A Seductive Night

Chapter 23: Nightfall

Chu Xiaotian discovered that a space seemed to have appeared before him. He did not know how vast this space was, for all around was pitch black. In the center of this void, a cluster of purple spiritual energy the size of a fist surged and churned. To the right of this space, a purple channel as thick as a little finger connected to it, with spiritual energy flowing incessantly from there into this expanse.

A joyful smile bloomed on Chu Xiaotian's face. Everything before him told him that he had successfully opened his Dantian, the most crucial acupoint on the path of cultivation. The scene he saw now was the state of his Dantian as viewed through his inner sight.

With the Dantian breached, everything that followed would be much easier. While absorbing the cold, yin energy from the heavens and earth into his body, Chu Xiaotian controlled the purple corpse poison within to extend in three directions. Since the Dantian was open, it was time to use it as a starting point to strike at the other three meridians. Striking from the outside in was a difficult process, but working in reverse was far simpler. With a steady supply of spiritual energy, the power in his Dantian split into three paths, simultaneously assaulting the remaining three meridians of his limbs. Once again, it was a triumphant advance, like a hot knife through butter; all three meridians were breached in about seven minutes.

Although the process of breaking through was somewhat painful, once it was complete, Chu Xiaotian felt a wave of comfort wash over his entire body as a far greater volume of spiritual energy surged incessantly from the meridians of his limbs into his Dantian, then dispersed to every corner of his frame.

Before the meridians were opened, he could only absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through his pores and breath. While there were many entry points, the efficiency was abysmal. The energy entering his body would be consumed layer by layer as it passed through his flesh, and by the time he could actually utilize it, perhaps not even one-tenth remained. But now that the four Shaoyin meridians of his limbs were cleared, he could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth directly from the starting points of these four meridians. Although there were only four entry points, the energy gathered together and traveled straight through the meridians to the Dantian, bypassing useless consumption. The efficiency was dozens of times higher than his previous method.

With both meridians and Dantian cleared, Chu Xiaotian's cultivation level did not appear to have increased, but his strength was undoubtedly several times greater than before. The difference between having spiritual energy scattered throughout the body versus fully concentrated in the Dantian was absolute. This was best illustrated by the internal energy from his previous world, as well as the fact that in this world, the Pulse-Opening and Sea-Opening Realms stood far above the Body Refining Realm.

At this moment, Chu Xiaotian's physical strength might not match a fifth-stage Body Refining cultivator, but because his meridians and Dantian were open and his spiritual energy was concentrated, the power he could unleash was far beyond what anyone in the Body Refining Realm could compare to. It was as if he were cultivating three realms simultaneously; his strength could not be measured by such simple standards.

He did not waste time on joy. Once the meridians of his limbs were fully cleared, Chu Xiaotian began to cultivate according to the techniques in the Heavenly Corpse Art. As the technique circulated within him, four streams of spiritual energy, each as thick as a matchstick, poured incessantly from the opened acupoints in his limbs into his meridians. After merging with the corpse poison in his Dantian, the energy diffused throughout his body, constantly tempering his flesh. Under the scouring of such vast spiritual energy, his body strengthened with every breath, at a speed that was unimaginable to him.

Although this was his first true experience with cultivation, he was certain that no matter the technique, the speed of absorbing spiritual energy could not possibly reach his current level. After all, this speed was simply too shocking; it could no longer be called absorption—it was plunder. Most importantly, the Heavenly Corpse Art contained clear descriptions of spiritual energy absorption rates, and none of them reached this terrifying level.

"What is going on? Could the concentration of spiritual energy in this world be even more terrifying than in the ancient era of Earth?" Chu Xiaotian muttered, his heart full of doubt. However, he quickly dismissed the thought. While the spiritual energy in this world was dense, it was certainly not to that extent; otherwise, the Mad Battle Blade Art given to him by Ba Dao would not have been limited to absorbing only a hair-thin wisp of energy.

His confusion did not last long before it was resolved, for he discovered that hanging high above his head were three silver discs arranged in a triangular formation, casting down a layer of ripples like water.

"Three moons? How is that possible?" Chu Xiaotian exclaimed in disbelief. But he quickly calmed down. From what he had learned in his previous world, he knew that a moon was merely a satellite of a planet. Earth only had one, but that did not mean this world could only have one. If this world had three satellites, it naturally had three moons.

