First Night

The Heavenly Ice Element.

After the first person known to have possessed it reached immortality in just a thousand years, it became a legendary constitution. However, although it had astounding cultivation speed, it was greatly imbalanced.

Lady Moon, however, possesses a unique trait, a perfect match for the Heavenly Ice Element. She can arbitrarily convert Yang to Yin Qi effortlessly. Using that ability, she helped Yinuo maintain her inner balance the entire time... But then, she passed away due to her disease.

To regain internal Qi equilibrium, Meng Yinuo did all she could. After her master's passing, not only were her meals changed to herbs filled with Yang Qi, but she even went as far as doing dual cultivation with cultivators from other sects. As her energy was pure Yin Qi, sleeping with a fellow female cultivator could even help her out a little. Still, it's not as efficient as doing it with a male cultivator.

However, Yinuo seldom performed Dual Cultivation. It was as if she hated the idea itself, only willing to do it if she was left with no other choice. Due to her reluctance, it took her hundreds of thousands of years just to reach the Earth-Immortal realm.

However, with Quinlan's soul inside her body, something changed with her constitution. As usual, her body still couldn't accept Yang Qi, but Quinlan's soul, technically a man's essence, was heavily composed of Yang Qi. In short, Quinlan had a soul's worth of Yang Qi and was able to balance about the same amount of Yin Qi. This means that he shouldn't have any roadblocks until he reaches the stage of Soul Formation!

Of course, all these were things that Quinlan would learn one after another over time. Currently, he was just confused about the pitying gazes of the elders raining down on him.

Lady Moon suddenly pulled Quinlan's shoulders into her embrace; two soft mounds were pressing hard against his back. "Don't worry, everyone. I wouldn't let one of our disciples meet misfortune. I swear to protect her, Meng Yinuo, until she can manage to protect herself!"

'Protect myself? From what?' Quinlan wondered. However, Lady Moon merely smiled at him, not bothering to expound on her words.

"Alright, with this, I guess we have finally introduced everyone?" Lady Moon asked, scanning the entire room. "I know everyone's been waiting for it, so don't hold back. Let's enjoy the feast!"

*YEAH!*

A wild cheer erupted before the sound of utensils hitting porcelain echoed in the hall. Everyone began to eat the food that was served to them way before.

Hungry too, Quinlan and Xiyadie, following behind Lady Moon and Xu Mei, returned to their seats and began to eat. The food served at every table was of the best quality. Quinlan, proud of his well-developed palate, had nothing but praise for whoever made the food.

The banquet continued with short, joyful chats echoing around as the fellow disciples under each peak began to open up to each other. As if the food was never running out, more and more came as the banquet proceeded.

It was late at night when everyone finally ate their fill and slowly returned to their own respective pavilions.

Quinlan and Xiyadie were the same, returning to their Crystal Pavillion. On the other hand, Lady Moon had to stay behind with the elders, as they needed to have a meeting. Their topic: Meng Yinuo and Xiyadie's treatment.

"Hang tight, you two." Xu Mei warned the pair before she flew forward, gradually accelerating until they became a single streak across the sky.

With their speed, they reached the Diamon Crystal Peak in just a minute. Quinlan and Xiyadie went down, but their legs were shaking from the cold.

"W-Why is it this cold here...?" Xiyadie asked, her lips trembling like crazy.

They were technically wearing a single layer of thin clothing, so they weren't really dressed for the cold after all. To her question, Xu Mei smiled suggestively, explaining.

"We're at the top of the highest peak, so of course, it will be cold at night. Come, let's head inside. I'll guide you to your rooms."

"..."

Although she was wearing the same thing as the two, Xu Mei wasn't fazed by the cold. It was as if she was already used to it! Soon after, the two followed her inside, walking through the halls of the Crystal Pavillion.

As they walked further, they ended up entering a part of the manor that was embedded inside the mountain. Still, Xu Mei continued forward without stopping. She only halted her steps after they reached the furthest end, dark, dry, and cold.

"You two would be staying here. Your rooms are these two; you choose either one you want," Xu Mei explained without much flair. "Also, remember that all disciples are required to gather in front of the manor before sunrise."

While talking, she was pulling out Quinlan and Xiyadie's belongings and clothes from her pouch. After that, she also gave them a single set of bedcovers, a bottle of Qi-Gathering pills, and a few scrolls.

"Right, Yinuo, you can cultivate during the night if you want, but Xiyadie should avoid that for now." Just as she finished passing necessities to the two, she turned to Xiyadie and warned. "If you try to cultivate alone during the night, then you might end up getting frozen to death."

"...!"

Xiyadie gasped, hearing that she could lose her life by the mere act of cultivating.

Quinlan turned to her and felt a slight pity, but also felt relieved. Xiyadie wouldn't be able to cultivate as much as he could, so it would be difficult for her to overtake his cultivation level, at least.

After saying everything she needed to say, Xu Mei turned around to leave.

Quinlan bowed his head, exclaiming, "Thank you for the care, Senior Mei."

Xiyadie also followed Quinlan's example, bowing her head and paying respects to her. "Alright. Good night, you two."

""Good night!""

Xu Mei's figure vanished shortly after she turned a corner. As Quinlan expected, her figure couldn't be seen through the crystal walls of the pavilion. He sighed, turning to Xiyadie, before smiling lightly.

"Well then, good night to you too, Xiyadie. I'll take the room to the right."

Xiyadie bowed again, this time toward Quinlan, and replied. "Good night to you too, Young Lady Yinuo."

"Starting today, we're no longer master and servant but fellow cultivators, right? Stop with the Young Lady; just call me Yinuo from now on," Quinlan said to her as he entered his room.

Xiyadie stayed standing for a while, with a complex expression on her face. After a while, she nodded her head with a firm expression before turning around and heading for her own room.

After she set up the bed, Xiyadie quickly curled under the sheets and fell asleep. After all, she could feel the cold air sapping her strength.

Quinlan, on the other hand, sat on top of his bed after setting it up. He was staring at the bottle he received from Xu Mei, with a faint smile on his face.

"So this is a Qi-Gathering pill!"