158: Chapter 158 Your self-inflicted injury scheme is disgusting!

Upper Realm, Xiao Family Divine Mountain, Main Peak Great Hall.

Inside the hall, a few rays of sunlight shone upon the white jade floor.

Xiao Ninger sat in the main seat, browsing through a Jade Slip with a focused expression and a cold countenance.

A soft sound of footsteps echoed.

Qing Yuan approached the table with a pot of freshly brewed spiritual tea and nimbly poured a cup for Xiao Ninger.

Without looking away from the Jade Slip, Xiao Ninger picked up the teacup and took a sip.

“Young Miss,” Qing Yuan whispered as she set down the teapot, “an hour ago, Young Master Lin went to the Flame Valley on the southern side of the Divine Mountain.”

Xiao Ninger’s finger paused as she was flipping through the Jade Slip.

Qing Yuan kept her eyes lowered and continued.

“Young Master Lin lured out a True Immortal Early Stage Fire Kirin Beast on the outskirts of the Flame Valley. He has actually already opened three main Meridians, so it wouldn't have been difficult to deal with the Vicious Beast. However, he suppressed most of his spiritual power and took a direct hit from the Fire Kirin Beast’s claw before killing it.”

Xiao Ninger set down the Jade Slip and looked up at Qing Yuan, waiting for her to continue.

Qing Yuan said, “After killing the Fire Kirin Beast, Young Master Lin retrieved its Inner core. Instead of healing himself, he smeared a large amount of the Fire Kirin Beast’s blood on his clothes and even tore his hem and cuffs.”

“Afterward, he suppressed his wounds' self-healing to keep the blood flowing and is currently heading toward the Main Peak Great Hall.”

Silence filled the hall.

Xiao Ninger stared at a piece of jade on the table, her brow gradually furrowing.

In the past, she would have certainly lost her composure upon hearing that Lin Aotian was injured.

She would have rushed out to meet him, shedding tears of heartache while giving him her best Medicinal Pills.

But now, after hearing Qing Yuan’s report, Xiao Ninger’s fingers tightened around the Jade Slip.

Intentionally getting injured?

Coming here covered in blood?

What is he trying to do? Claim credit? Play the victim?

The image of that mysterious figure in black flashed through Xiao Ninger’s mind, and the pressure radiating from it instantly cleared her thoughts.

She calmly analyzed the situation and reached only one conclusion: foolish.

“I understand. You may leave,” Xiao Ninger said coldly as she picked up the Jade Slip again.

Qing Yuan bowed and silently retreated into the shadows of the corridor flanking the hall.

With her head bowed, her lips curled into an imperceptible sneer.

A stick of incense later.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the square outside the hall.

With every step, a bloody footprint was left on the jade floor.

Lin Aotian panted heavily, staggering up the jade steps.

Most of his white robe was stained red with blood, and a three-inch-long claw mark on his left shoulder showed mangled flesh, looking quite gruesome.

His hair was disheveled, with a few bloody strands sticking to his face.

Lin Aotian’s right hand tightly gripped a fist-sized Inner core that radiated red light and fire-attribute spiritual power.

Upon reaching the hall doors, his legs gave way, and he knelt heavily on one knee.

“Nickname!” Lin Aotian looked up, his voice hoarse and sounding very weak. “You haven’t seen me for several days; I know you’re angry with me.”

The hall doors remained closed.

The two Gold Armor guards outside stood straight, acting as if they didn't see him.

Lin Aotian took a deep breath to ensure his voice reached inside the hall.

“I know I’ve upset you, and it’s my fault. I haven't been able to sleep these past few days, always thinking about what I could do for you.”

“I heard that your Divine Soul was heavily taxed while comprehending the Creation Jade Stone. This Fire Kirin Beast Inner core from the Flame Valley is the primary ingredient for refining the Nine-Turn Soul-Supplementing Pill. My strength hasn't fully recovered yet, so I had to risk my life to kill it...”

As he spoke, he raised his right hand high, presenting the glowing red Inner core in the air.

Blood flowed down his arm and dripped onto the steps.

“What is a little injury for your sake? As long as you can forgive me, Brother Aotian is willing to be ground to dust!”

He was moved by his own words.

He believed that any woman would surely soften her heart upon seeing his desperate state for love.

Lin Aotian waited for Xiao Ninger to rush out with teary eyes to support him.

Creak.

The hall doors were pushed open from both sides.

Sunlight streamed in. Xiao Ninger, dressed in an ice-blue gown, stepped out slowly. Her face looked exceptionally cold in the sunlight.

