"Stop!"
Su You fell to the ground covered in dirt and bruises, shouting, "If you keep going, I'm going to scream!"
Xixi remained calm and composed. Standing before Su You, she said softly, "Continue."
Su You's face instantly crumpled into a bitter expression as he pleaded, "Xixi, let's not, okay? I really can't take any more!"
"Continue," Xixi said indifferently.
"Well, actually, I'm not interested in cultivating immortality..." Su You lay flat on the ground playing dead, refusing to get up no matter what.
This was part of their daily routine training, which primarily consisted of sparring with Xixi—though calling it a daily beating would actually be much more accurate.
Xixi said nothing. With a gentle wave of her slender hand, a soft breeze swept lightly toward Su You, yet it contained terrifying, boundless might.
Su You leaped up instantly to dodge the blow, knowing that if he didn't, he was going to get beaten up...
Boom!
The gentle breeze brushed across the ground, yet it blasted a massive crater into the solid earth. Seeing this, Su You couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat. Xixi hit way too hard!
Swish—
Su You soared through the air, his body cloaked in a layer of white energy. Like a streak of light, he instantly crossed a distance of several meters and threw a punch.
Surging energy ripples rushed forward, condensing into a massive fist imprint. This gigantic energy fist was immensely ferocious, and the gales it whipped up caused the ground to split open and turf to fly. If anyone took that blow head-on, a ten-thousand-jin boulder would shatter directly.
However, Xixi drifted like a shadow, dodging the fist imprint with unhurried poise. By then, Su You's actual fist had arrived right in front of her. Xixi raised her slender hand lazily and blocked the punch. That mountain-shaking fist felt as though it had struck soft cotton, its momentum instantly vanishing into nothingness.
Xixi flicked her wrist, defusing the force of the punch. She used less than a tenth of Su You's strength, yet her technique was exquisite beyond compare—it was the art of using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds. Then, with a gentle sweep of her hand, she pulled Su You off balance, sending him hurtling forward to crash headfirst into the ground, bruised and battered.
"Continue."
Xixi remained completely serene.
"Looks like I'm going to have to show you my true power!"
Su You scrambled to his feet, finally getting serious. He circulated the Hualing Life and Death Dao, causing the Destiny Plate inside him to spin faster as a torrent of majestic spiritual energy burst forth, transforming into a multicolored fierce tiger with wings on its back. With a single roar, it charged forward.
This was a Spell derived from the Hualing Life and Death Dao. Hualing meant the evolution of all spirits; regardless of the race, he could mimic any living creature with both form and spirit, possessing formidable power.
However, executing this Spell came with conditions, and to be honest, it was somewhat wicked: Su You had to have killed that particular kind of creature and devoured its origin essence in order to replicate its true charm.
For now, Su You was only capable of mimicking their physical forms; his realm was still insufficient, and his understanding of this Spell wasn't deep enough to devour other creatures' origins or replicate their spiritual essence.
Xixi's lovely eyes shone like stars. Standing her ground without a shred of evasion, she pointed a single finger forward. A beam of brilliant light shot out at extreme speed, striking the fierce tiger right between the eyes. The multicolored tiger formed of spiritual energy instantly shattered, its spiritual Qi scattering in all directions.
Xixi had long since suppressed her own realm to the Sea-Breaking level, and even the force behind each of her strikes fell far short of Su You's. Even so, Su You was utterly incapable of defeating her; she always possessed a knack for turning the ordinary into the miraculous, and this was precisely what Su You was constantly striving to learn.
Yet Su You's killer moves didn't stop there. Another ferocious bird shrieked as it lunged forward, accompanied by a roaring, golden-furred leopard. At the same time, Su You charged in as well, forming a three-pronged pincer attack!
Xixi's expression didn't change. Raising her slender hand, she scattered a sheet of moonlight that enveloped both the fierce bird and the leopard, causing the two to instantly vanish into thin air.
By this time, Su You's fist had also arrived. He struck out with fierce and overbearing momentum aimed straight at Xixi. But with a subtle shift of her feet, Xixi deftly sidestepped the fist, her hand forming a blade as she slashed toward Su You.
Boom!
Su You raised his fists to block, and suddenly black and white colors began to swirl around his entire body, shrouding the heavens and the earth—it was a Phenomenon!
Su You fought with sweeping, uninhibited movements, trading blows with Xixi head-on. His fists and kicks carried immense might, and the black and white Phenomenon continuously suppressed Xixi. For a moment, he possessed an almost invincible momentum, and Xixi actually struggled to take him down.
Then, Su You's offensive shifted. No longer fierce and domineering, his attacks turned erratic—sometimes strong, sometimes weak, using softness to overcome hardness, and hardness to overcome softness.
He was mimicking the way Xixi attacked, and an unnameable rhythm began to rise between his fists and kicks.
Watching this, Xixi felt a trace of gratification in her heart. Under her guidance, Su You had truly grown so much. By now, his combat techniques had become thoroughly polished; leaving aside sweeping his peers, he could at least be considered invincible among those of the same realm.
Yet this still wasn't enough. Xixi's figure was blurred by a hazy, faint moonlight, emanating an inexplicable Dao rhythm that resisted the Phenomenon. Suddenly, she caught a flaw in Su You's offensive and tapped a glowing finger against his forehead.
Whoosh—
Su You soared hundreds of meters into the air, crashing into the mountain forest and flying off with a miserable scream.
"Ah! I'll definitely be back—"
......
However, Su You chose not to go back.
Being beaten every day was no match for sneaking away!
