and sword, Spiritual Power hadn’t even stepped into refinement.

Thus, even when cultivating, it was only complementary.

Body Refinement was even less needed to mention.

And Qin Yu, due to possessing a Pure Yang Divine Body, it could be said that mind, qi, and spirit, were all advanced without omission.

Perhaps, this might be the true reason for this unforeseen change.

At this moment, Qin Yu even had a feeling that he would face a Celestial Tribulation sooner or later.

And perhaps it wouldn’t be too far away.

"Maybe it is just an illusion, surely it won’t only strike me?!"

Qin Yu shook his head.

However, he still decided to thoroughly learn about Celestial Tribulation, to prevent being caught unprepared when truly faced with it.

Right now, the most crucial thing was to understand Liu Zixiao’s condition.

He sensed that his Master Liu’s condition didn’t seem optimistic.

That kind of weakness appeared not only in her aura but also in... her vitality.

Contemplating, Qin Yu took out the Sound Transmission Stone given by the Sect Leader.

"What is it?"

From the other side came the somewhat tense voice of the Sect Leader, who also inquired, "Where’s Master Liu?"

"Master Liu... is resting."

Qin Yu didn’t want to let her worry too much, so he chose to conceal, and diverted the topic, saying, "Master, your disciple would like to inquire about something."

Soon.

He inquired from the Sect Leader about the Blood Spirit Medium and learned of the aftereffects following its use.

Indeed, it was a forbidden technique costing one’s own essence blood and cultivation as the price!

And the reason for the realm’s decline was that the forbidden technique would leave irreversible damage to the meridians and dantian.

"Why are you asking about this?"

"Haha, disciple just wanted to understand it."

Qin Yu knew that the Sect Leader would surely become suspicious, but as long as he brought back a healthy Master Liu when they returned to Cyan Mountain Sect, it would be fine.

He put away the Sound Transmission Stone and returned to the cabin.

Liu Zixiao was still in meditation; her aura remained chaotic and her vitality languid.

Qin Yu sat cross-legged beside her, silently keeping watch.

Until the next day, Liu Zixiao finally opened her eyes, her aura somewhat stabilized, yet she remained very weak.