liǎng gè yuè hòu ， lín xuān zhōng yú cóng mì shì nèi zǒu le chū lái 。＠ suí ＠ mèng ＠ xiǎo ＠ shuō ，.com
两个月后，林轩终于从密室内走了出来。＠随＠梦＠小＠说，.com
Two months later, Lin Xuan finally emerged from the secret room.
suī rán tā de liǎn shàng mǎn shì pí juàn zhī sè ， rán ér zhěng gè rén de qì shì què wán quán bù yí yàng le 。
虽然他的脸上满是疲倦之色，然而整个人的气势却完全不一样了。
Although his face was marred by exhaustion, his overall aura had completely changed.
jǔ shǒu tóu zú ， dōu yùn hán zhe chōng pèi de líng lì ， jīng guò zhè xiē shí rì de nǔ lì ， lín xuān de zhǔ yuán yīng mài rù le dòng xuán hòu qī 。
举手投足，都蕴含着充沛的灵力，经过这些时日的努力，林轩的主元婴迈入了洞玄后期。
Every movement and gesture now contained abundant spiritual energy. After these days of effort, Lin Xuan's main essence core had advanced to the late Profound Abyss stage.
tīng shàng qù sì hū zhǐ jìn le yī bù ， rán ér yīn cǐ suǒ dài lái de gǎi biàn què fēi tóng xiǎo kě 。
听上去似乎只进了一步，然而因此所带来的改变却非同小可。
Though it seemed like only a small step forward, the changes brought about were significant. Taking a deep breath, he felt the ample spiritual energy within his body and couldn't help but smile with unhidden delight.
shēn shēn hū xī ， gǎn shòu le yī xià tǐ mǎo nèi suǒ yùn hán de chōng pèi líng lì ， lín xuān jiù rěn bú zhù zuǐ jiǎo wēi qiào ， lù chū yǎn bú zhù de jīng xǐ 。
深深呼吸，感受了一下体冇内所蕴含的充沛灵力，林轩就忍不住嘴角微翘，露出掩不住的惊喜。
Thinking back on decades of effort, it hadn’t been wasted after all.
xiǎng xiǎng zì jǐ zhè shù shí nián de nǔ lì ， zǒng suàn méi yǒu bái bái làng fèi le qù 。
想想自己这数十年的努力，总算没有白白浪费了去。
"Phew!"
“ hū ！”
“呼！”
Lin Xuan exhaled in relief as he returned to his bedroom. Lying down, he reminisced about his final struggle against the bottleneck!
lín xuān yáng méi tǔ qì ， huí dào le wò shì lǐ 。
林轩扬眉吐气，回到了卧室里。
In truth, this seclusion and arduous cultivation had gone relatively smoothly overall. However, there were more setbacks than expected when pushing through the last bottleneck. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken two months.
tǎng zài chuáng shàng ， huí xiǎng zì jǐ zuì hòu chōng jī píng jǐng de yī fān jīng lì ！
躺在床上，回想自己最后冲击瓶颈的一番经历！
Especially the pain from swallowing three top-grade pills was far beyond what Lin Xuan had anticipated. During the process of guiding spiritual energy to break through the bottleneck, he even made some mistakes, nearly falling into a demonic state. But Lin Xuan had endured.
qí shí zhè yī cì bì guān kǔ xiū ， zǒng de lái shuō ， hái suàn pǒ wèi shùn lì ， bù guò hǎo shì duō mó ， zài chōng jī zuì hòu yí gè píng jǐng de shí hòu ， suǒ yù jiàn de bō zhé ， yuǎn bǐ xiǎng xiàng de yào dà shàng xǔ duō ， fǒu zé jiù bú huì zú zú tuō shàng liǎng yuè zhī jiǔ le 。
其实这一次闭关苦修，总的来说，还算颇为顺利，不过好事多磨，在冲击最后一个瓶颈的时候，所遇见的波折，远比想象的要大上许多，否则就不会足足拖上两月之久了。
The hardships and dangers were now behind him as he truly entered the late Profound Abyss stage.
