"I think we should wait until you fully recover and check yourself?"
She thought it was reasonable approach so she agreed.
She looked at him with suspicion. "Hmm... Though I still don't fully believe you. But tell me, where did that ghost come from?" Her curiosity was piqued by the bizarre incident of his body being taken over.
"System, do you know?" he asked internally, just as clueless as she was about the situation.
{That soul was hidden inside the core of that grade 6 boar prana beast. It entered your body when you caught Yun Xiu from falling,} the system replied.
"You knew this was happening? Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.
{You never asked,} the system responded bluntly.
He sighed, realizing arguing with the system was futile. "I was outside collecting food, then suddenly I lost control of my body."
She listened intently. "Then how did you get your body back?" she asked, her suspicion lingering.
"I don't know. Even though I wasn't in control, whenever he tried to do bad things, I used all my power to stop him. Then I found myself in a boundless sea. I fought this guy who called himself the Dark Spirit Lord, but I lost." He recounted the events to her.
Yun Xiu's intuition confirmed his story. When he was possessed, something had felt off, but now that feeling was gone.
"Dark Spirit Lord, huh..." she mused, recognizing the name from something her master had mentioned long ago. She looked at the innocent-looking Hun Yu and sighed. "For now, I believe you are Hun Yu, but I will check after I recover."
Hun Yu nodded. Moving around, he felt weak. "I forgot to tell you, you were unconscious for a whole week," Yun Xiu reminded him.
Two weeks passed. During this time, Hun Yu and Yun Xiu lived a quiet life in the cave. Nothing unusual happened.
One day, Yun Xiu noticed Hun Yu cultivating. She glanced at him occasionally, her mind wandering. She rested her chin on her hand, watching him blankly before realizing what she was doing. "What are you doing, Yun Xiu?" she scolded herself, calming her mind.
She then noticed, "He broke through to rank 4?"
Hun Yu's eyes opened. "Finally,".
She couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness for him. After all, they had been through quite a lot together in these past weeks. From the uncertainty of their initial encounter to the quiet companionship they now shared in the confines of the cave, their bond had grown stronger.
With a small smile playing on her lips, Yun Xiu rose to her feet, her gaze meeting his. "Congratulations," she said, maintaining her sect master demeanor.
Hun Yu returned her smile, his eyes reflecting gratitude. "Thank you, Miss Yun Xiu," he replied.
"If you go with this, you could reach the Elementary Realm in just two to three years," she added.
Hun Yu heard this and thought he could reach the Elementary Realm in just a year with his system's help if only his system was good enough, he knew the system often worked against him more than in his favor.
"System, what is the cheapest cultivation technique you have?" he asked mentally.
{The cheapest cultivation technique costs around 40,000 Energy Points.}
{Spirit Axe Cultivation: This cultivation technique strengthens and cultivates the spirit. It is considered a treasure due to its rarity in the world.}
As the system finished explaining, he looked thoughtful. He had learned his lesson after fighting that demon; he needed to work on his spirit too. Though he was still curious about what happened to that demon, didn't it want his body? Where did it go?
Yun Xiu, who had been standing silently, suddenly took out something and handed it to Hun Yu.
"This...?" He looked at the book, which seemed normal but was made of some special material that he might not even be able to destroy.
"This is a higher grade cultivation technique—Gold Grade, high tier," she said. Hun Yu was speechless. "Sorry, I cannot accept such a precious thing. I am just a normal servant."
Seeing that he was giving it back, she insisted, "No need to refuse. Just accept it. You are no normal assistant.
You are my assistant, Yun Xiu's assistant. How can you be weak?" She gently pushed the technique book into his hands.
Hun Yu was dumbfounded. He had received such a high-grade technique so randomly that he could hardly believe it.
He was still in shock; this was a high-tier Gold Grade cultivation technique, a treasure held only by some of the most powerful forces in the empire.
His cultivation speed would increase two to three times with this technique.
With a happy face, he sat down and began to read its contents. Of course, he couldn't ask the system to transfer the book's contents directly into his brain—it would make her suspicious.
