After some time, Xiang Yu had produced a substantial amount of pills, even more than yesterday. With the pill refining complete, he decided to shift his focus to blacksmithing.
As he completed his first weapon, he activated his appraisal skill to examine it:
[Name: Basic Long Sword]
[Grade: Mid-Level Magical Weapon]
[Info: A basic long sword made by Xiang Yu]
Xiang Yu studied the information carefully, noting subtle differences in how his appraisal ability now functioned. The advancement to sixth grade had changed its mechanics—he needed to concentrate more deeply to view detailed information, and this concentration required a small expenditure of spiritual sea energy. This explained why he hadn't immediately noticed when the ability was upgraded; at its basic level, it still displayed the same fundamental information as before.
Only when he deliberately focused and channeled energy did the enhanced details appear. He decided to look into it more at a later time. For routine assessment, the basic appraisal function would suffice. While the energy cost was negligible to him now—especially after his spiritual sea had been upgraded—spamming the enhanced version would accumulate costs quickly. Better to reserve the sixth-grade functionality for when it was truly necessary.
With this understanding, Xiang Yu continued refining weapons. Before he knew it, it was lunchtime. He decided to go by his house, admitting that he hadn't been there for quite some time given his intense focus on cultivation within the spirit vein.
As he approached his residence, a small worry crept into his mind as he noticed some things that hadn't been there before. Had someone claimed his abandoned space as their own? He pushed open the door cautiously, only to freeze in surprise at the sight before him.
Someone was lying on his bed. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Not just anyone—it was Li Yao.
Xiang Yu blinked, momentarily confused by this unexpected development. Why would she be in his room, on his bed? Something about the situation felt off. He studied her carefully, suspicion growing. How could a Core Formation expert fall so deeply asleep? More importantly, how could she fail to detect his presence when he entered? No cultivator at her level would be so unaware of their surroundings.
He approached the bed silently, observing the minutest details of her posture and breathing. Li Yao remained motionless, committed to her act, while inwardly wondering about his intentions as he drew closer.
She felt his hand rest gently on her shoulder. Was he going to...?
"I know you're awake," Xiang Yu stated matter-of-factly.
[I told you this wouldn't work,] the Empress sighed within Li Yao's consciousness.
But Li Yao remained stubborn, mentally scoffing at his 'act'. He was probably just testing her, trying to see if she was truly asleep.
"Hey, if you don't get up now, I'll do something bad," he whispered softly to her ear, his breath warm against her ear.
Li Yao felt her ear twitch involuntarily at the sensation. Xiang Yu's keen observation instantly noticed this. So she really was pretending.
Meanwhile, Li Yao's thoughts raced. Something bad? Could it be what she was thinking?
"Ouch!"
...
Xiang Yu and Li Yao walked together toward the kitchen.
"Why did you pinch me?" Li Yao spoke, rubbing her ear.
"Why were you pretending to be asleep?" Xiang Yu countered.
Li Yao's face remained impressively composed as she crafted her response. "Pretending? What pretending? I was just looking for you and didn't find you, so I decided to rest on your bed for a while and unknowingly fell asleep." She spoke, taking on the tone of someone who had been wronged.
She quickly redirected the conversation, her curiosity genuine this time. "Speaking of, where were you?"
"I just went out to find some herbs," Xiang Yu answered.
It was truly difficult to track her senior brother, she thought. She had scanned the entire pavilion with her spiritual sense and couldn't detect a trace of him. His physique seemed to hide his qi completely, making him essentially invisible to spiritual detection. If not for the Empress assuring her that he was still within the mountain, she didn't know what she might have done.
She suddenly rushed forward and embraced Xiang Yu from behind, her slender arms wrapping around his waist.
"What are you doing?" Xiang Yu asked, his body tensing at the unexpected contact.
"Nothing, I've just missed you," she replied softly as she reluctantly released him and stepped back.
She smiled to herself. If she couldn't find him with qi sensing, she'd resort to more traditional methods—memorizing his scent to track him later. With her sharp nose, she didn't believe she couldn't find him, besides, it wasn't her first time.
"Don't do that all of a sudden, you startled me," Xiang Yu admonished, adjusting his robes where her embrace had rumpled them.
"Oki," she agreed cheerfully as they continued their walk toward the kitchen.
During lunch, the four of them—Xiang Yu, Li Yao, Elder Huang, and Elder Guo—sat around the table enjoying another of Xiang Yu's exceptional meals. The atmosphere was comfortable.
Li Yao looked up from her bowl, directing her question to Elder Huang. "When are you getting married?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with genuine interest.
Elder Huang's chopsticks paused midway to her mouth. "We decided to do it after the issue with the sect is resolved," she replied, exchanging a meaningful glance with Elder Guo. "If we survive, we will hold a huge wedding."
