Xie Qing was standing in a dimly lit area, his heart pounding as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. He was anxious and nervous, feeling as though the noise was amplified in the silence.


    After a few seconds, a figure appeared in the passageway. She had long, blue hair that resembled a clear, smooth body of water, and her eyes sparkled like diamonds in the darkness, captivating anyone who gazed upon them. Her waist was slim, and Xie Qing could have easily encircled it with one hand. She had a slender figure and long legs that drew attention.


    Upon seeing each other, Xie Qing and the girl fell silent. He had many questions, but he couldn''t bring himself to ask them. The young man was flustered.


    "What''s going on... I''ve never been shy around women, and now this is happening?" he thought, sighing and speaking his thoughts aloud, "I was looking for you."


    "And it seems you''ve found me," the girl replied with a smile, her name was Lyu Lyu.


    "Hmph..."


    Xie Qing curled his lips. Lyu Lyu''s nonchnt reaction had truly left him speechless.


    Lyu Lyu noticed the changes in Xie Qing''s mood, so she didn''t continue to tease him and instead said with a weak smile, "Please,e inside. I live here alone, after all."


    "Alone? Hm... it''s not a very suitable ce for you, I''ll admit," Xie Qing replied, furrowing his brows. The air was humid, and there was a scent of decay and fish.


    The floorboards creaked with each step, regardless of how light Lyu Lyu''s footsteps were. And Xie Qing''s steps... well, he was a swordsman, so he was used to moving without making much noise.


    When he saw that, aside from the main shop building, there was a small warehouse on the inside, and then a worn-out bed, he couldn''t help but furrow his brow.


    "This is... Lyu Lyu, I can''t understand why you''re staying here. If you had found me, I would have happily helped you find a nice home!" Xie Qing said in confusion.


    "Ha ha... to you, this is just a dirty ce, but to me, it''s a treasure trove of memories," Lyu Lyu replied with a smile, not at all offended by his rude remark. "Forgive me, you''re probably not used to ces like this."


    "Well..."


    Xie Qing curled his lips. He was indeed not used to such dirty and dpidated ces. From a young age, he had been surrounded by luxury, so it could be said that he was spoiled and had high standards for his living conditions.


    However, he simply remained silent and sat on a stool that was a step away from copsing. It would have been rude to speak poorly of a ce that Lyu Lyu cherished.


    "I''m sorry, I forgot to buy tea. The prices have really gone up this year," the girl said with a sigh, sitting down at the table across from him.


    "It''s alright. I''m not a big fan of tea," Xie Qing replied, shaking his head. He fell silent for a moment before continuing, "One way or another... I don''t want to ask you why you left or anything like that. I just want to know the answer to one question..."


    "Will I go back with you?" Lyu Lyu asked weakly, looking into Xie Qing''s crystal-clear eyes, in which she was reflected. The girl fell silent and, after ten sighs, replied, "I... honestly, I don''t know."


    Xie Qing raised an eyebrow. He looked as though he genuinely didn''t understand her words, so Lyu Lyu bitterly smiled and began to tell him everything that had happened after their night together.


    "In the first few days, I felt a sense of emptiness. I''ve never liked performing, but since my cultivation technique required it, I wanted to make the most of those days. But..." Lyu Lyu bit her lip and sighed, "I was able to break through to the Soul Nascent stage. However, I soon received news that my father had passed away.


    From that day on, I left that ce and have been living here, in a state of despair every day."


    "..."


    Xie Qing fell silent. He didn''t know how to react in such a situation, so he simply took the girl''s hand, gently stroking her palm.


    "Hehe... I like your caring and especially your awkwardness. You like to pretend to be tough, even though you''re actually quite shy, aren''t you?" Lyu Lyu giggled.


    "That''s nder," Xie Qing curled his lips.


    "Of course, of course."


    "Hmph..."


    Lyu Lyuughed happily. The gloom seemed to have lifted from her face, and she looked much more cheerful.


    ***


    Lyu Lyu''s story was simple. Her cultivation technique was as follows: she would choose a spiritual object in the form of a musical instrument, and the more people who listened to her songs and thought they were beautiful, the stronger she would be.


    This was an extremely difficult and unclear method. Xie Qing believed that this cultivation technique hade from ancient times, as he didn''t know of anyone in the current era who practiced it.


