Southern Continent, Yuzhou City.
Chu Xingchen stood in midair, his gaze sweeping across the sect of Yuzhou City, which appeared entirely normal.
Chen Baiqing was still in that tiny form, holding a book and reading, with candied fruit placed beside the table.
Xie Lingyu sat across from Chen Baiqing, holding a cup of hot tea, a gentle smile on her face as she too looked toward Chu Xingchen.
Li Yingling held an ordinary iron sword in her hand, contemplating a sword technique. Li Xingtian sat beside her—it seemed to be a rare day of rest.
Chu Xingchen's mind was in a fog. Suspicion and confusion spread through his heart. Something felt wrong, but he could not perceive what was amiss.
It was as though he had just had an accurate dream, and now suddenly awakened, unable for a moment to distinguish which side was reality.
But here…
The spring breeze was warm and gentle. The winds were calm.
"Master, you're back?" Chen Baiqing looked up, her expression delighted as she saw Chu Xingchen. She quickly reached for the candied fruit on the table and held it out toward him from a distance.
Her face was full of smiles, her voice brimming with anticipation: "Baiqing missed you so much. Have a piece of candied fruit."
Chu Xingchen felt slightly dazed, but looking at Chen Baiqing's sincere expression, a smile appeared on his own face as well. He prepared to descend and take the fruit from her hand.
He did not actually like sweets very much. But the sweetness of genuine feeling—Chu Xingchen liked very much.
Chu Xingchen moved toward Chen Baiqing. But the moment he shifted, he felt his arm suddenly tugged, forcibly pulled back. His forward momentum halted.
The strange sensation made Chu Xingchen stop. He looked down at his arm in confusion.
What was going on?
Chu Xingchen circulated his divine sense through his body but found nothing unusual.
"Master, did you bring me a gift this time?" Li Yingling suddenly called from below, looking at her master with a displeased expression. "I can tell from your face that you didn't. You dumped everything on me and ran off to play by yourself, and you didn't even bring me a gift."
"But forget it. Who told you to be my master?"
A smile appeared on Li Yingling's face. She raised an eyebrow and grinned: "Master, come down quickly. I prepared a gift for you—come and see."
Chu Xingchen smiled, but before he could descend, his arm was pulled again—and the force was not light.
What was going on?
Chu Xingchen looked at his arm once more, waving it experimentally.
"Chu Xingchen…" Xie Lingyu's voice called out.
That call drew Chu Xingchen's gaze once again.
Xie Lingyu's eyes and voice were both extremely gentle: "What are you waiting for?"
Chu Xingchen looked at Xie Lingyu's tender expression and instinctively opened his mouth to tease—but then suddenly felt something was wrong.
Xie Lingyu only showed this expression and tone when she was shy and the two of them were alone.
Whenever anyone else was present, she always wore an expression that said: Whatever happens in this world, I can handle it all by myself.
Xie Lingyu had always been self-reliant. Even though her cultivation had long fallen far behind Chu Xingchen's, she had never given up.
She had never slacked off, thinking that since the gap was so vast there was no catching up no matter how hard she tried.
Instead, she had trained even harder than before.
Xie Lingyu would never allow herself to be a porcelain vase.
Seeing Chu Xingchen hesitate, Li Xingtian also spoke from the side: "Master…"
But the moment Li Xingtian uttered the word "Master,"
Chu Xingchen suddenly laughed, cutting Li Xingtian off: "Xu Linglong, did you really think this third-rate illusion technique of yours could work on me? I was just playing along for your benefit."
"Sister Bai, you were a bit too heavy-handed just now. I thought you knew me well enough to realize I was just stringing them along."
"I suppose I put on a good show—even you were fooled."
Chu Xingchen looked at Chen Baiqing with a mocking expression: "Is this the extent of your methods and your grand killing move? Far too ordinary. I saw through your tricks at a single glance."
Li Yingling cast a "are you alright, Master?" look his way: "Master… it's broad daylight. What nonsense are you spouting? What are you bragging about?"
Chen Baiqing's expression was full of concern: "Master, are you alright?"
"Master, are you alright?"
Chu Xingchen's gaze fixed on Chen Baiqing—and on the attribute line above her head: [Xu Linglong].
The attribute line had changed dramatically.
The two characters [Celestial Demon] looked like nothing good at a glance.
Although he could not entirely sort out the situation.
And he could not quite remember who Xu Linglong was.
But he had never renamed Little Baiqing to anything like Xu Linglong.
That name sounded like the sort of thing a man-trap would use. With taste like that, probably only a virile young man like Li Xingtian would be interested.
Fortunately, the system attribute line served as a reminder. He had most likely fallen into an illusion technique.
Chu Xingchen understood that he had no fondness for undergoing mental tempering trials. Mental tempering was something local ascetic natives did—it had nothing to do with him.
So he had most likely been dragged into an illusion during combat.
But to forcibly pull him into an illusion and confuse his senses and memory to this degree—the opponent's cultivation had to be far higher than his own.
Given that he typically enjoyed bullying the weak, if someone could drag him into an illusion, there had to be a powerful expert protecting him nearby.
Otherwise, what was the point of using an illusion to trick him into bad positioning? A single slash to finish him off would suffice.
He had most likely walked into danger knowing the risk. And the one expert he trusted most could only be one person—Bai Xuanling.
The mocking smile on Chu Xingchen's face held for a moment.
Below, the disciples and Xie Lingyu's expressions shifted from confusion to "are you alright?" looks.
Chu Xingchen withdrew his expression, understanding that his gambit of pretending to have awakened had not worked. The opponent was still controlling the illusion.
Xu Linglong was truly formidable—able to control an illusion technique while simultaneously clashing with Bai Xuanling.
And her mind was remarkably clear. She had not fallen for the deception.
Or perhaps… the opponent was not just Xu Linglong alone. Someone else was handling him?
So what should he do now?
Stand still and do nothing?
Chu Xingchen looked around, then tilted his head up toward the sun.
He felt only warmth and a gentle breeze.
To have fought Bai Xuanling this long without being killed, and to maintain the illusion—the opponent was at minimum a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator.
The aftershocks of a Tribulation Transcendence battle would not be this gentle.
Had his sense of touch been altered too?
His divine sense could not detect anything either.
But… his divine sense seemed somewhat overtaxed.
Was this some additional measure from the opponent?
Chu Xingchen looked once more at Chen Baiqing, who wore a worried expression—and at the name [Xu Linglong] hanging above her head.
This time… what should he do?
Chu Xingchen felt the warm breeze, yet sensed killing intent in everything around him.
Standing still would most likely mean waiting to die. But moving recklessly might kill him even faster.
Chu Xingchen's mind raced at full speed.
What on earth was happening… that had made him take this risk?
Did he have some objective of his own?
Was he really going to die here this time?
Chu Xingchen pondered for a moment. With insufficient information, no amount of thinking would help. He summoned his protective techniques around himself and spoke: "Sister Bai, say something useful so I know what's going on."
His words fell.
He waited for roughly three breaths.
A spray of blood suddenly burst from Chu Xingchen's left shoulder. His protective techniques were blown away entirely.
Searing pain shot from his left shoulder straight to his sea of consciousness.
A little more to the side, and his head would have been taken off.
Chu Xingchen did not move recklessly. He took two light breaths and remained standing in place: "Don't worry. I trust you, Sister Bai. I won't move recklessly, and I won't panic. I just need a few hints…"
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