With a sudden rush, a giant ape materialized in the shimmering light on the screen, then took a few steps and stood before the kneeling maiden. The mid-aged cultivator and others' faces turned pale, their expressions tinged with concern as they watched this lifeless figure. The yellow-robed maiden blinked with her slightly red, clear eyes, gazing at the giant ape with a sense of bewilderment. "Whether your words are true or false, whether you are truly pitiable or not—I do not care. But I never do anything without gain. I observe that you are still a virgin, and I myself am currently at a crucial stage in my cultivation. Perhaps, through the mutual cultivation of our two beings, we may both achieve a breakthrough. If you are willing to serve as my furnace vessel, these three 'Zhiyuan Pills' in this small vial will be more than sufficient to heal your father. Your fellow disciples may take the pills back with them, while you enter the array. I have always been fair—never imposing upon others, never treating the small with the large. If you are unwilling, you may simply leave now, as though you had never met me at all." The man's voice was cold and emotionless At that moment, the giant ape puppet lifted the bottle with one hand, revealing a delicate white jade vial, and gently placed it before the kneeling maiden. The maiden froze upon hearing this. Though still young, she understood the meanings of dual cultivation and the furnace and dais. Her naturally pale and graceful face flushed with a gentle warmth, yet she immediately agreed without hesitation: "Very well. As long as this truly restores my father to his former self, I shall willingly serve as your furnace and dais." With these words, she extended her slender, pale wrist, took the vial into her hands, and then slowly rose to her feet. "Xing'er! How can you do this? How will I explain this to my senior brother when I return?" The middle-aged cultivator was startled and quickly shouted to stop her. The other four male and female cultivators, likewise alarmed, also spoke up to urge her to reconsider. "Uncle, please examine the pills inside this vial—do you truly believe they will benefit my father?" The young maiden did not respond to the elder cultivator's astonishment, but instead raised her delicate hand and tossed the jade vial toward him, calmly inquiring. "You... hey!" The elder cultivator caught the vial, gazing at the young maiden's expressionless yet fresh and graceful face, and sighed in resignation. Knowing that he would be unable to change her mind, he furrowed his brows, opened the vial with a gloomy expression, and poured out a pill of pale blue hue. At once, a distinct and unusual fragrance filled the air! Everyone who inhaled the fragrance felt instantly refreshed and experienced an extraordinary sense of well-being. "This is a pill prepared using a spirit-fauna essence!" The elder cultivator, first startled by the fragrance, then sniffed the pill twice before exclaiming in surprise. "Made with spirit-fauna essence? Then can this Zhiyuan Pill truly heal my father?" The young maiden remained remarkably composed, calmly asking only one more question. "Though I am not fully aware of the specific effects of this medicine, I can assure you that this pill is exceptionally rare—it is no mere fabrication." The middle-aged cultivator's face was complex, yet after a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke the truth. "Thank you, uncles, for informing me! Now Xing'er is at ease. I'll also kindly take this medicine back to the household. Just let my father know that from this day on, he shall never have to remember me as his ungrateful daughter." The young woman first exhaled deeply, then her eyes glistened with emotion, and without turning back, she rushed into the light curtain. Seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator's expression changed several times. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out—instead, he tightened his grip on the jade bottle. At that moment, the giant ape puppet also returned into the light curtain. The light curtain, which had previously split open, gradually closed once more. "Uncle, really did you let Gongsun sister serve as the furnace vessel for someone else?" The sturdy young man, visibly anxious, finally broke and spoke out loudly. The other two women also looked uneasy. "Have you not noticed? Your sister has made up her mind—there's simply nothing we can do to stop her." Moreover, this senior's elixir might actually heal the abbot—thinking about the future of Qingling Sect, I simply cannot obstruct it." The middle-aged cultivator's expression darkened, and he spoke softly. "Yet, we absolutely cannot have the junior sister serve as the furnace vessel! Isn't that effectively ending the young sister's life journey?" The young cultivator flushed crimson, still firmly advocating his