Yun Sha sat down beside the beast's lifeless body, placing her palm gently on its fur. A faint glow shimmered around her hand before the enormous white tiger's corpse dissolved into particles of light and vanished into her spiritual ring.
Zhen Huan, standing a few steps away, tilted his head as he observed the process. "Hey, is that a spiritual ring?" he asked, curiosity shining in his eyes.
So this really is like the novels. A spiritual ring that stores items.
Yun Sha stood up, brushing dust from her clothes. "Yeah, it's a spiritual ring," she replied. "But… where's yours?"
Let's see what he says now. He must reveal where he's storing his sword.
Zhen Huan blinked, caught off guard, but quickly recovered. "Oh, I don't have one," he said casually.
I might not have a spiritual ring, but I've got my system storage. Way better.
Yun Sha's lips curled into a sly smile. Her guess was correct. "Then where did you store your sword? I saw it disappear into thin air."
Zhen Huan opened his mouth to answer, then paused. His thoughts moved quickly.
Wait… she's trying to trick me. She wants to find out about the system.
He flashed a cheerful smile. "Oh, right! I forgot—I do have one. Silly me."
Before Yun Sha could press further, he abruptly changed the subject. "By the way, do you know if there's any lake nearby?"
Nice try, but I won't fall for that.
Yun Sha sighed, recognizing the dodge for what it was. "Fine, fine. I get it," she said with a half-smile. Then she turned, pointing toward the darkened stretch of forest in the distance. "There's lake not far from here. I'll take you."
She began running, her long hair swaying behind her.
"Follow me," she said without turning back.
Zhen Huan exhaled in relief and followed her into the forest's shadows.
Zhen Huan sprinted through the forest behind Yun Sha, his untied hair flowing wildly in the wind. Despite her running at only half her speed, he was barely managing to keep up, his breath steady but heart racing. Yun Sha turned her head slightly, glancing back at him.
Is he really just a Qi Refining cultivator?
Zhen Huan pushed harder, running at nearly eighty percent of his full speed.
Even with this much effort, I can barely keep up. She's not even trying. Just how strong is she?
A few minutes later, Yun Sha gracefully leapt onto a thick tree branch and came to a halt, gazing intently ahead. Zhen Huan followed her motion and landed beside her, crouching lightly on the branch.
"What are you looking at?" he asked, panting slightly.
Yun Sha nodded toward the distance. "Look, there's a lake."
Zhen Huan followed her gaze and saw it too. A gentle waterfall cascaded down from a short cliff, spilling into a serene pool of water below. The sunlight sparkled across the surface, and mist rose faintly into the air. It was a beautiful, quiet place—untouched and pure.
Without waiting another second, Zhen Huan jumped down and ran toward the water. His eyes lit up as he reached the edge of the lake.
Perfect. Now I can freshen up.
He knelt beside the water and touched its surface. It was pleasantly warm, just enough to relax his muscles. Without hesitation, he pulled off his upper garments, leaving only his lower clothes on.
Meanwhile, Yun Sha emerged slowly from the forest, unaware of what Zhen Huan was doing. She stepped into the clearing and looked toward the waterfall.
"Hey, I want to tak—"
Her words froze. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Zhen Huan undressing near the water's edge. Her cheeks flushed instantly. She quickly covered her face with both hands and shouted.
"You pervert! What are you doing!"
Zhen Huan, who had just turned to dive into the water, froze mid-motion. He looked over his shoulder, confused and startled.
"What? Who are you calling a pervert?"
Yun Sha spun around, facing the trees to hide her blushing face.
"You're shameless! How could you start taking off your clothes when a beautiful girl is still here!"
Zhen Huan stared at her, dumbfounded.
What is wrong with her? It's just a bath.
Zhen Huan ignored Yun Sha's shouting and jumped straight into the water. The warmth enveloped his body as he submerged himself, letting out a soft sigh of relief.
Behind him, Yun Sha stood with her back turned, still covering her face with both hands.
"H-Hey, I want to take a bath too… so finish quickly," she stammered without looking back.
Zhen Huan, rubbing water along his arms and chest, called out lazily, "Okay, just wait two or three minutes."
The water rippled gently as he swam across the clear surface, the light from the sky casting a soft shimmer.
