Chapter 37: Don’t Be Afraid of What I’m About to Tell You…
Outside the cave, a colossal purple-furred tiger roared, its thunderous voice shaking the forest, sending birds and beasts scattering, and causing tremors in the mountain.
Shen Shuanglian’s face paled slightly, but her eyes quickly calmed. She shielded Chen Yin behind her, biting her lip.
“I’ll hold it off, you run to the other side of the mountain, and don’t look back.”
Chen Yin looked at the enormous tiger with an awkward expression. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Shen Shuanglian that he was the one who had attracted this trouble, so he simply said, “Senior Sister, you’re seriously injured. Don’t push yourself.”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t be pushing yourself!”
Shen Shuanglian’s voice was unusually stern. “This adult Purple-Whiskered Thunder Mane Tiger is definitely at the Supreme Clarity Realm. With your Cloud Ascending Realm cultivation, you won’t even be able to withstand the aftershock of its attacks.”
“Don’t worry about me, I still have a life-saving—”
“I know you have a life-saving measure, Senior Sister.” Chen Yin chuckled.
“Who wouldn’t have a few tricks up their sleeve when they’re a top prodigy? However…”
“…So do I.” His gaze shifted to the massive tiger.
Shen Shuanglian froze.
The tiger’s eyes locked onto Chen Yin, and it roared, smashing a rock with its paw and charging towards him with overwhelming force.
Chen Yin met its gaze calmly, his Eternal Light sword hovering before him. He spoke softly:
“I didn’t intend to take your child’s life. And I don’t want to kill you.”
“Leave now, or die.”
His tone was flat and emotionless.
But the tiger, as if sensing a life-or-death crisis, bristled with fear. Its back arched, and it skidded to a halt a mere three feet away from Chen Yin.
A bottomless chasm appeared where its paws had stopped, cleaved by a single sword strike.
The Purple-Whiskered Thunder Mane Tiger was stunned. Shen Shuanglian was stunned.
She hadn’t even seen when Chen Yin had drawn his sword.
But the chasm was undeniably there, as if the entire ravine had been split in two.
The tiger gulped nervously, its massive body trembling as it backed away, its eyes fixed warily on Chen Yin.
Shen Shuanglian stared at him in disbelief.
Chen Yin simply sighed, his expression still lazy and carefree. He said softly:
“As a spirit beast, you live in a world of survival of the fittest. I’ve already shown you mercy by sparing your life. Besides, this place is rich in spiritual energy. It won’t take you long to recover the lost cultivation. Why throw your life away over a petty grudge?”
“I’ll give you one more chance. If you don’t leave, I don’t mind adding some extra ingredients to my friend’s medicine.”
The tiger paced back and forth, growling softly. It stared at Chen Yin for a long time before finally letting out a defeated roar and turning to leave swiftly.
Chen Yin let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at Shen Shuanglian with an awkward expression.
“Uh… Senior Sister, can we talk about something?”
“Just pretend you didn’t see what happened just now, okay?”
Shen Shuanglian didn’t answer, her clear eyes fixed on him.
Chen Yin scratched his head. It seemed he couldn’t brush this off.
“That sword strike.” To his surprise, Shen Shuanglian spoke first. “Does it have a name?”
“…I don’t know.”
Chen Yin thought for a moment. He truly didn’t know the names of these three sword moves. Perhaps the person who created them was as lazy as he was and didn’t bother naming them.
“Since we don’t know its name, let’s just call it ‘First Sword.’” Chen Yin nodded with satisfaction.
Shen Shuanglian: “…”
Chen Yin asked curiously, “Does it sound bad?”
“…Whatever makes you happy.”
Shen Shuanglian sheathed her sword, walked over to the chasm, and gently touched it.
As a fellow sword cultivator, she could clearly sense a strange aura emanating from the sword scar.
It was an inexplicable feeling, but it made Shen Shuanglian feel a sense of familiarity.
“Could this be… what Master mentioned, Dao Resonance?” Shen Shuanglian asked hesitantly.
“Dao Resonance? What’s that?”
Seeing Chen Yin’s confused expression, Shen Shuanglian looked at him with surprise. “You used that sword strike, and you don’t even know what it is?”
Chen Yin shook his head.
“Cultivators cultivate to understand the Dao. And the Dao exists within heaven and earth. Being able to sense the existence of the Dao is enough to reach the Supreme Clarity Realm.”
“Therefore, Supreme Clarity Realm cultivators can use the Dao as a template, communicate with heaven and earth, and borrow their power for their own use.”
“But at this stage, it’s just borrowing. The Dao is not something you’ve truly comprehended.”
“If you truly comprehend the Dao, then every move you make will be infused with its principles. Defying you would be equivalent to defying the Dao itself. Therefore, someone who has comprehended the Dao will always have an absolute advantage over someone who hasn’t, regardless of how close their cultivation levels are. It’s a fundamental difference.”
“But you know,” Shen Shuanglian shook her head, “even many Grand Clarity Realm Immortals haven’t fully comprehended the Dao.”
“Even if they can barely imbue their attacks with a trace of Dao Resonance, the power is already extraordinary.”
Chen Yin nodded thoughtfully.
“As expected of Senior Sister, you know so much.”
