Mu Zhi’an stared at the letter, frozen in place like a statue about to crumble.

After a long time, he finally snapped out of his daze, a single word echoing in his mind: “What the f*ck?”

I thought of the Sect Master as my wife, and she stabs me in the back like this…

Is she trying to lead me to a bad ending?

Until now, his relationships with the girls around him had been ambiguous, like a thin sheet of paper separating them.

However, Shang Yanfei’s letter could change everything.

If the winner of the Ascension Ceremony was someone he didn’t know, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But if it was one of the girls close to him… it would be a disaster.

And the probability of one of them winning was quite high.

After all, he had been helping them all this time. They might not have all evolved into ‘sharks’, but they had grown significantly.

Each of them had a ‘cheat’ of some sort, their talent and strength far surpassing those of ordinary cultivators.

Initially, Mu Zhi’an had hoped the Ascension Ceremony would become a competition among them… That way, he could secure all three Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herbs.

But now…

He needed to change his plan.

Wei Mengrou noticed his unusual behavior and walked over to him.

A faint fragrance enveloped him as her shoulder brushed against his. She glanced at the letter, her eyes widening slightly.

After a moment of silence, a rare smile appeared on her usually cold and expressionless face.

She quickly suppressed her smile and pursed her lips, trying to contain her amusement. Maintaining her usual indifferent tone, she asked, “What are you going to do now?”

However, she couldn’t completely hide her amusement, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Mu Zhi’an had already calmed down. He smiled faintly. “It seems I’ll have to take the Ascension Ceremony seriously.”

He had originally planned to remain behind the scenes as a kept man, the ‘female lead’ supporting the ‘protagonists’. But now, it seemed he had to step up…

Wei Mengrou raised an eyebrow, understanding his implication. “You’re actually planning to win the Ascension Ceremony?”

“Do you think it’s impossible, Mengrou?” Mu Zhi’an asked with a smile.

Wei Mengrou shook her head gently.

“I didn’t know you had so much faith in me,” Mu Zhi’an said, surprised.

A faint smile curved Wei Mengrou’s lips. “The Forbidden Zone, the Sword Palace, and even the Jade Pool Holy Land are all good options. You can start thinking about who you want to marry after the Ascension Ceremony.”

Mu Zhi’an: “…”

“If that happens, wouldn’t you become a dowry maid?” he retorted.

Clearly, his maid was enjoying his predicament.

After a moment of silence, Mu Zhi’an collected his thoughts and said, “Actually, I don’t necessarily have to win first place.”

“There’s a better way…”

He glanced at Wei Mengrou meaningfully.

Wei Mengrou frowned. “What way?”

“For example, you could win first place, Mengrou…” Mu Zhi’an suggested tentatively.

“Why would I help you?” Wei Mengrou scoffed, rejecting his idea immediately.

“Don’t be so quick to refuse.”

Mu Zhi’an paused, looking at her beautiful face. “Think about it, Mengrou. You’ve always been my maid, obeying my commands. If you win first place, our roles can be reversed. I can serve you tea, massage your shoulders, and even… warm your bed…”

“We can skip the last part,” Wei Mengrou said calmly.

But her eyes flickered slightly.

Although she wasn’t interested in Mu Zhi’an as a ‘prize’, she was tired of being teased by him every time she served him.

If he became her servant…

Wei Mengrou looked at him silently for a moment, then said, “I’ll think about it.”

“Are you confident?” Mu Zhi’an asked.

“As long as she doesn’t participate, there’s no problem,” Wei Mengrou replied.

Mu Zhi’an was confused at first, then he realized who she was referring to.

She was clearly talking about Lan Mulian, the recluse on Two Polarities Peak.

Logically, Nascent Soul cultivators shouldn’t participate in the Ascension Ceremony, but Lan Mulian was around the same age as them. They would have to wait for the official rules to be announced.

“Are you talking about Senior Sister…?”

Mu Zhi’an’s eyes held a thoughtful glint. “If necessary, I’ll have to suppress her myself.”

Wei Mengrou simply replied with a noncommittal “Oh”, pretending to believe him.

She paused, then continued, “More importantly, you need to deal with the people outside your door.”

“The aura from the Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb you just refined has stirred some unrest,” she added casually.

After the Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb was absorbed into his Innate Celestial Furnace, a faint trace of its aura had leaked out. Male cultivators wouldn’t be able to sense it, but some female cultivators at the Nascent Soul Realm might notice something.

“Let them be restless,” Mu Zhi’an chuckled.

However, looking at the letter in his hand, he couldn’t smile anymore.

Compared to the leaked aura from the Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb, this letter was the real problem…

Besides winning himself, he needed to come up with another plan…

A way to prevent the girls around him from winning while still obtaining the three Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herbs… Was it even possible?

Mu Zhi’an silently folded the letter and put it away in his storage ring.

He walked over to the window and looked at the snowy scenery outside, lost in thought.

…

As Yao Meng had said after waking up, refining the Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb itself wasn’t a problem.

However, Mu Zhi’an hadn’t anticipated that its fragrance would be so potent, so much so that even his Innate Celestial Furnace constitution couldn’t contain it completely. A faint trace of the herb’s aura had leaked out.

When Yu Ziyan, the peak master of Dao Peak, had refined the Soul Returning Pill for him, she had set up formations within her hall to prevent the fragrance from escaping.

However, this was the Two Polarities Sect. Even if some female cultivators suspected that there was an Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb in the Garden of Heavenly Harmony, they couldn’t do anything about it.

At most, they would try to approach him and subtly inquire about it.

As for any malicious intent… that was unlikely.

Firstly, Ling Long and the Jade Empress were both in the Garden of Heavenly Harmony… Although most people were unaware of this, it was a strong deterrent.

Secondly, there was also the Sect Master to consider.

Although an Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb was tempting, no one would dare to take such a risk.

By noon that day, the rumors of an Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herb in the Garden of Heavenly Harmony had faded. After all, Mu Zhi’an hadn’t left his residence, and they couldn’t just barge in.

…

Dexin Courtyard.

Ye Lingxuan played with the paper crane in her hand, her chin resting on her hand as she looked at the snowy scenery outside the window, her mind elsewhere.

If Mu Zhi’an were present, he would probably be surprised.

The contents of this paper crane were identical to the one he had received. It was easy to imagine what was troubling the Forbidden Zone’s Holy Maiden.

The Reincarnated Empress left behind a trace of Spiritual Energy in each of her past lives. Once all nine traces were gathered within her body, the inheritance would be complete.

However, one trace was still within Mu Zhi’an’s body…

In the past, Ye Lingxuan wouldn’t have been worried. After all, when the time was right, the ninth life’s Spiritual Energy would naturally return to her body after being enhanced by the Innate Celestial Furnace.

However, this letter had disrupted her usual composure.

She couldn’t wait any longer.

Normally, possessing eight traces of Spiritual Energy was enough to secure victory in the Ascension Ceremony.

But this was a golden age, an era filled with talented individuals.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay