The next day, Fang Xuan remained in high spirits as he practiced his sword in the courtyard.
The credit was entirely due to his thorough and hands-on efforts with his Senior Sister.
Walking to the stone table, he picked up the clear tea and took a sip.
He then gently poked Xiao Hei, who was lying on the table basking in the sun.
"Heh, you're sleeping quite soundly." Fang Xuan poked him again with more force.
Xiao Hei wiggled more excitedly, seemingly expressing dissatisfaction, but he was still too lazy to wake up.
At that moment, the bamboo hut's door opened with a creak.
Ning Xian stepped out.
Today, she had changed into a light blue ruqun, her long hair loosely tied back and secured with only a wooden hairpin, with a few strands of hair hanging by her neck.
The sunlight shone on her face, making her skin look as white as porcelain and her features as exquisite as a painting.
However, the faint, weary shadows under her eyes were still clearly visible.
It was a stark contrast to Fang Xuan's vibrant energy.
She walked to Fang Xuan's side, took the teacup from his hand, and took a sip as well.
"Senior Sister, why not sleep a bit longer?"
Fang Xuan naturally and gently put his arm around her waist.
Ning Xian leaned against him and shook her head, her voice still a bit raspy from sleep: "Once I'm awake, I can't fall back to sleep."
In truth, her mind was preoccupied with many things.
Fang Xuan felt the soft, warm body in his arms, and the calm mindset he had gained from practicing his sword early in the morning began to show signs of stirring again.
Ahem.......
However, he at least remembered Ning Xian's final, weary pleas for rest before dawn and managed to restrain himself.
......
"Senior Sister," he changed the subject.
"How long are we going to stay here?"
This place was even quieter and more comfortable than the small courtyard on Sword Peak; the neighbors were all ordinary mortals who didn't know they were cultivators.
Fang Xuan quite liked this simple way of living.
Ning Xian leaned in his arms, falling silent for a moment before speaking softly: "We will leave once the hidden injuries you sustained are completely healed."
"Oh?" Fang Xuan was a bit surprised.
"I thought you would like this place enough to stay for a long time, Senior Sister."
He thought that after everything that had happened at the Qingyun Sect, Ning Xian would want to find a place to live in complete seclusion.
Ning Xian looked up and gazed at him tenderly, her cold eyes reflecting his shadow.
"I do like it," she admitted. "But... there are still many things to do. We must make arrangements in advance."
In this life, absolutely nothing could go wrong......
Fang Xuan tightened his embrace slightly; his Senior Sister felt fragrant and soft, truly comfortable to hold.
"Alright, I'll listen to you, Senior Sister."
Ning Xian felt ticklish from his nuzzling, and the slight melancholy in her heart dissipated significantly.
She pulled Fang Xuan to sit down at the stone table, poured herself a cup of tea, and her expression became serious.
"Since we're talking about leaving, there are some things you should know."
She chose her words carefully as she spoke, "Specifically, regarding cultivation beyond the Transformation Realm."
Ning Xian explained in great detail, and Fang Xuan roughly understood.
Essentially, after the Transformation Realm comes the Tribulation Crossing stage.
However, Tribulation Crossing is not a fixed realm but a process, divided into nine layers.
Each time a cultivator passes a layer of lightning tribulation, their physical body and divine soul undergo a tempering, becoming stronger, and their comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth deepens.
In theory, as long as one steps into the Tribulation Crossing stage, even if it is only the first layer, they gain the qualification to ascend the Heavenly Ladder and fly to the Upper Realm.
The laws of heaven and earth in the Upper Realm are more complete and clear.
In this realm, once one reaches the Tribulation Crossing stage, the path forward is almost entirely cut off.
Only by ascending to the Upper Realm and receiving the nourishment of more complete law power can one have the chance to master a law of their own.
This is the path toward higher realms and even the legendary eternal life.
Although one can attempt the ladder at the first layer of Tribulation Crossing, it is basically certain death; the guiding law power would instantly shred them to pieces.
Even if they managed to arrive in the Upper Realm by luck, their frail bodies wouldn't be able to immediately adapt to the environment there.
