Especially the line at the very end: Its power scales with the user's own cultivation.
This Dou Technique would never become obsolete. No matter how high one's realm ascended, it would remain a deadly weapon.
If such a technique were to appear in the Central Plains, even behemoths like the One Tower and One Hall would fight over it—shedding blood, sacrificing lives.
"Junior Xiao Tian…" Han Yue's voice trembled. Her hands waved frantically in refusal. "This… this is too precious. I… I cannot accept this."
"Then consider it an investment." Xiao Jietian's tone was calm, matter-of-fact. "After you graduate, I'll invite you to serve as a Guest Elder of my Boundless Heavenly Hall."
He paused.
"You may also return to the Han Family afterward. You'll only need to act when the Hall requires your assistance."
Han Yue's mind went blank.
Boundless Heavenly Hall?
She hadn't known Xiao Jietian had an entire势力 behind him. And any force capable of nurturing a monster like him… was certainly no ordinary power.
Even her own Han Family paled in comparison.
"This… this…" She looked into his eyes, her voice barely a whisper. "I will repay you. In the future. This favor… it's too great."
Something shifted in her gaze. A decision, quietly made.
Xiao Jietian's lips curved into a faint, teasing smile.
"Then how about this—repay me with yourself?"
Han Yue's breath caught.
"…If Xun'er doesn't mind—"
He didn't let her finish.
His fingers pressed lightly against her lips, and something small slipped past them.
Before she could react, her aura surged—violently, uncontrollably.
What—
Her cultivation erupted. Her meridians flooded with pure, overwhelming energy.
She had no time to dwell on his words. Instantly, she dropped into a cross-legged position, circulating her technique with desperate urgency.
The disturbance began to draw attention.
Students from the Inner Academy wandered toward the source of the energy fluctuation. Xiao Jietian raised his hand, and a barrier of Dou Qi materialized around Han Yue.
Then he released his aura.
Those who approached took one look at the protective barrier—and at the man standing before it—and promptly turned around.
No one was foolish enough to provoke him.
Half an hour later.
Han Yue's aura had stabilized.
At the peak of nine-star Dou Ling.
The pill Xiao Jietian had given her was a Nine-Revolution Pill—one of the resources he had systematically collected through the auction houses. Boundless Heavenly Hall currently lacked high-end combat power, but it had no shortage of Dou Lings.
These pills were the perfect tool: rewards for the loyal, bait for the talented.
Han Yue's entire body trembled—not from exhaustion, but from exhilaration.
A nine-star Dou Ling peak.
Even within the Inner Academy, such cultivators were rare.
With this realm, combined with the technique Xiao Jietian had just bestowed upon her… the top five was no longer a distant dream.
She estimated her current strength to be roughly on par with Yan Hao. Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya, however, had been at the peak of Dou Ling for years. Their accumulated Dou Qi was still beyond her reach.
But the top five… that was now within her grasp.
"Congratulations, Senior Han Yue." Xiao Jietian descended from the air, landing gracefully beside her. "With your current strength, a top-five ranking is all but assured."
Han Yue looked at him.
And then, like a swallow returning to its nest, she threw herself into his arms.
Her lips pressed against his cheek.
Xiao Jietian was no Liu Xiahui—he did not possess that legendary restraint.
He turned his head.
Their lips met.
Han Yue's eyes flew open.
…My first kiss.
She recoiled as though burned.
Xiao Jietian did not pursue.
Some things should not be rushed.
"Come," he said, his tone shifting smoothly, as though nothing had happened. "I'll help you familiarize yourself with the technique. Try to master at least a portion of its power by tomorrow."
Han Yue's face was nearly steaming. Her internal temperature was rising by the second. If he said one more word, she might actually start emitting vapor.
She nodded stiffly.
She didn't realize that in that moment, her heart had already been quietly, irrevocably given.
To move a woman's heart—
Either you tend to her with meticulous care, weaving moments that linger in her memory…
Or you offer her something she cannot refuse: support, material or spiritual.
Or both.
Xiao Jietian carried Han Yue through the air toward the forest beyond the academy.
The woods were silent, broken only by the occasional distant roar of a magical beast.
Neither spoke during the flight.
But the silence was not awkward.
It was comfortable. Shared.
Han Yue's mind was still spinning. Her lips still tingled. Her heart refused to calm.
"Senior Han Yue."
His voice was soft against her ear.
"We're here."
She startled, scrambling down from his embrace. Her feet met the ground, but her gaze remained lowered, shy.
"First, recover your strength." His tone was all business now, a perfect gentleman. "Then we'll spar. Combat will solidify your newly unstable Dou Qi—and allow you to test your technique."
Han Yue nodded.
She closed her eyes. Breathed deeply.
Once. Twice.
The flush on her cheeks receded. Her thoughts settled.
She was, after all, an independent woman—intelligent, composed, adept at managing her emotions.
I was just caught off guard, that's all.
It's not like I haven't already…
She opened her eyes. Steady. Clear.
"I'm ready."
A silver longsword materialized in her grip.
Xiao Jietian nodded. "Begin. You attack. I defend."
She lunged.
Blade met barrier. Frost clashed with lightning.
They sparred beneath the canopy, their battle contained within Xiao Jietian's Dou Qi barrier. Han Yue attacked relentlessly; Xiao Jietian defended effortlessly, pointing out flaws between parries.
He was no swordsman. But Yun Yun was. Medusa was. He had sparred with both extensively. And before his transmigration, he had consumed countless wuxia novels and martial arts dramas.
He knew enough.
Then—an opening.
Han Yue seized it.
Her body rose slowly into the air, an inherent property of the technique. Her longsword pointed skyward.
Disturbances gathered above her head.
She thrust her blade toward Xiao Jietian.
And the sky answered.
"Cold Starfall!"
Several ice spheres, each a meter in diameter, plummeted from the heavens. Long, luminous tails streaked behind them as they hurtled toward Xiao Jietian.
He raised his Thunder Light Shield.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—
The impacts were deafening.
But the sound did not escape. His Dou Qi barrier contained everything.
When the last ice sphere shattered, Han Yue collapsed.
Her long hair, once neatly tied, now hung loose and disheveled. Sweat beaded her forehead, strands of silver clinging to her damp skin.
She had poured every last drop of her Dou Qi into that strike.
Her entire body trembled violently. Her face was pale as paper.
Only her longsword, planted firmly in the earth, kept her upright.
She refused to fall.
Xiao Jietian was at her side in an instant.
His arm supported her gently. His fingers brushed the silver strands from her forehead.
He produced a handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat from her brow.
Han Yue caught a faint fragrance from the cloth.
Not Xun'er's scent.
Sandalwood. Feminine. Unfamiliar.
She looked up at him, surprise flickering in her exhausted eyes.
And then she remembered what Xun'er had told her earlier.
…So that's how it is.