Mutual Repulsion-Thanks to Silver Alliance Leader 'Desert Sand Like Blood VIP' for the Generous Support!

Late at night, the Bear Hug Tribe members who had toiled all day welcomed the quietest hour between heaven and earth.

Lin Suqing drooped her head and dragged her exhausted body back to her tent. Ever since reaching Grain Abstinence, she rarely slept, yet now she suddenly wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed.

This young lord really was!

Too tormenting.

All evening, he had dragged her around asking this and that, then made her hold a little wooden stick and stand before a stone slab, painstakingly hand-drawing a map of the Human Domain's territories!

Meanwhile, that fellow had lounged on a soft couch covered in rare Fierce Beast pelts, eating fruit after roasted meat and soup after roasted meat!

Most infuriating of all, that insufferable young lord had asked whether she wanted any. She had politely said she had already reached Grain Abstinence, and he had actually sent someone to collect her a bowl of dew!

"Ah—"

Lin Suqing lowered her head with a sigh and flopped weakly onto her bed, not even wanting to turn over.

Would she be cultivating here in the northern wilds from now on?

Six years was not particularly long. To truly powerful cultivators, it was merely the duration of one or two closed-door cultivation sessions.

She took a jade tablet from the jade bracelet on her wrist, lightly sliding her fingers across it as she entered line after line of writing.

The crystalline glow of the jade tablet reflected her delicate, flawless features. Thoughtfulness occasionally surfaced on that small face. After writing for a while, her thin sleeve slipped slightly from her wrist, and she propped her cheek with her jade-like arm as she stared into space.

Cultivation lasted long, breakthroughs were difficult, and she could not avoid feeling stifled at times. Gradually, she had developed the habit of recording her thoughts in a jade talisman journal.

As she wrote, a few scenes could not help surfacing before Lin Suqing's eyes.

Under the rolling white clouds of an azure sky, she sat on a giant wolf's back and raced with the wind;

At the dusk banquet, Bear Hug Tribe girls with faces brimming with enthusiasm had pulled her into dancing and celebration;

Tsk, there were even several handsome guards beside the young lord who had never been knocked unconscious;

Then the image shifted, becoming the familiar bamboo forest outside her sect gate, where her junior brother and junior sister nestled against one another...

This barbaric land in the northern wilds is actually not bad at all.

Even the dew on the grasslands was rather sweet.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Lin Suqing's lips. Looking at the several hundred characters she had just entered into the jade talisman, she put it away in satisfaction, then drowsily drifted toward sleep.

Using meditation in place of sleep was basic professional discipline for a cultivator.

But today, Lin Suqing suddenly wanted to slack off a little.

Hazy and drifting like a wondrous dream, free and unrestrained in a rare veil of carefree obscurity.

Suddenly...

"Fairy Lin? Fairy Lin?"

Lin Suqing was awakened by someone calling her name. The instant she opened her eyes, three burly faces beneath helmets filled her vision, startling her so badly that she jolted.

Covering her collar, rolling over, gripping her sword—her movements flowed like clouds and running water, though her long hair was somewhat disheveled.

"What do you want!"

The three guards hurriedly backed away half a step, showing that they meant no harm.

"Fairy Lin, the young lord requests that you come over immediately. There is an urgent matter to discuss."

Lin Suqing immediately came to her senses. She put away her sword, promptly agreed, and followed the three men to the neighboring tent, secretly cursing herself for being so careless. How could she have fallen asleep in such circumstances?

When she arrived at Wu Wang's main tent, she was led into a corner, where she discovered in astonishment that a hidden door connected to another, slightly smaller tent.

Naturally, this was Wu Wang's bedroom.

The place was lavishly furnished, but Lin Suqing had no mood to inspect it. Seeing Wu Wang lying on the large bed and looking somewhat weak, she hurriedly asked:

"Young Lord, what is it?"

Uh, why was she already a little concerned about this fellow?

"Come here."

Wu Wang raised his right hand, seeming to want her support.

Lin Suqing hurried to the bedside. Just as she was about to grasp Wu Wang's hand, she abruptly halted.

The young lord's illness.

Seeing the weariness on his face, could it be because he had been studying how to overcome that illness?

Ah, afflicted with such an illness at so young an age, practically cut off from women for the rest of his life... Though she, Lin Suqing, was a cultivator and ought to have few desires, she still found the young man before her rather pitiful.

What did it matter if he possessed power and authority?

What did it matter if he possessed formidable strength?

He would always have regrets. A life could never be perfectly complete.

"Young Lord, what should I do?"

Lin Suqing asked softly. A mischievous thread of moonlight shone upon the tips of her hair, somehow lending her an indescribable charm.

