Going Home, Cultivating

Li Tianlan looked at Xiao Wu with a resolute gaze. "Oh, right, my name is Li Tianlan. What's yours?"

Xiao Wu's face had already flushed slightly, and her gaze darted away a little. "I... I'm Xiao Wu. Wu as in dancing."

Li Tianlan took in Xiao Wu's reaction. "Alright, Xiao Wu, now I know your name. Do you usually have a place of your own to cultivate?"

"A place of my own to cultivate?"

For some reason, a trace of sorrow flashed through Xiao Wu's pink eyes when she heard that. "No. I just arrived here and haven't found anywhere to live yet."

A flicker of delight rose in Li Tianlan's heart upon hearing Xiao Wu's words, drawing a look of disdain from Xiao Yan in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Then in that case, come to my home. We can spend our days together and cultivate together."

"Your home? Mm... alright."

After thinking it over briefly, Xiao Wu agreed. He can't beat me anyway, so my safety should be guaranteed.

Li Tianlan smiled faintly at her words and took the initiative to extend his hand toward Xiao Wu.

Looking at the fair, slender hand before her, Xiao Wu's face reddened slightly. She reached out and placed her hand in Li Tianlan's.

The instant he felt Xiao Wu's soft, boneless palm, Li Tianlan was overjoyed. Smiling, he said, "Let's go."

Though neither of them was very old, they walked forward hand in hand. Passersby glanced at the little "couple" with envy.

As Li Tianlan held Xiao Wu's hand, he explained while walking, "Xiao Wu, there's no one else in my home. It's just me. I've never seen my parents. I've always been an orphan."

At those words, Xiao Wu's gaze suddenly became a little vacant. Her eyes reddened as though she had recalled something heartbreaking, and she stiffly replied with a soft, "Mm."

Watching the change in the two of them, Xiao Yan said in surprise from within the Sea of Consciousness, "Tianlan, do you know something? After you mentioned family, this little rabbit started acting strangely."

Li Tianlan replied to Xiao Yan, "Master, I didn't say anything. Maybe her family situation isn't good either."

Xiao Yan pondered briefly. "That's true. She's already a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, so her family..."

Xiao Yan did not continue. Though he came from the Dou Qi Continent, he understood human nature very well.

Holding Xiao Wu's hand, Li Tianlan soon arrived at his home. It was nothing grand or luxurious; this was a well-known slum in Nuoding City. "Xiao Wu, it's a little old here. You could even call it shabby. You don't mind, do you?"

Xiao Wu looked at the dilapidated house before her, and life returned to her eyes. "It's fine. This is already good enough. My home..."

"Hm? What about your home, Xiao Wu?"

Li Tianlan looked at Xiao Wu in confusion.

"Nothing, nothing. Let's hurry inside. Show me around."

With that, Xiao Wu broke free from Li Tianlan's hand and skipped toward the house ahead.

Watching Xiao Wu skip away, Li Tianlan murmured, "Did you want to say the great forest?"

Xiao Wu turned around and looked at Li Tianlan in confusion. "What's wrong? Why aren't you coming?"

"Alright, I'm coming. I'll open the door for you."

Li Tianlan walked to the door and opened it. What greeted them were some worn-out pieces of furniture, a somewhat messy kitchen, and a bedroom.

Looking at his cluttered home, Li Tianlan could not help blushing. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Xiao Wu. The house is too messy. No one usually comes here."

Xiao Wu looked around the room. "It's fine. I think it's pretty nice. Really nice."

Xiao Wu wandered about the room, her lively pink eyes curiously examining everything.

"Then where will I sleep?"

"You can sleep in the bedroom inside. I'll sleep on the sofa out here."

"Ah? Wouldn't sleeping on the sofa be uncomfortable?"

Only after saying that did Xiao Wu realize what it implied, and she shyly lowered her head.

Li Tianlan blushed as well, but he feigned composure. "Do you want me to sleep with you, Xiao Wu? Sure, I don't mind."

A burst of cursing echoed through Li Tianlan's Sea of Consciousness.

Upon hearing those words, the blush on Xiao Wu's face spread even further, making her look even more alluring.

"Haha, enough teasing, Xiao Wu. Go to the bedroom and take a look at your room. Cultivate properly."

Before his words had even finished, Xiao Wu dashed into the bedroom, not daring to look at Li Tianlan again.

Watching the bashful Xiao Wu, Li Tianlan could not help curling his lips into a smile. Then he withdrew his gaze, sat cross-legged on the sofa, and began to meditate.

"Tianlan, I didn't expect you to be so smooth. Looks like this little rabbit won't be getting away," Xiao Yan said, looking at Li Tianlan with an expression that said he understood.

Li Tianlan immediately felt a little embarrassed. "Ahem, Master, let's not talk about this."

"Alright, alright, I understand. I'm a man too, after all. I can understand."

Xiao Yan's words made Li Tianlan even more embarrassed. "Master, guide me in my cultivation."

"Alright, alright."

Li Tianlan quickly entered a meditative state and carefully contemplated his innate soul skill: Dao Tong Yan.

As Li Tianlan contemplated Dao Tong Yan, Xiao Yan, who resided within his Sea of Consciousness, was likewise able to sense its profound mysteries.

"This innate soul skill, Dao Tong Yan, seems practically made for Fen Jue. Could Tianlan be a child of the plane?"

As Xiao Yan stood stunned, Li Tianlan's consciousness continued comprehending Dao Tong Yan. The Fen Jue technique reflected in his mind seemed to come alive, trembling without stop. Xiao Yan within Li Tianlan's Sea of Consciousness was equally shocked.

A strange energy suddenly erupted from Li Tianlan's body—scorching yet icy cold, as though it could make one's soul tremble.

Li Tianlan, who had been meditating all this time, suddenly opened his eyes. Excitement and confusion flickered in them. "My Soul Power Level rose from Level One to Level Three after my first meditation. What's going on?"

Xiao Yan in Li Tianlan's Sea of Consciousness was also utterly astonished. "Tianlan, your innate soul skill, Dao Tong Yan, was practically born for Fen Jue. During your first meditation just now, Fen Jue resonated with Dao Tong Yan—your martial soul itself. This may have been the first time, but it will also be the last. Your cultivation won't be this easy from now on."

Hearing that, a trace of disappointment flashed across Li Tianlan's face. "I thought I'd be able to cultivate this quickly from now on."

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "Kid, be satisfied. Based on what I currently know about this world, your speed is already incredibly fast. You still want to maintain this pace forever? I really don't know what you're thinking."

Li Tianlan pondered for a moment, then nodded, agreeing with Xiao Yan's words.

But then a smile suddenly curled across Xiao Yan's lips. "However, it's not impossible..."

Li Tianlan's pupils contracted sharply. "What method?"