A Cunning Pervert in the Cultivation World Chapter 331: Power and Recognition.
Previously on A Cunning Pervert in the Cultivation World...
Atop a stunning mountain summit, inside a hidden practice area...
Under a bright azure sky with floating clouds, Yan Moxuan remained solitary, his eyebrows knitted deeply as he gazed intently at the view ahead.
"An illusion?"
He recalled vividly that he had perished... slain by that individual named Li Feng.
Against that beast, he was utterly powerless and frail.
"If only I had my complete cultivation..."
Yan Moxuan clenched his teeth in anger.
Had he not been forced to suppress his cultivation to the Qi Refinement Realm, the outcome would have differed.
At minimum, he wouldn't have met his end like a powerless mutt.
Right then, an approaching figure caught his attention.
He turned his gaze and stiffened upon spotting... his younger version.
"..."
In stunned silence, Yan Moxuan observed the youthful lad, sharp and stern in appearance, yet radiating a vibrancy he now lacked.
Myriad thoughts swirled in his head while he saw his past self diligently swinging a wooden sword in practice.
"...Tch."
A soft tsk escaped his mouth, devoid of genuine ridicule... merely weighed down by deeper remorse.
With energetic motions, the young Yan Moxuan advanced, his footwork nimble but purposeful.
Every swing of the wooden sword sliced sharply through the atmosphere, embodying a rigor untouched by the passage of years.
Perspiration beaded on his forehead, but his gaze stayed resolute... intent, resolute, and brimming with a passion that outshone anything the current Yan Moxuan recalled.
This sight made Yan Moxuan's face turn icier.
"...So this is what I once was."
He muttered softly.
Yet a subtle quiver hid underneath... one he denied to himself.
Abruptly, his younger counterpart halted, seemingly detecting a presence.
Tilting his head a bit, his piercing eyes scanned the area around.
In that instant... their gazes locked.
Yan Moxuan held his breath.
"...!"
However, the young one wasn't directing his look at him.
Instead, he stared toward the figure behind Yan Moxuan.
Instinctively, Yan Moxuan recognized the identity.
Briefly, he resisted turning around.
Still, a long-petrified emotion deep in his soul... abruptly fissured.
Reluctantly and gradually... he twisted his neck.
And behold, she was there.
Amid falling foliage and soft dawn rays piercing the azure heavens, she lingered silently by the practice field's border.
A woman of exceptional beauty... her aura nearly divine amid the grand peak.
Silky silver-white locks flowed down her back akin to moonbeams, neatly tied in an elegant updo decorated with a fancy silver ornament.
A fine blue pendant danced lightly in the wind while stray tresses outlined her elegant visage, highlighting her pale, jade-like complexion that shimmered in the sun's glow.
Her countenance was refined, profoundly alluring.
Yet what perpetually drew his focus...
...were her eyes.
Keen, almond-like, and vividly glowing blue reminiscent of the far-off firmament.
They held an inaccessible profundity, as if she transcended worldly concerns.
...Truly an immortal.
A petite, seductive beauty mark sat under her left eye, lending a touch of allure to her aloof demeanor.
The dawn gust raised her robe's hems and tousled her silver strands, rendering her a heavenly entity gracing the earthly realm.
Yan Moxuan's mouth opened faintly.
"...Master..."
Lost in a trance, he whispered upon encountering the woman—his master... and former fixation—after so long.
Then his past self grinned, advancing to offer a respectful bow.
"Master! Is there anything you need?"
Though feigning composure, Yan Moxuan discerned the hidden thrill in his younger self.
Indeed... his master seldom oversaw disciples' training.
Only through unique events had he earned discipleship, yet he clung to the hope of someday demonstrating his value... worthy of her companionship.
Nevertheless...
While Yan Moxuan gradually remembered the impending event, a hint of sorrow emerged in his stare.
His eyes quivered.
"...Fool..."
The term escaped his breath... faint, barely audible.
Yet it held no true disdain.
Merely... poignant realization.
