The moment Huang Shi woke up, he felt pains all over his body; his arms, his legs, and most especially his chest felt like they were about to fall off of him because he couldn't move them at all.
He tried to analyze his surroundings and found out that he was in the makeshift log cabin that he and Bai Xinyue had made together, and he was lying on one of the two beds that were present—obviously, it was his bed.
Despite the pain in his body and his clearly severe injuries, Huang Shi wasn't discouraged at all; in fact, he felt quite happy at the moment.
Hehe... I won... I fucking won... See that, universe? I'm fucking awesome, aren't I?
Just as he felt like jumping up and down to celebrate his victory, his body suddenly started to protest as an intense pain erupted, not from outside of his body, but internally. He felt a stinging, jagged pain radiating from his meridians and his dantian.
Fuck… that shit hurts like hell...
Before he could pass out once more from the pain, a gentle, silvery-white light suddenly enveloped his body from head to toe, stabilizing his injuries and numbing the pain. It was clear from how proficient this person was at what she was doing that she had already done this multiple times and was used to it.
Just as he was about to ask an inquiry of the person responsible for the silver light, a voice, light yet filled with undeniable authority, suddenly resounded in his ears, causing his expression to turn stiff before he awkwardly lay back down.
"Unless you want to die, keep moving."
It was clear from the voice that the person who spoke was her royal highness herself, Bai Xinyue. It was also clear from her tone that she was very irritated at the fact that he was trying to move around despite the fact that he had clearly just woken up.
Alright... can't this woman be a little nicer to me? I'm literally dying here...
Seeing that the person she spoke to didn't respond, Bai Xinyue moved even closer to him, sitting on the chair by his bedside.
Both Huang Shi and Bai Xinyue stared at each other for a few seconds as a strange and awkward silence came between them before, once again, it was Bai Xinyue who broke the tension.
"You did good. You almost died, but you won in the end."
Hearing those words of praise from Bai Xinyue, all of a sudden Huang Shi felt like all of his efforts in the previous fight were worth it, as an inexplicable sense of joy blossomed from within his heart.
See that, System?! Even the damn protagonist tells me I did good. I'm definitely super duper awesome!
[...]
Seeing that the System didn't respond to him, he then looked back at Bai Xinyue's average-looking face before giving a triumphant smile.
"Of course I won! Don't you know? I'm a freaking heaven-defying prodigy!"
Bai Xinyue stared at him, her gaze lingering on his golden eyes, his short black hair, and his pale skin, observing him as if she were dissecting a complex puzzle to understand him more deeply.
Huang Shi, being the object of this sudden, intense interest, felt goosebumps erupt all over his skin. He started to tremble slightly—not from his injuries, but from an instinctual fear.
Fuck... what is it now? Did this woman figure out something else? Is she seeing through my soul?
Thankfully, he was just overthinking things. Bai Xinyue simply nodded her head, her voice calm and steady as she spoke.
"Yes, you are definitely a top-tier genius. But right now, compared to me, you still have a long way to go."
Huang Shi squinted his eyes. Once again, that fire of competition was lit within his heart. He stared back into her black, obsidian eyes and adopted an arrogant demeanor, refusing to back down.
"Heh, the only reason you're stronger than me right now is because I started cultivating late. If I had awakened my heavenly physique at the same time as you, I would definitely be your equal!"
Hearing the bold words coming out of his mouth, Bai Xinyue opted to stare into his golden eyes once more before her lips curled into a faint, enigmatic smile.
"Do you know that the moment I was born, the sky turned dark and heavenly music played from the sky? There were golden lotus flowers and golden rain. They say that the moment I was born, even the heavens celebrated my existence."
Huang Shi suddenly trembled. He felt the conversation taking a direction that was increasingly terrible for his ego. He tried to open his mouth to respond, but he found himself closing it again after a few seconds, speechless.
"When I was born, I was already at the peak of the Elementary Profound Realm... when I was six, I reached the peak of the Nascent Profound Realm... when I was thirteen, I reached the peak of the True Profound Realm... and now I'm eighteen. Do you know how strong I am?"
Huang Shi felt the goosebumps return with a vengeance. His throat felt bone-dry. He wanted to know the answer, yet he was terrified that the truth would shatter his beliefs and his bruise his new found confidence.
Shit... I knew she was a fucking genius... but I didn't know the gap was this damn big!
Seeing that Huang Shi seemed petrified, she gave another faint smile. She reached out toward him, taking hold of his cheeks. Her skin felt cold to the touch, yet she didn't seem to care as she spoke words that made him tremble in sheer disbelief.
"I'm eighteen right now, and I'm at the first level of the Earth Profound Realm. Cultivation gets harder as you get stronger and stronger but I'm not really in a hurry to improve. This is because reaching the Sky Profound Realm is fundamentally different from all the other realms before it.
You need to obtain a clump of Heavenly Sky Spirit Qi from a secret realm controlled by the Tang Imperial Family. It is a competition. Those who reach the top can grasp the sky and soar—like a carp finally crossing over the golden gate and turning into a dragon—while the losers stay on the ground and are left behind."