Chapter 1102: The Ancestor Was Too Generous!
The True Origin Return One Pill was no ordinary medicine. It was an immortal pill that touched upon the laws of the Dao. Only a Golden Immortal could refine it, and even then, it took several years of effort to produce just one pill.
This kind of treasure was far more precious and valuable than the pills used by most Celestial Immortals or Profound Immortals. Even many elders of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect had never obtained one during their True Immortal stage.
Although they felt genuine sympathy for Nangong Wan, they were unwilling to give away their own precious resources, as it would hinder their own cultivation.
There was an old saying in the cultivation world: if fellow Daoists wished to maintain a good relationship, it was best never to borrow or lend resources.
Refusal hurt feelings, yet agreeing and later regretting it when the other party vanished hurt even more.
Because of this, Nangong Wan had always shown proper restraint and never considered asking others for help.
When Ye Chen suddenly spoke up, he only made the situation more awkward for everyone.
Nalan Qingxuan already disliked Ye Chen intensely. Aside from noticing the improper way Ye Chen looked at Nangong Wan, he also resented that a mere mid-stage True Immortal had become an Ancestor of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. He himself had worked hard for many years and endured countless hardships, yet his status was far below Ye Chen's.
What qualifications did a mere True Immortal like him have?
With a cold smile, Nalan Qingxuan said, "Fellow Daoist, are you offering to repay the debt for Nangong Wan?"
Ye Chen ignored the hostility coming from the male cultivators present. A person who provoked no jealousy was mediocre, and he knew he was truly outstanding. Facing Nalan Qingxuan's provocation, he simply smiled lightly.
He raised his hand and took out a jade box, then flicked it gently toward Nangong Wan.
Nangong Wan stared at the jade box in astonishment, momentarily at a loss.
Ye Chen smiled gently and said, "No need to be polite. Consider this a meeting gift from me, your Ancestor."
Nangong Wan's expression grew complicated. Because of her own cultivation issues, she had paid little attention to the newly appointed male Ancestor and had not participated much in the discussions. Deep down, she still felt some resistance toward the idea of a man joining their sect.
Now this Ancestor wanted to give her a meeting gift?
One should not accept rewards without merit. She immediately wanted to refuse.
However, Ye Chen spoke with a serious expression, "When an elder bestows a gift, one should not refuse. Accept it."
His words left Nangong Wan even more conflicted. She felt that Ye Chen was probably not even older than her, yet he was indeed the Ancestor and thus her elder. The words of refusal died in her throat.
With outsiders present, she could not embarrass her own Ancestor. She accepted the jade box with both hands and bowed sincerely. "Thank you for your gift, Ancestor. Nangong Wan is deeply grateful."
Only then did Ye Chen smile.
Watching this scene, Nalan Qingxuan grew increasingly displeased. This Ye Chen clearly had improper intentions toward his fiancée. He could not stand seeing him act so generously.
He immediately spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Nangong, since this is a gift from the Ancestor, it must be extremely valuable. Why not open it now so we can all admire it together?"
Nangong Wan frowned. She wanted nothing more to do with Nalan Qingxuan and did not wish to involve outsiders, especially since Ancestor Ye had shown clear kindness.
Just as she was about to respond, Ye Chen spoke again. "Open it."
Nangong Wan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ye Chen's handsome face and found herself at a loss for words. Since things had reached this point, she had no choice but to open the box.
Everyone's eyes turned to the jade box, curious to see what kind of meeting gift the new Ancestor had given.
Under their watchful gazes, Nangong Wan gently opened the lid.
In the next moment, everyone drew in a sharp breath.
Inside was a golden True Origin Return One Pill—a high-grade one.
A single pill could almost guarantee that a True Immortal would advance an entire minor realm. Its refinement was extremely difficult, and Golden Immortals usually only made them for their own direct descendants. Its value was immeasurable and rarely seen outside.
Nangong Wan's mouth fell open in shock.
Nalan Qingxuan's expression froze.
Even the elders of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect widened their eyes in surprise, their pupils contracting. They had never expected Ye Chen to be this generous. He was actually willing to give away a high-grade True Origin Return One Pill as a simple meeting gift.
Nangong Wan's lips trembled. "Ancestor Ye, this…"
Ye Chen smiled faintly. "Since I have given it to you, it is yours to do with as you please. There is no need to say anything more."
Nangong Wan was rendered speechless. She had only meant that the gift was far too valuable and she could not accept it.
But Ye Chen waved his hand. "I still have matters to attend to. I'll take my leave now."
With that, he turned and flew away from Welcoming Peak, heading deeper into the Jade Pool Immortal Sect.
Nangong Wan's eyes were filled with deep gratitude. She had understood Ye Chen's intentions.