    However, despite the questionable content of the technique, the results were shocking. Lyu Lyu was able to break through to the Soul Nascent stage in just over twenty years, which was already an excellent result.


    That night, Xie Qing slept with her. If you''re thinking that there was some interesting action that I didn''t show you, then you''re wrong.


    Xie Qing simply understood that Lyu Lyu was not in the mood, and the location... well, apologize, but it wasn''t very suitable.


    The young man spent the night cultivating. He kept an eye on Lyu Lyu, who was sleeping soundly and fed her his Qi, helping to improve her Qi.


    "She''s at the second stage of the Soul Nascent. However, the breakthrough method is somewhat crude, and Lyu Lyu still hasn''t fully mastered the received Qi. This is an important w," the young man thought, sighing. "It''s time for me to cultivate."


    Closing his eyes, the young man recited the mantra of his cultivation technique and then began to meditate. Thin and semi-transparent Qi particles and small vortexes appeared around him.


    All the Qi in the room became very dense. All the Qi in the vicinity were drawn to Xie Qing.


    Five hourster...


    "Phew... I... ugh! Damn it, seriously?"


    Xie Qing opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. His cultivation level... had broken through two stages at once! He was at the seventh stage of the Soul Nascent!


    "I... struggled for so many weeks, not understanding why... and it turned out to be because of my worries?" Xie Qing was in shock. "Who would have thought that my worries and stress could slow down cultivation... seriously..."


    Xie Qing didn''t fully understand, but cultivation was an extremely sensitive method of umting power. If something was bothering the cultivator, then the cultivation technique couldn''t work at full power.


    This was how Heart Demons could appear. The young man was at a loss for words but was nheless very happy.


    "The seventh stage! I''m very close to the Soul Integration stage!" the young man thought, analyzing his soul and smiling quite satisfied. "My soul has instantly grown and upied the lower part of the body."


    Well, the lower part of the body includes the legs and pelvis, so I hope you understand me correctly.


    Xie Qing only needed to expand his soul towards his arms and head with his neck. Then he could be considered ready to break through to the Soul Integration stage!


    From this news, Xie Qing was beaming and as happy as a snake that had eaten well. Looking towards the small window, he realized that it was already dawn.


    "Hm... the night went by quickly," the young man thought, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, it seems I''ve caused trouble again. The Qi in this ce has dropped by several levels..."


    The young man looked at Lyu Lyu and saw that she was frowning in her sleep. Xie Qing waved his hand, and a gentle flow of Qi enveloped her body, causing her to stop frowning.


    "How cute," the young man thought, seeing her satisfied smile. He scratched his cheek and narrowed his eyes. "But... I didn''t expect there to be someone with devilish Qi in this ce. Moreover, it''s so weak. Are they courting death?"


    The young man''s eyes dangerously gleamed. He waved his hand, and formations of protection closed off this room.


    ***


    The port was operating even at night. Despite the darkness and the only illumination being the extremely weaknterns, the workers didn''t stop unloading and loading goods from the ships.


    It was noisy. The seagulls had not been stingy with their droppings, so many sailors had to cover their heads to avoid getting a "pleasant" surprise on their necks.


    However, no oneined, and everyone did their job. On one of the ships, in a secluded and quite luxurious cabin, a lone man was sitting in the lotus position.


    He had long, silver hair. His face was attractive, and his body was muscr. Arge sword was next to the bed.


    "Hm?"


    Suddenly, this man opened his eyes and looked frightened. He gazed towards the seemingly ordinary shop and couldn''t help but furrow his brow.


    "There''s a sucking forceing from there... could it be a powerful cultivator?" the cultivator thought, but then he suddenly widened his eyes. "Shit! My aura... along with the Qi, it also absorbed my aura!"


    The cultivator quickly got up from his ce and picked up the sword. He approached the door of the cabin and jiggled the handle, but...


    "Hm? It won''t open, you beast. I asked those bastards to change the door!" the cultivator grumbled, curling his lips.


    "Indeed. On the sea, such a situation could be fatal. Be sure to reprimand those sailors... "


    "?!?!"


    "... if you survive, of course."


    The cultivator jumped back in shock and, in the ce where he was standing, there was an explosion, and a hole appeared.