Chapter 229: Appearing Again! Goddess’ Gratitude!

That fateful day was still fresh in Cai Yao’s mind, even though several years had already passed.

Seated on the beach where everything had begun, she closed her eyes and silently operated the Azure Sea Art.

Spiritual Energy gathered from the surrounding world and continuously flowed into her body. Combined with the effects of the Qi Pills, her cultivation began to rise at a steady pace.

She had already spent several years cultivating.

During this period, she had never dared to slack off.

After all, she understood very well that the opportunities she had received were not something an ordinary cultivator could encounter.

She had to make good use of them.

Only a few moments later...

Bang!

An explosion echoed within her mind.

The mist gathered within her Dantian suddenly surged, filling every corner.

"Finally..."

Cai Yao couldn’t help but exhale.

"I’ve finally managed to reach the Peak of the Qi Refining realm. Reaching Foundation Establishment is close!"

Her fists clenched tightly, and excitement filled her eyes.

Her excited face was reflected in the nearby seawater.

Several years had passed.

She now looked far more mature.

From a small child, she had grown into a teenager.

Her blue hair still hung in two ponytails, although it had grown considerably longer. Her features had also become more delicate, losing some of the childishness they once possessed.

Cai Yao did not dwell on these changes.

After stabilizing her cultivation, she hurriedly returned to the village.

The sound of loud chatter and laughter immediately entered her ears.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

She concealed her cultivation and quietly returned to her home.

She was originally in a good mood.

Yet the moment she entered the building, her expression changed.

A massive ball of white fur could be seen in one of its corners.

It constantly squirmed in an eerie manner, almost like some terrifying monster attempting to envelop its prey.

Cai Yao’s eyes narrowed.

Not out of fear. Rather, she was angry.

"Squeebly!"

"Are you eating secretly again? Didn’t I tell you not to eat without my permission?!"

Her dissatisfied voice spread throughout the building.

In response, the ball of white fur trembled.

It slowly turned around.

Its true appearance was finally revealed. It was the white rabbit that had grown alongside Cai Yao.

Its face remained innocent and cute.

However, the rest of its body, as well as its aura, was terrifying.

It was enormous!

Its body had grown to such a size that it could easily fight against Foundation Establishment cultivators purely through its physical strength.

Moreover, its growth had never shown any sign of stopping.

Perhaps given enough time, it would become even more powerful... and large.

Yet when faced with Cai Yao’s scolding, none of that mattered.

The enormous rabbit immediately became timid.

It constantly shook its head, as though trying to explain itself, while secretly hiding the blades of grass behind its back.

Unfortunately, this movement only made Cai Yao even more suspicious.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Squeebly."

"Bring them out."

The white rabbit shook its head harder.

"Don’t make me repeat myself."

The rabbit hesitated.

Then, with a look of unwillingness, it slowly brought the blades of grass out from behind its back.

Seeing this, Cai Yao’s face darkened.

"You actually ate them without asking me again!"

The rabbit’s ears drooped.

It lowered its head, looking extremely pitiful.

Yet Cai Yao was not fooled.

She brought her sleeves up, ready to discipline it.

--

Half an hour later, the white rabbit lay sprawled on the ground with its eyes blank.

Its enormous body was completely motionless, as though it had suffered a devastating blow.

Meanwhile, Cai Yao returned to her room with a victorious smile.

After closing the door behind her, Cai Yao sat on her bed.

However, she didn’t rush to cultivate.

Instead, her mind slowly drifted toward the past.

That fateful day resurfaced in her mind.

The strange and powerful cultivator.

The generous gifts.

And, most importantly, that handsome face belonging to an unknown Senior.

’If it hadn’t been for him, I would never have reached this point so quickly.’

’I can feel that the Azure Sea Art is many times more powerful than the technique I found in the ruins.’

Cai Yao’s eyes softened.

She had originally been wary of those gifts.

After all, she had no idea why a powerful cultivator would suddenly take an interest in her.

But as the years passed, nothing strange had happened.

Instead, every item he had given her had helped her immensely.

’Moreover, this...’

Cai Yao took out a small pearl.

’...has stopped people from discovering my cultivation.’

’Had it not been for it, I wouldn’t have been able to cultivate so fearlessly.’

She gently held the pearl in her hand.

