Are You a Virgin

Over the next few days, the two continued to wander together through the mystic realm.

The depths of the Tianyuan Mystic Realm became increasingly eerie and unpredictable.

The sky here was no longer a layer of gray clouds; instead, it took on a bizarre dark red hue, as if soaked in blood.

The ground was littered with bottomless rifts, from which red mist constantly billowed. The mist was highly corrosive, and ordinary magical artifacts would rapidly decay upon contact.

Bai Qianqiu had excellent luck, stumbling upon several fortuitous encounters in a row that advanced her cultivation.

Just yesterday, in an ancient ruin, she discovered an incomplete sword manual, the Nine Heavens Profound Sword Art.

Although this sword manual was fragmented, the sword techniques recorded within were profoundly esoteric, elevating her mastery of the sword to another level.

The day before, beside a spirit spring, she had harvested a Purple Firmament Immortal Mushroom. This immortal fungi was a rare find even in ten thousand years; consuming it could temper a sword cultivator's sword intent, making it far more condensed.

Yesterday, she also slew an early Soul Formation stage Blood Fiend Demonic Wolf, extracting pure demonic energy from its monster core to temper her own sword body.

Her cultivation base, originally at the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, was now showing faint signs of breaking through to the Soul Formation stage.

Ye Xuan, on the other hand, remained empty-handed, or rather, he simply did not care.

He acted like a walking corpse, spending most of his time lying on the ground in a daze, staring blankly at the sky.

His eyes grew increasingly hollow and dead, resembling a pool of stagnant water devoid of any vitality.

He stopped talking, stopped joking, and would not even move to eat unless Bai Qianqiu urged him.

Watching him in this state, Bai Qianqiu felt an indescribably complex surge of emotions.

She wanted to comfort him, but did not know what to say.

She wanted to help him, but did not know how.

All she could do was silently stay by his side, watching him waste away day by day.

On this day, as evening approached, the two took shelter in a dry cave.

This cave was located halfway up a cliff face. Its entrance was small, only the height of a person, but the interior was quite spacious, spanning dozens of feet across.

The cave floor was smooth and covered with a thick layer of dry grass. Bai Qianqiu had gathered this grass from outside; though it looked ordinary, it was actually a spiritual plant called Soul-Soothing Grass, which helped cultivators calm their minds and improve their cultivation efficiency.

The flickering campfire cast their shadows, stretching and shrinking them against the walls.

The firelight illuminated Bai Qianqiu's face, making her breathtakingly beautiful features appear exceptionally soft.

She sat cross-legged by the fire, eyes closed, circulating the spiritual energy within her body to consolidate her gains from the past few days.

A faint sword intent surfaced around her body, condensed and unyielding, forming sword-shaped phantoms in the air.

Not far away, Ye Xuan lay on the pile of dry grass, staring blankly at the cave ceiling. He remained completely motionless, like a corpse.

There was no light in his eyes, only a deathly, ashen gray.

His breathing was shallow, so faint it was almost inaudible; it was as if he had lost his very soul.

Time ticked by, minute by minute, second by second.

Outside the cave, night fell, and the demonic beasts of the mystic realm began to stir.

Occasionally, the miserable shrieks of cultivators echoed through the darkness, desolate and despairing sounds that clearly meant they had encountered something terrifying.

Inside the cave, there was only the crackling of the campfire and the steady sound of Bai Qianqiu's breathing.

Bai Qianqiu.

Ye Xuan suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

Bai Qianqiu's body stiffened slightly, but she did not open her eyes. She merely asked calmly, What is it?

Her voice was steady, but an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

Ye Xuan had been completely silent for days; for him to speak up so suddenly, it could not be anything good.

Are you a virgin?

As soon as those words left his mouth, the temperature inside the cave plummeted.

Bai Qianqiu's eyes snapped open, her gaze as cold as a blade.

Her eyes were filled with fury and killing intent, a genuine killing intent, not just a show.

The sword intent around her erupted instantly, forming sharp streams of sword qi that whistled through the air.

Her hand rested on the hilt of the sword at her waist. If she wished, she could draw her blade in the next second and cut Ye Xuan down.

Why are you asking this? Do you want to die?

Her voice was bone-chilling.

Her eyes brimmed with vigilance and rage. As the Holy Maiden of the Sword God Palace, she had always kept herself pure and had never engaged in any intimate contact with a man.

And Ye Xuan actually dared to ask such a question, he was simply courting death!

Yet Ye Xuan acted as if he could not feel her killing intent. Expressionless, he took an ancient-looking spatial ring from his robes and casually tossed it over.

The ring was pitch-black, engraved with complex patterns, and exuded faint ripples of spiritual energy. The engravings were incredibly exquisite, clearly the work of a master.

Clatter.

The ring landed in front of Bai Qianqiu, rolled a few times on the ground, and came to a stop at her feet.

These are for you.

Ye Xuan raised his eyelids. There was no lust in those eyes, only a deathly, ashen gray.

Can you accompany me for one night?

His voice was calm, but beneath that calm hid a profound despair and madness.

There was no desire in his gaze, no wicked thoughts, only a deep sense of loneliness and hopelessness.

He was like a drowning man making his final struggle, desperate to grab onto anything that could save him.

Bai Qianqiu was furious. She was just about to draw her sword and strike him down when her divine sense subconsciously swept over the ring.

