When Chen Jinshu heard the elder's words, her impression of him improved.
Within the sect, there had always been a gender imbalance between male and female cultivators. Yet, the distribution of resources remained equal; the sect had never been biased in favor of the more numerous male cultivators.
Hearing this, the male cultivator felt the weight of countless eyes on him. Embarrassment flooded his face.
The Moon Cleansing Pool was vast—even when divided in half, it remained incredibly spacious. Even if fifty more male cultivators were added, it could still hold them comfortably, with room to spare on both sides.
"There's no need to argue over something so trivial," said Feng Lingchuan quickly. "Even though the pool has been split, it's still large. It doesn't affect anyone."
"Enough. Time is limited. You have only three hours. If you exceed that time, the pool water will disappear."
At those words, everyone hurried to their respective sides. The Nascent Soul elder then lowered heavy curtains on both sides, completely dividing the two areas.
"There's no need to be restrained. Not even a Nascent Soul cultivator can see through these curtains. Focus on absorbing."
The six female cultivators exchanged glances. Shyly, they changed into thin gauze robes and approached the Moon Cleansing Pool. Following her master's advice, Chen Jinshu had chosen a water-appropriate outfit that was opaque and wrapped her up tightly. Only then did she walk toward the pool at a leisurely pace.
"Ah!"
A female cultivator from Biyu Peak cried out as her foot touched the glowing white water, scalded by its heat.
"This pool is no ordinary water. Will you give up?" the elder asked, disappointed.
"No!" she gasped, her face paling as she gritted her teeth and stepped fully into the pool.
The other female cultivators were also shocked by the scalding water, but having been warned, they made no sound. Chen Jinshu gazed at the milky-white, glowing pool. Her heart trembled.
As her foot entered the water, a scalding and numbing sensation surged up, but she didn't retreat. Like the others, she slowly immersed her entire body. The moment she was fully submerged, her mind felt as though it had been scorched into confusion.
"Master was right. This pool really is unimaginably hot!"
Panting slightly, she began to circulate the Verdant Wood Rebirth Formula. Slowly, a small amount of green spiritual energy enveloped her body, bringing faint relief from the heat. Yet, her fair face was still flushed red from the scalding water.
"At this level, just not passing out is impressive enough."
Soon, her body gradually adapted to the pool's intense heat. Only then did Chen Jinshu begin observing her surroundings. The pool was located within a cavern, though its ceiling was open, and she could see white clouds drifting above.
"It's currently a quarter past the You hour. Master said to combine moonlight with absorption. I wonder when the moon will appear."
The area around the pool was lavishly adorned—golden pillars embedded with moonlight stones lit the chamber in brilliant hues of gold and jade. The hanging curtains were embroidered with intricate, lifelike patterns.
"Time to try absorbing moonlight energy."
She closed her eyes and focused on sensing the power of moonlight within the water. As she began to feel the faint silver luminescence, she noticed large amounts of it flowing toward the male cultivators' side.
Her brows furrowed.
"They're already working together? How are they tolerating such intense burning?"
She began to doubt her own endurance.
On the men's side, things had started similarly. Most were overwhelmed by the heat. But the three physical cultivators from Longxiang Peak began absorbing the moonlight quickly, enduring the pain. Seeing this, the others gritted their teeth and followed suit.
Longxiang Peak was known for training robust, body-tempering cultivators, adept at enduring harsh environments. For them, the Moon Cleansing Pool wasn't harmful—it was beneficial.
Chen Jinshu, realizing this, quickly shifted her focus to absorbing the moonlight essence. The moment it entered her body, a cool sensation flowed through her meridians and gathered in her dantian, beginning to slowly cleanse internal impurities.
She felt her spiritual roots become enveloped in a mysterious power, and her sensitivity to various elemental spiritual energies improved. Still, a single strand of moonlight energy only had a subtle effect—the transformation was small.
Half an hour passed.
Finally, the moon appeared.
Calmly, she began performing the Moonlight Channeling Technique, guiding the moonlight's glow into her body. Then something miraculous happened. From within the pool, streams of moonlight surged toward her like a tide. Startled, she immediately understood what was happening.
"So this is what Master meant…"
She now grasped her master's intention and began drawing in moonlight essence with her full focus. She had intentionally positioned herself away from others to avoid interference. However, her moon-channeling technique caught the eyes of nearby female cultivators, who quickly began mimicking her. Seeing them copy her, Chen Jinshu frowned.
"Looks like the information each elder has is limited. My master's cultivation is on the verge of breaking into Nascent Soul—perhaps she knows more."
There was too much moonlight essence for her to absorb alone. At that moment, she felt a slight change on her forehead where her lotus-petal birthmark lay. Startled, she turned her back to the others to prevent it from being seen.
But her worry was unnecessary—the mark didn't change outwardly. Instead, it activated, absorbing spiritual power. Moonlight essence flowed into it endlessly, and what it returned to her body glowed faintly with gold. The feedback effect from this gold-tinged moonlight was several times stronger than the ordinary moonlight in the pool.
"I wonder if the treasure furnace in my sea of consciousness can absorb this too… If so, could it evolve further?"
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the furnace began to spin, competing with the lotus mark to absorb the energy.
"It works! Moonlight essence truly does go to the capable. Even if the elder watching notices, I won't be afraid—they'll just assume Master gave me a spiritual treasure to help."
The sudden surge of moonlight essence toward one area didn't escape the male cultivators' attention. They looked across the curtain, stunned.
"And you said it wouldn't affect us? They're sucking up all the moonlight on our side!"
"Quiet, junior brother. Likely one of the sisters is using a supportive treasure. It's not against the rules," Feng Lingchuan quickly interjected.
"This energy flows to the capable—it's no one else's fault. Let's all focus on absorbing!"
Although many looked displeased, they had no choice but to keep cultivating. The female elder watching from the side looked in Chen Jinshu's direction. A subtle smile rose on her lips.