Luo Yinzhu walked ahead, leading Liu Xi and Xiao Yixian through the valley. Along the way, every Sound Valley disciple they encountered would immediately step aside, their eyes filled with respect as they watched the three pass.
Luo Yinzhu's steps were light and graceful, her delicate face—now unveiled—radiated calm joy. Her brows arched slightly, lips curved faintly, clearly in a cheerful mood. She broke the silence first and said softly,
"Master Liu, my mother said the cold poison in her body has already been expelled by nearly half. Perhaps after another one or two purifications, she'll fully recover. My mother is the Valley Master and the strongest person in Sound Valley, so she's naturally important to the entire valley—but to me, she's even more important, because she's my only family."
"Your kindness is something Sound Valley will never forget. That's why my mother said that within our treasury, whatever treasure catches your eye, you may take it freely. It's both her gratitude and mine."
In Luo Yinzhu's bright eyes flickered complex emotions—gratitude, relief, even joy. She was truly thankful she had met Liu Xi back in Burning Flame Valley and had firmly invited him here.
Everything was now developing in the best direction. The cold poison plaguing Valley Master Luo had been purged by half, allowing her to suppress her aura and move freely outside once more.
Liu Xi clasped his hands behind his back, his demeanor calm and relaxed. Originally, he had only intended to visit briefly—if the cold poison wasn't too troublesome, he would detoxify it, make an acquaintance with a Half Saint powerhouse, and perhaps collect a few high-grade medicinal ingredients.
Now, however, sealed within his dantian by the Azure Flame, the refined pure Dou Qi he obtained was enough to help him break through to Dou Zun without even relying on the Three Thousand Burning Flame.
If not for the Azure Flame's seal, attempting to absorb that pure energy directly would have torn him apart. Without complete control, part of it would be refined, part wasted—and he might even be injured.
Naturally, Liu Xi didn't intend to mention this. The cold poison he had stripped away flowed into him along with the Azure Flame and was refined into pure Dou Qi—something he considered rightfully earned.
Liu Xi never hid his practicality. Everything he did had clear purpose. Some debts he announced openly, like the "Zun Shi Pill" owed to Venerable Lei. Others, such as the "Nine Dragon Lightning Flame" from Burning Flame Valley, he would simply reclaim when the time came.
With a faint smile, Liu Xi said, "I don't work for free. Still, Valley Master Luo is quite generous—even allowing me to take your valley's core Qi Method. Tsk tsk…"
At that, Luo Yinzhu's expression grew a little strange. Her lips parted slightly but no sound came out, hesitation flashing across her delicate face.
Liu Xi raised a brow in confusion. "What's with that expression, Miss Yinzhu? Don't tell me your Qi Method is forbidden for outsiders. With that look, you've actually made me a little curious."
Luo Yinzhu's gaze lowered, and a soft blush crept from her slender neck up to her cheeks. She hesitated, then said carefully,
"Master Liu, all disciples of Sound Valley are women. Even the most gifted among us, we've never taken in a male disciple—and that's because of our Qi Method."
"Men and women may share similar meridian structures, but there are still… differences. Our Qi Method involves certain delicate channels that differ between the sexes".
"Our Qi Method is powerful, yes, but if a man were to practice it, he would have to… remove that extra part of his body. Otherwise, Dou Qi would run rampant through his meridians and cause internal chaos, possibly leading to deviation."
By the end, Luo Yinzhu's face was fully flushed, her voice growing fainter as she forced herself to finish.
Liu Xi froze, his expression utterly blank. The corner of his mouth twitched violently as his mind filled with exasperation.
'What the hell is this? The Dou Qi Continent version of the Sunflower Manual—"To practice this technique, you must first castrate yourself"? My brother still has a bright future ahead; I'm not throwing that away here!'
Xiao Yixian's face paled. She stepped up and clung tightly to Liu Xi's arm, her tone firm and protective. "Absolutely not! Even if Young Master's progress slows down, I'll just train faster to protect him. Either way, he's not touching that Qi Method!"
Feeling Xiao Yixian's warm, soft embrace, Liu Xi's expression gradually eased, and he chuckled lightly. "Miss Yinzhu, no need to explain further. Let's just pretend I never said that. Take us to your medicinal vault instead—your valley's Qi Methods and Dou Techniques can stay where they are."
Luo Yinzhu glanced sideways at Xiao Yixian, who was clinging to Liu Xi's arm with clear affection. Seeing that, she merely gave a slight nod and said nothing more.
The atmosphere turned a little awkward afterward. About ten minutes later, they reached a heavily guarded grand hall.
With his powerful Spiritual Power, Liu Xi could sense more than thirty concealed presences watching them closely. If anyone dared trespass here, those hidden sentries would strike instantly. Still, Liu Xi wasn't concerned—his strength was sufficient, and Luo Yinzhu was already stepping forward to handle the formalities.
The disciples openly standing guard quickly relaxed their posture, their wary gazes turning to respectful ones. The hidden auras, too, slowly withdrew.
Luo Yinzhu retrieved half of a jade token from her spatial ring. A gray-robed elder appeared silently, producing the other half. The two pieces joined seamlessly, without the slightest gap.
The old woman's eyes were calm, her voice kind. "No issue. Young Valley Mistress, please enter. Master Liu, thank you for curing the Valley Master's cold poison. Please, come in."
Liu Xi nodded slightly, thinking to himself, 'I've already profited plenty from this too. The purified Dou Qi refined from that cold poison is an absolute treasure. As long as there's poison left, I'll keep stripping it away.'
Crack—
The massive doors slowly swung open before the glowing jade token. Following Luo Yinzhu, Liu Xi and Xiao Yixian stepped inside.
Beyond the threshold stretched a deep, dark corridor. Every wall was constructed from glossy black obsidian that seemed to swallow all light.
This stone didn't just absorb light—it devoured Dou Qi as well, until it was completely saturated and shattered. The entire passage was built from this material.
Even a Dou Zong powerhouse would struggle to break through here using Dou Qi, exhausting themselves instead. Sound Valley's wealth and power were evident from this alone.
Luo Yinzhu took out a luminous pearl, its soft glow spilling faint light across the corridor. "Master Liu, please follow me. This Obsidian Passage can only be illuminated with a Canghai Pearl. Still, with your extraordinary Spiritual Power, you should see clearly enough."
Her gentle voice echoed softly through the darkness as she led the way.
Liu Xi smiled and nodded. This place might disrupt Dou Qi, but it couldn't interfere with his Spiritual Power. Together with Xiao Yixian, he followed Luo Yinzhu's graceful figure into the shadowed passage.
(End of Chapter)
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