Ah… this feels amazing.
Meanwhile, Yun Sha stood at the edge of the clearing, her face still blushing.
That shameless bastard. How could he just undress like that with me nearby?
A few minutes later, Zhen Huan stepped out of the water. Water dripped from his body, his lower clothes soaked. Without hesitation, he took them off and tossed them aside along with his upper garments. Then he summoned the storage window and retrieved a clean set of normal clothes.
Dressing quickly, he tied his damp hair back with a black ribbon, letting it fall neatly behind his back.
"I'm done. Do you want to bathe now?" he asked, stretching his arms lightly.
Yun Sha turned to him, her face still glowing red. "Yeah," she said simply.
She walked toward the water but stopped right beside Zhen Huan. Her gaze fell on him.
He stood tall in black robes, his figure clean and composed, his black boots shining faintly in the soft light. With his neatly tied hair and calm expression, he looked almost princely.
Yun Sha's eyes lingered on him longer than she expected.
Zhen Huan raised his hand and waved it gently in front of her face. "Hey, are you okay? Do I look weird or something?"
Startled, Yun Sha blinked and turned away. "N-No! Just go somewhere far and don't peek! Or you're dead!"
What the hell just happened to me…
She walked to the edge of the waterfall and sat down, taking off her clothes carefully and placing them neatly on the rocks. Then she slid into the water, letting it embrace her body with warmth.
Meanwhile, Zhen Huan had walked deeper into the trees, far from the lake.
This should be far enough.
He summoned the Invincible Slayer Sword from his system storage. The blade shimmered faintly, humming with a quiet but ancient power.
"I can still only use one percent of this sword's power," he murmured, eyes narrowing.
Then something struck him.
Wait… I have 700 xp points. I should be able to break through now, right? Let's check.
He called out silently, "System, can I break through?"
A mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
System Notification: Yes. Host can break through once.
Zhen Huan grinned. "Break through once."
Another prompt followed.
System Prompt:
500 XP Points have been deducted.
Current XP Points: 200
Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy burst through his body. It flooded his meridians like a tidal wave, igniting every cell within him.
Dust rose from the ground. Leaves scattered.
His muscles tensed as his body absorbed the energy, transforming it into raw power.
Then—
A thunderous boom echoed through the forest.
A violent pulse of spiritual force erupted from him, and the earth trembled. Trees nearby cracked apart, their trunks splintering before toppling to the ground.
The wind howled in every direction, shaken by the sheer might of his breakthrough.
As the dust settled, Zhen Huan stood still at the center of the destruction, his body glowing faintly with a spiritual light that slowly faded.
He took a deep breath, eyes clear and sharp.
Qi Refining – Third Layer.
At the waterfall, Yun Sha was enjoying the warmth of the water when a deafening blast echoed through the forest.
She jolted, eyes widening.
What was that sound? Is Zhen Huan doing something dangerous?
Without wasting a moment, she leapt out of the water. With a snap of her fingers, her clothes wrapped back around her body in a flash of spiritual light. She tightened her belt quickly and darted through the trees, her senses locked onto the direction of the explosion.
A few seconds later, she emerged from the foliage and came to a sudden stop behind Zhen Huan.
"Bastard! What are you doing?!" she shouted, eyes sharp with suspicion.
Zhen Huan turned toward her, the Invincible Slayer Sword held loosely in his right hand. His expression was calm, slightly amused.
"Oh, I was just cultivating here," he replied with a small shrug.
Yun Sha folded her arms, looking him up and down.
That blast… he actually broke through to the third layer.
She clicked her tongue and muttered, "Oh great."
Zhen Huan sheathed his sword into the system storage, then looked at her casually. "So, where are you going next?"
Yun Sha exhaled slowly and answered, "I don't know. I guess I'll just return to my clan."
Zhen Huan raised a brow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "So… are you going to tell them you killed that beast alone?"
Yun Sha blinked, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.
"S-So what if I do? If I say someone helped me, I'll only get half the contribution points," she said defensively, avoiding his gaze.
Zhen Huan laughed lightly, clearly amused.
"Greedy and shameless," he said, shaking his head.
Yun Sha glared at him. "Tch. Like you're any better."
But the corner of her lips twitched slightly, betraying a hidden smile.