Chapter 242: Farewell to Shui Yue

That day, a visitor arrived at Xuan Yu Peak. To Su Che’s surprise, this person was not a disciple of Tian Xuan Sect but rather a solitary cultivator.
Shui Yue Cave Heaven!
It was the same woman who had helped Su Che obtain the veil of the Golden Crow Heavenly Furnace on Jin Wu Mountain. Today, she still wore that veil that could conceal one’s divine senses, giving off an air of mystery.
What surprised Su Che was that, despite being a solitary cultivator, she somehow managed to infiltrate Tian Xuan Sect’s premises and even come straight to his Xuan Yu Peak.
Although it wasn’t impossible, entering was easy, but leaving wouldn’t be so simple. Once her identity was revealed, she would surely be captured and subjected to interrogation and punishment…
sensing Su Che’s puzzled gaze, Shui Yue smiled slightly and took out a jade token—clearly the identity token of an inner disciple of Xuan Ce Peak.
“Where did you get this jade token?” Su Che asked sternly, frowning.
If she had stolen it from a disciple of Xuan Ce Peak, as the senior disciple of the sect, he had to investigate this matter and stand up for that junior disciple.
“It belongs to me.”
Shui Yue sighed softly. “My situation is special. Thirty years ago, I was an inner disciple of Xuan Ce Peak. Now, I’m a solitary cultivator. My opportunity to reach the Dan stage has nothing to do with the sect; it was a gift from the previous generation of Shui Yue Cave Heaven. Though she has passed away, out of gratitude and a promise, I must take her place and fulfill her unfinished wish.”
Su Che nodded. He could accept her explanation. After all, back on Jin Wu Mountain, he had felt that she was very familiar with Tian Xuan Sect’s affairs, and some of her spells also carried the characteristics of Xuan Ce Peak.
Everyone has their own opportunities. It was understandable that she kept a promise out of gratitude. But…
Su Che asked, “You still retain the identity of an inner disciple of Xuan Ce Peak?”
“Yes.”
Shui Yue nodded gently. “My master knows part of my story and allows me to have two identities. But I can only hold the title of an inner disciple and cannot become a Golden Dan elder of the sect.”
Su Che knew her master was Venerable Xuan Ce. During the Hundred Battles Arena, he had raised objections due to her ability to control ghosts. Yet, that didn’t diminish her good reputation within the sect. Even his own master, Venerable Xuan Ji, had a high opinion of her.
“So…” Shui Yue said softly, “as an inner disciple, I should address you as Senior Brother Tian Yu.”

Su Che nodded in agreement without any formality, then asked, “So, what brings my junior sister here today?”
“Two things.”
Shui Yue took out several pouches of spirit stones—the 200,000 spirit stones Su Che had given her as payment that day.
She said softly, “As fellow disciples, I shouldn’t have asked the eldest senior brother for payment that day. To be honest, I asked for so many spirit stones just to test whether he was someone who kept his promises. As it turns out, I greatly admire his character.”
Su Che smiled faintly. He didn’t care about those mere 200,000 spirit stones. He also knew that her actions must have a purpose, and the second matter was the real focus.
“Put them away,” Su Che waved his hand and said gently, “Since you’ve praised him as someone who keeps his promises, how could I take back something I’ve already given?”
Behind her veil, Shui Yue also smiled. She put away half of the spirit stones, leaving 100,000 on the table. With a playful tone, she asked, “How about we each give in a little and keep 100,000 each?”
“Sure,” Su Che, unwilling to fuss over such a trivial matter, nodded and said, “Go on with the second matter.”
“Senior brother, can you create a barrier to isolate things?”
Shui Yue asked through telepathy. Clearly, the second matter was extremely important to her, as she was worried it might fall into third parties’ ears.
Swish!
Su Che, who had reached the Golden Core stage, casually waved his hand, casting a barrier spell that created an invisible barrier covering an area of several zhang.
Only then did Shui Yue say, “I heard that the eldest senior brother has issued a reward task for the sect, needing one sample each of Yin Fire and Yang Fire at levels 10 or below, right?”
Su Che’s heart stirred. So far, only the sources for level 9 Yin Fire and level 10 Yang Fire remained unconfirmed. He wondered if he could get that information from her…
He replied, “We already have samples of Yin Fire and Yang Fire at other levels. Only level 9 Yin Fire and level 10 Yang Fire are still missing.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about that.”
Shui Yue nodded, hesitating slightly, as if making up her mind, before saying, “I happen to have information about a source of level 10 Yang Fire. And it’s not just hearsay; I have solid evidence to confirm its existence.”
“Oh?”
Su Che remained calm on the surface but was inwardly excited. Yet, rationally, he questioned, “Level 10 Yang Fire is extremely rare. Even the five founding masters haven’t managed to find out about it. How could she know?”

