Bestowing Power

Li Tianlan and Xiao Wu lived in this shabby little house like a married couple, leading a peaceful life—eating together and cultivating together.

Sometimes, they would share ambiguous little moments that left both Li Tianlan and Xiao Wu blushing furiously.

Of course, Li Tianlan also could not avoid Xiao Yan's teasing, but he truly enjoyed this tranquil life, and Xiao Wu was happy as well.

The fact that the two of them ultimately could not attend Nuoding Academy together was real. Nuoding Academy was about to begin classes—tomorrow...

"Xiao Wu, the academy is about to start, and I'll be leaving the city to find a place suitable for my cultivation." Li Tianlan's tone was slightly downcast.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu's body trembled. She hurriedly asked, "Tianlan, when will you come back? When will I be able to see you again? Where are you going?"

Seeing Xiao Wu's unusual reaction, Li Tianlan naturally understood what their time together had come to mean to them both, and he understood Xiao Wu's thoughts as well.

"I'll write to you regularly, Xiao Wu. As for where I'm going... probably the Star Dou Great Forest, or perhaps some other smaller forest."

Xiao Wu's face filled with shock when she heard him. "The Star Dou Great Forest?! No, you can't go there! Your Soul Power Level is only level nine. Even though you've improved quickly, you don't even have a soul ring yet. If you go there..."

Seeing how worried Xiao Wu was, Li Tianlan could not help reaching out and patting her head. "Don't worry, Xiao Wu. I know what I'm doing. And I hope you'll believe in me."

Feeling the warmth of his palm on her head and the reassurance it brought her, Xiao Wu felt immensely happy. "But..."

Li Tianlan swiftly pressed a finger against Xiao Wu's soft lips. "No buts. I'll be fine. I said I would protect you."

Xiao Wu's face immediately flushed crimson, and she lowered her head.

Looking at shy Xiao Wu, Li Tianlan seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh, right, Xiao Wu. After you go to Nuoding Academy, I want you to stay in the girls' dormitory with the others, or live alone in a room. Don't have too much contact with boys either. Can you promise me that?"

Xiao Wu was somewhat surprised by Li Tianlan's words, but she still agreed. The moment she heard him say not to have too much contact with boys, she had already understood something.

Seeing how obedient Xiao Wu was, Li Tianlan suddenly pulled her into his arms.

Xiao Wu let out a soft cry, but she quickly accepted the sense of security and comfort in Li Tianlan's embrace.

"I'll miss you, Xiao Wu," Li Tianlan said firmly.

Xiao Wu raised her head. "Tianlan, I'll miss you too."

Looking at that fair, beautiful face, as delicate as a doll's, Li Tianlan suddenly could not restrain his emotions. He lowered his head and kissed her soft, cherry-like lips.

Xiao Wu's body instantly stiffened. Her cheeks turned red in an instant, even her ears flushing crimson, and for a moment, she had no idea what to do.

After kissing Xiao Wu, Li Tianlan reluctantly released her. Looking at the Xiao Wu in his arms, so shy that she did not know what to do, Li Tianlan's lips curled into a broad smile.

The moment Xiao Wu came back to her senses, she immediately ran back into the bedroom and shut the door tightly.

Li Tianlan looked at the tightly closed door, overjoyed for a moment. Meanwhile, Xiao Wu, who had returned to the room, leaned against the door with a face flushed red and vacant eyes, not knowing what to do.

At the same time, Xiao Yan in the Sea of Consciousness was mocking him without restraint. "Oh, oh, oh, Tianlan. Looks like you're not as honest as you seem, kid. I thought you'd always been such an honest person."

Li Tianlan immediately rolled his eyes, then said, "Xiao Wu, I'll treat you well."

His voice was not quiet, and Xiao Wu, leaning against the bedroom door, heard every word clearly. She immediately felt incredibly happy, her face blooming with a smile.

Li Tianlan then asked Xiao Yan, "Teacher, are we going straight to the Star Dou Great Forest? Or somewhere else?"

Upon hearing Li Tianlan's words, Xiao Yan said, "The Star Dou Great Forest? Is it that you don't know, or that I don't know? You don't even have a soul ring yet, so don't go there. We'll go to the Sunset Forest instead. On the way, I'll teach you combat techniques and a Movement Technique."

The moment Li Tianlan heard that Xiao Yan would teach him combat techniques and a Movement Technique, he became extremely excited and hurriedly asked, "What combat technique? Master, and what kind of Movement Technique?"

Seeing the excited Li Tianlan, Xiao Yan immediately assumed an air of age and experience. "Haha, that's a secret for now. I'll tell you when the time comes."

"Tch." Li Tianlan was immediately annoyed.

Xiao Yan, in the Sea of Consciousness, saw Li Tianlan's reaction and said nothing more. He merely muttered silently to himself within the Sea of Consciousness, "Teacher... I'm passing on teachings now too. At last, I understand how you felt when you taught me cultivation techniques back then..."

The day soon came to an end. Early the next morning, Li Tianlan secretly placed all the money he had on him into one of Xiao Wu's pink rabbit bags. Then he left behind a note that read: I'm leaving, Xiao Wu. Wait for me.

But what Li Tianlan did not know was that Xiao Wu in the bedroom had already awakened while he was writing the note. She secretly watched Li Tianlan leave through the crack in the door, her vision gradually blurring. "I'll wait for you, Tianlan."

Li Tianlan strode down the streets and soon left Nuoding City. At the city gate, he turned back for one last reluctant look.

Xiao Yan teased him, "Tianlan, I never expected you to be such a devoted person. Stop looking. It's not like you're never coming back. Besides, didn't you say so yourself? You'll write to her regularly. Could she possibly not write back?"

Li Tianlan then turned his head firmly, raised his chin, and strode toward the Sunset Forest. This slightly shocked Xiao Yan in the Sea of Consciousness.

Li Tianlan walked alone for about two hours and was already far from Nuoding City. The surroundings had turned into forest terrain, lush and verdant, with sunlight spilling through the woods and creating a unique kind of beauty.

"Teacher, what cultivation technique are you going to teach me? Why did I have to come all the way into the forest first?"

Xiao Yan's expression became slightly serious. "The combat techniques I'm going to teach you are naturally immensely powerful. If people saw them in public and became envious, it would be troublesome."

"That makes sense."

"One of the combat techniques I'm teaching you is for self-defense, and the other is a Movement Technique."

"The self-defense one is called Eight Extremes Collapse. This fist technique is incredibly powerful."

"The Movement Technique is called Three Thousand Lightning Movement. In particular, I used Three Thousand Lightning Movement for a very, very long time. It helped me escape hardship many times. Are you willing to learn it?"

"Eight Extremes Collapse! Three Thousand Lightning Movement!"

For Li Tianlan, who had avidly watched anime in his previous life, these were things he had dreamed of obtaining. He immediately said, "I want to learn! I want to learn! Thank you, Master."

"Good!"

Xiao Yan then pointed into the void, firmly imprinting all the contents of the two cultivation techniques into Li Tianlan's Sea of Consciousness.