The Tang saber swept through the air in a sharp arc and cut cleanly through the flower's neck. The crimson bud fell to the ground and lay there, severed from its stem.

Gravely wounded, the Dreamsinger Flower lost control of her ability. The dream she had woven unraveled at once.

Li Banfeng broke free from the Dream Cultivator's influence. With the dream already shattered, he would wake up easily.

The liquor gourd wasted no time. It tilted forward and sprayed a mouthful of strong wine straight into his face. The burning liquid stung his skin and rushed into his nose. He choked, coughed violently, and his eyes snapped open as full consciousness returned.

"My lord, thou art at last awake." the Tang saber said with joy.

As the Tang saber flicked a glance toward Li Banfeng, a slender stamen slipped free from the petals and burrowed toward the soil. The saber flashed upward and split it cleanly in two before it could disappear underground.

Did she think that I would be distracted when I was talking to my lord! She must be dreaming!

Even if the Tang saber had been sparring with Li Banfeng, the moment the Dreamsinger Flower tried to flee, she would have cut it down without hesitation.

The lower half of the stamen lay motionless on the ground, but the upper half still writhed in agony.

Li Banfeng grabbed the severed stamen in his palm and it let out a hoarse shriek. "Spare me! I was wrong! Spare me!"

Li Banfeng was about to crush the Dreamsinger Flower outright when something occurred to him. The folding fan had been reforged by Crimson Lotus, but it still lacked spirit essence.

Li Banfeng glanced at the gourd. "Well? Does this flower have enough spirit essence?"

The gourd grew quiet, as if weighing the matter very seriously. After a pause, it said, "The Dreamsinger Flower is rare. Its spirit essence is more than sufficient. But it would be wiser to let Elder Sister handle it first."

By Elder Sister, she meant the gramophone.

The gramophone has been sleeping for so many days

, Li Banfeng thought.

She should be waking up soon. Why don't I try oiling her tonight?

Li Banfeng was about to toss the stamen into the Pocket Dwelling when it cried out again. "Grandpa, I only have half a body left. I won't last half a day at this rate.

"You are a kind-hearted man. Please show mercy and take the rest of my broken body with you. From now on, I will serve you every day. Whatever you command, I will obey!"

Li Banfeng truly was soft-hearted. Looking at the strange petals and leaves, he felt they shouldn't be left outside to wither. Who knew? They might even be refined into pills.

He stored the entire Dreamsinger Flower inside the Pocket Dwelling. The flower immediately began pouring out words of gratitude.

The pendulum sneered inwardly.

Foolish creature. Wouldn't a swift death have been better? Once Madam wakes, even death won't come so easily.

Sure enough, the gramophone woke up.

She had not awakened on her own. The Dreamsinger Flower's incessant chatter had roused her.

When she first entered the Pocket Dwelling, the Dreamsinger Flower behaved herself. She stood quietly in the vase, not daring to make a sound.

However, once Li Banfeng left and the enchanted artifacts followed him out, she could no longer hold back. She began to sing.

It was in her nature and she could not suppress it.

When she was alive, she had gone on stage even while gravely ill. One night, beneath the bright lamps and painted smiles, she sang her final note and died where she stood. For seven days afterward, her spirit lingered in the dance hall.

On the seventh day, instead of drifting off to whatever place spirits are meant to go, she slipped away to the New Land. There, she turned herself into the Dreamsinger Flower and carried on performing.

Over the years, countless living beings, including passing travelers, had been sung to death by her.

Those who heard her song would remain rooted where they stood, listening for three days and three nights. By the time the song ended, their flesh had shriveled, their bones had softened, and all that remained of them was a single leaf growing neatly from her stem.

The lovely, sweeping shape of her gown-like petals was no gown at all. It was all made from her listeners. However, she had chosen the wrong audience today.

The Crimson Lotus had long found her noisy and had wanted to refine her. However, the Insect Overlord was at a critical stage of refinement, so she chose to hold back for the time being.

Besides, the Crimson Lotus did not eat the living. Even if she crushed the Dreamsinger Flower's body, the troublesome soul within would survive.

But if this Dreamsinger woke the gramophone, matters would become far more serious.

"You wretched thing. You sing so badly, yet you still howl without end!"

Suddenly, three needles shot into the petals at once. Amid a shrill, tearing scream, the songstress's soul was devoured completely.

