Chapter 8: A Hidden Truth Revealed: Su Yun’s True Identity and a Surprising Ambition

Su Muxue was delighted upon seeing her master. She bounded joyfully towards Sun Biyue like a little girl, then enveloped her master in a warm embrace.

“Oh my, you naughty girl! You’re over a hundred years old and the sect master, yet you’re still acting like a child? It’s quite embarrassing!” Sun Biyue exclaimed, a mix of exasperation and amusement on her face as she looked at her precious disciple.

“No, in front of Master, I will always be a child,” Su Muxue declared in a deep voice.

Observing Su Muxue’s demeanor, Su Yun couldn’t help but muse inwardly, ‘Oh, my old man’s girlish heart. Why must my mother be so adorable?’

Sun Biyue chuckled softly. The two had not met for nearly twelve years. Twelve years prior, shortly after Su Muxue brought Su Yun back, Sun Biyue had relinquished her position as Sect Master to Su Muxue, ceasing all involvement in sect affairs.

“By the way, who is this little girl?” Sun Biyue asked, her gaze quickly settling on Su Yun. “She looks so much like you! If I didn’t see you two together, I’d think she *was* you.”

At this, Su Muxue promptly called out to Su Yun.

“Yun’er, come and pay respects to your Martial Ancestor.”

Hearing her mother’s summons, Su Yun hurried over. Perhaps due to nervousness, she accidentally stepped on her skirt hem, stumbling into a full prostration before Sun Biyue.

“Ouch!” Su Yun cried out in pain, sprawled on the ground.

An awkward silence ensued.

Su Muxue and Sun Biyue couldn’t help but chuckle at Su Yun’s predicament.

“Yun’er, this… she’s your son?” Sun Biyue questioned. She quickly realized the identity of the young girl before her.

Bearing such a striking resemblance to Su Muxue and being addressed as Yun’er, her identity was quite easy to deduce.

Su Yun hastily scrambled to her feet and bowed respectfully to Sun Biyue once more.

“Disciple Su Yun pays respects to Martial Ancestor.”

Sun Biyue scrutinized Su Yun from head to toe. Observing her slender figure and the convergence of pure yin energy at her glabella, it was clear this was a girl.

Yet, in her memories, her disciple had brought back a male infant all those years ago.

“Strange? Did I remember incorrectly?” Sun Biyue asked, turning to Su Muxue. “The child you brought back then was supposed to be a little boy, wasn’t they?” She was seeking an explanation from Su Muxue.

Su Muxue was utterly mortified. She had intended to keep this secret, but now, with a favor to ask, she had no choice but to reveal the truth.

In truth, only Sun Biyue had known Su Yun’s true gender back then; the other elders remained oblivious.

“Master, you’ve always asked me what happened back then, haven’t you?” Su Muxue said, glancing at Su Yun before speaking with a grave expression. “Today, your disciple has no choice but to tell you.”

Indeed, while Su Muxue had always claimed Su Yun was her child, Sun Biyue knew perfectly well that her disciple’s primordial yin remained intact, signifying she was still a virgin. How could this child possibly be hers?

Yet, Su Muxue had adamantly insisted the child was hers, leaving Sun Biyue and the others with no recourse. And, in a strange way, the child truly *was* hers.

“It seems you’ve encountered some trouble, which is why you’ve finally decided to tell me,” Sun Biyue said, a wry smile playing on her lips. “I thought you naughty girl would keep this secret until I ascended.”

“Bah, bah, bah! Master, what are you saying?” Su Muxue retorted, displeased. “Why do you always speak such disheartening words? You will definitely break through to the Nascent Soul stage!”

At present, Sun Biyue was the only elder and close relative Su Muxue had, aside from Su Yun and the Mysterious Woman.

To Su Muxue, Sun Biyue was both her master and a mother figure.

“I was just speaking casually. Enough chatter,” Sun Biyue urged. “Quickly, tell me what’s truly going on with this child.”

Su Muxue wasted no more time. She began recounting the bizarre affair involving herself and Feng Xuan, that deviant, and simultaneously divulged the truth about Su Yun.

Upon learning of Su Yun’s origins, Sun Biyue’s expression was one of profound astonishment. She had never encountered anything so preposterous in her life.

It turned out that Su Yun truly was her disciple’s child. However, she hadn’t emerged from her disciple’s womb, but from another woman’s, who, in turn, had conceived Su Yun using her disciple’s bloodline.

Logically speaking, her disciple should be considered Su Yun’s father, not her mother.

Furthermore, the fact that her grand-disciple possessed the Phoenix bloodline greatly startled her. She had heard tales of the phoenix undergoing rebirth through fire, where each rebirth signified a complete fresh start, even altering gender. She never expected to witness such a phenomenon firsthand today.

“To think the legends are actually true! No wonder you stubborn girl refused to tell the truth back then,” Sun Biyue mused, looking at Su Muxue with a mix of laughter and tears. “So this is what truly happened. Your master understands now.”

