Zhu Yuexi’s state was somewhat off.
At this moment, Zhu Yuexi was sitting cross-legged at the entrance of the dining hall, with the formation-inscribed cushion Xu Sheng had found placed beneath her, as she sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy within the restaurant.
A Ninth Realm cultivator attempting to break through to the Tenth Realm was a situation that occurred only once in ten thousand years.
If one could observe even a fraction of it, it would be an immense benefit to any cultivator.
Xu Sheng had no doubt that if Mo Ruxue were given the opportunity to prepare, she would absolutely choose to publicly break through in the Linxian Sect, or even across the entire Cultivation World, to allow everyone to witness it.
Perhaps that was what made Mo Ruxue who she was.
But Zhu Yuexi, who had just sat down to use this opportunity to break through, was now experiencing some irregularities in her spiritual energy circulation.
Her brow was furrowed tightly, a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead, and even her breathing had become rapid.
This was a precursor to Cultivation Deviation.
For cultivators, aside from Heart Demons, Cultivation Deviation was what they feared most on their path of cultivation.
Should it occur, the lightest consequence was losing all one’s cultivation, and the worst was losing one’s life.
Sensing Zhu Yuexi’s condition, Xu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
He had initially thought that since Mo Ruxue was Zhu Yuexi’s master, coming a bit closer to observe wouldn’t be a problem.
But unexpectedly, things had gone wrong right from the start.
Xu Sheng thought for a few seconds, concluding that it was probably due to the excessive number of Dual Cultivation sessions over the past few days.
Zhu Yuexi’s cultivation had advanced too quickly without the opportunity to consolidate her foundation.
She was simultaneously trying to comprehend a Ninth Realm cultivator’s tribulation, and with her unstable foundation compounded by external influence, Cultivation Deviation was the natural result.
Generally speaking, when a cultivator encountered Cultivation Deviation, the only person they could trust and rely on was themselves.
He could sense that Zhu Yuexi was also very anxious right now, desperately trying to correct the rampaging spiritual energy within her.
Xu Sheng placed his palm on Zhu Yuexi’s back, transmitting his spiritual energy while speaking:
“Follow me.”
The moment she felt Xu Sheng’s spiritual energy, Zhu Yuexi panicked slightly.
After all, this was Cultivation Deviation—no matter what cultivator it happened to, having others help was absolutely out of the question.
Once another person’s spiritual energy entered her body, the already violent spiritual energy would surge even more ferociously.
Then she heard the words Xu Sheng spoke behind her head: “Follow me.”
So reassuring…
Zhu Yuexi bit her lip.
Even if her own master had encountered this situation, she could never have helped in this way.
What Zhu Yuexi should have done at this moment was shake off Xu Sheng and secure her own state.
But upon hearing Xu Sheng’s words, Zhu Yuexi actually chose to trust him.
Sensing that Zhu Yuexi had voluntarily opened her meridians, Xu Sheng gave an almost imperceptible nod behind her.
“Open up a little more. I can’t get in…”
Why did this line sound somewhat strange?
Well, there was no way to lubricate this time.
Xu Sheng injected his spiritual energy into Zhu Yuexi’s body.
The violent spiritual energy within her had just been embroiled in internal strife, but the moment it sensed the foreign spiritual energy, it became uniformly silent…
Submissive.
The spiritual energy in Zhu Yuexi’s body, upon encountering the trace of spiritual energy Xu Sheng had injected, was like a house pet smelling tiger urine.
It was a fear rooted in genetics.
Xu Sheng easily straightened out the chaotic spiritual energy within Zhu Yuexi’s body, then used his own spiritual energy to replenish her Qi Sea.
Actually, there was no such thing as taking shortcuts and having an unstable foundation.
At most, there were people whose cultivation had advanced but whose combat techniques weren’t yet proficient.
As for the former… it could only be said that the person helping you advance your cultivation simply wasn’t capable enough.
If Xu Sheng wanted to, he could help Zhu Yuexi rise from the Seventh Realm to the Eighth Realm without relying on the abilities granted by Administrator Mode.
So helping her consolidate her foundation now was naturally a trivial matter.
To Xu Sheng, these things didn’t matter much. They were only small favors.
If his behavior counted as premium food like Freeze-Dried Food for a little dog, then this foundation consolidation could only be considered off-brand dog food.
Feeling Xu Sheng’s spiritual energy continuously traversing her body and consolidating her cultivation, Zhu Yuexi felt something indescribable in her heart.
All along, even in terms of cultivation, Zhu Yuexi had somewhat looked down on Xu Sheng.
The Demon Cult’s methods of cultivation were nothing more than the usual practices.
Things like Sacrifice, Dual Cultivation, and all sorts of heretical arts.
Xu Sheng being a Ninth Realm Expert was true.
But Zhu Yuexi had assumed that Xu Sheng had relied on those unorthodox methods to reach his current level, and that his true strength was definitely a far cry from Mo Ruxue’s.
But what had just happened somewhat overturned Zhu Yuexi’s perception.
Zhu Yuexi, who frequently interacted with Mo Ruxue, had never felt the pressure Xu Sheng had just exerted—even when standing beside Mo Ruxue herself.
The ferocity and vastness of that spiritual energy absolutely could not have been cultivated through unorthodox methods.
And he was helping her…
Zhu Yuexi couldn’t quite articulate what she was truly feeling at this moment.
Over the past few days, Xu Sheng’s attitude toward her had undergone extremely subtle changes.
These subtle changes might seem insignificant to others, but to Zhu Yuexi, they were enough to prove a great deal.
After all, the subtle changes in Zhu Yuexi’s own outward demeanor had once been so nuanced that Xu Sheng thought she was performing in an anthology drama.
If resilience was Zhu Yuexi’s greatest strength, then her keen eye for detail was her second greatest.
Even when Li Qingqing had gotten into an argument with her, Xu Sheng had gone from initially watching with amusement to now clearing his throat when he saw her at a disadvantage…
And then there was today—when she had nearly fallen into Cultivation Deviation due to improper cultivation, Xu Sheng had extended his hand to save her.
This also made her realize that Xu Sheng was far from the useless pretty boy she had imagined. His true strength might very well match Mo Ruxue before her Breakthrough.
Having done all this, Xu Sheng simply patted Zhu Yuexi’s shoulder gently.
“Keep trying to comprehend.”
Although there was no guarantee, no promise that Xu Sheng would vouch for anything, just that one sentence was enough for Zhu Yuexi to trust him.
……
Humans are all animals.
Especially women.
Many times, in reality, people tend to believe that men are the more animalistic group.
They are more easily controlled by desire, more driven by reproductive instincts, and more prone to impulsive behavior.
They are generally thought to have inner worlds less delicate than women’s.
In truth, women’s animal nature is often quite strong as well.
At least when it came to relationships between men and women.
Like right now.
Before, even though Zhu Yuexi knew Xu Sheng was at the Ninth Realm, with Mo Ruxue in front of her, she had never felt it was anything special.
Now that this small matter to Xu Sheng had occurred, Zhu Yuexi knew his true strength, and the mystery surrounding him had grown even deeper.
Combined with her time spent with Xu Sheng these past days…
Xu Sheng had gradually become different from before in Zhu Yuexi’s heart—so much so that Zhu Yuexi was on the verge of realizing it herself.
And the seed of “like” that Xu Sheng had planted in Zhu Yuexi long ago seemed to have received the nourishment of rain…
She was wavering more and more.