"Touch me. Do you even need to ask that?"

Wu Wang turned to look at Lin Suqing, muttering somewhat gloomily, "I'm having a little insomnia, so I'll borrow you for a bit. Remember to wake me at noon tomorrow. I'm still growing and need enough sleep."

Lin Suqing: ...

Pah!

Should she strangle him to death?

"What are you standing there for?"

"Ah, I'm coming. Young Lord, rest well. See you tomorrow."

With a sweet, false smile on her face, Lin Suqing jabbed Wu Wang's arm hard with one finger. He instantly tilted his head and fell asleep.

Several guards flashed out from the side, blocking Lin Suqing from view.

They had not relaxed in the slightest.

Another day passed.

Inside the main tent that afternoon, only a lone man and woman remained.

"Suqing, can you do it?"

"If the Young Lord needs it, I have no problem at all."

"Can this really be done?"

"Why are you more fussy than a young woman like me? I don't even mind."

"Then, let's begin."

Wu Wang stared intently at Lin Suqing. "Don't make things difficult for yourself. I only need a basic cultivation method, to see whether I can cultivate."

Lin Suqing answered with slight helplessness and explained:

"The Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method our Clear Wind Gazing Moon Sect gives its disciples is not unique to our sect. It is one of several basic cultivation methods circulating throughout the Human Domain.

"Only those great sects possess their own Foundation Establishment Cultivation Methods, allowing their disciples to directly transition into more profound arts once their cultivation reaches a sufficient level.

"So, Young Lord, there is no need to worry. As long as I do not reveal the Gazing Moon Pure Heart Art, I will not be violating sect rules."

"So that's how it is." Wu Wang rubbed his chin and pondered for a few moments. "Then let's begin. I'm ready."

"Very well."

Lin Suqing nodded solemnly. She took a meditation cushion from her bracelet and placed it beneath herself. As her skirt fluttered, she sat down cross-legged in a proper, conventional posture.

To be fair, the meditation posture of female cultivators from the Human Domain was indeed quite beautiful.

Wu Wang imitated her, having someone bring over an ordinary jade meditation cushion pieced together from Thousand Year Warm Jade and a Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Core. He sat directly opposite Lin Suqing.

Lin Suqing's eyes nearly went blank as she softly asked:

"Young Lord, does our tribe produce precious jade in abundance?"

"Ah," Wu Wang answered casually, "all kinds of mineral deposits within three thousand li around that great snow mountain belong to our tribe. That area also counts as our tribe's territory.

"My old mother lives atop that great snow mountain. I'll take you to meet her sometime. Maybe she'll even give you some benefits."

Lin Suqing could not help tilting her head. "The Bear Hug Tribe's territory is that vast?"

"Did you think this tiny number of people here could make us the second-largest tribe in the northern wilds?

"This place is the Royal Court, where my father handles tribal affairs and holds all kinds of sacrificial ceremonies.

"My father is the Clan Leader and the tribal chief. He has to lead his personal guards on patrols throughout the various regions, and only comes to the Royal Court once every two or three years."

Wu Wang rubbed his brow with some melancholy and sighed.

"Now you should understand how much pressure this strange illness of mine brings.

"One careless misstep could cause unrest in the tribe. If this illness cannot be cured, the only solution will be for my parents to have another younger brother or sister."

Lin Suqing asked quietly, "Can a younger sister inherit the position of Clan Leader as well?"

"It's the same," Wu Wang said with a smile. "More often than not, women here hold a tiny bit more status than men.

"On the surface, the Clan Leader has the final say in the tribe;

"But in reality, the Clan Leader must fully consider the opinions of all the priests, and most priests who can truly influence the Clan Leader's decisions are women.

"My grandmother is the highest-ranking priest in the tribe, while my mother is the strongest priest in the tribe. Both are famous throughout the northern wilds.

"And the wives of newly selected Clan Leaders are usually female priests raised from childhood, well versed in the Star Invocation Technique, selected from the best for their beauty, and possessing extensive knowledge..."

Wu Wang paused, glancing past the edge of the tent toward the snow mountain. The corner of his lips drooped slightly.

It had been a long time since he had seen his old mother.

Lin Suqing did not notice Wu Wang's subtle expression. Her eyes were shining as she asked:

"Does the Young Lord also have such a future Dao companion? Is she cute? Have you met her already?"

Why was this old auntie... so gossipy?

Wu Wang replied calmly, "Probably, but because of my strange illness, neither my mother nor grandmother has mentioned it to me. Are you going to teach me or not?"

"Ah, yes. Listen carefully. First, I will explain what cultivation is. These are the words our sect master once spoke to us when we first entered the sect."