After all, they were both women. If Su Muxue had given birth herself, she would merely be branded for lacking chastity and disrespecting sect rules. But to reveal the full truth would have been a genuine mockery, likely exposing her to a lifetime of ridicule.

By this point, more than ten minutes had passed. The master and disciple had left Su Yun kneeling for just as long.

“Hey, hey, hey, esteemed ladies,” Su Yun grumbled inwardly, observing the two still deep in conversation. “Can you please let me get up? I’m still kneeling, and how much longer are you going to chat? My knees hurt so much!”

The women’s attire was thin and lacked padding. Thus, Su Yun’s kneeling was akin to kneeling bare-legged on the ground, far more uncomfortable than if she were wearing trousers.

“Little girl, come here. Let Martial Ancestor examine your physique.” Sun Biyue finally remembered Su Yun’s presence.

Su Yun felt as if she had received a grand pardon. She quickly rose, and to prevent another stumble, she carefully lifted her skirt as she approached Sun Biyue.

Indeed, a single garment could cause a former man to involuntarily adopt a more feminine demeanor.

Within the Moon Blossom Sect, one would notice that the higher a person’s status, the longer their skirt. This was largely true even in the secular world. Outer sect disciples of the Moon Blossom Sect, regardless of gender, wore knee-length skirts, though male disciples also wore trousers underneath.

Fundamentally, there was no inherent difference in clothing styles between men and women in this world. Instead, distinctions lay in materials and aesthetic. Women’s attire often favored silk, while men’s garments were predominantly crafted from brocade.

Naturally, this applied mainly to those of high status. And in this world, cultivators undeniably held a superior position, standing above all others.

After approaching Sun Biyue and Su Muxue, Su Yun knelt once more. However, the moment she did, Sun Biyue waved her hand casually, and a soft prayer mat slid from the side, settling beneath Su Yun’s knees.

“Ah, that’s better,” Su Yun sighed in relief, feeling the soft cushion beneath her knees.

“Extend your hand. Let your Martial Ancestor examine you,” Sun Biyue instructed.

Su Yun obediently extended her hand. Sun Biyue grasped Su Yun’s wrist, closing her eyes to sense the conditions within her body.

“Hmm? Has she already reached the first heaven of Qi Refinement?” Sun Biyue murmured. “It seems she truly can cultivate now. And look, what pure fire spirit roots! Excellent, excellent, truly worthy of the Phoenix bloodline. There also seems to be some other very special power.” She chuckled with delight. “Haha, it seems my Moon Blossom Sect is destined to produce a mighty expert in the future!”

The more Sun Biyue observed, the happier she became.

The Moon Blossom Sect’s progenitor was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Sun Biyue believed Su Yun’s future might even surpass that.

In this world, the cultivation realms, from lowest to highest, were Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Out-of-Body, Integration, Mahayana, and Tribulation Transcendence—a total of nine stages. Upon reaching the complete Mahayana stage, one could undergo tribulation and ascend to the Immortal Realm.

When Su Muxue had previously examined Su Yun’s body, she already understood the conditions within her.

“Her future is truly promising,” Sun Biyue said with a smile. “Muxue, your son—oh, no, your daughter—is truly exceptional. Cultivate her well. As for the matter of her being a girl, you can simply explain to the entire sect that Su Yun was always a girl who merely disguised herself as a boy. Should they have any doubts, I will personally step forward to clarify.”

With Sun Biyue’s words, both Su Muxue and Su Yun simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s wonderful. Thank you, Master,” Su Muxue said, expressing her gratitude once more.

“Why are you being so polite with me, you girl?” Sun Biyue chided gently. “It should be *me* thanking *you* for bearing such an outstanding daughter. Oh, I almost forgot, Yun’er, since you are a girl now, let’s change your name.” “I won’t change it entirely. From now on, you shall be called Su Yun, but with this ‘Yun’ character.” Sun Biyue then used her spiritual power to write out the character ‘韵’ (yùn).

This name change was certainly necessary. Su Yun, for her part, was indifferent, as the distinction was not significant.

“Understood. Thank you, Martial Ancestor,” Su Yun said gratefully.

“Also, since you can now cultivate, what do you wish to learn?” Sun Biyue inquired further.

Su Yun, however, seemed to have already decided what she wanted to learn.

“Martial Ancestor, this disciple wishes to learn artifact refining. This is my heartfelt desire,” Su Yun answered without hesitation.

But the moment Su Yun uttered these words, Su Muxue and Sun Biyue simultaneously gasped.

“Ah? Artifact refining? This…?” The master and disciple exchanged bewildered glances.

They had never heard of a female cultivator learning artifact refining, as it was a rough, physically demanding task. Female cultivators typically focused more on alchemy. Indeed, artifact refiners were almost exclusively burly, robust men.