97: Chapter 97 Awaken the Sect Master with One Click

Mo Zixing only felt the spiritual energy within his body draining away continuously.

But just as the speed of the drain accelerated...

The powerful recovery ability brought by his [Candle Dragon Bloodline] immediately began to boil.

A more majestic surge of spiritual energy gushed out to fill the gap.

In this cycle of draining and replenishing...

Instead of feeling weak, he experienced a sense of transparency, as if his Meridians were being repeatedly washed clean.

It just felt a bit strange.

He was secretly surprised but did not dare to delay, giving his hand a sudden, forceful tug backward.

With a soft snap...

The command medallion finally pulled free from the palm of the jade statue.

However, his sudden exertion actually caused the center of gravity of the person-sized jade statue to tilt.

It fell straight toward him!

"Careful, don't break the Sect Master!"

Great Elder Qin Cangyue's expression changed drastically. Ignoring everything else, he lunged forward to catch it.

But as soon as he moved, he saw Mo Zixing reach out and support the jade statue's waist.

With a gentle push...

He steadied her back into her original position.

"Are you alright?"

Seeing that the jade carving was undamaged, Great Elder Qin Cangyue breathed a sigh of relief and walked over quickly to look him up and down.

"Is your body okay?"

"I seem to be fine."

Mo Zixing shook his wrist and said with some reservation:

"I just feel a slight depletion of spiritual energy. A little rest should take care of it."

In fact, the moment he had supported the jade statue's waist, that intense suction had mysteriously vanished.

The spiritual energy that had been drained was restored by about seventy to eighty percent in the blink of an eye under the activation of his [Candle Dragon Bloodline].

He was still in peak condition.

"This is truly strange."

Great Elder Qin Cangyue marveled:

"Last time an Elder accidentally touched the Sect Master, the majority of their spiritual energy was sucked away, and even their dao base was damaged."

"You also touched her, yet your spiritual energy is only slightly depleted. It's simply unheard of."

Damaged dao base?

Mo Zixing blinked.

Was he talking about Su Li?

Su Li also seemed to have a Damaged Foundation due to an accident, causing her cultivation to stagnate ever since.

Could it be that back then, when she became an Elder, she came here and accidentally touched the Sect Master?

As expected.

Before he could ask, Great Elder Qin Cangyue explained first:

"There's no point in hiding it from you; that person was actually Elder Su."

"I warned her back then, but I didn't expect things to turn out like this in the end."

He waved his hand and said:

"Forget it, it's all old news."

"Regardless, it's good that your body is fine. Let's head back first."

Mo Zixing agreed, suppressing the doubts in his heart and secretly memorizing the location of this place.

He glanced back once more at the silently standing jade statue before following Great Elder Qin Cangyue out of the Sect Master Hall.

Upon leaving, he intentionally left a small crack in the stone door.

The two of them flew all the way to the entrance of Qingsu Peak.

Great Elder Qin Cangyue stopped, gave Mo Zixing a few instructions regarding Sect affairs, and then turned to leave.

Watching Great Elder Qin Cangyue's figure disappear into the distance...

Mo Zixing hesitated for a moment.

He still couldn't stop thinking about the jade-transformed Sect Master, Sect Master Bai Ruotong.

A Golden Core Ninth Level cultivation.

Two golden traits.

If he could find a way to make her his ally, it would be fantastic.

Moreover, the sudden disappearance of the suction earlier made him feel that things weren't that simple.

With a thought, Mo Zixing's figure flickered.

Turning into an afterimage, he quietly doubled back.

The stone door of the stone hall still had that narrow crack.

It was silent inside.

No movement at all.

Mo Zixing stepped in softly, his gaze immediately landing on the jade statue in the center of the hall.

He was certain he hadn't remembered incorrectly.

When he had supported the jade statue earlier, its left hand was hanging naturally at its side.

But now, that hand had actually risen slightly.

The fingertips were pointing exactly where he had been standing.

The faint curve at the corner of her mouth also seemed a tiny bit more pronounced than before.

The change was extremely subtle.

If one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to notice.

Mo Zixing's heart stirred. He summoned the System panel again and scanned the jade statue once more.

Name, cultivation, traits...

All the data was exactly the same as before, with no changes.

Had he really misseen?

Mo Zixing frowned, preparing to close the panel.

His gaze, however, inadvertently swept to the very top of the panel.

The Favorability Bar.

Since Sect Master Sect Master Bai Ruotong possessed Luck, her panel naturally displayed a Favorability Bar.

He had previously assumed that a person in a jade-transformed slumber would have no reaction.

But looking closely...

Within the five empty heart icons, the edge of the first heart faintly showed a hint of red.

It was undetectable without a careful look.

Mo Zixing froze on the spot.

A jade-transformed person can also gain favorability?

Could it be that although she is in a jade-transformed slumber, her Divine Soul can still perceive movements from the outside world?

Because she had sucked so much spiritual energy from him earlier, and because he hadn't let her fall and shatter...

Is that why the favorability increased slightly?

He walked up to the jade statue and looked at this gentle yet radiant face.

Her figure was plump and full, her gaze soft and compassionate.

Mo Zixing rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

The last time he had used the Trait Masking Function was before his Foundation Establishment Breakthrough.

Now, he had already broken through to Crystal Stage Level 5.

The major Realm Breakthrough had long since refreshed the cooldown.

In other words...

If he wanted to, he could now mask the [Full-Body Jadeification (Black)] trait on Sect Master Sect Master Bai Ruotong.

Theoretically, once this trait was masked, she would wake up from her jade-transformed slumber.

A Golden Core Ninth Level combatant, two golden Luck traits, and one blue combat trait.

If he could find a way to bind her as a Loyalty target, the rewards would definitely be massive.

But the risk was equally massive.

Sect Master Bai Ruotong's personality was [Self-Willed] and [Wild Evil]; she acted as she pleased, unbound by any rules.

What if she woke up and refused to acknowledge him, killing him with a single palm strike?

But then again...

He had Thousand Machine Shadows; if he couldn't win, he could at least run.

Seeing such a high-potential beauty before him, letting her go to waste was truly something he couldn't stomach.

Furthermore, that tiny bit of favorability earlier seemed to indicate she harbored no ill will toward him.

Mo Zixing circled the jade statue twice.

Maybe I should try drawing personality traits first.

Mo Zixing simply clicked the draw dice, attempting to change the personality of the jade-transformed Sect Master.

The dice spun.

Three personality traits popped out:

[Evil]

[Vindictive]

[Romantic]

Mo Zixing took a deep breath and silently closed the System panel.

Never mind.

Today is a bit unlucky.

Then how about just using the masking function?

As long as I use the twelve-hour one first, even if things go south...

As long as I last through that time, she'll turn back into a jade carving.

Mo Zixing raised his hand.

He hovered his fingertip at the center of the jade statue's brow.

With just a light tap, the jade-transformed Golden Core Sect Master would see the light of day once more.