Lin Aotian’s eyes brightened, and a weak smile tugged at his lips as he deliberately exposed the wound on his left shoulder for Xiao Ninger to see.

Xiao Ninger stopped at the threshold.

She looked down at the kneeling Lin Aotian, her gaze moving from his blood-soaked robe to the Fire Kirin Beast Inner core in his hand.

On the square of the Divine Mountain shrouded in Immortal Qi, this scene appeared somewhat ridiculous.

Xiao Ninger did not descend the steps.

She simply stood there and swept her Divine Sense across Lin Aotian’s body.

The blood aura of the Fire Kirin Beast was strong, but Lin Aotian’s own aura was faint.

The claw mark looked gruesome, but it hadn't actually damaged his Meridians or bones; with his spiritual power, it would have healed in half a stick of incense.

He was actually using his spiritual power to suppress his body's self-healing, intentionally letting the wound bleed.

Xiao Ninger felt a wave of nausea.

Was this the man she once admired?

Using such tactics to gain sympathy?

In the cultivation world, the strong are respected, and strength is everything.

Instead of wasting time acting miserable here, why didn't he go into secluded Cultivation?

“Nickname...” Lin Aotian’s heart sank as he looked into Xiao Ninger’s indifferent eyes.

This wasn't what he had expected. Why wasn't she coming to support him?

“That blood on you belongs to the Fire Kirin Beast,” Xiao Ninger finally spoke, her voice flat as if stating a simple fact.

The smile on Lin Aotian’s face froze.

“The injury on your left shoulder only exists because you dispersed your Protective Aura. With your strength, the Fire Kirin Beast couldn't have possibly broken through your defenses.”

Xiao Ninger continued, her tone becoming a bit harsher.

Lin Aotian’s right hand, still holding the Inner core, began to tremble.

He looked at Xiao Ninger in disbelief, his mind reeling.

She had actually used her Divine Sense to investigate his injury?

In the past, she would cry with worry over even the slightest injury he sustained. Why was she so rational today?

“Nickname, I...” Lin Aotian stammered, trying to explain, “I just wanted to give this Inner core to you...”

“I don’t need it.”

Xiao Ninger interrupted him directly, her gaze becoming sharp.

“The Xiao Family treasury has plenty of Nine-Turn Soul-Supplementing Pills. If I were in need, I could simply go and take a bottle; I have no use for an unrefined, low-tier Vicious Beast Inner core.”

These words were harsh, trampling over the sacrifice Lin Aotian took such pride in.

Lin Aotian froze in place, still holding the Inner core. His face flushed from pale to a deep purple-red.

A powerful sense of humiliation surged in his heart.

He, the grand Son of Heaven’s Mandate, had used a self-harm scheme to please a woman, only to be met with criticism and disdain!

“Brother Aotian.”

Xiao Ninger looked at his flushed face, her final bit of patience exhausted, her brow tightly furrowed.

“The Prodigy Grand Competition is not far off, and your Origin hasn't recovered yet. What you should be doing now is seizing the time to improve your cultivation, not doing these useless things. Such self-harming tricks only make me find you childish.”

Childish.

Those two words made him feel as though the surrounding Gold Armor guards were all laughing at him.

On the Xiao Family’s territory, he had become a clown.

“Fine... fine.” Lin Aotian gritted his teeth, making a clattering sound.

He pulled back his hand and stood up abruptly.

The sudden movement pulled at his wound, causing him to hiss in pain, but this time he immediately circulated his spiritual power to seal his Meridians, and the bleeding stopped instantly.

The weakness he had been feigning also vanished.

“Since Nickname doesn’t appreciate my intentions, then I won’t disturb your quiet cultivation any longer!”

Lin Aotian put the Inner core into his storage ring and glared at Xiao Ninger, a flicker of resentment flashing in his eyes.

He turned sharply and walked away quickly, looking somewhat pathetic.

Xiao Ninger watched his retreating figure before turning back to the hall without a hint of regret.

The great doors slowly closed.

Qing Yuan stood quietly in the shadows of the corridor.

She watched Lin Aotian disappear, her lips curling into a cold smile.

Lin Aotian had already lost his reason, and the rift between the two was expanding.

Subsequently, Qing Yuan closed her eyes, her Divine Soul sinking into her Sea of Consciousness to contact the mark left by Zi Yun.

“Mistress, the time has come. We can proceed to the next step.”

Qing Yuan transmitted the message respectfully within her Sea of Consciousness.

Far away in the Lower Realm, Zi Yun slowly opened her purple eyes.

The show is about to begin.