The morning sun pierced through the intricate lattice windows of the VIP guest house, casting long, golden bars across the floor that danced with motes of dust.
The room did not smell of the stale, metallic tang of blood that had permeated the sect yesterday; instead, it was heavy with the scent of burning sandalwood and a lingering, sweet musk—the olfactory signature of a storm that had finally passed.
Ling Feng lay on his back, his frame taking up a significant portion of the spirit-silk bed. One arm was tucked behind his head, while the other was draped possessively over the smooth, jade-like shoulder of the woman sleeping soundly on his chest. He stared at the ceiling, blinking slowly, letting the silence wash over him.
For the first time since transmigrating into this dog-eat-dog world of Immortals, Devils, and arrogant Young Masters, Ling Feng felt a profound, resonating sense of peace. It wasn't the adrenaline-fueled high of crushing an enemy's skull, nor the dopamine spike of looting a Virtuous Paragon's treasury.
This was different.
It was deeper.
It was fulfillment.
'I get it now,' Ling Feng mused, his thoughts drifting like clouds. 'Back on Earth, people always joked about harem protagonists. I used to think those Immortal Emperors with their three thousand concubines were just hoarding beauties like dragon's hoarding gold. But this connection... it isn't just physical. It's spiritual anchoring. It keeps the humanity in you when the Dao tries to turn you into a stone statue.'
He shifted his gaze downward. Li Shuangyan, the descendant of the Nine Saint Demon Gate and a woman renowned for an icy demeanor that could freeze a river, looked incredibly soft in her sleep. Her long eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks, her breathing steady and deep. The sharp edge of her arrogance, usually worn like armor, had been dulled, replaced by a radiant glow that seemed to seep from her very pores.
Curious about the energy fluctuations he felt during the night, Ling Feng shifted his focus inward, diving into his Inner Void.
His spiritual eyes widened.
Usually, his Inner Void was a tempest of swirling verdant energy, dominated by the hum of the Chaos Emeralds. But now, floating amidst the chaotic currents near the Green Chaos Emerald, a new object had materialized.
It was a Ring. But it wasn't like the crimson, erratic Soul Rings he harvested from the shredded souls of his enemies. Those rings screamed with the resentment of the dead.
This Ring was stable, perfect, and radiated a warm, golden light. It hummed in absolute pitch-perfect resonance with his Green Emerald.
'Chaos Harmony,' Ling Feng realized, the mechanics of his power clicking into place. 'The Chaos Force feeds on emotions. Rage and willpower fuel the destructive side, but positive, intense affection... that generates pure energy. Intimacy isn't just recreational for me; it's a literal power source. I'm basically a hybrid engine running on love and violence.'
But the changes weren't limited to him.
He looked back at Li Shuangyan. Even in the depths of sleep, her aura was fluctuating wildly. The seed of Chaos Energy he had implanted in her during their "dual cultivation" had acted like a volatile catalyst. It had bypassed her natural defenses and reacted violently—but beneficially—with her Pure Jade Physique.
"Mmm..."
Li Shuangyan stirred, a soft groan escaping her lips. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing pupils that were momentarily unfocused, swimming in a haze of drowsiness. She stretched like a feline, the silk sheet slipping down to reveal her pristine skin, which was glowing with a faint, transcendent luster that made the morning sun look dim in comparison.
As her vision cleared and she looked at Ling Feng, a rush of memories from the previous night flooded her mind. The unconventional "Dual Cultivation." The shameful things he had said. The even more shameful noises she had made. Her face instantly turned a shade of crimson that would put a ripe spirit fruit to shame.
"You're finally up, sleeping beauty," Ling Feng grinned, his voice raspy with morning laziness, lacking any of the formal cadence of a cultivator. "I was about to order room service. Or whatever the cultivator equivalent is. Do we clap for servants, or just yell really loud?"
Li Shuangyan buried her face in his chest to hide her burning cheeks. "You... you are a beast. An absolute monster. You have no shame."
