Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Xie Xiaoyi was overjoyed: "Auntie, I've broken through to a higher realm?"

Xie Lingyun lightly touched his wrist pulse with her fingertips, feeling the true energy flowing within, a faint smile appearing in her eyes:

"It's done. You've truly stepped into the Starry Sky Profound Realm."

Xie Xiaoyi focused his mind and looked inward, only to find that the true qi in his dantian was no longer the heavy, solid mass he had experienced in the Vajra Saintly Realm, but instead had been refined into wispy strands, like star threads winding around his veins.

When practicing, the energy flows along the meridians, smooth and agile, controlled at will, without wasting even a fraction of the energy.

He looked up at Xie Lingyun: "This true energy... is completely different from before. It's much finer and smoother."

"This is the wonder of the Starry Sky Mystery Realm." Xie Lingyun withdrew his hand and lightly tapped his dantian with his fingertip.

"The Ninth Grade Vajra Realm cultivates the physical body into steel and solidifies true qi; it is the ultimate in mortal martial arts."

However, even the thickest true qi is still a coarse and heavy force, flowing slowly and easily sluggishly, relying entirely on brute force to fight the enemy.

The Profound Realm is different. It refines the impurities in true qi, condensing them into threads that wind through the meridians. Not only is it precise to use, but it also allows you to glimpse the mysteries of the qi meridians.

Xie Xiaoyi murmured, "The secret to understanding the flow of qi?"

Xie Lingyun smiled and continued to explain: "The Peeping Profound Realm allows one to not only see one's own internal energy flow and clearly observe the movement of true qi, but also to see through the qi channels of others at a glance."

The opponent's true strength in their dantian, the direction of their meridians, and even the stagnation of true qi when connecting moves are all glaring flaws in the eyes of someone at the Profound Realm.

"If you seize even the slightest opening, you can use your subtle internal energy to strike directly at the vital points, either disrupting the flow of qi or breaking the technique. There's absolutely no need to resort to brute force."

Xie Xiaoyi's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered the physique of a ninth-grade Vajra Realm cultivator, asking, "What if we were to face a peak Vajra Saint Realm cultivator?"

"It can be suppressed," Xie Lingyun said with a slight smile and a confident tone. "This is simply the difference between the upper five realms and realms below the ninth rank."

As she spoke, she raised her hand in a gesture, and a wisp of true energy condensed at her fingertips. "No matter how hard the physical body is in the Vajra Realm, or how thick the true energy is, it cannot escape the weakness of energy circulation."

The gaps in the flow of true energy when a move is made, and the weak points in the energy channels of the dantian when defending, are all flaws in the eyes of someone at the Profound Realm.

Therefore, as long as the person in the Profound Realm finds the right opportunity, they can use subtle internal energy to break through the opponent's energy channels. Even if the person in the Vajra Realm possesses brute strength, they can break through in one fell swoop.

These words awakened Xie Xiaoyi, who immediately stood up, calmed his mind, and raised his hand to make a fist gesture towards the empty space in the courtyard.

Indeed, it was exquisite. There was no explosive force like a Vajra Realm fist; only wisps of true energy condensed at the fist's tip, severing the spider silk in the corner of the courtyard, while the grass and leaves beside it remained completely still.

He was overjoyed, and when he looked intently at the old locust tree outside the courtyard, he could actually vaguely see the faint life flowing between the veins of the tree trunk.

If a Vajra Realm martial artist were present at this moment, the trajectory of the opponent's internal energy circulation would likely be completely clear to him.

"Just remember this!" Xie Lingyun's voice came at the right time, carrying a hint of reminder.

"Your attempt to understand the mysteries is ultimately limited to 'human energy and techniques,' without touching the edge of the energy of heaven and earth, and you are still trapped in the rules of the mundane world."

"The transcendence of the mundane world and the absorption of the pure dust of heaven and earth into the body at the Liyue Ruins' Broken Dust Realm are still worlds apart; one must not be complacent because of one's current level."

Xie Xiaoyi withdrew his fist, turned around, and smiled at her: "Don't worry, Auntie, I've remembered."

He felt extremely relieved.

Unexpectedly, Xie Lingyun's master-level virgin yin energy brought him tremendous benefits.

It not only directly helped him break through the bottleneck, but also allowed him to truly step into the Upper Five Realms he had always dreamed of.

Such an opportunity is something I never even dared to dream of.

Xie Xiaoyi could no longer contain himself and strode forward to pull Xie Lingyun into his arms: "Auntie, thank you so much!"

Xie Lingyun was slightly taken aback by his embrace. He lightly pressed his fingers against Xie Lingyun's chest and said seriously, "I never expected that you and I... could help you advance to the Upper Five Realms."

I wonder how many women you've treated like this before, and how many evil deeds you've committed in the past?

Xie Xiaoyi was stunned for a moment—

How many evil deeds?

That's something you can't count even if you count on your fingers and toes!

"Aunt, if I tell you the truth, I'm afraid I'll hurt your feelings! But if I lie to you, I really can't bear to, so please don't ask anymore."

Just as I thought!

Xie Lingyun looked up at him: "Then I won't ask! I just want to know, how did you gradually become a flower thief..."

Xie Xiaoyi picked her up in his arms, then sat on the bluestone table, letting her curl up on his lap.

Xie Lingyun struggled gently, pouting, "Just say what you want to say, put me down!"

"No, this day and night has been too dreamlike. Now that the most beautiful woman in the world is mine, wouldn't I be missing out if I didn't get closer to her?"

"You...take your hand away! It's been a whole night, isn't that enough!"

"Of course not, this is my favorite place to 'play'."

plate?

That's an infuriating way to use that word; isn't it treating people like playthings?

Xie Lingyun was about to reprimand her when her gaze fell upon Xie Xiaoyi's clear eyes, like starlight, and she was instantly captivated.

He began to mutter to himself, "The day my mother gave birth to me, she had just held me in her arms when she passed away without taking another breath."

My father was already in poor health, and he passed away when I was only four or five years old.

Xie Lingyun's heart softened suddenly. He raised his hand to wrap around Xie Xiaoyi's waist and gently patted Xie Xiaoyi's back, again and again.

"And then?"

Xie Xiaoyi stared blankly into space, seemingly lost in a distant memory, and slowly began to speak:

"When I was hungry, I would dig up grass roots, pick wild fruits, and catch fish in the river. That's how I survived until I was nine years old."

One day, I was ambushed by human traffickers at the alley entrance, knocked unconscious, and carried away. When I woke up, I was in "Heaven on Earth."

After saying that, he lowered his head and rubbed Xie Lingyun's head, asking softly, "Auntie, does my past sound distressing?"

Xie Lingyun continued patting his back, her voice gentle: "Don't worry, it's all in the past. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

As she spoke, she gently stroked Xie Xiaoyi's nape with a soothing touch, "The hard times are over. From now on, whatever happens, I'll support you."

Xie Xiaoyi felt a warmth in his heart and tightened his arms around her waist: "Auntie, don't just talk about me, what about you?"

I know nothing about your affairs, except that you've guarded the East Sea for eighteen years, waiting for someone. Who are you waiting for?

Upon hearing this, the person in his arms paused for a moment.

Xie Lingyun raised his head, his gaze meeting Xie Xiaoyi's eyes, and said clearly, word by word: "The person I've been waiting for has always been you."

"boom--"

These words struck Xie Xiaoyi like a thunderbolt, his face filled with disbelief and astonishment: "Auntie, you... what did you say? You were waiting for me?"