Zhu Xiaoliang! Hitting the Jackpot!
Inside the Hall of Longevity.
Smack, smack, smack!
On the gilded stand, red candles flickered, tiny sparks crackling along their wicks.
Outside the window, bright moonlight spilled like mercury through the carved lattice into the warm, hibiscus-patterned bed curtains. Light and shadow constantly interwove across the curtains, the silhouettes lengthening and shortening.
Two hours later.
Xu Changsheng leaned against the headboard, looking at Zhu Xiaoliang curled up in his arms.
At that moment, a fine sheen of fragrant sweat covered Zhu Xiaoliang's entire body, and her long black hair lay damp across the snow-white pillow...
A few strands clung to her sweaty cheeks and neck, tracing graceful lines.
Her cheeks bore an intoxicating flush. Her once-clear eyes were now half-lidded, their corners reddened, holding a hint of moisture and dazed bewilderment.
That immortal air untouched by worldly affairs had long since faded, replaced by a breathtaking, bewitching allure...
An immortal maiden fallen into the mortal world.
"Tsk~"
Xu Changsheng gently stroked Zhu Xiaoliang's smooth, delicate back. His breathing was only slightly quickened, and he could not help inwardly shaking his head.
Her combat prowess couldn't compare to Qi Zhaoyue's or Ye Luoxue's at all...
With that woman Qi Zhaoyue, Xu Changsheng had always been the one who could not take any more, while she could still go about handling affairs as usual the next day.
Although Ye Luoxue fell slightly short of her, she could still last four hours.
Yet Zhu Xiaoliang, this seemingly ethereal, clear-eyed, innocent little Daoist nun, could no longer even move her fingers after just two hours. Now she could barely keep her eyes open.
Sure enough, she still needed to be trained slowly.
Smiling, Xu Changsheng rubbed Zhu Xiaoliang's slightly swollen lower belly, his fingertips gliding over her delicate skin as he asked curiously:
"How was it? How much did your cultivation improve?"
"Qi Zhaoyue said you were to stay in the Lotus Grotto-Heaven for three months. At this rate, will you be able to break through to the Tenth Realm: Dao Comprehension Realm by then?"
"Mm... mm..."
At his words, Zhu Xiaoliang's long eyelashes trembled, and she laboriously opened her dazed eyes.
Her gaze was unfocused as she glanced blankly at Xu Changsheng, then unconsciously murmured twice.
It was unclear whether she was answering Xu Changsheng's questions or merely mumbling in her sleep.
After that, she closed her eyes again and burrowed her head into Xu Changsheng's arms, nuzzling his chest like a kitten, her face filled with satisfaction and lingering enjoyment.
Then her breathing grew even once more, and she fell into a deep sleep.
"Never mind..."
Seeing this, Xu Changsheng did not press her further.
There were still three months, after all, so there was no rush. Instead, he silently addressed the Cautious Dao Sainthood System:
System, open Zhu Xiaoliang's copyable talents panel.
The next second, a pale blue virtual panel appeared in Xu Changsheng's mind.
[Name: Zhu Xiaoliang] [Sex: Female] [Cultivation: Peak of the Ninth Realm Dragon Gate Realm] [Identity: Direct disciple of the Daoist Heaven Sect, commandery princess of Northern Liang, third-ranked beauty on the Great Yu Rouge Ranking] [Physique: Heavenly Heart Dao Body (not fully awakened)] [Copyable talents: Heavenly Heart Dao Body (SSS), Dominance and Captivity Sword Heart (SSS), Swordsmanship Mastery (B), Harmonizing with Light and Merging with Dust (S), Three Talents Formation (A), Talisman Fundamentals (C)...] (Note: First intimate contact with the target detected. System reward requirements met. Host awarded one free random copying opportunity.)
Looking at Zhu Xiaoliang's talents on the panel, Xu Changsheng was a little surprised.
As expected of Qi Zhaoyue's junior sister. To have been accepted as the sole personal disciple of Bai Yuer, the Heaven Sect's leader, her talent was indeed exceptional.
