Huo Tong'er hesitated, and Yue Xia fanned the flames, "I heard that Madam punished my seventh brother because of you this time."
"Because of me?" Huo Tong'er was confused, "Why?"
"Madam has always doted on you, treating you as her prospective daughter-in-law. Why do you think that is?" Yue Xia said gently, "If I were you, I would go and accompany Madam now, win her over. Even if my seventh brother has immense power, he won't be able to escape Madam's grasp."
Huo Tong'er's eyes lit up, "Thank you, Third Cousin, for the advice. I'll return to the Purple Jade Pavilion first."
Yue Xia smiled and nodded, watching Huo Tong'er disappear before heaving a sigh of relief. However, as soon as he relaxed, he heard a cold laugh.
Yue Xia sighed helplessly, "Second Sister is back."
Second Miss Yue Wan Jun stood with her arms crossed, a mocking smile on her face, "Third Brother is still as eloquent and glib as ever."
"Not as skilled as Second Sister, who manages to have Brother-in-law follow your every word."
Yue Wan Jun walked up to Yue Xia, her posture haughty, "Yue Xia, you are merely a..."
"A lowly illegitimate son." Yue Xia immediately interjected, "I am lowly, and my parents must also be lowly beings. I will go and tell Father this later!"
"Yue Xia!"
Yue Xia's smile remained unchanged, "Second Miss should go and check on your precious elder brother. Don't fix your eyes on this lowly illegitimate son as soon as you return. Those who don't know might think Second Miss and I have some illicit dealings."
"What, have you curried favor with Yue Ran and think you're superior now?"
"Is it easy to curry favor with Seventh Brother?" Yue Xia said coldly, "I am merely looking past it now. If you want to fight and snatch, do it with your own abilities. As for me, I'll just be the Third Young Master."
"Stop." Yue Wan Jun commanded, "I ask you, who is Xiao Qin?"
Yue Xia walked away without looking back. In the past, he feared offending Yue Zhong and Yue Ran; he feared everyone because his birth mother was of humble origin. However, Xiao Man came from a place of impossibility, arguably the most humble existence. Yet, she never tried to please anyone, be it Yue Zhong or Yue Ran. She simply acted as herself, and no one dared to look down on her!
"In this world, the strong are respected. Only by becoming strong oneself will others not dare to belittle you," Yue Xia said softly. Yue Ran and Xiao Man joining forces to ascend the fifteenth level of the Purgatory Tower made him realize that even if he became the young sect leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he wouldn't be able to hold onto the position stably, because a weak person sitting in that position would be like sitting on thorns!
Yue Wan Jun did not expect that after only half a year away from the Heavenly Sword Sect, even Yue Xia no longer took her seriously. Her face turned ugly, and she angrily flicked her sleeves and left.
Yue Xia initially thought Xiao Man would come out of the Purgatory Tower soon, but Xiao Man ascended to the seventeenth level within a single day, causing a sensation throughout the Heavenly Sword Sect. Outside the Purgatory Tower, the crowd was immense, with everyone surrounding Elder Ping, inquiring what kind of monstrous talent Xiao Man was to have reached the seventeenth level alone. It was known that even the former Sect Master had stopped at the seventeenth level and could not advance further.
Elder Ping was also helpless. He knew very little about Xiao Man's affairs. He suspected that no one in the vast Heavenly Sword Sect could truly understand Xiao Man!
"Can Xiao Qin pass the seventeenth level?"
"If she passes the seventeenth level, she will be like the former Sect Master."
"The former Sect Master was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and he stopped at the seventeenth level. Xiao Qin is merely a Golden Core stage cultivator; she shouldn't be able to pass, right?"
"But she has already reached the seventeenth level alone."
"The seventeenth level is vastly different from the sixteenth; it's not something one can pass through by luck."
"Luck?" someone sneered, "Can you get up there by luck?"
"I... if I had her cultivation..."
"If you had her cultivation, you still wouldn't be able to get up there," another person retorted sarcastically. "Before, when Xiao Qin and the young sect leader challenged together, you said she was benefiting from the young sect leader's help. Now that she has ascended alone, you claim it's luck, but you just refuse to admit Xiao Qin is powerful!"
"No one says she isn't powerful. Someone who can catch the young sect leader's eye can't be a simple person."
Elder Ping, listening to the disciples chattering incessantly, felt annoyed. "Alright, get back to your own tasks. What are you all crowding around for?"
"Elder Ping, we are all curious if Xiao Qin can pass the seventeenth level!"
"Does it matter to you whether she passes or not?" Elder Ping shooed the crowd away. "Instead of piling up here, you'd be better off practicing your cultivation. In the future, you might be able to ascend too!"
After driving the people away, Elder Ping looked intently towards the Purgatory Tower. He was eager to know how far Xiao Man would go!
After Xiao Man passed the seventeenth level, Madam Yue personally came. Looking at Xiao Man's name on the Purgatory Monument, her eyes seemed veiled, making it impossible to discern the emotions hidden within.
"Madam." Elder Bai, the guardian of the tower, stepped forward to pay his respects.
"Elder Bai, when will Xiao Qin emerge from the tower?"
"Madam, everyone in the sect is paying attention to her now. She has already matched the former Sect Master's record. After passing the seventeenth level, the former Sect Master did not attempt to go further." Elder Bai expressed some regret. "I am not capable of ascending, and I am very curious what kind of trial the eighteenth level is that could make the former Sect Master stop."
"Perhaps we will soon know what the eighteenth level entails. Isn't this child about to ascend?"
"Yes, even if she cannot pass, we will know what it is."
When Sect Master Yue heard that Xiao Man had passed the seventeenth level alone, he was slightly surprised. Then he remarked, "She will likely stop here as well."
"The former Sect Master stopped here back then; she certainly won't be able to pass."
Sect Master Yue merely smiled. Perhaps Xiao Man possessed the courage to fight, but for a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse, lacking the courage to strive meant ultimately stopping at the seventeenth level and being unable to advance further.
The eighteenth level was empty throughout the entire floor, with only a stone tablet in the center.
Xiao Man stood before the stone tablet. Two lines of text were inscribed on it: "The past merits have dissipated; begin anew."
Before ascending, Xiao Man had not understood what the eighteenth level entailed to make a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse retreat. Now she understood: as a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse, one could not simply disperse their cultivation and start anew!
However, she dared to!
For cultivators, reaching the late Golden Core stage was extremely difficult. Most people lacked the courage to disperse their cultivation and restart. For her, this was not an insurmountable task. Moreover, Chen An's soul was likely at the very top of the Purgatory Tower. If she could not reach the top, she could not take Chen An's soul away.
Xiao Man hesitated for only a moment, then, without a second thought, she crippled her own cultivation. Due to the loss of her power, she felt weak and exhausted. Xiao Man sat down, leaning against the tombstone, wanting to catch her breath. To her surprise, as soon as she leaned against it, she was pulled into the stone tablet. Then, a powerful force continuously surged into Xiao Man's body!