The First Wisp of Innate Qi

One week after practicing the technique, Lie Xu suddenly felt something within his body being stirred.

Looking inward, he saw a wisp of golden aura flowing with his soul power, slowly entering his dantian and gradually merging into the soul power vortex, becoming indistinguishable from it.

"This... this is the Central Thick Earth Sky-Yellow Qi!"

Having already integrated the Nine Qi Return to Origin Method into his soul, Lie Xu naturally understood what this aura was.

The Central Thick Earth Sky-Yellow Qi governed the gathering and storage of dantian soul power, expanding the soul power vortex and stabilizing the foundation of one's soul power.

As this wisp of aura entered his dantian, the speed at which the soul power vortex absorbed energy was not just a little faster than his previous breathing exercises; it was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Furthermore, the soul power vortex in his dantian suddenly widened by more than double, and the capacity for soul power naturally increased by nearly as much. Lie Xu had no choice but to continuously circulate the technique to fill the newly expanded vortex.

After a long while, Lie Xu finally stopped the circulation of the technique. Looking inward at his filled soul power vortex, he revealed a look of satisfaction.

Lie Xu slowly opened his eyes, only to find a cold, beautiful face staring blankly at him, her eyes filled with undisguisable joy.

"Ah! What the hell!"

Caught off guard, Lie Xu was startled the moment he opened his eyes to see a face pressed right in front of his. No matter how high-ranking or beautiful that face might be, he was still shocked, losing his balance and falling backward.

Just then, a pair of slender, jade-like hands suddenly reached out and grabbed Lie Xu, who was about to tumble flat on his back.

"Lie Xu... you smell so good. Why have you suddenly become so fragrant..."

The Silver Dragon King pulled Lie Xu toward her, leaning in close to sniff him intently.

"No, Qingshuang, what are you doing!"

Lie Xu tried hard to pull his arm away from Qingshuang's grip, but it was a futile struggle. How could a six-year-old child break free from a hundreds-of-thousands-year-old humanoid soul beast? Even if he had become a soul master.

Nearby, Qian Renxue, awakened by the commotion, rubbed her eyes and looked over.

"Brother Xu, what are you two doing?"

Lie Xu suddenly felt inexplicably nervous, his tone becoming a bit harsh.

"Are you out of your mind? Let go!"

Seeing that Lie Xu seemed genuinely angry, the Silver Dragon King reluctantly released her grip.

Lie Xu rubbed his wrists, stood up, and walked over to Qian Renxue. He sat down beside her and, looking at the sleepy, golden-haired little girl, couldn't help but pinch her still-drowsy, lazy cheeks.

"It's nothing, I was just asking Qingshuang about something. It's still early, go back to sleep."

He covered Qian Renxue with a blanket and gently patted her back, lulling her back to sleep before returning to the Silver Dragon King.

"Qingshuang, I'm curious. Why do you always think I smell so good? From the very first moment you saw me, you said I smelled good?"

Lie Xu asked, facing Qingshuang.

"I don't know either."

The Silver Dragon King rested her chin on one hand, her face full of confusion.

"Then, do you want to eat me?"

Faced with this situation, Lie Xu didn't know what to do, so he tried asking bit by bit to see if he could find the reason.

"I don't want to. It's not the kind of fragrance that makes me want to eat you, it's... it's just..."

The Silver Dragon King sighed deeply. She was also helpless. After waking up, she found that the power of destiny she had always used to conceal her tracks had been obtained by a young human. Not only was she now constantly following this human, but she also inexplicably found him fragrant, yet she had no desire to consume him.

Hearing this, Lie Xu was completely dumbfounded. His brain stalled for a long while before he slowly said, "Could it be because the Emperor Auspicious Beast sacrificed itself to me?"

The Silver Dragon King thought about this seriously for a long time.

"During my slumber, several generations of Emperor Auspicious Beasts appeared, but none of them made me feel that fragrance or woke me from my sleep."

"Hiss~"

"That is strange indeed."

Lie Xu had no leads, so he had to ask one thing at a time and try one thing after another. He even pricked his finger to squeeze out blood for Qingshuang to smell, but it still had no effect.

"Ah, I'm tired. Just destroy me already!"

Lie Xu lay flat on the ground, staring blankly at the bright starry sky.

"Qingshuang, if one day you can't help but want to eat me, remember to tell me in advance so I can be prepared."

The Silver Dragon King hugged her knees, crouching beside Lie Xu. With an expressionless face, she used a twig she had picked up from somewhere to poke the sprawled-out, resigned Lie Xu again and again.

"It seems... you don't smell as good as you did just a moment ago," the Silver Dragon King said emotionlessly.

"What? What was that? Qingshuang, repeat that!"

Lie Xu sat up straight immediately, grabbing the Silver Dragon King by the shoulders, his face full of excitement.

Being targeted by someone was unsettling for anyone, let alone a soul beast that was practically invincible.

"I mean, you don't smell as good as you did just now."

"When was 'just now'?"

Lie Xu pressed.

"It's when you're absorbing spiritual energy; that's when you smell the most fragrant."

The Silver Dragon King thought for a moment before saying, "At those times, I can't help but want to get closer to you, and the wounds on my divine soul recover a sliver faster."

Hearing the Silver Dragon King say this, Lie Xu suddenly understood everything.

So, she had been attracted by the Central Thick Earth Sky-Yellow Qi within his soul power vortex.

This wisp of energy had been obtained from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's Fate Soul Bone. He didn't know if it was because the Three-Eyed Golden Lion possessed the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, or because of the power of fate. Perhaps the Silver Dragon King hadn't sensed it before because he had only recently condensed and refined this wisp of energy. Now, as he cultivated, this energy—which had already merged into his soul power vortex—circulated through his major meridians along with the activation of his cultivation technique.

This was what made the Silver Dragon King feel that he smelled much more fragrant than usual.

"Is that so?"

As he spoke, Lie Xu activated his cultivation technique, initiating a major circulation.

"Hiss~ ah~"

"Yes, that's the scent! It's so fragrant, so rich!!!"

The Silver Dragon King greedily leaned in close to Lie Xu, inhaling deeply the aura escaping from his soul power as it circulated through his meridians, as if he were some peerless immortal medicine.

"Besides the fragrance, do you feel anything else when you inhale it?"

Lie Xu quietly shifted his body backward.

"Hmm..."

The Silver Dragon King pondered for a moment and continued, "I just feel so comfortable. The pain in my divine soul eases, and the recovery speed of my divine soul accelerates a little."

Lie Xu nodded, finally having figured things out. A weight lifted from his heart; at least he wouldn't have to run around like a headless chicken, living in fear.

"It seems the cultivation technique given by the Heavenly Venerable is truly no joke..."