365: Chapter 365 The Invitation of a Hundred Flowers, Cangming Exclaims in Astonishment

Tianyuan Floating Island, the main peak of Moonshadow Mountain.

Clouds and mist swirled around the peak, and the fierce winds howled. An ancient, simple pavilion made of green jade hung over the cliff's edge.

Inside the pavilion were stone tables and stools carved with simple cloud patterns, overlooking the surging sea of clouds and the rolling mountains below.

Ling Hao stood by the edge of the pavilion with his hands behind his back, his black robes fluttering slightly in the wind. Beside him, Shui Liuli wore a Xuanming Flowing Immortal Dress, its hem transitioning from water blue to deep purple, swaying gently in the breeze.

Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded like a river of stars, refracting a dreamlike halo in the sunlight.

A delicate nine-petaled silver lotus crown bound a few strands of hair by her ears. Her youthful figure, outlined by the flowing dress, revealed a maiden's slender frame and the soft, budding curves of her youth.

A woman dressed in a soft pink gown embroidered with begonia flowers walked through the clouds and mist, approaching the pavilion with light, graceful steps.

Baili Rou looked at Ling Hao with admiration and spoke in a poised, dignified manner.

"Sect Master, three days from now, Hundred Flowers Peak will host the Hundred Flowers Gathering. The Peak Revered Master has ordered me to come and sincerely invite you to grace us with your presence."

Ling Hao smiled and agreed, "Very well, I will certainly attend."

Hearing this, Shui Liuli, who was standing to the side, immediately became interested, her purple eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Revered Master, Revered Master! The Hundred Flowers Gathering! I want to go too!"

Baili Rou smiled gently and nodded at Shui Liuli, "Junior Sister Liuli is naturally welcome as well."

Ling Hao, however, put on a stern face and lightly flicked Shui Liuli's smooth forehead with his finger.

"Three days from now, if you haven't mastered the fifth level of your 'Nine Nether Profound Water True Art,' 'Heart Lake Reflecting the Moon,' don't even think about going."

Shui Liuli covered her head, pouted in dissatisfaction, and muttered, "I know."

After Baili Rou left, the two sat cross-legged facing each other by the stone table in the pavilion.

"Concentrate and calm your spirit," Ling Hao began to instruct, his voice steady. "The purpose of 'Heart Lake Reflecting the Moon' is to perceive the ripples in an opponent's state of mind, vaguely predicting their next move or fleeting thoughts. But remember, this technique is not omnipotent. If the opponent has a firm will or is prepared in advance, they can easily detect your probe and even feign intentions to lure you into a trap."

Shui Liuli listened intently, her violet eyes gleaming. She formed hand seals on her knees, faint water vapor swirling around her fingertips. Her brows were slightly furrowed as she focused entirely on guiding her Qi, attempting to capture that mysterious resonance.

Ling Hao's gaze was like a torch; he occasionally offered guidance, correcting the path of her Qi circulation.

"Hmm... so," Shui Liuli pondered for a moment, her long silver eyelashes fluttering as she looked up and asked, "Does that mean the more agitated and less calm the opponent is, the more effective this technique becomes, and the greater their openings?"

"Exactly!" Approval appeared in Ling Hao's eyes. "Stirring their emotions and disrupting their composure is the superior way to use this technique."

Seeing her Revered Master's praise, Shui Liuli was overjoyed and took the opportunity to nimbly slide into Ling Hao's embrace, leaning against his warm, solid chest and finding a comfortable position.

Her eyes darted around with a sly look as she secretly channeled the newly learned "Heart Lake Reflecting the Moon," wanting to secretly perceive what her Revered Master thought of her at this moment.

However, Ling Hao's heart lake was like an ancient, bottomless pool, calm and without waves; she couldn't even capture a single ripple.

Thinking of what her Revered Master had just said, a plan formed in Shui Liuli's mind. She deliberately rubbed against Ling Hao's chest, tilted her small face up, and said in a sweet, cloying voice, "Revered Master~ have you won over Auntie yet?"

"Nonsense." Ling Hao chided lightly, though his tone held little reproach.

Shui Liuli secretly observed Ling Hao's reaction while channeling "Heart Lake Reflecting the Moon" with all her might, yet she still gained nothing.