After all, he was not a genius, and it wasn't normal to learn a technique by reading it just once.
"I should be able to check if it is legitimate," Yun Xiu thought before closing her eyes and beginning her own cultivation technique. But as she did, she felt pain inside her.
In the next moment, her eyes opened briefly before she closed them again. With a sigh, she suddenly stood up. "It seems there is no way to fix it," she muttered under her breath, slowly turning to walk towards the cave's exit.
She had already checked Hun Yu and confirmed there were no traces of the other soul—it was indeed him. But that concern could wait for later.
Hun Yu noticed the change in her. He quickly stood up and followed behind her.
"Let's go. We are done here. We should return to the sect," she said. Her strength had almost fully recovered, and there was no need to stay any longer.
...
"MASTER CITY LORD!!" A man wearing white robes suddenly barged into the room.
An old man, sitting on a premium chair with a table in front, looked up in surprise. "What? Why are you barging in?"
"Lord! There is a tide of Prana beasts heading towards the city," the man said breathlessly.
The old man's face turned serious. "What!"
He quickly stood up and rushed out. "Quickly! Send someone to inform the Imperial City to send strong cultivators!" he ordered hastily.
Without a second thought, he dashed out of the mansion and arrived at the city wall. He took a scope and looked towards the direction of the Prana Beast Forest. He could see dust flying, indicating many Prana beasts were running towards the city.
"Why is there a beast tide suddenly? The last time it happened was sixteen years ago," he muttered to himself. "What happened? Why is it happening so suddenly?"
There was no telling how much time it would take for reinforcements to arrive. If this continued, the whole city would be destroyed.
There were usually some Tier 4-5 or even Tier 6 Prana beasts commanding the horde in such tides. Currently, there was no strong cultivator present in the city. He could only pray to the gods to save them.
"Soldiers, get ready! Don't let these beasts in!" he commanded.
The soldiers, though low realm cultivators, knew their deaths were almost certain against such a tide.
"Soldiers, listen carefully," the Master City Lord's voice rang out, commanding attention amidst the growing turmoil. "Our city faces an unprecedented threat, but we will not falter.
We will stand united against this tide of Prana beasts and defend our home with all our might."
The soldiers, though apprehensive, nodded in solemn agreement, their resolve strengthened by their leader's words.
"Prepare the defenses! Fortify the walls, deploy the archers, and set up barriers!" he barked out orders, his tone firm and authoritative.
With practiced efficiency, the soldiers sprang into action, mobilizing to implement the defensive measures. They knew the stakes were high, but they were ready to fight to the end to protect their city and its people.
Meanwhile, the Master City Lord's mind raced with thoughts of strategies and contingencies. He knew that facing a beast tide of this magnitude required more than just brute force; it demanded cunning and precision.
"We must buy time until reinforcements arrive," he muttered to himself, his gaze never leaving the approaching dust clouds on the horizon. "We'll lure them into chokepoints, channel their movements, and strike where they're most vulnerable."
With a plan taking shape in his mind, the Master City Lord rallied his advisors and commanders, briefing them on the strategy to hold off the Prana beast tide until help arrived from the Imperial City.
In the Imperial City, the message reached quickly through a special technique. The one who received the message rushed to the imperial palace.
With proper formalities, he entered the emperor's hall.
"Your Majesty, we received a request for help from Stick Forest City, near the Prana Beast Forest. The message said there is a beast tide," he reported.
The emperor's eyebrow raised. Beast tides usually occurred when a high-tier Prana beast was angry or wanted to attack human towns or cities. Stick Forest City? He didn't even know there was a city like this in his empire.
"Dispatch the Fourth Elder," he ordered.
The Fourth Elder was the weakest among the four elders but should be able to handle a beast tide. The emperor doubted that many people in the city would survive until the elder arrived.
He could dispatch the strongest elder, increasing the chances of saving the city, but there was no need to send the strongest for an unknown, insignificant city.
There were more than three kingdoms in the empire and numerous cities, so why bother about some unknown city? But to avoid public criticism, he still sent help, albeit coldly.