8: Chapter 8: Recharged Again

Even if she was an absolute beauty, even if he had just saved her.

Although he hadn't personally experienced the cruelty of the cultivation world, he had heard enough about it.

Softheartedness often meant digging your own grave.

What good was beauty? Only by surviving would there be a future. Xiao Yuan was not like his predecessor—a simping loser who couldn't even walk straight when he saw a pretty woman.

He tightened his grip on the sword formula hidden in his sleeve, spiritual energy circulating surreptitiously within him as his gaze turned sharp.

Just as he was hesitating whether to simply "clean up the scene" for safety's sake—

A sudden change occurred!

Luo Ziyan, who had been desperately trying to keep her distance, seemed to finally have her last bit of sanity crushed by the aphrodisiac's potency. Or perhaps... she had felt Xiao Yuan's killing intent.

She let out a muffled whimper, her eyes completely glazed over, and her entire body suddenly seemed boneless as she lunged violently toward Xiao Yuan!

"So... so hot..."

Red lips carrying a scalding breath pressed against his without warning.

Xiao Yuan: "!!!"

His mind went blank for a second. All he could feel was the soft, searing touch on his lips and the heat radiating from her body that threatened to set him ablaze.

At the same time, the small tripod in his Dantian, which had always been as quiet as a virgin, suddenly began to vibrate frantically. Radiance surged across its body, conveying a sense of extreme excitement and craving, like a wolf that hadn't eaten in three days spotting meat!

"Holy crap... you useless tripod! What the hell are you getting excited about right now!" Xiao Yuan ranted wildly in his heart.

But his body reacted faster than his brain.

Feeling the trembling of the delicate body in his arms and the lethal temptation, coupled with the small tripod's crying demand for energy, plus the current situation of "either you die or I suffer social death"—

Xiao Yuan steeled his heart and gritted his teeth. "Screw it! Let's cure the poison first... wait no, charge up first!"

Of course, he remained quite rational. His fingers tapped rapidly, shooting a strand of spiritual energy into Luo Ziyan's body to temporarily Seal her true essence circulation and prevent her from acting against him.

At the same time, he incinerated Zhou Zheng's corpse using the Explosive Fire Technique and tucked away the Storage Pouch.

Then...

(Three thousand words of undescribable charging/poison-curing process omitted here, leaving only the wind, the rustling of leaves, and the subtle, satisfied humming of a certain small tripod.)

The sky had darkened at some unknown point.

A long time later, Xiao Yuan felt the energy replenished inside the small tripod within his Dantian and smacked his lips in satisfaction.

This "charging" session was quite effective; the energy was roughly equivalent to... the total of Ye Qingcen's five charging sessions combined.

"Wait, that's not right..." He suddenly found it a bit strange. "I clearly charged six times, so why is the total amount still less than Ye Qingcen's five times?"

He stroked his chin, mused for a moment, and his eyes lit up. "Got it! This 'charging efficiency' is probably tied to the cultivation level of the 'power bank'!"

Luo Ziyan is only at Qi Refining Level 3, while Ye Qingcen is at the Peak of Qi Refining Level 9.

It must be that the higher the cultivation level, the more "electricity" provided per session!

Thinking of this, many bold ideas suddenly popped into Xiao Yuan's head:

"If I 'cooperate' with a female cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, how much can I charge in one go? What about the Golden Core Stage? Would a quantitative change lead to a qualitative change and unlock new functions?"

Wonderful visions instantly flooded his mind of using "super power banks" to hack his way through, instantly reaching Perfection in Cultivation Techniques, refining Medicinal Pills at will, and having his cultivation shoot up rapidly.

But in the next second, he slapped that thought right back down.

"Wake up! Stop dreaming!"

What was his cultivation level right now? A tiny shrimp at Qi Refining Level 3! Forget Golden Core Stage big shots, even if a Junior Martial Uncle of the Foundation Establishment Stage spared him a glance, he'd consider himself lucky.

