Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

Yu Luoning patted her chest, let out a soft breath, and smiled, "Xing'er, thank you! If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't even know I'd been possessed by this ghost."

What Yu Luoning didn't know was that the strange thing she was talking about had quite a background.

The Old Man of Nirvana, whose real name is now lost to history, is also known in the cultivation world as the Prisoner of Gazing at the Moon.

He was originally a powerful figure, but thousands of years ago he was imprisoned in the Moon Gazing Cave by an even more powerful being, unable to leave alive or retreat even in death.

They remained imprisoned in that silent, dead land for a thousand years.

In order to escape, he set up a trap by spreading the news of Wangyue Cave, attracting cultivators from all sides to go there.

In reality, he was creating an opportunity to choose a host. The more people who came in, the more targets he would have to choose from, and there would always be a suitable body for him to inhabit.

In fact, among the cultivators who entered the cave this time, he saw several promising talents.

He had originally set his sights on Li Yunyu, a fellow practitioner of the Nirvana Path.

But that powerful teleportation technique suddenly appeared in the chaos, and he locked onto Yu Luoning almost at the same time.

There's something strange about this girl.

He secretly observed her, watching her maneuver between the two men, watching her wield the Star Moon Sword, and watching her use her man's martial arts techniques and magical artifacts.

Before long, he deduced that this person could take other people's magical artifacts and spirit weapons for himself, and that person was the most suitable vessel for him.

With such extraordinary abilities, how could he not ascend to the path of immortality once more?

So he focused all his attention on her, patiently waiting for his chance. When the chaotic space collapsed and everyone fled for their lives, he seized the opportunity to enter and silently attach his remnant soul to her, waiting for the chance to escape the constraints of the Moon Gazing Cave.

He never expected that as soon as he left the cave, he would arrive at a palace he had never seen before, and there were people in the palace.

The man merely glanced at him, raised his hand, and unleashed a palm strike imbued with the power of the starry sky. Before he could utter a single word, the attack was over.

Years of planning were ruined in an instant.

Yu Luoning had no idea about any of this. She thought she had been possessed by some evil spirit in the chaotic space, and that Xing Qi had intervened in time to clean her up.

Yu Luoning left the cave and immediately went to the Star-Picking Palace. She came to express her gratitude and to return the Star-Moon Sword that Xing Qi had lent her.

Yu Luoning held the Star Moon Sword in her hands and walked over with a sincere smile on her face.

"Xing'er, I owe a great debt to your Star Moon Sword during this trip to the secret realm. It saved me from danger several times."

Xing Qi blinked. Her eyelashes were long, and her eyes held a childlike innocence, as if she didn't understand why she had come all this way to say this.

But he was very happy.

All the cultivators in Taiyu Cangqiong respected him. Even when he did good deeds, there was always something in their respect that they couldn't quite put their finger on, as if they were looking at something very important, rather than at him as a person.

No one had ever walked right up to him like that before, smiling and saying, "Thank you, Xingqi."

Xing Qi stood there, looking at Yu Luoning without saying a word, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Seeing that he was looking at her expectantly, Yu Luoning began to tell her about her trip to Wangyue Cave.

In her past life, she had read many novels and recorded many stories. Coupled with her eloquent tongue, she could make ordinary experiences sound dramatic.

Xingqi had never heard of such a thing before, so he just sat there, listening intently.

Occasionally his eyes would light up, and occasionally he would want to ask something, but then he would hesitate to interrupt her.

Yu Luoning recounted how she hung that little bastard from a tree and beat him, gesturing with her hands as if she were a master, her tone smug. "That little bastard was extremely arrogant, even trying to cause me trouble. I didn't even bother arguing with him, I just beat him up. With Xingyue around, what am I afraid of? I'm not afraid of anyone..."

Xingqi chuckled.

Yu Luoning described it vividly, though she deliberately omitted some things, such as Feng Qiguang and Li Yunyu.

She didn't mention any of the unclear and ambiguous entanglements.

In her eyes, Xing Qi was just a 16-year-old boy who knew nothing, like a clean sheet of paper. She didn't want to stain that sheet of paper black.

Otherwise, how are they any different from beasts?

As she was talking, she suddenly remembered something.

Logically speaking, given Xing Qi's qualities, her "Portrait of Handsome Men" should have lit up long ago. However, since the day she first stepped into the Star-Picking Palace, the portrait has remained completely silent, as if Xing Qi herself is not even within the range of her perception.

Yu Luoning couldn't help but wonder, could it be that Xing Qi was too strong, so strong that it exceeded the upper limit of the knowledge in the encyclopedia, and therefore failed directly?

Indeed, if Xing Qi's cultivation technique could be upgraded, wouldn't he be invincible?

However, even if Xing Qi is in the "Handsome Men's Compendium," she would never lay a hand on him.

This child is so clean. His cleanliness makes you unconsciously suppress all your scheming and ulterior motives.

Even someone as shameless as her felt guilty and ashamed, let alone having any other messy thoughts.

"and then?"

Xingqi's voice brought him back to reality.

He rested his chin on his hand, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Yu Luoning.

Yu Luoning snapped out of her daze and chuckled, "And then I just ran away."

"They ran away? What happened to that cool guy and Chicken Bro you mentioned?"

Yu Luoning shrugged. "I don't know. They probably won't fight, right? Everyone's going back to their own homes and mothers. Anyway, it has nothing to do with me anymore."

Xingqi stared at her for a while without saying anything.

Yu Luoning was completely unaware. She looked around at the white mist and suddenly changed the subject.

Xing'er, you said you've stayed here since you were little, in the Star-Picking Palace. Have you never been outside even once?

Yu Luoning pointed to the endless white mist outside the palace, her tone tinged with sympathy.

Even if the Star-Picking Palace is luxurious, you'll get tired of looking at it all the time, right?

If you've never left, isn't that like being in a prison?

"Look at these colors, so white, so pale. What will a person become if they stare at these colors every day?"

Xingqi tilted his head, somewhat puzzled by her statement.

"They told me I couldn't go out."

"Never mind what they say about whether you can go out or not, do you even want to go out yourself?"

Yu Luoluo lowered her voice and moved closer to him, her eyes bright.

She added, "To tell you the truth, my cultivation has improved slightly this time. My Sky-Crossing Technique seems to have become quite powerful again. Can I take you out to see it?"

Xing Qi was silent for a moment, and Yu Luoning didn't urge him.

"I won't force you. If you ever want to go out, just tell me. I'll take you anywhere in the world in no time. We're friends, and it's only natural for friends to help each other."

After saying that, Yu Luoning stood up, patted the hem of her clothes, and prepared to leave.

Xingqi sat there, watching her get up, and suddenly an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

It felt empty, as if something was about to leave.