Turning around, she looked at Nalan Qingxuan with a serious expression and said, "Fellow Daoist Nalan, this high-grade True Origin Return One Pill is more than enough to repay everything you provided me before. From now on, we owe each other nothing. Our paths shall diverge."
Though her heart ached at the thought—this was a high-grade True Origin Return One Pill, after all—it was worth it. Once she returned the pill, she would no longer feel indebted to Nalan Qingxuan. She had no intention of giving up on her cultivation. When she recovered in the future, she would find a way to properly repay Ancestor Ye's kindness.
Just from the fact that Ye Chen had noticed her difficult situation and specially gifted her this pill, she could tell he was truly a good person.
Nalan Qingxuan's face turned livid as he stared at the high-grade True Origin Return One Pill held out before him. He had no desire to completely sever ties with Nangong Wan. What he wanted was to have both her and greater cultivation power.
But because of Ye Chen's interference, the situation had spiraled completely out of his control. As a peak Celestial Immortal, he had no use for the pill. Although it was priceless, he still wanted Nangong Wan far more.
He waved his hand immediately. "Fellow Daoist Nangong, there's no need for this. You're facing cultivation issues right now, so you should keep it. There's no need to be so distant. Even though the engagement has been dissolved, we still…"
Before Nalan Qingxuan could finish, Nangong Wan frowned deeply. The engagement was already over—why was he acting so disgustingly clingy?
Her dislike for him grew even stronger.
At that moment, the Profound Immortal Elder from the Supreme Hall cleared his throat and spoke with a frown. "Nalan Qingxuan, we came here today to dissolve the engagement. Since it has been dissolved, there should be no lingering entanglements. Otherwise, no one will be happy."
Feeling the clear disgust in Nangong Wan's eyes and hearing the elder's pointed warning, Nalan Qingxuan's body stiffened. He accepted the jade box, his knuckles turning white from how tightly he gripped it.
Deep in his heart, his hatred for Ye Chen intensified. If not for Ye Chen, things would never have come to this. If the chance ever arose, he would not show mercy.
At the same time, a system notification sounded in Ye Chen's mind. The one-hundred-thousandfold feedback from the female cultivator left him quite expectant.
Chapter 1103: The Ancestor Is a Good Person!
A system notification rang out in Ye Chen's mind.
"Congratulations, Host, on successfully gifting the treasure."
"Gift: High-grade True Origin Return One Pill!"
"One-hundred-thousandfold feedback in progress…"
"Detected that the gifted item holds great importance to the recipient…"
"Triggering maximum critical feedback…"
"Feedback: Ten thousand top-grade True Origin Return One Pills!"
"Top-grade True Origin Return One Pill: A pill containing all the laws of the True Immortal realm. Only Golden Immortals or higher who have reached the pinnacle of the True Immortal stage can refine one after spending a full century…"
"Upon consumption, if perfectly refined, it can directly break through multiple minor realms, allowing a True Immortal to reach perfection and advance to the Celestial Immortal stage…"
"However, this pill places high demands on the cultivator's comprehension. If one's comprehension is insufficient, the effects will be reduced to only one-tenth…"
Ye Chen raised an eyebrow as he reviewed the feedback. It was not bad. Although he only received the maximum critical strike instead of a perfect hit, it was understandable. After all, they had just met, she was in the middle of a humiliating engagement dissolution, and he was the first male cultivator in the Jade Pool Immortal Sect.
Whether she truly possessed a grateful heart would have to be seen in the future. Still, the results satisfied him greatly.
A single top-grade pill would be enough to push him to the peak of the True Immortal realm. With so many pills, he could also distribute some to the female disciples of the sect.
Ye Chen could sense the underlying rejection toward him within the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. He was not angry. On the contrary, he understood their feelings.
As the Ancestor, he would use love and kindness to win them over. He believed it would not be long before he replaced Jade Moon Immortal Monarch and became the most beloved Ancestor of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect.
Flying leisurely back to his Transcendence Peak, Ye Chen took out one of the pills, which shimmered like immortal gold, and slowly pressed it against his forehead. He began refining it…
…
After the group from the Supreme Hall departed, Nalan Qingxuan's heart burned with resentment. He could not let go of Nangong Wan.
Things should not have turned out this way. If not for Ye Chen's interference, he could have used Nangong Wan's debt to make her feel guilty, win her understanding, and eventually her love. But he would not give up so easily. Nangong Wan had to be his. No one else was allowed to touch her.
Nalan Qingxuan narrowed his eyes, a dark glint flashing within them.
Meanwhile, Nangong Wan watched the Supreme Hall group leave with unprecedented relief. She should have felt humiliated, having owed him so much. Yet thanks to Ancestor Ye's meeting gift, she had repaid him with a high-grade True Origin Return One Pill. Not only had she cleared her debt, but in terms of value, he now owed her.
