I Crave Strength

Having made up his mind, Ye Xuan demonstrated astonishing initiative.

He immediately dripped a drop of fresh blood onto the jade slip of the Five Elements Chaos Sutra, and a massive influx of information instantly flooded his mind.

The obscure scriptures became incredibly clear at this moment. Ye Xuan sat cross-legged and, following the records of the cultivation method, began to channel spiritual energy.

This time, it was completely different.

The five elements of spiritual energy in heaven and earth were no longer scattered, unrelated motes of light. Instead, like soldiers summoned by their emperor, they madly and frantically surged into his body.

Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—the five-colored spiritual energies formed a perfect cycle within his meridians, mutually generating and overcoming each other in an endless loop.

His dantian, which was previously like a leaky sieve, now transformed into a greedy chaotic vortex, devouring, compressing, and purifying all the incoming spiritual energy.

The speed of spiritual energy conversion was a hundred times faster than before!

No, a thousand times!

In just two hours, the spiritual energy in his body grew from nothing into a gathered stream, breaking through the barrier of the second level of Qi Condensation!

Boom!

Ye Xuan felt his entire body jolt, and an unprecedented sense of comfort spread through his limbs and bones.

He opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing in them before fading away.

The second level of Qi Condensation... I did it!

Ye Xuan trembled with excitement.

This was the power of a supreme immortal sutra! This was the true potential of the Five Elements Chaos Physique.

Without the slightest pause, he immediately threw himself into a deeper level of cultivation.

Time flew by.

For the next ten days, Ye Xuan practically never left his room, spending all his time cultivating.

His cultivation base soared madly, as if riding a rocket.

The third level of Qi Condensation!

In just ten days, he leaped from a mortal to a cultivator at the third level of Qi Condensation!

If word of this cultivation speed got out, it would be enough to shake the entire Azure Cloud Sect. Even someone with a Heavenly Spirit Root might not possess such terrifying speed in the early stages.

Moreover, as his realm improved, another advantage of the Five Elements Chaos Sutra revealed itself—simultaneous cultivation of the five elements!

He could learn spells from any elemental affinity without the slightest hindrance.

Whether it was the sharpness of metal, the vitality of wood, the flexibility of water, the explosiveness of fire, or the heaviness of earth, he could master them all effortlessly.

My strength is still too weak.

Feeling the surging spiritual power within his body, Ye Xuan did not dare to become complacent in the slightest.

The third level of Qi Condensation was still at the bottom of the barrel in the Azure Cloud Sect. He didn't even count as an outer sect disciple, let alone have the ability to contend against the unfathomable Xia Lengyue.

I still need offensive methods.

The Basic Qi Guiding Art distributed by the sect only recorded a few superficial five-element spells, such as the Sharp Metal Spell and Entanglement Spell. Their power was pitifully small; using them in a fight was no different from children playing around.

Ye Xuan cast his gaze toward the Scripture Pavilion.

As a handyman disciple, he could only enter the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

The cultivation methods and spells stored there were all unrated, considered trash that the inner sect disciples wouldn't even bat an eye at.

But Ye Xuan knew that true treasures were often hidden in these inconspicuous corners.

He spent a whole day turning the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion upside down.

Finally, in a dusty corner, he found a thin sword manual with an animal skin cover.

The sword manual had no name. The cover only bore a faint drawing of a sword mark, exuding an ancient and desolate aura.

Ye Xuan opened the sword manual, and the very first sentence made his heart skip a beat.

The sword is inherently nameless; if the heart has the Dao, the sword has the Dao. The sword is divided into nine realms: the first is Qi, the ninth is Luo. Qi can sever the mortal coil; Luo can reverse time and space. This sword grows with the heart and can be known as Great Luo Limitless.

Great Luo Limitless Sword Qi!

Ye Xuan's breathing instantly stopped.

Wasn't this the supreme, growth-type sword path cultivation method he had obtained by a stroke of luck in the late stages of the game?

In the game, this cultivation method was hailed as one of the strongest offensive techniques. Practiced to the extreme, a single sword strike could cleave the sun, moon, and stars!

He never expected that in this world, this god-tier sword manual would be thrown on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion like garbage!

Suppressing his excitement, Ye Xuan used his meager amount of spirit stones to exchange for this completely ignored sword manual.

Returning to his small hut, he immediately began to comprehend it.

The entry-level of this sword art was extremely simple; it only required condensing one's spiritual power at the fingertips and transforming it into sword qi. But the further one progressed, the harder it became, requiring an extremely profound comprehension of the five elements, yin and yang, and even space and time.

But for Ye Xuan, this was tailor-made for him.

Possessing the Five Elements Chaos Sutra, he naturally had a superhuman affinity for the power of the five elements.

