Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 115: Physiques

Three months had passed since the shifting shadows of the Northern Continent were left behind, and Shangguan Mu’er and Ling Luochen went into seclusion.

At this moment, the air within the Conferred Pagoda’s northern branch had grown heavy, saturated with a static tension that made the very stones of the fortress hum.

Those elders and old Cultivators who were cultivating in their caves suddenly woke up and stared at the sky, their expression solemn.

Just then, a massive, violent fluctuation of Qi suddenly erupted from the high-altitude residence of Shangguan Mu’er, a shockwave so potent it dispersed the surrounding clouds for hundreds of miles.

In an instant, the afternoon sun was blotted out as the sky itself darkened, turning a bruised, sickly violet.

At this moment, Shen Haoran and Qing’er were sitting under the swaying, silver-leafed branches of a massive willow tree in the Pagoda’s private gardens.

They were enjoying their peaceful time, but the tranquil atmosphere of their tea session was suddenly shattered by the overhead roar of the atmosphere.

They both looked up, their eyes reflecting the unnatural twilight.

"A Heavenly Tribulation," Qing’er observed, her voice as calm as a frozen lake despite the apocalyptic display above. "Based on the concentration of the Heaven’s Will in the clouds above, it seems Shangguan Mu’er is finally about to attempt her breakthrough to the Spirit Ascension Realm."

"Hm." Haoran hummed, a small, knowing smirk playing on his lips as he leaned back against the cool bark of the willow tree, his golden eyes tracking the serpentine arcs of electricity dancing between the clouds. "She has been refining those things she received with a feverish intensity. It was only a matter of time before her core overflowed with Qi and breakthrough. Speaking of which... how long have you been stuck at the peak of the Profound Saint Realm, Qing’er?"

The question was blunt, cutting through the ambient noise of the gathering storm, but Qing’er did not flinch, although her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the handle of the tea cup.

"It has been twelve years, young master," Qing’er replied, her gaze lowering respectfully. "However, it is not because my comprehension is lacking or my foundation is unstable. It is my physique that acts as the final shackle, preventing me from advancing into the higher heavens."

Haoran nodded slowly. He knew the secrets of her blood better than anyone, after all.

Qing’er possessed the Origin Yin Physique, one of the 23 recognized Sacred Physiques in the vast universe, and in the hierarchy of powerful physiques, it was a tier of existence that sat directly behind the 9 Supreme Divine Physiques.

On its own, the Origin Yin Physique was often ranked at the very bottom of the Sacred tier, and this was due to a cruel, inherent limitation: those born with this physique could only cultivate until the absolute peak of the Profound Saint Realm.

No matter how many divine pills they consumed or how many ancient scriptures they mastered, they would eventually hit a ceiling that no amount of effort or talent could shatter.

But, that is only limited to those who remained a virgin.

Once the possessor of this physique lost their virginity and absorbed the concentrated Yang Essence of a compatible male partner, the physique would undergo a violent, fundamental evolution.

It would transform into the Yin-Yang Origin Physique, and at that stage, it would leap to the very top of the Sacred Physique rankings, and in certain rare cases of perfect resonance, it could even outperform some of the 9 Divine Physiques.

Once the Yin-Yang Origin Physique reached the stage of Perfect Integration, the user would no longer be a mere cultivator of elements; they would become a master of duality itself.

They could control the fundamental polarities of the universe: light and shadow, fire and ice, earth and sky, purification and corruption.

They could even bend the very laws of creation to their whim.

Some might say, such a powerful physique that can bend the laws of the universe, why is it not considered a Divine Physique?

Well, not to mention the Divine Physiques themselves were born at the dawn of universe, but they are also far more broken than even the Yin-Yang Origin Physique.

Take for example Haoran’s Infinity Dragon God Physique, once cultivated to Perfect Integration, not only can you be the gods of dragons, but you can also apply the concept of "infinity" to yourself.

For example, if he punched something, he can apply the concept of infinity to his fist, giving it infinite mass and weight, which would instantly affect everything in the universe, pulling all matter towards it, essentially converting the entire universe into a black hole immediately.

Any object in the universe (including people and galaxies) would be instantly subjected to infinite tidal forces.

This means objects would be stretched and shredded instantly, regardless of distance.

And since gravity causes time dilation; with infinite gravity due to the infinite mass, time would stop completely, and space would undergo infinite compression.

In other words, once the Infinity Dragon God Physique was cultivated to its absolute limit, a single casual attack could instantly cause the universe to collapse.

But that’s besides the point.

