Bathing

Dragging his heavy body along, Ye Qiu left the street. Suddenly, he looked toward the mountains and forest.

How was Wu Xiaokai?

Had he escaped?

After all, that woman seemed even stronger than Ye Yi.

Wu Lan, thirtieth on the South Province Ranking!

A true elite!

Nearly every prodigy in Southern State had gathered within Nanzhou Academy.

That meant the Prodigy Ranking here was the ranking for all of Southern State.

Among her generation in Southern State, that woman ranked thirtieth!

"Brother Ye..." Just as Ye Qiu was worrying, a voice sounded unexpectedly from the side.

Ye Qiu spun around and saw an equally battered giant of a man running toward him.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

He was alive!

When Wu Xiaokai reached him, they looked at each other and saw the blood and terrible wounds covering them both.

The next moment, they grinned.

"Hahaha..."

Their laughter rang out, loud and unrestrained.

Surviving such a desperate situation was an incredible feat for them!

Wu Xiaokai said, "Fuck, that woman was strong. I nearly died at her hands."

They turned and supported each other as they headed toward the Academy.

Ye Qiu asked, "How did you get away?"

Wu Xiaokai said, "I had no other choice. I blew up a Law Realm Great Demon's lair and drove one tiger against another."

"I only pulled it off because I grew up in the mountains, dealing with great demons all my life. I knew their habits... Anyone else would've died at that woman's hands."

"She really didn't hold back!"

Ye Qiu was startled. A Law Realm Great Demon?

"But I discovered another secret. There's definitely treasure in that Law Realm Great Demon's cave... Want to find a chance to pull a job?" Wu Xiaokai's eyes gleamed.

Ye Qiu laughed and cursed, "Oh, fuck off... In our condition, we're lucky to be alive."

Besides, that was a Law Realm Great Demon!

They made their way into the Academy, and Wu Xiaokai said, "Brother Ye, come straight to my place to recover."

Ye Qiu thought for a moment, then nodded.

If he went back looking this wretched, those two women would definitely laugh at him. He had no intention of inviting that misery.

They reached Wu Xiaokai's courtyard. It was small and untidy, with weeds that had not even been cleared away.

Wu Xiaokai said, "No woman at home, so it's a bit of a mess. Don't mind it."

Ye Qiu said nothing.

They went into the room. Wu Xiaokai immediately stripped off all his bloodstained clothes and stood stark naked.

Ye Qiu did the same without hesitation.

They were both grown men, after all.

Wu Xiaokai glanced at Ye Qiu, then down at himself. "Brother Ye, no wonder you won over the number-one beauty. I never thought you'd be that big!"

Ye Qiu smiled smugly. Whether he had won over the number-one beauty was another matter, but he certainly had size on his side.

They washed up briefly, rinsing away the blood and exposing their gruesome wounds.

Neither could call the other worse off. They were both in terrible shape!

Wu Xiaokai prepared two large wooden tubs, boiled water, then opened his Storage Ring.

Out came jar after jar of demon beast blood, not demon beast corpses.

"I dissected all those demon beast corpses and kept their Essence Blood... along with some valuable materials and a few Demon Beast Spirits..."

As he spoke, he took out twelve bright-red fruits.

Demon Blood Fruit!

Then he divided the Demon Blood, materials, and Demon Blood Fruit between the two large wooden tubs.

He took out several small bottles and poured powders of different colors into each tub, along with medicinal herbs Ye Qiu did not recognize.

"My grandfather gave me this formula. I've bathed in it since I was little. It does wonders for Body Cultivators."

Once everything was ready, he climbed into one tub and motioned for Ye Qiu to get into the other.

Ye Qiu hesitated, then climbed in. The moment he entered, a burning pain shot through his wounds.

He gritted his teeth and endured it.

He sat in the tub, submerging his body completely in the liquid.

"Brother Ye Qiu, you're tough! The first time I bathed in demon liquid of this grade, I howled in pain."

Wu Xiaokai looked at Ye Qiu and gave him a discreet thumbs-up.

Ye Qiu said nothing. He was in pain too—so much that he did not want to speak.

But despite the pain, he could feel his wounds healing rapidly.

And as they healed, he could feel his Qi and Blood growing stronger.

Wu Xiaokai closed his eyes too and immersed himself in the bath.

Three days and three nights passed like this. The liquid in both tubs turned cloudy.

Wu Xiaokai opened his eyes, let out a long breath, then rose from the tub.

Most of his wounds had healed. Only the deepest still left marks.

For a Body Cultivator, though, those were nothing.

He turned his head. Ye Qiu had also stood up. His build was well-proportioned and his skin fair. Looking at that body alone, no one would imagine he was a Body Cultivator with terrifying Qi and Blood.

He did not look the part at all.

What shocked Wu Xiaokai even more was that Ye Qiu's wounds had basically all healed. Even the horrific wound that had pierced his chest showed only a faint mark on the surface.

"Brother Ye, how much has your Qi and Blood increased?" They stepped out of the tubs and wiped the water and bits of herbs from their bodies.

Ye Qiu sighed. "Not much."

Wu Xiaokai said, "That's how it is for Body Cultivators. Progress is slow. Mine hasn't increased much either."

Ye Qiu nodded. That was with both of them cultivating body and arts together, letting each support the other. Pure Body Refinement would be even harder.

But Body Cultivators truly were powerful. They could turn the tables and kill opponents above their level, and their vitality was astonishing.

After getting dressed, Wu Xiaokai looked at Ye Qiu and asked again, "How high is your Qi and Blood now?"

Ye Qiu hesitated. "Around a hundred and eighty thousand."

Wu Xiaokai: "???"

His eyes nearly popped out!

Disbelief was written all over his face!

After all,

his constitution was extraordinarily unique, and he had a secret technique passed down by his grandfather. Yet his Qi and Blood had only reached around a hundred and fifty thousand.

Ye Qiu was already at a hundred and eighty thousand?

Just days ago, Ye Qiu had been behind him.

That day in the Gravity Tower, Ye Qiu had faintly surpassed him, but not by much.

And now he had reached... a hundred and eighty thousand?

Even at the most generous estimate, Wu Xiaokai was only around a hundred and fifty thousand.

And Ye Qiu called that slow?

Was that a Body Cultivator's rate of progress?

Wu Xiaokai could not even comprehend it.

Ye Qiu said, "My constitution is a little unusual, and I've had some lucky opportunities. So I might be a little faster than most Body Cultivators."

Wu Xiaokai gave him a thumbs-up. "You're not a little faster. You're practically flying!"

He had thought himself exceptional even among Body Cultivators.

After all, he had grown up in the mountains, constantly fighting great demons. Everyone in his village practiced Body Refinement, too, so he had plenty of experience.

But compared with Ye Qiu...

Holy shit!

No wonder his grandfather had said there was always someone beyond you, and a sky beyond the sky. It was true!