yóu qí shì yī lián tūn fú sān méi jí pǐn dān suǒ dài lái de tòng kǔ ， gèng shì yuǎn chāo lín xuān de yù jì ， zhōng jiān zài yǐn dǎo líng lì chōng jī píng jǐng de shí hòu ， shèn zhì hái chū le yī xiē chā cuò ， chà diǎn zǒu huǒ rù mó ， bù guò lín xuān dōu áo guò lái le 。
尤其是一连吞服三枚极品丹所带来的痛苦，更是远超林轩的预计，中间在引导灵力冲击瓶颈的时候，甚至还出了一些差错，差点走火入魔，不过林轩都熬过来了。
"Indeed, I am but one step away from entering the Spirit Separation realm."
jiān nán yě hǎo ， wēi xiǎn yě bà ， dōu chéng wéi le guò qù ， lín xuān xiàn zài cái suàn zhēn zhèng yì yì shàng de jìn rù le dòng xuán hòu qī 。
艰难也好，危险也罢，都成为了过去，林轩现在才算真正意义上的进入了洞玄后期。
He clenched his fist, believing that he would eventually ascend to the heavens.
“ méi cuò ， zì jǐ xiàn zài jù lí fēn shén qī dà néng zhǐ yǒu yí xiàn zhī gé 。”
“没错，自己现在距离分神期大能只有一线之隔。”
Then, a loud snore echoed in the still night. That night, Lin Xuan slept soundly and sweetly.
lín xuān wò le wò quán ， tā xiāng xìn zì jǐ huì yǒu jǔ xiá fēi shēng de yī tiān 。
林轩握了握拳，他相信自己会有举霞飞升的一天。
In his dream, he saw Yue'er, and as always, he couldn’t help but smile.
suí hòu ， hū lū lū de hān shēng zài jìng yè lǐ chuán chū ， nà yī yè ， lín xuān shuì dé hěn xiāng tián 。
随后，呼噜噜的鼾声在静夜里传出，那一夜，林轩睡得很香甜。
Qianyan’s face was flushed with shyness and a hint of sorrow as she walked over to him. "Xuanlang, do you know that I’ve been looking for you for so long."
tā zuò le yí gè měi mèng ， mèng jiàn zì jǐ jiàn dào le yuè ér ， kǒng què yě huí dào le shēn biān ， qín xīn zé zài tiào wǔ ， tū rán ， yòu yí gè měi lì de shēn yǐng jìn rù yǎn lián 。
他做了一个美梦，梦见自己见到了月儿，孔雀也回到了身边，琴心则在跳舞，突然，又一个美丽的身影进入眼帘。
This statement shocked Lin Xuan; even after enduring countless trials in the cultivation world, he was still somewhat unsettled by her words. How could he have forgotten their close relationship?
zhū yù wèi chún ， shuǐ zuò fū ， yún zhōng xiān zi de měi mào yī jiù shì nà me bù shí rén jiān yān huǒ 。
珠玉为唇，水做肤，云中仙子的美貌依旧是那么不食人间烟火。
Confused and disoriented, Qianyan stood before him.
sì hū tā de jiāo qū zhōu wéi de lǒng zhào zhe yī céng bó wù 。
似乎她的娇躯周围的笼罩着一层薄雾。
"Xuanlang, do you really not remember me? In your heart, is there only that Asura King?"
lín xuān kàn dé shì mí mí hū hū 。
林轩看得是迷迷糊糊。
"Why would Qianyan know about Yue'er?"
rán ér zài jiàn qín yán ， tā hái shì hěn gāo xìng de 。
然而再见秦妍，他还是很高兴的。
Lin Xuan turned in surprise, but at the moment he did so, Qianyan’s expression changed. Her shyness vanished, replaced by a look of hatred and resentment as she flicked out a blade-like sword from her fingers.
xī rì de piāo yún gǔ ， rú jīn zhǐ shèng xià tā men liǎng gè 。
昔日的飘云谷，如今只剩下他们两个。
"Ah!"
ér qiě lín xuān duì qín yán ， yì zhí yǒu zhǒng méng lóng de hǎo gǎn ， nà zhǒng gǎn jué shuō bù qīng ， dào bù míng ， rú guǒ yí dìng yào miáo shù ， dà gài jiù yǒu diǎn xiàng fán rén chū liàn shí de gǎn jué 。
而且林轩对秦妍，一直有种朦胧的好感，那种感觉说不清，道不明，如果一定要描述，大概就有点像凡人初恋时的感觉。
A scream echoed as Lin Xuan stared wide-eyed. "Why...?"
méi cuò ， jiù shì chū liàn 。
没错，就是初恋。
But Qianyan didn’t speak; the scene before him started to blur, and everything was just a dream!
