“I know you don't resent her," Qin Yun said, his voice softening somewhat as he addressed his wife, "but some things need to be said. She hasn't seen you at your worst, so how could she even understand what you went through? After all, not even I know the full extent."

The woman in red lowered her gaze, too ashamed to look at Yun Jingfei. There was a flash of resentment in her eyes, but it soon faded, replaced with shame. She opened her mouth to speak, yet couldn't find the words. A heavy silence hung over them as none dared to speak except for Yun Jingfei herself.

“She has her own difficulties," she said after calming down. "She can't be expected to protect me from everything that might happen at any time. Doing so would only make me dependent. Besides, if not for that, you and I wouldn't have met."

A slight smile appeared on Qin Yun's face as they looked at each other. Although theirs wasn't a typical romance, he did feel a sense of fulfillment being with her. Whether this was love was too soon for both of them to tell. Still, he knew that things were bound to change.

“So be it,” Qin Yun replied. “It’s not my place to tell you how to feel about all this.”

Despite the tears that marred her face, Yun Jingfei showed a slight smile, which shocked her master. She had rarely seen her disciple display such emotions.

Is this man that important to her? The woman in red thought as she gazed at Qin Yun.

With his piece said, Qin Yun waited in silence for the two estranged women to connect again. Yet, both failed to find the words to say. Yun Jingfei had long waited for that woman's support yet had been disappointed by her absence for too long. While she understood, some things were ingrained much deeper than rationality.

As for the woman in red, her shame made her choke on everything she sought to say. Even with decades of life and experience, such a thing was a first for her. Still, as the master, it was her responsibility to break the ice, yet she hadn't expected it to be so hard.

"I was told you had been disfigured..." she said with much difficulty as she gazed at Yun Jingfei's visage.

Surprise flashed on Yun Jingfei's face, and then her gaze landed on the mask in her hand, only now realizing she had bared her features to the world. Still, hiding it was pointless at this point. She had already shown it all during the previous storm, yet she couldn't bear to depart from this object. After all, it was a reminder of what Qin Yun had done for her.

"I was..." Yun Jingfei said, the torrent of emotions in her heart having calmed substantially as she thought of the events that had happened since she met Qin Yun. "If not for him, I would still be.”

Qin Yun felt her gaze on him—the same gaze he had felt so many times—yet there seemed to be something more hidden within—something that set his heart aflame.

Is this admiration, or something more? Qin Yun thought, yet he shook his head. He knew exactly what it was and couldn’t help but smile. It seemed she finally started to experience love for the first time. Still, his smile didn’t last long as he knew their parting wouldn’t be far away.

"What about your spiritual roots? I can't feel your cultivation anymore..." her master said, her expression grim as she prodded Yun Jingfei's body with her domain.

“According to Qin Yun, there is only a little more to go until they are all repaired. Sadly, I will have to cultivate again from the beginning.” Yun Jingfei replied, her joy was apparent.

Her master's eyebrows raised slightly as she couldn't mask her surprise. She had visited the Yun Clan before coming here and had heard from them of her condition. She had expected her to be nothing more than a mortal, unable to cultivate.

"Did he... help you do this?" She saw Yun Jingfei offer a slight nod before she added, "How?"

"You'll have to ask him," Yun Jingfei said as she shrugged. "My uncle tried all he could, and nothing worked, yet Qin Yun just needed an instant to see through it and find a solution."

Those unaware of the meaning of her words didn't offer much of a reaction, yet those who knew better were stunned as they looked toward Qin Yun. After all, broken spiritual roots, especially those destroyed by failed advancement, weren't something to be treated lightly.

In fact, almost none who failed their breakthrough survived, much less had another chance to cultivate again. This seemed akin to a miracle. Even the woman in red was momentarily stunned into silence. Still, she composed herself and asked what had been on her mind this whole time.

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“What happened? With your talent, how could you fail to advance to the Void Core realm? We were prepared for it. It should have been nothing more than a formality.”

Yun Jingfei shook her head. A hint of pain was on her face as she recalled the events of her failed breakthrough.

It had been deep into the night as she sat outside on a stone slab, high on one of the countless peaks of the Immortal Phoenix Sect. No clouds obscured the light of the stars as they were all gathered below the peak.

A layer of snow covered the barren ground, fresh from the previous night. She felt a cold breeze assault her skin while a white mist emerged from her mouth with every breath. Yet, none of it could mar her mental state. She had spent the past few hours meditating, ensuring everything was ready.

She took a deep breath, prompting her lotus to appear above her head. It was a deep red, slowly rotating as small flames danced on its surface. It was, but a lotus platform, consisting of ten lush leaves, yet its might was apparent as waves of burning qi emanated from it, spreading in her surroundings and warming her skin.

The thin layer of snow that rested on her being suddenly burst into steam as the temperature rose sharply while she rotated her qi within her qi centre. She felt warmth spread from her core to all her extremities as it diffused throughout her cells, empowering them for what was to come.