He observed his younger self standing tall, gaze sparkling, form erect, oblivious to the future trials.
Poised serenely at the field's margin, his master let her silver tresses flutter in the wind, her face as remote and steady as always.
Her eyes settled on the young Yan Moxuan.
"...You’re improving."
Soft and otherworldly, her tone stayed icy and aloof regardless of the praise.
The younger Yan Moxuan snapped upright at once, a spark of arrogance lighting his eyes.
Indeed, this marked the inaugural moment his master had ever recognized him.
"Thank you, Master! I will strive even harder!"
Yet in response to his fervor, she merely lifted her hand a touch.
The younger Yan Moxuan stiffened right away, detecting that something amiss was occurring.
"...Yes, Master?"
Then, unhurriedly, she began to speak.
"Come forward."
Her tone carried a soft allure, akin to summoning another near.
Just then did the younger Yan Moxuan realize a presence lingered behind her.
Shortly after, a tiny silhouette shyly emerged.
A little girl.
Yet in the next instant, he detected an oddity in her eyes.
Though her pupils held a stunning fusion of profound purple, they appeared blurry... foggy... as though draped in a delicate mist.
’Blind?’
The little girl wavered uncertainly at his master’s side, twisting the edges of her sleeves nervously, evidently uneasy before the unknown face.
A subtle frown creased the younger Yan Moxuan’s brow, filled with bewilderment.
"...Master?"
He glanced her way and... halted abruptly.
She wore a smile.
That very smile.
The one for which he had endlessly yearned.
It now graced... that little girl.
He failed to comprehend.
Why the smile?
Why... directed at her?
Why not toward him?
His master kept her eyes riveted on the little girl, murmuring gently,
"...This child’s name is Liu Yanyue. From today onward, she will stay here."
A momentary hush ensued.
"...She will also be your junior sister."
Those declaration rooted the younger Yan Moxuan in place.
"...This master... why her?"
Comprehension eluded him.
How could a frail, blind little girl so swiftly claim the role of her disciple?
And why...
Did she possess the power to draw forth such a smile from his master?
His master delayed her reply.
She persisted in caressing the little girl’s locks, her voice serene and detached as she uttered,
"...Because Liu Yanyue is special—"
"Enough!!"
Abruptly—
Yan Moxuan lunged forth, his wrathful fist smashing squarely into his younger counterpart.
As if crafted from glass, the whole vista commenced fracturing.
Fissures raced swiftly through the realm, culminating in its explosive dispersal into myriad shards, each plummeting into boundless shadowy abyss.
In the midst of the disintegrating phantasm, Yan Moxuan endured, his frame quaking, visage warped in seething fury.
"Show yourself!"
His roar reverberated through the emptiness.
He recognized this as a spectral replay of bygone days.
...Intentionally unveiled by some entity or force.
And predictably,
From the obscurity, a form woven purely of shadow advanced deliberately.
[...]
Witnessing this, Yan Moxuan’s mouth twisted into an icy smirk.
"You bastard... you dare pry into my memories?"
His stare intensified, slayer’s aura erupting like a raging gale.
"...You’re courting death."
The form offered no retort, merely gazing mutely for an extended beat before intoning.
[...Strange... Why do you... reject... it?]
Yan Moxuan’s forehead creased upon hearing it, and ere he could respond, the entity proceeded, methodically orbiting him.
[You have... his... "Divine Blood"... So why... don’t you use it?]
Yan Moxuan went rigid, glaring at the apparition.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Divine Blood" represented the boon granted to every Emissary... privy only to a privileged circle inside the sect.
And presently... this abomination held knowledge of it.
Yan Moxuan reflexively ramped up his wariness.
But suddenly... awareness dawned.
He was already dead.
No cause for—
[...You... are not dead... yet.]
"...!?"
Yan Moxuan reeled in astonishment as the being divined his musings.
Yet in a flash, immobility seized him.
The form had restrained him utterly.
[Let... make... a deal...]
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[Don’t forget to check out the mysterious master’s portrait in the popularity pool~]