Martial Peak
chapter-4811

Chen Xiu didn’t intend to stop Yang Kai from leaving with Yu Xiang Die. He only gazed at Yang Kai with a meaningful smile as they departed.

Yang Kai had no idea why Yu Xiang Die was furious, but he wouldn’t dare to ask her about it as he followed her in silence. One hour later, they arrived at a different Spirit Peak.

He realised that the view around him looked familiar. After looking around, he recalled that he had been somewhere near this place before.

Xu Ling Gong’s Spirit Peak was in a nearby place. It seemed that he and Yu Xiang Die were neighbours.

There were many people on the Spirit Peak who should be Yu Xiang Die’s Disciples. She was an Inner Elder of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so she had the right to take on Disciples. Upon seeing her, all of them saluted her in a respectful manner. Yang Kai, who was behind her, grew curious.

Without looking at these Disciples, Yu Xiang Die directly passed through them in a manner that befitted her status as the leader of the Spirit Peak.

These Disciples wouldn’t dare to say anything. Yu Xiang Die was usually a mild-tempered person who wouldn’t put on airs and would respond to any disciple who said hello to her in normal times. Something seemed to have happened on this day as she sported a cold expression. That was the reason they were anxious.

Soon, they arrived at a room as Yu Xiang Die turned around and ordered, “Stay here for a few days. I need to gather some information.”

Yang Kai nodded without hesitation, “Yes.”

Yu Xiang Die glared at him before turning to leave, but she soon turned back and ordered, “Other than me, don’t meet anyone who comes to see you!”

[What’s going on here?] Yang Kai was puzzled. His experience in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven this time was very different from what he had imagined. First of all, he hadn’t even had the chance to meet Xu Ling Gong or Qu Hua Shang. Then, he was brought to Chen Xiu’s place and stayed there for half a month. Following that, Yu Xiang Die stormed in while feeling furious.

He had only lent Tao Ling Wan a hand when she was suffering from cultivation dissonance, which shouldn’t be a big deal. Given the situation, he couldn’t have turned a blind eye to her suffering.

Yang Kai suspected that Yu Xiang Die had misunderstood something, but he had already explained it clearly to her.

Previously, after Chen Xiu said that he had to gather some information, he went missing for half a month. Now, Yu Xiang Die has said the same thing. Yang Kai wondered what kind of information she had to find out; however, since she was infuriated at the time, he didn’t dare to say anything and simply agreed to her demands.

For the next three days, Yu Xiang Die didn’t show up.

It wasn’t until the fourth day that she appeared in front of Yang Kai.

“Martial Aunt Yu,” Yang Kai saluted her respectfully.

There was a conflicted expression on Yu Xiang Die’s face as she gazed at him. Her eyes seemed to suggest that she was heartbroken for what had happened with a hint of disgruntlement towards him.

A moment later, she let out a long sigh and extended her hand, “Have a seat.”

Yang Kai bowed his head. After she was seated, he did the same and waited for her to speak.

Then, Yu Xiang Die fell silent for quite some time. Just when Yang Kai was running out of patience, she suddenly asked, “How do you find Wan’er?”

“Wan’er?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at her, then came to his senses, “Are you talking about Junior Sister Tao Ling Wan? She’s a kind-hearted and innocent person. It’s just that… she can be a little obstinate.”

Yu Xiang Die glowered at him, “I didn’t tell you to remark on her temperament.”

A stunned Yang Kai asked, “What do you want me to say, then?”

Cutting to the chase, Yu Xiang Die asked, “Do you love her?”

Yang Kai burst into laughter, “It’s only been a short time since we first met, and we have rarely spoken to one another. Why would I even have any feelings for her? Moreover, you know the reason I’m here…”

Before he could finish his words, Yu Xiang Die cut him off by raising her hand, “But Wan’er loves you!”

A dumbfounded Yang Kai asked, “Are you pulling my leg, Martial Aunt?”

Yu Xiang Die stared seriously at him, “Moreover, it has come to a point where she’ll can no longer love any other man in her lifetime.”

Yang Kai increasingly felt that she was just messing with him. Just like what he had said, it had only been a short time since he and Tao Ling Wan first met, and they had rarely talked to each other. Why would they even have any feelings for each other?

Even if she had really fallen in love with Yang Kai due to her inexperience in worldly affairs after Yang Kai lent her a hand while she was suffering from cultivation dissonance, it couldn’t have come to a point where she would no longer love any other man in her lifetime.

They hadn’t kept each other company for any significant period of time, nor had they experienced any life-or-death moments together. Why would she even develop such deep feelings for him?

However, Yu Xiang Die didn’t seem like she was pulling a prank. Following another sigh, she said slowly, “There are two major factions for the disciples in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. One of them is the Heartless Dao while the other is Heartfelt Dao. Although there are two different factions, they lead to the same goal.”

Yang Kai had no idea why she suddenly changed the topic, but he still listened attentively. He had heard Qu Hua Shang mention the Heartless Dao and Heartfelt Dao before. The Heartless Dao was the one she had cultivated. At that time, she had to fall in love with Yang Kai and then cut off those emotions to achieve a breakthrough and make it to the Open Heaven Realm.

Certainly, he didn’t understand the secrets behind this, nor did he know anything about Heartfelt Dao.

“Wan’er has cultivated Heartfelt Dao. You’ve come into contact with her before, so I’m sure you can feel that she’s bashful and timid.”

Yang Kai nodded.

