The moon hung high over the Thousand Flower Peak, its soft light bathing the garden in a serene glow. Shen Xuan sat cross-legged beneath a tall spirit tree, his breath calm and steady as faint traces of spiritual energy swirled around him.
Suddenly, a ripple of qi passed through the air, and a familiar figure appeared before him — Lu Zhen, his master.
These days, Shen Xuan no longer stood to greet him every time, and Lu Zhen didn't mind. He simply smiled faintly and said,
"Cultivating at this hour again? You don't need to push yourself so hard. You're already at the late stage of Qi Condensation. Without awakened spiritual roots, your progress will stagnate no matter how much effort you put in."
He sighed softly, the lines on his face deepening.
"When I accepted you as my disciple, I thought I could help you rise higher... but your condition is strange. I've never seen a case where spiritual roots can't even be sensed, no matter what method is used."
Shen Xuan slowly opened his eyes. His calm gaze met his master's.
"Master, I want to travel," he said quietly. "To see the world, to gain experience... maybe I'll find an opportunity out there."
Lu Zhen blinked in surprise.
"Travel? Alone? That's too dangerous, Shen Xuan. The world outside isn't kind to those without strong backing."
"It's fine," Shen Xuan replied. "I want to go alone."
Lu Zhen studied him for a long moment before sighing again.
"Very well... but you must take care of yourself."
He reached into his robe and pulled out a small jade token, handing it to Shen Xuan.
"If you ever encounter grave danger, crush this token. No matter where you are, I'll sense it."
Shen Xuan took the token and bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Master."
The next morning, sunlight spilled across the Thousand Flower Peak. Shen Xuan stood before the grand sect library, its towering ten floors filled with countless scrolls and manuals.
For hours, he searched through the shelves — only to find that most techniques required clan bloodlines or special constitutions to practice. To him, they were useless.
When he stepped out of the library, a faint breeze passed through his hair. His eyes, however, held determination.
Without hesitation, he descended the mountain, beginning his journey into the vast world beyond the sect — alone.
After leaving the sect, Shen Xuan made up his mind — he would head toward the Southern Region.He planned to visit the YaoYao Sect and give YaoYao a surprise. At the same time, he intended to cultivate along the way and search for any hidden opportunities that fate might offer him.
The journey was long. Even traveling at full speed, it would take seven to eight months to reach the Southern Region.But Shen Xuan didn't choose the easy path.The Emperor Clans possessed transmission arrays that could instantly send one across regions — yet Shen Xuan refused to use them.
And so, he began his solitary journey through mountains, forests, and vast plains.
He occasionally passed through small towns, resting for a night before moving on.Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.In those six months, Shen Xuan had slain countless spirit beasts so many that other heavenly geniouses shudder just thinking about it
Now, deep within a dense wilderness, he was traveling silently when the sound of battle reached his ears.Instinctively, his expression turned cold. His steps grew light as he moved closer, concealing his presence.
But what he found made him pause in shock.There was no battle — only silence.Amid the withered leaves lay a woman, her body drenched in blood, motionless.
Even covered in wounds, she radiated an ethereal beauty that defied description. Her figure was perfectly proportioned, her features delicate like an artist's finest work. A faint jade mask hid part of her face, yet even that couldn't conceal her divine charm.
For a long moment, Shen Xuan simply stared.He had thought only Lu Qingmei could be called truly beautiful…But now, looking at this mysterious woman, he couldn't help but think
"She might be… even more beautiful than Qingmei."
Still, Shen Xuan quickly suppressed the thought. Unlike others, he had no interest no matter how beautiful she is
His eyes sharpened again as he stepped closer, his spiritual sense extending around her.
"She's still alive…"
The woman's breathing was faint but steady — a thread of life barely hanging on.
Shen Xuan crouched beside her, his hand glowing faintly with spiritual energy as he began to examine her injuries.
Shen Xuan released his spiritual sense, carefully scanning the woman's body.But strangely he couldn't detect any hidden injuries. Either she was perfectly fine… or her wounds were so deep that his limited spiritual sense couldn't perceive them.
"Tch… my current strength is too low," he thought with a quiet sigh.
