10: Chapter 10: Turning the Tables, Xu Ruyu Wins Another Round

The mist swirled, and the scenery shifted.

Xu Ruyu found himself standing in a familiar room—his rental apartment in the modern world.

A cluttered desk, a buzzing old computer, anime posters on the walls, and the air thick with a mix of instant noodles and sweat.

"I'm... back?"

Xu Ruyu was stunned, a complex, indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

Just then, the bathroom door opened.

A woman walked out, wrapped only in a bath towel.

Her wet, long hair was draped over her shoulders; water droplets slid down her fair neck and disappeared into a tempting cleavage.

The towel barely covered the essential areas, leaving her long, straight legs exposed to the air, glowing with a lustrous sheen.

She looked like... his favorite actress from his hard drive, but more real and more seductive than on screen.

"Ruyu, you're back?"

The woman smiled sweetly, her voice so alluring it felt as if it could melt one's bones.

She walked toward him slowly, the towel loosening slightly with every step as if it might slip off at any moment.

Xu Ruyu's breath hitched.

The woman walked up to him, reached out a slender, jade-like hand, and gently touched his chest. "Why are you so late today? I've been waiting so hard for you..."

Her fingers skillfully undid the buttons of Xu Ruyu's shirt, her warm breath puffing against his neck. "Come on, let me 'comfort' you properly..."

Xu Ruyu felt a surge of heat rush up from his lower abdomen.

This scene, this atmosphere, this temptation... it was exactly what he had dreamed of!

Reason told him this was an illusion, but his body's instinctive reaction was like a prairie fire, impossible to suppress.

He was already a person with exceptionally vigorous energy, often needing to "solve things himself" in his original world to vent. Now, facing such a vivid and sensual temptation, his long-suppressed desires were like a powder keg being lit, exploding violently.

A flicker of struggle crossed his eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by the flames of lust.

"You..."

Xu Ruyu's voice was a bit hoarse.

Seeing this, the woman's smile became even more charming.

She knew men all too well; she was all too familiar with the fire in this young man's eyes.

With a gentle tug, the towel fell, and her perfect body was revealed to Xu Ruyu without reservation.

"Come..."

She reached out and hooked her arms around Xu Ruyu's neck.

The last shred of reason in Xu Ruyu's mind snapped completely.

He let out a low growl, suddenly scooped the woman up by the waist, and walked toward that familiar single bed.

Outside the illusion, deep within the pink mist.

Inside an exquisite White Jade Pavilion, a woman dressed in a plain white gown was lazily reclining on a soft couch.

She appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a face of peerless beauty and skin as white as snow. Her brow naturally carried a soul-stirring charm, and her eyes seemed capable of capturing one's very spirit with a single glance.

Most striking of all were the nine fluffy white fox tails swaying gently behind her, each strand of fur emitting a faint glow.

She was the powerhouse of the Taihu Clan, Lady Qingli.

At this moment, a water mirror floated before her, showing the scene of Xu Ruyu within the illusion.

Seeing Xu Ruyu sinking into lust, Lady Qingli's lips curled into a mocking arc. "Xiao Nianyin, oh Xiao Nianyin, the little fellow you specifically sent a message for me to give 'special attention' to is nothing more than this."

A mere 'Manifestation of Lust' was enough to make him lose control. How truly boring."

She gently swirled the jade cup in her hand, the amber liquid inside rippling with a tempting luster. "I thought someone who could catch your eye would be somewhat special. It seems I overestimated him."

Oh well, it's time this farce ended."

Lady Qingli set down the jade cup and raised her fair hand, preparing to dispel the illusion.

According to the rules, when a candidate completely sinks into a certain manifestation for more than thirty breaths, they are considered to have failed and will be automatically teleported out.

However, the moment the light flickered on her fingertips—

The scene in the water mirror suddenly changed!

The boy who should have been completely lost in lust suddenly looked up. Though the fire still burned in his eyes, there was an added touch of indescribable... aggressiveness?

Lady Qingli was slightly taken aback.

In the next second, Xu Ruyu in the illusion snapped his head around. His gaze seemed to pierce through the barrier of the illusion, looking straight at Lady Qingli outside the water mirror!