Li Yao puffed out her chest confidently, placing her hand over her heart in a dramatic gesture. "Don't worry, we will definitely survive," she declared with absolute certainty.
Xiang Yu stared at them incredulously. What are these idiots doing? he thought to himself. That's a death flag, right? He glanced at Elder Guo, who continued eating cluelessly at his side, completely oblivious. Xiang Yu could only sigh heavily, hoping nothing bad would happen.
"There's something I want to tell you," Li Yao announced suddenly, her expression growing serious. "I'll be leaving the sect for a while."
Xiang Yu nearly choked on his drink, tea splattering as he coughed. Nevermind, it really is a death flag.
Li Yao observed his reaction with interest, wondering if her senior brother was upset about her departure. Though touched, her resolve remained unshaken. She had to leave—only by growing stronger could she ultimately help make him the strongest.
"Sect Master, what do you mean by this?" Elder Huang's demeanor transformed instantly, switching to her professional account. If the sect master were to leave at such a precarious time, it would cause widespread panic throughout the sect.
"I have to do this," Li Yao insisted firmly. "The upcoming enemies will be even stronger, and I don't think I can handle them at my current level." Her eyes reflected unwavering determination as she continued, "I need to grow stronger as well."
Elder Huang's expression softened as she considered Li Yao's reasoning. It was actually quite reasonable. Although they had eliminated the immediate danger, the looming threat remained. The Wuming Cult was a fifth-grade sect, and now that their initial attack had failed, they would undoubtedly send even stronger opponents. It was indeed for the best if Li Yao increased her power.
She sighed in resignation. "When are you leaving?"
Li Yao blinked in surprise at the elder's quick acceptance. "In two days," she answered.
"I'll handle the sect matters while you're gone," Elder Huang promised.
"Thank you," Li Yao said gratefully. Her gaze drifted toward Xiang Yu, noticing his unusually pale expression. "Senior brother?" she called, trying to capture his attention.
But Xiang Yu didn't respond. His mind had shut down all external input, processing only one terrifying thought that echoed through his consciousness: "We're fucked!"
"We're really cooked this time," Xiang Yu thought. If Li Yao left, the sect would be left completely defenseless. It was practically a law of the cultivation world that the protagonist's home always suffered an attack during their absence—allowing them to dramatically save everyone at the last possible moment, if they managed to save them at all.
His mind raced through various scenarios, each more catastrophic than the last. What could he possibly do to prevent the impending disaster?
"Senior brother?"
A gentle touch on his shoulder pulled him from his spiraling thoughts. He raised his eyes to meet Li Yao's concerned gaze as she stood behind him, her brows furrowed with worry.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice tinged with genuine concern.
Xiang Yu quickly composed his expression, masking his inner turmoil. "I'm fine, just a little surprised is all," he replied as he rose from his seat.
He busied himself collecting the dishes from the table, the familiar routine helping to calm his mind as he thought of possible solutions. The ceramic plates clinked softly against each other as he stacked them, giving his hands something to do while his thoughts continued to churn.
Once finished with clearing the table, Xiang Yu excused himself and headed straight back to the spirit vein.
Unbeknownst to him, Li Yao appeared at the location moments after he entered, her keen senses having tracked him this far.
"The trail ends here," she declared, staring at the seemingly ordinary rock face before her.
[It's likely another concealment array,] the Empress observed.
After a brief pause, she added decisively, [Let's go back.]
"Shouldn't we look inside?" Li Yao challenged, her curiosity growing. Whatever her senior brother was hiding, she wanted—perhaps even needed—to know.
[Every man has his own secrets,] the Empress countered. [If you don't respect his privacy, he might come to dislike you.]
"Weren't you the one who told me to follow him?" Li Yao asked incredulously, her hands finding their way to her hips in a posture of indignation.
[I changed my mind,] the Empress replied simply.
The Empress reflected privately that she had indeed sensed an unusual aura from this location before and had encouraged Li Yao to investigate. But now it seemed clear enough—just a low-level spirit vein that Xiang Yu had recently discovered. From all appearances, he was simply using it to cultivate herbs and refine weapons away from prying eyes. She had initially suspected more sinister motives for his secretive behavior, but it appeared he merely sought solitude. Interfering now would only antagonize him needlessly.
"Okay," Li Yao reluctantly agreed, casting one last longing glance at the concealed entrance before soaring away into the sky.
Inside the spirit vein, Xiang Yu had calmed somewhat, though anxiety still gnawed at the edges of his mind. He reasoned with himself that while such calamitous timing was common in cultivation stories, it wasn't absolutely certain to happen in this case.
