Laying It All Bare

Li Yuan waved a hand, cutting him off. "A Hua has shown me kindness too. Consider this silver my repayment of her debt of gratitude."

"As long as you two can support each other and live your days in peace, I can rest easy."

Aji gave a heavy "Mm," his heart brimming with gratitude.

The two spoke for a while longer. Li Yuan told him to recover properly before finally rising to take his leave.

When he left the Demon Suppression Bureau, Mr. Mo was indeed already there to pick him up. The two returned to Divine Martial Academy together.

In the little courtyard, Mr. Mo sat before the stone table, leisurely sipping old wine alongside a dish of peanuts.

"Sir."

Li Yuan walked up to him and bowed.

"Sit."

Mr. Mo pointed to the stone stool opposite him, poured Li Yuan a bowl of wine as well, and asked, "You saw Aji? How is that boy?"

"He is out of danger now. The Demon Suppression Bureau wants to recruit him as an informant, and he has agreed." Li Yuan sat on the stone stool and lifted the bowl of wine, but did not drink. His gaze settled on Mr. Mo's face.

"Mm, it is a way forward." Mr. Mo nodded and took a sip himself.

For a time, the courtyard fell quiet, with only the rustling of bamboo leaves in the air.

After a moment of silence, Li Yuan suddenly set down his wine bowl, rose, stepped back two paces, and gave Mr. Mo a deep bow.

"This student, Li Yuan, thanks you, sir, for saving and protecting my life time and again!"

Ever since his ninth-grade talent had been discovered, the Dark Pavilion had set its sights on him. Without Mr. Mo, he did not know how many times he would have died by now.

Although Mr. Mo had acted at the Academy's behest, Li Yuan knew that his care for him had come from genuine sincerity. Especially after this brush with life and death, the trust between them had long surpassed that of ordinary teacher and student.

Mr. Mo's hand holding the wine gourd paused slightly. He looked up at Li Yuan, then waved a hand. "Enough. Spare me this empty ceremony."

"I am an instructor of the Academy. Keeping you safe and guiding your cultivation are simply my duties."

"Sit down and speak."

Li Yuan sat as instructed. Looking at Mr. Mo, he drew a deep breath and slowly began.

"There is something this student has never known how to bring up."

Mr. Mo paused in the act of drinking and looked at him. He said nothing, merely waited quietly.

"Ever since my spirit awakening that day, a palace has appeared within my sea of consciousness."

Li Yuan hesitated no longer and laid his greatest secret bare. He had considered it carefully. The Demon Race most likely already knew of this matter.

If he continued hiding it away, it would only put him at greater disadvantage.

Besides, after more than a year together, he had come to understand Mr. Mo's character. He believed the man would not regard him as some monster.

"...Through it, I can directly refine demon cores to help myself break through realms. The reason I was able to kill that powerful enemy in return this time was also because of its strange ability..."

He described the Bronze Palace's abilities in detail. Apart from the fact that he had become a transmigrator after an accident while flying on a plane in his previous life sent him plunging into the deep sea, he explained everything else he could as clearly as possible.

Over the past year or so, he had been fumbling about on his own. He had the feeling that, of the Bronze Palace's potential, he had explored not even one part in a hundred. Yet Mr. Mo's cultivation was profound and his knowledge vast.

Perhaps he could help him find the proper way to use it. Perhaps he could even help him gain the opportunity to cross back to the twenty-first century, reunite with his family, or be reborn anew.

"So it is a palace." Mr. Mo nodded. "From the first time you absorbed a demon core, I had already guessed that some mysterious treasure was aiding you. I simply did not know what it was."

His tone was calm, and there was even a smile at the corner of his mouth. "Not just me. Old Su and Liu Girl guessed it too. When you advanced into the Heart-Questioning Realm last time, how could the news have been sealed off if several of us had not joined forces?"

