Seventy-Five Frames

It was a good thing Pei Ling hadn't come along. If he'd seen Qiao Ranran looking so lovestruck, he probably would have torn the roof off on the spot.

Ji Qingming held out his wrist. His pale, almost translucent fingers left Qiao Ranran a little dazzled. Even after all the time she'd spent building up resistance to Pei Ling, a man this bewitching still made her Divine Soul sway. Unlike Feng Changdong's allure, which came from his Enchanting Demon Bloodline, Ji Qingming's charm came entirely from himself.

Qiao Ranran forced herself to calm down and carefully took Ji Qingming's pulse. The techniques she'd learned in the Langhuan Blessed Land to accompany that Acupuncture Technique included a method of probing the pulse. Even though Ji Qingming offered no resistance and let her probe freely, his domineering aura nearly shook her Divine Soul loose.

Fortunately, her experience in the Divine-Demon Battlefield had strengthened her Divine Soul considerably. She could just barely withstand the pressure. Avoiding the onrushing aura, she struggled to examine him, then withdrew in haste. Her face was deathly pale, and cold sweat covered her body as though she'd been hauled out of icy water.

For a Cultivator, she looked as though she'd lost control. But for a Golden Core Stage Cultivator to probe his pulse and come away unharmed was already enough to surprise Ji Qingming.

In fact, while she was taking his pulse, he'd been ready to make her withdraw if things got out of hand. He knew better than anyone how overbearing the Force Qi inside him was. Even Xi Lingge could barely take his pulse, let alone a little Golden Core Stage Cultivator like Qiao Ranran.

Yet Qiao Ranran had held on. She looked somewhat shaken, but her eyes shone as though she'd discovered something fascinating.