Condense!

Ye Xuan extended his index and middle fingers, bringing them together like a sword. The five-element spiritual energy in his dantian surged madly, converging at his fingertips along his meridians.

Sizzle!

A half-foot-long, multi-colored beam of sword qi shot out from his fingertips, cutting the air with a faint hissing sound.

Although the sword qi was small, the sharpness and destructive aura contained within far exceeded any spell of a cultivator at the same level!

It's a success!

Ye Xuan looked at the sword qi on his fingertips, a raging fire igniting in his eyes.

While cultivating madly, Ye Xuan also kept his persona in mind.

Every few days, he would take the initiative to visit Cold Moon Peak, playing the role of a hardworking, honest, and slightly inferior handyman disciple.

On this day, as soon as he stepped into the courtyard of Cold Moon Peak, he saw a scene that made his eyelids twitch.

Xia Lengyue was standing in a pavilion. In front of her, a rather handsome young man wearing the attire of an inner sect disciple was holding a brocade box with a face full of flattery.

Junior Sister Xia, this is a Face Retaining Pill that I specially sought out for you from the sect's market. Although it is superfluous for a heavenly fairy like yourself, it is still a token of your senior brother's goodwill.

Xia Lengyue's expression was icy. Without even glancing at the brocade box, her tone was as indifferent as ten-thousand-year profound ice: I don't need it. Take it away.

The smile on the young man's face stiffened, looking somewhat awkward.

Right at that moment, Xia Lengyue spotted Ye Xuan carrying a broom not far away.

The frost in her eyes instantly melted, as if spring had returned to the earth, and the corners of her mouth even curled up into an almost imperceptible arc.

You're here.

Her voice, although still cold, contained a trace of indescribable warmth compared to when she spoke to the young man just now.

This subtle change made the inner sect disciple's face instantly turn incredibly ugly. He whipped his head around, glaring fixedly at Ye Xuan with a jealous and venomous gaze.

Ye Xuan cursed loudly in his heart.

Damn it, this trick again!

He instantly understood Xia Lengyue's intentions.

This woman was intentionally making enemies for him!

She wanted everyone to see that she treated this handyman differently, thereby drawing the jealousy and bullying of others.

This way, he would have no choice but to seek her protection, binding him even more deeply to her side!

What a vicious, open scheme!

Ye Xuan gritted his teeth in hatred inwardly, but his face immediately piled on an incredibly humble and terrified smile.

He bowed repeatedly to the inner sect disciple:

Greetings, Senior Brother! You are truly handsome and possess an extraordinary bearing. One look is enough to tell you are a dragon among men! Standing next to Senior Sister Xia, you two are a match made in heaven, a perfectly suited pair!

As he spouted these flatteries, he secretly observed Xia Lengyue's expression.

Sure enough, upon hearing the words match made in heaven, Xia Lengyue's slightly softened expression instantly turned freezing cold again. A deep flash of heartache and self-blame even flickered in her eyes?

Heartache for his pathetic subservience.

Self-blame because she was the one who had forced him into this state.

The inner sect disciple was feeling quite smug from Ye Xuan's bootlicking. His expression eased slightly, but the look he gave Ye Xuan was still full of disdain. At least a piece of trash like you has some good eyes!

Scram.

A single, icy word slipped from Xia Lengyue's lips.

The smugness on the inner sect disciple's face instantly froze. He stared at Xia Lengyue in disbelief.

I said, scram. Xia Lengyue's voice grew heavier as a majestic spiritual pressure suddenly erupted, directly blasting the inner sect disciple back several steps and causing the blood and qi in his chest to churn.

You...! The young man was both shocked and furious, but he didn't dare to lash out. He could only shoot Ye Xuan a venomous glare before turning and fleeing in a miserable state.

Ye Xuan sneered inwardly, though his face displayed a terrified expression as if he were about to cry.

Only the two of them remained in the courtyard.

Xia Lengyue looked at Ye Xuan's cowardly demeanor, her eyes becoming incredibly gentle, even carrying a trace of pity.

You are still... so timid, she said softly, as if reminiscing about something.

Ye Xuan cooperatively sighed, putting on a bitter face. I have no choice, Senior Sister. I'm too weak. In the sect, if I don't say a few nice things, I'll be beaten to death.

These words were like a needle, viciously piercing Xia Lengyue's heart.

She remembered her past life—that husband who had been bullied by countless people in the servant quarters, yet could only endure it in silence.

The gentleness and guilt in her eyes deepened. She stepped forward and, brooking no refusal, shoved a storage bag into Ye Xuan's hands. There are some spirit stones and pills in here. Take them for your cultivation. Don't ever say those kinds of things to others again; I don't like it.

Overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, Ye Xuan accepted it and thanked her profusely, while his heart swelled with wild joy.

Another wave of resources secured!

Xia Lengyue looked at his useless appearance, feeling both heartache and helplessness. She chatted with Ye Xuan for a bit, asking about his recent cultivation progress.

While absentmindedly dealing with her questions, Ye Xuan was already calculating in his head how to use these newly acquired resources to elevate his Great Luo Limitless Sword Qi to the next level.

His mind and heart were entirely consumed by cultivation. Towards Xia Lengyue's seemingly hypocritical tenderness, he felt nothing but extreme impatience.

Given what kind of person Xia Lengyue was, she immediately noticed Ye Xuan's perfunctory attitude.

A trace of imperceptible anger and disappointment flashed deep within her eyes.

Why?

I treat him so well and give him the best of everything. Why does he still want to leave? Why is he so impatient with me?

Could it be that I'm still not doing enough?

Ye Xuan was completely unaware of Xia Lengyue's complex inner thoughts.

The moment he got the storage bag, he couldn't wait to excuse himself, practically fleeing from Cold Moon Peak.

Nothing in this vast world mattered more than cultivation!

Only with strength could one possess everything! This was the only absolute truth in the cultivation world!

However, he ultimately underestimated the jealousy of petty men, as well as Xia Lengyue's determination to control the situation.

No sooner had he returned to the shantytown where the servant disciples lived, and before he even had time to begin cultivating, his door was kicked open with a loud bang.

Several fierce-looking inner sect disciples blocked the doorway. The one leading them was none other than the handsome young man who had been chased away from Cold Moon Peak by Xia Lengyue earlier that day—Wang Hao.

Boy, you've got some nerve, haven't you? Wang Hao walked in with a savage grin and grabbed Ye Xuan by the collar. You dare to snatch the woman I have my eyes on? And you dare to make me look bad in front of Junior Sister Xia?

Ye Xuan felt utterly helpless inwardly, knowing he couldn't avoid this disaster.

Looking at Wang Hao's face, twisted with jealousy, he couldn't even be bothered to waste his breath.

He definitely couldn't win in a fight. Wang Hao was already at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, a full four minor realms higher than him.

What do you want? Ye Xuan asked calmly.

What do I want? Wang Hao sneered, slapping Ye Xuan across the face. Today, I'll start by breaking one of your legs, just to teach you that a servant should act like a servant. Don't covet things that don't belong to you!

Saying so, he raised his foot, preparing to stomp viciously onto Ye Xuan's knee.

Right at this hair-raising moment.

Stop!

A bone-chilling, clear shout, like the freezing winds of the Nine Netherworld, instantly swept through the entire room.

Wang Hao's foot froze in mid-air. He looked back in terror, only to see Xia Lengyue's beautiful face covered in frost. Unbeknownst to anyone, she had already appeared at the doorway.

Ye Xuan is my person.

She spoke emphasizing every single syllable, each word carrying an unquestionable authority and intense killing intent.

Wang Hao shuddered in fear and hurriedly let go of Ye Xuan, squeezing out a smile that looked uglier than crying. Xia... Junior Sister Xia, it's a misunderstanding. This is all a misunderstanding...

Scram.

Xia Lengyue couldn't even be bothered to listen to his explanation.

Wang Hao felt as if he had been granted a general amnesty. Taking his gang of scoundrel friends, he fled in absolute terror.

Once again, only the two of them were left in the room.

Ye Xuan rubbed his reddened cheek, sighing in his heart.

As expected, everything was playing out according to this woman's script.

Xia Lengyue walked up to him. Reaching out her slightly cool hand, she gently stroked the red mark on his face, her eyes filled with self-blame and lingering fear.

I'm sorry. I didn't think things through.

Ye Xuan kept his head down, pretending to be frightened, and said nothing.

From now on, you won't live here anymore, Xia Lengyue suddenly said.

Ye Xuan jerked his head up.

He only heard her coldly announce in a tone that brokered no refusal:

Move to my Cold Moon Peak. By my side, let's see who still dares to lay a hand on you.

Ye Xuan was stunned.

Live in her cave dwelling?

A strong sense of resistance rose in his heart.

That wasn't protection; that was imprisonment! It was absolute captivity!

However, looking into Xia Lengyue's undeniable eyes, he knew he didn't have the right to say no.

His helplessness, his resistance, and his struggles all translated into cowardice and fear in Xia Lengyue's eyes.

This only made her determination to protect him even firmer.

In the end, Ye Xuan could only let out a powerless wail in his heart. Yet, he forced an expression of overwhelming gratitude onto his face as he followed Xia Lengyue toward that magnificent golden cage known as Cold Moon Peak.

At this moment, his thirst for power reached an unprecedented peak.