80: Chapter 80 Xu Ruyu, oblivious to the truth, cultivates during the day and vents at night.

Xu Ruyu couldn't help but recall Xiao Nianyin's "night raid" from the previous night, the several previous "dreams," and Madam Qingli's ambiguous smile and her comment about "living next door"... Everything seemed to be connecting.

This Formation was meant to prevent outsiders from accidentally noticing anything, but it couldn't stop the one who set it up, or... Xiao Nianyin, who likely knew the Formation's secrets?

It ensured that the "secrets" inside wouldn't leak out, but it didn't prevent specific people from "entering and exiting"!

No wonder Madam Qingli was so casual when setting up the Formation, and no wonder she was so certain he could "sleep peacefully" inside!

Xu Ruyu felt a surge of intense humiliation and anger, but he quickly forced those emotions down, transforming them into a deeper, colder calculation.

Since you treat me as a tool, a plaything, using this method that looks like protection but is actually captivity—even providing convenience for yourselves...

Then don't blame me.

Over the next few days, Xu Ruyu went to the Pavilion of Miscellaneous Arts in the Hall of Power Transmission as usual during the day to study basic texts on Formations, Artifact Refining, and Alchemy. He thirstily absorbed the "technical" knowledge of this world, constantly deconstructing and reorganizing it with his scientific mindset. Although he couldn't put it into practice yet, his theoretical framework was improving rapidly.

At night, he would return to the Side Hall and "peacefully" Cultivate and rest under the shroud of Madam Qingli's "Privacy Protection Formation."

And every night, when all was silent, that familiar, crisp, cold fragrance would always arrive as scheduled.

Xiao Nianyin didn't seem to have given up because of the last "accident" and loss of power; instead, she came even more frequently (perhaps her need to recover power was more urgent?). Her movements... after the initial awkwardness and forcefulness, now seemed to hold a trace of indescribable complexity and... a certain reckless stubbornness?

Xu Ruyu was "awakened" by her every time while half-asleep, his consciousness drifting.

But ever since that successful "resistance" and "accidental" gain, his subconscious no longer seemed entirely passive.

He continued to pretend to be affected by the incense, his consciousness hazy, but his body was no longer completely stiff.

When that cool body pressed close and purposeful hands stroked him, Xu Ruyu would give some "instinctive" responses in his "unconscious" state.

He was no longer just being completely taken from.

Instead, there was a suppressed, venting, and even somewhat rough interaction.

The humiliation he felt at the Hall of Power Transmission during the day, the frustration of being watched like a monkey by the Senior Sisters, the helplessness and anger regarding his own situation, and the hatred toward Xiao Nianyin and Madam Qingli for treating him as a tool and a plaything... All his accumulated negative emotions seemed to have found a secret outlet.

Under the cover of darkness and within the Chaos of being half-asleep, he no longer restrained his body's instinctive reactions.

When Xiao Nianyin tried to guide and take from him, he would "unconsciously" turn the tables, responding in a more intense, even slightly vengeful manner.

Xiao Nianyin clearly hadn't expected to encounter such a "passionate" or even "overbearing" response.

After her initial shock and shameful anger, she seemed to try and regain control of the situation. However, in the face of Xu Ruyu's mix of Taixu True Qi, the traces of Saint Realm Power being drawn out, and his reckless momentum, her control in her weakened state proved inadequate.

Furthermore, she discovered with horror that whenever Xu Ruyu reacted intensely, the tiny bit of power she had managed to gather within her body would drain away even faster!

It was as if his intense reaction exacerbated that strange "backflow" phenomenon!

She wanted to scold him, to stop him, but the effects of the incense also affected her own reactions. Additionally, Xu Ruyu remained in a "deep sleep" (or so she thought), leaving her unable to speak and with nowhere to vent her anger. What made her feel even more humiliated and flustered was that her own body, under this overbearing and somewhat rough treatment, actually produced shameful reactions that she couldn't control and that went against her will...

And so, every night, under the protection of the Soundproofing Formation, a silent, intense, and chaotic struggle played out within the Side Hall.

One side was the taker with a clear goal but insufficient power, gradually losing control; the other was the recipient who appeared to be passively sleeping but was actually exploding with subconscious resentment, his body's instincts fighting back fiercely.

The result was...

Almost every morning at dawn, Xiao Nianyin's figure as she left Xu Ruyu's Side Hall was more disheveled than the day before.

She would still try her best to straighten her messy clothes and loose hair, using her last bit of strength to maintain a facade of coldness, but her steps were unsteady and her figure swayed slightly. She could barely stand by leaning against the walls or doorframes.

The frost had faded from that beautiful, cold face, replaced by an unusual flush. Her brow held deep exhaustion, lingering passion, and an overflowing sense of shame, grievance, anger, and... a trace of complex fluttering that even she didn't want to look into.

Her waist and legs, in particular, were so sore they felt as if they didn't belong to her. Every step brought a clear, distinct sensation that reminded her of what had happened the night before.

Gritting her teeth, she moved step by step, fleeing the Side Hall—the place where she seemed to "suffer defeat" time and again—in the darkest moments before dawn.

Inside the Side Hall, Xu Ruyu would always "slowly wake up" at the "appropriate" time. Looking at the mess on the bed and the lingering cold fragrance in the air, his face would show a dazed, exhausted expression (which wasn't faked, as it truly drained his physical strength), and occasionally even a hint of "annoyance" (annoyance at having strange dreams again?).

In his heart, however, there was only a cold calm.

He knew he couldn't immediately oppose them with his cultivation, nor could he escape his current predicament.

But this secret "resistance" and "venting" in the area she least expected at least made him feel less completely powerless and forced her to pay a "price" for her actions.

More importantly, after every "intense interaction," he could feel a significant growth in his cultivation (the backflow of Saint Realm Power plus his own cultivation). Although it was accompanied by a slight stinging in his Divine Soul (a side effect of Madam Qingli's warning?), the increase in strength was real.

"Since you treat me as a 'power bank' and a 'toy'..." Xu Ruyu stared coldly into the Void Realm when no one was around, "then I'll 'charge up' while seeing who ends up unable to 'play' anymore."

"Revered Master, oh Revered Master, you work so hard every night... I hope it doesn't delay your daytime cultivation."

He tidied the bed, carefully collecting and hiding those strands of Xiao Nianyin's long hair once more. Then he sat cross-legged and began to circulate his Taixu True Qi to digest his "gains" from the previous night, while considering whether he should focus on studying Artifact Refining Material Science or basic medicinal pill properties at the Hall of Power Transmission today.

Sunlight streamed into the Side Hall, and a new day began.

Inside Ningyin Hall, the surface remained calm, but beneath the water, the twisted and dangerous game between Revered Master and disciple continued in another intense way during the unknown hours of the night.

And Xu Ruyu's path of Scientific Cultivation was quietly taking root amidst the sea of books in the Hall of Power Transmission, waiting for the day it would break through the soil.