Xiao Tian gently took Ya Fei's hand and drew her to his side.
He then began to tend to her wounds with care.
Ya Fei leaned contentedly against him.
Finally, Qing Lin, pouting with a wronged expression and covering her bottom, trailed behind Xiao Yi Xian back to the pavilion.
Xiao Tian sent out a wisp of Life Spirit Flame to aid her recovery.
"You simply spoil her," Xiao Yi Xian remarked, taking a sip of the tea Xiao Tian had poured for her and casting him a helpless look.
"Of course. I spoil all of you immensely as well."
Qing Lin obediently positioned herself behind Xiao Tian and began massaging him.
Xiao Yi Xian and Ya Fei both smiled at his words. They knew full well that Xiao Tian cherished everyone equally and played no favorites.
After conversing with the three women for a while, he gestured for them to resume their training and then departed the Eternal Dream Realm.
He arrived once more at the Misty Cloud Sect's exclusive training ground behind the Sect Master's main hall. Yun Yun was instructing Nalan Yanran.
"What a coincidence. Everywhere I go, someone is training."
Xiao Tian felt a sense of speechless amusement.
Sword energy crisscrossed the training ground. Yun Yun's figure was light and graceful, each swing of her sword seemingly imbued with the spiritual essence of the clouds.
Behind her, Nalan Yanran diligently followed her movements, striving for precision in every strike.
"Extreme Wind, Meteor Kill."
A voice rang out, and Nalan Yanran placed two fingers beside the sword hilt before thrusting forward. A slender beam of light shot from the blade, striking the ground with tremendous force.
"Boom!"
The training ground immediately erupted in smoke.
After the dust dissipated, fine cracks appeared in the bluestone slabs beneath them.
This technique, executed by Nalan Yanran, appeared impressive. But a glance at the ground told a different story.
All show, no real damage.
"Extreme Wind... Gua Sha?"
A remark inadvertently slipped from Xiao Tian's mouth.
Xiao Tian felt the soft flesh at his waist being pinched, and an icy voice followed.
"What did you just say?"
Xiao Tian reached out and captured Yun Yun's hand, freeing his tender skin from her wicked jade fingers.
"I said that move was excellent—very powerful and awe-inspiring."
Nalan Yanran had naturally overheard Xiao Tian's words. Veins bulged faintly on her sword-wielding hand in fury, her face a mask of gritted teeth.
"Xiao... Xiao Tian! I challenge you to a duel!"
Nalan Yanran's exasperated voice rang out from the training ground.
"Address me as Master's Husband. A young lady should not constantly speak of duels. It is far too violent. Learn more from your teacher."
"Besides, you are still no match for me."
"Ah, ah, ah! I will hack you to pieces!"
Nalan Yanran grew even more incensed, feeling as though her chest might burst with frustration.
She raised her sword and activated her movement technique, intent on striking Xiao Tian.
She had barely covered half the distance when a blast of star energy descended from the sky.
Nalan Yanran could only dodge to the side.
As more and more star energy rained down, Nalan Yanran was forced to evade continuously, eventually being driven back to the center of the training ground.
"Dodge faster. If you get struck, your hair will be left in disarray. Just imagining it makes me laugh."
Xiao Tian's voice reached Nalan Yanran's ears. She grew even angrier. Imagining herself in such a state—and if word ever got out—how could she ever face anyone? She would want to crawl into the nearest crevice in the earth.
"Is your wind attribute merely for show? Do you only grasp the agile and swift aspects of the wind? What of its formlessness, its mutability, its controllability?"
"Wind is formless and ever-changing. You can manipulate two or even multiple currents to create convection. The wind attribute can also be perceived as akin to water, or even superior."
"You can even harness the pulling force of the wind attribute to alter the trajectory of lightning."
Nalan Yanran froze upon hearing Xiao Tian's words. Xiao Tian ceased the lightning strikes.
"It seems Yanran will gain much from this experience."