Unwilling to give up, she simply turned around, knelt in front of Ling Hao, braced her hands against his chest, and leaned close to his ear. Her warm breath, carrying a maiden's unique, sweet fragrance, brushed against his earlobe. Her voice was lowered, light and seductive, like a feather scratching against him: "Revered Master... take a guess, what pattern is the undergarment I'm wearing today... What color is it?"

Ling Hao's breathing hitched slightly. That warm breath and the faint, lingering fragrance at the tip of his nose caused his body to tense for a moment, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Seeing that it seemed to be working, Shui Liuli's cherry lips almost touched Ling Hao's earlobe as she continued to whisper, "Or... Revered Master, take another guess... am I wearing one today... or not?"

As she spoke, her soft body pressed against Ling Hao intentionally or unintentionally, and she immediately felt...

Shui Liuli was secretly delighted and immediately channeled "Heart Lake Reflecting the Moon" with full force again, attempting to capture the emotional fluctuations Ling Hao might reveal in this moment of change.

It was all in vain!

Ling Hao seemed to have seen through her intentions; he chuckled and said with composed confidence, "Little girl, don't waste your efforts. You are but a small Cultivator at the Soul Transformation Stage. If I hadn't voluntarily opened my Sea of Consciousness, do you really think you could pry into the thoughts of a Mahayana Stage Cultivator with this half-baked 'Heart Lake Reflecting the Moon'?"

Shui Liuli's purple eyes widened; clearly, she refused to accept it. Her eyes darted around, and she thought of an even "fiercer" move.

She extended her tiny tongue and quickly licked Ling Hao's earlobe! At the same time, her small hand grabbed Ling Hao's large one, dragging it toward... without any room for refusal, while she provocatively said, "Revered Master~ guessing is so boring, don't you want to... verify it yourself?"

The wide skirt hem concealed...

In the next instant, both their bodies stiffened. Ling Hao reversed his hand and gripped Shui Liuli's wrist, his voice suddenly dropping a few octaves.

"Liuli, if you tease me like this again, do you believe I'll deal with you right here and now? Aren't you trying to avoid letting the one in your Sea of Consciousness 'see' this?"

Upon hearing this, Shui Liuli was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; she instantly sobered up. She sprang from Ling Hao's embrace, her small face flushed bright red. She scrambled to straighten her skirt, waving her hands repeatedly, her voice even stuttering slightly, "Oh! Revered Master! I, I... I was just joking! Really!"

Ling Hao looked at her cowardly yet cute, panicked appearance, feeling both amused and helpless.

"Come here."

Shui Liuli shuffled back in front of Ling Hao, keeping her head down and twisting the hem of her skirt with her fingers. Clearly, the threat of being "dealt with" and the "audience in the Sea of Consciousness" had been very effective; she truly wasn't prepared to be intimate with her Revered Master under the "gaze" of that existence in her Sea of Consciousness.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to 'deal with' you." Ling Hao laughed and extended his hand, "I just need to enter your Sea of Consciousness to discuss some matters with Cangming."

Only then did Shui Liuli breathe a sigh of relief and obediently handed over her hand.

Ling Hao grasped her slightly cool hand, preparing to cast the spell. Shui Liuli, however, felt a strange sensation in her palm and looked down in confusion at their clasped hands, "Revered Master, your hand...?"

Ling Hao glared at her, annoyed, "What do you think? Who is to blame for this?"

Shui Liuli was stunned, but she quickly understood. She hurriedly shut her mouth, though the roots of her ears turned slightly red.

Ling Hao collected his thoughts, and the power of his Primordial Spirit flowed through their clasped hands, sinking deep into the depths of Shui Liuli's Sea of Consciousness.

In the deepest part of the Sea of Consciousness was still that vast, dark expanse of water, reflecting the strange spectacle of stars being born and dying.

Cangming sat suspended above it, her pair of silvery-white, pupil-less eyes clear and cold.

Ling Hao got straight to the point: "Cangming, for these past three years, the Heavenly Dao of the Three Provinces Realm seems to have fallen completely silent, showing no signs of returning. Do you have any new perceptions?"

Cangming, however, did not answer his question. The deep, water-drop-shaped crack between her brows suddenly erupted with blinding light. Her silvery-white eyes locked onto Ling Hao, filled with a trace of shock and... a trace of longing.

"The Great Dao?! Why... why is there the aura of the Great Dao on you?!"

...Street-trash author: "..."