In fact, purely in terms of talent, Zhu Xiaoliang was actually a cut above Qi Zhaoyue.
However, although Zhu Xiaoliang's talent surprised Xu Changsheng...
Xu Changsheng did not believe for a moment that Zhu Xiaoliang could possibly be Qi Zhaoyue's match in an actual fight.
After all, talent ultimately represented only potential.
How much of that potential one could realize, and whether one could surpass the limits of one's talent in the future, ultimately depended on one's character and will.
Could those mighty figures who reached the Fourteenth Realm, or even the immortal lords who ascended, have done so simply because their talent was high enough? Did insufficient talent mean there was not the slightest chance?
How could that be?!
In Xu Changsheng's heart, Qi Zhaoyue had no such thing as a ceiling imposed by talent.
With her character, even if someone told him...
That Qi Zhaoyue would truly command destiny in the future and become the world's first "immortal" in a hundred thousand years, Xu Changsheng would believe it.
In fact, seeing Qi Zhaoyue would instinctively remind Xu Changsheng of that astonishingly brilliant Ruthless Female Emperor in his memories.
Did Qi Zhaoyue possess the Ruthless Great Emperor's astonishing brilliance, unrivaled throughout past and present?
Xu Changsheng was not quite sure.
After all, Qi Zhaoyue had never revealed her true strength before him, but her ruthlessness extended even to herself...
For nothing more than that elusive legend of becoming an immortal, she dared stake absolutely everything she had, even her life, on that wispy, insubstantial possibility, without ever wavering in the slightest.
That character, that ruthless resolve, was absolutely no less than the Ruthless Great Emperor's.
"Qi Zhaoyue, oh, Qi Zhaoyue..."
Xu Changsheng murmured, a trace of complexity appearing in his eyes.
That wicked woman truly left him angry, helpless, and admiring all at once...
After a long while, Xu Changsheng shook his head helplessly and stopped dwelling on it.
He silently addressed the system in his mind: System, begin randomly drawing one of Zhu Xiaoliang's talents.
As his words fell, a familiar, enormous wheel instantly appeared in Xu Changsheng's sea of consciousness.
As before, it was evenly divided into several sections, each labeled with one of Zhu Xiaoliang's talents...
"Start!"
At Xu Changsheng's command, the wheel instantly began spinning at high speed.
Come on, let me see what the reward is!
As Xu Changsheng gently toyed with Zhu Xiaoliang's soft, springy, fair skin, he kept his eyes fixed on the spinning wheel in his sea of consciousness, his heart filled with anticipation.
The Heavenly Heart Dao Body would be best. Supposedly, it could increase its possessor's cultivation speed a hundredfold and even let them enter a state of unity between heaven and humanity.
Dominance and Captivity Sword Heart?
The books hadn't mentioned this one, but at SSS rank, it was definitely a top-tier sword heart.
If I had it, perhaps my Lone Star Moon Slaying Saber Technique could reach another level...
Whichever of those two I drew, it'd be a huge win with no downside!
"Stop!"
As Xu Changsheng spoke, the wheel abruptly slowed.
Soon, the pointer swept past the "Daoist School Swordsmanship Mastery (B rank)" section, then slowly passed over "Heart-Purifying Instruction (A rank)"...
"Please, Keep-a-Low-Profile System, could you give me an SSS this time? There are two of them. Surely you ought to give me one?!"
Xu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly, too nervous to look. Finally, the pointer came to a stop.
Autumn killed, winter killed; the four seasons were blades that left bloody scars;
Winter killed, autumn killed; spring birthed and summer nurtured, another cycle begun.
Living beings gnawed old bones; where death lay, new souls were sown.
A thousand forms fell, bones still warm; cast away stars, hurl aside the moon, abandon the keepers of time!
When Xu Changsheng opened his eyes, he saw lines of golden seal script suspended in the air, flowing and shifting...
Hiss!
In an instant, wild joy flooded Xu Changsheng's heart. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I finally hit the fucking jackpot!!!