Once the soul was gone, Wifey kept the spirit essence for herself.

With only spirit essence remaining, the Dreamsinger Flower lost most of her memories. She remembered nothing but scattered fragments of lyrics. Standing beside the bed, she continued to sing in a hollow voice.

The gramophone wifey exhaled a puff of steam that sealed the songstress's mouth. "Even a single note from you fouls my ears."

Crimson Lotus let out a cold sneer. "Vile woman. Since when did you even have ears?"

The gramophone roared, "Wretch, finish eating that insect's head. I am still waiting for you to refine the enchanted artifact!"

That night, when Li Banfeng returned, he discussed the refinement with the gramophone.

Wifey said, "Dream Cultivators excel at ambush, and Moralism Cultivators are good at manipulating. If we use the spirit essence from the dream cultivator and the flesh and bones from the Moralism cultivator, we can make an artifact that's strong both in attack and defense.

"As for what grade it ends up at, that will depend on Sister Crimson Lotus's skill," Wifey said. "Husband, you should think of a name for it first."

"Dream cultivator plus Moralism Cultivator…" Li Banfeng muttered, thinking it over. After a moment, he said, "Let's call it Dream Virtue."

The gramophone praised him warmly. "Husband dear~ You came up with an excellent name!"

The Tang saber gave a light scoff. "So my lord is not without talent in the art of naming after all..."

Li Banfeng shot the Tang saber a glare. "Isn't the name Second Saber pleasant enough?"

As they were speaking, the Dreamsinger Flower by the bed began to sing again.

Li Banfeng blinked in surprise. "Didn't Wifey devour her soul? Why does she still love singing so much?"

Clang, clang, clang~

"Heyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~ Husband dear~~ Her soul has scattered to the winds, yet her spirit essence lingers still. This wicked blossom was born to song. Even in ruin, she cannot forsake her tune."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "In that case, whether we refine the artifact or devour the soul does not appear to be directly connected."

"Heyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~ Husband dear~~ That is not so~ If we had not devoured her soul, how would she forget her former self? With memory intact, the spirit would resist its master. To refine such an artifact would be most arduous~ and even if refined, it would not yield to command~"

Wifey then explained in detail. Simply put, devouring a soul meant stripping away the other party's self-awareness.

Take the Dreamsinger Flower as an example. If she still had her own mind, she could not be reshaped. She would never become a loyal weapon like the Tang saber, nor a trusted companion like the gourd.

She would remain that same songstress, the one who would rather die than leave the stage. In that state, even if she were refined into an artifact, it would bring endless trouble.

Leaving only the spirit essence was the safest approach. It preserved the artifact's strength while ensuring obedience. Of course, spirit essence came with its own drawbacks. As Wifey had said before, every artifact carried a price. That was simply something one had to accept.

The bronze lotus was still occupied with refining the Insect Overlord's severed head, so it could not work on the new artifact yet. And so, the gramophone had no choice but to tolerate the Dreamsinger Flower's singing for the time being.

"This wench truly cannot stop singing. I can't even stop her by sealing her mouth. It would be one thing if she sang well. But that racket sounds like someone tearing apart a filthy rag, and she still dares to show off."

The Dreamsinger Flower fell silent. She stared straight at the gramophone and shot back, "And do you sing any better? If you have the skill, sing a verse yourself!"

The Blood-Drinking Pendulum flared up in anger. "How dare you speak to Madam that way!"

The gramophone, however, did not lose her temper. She released a curl of steam that coiled around the Dreamsinger Flower and began to sing in a slow, steady cadence. "Since you refuse to accept it when I say you cannot sing, I will teach you a few lines today. Listen carefully.

"「 When winter comes, the snow spreads without end,

Warm clothes are stitched and sent to the beloved.

A fair maiden waits within her chambers.

And for my husband, I added a chamber. ♪」"

"Wait!" Li Banfeng sprang to his feet. "Wifey, slow down. I'm not ready. Slow down!"

The Song of Four Seasons. It was not a song to be sung lightly. It meant a breakthrough in cultivation.

Li Banfeng had sensed it coming. Wifey had consumed so many good things lately, and her condition was clearly at its peak. It was only a matter of time before she pushed him into the fourth level of Homebound Cultivation.

He simply hadn't expected it to happen so suddenly. A surge of steam swept over him and sucked him straight into the horn.

