Facing Xiao Ningyu’s sudden question, Zhou Che’s heart instantly leaped into her throat.

Of course she had an ulterior motive, and a grand one at that—to ferret out what the six great demonic sects were secretly plotting.

But how could she possibly voice such a thing?

“Senior Sister, that’s a strange question...”

Before Zhou Che could finish, she felt a shock that seemed to emanate from her very soul.

That bone-chilling sensation seemed to be controlling her words and actions, making her unable to stop herself, acting against her will.

At this moment, Zhou Che felt as if her tongue were no longer her own, and her secrets were about to come spilling out.

It was only then that she recalled Lu Yu’s words.

Those of demonic sects are exceedingly adept at controlling souls and probing spirits; their methods are extremely insidious. As an undercover agent from an orthodox sect, your secret must never be exposed. If you are unfortunate enough to be targeted, you can use the Temporary Forgetfulness Spell to conceal your memories deep within your soul, avoiding the risk of exposure. If you encounter a lethal crisis, the Dao Rune of the Character ‘Gate’ will save you!

Looking into Xiao Ningyu’s eyes, Zhou Che felt a chill.

Though gentle on the surface, inwardly this woman was not so. Had Zhou Che not been cautious and perceptive, she would likely have blurted out her secrets already!

Zhou Che forcibly calmed herself, and in her heart, she immediately began to recite the Temporary Forgetfulness Spell Lu Yu had taught her...

“My parents died early. I wandered alone, drifting without knowing how many springs and autumns had passed. I heard the Hehuan Sect was recruiting disciples in Liang City, so I had some thoughts. Afterward, I also learned that although it is a demonic sect, it’s a blessed land for female cultivators. That’s why I traveled through the night, rushed to Liang City, and joined the sect.

Indeed, the Hehuan Sect is a demonic sect, and most of its cultivation methods center on indulging desires. But being born into a chaotic world, what value can a woman’s dignity and chastity even hold? The reason I chose to join the Hehuan Sect is nothing more than to live a better life.”

Zhou Che answered. By now, she was already under the influence of the Temporary Forgetfulness Spell, so the words that came out were reconstructed from false memories.

Hearing this, Xiao Ningyu frowned slightly, then sent a stream of spiritual power through their clasped hands into Zhou Che’s body.

“But couldn’t you just as well cultivate in an orthodox sect?”

“In a chaotic world, what orthodoxy is there? Even in an orthodox sect, how can you guarantee everyone is selfless and righteous? I have no power or influence. Even if I entered an orthodox sect, wouldn’t I still end up as someone else’s furnace vessel?”

Zhou Che sighed, an expression of sorrow involuntarily surfacing on her face.

Xiao Ningyu looked at the girl before her, her pitiful appearance truly moving.

As the probing spiritual power returned to her own body, she finally stopped the Soul Control Art.

After being controlled, one’s words must be true.

‘Her physique is frail, which indeed matches the described circumstances. It seems I was overly suspicious.’

After confirming there was no issue, Xiao Ningyu’s heart relaxed slightly.

As the Hehuan Sect’s Eldest Senior Sister, number one among her peers, also the Sect Leader’s direct disciple and an elder of the new hall, she naturally knew a thing or two about major sect affairs.

Her master had warned her that these recent years were the most critical moment for the six great demonic sects, and so they had to be strictly on guard against undercover agents from orthodox sects infiltrating them.

And this Zhou Qingyue before her, though a mortal, had a beauty that could stun the heavens. Ordinary mortals, though they might be good-looking, how could they be so exquisitely refined?

Coupled with her unexplained absence this morning—though the girl claimed she had overslept, such an excuse was hard to believe.

Thus, in Xiao Ningyu’s view, this person had to be problematic. The reason she hadn’t come this morning was that she had been looking for an opportunity to contact the person behind her and was therefore delayed.

And this, too, was why she had used the Soul Control on her. Of course, the reason she didn’t use the Soul Search was because this girl possessed a superior water spirit root.

After the Soul Control ended, Zhou Che felt as if her body had been completely drained; she could barely even stand.

Seeing Zhou Che swaying, Xiao Ningyu quickly reached out and caught her.

“Qingyue, careful.”

Ordinarily, being caught wouldn’t matter, but this embrace made Zhou Che’s entire body feel as if she had been electrocuted.

Xiao Ningyu’s left hand wrapped around her waist, gently supporting her, and their bodies pressed tightly together.

As the other spoke, a fragrance of secluded orchids wafted from her, intoxicating to the soul.

Zhou Che was, after all, a hot-blooded youth; she had never had such intimate contact with the opposite (same) sex. Her cheeks immediately flushed red, sobering her up significantly.

In contrast, Xiao Ningyu was also inwardly startled. The body of the young girl before her was far softer and warmer than her own, which was maintained year-round by spiritual power.

