Chapter 75 - 50: Pushing the Melting Furnace Progress Again

When the group from Lingxu Peak returned.

The moment Ye Zhaozhao opened her door, she saw Master Lingxu waiting for her, a grim look on his face.

"Master." Ye Zhaozhao quickly put on an ingratiating smile, then eagerly stepped forward to massage Master Lingxu’s shoulders.

In the past, Master Lingxu had loved this kind of solicitous attention from her, but this time, he simply waved his hand and said coolly, "That’s enough."

Ye Zhaozhao’s heart sank. She stood obediently to the side.

"Zhaozhao," Master Lingxu said, looking at her. "I’ll ask you one last time. On the Snow Mountain... who really picked the Heavenly Snow Lotus?"

Ye Zhaozhao’s heart plummeted.

"Master! Of course Junior Sister picked the Heavenly Snow Lotus," Chang Le’an said anxiously. "Would Junior Sister really lie about something like this?"

As he spoke, he looked toward Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue.

Normally, this would be the moment when both Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue would step forward to speak up for their junior sister.

But.

This time.

Both Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue looked hesitant.

They both looked at Ye Zhaozhao, as if waiting for her to answer.

Chang Le’an couldn’t help but grow angry. "Eldest Brother, Second Brother! What is wrong with you two? Have you let that Li Shuang get to you? She’s always been jealous of Junior Sister; she’ll say anything. Don’t we know what kind of person Junior Sister is?"

Sheng Yuan was silent for a moment before asking softly, "Junior Sister. The Snow Monsters on that Snow Mountain are quite powerful."

He had taken Li Shuang’s words to heart.

Although Ye Zhaozhao’s Cultivation was higher than Li Shuang’s, when it came to actual combat prowess, Ye Zhaozhao was nowhere near Li Shuang’s equal.

He’d also realized that Ye Zhaozhao wasn’t just being modest—she genuinely knew nothing about swordsmanship.

’If that’s the case, how did she escape from a horde of Snow Monsters unscathed?’

’When Ye Zhaozhao returned with the lotus, she had looked severely injured, but a closer look revealed only a few superficial wounds.’

’But when Li Shuang had returned...’

Sheng Yuan shivered.

He once again recalled Li Shuang’s words: ’Soul flayed, bones seared... merely a chance to begin again.’

’Eldest Sister... why would she say something like that? Why did she suddenly switch to the Heartless Dao? Why had she become so cold toward them?’

’The more he thought about it, the more suspicious everything seemed.’

At Sheng Yuan’s question, the color drained from Ye Zhaozhao’s face. In an aggrieved tone, she said, "Eldest Brother, I am in the Nascent Soul Stage, after all. I barely escaped with my life that day. By questioning me like this, are you saying you’ve already found me guilty? That you think I’m the one who lied?"

As she spoke, Ye Zhaozhao suddenly dropped to her knees before Master Lingxu, tears streaming down her face. "Master, I swear I have told the truth about what happened on the Snow Mountain. The only reason she can twist the truth and spout such nonsense is because she’s banking on the fact that no one else was there to witness it! I... I have no way to prove my words. It doesn’t matter what anyone else in the Sword Sect says, but if even you and my brothers doubt me... I might as well just kill myself!"

With that, Ye Zhaozhao abruptly stood and threw herself headfirst toward the wall.

Seeing her desperate act, Master Lingxu sighed softly. He waved his hand, and a barrier of Spiritual Power stopped Ye Zhaozhao before she could hit the wall. She turned to look at Master Lingxu, her expression utterly pitiful.

Master Lingxu said slowly, "I will not ask about the Snow Mountain incident again."

He wouldn’t ask again.

However, Master Lingxu planned to investigate the matter secretly.

He felt a growing sense of irritation.

He had expelled Li Shuang from Lingxu Peak precisely because of this incident on the Snow Mountain. Now, he couldn’t tell which of them—Li Shuang or Ye Zhaozhao—was telling the truth.

’If Ye Zhaozhao was telling the truth, then all was well; he hadn’t expelled the wrong person. And if he could find evidence to prove Li Shuang was the kind of villain who would disregard the life of a fellow disciple, then given Lin Qingling’s righteous and uncompromising nature, she would surely cast Li Shuang out as well.’

’But if Li Shuang was the one telling the truth...’ Master Lingxu’s heart gave a sudden lurch. ’Then he had been played for an absolute fool.’

’He could have had a genius for an eldest disciple, yet he had painstakingly nurtured her only to hand her over to someone else!’

The mere thought of Lin Qingling’s recent smugness made Master Lingxu burn with resentment.

’Just you wait. The truth of what happened on the Snow Mountain will come to light sooner or later.’

"Sheng Yuan," Master Lingxu said, suddenly turning to him. "The Sect Leader has ordered me to return all the cultivation resources Li Shuang has used over the years. It comes to a total of two thousand top-grade spirit stones. I will cover half. The rest, you and your junior brother and sister will have to pool together. After all, most of her resources were given to you."

Sheng Yuan was stunned. His lips trembled. "Master, those spirit stones... We... we really can’t afford that..."

’He’d already spent his entire fortune paying Ye Zhaozhao’s fine. How could he possibly have any spirit stones left!’

"No matter. I will cover your portion for now." Master Lingxu glanced at Chang Le’an. "You are all about to enter the Langya Secret Realm. As is customary, half of what you bring back must be turned over to the sect, while the rest is yours to keep. As for your share, just give it directly to me, same as last time. If it’s valuable enough, it should cover a large portion of the debt."

Chang Le’an’s lips parted. ’He wanted to say that they were desperately short on spirit stones right now. If they handed everything over, what would they use for their own Cultivation...?’

But.

Seeing Ye Zhaozhao’s tear-streaked face and fearing she might be reprimanded again, Chang Le’an quickly agreed. "If this disciple has any gains, they naturally belong to Master."

Only then did Master Lingxu nod in satisfaction. "Good. Then go and prepare yourselves."

Master Lingxu then left without another word.

The others who remained could only look at each other in dismay.

Actually.

Master Lingxu had always been this greedy. It was just that with Li Shuang supporting the peak, her junior brothers and sisters had never felt much financial pressure from him.

They had all thought their master was kind and protective, that he was the best master they could ask for.

But now.

Li Shuang had left Lingxu Peak.

After feeling the full brunt of Master Lingxu’s greed firsthand, they all fell silent for a moment.

"Third Brother, try to get a good haul in the Langya Secret Realm this time," Sheng Yuan said, looking at Chang Le’an.

’If their gains were large enough, perhaps Master Lingxu would let them keep some.’

’Sheng Yuan’s head throbbed. For Ye Zhaozhao’s sake, he had even diverted some of the ordinary disciples’ cultivation resources. He had to replace those as soon as possible!’

’Otherwise, those disciples would certainly start to complain.’

Chang Le’an nodded confidently. "Don’t worry, Eldest Brother. With my luck, not even Yan Fan can compare. It’s only natural that I’ll return with a great haul."

Sheng Yuan felt slightly more at ease.

「Three days later.」

Master Lingxu procrastinated until the very last moment before reluctantly handing the Spirit Stones over to Li Shuang.

Over the next few days, Li Shuang disguised her appearance and went to the workshop several times, spacing out her visits.

She quickly exchanged the top-grade spirit stones for various treasures rich in Spiritual Power.

Once her preparations were complete.

Li Shuang sat down cross-legged, a flicker of anticipation in her heart.

’This time, will I be able to activate the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace in one go?’