Fighting and killing was no match for going home to farm!
Su You bolted through the mountain forest like a madman, determined to break free and find his freedom!
For over a year, his days had been filled with pain and joy. Even though Xixi was actually quite gentle and possessed stunning, eye-pleasing looks... still, this wasn't the life he wanted!
Su You sprinted toward the distance—that was the scent of freedom!
Not long after.
Su You crossed range after range of rolling mountains and couldn't help looking back: Why hasn't Xixi come after me yet? Could it really be that she hasn't noticed I ran away?
Come drag me back already!
Xixi! Please torture me!
Right then, Su You suddenly spotted an extremely gorgeous Five-Color Divine Deer gliding past in the distance.
Its fur was smooth and sleek, its build lithe and graceful, and its antlers branched out formlessly like tree forks, glowing with brilliant rainbow light. Its stream-lined body radiated a soft five-colored divine light. This was an exceedingly miraculous spirit beast; rumor had it that anyone who laid eyes on it would encounter great fortune.
Su You felt a surge of pleasant surprise and hurriedly followed it in stealth. He had been in the mountains for so long and had seen countless rare and exotic species, but this was his very first time laying eyes on a Five-Color Divine Deer. Such a creature was even rarer than a multicolored Carp King.
Should he slaughter it for meat...
Or maybe he should capture it and keep it as a pet...
He could offer it to Xixi! The little deer was so cute, she was bound to love it!
Su You trailed along the entire way, hesitating over whether to make a move, but the divine deer radiated a powerful aura, and he wasn't certain he could capture it alive.
Huh?!
The Five-Color Divine Deer suddenly halted within a secluded patch of brush, and standing right in front of it was a porcelain-doll-like little girl sculpted of jade!
Upon spotting a human, the divine deer immediately stopped in its tracks, eyeing the little girl with intense vigilance.
Meanwhile, Su You in the distance was utterly astonished. In this expanse of the Great Wilderness Mountains, aside from himself and Xixi, human beings actually existed here too?
One had to know that the mountain range was filled with countless brutal beasts, and some of the overlords far surpassed the Destiny Plate Realm in unmatched strength. For a human to wander in here was essentially a death sentence, mostly because creatures of other races held a deep, intense hostility toward humans.
The only reason Su You was able to roam freely through the forests was, on the one hand, because he had Xixi protecting him, and on the other hand, because he had mastered the supreme essence of the 'turtle-hide' philosophy—never provoking powerful existences in the mountains and always taking great care to conceal himself.
Su You was now deeply worried that the little girl would come to harm. To demon beasts, humans were essentially existential enemies; after all, humans ate meat every single day...
Su You hurried to approach quietly, but the Five-Color Divine Deer was extremely vigilant, its spiritual perception abnormally sharp. It glanced toward the direction Su You was coming from, sensing something amiss.
Su You immediately circulated the Hualing Life and Death Dao. His aura instantly retracted, growing as dim and unnoticeable as a boulder, making him impossible to easily detect.
After observing for a moment and finding nothing, the Five-Color Divine Deer finally lowered its guard.
Su You pressed forward. As he gradually drew closer and got a clearer look, his eyes lit up.
The little girl was breathtakingly cute, exquisite as a porcelain doll, and her frail appearance made her all the more heart-rending. She had a crop of short, glossy black hair, and her pure white clothes were utterly spotless. Although she was young—looking only around ten years old and very green—there was already an alluring, seductive charm between her brows that could hook a soul. When she grew up, she would undoubtedly become a devastating little vixen who could topple kingdoms.
She seemed lost, her expression somewhat dazed, and upon seeing the Five-Color Divine Deer, she didn't hide at all; instead, she walked slowly toward it.
So pretty!
Su You entertained a bold idea.
*Young man, your thoughts are dangerous.*
*No, how can I stand by and do nothing while a pure and untainted little girl falls into the Great Wilderness Mountains?*
After a brief hesitation, Su You dashed out, preparing to rescue the little girl. As a model youth of noble character, he absolutely refused to tolerate such a thing happening!
The Five-Color Divine Deer reacted instantly. Lowering its head and bracing its antlers, its dazzling horns shot forth a beam of divine light that struck toward Su You like a rainbow.
Possessing immense strength and brimming with a vast amount of divine essence within its body, the deer assumed Su You was moving against it to eat its meat and drink its blood.
Yet this time, it guessed wrong. Su You's target wasn't it at all, because the deer was quite troublesome, and Su You felt he couldn't take it down instantly. If a fight broke out and the shockwaves of battle accidentally injured the little girl, that would be even worse.
Su You flashed past, dodging the rainbow beam, and then scooped up the jade-carved little girl and bolted!
The Five-Color Divine Deer did not give chase, simply watching quietly as Su You carried the girl away.
In his arms, the exquisite and breathtaking little girl seemed somewhat dazed, still unaware of what had just happened. She raised her head with a frail air, looking up at the handsome youth before her. The young man flashed a harmless, innocent smile and said gently to her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here!"
The little girl's lovely eyes fluttered. For the very first time in her life, she was being held in a man's arms like this, causing two blushes to bloom across her delicate face.
Yet the pure smile and worried expression on the young man's face didn't seem fake at all.
*Handsome human big brother, are you misunderstanding something...*
*This isn't right...*
*I... I'm going to be shy!*
Gazing at Su You's handsome features and feeling the youth's broad, warm chest, the little girl couldn't help burying her blushing little face straight into it.
*Mm, so warm...*
*So this is what humans are like...*