That slender waist, like a willow swaying in the breeze, seemed as if it could be encompassed in a single hand, making her own heart inexplicably tighten.

“Are you alright?”

Xiao Ningyu looked at the surprised person in her arms and asked somewhat awkwardly.

“I-I’m fine!”

Zhou Che hurriedly pulled herself free from her embrace. Though her height had shrunk considerably after feminization, she still appeared to be around 1.7 meters.

And Xiao Ningyu before her was a forehead taller.

Now, Zhou Che truly had the sense of being a petite and adorable little thing.

“That’s good. What just happened was a necessary procedure. I hope you can understand.”

Xiao Ningyu’s attitude returned to its initial gentleness.

Zhou Che naturally understood the meaning behind her words, so she nodded to show her understanding.

“In that case, let’s get down to business.”

Xiao Ningyu said, then led Zhou Che toward the high platform at the center of the great hall.

On the platform, a stone pillar as thick as a bowl connected the top and bottom of the hall. At the center of the pillar was a palm-sized groove.

Xiao Ningyu stepped forward and then retrieved a dark red token from her storage pouch.

Looking at the object in her hand, Zhou Che understood this was the Seal of Authority the old woman had mentioned earlier.

Xiao Ningyu placed the Seal of Authority into the groove, and immediately, layer upon layer of cracks appeared on the stone pillar. Amidst these cracks, a crimson glow suddenly burst forth.

“Place your hand on the stone pillar.”

“Oh.” Hearing this, Zhou Che hurried forward. Looking at the stone pillar emitting an ominous red light, she felt uneasy, but still gritted her teeth and placed her left hand upon it.

In the next instant, the stone pillar, which had been radiating endless red light, suddenly dimmed, only to bloom again after a second’s pause.

But the glow it now emitted had changed from red to blue-white.

‘As expected, she has an innate Charm Physique!’

Xiao Ningyu saw this, and though she was surprised, the expression vanished in a flash.

As the blue-white radiance flowed with increasing intensity, the stone pillar finally burst apart with a bang after a few breaths.

It shattered into countless fragments that suspended in midair. The blue-white halo then rapidly swirled and converged, ultimately transforming into a streak of light that flew into Zhou Che’s forehead.

To Zhou Che, this was so sudden that the impact of the radiance drilling into her nearly knocked her over.

Seeing this, Xiao Ningyu quickly reached out to support her.

Along with the radiance entering her body, a set of wondrous cultivation methods rapidly took root and spread within her mind.

Zhou Che found it indescribably magical. Though it was but an instant, the memory of that method was already deeply branded into her sea of consciousness.

Seeing Zhou Che regain her senses, Xiao Ningyu used spiritual power to cut open a small wound on her finger.

Then, from the wound, a drop of essence blood slowly floated out and directly entered the center of the stone pillar fragments.

As the essence blood entered, a blue flame instantly ignited, ultimately consuming and refining the blood, turning it into a blue-flame token that flew away into the midst of the countless tokens in the air.

As the Registration Plaque entered the air, the stone pillar fragments gathered together once more, finally merging back into one.

After the Seal of Authority detached and returned to Xiao Ningyu’s hand, the stone pillar finally returned to calm.

“The Transmission Spirit Pillar distributes a cultivation method suited to a disciple based on the characteristics and quality of their spiritual roots. However, though the method is personally transmitted by the spirit pillar, everyone in the Hehuan Sect still has one mandatory method to cultivate—the Heart Desire Lure.”

Xiao Ningyu spoke, and then her divine consciousness at her brow stirred, sending a red fragment of divine consciousness into Zhou Che’s body.

In the next moment, another set of cultivation methods surfaced in her memory.

“Although the Heart Desire Lure is merely a technique to manifest desire as spiritual power, it is the foundation for cultivating all techniques and arts in the Hehuan Sect. In the Hehuan Sect, all cultivation methods must be practiced based on desire spiritual power; otherwise, it will cause the spiritual power to flow in reverse. Mild cases lead to cultivation deviation, severe cases to utter annihilation. In short, everything cultivated in the Hehuan Sect lies in the single word ‘desire.’ Now that you have joined the Hehuan Sect, you must understand the fundamentals of a Hehuan Sect cultivator.”

“Yes,” Zhou Che responded, but her heart was extremely heavy.

In her memory, the cultivation method transmitted earlier indeed required being based on desire spiritual power.

And this meant she had to cultivate this Heart Desire Lure before she could formally practice the Hehuan Sect’s methods.

But with this Heart Desire Lure, anyone with eyes could see that the so-called desire spiritual power was likely not just the foundation of the Hehuan Sect’s cultivation, but also a type of restrictive mark the higher-ups placed on sect disciples, to better control them!