488: Chapter 488 Xiao Nianyin's Transformation: She Let Go of Her Former Stubbornness

Xu Ruyu shook his head and said, "No."

"The Cultivation Technique I Cultivate is different; a Breakthrough does not require spiritual energy, but an understanding of the 'Dao'."

"Being chased by Tian Jianzi these past few days has actually deepened my understanding of the 'Dao'."

"Although that old bastard's character is lacking, his attainments in the Sword Dao are truly high."

"When he was chasing me, every sword strike carried the fluctuations of the Laws of Heaven and Earth. Although I dodged them, I felt those fluctuations."

Xiao Nianyin fell silent.

She knew that what Xu Ruyu said was the truth.

His "True Explanation of Taixu Source Energy" was indeed unique and could not be measured by conventional logic.

Others relied on accumulating spiritual energy for a Breakthrough, while he relied on comprehending the heavens and earth.

Others needed to go into closed-door meditation to achieve a Breakthrough, while he could complete one while being chased.

"Then when do you plan to have your Breakthrough?" she asked.

"Now," Xu Ruyu said, his tone as calm as if he were speaking of a trivial matter. "You help me act as a Protector."

Xiao Nianyin was stunned. "Now? Here? Aren't you afraid of being discovered? The strange phenomena during a Breakthrough will attract enemies, and the people from the Tianshu Sword Sect might already be looking for you.

You killed Tian Jianzi, and they will not let this matter rest."

Xu Ruyu smiled. "Rest assured, my Breakthrough is different from others; it won't cause much of a stir. Just help me act as a Protector, it will be quick."

Xiao Nianyin wanted to say something more, but Xu Ruyu had already taken a Medicinal Pill from his storage ring, swallowed it, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

His breathing gradually stabilized, and the Taixu True Qi within his body began to circulate slowly. Wisps of silvery-white light emerged from the surface of his body, flickering slightly under the moonlight.

Seeing his casual demeanor, Xiao Nianyin stomped her feet in anger.

The way she stomped did not look like a Saint Realm Expert, but rather like an angry Little Girl.

But she knew that once Xu Ruyu had made a decision, she could not stop him.

She could only stand up, walk a short distance away, and repeatedly cast several barriers with her hands, enveloping the entire valley.

One, two, three... She set up a total of nine barriers, each infused with all the spiritual energy of her Half-step Saint Realm, sufficient to withstand the full-force attack of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator.

Then she stood at the edge of the barrier, her back to Xu Ruyu, keeping guard with full concentration.

Her Divine Sense expanded, covering a radius of several dozen miles; any movement could not escape her perception.

Time passed bit by bit.

The valley was very quiet, with only the sound of a gurgling stream and the occasional chirping of insects.

The moonlight shone down through the treetops, casting mottled shadows on the grass. The night wind blew, bringing with it the rustling sound of withered grass.

Xiao Nianyin stood at the edge of the barrier, motionless, like a statue.

Her long hair was blown by the wind, fluttering in the moonlight.

Her eyes stared straight ahead, her gaze firm and alert. Yet, in her heart, complex emotions were surging.

She recalled everything that had happened in these past few days.

From Xu Ruyu telling her to take the Disciples and leave first, to her returning to find him, to discovering Zhao Qian's corpse, to hearing the news that Xu Ruyu was not dead, to rushing over to reunite with him—too many things had happened in just a few short days.

Each event was like a hammer striking her heart, shattering her obsessions, her hatred, and her unwillingness, piece by piece.

She remembered back at the Hehuan Sect, where she was a high and mighty Saint Realm Sect Master, and he was an ant at the mercy of others.

She looked down on him, disdained him, and even wanted to use him. She treated him as a Cauldron, as a tool, as a chess piece that could be discarded at will.

She had never imagined that one day she would willingly stand here, acting as a Protector for him, worrying for him.

She remembered those nights. Those nights in Ningyin Hall, where she had actively climbed into his bed to heal her wounds.

She thought it was just a transaction, just each taking what they needed.

But the tenderness of those nights, the physical intimacy, and the moments of spiritual and physical union had long since left an indelible mark in the depths of her heart.

She thought time could dilute everything, but when she thought he was dead, those marks all came back to life, burning her heart like fire.

She did not know when she had changed. Perhaps it was the moment he saved her in the cave, perhaps the moment he crushed the soul fixing bead, perhaps the moment he stayed behind alone to cover the retreat.

She did not know. She only knew that she had changed.

She was no longer that high and mighty, cold and frosty Saint Realm Sect Master; she was just an ordinary woman, a woman who would worry, who would be afraid, and who would have a soft heart.

Those obsessions, those hatreds, those unwilling feelings, at this moment, had all vanished like smoke.

She no longer clung to so-called Realms and status, no longer clung to past glory and honor. She only wanted to stay by his side properly and be an ordinary woman.

Helping him rub his shoulders, helping him massage his legs, acting as his Protector, doing everything she could for him.

She was already his woman.

Those nights, that physical intimacy, those moments of spiritual and physical union had long since bound the two of them tightly together. She could not deny it, and she did not want to deny it.

From the moment he crushed the soul fixing bead, from the moment he said, "You are my, Xu Ruyu's, person," she was no longer the Xiao Nianyin of the past.