Brief Words on Short Paper; May You Keep Well

North Island, Yi-Six Cave Abode.

A delicate fragrance filled the spacious, sumptuously appointed bedchamber.

A powerfully built man, depleted of both qi and blood and seemingly on his last breath, was tossed off the luxurious bed.

"Xiaopin, come in and dispose of him."

A languid voice came from the great bed shrouded in gauze curtains.

The man's eyes bulged wide, his face filled with resentment and hatred.

Yet all his magical power had vanished, his blood essence was depleted, and he could barely even sense his own qi sea.

It was as though someone had forcibly drained it all away.

A young maiden entered the bedchamber, gave the man an indifferent glance, and asked respectfully, "Miss, shall I use him to refine the Netherworld Soul Banner, or throw him into the sea to feed the fish?"

The woman on the magnificent bed said softly, "After sharing pleasure with him so many times, how could I bear to watch him sink into endless torment on the Netherworld Soul Banner, struggling without release? Let him fend for himself at the bottom of the sea instead."

The maiden obediently assented. Then her slender, snow-white hand released a rope that wrapped around the man and floated him into the air, and she dragged him away as though pulling a balloon.

Judging by her practiced movements, she seemed to have done this many times before.

A while later.

The bed curtains lifted, and a woman with eyebrows sweeping toward her temples and a face suffused with killing intent stepped gracefully down.

She wore a splendid long gown. Her aura surged, deep and powerful, with faint black mist around her and spiritual energy seething as though boiling.

Having just harvested a Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivator to replenish herself, she had momentarily lost some control over the restless spiritual energy within her.

Before long, the maid returned with a letter, which she respectfully offered to the woman. "Miss, I just ran into Young Master Yan. He asked this servant to deliver a letter to you."

The woman casually took the letter and opened it. As her eyes swept over it, an amused smile appeared on her face. "To think there was someone like this among last year's newly promoted inner disciples! Very well. My cultivation has improved greatly of late, and I happen to need a fellow disciple to test my skills against. At this Fish-Dragon Assembly, I'll see what he's made of."

She handed the letter to the maid and said with a smile, "Go ask around about him."

"Yes."

The maid took the letter and glanced curiously at its contents. It read-

"Senior Sister Yutang, may reading these words be as meeting face-to-face.

Recently, I happened to meet a newly promoted inner disciple named Fang Hong. During last year's entrance trial, he slew over twenty cultivators of his own level in succession, and none could rival his renown.

His swordsmanship has reached a realm of wondrous mastery, leaving one breathless with admiration. At this Fish-Dragon Assembly, Senior Sister, you might do well to avoid him.

The paper is short and my words are meager; may you keep well.

Respectfully yours, your humble junior brother, Feihuang."

The maid lightly bit her red lip, glanced at her mistress, and gently cautioned, "Miss, Young Master Yan is trying to goad you."

The woman gave a cold, derisive smile. "As if I couldn't see that."

She leaned leisurely against the back of her chair, slowly raised her fair wrist, and curled her fingers slightly, admiring her long, dazzling crimson nails. "I've already fought my way through the inner disciples. Apart from those few I can't beat, the others have long since lost their novelty. And that turtle Yan Feihuang keeps his head tucked in, refusing to fight..."

"Now a newcomer like this has appeared. How could I bear to pass him up?"

As she finished, she pressed her pale red lips together and raised her eyes to the maid.

Those two gazes, sharp as blades, made the maid's face sting. Not daring to utter another word, she hastily lowered her head and left.

"At this Fish-Dragon Assembly, only Yan Feihuang and She Yutang are worth watching. The rest are nothing to worry about."

In the White Jade Pavilion, Fang Hong and Su Yao had finished their spirit meal and were discussing the Fish-Dragon Assembly as they digested its spiritual essence.

At that moment, they felt as though they were inside a furnace, their bodies wrapped in a faint layer of auspicious golden radiance and suffused with warmth.

"Don't worry. I have my own methods," Su Yao said slowly. "At first, I worried you might be careless when fighting others. Now it seems your combat experience surpasses mine by who knows how much."

The golden haze around them thickened, and an invisible force circulated ceaselessly through their bodies, tempering their flesh and bringing about a transformation.

"That's good." Fang Hong nodded, then said in surprise, "This spirit dish really is extraordinary. I can clearly feel my body growing stronger."

"Of course it's good. Even I... my sister praises this Azure-Snow Spirit Fish to the skies."

Su Yao had nearly let something slip. She glanced swiftly at Fang Hong, and when she saw that he had not noticed, she continued, "If you could eat it regularly, your body could rival a third- or fourth-tier fierce beast."

"A third- or fourth-tier demonic beast?"

Fang Hong froze, not having expected the Azure-Snow Spirit Fish he had obtained by chance to possess such miraculous effects.

"Unfortunately, the ancient Food Cultivators hunted this fish to extinction. These days, you can only come across it by chance, not seek it out," Su Yao said regretfully.

Fang Hong, however, was wondering which would work better: this fish or [Gluttony], one of Kunxu's seven great medicines.

He still lacked quite a few of the spiritual ingredients needed to prepare [Gluttony]. As for [Wrath], he had replenished many of its ingredients aboard the Myriad Worlds Ancient Boat earlier and now needed only one more material to complete the set.

They chatted as they refined the spiritual essence.

As time passed, the golden haze around Fang Hong gradually sank through his skin into his body. He felt utterly at ease, as though his flesh, bones, and internal organs had all been nourished by the golden haze.

His heart beat like a pounding drum, and qi and blood surged through his body, rushing into every limb and bone.

A sticky substance gradually seeped out onto his skin.

Boom!

Fang Hong's body shuddered, as though something inside him had been opened up. His body suddenly swelled, nearly bursting his robes, exposing the hard contours of muscles across his chest that looked cast from steel.

His muscles bulged and knotted, his arms grew far thicker than before, and he radiated an incomparable sense of explosive power!

He tore off his clothes and saw that his skin had taken on a pale golden hue. As though a volcano had erupted within him, a current of scorching air had appeared in his body, brimming with strength.

Su Yao, by contrast, showed no obvious physical change. Once the golden glow and haze faded, her skin was snow-white and lustrous, its divine radiance drawn inward, and a delicate floral fragrance wafted from her.

Seeing Fang Hong examining her curiously, she hurriedly said, "Aren't you going to take a bath?"

Fang Hong reached out and gestured in front of her chest. "Why didn't you get bigger?"

Su Yao laughed softly. "I have a secret technique that can refine the spiritual essence in spirit meals, but the price is a permanent floral fragrance on the body. Would you like to learn it?"

"Then I'll pass."

Fang Hong could not help laughing. With a thought, his body gradually returned to its original size, but his muscles still looked cast from steel, their contours displaying a man's masculine beauty. Every muscle in his body brimmed with explosive strength.

"Come scrub my back."

He took Su Yao by the hand and headed upstairs.

Su Yao's cheeks burned, a trace of bashfulness and indulgent affection hidden in her eyes, and she obediently followed.

Meanwhile.

Within Su Yao's sea of consciousness, the dignified, beautiful woman seated in the Azure Lotus sighed softly, a hint of helplessness on her face.

"Again. Young people have no restraint..."