“At last, Intermediate Divine Transfiguration Stage,” Lu Yang exclaimed in the pitch-black cave abode.

He opened his eyes, their gleaming brightness standing out starkly in the darkness.

“Wait, why is it so dark?”

“I felt that the candle would ruin the atmosphere, so I blew it out,” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy explained.

Since solar lamps were now widespread, few people still used candles. Lu Yang’s cave abode used merfolk candles, which had yet to need replacement.

Lu Yang shook his head in resignation. At my current cultivation level, it doesn’t matter whether candles are lit; I can see clearly regardless. If the Everlasting Immortal Fairy enjoys blowing them out, then let her be.

He stretched lazily. To break through to the Intermediate Divine Transfiguration Stage, he had gone into seclusion for a whole six hours. Now that his seclusion had concluded, he felt much more comfortable.

Then, he sat back down.

“Let me consolidate my cultivation realm for a bit.”

His foundation was solid, so only a little consolidation was needed.

Once his cultivation realm had stabilized, Lu Yang pushed open the cave abode’s door to find Yun Mengmeng seated with her back to him, facing a chessboard in deep contemplation. She picked up a black piece. With a clack, she placed it down, signaling the game’s conclusion.

“Five in a row; I win!” Yun Mengmeng cheered.

“Sister Mengmeng, Third Senior Sister, can you find somewhere else to play?” Lu Yang said helplessly. Do you have to play Five in a Row right outside my door? You weren’t here when I started my seclusion. When did you arrive?

Gan Tian explained with a smile, “Mengmeng said this spot has good feng shui. By staying close to your cave abode, she can absorb your luck and boost her chances of winning.”

“How is my luck any good?” Lu Yang was perplexed. Is she referring to being latched onto by the Everlasting Immortal Fairy?

“Little Zhi said that half-immortals and immortals aren’t as common in the outside world as I thought. It’s due to your good luck that you keep encountering them.

“See? I told you your luck is good.” Yun Mengmeng pointed triumphantly at the chessboard. “By staying near your cave abode and absorbing your fortune, I won the first game.”

Beside the chessboard lay Osmanthus-filled biscuits; the winner of every round would eat one.

Based on what Lu Yang knew of Yun Mengmeng’s chess skill, he suspected Gan Tian was letting her win.

Having just broken through, Lu Yang was in high spirits. He decided to descend the mountain to see how Meng Jingzhou and the others were doing.

Yun Mengmeng called out to Lu Yang, still chewing a biscuit. “Oh, right, Little Zhi said she’s out visiting friends and probably won’t return today. Second-in-Command, since you’ve broken through, how about the three of us go to the Hundred Fragrance Restaurant tonight to celebrate?”

“Sure.” Lu Yang smiled. Breaking through to the Intermediate Divine Transfiguration Stage is indeed worth celebrating.

After he walked away, the two women began their second game.

“By the way, Mengmeng, why do you keep calling Little Junior Brother ‘Second-in-Command?’” Gan Tian was baffled. Did Little Junior Brother and Mengmeng swear brotherhood at some point?