ruò shuō yuè ér shì lín xuān de zhì ài ， nà qín yán dài gěi tā de jiù shì chū liàn bān de qīng sè de gǎn jué ， yǒu yì diǎn wēn róu ， yǒu yì diǎn tián mì ， dàn kǔ sè de zī wèi ér gèng duō ， bì jìng nà shí hòu tài nián qīng le ， dōu bù dǒng ài shì shén me 。
若说月儿是林轩的挚爱，那秦妍带给他的就是初恋般的青涩的感觉，有一点温柔，有一点甜蜜，但苦涩的滋味儿更多，毕竟那时候太年轻了，都不懂爱是什么。
Waking up, he found it was only midnight. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
huò xǔ ， yě bú shì bù dǒng ， ér shì dì yī cì zài piāo yún gǔ jiàn dào qín yán ， tā jiù yǒu rú gāo gāo zài shàng de nǚ shén yì bān ， zhòng xīng bàng yuè ， ér lín xuān suàn shén me ， yí gè lián líng gēn dōu méi yǒu de jiā huo ， liǎng gè rén ， suī shì tóng yī mén pài ， què fǎng fú shì liǎng gè shì jiè de cún zài yì bān 。
或许，也不是不懂，而是第一次在飘云谷见到秦妍，她就有如高高在上的女神一般，众星棒月，而林轩算什么，一个连灵根都没有的家伙，两个人，虽是同一门派，却仿佛是两个世界的存在一般。
"Phew, phew!"
dàn bù guǎn rú hé ， zhuó wēi yě hǎo ， miǎo xiǎo yě bà ， cóng kàn jiàn qín yán de dì yī yǎn qǐ ， lín xuān jiù yǒu le yī zhǒng méng méng lóng lóng de ……， tán bù shàng ài ， zhǐ shì qíng dòu chū kāi ， suǒ chǎn shēng de hǎo gǎn 。
但不管如何，卓微也好，渺小也罢，从看见秦妍的第一眼起，林轩就有了一种朦朦胧胧的……，谈不上爱，只是情窦初开，所产生的好感。
He took several deep breaths, his face showing extreme confusion. This dream was too strange.
jǐn guǎn nà shí hòu ， tā lián yǔ qín yán shuō huà de jī huì dōu méi yǒu ， yán gé lái jiǎng ， zhǐ shì dān xiāng sī ， àn liàn 。
尽管那时候，他连与秦妍说话的机会都没有，严格来讲，只是单相思，暗恋。
Why would Qianyan...
ruò shì zhào zhèng cháng de qíng kuàng fā zhǎn ， liǎng rén bú huì yǒu rèn hé de jiāo jí ， yí gè shì tiān zhī jiāo nǚ ， yí gè bù guò shì lù lù zhòng shēng de fán rén ér yǐ 。
若是照正常的情况发展，两人不会有任何的交集，一个是天之骄女，一个不过是碌碌众生的凡人而已。
Lin Xuan frowned, pondering but coming up with nothing.
zhǐ bù guò hòu lái lín xuān bèn niǎo xiān fēi ， zhǒng zhǒng jī yuán qiǎo hé ， xiū xíng fǎn ér bǐ qín yán gèng kuài 。
只不过后来林轩笨鸟先飞，种种机缘巧合，修行反而比秦妍更快。
After a long while, he sighed and smiled. "I really am too naive; why think so much? It’s just a dream."
zhǔ kè zhī shì dào yì ， nǚ shén hái shì nà wèi nǚ shén ， rán ér zài lín xuān yǎn zhōng què yǐ bú shì nà me gāo bù kě pān ， yīn wèi tā yǐ chéng wéi gèng wéi qiáng dà de cún zài 。
主客之势倒易，女神还是那位女神，然而在林轩眼中却已不是那么高不可攀，因为他已成为更为强大的存在。
He looked up as the main entrance to his cave was tightly shut, but his spiritual awareness could still penetrate it.
qí shí yán gé shuō lái ， liǎng rén jiē chù bù duō ， rán ér nà zhāng guǐ yì de chuán yīn fú ， què ràng liǎng rén zhī jiān ， duō le jǐ fēn shén mì ài mèi zhī gǎn 。
其实严格说来，两人接触不多，然而那张诡异的传音符，却让两人之间，多了几分神秘暧昧之感。
The sky had already lightened.