Lin Suqing cleared her throat, straightened her seated posture, and gazed at Wu Wang. Then, with a solemn expression, she slowly said:

"Before cultivation, one must understand the past of the human race.

"Since ancient times in the Great Wilderness, countless powerful beings have existed, and mighty races have spread everywhere. Yet our human race itself was weak. How could we stand and survive?

"Primordial Deities are born commanding the laws of heaven and earth; Fierce Beasts are born with tyrannical bodies. If our human race wishes to survive in this world, how can we rely on powerful gods?

"Are deities and Fierce Beasts born noble by nature!

"Fire Emperor Suiren expounded the Great Dao of fire, fought Fierce Beasts, and opened the Human Domain!

"Heavenly Emperor Fuxi used the Eight Trigrams to derive tens of thousands of cultivation methods, safeguarding a hundred thousand years of peace for our Human Domain!

"All methods cultivated today are the blood and sweat of those who came before us, for the strength of our human race and the flourishing of the Human Domain!

"Born human, one must know self-strengthening.

"The path of cultivation exists so that the human way shall never be extinguished!"

Wu Wang nodded gravely, and a faint fire kindled in his eyes.

Lin Suqing tried hard to recall the scene when she had first entered her sect. After pondering for a long while, she finally said:

"Before formally cultivating, we must first understand what qi is, what essence is, and what spirit is..."

Accompanied by her rather clear and gentle voice, Wu Wang quickly entered the proper state.

Wu Wang had previously studied the Human Domain's cultivation methods. Though he had not delved deeply into them, he still had some foundation.

Before long, following Lin Suqing's guidance, he had closed his eyes and focused his mind, beginning to breathe in and out as he gathered the Spiritual Energy drifting through the air and condensed his first thread of "qi."

For someone so young, he's rather attractive when he gets serious.

Lin Suqing rested her chin on her hand as she examined the youth before her. His features were still somewhat immature, making him overly handsome, but there was an indescribable bearing between his brows.

What a pity he had a mouth.

And he was destined to be the lofty leader of these great grasslands. He and a little cultivator like her would have only six years of intersection.

Why had her opinion of him changed so quickly?

Lin Suqing was slightly stunned, then thought it over carefully.

His strange illness probably accounted for part of it. It made her feel rather safe here.

Hm?

Lin Suqing was slightly startled and stared at the youth before her.

Wisps of breeze appeared around him. Mixed with faint azure and blue streams of light, they gathered toward Wu Wang's mouth, nose, palms, and soles.

Spirit, Spirit Absorption?

He had begun Spirit Absorption on his first meditation session?

This!

What happened next shocked Lin Suqing one thing after another. Her cherry lips parted, and for a long while, she could not close them.

Faint starlight appeared around Wu Wang. The starlight converged into streams, winding around him in ring after ring, setting off his face until he seemed like a deity.

Lin Suqing cautiously released her Spiritual Consciousness and immediately sensed qi moving within Wu Wang's body.

And the path that qi followed... was the Lesser Celestial Circuit route of the fourth basic Human Domain cultivation method, the Thousand Inhalation Art, which she had just taught Wu Wang!

Lin Suqing could not help lowering her head with a sigh.

Was this truly Wu Wang's first time meditating? His first encounter with the Thousand Inhalation Art?

Heh, hehehe.

There truly were people in this world blessed with extraordinary talent. An ordinary cultivator like her, who had spent half a year meditating before completing her first Lesser Celestial Circuit, was simply the embodiment of mediocrity.

No wonder her junior brother had chosen her junior sister and even carried a boat as he ran away...

"Hm?"

Wu Wang suddenly knitted his brows. The starlight around him flashed, and the cluster of qi within him, which was on the verge of taking shape, suddenly exploded apart.

He gave a muffled grunt. His complexion instantly turned deathly pale, and a thread of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Lin Suqing was alarmed as well. She sprang up and was about to help Wu Wang calm his qi, but the hand she extended stopped just behind his back as she remembered Wu Wang's strange illness.

"Someone!"

Lin Suqing turned and shouted, "Come quickly!"

"I'm fine, cough, cough cough," Wu Wang said as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "My qi just went astray... Are you sure your cultivation method is genuine?"

"Hm?" Lin Suqing could not help tilting her head.

"Circulate your qi as you just described," Wu Wang said, getting to his feet. "Sit over here. The Spiritual Energy will be more abundant."

Lin Suqing agreed, though she followed his instructions with some hesitation.

Wu Wang, however, was frowning tightly. As he watched Lin Suqing's figure, which could barely be called graceful, he continuously analyzed where the problem lay in his heart.

It seemed to be the Star Invocation Technique and the Human Domain cultivation method...

They repelled each other.