Mortal: Junior Sister Song Yu

The last year of my travels.

Deep within the Yunmeng Mountains, in a secluded valley completely shrouded by thick vines.

Li Xiao and Song Yu stood side by side, their gazes fixed on the ancient cave dwelling before them.

This is the third ancient site they are exploring on this trip. The first two sites had already been visited by predecessors and were left as empty shells.

The entrance to the cave is a dilapidated stone door, the runes engraved on it blurred and illegible under the erosion of time, exuding a desolate and lifeless atmosphere.

The two stone statues beside the door have long been weathered beyond recognition, but the outlines of some ancient ferocious beasts can still be vaguely discerned. Their silent roaring postures still retain a terrifying aura.

Li Xiao's divine sense probed in like mercury spilling onto the ground, and behind the stone door was a passageway several tens of feet long.

The passageway was fraught with danger, with layers upon layers of spikes, poisoned arrows, rolling stones, and even an invisible poisonous mist that could erode one's consciousness.

"Senior brother, the array fluctuations at the cave entrance are very strong." Song Yu spoke softly, the Azure Wave Sword in her hand shimmering with blue light, reflecting on her serious profile.

"At least three formations are superimposed, two of which are illusion formations."

Her tone was firm.

"Senior brother, protect me! I'll break the formation!"

Li Xiao nodded, and the long sword silently slid out of its sheath, the blade shimmering with a restrained golden light, the aura of man and sword merging into one.

Song Yu made hand seals, her fingertips sparkling with spiritual light, and successively cast several profound spells.

A moment later, accompanied by three muffled booms, the three-layered array surrounding the cave shattered and dissipated into countless points of light.

"Junior Sister's skill in formations is becoming increasingly profound."

Li Xiao gave a compliment, then his expression turned serious.

"Stay close behind me and protect yourself with a water curtain. Remember, no matter what you see or hear, don't leave my side by more than three feet."

"good!"

The two stepped into the passageway.

As I took my first step, I felt a slight sinking sensation in the stone slab beneath my feet.

Li Xiao's pupils contracted sharply, and without hesitation, he plunged his long sword into the ground!

A surge of powerful magic flowed violently through the blade, forcefully bursting the earth spike formation that was about to be triggered from within!

In the second step, dozens of poisoned arrows shot out from the small holes in the walls on both sides with a sharp whistling sound, their eerie green tips tracing deathly paths in the dim light.

Song Yu reacted with lightning speed, drawing a perfect circle in front of him with his Azure Wave Sword.

A crystal-clear water curtain appeared out of thin air, precisely intercepting all the poisoned arrows.

When the venom came into contact with the water curtain, it made a hissing, corrosive sound and produced puffs of white smoke.

The two worked together seamlessly, navigating the tens of feet of passageway without incident, and arrived at a spacious stone hall.

The room was simply furnished, with only a stone bed and a few stone stools.

The true heart of the place is a spiritual spring located in the center of the hall.

A fist-sized ball of milky white liquid floated quietly in a crevice in the rocks beside the spring.

The liquid was a perfect sphere, slowly rotating and emitting a dense spiritual energy that was visible to the naked eye, swirling like mist.

An extremely sweet aroma filled the air, and just one breath made the two of them feel the spiritual energy in their meridians begin to surge and boil.

"This is... the spiritual milk of heaven and earth!"

Song Yu gasped in shock, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief and disbelief.

"Ancient texts record that this is the essence of a sacred spring, taking hundreds or even thousands of years to nurture before a single drop is born! It has the miraculous effect of cleansing the marrow and reshaping the body!"

A burning flame ignited deep within Li Xiao's eyes.

The opportunity he had been searching for was right in front of him!

"Junior sister, go to the cave entrance and set up a concealment and defense formation, just in case."

He forced down his excitement, but his voice still trembled slightly.

"We'll each take half of this spiritual milk."

"I will reach the true pinnacle of the Qi Refining stage right here!"

Song Yu's face showed worry: "Senior brother, are you sure? The spiritual energy of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Milk is too violent for us Qi Refining stage cultivators. If we are not careful, we may explode."

