And so, against the near-universal opposition of the entire sect, Senior Sister Zhao married Li Fan.
The wedding was frugal, even somewhat crude.
Her master, Zhang Wangshuang, attended in the end. He gazed at the newlyweds below the dais and sighed softly, then, with visible effort, managed a faint smile.
That night, countless heartbroken disciples of the Great Dao Sect drank themselves into a stupor. Brawls broke out in no small number.
It was worth noting that the reason so many young disciples harbored such deep affection for Senior Sister Zhao went beyond her beauty and strength, which already left her peers far behind. More importantly, after she cultivated the Heaven and Earth Conjoining Ode, a feminine charm had begun to radiate from her almost involuntarily. It grew more captivating with each passing year and was nearly impossible to resist.
There was also the matter of appearances. To outside eyes, Senior Sister Zhao's primordial yin remained unbroken; she looked every bit a virgin.[1] Thus, even as she lived day and night with Li Fan, persistent suitors continued to circle.
After the wedding, at Li Fan's reminder, Senior Sister Zhao dispelled her disguise.
More hearts broke. Yet some of the more infatuated souls still refused to surrender hope, for with the youthful, girlish quality gone, the mature charm in her every glance and smile was somehow more tantalizing, like an itch that couldn't be scratched.
Fortunately, Senior Sister Zhao was utterly devoted to Li Fan, which eased the pressure on him at least somewhat.
Whether for the sake of eternal life or to protect Senior Sister Zhao, Li Fan cultivated with steadily increasing diligence from that day forward. With spirit stones and medicinal pills in ample supply, and the dual cultivation of the Heaven and Earth Conjoining Ode to accelerate his progress, his cultivation advanced with each passing day.
Thirteen years flashed by.
Then, on one particular day, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky.
Every living being in the Xuanhuang World saw the same vision: a kind-faced elderly man wearing a tall headpiece, standing colossal between heaven and earth, his hands holding up the sky.
The phenomenon did not last long.
But within the hearts of all cultivators, a complex emotion welled up, one that mingled sorrow, bewilderment, and anger. These feelings twisted together into a bittersweet and contradictory mix, impossible to untangle.
When the image of the old man faded, the cultivators slowly understood what had happened.
The Immortal Venerable Dao Teacher had attained the Dao and achieved eternal life. From this day forth, he would be addressed as the Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher.
By his power alone, he had altered the world's path of cultivation. Henceforth, cultivators could only practice according to the heaven-plundering, earth-seizing cultivation method he had established.
Over the preceding years, the vast majority of the world's cultivators had already made the switch to the new methodology. Yet there remained those who clung stubbornly to the old path of unity of heaven and man. Now, he had cut that road off entirely.
Some of these practitioners of the ancient methodology, dismissively called old relics, took their own lives in despair. Others left in fury and withdrew from the world altogether.
Chaos swept across every corner of the Xuanhuang World, and the Great Dao Sect was no exception.
But the new methodology had taken hold, its momentum beyond stopping. The upheaval was no more than ripples on the surface of a surging tide, unable to alter the river's course.
When the turmoil finally settled, a rare period of peace and explosive growth followed. The number of cultivators rose sharply, and the heights of their cultivation climbed at a staggering pace.
Even Li Fan, a man of mediocre talent, needed only a little over twenty years to reach the Spirit Transformation realm after switching to the new methodology and cultivating with resources in ample supply. The sect's more gifted disciples fared even better.
Had it not been for the scarcity of Soul Arbiters of heaven and earth and the unpredictability of their appearance, the world might well have seen a sudden flood of Dao Unity cultivators emerge all at once.
Senior Sister Zhao, long regarded as the most promising junior disciple of the Great Dao Sect, passed trial after trial and achieved Dao Unity at last, becoming one of the sect's very few hereditary disciples.
"Congratulations. The bar keeps rising—what once required only Spirit Transformation now takes Dao Unity even to qualify." Li Fan drew her close and kissed her, his praise warm and unhurried.
Yet her face held little joy. A rare trace of worry surfaced instead.
Having lived with her for decades and known her intimately, Li Fan found this deeply surprising. It was exceedingly uncommon for Senior Sister Zhao.
"What troubles you, Senior Sister?" he asked.
"During my breakthrough, I felt a strange premonition." Senior Sister Zhao waved a hand, sealing the surrounding space, then transmitted her voice in secret. "This cultivation world, which looks so prosperous and flourishing, is truly a raging fire beneath a pot of oil. A certain crisis lies hidden within. Once it erupts..."
Li Fan went still.
He knew that breaking through to the Dao Unity realm brought one infinitely close to the state of unity of heaven and man achieved through ancient cultivation methods. Insights gained in that moment were not baseless.
Though the source of the crisis was unknown, that did not stop the two of them from making preparations. After cultivating together for so many years, they were already inseparable, their interests wholly aligned. Without alerting anyone, the couple continued their normal cultivation while quietly gathering resources in the shadows, readying themselves for whatever great upheaval might descend on the world.
What they did not anticipate was that this wait would stretch over thirty years.
Time rushed past, and no crisis came. In time, the couple let the old premonition go, putting it down to a misperception.
Over those thirty years, Senior Sister Zhao's cultivation continued to progress and her combat prowess grew overwhelming. She was eventually designated the Great Dao Sect's Dao Heir and bestowed the Heaven-Slaying Great Dao Scripture. Barring unforeseen events, she would become the next sect leader when the current one passed on.
Senior Sister Zhao's heart swelled with emotion, and Li Fan felt genuine happiness for her.
Their joy did not last long.
The Great Reformation they had nearly forgotten arrived without warning. It was so shocking, so far beyond anything any cultivator could accept, that all their years of preparation became a hollow joke.
Li Fan and Senior Sister Zhao first sensed the anomaly during a session of dual cultivation.
"Hmm?"
After the pleasure concluded, Li Fan made a sound of puzzlement.
"What is it?" Senior Sister Zhao asked, not yet fully clear-headed.
"Why does it feel like this session wasn't as effective?"
Li Fan frowned deeply.
"Could we have hit another bottleneck?"
After achieving Dao Unity, the cultivation gains from dual cultivation had already grown far less pronounced, so Senior Sister Zhao hadn't initially noticed anything amiss. But now, prompted by Li Fan, she checked her own condition, and her expression shifted.
"There's no bottleneck. The efficacy has just greatly diminished. Let's try once more."
Li Fan nodded.
A long while later, his face was grave. "How could it suddenly lose all effect? Could it be the Heaven and Earth Conjoining Ode itself..."
Before he could finish, a sudden clamor erupted from outside.
"It's not just the dual cultivation technique. It's all techniques...
"Something is wrong with all of them!"
Senior Sister Zhao understood. She shot to her feet, her face ashen.
1. 元阴 (primordial yin) is a woman's innate yin essence, often associated with virginity and cultivation potential. Maintaining it intact can be significant for certain cultivation paths. ☜