She took another breath, bidding the surrounding qi to rush to her core through her mouth. The qi flowed without end, forming a vortex around herself that attracted all the qi present on this mountain peak. Soon enough, her surroundings were bare of qi as she had engulfed it to the last drop. Yet, it wasn't enough—far from it. Still, she was prepared.

With a wave of her sleeve, she brought to life the countless crystals she had spread around herself a day prior. They glowed with intensity, burning through the snow that rested on them, forming a puddle of water that soon turned to steam.

Then, their glow dimmed as a bluish mist was extracted from their core as it floated to her mouth. She felt the breath of life enter her body, rushing to her qi centre, filling her with more power than she had ever known. Yet, it was still far from enough.

With another wave, countless lines and runes appeared on the ground, pulsing with energy and intent, extracting the qi found within the earth. The location she had chosen for her breakthrough wasn't random but something her master had deduced: the node of an earth vein, a place where qi pooled beneath the earth, something she could use.

Now, with endless qi rushing to her core, she was finally ready to make her attempt. She made the qi rotate within her core, just as the lotus above her head did, which was just a mirror image of what could be found within her qi centre.

Through careful manipulation and intense pressure, she made the qi form an orb over the lotus platform, ensuring not a single drop of qi could be missing. Her concentration was heightened to its limit as she felt a slight trace of sweat appear on her skin. The fateful moment would soon be upon her.

She took another deep breath, staying calm as she pressed the rotating qi mass together, reducing its size every second until it was no bigger than a grain of sand. Even then, it wasn't enough.

She felt a dull pain in her core as it resisted the might of this miniature qi vortex, yet she persevered. She was now at the most critical moment.

Through immense pressure, the vortex of qi began to liquefy, becoming a single drop of pure power. This drop was barely perceptible to her inner sight, yet its power was unmistakable. This drop seemed almost too much for her to contain with her means.

A smile crept on her lips as she looked at that drop of liquid qi, yet it began to tremble, struggling to break free from this state. Her smile faded almost immediately as she regained her calm, and so did the drop. This simple lack of concentration had nearly cost her everything.

With but a thought, she pushed down on the drop, bringing it closer to her lotus platform until they touched. The drop was then absorbed into it, making it shimmer with resplendent light. A flame sprouted above her lotus, forming a voluptuous bulb that contained the entire might of that drop of qi.

She exhaled; finally, the worst was over. Now, with her void core formed, all she needed was to sprout the first petal to truly achieve the Void Core realm. She took another breath and began her work, willing her consciousness to enter her lotus, prompting its growth by injecting even more qi into it. However, this was where the first problem occurred.

A flame sprouted from the bulb, bathing her qi channels in its heat. The flame was uncontrollable as if it had a life of its own. She sought to rein it in, willing it to calm down, yet the heat only intensified. Sweat poured down her back, as her body could barely contain it.

In a desperate act, she sought to expel all the qi she had accumulated, hoping the flame would die down—even if she knew this would lead to a failed breakthrough.

The burning qi shot out of her every pore, bathing the world. The snow surrounding her burst into steam, forgoing passing through the liquid state, creating countless explosions that echoed into the night air. The scarce vegetation burst into flames, dissipating into smoke almost instantly. The mountain peak became barren, containing only a sea of molten rocks, with her seated in the middle.

Fortunately, her cultivation technique and spiritual root made her resistant to the heat, yet this proved barely enough. With every moment that passed, she reached closer to her breaking point, yet no matter how much qi she expelled from her body, it never seemed to be enough. The flame only grew in intensity, as if wishing to engulf the world in its destruction, and she could do nothing to stop it.

Furthermore, the situation only grew worse. She felt the world's might as dark clouds gathered overhead. It was as if the world felt threatened by that small flame's appearance. Thunder cracked in the sky as it readied itself to strike. She raised her head, and her heart sank; for the first time in her life, she felt powerless.

Her red lotus grew even bigger, radiating even more heat. Her skin burst into flames as it breached the threshold of what she could endure. She felt the fire dance on her skin as it ate away at her nerves. Yet, this would offer her no respite as the energetic flame also willed her body to heal itself at the same pace.

Regeneration and destruction alternated and then blended into each other, becoming inseparable. Her suffering was indescribable, yet the pain in her heart was even worse. She couldn't believe she would die on this day.

She raised her gaze, looking at those black clouds overhead as she felt her skin crack and burn and her qi channels burst. She could barely retain her consciousness. Still, she would fight until the end, unresigned to her fate.

She fought through the pain and did what she could to regain control of that flame, yet it was pointless. What fuelled this flame wasn't qi anymore, but her life itself. She would perish under it or go insane.

Dark clouds blotted the sky, and rain fell, sizzling and bursting as it touched her skin. The pain only intensified. Then, as if to relieve her of this unending suffering, lightning fell, bathing the world in white—but for a moment.