John never denied that he was a hooligan—especially when he was around beautiful women. In those moments, his natural roguish tendencies were impossible to hide.
He had the old Taoist priest to thank for that... or perhaps blame.
The priest had misled him into believing he couldn't release his kidney yang before reaching the great success of the nameless divine skill. That restriction had left a furnace of fire smoldering inside his body—an intense, unrelenting blaze of desire with no release valve.
And what young man could endure such suffering without going mad?
Since his desire couldn't be sated in the usual way, he had channeled the tension elsewhere—chiefly, by flirting with women.
But ever since that night with Angela, things had shifted. Something inside him had changed.
There was a heaviness to his thoughts now, a sense of… responsibility. A maturity he wasn't used to. He didn't act as recklessly anymore.
After returning from Houston, both he and Angela had chosen not to speak about what happened. They tacitly acknowledged it, but never voiced it. It was a shared secret, buried in silence.
Still, John hadn't expected Tracy of all people to notice.
Yet there she was, watching him with eyes too perceptive, her words veiled but sharp.
She knew.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have said those pointed things. And she wouldn't be staring at him like she was dissecting his soul.
John's hand trembled mid-acupuncture, and he tried to play dumb, offering a sheepish smile.
"Tracy, you're overthinking it. I've just grown a bit more mature, that's all. And as for Angela—hasn't she been using the BEAUTY facial masks lately? It's only natural her skin looks better."
"Really?" Tracy blinked at him, knowingly. "Don't forget, I'm a doctor of traditional medicine."
That wasn't a casual reminder.
Traditional medicine required keen observation—seeing, hearing, asking, and diagnosing. A true doctor examined spirit, complexion, aura, and overall balance.
Angela's skin hadn't just brightened. Her whole essence had changed.
That glow wasn't from any facial mask.
And John… was clearly flustered.
The trembling hands, the guilty eyes—it was all too telling.
He'd even stopped calling Angela "Honey" in front of them and reverted to using her name, which only confirmed Tracy's suspicions. The more he tried to hide it, the more obvious it became.
Though Tracy was often playfully called the "dumb beauty" among her sisters, in truth, she was anything but. Her emotional radar was sharp, and she saw through John's performance with ease.
Something had definitely happened between him and Angela.
A strange mix of emotions welled up inside her.
They used to joke among themselves about who would be the first to land John. None of them had seriously expected the sweet, innocent Angela to be the first to cross that line.
Tracy bit her lip, uncertain whether to feel betrayed, left out, or amused.
Meanwhile, John was silently panicking.
Damn… Am I that obvious? If Queenie finds out…
That thought alone sent a chill down his spine. Queenie might be cool and reserved on the outside, but John knew better. She was the most possessive of them all.
He still remembered when Alice had kissed him. Queenie immediately countered by kissing the other side of his cheek—like claiming territory.
If she discovered what happened between him and Angela…
I might actually die.
"Tracy," John said, lowering his voice, "you've got to keep this a secret. Please."
Tracy smiled sweetly. "Oh, don't worry. Everyone will know sooner or later. But I won't be the one to spill the beans. You're on your own."
But inside, she snorted.
Back then, my sisters kept it from me that you were the King of Horizon. Let's see how they like being kept in the dark this time.
"Tracy, you're the best. So warm-hearted."
"Cut the flattery. Aren't you done yet? Pull them out already!"
"All right, all right. Just two needles left."
John quickly finished infusing Tracy's meridians with vital energy and removed the last of the acupuncture needles.
Now it was up to her to refine the energy and absorb it on her own.
As expected, it didn't take long.
Within two hours, Tracy successfully refined the vital energy—an impressive feat that put her on par with her sisters. John wasn't surprised. They were all terrifyingly talented in their own ways.
But then…
Tracy suddenly cried out in pain.
Beads of sweat formed on her fair forehead, and her face twisted with discomfort.
"Sister, what's wrong?"
John rushed to her side, alarmed. This had never happened with Queenie or Alice.
He immediately injected a fresh stream of vital energy into her to investigate.
The moment his energy entered her elixir field, his expression shifted drastically.
Something's wrong.
There was a foreign object inside her elixir field—a palm-sized, cyan-colored tripod.
John had thoroughly checked her body when he helped her open her meridians earlier. The tripod hadn't been there then.
It had manifested the moment she refined her own vital energy.
A hidden seal… or something more ancient?
It was a powerful artifact—one that had been dormant and concealed, only surfacing when she took the first step toward becoming a cultivator.
The tripod had the aura of something sacred.
John's mind buzzed. What the hell is this thing?
Meanwhile…
High atop the Alps, on the most revered mountain in the United States, a storm was stirring.
This place was known as the divine summit—where vital energy was thickest and cultivation flourished.
At the peak of this sacred ground, an old man sat cross-legged in silent meditation, surrounded by swirling energy.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
A sharp gleam—like a blade—cut through the air.
The heavens themselves seemed to shudder.
He rose to his feet and stepped onto the edge of the craggy peak, his gaze cutting through the sky and locking onto a specific point… in the southern United States.
His aura surged with intensity.
Behind him, a group of disciples in cyan robes emerged, sensing the disturbance.
"Master, what happened?" one of them asked.
The old man's voice was grave. "I just felt the aura of the Holy Fire Tripod of Queen Cyan."
His eyes narrowed. "It's awakened. In the south of the U.S."
The disciples tensed. That name carried enormous weight.
"You may go," he ordered. "Head south. Investigate immediately."
"Yes, Master!" they replied in unison, bowing deeply before vanishing into the mountain fog.