I Want You to Help Me Cultivate!!!

"And... 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. It's just—" Seeing Lu Yuan's impassive expression, Ma Xiaotao carefully added, "It's just that this is only 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—" The repeated torment had left Ma Xiaotao hovering between life and death. Her entire body went limp, and she collapsed onto the cold floor.

The cold floor mingled with the waves of warm liquid between her thighs, stimulating Ma Xiaotao's nerves.

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

Complex emotions, wrapped in rage, burned within Ma Xiaotao's heart. She had never been good-tempered to begin with, and everything Lu Yuan had done to her had thoroughly ignited the Evil Fire deep within her heart.

Hm? Lu Yuan, who had been recounting the supplies in his Storage Soul Tool and preparing to leave, noticed the anomaly behind him.

Trying to bare your fangs at me?

With a light snap of his fingers, the Evil Fire that had been stirring was completely suppressed by the seal. Ma Xiaotao's eyes, which had been changing from pale pink to blood red, returned to pale pink.

"Looks like you're very dissatisfied with me."

Seeing Ma Xiaotao's gaze shift from murderous intent to clarity, Lu Yuan spoke calmly.

"N-No, that's not it, Martial Uncle!" Seeing Lu Yuan raise his hand as if to snap his fingers, the now-clearheaded Ma Xiaotao hurriedly began explaining.

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

"But the good times didn't last. As my cultivation gradually deepened, this evil energy fused with my Martial Soul still slowly began losing control and leaking out of the seal. Recently, far more evil energy has leaked out than a few months ago, and it has started affecting my mind again!"

"M-Martial Uncle, I know you possess great abilities. If you're willing to help me seal the evil energy, then I can continue cultivating, right?" Ma Xiaotao bit her pink lips tightly and looked at Lu Yuan with expectant eyes as she pleaded, "M-Martial Uncle, Xiaotao knows I offended you before, but please, for the sake of the generous compensation Teacher offered, I... I want to ask you to help me cultivate!"

"What does that have to do with me?" Crossing his arms, Lu Yuan looked down at Ma Xiaotao on the ground and said flatly, "This compensation is for your blatant attack on me by Sea Ginseng Lake last time—for attacking a fellow disciple and defying your teacher and ancestors. What does that have to do with helping you cultivate? Besides, setting aside the past, just based on what you did a moment ago, it would already be an act of great mercy if I didn't punish you with Evil Fire. And you still want me to help you cultivate?"

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

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 proper for Lu Yuan to receive compensation. Yet she still hoped to ask for more. Really...

"Martial Uncle, since things are more or less settled, please leave first. Xiaotao will continue urging Teacher and get that left arm Soul Bone as soon as possible." Ma Xiaotao stood from the ground listlessly and quietly saw Lu Yuan out.

"No, you misunderstood what I meant." Lu Yuan looked at Ma Xiaotao, his eyes glinting as he softly said, "What I mean is—you need to pay more!"

Ma Xiaotao: ?!!

This one was good. Take it. This one was good too. Take it as well!

Holding Ma Xiaotao's Storage Soul Tool, Lu Yuan thoroughly looted it.

"Is there any more?"

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

"Then this will do for now." Lu Yuan was overjoyed inside, though his expression remained unchanged.

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, had 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 Minglight Fruit could refresh her spiritual power and help Ma Xiaotao protect her true heart, while the ice-attributed heavenly treasures could compress Soul Power and suppress the Evil Fire.

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

Ma Xiaotao: ...Was it possible that the reason her Evil Fire had gone out of control and caused her to suffer cultivation deviation last time was precisely because these heavenly treasures had arrived late?

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

Wiping the tears from the corners of his mouth with grief in his heart, Lu Yuan directed Ma Xiaotao to assume a posture. She sat cross-legged and extended her hands, palms facing his. "Steady your mind and 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 energy, undead, and other negative energies.

As if he had thought of something, Lu Yuan activated the sacred light of Light-Breaking Demon in his right arm while using Purification Flame, attaching it to the flame.

Then, following Ma Xiaotao's meridians, he slowly sent this wisp of sacred Purification Flame into her body. At the same time, he controlled the seal and carefully released a wisp of evil energy.

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

When the sacred flame met the evil energy, the evil energy melted away like ice and snow encountering its natural enemy. The original wisp of sacred flame also dispersed along with it.

It worked! 2

As the evil energy dissipated, Ma Xiaotao felt a sense of comfort and coolness rise from the depths of her soul. The Evil Fire that had tormented her without cease truly weakened considerably.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, discovered that as the evil energy vanished, a wisp of extremely faint yet exceptionally pure energy flowed into his right arm.

Sure enough, the idea of strengthening Light-Breaking Demon by purifying the evil energy within Ma Xiaotao's body was feasible!

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

Immediately afterward, a thicker, larger wisp of sacred flame was poured into Ma Xiaotao's meridians, while Lu Yuan loosened the seal and drew out a thicker, longer strand of evil energy.