Fifteen minutes later, Li Banfeng crawled out of the horn. His hair, beard, and even his eyelashes had been scalded into tight curls.

The gramophone cast a glance at the Dreamsinger Flower. "Have you learned your lesson?"

The Dreamsinger Flower did not dare utter a word.

She felt ashamed. In front of the gramophone, her singing truly fell short.

Li Banfeng wiped the steam from his face and sat down beside Wifey. "Wifey, leave her aside for now. Let's talk about this fourth-level ability."

Clang, clang, clang~

"Heeeyaaaaaaaaaa~ Husband dearest~~ The fourth-level ability of a Homebound Cultivator is called Golden House of Hidden Beauty. It is an ability all Homebound Cultivators have.

"This ability is difficult to master, extraordinarily so. Husband dear, you must devote time and care to practicing it properly."

The ability was called Golden House of Hidden Beauty.

Li Banfeng laughed and reached beneath the needle rack, poking and tickling. "Wifey, the ability name is Golden House of Hidden Beauty. You are the beauty I am hiding in my golden house, right?""Oh! Oh! Husband, don't tickle my armpits. I'm ticklish. I can't bear it anymore. I can't, I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe. Husband, spare me."

"Laugh then! Go on and laugh! You pushed my Homebound Cultivation to the next level without even warning me. I'll oil you later and see if you can still laugh!"

"I won't allow you to oil me! And you are not allowed to tickle me either. This little wifey know that I was wrong. Isn't that enough? Husband dear, stop playing around. I truly can't catch my breath…"

Huff, huff, the room filled with steam.

The gourd watched with open envy. The other enchanted artifacts did not dare utter a word while the Crimson Lotus quietly offered the pair two clear dewdrops.

Once the gramophone wifey had calmed herself, the gramophone said, "I will first explain the principles of this ability. Husband, can you fetch some clay? If there is no clay, flour will do."

Flour would certainly be hard to find, but Li Banfeng remembered seeing some clay along the way.

He stepped outside and returned in less than fifteen minutes with a sack of clay slung over his shoulder. Such was the speed of a Wanderlust Cultivator.

Wifey brought out a metal basin, poured in some water, and told Li Banfeng to knead the clay.

"Heyaaaaaa~ Husband dear~ Use this clay to sculpt a beauty," she said. "The more beautiful, the better."

A beauty? What kind of beauty could he possibly shape from clay?

Li Banfeng muttered to himself.

It wasn't just the form that mattered. The presence it conveyed mattered just as much.

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then grabbed a lump of clay and shaped it into a large sphere.

He took another piece and formed a smaller sphere. With more clay, he rolled out four long strips.

The small sphere became the head and the large sphere became the body. The four strips became the arms and legs.

Just like that, the clay figure was complete.

The gramophone examined the figure for a moment. "Husband… you call this a beauty?"

Li Banfeng fetched some rouge and carefully painted a red mouth onto the clay figure.

"Wifey, is it beautiful enough now?"

Wifey let out a soft sigh. "Husband is truly hopeless. The ability Golden House of Hidden Beauty requires allure. What you create must be peerlessly stunning. The more exquisite its appearance, the greater its combat strength."

Li Banfeng looked down at the clay figure in his hand. "This thing has combat strength?"

The gramophone nodded. "Once a Homebound Cultivator leaves the house, he has no advantage over other cultivation paths. He must rely entirely on this fourth-level ability to increase his combat strength. Husband, focus your mind and give this clay figure a drop of blood."

Li Banfeng took an awl, pricked his fingertip, and let a drop of blood fall onto the clay figure.

"Husband, concentrate. Keep your eyes on it," the gramophone instructed.

Li Banfeng fixed his gaze on the figure and did not blink for nearly ten minutes. Slowly, the clay figure began to move. It pushed itself upright and stood.

It works! It moved!

Li Banfeng exclaimed inwardly. He was delighted.

The gramophone praised him. "Husband has real talent. Take it outside and test its ability."

Li Banfeng carried the clay figure out the door. In the nearby wilderness, he spotted a rabbit nibbling at the grass.

He gave the clay figure a command. "Go catch that rabbit and bring it back to me."

It was his first attempt at the ability. Naturally, he could not choose anything too ambitious. One must begin modestly, after all. He should build confidence and establish a certain understanding between himself and the clay figure.

