The morning after my breakthrough and… encounter with Feng Xia, I woke up feeling both energized and slightly overwhelmed. My cultivation had advanced, I'd shared my first kiss in this world, and I had twenty-two days left to prepare for certain death.
Just another day in the cultivation world.
I was in the middle of my morning cultivation session when there was a sharp knock at my door. Not the friendly knock of Feng Xia or the casual knock of other disciples. This was an authoritative knock that demanded immediate attention.
I opened the door to find a senior disciple I didn't recognize. He wore inner disciple robes and had an expression that suggested he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Chen Feng? Fairy Yue has summoned you to the private training grounds. Immediately."
My stomach did a flip. "Did she say why?"
"She doesn't explain herself to me, and I don't ask. Just go. Northern peak, highest training ground. Don't keep her waiting."
He left before I could ask anything else.
The system chimed in: "Ooh, private training session with the Ice Phoenix! This could be really good or really bad! Probably both!"
"Thanks for the reassurance," I muttered, quickly changing into cleaner robes and heading out.
The northern peak was the highest point of Azure Peak Sect, reserved for inner disciples and elders. As an outer disciple, I technically wasn't supposed to be here without permission, but Yue Lingshuang's summons was permission enough.
I climbed stone steps that seemed to go on forever, passing beautiful pavilions and training grounds that made the outer disciple areas look like slums in comparison. The spiritual energy was noticeably denser here too, making each breath feel more nourishing.
Finally, I reached the highest training ground—a large, flat area carved into the mountain peak itself, surrounded by protective formations and offering a view of the entire sect below.
Yue Lingshuang stood in the center, her back to me, looking out over the vista. She wore training robes today—still elegant but more practical, with her hair tied up in a high ponytail. Even from behind, she radiated power and grace.
"You broke through to Qi Gathering 4th Stage," she said without turning around. "Three days ago."
Not a question. A statement.
"Yes, Fairy Yue."
"Faster than expected. Most outer disciples take weeks or months between breakthroughs at this level." She turned to face me, and those ice-chip eyes studied me intently. "You're taking this seriously."
"I promised I would."
"Promises are easy. Action is harder." She walked toward me, each step deliberate and measured. "But you've shown action. Completing a dangerous mission alone. Cultivating day and night. Acquiring new techniques. Making connections."
She stopped a few feet away. "I've been watching you, Chen Feng. More closely than you probably realize."
That was both flattering and terrifying.
"I summoned you here because you have twenty-two days left, and you're still pathetically weak compared to me. If we had that duel today, you wouldn't land a single hit. You'd be frozen solid before you took three steps."
"I'm aware, Fairy Yue."
"So I'm going to train you."
I blinked. "You're… what?"
"Don't make me repeat myself." A small smile played at her lips. "I gave you thirty days to prove you've changed. It would be poor form if I didn't at least give you a fighting chance. Besides, if you die too easily, it won't be interesting."
**[SPECIAL QUEST UNLOCKED: Personal Training with Yue Lingshuang]**
**Objective: Complete Yue Lingshuang's training regimen for the next 3 weeks**
**Rewards: Massive cultivation progress, combat experience, increased affection with Yue Lingshuang, possible new techniques**
**Failure: Death, humiliation, or both**
"I… thank you, Fairy Yue," I said, bowing deeply. "I won't waste this opportunity."
"I know you won't. Because if I sense you slacking even once, I'll freeze you solid and leave you as an ice sculpture for a day." She said it so casually that I couldn't tell if she was joking. "Now, show me what you can do. Attack me."
"Attack you?"
"Are you deaf? Attack me. Use whatever techniques you have. Go all out."
This was insane. But I'd learned not to question powerful women when they gave orders.
I took a breath, channeling Qi into my palm until frost formed across my skin. Ice Palm technique, active. Then I burst forward using Thousand Steps footwork, closing the distance faster than I could have before.
I aimed a palm strike at her midsection, not full power because I wasn't trying to actually hurt her, but enough to demonstrate the technique.
Yue Lingshuang didn't move.
My palm stopped an inch from her body, frozen in mid-air. Literally frozen—ice had formed around my entire arm, locking it in place.
"Hmm. Basic Ice Palm technique. Acceptable form but weak power. Your footwork is decent—Thousand Steps, if I'm not mistaken. Where did you learn that?"
