76: Chapter 76 This is your home

Su Li tried her best to suppress the trembling in her voice as she vaguely called out a greeting toward the courtyard gate.

"Grand Elder."

"Good, very good."

Great Elder Qin Cangyue laughed heartily outside the gate, his voice full of admiration.

"Little Friend Mo is truly diligent. Even after just breaking through his Realm, he does not forget to refine his cultivation."

"Since it was you who broke through to the Crystallization Stage, this old man can rest easy."

"Furthermore, although Elder Su is unwell and it is inconvenient for her to handle the affairs of an Elder, it would be good if she is willing to guide you as a Senior."

Great Elder Qin Cangyue clapped his hands and bid him farewell.

"Then this old man won't disturb you. Little Friend Mo, remember to stabilize your cultivation well; do not be too eager for success."

"This Disciple has taken it to heart. Thank you for the guidance, Grand Elder."

Mo Zixing smiled and accepted the advice.

Listening to the sound of something breaking through the air as it faded into the distance outside the gate, he finally paused for a moment.

Su Li, who had been holding herself up for a long time, lost her strength.

Her arms went soft, and her whole body slumped onto the cold stone table, causing her to tremble once more.

Mo Zixing leaned down, pressing against her sweat-dampened back, and whispered with a smile:

"Elder Su, you almost gave us away just now."

Su Li lay on the stone table and muffled her voice, cursing with shame and indignation:

"Mo Zixing, do you have no shame at all!"

"I really don't."

Mo Zixing chuckled and reached out to support her waist, which was so weak she could barely stand.

With a slight force, he compelled her to turn back around and face him.

The black veil on her face had already slipped off during the loss of control earlier.

Her eyes were misty, filled with shame, anger, and grievance.

"I actually just wanted you to see the Mingyu Sect's true attitude toward you, their Elder."

He gently stroked Su Li's cheek, setting aside his playful banter and speaking with a serious, manipulative tone:

"You heard it too."

"Aside from exploiting your remaining value, no one truly cares whether you are doing well or not."

"So, what do you actually plan to do next?"

These words were very direct.

So direct that they forcibly dragged Su Li out of the state of escapism she had been in for the past few days.

"I... I don't know."

She fell silent for a moment and turned her face away, not wanting Mo Zixing to see her lose her composure.

"But at least one thing you said is very right."

"What the Sect values has only ever been my current talent and worth."

Her voice grew lower and lower.

"When they first discovered my amazing Comprehension Ability, they pushed me into the position of Qingsu Peak's Master without another word."

"But as soon as my Foundation was destroyed, they turned around and discarded me like a worn-out shoe."

"I don't want to go back anymore..."

Mo Zixing reached out to pull her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head and gently patting her back.

"If you don't want to go back, then don't. It's no big deal."

"If you are willing, this place is your home."

He wiped away the teardrops rolling down Su Li's cheeks.

"Do whatever you want to do. With me here, no one else can force you to do things you don't want to do."

Su Li buried her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking slightly as she wept silently.

Mo Zixing just held her quietly, letting her tears dampen his lapel.

A long time passed.

Su Li finally calmed her emotions.

Before Mo Zixing could say anything else...

She suddenly stood on her tiptoes, leaned in proactively, and kissed his lips.

It was clumsy and unrefined.

Their lips parted.

Su Li, with a mix of reluctance and compliance, let him sit on the only stool that hadn't fallen over, murmuring softly:

"Tonight, let me..."

The night wind carried a chill, but it could not dissipate the burning heat between the two of them.

Su Li let go of all her pride, showing all her charms to him without reservation.

...

Mo Zixing felt like he was seeing double.

In the distant sky, there seemed to be two full moons leaping up and down, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't so.

...

An unknown amount of time passed.

Faint sunlight began to spill across the horizon.

Mo Zixing looked down.

He wanted to detach Su Li, who had fallen into a deep sleep in his arms.

But the mortise and tenon fit between their structures was far too tight; separating them by force felt a bit beyond his strength.

In his arms.

Su Li's eyelashes drooped obediently, casting faint shadows under her eyes. Her lips, usually tightly pursed, were now slightly parted, her breathing steady and soft.

Even while asleep, she still held his waist firmly, unwilling to let go.

As if fearing that the moment she let go, this warmth would disappear.

Mo Zixing chuckled helplessly and had to carry her back to the guest room on the west side.

He wiped away the tear stains from the corners of her eyes.

He worked at it for a while longer.

Only then did he successfully extract himself from her embrace.

He pulled up the quilt to cover her, and after looking at Su Li's sleeping form, Mo Zixing closed the door and stepped out.

He walked into the courtyard and sat down, taking out the Thousand Machine Shadows movement technique manual that Liu Qingyan had given him.

Previously, he was stuck at the Foundation Establishment Stage and could only look at this High Grade Crystallization movement technique with envy.

Now that he had stepped into the Crystallization Stage, he could finally Cultivate this movement technique.

"If I don't learn it now, then when?"

Mo Zixing stroked the cover of the Secret Manual, smiled to himself, and then flipped it open.

He began to study the contents of the manual word for word.

Thousand Machine Shadows was truly worthy of being a High Grade Crystallization level technique; its core essence was incredibly profound, divided into three Realms:

The first Realm, Treading Shadows Without a Trace, allowed one's form to move at high speeds like a ghost, concealing one's own aura.

The second Realm, Transformation into Shadows, could create three afterimages that carried ten percent of the original body's attack power, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.

The third Realm, Thousand Changes, could create nine afterimages that carried thirty percent of the original body's attack power, serving both offense and defense. Even Cultivators of the same rank would find it hard to tell the real from the fake.

This movement technique actually has an auxiliary attack effect?

It seems quite impressive.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly low numerical value of the auxiliary attacks.

The number of afterimages was high.

The more attacks there were, the higher the probability of triggering Sudden Killing Intent.

He closed his eyes, mobilized his spiritual energy, and began to slowly circulate it according to the cultivation route in the manual.

The spiritual energy of the Crystallization Stage flowed through his Meridians to his legs.

The next second, his figure instantly vanished from the stone stool, leaving only a faint afterimage.

Almost at the same time, his figure appeared at the courtyard gate.

Then it appeared on the roof.

With another flash, he sat back on the stone stool.

He didn't make a single sound throughout the process.

Truly worthy of a High Grade Crystallization Stage movement technique!

It really is fast enough!

Mo Zixing's eyes were full of smiles.

He could finally move rapidly using his own physical speed.

He pressed on.

He didn't stop, continuing to concentrate on studying the essence of the second Realm, Transformation into Shadows.

However, the requirements for the second Realm were even higher.

With his current cultivation and Comprehension Ability, he would still need to polish it for a period of time before mastering it.

Morning light gradually filled the entire small courtyard.

Spiritual energy circulated around Mo Zixing's body.

His figure sometimes split into faint afterimages.

And sometimes merged back into one.

The door to the main bedroom was gently pushed open.

Jiang Yuwei walked out rubbing her eyes and immediately saw Mo Zixing sitting cross-legged on the ground, cultivating.

The Junior Sister immediately lightened her footsteps.

Leaning against the doorframe, she quietly watched her Senior Brother in the morning light, her eyes full of admiration and joy.