Chapter 86: Just One Hug
“Senior Sister.” Mingyan stopped and turned to look at Yue Qingying.
She had a gentle smile on her face, her gaze calm and warm, just like the sister he had always imagined.
“Are you going back?” she asked, swinging her legs off the bed and straightening her dress.
Her long dress usually covered her legs, but judging by her height, they must be incredibly long and slender…
Wait, why was he thinking about that?
Mingyan shook his head, sighing inwardly at his own depravity.
Ever since he met the temptress sister, his self-control had been heading in a strange direction. And after seeing his master’s and the Queen Mother of the West’s true faces, it had plummeted.
Now, he could only barely control himself by fighting poison with poison.
But that was just a temporary solution, and it would only make him fall deeper.
“Yes. I saw you were cultivating and didn’t want to disturb you.”
“What disturbance?” Yue Qingying smiled faintly. “I’ve reached a bottleneck. Cultivating now won’t be of much benefit without a suitable opportunity. You’ve been cultivating for quite a while. Have you made any progress?”
Mingyan nodded. “Some.”
“In about seven days, Master will send us to the Supreme Dao Hall. These seven days are crucial for you. I don’t want to take up your time, but if you have any to spare, we can practice the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow resonance technique.”
The Wind Spirit and Moon Shadow techniques complemented each other. In the past, the Holy Son and Holy Maiden of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land were always together. Although there was no Holy Son in this generation, Mingyan, as her junior brother, could fill that role. They should be inseparable, fighting together.
When competing for opportunities, there was no such thing as a fair fight. No one would lower their cultivation level to fight Mingyan. Therefore, he and Yue Qingying had to team up.
“I understand,” Mingyan nodded. He did need to practice cooperating with his senior sister. But for now, he needed to find a way to break through. The Taiyin power had given him some ideas. Perhaps he could break through quickly.
“Then go back,” Yue Qingying nodded.
Mingyan left her room and returned to his own.
It was late at night, and the moon was high in the sky. He looked at it through the window and had a strange thought. Could this moon also be the moon within someone’s Qi Sea?
He shook his head, dismissing the idea as too fanciful.
He closed his eyes and circulated the Sun and Moon Scripture. Soon, he felt a cold energy flow into his body, not from his Qi Sea, but from the real moon in the sky. He was extracting Taiyin power from it.
But he couldn’t control this moon and could only absorb a small amount of its power. The moon in his Qi Sea was much more convenient. After he completed the Yin Tomb Realm, he would be able to draw an endless supply of Taiyin power from it.
He absorbed as much Taiyin power as he could from the real moon and infused it into his energy sea.
A single wisp of Taiyin power could transform a large portion of his energy sea into a purer, ancient-like spiritual energy.
The Illuminating Sea Realm was still a process of quantitative change leading to qualitative change. His Illuminating Sea was already far more vast than that of ordinary cultivators. He could have broken through to the Yin Tomb Realm long ago, but as a Human King Physique, he needed higher quality energy, which meant he needed a larger quantity to refine.
But at his current rate of absorption, even in a place like the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land, it would take a long time.
However, if the purpose of quantitative change was to cause qualitative change, and he now had a way to directly cause that change, perhaps he could use this method to quickly reach the Yin Tomb Realm.
He continuously extracted Taiyin power from the moon in his Qi Sea and the real moon outside. The moon in his Qi Sea had a limited supply and wouldn’t provide a continuous stream until he completed the Yin Tomb Realm. But the real moon was an endless source, although he could only draw a small amount each time since it wasn’t his own. Combined with the Taiyin power from his Qi Sea, it was barely enough.
But since he needed the moon’s Taiyin power, he could only cultivate at night. He cultivated until the next morning, when both the real moon and the moon in his Qi Sea had set. He opened his eyes and saw Yue Wu Xia standing before him, watching him calmly.
“Master?!” Mingyan was startled. Seeing her face, his heart raced. “What are you doing here?”
Yue Wu Xia’s expression was cold. She extended a jade-like finger and slid it to his abdomen.
“Master…?” Mingyan was puzzled by her action. “Open your Qi Sea. Don’t resist,” she said.
Her tone was always assertive, leaving no room for negotiation. But Mingyan knew she wouldn’t harm him and complied.
He was about to ask what was happening when he felt something enter his Qi Sea. Yue Wu Xia said softly, “These are spirit stones. Use them to break through quickly.”
