Before Su Cheng could finish his sentence, he abruptly cut himself off.
An awkward silence ensued, with neither of them speaking further. The only movement came from the Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast, which continued to sway its tender leaves and vines silently, affectionately trying to get closer to the Blue Silver Emperor, whom it regarded as its mother.
Su Cheng lowered his gaze, his expression solemn, though internally, he regretted mentioning that last part. If he hadn't brought it up, Ah Yin might not have outright rejected his proposal. Hesitation might have led to her agreeing.
After all, for a scholar, studying the human body is a very pure and sacred endeavor, much like a doctor examining a patient, devoid of any impure or indecent thoughts, and without consideration of gender. They had been working this way for a long time, with mutual understanding.
But once that was explicitly stated, out of modesty or other reasons, she would likely not agree easily.
"…"
After a long silence, Su Cheng cleared his throat and said nonchalantly, "Think it over. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. You were right before; some parts of the cultivation technique were indeed my oversight. I will make careful revisions."
He considered that there was no rush to study Ah Yin's condition. The annotations she had already provided gave him plenty of ideas. Additionally, the half volume of the Mysterious Heaven Skill he obtained from Tang San would keep him occupied for a while.
"But to be honest, your situation is different from the average person. Even if I revise the technique, it might not be useful for you.
"If you truly wish to advance further, with your current knowledge, it's impossible to develop a suitable cultivation method on your own, even using my innate technique as a reference.
"At best, you could progress step by step to the level of a Titled Douluo or even a Peak Douluo like an ordinary soul master. But to achieve the status of an Absolute Douluo, you would need other opportunities."
Having said that, he prepared to leave. The atmosphere had become somewhat strange, and Su Cheng felt it was best not to stay.
"What do you want to do? Let's start right away."
"Hmm... what?"
Su Cheng was stunned and looked up.
Ah Yin lowered her gaze, her expression calm, the flush on her cheeks almost completely faded. However, her slightly evasive eyes and trembling eyelashes revealed her inner turmoil.
"Why?" Su Cheng asked instinctively. "I thought your desire to grow stronger wasn't very intense."
By right, he shouldn't be discussing such tangential matters now. Going along with it without asking questions and starting immediately would be the best course of action. This way, the deal would be naturally struck: he would gain research material, and Ah Yin would have a chance to obtain a suitable cultivation technique. Then, they could return to their gentlemanly relationship, each going their separate ways.
Su Cheng need not overthink it. Ah Yin wouldn't have to feel embarrassed or troubled. It was a win-win situation.
But for some reason, he couldn't help but ask.
"…"
Ah Yin was silent for a moment before saying softly, "Isn't this your wish? I understand you. I know you have an extraordinary desire to research these things. Compared to pursuing power, understanding the essence of those mysterious abilities is your greatest pursuit."
Hearing this, Su Cheng stared at her intently.
Ah Yin didn't return his gaze, keeping her head lowered in silence.
"… I understand. Sit down and assume your usual cultivation posture."
In fact, soul masters have no fixed postures like "five hearts towards the sky" for cultivation. Soul power flows through the meridians, so the body's position doesn't matter. However, the more accustomed and comfortable the posture, the more harmonious the mental state, which is beneficial for cultivation and improvement.
Ah Yin sat down as instructed. Her long legs were together and tilted, her long skirt spread on the ground, her upper body upright, and her long hair almost reaching the ground.
She nodded slightly, "I'm ready."
"Give me your hand."
Ah Yin raised her arm calmly, placing her right hand in Su Cheng's palm with fluid, expressionless movements. However, a faint blush crept up her fair neck.
Su Cheng coughed lightly, pretending not to notice, and began infusing his diluted innate power into her arm.
This time, his innate power contained more spiritual energy. This way, the innate power acted like his eyes, mapping out every part of Ah Yin's body it touched, including her meridians, bones, and even flesh, and feeding this detailed image back to his consciousness.
The visual representation provided by this method was far more detailed than any precision instrument.
Sensing something, the blush on Ah Yin's neck deepened and began spreading to her cheeks. She started to regret her decision. Su Cheng's current method was even more invasive than the previous perspective technique. Although he wasn't observing her body directly with his eyes, the soul power moving through her body made her extremely uncomfortable.
If it were just normal soul power transmission, it would be less problematic. However, even that was quite intimate, typically reserved for those with a close relationship, as foreign energy entering the body tends to feel strange.
But Su Cheng's energy also contained potent spiritual energy derived from his soul power, making the sensation unmistakable. Ah Yin, with her profound soul foundation, could clearly feel the gentle yet powerful foreign energy exploring her body.
Initially, it flowed through her meridians, then began spreading outwards, enveloping her bones, important acupoints, and finally sweeping over her skin.
The entire process didn't cause her any harm or pain; instead, it generated a warm sensation inside and out. Other than her soul power's instinctive resistance, there were no abnormalities. Su Cheng's grasp of the human body was exceptionally precise, and his control over energy was remarkable.
Yet, Ah Yin's body became rigid.
Then she slowly softened, her entire body becoming tender and weak. Eventually, she could no longer control herself and began to tremble slightly.
Her arms, fragrant shoulders, and neck... goosebumps formed layer by layer.
This feeling was as if someone was gently caressing every inch of her skin.
Even the most secretive and unknown corners were not spared.
It was as if the person was observing her under a microscope, studying and pondering the mysteries within.
She had never experienced anything like this before.