The clay figure received the command. It took one step. Then another. It waddled forward and began pursuing the rabbit.

Unfortunately, the clay figure seemed a bit slow and it became clear that it would be impossible for it to catch up to the rabbit. However, there was still a chance that it could catch up to the earthworm in front.

As long as you can catch up to the earthworm

, Li Banfeng thought.

But then, there happened to be a small stone on the path, causing the clay figure to trip. As it fell, its head detached itself with a soft plop.

And then… That was the end of it.

Half an hour passed and the clay figure remained exactly as it had been.

Li Banfeng picked up the headless clay figure and carried it back into the Pocket Dwelling. "Wifey, this thing isn't particularly useful," he said.

Pop. Crackle!

"Husband," Wifey replied patiently, "did I not say it must be a delicate beauty? The more beautiful she is, the stronger her combat power."

"This is sculpture," Li Banfeng protested, scratching his head in distress. "How would I possibly know how to do that?"

"Sculpting is indeed difficult," Wifey agreed. "Husband, how are your painting skills?"

"Painting?" he asked. "You mean drawing? That, at least, I can manage."

"Husband dear~ Draw a portrait of a beauty instead," Wifey suggested. "The drawing of a beauty will be slightly weaker in terms of combat strength, but it would still be much stronger than that useless clay figure."

Li Banfeng fetched paper and brush and set to work with great seriousness.

First, he drew a small circle for the head. Then a larger circle for the body. Then four extremely confident stick lines for the limbs.

After looking at it, Wifey asked again, "Husband, you call this a beauty? I cannot even tell if it is a woman."

You can't tell it's a woman? No way

, Li Banfeng thought.

Taking that criticism very seriously, he immediately added several long strands of hair to the "beauty."

Wifey examined the drawing for a moment. All three horns puffed smoke at once. "Good heavens, you madman. Even a three-year-old child can draw even better than this!"

***

At dawn, the centipede woman's mother stepped out of the plot, looking as though the sky had fallen on her head.

She did not spare a single glance at the wild boar standing beside the plot. Instead, she kept her eyes lowered and walked straight toward the deeper forest.

Halfway down the path, the centipede woman was waiting. She stood stiff and silent, glaring at her mother as if she might burn a hole through her back.

The centipede mother lowered her head. "Daughter, listen to me. It isn't what you think. I'm not that kind of person. I was a target of his ability…"

"Enough!" the centipede woman roared. "What nonsense are you still saying? Think about all the shameless things and positions you did with him. Where will you put that old face of yours now? How are we supposed to stay on this plot any longer?"

The centipede mother began to sob. "Then let's leave. We can't stay here anymore."

And so, without another word, the centipede mother and daughter departed.

Ma Wu struggled to prop himself up. Staring at the wild boar outside the plot, he shouted, "Are you coming or not?"

The wild boar's body trembled. He stood there for a long while without answering. Then something in his eyes shifted.

Without another word, he turned and walked toward the depths of the forest.

A sense of relief washed over the wild boar as he walked away. The forest was good. There were deer to eat, sheep to eat. After filling himself with meat, he could even nibble on some greens.

Once his belly was full, he could lie down for a nap. When he woke, he could rub himself against a big tree and scratch away any itch.

Isn't this a good life?

the wild boar thought.

I can take cultivation slowly. There's no need to ruin myself over a little progress.

***

The wild boar left.

Ma Wu let out a long breath.

The ability Feng Daiku had given him only worked on women. This wild boar was male.

If it had truly charged in, Ma Wu would have had no choice but to join forces with Little Gen and fight it to the death.

***

What happened to the centipede mother and daughter quickly spread across a fifty-kilometer diameter. No aberrant creature was willing to come near this plot anymore.

The land deity hovered above the land, staring down at Ma Wu with clenched teeth. "This one is even more shameless. More shameless than the last."

A male eagle flew to his side and whispered, "A roaming aberration has entered the domain."

The land deity's brows knit together. "What kind?"

"A bagworm moth."

A slow smile spread across the land deity's face. "Lure her over."

The roaming aberration came on her own. You can't blame me for making things difficult for you

, the land deity thought.

Young man, if you value your life, you'd better leave now.

Author's Note:

PS: Madam Bagworm Moth is not one specific being, but an entire class of aberrations. It was mentioned earlier, and its origins and background will be revealed later.

Ma Wu's greatest trial of worthiness is about to begin.