With the power the world-shaking power of Yin-Yang Origin Physique, the price and the difficulty of evolution were also incredibly hard to achieve.

For the evolution to succeed, the partner had to possess a cultivation level and soul-density equal to the user.

Then, they had to achieve absolute mental and spiritual synchronization during their intercourse, in other words, they will have to cum at the same time, and those who have experience should know how difficult it is to achieve this, especially when your partner is a virgin, not to mention both parties have to continuously circulated their Qi in a complex, dual-cultivation cycle to force the physique’s marrow to rewrite itself.

Furthermore, the partner had to possess a vast, almost bottomless reservoir of Yang-energy to act as the catalyst for the change.

Not to mention if the user lost their virginity and the evolution failed—whether due to a lack of synchronization or an inferior partner—the physique would be permanently "tarnished."

They would never have a second chance to evolve, leaving them trapped at the Profound Saint Realm for the rest of eternity, their potential extinguished.

However, if they succeeded, the path to becoming a Supreme was already guaranteed.

Moreover, the user would share the newly awakened dual-power with their partner, creating a symbiotic bond that could elevate both to the pinnacle of existence.

"Twelve years, huh?" Shen Haoran muttered, his gaze returning to the darkening sky as he did the mental math of his own growth. "In less than ten years, with the resources of the Hanging Gardens and my Myriad Dao Art, I should probably already be at the Profound Saint Realm myself."

Qing’er lowered her head further, her long black hair shielding her expression. "Yes."

Haoran noticed the slight stiffening of her shoulders and smirked, a playful glint in his golden eyes. "What? Are you shy, Qing’er? You shouldn’t be. You have known this was your destiny since the day I was born. My mother and my aunts didn’t place you by my side just for your strength, you know."

Qing’er shook her head, her voice steady but carrying a soft, underlying warmth. "If young master does not mind my age and my status as a shadow, it would be my highest honor to be the vessel for your ascension."

"Age? Qing’er, don’t you know..." Haoran chuckled, standing up and brushing a fallen willow leaf from his shoulder. "There is a saying that the older ginger is far spicier than the young ginger."

"That..." Qing’er was left momentarily speechless.

She stared at the amused Haoran, her red eyes flickering with a mixture of confusion and a strange, burgeoning affection.

She realized it three months ago, that he had changed ever since he had emerged from the Heaven Piercing Saint’s secret realm.

The "Young Supreme" she had served for two decades had shifted his perspective.

Before, her young master had been like a man walking a narrow mountain path toward a distant, solitary goal.

If he saw something interesting, he would stop and observe with the detached curiosity of a researcher, and he might even help them, or he might crush them, but he would always continue his walk alone, never looking back to see if they followed.

If they could catch up to him, it was their luck; if not, he lost nothing.

But now, it felt as if he were taking his time.

He was observing the people around him with a deeper, more human focus. It was as if he was waiting for them, looking back to ensure they were keeping pace.

He was no longer just a solo traveler; he was a commander building a legacy.

Qing’er liked this change. It made the air around him feel less cold, less like a vacuum.

"It’s starting," Haoran said, his voice dropping into a serious tone.

They looked up, and the sky above the Conferred Pagoda let out a roar that shook the very foundations of the earth as a bolt of golden lightning, thick as a dragon’s torso and radiating a terrifying, holy heat, descended from the vortex.

It struck directly toward the reinforced roof of Shangguan Mu’er’s residence, the impact creating a blinding flare that turned the violet world back into pure, sterile white.

Qing’er’s brow furrowed as she sensed the nature of the energy. "The Sacred Light Heaven Punishment? This isn’t a standard Spirit Ascension tribulation."

"Yes," Haoran said, his golden eyes narrowing as he analyzed the golden arcs of electricity. "That is a specialized lightning sent by the heavens to annihilate those who have committed heinous acts or practiced forbidden, ’evil’ arts. My mother was once struck by a version of that lightning when she was proving her Slaughter Dao, but this one is severely weaker than what she experienced in the Upper Realm."

Qing’er nodded, her hand tightening on her sword. "It seems the cultivation technique Shangguan Mu’er is Cultivating is definitely ’evil’. So much so that the heavens want to erase her before she can become a true Spirit Ascension powerhouse."

Haoran stood up, his robes fluttering in the sudden, violent wind. "Let’s go and observe. If she cannot survive even this level of ’Justice,’ then she has no place in my future."

Qing’er followed suit, her shadow expanding to envelop them both as they blurred toward the site of the trial, two figures moving through a world illuminated by the golden wrath of the sky.