The Path to Becoming Stronger

The moment the cold cotton swab touched the wound at the corner of his mouth, Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

“Ouch, it hurts… No, it doesn’t hurt.”

“So, does it hurt or not?”

“It doesn’t hurt!”

Despite Xǔ Tiānlí gritting his teeth to endure the pain, his reddened face made his words lack conviction.

At least, that’s what Mù Qīngyǔ thought; he was just being stubborn.

Well, well, so you do know what pain is, you talented eccentric.

A regular person getting hit by a First-tier Spirit Wielder only ends up with a superficial injury.

According to Xǔ Tiānlí’s description, he was caught off guard by that punch, but afterward, he completely dominated his opponent.

One could only say that the original protagonist is indeed willful.

But seeing him put on a brave face, Mù Qīngyǔ felt a slight easing of her inner turmoil.

At least he hadn’t become a pain-insensitive ultimate life form.

Thinking this, Mù Qīngyǔ couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh, then took out a new cotton swab, dipped it in medicine, and began to apply it to his wound.

“Bear with it.”

“Understood!”

That cold laugh reached Xǔ Tiānlí’s ears and took on a different meaning.

He thought his clumsy appearance had worried his master.

Xǔ Tiānlí’s face was indeed flushed, but not from pain—it was because of her.

But really, who could resist getting distracted by a tall, beautiful woman sitting next to them, applying medicine?

Although the first scent Xǔ Tiānlí caught from Mù Qīngyǔ was the bloody stench of an otherworldly demon, now that she was so close, there was a faint fragrance lingering around his nostrils.

Xǔ Tiānlí wanted to explore that fragrance, but he didn’t dare be too obvious, fearing that Mù Qīngyǔ would scold him for being ‘disrespectful’ and slap him to death.

Still, he occasionally opened his eyes to sneak glances at his master.

Because she was so close, he could observe her dazzling golden eyes, whose pupils were a rare pure black.

Her eyes shone with seriousness, and her lashes were long.

His gaze shifted downward to her nose, then to her cherry-red lips.

Beyond her slender neck lay the expanse of her chest, wrapped in a black coat.

No matter how he looked at it, Xǔ Tiānlí had only one thought: impressive!

The last time he had such a thought was during his third year of middle school, sitting next to a classmate who had developed early.

But at the time, Xǔ Tiānlí was caught between his studies and his father’s work, only realizing his classmate’s assets when they took their graduation photos.

Later, she apparently got into a school out of town and was never heard from again.

But if they were to compare sizes—

“It seems like my master is even more impressive.”

“More impressive?”

“I mean… your age, Master.”

“You’re older than me.”

“Isn’t that normal?” Mù Qīngyǔ chuckled.

“Why don’t you guess how much older I am than you?”

Xǔ Tiānlí chose to play dumb at this dangerous question.

After applying the medicine, Xǔ Tiānlí bounced back to life and went to comfort the children at the orphanage, who had been worrying about him.

Mù Qīngyǔ stayed in the room, telling him not to disturb her unless necessary, and locked the door.

She sat on the bed, carefully recalling everything that had happened so far.

Although Mù Qīngyǔ hadn’t taught Xǔ Tiānlí much, his progress was astonishing, almost uncanny.

Today, he could challenge a First-tier Spirit Wielder; tomorrow, he might challenge his own master.

The three-year pact seemed short, but it was enough for him to grow to Mù Qīngyǔ’s level, or even surpass her.

Moreover, the current Mù Qīngyǔ was far from the genius who could strengthen herself as easily as breathing.

With only the title of a Second-tier Spirit Wielder, she might not even be able to fully utilize a First-tier’s power.

If Xǔ Tiānlí took advantage of her while she slept, Mù Qīngyǔ didn’t think she could resist.

The mere thought was terrifying.

With the anger burning in his heart, he wouldn’t just subdued her; he would lock her in a dark room, making her his exclusive pet.

A dim room, clanking chains, and… a girl’s screams and moans under her master’s assault.

Who could save her?

No one!

After all, the publicly recognized strongest in the Sacred Dynasty, the chairman of the Heaven’s Will Bureau, only reached the Sixth-tier at nearly a hundred years old.

