Chapter Fifty-Nine: Night Conversations with a Beauty

The moment the black, half-liquid substance entered his mouth, a familiar metallic tang exploded across his senses. Having already taken it once before, Chen Qi was well prepared this time. The blood energy he’d long been accumulating surged toward his esophagus, actively rushing to meet the black fluid. That unbearable taste was quickly overpowered by the tidal wave of blood energy, and the royal jelly dissolved into the torrent, nourishing and amplifying it until it became even more intense and vigorous.

Sensing that the blood energy was about to spiral out of control, Chen Qi instinctively guided it, making it circulate throughout his body, allowing this energy to drive the improvement of his entire form. As he triggered his Focused Burst skill, he closed his eyes and perceived the changes within: a viscous essence of blood swept through his meridians, subtly fortifying them, and the color deep within his marrow darkened further, indicating a heightened ability to generate blood. The newly formed blood pulsed with a translucent red glow, giving the impression of imminent transformation.

But the skill’s effect lasted barely more than two seconds, and as the mysterious state faded, Chen Qi’s eyes flew open, his gaze a mix of joy and worry. He was troubled because his first dose of “Black Jade Royal Jelly” had already built a strong resistance within him; this time, his basic attributes had not improved at all. Yet, he was also glad, for his blood seemed to have reached a critical threshold—if he broke through, some wondrous change was sure to occur. Though he could not yet fathom what form this transformation might take, he was certain it would only benefit his strength.

“Perhaps it’s related to that legendary, enigmatic bloodline talent?” he mused, recalling the properties of the Phoenix’s Blood Elixir and similar treasures, and made a private conjecture.

Once his blood had calmed, Chen Qi narrowed his eyes, savoring the tranquility of the night—perhaps the last peaceful night in this world, a prospect he cherished all the more. Beside him, his close friend Sun Ruohai was already deep in sleep, his heavy breathing betraying the exhaustion and peril of their battles that day. Spreading his senses outward, Chen Qi keenly detected a terrifying aura lurking just outside the tent, vast and unfathomable like the sea, enough to make his hairs stand on end. It must be an inner disciple keeping watch.

He did not dare probe further, instead withdrawing his perception and trying to fall asleep quickly. But as on his first night in the “Sprout Space,” the more he wished for sleep, the more elusive it became. After tossing and turning, Chen Qi finally pulled open the tent flap and quietly slipped outside. Rather than stew in restless insomnia, he might as well breathe in the mountain air.

No sooner had he emerged than a pair of alert, questioning eyes swept over him, only to soften within seconds. He glanced at the team leader—a senior sister—in her azure robes, seated cross-legged outside the others’ tents, her long sword resting across her knees. As her right hand traced lightly along the blade, a certain elegance emerged.

The moonlight fell on her high hairpin, outlining the gentle curves of her shadow—a vision of feminine grace in the dark.

Chen Qi approached softly and sat down across from her. Quietly inhaling the delicate fragrance that lingered around her, he ventured, “Senior Sister Yun, we’ve fought side by side, yet I still don’t know your full name.”

She smiled at his awkward question, her voice as gentle as ever: “I am Yun Tianxin. I’ll be counting on your guidance in the future, Junior Brother Chen.”

After that, a peculiar silence settled between them, accompanied only by the mountain breeze and the quiet stream—yet it was not awkward. Chen Qi unconsciously scratched his head, then ran his hand across his brow. Even on Earth, he had never spoken alone with a girl his age, let alone someone as strong and beautiful as Senior Sister Yun Tianxin.

Yun Tianxin watched him intently, the corners of her lips curling ever so slightly, as if amused by the scene.

Time slipped by. Just as Chen Qi was about to excuse himself and leave, her soft voice broke the silence: “Junior Brother Chen, is there something on your mind that brings you out so late?”