nà mèng shì rú cǐ de zhēn mǎo shí ， cǐ shí jiàn zhe yún zhōng xiān zi ， lín xuān zì rán nán yǎn xīn zhōng de huān xǐ 。
那梦是如此的真冇实，此时见着云中仙子，林轩自然难掩心中的欢喜。
Lin Xuan left his bedroom, seemingly having come to terms with things on the surface, though there was still an indelible shadow in his heart that wouldn’t go away.
qín yán de liǎn shàng dài zhe jǐ fēn jiāo xiū ， jǐ fēn chǔ chǔ kě lián ， kuǎn kuǎn zǒu le guò lái 。
秦妍的脸上带着几分娇羞，几分楚楚可怜，款款走了过来。
That dream... was too real.
“ xuān láng ， nǐ kě xiǎo de ， wǒ yǐ jīng zhǎo nǐ hǎo jiǔ le 。”
“轩郎，你可晓得，我已经找你好久了。”
But Lin Xuan didn’t dwell further; such self-inflicted unease would be foolish.
cǐ huà yī chū ， lín xuān jiù dà jīng shī sè ， jí biàn tā yǐ lì jīng kǎn kě ， zài xiū xiān jiè jīng lì fēng yǔ wú shù ， rán ér cǐ kè ， yě yǒu xiē bù dàn dìng le ， qín yán jiào zì jǐ shén me ， tā zěn me bú jì dé ， liǎng rén jiān de gǎn qíng yǐ rú cǐ qīn mì le 。
此话一出，林轩就大惊失色，即便他已历经坎坷，在修仙界经历风雨无数，然而此刻，也有些不淡定了，秦妍叫自己什么，他怎么不记得，两人间的感情已如此亲密了。
There’s a path up every mountain. Don’t overthink what you can’t understand.
nǎo hǎi zhōng yī piàn mí hū ， xīn luàn rú má jiān ， qín yán yǐ zǒu dào le tā de yǎn qián 。
脑海中一片迷糊，心乱如麻间，秦妍已走到了他的眼前。
After a brief rest, he returned to the training room.
měi rén rú yù ， qín yán jiāo xiū de biǎo qíng zhōng dài zhe jǐ fēn yōu yuàn ：“ xuān láng ， mò fēi nǐ zhēn bú jì dé wǒ ， zài nǐ de xīn mù zhōng ， zhǐ yǒu nà ā xiū luó wáng me ？”
美人如玉，秦妍娇羞的表情中带着几分幽怨：“轩郎，莫非你真不记得我，在你的心目中，只有那阿修罗王么？”
Although his main essence core had successfully advanced after decades of hard work, his cultivation level was still unstable. Assuming everything was fine now would be a grave mistake.
“ ā xiū luó ， qín yán zěn me zhī dào yuè ér shēn mǎo fèn de ？”
“阿修罗，秦妍怎么知道月儿身冇份的？”
The risk of dropping back down before solidifying this new stage was high. Lin Xuan wouldn’t allow such an error.
lín xuān jīng yà de huí guò tóu ， rán ér jiù zài tā zhuǎn shēn de yī kè ， yún zhōng xiān zi de biǎo qíng biàn le ， jiāo xiū bú jiàn le ， qíng yì gèng shì sī háo yě wú ， qǔ ér dài zhī de shì lì qì ， chōng tiān ér qǐ 。
林轩惊讶的回过头，然而就在他转身的一刻，云中仙子的表情变了，娇羞不见了，情意更是丝毫也无，取而代之的是戾气，冲天而起。
Thus, he continued meditating, returning to the arduous training routine.
shèn zhì dài zhe yuàn dú ， líng guāng yī shǎn ， yī bǐng xiān jiàn chū xiàn zài zhǐ zhǎng jiān 。
甚至带着怨毒，灵光一闪，一柄仙剑出现在指掌间。
Day after day, he took his medicine and sat in meditation, repeating actions that were monotonous yet gradually enhanced his strength.
shuō shì xiān jiàn ， rán ér zhǎng bù guò cùn xǔ ， jiǎng chéng bǐ mǎo shǒu qí shí gèng jiā de hé shì ， qín yán yù shǒu yī fú ， suí hòu jiù hěn hěn de xiàng lín xuān de xiǎo fù cì guò qù le 。
说是仙剑，然而长不过寸许，讲成匕冇首其实更加的合适，秦妍玉手一拂，随后就狠狠的像林轩的小腹刺过去了。
In the cultivation world, time passed without a trace; winter turned into spring, summer into autumn. In two years, the morning sun shone through the entrance of his cave.