Shen Shuanglian lowered her gaze slightly. “Master… I mean, the Sect Master, he’s still stuck at the threshold of fully comprehending the Dao. That’s why his cultivation has remained at the middle stage of the Grand Clarity Realm. He hasn’t been able to take the final step and ascend to immortality.”
Chen Yin suddenly teased, “So you’re saying I can fight your Master now?”
“I don’t know…” Shen Shuanglian looked a little lost, seemingly both curious about the sword strike and reluctant to pry into Chen Yin’s secrets.
Chen Yin could tell what the straightforward girl was thinking. He didn’t hide anything and said openly:
“I found this sword technique by chance in a secret realm. There’s no profound cultivation method, just this simple sword strike. I just practiced it for a long time, and it naturally became powerful.”
Shen Shuanglian looked at him suspiciously. “Practiced for a long time? How long?”
Chen Yin remained silent.
How long? He couldn’t remember.
A day or two? Millions of years?
In that timeless space, he had simply repeated the same sword strike over and over again, until his consciousness blurred.
He was only released after mastering it.
“Anyway, it was a long time.” Finally, Chen Yin just chuckled wryly.
Shen Shuanglian wisely didn’t ask any further questions.
“But, Senior Sister, there’s something I’m curious about.”
Chen Yin leaned closer to Shen Shuanglian and asked mischievously, “If I hadn’t used that sword strike just now, were you planning to stay behind and buy me time?”
“So Senior Sister cares so much about my safety.”
“D-don’t be ridiculous.”
Shen Shuanglian blushed slightly. “I’m the Senior Sister of the sect. It’s my duty to protect my fellow disciples.”
“Yes, yes, yes~”
Chen Yin teased, “Senior Sister is so loyal and righteous, I admire you!”
“However…”
His smile faded, and he gently placed a hand on her head.
“Don’t push yourself next time.”
“I’m not as weak as you think.” Chen Yin said seriously.
Shen Shuanglian stared at him, then lowered her eyelashes, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance.
“I-I was just afraid that you…”
“You worry about others, and others worry about you.”
Chen Yin interrupted her, his eyes clear. “In the eyes of others, you’re the Senior Sister, and I’m the Junior Brother. You should be taking care of me and protecting me.”
“But there are no outsiders here.”
“In my eyes, the current situation is simply a man needing to take care of an injured woman.”
He spoke earnestly, his words carrying no hidden meaning.
But looking at his clear and sincere eyes, Shen Shuanglian felt a warmth spreading through her heart.
She was starting to enjoy this feeling of being cared for.
…If only this moment could last a little longer. It wouldn’t matter if her injuries took longer to heal.
But before this feeling could linger, Chen Yin’s mischievous voice rang out again:
“Of course, if Senior Sister feels too guilty, you can always pay me some compensation after we get out of here~”
Shen Shuanglian: “…”
“Oh, or if Senior Sister has fallen for my handsome and charming appearance, I wouldn’t mind accepting your affections~”
Chen Yin said with a shy and coy expression, looking utterly infuriating.
Shen Shuanglian, with her thin skin, couldn’t handle his teasing and quickly changed the subject. “That Purple-Whiskered Thunder Mane Tiger…”
“What about it?”
“Generally, Purple-Whiskered Thunder Mane Tigers are solitary creatures. And adult tigers are usually docile and don’t attack humans.”
Shen Shuanglian frowned slightly. “But that tiger was clearly enraged. I wonder why.”
“Well…” Chen Yin averted his gaze, feeling guilty. “Maybe… its child was unlucky and had its demon core taken by a passing cultivator for alchemy?”
“Impossible.” Shen Shuanglian chuckled for the first time.
She rarely smiled, but when she did, it was like ice melting in the spring, radiating a pure and radiant charm that seemed to come from her very soul.
Chen Yin stared at her, mesmerized, before finally snapping out of his trance. “What’s wrong? Isn’t it common knowledge that demon cores are used for alchemy? The spiritual energy contained within them is very beneficial for cultivators.”
“Generally, yes.”
Shen Shuanglian said casually, “But Purple-Whiskered Thunder Mane Tigers are an exception. Their demon cores contain chaotic and toxic spiritual energy. For human cultivators, it’s extremely difficult to refine and absorb this energy without harmonizing yin and yang.”
“Not to mention, besides you and me, there shouldn’t be any other cultivators in the Heavenly Path Perilous Domain. And even if there were, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to risk their lives for a poisonous demon core.”
She didn’t notice that Chen Yin had fallen silent after hearing her words.
“Uh… if you don’t mind me asking, what do you mean by harmonizing yin and yang?”
“It naturally refers to… that kind of…” Shen Shuanglian blushed, seemingly embarrassed to elaborate. “Intimate activities between husband and wife.”
Chen Yin grew even quieter.
Noticing his strange expression and furrowed brow, Shen Shuanglian asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”
“Well, ahem.”
Chen Yin cleared his throat and suddenly grabbed Shen Shuanglian’s shoulders, his expression so serious that it startled her.
“Senior Sister, I promise you.”
“In my next life, I will study hard and never be illiterate again.”
“So…”
“Don’t be afraid of what I’m about to tell you…”
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