During the fight, Wang Yue noticed that while Xuan Jiâs internal energy (Qi) quality was just average, his physical toughness was off the charts.
Even relying solely on raw physical strength, the monk could hold his own against most cultivators below Phase 3 of the Transcendence Realm. Toss his Qi into the mix, and even a peak Phase 3 powerhouse would have a hard time taking him down.
Dual cultivation of body and spirit!
Wang Yue was low-key jealous. Sure, his Qi quality was so elite that if he went all out, even a dual-threat like Xuan Ji wouldnât stand a chanceâbut as a martial artist, whoâs going to say no to more power?
Plus, as a total "alpha male" type, having a tank-like physique wouldnât exactly hurt his performance in the bedroom either.
The battle raged on for over two hours. Whenever they hit their limit, theyâd drop down to the waterâs surface to catch their breath and recharge before jumping back into the fray.
Wang Yue kept his foot off the gas the whole time, keeping things at a dead heat. It was just a spar, after allâno need to go for the throat.
Besides, neither of them had a massive ego; they were fighting for the sake of the craft, not for bragging rights.
After two hours, theyâd both had their fill of fun and headed back, but they didnât go inside immediately. Instead, they sat on the riverbank and just started talking.
As Xuan Ji told his story, Wang Yue realized the guy was basically a lottery winner. He started out as a totally average monk who didnât know a lick of martial arts even in his twenties.
But when he was twenty-five, he accidentally stumbled into a "Secret Realm."
He walked away with a top-tier Buddhist inheritance and a mountain of rare resources that fast-tracked his cultivation straight to the peak of the Mortal Shedding Realm.
Right after he stepped out of that realm, he happened to save Kaifeng from a sea monster attack. He ended up settling down in the city for the next sixteen years, grinding his way up to Phase 3 of the Transcendence Realm.
Basically, Xuan Jiâs age matched his faceâhe was only forty-one. A Phase 3 Transcendence master at forty-one would be a standout even in the legendary Sacred Lands. He couldnât touch Wang Yueâs "sixteen-year-old prodigy" status, but the guy was definitely a "golden child" of fate.
In the spirit of being a good sport, Wang Yue shared his own background and took the chance to ask about the Sacred Lands.
However, despite Xuan Jiâs power, he was a total layman before the Secret Realm and a shut-in ever since.
He actually knew less about the martial arts world than Wang Yue did. Asking him about the Sacred Lands was like asking a blind man for directions.
Eventually, the conversation turned to their unique powers.
Wang Yue was pretty open, telling Xuan Ji that his Qi was so pure because it was refined through "dual cultivation" (the sexy kind). Since Xuan Ji had been a monk since childhood and had zero plans of quitting, that was a hard passâeven if Wang Yue offered to teach him.
But when it came to his dual body-spirit cultivation, Xuan Ji played it mysterious. He just told Wang Yue to come back to the temple to see for himself.
Just like the trip out, Wang Yue grabbed Yang Cancan and they flew straight back to Jingchan Temple. Aside from the main prayer hall, the place only had one room: Xuan Jiâs bedroom.
Xuan Ji led them inside. He wasnât there to show off his decor; he hit a hidden switch on the wall. With a low rumble from the floorboards, a secret trapdoor swung open.
"A secret basement? Donât tell me youâve got a lady hidden down there, Master!" Wang Yue joked.
Xuan Jiâs face tightened. "Please, my friend, donât joke like that!" he said hurriedly.
Wang Yueâs "spidey-sense" tingled. After hanging out with Xuan Ji, he felt he had a good read on the guy.
Even though he was in his forties and a high-level master, his mind was simple and his personality was incredibly chill.
Usually, you could crack a pretty offensive joke and heâd just laugh it off. But heâd reacted so strongly to that "hidden lady" commentâit was weird.
Before Wang Yue could dig deeper, they descended into the secret chamber.
It was a tiny room, less than thirteen feet in every direction. It was totally empty except for a single bed. And on that bed lay a woman in a white silk dress.
Wait, did I actually nail it? Is this old monk really stashing a girlfriend in his basement? Wang Yue thought to himself, but then he shook it off. Xuan Ji just didnât seem like the type.
"Sheâs beautiful!" Yang Cancan gasped beside him.
Wang Yue had been too busy being confused to look closely, but Cancanâs shout made him take a proper look.
Then, he froze for a second.
Okay, wow. She really is beautiful.
The woman looked to be in her late twenties. Her skin was like porcelain, her lips a perfect crimson.
Out of all the women Wang Yue had ever seen, only his mother, Su Mengyan, could arguably beat her in a beauty pageant.
On his personal scale, this was a 95-plusâeasily in the same league as Su Mengyun or Su Mengqing.
And she wasnât just a pretty face; her body was incredible. She looked to be about 5â7". Even lying flat on her back, her chest was impressively fullâat least a G-cup by his estimate. She had a tiny waist and long legs, though they were mostly hidden under her dress.
Talk about a top-tier âbig sisterâ type!
Wang Yue gave her a silent thumbs up in his head, then turned a very suspicious eye toward Xuan Ji.
"Please donât get the wrong idea. I have no relationship with this lady. Well, I wouldnât say no relationship, but itâs not what you think..." Xuan Ji stammered, totally losing his cool.
Wang Yue frowned. Xuan Ji wasnât a liar; if he said there was nothing sexual going on, he meant it. But why was he acting like a nervous wreck? Was he saying that even though nothing happened, sheâd messed with his "Zen"?
That didnât add up either. At Xuan Jiâs level, the only woman who could realistically break his focus just by looking at her was Su Mengyan.
This woman was stunning, but she was still a notch below his mom. It was the difference between "near-perfect" and "perfect."
Still, he trusted the monk. "Master, whatâs the real story here?"
Xuan Ji took a deep breath and calmed down. "I found this lady in that Secret Realm. From the moment I saw her, she has been in this deep sleep. She hasnât woken up once..."
"Hold on," Wang Yue interrupted. "Youâre saying sheâs been like this for at least sixteen years?"
"Yes. Sheâs been asleep for sixteen years. The only change is that her body has kept growing," Xuan Ji said. "When I first found her, she was just a teenager."
What kind of sci-fi nonsense is this?
Wang Yue was floored. Asleep for over a decade, still aging, and she hasnât even lost her shape from lying in bed? Thatâs insane.
"How are you keeping her alive? Is she on an IV drip or something?" Yang Cancan asked, equally weirded out.
Xuan Ji shook his head. "No. There is a powerful, strange energy inside her body that sustains her. She doesnât even need my Qi to stay alive."
"Thatâs incredible," Cancan whispered.
Wang Yue wasnât quite as shockedâheâd been through a Secret Realm himself and literally reincarnated, so a woman with a long-term battery pack wasnât the craziest thing heâd heard.
He was more interested in why Xuan Ji brought him here. "Does your physical strength have something to do with her?"
"Exactly," Xuan Ji nodded. "She has a mysterious ability.
When my Qi makes contact with her, it undergoes a transformation and then feeds back into my body, boosting my physical toughness. Over sixteen years, my body has become as strong as my cultivation level."
Wang Yue was curious. "I thought you said she didnât need your Qi to survive. Why are you touching her with your Qi then?"
"That... is hard to explain. You should feel it for yourself," Xuan Ji said, then added a serious warning: "But be careful. Keep your mind sharp and focused!"
With a wave of his hand, Xuan Ji pulled back the layer of Qi he had wrapped around the sleeping woman.