"A gift from Pavilion Master Shen of Misty Valley," I said, trying not to panic about my frozen arm.
"Shen Yun gave you a technique? Interesting. She doesn't usually take interest in random outer disciples." Yue Lingshuang waved her hand and the ice around my arm shattered, releasing me. "Your problem is that you're not using your Qi efficiently. You're leaking energy everywhere like a broken faucet."
She moved behind me, and suddenly I felt her hands on my back, pressing against specific points along my spine.
"Your meridians are open but unstable. The spiritual energy flows through them unevenly, causing waste and reducing your technique's effectiveness." Her touch was cold, but not uncomfortably so. More like a cool breeze on a hot day. "You need to learn Qi control before you worry about power."
She stepped back. "Sit. Meditation pose."
I sat cross-legged on the cold stone.
"Now cultivate. Let me observe your energy flow."
I began the Primordial Yang Scripture, drawing in spiritual energy from the dense atmosphere around us. The familiar warmth built in my dantian as I refined the Qi.
I felt Yue Lingshuang's presence pressing against my consciousness again, that same probing sensation from before, but deeper this time. More thorough.
"Fascinating," she murmured. "Your cultivation technique… I've never seen anything quite like it. It's yang-natured, which is common for males, but the way it circulates… it's almost like it's designed for harmony with external forces rather than internal refinement alone."
She was more perceptive than I'd hoped. The Primordial Yang Scripture was specifically designed for dual cultivation—for harmonizing with partners. But I couldn't exactly tell her that.
"The technique came with my spiritual awakening," I said carefully. "I don't fully understand it myself yet."
"Honesty. Good." She withdrew her presence from my consciousness. "Stand up. We're going to fix your Qi flow."
What followed was perhaps the most intense hour of my life.
Yue Lingshuang personally corrected every aspect of my Qi circulation. She would press her fingers against specific meridian points, sending cold pulses of her own spiritual energy through my system to show me the correct pathways. It was invasive and uncomfortable, but incredibly effective.
"Your dantian is storing energy but not compressing it efficiently," she explained, her hand flat against my lower abdomen where the dantian was located. "You need to compress the Qi more before circulating it. Like this."
She pushed her own Qi into my dantian—a strange, intimate sensation that made me gasp—and I felt my stored energy suddenly compress under her guidance, becoming denser and more potent.
"Feel that? That's the difference between Qi Gathering 4th Stage trash and Qi Gathering 4th Stage competent. Same amount of energy, better refinement."
We repeated this process over and over. She would identify a flaw in my technique, demonstrate the correction directly through her own Qi manipulation, and make me replicate it until I got it right.
Hours passed. The sun climbed higher. I was sweating despite the cold air, my body and mind pushed to their limits trying to absorb everything she was teaching.
"Enough," Yue Lingshuang finally said. "If I push you any harder today, you'll damage your foundation. Go rest."
I stood shakily. My legs felt like jelly and my head was spinning from Qi exhaustion.
"Tomorrow, same time. We'll work on your combat fundamentals. Your techniques are acceptable but your actual fighting experience is non-existent."
"Yes, Fairy Yue."
As I turned to leave, she called out, "Chen Feng."
I looked back.
"You've made more progress in one week than most outer disciples make in a year. Whatever that spiritual awakening gave you, it wasn't just a new cultivation technique. It gave you drive. Determination. A reason to push beyond your limits." She paused. "Don't lose that. The cultivation world breaks people who lose their drive."
**[Affection Alert! Yue Lingshuang: 25 → 35 (Invested/Impressed)]**
"I won't, Fairy Yue. I promise."
I left the training ground feeling simultaneously exhausted and elated. Yue Lingshuang was personally training me. The Ice Phoenix Fairy, one of the most talented cultivators in the sect, was investing her time in helping me prepare for our duel.
"That was amazing!" the system chirped. "She basically just gave you a masterclass in Qi control! Your cultivation efficiency is going to skyrocket now! Also, did you notice how much she was touching you? Very hands-on instruction!"
"She was teaching me cultivation, not flirting."
"In the cultivation world, those can be the same thing! Direct Qi manipulation requires a lot of trust and intimacy. She wouldn't do that for just anyone!"
I made my way back down the mountain, my mind replaying every moment of the training session. The way her fingers had pressed against my meridian points. The sensation of her Qi flowing through my body. The focused intensity in her eyes as she taught me.