Mingyan immediately entered his Qi Sea and saw two small mountains of spirit stones, each hundreds of meters high. He was stunned. Rain Terrace Blessed Land had very few spirit stones. The small pouch Liu Yunfeng had given him was a great sacrifice. These two mountains of spirit stones were an unimaginable amount.
“Master, this is too much,” he said, his voice filled with disbelief after leaving his Qi Sea.
“Because of your special constitution. When I first suspected you were a Human King Physique, I had someone start preparing.” Yue Wu Xia said calmly, “These spirit stones should help you break through to the Yin Tomb Realm much faster.”
Spirit stones contained ancient spiritual energy. Absorbing them didn’t require purification. Their purity was already extremely high. Using them to increase the “quantity” of his energy would also improve its “quality.”
Yue Wu Xia had hesitated before. Although ancient spiritual energy was purer, it was also more potent and could be a great burden on the body. The bodies of modern cultivators had adapted to the current ambient energy. Absorbing a large amount of ancient spiritual energy could easily cause problems, even making one’s spirit channels or Qi Sea explode, destroying their cultivation.
But she had learned from the Huang family and Ning Mengru that the Human King Physique’s constitution was incredibly strong and could handle it. That was why she had given him the seemingly strict deadline of reaching the Yin Tomb Realm in a short time. She had already planned for it.
“…This disciple understands. But Master, such a large amount of spirit stones must be a great expense for the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land,” Mingyan couldn’t help but ask.
Yue Wu Xia glanced at him. “You should be focusing on your cultivation, not the cost. You must break through to the Yin Tomb Realm within seven days, or…”
“There’s no ‘or’. I won’t disappoint you, Master.” Mingyan interrupted her, his expression serious and determined. He couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing her.
Yue Wu Xia’s expression softened slightly. “Be careful when absorbing the spirit stones. If you feel any discomfort, stop immediately.”
Ordinary cultivators’ spirit channels were not as strong as a Human King Physique’s. They were created by themselves, some strong, some fragile. A large influx of ancient spiritual energy could easily shatter fragile spirit channels. Although spirit stones could help cultivators progress quickly in the Spring Opening Realm, there was a limit, determined by the cultivator’s own body, the strength of their spirit channels, and their efficiency in absorbing the energy.
Yue Wu Xia had hidden something from him. She hadn’t known the specifics of the Human King Physique before. How could she have prepared the spirit stones in advance? She had only started preparing them after returning from Yaochi.
She knew that the Human King Physique could absorb spirit stones without many side effects, but the required quantity was enormous, something most people couldn’t afford. The cost-effectiveness was extremely low, so it was better to cultivate normally. That was why she had prepared so much. If she was going to prepare, she would prepare enough.
Gathering such a large amount of spirit stones, even for the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land, was not a simple task. She had used her own private stash and some from the two branches to gather this much.
Ordinary disciples didn’t have such a privilege. Even in the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sacred Land, no one could just cultivate with spirit stones. Although they were distributed daily, there was a limit. The two mountains of spirit stones Mingyan had received were enough to cultivate many outstanding young geniuses. If his master wasn’t Yue Wu Xia, no one would have been able to afford it.
Although Mingyan didn’t know the true value of these spirit stones, or that they had been hastily gathered for him, he was still incredibly grateful. He could guess that such a large amount was a significant sum even for the entire Sacred Land.
Even if nurturing him was beneficial for the Sacred Land, he wouldn’t take his master’s kindness for granted.
He nodded, looking at her, and pursed his lips. “Master… can I… can I…”
“If you have something to say, say it. Why are you hesitating?” Yue Wu Xia’s brow twitched slightly.
“Um… Master, can I hug you?” Mingyan had been an orphan since he was young. Since a teacher for a day was a mother for life, his master was his mother. He wanted to hug his mother… to feel a mother’s love… No, he had already felt it. But he had no way to repay her yet. He hoped that through this gesture, he could show her his gratitude.
Yue Wu Xia’s brow furrowed slightly. She looked at his eyes and saw no disrespect, only gratitude and deep emotion. She knew it wasn’t romantic.
But she had never been so close to a man. She thought for a moment, then shook her head, refusing.
Mingyan’s heart sank with disappointment. Yue Wu Xia’s expression remained cold, but she didn’t leave. She stood there for a while, then sighed. “Just one hug.”
Mingyan’s face lit up with joy. “Yes!”
