After dispersing his cultivation, Qin Hao would be at his weakest. Taking advantage of the fact that he still had his cultivation base, he laid down several concealment and defensive formations around him to ensure he wouldn't be disturbed by external enemies or demonic beasts during his most vulnerable moment.
Next, Qin Hao took off a storage ring filled with emergency pills and treasures, placing it within arm's reach. Finally, he instructed Liu Ruyan:
"Ruyan, I am going to disperse my cultivation now. It will take about a month for my cultivation base to recover. I have already set up formations around us, so don't go out during this time to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Liu Ruyan nodded, the anticipation in her eyes already impossible to suppress:
"Of course I won't go out. If I go out, how am I supposed to take you down?"
Fully prepared, Qin Hao sat cross-legged, his gaze turning serious. He immediately began to reverse his cultivation technique, forcefully scattering his cultivation!
"Pfft—!"
The boundless spiritual energy within Qin Hao's body was like a breached dam, uncontrollably and frantically spilling out from his limbs, bones, and acupoints.
Qin Hao's handsome face rapidly turned pale. The veins on his forehead bulged, and bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down. He was clearly enduring immense pain.
Crippling one's own cultivation was akin to dismantling one's own Dao foundation with bare hands. The pain and danger involved far exceeded that of being injured in battle.
Liu Ruyan quietly watched all of this. Seeing Qin Hao's pained appearance, a trace of heartache flashed through her eyes, but it was mostly replaced by a resolute anticipation that "the time has come."
Qin Hao's aura rapidly declined at a visible rate!
Peak Soul Formation... Late Soul Formation... Mid Soul Formation... Nascent Soul... Golden Core... Foundation Establishment... Qi Condensation...
After two days and two nights, Qin Hao's aura finally plummeted completely to the level of a mortal.
"This spiritual energy was too abundant. I can't believe it took so long just to disperse it. Now I don't have a single drop of spiritual energy left in my body; I've completely become an ordinary person."
Beside him, Liu Ruyan, who had been biding her time, saw that his cultivation was completely gone. Her figure moved like a phantom under the moonlight, instantly appearing by his side.
"Ruyan?"
Qin Hao was just wondering what Liu Ruyan was going to do when, in the next second, her icy voice rang out:
"Brother Qin Hao~ You look so pitiful right now. Don't worry, I will cherish you well."
Qin Hao's expression changed. Something was wrong! The Liu Ruyan before him had completely lost her previous obedient girl persona. The extreme desire for control revealed in her eyes made his heart skip a beat.
"Samsara Restriction—Spirit Bind."
Nine-colored radiance surged from Liu Ruyan's body. This energy acted like gentle silk threads, instantly sinking into Qin Hao's body.
Qin Hao's entire body stiffened. He realized he couldn't move at all!
"Ruyan! What are you doing?" A stormy sea of shock rose in Qin Hao's heart, and the look he gave her was filled with unbelievable astonishment.
Now he finally understood. Liu Ruyan had been acting this whole time! She must have awakened her past-life memories!
Liu Ruyan didn't speak. She merely leaned over and reached out her hand. Her fingertips, carrying a slight coolness, gently stroked Qin Hao's pale cheeks, his furrowed brows, his high nose bridge, and finally stopped at his lips.
Her movements were gentle, but her gaze was as hot as fire, carrying a light that Qin Hao had never seen in her before—a mix of deep affection and possessiveness.
"Don't be afraid, Brother Qin Hao." Liu Ruyan leaned close to his ear, her voice lowered to a lover's whisper:
"I just... want to help you cultivate~"
With that, Liu Ruyan pressed her lips against his. Warm, delicate, and carrying her unique, faint fragrance.
"Qin Hao... Qin Hao..." She softly called his name, her voice so tender it could melt water, filled with endless longing.
The moonlight gently draped over the valley, enveloping the two figures leaning against each other on the bluestone.
......
In a flash, half a month passed.
The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the thin mist above the valley, spilling onto Qin Hao.
Qin Hao slowly opened his eyes. A profound light was hidden within his gaze, and his aura was long and steady. His cultivation had already recovered to the peak of the Soul Formation realm.
Qin Hao turned his head slightly. Liu Ruyan was leaning against his shoulder, sleeping soundly. Her snow-chiffon dress was a bit messy, her beautiful hair spread out. Her peerlessly beautiful face glowed softly in the morning light, and a satisfied smile hung on the corner of her mouth.
However, Qin Hao's expression was exceptionally complicated.
This past half month...
Qin Hao's mouth couldn't stop twitching. Although, with the assistance of Liu Ruyan's dual cultivation, he had successfully cultivated the flawless Great Dao of this space-time, and his cultivation—which was supposed to take a month to recover—was restored in just half a month.
But how was this helping him cultivate? This was clearly taking advantage of his precarious situation; it was a blatant case of forcing herself upon him! No, wait, she forced him upon herself!
Qin Hao rubbed his temples. He, a grand transmigrator, possessing multiple top-tier physiques and holding a system cheat, had actually been... taken by the little girl he had carefully taught and protected, right when he had lost his cultivation and was at his weakest and most powerless!
As soon as Qin Hao moved, Liu Ruyan's long eyelashes fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes, a sly and triumphant smile flashing in their depths.
"Good morning, Brother Qin Hao~" Liu Ruyan's voice carried the huskiness of someone who had just woken up, lazy and seductive. She wrapped her arms around Qin Hao's waist and nuzzled her head into his chest, like a kitten trying to please its owner.
"Brother Qin Hao, how is your cultivation recovery? My 'assisted cultivation'... worked pretty well, didn't it?"
Qin Hao looked at Liu Ruyan's "scheme succeeded" yet perfectly justified appearance and was momentarily speechless. After a good while, he reached out and flicked her forehead: "Plotting against me, and you still have the nerve to say that."
"Plotting?" Liu Ruyan blinked her large, innocent eyes, then reached out a finger to draw circles on his chest:
"How can something based on mutual affection be called plotting? You clearly enjoyed it too, and your cultivation grew so fast~"
"Ahem!" Qin Hao's old face flushed red. Enjoyed it? The process... ahem, indeed wasn't painful, but could the mood be the same?
While Qin Hao was distracted, Liu Ruyan's red lips were already pressed against his neck. She greedily sucked in his scent, wishing she could melt him into her very bones.
After a short while, she let go, slowly stood up, and straightened her messy dress and long hair.
"Never mind, cultivation is the most important thing. We can't immerse ourselves in romantic affairs."
Qin Hao was amused. At a time like this, you're telling me cultivation is the most important thing?
Qin Hao grabbed Liu Ruyan's wrist and pulled her hard, dragging her into his embrace.
A teasing look of having everything under control flashed through Liu Ruyan's eyes, but she put on a flustered expression, burying her head in his chest: "Brother Qin Hao, what are you doing?"
Qin Hao panted heavily, leaning close to her ear:
"What do you think I'm doing? You started the fire, and now you want to leave? It's not that easy!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
