Chapter 153 I Didn't Expect You to Be Such a Person

Meeting Room, Youling Mountain.

The moment Li Xincheng stepped out of the Yuling Grotto, he immediately notified the Council of Elders of the Martial Arts Association.

"Li Xincheng, did something happen? Why was there such a huge commotion at the peak just now?" asked an elder with a wispy goat-like beard.

The training grounds were not only inhabited by prodigies from various major factions, but also by the elders and internal personnel of the Martial Arts Association.

"Respected elders, Yuling has been killed," Li Xincheng said in a deep voice.

Silence fell over everyone in the meeting room.

Yuling was killed?

You must be joking.

Yuling was no small fry; it was a genuine Spirit Venerable.

Although it did not understand martial arts techniques or spells, its massive size and hard body made it terrifyingly formidable.

The commotion on the summit had been quite loud just moments ago, but it had only lasted for a few minutes. Everyone had simply assumed that Yuling was throwing a tantrum.

Who would have thought that right under everyone's noses, Yuling would be killed in such a swift manner.

This was no longer just a matter of losing face; it was a direct provocation against the Martial Arts Association.

"Are you serious? Wasn't Yuling surrounded by numerous formations? How could anyone kill it?"

A black-robed elder frowned and asked in a deep voice.

The others also wore grave expressions, each feeling a mounting sense of impending turmoil.

Given that this person could eliminate Yuling so swiftly, they silently asked themselves if they could achieve such a feat.

"I can't figure it out either. Furthermore, inside the Yuling Grotto, I caught a whiff of a bloody scent. Presumably, that person sustained quite heavy injuries in order to kill Yuling," Li Xincheng dropped another crucial piece of information.

"Injured?" The black-robed elder pondered slightly, then said, "Very well, thoroughly search the entire Youling Mountain immediately. During this period, do not let a single person leave."

"Understood." Li Xincheng nodded.

With matters concerning Yuling, the Martial Arts Association acted swiftly.

Led by Li Xincheng, hundreds of martial artists began a carpet-search across the entire Youling Mountain.

To guard against a sudden ambush by this "injured Spirit Venerable," these martial artists operated in squads of at least twenty people.

The moment any suspicious individual was discovered, they were instructed to pull the alarm in their hands, and the Council of Elders would arrive instantly.

***

Zhuge Xian cleaned up all the Yuling fragments scattered on the ground, and the two of them left the grotto.

"Lin Yi, there are so many martial artists showing up here. Are they here to search for us?"

After walking for a short distance, Zhuge Xian lowered her voice. There was not much fear in her tone, but rather a hint of excitement.

This kind of thrilling scene felt just like the protagonists being hunted down by villains in the movies.

Although their roles were reversed here, it didn't stop Zhuge Xian from daydreaming a little.

Lin Yi did not speak. His divine sense covered the entire Youling Mountain, and he found that the number of martial artists surrounding them was indeed quite substantial.

"Take off your clothes," Lin Yi said suddenly.

Zhuge Xian was slightly startled, then crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Lin Yi with a guarded gaze.

I never expected you to be this kind of person.

Seeing Zhuge Xian's reaction, Lin Yi realized that his phrasing had been ambiguous. He said calmly, "Don't let your imagination run wild. I'm not interested in a flat-chested, hip-less little girl like you."

Zhuge Xian instantly flew into a rage. What did he mean by flat-chested and hip-less? Didn't he know this was a huge insult to a young woman?

"What on earth do you mean?"

Zhuge Xian crossed her arms and took two steps back. Lin Yi was far too dangerous; if he really decided to use force against her, she wouldn't even have the ability to fight back.

"The smell of blood on you is too strong. If you want to get caught later, just pretend I said nothing," Lin Yi said.

Zhuge Xian looked down and saw that the collar and chest of her clothes were stained with dried blood.

"Then you should have made yourself clear," Zhuge Xian glared at Lin Yi.

"Stop wasting time, change quickly. Someone is coming," Lin Yi urged.

