Su Ning expanded her divine awareness outward, letting it flow like an invisible tide over the cityscape.
It swept across passing cars, over pedestrians laughing unaware, through the glass of nearby buildings, and higher, much higher until it stretched over a kilometer in every direction. Every heartbeat within that range pulsed faintly in her perception.
Then she found him.
Seven hundred meters away, on the rooftop of a thirty-storey building, a man lay prone behind a high-powered sniper rifle. His breathing was steady, disciplined. His finger rested lightly against the trigger. The muzzle was aligned with ruthless precision.
Aimed at her.
A cold, almost intrigued smile curved at the corner of Su Ning's lips. There was no fear in her eyes, only calculation.
Without moving her mouth, she sent a telepathic message to Ah Mei.
'A sniper. Seven hundred meters away. Thirty-storey building at eleven o'clock. Do not react. I will handle it.'
Ah Mei had already sensed danger and was poised to move, but Su Ning's words halted her instinctive response. Confusion flickered briefly in Ah Mei's usually impassive gaze.
'Young Miss…' her thoughts wavered, restrained by discipline.
'Trust me,' Su Ning replied silently, her tone calm but absolute.
Ah Mei inhaled slowly and suppressed the urge to shield her immediately. She straightened and nodded faintly, though to outsiders it looked like nothing more than a casual shift in posture.
Su Ning knew what she was doing was reckless. She decided to face it head on, she wanted to see if she could take a sniper head on.
During training, Ah Ling had fired at her before, but that had been controlled, close range, measured timing, predictable force. This was different. This was distance, unpredictability, and genuine killing intent.
But she wanted to know.
She wanted to test the limits of her power in real combat.
She instructed Ah Mei internally to pretend nothing was wrong and proceed toward the car.
Ah Mei obeyed flawlessly, walking toward the passenger side with smooth, natural movements.
Su Ning deliberately fumbled with the car handle, creating a fleeting moment of vulnerability.
Through her divine sense, she felt it—the minute tightening of the sniper's muscles, the subtle exhale before commitment, the decisive squeeze of the trigger.
The gun fired.
In that instant, the world fractured into slow motion.
The crack of the rifle echoed faintly, but to Su Ning, sound lagged behind perception. She felt the bullet first. It sliced through the air at terrifying speed, but within her heightened awareness, its movement slowed. She could see its path, could feel its rotation cutting through wind resistance.
It came straight for her heart.
When it was only a few feet away, she began turning, Qi surging violently within her body, ready to erupt outward and halt the projectile midair.
Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her with overwhelming force, she crashed into a broad chest which shielded her completely. A clean, sharp, familiar scent filled her senses.
A dull, heavy impact sounded.
A restrained grunt vibrated near her ear.
Her mind blanked.
For one stunned second, she did not understand what had just happened.
She slowly looked up at the face above her.
Shock flooded her eyes.
"Qi Xiyue?"
Shock flooded her voice, disbelief widening her eyes.
He looked down at her, his face pale yet composed, lips curving into a faint, infuriatingly calm smile despite the blood beginning to bloom across his chest.
"You're going to be the death of me, you know?" he said, his voice low and husky, carrying a dark humor that did not match the situation at all.
Her thoughts scattered.
"You—" Her voice trembled as her gaze dropped to his chest. Red spread rapidly across his shirt, staining the fabric.
Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
"You're bleeding. You were hit. We need to get you treated immediately!" Panic laced every word, her composure fracturing.
Seeing the raw fear in her eyes, he softened slightly.
"I'm fine," he murmured, though his breathing had grown heavier.
Before she could respond, several figures appeared around them—his men, moving with military precision.
"Boss!"
"Find him," Qi Xiyue ordered coldly, the warmth vanishing from his expression in an instant.
"Yes, Boss," they responded and dispersed rapidly.
But as the last of them moved away, Qi Xiyue's body jerked.
A low groan escaped him.
Then he collapsed.
"Qi Xiyue!" Su Ning screamed, dropping beside him as terror seized her chest.
Ah Mei rushed forward immediately. Her eyes widened slightly as she observed the spreading discoloration along his skin.
Black veins were creeping rapidly from the wound site, crawling up his neck at visible speed.
"Young Miss, the bullet was coated with poison," Ah Mei said urgently. "The toxicity is extremely high. It's corroding his blood."
Su Ning felt the world tilt.
Without hesitation, Qi erupted from her body in a powerful surge. The energy coiled around her like living flame as she lifted Qi Xiyue effortlessly into the car.
She pressed her palm against his chest and channeled Qi into him, slowing the poison's advance.
"Drive," she commanded, her voice sharp and shaking.
Ah Mei accelerated instantly, the car tearing down the road at maximum speed toward Avalon Crescent Island.
Inside the vehicle, Su Ning's heart pounded uncontrollably. She reached inward and called the system.
"How do I save him?"
The system responded swiftly.
'Replying to Host. Host has two options.
Option one: Administer a life-saving pill. It will neutralize the poison but may not fully repair the internal corrosion.
Option two: Use the Mystical Pearl. It will eradicate the poison and reconstruct his body. However, it may trigger a physique upgrade. Ensure he is trustworthy.'
Her brows knitted tightly.
"What do you mean by upgrade?" she demanded internally.
'He may awaken as a cultivator. Outcome depends on his innate physique. If his physique is unsuitable, the transformation may result in death.'
Her grip tightened painfully.
She did not hesitate further.
Forty minutes later, when they reached the island, she had him carried to the room next hers.
"Leave us," she instructed Ah Mei.
Once alone, silence pressed heavily around her.
She stood beside the bed for a brief second, staring at him. Then she moved quickly, removing his blood-soaked shirt. The fabric peeled away, revealing his muscular torso. His chest was broad and sculpted, abs sharply defined, arms powerful and marked with a dark tattoo that trailed from his arm across his chest toward his neck.
Even in this moment, she could not deny the truth.
He was devastatingly attractive.
She swallowed and forced herself to focus.
Retrieving the box of mystical pearls from her space, she took one out carefully and placed it between his lips. It dissolved instantly.
She removed the bullet lodged in his back, her hands steady despite the storm inside her. The wound began healing visibly, flesh knitting together at astonishing speed.
It had narrowly missed his heart.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Why would you do that?" she whispered softly, though he could not hear her.
As if responding, his body suddenly tensed. A deep groan escaped him, but his eyes remained shut.
"System what is happening?" She asked, her brows furrowed.
'Body reconstruction has begun. Physique is evolving.'
She exhaled slowly and summoned Ah Ting for water and a towel. When he delivered them, she thanked him quietly and continued wiping sweat from Qi Xiyue's burning skin.
Hours passed.
She sat beside him, and decided to cultivate in the mean time.
Seven hours passed.
No visible change.
"How long will this take?" she asked the system, worry creeping into her voice.
'It depends on his physique.' The system responded.
She observed him carefully, even the old scars that once marked his body had vanished completely. Yet he remained unconscious.
The next morning, she stirred.
Her eyes opened slowly.
Confusion filled her mind when she realized she was lying on the bed, a duvet pulled over her. She must have fallen asleep without realizing it.
She sat up quickly and turned.
Her breath caught.
Qi Xiyue stood shirtless before the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her, staring out at the endless ocean. Sunlight streamed across his sculpted frame, highlighting the powerful lines of his shoulders and the now flawless skin where scars once existed.
He was awake.
And something about him felt different.