The moment her divine sense touched the ring, she was utterly stunned by the sight inside.

Her eyes widened, her mouth fell slightly open, and she stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

The space inside the ring was massive, spanning thousands of feet. And within this vast space lay piles upon piles of various treasures.

The most conspicuous was a mountain of supreme-grade spirit stones.

Beside the spirit stones were all sorts of rare spiritual herbs.

There was a Ten-Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng, entirely blood-red and radiating a rich aura of life; consuming it could extend one's lifespan by a thousand years.

There was Nine-Revolution Soul-Returning Grass, capable of bringing the dead back to life; as long as a person had a single breath left, consuming it would restore them completely.

There was a Heavenly Heart Lotus, which could temper the soul, multiplying the strength of a cultivator's divine sense several times over.

There was a Purple Firmament Immortal Mushroom, capable of tempering sword intent and causing a sword cultivator's mastery to advance by leaps and bounds.

There were also countless other rare spiritual herbs she could not even name, every single one of them priceless.

You... where did you get so many resources?!

Her voice trembled, and she was so shocked she could barely speak.

How was this the wealth of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator? This was even richer than the treasury of a first-rate sect!

These resources were enough to allow a person to cultivate to the Body Integration stage, or even higher, without any bottlenecks!

No, more than the Body Integration stage!

If used properly, these resources were enough to nurture a Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator!

If word of these resources got out, it would be enough to trigger a bloodbath that would sweep across the entire Three Thousand Dao Realms!

Countless sects would go mad for it, and countless cultivators would risk their lives for it!

Even those old monsters who lived in seclusion would not be able to resist fighting over it!

Ye Xuan leaned against the stone wall. His expression was indifferent, as if what he had just tossed out was merely a rock.

They gave it to me. They were afraid I would die out here, so they forced it on me.

His voice was flat, but beneath that flatness lay a deep sense of irony and self-deprecation.

He recalled the scenes when those women gave him the resources; each of them had acted incredibly humble.

But Ye Xuan did not need any of this.

He did not need their compensation, their guilt, or their resources.

He only wanted an answer—why?

Why did they betray him?

Why did they hurt him?

Why, after hurting him, did they come back to pester him?

But no one could give him the answer.

At this moment, the fury in Bai Qianqiu's heart was ignited once again, burning even hotter than before.

It was an extreme disgust toward Ye Xuan's behavior, along with an indescribable envy and hatred.

She was jealous of those women who could give Ye Xuan so many resources.

She was envious of Ye Xuan, who could obtain these resources so easily.

She hated herself for actually being tempted by these resources.

But more than that, it was a profound anger.

She was angry that Ye Xuan was trampling on his own dignity, angry that he despised these resources so much, and angry that he would actually use these resources to insult her!

Bang!

She charged forward again, fiercely tackling Ye Xuan to the ground and straddling him.

Her movements were fast and fierce, carrying a reckless madness.

Her body pressed against Ye Xuan, her hands pinning his shoulders down tightly, her entire being radiating a terrifying aura.

Her fists rained down on Ye Xuan's chest and face.

Do you take me for that kind of woman too?

You bastard! You piece of trash!

Her fists slammed into Ye Xuan one after another, every punch thrown with all her might.

Her tears flowed uncontrollably, blurring her vision, but she did not stop. Instead, she hit him even harder.

She did not know why she was crying.

Was it because of anger?

Was it because of grievance?

Or was it because her heart ached for him?

Her fists hammered against Ye Xuan's chest, making dull thuds.

Ye Xuan's clothes were torn apart, revealing the skin underneath. Bruises were already forming on his skin.

But Ye Xuan's Flawless Dao Body was too strong. Even with Bai Qianqiu using all her strength, she could only leave some bruises on him; she could not truly hurt him.

Ye Xuan neither resisted nor defended himself, just letting her hit him.

He just lay there quietly, his empty eyes staring at the roof of the cave, letting Bai Qianqiu's fists fall on him.

He just quietly looked at her furious face and suddenly asked, You agree?

His voice was very light, but incredibly clear.

Agree my ass!

Bai Qianqiu, flustered and exasperated, grabbed the ring and smashed it fiercely into Ye Xuan's face.

The ring hit Ye Xuan's face with a crisp smack, then bounced off and rolled into the dust nearby.

A red mark immediately appeared on Ye Xuan's face.

Her chest heaved violently as she pointed at Ye Xuan's nose and cursed him out, her usual aloofness and nobility completely gone.

People are not wrong to call you the Soft Rice King! You are just a spineless piece of trash!

Do you know what this ring means? If wearing a few green hats could be exchanged for this many resources, out of the millions of cultivators in this world, anyone would be willing! Some would even beg on their knees to wear them!!

Her voice echoed in the cave, carrying a hysterical madness.

She was telling the truth.

In this cruel cultivation world, for the sake of immortality and power, what did dignity count for?

The resources inside this ring were enough to make blood brothers turn against each other and fathers and sons kill one another!

They were even enough to trigger a massive war between two great nations. Even if millions of cultivators died in the process, it would be considered worth it!

For these resources, let alone wearing a green hat, even if they were asked to kneel and lick someone else's shoe soles, countless people would scramble to do it!

Dignity?

In the face of absolute profit, dignity was nothing!