Chapter 80: Three Paths (2)

Chapter 80: Three Paths (2) Henrietta’s mind blanked out for a moment. When she returned to her senses, finally understanding that she had been "rejected," her eyes welled up with tears. She opened her mouth—about to protest—but— "After all," Xu Tao continued, as if waiting for her focus to return, "our cultivation levels are just too far apart." "...!" Dual cultivation wasn’t some magical art that could instantly pull the weaker party up to match the stronger. Of course there were limits. Otherwise, the entire cultivation world would be lining up every night to perform Dual Cultivation with the strongest cultivator alive—Xu Tao himself. "If you paired up with me, with how low your current level is, all you’d get is an exploded dantian and shattered meridians," Xu Tao said, shaking his head. "Your insides would be a wreck, and there’s a high chance it could kill you. I wouldn’t do that to my own disciple." "That’s..." Hearing that Xu Tao didn’t hate her, and that it wasn’t personal, Henrietta sank to her knees. "Then, I... what should I..." she muttered, her words trailing off into nonsense. "Ritta..." Even Uriel frowned, her eyes filled with concern for Henrietta. But she didn’t move to comfort her. After all, the discussion wasn’t over yet. Dual Cultivation was only the second of three options Henrietta had to consider. Xu Tao assessed her state of mind, and once he was certain she was still capable of listening, he continued. "The last option is for me to artificially raise your cultivation—forcefully." His tone was calm and even. "I’ll flood your meridians with refined Qi and brute-force your breakthroughs, dragging your cultivation past each bottleneck by sheer force. Although it’s fast, certain, and relatively safer than the previous two, there’s a major downside—pain. Pain so excruciating, you’d wish you were dead." Despite being in a half-shocked state, Henrietta clearly heard his words. The second option was already out of the question. She would rather die than Dual Cultivate with a random man, even if he were Gold Rank or higher. That left her with the first option—training with uncertainty—or the third: enduring overwhelming pain in exchange for power. To her, the choice was clear. Henrietta wiped the tears from her eyes, sat back upright, and faced Xu Tao with proper posture. She opened her mouth and spoke, her voice steady and firm. "I’ll take the third option." "...!" Her decision surprised not just Uriel, but even Xu Tao. "Are you sure?" he asked, frowning. "I just told you—the third option involves a level of pain that might shatter your mind. There’s no guarantee you’ll endure it." "Yes, Master. I’m sure." Henrietta showed not even a hint of hesitation. To someone who had lived with endless pain caused by her own powers, a few hours of even the worst agony seemed manageable. That was her reasoning. Xu Tao could see that her resolve wasn’t shallow. He couldn’t brush it off as mere impulsiveness. "Alright. I understand," he sighed. "Then, you should wash your body thoroughly and return here wearing only this robe." He handed Henrietta a pure white robe. As she spread it open, she saw it was a cultivator’s robe—styled exactly like Xu Tao’s own, save for the color and size. For a brief moment, her mind drifted to the second option again, imagining herself wearing nothing but that robe while approaching Xu Tao, and— "Y-Yes, Master!" —she blurted in a panic, face red as she shook away the pink thoughts. After bowing deeply, she dashed out of the underground training area, practically fleeing from it. "W-Wait, Ritta?!" Uriel called after her, flustered, but she still took the time to offer a bow of respect to Xu Tao before hurrying to chase after her. The man himself simply stood in silence, staring at the entrance where the two girls had vanished. His face was calm, but his mind spun with a thousand thoughts. "...I should focus." He closed his eyes and began to meditate. Meanwhile, in a shadowed corner of the underground training room, something stirred. A presence shifted silently, a pair of eyes watching him from the darkness. ???????????? "Ritta, are you serious?" The sound of running water filled the room as Uriel’s voice echoed, half-reprimanding. "Don’t you think that was a bit rash? The first option seemed way better!" she said, leaning her weight against the frosted glass. She didn’t fully understand what a Spirit World was, or how time could be accelerated within it—but taking Xu Tao at his word, that option sounded far more manageable than enduring excruciating pain. If Uriel had been given the choice, she would’ve picked that one without hesitation. Beyond the frosted glass, a lone figure stood beneath the showerhead, head tilted back, letting warm water run over her face. Henrietta’s eyes were closed, her expression calm as each droplet traced down her body, following her curves before hitting the tiled floor and vanishing into the drain. Once her body had warmed enough, she turned the knob and shut off the water, exhaling softly. "I’m serious, Uriel. I didn’t choose it out of impulse or emotion," she said in a quiet voice, her eyes sharp and unwavering. "The first option is just training with accelerated time in Master’s Spirit World. That means success would depend on my talent and comprehension—and I don’t have confidence in either. But pain? That, I can endure." As a half Blazing Wrath Fiend, she had known pain for as long as she could remember. In fact, the current peace she felt from Xu Tao fixing her constitution, her Qi Deviation, felt more unnatural to her than the pain itself. "I mean, that’s true, but still..." Uriel found herself struggling to refute the logic. Henrietta had chosen the path with the highest chance of success. Logically, it made sense. But emotionally, Uriel couldn’t help but worry. After all, Xu Tao’s definition of pain might not match theirs. ’Pain so excruciating, you’d wish you were dead.’ That was how he phrased it. Which meant that even from his perspective, the pain wasn’t something to be brushed off lightly. What if something goes wrong? What if he can’t fix it in time? Various scenarios played in her head, making her worry further as time passed. Slide! "...!" The frosted glass door slid open unexpectedly. Uriel, still leaning on it, tumbled backward—landing on her rear and staring up at a very naked figure above her. "What are you doing, Uriel?" Henrietta asked with a wry smile, walking over her fallen body. "Anyway, don’t worry. I’m sure I can handle it." It wasn’t just belief in herself. It was belief in Xu Tao. She was confident that no matter what happened—whether she succeeded or failed—he would be there to catch her. "I’ll raise my cultivation," she said, clenching her fists, eyes burning with determination. "And one day, I’ll...!" "...Before that, get dressed, will you? You’ll catch a cold walking around like that," Uriel muttered, sighing as she sat up, managing a faint smile. She was still worried, but she knew words wouldn’t sway Henrietta now. All she could do was pray that everything would turn out alright. Dressed in the white robe Xu Tao had given her, Henrietta walked back toward the underground training area—her steps calm, her gaze unshakable, her heart brimming with resolve. And yet, beneath all that determination... a faint blush still colored her cheeks.