I Want You to Help Me Cultivate!!!

"An-and Teacher said that if you need it, he'll arrange for the Soul Bone reward from this Freshman Assessment to be a Left Arm Soul Bone as well, only—" Watching Lu Yuan's unreadable expression, Ma Xiaotao carefully added, "Only, it is still just a Freshman Assessment reward, so its quality won't be that high."

That was more like it.

Hearing this, Lu Yuan stared expressionlessly at Ma Xiaotao for a moment before lightly snapping his fingers and releasing his control over the seal.

"Mmph—" After repeated torment, Ma Xiaotao was utterly spent. Her entire body went limp, and she collapsed onto the cold floor.

The cold ground and the intermittent warm flow between her legs intertwined, stimulating Ma Xiaotao's nerves.

Ever since her Martial Soul awakened, she had been treated as heaven's favored daughter. Elders at the academy with higher cultivation had indulged her in every way, while students with lower cultivation had flattered her endlessly because of her domineering temperament, terrified of offending her. When had she ever suffered such humiliation?

Complex emotions, wrapped in fury, burned within Ma Xiaotao's heart. She had never been mild-tempered, and everything Lu Yuan had done to her had thoroughly stirred the Evil Fire buried deep within her.

Hm? Lu Yuan, who had been checking the supplies in his storage pouch and preparing to leave, sensed something strange behind him.

Trying to bare your fangs at me?

With a light snap of his fingers, the Evil Fire that had been beginning to stir was completely suppressed by the seal. Ma Xiaotao's eyes, which had begun shifting from pale pink toward blood red, returned to their pale pink color.

"It seems you're very dissatisfied with me."

Looking at Ma Xiaotao beside him, whose murderous gaze had turned clear again, Lu Yuan spoke indifferently.

"N-no, Martial Uncle!" Seeing Lu Yuan raise his hand as if to snap his fingers, the newly lucid Ma Xiaotao hurriedly began explaining.

"Ever since you sealed my evil aura a few months ago, I discovered that I could actually cultivate normally without being affected by it anymore!"

"But the good times did not last. As my cultivation gradually deepened, this evil aura fused with my Martial Soul still began to lose control and leak out from the seal. Recently, far more evil aura has escaped than a few months ago, and it has started affecting my mind again!"

"M-Martial Uncle, I know your abilities are extraordinary. If you are willing to help me seal the evil aura, then can I continue cultivating?" Ma Xiaotao bit her pink lip tightly and looked at Lu Yuan with hopeful eyes as she pleaded, "M-Martial Uncle, Xiaotao knows she offended you before, but please, considering how generous the compensation Teacher offered is, I... I want to ask you to help me cultivate!"

"What does that have to do with me?" With his arms folded over his chest, Lu Yuan looked down at Ma Xiaotao on the ground and said blandly, "This compensation is for your public attack on me by Sea Ginseng Lake last time—compensation for attacking a fellow disciple and betraying your master and ancestors. What does that have to do with helping you cultivate? Besides, setting aside everything from before, based on what you just did, it would already be a great mercy if I did not punish you with the Evil Fire. And you still want me to help you cultivate?"

"Th-this... Martial Uncle—" Ma Xiaotao's eyes filled with disappointment at Lu Yuan's words.

That was right. She was the one asking him for help, and she had been the one to attack first. It was only natural and right for Lu Yuan to receive compensation. For her to hope for anything more was truly...

"Martial Uncle, since this matter is more or less settled, please leave first. Xiaotao will continue urging Teacher to obtain that Left Arm Soul Bone as soon as possible." Ma Xiaotao rose listlessly from the ground and quietly saw Lu Yuan out.

"No, you misunderstood what I meant." Looking at Ma Xiaotao before him, Lu Yuan's eyes gleamed as he said softly, "What I mean is—you need to pay more!"

Ma Xiaotao: ?!!

This one's good, take it. This one's good too, take it!

Holding Ma Xiaotao's Storage Soul Tool, Lu Yuan conducted a thorough sweep of its contents.

"Is there any more?"

"Martial Uncle, that's all there is." Ma Xiaotao looked troubled as she said, "These heavenly treasures were the latest batch Teacher sent to help me suppress the Evil Fire. They're all here!"

"Then this will do for now." Lu Yuan was overjoyed inside, but his expression did not change.

I'm rich, I'm rich! Ten-Thousand-Year Minglight Fruit, Thousand-Year Ice Marrow Liquid, and several other ice-attributed heavenly treasures that were seven or eight thousand years old. They're all mine! All mine!

It seemed Yan Shaozhe, that miser, spent every treasure he had on his precious disciple. Looking at his bulging Storage Soul Tool, Lu Yuan thought this to himself.

Most of these heavenly treasures had been prepared by Yan Shaozhe to suppress Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire. The Radiant Light Fruit was used to strengthen her spiritual power and help Ma Xiaotao preserve her true self, while the ice-attributed heavenly treasures compressed Soul Power and suppressed the Evil Fire.

"Then why weren't these in your Storage Soul Tool when I took it last time?" As if remembering something, Lu Yuan suddenly stared at Ma Xiaotao vigilantly.

Ma Xiaotao: ...Was it possible that the last time, the reason her Evil Fire lost control and she went into cultivation deviation was precisely because these heavenly treasures had arrived late?

I lost a hundred million! My heavenly treasures, they were all mine!

Wiping away the tears at the corner of his mouth with a sorrowful heart, Lu Yuan directed Ma Xiaotao to assume a proper posture. She sat cross-legged and extended her hands, palms facing his. "Guard your mind. Get ready. I'm going in!"

Immediately afterward, Lu Yuan used Elder Yi's signature magic—Purification Flame!

Purification Flame had been Elder Yi's signature magic in his previous life. It could restrain evil aura, undead beings, and other negative energies.

As if recalling something, while using Purification Flame, Lu Yuan also activated the Holy Light of Light-Breaking Demon in his right arm and attached it to the Purification Flame.

Then, following Ma Xiaotao's meridians, he slowly sent this strand of holy Purification Flame into her body. At the same time, he controlled the seal and cautiously released a strand of evil aura.

"Mmph!" The release of the evil aura made Ma Xiaotao groan again, but with Lu Yuan's prior warning, she still endured the burning sensation and steadied her mind.

As the Holy Fire met the evil aura, the evil aura melted away like snow encountering its natural enemy. The original strand of Holy Fire also dissipated along with it.

It worked! *2

The dissipation of the evil aura gave Ma Xiaotao a feeling of comfort and coolness rising from the depths of her soul. The Evil Fire that had tormented her without pause had indeed weakened considerably.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, discovered that as the evil aura perished, an extremely faint yet exceptionally pure energy flowed into his right arm.

Sure enough, the idea of strengthening Light-Breaking Demon by purifying the evil aura within Ma Xiaotao was viable!

Looking at Ma Xiaotao sitting cross-legged before him, Lu Yuan's eyes gleamed. Witch, I want you to help me cultivate!!!

Immediately, a thicker, larger strand of Holy Fire was poured into Ma Xiaotao's meridians, while Lu Yuan released the seal and drew out an even thicker, longer strand of evil aura.