Chapter 81: Three Paths (3)

Chapter 81: Three Paths (3) "Sorry for the wait, Master." Soon enough, Henrietta and Uriel arrived at the underground training area. Henrietta wore a plain white robe, looking like a live sacrifice to some forgotten land god. Despite the embarrassment, she still carried herself with poise and grace, walking forward like a star. "You’re not late—rather, you’re early," Xu Tao said as he opened his eyes, responding with a serious tone. "I thought you’d need more time to gather your thoughts. Looks like I truly underestimated my disciple’s mentality." His lips curled into a faint, appreciative smile. One that even the girls could easily recognize. "Anyway, come over here and sit down," he said without wasting another second. "Have your back facing me. Once you’re ready, we’ll begin right away." "Yes, Master," she replied, stepping forward without hesitation. She walked toward Xu Tao, turned so her back was facing him, and knelt into a lotus position. It was a risqué posture, considering she wore nothing under the robe, but only Uriel stood before her. Xu Tao shifted closer until he could casually reach Henrietta’s back. But before he began— CLAP! —he clapped his hands. The sound wave sent ripples across the sand, spreading wide until it hit the edges of the training ground. Three concentric circles formed, marking layered zones around the pair. "Uriel, do not allow anyone—not even yourself—to step beyond the third circle," Xu Tao commanded in a serious tone. "Doing so would endanger both Henrietta’s life and the intruder’s." "Yes, Master!" Uriel cupped her fists and nodded in understanding. "Good. Then, Henrietta... we’ll be locked in here for however long it takes for you to reach the designated level. It could be minutes, hours, or days. You’ll endure pain you’ve never experienced before—prepare yourself." At his final warning, Henrietta’s lips curled into a confident smile. With conviction, she replied in a lively tone: "Master, I’m ready anytime!" "..." Xu Tao hesitated for only a brief moment before performing a series of hand seals. As he moved, the circles on the sand began shifting, forming complex patterns filled with indecipherable letters and ancient characters. "T-This is...!" Uriel was forced to step back, overwhelmed by the astonishing amount of Qi being poured into the ground. To her senses, Xu Tao’s Qi was so dense it felt like a physical wall! With precise control, Xu Tao finished setting up the arrays. The smallest, innermost circle—Qi Gathering Array. It pulled Qi from the surroundings to help facilitate Henrietta’s rapid cultivation. The second circle—Evil Banishing Array. A protective array designed to prevent Evil Dao Parasites from disrupting the process. Finally, the outermost circle—Nine Gazes Heaven-Blocking Formation. A formation that prevented anyone under the heavens from entering beyond its boundary. It also shielded against divination techniques, keeping prying eyes away and preserving Henrietta’s privacy. Uriel quickly observed the effects of the arrays. Within the formations, Xu Tao and Henrietta’s figures began to blur. She could barely make out their shapes, much less their expressions or condition. Then came something unexpected. "Qi is rushing in?!" The entire mansion—no, the entire province’s Qi—seemed to be pulled toward the two, condensing into bluish-white fog. It looked like low-hanging clouds manifesting in the physical world from sheer density alone. Xu Tao, the one responsible for this feat, didn’t even appear tired. To him, casting a few large-scale formations like these was child’s play. He could even keep them running in his sleep if he wanted. "With this, preparations are complete," he said, placing his right hand—palm flat—on the center of Henrietta’s back. "Now, let’s begin." "Y-Yes..." A hint of embarrassment slipped into her voice as she felt Xu Tao’s thick, burly hand through the robe. Her body warmed up, cheeks flushing, as if boiling. But then— "...!" A silent scream escaped her lips as her back suddenly straightened. Xu Tao’s powerful Yang Qi, even though precisely controlled down to the smallest unit, still felt like a raging flood surging through Henrietta’s meridians. Wherever it passed, it forcefully expanded her pathways—sometimes even tearing them slightly—before cycling through all three Dantians. "Kuh...! GAAAAH!" To Henrietta, it felt like someone was branding her flesh, searing her blood vessels and nerves alike. It was far beyond anything she’d expected—pain so intense it nearly knocked her out. "Just say the word if you can’t take it, and we’ll stop," Xu Tao whispered behind her. "Being weak isn’t a sin. Staying weak is. And thankfully, we can still take the slower, less painful route if you choose." "...!" Henrietta wanted to curse. Now wasn’t the time for lectures! But Xu Tao wasn’t holding back. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and persisted through the agony. Give up? That word didn’t exist in her dictionary. Xu Tao noticed the trembling in her body, subtle but telling. Despite that, she stayed perfectly still—like a statue. Her will was more than enough to withstand the onslaught. Seeing her condition, Xu Tao nodded with a serious expression. "Good. Now we’ll start." "...?!" ’We haven’t even started yet?!’ Henrietta wanted to shout, but her voice drowned in mental curses. What Xu Tao had done so far was just clearing her meridians—creating an open path. With supplementary healing and regeneration techniques, he was merely preparing her body. And then, it truly began. A wave of mixed hot and cold Qi rushed through Henrietta’s half-repaired meridians, overflowing them, following a set circulation path through all her Dantians. This circulation wasn’t hers to control. Xu Tao himself was directing it. After all, Henrietta likely couldn’t manage even one full loop per second on her own. Not even an average expert could perform a single complete circulation per second—yet Xu Tao was guiding it over a hundred cycles per second. Henrietta’s vision flashed white from the pain. She couldn’t tell if she was screaming or not—her ears rang endlessly. Her body convulsed, instincts begging her to shut down, to escape, but she stubbornly held on. She thought back to the pain she’d endured since childhood—constant, merciless, unending—and told herself this was nothing compared to that. That this pain is transient, and will pass in a while. She gritted her teeth until cracks formed. Her fingernails dug into her thighs. She bore the pain with everything she had! But her suffering did not go unanswered. "...!" A wave of warmth surged through her, like a blanket wrapping her from within. The pain vanished—for a moment. She could feel her Dantian expanding, contracting, then stabilizing—adjusting to a new realm of strength. As if the heavens themselves acknowledged her growth—Henrietta had broken through to Bronze Level 5!