Soaring above Quiet Wonder Peak, An Miaoli's clear eyes gazed upon the thriving scene below, her expression a mix of complex emotions. She had observed everything Ye Chen had done over the past year. It was clear he had done it all for her sake.

When she first invited Ye Chen to serve as a guest elder at Quiet Wonder Peak, it had caused quite a stir. The elders and disciples were unhappy with her decision, though none dared voice their complaints outright. The atmosphere had grown tense and awkward.

Ye Chen, perceptive as ever, had noticed it all. Without hesitation, he gifted a high-grade core-forming spiritual item to a female cultivator. Over the year, he casually distributed various pills, spiritual artifacts, and cultivation techniques as if they were nothing. In total, he had given away treasures worth at least several hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones.

His generosity dispelled the discontent at Quiet Wonder Peak and even bolstered its overall strength. This year, the peak achieved higher rankings than ever before in both the disciple and direct disciple competitions, and two new Golden Core elders emerged. The peak's power had grown significantly.

As a result, Ye Chen earned the unanimous admiration of the disciples and elders, fully securing his place at Quiet Wonder Peak.

But An Miaoli knew better. Someone like Ye Chen wouldn't care about the approval of others. True powerhouses never concerned themselves with the opinions of the weak. Yet, Ye Chen had willingly paid such an immense price, all to spare her from any discomfort.

This realization stirred a whirlwind of emotions in An Miaoli's heart. Not to mention, over the past year, Ye Chen had frequently gifted her exactly the cultivation resources she needed, often under the pretense of giving them to An Yuyi.

Lost in these thoughts, An Miaoli descended in front of Ye Chen's cave abode and sent a voice transmission: "Fellow Daoist Ye, are you free at the moment?"

The cave's restrictions lifted, and Ye Chen, dressed in a green robe with a tall and upright figure, strode out with a smile. "Senior An, you're back?"

Ye Chen felt a twinge of regret. An Miaoli had been away last month, venturing deep into the Divine Will Mountain Range. He hadn't expected her to return today. If he'd known, he wouldn't have given that gift to the other female cultivator earlier. A gift to An Miaoli would have been far more worthwhile.

What a wasted opportunity!

An Miaoli nodded at his words. "I just returned after reporting to the Internal Affairs Hall. May I ask if Fellow Daoist Ye is free at the moment? I have a matter where I could use your help."

Ye Chen smiled. "Please, go ahead, Senior."

An Miaoli spoke calmly, "While exploring the depths of the Divine Will Mountain Range, I stumbled upon a late Golden Core-stage Wind-Thunder Jiao in a Netherwater Pool. I possess a top-tier technique that, if I could refine the wings of this Wind-Thunder Jiao, would boost my speed to rival that of an early Nascent Soul cultivator. However, this beast is formidable. On land, I might be able to overpower it, but its speed is extraordinary. If it senses danger, it flees back to the Netherwater Pool."

She continued, "The Netherwater Pool is incredibly deep, and any cultivator who enters it and touches the water risks being poisoned by Nether Toxin. It corrodes flesh and spiritual energy, and over time, it can even seep through the meridians to damage the dantian and Golden Core. The toxin is extremely difficult to remove and quite troublesome. Ordinary water-repelling techniques are useless against the Netherwater Pool. I can't fight the beast in the water, and even if I could enter the pool, I wouldn't be its match."

That's why I need your help, Fellow Daoist Ye. While I engage the Wind-Thunder Jiao in battle, I'd like you to deploy this array disc to seal the entrance of the Netherwater Pool. That way, I won't have to worry about it escaping, and I can focus on slaying it."

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Her words made Ye Chen raise an eyebrow. Just toss out an array disc? Couldn't you do that yourself while fighting?

Sensing his confusion, An Miaoli explained softly, "There are three entrances to the Netherwater Pool, each over a hundred meters wide. If I try to handle it myself, the beast will seize the chance to escape. I'll keep the Wind-Thunder Jiao occupied, but you'll need to act quickly. Once this is done, it can count as fulfilling a task."