Nevertheless, precautions were essential. Li Yao would remain for two more days—by then, his formation mastery should advance to seventh grade. With that improvement, he should be capable of establishing a sect-wide protective formation strong enough to repel Core Formation cultivators and potentially withstand at least one strike from a Golden Core expert.
He also needed to focus on improving his talisman making to sixth grade. A sixth-grade explosion talisman, if deployed with proper strategy, could critically injure even a Nascent Soul cultivator.
With these preparations in place, the sect might just survive until Li Yao's return.
Drawing a deep, steadying breath, Xiang Yu steeled his resolve. "Time to get to work," he murmured to himself, pushing aside his fears to focus on the tasks ahead.
...
After breaking through to the seventh grade of talisman making, Xiang Yu had gained insights into existing blueprints and even new ones. While these newfound blueprints had their own unique applications, most seemed tailored for specialized situations. Despite having access to this expanded repertoire, he still favored the straightforward effectiveness of explosion talismans.
The system had already granted him the necessary insights for crafting seventh-grade explosion talismans, so he wasted no time putting this knowledge into practice. Each talisman required a significant investment of spiritual energy, drawing heavily from his spiritual sea. Fortunately, his recent mind level breakthrough had expanded his spiritual sea's capacity, allowing him to withstand the otherwise exhausting drain.
Golden light flickered at his fingertips as he meticulously drew the complex patterns. Each line had to be executed with perfect precision—a single misplaced stroke could render the entire talisman useless or, worse, dangerously unstable. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he maintained his unwavering concentration.
By the time he completed his two hundredth talisman, fatigue had settled deep into his bones. He carefully sorted the finished products, setting aside ten for Li Yao while keeping the remainder for himself. A slight twinge of guilt touched his conscience as he considered the disparity—perhaps he was being selfish? But the rational part of his mind quickly dismissed this concern. As the weaker cultivator, he needed these protective measures far more than she did. Ten seventh-grade explosion talismans would still provide Li Yao with formidable firepower.
Xiang Yu settled into a comfortable position, allowing his depleted spiritual sea to gradually replenish itself. Formation drawing, like talisman creation, also drew upon the spiritual sea's energy to etch patterns into the formation disk, making immediate continuation impossible. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing as he waited for his energy to recover.
After what felt like mere moments but was actually closer to half an hour, he sensed his spiritual sea had restored enough capacity to continue working. While not completely replenished, his current energy levels would suffice for drawing eighth-grade formations, which demanded less spiritual power than the seventh-grade talisman.
He retrieved the formation disks and began etching intricate patterns into their receptive surfaces, each disk gradually coming alive with pulsing energy as the formations took shape. Time slipped away as he worked, the pile of completed formation disks steadily growing beside him.
When he finished another batch, he realized it was dinner time. He carefully stored his creations and made his way back to prepare the evening meal.
Dinner proceeded normally, with conversation flowing naturally between the four of them. As the meal concluded and Li Yao prepared to leave, Xiang Yu called her back, retrieving a small package from his spatial ring.
"Since you're going outside, you might encounter some dangers," he explained, placing the carefully wrapped bundle in her hands. "These are what I made for you after having a breakthrough in my talisman making."
Li Yao unwrapped the package, revealing ten identical talismans, each radiating a subtle but unmistakable power that sent a faint tingle through her fingers.
"It's a seventh-grade explosion talisman," Xiang Yu continued. "It should be able to critically injure a Golden Core cultivator if used right."
He paused briefly before adding, "And if you're ambitious, if you use all ten of them, you could theoretically injure a Nascent Soul cultivator."
Li Yao's eyes widened in surprise at this claim. "Is that true?" she asked the Empress internally.
[You can indeed injure a weaker Nascent Soul cultivator if you use them correctly,] the Empress confirmed.
"Thank you, senior brother," Li Yao said, her smile brightening her entire face. "I'll definitely use them well." She carefully stored the talismans in her spatial ring.
Xiang Yu then gave the rest of the resources he'd made to Elder Huang. Since they were useless to him, it was better to give them up soon to free up his storage space.
Xiang Yu watched Li Yao and Elder Huang depart, they had said that they wouldn't be attending meals anymore as they needed to deal with many things before Li Yao's departure. This was why he had decided to give her the talismans now as it was probably the last time he was going to see her before she left.
As they had disappeared from sight, Xiang Yu hoped that she would be safe out there. As for him, he immediately returned to the spirit vein. The day's work had been productive, but his cultivation schedule demanded adherence.
Inside the concealed cave, he stripped off his outer robes and slipped into the spirit spring. As the spiritual energy embraced him, he prepared himself mentally for what was to come. It was time for his daily ritual...
...