Gu Fangchen lifted his head and looked at the small jade bottle floating in midair before him.
The meditation chamber was pitch dark, and only the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle emitted a faint glow as it drew the souls of several cultivators into itself.
These men were only at the Seventh and Sixth Rank, and moreover, they cultivated the Martial Path. Their souls were weak, incapable of resisting at all. In an instant, they dissolved into mist and were absorbed into the small jade bottle.
The bottle trembled twice, and immediately, a stream of clear light radiated outward, tinged with a pale azure hue.
In terms of appearance alone, the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle looked utterly righteous and proper.
To any bystander, it would be impossible to imagine that several souls had already been refined within it.
With a thought, Gu Fangchen tilted the small jade bottle, allowing the misty substance within, swirling with pale light, to flow out.
This was Jade Nectar Essence of Blue quality.
The higher the quality of Jade Nectar Essence produced by the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle, the denser it became, the lowest quality wasn't even liquid.
In theory, refining Jade Nectar Essence didn't require souls of the Sixth or Seventh Rank.
However, the souls needed to upgrade the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle had to be of higher quality than those needed to refine nectar.
Furthermore, these men cultivated the Martial Path, not the Divine Path.
Focusing his attention, Gu Fangchen guided the misty essence to envelop the small jade bottle, beginning the ritual of refinement.
Gradually, the thin mists merged into the vessel.
Roughly three hours later, a low hum resounded.
The surface of the bottle shook violently, thin cracks spiderwebbing across its exterior.
Gu Fangchen had expected this and remained calm. After a short while, violet energy seeped from the cracks, filling them completely.
The bottle, once a cool jade green, now shimmered with purple radiance, the cracks transforming into flowing cloud patterns.
The refinement was successful.
Gu Fangchen let out a breath of relief.
He was not particularly skilled at crafting artifacts, he knew the process in theory, but practice was a different matter.
There had been a real risk of failure.
He had even prepared contingencies, though thankfully, he hadn't needed them.
"Seems I've got a bit of talent after all..."
He examined the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle with his spiritual sense, confirming its successful upgrade. Then he reached into his spatial ring and pulled out two Seventh Rank cultivators of the Divine Path.
The two men immediately paled when they saw the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle, realizing what Gu Fangchen intended. They struggled furiously against their talisman seals.
But the talismans Ning Songjun had provided were far beyond their power to break.
"Go!"
Gu Fangchen tossed the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle toward them. The small bottle tilted, flashing with violet light, and forcibly tore their souls from their bodies.
Unlike the formless souls of Martial Path cultivators, the souls of Seventh Rank Divine Path practitioners had already condensed into conscious flames that floated in the air like burning wisps.
Gu Fangchen's expression was amused; he felt like one of those mythical brothers with a treasure gourd sucking people in.
With another thought, the two soul flames were drawn into the bottle.
It shook violently again, this time even harder. He could see the soul flames thrashing wildly within, but soon the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle stabilized and grew still.
After waiting patiently for a moment, Gu Fangchen extended his hand and summoned the bottle back.
He tilted it slightly, and three drops of clear, bead-like liquid floated out, shimmering with five-colored light.
These three drops of unassuming liquid were the condensed essences of two Seventh Rank Divine cultivators.
Gu Fangchen swallowed them and immediately sat down in meditation.
In an instant, it felt as if his entire sea of consciousness exploded.
The highly concentrated spiritual power surged into his soul, expanding it wildly, swelling like an inflating balloon trying to break free of his body's control.
He had to struggle to anchor his awareness within his body, keeping it from drifting away with the expanding soul.
It seemed only a heartbeat passed, when Gu Fangchen opened his eyes again, his consciousness and body felt momentarily disconnected.
Within his mind, he felt as though he had become a giant, every part of him filling the meditation chamber's corners.
His physical body, however, remained sitting motionless.
Fortunately, the sensation lasted only a moment.
When his vision refocused on the chamber around him, he realized the illusion came from the expansion of his divine sense, his perception had become sharper, wider.
Unlike before, even when his soul left his body, he could still control his flesh so long as it remained within range.
Narrowing his eyes, Gu Fangchen extended his spiritual awareness through the walls, drifting into Ning Caiyong's bedroom.
It was night.
Ning Caiyong sat by her bed in a thin silk robe, sewing a safety charm. Her long black hair cascaded like a waterfall behind her, making her appear even more elegant and gentle.
Xuexiang, by her side, tested the bathwater in a wooden bucket and, finding it suitable, said softly,
"Princess Consort, the temperature is just right now. You may bathe."
Ning Caiyong set down her needle and thread, lowering her lashes as she stroked the half-finished charm. The final stitch was forming the character for "Chen."
She rose, pursed her lips, and said quietly,
"Xuexiang."
The maid quickly straightened.
"Your servant is here."
Ning Caiyong frowned.
"Do not call me Princess Consort anymore. Call me... Madam."
Xuexiang blinked in confusion but nodded obediently.
Suddenly, the candle beside them flickered and went out.
"Ah!"
Startled, Xuexiang hurried over.
"The lamp cover's fine, there's no wind... how did the candle go out?"
Ning Caiyong approached, relit the flame, and returned to sit.
Soon, Xuexiang began helping her undress, preparing the bath for her mistress, no, for Madam.
As she worked, Ning Caiyong suddenly asked in a serious tone,
"That day, when I told you to attend to the Young Prince, did you do so properly?"
Xuexiang froze, her cheeks flushing bright red.
"I, I don't know what came over me. I startled the Young Prince awake, and then he... he told me to stay and serve him. To the others, he said I was a chamber maid."
Ning Caiyong's brows knitted tighter.
"To the others? So he never actually had you serve him?"
The maid lowered her head and murmured faintly,
"No..."
Worry filled Ning Caiyong's heart.
She had always been strict, forbidding such indulgence out of concern for her son's frail body.
But now that her son had fully recovered, why still...
Her gaze fell on Xuexiang's blushing face.
If he had allowed the girl to stay by his side, it meant he found her pleasing, but perhaps the timid maid had not taken the initiative.
Ning Caiyong took her hand and said earnestly,
"Since Chen'er allowed you to remain, it means he has accepted you. Tonight, you may as well..."
...
Gu Fangchen hastily withdrew his spiritual sense from the room, feeling rather embarrassed.
He had only wanted to test his new Seventh Rank Wandering Spirit Realm power, extinguishing a small flame with soul force.
He hadn't expected someone to plan something far more... substantial.
Not that he minded, but stumbling into it like that made him feel like a voyeur.
As he thought this, his consciousness drifted toward Gu Lianqian's quarters.
There, the young princess was curled under her blankets, murmuring softly,
"Not Daoist, where have you gone... Can you tell me, should I really do this?"