Li Yuan looked up in astonishment, then quickly came to terms with it. Thinking about it, that was only natural. With his level of cultivation, how could Mr. Mo possibly not have known when he broke through right under his nose?

It was laughable that he had always thought he had concealed it well. How embarrassing.

"Sir, I..."

For a moment, Li Yuan did not know what to say.

"I do not mean to blame you. You did the right thing. With a matter this significant, caution was only proper."

Mr. Mo said seriously, "Enough. This matter ends here. In the future, you must never mention it to a third person."

"As for Old Su and Liu Girl, I will explain things to them myself. You need not bring it up again. The more people who know, the more danger you face."

"But I suspect the Demon Race already knows."

Li Yuan told him how Shadow Thirteen had detonated her demon core that day, only for him to absorb it on the spot and thereby expose his secret.

"When Cangmu sent out the message, sir intercepted part of it, but some of it may very well have gotten through. I am worried..."

He looked up at Mr. Mo, his expression troubled.

Recalling the scene from that day, Mr. Mo understood. "You need not worry too much. Since only half the message got out, they certainly do not yet know your trump card."

"With or without this matter, the Demon Race will see you as a thorn in their eye and will be determined to get rid of you as quickly as possible. Your responsibility is to grow stronger as soon as you can. Best of all, become capable of standing on your own, and then you will no longer fear their threats."

"Yes, this student understands." Li Yuan answered solemnly.

"Mm." Mr. Mo's expression softened. "Still, this palace is indeed strange, unheard of. You must treat it with caution when cultivating. Do not let it backlash against you."

The Bronze Palace's origins were mysterious, and its power was far too immense. It was simply not something he could control at his current level.

"Yes, this student will remember your teachings, sir."

Li Yuan nodded solemnly at those words.

"Tell me more about the details of that palace. Perhaps we can examine them and see what other mysteries it holds."

Li Yuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately leaned closer. Without betraying any emotion, Mr. Mo waved a hand and set down a restriction that enveloped the entire little courtyard.

The setting sun had completely sunk behind the western hills. In the little courtyard, one old and one young man discussed in low voices over clear wine and peanuts.

In the days that followed, under Mr. Mo's meticulous guidance, Li Yuan gained a deeper understanding of his control over his own power, especially that thread of unfathomable power of time.

He believed that if he faced another moment of life and death, he would no longer need to force himself into a desperate gamble to invoke the power of time and interfere.

He even tried weaving time acceleration into his footwork, giving his movement technique an effect akin to teleportation.

One had to know that this was an ability possessed only by those in the Essence Condensation Realm, adding another secret life-saving method to his arsenal.

Mr. Mo did not interfere too much with this. After each attempt, he merely pointed out its flaws and what could be retained.

He repeatedly warned Li Yuan that this power touched upon the foundations of the Great Dao and contained boundless mysteries. He must not greedily seek quick progress, nor reveal it lightly to others. Especially before he had fully mastered it, forcing it into actual combat could bring minor backlash upon himself—or expose his roots and invite a calamity that would cost him his life.

Li Yuan deeply agreed and committed the warning to heart.

Mr. Mo further advised him not to rush into breaking through to the Delusion-Breaking Realm. He should first stabilize his Heart-Questioning Realm cultivation, build a solid foundation, temper his true qi, and study more basic spells and combat techniques.

Li Yuan began delving deeply into the Scripture Repository's texts on demons and fiends, formations, pills, and even ancient secrets.

Having lived two lives, he understood that only through the settling of one's state of mind, the accumulation of knowledge, and abundant combat experience could one travel farther.

That day, while practicing combat techniques and reviewing the duel from that day, he keenly felt that he needed to learn to use a weapon.

All this time, he had relied mainly on his fists and feet, supplemented by a dagger.

In ordinary one-on-one fights, that had seemed sufficient. But in large-scale battles, especially when surrounded and attacked, it put him at a severe disadvantage.

What weapon should he choose?