Chapter 46: Showdown
Han Yu's forehead instantly broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat.
He lowered his head to look at his palm, fingertips trembling slightly. The surging true essence within his body rushed like a great river, completely different from how it was before he went to sleep last night.
"This…"
Instinctively, he reached out and grabbed—
"Whoosh!"
The teacup on the table flew into his palm without spilling a single drop.
Controlling objects through the air… this was the realm of Object Manipulation described in the books!
Han Yu's pupils shrank abruptly, his heartbeat pounding wildly.
"Breaking through in a single night?" he muttered, "Could I really be a genius?"
But the very next second, his face turned deathly pale.
—Mo Daoren came every morning to inspect his cultivation progress. A sudden breakthrough like this would surely expose his anomaly!
Outside the window, the sky was growing bright. At most, half an hour remained before Mo Daoren's arrival.
"No, I must conceal it!"
He gritted his teeth and sat cross-legged, forcibly suppressing the surging true essence, trying to restore it to the slow circulation it had shown yesterday. His meridians shrank under the strain, tearing pain coursing through his body as cold sweat soaked his clothes.
Half an hour later, Han Yu exhaled a long breath, his face as pale as paper.
The true essence in his body was finally suppressed, making it appear outwardly as though he had not yet broken through.
"I can only gamble on this…"
He wiped the sweat from his brow and had just tidied his robe when the familiar sound of footsteps came from outside the door—
"Dong, dong, dong."
Mo Daoren's withered figure appeared at the entrance. His sinister eyes stared directly at Han Yu, lips curling into a strange smile.
"Han Yu, how was your cultivation yesterday?"
Forcing himself to stay calm, Han Yu bowed respectfully. "Replying to Master Mo, this disciple… cultivated diligently, not daring to slack."
"Good. Remember, cultivation is like rowing upstream—if you do not advance, you fall back."
Han Yu nodded obediently, though he smiled bitterly in his heart.
Mo Daoren walked closer, his thin fingers pressing against Han Yu's pulse point.
In an instant, Han Yu felt a chilling spiritual power bore into his body, slithering like a venomous snake as it probed about.
His heart nearly stopped, cold sweat dripping down his back.
—Would he be discovered?
What Han Yu did not know was that if not for someone's malicious interference, according to the original course of events, by slowing his cultivation pace he would have three full months to use the jade gourd's resources to plan his escape, matching wits against Mo Daoren along the way.
But now, he had no room left to maneuver.
Mo Daoren's fingers slowly withdrew from Han Yu's pulse. His cloudy eyes shifted slightly, and his mouth twisted into a bizarre smile.
"Not bad, not bad…" he rasped, patting Han Yu's shoulder. "The path of cultivation lies in perseverance. You must continue to work hard."
Han Yu's tense nerves loosened slightly, and he bowed again. "This disciple remembers Master Mo's teachings."
"In that case, I shall take my leave."
"Respectfully sending Master Mo off."
Han Yu finally felt his heart return to his chest.
Yet just as he reached the doorway—
"Snap!"
Mo Daoren's withered hand suddenly clamped onto his shoulder, the five fingers digging in like iron hooks, piercing deep into his flesh. The sharp pain made Han Yu's entire body shudder.
"Master Mo, what is the meaning of this?!" Han Yu's face changed drastically, his words stammering.
"You really thought..."
Mo Daoren's chilling voice sounded right by his ear, "you could deceive me?"
Han Yu forcefully suppressed the terror in his heart and revealed a confused expression. "If... this disciple has done something wrong, may Master Mo please speak clearly!"
Mo Daoren sneered coldly, placing his other hand directly on Han Yu's head. An extremely frigid spiritual power violently invaded his meridians, wantonly probing.
"Only yesterday you touched the bottleneck, and today you can break through successfully?" Mo Daoren's eyes flickered with greedy light. "On your body... there must be a great secret!"
Han Yu trembled all over, yet dared not resist, only allowing that spiritual power to wreak havoc inside him.
However, after probing for a long time, Mo Daoren found nothing unusual. He then used his coarse hands to search Han Yu's body once more.
Fortunately... the jade gourd was hidden in the secret compartment beneath the bed...
Han Yu's heart eased slightly, though his face remained one of anxious panic.
Mo Daoren, finding nothing, furrowed his brows tightly, finally letting out a cold snort. "Enough, perhaps you truly are gifted by nature."
But the next moment, as if recalling something, he suddenly burst into wild laughter. His voice was hoarse like a night owl, making Han Yu's scalp crawl.
"Hahaha! Then is this not heaven's blessing for me?"
"Come, I will take you to a place."
Without waiting for Han Yu to respond, Mo Daoren flicked his sleeve. A gust of gloomy wind wrapped around the two of them, and they instantly vanished from the spot.
The scene before his eyes shifted abruptly. Han Yu staggered a few steps before barely steadying himself, discovering he was now inside a dim cave dwelling. Strange blood-colored runes were carved into the surrounding stone walls, and at the center stood a bronze alchemy furnace. The fire inside burned an eerie green, casting Mo Daoren's face like a ghost.
"Master Mo... what is this place?" Han Yu suppressed his unease and asked in a low voice.
Mo Daoren did not answer. Instead, he spoke faintly, "Han Yu, how has your master treated you?"
Han Yu's throat tightened. Forcing himself, he said, "Master Mo has guided this disciple in cultivation, resolving doubts daily, kindness as heavy as a mountain..."
"Very good." Mo Daoren grinned, exposing pale teeth. "Then today, your master... wishes to borrow something from you. Will you allow it?"
"What thing? This disciple will certainly do his utmost..."
"Of course it is—" Mo Daoren slowly closed in, speaking in a ghostly tone, "to borrow your body for a while."
Han Yu's pupils shrank violently, his blood seeming to freeze in an instant.
Mo Daoren's eyes glimmered with madness. "My lifespan is nearly exhausted. All these years I have hidden in this Eight Elephants Gate, dragging out my withered existence, yet never found a suitable body. But heaven shows mercy... it has delivered you to me. This body of innate spiritual root... is just right for my use!"
Before the words fell, he suddenly raised his hand, and a blood-red talisman shot straight at Han Yu's brow!
It's over!
Han Yu closed his eyes in despair—
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