Su Wan’er felt extremely uncomfortable.
That senior had been staring at her since just now.
She didn’t know what he was thinking, but the feeling of being seen through made her sit on pins and needles.
She pursed her lips and said cautiously, “Senior… please don’t keep staring at me.”
Lai Li’nv snapped back to attention, shocked inwardly, but his expression didn’t change.
He merely shifted his gaze and said lightly, “I was looking at your injuries.”
Su Wan’er was startled, then a blush rose on her face as she felt a wave of embarrassment.
So the senior was looking at her injuries, and she had thought…
“So that’s it.”
She lowered her head.
“This junior was presumptuous.”
Lai Li’nv waved his hand to indicate it was nothing.
His mind was racing.
The exchange just now made him realize something—he couldn’t maintain Fantasy Value with just a “sense of mystery.”
He had to provide more concrete information to make her fully believe in him.
And the only “concrete information” he had right now was the pill the System had given him.
The Nine-Grade Rejuvenation Pill.
He had learned from the System explanation that a nine-grade pill was a rare treasure in the cultivation world.
A single pill could restore most of a severely injured cultivator’s health.
Such a grade of pill was hard to find even once in half a lifetime.
Though it pained him, he didn’t hesitate.
Lai Li’nv took out the pill from his bosom.
It was a pure white pill emitting a faint fragrance.
He pinched it between two fingers and casually tossed it to Su Wan’er.
“Take it.”
Su Wan’er instinctively caught the pill.
When she looked down, her pupils sharply contracted.
Nine pill lines! A nine-grade pill!
Her hands began to tremble.
She had only seen such a high-grade pill once in the sect’s Jade Vault, and that pill was only seventh-grade!
It had been sealed under layers of restrictions, said to be a Sect-Guarding Treasure.
Yet this senior in front of her had casually tossed it to her!
Though she didn’t understand alchemy, if seventh-grade was already a Sect-Guarding Treasure, then what realm was this ninth-grade pill?
“Senior! This is too precious! This junior has her own pills.”
“It’s just a small effort. Or are you looking down on the pill I gave you?”
Su Wan’er quickly waved her hands.
“No, Senior.”
She recalled her days in the sect, and bitterness welled up in her heart.
At the late Qi Refining stage, her Combat Intent had leaked outward, nearly causing her to go into qi deviation.
Soon after, she became a target of public criticism.
Big Senior Brother Han Hanyuan always showed concern for her in public, calling her “Little Junior Sister,” but in private, he repeatedly cut off her cultivation resources and even secretly sabotaged her when she was in seclusion trying to break through.
When she was first found to have a Supreme Water Spiritual Root, the sect personally took her as a disciple.
Her fellow senior brothers and sisters flattered her to her face, but behind her back, they ostracized her in every way.
Second Senior Sister Zhou Ruoshui, on the night before the sect competition, secretly added Cartilage Dissolving Powder to her tea, causing her spiritual energy to go haywire the moment she raised her hand on stage, and she collapsed on the spot.
At that moment, she felt for the first time that the sect was not a home, but an icy prison.
The final straw was when someone falsely accused her of stealing a manual from the Scripture Library.
Without distinguishing right from wrong, the master punished her in front of the entire sect by ordering her to face the wall at Si Guo Cliff for two months.
She knelt in the wind and snow, tearfully pleading her case, but was repelled by a single palm strike from her master:
“Unrepentant! Deserves heavier punishment!”
Later, they hunted her all the way here.
On the very night she was punished, members of the Blood Lotus Sect somehow learned of her spirit root constitution and came up the mountain while her spiritual energy was sealed and no one was guarding her.
No one from the sect came to save her.
In fact, no one even noticed she was missing.
A tear slid down the corner of Su Wan’er’s eye, quickly wiped away.
And now, a complete stranger of a senior had not only saved her but had casually given her a ninth-grade pill.
She took a deep breath and placed the pill in her mouth.
The moment the pill entered her stomach, a surge of warm energy exploded from her Dantian, rapidly spreading through her limbs and bones.
