58: Chapter 58 Holy crap, didn't I just break through? Why is my lower back a little sore?

Xu Ruyu naturally had no idea that just as he fell back into a deep sleep after another sensual dream—one he’d been savoring upon waking—the entire Hehuan Sect was once again in an uproar because of him, the "culprit."

Had Xiao Nianyin not used her authority as Sect Master yesterday to issue a strict order declaring the area within a hundred feet of Ningyin Hall a Forbidden Ground, forbidding anyone from disturbing Xu Ruyu's Cultivation for three months, a crowd of curious or hostile people would have likely trampled the threshold of this side hall by now, or even broken in to "challenge" him.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, in a sense), all that noise was kept at bay by the prohibition.

Xu Ruyu’s sleep was deep and thoroughly satisfying.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky and the brilliant sunlight, streaming through the gaps in the window lattices like pillars of gold, unceremoniously hit his face with its scorching heat that he let out a reluctant moan, his eyelids fluttering a few times before slowly opening.

"Ugh..."

The first thing he felt wasn't a hangover-like headache, but a strange, full-body lightness and comfort, as if a heavy stone that had been pressing on his chest last night had been removed.

Immediately after, he clearly sensed that the "Taixu True Qi" within him—which had only just condensed into a vortex last night—was now like countless warm and lively little streams, spontaneously flowing and weaving through his limbs and bones.

Wherever it passed, it brought a faint but clear sensation of tingling and nourishment, as if parched earth was being soaked by sweet rain, or rusty parts were being injected with lubricant.

This spontaneous, gentle circulation of True Qi was a sign that one's Cultivation had stabilized and even progressed!

Xu Ruyu jolted, any lingering sleepiness instantly vanishing into thin air.

He immediately sprang up into a sitting position on the bed. Ignoring the fact that he was only wearing thin Inner Robes, he quickly crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and sank his mind into his body to perform a careful "Inner Vision."

This "look" was enough to make him nearly cry out in shock at the sight within his Dantian!

The silver vortex in his Dantian, which had been no larger than a thumb and spinning slowly during his Breakthrough last night, had actually grown by more than a full circle!

Its color had also changed from a faint silvery-white to something much more solid, and the speck of starlight at its center had become several degrees brighter.

The vortex spun with greater stability and power, and strands of pure "Taixu True Qi" were continuously being generated and flowing out from it, circulating spontaneously along the several Meridians he had initially opened.

Qi Refinement Stage, Middle Stage!

This clear realization hit Xu Ruyu's heart like a heavy drumbeat.

"I... I'll be damned... Am I really such a Genius?"

Xu Ruyu’s mouth hung open, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I clearly worked so hard last night, risking my life to Breakthrough to the Early Stage of Qi Refining. How... how did I just sleep and, without doing anything, jump straight to the Middle Stage?"

This Cultivation speed—even a rocket wouldn't be this fast, right?!

Was he truly a one-in-a-million, once-in-a-century hidden Cultivation prodigy? Was his Spiritual Root undetected before simply because the equipment was too primitive? Was this air-based Cultivation method tailor-made for him, allowing him to soar the moment he started practicing?

A sudden, almost inflating surge of self-doubt mixed with joy welled up in his heart, making him feel like he was about to float away.

But this lightheadedness lasted for less than three breaths.

The joy on Xu Ruyu's face quickly faded, replaced by a stiff expression of confusion, alertness, and a hint of an ill omen.

He remembered that rich, eerie, and sudden fragrance that had assailed him before he fell asleep last night.

He remembered the exclamation he’d blurted out with shock and a strange sense of familiarity before his consciousness faded: "Revered Master, you... you're at it again?!"

The dream... it was another one of those dreams that were so real they made one shiver!

Xu Ruyu abruptly looked down at the somewhat narrow, hard wooden bed beneath him.

The bedding, which had been neatly laid out, was now a complete mess, wrinkled like a pile of pickled vegetables.

The pillow was tossed to the side, and half the quilt was dragging on the floor.

And his own thin Inner Robes had a loose collar, the sash undone at some point to reveal a patch of his chest, which seemed to have a few... faint red marks?

Xu Ruyu’s face flushed crimson, his heart pounding like a drum.