This left her feeling refreshed and free of any lingering shame. She should have gone to thank the Ancestor right away, but with her mind at ease, Nangong Wan decided to seize the moment and focus on cultivation instead. This might be the perfect opportunity for a breakthrough. It would not be too late to thank Ancestor Ye after she overcame her cultivation stagnation.
Upon returning to her mountain peak, Nangong Wan glanced toward the distant Transcendence Peak. Her senior and junior sisters quickly gathered around her, their eyes filled with concern and care.
Nangong Wan smiled gently. "There's no need for you all to worry. The engagement has been officially dissolved, and this is a good thing. Otherwise, according to the rules of our Jade Pool Immortal Sect, I would have had to leave the sect if I wanted to marry. In that case, I wouldn't be able to stay here as sisters with all of you."
Seeing how genuinely relaxed Nangong Wan appeared, the others finally felt relieved. They chatted lightly, agreeing that no man was any good and that it was better for them to remain in the sect as sisters without ever marrying.
However, once the topic turned to men, it was impossible to avoid mentioning the newly arrived Ancestor Ye.
"I heard that Fourth Ancestor Ye flew out of Transcendence Peak today."
"Yes, and apparently his eyes kept wandering toward the water pools. It's a good thing none of us cultivate there anymore!"
"I heard his eyes glow red whenever he sees a crowd of female cultivators. He heads straight toward wherever there are more women!"
"They say he's obsessed with women and needs to use one as a cauldron every week. Otherwise, why would he insist on joining our Jade Pool Immortal Sect?"
"Ah, is that true? How terrifying…"
The group gossiped among themselves, their faces full of disgust.
Nangong Wan frowned slightly. She felt her sisters were exaggerating rumors. She spoke up in Ye Chen's defense. "That's not true. Fourth Ancestor Ye is not that kind of person… He's actually very kind."
She was not defending him merely because he had given her a meeting gift. The timing of the gift made it clear that he had seen her difficult situation and deliberately offered it. As a mid-stage True Immortal himself, he needed such resources badly. The fact that he was still willing to give away something so valuable showed that he had a truly good heart.
How could someone so kind be the lust-driven man her sisters described?
The other female cultivators had only heard the rumors from other peaks and knew there was exaggeration involved. Seeing Nangong Wan defend him, they did not press the matter and soon returned to laughing and playing around together.
Nangong Wan spent some time with her sisters before entering her cave residence to cultivate.
At first, a spark of expectation shone in her eyes. But one day later, that light had dimmed once again.
The True Immortal laws she had cultivated the previous day had disappeared again. Even after successfully dissolving her engagement, Nangong Wan's mood grew heavy once more. The root of all her problems was her stagnant cultivation. If she could not solve it, nothing else would matter.
She could not help thinking about the high-grade True Origin Return One Pill.
In the past, aside from the low-grade one Nalan Qingxuan had given her, the sect had also bestowed one upon her. After refining it, the laws had lasted a full three days before vanishing. If even a low-grade pill had that effect, an upper-grade one would surely be much stronger.
But a high-grade True Origin Return One Pill was incredibly precious. She feared she would never obtain another one in her lifetime.
At that thought, Nangong Wan gave a bitter smile.
She then retrieved a white cloak from her inner world. She was not the type to accept favors without reciprocating. Although she and Nalan Qingxuan had been engaged since birth and had barely met, she had still felt grateful for the gifts he provided over the years.
As a genius from a small family, she knew sect resources alone might not be enough, so she had learned a craft. She was a first-grade Immortal Artifact Refiner capable of crafting immortal weapons.
She had originally planned to refine this cloak into an immortal-grade item as a return gift for Nalan Qingxuan. However, simply gathering the materials had taken years, and turning it into a true immortal weapon required infusing it with True Immortal laws.
Previously, the laws she comprehended each day would vanish by the next, making the final step impossible.
But now, Nangong Wan had made up her mind. From today onward, she would pour every bit of True Immortal law she cultivated directly into the cloak without holding anything back. Since they would disappear anyway, she might as well use them.
Once the cloak advanced to an immortal weapon, she would present it to the Ancestor as thanks for his kindness on that day.
Although the cloak would only become a low-grade immortal weapon due to material limitations, it was the best Nangong Wan could achieve. She believed a kind-hearted Ancestor like him would understand.
Moreover, she could no longer remain a burden on the sect like a parasite. Even if no one else minded, her own pride would not allow her to continue this way. Once the cloak was complete, she would leave the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. She would not give up cultivation, however. Upon returning to her family, she would support them while continuing her own path.
Nangong Wan refused to believe that the strange force inside her body could devour her potential forever.
…