Generally speaking, one needs to be at least at the sixth layer of Tribulation Crossing for the success rate to increase significantly.
But even at the ninth layer...... the risk remains immense.
Throughout history, countless brilliant talents have fallen during this step to heaven or perished during the initial adaptation period in the Upper Realm.
......
Fang Xuan was slightly shaken by what he heard; the path of immortal cultivation truly became more dangerous the further one went.
Ning Xian did not mention that she had already been to the Upper Realm in several of her past lives.
Furthermore, after having gone once, she wouldn't need to climb the ladder again; it was as if the Heavenly Dao had already recognized her status as a resident of the Upper Realm.
However, with her current frail body, the moment she touched the Upper Realm, she would be instantly killed by its laws.
So, her current status was likely that of a Traveling Immortal.
A so-called "Traveling Immortal" referred to those cultivators who had successfully ascended to the Upper Realm but returned to the lower realm for various reasons.
They had already begun to master law power within their bodies and were virtually invincible in the lower realm, but using that law power would be detected by the Heavenly Dao of this world, which would then hand down punishment.
Moreover, without the continuous nourishment of the Upper Realm's environment, the thread of law power they had mastered would gradually weaken.
Therefore, unless necessary, very few Traveling Immortals would stay in the lower realm for a long period.
And she was probably the weakest and poorest Traveling Immortal in existence.
Law power was a finite resource that she could only use sparingly, and the backlash was severe.
Nonetheless, in this realm, as long as she didn't encounter another Traveling Immortal, she would have no problem protecting herself and escaping.
These matters were too heavy and complex, so she didn't want Fang Xuan to know too much for now, lest it add unnecessary pressure.
In the end, the ultimate goal of all cultivation in the world was nothing more than those two words: eternal life.
Yet, that path was paved with countless bones and filled with endless loneliness.
.......
As Fang Xuan processed this information, his gaze fell upon the thin apricot sapling swaying gently in the breeze in the corner of the wall, and he suddenly felt a bit dazed.
"Senior Sister, where exactly... is this place?" he asked.
He was thinking of coming back to visit in the future.
Ning Xian followed his gaze to the little apricot tree: "It's south of the Central Plains, a small country called the North Xuan Kingdom. We are in Xunyuan Town on the border. As for more specific details... I'm not sure either."
At the time, she had forcibly slashed through space to escape, aiming for the Central Plains, but the landing point was random.
Once her injuries had stabilized, she bought this courtyard in this quiet-looking town and settled down to heal him.
Fang Xuan thought about the four months he had been unconscious, and how his Senior Sister must have wept while watching over him alone.
It wasn't just his imagination; his Senior Sister appeared cold and aloof, and she could be ruthless when plotting against others, but she was truly a bit foolish when it came to him.
Her love for him was truly deep to the bone.
This was something he never doubted.
.......
Fang Xuan asked again, "Well... then where are we going next, Senior Sister?"
"First, we go to the Tianlan Kingdom to retrieve something," Ning Xian replied after taking a sip of tea.
She had used a secret method to teleport the mystic spirit stone she took from the Qingyun Sect to a spatial node she had set up in the Tianlan Kingdom in advance.
A mystic spirit stone could be used to set up a massive spirit-gathering array.
However, she didn't plan on setting up an array.
Instead, she intended for her Junior Brother to absorb it directly.
The energy from the mystic spirit stone, combined with some of her methods, should be able to help her Junior Brother... forge a Spirit-Gathering Body.
When the time came, with his Yang constitution and a Spirit-Gathering Body, his progress during dual cultivation would... surely be extraordinary.
It would be even... even more effective than it was now.
......
At the thought of this, Ning Xian felt a bit embarrassed. She turned her face away and cleared her throat softly.
"In short... this trip will be of great benefit to your cultivation. We will rest here for two more days before departing for the Tianlan Kingdom."
Finally, she couldn't help but smile foolishly, her eyes with those faint dark circles curving beautifully.
Even more effective than yesterday... his cultivation would surely soar...
Yes, she was doing this purely for the sake of cultivation......
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