And he wanted to "coax" them?

With what?

Just those few bottles of perfect marrow cleansing pills of his?

At the first sign of intent, he'd probably be treated as a scoundrel with malicious motives and slapped into dust!

And if he brought out a treasure that tempted those big shots, it might just lead them to kill him and seize the treasure!

"Female cultivators at or above the Foundation Establishment Stage are out of my league for now, definitely out of my league..." Xiao Yuan shivered and decided it was safer to keep a low profile and focus on developing, starting with "power banks" at his level or slightly higher.

Right at this moment, rustling sounds came from beside him.

Luo Ziyan woke up.

She sat up, her clothes already neatly arranged. A faint blush lingered on her exquisitely fair face as she looked at Xiao Yuan with complex emotions—shyness, gratitude, but mostly a deep sense of fear and apprehension.

Clearly, she hadn't forgotten the fleeting killing intent she felt from Xiao Yuan before losing consciousness. She had also clearly witnessed the terrifying strength he displayed when he insta-killed Zhou Zheng.

This was completely different from the "useless Xiao Yuan" well-known throughout the Sect!

Seeing Xiao Yuan glance over, Luo Ziyan hurriedly lowered her head and called out softly, "Senior... Senior Brother Xiao, thank you... thank you for saving my life."

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, filled with anxiety.

Looking at her timid appearance, Xiao Yuan felt conflicted once again.

To kill, or not to kill?

Killing her would settle everything once and for all, preserve his secrets, and ensure absolute safety.

But... just after using her to "charge up," turning around and destroying the "power bank"—wasn't that a bit too scum-like?

Although ruthlessness was the norm in the cultivation world, the baseline modern morality remaining in his heart still made it hard to bring himself to do it.

Besides, Luo Ziyan was also a pitiful soul.

To avoid bringing trouble upon herself due to her beauty, she preferred to disguise herself as ugly for three years, enduring ridicule and bullying, with her cultivation resources constantly being stolen.

When she lunged at him earlier, besides the effect of the aphrodisiac, she had likely also keenly sensed his killing intent. It was a desperate gamble—a resolve to surrender herself in exchange for a glimmer of survival—that made him hesitate.

She obviously wanted to live; it was just that she would rather choose an "unknown factor" like him than be defiled by scum like Zhou Zheng.

Thinking up to this point, the slight killing intent in Xiao Yuan's heart finally dissipated.

He sighed, raising his hand to shoot a strand of spiritual energy into Luo Ziyan's body, unsealing her cultivation.

Then, he pulled out a jade bottle from his Storage Pouch and shoved it into Luo Ziyan's hand.

"Inside are ten Low Grade marrow cleansing pills, enough for you to use for a while," Xiao Yuan said neutrally. "If you lack resources in the future, you can come to the Scrap Recycling Station to find me."

He paused, looked into Luo Ziyan's eyes, and said seriously, "If you want to live like a proper human being in the cultivation world and not be bullied at will, you have to fight and grow stronger. Hiding and enduring will only leave you under people's feet forever."

Having said that, without waiting for Luo Ziyan's response, he turned and cast the Swift Wind Shadow Chasing Step attached to his sword technique. With a few leaps, his figure disappeared deep into the dense forest.

Holding the jade bottle that still retained a hint of warmth, Luo Ziyan stared blankly in the direction Xiao Yuan had disappeared, her eyes dazed and her thoughts tumbling.

Only after a long while did she lower her head and softly repeat Xiao Yuan's words: "Fight... grow stronger... live like a proper human being..."

In those beautiful eyes that were once filled with timidity and despair, a faint yet firm flame gradually ignited.

Carefully storing the Medicinal Pills, she adjusted her clothes, reattached that "scar," identified her bearings, and walked briskly toward the Sect's Spirit Herb Garden that she was in charge of managing.

What she didn't know was that in the shadows not far behind her, Xiao Yuan had not left.

Concealing his aura, he quietly trailed her all the way like a ghost.