" Now remove your clothes and we get on with with this ."she said, dissolving into a trail that rushed towards the center of the six stone pillars .
Xuan blinked at her words, his heart skipping a beat.
"R–remove my clothes?" he stammered, "You can't be serious…"
The trail of mist exploded revealing her once again , she only tilted her head
" would you rather die from the disastrous poison in your body or talk about modesty."
Li Xuan froze. He looked down, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean… you could at least look away," he muttered under his breath.
"Child," she sighed softly, the faintest smile touching her lips. "You think I want to see your little manhood
His cheeks burned red instantly. "Yah, right!"
There wasn't much he could do,he knew she was right. So, awkwardly, he undid his outer robe, the soft rustle echoing faintly in the hollow space.
She sighed and raised her hand up towards the air .
Mist rose around Li Xuan like a curtain, gentle and warm, shielding his body from view just enough to ease his embarrassment.
He walked over and sat cross-legged upon the lotus stone just in front of her . He couldn't help but want to disappear,it was already just too embrasssing .
The woman's voice came softly, almost like a lullaby as she placed her hands on the his tiny back . Her touch was gentle and just too warm ,li Xuan's cheeks burned red for some reason .If he was in his adolescent stage where his hormones would begin to go crazy ,then this could have been chaos .
"Don't try to resist my power, or you'll suffer a backlash."
Li Xuan tried to steady his breath, but his nerves refused to calm.
"You know… if anyone saw this, they'd think I was having a moment with someone why older than me and that would be crazy "
Her lips curved faintly. "Humph, and who do you think they would call crazy among us?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Surely no one is stupid enough to drown himself at the bottom of a lake just to see a ghost."
The crystals pulsed one after another, colors shifting from pale blue to faint gold. Trails of light erupted from the crystals, seeping deep through his skin and into his body . For the first time,he felt the toxicity of the poison . If this had been in his body for another day ,he would definitely die from it .
He winced slightly as the faint violet threads under his skin began to fade. The warmth reached deep into his blood, dissolving that burning ache that had followed him since his fight.
"Your innate core energy is still just at level 89 . How come you have managed to reach three turns foundation level "
Li Xuan just frowned,after all,his cultivation base hadn't even solidified let alone reach the foundation level . Onca a human being chose the path of cultivation,he would need to fully awaken his innate spirit core but this type of awakening deepened on how much innate core energy one is born with .
This ranged from one to a thousand units ,his was only at level 89 out of a 1000,with that he would need at least ten years to breach the foundation level before fully qualifying for the title of a spirit lord.
The woman noticing his expression, didn't push it.
The crystals dimmed slowly as the trails withdrew, settling into the calm glow of moonlight. Li Xuan felt light, his body almost floating. He sighed deeply and leaned back slightly, half smiling.
"Guess I owe you my life again," he said softly.
The woman didn't answer immediately. Her eyes seemed distant, fixed on the faint shimmer above the dome.
" Charming, I guess you will reconsider making enemies with people stronger than you "
Li Xuan looked up at her.
" If I had a formidable master ,I wouldn't have to worry about me becoming stronger and knocking the shit out of those Zhao family bastards ."
That earned him another look—one that lingered, as if she couldn't decide whether to laugh or scold him.
"Go, foolish boy," she said finally. "Your world still waits for you."
Li Xuan stood up and dressed again as quickly as possible.
The woman extended her finger toward the air in front of her, tracing a circle as another vortex formed. It was steadier than the others he had passed through, and he could clearly see the other side—a small, familiar path, the same one he used to come here.
He stepped forward, pausing as his foot touched the edge of the vortex.
"Who really are you?" he asked.
That question had lingered in his mind since the first day he saw her. She was the kind of woman who seemed to have forgotten what the world looked like and cared little for it and yet her heart was softer and more understanding than most humans he'd met.
The woman looked at him for a moment, then raised her eyes toward the sky.
"I am nobody," she said finally.
As if the vortex had its own mind, Li Xuan was pulled in, and in the blink of an eye he found himself back on the narrow path home.
" Master "
A voice called out from behind the woman.
"Do you think he could make a better apprentice," The voice continued as a figure finally came to view . She resembled just like her except her aura was somehow different from hers .
" what makes you say so ?" She asked , levitating up like a weightless feather .
The figure stepped forward, standing in line with her .
" He is kind and with pure heart yearning to protect those close to him . And besides he is a perfect candidate who possibly has a spiritual sea instead of meridians,this would allow your essence to correspond with his "
She let out a soft breath .
" I am just a saint level beast who lost everything because I trusted the right hearts who turned to be filled with filth , I just want to live my last days without worry ."
She stared up at the dome,her gaze penetrating through the barrier up to the sky illuminated by the moon and the stars .
" Master," The illusory figure continued, following her gaze .
" You won't be free unless you fully understand what you truly want .Your glory , power are all being swallowed up by your fears . It is time to let go and achieve your ultimate revenge on those bastards."
She swallowed hard, letting the silence loom over them .
Li Xuan couldn't understand her but if that was her choice, he would just have to live with it. If she had been a powerful cultivator in her past, then surely something terrible had happened to her,no wonder she was in that state.
Li Xuan's mind immediately drifted to his promise to his aunt. He hadn't been gone long, and that gave him enough time to walk home before she grew worried. The path was dark and lonely, and any other child would have been terrified to walk it alone.
As he moved through the trees, a soft rustle echoed from the bushes, making him glance over. This land wasn't known for beasts, not even rats who dare come within a fixed range around the lake and other parts of mingdu .
He brushed it off and kept walking until a sudden laugh broke the silence, sending a chill down his spine.
"You must be Li Xuan. I didn't expect you to be this young," a tall, well-built man stepped out from the shadows, clutching a sword in his hand.
"Humph," another voice scoffed as a second man approached from the trees. "I can't believe this is the little brat they told us about. I expected more of a man than a boy."
The second man's eyes scanned Li Xuan from top to bottom. Then, as if bored, he sighed. "Brother Zhao Mu, handle this one."
Li Xuan's expression stiffened. Zhao? That name alone made his heart tighten. So, the Zhao family had come for revenge. He hadn't expected it to be this soon.
He clenched his fists, straightening his posture.
Zhao Mu chuckled darkly. "Oh? It seems we've got a fighter. Too bad I don't have time to play."