"I prefer 'energetic'," Ling Feng chuckled, the vibrations of his chest rumbling against her cheek. He ran his hand down the curve of her back, tracing the line of her spine. "How's the hardware running? Any side effects? Soreness? Existential dread?"
Li Shuangyan pulled back slightly, her expression shifting from embarrassment to genuine confusion. She sat up, the silk sheet pooling around her waist. She frowned, looking at her hands, flexing her fingers.
"I feel... full," she murmured, struggling to find the words. "My True Fate is vibrating. My energy channels feel as though they have been scrubbed clean. And my Fate Palaces..."
Her eyes widened. Instinct took over. She channeled the Pure Jade Sacred Heart Art.
BOOM!
The air in the room exploded outward. Five distinct, majestic halos of light erupted behind her head.
Five Fate Palaces!
They hovered in the air, rotating with a majestic, heavy pressure that warped the light around them. The first four were standard, pristine and white. But the fifth palace—the newest one—was dazzling. It shimmered with a chaotic, verdant hue, differentiating it from the others. The pressure she released wasn't just that of a standard Noble; it was the tyrannical pressure of a genius who had defied the heavens.
"Rebelling Noble..." Li Shuangyan whispered, her voice trembling as she stared at the manifestation of her Dao. "I... I broke through? I was stuck at the peak of the King Noble Stage just yesterday. The bottleneck for the Rebelling Noble stage is massive, a chasm that stops thousands! How?"
She whipped her head around to stare at Ling Feng, her eyes wide with shock and a hint of fear. "Did you use a forbidden Dual Cultivation art? Did you burn your own blood essence to fuel me? This defies the logic of the Grand Dao!"
"Chill out," Ling Feng laughed, sitting up and leaning casually against the headboard, utterly unaffected by the crushing pressure of her five palaces. "No forbidden arts. No blood sacrifice. Just pure, unadulterated love, darling."
"Love?" Li Shuangyan blinked, the concept alien in this context. "Do not mock me. Cultivation is logic. It is the accumulation of worldly essence and the comprehension of the Truth. Love is... an emotion. A distraction."
"And what is the Dao if not the will of the universe? And what are we, if not part of that universe?" Ling Feng countered, reaching out to tap the tip of her nose. "My energy, the Chaos Force, isn't bound by your 'High Heavens.' It responds to connection. We connected. My energy flooded your system, cleared the trash out of your meridians, and pushed you over the edge. You're welcome, by the way."
Li Shuangyan stared at her five Fate Palaces, her mind reeling. To reach Rebelling Noble so young was already the mark of a supreme genius.
To do it overnight, simply by... sleeping with him?
It broke every rule, every law, every scroll she had ever studied. It made the hard work of the ancestors look like a joke.
She slowly retracted her aura, the palaces fading away into the void. She turned to him, her expression complicated. It was a chaotic mix of awe, confusion, and a deep, overwhelming affection that terrified her.
"You really are an anomaly," she said softly, leaning in to rest her forehead against his. "My Master says the Dao is ruthless. That the path to the Heaven's Will is a solitary climb over mountains of corpses. You... you treat it like a game."
"Life's too short to be serious all the time," Ling Feng smirked, wrapping an arm around her. "Besides, I like the 'soft' look. Suits you better than the 'Ice Queen' vibe you usually rock."
Li Shuangyan snorted, a very un-noble-like sound, but a small, genuine smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I am not 'soft'. You are just... insatiable."
"Hey, I'm a growing boy," Ling Feng laughed, slapping her thigh lightly. "Now, get dressed. We have a sect to run, and I have a feeling today is going to be busy. I need to see if the old men have finished counting my loot."
...
The courtyard outside was bathed in the warm, gentle light of mid-morning. The devastation of the previous day's battle seemed a world away here.
Xu Pei was already awake, kneeling in the small spirit garden. She was tending to the spirit herbs with a gentle grace, humming a soft, nameless tune. Her cultivation base was humble compared to the monsters surrounding her, but her affinity with nature was palpable.
When the heavy wooden door to the guest house creaked open, she looked up. Ling Feng stepped out, looking refreshed, radiating an aura of utter contentment and vitality.