Xǔ Tiānlí, that freak, could walk the path of a lifetime in just five years.

Who could stop him from keeping Mù Qīngyǔ as a pet?

“I can’t afford to stagnate any longer.”

Mù Qīngyǔ slapped her own cheeks hard, forcing herself to calm down.

“Even if I’m not the old Mù Qīngyǔ, I have my own path to strength.”

She said this, raising her hand to reveal a key, shimmering and silver, in her palm.

“Brother Xǔ, does your face still hurt?”

As soon as he reached the courtyard, Xǔ Tiānlí was surrounded by the children.

“It’s all better now!”

“The beautiful and kind Qín Yuè healed me with her magical skills.”

“Really? That’s amazing!”

“It sure is.”

“You know, even though Qín Yuè looks a bit intimidating, she’s actually very gentle.”

After a brief interaction, Xǔ Tiānlí realized that his master liked to keep a stern face in front of others, despite her caring nature.

Children who only judge by appearances couldn’t sense her kindness and thought she was a bit scary, not wanting to play with her.

This wouldn’t do.

As a good student of his master, Xǔ Tiānlí felt he needed to salvage Qín Yuè’s image and make her a publicly accepted figure.

As for how to make the children accept her, when Xǔ Tiānlí mentioned he was going to cook his signature dish, beef stir-fry, their faces lit up with trust.

“Little Xǔ?”

Just then, the busy Director Wang suddenly approached.

“I’ve heard about the incident at the market.”

“You…”

“Oh, I’m fine, see?”

“It’s just a bit of bleeding.”

Just…

Director Wang pursed his lips, lowering his voice: “I heard you had a conflict with the Wolf Fang Gang, and the person you sent to the hospital was their vice-leader.”

Wolf Fang Gang?

Xǔ Tiānlí frowned slightly at the name.

It was a notorious gang in Wufeng City.

Since the Heaven’s Will Bureau became the “official” ruler of the entire Sacred Dynasty, the country’s Spirit Wielder forces were divided into two types.

One type was the legally recognized agencies with certificates issued by the Heaven’s Will Bureau.

They operated legally and followed the bureau’s rules, but they also had to be ready for deployment at critical moments.

Xǔ Tiānlí’s father founded the “Tuōhǎi Agency,” which was of this type.

However, with the sole Spirit Wielder having passed away, their certificate was only retained because his father had connections within the Heaven’s Will Bureau.

The other type consisted of unauthorized gangs without Heaven’s Will Bureau certificates.

Since they were unregulated, their “business scope” was broader.

Some would even take on daring tasks for enough money.

The Wolf Fang Gang was one such gang.

Despite public resentment, there was little that could be done about them.

The Heaven’s Will Bureau had been cracking down on gangs, but no matter how much force they applied, they couldn’t eradicate them completely.

In recent years, new large-scale gangs had even emerged, daring to challenge the official Heaven’s Will Bureau.

“So that bastard was the vice-leader.”

“Yes, you injured someone important.”

“They will definitely seek revenge.” Director Wang sighed.

“Little Xǔ, perhaps you should go to another city to hide for a while…”

“No need.” Xǔ Tiānlí firmly rejected the suggestion.

“Uncle Wang, I’m not the same person I used to be.”

“Now, I have the strength to protect myself.”

“But…”

“Besides, there’s Qín Yuè.” Xǔ Tiānlí smiled.

“If it weren’t for her hint, I wouldn’t have known I could defeat a Spirit Wielder.”

“Her?”

Director Wang’s eyes widened.

“Do you really trust someone with an unknown background?”

“I trust her.”

But Director Wang’s expression was filled with doubt.

In short, the cause of the market conflict was the woman named Qín Yuè.

Why did she make Xǔ Tiānlí do such a thing?

Was she intentionally harming him?

If the Wolf Fang Gang really came, could she protect Xǔ Tiānlí?

There were too many questions.

After Xǔ Tiānlí went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, Director Wang’s gaze fell on the room upstairs.

Soon, he stepped silently and soundlessly up the stairs.