Borrowing a sword

Chapter 106 Devouring Time
Confucius said: “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no more doubts; at fifty, I knew the will of Heaven; at sixty, my ear was attuned to the truth; at seventy, I could follow my heart’s desire without transgressing the rules.”

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang, while inside the [Annual Rings Secret Realm], aged more than ten years in an instant, looking like they were in their thirties even though they had reached the age of thirty.

Moreover, their bodies seemed to have become human-like.

In the Xuanhuang Realm, cultivators possess spiritual power and have elixirs like the Youth Preservation Pill, so they generally have techniques for preserving their youth and aging more slowly.

The ordinary people at the foot of the mountain are different.

Chu Huaixu looked much more mature, even his eyes had changed slightly.

As people get older, the light in their eyes dims.

As people age and their bodies weaken, their eyes may appear somewhat cloudy.

Faint wrinkles have already appeared around his eyes.

His youthful innocence has completely faded, replaced by a more mature demeanor.

In addition, there was a faint trace of fatigue between his brows and eyes.

"The spiritual energy within my body is still there. I am still a body-refining cultivator, and the power of my physical body is still there."

"But why does my body feel like that of a thirty-something-year-old corporate slave?" Chu Huaixu wondered.

He felt uncomfortable in many parts of his body and suspected that he had various minor ailments.

His energy wasn't as high as before, and his mind was a bit muddled.

"It is said that once a man is over twenty-five, he will start to decline."

Chu Huaixu even felt that, given his current physical condition in his thirties, he should start eating those aphrodisiac foods, even if he didn't like them.
For sustainable development, it's time to start taking care of your health!

"So, this is also part of the secret realm trial?" he wondered to himself.

As for Han Shuangjiang beside him, she exuded a different kind of beauty.

The girlishness she once possessed has completely vanished, and she now exudes a mature and charming aura.

Even her figure seemed to have changed slightly, appearing somewhat fuller.

Those already full buttocks looked like they could be squeezed for water.

—It's very moisturizing.

Han Shuangjiang was still wearing the same white dress, but she wore it in a way that created a different effect than before.

Childishness fades, temperament changes.

She was already aloof, and now that she's "older," she's even become a little more serious.

Just looking at that stunningly beautiful face, there's a hint of asceticism about it.

The large ice block now frowned, and its serious chill was even more pronounced.

She has a natural older sister vibe despite her young age, and has a bit of a mature, sophisticated feel.

At this moment, the aura of a mature woman mingled with the charm of a young married woman, causing Chu Huaixu to momentarily lose his composure.

He actually felt that he was not just thirty years old, but already thirty-five years old and approaching forty, getting closer to the age of forty when he was no longer confused.

But what if you reach the age of forty and are no longer confused?
For most people, the so-called "forty and not confused" means that even at forty years old, they still can't resist temptation.

"Is this what she will look like in the future?" he wondered.

A similar thought also arose in Han Shuangjiang's mind.

She looked at the other person and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with us?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely affected by the secret realm," Chu Huaixu said.

He felt like he was in a dream, but it seemed like he was in a dream.

He could try to break through it by activating the small black sword within his sea of ​​consciousness!
But after thinking about it, Chu Huaixu decided to observe further.

"Let's see what tricks this [Growth Rings Secret Realm] is up to."

"Moreover, the appearance of this big ice block is quite interesting."

"I'll watch for a while longer," he thought.

The sweltering summer heat had been extinguished by Chu Huaixu's powerful voice.

The two walked along the forest path, feeling only heat.

The surrounding heatwave seemed impossible to withstand with one's own cultivation.

The black and gold robe Chu Huaixu wore, which had the effect of keeping him warm in winter and cool in summer, seemed to have lost its effectiveness at this moment.

They began to sweat, and their temples became damp.

But fearing there might be some training content in this level, I dared not rush forward recklessly, so I could only proceed slowly like this.

Both of them were drenched in sweat, and their breathing became rapid.

Chu Huaixu glanced at Han Shuangjiang beside him and felt that she had a different kind of beauty when she was covered in sweat.

We didn't encounter any danger along the way.

They stopped in front of the stone gate.

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang turned around together.

A summer breeze rustled the lush leaves of the two rows of large trees lining the path.

All the leaves were swaying gently in the wind.

It was as if it was waving goodbye to the two of them.

“In this secret realm of time, it seems that the end of each level has its own unique scenery,” Chu Huaixu said.

In the previous stage, they walked a flower-lined path together.

Han Shuangjiang nodded, feeling that this secret realm was quite special.

At this moment, she suddenly said, "Chu Huaixu, you were born in Huaixu, right? That's why you were given this name."