"If not 100%, then at least 80%."

Li Xiao smiled, a smile brimming with absolute confidence.

He had been preparing for this day for far too long.

From the life-or-death battle at Black Wind Ridge to every extreme compression of magical power, every step of accumulation has been for this moment of explosion.

He took out two jade bottles and handed one to Song Yu.

Inside the bottle was a meridian-protecting pill, the result of years of painstaking effort, collecting hundreds of rare and precious medicinal herbs, and undergoing dozens of failures to refine. The pill was light blue, with patterns resembling flowing water, and served as an unparalleled safeguard for protecting the heart and dantian when breaking through bottlenecks.

Without further hesitation, he stepped into the spiritual spring, carefully scooped up the mass of spiritual milk from heaven and earth, and smeared it all over his body.

The moment the spiritual milk touched his skin, an indescribable, terrifying spiritual energy didn't just surge in, but exploded directly throughout his limbs and bones!

Every meridian was stretched to the brink of tearing in an instant.

Li Xiao sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and frantically circulated the "Golden Origin Technique".

Within his dantian, the twelve drops of liquid mana, solidified as if they were solid, began to rotate at high speed.

His idea was bold and crazy!

Using the unparalleled spiritual power of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Milk as a furnace, the twelve drops of magic power were first forcibly fused into a "pseudo-golden pill," and then shattered with supreme perseverance, breaking and rebuilding, transforming into thirteen drops!

This is the true limit of the Qi Refining stage!

Once success is achieved, the path ahead after laying the foundation will be smooth sailing!

pain!

The extreme pain is beyond words!

The moment the twelve drops of magical power merged, the sharpness of metal and the ferocity of fire collided violently within his most vulnerable dantian.

The feeling was like twelve red-hot knives frantically churning and cutting through flesh and blood!

Li Xiao remained expressionless and bit down on the protective pill he had been holding in his mouth.

The elixir transformed into a cool stream of water, instantly enveloping his precarious heart meridian and dantian.

He circulated his cultivation technique with all his might, attempting to forcefully suppress and merge the two violent magical energies.

But that's not enough!

The energy storm generated by the fusion was too violent, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Soon, blood seeped from all seven orifices.

"Not enough...not enough!"

Li Xiao roared inwardly.

With a thought, he drew upon the remaining spiritual energy in the spring, transforming it into a gentle stream that flowed into his meridians. Its mild and balanced nature helped to harmonize the violent conflict between metal and fire.

Wherever the spiritual milk passed, the torn meridians were not only widened but also rapidly repaired and strengthened, and their surfaces were even covered with a faint silver light, making them incredibly resilient.

Song Yu stood by the pond, his heart clenched with anxiety.

She watched as Li Xiao's face twisted and contorted in agony, as the golden and red light around him flashed wildly, and as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth above his head gathered into a huge vortex, frantically pouring into the top of his head.

She gripped the Azure Wave Sword tightly, extending her divine sense to its limit, wary of any possible disturbance.

At that moment, she hated herself for being unable to do anything, unable to share even the slightest bit of his pain.

All she could do was protect him.

Time slipped away in agony.

One hour, two hours...

Within Li Xiao's dantian, the twelve drops of liquid mana finally began to truly merge after a series of destructive collisions.

They drew closer to each other, squeezed, deformed, and the golden and red lights merged completely.

In the end, it transformed into a golden-red "pill" the size of a longan.

The pill's surface shimmered with golden light, while crimson flames surged within. Though it paled in comparison to a true golden core, it already possessed a trace of the aura and divine power of a golden core cultivator.

Become!

The next moment!

"Click..."

A crisp sound, like the shattering of glass, rang out from within his dantian.

The "fake golden elixir" shattered instantly!

In the instant of shattering, a terrifying aura far exceeding that before erupted from Li Xiao's body!

His divine sense expanded wildly outward, one mile, two miles... and finally stabilized within a three-mile radius, already no weaker than an ordinary early Foundation Establishment cultivator!