“ a ！”
“啊！”
A loud noise caught Lin Xuan’s attention. After being sealed for decades, the main entrance to his cave finally opened with a resounding crash.
cǎn jiào shēng chuán rù ěr duǒ ， lín xuān dāi dāi dèng dà le shuāng mù ：“ wèi shén me ……”。
惨叫声传入耳朵，林轩呆呆瞪大了双目：“为什么……”。
Lin Xuan emerged from inside.
rán ér qín yán méi yǒu kāi kǒu ， yǎn qián de huà miàn ， yě kāi shǐ mó hú ， suǒ fā shēng de yī qiè ， bù guò shì huáng liáng yí mèng ！
然而秦妍没有开口，眼前的画面，也开始模糊，所发生的一切，不过是黄梁一梦！
Unlike when he had successfully advanced before, his presence was now understated and unremarkable. This was the result of returning to simplicity after mastering the Black Moon Heaven Witch Technique.
lín xuān xǐng lái ， fā xiàn bù guò shì yuè zhì zhōng tiān ， zì jǐ hún shēn shàng xià ， yǐ jìn mǎn le lěng hàn 。
林轩醒来，发现不过是月至中天，自己浑身上下，已浸满了冷汗。
At this late Profound Abyss stage, Lin Xuan didn’t look like an adept; even without deliberately concealing it, his aura was tightly contained, as if no spiritual energy flowed through him. The return to simplicity was truly remarkable.
“ hū ， hū ！”
“呼，呼！”
But this was just on the surface. In reality, his spiritual energy had grown exponentially since advancing, and its purity was incomparable.
tā chuǎn le jǐ kǒu cū qì ， liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng gèng shì mí máng yǐ jí ， zhè mèng wèi miǎn yě tài gǔ guài le xiē 。
他喘了几口粗气，脸上的表情更是迷茫以极，这梦未免也太古怪了些。
With his main essence core now at late Profound Abyss, the restraints of the demon pill were no longer an issue. Lin Xuan removed the seal himself, making his spiritual energy even stronger. Even though he had just advanced, in terms of quantity and purity, he far surpassed any peak Profound Abyss cultivator.
wèi shén me qín yán huì ……
为什么秦妍会……
Now faced with a choice, should he continue cultivating here or make other plans?
lín xuān zhòu méi sī suǒ ， què máng wú tóu xù 。
林轩皱眉思索，却茫无头绪。
Continuing to cultivate was undoubtedly the safer option. The conditions here were excellent for cultivation, and his waist pouch contained enough medicinal pills to support him without worry.
liáng jiǔ ， tā tàn le kǒu qì ， zhǎn yán yī xiào ：“ zì jǐ hái zhēn shì tài shǎ le xiē ， hé kǔ xiǎng zhè me duō ， bù guò shì mèng ér yǐ 。”
良久，他叹了口气，展颜一笑：“自己还真是太傻了些，何苦想这么多，不过是梦而已。”
Lin Xuan intended to do just that but after some thought, decided to leave.
tái qǐ tóu ， dòng fǔ de dà mén suī rán jǐn bì ， què wú fǎ zǔ dǎng lín xuān de shén shí 。
抬起头，洞府的大门虽然紧闭，却无法阻挡林轩的神识。
Of course, he wasn’t abandoning this cave; leaving was only temporary. After all, he had been sequestered for so long. If he sat in meditation again now, both body and mind would be exhausted. Such a practice wouldn’t benefit him at all.
tiān yǐ jīng liàng le 。
天已经亮了。
Balance is key—both work and rest are important for cultivators too.
lín xuān cóng wò fáng mǎo zhōng chū qù ， biǎo miàn shàng ， sì hū yǐ jīng xiǎng tōng ， rán ér nèi xīn shēn chù ， yī jiù yǒu yī sī yīn mái ， huī zhī bù qù 。
林轩从卧房冇中出去，表面上，似乎已经想通，然而内心深处，依旧有一丝阴霾，挥之不去。
Lin Xuan planned to continue his cultivation but first, he needed to take a break and explore the outside world for a few months.
nà mèng ……， wèi miǎn yě tài zhēn mǎo shí 。
那梦……，未免也太真冇实。
Deciding this, Lin Xuan didn’t delay. After some thought, he retracted the array flags of the Five Elements Spirit Enveloping Array while leaving the illusionary array in place. Then, he transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the horizon.