The sun and the moon represented day and night, yang and yin. It could be said that the sun and the moon were among the primary sources of yin and yang energy for this entire world. His Heavenly Corpse Art relied on absorbing the cold, yin energy of heaven and earth to cultivate. Now, with three moons providing a constant supply of yin energy, it would be impossible for his cultivation speed to be slow even if he wanted it to be.

Chu Xiaotian was so excited he could hardly contain himself. With three moons providing him with yin energy, he could already foresee his cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds. As the Heavenly Corpse Art circulated through his limbs, his physical toughness skyrocketed like a rocket under the scouring of the massive spiritual energy. In just half an hour of cultivation, his Heavenly Corpse Art had firmly entered the initial stage of the Purple Corpse realm. His physical strength had also increased from four hundred jin per arm to over six hundred jin. According to the classifications of the Moon-Refining Continent, he had raised his cultivation from the fourth stage of Body Refining to the sixth in just half an hour—a speed so terrifying it was unheard of.

Now, if he were to face the Greenwood Three Tigers again, he had absolute confidence he could beat them until they were begging for mercy. His strength was not low, and the corpse poison no longer posed a threat to him. With no more worries for the time being, Chu Xiaotian decided to relax. He decided not to cultivate tonight and would return to the valley to sleep in; he had been in this world for so many days and had yet to have a proper night's rest.

Along the way, Chu Xiaotian hummed a little tune, his face full of joy. He even hunted a small, goat-like beast in the dense forest, carrying it as he walked toward the valley where Xia Xue resided.

Fearing he might disturb the sleeping Xia Xue, Chu Xiaotian walked on tiptoe after entering the valley, heading toward the small pool in the depths. After the previous ordeal, Chu Xiaotian felt his body was sticky and uncomfortable; if he wanted to sleep, he naturally had to wash up first.

Xia Xue should be fast asleep, so Chu Xiaotian was not afraid of being seen. He stripped off his clothes in a flash, rushed toward the pool, and jumped in with a splash.

The moment he hit the water, he seemed to see a white shadow that was definitely not a fish floating on the surface. He instinctively tried to dodge, but the distance was too close; it was already too late.

He collided with the white shadow.

"Ah..." A scream that nearly pierced Chu Xiaotian's eardrums rang out the moment he collided with the figure. The sudden shriek gave Chu Xiaotian a real fright, and his hands subconsciously pulled the white shadow in front of him into his embrace. His hands met skin that was delicate and soft, carrying a faint warmth.

By the faint moonlight overhead, Chu Xiaotian saw clearly what the white shadow he was holding was.

"Ah, Xiaoxue, why is it you? Why are you here? I, I, I..." This white shadow was none other than Xia Xue. However, she was just like Chu Xiaotian—stark naked—and her eyes were fixed on him with a gaze that seemed as if she wanted to devour him alive. Although holding such a beauty made Chu Xiaotian feel so comfortable he almost groaned aloud, the moment he met Xia Xue's eyes, he felt he had no way to defend himself.

Heaven and earth were his witness; he truly did not know Xia Xue would be in this pool, or he would never have rushed in so recklessly. After all, while a beauty bathing was an incredibly seductive scene that any man would want to see, once discovered by Xia Xue, their relationship would be over. And Chu Xiaotian's intention was never to take advantage of her.

"I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. I really misjudged you. Men are truly all the same. Take your claws off me! What else do you want to do?" Though held by Chu Xiaotian, Xia Xue did not resist. She stared at him coldly, her voice filled with undisguised disappointment, laced with a hint of a sob. Chu Xiaotian had not stayed in the valley for many nights, so she would bathe in this pool in the middle of the night.

But she had not expected that Chu Xiaotian would suddenly return tonight and charge into the pool to molest her. Whether it was an accident or a deliberate act of lechery, that was what Xia Xue believed. She had thought Chu Xiaotian was different from other men, but she never expected him to treat her this way, which caused her impression of him to plummet to the lowest point. In her heart now, Chu Xiaotian was even worse than Pi Yanxing of the Hundred Herb Pavilion.

"No, it's not like that, Xiaoxue, listen to me, this is truly a misunderstanding!" Looking at Xia Xue's expression, Chu Xiaotian felt the entire sky go dark. Given the current situation, even if he had a mouth full of tongues, he feared he would never be able to explain it clearly. However, even if he couldn't explain it, he had to try. Therefore, he did not let go; instead, he held Xia Xue even tighter, fearing she would run away before hearing his explanation.