218: Double Happiness

A month's time felt exceptionally long in the waiting.

Within Bamboo Rhyme Residence, the energy fluctuations from the Quiet Room where Xiao Chun was in secluded cultivation maintained a gentle yet vast rhythm, like a deep autumn lake—calm on the surface but nurturing infinite vitality within, settling and sublimating day after day.

On this day, late at night.

The regularly flowing vital energy abruptly and without warning became violent!

It was as if a tranquil lake had suddenly churned with towering waves, or like a dormant volcano finally erupting. An indescribable, mighty aura, a blend of boundless vitality and a certain ancient majesty, erupted from the depths of the Quiet Room!

This aura was not the heavy, fierce intensity of Xia Ya's Breakthrough, nor the sharp, domineering force of an ordinary Martial King's advancement. Instead, it was the ultimate manifestation of "life"—wildly growing vegetation, all things reviving, spring returning to the earth! Moreover, it faintly carried a trace of... a strange, ancient, primal, scorching, and noble pressure.

All the flowers, plants, and trees within Bamboo Rhyme Residence seemed infused with endless vitality at this moment. Their leaves and branches unfurled at a visible rate, and flower buds that shouldn't have appeared in this season bloomed out of thin air! The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the courtyard madly converged, forming gentle, emerald-green vortices that swirled around the Quiet Room.

Such a startling phenomenon instantly alarmed the entire Bamboo Rhyme Residence and even drew the attention of some powerful beings deep within Medicine King Valley.

Qin Feng, Xia Ya, Ji Ruxue, and Chu Tianhe—who had been recuperating in a nearby Quiet Room—appeared in the courtyard almost simultaneously, looking at the room enveloped in emerald spiritual light and an inexplicable pressure with stunned expressions.

"Is this... Xiao Chun's Breakthrough?" Xia Ya felt the immense vitality but also faintly sensed a familiar scorching pressure within it, yet it seemed more ancient and noble.

Qin Feng's gaze was sharp, fixed intently on the Quiet Room. He perceived it more clearly: the vitality originated from Xiao Chun, while that trace of ancient pressure... unmistakably came from within the room, from the giant egg that had been nurtured for over a month!

"Their auras are resonating..." Qin Feng murmured, a startling speculation rising in his heart.

At that very moment—

"Rumble!"

Not a loud noise, but a sound full of life's tenacity—like a seed breaking through soil or a chick pecking its shell—resounded from the Quiet Room!

The tightly shut stone door was pushed open from inside by a gentle yet irresistible force.

A flood of emerald spiritual light surged out, only to recede in an instant.

A slender figure stepped out slowly from the radiance.

It was Su Yuchun—Xiao Chun.

She wore a simple, tender green dress, her long hair cascading softly over her shoulders. Her originally delicate face now seemed veiled in a gentle jade-like glow, her eyes clearer and brighter, as if containing two springs of life. Her aura was perfectly harmonious and flawless, brimming with vitality. She had unmistakably reached the Early Stage Martial King Realm! Moreover, her aura was incredibly solid and pure, faintly connected to the vitality of the world's flora. Clearly, her Foundation was extremely firm. The potential of her Myriad Medicine Body had been initially and perfectly unleashed under the guidance of the Returning Origin Guiding Heart Art and the boost of the king breaking pill.

However, what drew everyone's attention was not Xiao Chun herself, but the little creature she cradled in her arms.

It was a small beast about the size of a palm, covered in soft, fine, earth-red fur. It resembled a common puppy, its dull, unremarkable color almost blending into the dust. Its ears drooped, and its tail was an unremarkably short stub. Only the bottoms of its four tiny paws faintly showed an almost imperceptible pale gold. At this moment, it was curled up in Xiao Chun's arms, its eyes not fully open, emitting soft "ying ying" sounds. Its pink little nose twitched, greedily sniffing the Myriad Medicine Body vitality emanating from Xiao Chun, which it found incredibly intimate.

Was this... the creature hatched from the "Lava Lion King's Legacy Egg" that had consumed xuantian creation dew, a large amount of Xiao Chun's heart's essence blood, and over a month of continuous nurturing?

Judging solely by this unremarkable, even rustic-looking infant form, anyone would think it was just an ordinary puppy, perhaps a pet brought in by some Disciple. But the four in the courtyard, including Xiao Chun herself, could clearly sense the faint yet inherently high-level, reserved, noble, and scorching Bloodline fluctuation within it when it was pressed close to Xiao Chun—this was definitely not something an ordinary beast possessed! It was just that this fluctuation was extremely well-concealed by its overly plain appearance and its own deliberate restraint (perhaps instinctual). Unless one was in close contact and had sharp cultivation perception, it was impossible to detect.

Qin Feng's eyes narrowed, instantly understanding how precious this "disguise" of appearance was! A man's innocence is his own ruin when he possesses a treasure. If it had hatched with a divine and extraordinary appearance, radiating precious light, not just Medicine King Valley, but likely the top forces of the entire Great Qian Dynasty would have been alarmed. What awaited them then would be endless covetousness and mortal danger! This seemingly rustic appearance was, in fact, the best camouflage.