"That is only because you are not strict enough. A doting mother spoils her child. And she has always regarded you as the most important person in her heart. Everything about her imitates you. Those who learn from me thrive; those who merely imitate me perish."
"If she wishes to grow, she must forge her own path."
After approximately ten minutes, Nalan Yanran's aura shifted. Her entire spirit and energy underwent a profound transformation, signifying that she had grasped her shortcomings.
"Yanran thanks Master's Husband for his guidance."
Nalan Yanran bowed slightly toward Xiao Tian.
"Mm. Do not let Yun'er's high expectations of you go to waste."
Xiao Tian waved his hand, swept Yun Yun up from nearby, and vanished from the training ground.
Watching Xiao Tian depart, Nalan Yanran's heart filled with a pressing sense of urgency. In her perception, Xiao Tian was terrifyingly powerful. His younger brother, Xiao Yan, would not be far behind. Moreover, she had heard that he had already recovered his former talent over two years ago.
She gathered her thoughts and began swinging the sword in her hand relentlessly—sometimes agile, sometimes fierce. Occasionally, dull thuds resounded from the space before her.
---
"Yun'er, I am taking you somewhere to meet some people."
Xiao Tian carried Yun Yun back to her room.
"Ya Fei? Xiao Yi Xian? Qing Lin?"
Yun Yun's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flickering within them. She opened her mouth and bit fiercely into Xiao Tian's shoulder.
Xiao Tian did not push her away, letting her vent her feelings.
When she finally released him, her lips were stained with a trace of crimson. Xiao Tian gently wiped the blood from her lips.
"That is punishment for your philandering. I know that, given your nature, you can't abandon them for me. If you abandoned them, I would be even more afraid, because if you could abandon them, it means you could abandon me in the future as well."
Yun Yun gently caressed the wound on Xiao Tian's shoulder, helping to soothe it.
"Yun'er, you are so good. Having you is my greatest fortune. All of you are my wings. Not a single one can be missing."
"My possessiveness is very strong. You are already mine, and I will not permit you to leave me."
"Enough with the sweet words. I want to see just how beautiful those vixens are that they managed to captivate even you."
Yun Yun spoke fiercely.
Xiao Tian waved his hand, bringing Yun Yun into the Eternal Dream Realm.
He briefly introduced the Eternal Dream Realm to her.
Xiao Yi Xian and the others were currently playing and chatting in the lakeside pavilion.
Xiao Tian made brief introductions for both parties, earning furious eye-rolls from the three women. He then led Yun Yun to the pavilion.
Xiao Tian scratched his head in confusion. He naturally understood the gentle temperaments of Xiao Yi Xian and the others, as well as Ya Fei's emotional nature.
Yet Yun Yun, who moments ago had fiercely threatened to teach him a lesson, was now all smiles, getting along splendidly with them.
Xiao Tian was instantly dumbfounded. Was this the self-cultivation of a Sect Master?
Seeing them harmonize so effortlessly, Xiao Tian breathed a sigh of relief. He had worried that if a Shura field erupted, it would give him a splitting headache.
"What are you still standing there for? Cannot you see we sisters need to have a private conversation? Leave, quickly."
Yun Yun addressed Xiao Tian with a stern face.
The others nodded in agreement.
Xiao Tian feigned an expression of grievance, then turned and left the pavilion.
But his face was filled with smiles. At least he would not be hacked to pieces.
After departing, Xiao Tian went to the training room and sat cross-legged to cultivate.
Midway through his cultivation, he was startled awake by a chill running down his spine. He swept his senses around but found nothing amiss. His soul extended to the lakeside pavilion. Finding them still deep in conversation, he withdrew it.
Unbeknownst to him, that chill down his back was because the four women had already formed an alliance. Displeased with his philandering ways, they had begun devising various schemes.
That day, they wandered through the Eternal Dream Realm together. That night, the four of them remained in each other's company, already addressing one another as sisters. As for a certain someone, he had long been cast from their minds.
After finishing his cultivation, Xiao Tian routinely fed his little pets and then slipped into a light slumber.