This was going to be a very interesting three weeks.
Back in my room, I immediately collapsed onto my bed and tried to process everything I'd learned. My Qi circulation already felt smoother, more efficient. Even without actively cultivating, I could feel spiritual energy naturally flowing through my corrected meridian pathways.
There was a soft knock at my door.
"If that's another jade beauty, I might actually die from exhaustion," I muttered.
But I opened the door anyway.
Lin Mei, the Sword Fairy who'd saved me from Zhou Wei in the bathhouse, stood there with an amused expression.
"Heard you just came from private training with Fairy Yue. You look like you got hit by a spiritual boulder."
"Feels about right."
She laughed. "Mind if I come in? I brought something that might help."
I stepped aside, and she entered with a small jar filled with what looked like pale green paste.
"Muscle relief ointment," she explained. "Infused with spiritual herbs. Helps with the aches from intense cultivation training. You're going to need it if Yue is personally training you."
"Thank you, Senior Sister Lin. That's very kind."
"Just Lin Mei is fine. We're not that formal." She set the jar on my desk. "Besides, I have a vested interest in you surviving the next three weeks. You're the most interesting thing to happen in this sect in months."
"Glad I can provide entertainment."
"It's more than that." She leaned against my desk, studying me with those sharp, intelligent eyes. "You're shaking things up. Making people talk. Making them question their assumptions about what's possible. That's valuable."
**[Affection Alert! Lin Mei: 15 → 25 (Friendly/Interested)]**
"I'm just trying not to die," I said honestly.
"And that honesty is exactly why people are starting to believe in you." She pushed off from the desk. "Anyway, use that ointment tonight. You'll thank me tomorrow when you can actually move. Oh, and Chen Feng?"
"Yes?"
"Some of the inner disciples are starting a betting pool on your duel. Current odds are 100 to 1 against you landing a hit. I put money on you winning. Don't make me regret it."
She left with a playful smile.
I stared at the jar of ointment, then at the door she'd just left through.
"Three jade beauties in one day," I said to the system. "Is this going to be normal now?"
"Welcome to harem protagonist life! Once you hit a certain threshold of interesting, they start coming to you! It's like honey attracting bees! Or in this case, a trashy outer disciple attracting powerful jade beauties!"
"Your metaphors need work."
"My point stands! Now use that ointment and rest. Tomorrow Yue is going to teach you combat, which means you're probably going to get frozen, thrown around, and generally beaten up. Fun times!"
I used the ointment—which smelled surprisingly pleasant, like mint and something floral—and felt immediate relief as it sank into my sore muscles. Spiritual medicine was incredible.
Then I spent an hour cultivating using the corrected meridian pathways Yue had taught me. The difference was night and day. What would have taken me three hours before now took one, and the Qi I refined was noticeably purer and more condensed.
**[Cultivation Progress: Qi Gathering 4th Stage: 12% → 24%]**
"Holy shit," I breathed. "That's twice as fast as before."
"Told you! Yue's training is worth its weight in spirit stones! Keep this up and you'll hit 5th Stage before the duel!"
As I lay down to sleep that night, I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions. Excitement about my progress. Nervousness about the training ahead. Anticipation about the jade beauties who seemed increasingly interested in me.
And underneath it all, a growing confidence that maybe, just maybe, I could actually pull this off.
Twenty-two days until the duel.
And I was going to make every single one of them count.
The next morning, I woke at 4:30 AM as usual, completed my daily cultivation, and headed up to the northern peak training ground.
Yue Lingshuang was already there, but this time she wasn't alone.
Standing next to her was a training dummy made of some kind of spiritual wood, and arranged on a nearby table were various weapons—swords, spears, staffs, even a few exotic weapons I didn't recognize.
"Good, you're punctual," Yue said. "Today we assess your combat capabilities. Or more accurately, your complete lack of them."
"I appreciate the confidence boost, Fairy Yue."
That earned me a small smile. "Honesty is more valuable than false encouragement. Now, pick a weapon. Any weapon."
I looked over the selection. Chen Feng's memories suggested he'd never seriously trained with any weapon, which meant I was starting from scratch.
"What would you recommend?" I asked.
"That depends. In our duel, what do you think will give you the best chance of landing a hit?"
I thought about it. Yue was faster, stronger, more skilled, and could attack from range with ice techniques. I needed something that would let me capitalize on any opening, however brief.