"Dad! Brother Feng! Sister Xia Ya! Sister Xue!" Seeing everyone in the courtyard, Xiao Chun's face immediately bloomed with a smile brighter than the morning sun. Holding the earth-red little creature, she walked over quickly, her voice filled with joy and excitement. "I succeeded! And... it... it's alive too!"

Her gaze fell on the earth-red little beast in her arms, full of maternal tenderness and incredible delight.

"Good... good! Good!" Chu Tianhe said "good" three times in a row. Usually calm and reserved, he now couldn't conceal his excitement. He stepped forward quickly, carefully examining his daughter, then quickly glanced at the seemingly ordinary little beast in her arms. His eyes first showed relief, then turned into deeper shock and a trace of understanding caution. He reached out as if to touch it but stopped, ultimately just gently patting his daughter's shoulder, his voice choked with emotion. "Safe is good... a Breakthrough is good... My daughter... has grown up."

He could naturally see the perfection of Xiao Chun's Breakthrough.

Qin Feng, Xia Ya, and Ji Ruxue also gathered around, looking at Xiao Chun with pleasant surprise. Just as Xia Ya was about to say something, Qin Feng subtly signaled to her and Ji Ruxue with his eyes and shook his head slightly. The two immediately understood, suppressing the exclamations and questions they were about to voice, and only congratulated Xiao Chun with broad smiles.

"Xiao Chun, congratulations on your Breakthrough!" Qin Feng said with a laugh, his tone normal, as if what she held was just the most ordinary puppy.

"That's wonderful, Xiao Chun! You're a Martial King too!" Xia Ya leaned in, curiously looking at the earth-red little creature, restraining the urge to investigate closely, and only reached out to gently stroke its fur. "This little pup is quite well-behaved."

Ji Ruxue nodded slightly. Her gaze lingered on the little beast for a moment before shifting away. A faint smile appeared on her cool face.

The four tacitly avoided discussing or, moreover, probing any peculiarities of the little beast, unanimously treating it as an ordinary pet puppy that Xiao Chun had found or hatched. This secret had to be firmly kept among the four of them.

"It seems... to really like Xiao Chun's aura," Qin Feng said in a normal tone.

"Mm!" Xiao Chun nodded vigorously, affectionately stroking the little beast's soft earth-red fur. "When I was breaking through, it seemed to be drawn by something too, and finally hatched... I can feel it's very close to me." She wisely didn't elaborate on the details.

Right at that moment—

"Hum..."

A low, heavy, rumbling sound—as if from the depths of the earth, traversing endless ages—suddenly and without warning faintly emanated from the direction of the core Forbidden Ground of Medicine King Valley.

This sound didn't travel through the air but resonated directly in the depths of everyone's Soul! It carried an indescribable sense of vicissitude, majesty, and... a trace of just-awakened confusion.

Immediately after, a terrifying aura, vast as a sea of stars and heavy as the great earth, like a giant who had slept for eons slowly opening its eyes, quietly spread out, enveloping the entire Medicine King Valley!

This aura wasn't domineering; it even carried gentleness and a protective intent. But its level was so high and its depth so profound that Xiao Chun and Xia Ya, who had just broken through to Martial King, instantly felt themselves as insignificant as a drop in the ocean. Even Qin Feng and Ji Ruxue were deeply shaken, feeling as small as ants looking up at the vast sky.

Throughout the valley, whether Disciples or Elders who were refining pills, cultivating, or sparring, all stopped their actions, looking toward the Forbidden Ground with shock and uncertainty.

In the courtyard of Bamboo Rhyme Residence, Chu Tianhe's face changed drastically, and he exclaimed in a low voice, "This is... the aura of the valley's guardian Sacred Beast?! It... it has awakened?!"

Qin Feng suddenly looked up toward the Forbidden Ground. Instantly, rumors he had previously heard about Medicine King Valley flashed through his mind. The reason Medicine King Valley could stand for a thousand years, besides its unparalleled medical arts and Alchemy, was said to be due to a guardian Sacred Beast that had made a pact with the valley in ancient times—the Xuantian Turtle! Its Lifespan was terrifyingly long, and its strength was unfathomable. It usually remained in eternal slumber, only occasionally awakening when the valley faced imminent destruction or when major events occurred that could stir the changes of the world's Origin.

Now, it had actually awakened, without warning, in the middle of the night?

Was it because of the vast vitality and Myriad Medicine Body aura stirred by Xiao Chun's Breakthrough? Or was it because of the just-born, earth-red little beast in her arms with its peculiarly high Bloodline essence? Even with its utmost concealment, had it still leaked a trace of its Origin's tremor that could be sensed by beings of the same level?

That vast, abyssal aura, after enveloping the entire valley for a moment, seemed to carry a trace of probing and confusion as it swept over Bamboo Rhyme Valley from afar, precisely... lingering for an instant on Xiao Chun and the seemingly ordinary, earth-red little life in her arms.

Qin Feng and the others tensed, instinctively shielding Xiao Chun and the little beast in her arms, holding their breath and concentrating.

After a long while, that terrifying aura slowly receded like a tide, finally returning to the silence deep within the Forbidden Ground, as if the awakening had just been an illusion.

But the five in the courtyard were all drenched in cold sweat on their backs.

They knew it was definitely not an illusion.