Li Shuangyan followed a step behind. Her hair was perfectly styled, her snowy robes immaculate, and her demeanor regained, but there was a fluidity to her movements that hadn't been there before. A certain... spring in her step that spoke volumes.
"Young Noble! Sister Shuangyan!" Xu Pei chirped, standing up and dusting the soil from her hands. She bowed slightly, a habit of servitude she couldn't quite shake.
Ling Feng didn't return the bow. He ignored the etiquette entirely. He walked straight up to Xu Pei, his stride long and purposeful.
"Morning, Sunshine," he said.
Before Xu Pei could react, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her effortlessly off the ground in a crushing bear hug.
"Ah! Young Noble!" Xu Pei squeaked, her feet kicking in the air, her face instantly turning the color of a peony. "Propriety! We are outside! The disciples might see!"
"Who cares?" Ling Feng laughed, the sound booming across the courtyard.
He set her down but kept his arms locked firmly around her waist, pulling her flush against him. He leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead, then pecked her lips. It wasn't the hungry, devouring kiss he shared with Li Shuangyan, but something sweet, reassuring, and deeply affectionate.
"Let them look. Maybe they'll learn something."
He pulled back slightly to look at her. "You missed out on the after-party last night."
Xu Pei's face burned hot enough to boil water. She wasn't stupid; she knew exactly what "party" he meant. The fluctuating energy waves radiating from the guest house had been impossible to miss even for the lowest disciple. She looked down, her fingers nervously fiddling with her sash.
"I... my cultivation is low," she whispered, a hint of deep-seated insecurity cracking her voice. "Sister Shuangyan is a genius, a Heaven's Proud Daughter. I am just... a maid."
"You are Xu Pei," Ling Feng interrupted firmly. He reached out, lifting her chin with a finger, forcing her to meet his gaze. His eyes, swirling with the faint green light of the Chaos Emeralds, bore into hers. "And you're important to me. Don't compare yourself to her. You're in different lanes, but you're driving to the same destination."
He smiled, a genuine expression that softened his sharp features. "I'll be here for you, too. Tonight. I promise. We need to work on your cultivation, and I have a very efficient method."
Xu Pei's breath hitched. She looked into his eyes and saw no deception, only a warm, teasing promise.
"I... I would like that," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper, brave enough to speak her desire. "I want to receive your love too, Young Noble. I want to be strong for you."
"Attagirl," Ling Feng grinned, ruffling her hair.
Behind him, Li Shuangyan rolled her eyes, though there was zero malice in the gesture.
"You are truly shameless," she sighed. "Flirting in broad daylight with the disciples watching from the walls. You are corrupting the sect's morals."
"Let them watch," Ling Feng shrugged, finally releasing Xu Pei but keeping a casual arm draped over her shoulder. "Might learn a thing or two about how to treat a woman. Most of these cultivators treat women like furniture, trading chips, or cultivation cauldrons. It's toxic behavior. Total red flag. I'm breaking the cycle."
"Toxic... Red flag..." Li Shuangyan muttered, tasting the strange, foreign words on her tongue. She shook her head, deciding not to ask. "I am going to check on the sect defenses and the inventory. Do try not to cause a scandal while I am gone."
"No promises!" Ling Feng called out as she turned and walked away, her figure disappearing down the stone path with a flash of white silk.
Once she was gone, Ling Feng scanned the courtyard, his brow furrowing. "Hey, where's Yonghuang? I haven't seen her since she ran off last night like her tail was on fire."
"Sect Master Su..." Xu Pei hesitated, glancing toward the main peak. "She has been in the Main Hall since dawn. She refused breakfast. She seemed... agitated."
"Agitated, huh? Avoiding me," Ling Feng nodded knowingly. "Classic ghosting behavior. She thinks if she buries herself in paperwork, I'll disappear. Alright, I'm going to go bother her. Hold down the fort, Sunshine."
....
The Main Hall of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect was a place of solemn history. Massive pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes held up a ceiling obscured by shadows. It was quiet, save for the rustling of paper.