"How is this possible?!"

Lady Qingli's beautiful eyes widened.

She was the one who set this illusion; it was impossible for someone inside to perceive her existence!

Something even more shocking happened.

The illusory woman in Xu Ruyu's arms suddenly dissipated, and the entire scene of the rental house began to warp and shatter.

But Xu Ruyu was not teleported out. Instead, his figure blurred as he actually charged toward the 'core' of the illusion—the direction where Lady Qingli was located!

"What does he want to do?!"

An ominous premonition rose in Lady Qingli's heart.

She immediately circulated her magic power, wanting to reinforce the illusion's barrier to trap Xu Ruyu.

But it was too late.

Inside Xu Ruyu, that Saint Realm Power belonging to Xiao Nianyin suddenly erupted like an awakening Vicious Beast!

This power shared the same source as the charm-based energy permeating the illusion (since Xiao Nianyin also cultivated charm-type techniques). Now, driven by Xu Ruyu's instincts, it actually produced a strange resonance and... turned the tables!

Boom—!

A hole was forcibly torn through the barrier of the illusion.

Xu Ruyu's figure crashed into the White Jade Pavilion like a cannonball.

Before Lady Qingli could even react, she felt an overwhelmingly domineering masculine aura rush toward her.

Immediately after, a pair of powerful arms clamped around her slender waist, yanking her whole body up from the soft couch!

"You... how dare you!"

Lady Qingli was both shocked and furious. She was a powerhouse of the Taihu Clan, with a cultivation at the Soul Transformation Stage!

To be approached so closely by a Mortal who hadn't even reached the Qi Refining stage?

Her magic power surged, her nine fox tails instantly straightened, and a terrifying pressure spread out, intending to crush this reckless Mortal into dust.

However, the moment her power touched Xu Ruyu's body, another anomaly occurred!

The Saint Realm Power inside Xu Ruyu automatically protected its master, forming an invisible barrier that actually neutralized most of Lady Qingli's magic power.

Even more bizarrely, the two powers, both belonging to the categories of 'Charm' and 'Lust,' did not repel each other upon collision. Instead, they were like dry wood and a raging fire, igniting instantly!

"Mm..."

Lady Qingli let out a muffled groan, an unnatural flush appearing on her beautiful face.

The technique she cultivated was naturally yin and soft. Now, being struck by that extremely yang and masculine yet same-sourced power within Xu Ruyu, it actually created a fatal attraction, making her whole body go soft and her magic circulation become sluggish.

"What... what power is this inside you?!"

Lady Qingli was terrified to the extreme.

The answer she received was Xu Ruyu's scorching breath and burning lips.

Xu Ruyu was now completely dominated by instinct and the berserk power within him. He only knew that the aura emanating from the woman before him made the fire inside him burn even more fiercely. He needed to vent; he needed to conquer!

"Get off!"

Humiliated and enraged, Lady Qingli's jade hand glowed with spiritual light as she struck at Xu Ruyu's chest.

The palm landed solidly on Xu Ruyu's chest, but it only made his body sway slightly.

With the protection of the Saint Realm Foundation and Lady Qingli's disordered magic, the power of this strike was barely ten percent of its usual strength.

Xu Ruyu felt the pain, and the fierce light in his eyes grew even brighter.

With a low growl and sheer brute force, he actually pinned Lady Qingli firmly onto the soft couch!

"You... you wouldn't dare!"

Lady Qingli panicked; she had never encountered such a situation.

For hundreds of years, which man hadn't been respectful and subservient in her presence? Who had ever dared to treat her so crudely?

She wanted to cast a more powerful Spell, but the chaotic power in her body and that strange attraction made it difficult for her to concentrate.

Meanwhile, Xu Ruyu's movements were simple and direct, crude yet effective.

Rip—!

A tear was ripped into the plain white gown.

"No... stop!"

Lady Qingli was truly afraid now, her voice trembling.

But it was already too late.

Like a beast that had broken its chains, Xu Ruyu dragged this high-and-mighty Taihu powerhouse—who had enjoyed toying with human desires for centuries—completely into the abyss of lust...

Outside the illusion, in the square.

Time passed bit by bit.

One stick of incense had long since burned out, then two, then three...