Outside the cave, a massive purple-maned tiger let out a thunderous roar, shaking the mountains and scattering birds and beasts. The rocks trembled with its power.
Shen Shuanglian's face paled slightly, but her gaze quickly steadied. She positioned Chen Yin behind her protectively, biting her lip briefly.
"I'll hold it off. You run to the other side of the mountain and don't look back," she instructed firmly.
Chen Yin, looking a little sheepish, glanced at the enormous purple-maned tiger. He hesitated to admit that the trouble was actually his doing, so he replied instead, "Senior Sister, you're already so injured. Don't push yourself."
"You stop trying to be brave!" Shen Shuanglian's tone grew uncharacteristically stern. "This adult Violet-Mane Thunder Tiger is at least in the Upper Clarity Realm. Your cultivation at the Cloud Realm can't even withstand its shockwaves."
"Don't worry about me. I have a lifesaving—"
"Of course I know you have lifesaving techniques," Chen Yin interjected with a laugh.
"A top-tier prodigy of our generation—who wouldn't have something to fall back on? But."
"…So do I." He turned his gaze toward the enormous tiger.
Shen Shuanglian froze for a moment.
The purple tiger's eyes reflected Chen Yin's figure. It roared, its paw smashing a boulder, and with the force of a thousand mountains, it charged directly at him.
Chen Yin met its gaze calmly. As his sword, Changming, floated before him, he spoke softly:
"I don't intend to harm your cub, nor do I wish to kill you."
"If you don't leave, you will die."
His tone was unnervingly even.
Yet, the massive purple-maned tiger seemed to sense an impending life-or-death crisis. Every strand of fur on its body bristled as its enormous frame halted abruptly just three zhang (approximately 10 meters) away from Chen Yin.
Right where it stopped, a sword mark stretched across the ground—deep and unfathomable.
The tiger froze. Shen Shuanglian was equally stunned.
She hadn't even seen Chen Yin draw his sword.
But the sword scar was there, plain as day.
It was as though the entire mountain valley had been cleaved in two.
The Violet-Mane Thunder Tiger seemed shaken, gulping nervously. Its massive body shrank back, and its lantern-like eyes remained fixed warily on Chen Yin.
Shen Shuanglian also stared at him in disbelief.
Chen Yin sighed helplessly, his expression still one of casual indifference. "As a spirit beast, you live in an environment where the strong prey on the weak. I've already shown enough mercy by sparing your lives. Besides, this place is rich in spiritual energy; the loss of a bit of cultivation can be recovered in a few years. Why risk your life over petty grievances?"
"I'll give you one more chance. If you don't leave, I won't mind turning you into extra ingredients for my friend's medicine."
The Violet-Mane Thunder Tiger paced back and forth, growling low in its throat. After staring at Chen Yin for a long moment, it let out an unwilling howl, then turned and quickly fled.
Chen Yin finally let out a breath of relief and turned back toward Shen Shuanglian, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Um... Senior Sister, can we make a deal?"
"Let's pretend you didn't see what just happened. How about that?"
Shen Shuanglian remained silent, her clear, bright eyes fixed on him.
Chen Yin scratched his head awkwardly. It seemed there was no way to bluff his way out of this.
"That sword strike..." To his surprise, Shen Shuanglian was the first to speak. "Does it have a name?"
"...I don't know," Chen Yin replied after some thought. In truth, he had no idea what the three strikes were called. Perhaps the person who created them had been just as lazy as he was and hadn't bothered to name them.
"If it doesn't have a name, let's call it 'First Strike,'" Chen Yin said, nodding in satisfaction.
Shen Shuanglian: "..."
"Doesn't it sound good?" he asked curiously.
"...As long as you're happy."
Shen Shuanglian sheathed her sword and approached the scar on the ground, running her fingers lightly over it.
As a fellow sword cultivator, she could clearly sense the faint, mysterious aura lingering along the mark.
It was a feeling she couldn't quite describe—a strange yet inexplicably familiar sensation.
"Could this be... what the Master once referred to as Dao resonance?" she wondered aloud hesitantly.
"Dao resonance? What's that?" Chen Yin asked, his face a picture of confusion.
Seeing his clueless expression, Shen Shuanglian's eyes widened in disbelief. "The sword strike you just did... you don't even understand it yourself?"
Chen Yin shook his head.
"In cultivation, one seeks to understand and follow the Dao. The Great Dao permeates all of existence. Sensing its presence is enough to step into the Upper Clarity Realm," Shen Shuanglian explained.
"At this stage, cultivators can use the Great Dao as a model, connecting with the heavens and earth to harness their power."
"But this stage is still just borrowing. The so-called Great Dao is not something you've truly comprehended yourself."
"To truly comprehend the Great Dao, every movement, every gesture would embody the ultimate principles of the Dao. To oppose it would be to oppose the Dao itself. This is a fundamental difference in level between those who have realized the Dao and those who have not, regardless of how similar their strengths might be."
"But do you know?" Shen Shuanglian shook her head again. "Even many high-level immortals in the Great Purity Realm haven't fully realized the Great Dao."
"Even if they can barely imbue a bit of Dao resonance in their movements, the power is already extraordinary."
Chen Yin nodded thoughtfully.
"Senior Sister, as expected, you know so much."
