"Aiiiii!"
A scream that pierced the heart erupted from inside a dormitory in the outer courtyard.
Su Han was screaming in agony, feeling every part of his body erupting as if it were submerged in lava.
It was a pain he had never experienced before. And he didn't understand why he was suffering like this now.
All he remembered was that he had been cultivating normally, but suddenly his body had turned into a living furnace.
"Am I going to die?"
Su Han, who had already lost his voice from so much screaming, felt his mind fade away. In that moment, he wished the dormitory didn't have formations that muffled sound… or that his roommate were there.
It seemed his prayers were heard: a sound of an opening echoed in his ears, giving Su Han a glimmer of hope. He tried to raise his arm for help, but failed.
"Su Han!"
Someone called his name. He couldn't discern the gender of the voice; his senses were failing. But he could guess it was Zhao Yi… and even if it wasn't, he just wanted to be saved.
These were the last thoughts before Su Han completely lost consciousness.
....
"Am I… saved?"
Su Han murmured to himself. He was in a void where he couldn't feel anything, only an endless darkness stretched before him.
But suddenly, light began to appear, and at the same time, his senses returned. As this happened, he felt a cold liquid against his skin and smelled the scent of snow flowers in his nostrils.
"..?"
Confused, Su Han impulsively opened his mouth and drank the unknown liquid. Tasting it with his tongue, he realized it was like cold nectar.
It wasn't unpleasant…
"What are you doing, boy?"
A female voice asked.
Snapping back to reality, Su Han opened his eyes and saw himself submerged in water, surrounded by scattered blue flowers. In front of him was a beautiful woman with long black hair, dressed in white, but what caught his attention most was the black cloth tied around her eyes.
Su Han blinked.
"How can she see?"
That was his question. His main hypothesis was that she was incredibly strong and could use spiritual perception to see through everything.
With that in mind, he bowed respectfully, not caring that he was naked in the pool, and said, "Thank you for saving me, Senior. May I know your name? Or how can I repay this debt? I don't like owing anyone."
"You don't need to do anything… Saving you wasn't a problem this time. But next time, it will be more complicated." The woman explained, her voice calm yet firm.
"Is my problem that serious?"
Su Han felt his heart stop. He did not want to experience that pain again.
"Yes…" The blind woman spoke directly, without hiding anything.
Her simple words sounded like a verdict to Su Han, who began clenching his fists so tightly that his fingernails scratched the flesh of his palms.
"What's my problem?"
He asked coldly, almost possessed. Anger burned in his heart, and hatred gleamed in his dark eyes.
Since entering the true martial academy, he had always been upright, avoiding karma and trouble. But now… what had he gained?
He understood that no one was to blame for his problems, but swallowing the situation was still difficult. As a human, he expected kindness to be rewarded… not that it would bring him death!
The blind woman, seeing Su Han in this state, placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully. After a few seconds, she removed it and sent a mental message.
"Your problem is your body, which is basically a living furnace. If it doesn't have cold energy, Yin, to balance it, it will combust. And as your cultivation advances, it will only get worse," she explained.
"Do you understand why I said next time there may be no solution?" she continued, now questioning.
Su Han, furious, heard a sound in his head, feeling confused, which was then clarified by the transmitted message.
"Senior, from what you're saying, every time I break through a realm, I'll need Yin?"
Su Han asked, looking ahead, seeing the blind woman nod before sending another mental message.
"Do you have charisma? If so, you can use Dual Cultivation to stabilize your body, or be lucky enough to find a Yin-source treasure. And maybe a patron willing to invest in you."
"That's feasible."
He agreed with the three proposals that could help him, but they were complicated: the first required finding a woman willing to practice with him, which was difficult because a cultivator's Yin Qi was extremely precious.
The second was even worse: he was ordinary. If he traveled, nothing extraordinary would happen, indicating his destiny was not one of fortune. As for a patron, that was nearly impossible: no one would invest in an external disciple.
"Haaa…"
Su Han sighed, feeling lost amid all these problems.
"Boy, don't give up. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel… I believe you will find yours." The blind woman advised.
"Thank you for the motivation, Senior." Su Han forced a smile, which was quickly replaced by a surge of madness.
"I will not give up!"
He shouted, tearing at his hands, letting the blood stain the crystal-clear water.
"I may die from anything, but I will not die as a quitter. If destiny closes doors for me, I will use the furnace inside me to burn them down and carve my own path."
He declared this like a beast awakening. His blood began to boil, his meridians heated up, and his dantian became a cauldron. Soon Su Han returned to his furnace state, raising the water's temperature until it evaporated into the air.
"I, Su Han, will fight to the very end!"
Declaring this amid an inverted rain, with droplets rising into the air, his mind cleared, and his senses sharpened completely.
"Thank you, Senior, for giving me a purpose in life." He felt gratitude toward the blind woman, who had not only saved him but also helped him continue on the martial path with her advice.
"You're welcome… Can you put on your clothes?" The blind woman asked calmly, seemingly unconcerned. For a moment, a blush appeared on her face, but it was quickly hidden.
Su Han, not noticing, just felt embarrassed. Taking a white robe from his storage ring, he looked down.
"Holy sh—!"