The gruesome wound on her chest healed at a visible rate, and her corrupted Spiritual Root gradually recovered under the pill’s medicinal power.
Then, her cultivation began to rise.
Qi Refining mid-stage, Qi Refining late-stage, Qi Refining peak!
The Foundation Establishment bottleneck remained; the remnant Blade Qi from the evil cultivator still hindered her breakthrough.
But for someone gravely injured and near death, recovering to the Qi Refining peak in just a few breaths was already an incredible feat.
Su Wan’er opened her eyes.
Her gaze toward Lai Li’nv had completely changed.
Gratitude, shock, and an indescribable trace of… worship.
[Ding! The target’s “Fantasy Value” has risen to 85/100!]
[Hint: When Fantasy Value reaches 100, additional rewards can be obtained.]
Lai Li’nv looked at the numbers on the panel, ecstatic inside.
But he knew it was time to wrap things up.
Lai Li’nv stood up, pretending to brush dust off his robe, and said casually, “This Venerable has done enough. It’s time for me to leave.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the exit of the ruined temple.
His steps were steady, his robes fluttering, the perfect image of a great master.
One step.
Two steps.
Five steps.
Three steps.
Six steps.
‘Damn it! That’s not how the script goes!’
‘Weren’t you supposed to be moved by my pill and kindness, then beg me tearfully to take you in?!’
‘It’s over. Screwed up. The experience package I worked so hard to get is gone just like that!’
Seven steps—
Boom!
He abruptly sidestepped.
A piece of shattered brick flew past his shoulder, exploding against the wall behind him.
As dust filled the air, three figures landed in the courtyard of the ruined temple.
All wore black martial outfits, each with a scarlet lotus embroidered on the chest.
The three exuded a suffocating Spiritual Pressure, making the surrounding air heavy.
Lai Li’nv’s heart leaped to his throat, but he didn’t move.
He didn’t even turn to look at the stone that had nearly killed him.
Instead, he faced the newcomers with a nonchalant posture.
The System panel clearly displayed the cultivations of the opponents:
[Target 1: Early Foundation Establishment Stage]
[Target 2: Early Foundation Establishment Stage]
[Target 3: Early Foundation Establishment Stage]
[Overall Threat Level: Lethal]
Lai Li’nv cursed the ancestors of all three in his mind.
The leading cultivator appeared in his twenties, with a sinister face.
His gaze swept over Lai Li’nv, and his brow slightly furrowed as he sensed that the other was also at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage.
“Fellow Daoist.”
The man cupped his hands, his tone still fairly polite.
“We have tracked a certain aura here and sensed that the target is in the room behind you. That person has some grudges with our sect. Please, Fellow Daoist, make way to avoid any accidental injury.”
Lai Li’nv did not answer.
His mind raced.
Su Wan’er inside the room had clearly noticed the commotion outside.
In her current state, she couldn’t handle even one Foundation Establishment cultivator, let alone three.
If he stepped aside now, Su Wan’er would surely die.
And his “Fantasy Value” would instantly drop to zero, and the cultivation he had just obtained would vanish into thin air.
He couldn’t chicken out.
But the problem was, how could he fight?
He couldn’t even cast the most basic Fireball Spell.
Lai Li’nv took a deep breath and curled the corner of his mouth into a faint, ambiguous smile.
“Heh.”
A soft chuckle.
Very light, very faint, but carrying a condescending disdain.
The faces of the three black-clad cultivators changed simultaneously.
Normally, a cultivator at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage facing three cultivators at the same stage would either show fear or caution.
How could he still be smiling!
The lead cultivator’s hand lightly gripped the magical artifact at his waist, and his voice turned gloomy.
“Fellow Daoist, we are from the Blood Lotus Sect. This matter has nothing to do with you—”
Lai Li’nv cut him off.
“Blood Lotus Sect?”
“Never heard of it.”
The three men’s faces turned completely dark.
The Blood Lotus Sect had a vast influence in the Canglan Prefecture region, with several Gold Core True Persons in the sect and over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Even the prestigious orthodox sects would show them some respect when they met.
