In the northernmost and most desolate part of No Moon Court stood a snow-capped mountain called Jade Fall Peak.
Compared to those powerful Celestials whose disciples spread far and wide, Chongyi Zhenren's Jade Fall Peak remained cold and desolate all year round, perpetually blanketed in ice and snow. It lacked the eternal spring-like warmth of Guangwei Zhenren's Shining Light Peak, nor did it possess the picturesque beauty of Dongyang Zhenren's Qiwu Peak.
In other words, cultivating at Jade Fall Peak was akin to being banished to the cold palace—a forgotten corner with no scenery to admire, so remote that ordinary disciples wouldn’t even wander here during their leisure.
Three months after arriving at Jade Fall Peak, Li Fei finally encountered an exceedingly rare clear day. When she woke up in the morning and pushed open the window to see the long-missed sunlight, she nearly burst into tears from excitement.
After hastily washing up, she changed into her disciple uniform. The uniforms of No Moon Court were all similar in style—plain white with black embroidery along the collar and cuffs. The difference lay in the sleeves: ordinary disciple uniforms had one black stripe, elite disciple uniforms had two, and direct disciples had three.
After learning these rules, Li Fei had secretly inspected Zhao Min Shijie’s sleeves. Like her, Zhao Min also had two stripes—meaning she wasn’t a direct disciple, despite having been taken in by their master for over thirty years. No wonder everyone said Hu Jiaping was a prodigy, becoming Guangwei Zhenren’s direct disciple in just a few short years.
Li Fei adjusted her collar in the mirror, fastened her belt neatly, and then began styling her hair.
Since coming to No Moon Court, she had never braided her hair into the simple, practical plaits she used to wear. Zhao Min Shijie forbade her from tying those "unsightly braids," dismantling them every time she saw them. Left with no choice, Li Fei had to learn to fashion some simple buns. After three months, most of them now looked presentable.
On the dressing table was a small wooden box filled with delicate jeweled hair accessories, all chosen by Zhao Min Shijie. This senior sister treated her extremely well—thoughtful and caring, the ideal elder sister. The only drawback was perhaps her nitpicking about Li Fei’s demeanor.
After securing the hair accessories and carefully checking her appearance to ensure nothing was amiss, Li Fei pushed open the door and hurried out. Before she could reach the central hall, Zhao Min’s voice rang out: "Even if you’re running late, you mustn’t walk so quickly."
Here we go again… Li Fei rounded the corner into the central hall, where Zhao Min Shijie was already seated, eating breakfast at a small table. The moment she saw her, Li Fei immediately put on the poised smile of a noble lady, gliding over with delicate steps before bowing gracefully. "Greetings, Zhao Min Shijie."
Zhao Min nodded in approval and pushed a small table toward her. "Eat."
Breakfast consisted of plain congee and side dishes. Unlike ordinary disciples of No Moon Court, Li Fei had been directly recruited into the sect by an elder from the Academy, making her an elite disciple from the start. Elite disciples received a monthly food allowance of three taels of silver—otherwise, they truly couldn’t afford meals. Li Fei ate in small, measured bites. She no longer dared to wolf down her food as she once had, lest Zhao Min take it away and deny her further meals.Breakfast passed in silence, as was customary—no talking during meals or before sleep. Only after finishing did Zhaomin take the time to carefully observe Li Fei’s appearance today. After a moment, she smiled gently and said softly, "Li Fei, you look exceptionally lovely today. Your complexion has brightened, and your features have matured slightly. This Scarlet Hibiscus complements your skin tone and beauty perfectly."
Zhaomin Shijie was impeccable in every way, except for her overly refined speech. Li Fei actually preferred the straightforward and decisive senior sister who had once bluntly advised her, "Even if a girl wants to kill you in her heart, she must smile on her face."
"Shijie flatters me. Li Fei is undeserving of such praise," she replied, forced into similarly stilted speech.
"Today is a rare clear day. You’ve been here for three months but haven’t truly seen the sights above and below No Moon Court’s Cloud Sea. This morning’s practice will give you a chance to take it all in."
Zhaomin rose and walked out of the central hall, with Li Fei quickly following, maintaining her light, graceful steps.
Now, her mornings were spent learning Cloud Soaring Flight with Zhaomin Shijie, while afternoons were reserved for Immortal Techniques under their Master. Strangely, she had never seen the Master instruct Zhaomin. When she had asked about it, Zhaomin explained that the Master had already taught her all he could—what remained was for her to break through on her own. Only after reaching the next level would the Master continue her guidance.
This was the so-called bottleneck. Every cultivator encountered bottlenecks at each stage of their journey. Some overcame them quickly, while others took much longer—some even remained stuck for life, unable to advance further. Zhaomin had been trapped at her bottleneck for nine years. Only after breaking through could she ascend from an elite disciple to a direct disciple.
Mist gathered beneath Li Fei’s feet, and soon, a small white cloud formed under her. This was far more agile and fun than the sword flying she had learned at the Academy. In truth, Cloud Soaring wasn’t difficult—what was challenging was maneuvering swiftly through No Moon Court’s dense, congealed spiritual energy. It was far more grueling than learning sword flight. After three months, she could only manage three round trips from Jade Fall Peak to the nearest Ruzhi Peak in a single morning.
Following Zhaomin to the summit of Jade Fall Peak, Li Fei beheld a breathtaking sight: a thousand miles of Cloud Sea stretching before her, endless snow-capped mountains rolling into the distance, and the newly risen sun casting its radiant light, painting the sea of clouds in countless dazzling hues. Above the Cloud Sea, countless snow peaks and emerald ridges rose and fell, while below, layers of pavilions and halls sprawled endlessly.