He hurriedly pulled his robes together, cursing himself in his mind: "Xu Ruyu, oh Xu Ruyu, you really are a beast!"

"A dream is just a dream, but how did it turn into 'combat practice'? Look at the state of this bed... It seems this habit of 'fighting with the right hand' can't be cured even after Transmigration. Truly a fate of 'stroking every night until one's ashes vanish'..."

While loathing himself, he instinctively reached out to tidy the messy sheets, trying to cover up the "evidence."

However, as his fingers brushed across the sheets, they unexpectedly touched several foreign objects—long, thin, soft, and smooth, glinting with a black luster in the sunlight.

Hair.

And it was clearly long hair that didn't belong to him.

Xu Ruyu froze instantly, as if a freezing spell had been cast on him.

Slowly, extremely slowly, he pinched those strands of long hair and held them before his eyes, his fingertips even trembling slightly.

The length... far exceeded his own short hair.

The texture... delicate and smooth, with a high-end, cool touch.

The color... a pure, unblemished ink-black.

Most importantly, when he brought the strands to his nose and took a cautious sniff—

An extremely elegant yet exceptionally familiar, crisp, cold fragrance, like a stream breaking through ice, instantly pierced his nostrils and rushed into his mind!

This scent... he was all too familiar with it!

Yesterday, in front of Ningyin Hall, by Revered Master Xiao Nianyin's side, he had vaguely smelled it countless times.

It was a mixture of ice, snow, cold plum blossoms, and some indescribable, pure aura that seemed to come from the high heavens—cold and aloof, yet possessing a fatal attraction.

It was Revered Master's scent.

Boom—!

Xu Ruyu felt as if something had exploded in his head, leaving it blank before countless fragments of images came rushing back—those eyes in last night's "dream" that were at times hazy and at others cold, the cool and delicate touch of skin, the suppressed gasps and low moans, the intertwined warmth and power... Every detail became incredibly clear and real at this moment!

It wasn't a dream!

That sensual "dream" from last night that had left him savoring the memory upon waking—it damn well wasn't a dream!

It was Revered Master!

Xiao Nianyin!

She... she came again!

Just like the night before, she had used some method (likely that eerie Stupefying Incense) to slip into his room while he was unconscious and then... did something indescribable to him again!

"So that's how it is..."

Xu Ruyu slumped back onto the bed, still clutching those incriminating strands of hair. His expression shifted unpredictably between laughter and tears, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

"Keeping me by her side, taking me as a Personal Disciple, setting a prohibition to isolate me from outsiders... all of it was for this!"

"To facilitate her 'Night Raids' and, without anyone knowing, 'take back' her lost Cultivation from my body!"

Having figured this out, the mysterious surge in his Cultivation last night had a logical explanation—it wasn't that he was naturally gifted, but rather that under the guidance or stimulation of some "Secret Method" of his Revered Master's, the Saint Realm Power within him (or perhaps some Energy Feedback or leakage caused by her "extraction"?) had been passively converted into his own "Taixu True Qi," pushing him through his Realm Breakthrough.

What was this? A Paid Escort Service that came with a Cultivation Trial Card?

A strong sense of absurdity and the anger of being toyed with welled up in Xu Ruyu's heart, but more than that, there was a deep sense of helplessness and... a subtle, complex emotion he didn't even want to admit to himself.

To be fair, if Xiao Nianyin had just told him straightforwardly: "Kid, you have my power in you, it was an accident. Now I need to take it back, which might involve doing this and that to you. Cooperate, and you'll get your share of benefits afterward."

He might have... gritted his teeth and gone along with it.

After all, that power didn't belong to him in the first place. Carrying a treasure one doesn't deserve is a crime; resolving this hidden danger sooner might not be a bad thing.

Moreover, the other party was the Sect Master of Hehuan Sect, a Saint Realm Expert (formerly). If she really wanted to force him, he wouldn't be able to resist anyway.

If they had discussed it properly, he might have even been able to gain some practical benefits, like Cultivation Techniques, Medicinal Pills, or protection.

But instead, she chose to use this method of Night Raids with Stupefying Incense, taking advantage of him while he was unconscious, and then acting like nothing happened afterward!

What was this? What did she take him for? A "Power Bank" she could use whenever she wanted?