"Yeah." He nodded.

Chu Huaixu smiled and looked at the trees behind him, saying, "I know, these are all locust trees."

The summer breeze continued to blow, shaking down a few locust blossoms, which added a touch of beauty to the scene.

When a person takes this name and then looks at the scene before them, they can't help but feel a few ripples in their heart.

Chu Huaixu couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. But when he turned to look at Han Shuangjiang, he couldn't help but think of something.

"If this stage is the Huaixu stage, then the next stage might be the Frost's Descent stage," he joked.

Frost's Descent is the eighteenth of the twenty-four solar terms, marking the end of autumn.

It is the time of year with the greatest temperature difference between day and night.

As Big Ice Block listened to her words, a slight flutter stirred in his heart once more.

The two people's names seemed to take on a special meaning in this mysterious place of time.

Summer and autumn naturally go hand in hand.

Chu Huaixu pushed open the stone door with force.

A refreshing breeze burst forth, bringing a sense of coolness.

As the two walked forward, the scene before them immediately changed.

Early summer has passed, but late autumn has arrived.

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang stood in front of the stone gate, and as far as the eye could see, there was a whole grove of sycamore trees.

—The paulownia leaves by the golden well turn yellow in autumn, and the beaded curtain remains unrolled as frost falls at night.

From a distance, the vast expanse of golden autumn colors was a truly magnificent sight.

I was already drenched in sweat from the heat, but the cool autumn breeze made me feel much more comfortable.

The grove of sycamore trees in front of us are clearly all old sycamore trees.

Because the sycamore tree grows very tall.

The two exchanged a glance and, sure enough, noticed that their appearances had changed again.

He seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant.

Chu Huaixu's face already had some noticeable wrinkles, all traces left by the years.

His long, jet-black hair was now streaked with silver.

He was beginning to show signs of aging.

My overall energy and spirits have deteriorated, and I often feel like coughing.

On a whim, he raised his hands.

As people get older, their hands also become ugly.

But that wasn't what Chu Huaixu was focused on at the moment.

He would push his hand away and then pull it closer, as if he were judging something.

After a few seconds, he had his answer.

"Damn it! My eyesight is really failing!"

Chu Huaixu never expected that at such a young age, after entering a secret realm, he would experience presbyopia.

He could feel the extreme contradiction in his physical condition at that moment.

The power I gained from my own body tempering still exists.

But this physical body is just like an ordinary mortal approaching fifty. Compared to when he was young, he always felt that nothing was right and nothing was good.

His thinking also began to become increasingly sluggish, not as quick as before.

As for Han Shuangjiang standing beside him, she can only be described in four words—still charming and graceful.

If before she was beginning to exude a mature charm, then now she is fully mature.

Han Shuangjiang's physique and figure have also changed somewhat.

She looked even more graceful and poised. The voluptuousness emanating from her body had also become more pronounced.

Chu Huaixu looked at her and began to understand why many people say that a mature woman is like aged wine.

"You look much older," Han Shuangjiang said. "Do I look the same?"

She was both curious and hesitant to look.

"You're alright, I didn't realize you looked so young." Chu Huaixu chuckled.

The large ice block rolled its eyes at him, yet it possessed a unique charm.

"Don't you feel that it's not just your appearance that has changed, but that you've really aged?" she said.

At this point, she actually felt a trace of fear deep down.

She was clearly a young girl in the prime of her life, but suddenly she turned into this.

If it can't be changed back, then it's hard to accept.

It seems as if my own years have been swallowed up by this secret realm!

“I feel like this is more than just an illusion. I’m not sure if I can break through it, but I’ll give it a try,” Chu Huaixu said.

The two of them suddenly looked so much older, even their voices had changed slightly.

He closed his eyes and began to activate his Heart Sword.

The small sword within his sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently, but nothing changed in its surroundings!
"Wait a minute, I'll try again." Chu Huaixu really didn't believe in bad luck.

He sat down cross-legged and used all his divine sense to merge into the black sword.

"Break it for me!"

That power, which seemed capable of slicing through all illusions, began to spread outwards.

As a result, the two remained unchanged, and the Heart Sword had no effect whatsoever.

"Could it be an illusion?"

Chu Huaixu turned to look at Han Shuangjiang, only to see her brows furrowed and a hint of surprise in her eyes, as if she had discovered something amiss.

"What's wrong?" Chu Huaixu asked.

She pointed to a strand of long hair that had fallen across his forehead and said, "These few strands of your hair were black just now, but now they've all turned white!"

"So, we're not just getting older with each level we pass, but if we're stuck in a level, we'll continue to age over time?" Chu Huaixu's gaze darkened.

(End of this chapter)