Yet, despite the doubts, there was still hope. As mentioned earlier, everyone has their own fate and secrets; if one could possess treasures like the Immortal Prison Pagoda, why shouldn’t others have their own unique qualities?
“I hope what she says is true…” Su Che secretly hoped, also guessing that the conditions she would propose next would surely not be as simple as demanding wealth.
So, he said to her, “Indeed, level-10 Yang Fire is extremely important to me. If I can accept the conditions you propose, I will surely give it my all.”
“Every word and action of your senior brother is so convincing…”
Shui Yue’s words came somewhat abruptly, but they were sincere. After spending so little time with Su Che, his expression and tone made people feel at ease and willing to trust him.
Before coming here, Shui Yue had already learned a lot about Su Che—knowing that he was generous. Even those who had offended or angered him in the past, after he became the chief direct disciple, did not suffer retaliation. He was also someone who valued old friendships; his former friends now reaped great benefits from his support, despite the huge gap in their strength and status…
In short, Shui Yue was certain Su Che was trustworthy, which was why she took such a great risk to come to Xuan Yu Peak and reveal her own secret to him.
“Your senior brother must not have heard of the sect ‘Tianya Hai Ge,’ right?” Shui Yue asked next.
“Haven’t heard of it,” Su Che replied after a brief thought, shaking his head.
“Few people in the cultivation world know this name these days,” Shui Yue said softly. “It was a large sect from seventy thousand years ago and no longer exists.”
“Seventy thousand years ago?”
Su Che was stunned. The Tian Xuan Sect’s history spanned only a little over ten thousand years, and the entire cultivation world’s history was just over a hundred thousand years. Going further back was too distant, with much of the history unverifiable—only some earth-shattering events had been passed down.
“As far as I know, within the ruins of Tianya Hai Ge lies a spark of level-10 Yang Fire,” Shui Yue said gravely. “My request is to explore those ruins together with you. While we each take what we need, other benefits can also be fairly distributed.”
“Tianya Hai Ge?” Su Che wondered. “It sounds like a sect that specializes in water elements—how could it possess level-10 Yang Fire?”
“A solitary yang cannot arise; a lone yin cannot grow.”

Shui Yue explained, “Tianya Hai Ge is indeed a sect that specializes in water-based cultivation. However, the Tianyuan Heavy Water they practice is already water of the tenth level with extreme yin energy. Human bodies cannot withstand such heavy yin energy, so it requires yang fire of the same level to balance and transform it. That’s why…” She explained in detail, and Su Che nodded in agreement, finding it quite logical. After all, the Fire God Art also contained a similar definition. Moreover, at a certain stage during the Yuan Ying phase, the Fire God Art would lead to excessive and uncontrollable fire energy, which also needed high-level yin water to balance it.

Furthermore, in today’s cultivation world, tenth-level spiritual fire is extremely rare because various cultivation resources were already exhausted by earlier generations. The path of cultivation becomes increasingly difficult as one progresses. Therefore, it’s not surprising that a large sect from seventy thousand years ago could possess tenth-level cold water and tenth-level yang fire. Back then, gathering high-level resources was much easier than it is now.

“Then, there must be considerable risks involved in this matter, which is why you’ve been too afraid to explore the ruins, right?” Su Che asked gravely.

“Yes. I need someone far stronger than me who I can trust to work with.”

Shui Yue said frankly, “Moreover, there are not only risks but also fierce competition. There are others who know this secret besides me. Some have been guarding outside the ruins for years, unable to enter because they lack the key to unlock them.”

“So, the key to unlock the ruins is with you?” Su Che guessed.

“Yes,” Shui Yue nodded. “The original genius of Shui Yue Cave Heaven was the true heir to this treasure. But her fate was tragic, and she lacked fortune. Only near the end of her life did she take me as her disciple and pass on this fortune to me.”

Still puzzled, Su Che asked, “So you have two masters… Why not seek the help of Venerable Xuan Ce instead of choosing to work with me?”

“Since you’ve asked, I’ll tell you the truth…”

Shui Yue sighed softly. “My master treats me well, but she treats Senior Sister Wushuang even better. Do you understand what I mean?”

“I understand!”

Su Che nodded, having grasped the meaning behind her words.

Wushuang, the true eldest disciple of Xuan Ce Peak, was Venerable Xuan Ce’s favorite. Both specialized in water-based cultivation techniques, and many treasures in the Tianya Hai Ge ruins would be extremely important to them.

For example, that level-10 cold water treasure, “Tianyuan Heavy Water” – in the end, Water Moon might not get a single drop of it, as it would be divided between Master Xuan Ce and Wushuang. With treasures at hand, people’s hearts are hard to predict. Even one’s own master and senior sister cannot be fully trusted. As for oneself, since one specializes in fire elements, water-related treasures are of little use, thus reducing any desire for them to a minimum. Moreover, after thorough investigation into one’s character, she came to trust one, making one her ideal partner… By this point, Su Che had fully understood the whole situation.