Inside the room, sandalwood incense curled gently through the air.
Chu Feng had already gotten dressed. Watching Aunt Zi calmly put on her robes in front of him, he knew he shouldn’t stare, but his eyes couldn’t resist the overwhelming temptation. The sight before him swayed ever so slightly, leaving him utterly captivated.
His face was still flushed, and even his breathing carried a hint of heat. He could still feel a warm current flowing through his body.
He had now successfully broken through to the peak of the third rank and was only one step away from the fourth rank.
Looking at Chu Feng, Zi Xiner said, “Little one, I’ve temporarily suppressed the frigid yin energy inside your body, but there’s a chance it may flare up again in the future.”
“Huh? Aunt Zi, can’t it be completely removed?”
Chu Feng was dumbfounded. It could flare up again!?
Zi Xiner raised a slender finger and pointed at his dantian. She then slowly traced upward before stopping over his heart.
“If you want to remove it, simply cut away all the meridians from here… to here.”
Chu Feng’s expression changed dramatically. Dear heavens, if those were cut out, even if he didn’t die, he’d end up a vegetable.
“Then… let’s forget about it.”
He hadn’t even had the chance to properly enjoy life yet. Becoming a vegetable was no different from being dead.
“However, little one, there’s no need to worry. This frigid yin energy should only emerge when you’re making a breakthrough. Try sensing the meridians within your body.”
As soon as Zi Xiner finished speaking, Chu Feng immediately turned his awareness inward to inspect his meridians. Sure enough, they had grown even stronger. It seemed that this frigid yin energy strengthened his meridians with every breakthrough. No wonder the disciples of the Myriad Saint Palace were practically invincible among those of the same realm—it all made sense now.
“But, Aunt Zi, if this happens every time I break through, then what am I supposed to do in the future? Stop breaking through?”
A trace of panic rose in his heart.
“There’s no need to be so nervous, little one.” Cradling Chu Feng’s cheeks in both hands as though comforting a child, Zi Xiner said, “There are two methods. The first is to rely on your own willpower and endure it. Based on my estimation, once you reach the fifth rank, you should be able to withstand it on your own.”
“The second is that whenever you’re about to break through, someone can do what I just did. Keep your body warm while helping you resist the frigid yin energy.”
He wouldn’t be able to endure it on his own until the fifth rank. He hadn’t even reached the fourth rank yet, which meant that every time he broke through, he would have to be held like…
Th-This was just…
First, his spiritual root turned out to be a Yin-Yang Spiritual Root that required yin and yang energy. Now, on top of that, there was this frigid yin energy that required someone to keep his body warm.
Seriously, was he cultivating immortality… or something else entirely?
Why was his cultivation so different from everyone else’s!?
“Aunt Zi… isn’t there any other way?”
Chu Feng wanted to struggle a little longer. Otherwise, if Sister Tiantian and the others found out about this, their eyes would probably light up.
“At the moment, no.” Zi Xiner smiled faintly. “Perhaps the next time you break through, you can have the Demon Empress stay by your side.”
Zi Xiner looked at Chu Feng with eyes filled with affection, as though she were gazing at an incomparable treasure.
“………”
Chu Feng fell silent. He had a feeling that, given Sister Tiantian’s fondness for teasing him, even if there were another solution, she would still insist there wasn’t.
Haaah… My life is too hard…
Zi Xiner withdrew her hands and flipped her wrist. A sugar pill appeared in her palm.
Without waiting for her to say anything, Chu Feng obediently opened his mouth and swallowed it in one bite.
“Hiss!”
In an instant, a pained expression spread across Chu Feng’s face.
So bitter!
“Haa—Haa—”
He stuck out his tongue, hoping it would ease the bitterness a little.
To his surprise, Zi Xiner picked up another sugar pill and gently fed it into his mouth.
“Mmm! So good!”
Chu Feng swallowed it immediately. His mouth was instantly filled with a rich, creamy sweetness, like White Rabbit milk candy, washing away much of the lingering bitterness.
“Aunt Zi, what kind of candy is this? It might be the best one I’ve ever tasted!”
He had eaten fruit-flavored sugar pills before, but none of them came close to this rich, milky flavor.
Zi Xiner gently stroked the little one’s head and said with a warm smile, “That’s Aunt Zi’s little secret. Good children shouldn’t pry into adults’ secrets.”
“All right.”
Chu Feng savored the candy in his mouth as the rich milky sweetness lingered pleasantly on his tongue.
Feeling her soft hand resting on his head, he couldn’t help but wonder why it was that every woman close to him whether it was his master, Sister Wan’er, or the others seemed to love patting his head and pinching his cheeks.
Damn it! I’m a dignified seven-foot man! How can I spend my days beneath someone else’s thumb!?
But no matter how Chu Feng struggled, he simply couldn’t break free. The gap in their strength was far too great.
Watching Chu Feng happily munch on the candy, his cheeks puffed out like a little hamster’s, Zi Xiner simply took out another sugar pill and fed it into his mouth.
“Little one, those were the only two of these sugar pills I had. If you want more, you’ll have to wait until I make another batch. I can only produce two at a time.”
“Aunt Zi, it’s fine.”
With a gulp, Chu Feng swallowed the candy. As it dissolved, spiritual energy surged forth, and immense spiritual power circulated through his body before gradually being refined into true qi.
Instantly, the exhaustion and pain caused by the frigid yin energy vanished without a trace, replaced by a refreshing sense of vigor.
To be honest, he couldn’t understand why all the women around him treated him so well.
First there was his master, then Senior Sister Yuyan, followed by Sister Wan’er, Sister Saintess, Aunt Zi, and Sister Tiantian.
Only Aunt Jing had been completely normal at first… but before long, even she had been led astray by Sister Saintess.
Could it be that the entire cultivation world believed in one big, harmonious family?
If that were really the case, then his relationship with Lin Ruo would never have developed into one where only one of them could survive.
He just couldn’t figure it out.
Before long, all the spiritual energy in his body had been completely refined. Feeling the power flowing through him, Chu Feng nodded to himself. Unless something unexpected happened, he should now be unbeatable against anyone below the fifth rank.
“Oh, right, Aunt Zi. Generally speaking, how strong are the participants in the Civil and Martial Grand Tournament?”
What if the Civil and Martial Grand Tournament was nothing but battles between monstrous geniuses? The thought alone was enough to make him feel immense pressure.
“Don’t worry, little one. With your strength, making it into the top ten won’t be a problem.”
While helping Chu Feng resist the frigid yin energy earlier, Zi Xiner had already gained a thorough understanding of the condition of his body. She had even sensed the existence of the demon core Su Tiantian had left within him.
She had also detected the sword intent mark left behind by Xiyue, as well as the divine soul mark of the Empress of Yan.
Beyond that, she had picked up the auras of Xiyue’s eldest disciple and Xueyao as well.
She had never expected that so many people had left their marks inside the little one’s body.
As a result, she quietly left her own mark within him as well, just in case. If the little one ever found himself in mortal danger, it could save his life.
Chu Feng, however, was completely unaware of any of these marks. As far as he knew, the only things inside his dantian were the Heaven-Mending Stone and the demon core Sister Tiantian had left him.
Little did he know that the inside of his body had already become so lively that there were enough “occupants” to gather for a game of mahjong.
Leave a Reply