Passing the Crisis

Listening to the sounds coming from above ground, Su Shi'er's heart pounded unusually fast. And such close contact with Shen Miaoyin also triggered an instinctive physiological reaction in his body.

"You..." Shen Miaoyin's eyes flew wide, her body stiffening as she instinctively nearly cried out.

The intimate contact was one thing, but Su Shi'er's reaction made her feel violated.

Su Shi'er felt somewhat embarrassed—this reaction was beyond his control. But his mind remained vigilant, and when he suddenly heard movement, he almost instinctively tilted his neck and pressed his mouth against Shen Miaoyin's lips.

In this situation, if any sound were made, they would surely lose their lives!

"Mmph~..."

The moment the sound escaped, Shen Miaoyin also realized the danger.

But she never expected Su Shi'er would use such a method to stop her from making noise.

This audacious brat, I... I...

Shen Miaoyin's chest heaved violently with anger.

Yet the more she reacted, the more awkward Su Shi'er felt.

For a moment, an awkward atmosphere filled the entire cavern.

Shen Miaoyin's face quickly flushed red. If there were light, one would surely see her complexion bright crimson, delicate and tempting.

She had always cut off desire and emotion, but now, due to her injury and damaged foundation, this contact with Su Shi'er stirred a tingling sensation in her heart.

This caused a feeling of shy shame to brew within her.

In the Spiritual Plant Garden, Ye Liangchuan held his longsword, quickly making arrangements.

Behind him, the crowd swiftly dispersed, leaving fewer than ten people.

Ye Liangchuan's face was indifferent as he turned to leave, but then his gaze swept over and landed on the nearby Boulder Pile.

"Martial Brother Ye, what's wrong?" a disciple hurriedly asked.

"Tell me, is it possible that person didn't leave but instead hid?" Ye Liangchuan squinted, asking while wearing a contemplative expression.

"Hid? Could it be in this pile of boulders? But here... there's no fluctuation of spiritual energy!" someone said, examining the Boulder Pile and quickly sensing for any trace.

"Whether there is or not, just go check and find out," another disciple urged.

"No need for such trouble!"

Ye Liangchuan snorted coldly, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

He raised the Purple Lightning Sword and swept his hand, unleashing a cloud of purple lightning mist.

The mist shot straight toward the Boulder Pile!

Within the mist, lightning bolts raced, countless hair-thin strands of electricity instantly enveloping the entire Boulder Pile.

Under the lightning, the towering pile of boulders turned to dust in the blink of an eye.

The excess lightning struck the ground and sank into the earth.

In the cavern, the lightning struck, causing Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin's bodies to convulse violently.

Fortunately, the lightning had been weakened by traveling through the ground. Though painful, it was not lethal.

Neither dared to circulate their energy to resist. They could only grit their teeth, enduring the pain with their bare flesh, forcing themselves not to cry out.

Su Shi'er fared better—the pain he endured while cultivating with the Qi Gathering Pill was no less severe.

Shen Miaoyin, however, was different. It had been countless years since she had suffered such agony. She clung tightly to Su Shi'er, her nails digging into his back, unknowingly embedding into his flesh.

Thankfully, the commotion did not last long.

"Let's go. It seems the person has indeed left!"

Seeing all the boulders reduced to dust with no sign of anyone in the pile, Ye Liangchuan turned his gaze elsewhere.

He would never imagine that Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin had not left at all, but were hiding in the cavern beneath the Boulder Pile.

"Martial Brother Ye, if we can't find that person, what about our trials..." several disciples close to Ye Liangchuan quickly asked in hushed tones.

To them, recovering the spiritual plants wasn't important. What mattered most was their individual trials.

"Don't worry. Even if we can't find that person, I have ways to get you all through the trial assessment."

"Give it three days. If there's still no trace of that person, I'll take you to find another way," Ye Liangchuan said coldly.

He dared not waste too much time either. For him, this matter also carried immense pressure.

With no harvest from the Spiritual Plant Garden, if the remaining days yielded nothing, he would inevitably face tremendous pressure when the trial ended.

Hearing this, the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the cavern, Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin clung to each other. Only when no sound came from above did they finally relax.

"They've left now, Peak Master Shen. You can let go of me," Su Shi'er said, the corner of his eye twitching as he quickly parted his lips from Shen Miaoyin's and spoke softly.

Shen Miaoyin's cheeks flushed crimson as she finally realized she was tightly wrapped around Su Shi'er.

"Your... back!" Feeling the sticky sensation under her fingers, she became aware that she had unintentionally scratched Su Shi'er, her tone carrying a hint of apology.

"It's nothing, just a minor scratch. It'll heal in a few days." Su Shi'er shook his head and said with a smile.

To a cultivator, this kind of injury was nothing. But the close contact with Shen Miaoyin gave him a strange experience he would never forget.

"Hmph!" Shen Miaoyin gave a cold snort and raised her hand to push open the Cave Entrance.

"Peak Master Shen, I suggest you don't rush to leave. The outside is sealed off now. If they can't find anyone, they'll definitely come back." Su Shi'er quickly advised, looking calm and composed.

"Unexpected. You're young, but your mind is sharp." Shen Miaoyin said coldly, stopping her movements.

She had naturally thought of what Su Shi'er said. But being in such close contact made her very uncomfortable.

"Forget it. I'll take this chance to recover my strength as quickly as possible!"

Shifting her thoughts, she took out a pill and swallowed it. Then she closed her eyes, focused her mind, and began to refine it.

Only in this state could she set aside all distractions and remain unaffected.

Besides, recovering her cultivation as soon as possible would give her more confidence if danger arose again.

Seeing this, Su Shi'er didn't waste time either. He directly took out a Cinnabar Fruit and swallowed it. Refining a Cinnabar Fruit took at least ten days, and he had no shortage of time now.

As the Cinnabar Fruit went down his throat, he felt as if a massive ball of energy had been swallowed.

The energy traveled from his throat to his abdomen. With a slight thought, he felt a hot current rapidly circulate through his meridians once, then transform into his own cultivation base.

This was far easier than refining Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi or a Qi Gathering Pill. Most importantly, it was also very comfortable.

However, the amount he shed was far less than the energy orb.

With that in mind, Su Shi'er dared not waste any time. He quickly focused his mind and began refining with full effort.

His cultivation base slowly rose at a visible pace.

For ten days, the people of Tianhua Peak searched the outskirts of the Spiritual Plant Garden countless times and even returned to the garden several times, but all efforts came up empty.

In the end, they could only give up reluctantly.

On the eleventh day.

Two figures burst out from underground in the Boulder Pile.

Shen Miaoyin wore a smile, looking spirited and radiant. A thick aura emanated from her, a sign that her cultivation had recovered.

Ten days of rest had fully restored her cultivation. Once she returned and refined those two Cinnabar Fruits, she had a seventy percent chance of forming a Golden Core.

But when her gaze fell on Su Shi'er beside her, her expression turned slightly awkward, and even more so, surprised.