The feet, with their pink undertones, delicately grazed the water's surface. As if scalded, the feet retracted quickly, accompanied by a soft feminine yelp.

Following that, the upper body of a woman emerged from the water. With her head tilted back, her snow-white bust rose and fell. With a graceful touch, she sprinkled the steaming water onto her body, wincing slightly with each splash.

Shu Han couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight, while Wei Haolong was utterly spellbound.

Once she adjusted to the temperature, she slowly submerged her legs into the onsen.

Their gaze traveled upwards, reaching a sight that left every male cultivator's heart racing.

Suddenly flustered, Shu Han involuntarily exhaled bubbles. With a quick thought, he transformed into a shadow at the bottom of the pool.

Respect her privacy! Respect her privacy!

In contrast, blood gushed from Wei Haolong's nose, with the bubbles giving away his position.

Sensing something amiss, the woman swiftly ascended from the spring. With a graceful gesture, clothes flew onto her, concealing her enchanting figure. She unleashed a palm strike, causing the water to erupt.

"Who's there?"

Had Shu Han been visible, he would've recognized her as Meng Shuran, the bewitching beauty from the Fiery Cloud Summit. Now, hovering in the air, her clothes hid her most intimate areas, yet still exposed her flawless skin.

Her gaze pierced the turbulent onsen, but she found nothing.

Wei Haolong, standing still next to a rockery, stared intently at Meng Shuran. Panic gripped him, thinking of her captivating body. He was mesmerized since their first encounter, and now, having witnessed her true beauty, he feared the image would haunt him forever.

"Thankfully, my invisibility technique is masterful. She, at the Foundation Establishment stage, shouldn't detect me. I'll just quietly stay here and enjoy the view."

However, a faint glint in Meng Shuran's eyes hinted at her acute perception. A quick sweep, and she located the nosebleeding Wei Haolong. She released a pair of golden-silver hoops towards him, yelling, "Pervert! Prepare to die!"

Wei Haolong internally panicked: How can she see me?

Frantically, he covered his face and, at lightning speed, transformed into a beam of light, escaping from the hot spring.

If Meng Shuran's eyes glinted a tad brighter, Wei Haolong would have realized that her sharpness mirrored Shu Han's – both utilizing the Clear Bright Spiritual Eye technique!

In a state of disformation, Wei Haolong sought an isolated hot spring. In one swift move, he submerged, swimming against the flow of the Earth Dragon Fire, eventually reaching the foundation formation at the base of the Fiery Cloud Soup Spring. As he emerged from the tunnel, he lamented internally: How is it that every disciple entering the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect these days seems stranger than the last? Nevertheless, that enticing beauty truly was a vision, an exquisite bloom he wished he could admire often.

The mere thought of Meng Shuran from earlier made Wei Haolong's heart flutter with anticipation. Retrieving a mirror, he transformed himself with a few deft makeup strokes, adopting a look remarkably similar to Meng Shuran's. Observing his reflection, long-suppressed feelings of melancholy and desolation dissolved, replaced by a newfound clarity.

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"All this appearance, but lacking the essence. I must acquire that lad's eye technique!"

He contemplated reverting to his original appearance but found himself reluctant. After all, Shu Han had seen him in this guise before; why revert?

Meanwhile, with Shu Han's primary body engaged in cultivation, the enticing image of the figure his avatar had witnessed earlier lingered obstinately in his mind. Only after he fiercely slapped himself several times did he manage to regain his composure.

Suddenly, he felt the approach of someone. Looking up, he jolted in shock. Was that not Meng Shuran?

Wait! That beguiling allure wasn't right! It was that damn Wei Haolong!

Annoyed, he barked, "What's the meaning of this? Why impersonate her? You gave me quite the scare!"

Wei Haolong snorted, "As I please! Why should you care?" Almost immediately, he exclaimed with urgency, "You! Hand over that eye technique to me at once!"

Observing Wei Haolong's frantic demeanor, Shu Han understood instantly, and shot back, "Planning to use my technique for your lascivious exploits?"

Wei Haolong coldly retorted, "How I use it is none of your concern! And don't pretend you haven't used that same technique to spy on female cultivators! I won't believe otherwise!"

At this, Shu Han's face reddened; in the past, he had indeed utilized the Clear Bright Spiritual Eye to observe Shangguan Ruolin.

Seeing Shu Han's flustered state, Wei Haolong jeered, "Lewd rascal, come with me. I can't impart the 'Heavenly Fire Manipulation Art' to you here on Fiery Cloud Mountain. If discovered, it'd be the end of us. Follow me down the mountain!"

With that, he activated his invisibility technique and soared toward the base of Fiery Cloud Mountain.

Left with little choice, Shu Han reluctantly trailed behind.

The pair descended the mountain together, moving beyond the domain of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, eventually arriving at a secluded bamboo grove. The verdant bamboo swayed gently. Upon closer inspection, Shu Han realized it was a formation. Wei Haolong motioned for him to stay calm, explaining it was merely an illusionary formation, designed to mislead and confuse.

He activated the formation by channeling spiritual power into specific bamboo stalks in a precise sequence. Instantly, the scent of various female cultivators wafted through. Within the formation, Shu Han saw a quaint courtyard with a meandering stream, adorned with assorted garments of female cultivators.

"Your peculiar tastes leave me speechless. Do you genuinely wish to become a woman?"

Wei Haolong, hearing these words, didn't show anger, but rather a trace of melancholy.

"My father is the Heavenly Fire Elder, expecting me to carry on his legacy. The Heavenly Fire Elder represents the ethos of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect. If he ever learned of my predilections, he'd kill me to protect his reputation."

Understanding dawned on Shu Han, "So, you don't want others to see you dressed as a woman, not because you fear gossip, but because you fear your father?"

Wei Haolong offered a wry smile, "The Earth Dragon Fire is supreme yang, only male cultivators can harness and control it. Hence, the cultivators of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect pursue a masculine aura, especially my father."

Observing Wei Haolong's agonized expression, Shu Han was puzzled, "What's wrong with embracing masculinity? You are a man, after all."

"Yes, I am a man! But I also live for others, for those who had no right to come into this world!"

Wei Haolong grew increasingly passionate, and Shu Han could tell that these feelings had been bottled up for many years. Perhaps being the first to witness his feminine side, Wei Haolong felt an uncontrollable urge to share.

Shu Han reassured him, "Calm down. Speak at your own pace."

In a hushed tone, Wei Haolong continued, "In his early years, my father obsessively studied the heavenly fire, recklessly drawing it into his body multiple times, causing irrevocable damage. It took nearly a millennium of effort before my mother could conceive me. But she carried twins, and from what she told me, besides myself, there was another female fetus within her."

"However, my father believed that a daughter would be of no use, unable to inherit his heavenly fire technique. Ignoring my mother's pleas, he used the Earth Dragon Fire to dissolve the other fetus, channeling all its life essence into me."

Hearing this, Shu Han felt his head spin.

With tears in his eyes, Wei Haolong lamented, "After giving birth, my mother's psyche shattered. She oscillated between lucidity and madness. My father, disgusted by her instability, confined her in a cave for four centuries. No one visited her, save for me. For those four centuries, I've constantly heard a female voice whispering in my ear, accusing me of her demise."

He covered his face, sighing deeply, "Perhaps you find my cross-dressing revolting. But it's the only way I don't hear that whisper. It's the only way I feel I'm living in this world alongside her."