Ye Xian had spoken with the spirit before in his inner world. He asked her how to use her power, and wanted to understand more about cultivation and the Heaven-Defying Reverse Taiji treasure.
His surroundings shifted. He found himself standing at the center of a large, circular space.
A soft jade light filled the air. It came from a giant formation on the ground, about two meters wide.
The formation was made of two colors—dark black and bright white, Ying and Yang, twisting together.
The Reverse Taiji, a legendary heavenly treasure, was have the ability to alter the very fabric of reality, manipulate the balance of law, and implant or transmute forbidden scriptures dating back to the primordial era. But its chaotic nature could easily consume those unprepared to handle it.
In the center of the formation, Ye Xian saw two glowing fish—one as dark as night, the other as bright as moonlight.
They swam slowly along the edge of the circle, moving with the flow of energy.
The Reverse Taiji was not a normal treasure. As Ye Xian got stronger in his cultivation, it would give him special powers—both a skill and an ability—at certain stages of his growth.
And the first skill and ability that Ye Xian unlocked from the Reverse Taiji was called Limit Release and an Blissful ki.
Limit Release skill lets him gather his energy (ki) in one part of his body and then release it in a strong burst. It's like charging power in one spot and then using it all at once. It would evolve with Ye Xian.
Blissful Ki changes Ye Xian's ki into a warm, tempting force that feels soft and gentle, like a lover's touch.
When he releases it, it stirred their hidden desire, makes women feel strange and excited, their bodies heating up and their hearts beating faster.
It weakens their control, making them blush, breathe heavily, and feel drawn to him in a way they can't resist.
.
.
.
Ye Xian's ki entered the Yin-Yang Formation. The black and white fish—the obsidian and moonlight ones—flicked their tails and began to swim.
They absorbed his ki and released a new kind of energy from his body: Blissful Ki, which slowly spread through the room.
"Stepmother, did you need something from me?" Ye Xian asked calmly.
His second stepmother, Sheng Qianying, didn't answer right away. For a few moments.
There was a soft look in her eyes, like she was relieved to see him. It felt like she had been waiting for him, but didn't know how to speak.
Then she finally said, "I just came to tell you something. Guests came to visit today, and your father was looking for you. He wanted to introduce you to them."
Ye Xian raised an eyebrow. "What kind of guest?"
Sheng Qianying hesitated for a moment before saying, "Someone from the Meng Family came to speak about fulfilling a marriage promise."
Ye Xian was a little surprised. The Meng Family was powerful, connected to royal circles.
He had heard that the Meng clan's eldest daughter was already married, and only the younger daughter was left.
The girl they were talking about was a cultivation genius.She had reached the Sentinel Realm at just 18 years old, which was unheard.
Sheng Qianying said, "A few generations ago, the Meng Family and our Ye Family were close. At that time, our Ye Clan wasn't like today's declining second-rate clan.
Back then, Ye family were rising and nearly on the same level as the Meng Family. The ancestors of both families were very good friends, and they made a promise.
They agreed that if one of them had a daughter and the other had a son, they would marry their children together."
"But fate didn't allow it to happen. Sometimes one family had only sons, other times only daughters—so the opportunity for marriage never came.
Generations passed, and our Ye Clan started declining, while the Meng Clan kept rising and became a top-tier clan. Over time, people forgot about that old promise."
"Then came a man from the Meng Family with two daughters. One got married, and the other—an incredible genius—reached the Sentinel Realm at just 18 years old.
But you also know how our clan is struggling. We are considered second-rate now. So even if the Meng Family remembered the old promise, marrying their daughter to someone from a weakened clan like ours wouldn't benefit them.
That's why no one spoke of it directly. It became an unspoken agreement—one that neither side acted upon.
But recently, that genius daughter had an accident while cultivating. She was struck by lightning from the sky. As a result, the lower half of her body became paralyzed. Now, she can't walk."
"Today, guests from the Meng Clan came," she said, "and they want to fulfill the old promise made between the families. Your father, Ye Feng and the clan master also couldn't say no. The Meng Clan is a powerful first-class clan with strong connections, even with the imperial family. If we rejected them, it would have offended them, and they might have retaliated against the Ye Clan.Since it was also a promise between ancestors, we couldn't refuse them. That's why your father accepted their marriage proposal."
At this point, Ye Xian's second stepmother looked at him. There was a gentle look in her eyes, even more tender than before. She and his first stepmother were actually sisters from the Shen Family.
The first stepmother had a son named Ye Sheng and two daughters. The second stepmother, however, had no children of her own.
There where few treated Ye Xian kindly—not even his father—this second stepmother had always been kind to him.
Among Ye Xian's stepmothers, one treated him with cold indifference, always looking for ways to make things difficult for him. She never showed warmth or care, only distance. In contrast, the other stepmother was gentle and kind, quietly watching over him and tending to his needs with a soft heart.
Though the two women were sisters by blood, they couldn't have been more different. Born of different mothers and their personalities had grown apart over the years.
Yet it was this second stepmother—the gentler one—who became the only person in the Ye Clan to truly care for Ye Xian, offering him a quiet comfort in a house that otherwise ignored his presence.
Ye xian had secretly harbor romantic feelings for her.
Ye Xian looked at her and said, "So you only came here to say this?"
When Sheng Qianying heard him, she looked a bit confused. She nodded and said, "Yes."
Ye Xian then asked, "Do you know what your sister's son did to me?"
When Sheng Qianying heard that, she was shocked and asked, "What? Did he hurt you? Did he... do something terrible?"
She quickly stood up and looked at him with a caring and worried expression.
Ye Xian slowly loosened his robe, exposing part of his chest. There was a fresh but healing cross-shaped scar.
Sheng Qianying was stunned and started trembling in anger, but she held herself back. She put one hand over her mouth and gently touched the scar on his chest with the other hand.
"This scar… it's recent, but already healed. How? Who did this to you?" she asked.
Ye Xian replied, "It was Ye Shen who did this."
Sheng Qianying was shocked and deeply troubled.
Ye Xian added, "Luckily, a Daoist elder happened to pass by. He saw what was happening, saved me from those two men, and gave me a healing potion. That's how I survived."
Tears came into Sheng Qianying's eyes. She said, "Thank goodness you're alive. Thank goodness he saved you." Her tears kept falling as she dropped to her knees.
As Sheng Qianying touched his chest again, a strange warmth rushed through her body. Her cheeks turned pink, and her breath quickened. Surprised by the feeling, she pulled her hand back, flustered.
Ye Xian noticed and gently caught her hand.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly.
He leaned closer and touched her forehead. His skin was warm, his breath close.
The heat inside her stirred even more. Her heart raced, and her body began to tremble slightly under his touch.