dàn bù guǎn rú hé ， lín xuān méi yǒu jì xù jiū jié xià qù 。
但不管如何，林轩没有继续纠结下去。
Lin Xuan didn’t push himself to his limits but his speed was still formidable.
nà bù guò shì gěi zì jǐ zhǎo bù zì zài ér yǐ ， lín xuān dāng rán bú huì zuò zhè yàng de shǎ shì 。
那不过是给自己找不自在而已，林轩当然不会做这样的傻事。
Unexpectedly, this desert turned out to be much larger than expected. After flying for several days, it seemed endless.
chē dào shān qián bì yǒu lù ， xiǎng bù tōng de shì qíng ， jiù bú yào xiǎng le 。
车到山前必有路，想不通的事情，就不要想了。
Damn, the jade pupil scroll on his person didn’t have a map of this region. Lin Xuan had no idea where he was now.
lín xuān lüè zuò xiē xī ， jiù chóng xīn huí dào liàn gōng fáng lǐ 。
林轩略做歇息，就重新回到练功房里。
Fortunately, the air grew increasingly filled with dark energy, indicating that there were demon veins deep underground in this desert.
suī rán jīng guò shù shí nián de kǔ xiū ， zhǔ yuán yīng chéng gōng jìn jí ， rán ér jìng jiè yī jiù shàng wèi wěn gù ， rú guǒ xiàn zài jiù yǐ wéi wàn shì dà jí ， nà zì rán shì dà cuò tè cuò dì 。
虽然经过数十年的苦修，主元婴成功晋级，然而境界依旧尚未稳固，如果现在就以为万事大吉，那自然是大错特错地。
Confirming this, Lin Xuan’s expression gradually calmed. With demon veins, he would eventually encounter ancient demons and know his location.
jìng jiè zài wěn gù qián yī jiù yǒu kě néng diào luò ， yǐ lín xuān de xìng gé ， dāng rán bù kě néng fàng rèn zhè zhǒng wū lóng shì fā shēng de 。
境界在稳固前依旧有可能掉落，以林轩的性格，当然不可能放任这种乌龙事发生的。
Flying for several more days, calculating time, it had been about half a month since leaving the cave. On this day, Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of light as he continued on his journey. By noon, his expression suddenly changed as he turned to look left.
yú shì lín xuān jì xù dǎ zuò 。
于是林轩继续打坐。
Many dark energy fluctuations came from that direction, indicating a gathering of ancient demons. Overjoyed, Lin Xuan flew over without hesitation.
Two months later, Lin Xuan finally emerged from the secret room.
Although his face was marred by exhaustion, his overall aura had completely changed.
Every movement and gesture now contained abundant spiritual energy. After these days of effort, Lin Xuan's main essence core had advanced to the late Profound Abyss stage.
Though it seemed like only a small step forward, the changes brought about were significant. Taking a deep breath, he felt the ample spiritual energy within his body and couldn't help but smile with unhidden delight.
Thinking back on decades of effort, it hadn’t been wasted after all.
"Phew!"
Lin Xuan exhaled in relief as he returned to his bedroom. Lying down, he reminisced about his final struggle against the bottleneck!
In truth, this seclusion and arduous cultivation had gone relatively smoothly overall. However, there were more setbacks than expected when pushing through the last bottleneck. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken two months.
Especially the pain from swallowing three top-grade pills was far beyond what Lin Xuan had anticipated. During the process of guiding spiritual energy to break through the bottleneck, he even made some mistakes, nearly falling into a demonic state. But Lin Xuan had endured.
The hardships and dangers were now behind him as he truly entered the late Profound Abyss stage.
"Indeed, I am but one step away from entering the Spirit Separation realm."
He clenched his fist, believing that he would eventually ascend to the heavens.
Then, a loud snore echoed in the still night. That night, Lin Xuan slept soundly and sweetly.
In his dream, he saw Yue'er, and as always, he couldn’t help but smile.
Qianyan’s face was flushed with shyness and a hint of sorrow as she walked over to him. "Xuanlang, do you know that I’ve been looking for you for so long."
This statement shocked Lin Xuan; even after enduring countless trials in the cultivation world, he was still somewhat unsettled by her words. How could he have forgotten their close relationship?
Confused and disoriented, Qianyan stood before him.