Su Yonghuang sat behind the massive Sect Master's desk, buried under a mountain of scrolls, jade slips, and inventory lists. She was reading the same line for the tenth time.
Her mind wasn't on the sect's logistics. It wasn't on the spoils of war. It was on the man who had turned her sect—and her emotions—upside down in the span of a few days.
'He is reckless,' she thought, her grip tightening on her brush until the wood creaked. 'He is arrogant. He speaks in riddles. He ignores the ancestors. And yet...'
And yet, when he looked at her, she didn't feel like the hidden descendant of the Su Clan or the figurehead Sect Master. She felt like a woman. And that terrified her more than any Heavenly Tribulation.
"Knock knock."
Su Yonghuang jumped, her hand jerking violently, knocking over her inkwell. Black ink spilled across the parchment like a dark omen.
Ling Feng was leaning against the massive wooden doorway, arms crossed over his chest, a lazy, predatory grin on his face.
"You..." Su Yonghuang scrambled to compose herself, straightening her back and channeling her aura to dry the spilled ink. "Ling Feng. There are protocols! You cannot just barge into the Main Hall—"
"I own the place, remember? Protocols are for employees," Ling Feng pushed off the doorframe and walked in. His footsteps echoed loudly on the ancient stone floor, a rhythmic thud that matched the beating of her heart. He stopped right in front of her desk, towering over her. "You weren't at breakfast. Or the after-party. You're making it really obvious, Yonghuang."
"I have duties," Su Yonghuang said stiffly, refusing to meet his eyes. She picked up a random scroll, pretending to read. "Someone has to manage the resources you dumped on us. The elders are useless with logistics."
"You're lying," Ling Feng said, his voice dropping an octave. He walked around the desk.
Su Yonghuang stood up immediately, retreating a step until her back hit the cold stone wall behind the throne. "I am not lying. I am the Sect Master. I have to maintain dignity!"
"Dignity is just a wall you put up because you're scared," Ling Feng closed the distance. He didn't use his cultivation to suppress her. He didn't need to. His sheer physical presence, the weight of his personality, was overwhelming enough. "You're scared because I make you feel things you think you shouldn't feel. Because of your identity? Because of your Master? Or because you think you're 'too experienced' for me?"
Su Yonghuang's breath hitched. She was trapped. "Ling Feng, stop. This is... this is inappropriate. We are in the Main Hall!"
"Is it?" Ling Feng smiled, placing one hand on the wall beside her head—a classic move he'd seen in a dozen shows, but effective nonetheless. "I told you, I'm going to break that shell. You can't hide behind the 'Sect Master' title forever."
He stepped in, closing the final inch, and wrapped his free arm around her waist.
Su Yonghuang stiffened. Her instinct—honed by years of cultivation—was to push him away, to blast him with the tyranny of her Solar Immortal Physique. But as soon as his chest touched hers, the Chaos Force within him hummed.
It reached out to the excessive, burning Yang energy in her body—the heat that constantly plagued her due to her incomplete physique—and soothed it. It was like pouring cool, refreshing spring water onto a raging fire. The relief was instantaneous and narcotic.
"Just breathe," Ling Feng whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her skin. "Get used to it. I'm not going anywhere. If you need time to sort your feelings, take it. But don't hide from me. Don't ghost me."
Su Yonghuang's hands, which were raised to push him away, slowly lowered. Her resistance crumbled under the dual assault of his charisma and the biological relief his energy provided. She didn't hug him back—her pride wouldn't allow it yet—but she didn't fight him either. She just stood there, trembling slightly within the circle of his arms, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird.
For a moment, the world narrowed down to just the two of them. The tension was thick enough to cut with a blade.
"Ahem!"
A loud, frantic, and performative cough shattered the moment into a million pieces.
Ling Feng didn't jump. He didn't even flinch. He just slowly turned his head, keeping one arm firmly around Su Yonghuang's waist, locking her in place.
The First Elder stood in the doorway, his face a mask of absolute horror and second-hand embarrassment. He looked like he wanted to claw his own eyes out rather than witness the scene before him.