Chapter Five: A Hundred Years

A hundred days passed in the heavens, which amounted to a hundred years on earth. During this century, Yuan Wuji attended the Hall of Doumu in the Palace of Kan every day, listening to the teachings of the Holy Mother Jinling.

Within these hundred years, the Holy Mother Jinling once infused a strand of innate Geng Metal energy into Yuan Wuji's body, intending for it to temper his flesh and refine his bones. This primordial Geng Metal energy was the essence of slaughter; when it first entered Yuan Wuji's body, the pain was almost unbearable, leaving him in agony so profound that Xiao Yu, witnessing his torment, wept more than once. Every time she saw his soul-wrenching suffering, she wanted to beg the Holy Mother to retrieve that torturous energy.

"Little Monkey, stop trying to be brave. I'll go ask Her Ladyship to take back the thing that's hurting you." At that time, Xiao Yu's tears fell like rain.

"No! My master would never harm me. I can do this." Indeed, Yuan Wuji had never before endured such pain. Yet, when the Holy Mother Jinling implanted the innate Geng Metal in him, there was a look in her eyes, a longing hope as if wishing a child to become a dragon. To Yuan Wuji, whose heart had always known only loneliness, that look was like a ray of dawn in endless night. He had never before felt anything but solitude. No matter how excruciating the agony, he bore it—he had fought in brutal underground matches in a past life and was not lacking in tenacity. What he truly feared was seeing disappointment in the Holy Mother Jinling's eyes.

For the first time, he had a goal: not to let her show even the slightest hint of disappointment, not even a fleeting, veiled glance.

Yuan Wuji survived this trial, and when he saw the look in the Holy Mother Jinling's eyes, it was like that of a parent awaiting university entrance exam results, learning their child was the top scholar—an inexpressible joy. That day was the happiest of Yuan Wuji's life; for the first time, he felt what home meant.

In a hundred years, he completed the gathering of the Three Flowers, formed his Golden Core, and reached the Celestial Immortal realm. His greatest achievement was the Geng Metal Golden Core. Tempered by the essence of Geng Metal, his body became as hard as that element itself. But the most extraordinary feat was that, in the moment of forming the Golden Core, Yuan Wuji directly drew the innate Geng Metal into his core, giving his entire being a chilling, awe-inspiring aura.

For this, the Holy Mother Jinling scolded him soundly: "You forged your Golden Core from the innate Geng Metal without telling me—where do you place your master?" Despite her harsh words, Yuan Wuji detected no anger, only a deep-seated worry in her eyes.

Afterward, the Holy Mother Jinling still carefully adjusted his energy, fearing any mishap. "What you've done indeed has great benefits. In battle, your power will be unmatched, but you should have told me—what if something went wrong? In the past, some tried to fuse the primordial five elements into their core, but for someone to dare mix the aggressive Geng Metal during the forming of the core itself—such boldness! Yet I remain amazed by the talent of the Armored Ape. That you succeeded is incredible."

In truth, Yuan Wuji had not planned to fuse the Geng Metal into his core; at that critical moment, his heart trembled violently, forcing the essence to unite with the core. At first, the Geng Metal resisted, but under overwhelming pressure, it could struggle no longer.

...

"Xiao Yu, you've been in the Celestial Court so long without having any fun. Do you know where we can go to play?" Now, Yuan Wuji appeared seventeen or eighteen, robust and strong, with every strand of his fur gleaming like spun gold. He wore a dazzling golden chainmail vest—originally, he had been given a plain robe, but he disliked such attire. He ended up sneaking into a general’s residence and stealing this chainmail, a gift from the Jade Emperor himself. When the general discovered the theft, he was furious, vowing severe punishment for the culprit. But upon learning the thief's identity, his anger vanished—after all, if it was this ancestor, he would have given it as a gift anyway. The very next day, he sent a mid-grade postnatal spiritual treasure—Wind and Fire Staff—hoping Lord Yuan Wuji would forgive the slight. Yuan Wuji had not expected that after stealing from someone, instead of seeking retribution, they would bring him gifts and apologies.

Truly, might makes right. Of course, the Holy Mother Jinling was unaware of this incident; even if she knew, she would not care. Even the Jade Emperor meant little to her.

"Where do you want to go? Don’t you like training? Why have you stopped?" Over the hundred years, with the Holy Mother’s guidance, Xiao Yu’s cultivation improved remarkably. Now, she was like a lotus—pure, serene, and untouched by the mundane. Even the true celestial maidens were outshone by her beauty.

Within this century, Yuan Wuji also learned Xiao Yu's origins. The Holy Mother had told him: "After the War of Deification, our sect was defeated, the immortals sent to the Deification List, and the fox spirit Daji slain. Her birthplace, Fox Hill, was razed. I found Xiao Yu there by chance, just as she had eaten the Fruit of Transformation and taken human form. Seeing her fate was intertwined with mine, I brought her to my side."

Over the years, no one knew what cultivation art Xiao Yu practiced. At times she was pure as a lotus, at others alluring as a peony. The Holy Mother once told Yuan Wuji that it was their clan’s ancestral technique—its unintentional charm could enchant others. Living together, Yuan Wuji had no defenses and once, under her spell, pinned Xiao Yu to the bed. Fortunately, she quickly dispelled the enchantment; otherwise, the consequences would have been dire. When the Holy Mother learned of this, she forbade Yuan Wuji from living with Xiao Yu, assigning him another residence.

Yet, after just one day, Yuan Wuji moved his entire palace, grounds and all, next to Xiao Yu’s, declaring himself her neighbor. Even as neighbors, he spent more time in her palace than his own. When Xiao Yu tried to send him away, his reply was always, "I’ve reached a critical stage in my cultivation—I can’t risk moving, or I might fall into madness." Knowing she could not drive him off, Xiao Yu tried her best to restrain her powers whenever he was around, but accidents still happened. Each time, unable to bear hurting Yuan Wuji, she had to dispel the enchantment, which took time. By the end, he had touched every inch of her he should not have, only to rush back to his own palace afterward, and the next day, return as if nothing had happened, continuing to linger at her side.

When the Holy Mother Jinling found out, she had nothing more to say to Yuan Wuji and simply allowed him to remain as her so-called neighbor.