83: Chapter 83 A Small Price

Liu Qingyan's consciousness was pulled back by the steady sound of a heartbeat near her ear.

The first thing she felt was a warm chest pressed against her back.

A solid arm was wrapping her entire being into an embrace.

Her mind was still a bit dazed.

After a long while, her memories slowly began to return.

Yesterday, the Medicinal Pill backfired.

She couldn't even stand steadily.

She was the one who begged Mo Zixing to carry her back to the sleeping chambers.

While she was asleep, she was also the one who tightly gripped his hem and refused to let go.

Yet somehow, it had turned into her being held in his arms, sleeping peacefully all night.

How could a Revered Master and Disciple overstep their bounds like this?

A crimson flush instantly surged onto Liu Qingyan's cheeks.

She bit her lip, wanting to withdraw from his embrace.

But the moment she moved...

The Death Qi within her Dantian began to churn.

She didn't dare to struggle further, fearing that too much movement would trigger the decaying life force inside her body.

She could only allow him to keep her encircled.

It was also at this moment...

That she realized after the fact.

The spiritual energy in Mo Zixing's body was thick and steady, and the degree of condensation in his aura was not at all inferior to hers.

Could it be that Mo Zixing had actually reached the second level of the Crystallization Realm?

As this thought emerged...

Her heart was filled with both shock and bitterness.

What shocked her was that his Cultivation speed was simply Heaven-Defying.

In just a few short days, he had gone all the way from Foundation Establishment to the Second Level of Crystallization; it was truly beyond her reach.

The bitterness came from being the Revered Master yet remaining stuck at the Second Level of Crystallization until now.

Although she had anticipated it, she hadn't expected to be left behind by her Disciple so quickly.

It was truly a complete loss of face.

"Revered Master, are you awake?"

Mo Zixing's voice rang out from above her head.

Liu Qingyan hurriedly shrank toward the inner side of the bed, pulling away a slight distance.

She lowered her eyes, not daring to look directly at him, and only gave a soft response:

"Mm."

After another moment, she finally looked up.

With a hint of awkwardness in her voice, she said softly:

“Cough... There is a distinction between Revered Master and apprentice.”

“How about... you let go of me first?”

Mo Zixing raised an eyebrow.

Previously, she was the one holding onto his arm and wouldn't let go.

Now that she's awake, she remembers she's the Revered Master?

Despite his internal complaints, he still followed her words and released his hand from her waist.

Mo Zixing sat up and handed over a cup of water from the bedside that had been warmed earlier.

"Revered Master has just woken up; drink some water first to moisten your throat."

Liu Qingyan took it.

Her fingertips accidentally brushed against his hand.

A scorching sensation was felt.

She almost failed to hold the cup steadily; she quickly lowered her head, taking small sips of water to hide her embarrassment.

It was at this moment, as Mo Zixing looked at her cascading silver hair, that he suddenly spoke:

"Revered Master, your hair has turned completely white."

Liu Qingyan's movement of drinking water came to a sudden halt.

The water cup in her hand wobbled.

A few drops spilled onto her clothes, spreading into faint water stains.

As if unable to believe it, she suddenly reached out to touch her hair.

A cold silver-white slid across her fingertips.

From the top of her head to the tips, her long hair, which had been jet-black and soft, had now turned entirely silver-white.

This further emphasized her already pale cheeks, making them look even more bloodless.

This is...

Not good!

Liu Qingyan immediately closed her eyes, focusing her mind to sense her Dantian and Meridians.

The Meridians were indeed cleared.

The medicinal shackles that had blocked her cultivation from growing were broken through by the medicinal power of the Fate-Reversing Pill.

Her Spiritual Root had also been refined to be even more pure; her compatibility for fire control and Alchemy was several times higher than before.

But the cost was also devastating.

The Crystallization within her Dantian, which was originally lustrous and full...

Was now dim and lusterless.

The surface of the Crystallization was wrapped in a heavy layer of Death Qi.

The loss of Lifespan was too immense.

She could vaguely perceive that her remaining vitality was like a candle flickering in the wind.

There might only be a short half-year left.

Every breath...

Was consuming her scarce life essence.

Liu Qingyan slowly opened her eyes.

Long strands of hair fell, concealing the surging panic in the depths of her eyes.

She gripped the bedding beneath her, forcibly suppressing the panic in her heart, and strove to maintain her usual appearance.

She had calculated everything perfectly before.

Even if she sacrificed ninety percent of her Lifespan...

With her attainments in the Dao of Alchemy, she would surely be able to step into the Golden Core Stage within two or three years after breaking the shackles.

But she hadn't anticipated that the backlash would be so severe.

This Medicinal Pill had actually compressed her Lifespan to such a dangerous point.

In her current state, she feared she wouldn't even reach the 9th Layer of Crystallization before she died.

Let alone entering the Golden Core Stage to delay death.

The drum in her heart beat louder and louder, and an unprecedented panic swept through her entire body.

She regretted it.

She thought she could go Against Heavens Fate.

In the end, her fate was indeed changed.

It was just almost gone.

This pill, upon which she had placed high hopes, had instead pushed her onto a path of no return.

Mo Zixing looked at her pretending to be calm and leaned forward slightly, breaking the silence in the sleeping chambers:

"Revered Master, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Liu Qingyan's eyes were clouded with a layer of mist; she took a deep breath, but her voice still carried a hint of trembling:

"I was too impatient; I shouldn't have gambled on this pill."

"What's done is done; regret is useless."

Mo Zixing looked at her and asked:

"Revered Master, you said the consumption of life force was too great. As long as you Breakthrough to the Golden Core before your Lifespan is exhausted, you can delay it, right?"

"That is indeed correct."

Liu Qingyan nodded, her eyes lowered, her voice low:

"But I miscalculated; the pill's backlash was too severe."

"Now my Lifespan likely has less than half a year left, but at that time, I might not even be able to touch the threshold of the Golden Core."

"Cough... That might not be the case."

Seeing that the time was right, Mo Zixing coughed lightly to catch her attention and said mysteriously:

"Revered Master, actually, I have a good method that can make your cultivation grow rapidly."

"You have a way?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyan looked up in confusion, her body even leaning forward slightly:

"What method?"

In all her life, she had heard of some methods that could quickly increase one's cultivation.

But those methods either required extremely precious Heaven And Earth Treasures or were some wicked and unorthodox ways.

But looking at Mo Zixing's certain gaze, a sliver of expectation slowly grew in her heart.

She knew that this Disciple's cultivation growth speed far exceeded that of ordinary people.

And there was no evil aura surrounding him.

Could it be that he really had some good way to allow her to also rapidly increase her Realm?

Mo Zixing looked at the light reigniting in her eyes, and a meaningful smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Liu Qingyan watched him approach with a mischievous smile, blinked, and suddenly felt a bad premonition in her heart.

She felt as if she were about to lose something.

With every inch he moved forward, Liu Qingyan subconsciously shrank back an inch.

Until her back pressed against the bed's headboard.

There was no further retreat.

The two were extremely close.

Their breaths intertwined.

Mo Zixing's breath lightly brushed past her reddened cheeks, and he could clearly see her long eyelashes trembling incessantly.

He lowered his voice, carrying a hint of seduction, and said word by word:

"The method is naturally real, it's just... you might have to pay a very, very small price."