"Something quick," I said. "Something I can strike with in a fraction of a second if I get an opportunity."
"Smart answer." She gestured to a pair of short swords, each about two feet long. "Twin blades. Faster than a longsword, more versatile than a single short blade. Combined with your Thousand Steps footwork, they might actually give you a chance."
I picked up the twin swords. They were lighter than expected but perfectly balanced, with spiritual metal that hummed faintly in response to my Qi.
"Now," Yue said, moving to stand twenty feet away. "Attack me. Seriously this time. I want to see how you move in actual combat."
I took a breath, centering myself. Then I burst forward using Thousand Steps, twin blades flashing.
Yue dodged the first strike casually. Then the second. The third. She wasn't even using techniques, just pure movement skill.
I pressed the attack, combining footwork with bladework, trying every angle I could think of.
Nothing. It was like trying to cut mist. She flowed around every strike, occasionally tapping me lightly with her finger—each tap a point where she could have ended the fight instantly.
After a full minute of this, I was panting and she hadn't even broken a sweat.
"Stop," she commanded.
I stopped, lowering my blades.
"Your footwork is decent but you telegraph every attack. Your shoulders tense before you strike. Your eyes focus on where you plan to hit. Against a skilled opponent, you might as well announce your intentions verbally."
She walked closer. "Additionally, you're thinking too much. Combat isn't a chess game where you plan five moves ahead. It's instinct. Reaction. Reading your opponent's energy and responding before conscious thought intervenes."
"How do I learn that?"
"Pain," she said simply. "You learn by getting hit over and over until your body learns to move without your mind's permission. It's not pleasant, but it's effective."
She raised her hand, and suddenly the air around us grew cold. Ice crystals formed, swirling in beautiful patterns.
"For the next three weeks, we will spar every day. I will hurt you. I will freeze you. I will make you wish you'd never challenged me." Her eyes gleamed with something that might have been anticipation. "But by the end, your body will know how to fight. Your instincts will be sharp. And you might—might—have a chance."
"I'm ready, Fairy Yue."
"We'll see."
What followed was the most brutal training session of my life.
Yue didn't hold back. She came at me with ice techniques, hand-to-hand combat, and sword strikes that I barely saw coming. Every time I failed to defend, I got hit. Sometimes with ice that left me partially frozen. Sometimes with strikes that knocked the wind out of me. Always with enough force to hurt but not cause permanent damage.
And through it all, she narrated my failures.
"Too slow. Telegraphed again. Wrong angle. Not using your footwork. Over-committed to that strike. Terrible form. Better, but still predictable."
Hours passed. I lost count of how many times I got hit. My body was covered in bruises and patches of frost. I was exhausted beyond anything I'd experienced.
But something was happening.
After the hundredth strike, my body started moving before I consciously decided to dodge. After the two hundredth, I was reading her energy fluctuations, sensing attacks a split second before they came. After the three hundredth, I actually managed to parry one of her strikes.
Yue immediately stopped.
"You blocked one. Finally." She didn't sound mocking. She sounded… satisfied. "That took longer than I expected, but you got there. That's enough for today."
I collapsed onto the ground, every muscle screaming.
"Tomorrow, same time. We'll continue until blocking becomes automatic. Then we'll work on counterattacking." She looked down at me with an expression that might have been approval. "You didn't complain once. That's rarer than you'd think."
**[Affection Alert! Yue Lingshuang: 35 → 42 (Impressed/Invested)]**
**[Combat Experience Gained! Your body is learning! Keep this up and you'll actually develop real fighting instincts!]**
After she left, I lay there for another ten minutes before I could move.
"That was horrific," I told the system.
"That was AMAZING! You went from zero combat experience to actually blocking an attack from a Core Formation cultivator! Do you know how insane that is?"
"It doesn't feel amazing. It feels like every bone in my body is broken."
"That's just the pain of growth! Use Lin Mei's ointment, cultivate to repair your body, and you'll be ready for tomorrow!"
The next three weeks fell into a brutal but effective routine:
4:30 AM - Morning cultivation
7:00 AM - Combat training with Yue (pain)
12:00 PM - Lunch and recovery
2:00 PM - Personal technique practice
5:00 PM - Evening cultivation
8:00 PM - Various social interactions with jade beauties
That last part became increasingly frequent. Feng Xia would visit to bring me food or just talk. Lin Mei would check on my progress and offer advice. Even some of the other female disciples started taking interest in the "crazy outer disciple" who was being personally trained by Fairy Yue.
