Li Yuan actually knew that when people said whether someone was young or not, they often took their experiences and achievements into account.
If someone passed away in their early forties, everyone would say they were still young. What a pity.
But if someone only reached First-Rank Martial Dao at forty,
people would say they were already so old and had long missed the best age for Martial Dao cultivation.
Li Yuan was someone who had missed the ideal age for cultivation.
Previously, even at thirty, he had remained stuck at Fourth Grade. From the school leadership to the other teachers around him, all believed Li Yuan had no talent for cultivation.
Fame had to come early. The ancients really had not been wrong.
Looking at Xia Zhao before him, Li Yuan did not doubt much of what she had said.
He had personally seen her fight a Mutant Beast.
Even in a weakened state, she could still contend with the beast's bites.
One had to know that such Mutant Beasts had once killed Ninth Grade martial artists.
Li Yuan had tried to ambush it himself and could better appreciate the creature's capabilities.
Eighth-Rank Martial Dao—she probably truly possessed that level of ability.
At thirty, with such strength, her identity was likely extraordinary as well.
Li Yuan did not ask further. Though they had been trapped together by accident, they probably would not have much contact in the future.
After sorting everything out in his mind, Li Yuan took three bottles of nutrient fluid from his backpack.
These were his last three bottles of B-grade Nutrient Fluid.
If he had not been participating in this Youth Martial Tournament, even the little money he managed to save each month would not have been enough to buy three bottles.
To Li Yuan, three bottles of B-grade Nutrient Fluid were very precious.
As he handed over the three bottles, he could not help feeling a pang of pain.
He could only try his best to put on a generous appearance.
Li Yuan even mocked himself inwardly. A poor man pretending to be generous only made himself miserable.
Xia Zhao accepted the three bottles of nutrient fluid without hesitation.
At her current stage, she truly had a considerable need for nutrient fluid.
B-grade Nutrient Fluid was ordinarily nothing more than an everyday item to her.
But now, it was something that could save her life.
After accepting them, another long silence followed.
The mud that had previously covered both of them had dried and fallen away.
Only then did Li Yuan finally get a clear look at her appearance.
In this day and age, it was truly difficult to tell a person's age from their looks.
Temperament, instead, made age easier to discern.
Although she was still somewhat dirty, he could already tell that she was very beautiful.
Her figure and bearing also carried an air of nobility.
If she were a teacher at Lingshan No.1 High School, the school's promotional videos and brochures would put her on their covers.
Li Yuan quickly withdrew his gaze. Staring at others was inappropriate.
Xia Zhao was also observing Li Yuan, and only then did she carefully examine his appearance.
As far as looks went, Li Yuan was actually fairly decent.
It was just that, as a middle school teacher, Li Yuan deliberately made himself look older through his clothes and hairstyle.
He tried his best to keep his appearance from being appreciated by his students.
Any teacher should understand that unspoken rule.
"Can I ask what you came to Qijia Town for?"
"Training, cultivation, and improving my practical combat ability." Li Yuan answered bluntly.
That was the truth to begin with. There was nothing to hide.
Yet upon hearing this, Xia Zhao became even more suspicious.
"You have mastered combat techniques so skillfully, and your Cloud Treading Step has reached the pinnacle of mastery.
With abilities like yours, do you still need to come to Qijia Town to improve your practical combat ability?"
In Xia Zhao's eyes, someone with this kind of strength coming to Qijia Town was simply wasting time.
Especially when facing the Mutant Hound, Li Yuan had remained calm enough to launch an ambush and rescue her.
Wasn't someone with that kind of strength wasting time in Qijia Town?
"Am I really that impressive...?"
Hearing such praise from an expert, Li Yuan was rather pleased.
But Xia Zhao, beside him, felt as though she had encountered an idiot.
Over the following period, Xia Zhao began focusing wholeheartedly on cultivation and recovery.
An Eighth-Rank Martial Artist's physique already possessed substantial resistance to poison.
Most poisons could not harm the foundation of their bodies.
But recovery still required time.
She focused on cultivating and recovering, while Li Yuan observed the outside environment from the observation point.
When he noticed anything strange, Li Yuan even left the Observation Station to conduct detailed inspections.
The experience and knowledge he had learned from books were truly being put fully into practice here.
Being trapped in this Observation Station did not mean they were truly safe.
This place was considered relatively deep within the dense forest.
Aside from Mutant Beasts, Fierce Beasts already roamed such wilderness environments.
The dangers of a wilderness forest were unknown.
Who knew what level of Fierce Beast they might encounter next?
Moreover, the crisis they faced this time was not limited to Fierce Beasts.
Behind this Mutant Beast, one could clearly sense human methods at work.
Thinking of this, Li Yuan had already hidden his phone somewhere.
Could this phone with no signal become something that could be used to locate him?
Li Yuan did not know much about such technology.
But at the moment, it only served as a flashlight, and he did not even need it to check the time.
Placing it somewhere suitable and using it as bait was its best possible use.
On their first day inside the Observation Station, the two divided their tasks clearly.
Li Yuan was responsible for keeping watch over the surroundings, while Xia Zhao focused on recovery.
Li Yuan gave her priority access to the supplies he had brought in his backpack.
He only kept one basic set of necessities for himself.
As someone who cultivated Martial Dao, Li Yuan understood very well how much supplies were needed during recovery.
Li Yuan did not believe in ladies first. In the wilderness, there were no such rules.
Xia Zhao's recovery was the key to both of them staying alive. That was the most important reason.
On the first day, they still felt unfamiliar with each other.
Whenever they saw one another, they would nod in greeting.
As night approached, Xia Zhao told Li Yuan to go sleep and rest, so the two could establish a suitable rotation as much as possible.
The first day passed safely.
After a night had passed, Li Yuan ate half a Compressed Biscuit.
That was his ration for the day, so he had to conserve it somewhat.
At dawn, Li Yuan went to check Xia Zhao's condition.
After resting for a day, her condition had not improved as expected.
Instead, she seemed even weaker.
"This poison is rather troublesome..." Xia Zhao's voice was filled with guilt.
Li Yuan had already created such conditions for her, yet this was how she had performed.
Seeing her state, Li Yuan searched through the knowledge and experience he had gained from books.
"There is still a set of clean clothes in my backpack.
How about you change into them? Feeling more comfortable might help your recovery."
As Li Yuan spoke, he took the clothes out of his backpack.
He placed them before Xia Zhao, but made no move to avoid her.
Xia Zhao hesitated for a moment, then began unfastening her clothes.
She knew Li Yuan wanted to inspect the injuries on her body.
At a time like this, when they were both nearly dead,
and food was scarce every day, even someone who loved that sort of thing would have no interest right now.
Xia Zhao believed she understood her own condition very well.
If she had sustained any severe injuries, she would have felt them long ago.
After taking off her outer coat and trousers, Xia Zhao saw that Li Yuan still had no intention of turning around or leaving.
She was still too embarrassed to remove her underclothes.
Moreover, standing behind her, Li Yuan seemed to be looking more and more intently.
Gritting her teeth, she simply changed into the clean clothes right in front of Li Yuan...
Before you continue