"Junior brother, is there anything else you want to eat? Tomorrow, your elder sister will make it for you..."

After a few drinks, Tan Qingxue appeared very enthusiastic, even somewhat obsequious.

Li An, however, replied, "Senior sister, you don't need to trouble yourself. I plan to go into seclusion for the next few days and focus on cultivation."

With that, he stood up, "Senior sister, I am not good with alcohol; I shall take my leave..."

He left immediately.

After he had gone.

Tan Qingxue sat there, her face red and flushed.

Clearly, she had been rejected...

She couldn't help but mock herself inwardly, yet her eyes were filled with determination.

The next day, she prepared another full table of dishes, but Li An indeed began his seclusion, closing his doors.

The third day, it was the same...

Li An was deliberately avoiding Tan Qingxue.

Even though he had saved Tan Qingxue, he didn't want to form too many entanglements with her.

Of course, he could see Tan Qingxue's intentions. In his past life, he had numerous wives and concubines; the feelings of women were not unfamiliar to him.

Was Tan Qingxue sincere or insincere? Having experienced life and death, Li An certainly could discern that she might have developed some genuine feelings.

In the proximity of death, there exist great fears but also great opportunities. If one is lucky, one can see their true inner self and break away from illusory desires.

The difference lies in Tan Qingxue having undergone life and death, thus developing a sense of despair towards the Immortal Dao, choosing not to fervently pursue the path to immortality, but instead gaining a touch of genuine character.

Previously, Tan Qingxue was rather distorted; by nature, she was relatively simple, but in her pursuit of the Talisman Hall's inheritance and the Profound Yang Sect's status, she became rather misplaced.

Now, having awakened and relinquished much, she instead appears more earnest.

And Li An, who failed to complete his cultivation journey in his past life, leaving a deep-seated obsession within him!

Because he had already glimpsed the higher realms' scenery and a more beautiful world, yet failed to successfully join them... it was actually an enormous pain.

Therefore, the Li An of this life appears cold and obsessive, solely seeking to break the shackles from the previous life.

"Li Dao friend, have you been troubled recently?"

In the spatial ring, Gu Hong noticed Li An's slightly furrowed brows and couldn't help asking.

"Indeed, being targeted by demon cultivators now, how can I not be troubled?"

Li An sighed deeply, "My strength is far too meager... Gu Dao friend, do you have any methods for quickly improving my cultivation?"

Gu Hong replied, "You're now at Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer; what would benefit you most is the Spirit Awakening Pill, but it can only be used when you're breaking through a bottleneck; consuming it ordinarily is useless. Given your current state, reaching Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer Perfection would still require several years."

Li An couldn't help but frown, "Are there other methods?"

Gu Hong said, "There are other ways. The Stimulating Essence Pill can accelerate daily cultivation progress, but its pill poison is heavier than ordinary pills... I do not recommend its use."

Li An nodded thoughtfully.

...

On the seventh day, Li An finally emerged from seclusion.

It was already dusk; upon stepping out, he found Tan Qingxue still sitting by the flower bed outside his room. Seeing Li An emerge, her weary face broke into a delighted smile, "Junior brother, you've finally come out..."

Li An said, "Senior sister, you..."

"I was thinking of your secluded cultivation, not wanting anyone to disturb you, so I've been keeping watch here."

Tan Qingxue asked, "How did your cultivation progress?"

Li An sighed lightly, "Quite fruitful."

"You must be starving after these days in seclusion, right? Come, I'll make something tasty for you, okay?"

Tan Qingxue smiled, though there was a trace of apprehension in her eyes.

Li An paused for a moment and nodded.

Tan Qingxue instantly beamed, "Wait for me, it won't take long!"

...

Soon after.

Today's cuisine, Tan Qingxue prepared with exceptional care, each dish exquisite, and the Spirit Wine was fifty-year-old aged wine, rich and mellow.

The two drank quite a bit, chatting leisurely. Having spent years together, there were already plenty of topics, laughing and reminiscing, Tan Qingxue grew tipsy; her cheeks were flushed, and as she stood to pour more wine for Li An, she accidentally knocked over the wine glass, spilling its contents onto Li An.

"I'm sorry, junior brother..."

She quickly took a handkerchief, bending down to wipe Li An off.

Dressed in a light garment with a low neckline, as she leaned close, the ripened peach concealed beneath layers of leaves revealed itself.

The aroma of Spirit Wine wafted forth, and the flickering candlelight stirred Li An's heart.

While wiping the spilled wine from Li An, Tan Qingxue noticed some change, suddenly her face turned a deep red, and intoxicated, she wrapped her arms around Li An's neck and settled on his lap.

Breaths were audible.

"Senior sister..."

Li An spoke somewhat huskily.

"Call me Qingxue..."

Tan Qingxue whispered, her red lips meeting his.

Li An embraced her waist, using the Shifting Skill, and in an instant, the table beside was empty, while shadows swayed on the bed...

...

Next morning.

Sunlight streamed into the room, Tan Qingxue woke lazily, gazing at Li An's sleeping face, she couldn't help but smile, her eyes blossoming like flowers.

"Junior brother..."

She whispered into Li An's ear, yet he did not awaken.

"Ha, pretending to sleep, don't think I don't know..."

She suddenly tucked her head into the blanket.

Even with Li An's strong resolve, he couldn't help but let out a soft moan, gently stroking Tan Qingxue's beautiful back.

...

For three consecutive days, Li An and Tan Qingxue did not step out.

On the fourth day, feeling quite hungry, Tan Qingxue finally got up, dressed, and went to prepare food.

Li An sat on the bed, sensing within.

Inside, a faint black aura had begun to manifest, swirling around in his Dantian.

His cultivation had increased slightly!

"Yin Yang Demonic Qi..."

Li An nodded in satisfaction.

During these three days, he had been intensely cultivating the Yin Yang Demon Furnace Skill.

Tan Qingxue, with Yellow Rank Lower Grade Gold Spirit Root, shared the same rank as Li An, but her sensitivity was slightly higher.

Initially, Li An's Spirit Root sensitivity was only about 30.

After years of cultivating the Life Nourishing Immortal Skill, it had risen to over forty.

While Tan Qingxue, was roughly fifty in Spirit Root attribute.

One could say she is quite close to Yellow Rank Middle Grade Spirit Root.

Coupled with her higher cultivation level at Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, surpassing Li An, the Yin Yang Demon Furnace Skill was quite effective.

But Li An was wary of the side effects and chose not to use the Yin Yang Demonic Qi to alter his Spirit Root, opting to integrate it normally with his Spiritual Qi to enhance his cultivation.

"Shifting Skill..."

He murmured, as his mind moved, and his five fingers suddenly doubled in size!

With the Yin Yang Demonic Qi, he could fundamentally alter his physical form.

Alongside the Life Seed's concealment of life aura, he could flawlessly transform into someone else, without detection.

This was what Li An valued most!

Safety, fit for lying low!

However, currently, the quantity of Yin Yang Demonic Qi was still very limited, allowing only part of the body to be changed, with comprehensive transformation still far off.

"Li Lang, it's time for a meal."

Tan Qingxue entered with the food.

Li An rose, and Tan Qingxue served him the food. As she handed it to him, Li An embraced her slender waist, and Tan Qingxue settled once more on Li An's lap...

"How could it also cultivate and grow?!"

Tan Qingxue's face was flushed, her breath heating, "Li Lang, let's take a break today, shall we?"

"No, I won't."

...

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