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If they disdain me, then let them properly see what idiocy and uselessness are.
Since they've decided I'm the shame of the Ouyang Family, I'll fully embody that perception and show them what true shame is. Let the so-called geniuses of the Ouyang Family be defeated by someone they call a waste. Let them be ridiculed and mocked by me under everyone's watchful eyes. This is undoubtedly like slapping Ouyang Feng's face with a resounding smack.
"You, why bother with what those people think? In the end, it's just you that ends up hurt," Elder Fei floated out from the Qiankun Bracelet, looking at Zhiyan's suddenly pale face with immense tenderness, speaking with concern.
"As the saying goes, 'People fight for a breath; Buddhas fight for an incense stick,'" Zhiyan said with a bitter smile. It wasn't that she was overly competitive, but those people were truly despicable. She could tolerate others pointing fingers at her, but she would never allow them to trample on her dignity.
She wasn't afraid of causing trouble, nor was she afraid of so-called family retaliation. Her only regret was that her strength was too weak, so weak that she could only rely on such opportunistic methods to win dignity.
"Well, replenish your energy well. If anything happens, I'll support you," Elder Fei sighed. If it really came down to someone trying to silence her by death, he was the first to object.
Zhiyan drank a bottle of Primordial Essence Liquid. Warmth surged through her body, but the depleted Yin Yang Qi showed no sign of returning. Aside from no longer feeling tired, her body remained weak. This was the price of overusing Yin Yang Qi.
With a thought, the Qiankun Bracelet opened instantly, and a dense Spiritual Energy Cloud floated above Zhiyan like clouds. Seeing the opportunity, Elder Fei used his Soul Power to set up an array, and the whole room seemingly vanished in an instant, inaccessible unless one possessed the strength beyond the Saint Sect.
Zhiyan's body curled up, enveloped by the Spiritual Energy, like a baby receiving round after round of nourishment. The deficit of Yin Yang Qi in her body was too severe, she could only rely on her body's natural absorption. There were no shortcuts for this unconscious absorption, which was undoubtedly slow.
Outside, the sun rose and set, day and night alternated. The entire Ouyang Residence was like ants on a hot pan, anxious and frenzied, because Ouyang Zhiyan, touted as the century's most exceptional cultivation talent, had suddenly disappeared. No one knew where she had gone. Even more inexplicable was how a perfectly good room had vanished overnight, as if it never existed.
Ouyang Peng's face was haggard, shadowy clouds of gloom spread across his once fair and gentle face. That day, he had watched Zhiyan shine on the stage, so brilliant and dazzling. The sudden and dominant transformation excited him so much that he was disoriented. After the excitement, he went looking for her, but it was already too late...
"Father, if you keep this up, your body won't be able to take it," Ouyang Jin's brow furrowed, his chiseled features full of worry. Ouyang Peng had been squatting in front of Ouyang Zhiyan's door without eating or drinking for a full seven days, unwilling to leave.
"No, I need to wait for Yanyan to come out. She must still be inside. It must be her mysterious master who has come," Ouyang Peng shook his head, his gaze firmly fixed on the empty air.
"What about it, have you found any flaws?" At the entrance of the Southern Gardens, Ouyang Feng, Xiahou Kong, and others stood at a distance, staring thoughtfully in this direction.
"No flaws at all. If it weren't for what you said, I'd never believe there was a room here!" Situ Ba shook his head in frustration.
"If it really was a formation, how powerful would this person have to be?" Xiahou Kong murmured, his eyes becoming distant. As his words fell, both of his old friends were shocked, a gleam of ardor and wariness flaring up in their eyes at the same time. An expert, in Jincheng, there's actually an expert they didn't know about?
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The three were silent, looking at the air in front of them with a hint of awe. Could the formation set up without their detection be the work of a Saint Sect expert?
As the thought crossed their minds, they shuddered violently as if injected with a burst of adrenaline. Experts abounded on the Youming Continent, and though they had only heard of Saint Sect-level experts, they never imagined that one day they would encounter such a godlike existence. They had strived their whole lives and were merely Grandmasters, a far cry from the Saint Sect.
Half a month passed, and the Ouyang Residence finally regained its peace. Everyone resumed their usual tasks, and Ouyang Peng, under the strict orders of Ouyang Feng, retreated to his room to rest. However, he would occasionally stand under the column to gaze out intently. The Southern Gardens were so quiet that only the chirping of cicadas remained, the breeze rustled the lush flowers, and colorful butterflies danced gracefully, their fragrance wafting through the air, yet there was no one to appreciate it, as if it were an empty shell, devoid of the vitality it had previously.
Zhiyan felt as though she had had a very long dream, in which she was light, free, and unrestrained, wearing a smile akin to that of an angel, and with a radiance that rivaled the sun, moon, and stars, beautiful yet gentle.
In the half month's time, the Spiritual Energy Cloud enveloping Zhiyan had absorbed and become diluted, thoroughly transforming into the Yin Yang Qi stored within her. Her delicate and frail body had noticeably changed: her skin was porcelain white, her features even more refined, her hair glossy and shining, and had grown significantly longer. She was enshrouded in an unshakable layer of Spiritual Energy, like fireflies in the night, emitting a deadly allure.
Her delicate and curled eyelashes trembled slightly, and the next second, Zhiyan awoke from her deep slumber. A trace of bewilderment flashed through her ink-colored pupils, which then became clear and calm. Seeing the familiar environment, her delicate, rosy lips curved into a smile, yet there was a sense of emptiness in her heart—it had all just been a dream.
As she got up from the bed, a look within revealed that the silver and white strands coiled around her belly had thickened considerably. The Spiritual Power within her was as if the tide had raised the boat, her rank as a Sage had directly leaped to Mid-grade Mid-level, a whole level above where she had been just half a month prior as a Primary-level Mid-grade.
"Alright, if you don't wake up soon, this old man's Soul Power is going to be drained," Mr. Fei sighed with relief. Withdrawing his consciousness, he instantly vanished into the Qiankun Bracelet, and the room that had disappeared for half a month reappeared in its original place without a trace.
Ouyang Peng's body jolted with a shock, one hand covering his mouth, too overcome with emotion to speak. It appeared, so his Yanyan...
"Squeak!" A sound, and the door opened. There stood Zhiyan in a pink dress, her smile gentle and radiant, standing before Ouyang Peng. Her petite body, which used to reach his thigh, now rose to his chest. Her soft cheeks had changed considerably, her skin so fine and fair, her beauty tinged with innumerable charms. Her clear eyes shone brightly, with pupils like obsidian, lustrous and captivating, making it impossible to look away...
"Yanyan...," Ouyang Peng's voice choked up, his large hand trembling as he placed it on her shoulder, his gentle eyes shining with an unprecedented fervor and joy.
"I've worried you, father," Zhiyan said, lifting her head to look at Ouyang Peng, a trace of apology in her eyes.
"No, as long as Yanyan is alright, that's all that matters, all that matters." Ouyang Peng shook his head repeatedly, the anxiety from before washed away by joy, what remained was the relief of regaining what was lost. As long as his Yanyan was unharmed, all was well.
The news of Ouyang Zhiyan's reappearance quickly reached Ouyang Feng's ears. Everyone in the great hall, who were in the midst of a discussion, paused, stood up, and rushed to the Southern Gardens with a sense of urgency.
Anticipating their intentions, Zhiyan took Ouyang Peng out for shopping before they arrived. Now that she had grown taller, it was time for new clothes. Most importantly, she hadn't been out for half a month and deeply missed the atmosphere outside.