The sheer grandeur and boundless majesty of the scene left Li Fei speechless. This was no mere Immortal Sect—it was a city! In her three months here, this was the first clear day she had witnessed No Moon Court in its entirety.
"Above the Cloud Sea is where elite disciples, direct disciples, and elders cultivate," Zhaomin pointed out. "Below is where ordinary disciples train. Every decade, the sect holds a Martial Competition Tournament, in which all disciples—ordinary, elite, and direct—must participate without exception. So don’t think that being above the Cloud Sea guarantees security. Without continuous improvement, if your cultivation stagnates, you’ll eventually be demoted below. Conversely, outstanding ordinary disciples may be promoted."
Here, she suddenly smiled. "Though hardly any ordinary disciples ever make it up."
The so-called ordinary disciples were those No Moon Court had always recruited—mostly those with a hint of Spirit Root, mediocre talent, but wealthy families. Disciples above the Cloud Sea even received monthly meal subsidies, a privilege ordinary disciples didn’t enjoy. Not only did they receive no money, they had to pay annual fees in silver and grain to avoid being expelled from the sect.Every Immortal Sect is the same. True geniuses are rare in this world, and most people with Spirit Roots have only average aptitude. Even though the standards for becoming an ordinary disciple of an Immortal Sect are so stringent, countless people still seek entry every year—the temptation of immortality is simply too great. What Hu Jiaping had mentioned earlier about No Moon Court having tens of thousands of disciples referred to the ordinary ones below. The number of disciples above the Cloud Sea was actually quite small.
"Alright, let's begin." Zhaomin wiped the snow off the bluestone with a handkerchief and sat down gracefully. "Before noon today, you must fly four round trips between Jade Fall Peak and Ruzhi Peak."
Li Fei gazed at the rolling, shifting Cloud Sea below and sighed. "Senior Sister, when will I be able to come and go as swiftly as the wind? Like flying to Shining Light Peak and back in an instant."
Zhaomin replied indifferently, "This place is different from the Academy. There, you mastered Sword Flying in three days. But No Moon Court is dense with Spiritual energy. Even someone like Junior Brother Hu Jiaping, hailed as a once-in-a-generation prodigy, took a year to move freely. For ordinary disciples, spending three or four years is perfectly normal."
"Three or four years?!" Li Fei was so shocked she nearly lost her voice. Immortal Sects really didn’t treat years as years—no wonder they casually spoke of bottlenecks lasting over a decade or seclusions lasting nine years.
Did that mean, even though she and Lei Xiuyuan had entered No Moon Court together, it would take at least a year before they could meet?
"Go now, and stop chattering." Zhaomin closed her eyes to focus, continuing her own cultivation in hopes of breaking through her bottleneck sooner.
Li Fei channeled all the Spiritual energy in her body, and the small white cloud beneath her feet drifted forward leisurely. Though it was much better than the struggle three months ago, it was still slow. She hadn’t experienced the exhilarating speed of Sword Flying in so long.
Ruzhi Peak was the closest mountain to Jade Fall Peak. No elder had yet built a retreat there for cultivation, and the entire peak was blanketed in ice and snow, making it appear desolate and lonely.
Li Fei landed on the summit, rested for a moment, and was about to gather her strength to fly back when she suddenly noticed a small black dot stubbornly but steadily approaching in the distance. Was it a disciple of No Moon Court? That was rare—in the three months she’d been here, she hadn’t seen anyone come to this area. Even birds avoided flying here, let alone people.
She squinted, watching as the black dot drew closer. Soon, she could make out the figure of a disciple—slender, not very tall, likely young. Suddenly, her heart began pounding wildly in her chest. She stared blankly as the slender figure persisted in its approach, the outline of the youth growing clearer and clearer.
Finally, he landed lightly in front of her.
"Why is everything covered in ice and snow here?" he asked as soon as he landed, glancing around. Though drenched in sweat, he smiled as if it were nothing. "Do you live in a snow mountain?"
Li Fei didn’t know whether to laugh or cheer. She lunged forward and grabbed his sleeve, all pretense of grace forgotten.
"Xiu Yuan! Xiu Yuan!" she shouted excitedly. "You can fly here now? You’re already this fast?"
Lei Xiuyuan patted her head lightly and looked her over. Her hair was elegantly styled, adorned with a Scarlet Hibiscus. After three months apart, her complexion had grown fairer, and her features had changed noticeably. Now, deliberately dressed up, she looked even more radiant.
He smiled faintly. "You’ve changed so much. I almost didn’t recognize you at first glance.""It's all because of my senior sister... Wait, you haven't told me yet, how can you fly so fast now? Did you come to see me?" Li Fei brushed the snow off a rock and pulled him down to sit beside her, smiling as she looked at him. After three months apart, he seemed to have grown a little taller, making him appear even thinner. The No Moon Court disciple uniform still hung on his slender frame with an air of effortless grace.
Lei Xiuyuan remained silent, letting her gaze linger on him for a while before suddenly standing up. "Alright, I should head back now, or I won't make it by noon."
Noon? Li Fei glanced at the sky—it wasn't even mid-morning yet. And hadn't he just arrived?
A sudden realization struck her, and she stared at him in disbelief. "...How long did it take you to fly here?"
He merely smiled without answering, then patted her head again. "Still so short. Try to grow taller before I come next time."
Li Fei grabbed his sleeve. "Wait, Xiu Yuan... you... you..."
She stumbled over her words, unsure what to say. Had he flown for hours just to reach the area near Jade Fall Peak to see her? She didn't know exactly how far it was from Jade Fall Peak to Shining Light Peak, but No Moon Court was vast—one in the south, the other in the north. He'd have to spend the same amount of time flying back. It must have been exhausting, right?
She fell silent abruptly, overwhelmed by both shock and emotion. Her eyes reddened instantly.
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