Ye Chen grinned at her words. Even with three pool entrances, it wasn't a difficult job. An Miaoli could likely manage it herself. Clearly, she was giving him an opportunity to complete one of the guest elder's triennial tasks, sparing him from being assigned a more challenging one by the Divine Will Sect.

Ye Chen didn't particularly care about such tasks. As long as he wasn't sent on some grueling errand—like fighting Sun Wukong himself—most missions were trivial to him. Still, he appreciated An Miaoli's thoughtfulness and wouldn't dream of refusing her kind gesture.

Without hesitation, he agreed.

An Miaoli gave a faint smile. "In that case, I'll trouble you, Fellow Daoist Ye!"

Ye Chen chuckled, needing no special preparations. He stepped onto the spirit boat An Miaoli summoned, and they soared out of the Divine Will Sect.

The Divine Will Mountain Range was vast. The sect's gates occupied barely a fraction of its expanse. An Miaoli seemed in no rush, so the spirit boat glided at a leisurely pace.

"It'll take about a week to reach the Netherwater Pool," she said. "Here are three third-grade array discs. When the time comes, just activate and toss them out. The Wind-Thunder Jiao is a rare beast with a trace of dragon blood, making it terrifyingly powerful and incredibly fast. Ordinary cultivators of the same realm stand no chance against it. So, once you deploy the array discs, retreat immediately to avoid the Wind-Thunder Jiao attacking you in desperation. Beasts like this are ferocious—when cornered, they'll do everything to take down anyone they can before they die."

An Miaoli sat cross-legged, calmly giving her instructions.

She knew Ye Chen was a genius. Back in the late Foundation Establishment stage, he had single-handedly dominated the Divine Will Cave Heaven, keeping other direct disciples from even entering. Even the Great Chu princess, Li Feihuang, was no match for him. But Ye Chen was only in the early Golden Core stage. Facing a late-stage beast was too risky, so she urged him to complete his task and retreat quickly to avoid getting caught in the fray.

Ye Chen gave a light smile and agreed readily. "Alright!"

Inwardly, though, he was pondering. The wings of a Wind-Thunder Jiao seemed like a valuable prize. If he could get his hands on them and gift them to An Miaoli, would it trigger something extraordinary?

The problem was, he didn't know where the beast was. He couldn't just knock An Miaoli out, take down the Wind-Thunder Jiao himself, and then present her with the wings when she woke up. That would be utterly insane—and impossible to explain.

After a moment's hesitation, Ye Chen decided to play it by ear. If no opportunity arose to gift the wings, it wasn't a big deal. He wasn't desperate for one more reward.

…

The journey was quiet, with little conversation between them. They cultivated in silence or occasionally glanced at the passing scenery, their companionship surprisingly harmonious.

A week passed quickly. As they ventured deeper into the Divine Will Mountains, the roars of beasts grew scarce, and the spirit boat slowed, signaling they were nearing their destination.

An Miaoli's graceful figure rose slowly as she began preparing for the upcoming battle. She slipped on a pair of white spirit silk gloves, catching Ye Chen's attention. Her weapon was a pair of gloves? They were rather striking. But just gloves? That felt a bit lacking. She deserved a full set, one in every color! Otherwise, outsiders might think Quiet Wonder Peak couldn't afford a complete ensemble.

Unfazed by Ye Chen's gaze, An Miaoli continued her preparations at a steady pace. She retrieved a jade box from her storage ring, revealing a pair of Fairy Tear Earrings that shimmered with vibrant green light. She gently placed them on her ears.

Ye Chen's eyes lit up. An Miaoli's ethereal charm made even simple actions captivating. Surprisingly, she hadn't passed these earrings to An Yuyi, the girl who loved to show off. No wonder he'd never seen her wear them. Senior An's ears are quite lovely, he thought, a faint smile creeping onto his face.

Noticing his stare, An Miaoli tucked her hair behind her ear with her gloved hand, as if to give him a clearer view, though her expression remained cool and composed as she gazed into the distance. "This item is effective against the Wind-Thunder Jiao, so I borrowed it from Yuyi for this task."

Ye Chen nodded, assuring her he had no doubts whatsoever. Only when he'd had his fill of looking did An Miaoli adjust her hair and recall the spirit boat. Together, they stood in midair, ready for what lay ahead.

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