Zhuge Xian immediately panicked and said somewhat bashfully, "You can't be serious. You expect me to change right here?"

There wasn't even a shred of cover around. Wouldn't changing clothes here mean she would be seen completely?

If she had known, she should have changed over by the stone tablet earlier. Now she was trapped in a difficult dilemma.

"Aren't there trees over there? Rest assured, I won't peek," Lin Yi said.

***

Zhuge Xian was still hesitating, but the sound of footsteps reaching her ears instantly tightened her nerves.

"It's just changing clothes."

Hiding behind a large tree and enduring her injuries, Zhuge Xian quickly changed her clothes at top speed.

True to his word, Lin Yi didn't even turn his head once.

This left Zhuge Xian somewhat depressed. Could it be that she truly possessed zero attraction?

Had Lin Yi known Zhuge Xian's thoughts, he would have simply said: *Hé, women, truly troublesome.*

A glance was called peeking, yet not peeking made her doubt her own charm.

Once Zhuge Xian finished changing her clothes, Lin Yi instructed, "Don't speak, follow me."

Though his strength meant he had no fear of these martial artists, he preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Oh." Zhuge Xian nodded repeatedly.

Using his divine sense to evade the searching martial artists, the two of them returned to the plaza shortly after, safe and sound.

Investigations were already underway here as well, but as long as Zhuge Xian didn't expose herself, there wouldn't be any issues.

Even if she were exposed, it wouldn't pose much of a problem for Lin Yi.

"Boss, you're back!"

Seeing Zhuge Xian from afar, the chubby youth rolled over like a bouncing ball.

"Yeah, cough, cough." Zhuge Xian coughed.

Several of her ribs had been broken, and bone fragments were still pressing against her internal organs.

Had the healing pill not been taking effect, she probably would have been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment by now.

"Boss, are you alright? Did you catch a cold?" the chubby youth asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Zhuge Xian waved a hand dismissively.

"Oh, right, Boss, I remember your clothes weren't this style earlier. Could the two of you...?" The chubby youth's eyes darted back and forth between Lin Yi and Zhuge Xian.

Zhuge Xian smacked the chubby youth right on the forehead and said fiercely, "What about us?"

"N-nothing, nothing at all," the chubby youth hurriedly shook his head.

"Hmph, my previous clothes just got dirty. If you dare let your imagination run wild again, believe me, I'll make you lose a hundred pounds of that fat," Zhuge Xian snorted.

Lin Yi spoke up, "You guys chat, I'm heading back first."

With that, Lin Yi walked straight back to his small wooden cabin and took out Yuling's energy core.

Thump, thump, thump.

The energy core was still pulsing with a steady beat, radiating a soft, translucent white light.

Lin Yi directly enveloped the energy core with his divine sense.

Inside the energy core, he could still sense a trace of a faint, nascent consciousness—it belonged to Yuling.

However, this consciousness was far too weak, roughly equivalent to that of a three-year-old child.

The moment Lin Yi's divine sense made contact with Yuling, the entity immediately began to tremble.

Clearly, the fear Lin Yi had previously instilled in it ran deep.

Lin Yi smiled faintly and transmitted a thought to Yuling, commanding it to submit to him, or else face total annihilation.

No matter how weak its consciousness was, Yuling understood the concept of death, and naturally agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"Very well, your choice is wise," Lin Yi nodded.

He intended to help Yuling re-forge its form. Its previous body was composed of mutton-fat white jade; while its defense was decent, it was far from optimal.

Being wealthy and resourceful, Lin Yi directly produced ten thousand middle-grade spirit stones.

If Yuling wanted to transform these spirit stones into its new body, it had to thoroughly refine them one by one.

With Yuling's current strength, refining a single middle-grade spirit stone would take at least a year.

Fortunately, Lin Yi was now backing it.

He imprinted runic arrays onto each and every spirit stone, which not only drastically enhanced their defensive capabilities but also allowed Yuling to fuse with the spirit stones at an accelerated rate.