In such a situation, even if it were a patient being examined by a highly professional doctor, they would inevitably feel uneasy.
Moreover, Ah Yin and Su Cheng were not strangers, nor did they have a doctor-patient relationship.
To her, he was not simply the "scholar" or "doctor" he claimed to be.
His presence was different.
A strange feeling surged in her heart repeatedly.
Yet it was not aversion.
It felt as if a soft, delicate brush was gently sweeping over her heart.
From deep within her body, fine currents of tingling electricity spread, making her hair stand on end and her whole body shiver, leaving her at a loss...
Soon, that force penetrated even deeper...
As time passed, even her legs and waist began to soften uncontrollably, and a dizzying sensation overwhelmed her mind.
If she hadn't forced herself to hold on, she would have collapsed to the ground, her delicate face flushed red, as if it were about to bleed.
Ah Yin opened her mouth several times, wanting Su Cheng to stop temporarily.
But when the words reached her lips, seeing his serious expression with closed eyes, she swallowed them back.
Her half-open eyes were filled with watery ripples, and she sighed silently in her heart, feeling a vague sense of bitterness...
Su Cheng didn't notice Ah Yin's emotional changes.
His attention was entirely drawn to the special state within her body.
Although Ah Yin's life form had some differences from ordinary humans, her body structure was no different. The main differences lay in the fundamental composition of her flesh and bones.
Her meridians were still the same eight extraordinary meridians, twelve regular meridians, and small meridians, as well as the acupuncture points throughout her body.
However, the inner walls of her meridians were stained with a peculiar faint green-gold glow, making them extraordinarily tough.
Su Cheng even suspected that, with her current meridian structure, they might be even harder to destroy than the theoretically hardest bones in her body.
Similarly, the energy within her was no longer ordinary soul power.
It was much stronger than soul power, with a fundamental difference.
If it were ordinary soul power, it would be easily suppressed by Su Cheng's innate power.
Even if he used only diluted primary innate power, it would be far superior to soul power.
But the green-gold soul power circulating in Ah Yin's meridians could resist the approach of innate power to a certain extent.
It wasn't a rejection; it was self-contained, leaving no room for most foreign energies to integrate.
"No wonder..."
Su Cheng frowned slightly.
With such energy properties, how could it possibly merge with qi and soul power?
Just like how Bibi Dong's powerful soul power couldn't merge with soul power and qi, it was impossible to achieve integration under the extreme imbalance of foreign energies.
However, Ah Yin's situation was even more exaggerated than Bibi Dong's.
Besides resisting foreign energies, her soul power was not just of high quality; it was undergoing a slight transformation in nature.
In Su Cheng's perception, this soul power seemed to have fused with a small amount of spiritual power, making it a peculiar low-grade version of innate power mixed with mysterious energy?
"How did she do this, just because of an eighth soul ring?"
Su Cheng was puzzled, unable to find a clue for the moment.
Perhaps he needed to spend time with Ah Yin in the Blue Silver Grass Forest to figure out what was going on.
"However, Ah Yin's previous idea was correct. I might have overlooked some important aspects in terms of cultivation techniques. Balancing multiple energies is not easy for ordinary people, especially with the many impure energies in most bodies.
"Even for talented soul masters, this process is not easy. Geniuses often have extremely prominent strengths, whether it's soul power or spiritual power, which means achieving 'balance' requires a lot of extra effort.
"For soul masters from prominent families, there's another difficulty. These people often use special medicinal baths to strengthen their bodies from a young age, enhancing their physical qualities and solidifying their foundations. This is beneficial for soul power cultivation and expanding meridians but creates obstacles for innate power cultivation."
Su Cheng sighed at the trouble.
"If only I could directly obtain the origin power. What exactly is the essence of origin power? Relying on passing on techniques to improve myself, who knows how long it will take... Wait!"
Thinking of origin power, he suddenly froze and observed Ah Yin's peculiar soul power more carefully.
Integrated and isolated, this nature was very similar to the origin power he had once obtained.
Of course, it was far inferior in essence.
Ah Yin's energy was mainly composed of soul power, with a tiny amount of unknown energy mixed in, far less pure than origin power.
Even compared to Su Cheng's innate power, it was of a much lower level, though its life force was far stronger than that of ordinary people.
Still, it seemed somewhat promising.
At least it gave him a direction to try.
Even if it didn't work, he could use it as a transitional energy in the innate power cultivation process to see if he could figure out the underlying principles.
But that was not something that could be accomplished overnight; it would take time to experiment.
Learning these things today was already beyond his expectations.
When he felt he had perceived enough, Su Cheng quickly retracted his innate power and reopened his tightly closed eyes.
"The situation is a bit complicated. The energy in your—"
Before he finished speaking, he was stunned and instinctively closed his mouth.
The Ah Yin before him was different from any time before, exuding an astonishing beauty.
In the past, she was certainly very beautiful too.
But her quiet, almost wooden personality rarely showed emotions, so her beauty was understated and not ostentatious.
However, at this moment, she appeared exceptionally charming.
Her usually clear and flawless blue eyes were filled with mist, and the deep blush at the corners of her eyes looked like a layer of thick, enchanting eye shadow, washing away her gentle and pure temperament.
Her slightly open mouth revealed heavy, suppressed breaths, her chest rising and falling erratically, tracing a graceful curve.
From her neck to the visible part of her exquisite collarbone, beneath her palace dress, there were large patches of lingering redness.