"Xuanlang, do you really not remember me? In your heart, is there only that Asura King?"
"Why would Qianyan know about Yue'er?"
Lin Xuan turned in surprise, but at the moment he did so, Qianyan’s expression changed. Her shyness vanished, replaced by a look of hatred and resentment as she flicked out a blade-like sword from her fingers.
"Ah!"
A scream echoed as Lin Xuan stared wide-eyed. "Why...?"
But Qianyan didn’t speak; the scene before him started to blur, and everything was just a dream!
Waking up, he found it was only midnight. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
"Phew, phew!"
He took several deep breaths, his face showing extreme confusion. This dream was too strange.
Why would Qianyan...
Lin Xuan frowned, pondering but coming up with nothing.
After a long while, he sighed and smiled. "I really am too naive; why think so much? It’s just a dream."
He looked up as the main entrance to his cave was tightly shut, but his spiritual awareness could still penetrate it.
The sky had already lightened.
Lin Xuan left his bedroom, seemingly having come to terms with things on the surface, though there was still an indelible shadow in his heart that wouldn’t go away.
That dream... was too real.
But Lin Xuan didn’t dwell further; such self-inflicted unease would be foolish.
There’s a path up every mountain. Don’t overthink what you can’t understand.
After a brief rest, he returned to the training room.
Although his main essence core had successfully advanced after decades of hard work, his cultivation level was still unstable. Assuming everything was fine now would be a grave mistake.
The risk of dropping back down before solidifying this new stage was high. Lin Xuan wouldn’t allow such an error.
Thus, he continued meditating, returning to the arduous training routine.
Day after day, he took his medicine and sat in meditation, repeating actions that were monotonous yet gradually enhanced his strength.
In the cultivation world, time passed without a trace; winter turned into spring, summer into autumn. In two years, the morning sun shone through the entrance of his cave.
A loud noise caught Lin Xuan’s attention. After being sealed for decades, the main entrance to his cave finally opened with a resounding crash.
Lin Xuan emerged from inside.
Unlike when he had successfully advanced before, his presence was now understated and unremarkable. This was the result of returning to simplicity after mastering the Black Moon Heaven Witch Technique.
At this late Profound Abyss stage, Lin Xuan didn’t look like an adept; even without deliberately concealing it, his aura was tightly contained, as if no spiritual energy flowed through him. The return to simplicity was truly remarkable.
But this was just on the surface. In reality, his spiritual energy had grown exponentially since advancing, and its purity was incomparable.
With his main essence core now at late Profound Abyss, the restraints of the demon pill were no longer an issue. Lin Xuan removed the seal himself, making his spiritual energy even stronger. Even though he had just advanced, in terms of quantity and purity, he far surpassed any peak Profound Abyss cultivator.
Now faced with a choice, should he continue cultivating here or make other plans?
Continuing to cultivate was undoubtedly the safer option. The conditions here were excellent for cultivation, and his waist pouch contained enough medicinal pills to support him without worry.
Lin Xuan intended to do just that but after some thought, decided to leave.
Of course, he wasn’t abandoning this cave; leaving was only temporary. After all, he had been sequestered for so long. If he sat in meditation again now, both body and mind would be exhausted. Such a practice wouldn’t benefit him at all.
Balance is key—both work and rest are important for cultivators too.
Lin Xuan planned to continue his cultivation but first, he needed to take a break and explore the outside world for a few months.
Deciding this, Lin Xuan didn’t delay. After some thought, he retracted the array flags of the Five Elements Spirit Enveloping Array while leaving the illusionary array in place. Then, he transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the horizon.
Lin Xuan didn’t push himself to his limits but his speed was still formidable.
Unexpectedly, this desert turned out to be much larger than expected. After flying for several days, it seemed endless.
Damn, the jade pupil scroll on his person didn’t have a map of this region. Lin Xuan had no idea where he was now.
Fortunately, the air grew increasingly filled with dark energy, indicating that there were demon veins deep underground in this desert.
Confirming this, Lin Xuan’s expression gradually calmed. With demon veins, he would eventually encounter ancient demons and know his location.
Flying for several more days, calculating time, it had been about half a month since leaving the cave. On this day, Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of light as he continued on his journey. By noon, his expression suddenly changed as he turned to look left.
Many dark energy fluctuations came from that direction, indicating a gathering of ancient demons. Overjoyed, Lin Xuan flew over without hesitation.