Yun Mengmeng revealed a mysterious smile. “Secret.”

~~~

Lu Yang visited Meng Jingzhou’s cave abode, but unfortunately, he was in seclusion.

Man Gu had been invited to serve as a judge for a Nascent Soul-level competition held in some province. As a Divine Transfiguration cultivator of the Dao-Seeking Sect, his status carried immense weight in the outside world, practically elevating him to the ranks of high-level cultivators.

“Junior Brother Li, what are you busy with... Senior Su, you’re here too? Greetings, Senior Su.” Lu Yang hadn’t expected to find Su Yiren here.

“Mmhm, I calculated that Haoran should be breaking through to the Intermediate Divine Transfiguration Stage, so I came to guard over his cultivation.” Su Yiren smiled sweetly as she peeled an apple for Li Haoran, cutting it into small, bite-sized pieces.

“Is there even a need for a protector when breaking through to the Intermediate Divine Transfiguration Stage?” Li Haoran mumbled, looking down. Breaking through was a natural process and would likely take less than half a day. However, Su Yiren had gone out of her way to come, which made him embarrassed, especially when it was pointed out in front of a friend.

Unlike other Divine Transfiguration cultivators who busied themselves with various preparations before a breakthrough, he was on the verge of breaking through yet still had leisure to design artifacts and magical treasures; he didn’t need to prepare anything.

Or rather, he had already prepared the most crucial element—his mental state.

Li Haoran’s blueprints covered the entire cave abode, underfoot and overhead; all depicted a single magical treasure.

Lu Yang knew little about artifact refinement. He tilted his head, studying Li Haoran’s blueprints for a while without figuring out what he intended to create. He could only discern a sword array from the diagrams.

“What are you drawing here?”

“An automatic wok. This is the water sphere array; this is the sword array; and this is the rootless fire array. As long as the raw ingredients are prepared, this artifact can automatically wash, chop, and cook. The flavor should be comparable to that of a basic chef.”

“Good stuff!” Lu Yang praised it fervently. If such an artifact can be forged and then upgraded further, wouldn’t it completely block the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s culinary path?

“No magical artifact can ever replace this immortal’s cooking.” The Everlasting Immortal Fairy was dismissive of Li Haoran’s creation.

“Right? Senior Brother Lu, you agree it’s good stuff too.” Li Haoran trusted Lu Yang’s judgment.

Seeing that Li Haoran was on the verge of a breakthrough, Lu Yang refrained from deliberately flaunting his cultivation, lest it create a crack in Li Haoran’s mental state during his breakthrough.

“I’ll treat you to a meal after you’ve broken through,” Lu Yang said, then bid goodbye to Li Haoran and Su Yiren.

On his way to find Tao Yaoye, he bumped into several disciples from the latest cohort, who respectfully addressed him as “senior brother.” Their entrance trials, overseen by Dai Bufan, had gone smoothly, with no unexpected incidents.

“What a pity. When they were participating in the entrance trials, Old Meng and I were in the Demon Kingdom. We didn’t get to help Senior Brother Dai share the burden.”

“Junior Sister Tao, are you there?” Lu Yang activated the array at the entrance of Tao Yaoye’s cave abode, which would alert its occupant.

Tao Yaoye peeked her head out. Seeing only Lu Yang, she smiled and pulled him inside. “Senior Brother Lu, please come in.”

Inside, Lu Yang saw a small mountain of spirit stones, all high-grade; there was not even a single low-grade or mid-grade one in sight.

“Are all these yours?”

“These are just this quarter’s earnings from the Dreamlike Bubble Mirage. They were just delivered, and I’m still counting.”

Lu Yang inwardly marveled. With the number of spirit stones Junior Sister Tao possesses now, she might have plenty left even after cultivating to the Transcendent Tribulation Stage.

“Rich woman. If your senior brother ever runs out of funds, I’ll need your support, Junior Sister Tao.”

“What are you saying, Senior Brother? If you need spirit stones, you can have all these here.”

“How could I do that?” Lu Yang quickly waved his hands. He was only joking.

After chatting with Tao Yaoye for a while, he noticed that it was getting late. As promised, Lu Yang headed to the Hundred Fragrance Restaurant, where Yun Mengmeng and Gan Tian were waiting for him in a private room.

“Come, come, come. Let’s celebrate the Second-in-Command’s breakthrough!” Yun Mengmeng raised her cup, filled with freshly squeezed peach juice.

Gan Tian’s cup held spring water.

Lu Yang’s cup contained osmanthus tea.

Although it was supposed to be a celebration for Lu Yang, it was really just Yun Mengmeng satisfying her cravings. Eating alone was no fun for her, and she wanted company. Food simply tasted better with more people.

After the three finished their meal, Lu Yang thanked Yun Mengmeng for her treat and returned to his cave abode, sitting cross-legged to cultivate for the night.

“Finally, Intermediate Divine Transfiguration Stage,” Lu Yang exclaimed in the pitch-black cave abode.

This meant that his seclusion of six hours had concluded and that he had finally broken through to the Intermediate Divine Transfiguration Stage.

“Wait, why is it so dark... Hmm, have I said this before?”