Chapter 48: He Doesn’t Want Me to Lose—He Cares About Me!

Yun Liu stroked his chin, glanced at the Silly Bird perched on his shoulder, and suddenly felt a playful urge to conduct a little experiment.

“Only when your Qi is calm can your mind be at ease. Sometimes, stepping back is for the sake of moving forward.”

Jing Tan’er’s ears twitched slightly as she steadied her Qi Sea, no longer attacking blindly, but instead observing Ji Shiyu’s every move.

Her spiritual sense was sharp, her Sword Heart overlooking the field.

“Treat your sword as an extension of your arm, a part of your body. The three feet around you are your domain—untouchable. Rather than wasting strength to build high walls, it’s better to step back and cast a net.”

Jing Tan’er’s eyes shone with understanding.

Threads of spiritual energy wove together into fiery lines, drifting along her sword’s edge, moving extremely slowly and leaving no trace. At first glance, they seemed completely harmless, exposing every flaw to her opponent.

Ji Shiyu seized the moment, her sword flashing like a meteor, charging straight through the overlapping shadows, once again attempting to imitate the essence of Yun Liu’s sword strike.

Nine segments of Refining Qi shot out in a white radiance, but they couldn’t escape Jing Tan’er’s spiritual perception.

She appeared to move casually a step to the right, flicked her wrist, and her sword blossomed like a Peacock Spread. Fire Trace unfurled like a folding fan, intercepting the white light.

Dong!

Spiritual energy rebounded, and both wooden swords flew from their hands at the same time.

After a brief silence, applause broke out from inside and outside the Dao Arena, amazed at the two young girls’ extraordinary swordsmanship.

It was expected of Senior Sister Jing, but Ji Shiyu was just a new student who had only recently joined, yet she had already grasped Outer Sect sword techniques to such a degree?

Compared to their earlier basic sparring, this dazzling exchange was far more spectacular.

Jing Tan’er gave a cold “hmph,” her gaze proud. She seemed dissatisfied with her performance since there was no clear winner, but her heart was pounding wildly, almost as if it would take flight from happiness.

He doesn’t want me to lose. I matter to him!

Ji Shiyu stared in shock at her trembling hands, having thought she had already learned Yun Liu’s technique and caught Jing Tan’er’s weakness, ready to break through.

She hadn’t expected it to be resolved so beautifully!

What happened? Was it because she didn’t sleep well last night, or had she regressed?

Impossible!

Could it be that Jing Tan’er had grown stronger, all because of those two inexplicable sentences?

Now look at this—her only remaining advantage in fighting couldn’t even gain the upper hand against her former pushover.

Her little face scrunched up, she squatted on the ground and drew circles, even more dejected…

Ao Tian stared in disbelief, eyes wide.

This battle looked like a draw, but Ji Shiyu had retreated two steps while Jing Tan’er had only taken one.

Under Yun Liu’s guidance, the Qi Luck Maiden actually lost in technique to a nameless country Princess!?

“It’s my turn, it’s my turn!”

Xiao Xinran hurriedly raised her hand.

Regardless of whether her opponent was Jing Tan’er or Ji Shiyu, she wanted to give them a good thrashing, having found her boiling point once again, and take this chance to show off her newly attained Refining Qi Fifth Stage strength to Xiao Yun!

“Oh my, look at the time. That’s all for today’s morning class—dismissed.”

Yun Liu patted his backside and left immediately, never one to drag out a lesson.

The little girls howled in protest, furious that the two had wasted so much time. It was rare to catch Xiao Yun leading the morning class—they had no idea when the next chance would come!

***

On the way back to Tianxiang Peak, the young man let his thoughts drift with the mist toward the depths of the Sea of Clouds, lost in contemplation.

His empty Qi Sea was like an hourglass, constantly reminding him of the ticking time bomb inside, silently counting down.

Now, more than half of his Refining Qi Ninth Stage cultivation had dissipated, and he was about to fall to the fourth stage.

The boy’s retreating steps had now intersected with the girl’s chasing stride, and it was only a matter of time before he reached the next minefield.

