Chapter 446

Chapter 446: The Meeting

…

The next morning, Zhou Luo opened his eyes to the first rays of morning light. Ye Qian, deep in sleep, lay facing away from him.

Her fair and smooth fragrant shoulder pressed against his broad chest, a light fragrance wafting into his nostrils. This beauty, just half a step away from the Golden Core stage, resembled a budding flower at this moment. Delicate, tight skin shimmered with faint specks of light, making her seem like a docile little kitten.

Holding her, Zhou Luo felt as though embracing a ball of cotton—soft and comfortable.

His warm left hand trailed downward from her fragrant shoulder.

"Mmm…"

Ye Qian let out a soft hum, her cheeks flushing crimson.

She was already awake but kept her eyes shut out of shyness.

Zhou Luo grinned, bending down over her.

Another "battle," fierce and intense, ensued.

It wasn’t until afternoon that Zhou Luo threw back the quilt, revealing skin as clear and lustrous as crystal.

He changed into a white magical robe and approached the cultivation Dao platform, sitting cross-legged.

Then, his lips moved slightly as he quietly activated the Ten Thousand Refining Spirit Body Technique.

As the technique operated, his entire body glowed with a dense radiance of spiritual light. Magical power circulated through his meridians, transformed by the technique’s impetus into strands of exceptionally pure and peculiar energy.

Under his control, this energy gradually gathered into his right palm.

His palm shone brightly, the dazzling brilliance resembling a blooming white lotus, emanating an overwhelming presence.

On the bed, Ye Qian lay curled on her side, the quilt wrapped tightly around her, only her fair, smooth fragrant shoulder exposed. Her flushed face wore an expression of astonishment, and her beautiful eyes flickered repeatedly.

She sensed the unordinary nature of the technique he was practicing. Especially that radiant white light, which seemed to contain vast, formidable power.

Recalling the legends about him,

she wondered: Could this be a gift from that immortal?

At that moment, Zhou Luo willed it so, and a mid-quality Foundation Establishment magical artifact he had bought the previous day appeared in his hand.

It was a blood-red great saber. Along its blade coiled a golden dragon pattern, appearing ferocious.

Buzz buzz—

The next moment, the great saber shook violently. Bathed in white light, strands of pure energy were peeled away, then penetrated Zhou Luo’s skin, ultimately absorbed by him.

The once-ferocious golden dragon now seemed listless.

After a quarter of an hour, the power of this mid-quality Foundation Establishment magical artifact had been entirely absorbed by Zhou Luo through the technique.

He took a deep breath, converting the surging energy inside him into strength for his physical body. His already lustrous skin grew even more radiant.

Ye Qian gasped in continuous surprise.

She had never seen him refine his body before. Now, witnessing him infuse himself with the energy of a magical artifact, forging his flesh into something akin to a magical artifact, she was utterly astonished.

This technique is definitely extraordinary,

Ye Qian thought to herself.

Refining the physical body into a magical artifact—such a method of body refinement—even she felt somewhat tempted by it.

What a pity, the materials required were truly too many; just the magical artifacts to absorb consumed an unknown number of spiritual stones.

Ordinary practitioners truly could not bear it.

In this way, a full three hours passed, until evening.

Having absorbed over ten Foundation Establishment magical artifacts, Zhou Luo finally stopped the refinement; his whole body seemed drained of strength, and he collapsed limply on the Dao platform.

The Ten Thousand Refining Spirit Body Technique was not as simple as imagined, and converting the power of the magical artifacts into physical strength required considerable energy.

Moreover, the transformation of the body often brought intense pain.

Only those who experienced it firsthand understood the agony Zhou Luo endured.

Ye Qian silently helped him down from the Dao platform and brewed a cup of spiritual tea to restore his vitality.

Since dual cultivating with Zhou Luo, she had realized this man was far more capable than previously perceived.

Although his spiritual roots were not exceptional, he applied immense diligence to cultivation and all matters; his meticulous, persistent attitude was exemplary for many.

Living together gradually revealed his strengths to Ye Qian, deepening her feelings for him.

"Body refinement should be done slowly; otherwise, accidents could damage the body," Ye Qian advised.

"Yes, I know," Zhou Luo nodded.

In the following days, the two never left Tian Xia Restaurant again.

They were either refining their bodies or performing dual cultivation.

After five days, Ye Qian’s junior sisters finally arrived.

On the third floor of Tian Xia Restaurant, in a private room,

Zhou Luo met her junior sisters—three in total, all youthful, beautiful, and radiant.

"Senior Sister, are you truly nearing the Golden Core stage?" one young woman in a yellow dress asked with excitement.

The other two also showed curious expressions.

Ye Qian smiled lightly: "Not yet; it’s just early preparation."

Hearing these words, the woman who spoke shook her head slightly: "If not for what happened to you, Senior Sister, you’d probably have reached the Golden Core stage by now."

At this, she glanced involuntarily at Zhou Luo beside her, a flicker of disgust in her beautiful eyes.

In her view, it was precisely this guy who caused her senior sister’s expulsion from the Immortal Sect; though her senior sister was living fine now, it paled compared to before.

So she naturally saw him as the culprit.

Zhou Luo couldn’t be bothered to argue with such youngsters and stayed silent.

At the table, the conversation focused mainly on Ye Qian and her three junior sisters.

But as they spoke, the topic naturally shifted to Zhou Luo.

"Senior Sister, is it truly good in the Qingyuan Domain? A place like that can’t match Jin Yun Domain," the woman in yellow continued.

The young lady in blue nearby joined in: "Exactly, I say you should move to Jinyun Immortal City to avoid delays."

"Yes, yes, in Jinyun Immortal City, we could give you some help," added the final woman.

These three grew up in Biquan True Sect, deeply influenced, so they believed only the sect and Jin Yun Domain mattered; other places were poor backwaters, unfit and unworthy of Ye Qian’s stay.

Not only that, they looked down on Zhou Luo too.

He was rumored to be a failure with Ninth Grade spiritual roots, only lucky to gain an immortal’s boon for his current achievements.

Worse, this guy had many wives and concubines and numerous children.

They genuinely didn’t want senior sister near such a lecher, certain it hindered her.

Particularly the young lady in blue, nearly stating outright that Zhou Luo delayed Ye Qian.

Zhou Luo raised an eyebrow, thinking: these proud brats targeting him was too much.

He wanted to speak immediately, but Ye Qian was faster.

Her face darkened as she said coldly: "Three Junior Sisters, I came for your help, not other matters.

If you don’t wish to assist, leave now.

No need to flaunt superiority here."

At these words, the three panicked and responded together:

"Senior Sister, we meant no such thing."

Though Ye Qian was expelled from the sect, it only barred her from cultivating there; her ties with her master and several sect elders remained strong.

These women came under an elder’s orders.

If sent back abruptly, they would likely face the elder’s reprimand.

"It better be. Okay, we’ll go together once the auction starts," Ye Qian said frostily, showing no grace.

The three lowered their heads, not daring to speak, but inwardly blamed Zhou Luo entirely, viewing him with deeper scorn.

After all, a man reliant on a woman was truly pathetic.

As master always said, men were no good.