His meridians are as tough as refined steel, and can hold ten times more magical power than before!

His bones shimmered with golden light, and his flesh contained explosive power!

When Li Xiao opened his eyes again, the golden-red light in them faded, transforming into a deep, tranquil gaze like the night sky.

But beneath that calm lies an unparalleled sharpness capable of annihilating everything.

"Senior brother...you succeeded?" Song Yu's voice trembled with joy.

"It's a success."

Li Xiao slowly got up, feeling the earth-shattering changes within his body.

The shattered "pseudo-golden pill" had disappeared, replaced by thirteen drops of even more dazzling and vibrant golden-red liquid magic power.

Qi Refining Stage, the Peak!

The next step is Foundation Building!

"Senior brother, how are you feeling now?" Song Yu asked curiously, wanting to know just how strong this legendary Qi Refining Stage Limit really was.

Li Xiao did not answer, but simply pointed his fingers like a knife and casually waved them at the distant stone wall.

A pale golden blade of light, three zhang long, shot out from his hand.

There was no earth-shattering noise, and not a trace of energy leakage.

The incredibly hard ruins wall was silently sliced ​​open like warm butter, the cut as smooth as a mirror, even clearly reflecting Song Yu's shocked face.

"Capable of fighting against someone in the early stages of Foundation Establishment."

Li Xiao calmly stated a fact.

This is not arrogance, but absolute self-confidence.

With his Qi Refining at the thirteenth level, combined with the fully mastered Gale-Splitting Gold Blade and Golden Flame Slash, he was qualified to fight against opponents of higher levels.

As the last drop of liquid magic condensed, the huge stone that had been weighing on Li Xiao's heart for so long in his pursuit of the Dao finally fell to the ground.

A feeling buried for two lifetimes could no longer be suppressed.

"That's wonderful!" Song Yu was genuinely delighted for him. "In that case, our journey ahead will..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

Li Xiao suddenly reached out and gently wiped away a speck of dust that had somehow gotten on her cheek with his fingertips.

His movements were incredibly gentle, his eyes focused and burning with passion, as if he were handling a rare treasure.

"Junior sister, thank you for all these years."

His voice was deep, yet it carried an unprecedented sincerity.

Song Yu's cheeks flushed instantly, and she subconsciously lowered her eyes: "We... are fellow disciples, that's only right."

"Are they just fellow disciples?"

Li Xiao suddenly pressed on, his gaze intense, leaving her no room to dodge.

Song Yu's body trembled, and she suddenly raised her head, meeting his deep eyes.

In those eyes, there was panic, shyness, and barely suppressed joy, all of which ultimately transformed into an unprecedented firmness.

She bit her lower lip, mustered the greatest courage she had ever possessed, and asked, "Then... what does Senior Brother hope for?"

Li Xiao gazed at her, at the girl he had watched grow up from infancy, the girl he had spent eighteen years with, the girl who was etched into his bones and integrated into his life.

She was the only warmth in this cold world of cultivation, a world filled with hatred and obsession for him, a transmigrator.

"I hope..."

He spoke each word clearly and firmly, each word like a declaration to heaven and earth.

"Once we've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, we'll ask our master to allow us to become Daoist partners!"

Daoist couple.

On the path of cultivation, the closest companion.

They are inseparable in life and death, and are the only ones on the path to immortality.

Song Yu's eyes instantly reddened, and crystal tears slid uncontrollably down his cheeks, but the most radiant and moving smile of his life bloomed on his lips.

She had been waiting for these words for far too long.

"Um!"

She nodded vigorously, her voice trembling with tears, yet filled with unspeakable joy.

The next moment, the two embraced tightly, feeling each other's breath and warmth in the ancient cave where only their heartbeats could be heard.

After a long while, Li Xiao gently released her, looked at her tear-streaked face, and said softly:

"Okay, stop crying, it's your turn."

He pointed to the remaining half of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Milk.

"You have worked hard to protect the Dharma for me. Now, it is my turn to protect the Dharma for you."