Wang Li couldn't sleep that night. Not because he was worried about cultivation. Not even because of the looming Azure Sky Sect visit.
It was because every time he closed his eyes, he saw Yue Xinyao's smile.
That one damn smile.
Her voice, her icy elegance, the moment her fingers brushed his forehead—they played in his mind like a dream he couldn't shake.
He groaned and rolled over in bed.
"Get it together, Wang Li," he muttered. "You've fought off assassins, survived spiritual poison, and fought in the Cloudfire Arena. You can't be losing sleep over a girl just because she beat you in a flirty spar."
But the words rang hollow even to him.
A knock interrupted his spiral.
"Who is it?"
"It's me," came Mu Qingling's familiar voice, bright and smug. "Open up, Loverboy."
He nearly fell out of bed.
"Don't call me that!" he hissed, throwing on a robe and yanking the door open.
Mu Qingling was already inside, holding a basket of breakfast buns and tea like she owned the place.
"I figured you'd forget to eat, what with all that intense pining you're doing."
"I'm not—!"
Lin Ruoyan walked in behind her, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised.
"Still denying it? You looked like a melting fool back there at the pavilion. If I didn't know better, I'd say you've already chosen your cultivation partner."
Wang Li threw his arms up. "It was just a sparring match!"
"Sure," they said in unison again.
Mu Qingling plopped down and handed him a bun. "Anyway, we came to drag you out. Sect Master's given you temporary access to the Celestial Garden before the Azure Sky delegation arrives."
Wang Li blinked. "The Celestial Garden?"
"That's right," Lin Ruoyan said, her voice more serious now. "It's usually reserved for core elders and inner court geniuses. High-purity Qi nodes, rare herbs, even time-dilation formations. You'd be an idiot not to go."
Mu Qingling grinned. "And luckily, you're only partially an idiot. So we'll escort you there before you do something stupid like decline the offer."
Wang Li gave her a flat look. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
But deep inside, he felt a flutter of anticipation. The Celestial Garden was the stuff of legends—rumors said one could gain insights into Dao even by sitting still under its starlit canopy.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go."
The Celestial Garden sat on a floating peak, ringed by silver mist and illuminated by spirit lanterns that hung from thousand-year peach trees. The air buzzed with energy, thick and potent.
Wang Li stepped through the gate and felt the rush of spiritual energy hit him like a warm breeze. His meridians responded instantly, humming with potential.
"Whoa," he whispered. "It's like breathing pure cultivation essence."
"Exactly," Lin Ruoyan said. "Pick a Qi node and settle in. We'll guard you while you meditate."
Mu Qingling flopped onto a soft cushion under a massive, glowing plum tree. "And maybe gossip about Yue Xinyao while you try to concentrate."
Wang Li gave her a withering look before heading toward a glowing lotus pond that radiated calm.
He sat cross-legged on a stone platform surrounded by water.
Closing his eyes, he began to circulate his Qi, drawing in the rich spiritual mist. His Dragonblood Flame Core pulsed within his dantian, roaring to life like an ancient beast awoken.
The energy flooded his meridians.
But something was different this time.
Instead of the usual raw force, he felt a subtle presence—cool and elegant, like snow falling in silence.
Yue Xinyao's frost energy?
Somehow, her Qi signature had mingled with his during their fight. And now it whispered through his meridians like a memory.
He focused on it, trying to harmonize the opposing energies. Fire and frost. Passion and stillness.
At first, they clashed. But then… they began to resonate.
A wave of clarity washed over him.
His spiritual perception expanded. He could feel every blade of grass, every pulse of energy from the garden. He could hear the rustle of Mu Qingling stealing peaches and Lin Ruoyan sharpening her sword nearby.
But beyond that, something deeper stirred.
He felt the barrier to the late Foundation Realm ripple.
Just one more push—
BOOM.
An explosion of Qi erupted from the pond.
Wang Li's hair stood on end as flames and frost spiraled around him, intertwining in a dance of destruction and creation.
Mu Qingling and Lin Ruoyan jumped to their feet.
"He's breaking through!" Lin Ruoyan said.
Mu Qingling's eyes sparkled. "About time."
Within his dantian, his core fractured—then reformed, glowing brighter and stronger.
Late Foundation Realm.
When he opened his eyes, the water around him had frozen over in intricate snowflake patterns… yet steam curled from his palms.
He had done it.
Fire and ice. Opposites that had always repelled… now coexisted within him.
And it wasn't just a breakthrough.
It was a synthesis.
Later that evening, as the three of them walked back to the main sect, Mu Qingling jabbed him in the side.
"Okay, fire-ice boy. You gonna thank Yue Xinyao or what?"
"I'm thinking about it," Wang Li muttered.
Lin Ruoyan smirked. "Thinking about her a lot lately, huh?"
"Not helping."
Mu Qingling leaned in, her tone teasing but soft. "You know… the Azure Sky Sect is famous for taking people away. Once they see your progress, they might try to recruit you."
Wang Li paused. "Would they really?"
"They're political," Lin Ruoyan said. "And you're no longer just a 'random' disciple."
He frowned. "So… what should I do?"
Mu Qingling smiled. "Simple. Get stronger. And decide what matters to you more: power, or the people waiting by your side."
As the moon rose over the sect, casting silver light over the roofs and gardens, Wang Li looked up at it thoughtfully.
He didn't have the answers yet.
But he was getting closer.