By the end of week two, I'd made shocking progress:
**[Cultivation Level: Qi Gathering 5th Stage (34%)]**
**[Combat Skills: Beginner → Competent]**
**[Twin Blade Mastery: Basic proficiency achieved]**
**[Ice Palm: Improved efficiency]**
**[Thousand Steps: Intermediate level]**
But more importantly, the jade beauties' affection levels were steadily climbing:
Yue Lingshuang: 42 → 51 (Genuinely Interested/Protective)
Feng Xia: 45 → 52 (Very Attracted)
Lin Mei: 25 → 38 (Interested/Friendly)
And then, three days before the duel, something unexpected happened.
I was finishing my evening cultivation when there was a knock at my door. I opened it expecting Feng Xia or Lin Mei.
Instead, I found Yue Lingshuang standing there, out of her usual training robes and wearing something more casual. Her hair was down, flowing over her shoulders, and in the moonlight she looked less like the Ice Phoenix Fairy and more like… just a beautiful woman.
"Fairy Yue? Is something wrong?"
"May I come in?" she asked quietly.
I stepped aside, suddenly very aware of how small and shabby my room was compared to where she must live.
She entered, looking around the sparse space with an unreadable expression.
"Three days until our duel," she said. "You've made remarkable progress. From Qi Gathering 3rd Stage to 5th Stage in less than a month. From zero combat ability to someone who can actually defend themselves. You've exceeded every expectation I had."
"Thanks to your training, Fairy Yue."
"Not entirely." She turned to face me. "Training only works if the student is dedicated. And you've been dedicated beyond what I thought possible for someone at your level."
She was standing very close now. Close enough that I could see the intricate patterns of frost in her eyes, smell the faint scent of winter jasmine that always surrounded her.
"I came here to tell you something," she continued, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "In three days, you will challenge me to a duel. You will probably lose. But even if you land that single hit, even if you prove you've changed… our relationship as teacher and student will end."
"I understand, Fairy Yue."
"I don't think you do." She reached up, her cold fingers brushing my cheek in a gesture so unexpected that I froze. "These past three weeks, training you, watching you grow… I've enjoyed it more than I've enjoyed anything in years. You make me feel… different."
**[Affection Alert! Yue Lingshuang: 51 → 63 (Deeply Interested/Conflicted)]**
My heart was pounding. "Fairy Yue, I—"
"Don't speak," she said quietly. "Just… for one moment, before everything changes in three days… I want to do something."
And then the Ice Phoenix Fairy, the most untouchable woman in Azure Peak Sect, leaned in and kissed me.
It was different from Feng Xia's kiss. Where that had been warm and playful, this was cool and intense. Her lips were cold but soft, and there was a desperation to it that suggested she'd been holding back for weeks.
I responded without thinking, my arms going around her waist, pulling her closer. She made a small sound—surprise? pleasure?—and the kiss deepened.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, her eyes were wide with something like shock.
"That was…" she started.
"Yeah," I agreed.
She stepped back, composing herself with visible effort. The cold, composed Fairy Yue returning.
"This changes nothing about the duel," she said, but her voice was shaky. "In three days, I will still fight you seriously. If you fail to land a hit, I will still judge you accordingly."
"I wouldn't want it any other way, Fairy Yue."
She looked at me for a long moment, emotions warring in her eyes.
"You really have changed, Chen Feng. The old you would have tried to take advantage of this moment. Would have said something crude or pushed for more." She touched her lips, as if still feeling the kiss. "But you're different. Genuine. That's… rare."
She turned to leave, then paused at the door.
"Three days. Train hard. And Chen Feng? Don't hold back in our duel. I want to see everything you've become."
After she left, I stood there in shock, my lips still tingling from the cold of her kiss.
The system was freaking out in my head: "HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! She kissed you! Affection over 60! She's basically halfway to being a confirmed harem member! And three days before your duel! This is the best kind of dramatic tension!"
I touched my lips, still processing what just happened.
Three days until the duel that would determine my future.
Three days until I faced the woman who'd just kissed me in combat.
Three days to prepare for the most important fight of my life.
This was going to be insane.
**TO BE CONTINUED…**