Chapter Four: What on Earth Are These Savage Words?

Lin Fan blinked, his mind whirring with calculations.

He was currently trapped in this small courtyard like a beast in a cage. Within three days, he had to help ten people break through their cultivation levels, or he would be mercilessly erased by the System.

This Bai Xiyue was his only lifeline, the bridge connecting him to the outside world.

"I should test this girl's limits first and then use her to make contact with the outside."

With a plan taking shape, Lin Fan’s lips curled into a mischievous, wicked grin.

"Cough, cough... anything is fine?"

Lin Fan feigned a lewd expression, his tone laced with malice.

"Even... even that kind of thing?"

As he spoke, he let his eyes roam over Bai Xiyue, lingering for a moment on her exquisite, doll-like face before trailing down along her slender waist.

A flush of red instantly bloomed on Bai Xiyue’s cheeks, turning them the color of a ripe apple. She lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering like a startled fawn, her pale, delicate hands twisting together anxiously.

"My master told me to serve you, Young Master, which means I belong to you."

She kept her head down, her voice as faint as the hum of a mosquito, yet filled with a maiden’s bashfulness and submission.

"In the Joyous Union Sect, such things are taken for granted."

"So... you can do whatever you wish with me, Young Master..."

By the end, her voice was barely audible, and her head was buried so low it almost touched her chest.

Lin Fan was stunned.

Holy crap!

What kind of wild, aggressive talk was this?

He had only intended to probe her boundaries, never expecting this girl to shatter his own. This response left him, a seasoned veteran of such banter, completely at a loss for words.

Wasn't this a bit too absurd?

Yet, within the context of the Joyous Union Sect, it seemed perfectly logical!

"Cough, cough... since that’s the case, then I can leave this small courtyard, right?" Lin Fan asked, feigning composure.

"Master said that apart from not letting you leave the courtyard, Young Master, everything else is permissible..."

Lin Fan was speechless. He continued to probe: "Then tell me, what is the Soul-Locking Technique? Is there any way to undo it?"

***

Hearing Lin Fan’s question, a flicker of hesitation crossed Bai Xiyue’s exquisite, doll-like face. She bit her pink, succulent lips, seemingly weighing how to answer.

"Young Master, I know Master has placed the Soul-Locking Technique on you."

"But this is no secret; almost everyone in the cultivation world knows of this art."

"The Soul-Locking Technique, as the name implies, locks a person’s soul. With just a single thought from the caster, they can shatter the target's soul, causing death. It is a widely circulated technique in the cultivation world."

"The method to break it is also quite simple: if the target's soul is stronger than the caster's, it can be easily broken."

"And the simplest way to strengthen one's soul is to increase one's cultivation level. The higher the realm, the stronger the soul."

The reason Bai Xiyue dared to spill everything was that she believed Lin Fan was currently a mere mortal; for him to surpass Su Xingyue in cultivation was simply a fantasy, a pipe dream.

"Of course, one cannot rule out those born with naturally strong souls, or those who have practiced techniques specifically for strengthening the soul."

"My master has practiced for over twenty years and broke through just last night; she is already at the tenth level of Qi Refining. Your aptitude, Young Master, is much like mine—pseudo-spiritual roots—I fear we shall never break past the fifth level of Qi Refining in this lifetime."

There was a hint of helplessness in Bai Xiyue’s tone.

Lin Fan stood up and leaned into her ear, teasing, "Little Yue'er, you say our aptitudes are similar; doesn't that mean we are quite fated? Would you like me to teach you a few little secrets for breaking through?"

Bai Xiyue’s face turned bright red again, like a ripe apple, and she stuttered, "Y-Young Master, you jest. You are... Master’s husband. I... I how could I dare compare myself to you..."

Lin Fan chuckled. "Don't be nervous. What is your current cultivation level?"

Bai Xiyue twisted her hands together. "Young Master, I am currently at the third level of Qi Refining. I have been stuck at this small bottleneck for three years."

Lin Fan offered a mysterious smile, his eyes glinting with craftiness. "Look, you've been stuck at the third level for three years. Don't you want to take a step further and break through to the fourth level?"

A flicker of longing flashed in Bai Xiyue’s eyes, but it quickly dimmed. "You make it sound so easy, Young Master... but it isn't. This bottleneck is like a chasm, impossible to cross."

Lin Fan smiled enigmatically. "Would you believe me if I said I could make you break through to the fourth level right now?"

Bai Xiyue shook her head like a rattle. "Young Master, please don't joke. Bottlenecks aren't that easy to break! Don't tease me."

"Little Yue'er, you don't trust me. How about this? Let's make a bet. If I can make you break through to the fourth level immediately, you agree to one condition of mine. If I can't, you haven't lost anything, have you?" Lin Fan’s lips curled upward, his tone full of temptation, looking very much like a big bad wolf trying to lure Little Red Riding Hood.

Bai Xiyue’s dark eyes blinked. Shen Xingyue’s order was to keep Lin Fan from leaving the courtyard and to satisfy his needs as much as possible.

"I suppose I can, but I must tell you first, Young Master: I cannot let you leave this courtyard!"

Lin Fan nodded, feeling a surge of secret joy. The fish had taken the bait. "Do you have any spirit stones?"

Bai Xiyue pursed her lips and gave a light tap to the storage pouch at her waist.

With a flash of spiritual light, six spirit stones of various colors appeared in her fair, tender palms. She looked at Lin Fan with a hint of reluctance.

"Young Master, I... I only have these six spirit stones left!"

***

Lin Fan took the spirit stones and stuffed them into his robes. Then, he took the leftover half of an egg yolk he had been eating and shoved it directly into Bai Xiyue’s mouth.

"System, give her a breakthrough!"

[Ding! Consumed 3 years of lifespan to help Bai Xiyue break through the third-level Qi Refining bottleneck!]

[Host’s remaining lifespan: 77 years.]

Bai Xiyue only felt the egg yolk in her mouth, carrying a faint, savory saltiness. Then, a warm current surged from her abdomen.

The bottleneck of the third level of Qi Refining, which had held her back for so long, began to loosen.

It was as if a force had pierced through that thin membrane. In an instant, she had smoothly entered the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"Young Master, you’re amazing! How did you do that?"

Bai Xiyue’s black, gem-like eyes were filled with adoration.

Lin Fan didn't answer her question directly. Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted into a meaningful smile.

He lowered his voice and spoke in a tone dripping with temptation. "Little Yue'er, do you want to earn spirit stones?"

"Of course I do!"

"Spirit stones are good things; who wouldn't want them?"

Bai Xiyue answered without hesitation, her large, watery eyes shimmering with clear, innocent foolishness.

"I helped you break through to the fourth level just now, and you promised to do one thing for me."

"This task is very simple, and you can earn quite a few spirit stones!"

"Just help me find a few cultivators who need to break through their bottlenecks and bring them here. I will help them breakthrough, and then I will collect some spirit stones as payment."

"For every successful breakthrough, I’ll give you ten spirit stones as a commission. How about it?"

Lin Fan tempted her step by step while dangling the bait. He knew that for a cultivator as strapped for cash as Bai Xiyue, ten spirit stones was a significant amount. After all, she only had six to her name in total.

One could imagine how tempting it would be for her to earn ten spirit stones just by bringing someone over.