Reborn anew!

"What a terrifying presence!"

Many of those watching from the sidelines cried out in shock!

Even with their meager strength, they could still sense how terrifying Xue Qing'er was as her strength soared!

And naturally, the one who sensed the changes in Xue Qing'er's presence most clearly was Lin Yu, who stood closest to her!

Nascent Soul second tier!

Nascent Soul third tier!

Nascent Soul fourth tier!

Nascent Soul fifth tier!

In just a few short minutes, Xue Qing'er's strength had actually surged by a full four tiers!

Had any other Nascent Soul experts been present, they would probably have spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot!

That was a full four tiers!

And four tiers within the Nascent Soul realm, at that!

If a Nascent Soul Second Tier cultivator could barely command a region within the sect world of the empire's Eastern Region, then a Nascent Soul Fifth Tier cultivator was already a true expert!

Though they were all at the Nascent Soul stage, even five Nascent Soul Second Tier cultivators joining forces would not dare claim they could defeat a Nascent Soul Fifth Tier expert!

Such was the weight of the Nascent Soul realm. A chasm separated every tier!

At that moment, Xue Qing'er had practically been reborn anew!

Sensing the improvement in Xue Qing'er's strength, Lin Yu gave a satisfied smile.

He knew better than anyone that Xue Qing'er's cultivation had stagnated at the Nascent Soul second tier because of the buildup of cold Qi from the Clear Frost Instruction.

Now that the buildup of cold Qi had been resolved, the strength it had suppressed within Xue Qing'er had finally been fully released!

A barely perceptible rosy flush had also appeared on her exquisite, lovely face.

As soon as Xue Qing'er regained her senses, she saw Lin Yu's smiling face and froze.

After being nourished by the medicine, Xue Qing'er's entire bearing had softened, losing that earlier sense of frostlike coldness.

"Now I truly have no way of repaying what I owe you."

Xue Qing'er smiled wryly. It was only her first day knowing him, yet why did she feel as though he had her bound fast?

"It's nothing."

Lin Yu waved a hand, unconcerned.

"Once you return to your sect, remember to nourish your body with fire-attribute heavenly materials and earthly treasures every week."

Lin Yu added another reminder.

"Are you seeing me off?"

Yet at his words, Xue Qing'er showed not a trace of delight.

A hint of reluctance appeared on her face.

As clever as she was, she immediately realized that Lin Yu was leaving.

"Will we... have a chance to meet again?"

After hesitating for a long time, Xue Qing'er finally could not help asking.

The sight of her pearly teeth biting tightly into her red lip made even Lin Yu's heart tremble.

"Let fate take its course."

"Next time, perhaps at the Qianyuan Sect."

As Lin Yu's words fell with a faint smile, his figure gradually turned illusory.

"Wait... could you be an elder of the Qianyuan Sect?"

Xue Qing'er pressed urgently. In the empire's Eastern Region, the name of the Qianyuan Sect rang like thunder in everyone's ears!

The three publicly acknowledged leading powers in the empire's Eastern Region were the Eastern Domain Imperial Family, the Dark Nether Divine Hall, and the Qianyuan Sect, which had extremely deep ties to Lin Yu!

What was certain was that each of these three powers had more than one Soul Transformation realm expert presiding over it!

If a Nascent Soul realm expert could already hold their own in the empire's Eastern Region...

Then a legendary Soul Transformation realm expert was a true titan of the region!

Any power with even one Soul Transformation realm expert could rank among the truly first-rate powers of the empire's Eastern Region!

Moreover, rumors had once claimed...

That all three great powers of the Eastern Region had experts beyond the Nascent Soul peak stage!

Spirit Transformation experts!

That was a level that existed only in legends!

As for the realms beyond Spirit Transformation, such as Body Integration, Mahayana, Tribulation Transcendence, and so on, they seemed more like mythical tales than realms that truly existed.

Even Xue Qing'er had never heard of any place with an expert beyond Spirit Transformation!

Within the vast Eastern Region of the empire...

Spirit Transformation realm experts were already akin to true gods!

Of course, that naturally did not take a cheat like Lin Yu into account.

Yet Lin Yu offered no further response.

His figure had already vanished completely into the void.

At the sight, Xue Qing'er lightly bit her red lip with her pearly teeth.

Her fists clenched slightly.

"Thank you for what you did today..."

With a complicated look in her beautiful eyes, Xue Qing'er gazed in the direction where Lin Yu had vanished.

Then she bowed deeply to the sky.

She knew that she would probably struggle to repay Lin Yu's kindness today even if she spent her entire life trying.

Besides, given his strength, she probably would have a hard time helping him with anything...

Xue Qing'er suddenly felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness.

For the past several decades, she had focused solely on cultivation, paying no attention to anything else.

It was precisely because she had allowed no distractions that she had attained her achievements today.

But today, just as the hidden danger within her body had finally been resolved in such a dramatic fashion, someone had also swept into her heart with unstoppable force.

Xue Qing'er's strength had now advanced beyond what it had been before.

Yet her once-stable state of mind had been thrown into complete disarray in an instant.

Xue Qing'er stood where she was, gazing in the direction where Lin Yu had vanished, silent for a long time.

"Perhaps it's as you said. As long as fate wills it, we'll meet again someday."

An unknown amount of time passed, and the sky began to darken.

At last, Xue Qing'er took Su Ying with her and vanished into the void.

Their surroundings seemed to return to their former silence.

It was as though none of today's events had ever happened.

Only Xue Qing'er's wistful sigh as she left lingered between heaven and earth.

As though it were still telling of those unusual, gently stirring feelings...