Xiang Yu froze in his tracks as he erged from the spirit vein, coming face to face with Xiuying who had been playing around the spirit vein's entrance. He maintained his outward composure despite the unexpected encounter, quickly assessing that her cultivation was rely at the Foundation Establishnt realm—not an imdiate threat to the current him.
Seizing the opportunity to test his newly upgraded abilities, he activated his fifth-grade appraisal skill:
[Na: Wang Xiuying]
[Realm: Body: 10th Layer; Spirit: Early Foundation Establishnt]
[Species: Human]
[Status: Cursed]
[Info: The only daughter of the Golden Edge Sect's Sect Master]
Xiang Yu noted with mild disappointnt that his appraisal function seed less precise than he'd hoped. It displayed "Early Foundation Establishnt" rather than specifying the exact cultivation layer like his system interface did. Furthermore, it categorized her as human, which contradicted what his system had revealed earlier—that she was half-beast with a Qilin bloodline.
Despite these shortcomings, he recognized the function still offered valuable supplentary information, such as her identity as the daughter of a powerful sect leader. This detail imdiately triggered his survival instincts—a warning flag to maintain his distance from soone with such connections.
His assessnt was interrupted when the young woman suddenly leaned toward him, her face uncomfortably close as she sniffed him.
"You sll strange," she declared without a hint of self-consciousness, continuing to sniff the air around him.
Xiang Yu stepped back instinctively, creating space between them. Who approaches a stranger and comnts on their scent? Though he hadn't properly bathed in a while, the spirit spring purified him daily. How could he possibly sll 'strange'?
"What are you doing here?" he asked, deliberately changing the subject.
"Catching butterflies," she replied with a radiant smile, advancing toward him once more. "What about you? How did you appear suddenly from nowhere? Can you teach ?"
Xiang Yu sidestepped her approach again, maintaining a safe distance. "Catching butterflies?" he echoed, studying her more carefully. He thought to himself that she didn't look that young. "Did you catch any?" he inquired, redirecting the conversation again.
Her expression dimd slightly. "No, if I catch them, they'll die," she answered, her voice carrying a hint of resignation.
This revelation sparked Xiang Yu's curiosity, especially considering her "Cursed" status displayed in his appraisal. In a normal scenario, this would be the perfect mont to inquire further and uncover her tragic backstory. But Xiang Yu had no intention of triggering another "heroine scenario"; he already had his hands full with Li Yao.
"Why did you co here?" he pressed, ignoring the opening for deeper conversation.
She tilted her head, studying him with interest. "You're strange," she observed, her vocabulary suddenly more sophisticated than her earlier childlike manner. "It's the first ti soone has acted so indifferent to saying such a thing."
"It's not that strange," Xiang Yu replied with nonchalance. "Why don't you keep playing? I'll take my leave." He turned away, determined to avoid further association with yet another potential protagonist.
"Wait, don't leave yet!" she called, hurrying after him. "You still haven't told how to suddenly appear like you did!"
Rather than answering, Xiang Yu activated his movent technique, vanishing instantly from her sight.
Left alone, Wang Xiuying halted where Xiang Yu had stood just monts before. She touched her chin thoughtfully, her eyes scanning the empty space. "Where did he go? He was here just now..."
The two won continued their heated exchange, their voices growing sharper with each retort. Elder Guo sat beside them, shoulders hunched, resembling a battlefield casualty more than a respected cultivation elder. He had attempted several tis to interject, only to be silenced with synchronized commands to "shut up." When he'd tried to quietly slip away, both won had fixed him with glares that rooted him to his seat.
His face brightened suddenly at the sight of an approaching figure. He could finally escape from this verbal tempest that assaulted his ears. "Ah, Xiang—" he began eagerly, only to wince as Elder Huang's fingers delivered a swift pinch to his arm.
Elder Huang cleared her throat and rose to her feet. "Greetings, Grand Elder," she announced with formal reverence, her earlier combative deanor instantly replaced by respectful decorum.
Understanding dawned on Elder Guo's face as he realized his near-blunder. Addressing the Grand Elder by his personal na in front of outsiders would have been inappropriate. He quickly straightened his posture and added his own greeting. "Ahem, greetings, Grand Elder."
Xiang Yu paused montarily, surprised by the sudden formality from his master and martial aunt. Noticing the unfamiliar visitor, however, he quickly understood the necessity of maintaining appearances. With the refined grace befitting his position, he gestured casually for them to remain seated, acknowledging their deference with the air of soone accustod to such treatnt.
iling rose from her seat as well, executing a formal salute with cupped fists. "Greetings, Senior," she offered respectfully, though her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the young man before her.
The Grand Elder appeared remarkably young—barely twenty years old by her estimation. Still, she decided to remain cautious as she couldn't detect the slightest trace of cultivation energy from him.
Xiang Yu acknowledged her greeting with a nod, perfectly embodying the role of a high-ranking elder despite his youth. Without further ceremony, he proceeded directly to the kitchen and began preparing food as if nothing unusual had occurred.
iling's eyebrows rose in obvious surprise. She turned to Elder Huang, unable to conceal her bewildernt. "Your Grand Elder prepares food himself?" The question carried undisguised skepticism.
"Hmph! What do you know?" Elder Huang retorted, her voice swelling with unmistakable pride. "The Grand Elder is an expert cook. He sotis makes spirit food to help increase our strength. His culinary skills are unmatched in the eastern regions."
"Is that so?" iling responded, her tone still carrying a note of disbelief.
"Of course," Elder Huang affird with absolute conviction.
iling's attention remained fixed on the kitchen, where she observed Xiang Yu manifesting a dark fla above his palm. Her composed facade cracked instantly, eyes widening in shock.
"That-that is..." she stamred, her reaction resembling soone who had witnessed a ghost materialize before her eyes.
Elder Huang smirked at the woman's visible distress. "Why are you so surprised?" she asked mockingly. "Well, it's understandable that you're srized by the Grand Elder's cooking skill," she added with smug satisfaction.
"Right..." iling responded, gradually regaining her composure.
Elder Huang observed her curiously, wondering why this simple demonstration had provoked such an extre response. Was she really that impressed?
anwhile, iling's thoughts raced frantically behind her carefully controlled expression. "I definitely saw it correctly," she confird inwardly. "Although this one is completely dark, it's unmistakably the sa type of fla. I must return to the sect and report this to the master imdiately."
The internal deliberation was interrupted as Xiang Yu erged from the kitchen, effortlessly balancing five exquisitely prepared dishes in his hands. The mont he entered, an intoxicating aroma saturated with spiritual qi enveloped them, drawing everyone's attention.
iling felt her senses overwheld by the intense fragrance alone—the food's qi density exceeded anything she had previously encountered. Elder Huang simply smiled with knowing appreciation; no matter how many tis she experienced it, the Grand Elder's cooking never failed to astonish her.
After Xiang Yu finished arranging the dishes on the table, he prepared to take his seat. Without warning, the temperature around him plumted dramatically. The air itself seed to solidify, imprisoning him in place.
"I finally found you," whispered a soft female voice directly behind him.
Before he could react, Xiang Yu felt a presence against his back, slender arms encircling him from behind in an intimate embrace. In the next mont, a wave of paralyzing cold engulfed him completely. Everything—the air, his clothes, even his skin—crystallized instantly as ice spread outward from the point of contact.
In re seconds, Xiang Yu stood frozen within a massive block of ice.
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