Yu Xiang Die explained, “That is not a pretense. It’s mostly because of the Secret Art’s influence, and a small part of it is due to her natural temperament. She is inexperienced and as pure as a piece of white paper because of the Secret Art she has cultivated.”

“It’s hard to find women like her nowadays,” Yang Kai remarked. Tao Ling Wan was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all. She must have cultivated for a long time to achieve her current cultivation, but she remained pure and innocent.

Only the Cave Heavens and Paradises had the capital to nurture disciples like her. The Open Heaven Realm Masters of most ordinary Sects had experienced a lot of hardship during their cultivation journey. Such Masters were often the pillars of their Sects who carried great burdens on their shoulders, so they didn’t have the right to be innocent.

“But now…” Yu Xiang Die shot him a glare, “This piece of white paper has been marked with your brand!”

An aggrieved Yang Kai refuted, “Martial Aunt Yu, there was really nothing that happened between Junior Sister Tao and me. I only lent her a hand when she suffered from cultivation dissonance. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her about it.”

Yu Xiang Die slowly shook her head, “I know you’re telling the truth. Nothing more than what you said happened between the two of you. The problem is that you assisted her in the first place.”

A speechless Yang Kai said, “Are you saying that I shouldn’t have helped her? Should I have just watched her suffer and die?”

“She wouldn’t die. Even if you hadn’t helped her, she would have stabilized her condition on her own. Moreover, this isn’t the first time she has experienced such an incident. I also went through such episodes in the past.”

Yang Kai became dumbfounded for a while before asking, “Have you cultivated Heartfelt Dao as well, Martial Aunt?”

Yu Xiang Die nodded gently.

Although Yang Kai was still doubtful, he had somewhat figured out what had happened. Yu Xiang Die said that the white sheet had been left with his brand, and that Tao Ling Wan would never fall in love with another man in her lifetime. He reckoned that it had something to do with the Heartfelt Dao and the fact that he had helped her when she was suffering from cultivation dissonance.

After straightening his face, Yang Kai said, “Please enlighten me, Martial Aunt.”

Yu Xiang Die was pleased with his attitude. After measuring her words, she replied, “The Heartless Dao and Heartfelt Dao are two major factions of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven that have been existent since time immemorial. Although there is some competition between the two, we generally coexist harmoniously. With that said, we obviously have different cultivation methods from each other. I’m sure Qu’er has told you that she has cultivated the Heartless Dao. Only by falling in love and then cutting off that love could she ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.”

Yang Kai nodded his head as he was aware of this; after all, Qu Hua Shang didn’t hide anything from him.

“As for the Heartfelt Dao… we don’t have to go to such lengths to make it to the Open Heaven Realm. Cultivators of this Dao won’t face any difficulty when ascending to the Open Heaven Realm. The problem starts when we want to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Cultivators of the Heartfelt Dao have to look for suitable partners when they are in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and obtain their Yin Qi or Yang Qi. Only when Yin and Yang are merged can they achieve completion and break through to the Seventh-Order. At the same time, their Small Universes would also materialise. However, before that, the more powerful a cultivator of the Heartfelt Dao is, the more hidden concerns she would be left with. I’m sure you understand that Yin or Yang cannot grow on their own, so these hidden concerns break out from time to time.”

“Cultivation dissonance!” Yang Kai finally understood what had happened.

Yu Xiang Die nodded, “Yes, cultivation dissonance, but different from ordinary cultivation dissonance. While the two look similar on the surface, even without any external aid, one who had cultivated the Heartfelt Dao can overcome these episodes with enough focus and effort. That wasn’t the first time Wan’er suffered from ‘cultivation dissonance’, but no one ever helped her in the past.”

An embarrassed Yang Kai scratched his head awkwardly, “I had no idea. She was suddenly struck with cultivation dissonance, so I just tried to…”

Yu Xiang Die sighed, “It’s not your fault. Any conscientious person wouldn’t have turned a blind eye to it in that situation, but that was where you made a mistake. Did you feel anything strange when you were helping her?”

Yang Kai nodded, “My strength perfectly merged with hers.”

“That’s the uniqueness of the Heartfelt Dao,” Yu Xiang Die explained, “She can perfectly accept the first power from the opposite sex and merge with it, thus becoming the life companion of that man.”

Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he asked, “Martial Aunt, didn’t you say a cultivator of Heartfelt Dao has to look for a partner?”

Yu Xiang Die replied, “There are two ways of selecting a partner. One of them is to fall in love. If Wan’er had really fallen in love with anyone, that would be her choice. The other way is to merge her power with another party. This way is more forceful and dominating. One might fall out of love with their partner, but since their strength has already merged, it can never be untangled. Many disciples of Heartfelt Dao are unable to bear the pain of the cultivation dissonance, so they look for their partners using this method.”

There was an awkward expression on Yang Kai’s face, “Martial Aunt, are you saying that Junior Sister Tao and I…”

With a solemn expression, Yu Xiang Die nodded, “You are now the only man she can have in her life. Just like what I’ve said, she has been left with your brand. Other than you, she will never love anyone else.”

“No way!” Yang Kai quickly waved his hands, “You know what I came to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven for. I didn’t have a choice when I helped Junior Sister Tao. Moreover, we know nothing about each other, so how can we suddenly become a couple?”

“I’m afraid it’s not up to you to decide.” Yu Xiang Die slowly shook her head, “Although Wan’er is not a Core Disciple of the Sect, she has the highest hope of ascending to the Seventh-Order in the last hundreds of years. Without your help, her Martial Dao would end at the peak of the Sixth-Order.”