Chapter 18
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Chapter 18: Title
The Clear Pool was a medicinal pool in the Yunshan Sect. \"Clearing the mind at the Clear Pool\" meant bathing first, then meditating.
Before selecting spiritual weapons, they had to test their inner cores and cultivation levels. If these were weak, they couldn\’t handle the spiritual power in the Divine Hall and might even die. To test their inner cores at their best, the top three had to enter the Clear Pool the night before and meditate.
This sounded normal, but hearing it from Mu Huaiyun struck Ye Qingshang as odd, like a man she barely knew inviting her to bathe together.
It felt a bit uncomfortable.
Luckily, the Clear Pool had separate bathing areas for men and women, with sound barriers, so it wasn\’t too awkward.
That evening, Qiao Zhu waited at Ye Qingshang\’s door, wanting to go with her.
After learning about Qiao Zhu\’s talent, Ye Qingshang thought better of her, especially since Qiao Zhu was so kind to her.
\"Sister Ye, over here.\" Qiao Zhu waved her hand to remove a barrier.
Ye Qingshang asked, \"I\’ve always wondered why the Yunshan Sect has so many barriers. If a new disciple steps wrong, couldn\’t they get badly hurt?\"
Qiao Zhu answered, \"Setting barriers is a tradition here. As you see, the sect has many branch halls, and each elder puts up barriers to mark their area. Each hall\’s barrier is different. To enter, you must remove it, which trains disciples and is part of their practice.\"
\"New disciples aren\’t strong enough, so they train hard in one hall first. Only when they improve can they visit others. If they can\’t remove another hall\’s barrier in their lifetime, the sect won\’t keep them.\"
\"So strict.\" No wonder the Yunshan Sect stayed the top sect for centuries—survival of the fittest made sense.
\"Sister Ye, we\’re here.\" Qiao Zhu lifted the curtain for Ye Qingshang to go in first.
Before her stood a large medicinal pool, with a door behind it that seemed to lead to a place for quiet cultivation.
This medicinal pool had been built by the Medicine Hall of the Yunshan Sect, using over a hundred different medicines. Bathing in it refreshed the spirit, sharpened eyesight, and enhanced cultivation, making it extremely rare. Only the top three from the Ten Sects Discussions and certain prominent sect figures could use it.
For example, Mu Huaiyun, as the young master of Yunshan Sect, had surely frequented the Clear Pool often.
Ye Qingshang stretched her body and sank into the medicinal pool. The rising steam blurred everything before her eyes. Suddenly, she heard splashing nearby—someone had entered the pool.
The men’s bathing area wasn’t far away, and at this hour, it could only be Mu Huaiyun.
She moved along the pool wall toward the sound.
As the splashing stopped, she glimpsed a hazy figure.
In her past life, Ye Qingshang hadn’t ranked among the top three in the Ten Sects Discussions; she’d visited the Clear Pool alone then. Disheartened over missing first place, she’d rushed through her bath before meditating indoors, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
Now everything was different. Sharing first place with Mu Huaiyun lifted her spirits, freeing her mind to notice things around her.
Whoever cast the soundproof barrier must have trusted it completely. Though separated by just a curtain, the barrier alone muffled sounds between the men’s and women’s areas.
But Ye Qingshang’s keen senses and strong spiritual power rendered the barrier useless to her. With only a little concentration…
Almost without thinking, she drifted closer to where Mu Huaiyun bathed.
Through the curtain, she saw the youth’s straight posture, his broad shoulders tapering to a lean waist. Water droplets traced paths down his skin as mist swirled around him.
Ye Qingshang’s pale face flushed instantly.
Flustered, she tried retreating to the pool’s center, but her body froze in place.
Splashes resumed behind the curtain as the young man stirred the water with slender fingers.
That tiny movement seemed to echo in Ye Qingshang’s mind, stretching seconds into eternity.
Half-dazed, she thought she heard a distant voice calling:
“Ye Qingshang, wake up…”
“Ye Qingshang…”
It felt hauntingly familiar.
Suddenly, she saw Mu Huaiyun’s face—twisted by grief, as if he’d trade his life for another’s.
Like someone mourning a profound loss.
Was this… her past life? Would that Mu Huaiyun, with his pride, ever show such anguish?
Impossible! This had to be an illusion!
Ye Qingshang stumbled backward. The slippery pool floor made her lose balance, nearly plunging her underwater. At the last moment, she summoned spiritual power to cushion her fall.
Panic disrupted her control. While most energy formed the barrier, stray tendrils shot toward the curtain.
Crash! The curtain collapsed, shattering the sound barrier…
Mu Huaiyun’s startled expression morphed into shock as he turned.
This woman—Ye Qingshang—had toppled the curtain to spy on him bathing! No wonder he’d felt eyes burning into his back!
Forgetting his nakedness, Mu Huaiyun clenched his fists and stepped forward to challenge her.
In her mind, that voice refused to be outdone and shouted loudly—Warning! Warning!
To hell with the warning! What kind of protection was that? If it kept up, he\’d end up sacrificing himself. He was done with it!
Meanwhile, Ye Qingshang finally steadied herself, barely supporting herself against the wall of the medicinal pool. As she looked up, she saw Mu Huaiyun approaching her with a fierce and angry expression.
Seriously? Was he that mad just because she accidentally knocked down the curtain? She hadn’t meant to peek!
But after only a few steps, Mu Huaiyun’s face suddenly changed. It turned extremely pale, with cold sweat dripping down, as if he was in great pain.
Before Ye Qingshang could react, he clutched his chest, swayed, and fell headfirst into the medicinal pool.
At that moment, they were only inches apart. Mu Huaiyun\’s fall sent him crashing right onto Ye Qingshang, causing them both to tumble into the water.
Mu Huaiyun, Ye Qingshang, Qiao Zhu: …
