Survived

I do not know how much time had passed, but finally, amidst the endless darkness, Li Su felt a glimmer of light, and his consciousness began to ripple.

Hiss!

The moment he regained clarity, he first drew a sharp breath, and Li Su's small face turned deathly pale.

So painful!

"Master Tianming, the little monk has woken up!"

"Junior Brother, Junior Brother!"

Immediately, a clamor of voices erupted.

He forced his eyes open, only to see Xuanci and the others guarding his bedside.

Still, he had survived.

Taking a breath, Li Su tried to sit up, but the moment he moved, the pain throughout his body intensified violently. It felt as if steel needles were piercing every single nerve, and the strength he tried to gather instantly dissipated.

Damn it...

How could it hurt this much???

He still retained the memories of the battle; he had indeed fought a bit too recklessly. But he had only clashed with the opponent using his hands—why was his entire body aching now?

"Don't move."

Master Tianming's voice sounded as he walked over.

"Even if you defended against it, you were facing a genuine second-rate expert. No matter how formidable the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art is, you have only mastered the first level. The damage was still delivered into your body through repeated stacking. This time, it was extremely perilous; had it been any later, it might not have been him who died, but you."

Li Su was not surprised to hear this. In fact, he had already drawn blood during the first strike, though the opponent's blade hadn't been sharp enough to do more than break his skin.

When he faced the guy afterward, even though Li Su appeared to be trading blows head-on, his attacks were actually lateral. He wasn't meeting the force directly but rather deflecting the blade. Yet, even so, his hands had sustained severe injuries.

Suddenly, Li Su went into a spasm. Ignoring the pain, he lunged upward, pushed Xuanci aside, and began to retch violently.

Ugh~~~!

It was miserable. Even though he was in agony, he couldn't help it.

Killing—yes, killing.

At first, because he was desperate to survive and didn't want to die, he had ignored everything else. But once his mind cleared, how could he suppress it?

He vomited until the world seemed to spin and turn dark.

Even though he knew this was just a World Fragment and the people inside weren't real—much like NPCs in a game—the sight of that crushed skull, the blade piercing through flesh, and the spraying blood all served as undeniable proof that he had killed a man.

How did those transmigrators who went on killing sprees immediately upon arrival manage to do it?

After retching for a long time—though it was mostly just water, as his stomach was already empty—he couldn't bring anything else up. Combined with the excruciating pain, Li Su collapsed back down, panting incessantly.

Looking at Xuankong, Master Tianming's face showed a mix of heartache and relief.

The heartache was naturally for Xuankong's state; this was a burden no teenager should have to bear.

The relief was that even though Xuankong had killed, it didn't mean he was unfeeling, which was a good thing. A person with a sound moral compass would never be indifferent to killing or death.

Tianming said softly, "Xuankong, meditate quietly. Once your internal energy recovers, the full-body pain will gradually subside."

After a long while, Li Su calmed down. The pain was so intense it had actually suppressed the nausea. He couldn't help but shift his gaze toward Master Tianming.

Full-body pain? What did that mean?

"The Indestructible Diamond Divine Art, even at the first level, allows you to resist blade strikes head-on without being destroyed. This is fundamentally due to two reasons: first, the manifestation of internal energy; second, the distribution of force."

Master Tianming explained, "When an attack strikes you, the force is distributed across every part of your body. In other words, while it may seem like you are taking the hit at one point, the force is actually spread throughout your entire frame. This is why the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art is so powerful once mastered, and why even second-rate experts find it difficult to cut through it with ordinary weapons."

Well, feeling the unbearable ache even in the inner side of his big toe, Li Su finally understood why he was in so much pain and why areas that hadn't even collided with the opponent were hurting.

Still, it truly lived up to the name of a divine art. All impacts were distributed by the body's internal energy? Damn, no wonder the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art was so monstrous.

If he leveled it up, wouldn't that mean his entire body would be as tough as his fists?

If he combined that with sixty years of internal energy, there would be no point in even fighting.

Fortunately, he was the one who had learned this technique. If he were to face someone who possessed it, he would truly have a headache.

Master Tianming stood up and hoisted Xuanci up by the collar, saying, "Alright, all of you head out. Let Xuankong get some rest."

Soon, everyone filed out.

Xuanci, still being carried by Master Tianming, wore a wide grin until they reached the door: "Xuankong, next time, I won't let you face something like that alone."

Li Su's lips curled slightly at the words. Is that so? Then I shall wait and see.

Listening to the sound of the door closing, he slowly shut his eyes. Although his entire body was in agony, he was still alive, and his master's expression had been relatively relaxed, which meant they must have entered Weizhou. At the very least, there was no immediate danger.

He would recover his internal energy first, then find a way to deal with this pervasive pain.

Furthermore, he had to hurry with the second level of the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art and reach completion as soon as possible.

This incident had truly made Li Su's scalp tingle and his blood run cold.

It was so close—it really was just a hair's breadth away.

If Master Tianming had actually drunk that bowl of water, he, Li Su, would have been finished.

In a World Fragment, once you are killed, you truly die; there is no joking about it.

Cultivate, cultivate.

Li Su quickly settled into a state of stillness and began to silently circulate his internal energy.

Become stronger, become stronger quickly.

The idea of spending decades in the deep mountains and forests to gain sixty years of internal energy, only to emerge with ease—he didn't even consider it. There was no chance for that; maybe in his next life.

Strength, incomparably formidable strength, was the greatest capital for surviving within a World Fragment.

He did not know how much time had passed.

Hoo!

The sound of breathing...

Carrying a faint, delicate fragrance, it brushed against Li Su's cheek, inducing a sense of profound ease. How could one describe that scent? It was like musk, a touch of it melting at the tip of his nose like a cloud, and with every breath, he could feel his mind and spirit turn cool and clear.

Some kind of medicine? Li Su was somewhat surprised.

However, when he felt that steady breath hitting his face, as if someone were breathing right beside him, Li Su's expression involuntarily stiffened, and he slowly opened his eyes.

What met his gaze was a pair of large eyes, playful and lively, filled with a joy mixed with a hint of unhappiness, followed by an unforgettable oval face that was still slightly chubby, not seductive, but cute.

He hardly needed to ask to know who it belonged to.

The Mystic Maiden of Shangqing, Ming Yulong.

Of course, that was not the point; the point was how close her nose was to his.

How close?

If Li Su were to turn his head, his nose would likely touch hers—and not just the tip.

So close, so close, so close!

Li Su hurriedly leaned back in a tactical retreat, immediately wincing and baring his teeth in pain, yet he dared not stop, instead staring at the girl before him with a sense of lingering fear.

What was going on?

He could understand it in the Tang Dynasty, but in the Song Dynasty, shouldn't young girls like this be more conservative?

No, that era of the detestable Zhu-Xi Neo-Confucianism had not yet arrived... In this period of the Song Dynasty, the temperament of women should have been quite close to that of the Tang Dynasty, but even so, what was up with this girl? This level of openness was excessive; even among modern women, she would be considered an anomaly, right?

"Jie jie!"

The girl let out a crisp, bright laugh. "Little monk, once you've recovered, let's go out and play together!"

Li Su widened his eyes. Was this girl asking him out?

Asking a monk out?