When the unknown cultivator had left these items and disappeared, she had initially believed that it was some kind of conspiracy.

Yet later, after nothing happened and because of her growing curiosity, she finally chose to examine the gifts.

In the end, she discovered that they were extremely suitable for her current situation.

It was almost as though they had been tailor-made for her.

Although she was young and her Physique was still undeveloped, by making use of these items, she had managed to reach the pinnacle of Qi Refining.

As for the future...

’Perhaps it’s time to go to the island’s main city.’

’I should start interacting with other cultivators.’

Cai Yao’s eyes flashed.

She knew that cultivating in isolation forever was impossible.

If she wanted to become stronger, she needed to understand the outside world.

She also needed to learn more about cultivation and the dangers that existed beyond this small village.

With that thought, Cai Yao was about to resume her study of formations.

But just then...

"Cough, cough."

A somewhat familiar voice reached her ears.

Cai Yao’s body froze.

She slowly turned her head.

A face that was both foreign and familiar entered her sight.

For a moment, the passage of several years seemed to disappear.

That face gradually overlapped with the one buried deep within her memories.

Immediately, her eyes lit up.

"Junior greets Senior!"

She hurriedly cupped her hands and bowed respectfully. This time, her movements were far more precise, as though practiced.

Watching this scene unfold, Chen Xuan subconsciously compared it to the scene from several years ago.

Back then, Cai Yao had still been a young girl who had been trying to hide her fear.

Now, she had turned into a young woman.

The transformation made Chen Xuan sigh inwardly.

Time truly passed quickly.

He smiled gently on the surface.

"It seems that you’ve finally reached the Peak of Qi Refining."

"The only way forward is to break through to Foundation Establishment."

"You should already have some thoughts about interacting with other cultivators. That’s good."

"You can’t continue improving your cultivation merely through seclusion."

"Speaking with other cultivators and experiencing the outside world will help you tremendously in the future."

Cai Yao solemnly nodded her head.

"Junior understands."

In secret, she couldn’t help but examine the man before her.

Yet although she had reached the Qi Refining realm, she was still unable to see through his cultivation.

It was clear.

The man before her must have surpassed the Qi Refining and even Foundation Establishment realms.

Most likely, he was a Core Formation cultivator.

Perhaps even a Nascent Soul expert!

Thinking that she had interacted with such a powerful expert, a trace of excitement arose in her heart.

Chen Xuan did not care about her thoughts.

He didn’t go out of his way to correct her misunderstanding.

After all, there was no need.

After sizing her up for a few seconds, seemingly examining her condition, he nodded.

"It seems that you haven’t been lazy over the past years."

"Your foundation is surprisingly solid."

"You must have worked hard."

"Here."

He waved his hand.

Several items appeared before Cai Yao.

A Foundation Establishment Pill. A Spirit Weapon. And a collection of spells.

Cai Yao’s eyes widened slightly.

"This Foundation Establishment Pill should be enough to help you break through to Foundation Establishment."

"As for the Spirit Weapon and these spells, they should provide you with some means of protecting yourself."

Chen Xuan paused briefly.

"These should be enough for you to reach the Core Formation realm."

Cai Yao’s breathing became slightly hurried.

These were treasures that she had never heard of before.

Yet their mere description was enough to let her understand their value.

Her gratitude toward this unknown Senior deepened.

"I hope that we meet in the future again."

These words suddenly snapped her back to reality.

The moment those words left his mouth, Cai Yao seemed to realize something.

Her expression changed.

Recalling the previous time the two had parted, she hurriedly opened her mouth, trying to say something before he departed.

"Senior!"

Unfortunately, Chen Xuan gave her no chance to speak any further.

His figure gradually faded.

A moment later, he completely disappeared.

Only Cai Yao remained in the room, together with her white rabbit.

She stood there for a long time without moving.

Her eyes remained fixed on the place where Chen Xuan had disappeared.

There was a complicated emotion in her eyes.

After several years, the mysterious Senior had appeared once again.

And just as before, he had left as suddenly as he had appeared.

"Senior..."

Cai Yao murmured softly, her gaze moving toward the many treasures Chen Xuan had left her. As their outlines were reflected in her pupils, determination appeared in her eyes.

She would definitely not waste this opportunity.