All along, Yun Liu had a clear understanding of his own role.

He was just a background NPC, the scapegoat of the protagonist group, the early-stage Sect Academy arc’s guide.

According to the original plot, any disciple who failed the Sect assessment had no right to remain in the Inner Five Peaks, even the Chief Disciple would have to return to the Outer Sect to cultivate.

Parting ways with his fiancée was only natural.

No matter how hard Aunt Master and Second Mother tried, they couldn’t change this fact, and it only brought them more trouble.

To outsiders, Yun Liu was like a stray dog, expelled from his sect, rejected by his fiancée, a fallen genius turned waste—pitiful and lamentable.

Later on, when disaster struck the sect in the middle and late stages, half of the Shenhua Inner Disciples left behind would die tragically, becoming the Sea of Clouds’ wandering gui hun.

If he didn’t want to die a pointless death, he’d have to find another way to live—otherwise, even if cured, it would all be for nothing.

But now, a small, unintentional experiment had sparked a “wicked thought” in him: to focus on observing the little villain Jing Tan’er’s story.

The protagonist group bore the karma of the Nine Provinces, destined by fate.

This heavy burden reached far and wide, affecting the very safety of the ethereal realm.

Yun Liu wouldn’t interfere without reason, nor did he want to bear the backlash, much less attract the attention of the true villain and live in constant fear.

But as for the side quests…

For example, the Princess’s tragic song of a fallen kingdom, or Qin Sister’s tears on Clear Mist Peak.

These memorable quest lines all ended in tragedy, but the rewards were generous, leaving players sighing with emotion.

Perhaps, there were more things he could do—not just self-preservation.

Yun Liu shook his head.

That was a matter for later.

For now, the urgent task was to refine the Reversion Pill.

“Everything is ready, all that’s missing is the east wind.”

At present, he still lacked the extremely rare Three-Leaf Datura Fruit, a Water-Wind Dual Element Third-Tier Spiritual Material, which couldn’t be preserved by ordinary means.

That was the hardest part. The Three-Leaf Datura only bloomed once every ten years, and its fruit appeared in an instant—it had to be picked and refined into medicine immediately, or it would liquefy and drip away.

There were a few locations on the world map where it could spawn, but it was highly random, purely a matter of luck, and the places were far apart, so trying your luck wasn’t practical.

The safest way was to obtain it from the Dongtian Secret Realm.

In the western border of the empire, at Canglang Gorge, there was a Black Serpent that fed on Three-Leaf Datura—extremely dangerous.

For this, perhaps he could invite Qin Sister to join his team, and help her boost her cultivation to break through to Golden Core Seventh Stage.

Otherwise, it might be tough in battle, and she might not be able to carry a deadweight like him~

Since the Lady Boss of Rosy Fragrance Pavilion refused to pay, he’d just pay with his body and freeload her for a quest!

At dusk, business was booming at Rosy Fragrance Pavilion.

The pharmacy was filled with alluring scents, and every customer who spent over two hundred received a complimentary cup of Gathered Spirit Fragrant Tea.

Every disciple who tasted it sang its praises.

Yun Liu’s creation was a hit from the moment it launched, gaining a lot of popularity.

With Mr. Xiao Yun holding down the shop, the apothecary disciples had it much easier—some even felt they were redundant.

With Qin Yao absent, there used to be a backlog of commissions, far more than the Grade-One Alchemists could handle. Now, Yun Liu alone was enough.

This batch of spiritual medicines was produced with astonishing efficiency and top quality.

News had already spread among the Inner Disciples that Rosy Fragrance Pavilion had a new young pill cultivator, whose skills were on par with the Clear Mist Peak Senior Sister.

“When will Qin Sister be back? My dear Qin Sister…”

Yun Liu, rarely having free time, lay in the inner room daydreaming, thinking of the one he missed day and night.

The Clear Mist Peak disciples couldn’t help but snicker.

Today’s sales had reached a new high, and just from commissions alone they’d made a killing.

Their gazes burned as they looked at the handsome and capable junior brother.