Chapter 738: If I Can Successfully Emerge from Seclusion, Can I Be the Young Master's Concubine?

Unless Liu Shui could achieve a Realm Breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Realm, gain another thousand years of life, and simultaneously comprehend the Laws of the Great Dao of that realm to repair her damaged foundation with the power of heaven and earth.

Otherwise, she likely had only a hundred years left to live.

After Liu Shui awoke, she would simply sit quietly in the courtyard each day, silent and unmoving, as if lost in thought.

Gui Junmeng often stayed by her side, but not knowing how to comfort her, she could only keep a silent vigil.

「Three years later.」

Once Liu Shui’s injuries had improved slightly, she made a decision.

That evening, Liu Shui rose from the stone bench in her courtyard and walked toward Xiao Mo’s residence. She raised a hand and gently knocked on his door.

“Sister Liu Shui…” Xiao Mo opened the door. He was slightly taken aback to see her standing outside.

“Sir, my apologies for disturbing you so late…” Liu Shui curtsied, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. “There’s something I wish to speak with you about. Sir… would you walk with me for a little while?”

“Of course,” Xiao Mo nodded, stepping aside. “After you, Sister Liu Shui.”

“Thank you, Sir…”

Liu Shui curtsied again in thanks.

「A short while later.」

The two of them were walking through a grove of trees.

The watery moonlight spilled silently over them, stretching their shadows long across the bluestone path.

They walked side by side under the moon as summer cicadas chirped incessantly around them, their calls rising and falling in waves, each one louder than the last.

“Sir… I’ve decided to enter seclusion and attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm.”

After a long silence, Liu Shui spoke softly, her voice filled with resolve.

Hearing her words, Xiao Mo’s brow furrowed slightly. His tone was grave with concern. “Sister Liu Shui, attempting a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm is no small matter… Are you certain about this?”

Xiao Mo didn’t try to dissuade her directly, only hoping that she had thought it through carefully.

Although Sister Liu Shui only had a century of life remaining, with the help of some high-grade Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, she might be able to extend it by another hundred years.

Anything could happen in two hundred years. There was no telling what opportunities might arise.

“I’ve decided.”

Liu Shui nodded seriously, her gaze firm and unwavering.

“What’s the use of dragging this out any longer? I know perfectly well that breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm is incredibly dangerous, but I have to try.”

She paused, her voice soft yet laced with stubbornness.

“Actually, before I was injured, I had planned to return to the Seeking Immortal Temple and attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm as soon as I completed that assault mission.”

“The accident happened, but perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing. At the very least, it has strengthened my resolve to break through.”

“It’s just… Sir…”

Liu Shui turned and looked deeply at Xiao Mo, her shimmering eyes filled with a cautious hope.

“There’s something I’ve always wanted to tell you, but I’ve never dared to say it aloud…”

“Please, Sister Liu Shui, you can tell me anything,” Xiao Mo replied softly.

“If… and I’m just saying if…” Liu Shui bit her lip, her voice dropping to a near-whisper as if afraid of startling something. “If I can successfully emerge from my seclusion this time… may I become your concubine, Sir?”

“Sister Liu Shui…” Xiao Mo started to speak, but she stepped forward and gently pressed a finger to his lips.

“You don’t have to give me an answer now, Sir…”

Her eyes shimmered as she gazed deeply into his, her expression a mixture of hope, apprehension, and an almost-humble plea.

“Wait until after I’ve come out of seclusion… and give me your answer then. All right?”

Seeing her cautious expression, so terrified of rejection, Xiao Mo’s heart sank.

After a moment, Xiao Mo nodded and said in a low voice, “Sister Liu Shui… I understand.”

“Thank you, Sir…”

Liu Shui smiled and offered a deep, formal curtsy.

“That was all I had to say. I’d like to walk here a little longer to gather my thoughts. You should go back and get some rest, Sir.”

“While you’re preparing for seclusion, Sister Liu Shui, if you need anything at all, just tell me or Jun Meng. We will do everything in our power to help,” Xiao Mo said sincerely.

“Alright…” Liu Shui’s eyes curved into a smile. She nodded gently, her voice as soft as a spring breeze.

“I’ll head back first, then.” Xiao Mo gave a respectful bow and turned back the way they had come.

Liu Shui remained where she was, staring blankly at Xiao Mo’s departing figure. Her eyes followed him with every step, as if trying to etch the sight of his back into her very soul.

When Xiao Mo had completely vanished into the moonlit night, Liu Shui tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes curved into a faint smile, and her voice was so soft it nearly dissipated on the wind.

‘Sir… I’m so glad I met you…’

…

「The next day.」

Liu Shui began making preparations for her seclusion to attempt a breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Realm.

Nascent Soul Formation, in simple terms, is the process of having one’s Divine Soul completely coalesce into an independent Nascent Soul.

Even if the physical body is destroyed, the Nascent Soul can survive. It can then either seize another’s body or use Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to reconstruct a new one—both are viable options.

Therefore, before entering seclusion, Liu Shui had to purge the impurities from her Spiritual Power and then condense it.

After all, a Nascent Soul could only be nurtured within a Cultivator whose Spiritual Power was sufficiently pure.

Furthermore, Liu Shui needed to consume Elixirs that could nourish her Divine Soul and enhance its strength to increase her chances of success.

She also had to use an Array and specific Cultivation Techniques to completely clear her mind of distracting thoughts, allowing her to achieve a state of perfect tranquility.

This was because the most critical step in Nascent Soul Formation was confronting one’s own Heart Demon.

The calmer one’s mind was before seclusion, the less susceptible one was to the Heart Demon’s influence.

Of course, such preparations could only do so much.

Otherwise, not so many people would have fallen at the trial of the Heart Demon.

During the time Liu Shui was preparing, Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng used their battle merits to procure many precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures for her.

Xiao Mo spared no expense on anything that might increase her chances, even by a fraction.

Liu Shui tried her utmost to refuse.

But how could Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng possibly let her?

“Thank you, Sir, and thank you, Jun Meng…” Unable to refuse any longer, Liu Shui looked at the Storage Pouch they handed her and had no choice but to accept it.

She lowered her head, her hand clutching the pouch tightly. “Even if I fail to emerge this time, I will surely repay you both in the next life.”

“Sister Liu Shui, don’t ever say things like that.” Gui Junmeng shook her head gently, taking Liu Shui’s hand. “I believe you will definitely emerge successfully.”

Liu Shui smiled faintly, as if to say she would not let Gui Junmeng down.

But everyone knew… stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm was anything but easy.

A single stray thought during seclusion could mean the difference between life and death.

…

「A year passed.」

Liu Shui’s preparations were more or less complete, and she was ready to enter seclusion.

Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng found her a Blessed Land Grotto Heaven rich in Spiritual Power and personally constructed an Array to serve as her place of seclusion.

After Liu Shui stepped into the Blessed Land Grotto Heaven, the Array activated.

Disciples from the Seeking Immortal Temple would stand guard outside the Array in shifts, protecting her during her cultivation.

And just one month after Liu Shui entered seclusion, Xiao Mo, who was already at Jade Realm Perfection, also entered seclusion to break through to the Immortal Realm.

In the second year of Xiao Mo’s seclusion, Gui Junmeng seemed to have an epiphany and also entered seclusion, aiming for the Late-stage Immortal Realm.

「In the twelfth year of Xiao Mo’s seclusion.」

A tremendous roar erupted from the Tushan Clan Land.

With Moon God Mountain at its epicenter, the ground trembled for thousands of miles around.

Ripples of Spiritual Power spread outward, traveling for hundreds of thousands of miles!

The Laws of the Great Dao around Tushan shattered and then re-formed, as abstruse, ethereal tones spread through the air.

Such a massive disturbance led to endless speculation among the other Demon and Human Races, none of whom knew what the Tushan Race was up to.

“It’s complete!”

Yuan stood on a mountaintop, watching the Grand Array’s formal completion. His fingers clenched his sleeves tightly, and his normally cold eyes burned with an unmatched fervor.

“Older Sister… Younger Sister… just wait a little longer…”

“I’ll be there… to bring you back soon…”