Even so, Shen Xuan decided to help her.He wasn't some saint who saved everyone he met — but leaving an unconscious woman bleeding alone in this wilderness didn't sit right with him.
The surroundings were silent, not a single beast or person nearby.If she stayed here any longer, she would definitely die.
Shen Xuan bent down slightly, reaching out to lift her
But before he could touch her, the woman's eyes snapped open.
Those eyes were cold and sharp, filled with murderous intent so heavy that it made the air tremble.Shen Xuan instinctively leaped back, his expression hardening.
The woman struggled to sit up, her aura unstable but still powerful enough to make the ground around her crack. Even though she was covered in blood, her posture remained regal — like a queen who refused to bow before anyone.
Her gaze locked onto Shen Xuan, filled with hostility.For a moment, both of them silently sized each other up.
Shen Xuan wore his black mask as usual, hiding his face completely — and the woman, too, had a jade mask covering half of hers.Neither could see the other's face, only the faint glimmer in their eyes.
When the woman sensed Shen Xuan's weak cultivation, some of the tension in her eyes faded though the coldness remained.
Her voice was chilling, sharp as a blade.
"What were you trying to do to me, lowly being? Do you have a death wish?"
Shen Xuan frowned deeply.He had only been trying to help her, and now she dared call him lowly?
His eyes turned equally cold.
"What do you think I was trying to do?" he replied, his tone flat but biting.
For a moment, silence hung between them, the sound of wind brushing through the forest leaves the only witness.
Then, without saying another word, Shen Xuan turned around and began to walk away.
The woman's expression darkened.No one — absolutely no one — had ever dared to speak to her in such a tone before.
For a moment, anger flashed in her eyes like a blade.But then, after glancing at her own condition, she suppressed it with visible effort.She exhaled slowly and said in a calmer, though still cold voice:
"Wait. If you help me… I'll give you whatever you want. Just stay here until my maid returns. She went to get help but she's injured as well, so she might be delayed."
Shen Xuan turned slightly, his mask catching the faint moonlight.He studied her for a few seconds before walking back toward her.
"Whatever I want, huh?" he said quietly, stopping a few feet away. "And what exactly can you give me?"
The woman blinked in surprise.Her beauty alone was usually enough to make men kneel before her.But this man… this masked boy with calm eyes and a faintly aloof tone didn't even seem affected.
For a brief second, she felt something strange — curiosity.
"Just… stay nearby," she said at last.
Shen Xuan didn't respond, only nodded slightly and sat a few meters away.He crossed his legs under the starlit sky, closed his eyes, and started cultivating silently.
The woman's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer than she expected.
"Strange…" she thought. "He's… different."
Time passed. The moon rose high.Her condition was worsening the bleeding had slowed, but her face was pale, and her body trembled faintly.
She took out a few pills from her storage ring — pills that Shen Xuan had never seen before.Even from a distance, he could feel the dense spiritual energy emanating from them.
Within moments, her internal injuries stabilized, though she was still extremely weak.
After a while, Shen Xuan opened his eyes.
"You need food?" he asked calmly.
"No," she said flatly. "Cultivators don't need to eat."
Shen Xuan didn't argue, but his stomach didn't agree with that philosophy.He took out the meat of a spirit beast he'd killed earlier and began roasting it over a small flame using the same method Du Hai had once taught him.
As the aroma spread through the forest, the woman's expression flickered slightly.She had been silent the whole time, but now her stomach betrayed her, growling softly.
Shen Xuan's eyes twitched slightly, and a rare smirk appeared under his mask.
The woman froze, embarrassment flashing across her face.Her ears turned a faint shade of red — a sight Shen Xuan didn't fail to notice.
Without saying anything more, Shen Xuan tore a piece of roasted meat and placed it carefully on a small plate. Then he walked over and set it in front of her.
"Here. Eat."
Normally, she would have refused.But her body was trembling from weakness, and she needed energy to recover.
She reached forward but stopped. Her hand wouldn't move.When Shen Xuan looked closer, he realized her arm bones were fractured, probably from her earlier battle.
Even cultivators with powerful regeneration needed time if internal injuries were involved.
He sighed softly, then said in his calm, matter-of-fact tone:
"Can't move your hand, huh? …Then should I feed you?"
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