By the following day, Yuling had completely devoured all ten thousand middle-grade spirit stones.

Its height had grown to two meters. While its strength remained at the Grandmaster realm, its defense was now so formidable that even a Spirit Venerable would struggle to breach it.

Furthermore, a body constructed entirely from spirit stones granted Yuling a much higher ceiling for future growth.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged on the bed with Yuling standing right beside him. With every breath it took, it exhaled and inhaled vast amounts of spiritual energy.

The resulting effect was several times superior to the spirit-gathering array Lin Yi had set up at Villa Number Eight.

Knock, knock, knock.

At that moment, someone tapped on the wooden cabin's small door.

Lin Yi stretched lazily; going out for a walk sounded like a good idea.

Opening the door, Lin Yi saw that it was Zhuge Xian.

"Something the matter?" Lin Yi asked calmly.

Zhuge Xian's mental state was quite poor, likely on account of her internal injuries.

However, Lin Yi had no intention of helping Zhuge Xian. The two of them were merely passing acquaintances; he wasn't altruistic enough to play the savior indiscriminately.

"Yeah, Lin Yi, I'll be leaving shortly. I came to say goodbye," Zhuge Xian said, giving her small ponytail a flick.

"Oh," Lin Yi nodded.

"We did go through life and death together, after all. Can't you even try to make me stay?" Zhuge Xian blinked and asked.

"Even if I don't ask you to stay, you probably won't be able to leave anyway," Lin Yi said expressionlessly.

"What do you mean?" Zhuge Xian looked puzzled.

"Nothing." Lin Yi offered no further explanation.

Zhuge Xian felt a bit baffled. Then, she added, "Right, I still have some points left over, I can give them to you."

"No need," Lin Yi shook his head.

If he wanted points, he had plenty of ways to acquire them; there was no need to accept charity from a woman.

"Suit yourself, hmph, I'm leaving." Zhuge Xian puffed out her cheeks and strode away.

Lin Yi returned to his cabin. Less than half an hour later, the small wooden door was knocked on once again.

Stepping outside, he saw it was Zhuge Xian yet again.

"Didn't you leave?" Lin Yi frowned.

"Youling Mountain is completely locked down right now, I can't get out," Zhuge Xian said, though she didn't seem particularly disappointed.

Lin Yi remained silent; he had known about this all along.

The only thing Lin Yi found troublesome was that this Zhuge Xian seemed determined to latch onto him.

This was certainly not good news for Lin Yi.

"Lin Yi, there's a spiritual teahouse nearby, the tea is really good, my treat," Zhuge Xian said generously.

"No need," Lin Yi refused flatly.

"Why not? It's my treat, you don't have to spend your own points," Zhuge Xian assumed Lin Yi was worried about the cost.

"I don't like drinking spiritual tea. Also, stop bothering me."

With that, Lin Yi closed the door right in her face.

Zhuge Xian stared at the tightly shut door, momentarily doubting her entire existence.

Usually, others were the ones treating her; this time, she offered to treat someone, only to be rejected outright and told she was annoying.

"Hmph, fine if you won't go, I'll drink by myself!" Zhuge Xian gave a light huff.

At that moment, the chubby youth ran over clutching a document in his hands: "Boss, what are you having?"

"Drinking alcohol!" Zhuge Xian gnashed her pearly-white teeth.

"Wait a minute, Boss, don't you usually not drink?" The chubby youth seemed quite familiar with Zhuge Xian's habits.

"I meant *you* are drinking." Zhuge Xian gave the chubby youth a pat on the shoulder.

The chubby youth wore an aggrieved expression and said, "I don't drink either."

Seeing the chubby youth's expression, Zhuge Xian chuckled softly and asked, "What's that you're holding?"

The chubby youth instantly grew excited: "Boss, this is the progress report on our Immortal Sect! Eleven people have already agreed to join."

"Very good." Zhuge Xian patted the chubby youth's shoulder again.

The chubby youth chuckled foolishly.