The Beast Vehicle arranged by the Liu Family was not as fast as a Wind Chasing Leopard. Since they were still quite a distance from Dapeng City, Ye Xuan decided to take this opportunity to push through and elevate his cultivation in one go.
Ye Xuan rapidly swallowed one Super Spirit Pill after another. The energy within his body swelled, becoming increasingly vigorous. This energy was first absorbed by his flesh before surging into his Dantian, Hidden Veins, and Sea of Consciousness. His entire body was undergoing a comprehensive transformation. Once the energy in his body reached saturation, Ye Xuan began to batter against his Great River Veins.
Once, a hundred times... A thousand times, ten thousand times... As long as the bottleneck remained unbroken, he would continue the assault.
Liu Ruoxi didn’t know how long she had slept. Suddenly, she sensed someone right next to her! Could it be... Ye Xuan? Had he finally been unable to hold back and decided to force himself on her? Liu Ruoxi’s eyes snapped open. Turning her head, she found Ye Xuan’s face inches from her own.
She was about to curse him as a beast, but then she noticed something wrong with his complexion. Ye Xuan was as pale as a ghost. His eyes were shut tight, and he was drenched in sweat. His body was tightly curled up into a ball.
"He’s... charging at his Hidden Veins!" she thought. Liu Ruoxi finally realized what Ye Xuan was doing. He was trying to elevate his cultivation. But was the man an idiot? He was clearly in immense agony, yet he was still gritting his teeth and pushing through? Didn’t he know that doing this not only carried the risk of qi deviation but, in severe cases, could cause his body to explode?
Liu Ruoxi could clearly see that blood seemed ready to seep from Ye Xuan’s skin. This was the result of the Spiritual Qi inside him being too frenzied. Ye Xuan was obviously trying to use brute force to rapidly smash through the bottleneck of his Hidden Veins.
After her initial shock, Liu Ruoxi let out a cold laugh. She sneered inwardly, "I hope you just explode and die right here! That way, there will never be any ties between us again. Die, Ye Xuan. Hurry up and die!
"No, how can he die so easily? He insulted me; he must die by my own hands. He has to live—his life must be ended by me!"
At this moment, Liu Ruoxi’s feelings were surprisingly conflicted.
Just then, Ye Xuan’s body stopped trembling. The color returned to his face, and his breathing evened out. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
"PHEW!"
He sat up and exhaled a long breath of stale air. Within him, six Great River Veins surged and flowed like mighty rivers. He had reached the sixth level of the Super Spirit Realm.
However, Ye Xuan did not look happy. Instead, his expression was somewhat solemn. The sixth level of the Super Spirit Realm had been his peak cultivation back when he was at the Profound Cloud Sect. But that was ten years ago. In other words, his cultivation had stagnated for ten years. Only now was he truly beginning to move forward again.
Ye Xuan knew that if he wanted to fight his way back to the Profound Cloud Sect, the road ahead would be long and arduous. But no matter how difficult it was, he had to take it one step at a time.
Shaking his head, Ye Xuan looked over at Liu Ruoxi. Although she was terrified that he might force himself on her, she did not avert her gaze. In front of him, she refused to show even the slightest hint of fear. Otherwise, she would lose! The two locked eyes in silence. The atmosphere grew eerie, yet strangely profound.
Suddenly, the Beast Vehicle came to a halt. The driver’s voice rang out.
"Young Master, Miss. We have arrived at the Gongsun Family estate."
Only then did Ye Xuan look away. Without a word, he hoisted Liu Ruoxi onto his shoulder.
"Ye Xuan, let me go! Untie this knot; I can walk on my own!"
Liu Ruoxi wriggled on his shoulder like a maggot. She wanted nothing more than to bite him, but unable to use her Spiritual Qi, she couldn’t hurt him at all. She had actually just tried, only to end up making her own teeth ache. This country bumpkin’s skin was as hard as iron! It was incredibly rough.
"Xuan’Er, you still have her tied up?" Gongsun Yanran’s voice suddenly chimed in, carrying a tone of clear surprise. "Put her down and untie her."
To Liu Ruoxi’s ears, Gongsun Yanran’s voice sounded like the sweetest melody.
Ye Xuan replied nonchalantly, "What if she runs away?"
"We’re at the Gongsun Family estate; how could she possibly escape? Besides, she’s your fiancée. She traveled thousands of miles to come here with you, so how can you just keep her tied up the whole time?" Gongsun Yanran glared at Ye Xuan. Reaching out, she helped Liu Ruoxi down and then untied the Spirit-Suppressing Rope binding her.
Freed from the Spirit-Suppressing Rope, Liu Ruoxi could finally move. Having been stuck in the same position for days, her joints cracked loudly with just a slight shift of her body. As she stretched her stiff limbs, a blue light emanated from her body. She glared defiantly at Ye Xuan, looking as if she was ready to fight him all over again.
But before she could act, Gongsun Yanran placed a hand firmly on her shoulder.
"There are some things you simply cannot change, so why be so stubborn? The more stubborn you are, the more you’ll suffer. As you can probably tell, my Xuan’Er doesn’t like people who oppose him, even if that person is a great beauty. So, what’s the point? Even if you go into a frenzy, can you defeat him? But rest assured, I won’t let him bully you."
Gongsun Yanran’s words forced Liu Ruoxi to calm down. Indeed, what use would it be to throw a fit now? They were already at the Gongsun Family estate. Why would the Gongsun Family show her any mercy?
"That’s a good girl. Let’s go."
Ten minutes later, in the Lingxuan Courtyard.
Ye Xuan and the others had barely returned and hadn’t even caught their breath when a servant approached them.
"Young Master Ye Xuan, your grandfather asked me to inform you that once you return, you are to go to the main courtyard. He has something to ask you."
"Grandfather is looking for me?" Ye Xuan frowned slightly before replying, "I’ll head over shortly. Mother, keep an eye on Liu Ruoxi. Make sure she doesn’t run off."
"Don’t worry, she won’t get away."
"Alright, I’ll be right back."
Ten minutes later, in the main courtyard.
Ye Xuan headed straight for the discussion hall. Gongsun Wenjin was waiting for him there, with Gongsun Xin standing by his side.
"You’re here. Have a seat," Gongsun Xin said, closing the doors to the hall.
Ye Xuan didn’t sit down. Instead, he asked straightforwardly, "Grandfather, why did you look for me? Just tell me directly."
Gongsun Wenjin nodded and asked, "You definitely obtained some sort of fortunate encounter in the Forbidden Area, didn’t you?"
Ye Xuan paused in slight surprise. "Why do you ask?"
"What, are you still playing dumb? Your fight with Liu Ruoxi already gave you away." Hearing Gongsun Wenjin’s words, Ye Xuan finally understood. Gongsun Wenjin definitely assumed that he had learned the Divine Demon Dominating Body Technique inside the Forbidden Area.
"You caught me, Grandfather." Ye Xuan didn’t bother to explain; he simply played along with Gongsun Wenjin’s assumption.
"So, you admit it?"
"Do I have a choice but to admit it?"
"Then tell me quickly, what exactly was the fortunate encounter you obtained?"
Ye Xuan frowned. "Can I choose not to say? It’s my own fortunate encounter, after all. Grandfather, you wouldn’t force me to tell you, would you?"