Shen Shuanglian's gaze lowered slightly: "As for Master... our Sect Leader, he is still stuck at the threshold of fully comprehending the Great Dao. That's why his cultivation has remained at the middle stage of the Great Purity Realm, unable to take the final step to transcend and become an immortal."
Chen Yin immediately teased, "So, are you saying that I could already fight your Master now?"
"I don't know..." Shen Shuanglian's gaze was somewhat confused. She seemed curious about that sword strike but reluctant to probe too much into Chen Yin's privacy.
Seeing through the girl who couldn't hide her thoughts, Chen Yin didn't keep it from her and explained openly, "This sword move... I happened to find it in a secret realm. It's not some supreme technique, just an ordinary attack. But after practicing it for so long, it naturally became powerful."
Shen Shuanglian looked at him skeptically, "Practice for a long time? How long exactly?"
Chen Yin fell silent.
How long? He couldn't remember.
A year? A century? A million years? A billion years? Perhaps more?
In a timeless space, he had just repeated the sword movements endlessly. Until it was perfected, only then was he released.
"Anyway, it's been a long time," he said with a wry smile.
Shen Shuanglian wisely chose not to press the matter further.
"However, Senior Sister, I'm still quite curious," Chen Yin said, leaning closer with a teasing smile. "If I hadn't drawn that sword just now, would you have stayed behind to buy me some time?"
"So, you care that much about my safety?"
"You... don't say nonsense."
Shen Shuanglian's face flushed slightly, "I'm the Sect's Senior Sister, it's only natural for me to protect the disciples of the Sect."
"Of course, of course~" Chen Yin teased, "Senior Sister is so loyal and righteous, your junior brother admires you!"
"However..."
His smile slowly faded, and he gently placed a hand on her head.
"Next time, don't push yourself so hard."
"I'm not as weak as you think," Chen Yin said seriously.
Shen Shuanglian stared at him blankly, her eyelashes fluttering down as her tone became a little helpless.
"I... I'm just afraid for you..."
"You'll worry about others, and others will worry about you."
Chen Yin interrupted her, his gaze clear and steady. "Though to the outside world, you're the Senior Sister and I'm the junior brother, so you should look after me and cover my back."
"But here, there's no one else."
"In my eyes, this is simply a man looking after an injured woman."
He spoke seriously, his tone without any other implications.
But looking into his clear, earnest eyes, Shen Shuanglian suddenly felt a warmth spread in her heart.
She began to enjoy the feeling of being cared for.
—If only this time could last a bit longer, it wouldn't matter if her injury healed slowly.
But just as that feeling lingered, Chen Yin's teasing voice broke the moment.
"Of course, if Senior Sister really feels guilty, when we get out of here, I wouldn't mind accepting a little payment for my services as a thank you~"
Shen Shuanglian: "..."
"Or, if Senior Sister really finds your junior brother to be handsome, dashing, and charming, and secretly harbors some feelings, I wouldn't mind reluctantly agreeing to such an arrangement~"
Chen Yin spoke in a flirtatious tone, and the expression on his face was annoyingly mischievous.
Shen Shuanglian, embarrassed by his teasing, turned her face and softly changed the topic.
"About that Violet-Mane Thunder Tiger..."
"What's the problem?"
"Normally, Violet-Mane Thunder Tigers are solitary creatures, and adult ones are usually gentle and wouldn't attack humans without provocation."
Shen Shuanglian frowned slightly. "But that one just now was clearly acting like it was angered for some reason."
"This..." Chen Yin immediately looked away, feeling guilty. "Maybe... its cub was unlucky and had its monster core taken by some passing cultivator to refine into medicine?"
"Impossible." Shen Shuanglian laughed lightly for the first time.
She rarely laughed, but when she did, it was like the thawing of ice and snow, pure and bright, coming from her soul.
Chen Yin stared, mesmerized, and took a long time to snap out of it. "What's wrong? Refining monster cores into medicine is common knowledge, right? The spiritual energy in monster cores is very nourishing for cultivators."
"Generally speaking, yes."
Shen Shuanglian casually responded, "But the Violet-Mane Thunder Tiger is an exception. The spiritual energy in their monster cores is complex and toxic. For human cultivators, this power is difficult to harness unless it undergoes a balance of Yin and Yang."
"Not to mention, apart from us, who else would be passing through this dangerous domain? Even if someone did, they wouldn't be foolish enough to risk their life for a toxic monster core."
She didn't notice that as she spoke, Chen Yin had slowly fallen silent.
"By the way... if I may ask, what exactly is this balance of Yin and Yang?"
"Naturally, it refers to... that kind of thing..." Shen Shuanglian's face flushed slightly, as if too embarrassed to say more, "Things that happen between a married couple."
Chen Yin became even more silent.
Noticing the strange look on his face, Shen Shuanglian asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Uh... Ahem."
Chen Yin cleared his throat, suddenly grabbing her shoulder with great seriousness, his face as grave as if he were preparing for something dire. His expression even startled Shen Shuanglian.
"Senior Sister. I promise you."
"In my next life, I'll definitely read more books. I will never be an ignorant fool again."
"So..."
He leaned in and spoke softly, his tone serious yet oddly solemn.
"What I'm about to say, please don't be scared..."
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please join my Patreon, for $5 each month, you can read all of the available chapter.
Patreon Account:
Latest Chapter In Patreon:
Link to the latest chapter: