Chapter 318: Xie Luo (2)

Chapter 318: Chapter 317: Xie Luo (2)

A faint smile appeared on Lin Yuan’s face.

“So that is one of the possibilities.”

He closed his fingers, allowing the technique to disappear, the faint tri-colored glow fading from the air between his palms.

Across from him, Bai Qingyue opened her eyes.

“What did you discover?”

Lin Yuan turned toward her.

“Nothing particularly complicated. I was testing how the three principles interact when I allow them to circulate through the Dao Fruit rather than forcing them into a fixed sequence.”

He glanced at the place where the technique had disappeared.

“Thunder can destroy, Rain can nourish, and Three Rebirths can carry the result into another cycle. If I can establish a stable circulation between them, the energy expended by one stage may become the foundation for the next.”

Bai Qingyue considered his words.

“You mean that a technique could recover part of the energy it expends?”

“That is one possible application.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

“But it is too early to draw a conclusion. The transformation I just produced was small, and I relied on the surrounding spiritual Qi to stabilize it. If I attempted the same thing with a powerful technique, the principles might interact differently.”

He was not interested in making grand claims based on a small experiment.

His comprehension was extraordinary, but that did not mean he could ignore the differences between understanding a principle and applying it under combat conditions.

The Dao Fruit gave him a foundation.

It did not grant him complete mastery over every possible interaction between the three Daos.

Bai Qingyue smiled.

“Even so, you have already found something worth studying.”

“Perhaps.”

Lin Yuan reached over and gently adjusted the sleeve covering her wrist, his fingers lingering there a moment longer than strictly necessary.

“How are your meridians?”

“Much better than yesterday. The spiritual Qi here is helping me to stabilize, and the karmic connection between us seems to be guiding the energy toward the places that need it most.”

She paused, then looked at him with a faintly amused expression.

“Although I suspect that the connection is doing more work than you are willing to admit.”

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.

“Are you suggesting that your husband has become lazy?”

“I would never dare.”

Her tone was perfectly serious, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her.

Lin Yuan chuckled.

“Good. At least you understand the consequences of slandering your husband.”

Bai Qingyue shook her head.

“You are becoming more shameless as your cultivation increases.”

“That is because you keep encouraging me.”

“I do not recall doing that.”

“You smiled.”

“Am I no longer allowed to smile?”

“Of course you are. You can smile as much as you wish. In fact, I would encourage it.”

Bai Qingyue looked at him for a moment before laughing softly, the sound carrying lightly over the quiet murmur of the nearby stream.

Ku Ming, who had been meditating beneath the ancient tree, opened one eye.

He had witnessed the exchange without interrupting, and the corners of his mouth twitched beneath his short beard.

“Benefactor Lin, I have heard many discussions about the Dao during my years of cultivation. I have seen people argue about the relationship between the heavens and the earth, and I have listened to scholars debate the meaning of cause and effect.”

He paused.

“Yet I have rarely encountered someone who can turn a discussion about the circulation of spiritual energy into an opportunity to tease his Dao Companion.”

Lin Yuan looked at him.

“Master Ku, the Dao is present in all things. Surely affection between husband and wife is no exception.”

Ku Ming’s expression became solemn.

“Indeed. The Buddhist scriptures teach that all phenomena arise through causes and conditions. A relationship between two people is also a form of connection, and a connection can influence the path one walks.”

He glanced at Bai Qingyue.

“However, not every connection leads to enlightenment.”

Bai Qingyue nodded respectfully.

“That is true.”

Lin Yuan smiled.

“Fortunately, my connection with Qingyue has led to considerable benefits.”

Ku Ming closed his eyes again.

“I see. Then I shall refrain from asking further questions.”

His tone suggested that he had already heard enough.

For a while, the three of them returned to their cultivation.

The stream flowed quietly.

The ancient trees swayed in the breeze, and the spiritual Qi continued to circulate through the mountain range, the soft hum of it blending seamlessly with the distant rush of the waterfalls.

Then Lin Yuan’s expression changed.

It was not a dramatic transformation. He did not suddenly rise to his feet, nor did he release any overwhelming aura.

He merely lifted his head.

His deep purple eyes turned toward the eastern horizon.

A moment later, the Dao Fruit within his body trembled.

The silver-blue Rain principle moved first, spreading a faint ripple through his spiritual perception. The golden-purple Thunder principle followed, responding to a disturbance that had not yet reached the limits of his ordinary senses.

Finally, the principle of Three Rebirths stirred.

The change was so slight that even Ku Ming did not notice it immediately, his meditation undisturbed, his breathing still slow and even.

Lin Yuan, however, had already stopped smiling.

Bai Qingyue recognized the change in his expression, the easy warmth of a moment ago draining quietly from the air between them.

“Yuan?”

He did not answer at once.

His gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon, where the ancient laws had begun to fluctuate.

The disturbance was faint.

If he had been relying only on his spiritual sense, he might have dismissed it as an ordinary spatial ripple caused by the damaged structure of the Sacred Grounds.

But his Dao Fruit allowed him to perceive something different.

The spatial fluctuation did not belong to the ancient realm.

It was an intrusion.

A foreign principle had entered the region, forcing its way through the existing structure of the laws.

Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed, the last traces of warmth from their earlier conversation vanishing entirely from his expression.

“Someone has entered this area.”