Yet this man said he had never heard of them.
Either he had truly been in seclusion too long, or…
He didn’t regard them at all.
Lai Li’nv knew he couldn’t stall any longer.
He had to deal with these three quickly.
Otherwise, if Su Wan’er came out of the room and saw him confronting them, the lie of his disguise as an expert would be exposed.
But what could he use to resolve it?
He subconsciously glanced at his System Inventory, and his gaze landed on an icon.
[Greater Five Thunder Orthodox Talisman x1]
[Description: One-time consumable. Releases the power of the Five Thunder True Method. No spiritual energy required to activate; just tear it open. Its power is equivalent to a full-force strike from an Early Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.]
Lai Li’nv almost couldn’t help laughing out loud.
He reached into his bosom and slowly pulled out a pale golden talisman.
The moment the talisman appeared, the air seemed to freeze.
The faces of the three black-clad cultivators instantly turned deathly pale.
They couldn’t sense the specific grade of the talisman, but the oppressive feeling that made their very souls tremble was unmistakable.
“High-grade lightning talisman!” one of the younger cultivators exclaimed.
The lead cultivator’s pupils sharply contracted.
“Fellow Daoist, let’s talk this over—”
But Lai Li’nv didn’t let him finish.
He directly tore open the talisman.
Boom—!
The earth trembled.
A bolt of purple lightning crashed down from the heavens, illuminating the entire courtyard of the ruined temple as bright as day.
Under the lightning’s glow, the terror on the faces of the three black-clad cultivators was clearly visible.
At the last moment, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators exhausted all their strength to activate their Protective Spiritual Light and summoned their defensive magical artifacts.
But the next second—
The purple lightning, like divine punishment, ripped through all defenses with devastating force and slammed into the three.
The ground shook; debris flew everywhere.
Lai Li’nv stood in place, still holding the fragment of the talisman that had turned to ash.
His hands were trembling.
But not from fear.
Rather, because—
‘That was too awesome!’
Three Foundation Establishment cultivators, under the power of a Greater Talisman, didn’t even have time to scream before they were blasted into charred remains on the spot.
When the lightning faded, the dust slowly settled.
In the courtyard, only three piles of black ash remained.
“Senior!”
Su Wan’er’s voice came from behind.
Lai Li’nv quickly composed himself and discreetly scattered the talisman ash from his hand.
He turned around and saw Su Wan’er standing at the door of the ruined temple, holding onto the doorframe.
Her face was pale, her eyes full of shock and worry.
“Senior, are you alright!”
Lai Li’nv nodded, his tone calm.
“Just a few ants.”
He glanced at the three piles of ash on the ground and added, “You’d better leave quickly. The pursuers seem endless.”
Su Wan’er’s body visibly trembled, and a flicker of fear passed through her eyes.
“The Blood Lotus Sect… they want my Spiritual Root to make their young master a Cauldron…”
Lai Li’nv did not press further.
Su Wan’er watched Lai Li’nv sit back down by the fire, and an indescribable emotion surged in her heart.
The three Foundation Establishment cultivators she had just sensed were wiped out in an instant.
Just how strong was this person?
Lai Li’nv closed his eyes, pretending to rest.
[Ding! The target’s “Fantasy Value” has risen to 95/100!]
[Hint: When Fantasy Value reaches 100, additional rewards can be obtained.]
Lai Li’nv rolled his eyes internally.
‘Still… 95 points.’
‘Just 5 points left.’
‘He didn’t want to spend another day relying entirely on acting.’
‘And who knew if the other side still had pursuers?’
‘He only had one of those talismans.’
The fire crackled.
The night wind blew in through the broken temple door, making the flames sway gently.
Su Wan’er secretly glanced at Lai Li’nv, who was resting with his eyes closed, and silently made a decision in her heart.
She couldn’t go back to the sect.
There was only betrayal and exploitation there.
But this person in front of her, though cold, had reached out to her in her most desperate moment.
Even if it meant just staying by his side as a servant who poured tea and fetched water, it was better than returning to that cold place.