His body froze mid-motion. He steadied himself, shifted into a more relaxed posture, and finally voiced what he’d long been rehearsing. “Senior Sister, ever since I was a child, I’ve had a certain sense—an intuition for auspicious or ominous signs. I foresee that if we press deeper into the hunt, disaster will befall the team… we could all be wiped out…”

He forced himself to turn the space’s warnings into a dire prediction. Even as he spoke, he found the words hard to believe himself, unable to pinpoint the source of his anxiety, and could only attribute it to some arcane premonition. He didn’t expect her to take it seriously.

To his surprise, Yun Tianxin listened with genuine interest, her head slightly tilted, her beautiful eyes sparkling with gentle light, showing no intention of interrupting.

“I beg you, Senior Sister, to prepare as thoroughly as possible. If things truly go awry, we should retreat by the way we came.” Under her attentive gaze, he forced himself to finish his prepared remarks, then summoned his courage to meet her eyes.

It was the first time he’d ever observed a girl so closely. With his keen eyesight, he could see the fine down on her fair cheeks, the naturally shaped brows—delicate and unadorned—holding his gaze captive.

At last, she blushed under his scrutiny, lowering her head and replying softly, “Xiao Wei and Junior Brother Zhang are both innate-realm martial artists. Paired with the exquisite martial arts of our Cloudsea Sect, the three of us together could barely withstand a fourth-rank beast. With my own cultivation at the peak of the Spirit Movement stage, even a mid-tier fourth-rank beast wouldn’t pose much threat.”

She paused for breath after her long speech, then continued, “According to the sect’s intelligence, that Thousand-Eyed Miasma Demon only barely broke through to the fourth rank three years ago. It should still be at the early stage, and should not be difficult to vanquish.”

As she spoke, her cheeks flushed further, and she added a little sheepishly, “Don’t judge me by my drawn-out battle with the centipede of the fifth rank—I put you all in danger. First, I was caught off guard and couldn’t prepare my full arsenal. Second, I suspect that centipede had already gained the power of an ordinary fourth-rank beast. That halo of blood energy was something extraordinary indeed.”

Chen Qi was surprised to see the usually reserved, elegant senior sister speak at such length, which seemed at odds with her ethereal image. When she mentioned the ranks of inner disciples, his interest was piqued; he edged forward and asked eagerly, “Senior Sister Yun, what exactly are the ‘Innate’ and ‘Spirit Movement’ realms? I still don’t understand the ranking of inner disciples.”

Amused by his urgent curiosity, Yun Tianxin smiled brighter, her lively tone resurfacing: “Then let me explain the inner disciple ranks for you, Junior Brother.”

With that, she raised her delicate hand, and a hazy, azure true energy gathered in her palm—far more potent than the blood energy he was familiar with.

“When blood and energy are honed to their limit, a martial artist may hope to open the gates to the world itself,” she explained. “If you succeed, your lifespan increases by decades, your body becomes light as a swallow, and true energy is born within you. That is how one qualifies as an inner disciple of Cloudsea Sect.”

Seeing Chen Qi’s interest intensify as he edged closer, she continued with a smile, “Once your true energy flows endlessly, like a boundless sea, you must try to condense it into a force called Gang Qi. When you can unleash this force at will, you reach the second rank among inner disciples—the Gang Qi realm. This is also the level of the outer sect elders.”

She cleared her throat, her voice gentle and crisp as she went on: “At the Gang Qi realm, your body—inside and out—is tempered by this force and becomes extremely resilient. Then you are qualified to draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into yourself. This is the so-called Spirit Movement stage.”

A look of longing flickered in her beautiful eyes. “When you reach the peak of Spirit Movement and, with luck, awaken the spiritual vortex and step into the Spiritual Core realm, you become an inner elder, your lifespan extended by decades once more. At that point, you are no longer an ordinary mortal.”

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Yun Tianxin’s breathing grew a little rapid. In a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, she murmured, “Um… Junior Brother, you’re sitting too close…”