“Hmm…” I opened my eyes weakly. The sunlight streaming in from the balcony was so bright it was hard to keep them open. Out of habit, I reached for the clothes by my bedside but instead touched something soft and fleshy.
Am I still dreaming? This feels familiar… It’s just like when I first met Mei’er…
“Hey! How long are you going to keep touching my face?!” an angry voice suddenly snapped.
I was startled. Not only was it not Mei’er’s voice, it wasn’t even a woman’s! It was a man’s voice!
I quickly sat up and looked at the person. “Why is it you?!” I said irritably.
The person whose face I had been mauling was actually the swordsman. When did he get here?
“Hey, if it weren’t for me saving you, that old fox demon would have finished you off!” The swordsman looked even more upset than I was, putting on an expression that said I was ungrateful.
Hearing this, I was stunned, and everything that happened before I lost consciousness came back to me.
“So that person in white was you?” I asked the swordsman in surprise.
The swordsman smirked, incredibly pleased with himself. “Who else could it be? But that old man ran away too fast. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been just an arm he left behind!” As he spoke, his entire aura seemed to change, becoming so cold and sharp it made me shiver.
He probably wasn’t lying. If that old man had been any slower, he really would have been cut down by the swordsman.
But that old man had also given me an unfathomable feeling, even stronger than the swordsman. Yet, the swordsman had managed to cut off his arm with a single strike.
Wait! That damn old man shattered my dantian!
“Is it still possible to cultivate if my dantian is destroyed?” I asked the swordsman nervously.
Hearing my question, the swordsman frowned and sighed. “For cultivators, the dantian is the place to store True Qi. Now that your dantian is shattered, forget about cultivating—you can’t even practice the Qi of ancient martial arts!”
“Are you saying I’m just done for?!” I didn’t want to accept this outcome. If I can’t cultivate, how will I ever find Mei’er?
Besides, I’m not a very forgiving person. Since that old man tried to kill me, I will have my revenge!
My principle is to not provoke others, but if provoked, I will retaliate. No matter what his relationship with Mei’er is, he owes me, and he will pay me back!
But now the swordsman is saying that once the dantian is destroyed, you can’t cultivate anything. Does that mean I’ll never be able to get my revenge, never be able to find Mei’er?
The swordsman smiled. “Do you remember the tribulation I told you about?”
“Are you saying Mei’er leaving and my dantian being destroyed is the tribulation you mentioned?” I immediately understood what he meant.
If this is a tribulation, it’s certainly a major one. If I can no longer cultivate, it truly is a great calamity!
Instead of answering directly, the swordsman continued, “Do you remember what I said about breaking to stand anew?”
“Are you saying I can still cultivate?!” Hearing this, I became excited.
But the swordsman frowned. “Actually, this matter isn’t entirely certain. The message from the stars isn’t very optimistic.”
“You know how to read the stars?” I looked at him in surprise. This guy isn’t just highly skilled; he also seems well-versed in divination and such.
The swordsman said smugly, “Well, who do you think I am?”
I had no patience for his boasting, so I cut straight to the point. “Tell me how to restore my cultivation!”
“This method is practically $uicidal. Are you sure you want to try it?” The swordsman’s frown deepened.
When he’s serious, he’s never wrong.
Suicidal… If the odds are really that bad, maybe I shouldn’t try.
Just as I was about to refuse, the swordsman said, “Have you heard of the five elements’ spiritual energy?”
“Yes, I have.” I nodded. Mei’er had told me about this, so I remembered.
“To use the five elements’ spiritual energy, one must reach Lunar Reflection. After reaching Lunar Reflection, every cultivator will have an innate attribute, which determines the path of their future cultivation. Understand?” The swordsman looked at me.
I nodded, signaling him to continue.
The swordsman went on, “To repair the dantian, a Lunar Reflection expert can seek the corresponding elemental essence of their attribute and absorb it to restore the shattered dantian!”
“But that has nothing to do with repairing my dantian, right?” Since he said it’s a method for Lunar Reflection experts, and I’m only half-step Lunar Reflection, this was all useless talk.
The swordsman shook his head at me and continued, “No, not only is it related, it’s greatly related!”
I was confused by this and urged him to explain further.
“Absorbing elemental essence is the only way to repair the dantian. But since you haven’t reached Lunar Reflection, you don’t know your innate attribute. If you recklessly absorb an elemental essence that doesn’t match your attribute, you’ll only explode and die!” The swordsman said helplessly.
I took a deep breath. “So, there’s only a one-in-five chance?”
“No. Even if you get the corresponding attribute, you might not be able to control the elemental essence. So, it’s still $uicidal!” The swordsman ruthlessly crushed my hopes. Seeing I remained silent, he continued, “Moreover, any type of elemental essence is a treasure fiercely contested in the cultivation world. Obtaining one is extremely difficult.”
“Are you saying that, never mind the chance of success, even finding an elemental essence is incredibly hard?” I looked at the swordsman doubtfully. If I understood correctly, that was the gist of it.
The swordsman nodded. “Exactly. However, I can help you find one first—”
Before he could finish, my phone rang. I gave him an apologetic smile and answered the call. “Hello? Who is this?”
“Xia Tian, it’s Yang Fan. Come to the martial arts club quickly! That J@panese guy is here again with his people!” Yang Fan said urgently.
I hesitated. Now that I’ve lost all my cultivation, I’m not sure if I can be of any help.
“I’ll be right there!” In the end, I felt I had to go.
After hanging up, the swordsman said to me, “Are you crazy? You’ve lost all your cultivation now!”
“A real man takes responsibility. I was the one who beat Miyazaki Sawano. I can’t let the entire martial arts club suffer because of me!” I sighed helplessly.
“Tch! Your martial arts club only has three people. I know that much!” the swordsman said disdainfully, then suddenly changed his tone. “But because you said that, I respect you as a man. Take me with you. If those J@panese dare to go for the kill, I’ll cripple them!”
I was genuinely touched by his words, but I still said irritably, “The cultivation world has clear rules: experts above Stellar Vortex late stage can’t attack ordinary people.”
“Rules? Rules are just made by the strong to control the weak. What do I care?” the swordsman said nonchalantly.
I could only smile wryly and shake my head. This guy was just too blunt.