point. "Li junior, I know you've grown up together with Xing'er, as close as brother and sister. But now, it's all but impossible to change this." The middle-aged cultivator gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, his expression full of contradiction. "Master uncle, Gongsun sister has been summoned." The blue-robed woman suddenly exclaimed. At this, both the middle-aged cultivator and the sturdy young man quickly turned to look. They saw the light screen radiating brilliant radiance, the young woman's form gradually fading into the glow. A moment later, the glow faded and the young girl vanished, leaving only scattered, solitary leaves fluttering at her former spot. Upon seeing this, the sturdy young man instantly collapsed to his knees, arms folded over his head, as if deflated, remaining silent and motionless. The middle-aged cultivator, meanwhile, gently patted the young man on the shoulder, offering a quiet word of reassurance. Half an hour later, the three of them departed from the small island, rising into the sky and leaving behind the misty sea. The giant ape paid no attention to the young woman and strode steadily toward the stone gate. With a stiff push from both hands, the stone door opened easily inward. "Your name is Gong Sun Xing, isn't it?" The man's voice appeared, then vanished mysteriously. Only then did the young woman bite her lower lip and step through the stone gate. After a few turns and turns with the giant ape puppet, she found herself in a stone chamber several zhang in size. The room contained only a stone bed covered with an unknown fur and a stone table with two stone chairs. The giant ape led her to the spot and then departed, leaving the young woman standing there, somewhat at a loss. She took a moment to survey the room and then looked out toward the stone door, which remained open—seeming freely accessible. But after a moment's thought, the young lady slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and began to stare blankly, her hands resting on her cheeks. Though she had long prepared herself for a life of devotion, the prospect of future double practices and the rumored life of being the furnace-dwelling consort stirred deep apprehension within her. Moreover, now alone in a foreign setting, she felt a profound sense of loneliness and melancholy. After more than an hour of internal reflection, she stopped thinking and glanced out toward the corridor outside. She hesitated. A moment later, she rose and quietly stepped out of the room. Outside the stone chamber, she walked along the path for a while, then turned into a large hall with intersecting corridors and several arched doors—one of which was the very entrance through which she had entered. What caught her attention was that, beside each arch, a massive ape-like automaton stood motionless, as if lifeless. With a gentle blink of her long lashes, she approached the nearest arch. But before she could approach, the giant ape beside her flashed silently into position, blocking her path with a composed expression. The girl stepped back slightly, a little afraid, only for the ape to coldly return to its original stance. With a subtle shift of her dark eyes, the girl advanced again, only to find the puppet once more standing in the way. Now, Gong Sun Xing had clearly realized that the path ahead was not one she could easily reach, so she turned toward another archway. This time, the giant ape puppet remained motionless, easing the girl's mind, and she passed through without hesitation. After traversing a particularly charming little garden, she came upon another stone house with its stone door closed. The girl walked a few steps to the door and, with a delicate hand, pushed it open—easily. Gong Sun Xing glanced around the room with clear, attentive eyes, and everything was immediately apparent. A stone platform, stacked with colorful jade scrolls, stood at the center of the room, with a small round stone pedestal nearby and several potted pale green and emerald plants, creating an exceptionally serene atmosphere. The young girl gently pursed her adorable lips, took a step inside without hesitation. Then she walked to the platform, picked up a red jade scroll at random, and immersed her consciousness into it. This was a treatise on array techniques—a topic that did not particularly interest her. After glancing through it briefly, she withdrew her consciousness and returned the scroll to its original place. Next, she picked up a white jade scroll, and again used her consciousness to examine it. This time, it was a treatise on the art of crafting artifacts. Naturally, she did not read it carefully, and similarly withdrew her consciousness. However, the contents of the two scrolls were different, which piqued her slight curiosity. She then picked up several more scrolls, one by one, and began to examine them.