Chapter 346: Su Huanli’s Situation

The thought came to her as simply as realizing she was hungry.

And so, her body decided it was hungry too.

This gnawing hunger wasn’t pleasant. Chen Miaomiao sniffed herself; there didn’t seem to be any strange odor.

She hurried to the kitchen to make herself some instant noodles.

There was nothing else to cook in the middle of the night, after all.

She was thinking about the events in the game.

While refining that Elixir Pill, she had summoned the same focus she’d had back in her school days, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.

As a result, she had been completely immersed in the process, experiencing many vague sensations.

In reality, however, her body hadn’t changed at all for three straight days.

Chen Miaomiao pursed her lips as the water in the pot began to boil, letting off steam.

She dropped the noodles into the pot, her mind drifting amid the swirling steam.

’This game... it can actually change a person’s body.’

She had suspected it for a while, but now, after all this time, she was basically certain.

This kind of change was explainable, of course.

If a person’s brain receives the same information for a long period, their body will naturally be affected.

Everything they experienced in that world was too real—so real that it was impossible to think it was fake.

Sometimes, she herself could barely distinguish between the two worlds, between what was real and what was false.

Which one was real, and which one was fake?

The noodles in the pot were cooked. Chen Miaomiao ladled them into a bowl. A casual glance brought her eyes to the small flowerpot on the kitchen windowsill.

Inside it, the small, purple-and-white flower was now growing with incredible vigor.

Its long stems had even grown past the edge of the pot, draping down onto the windowsill.

And not long ago, it had been on the verge of death.

It was just a wildflower Chen Miaomiao had rescued from the side of the road.

It had been about to wither, but now it radiated with new life.

’It wasn’t like this before, was it?’

Chen Miaomiao pinched her chin, pondering for a moment, but the aroma wafting from the noodles muddled her thoughts.

She decided to eat her noodles first.

*

「Yunzhou Continent.」

Song Jiulai went to see Su Huanli.

Su Huanli was already awake.

That Heart Firming Pill was truly astonishingly powerful. Not only had it successfully repaired Su Huanli’s damaged heart meridian and Dantian, but it had even turned disaster into a blessing. By drawing in nature’s spiritual energy, it allowed her to break through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment in one fell swoop!

After all, it was a Fourth Rank Heart Firming Pill!

To an ordinary Cultivator, it was something refined from what could be considered Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

And for Su Huanli, who had only just reached Early-stage Foundation Establishment a short while ago, this sudden breakthrough to the Mid-stage was an almost overwhelming surprise.

By the time Song Jiulai arrived, Su Huanli had already made a full recovery.

Her master, Xie Yi, was keeping watch by her side, her face filled with joy.

The two of them sensed Song Jiulai’s aura and turned their heads to see Song Jiulai’s face, now restored to its original appearance.

Xie Yi was taken aback for a moment.

Su Huanli recognized her at a glance and exclaimed with delight, "Jiulai, you’re back?"

"I’m back."

Seeing Su Huanli, Song Jiulai was genuinely happy.

She was hiding too many secrets, but Su Huanli knew her most important one, so in her presence, Song Jiulai could relax a little.

Xie Yi sensed a familiar aura from Song Jiulai and, upon hearing her name, asked with some surprise, "You are the Sect Master of the Longevity Sect?"

’But isn’t the Longevity Sect’s Sect Master the one who saved my disciple a few days ago?’

Xie Yi quickly bowed. "Greetings, Senior."

Su Huanli’s smile froze. "Uh... Ah..."

’My master is calling her Senior, but I’m calling her Jiulai... Doesn’t that mess up the seniority?’

"It’s fine, it’s fine. Senior Sister Xie Yi, you don’t have to be so formal. Huanli and I are as close as sisters, so you don’t need to stand on ceremony. Let’s just go by age. I’ll call you Senior Sister, and you can just call me Jiulai."

Xie Yi, despite her cold demeanor, was a stickler for rules. "That would be improper. Your cultivation has already reached the Golden Core Realm, which makes you our senior—"

Song Jiulai waved her hand, cutting Xie Yi off with a single sentence, "I’ll be upset if you keep talking like that."

Xie Yi fell silent.

It was clear that Song Jiulai was indeed very close to Su Huanli, so much so that she didn’t care for the formalities of seniority.

Su Huanli’s eyes, however, went wide. "You’re at the Golden Core Stage?"

’How is that even possible?’

’Even an Inner Sect Disciple from a Major Sect would be in awe of that kind of speed, right?’

’Just where did Song Jiulai go for her secluded cultivation?’

Song Jiulai couldn’t very well admit she wasn’t actually at the Golden Core Stage in front of Xie Yi, so she just smiled and said, "A fortunate accident, that’s all."

Su Huanli’s eyes held a trace of envy, but it was mostly overcome by a sense of relief. "As expected of—"

She suddenly remembered something and immediately clamped her mouth shut.

She couldn’t reveal Song Jiulai’s secret, not even to her master.

Previously, she felt it was better to keep the secret. Now that Song Jiulai’s cultivation had reached the Golden Core Realm, the pressure was even greater. Even if Song Jiulai wasn’t that kind of person, the sheer difference in their cultivation Realm instilled a subconscious fear in Su Huanli, making her even more determined not to speak.

Xie Yi, seeing how close the two were, said, "I’ll go find Senior Sister Dong. You two can have a private chat."

Her disciple being on such good terms with a Golden Core Stage Sect Master was something Xie Yi was naturally happy to see.

After Xie Yi left, Su Huanli moved forward and grabbed Song Jiulai’s arm. "That Heart Firming Pill... was it refined by someone from your Sect? And you provided the ingredients? Where did you get them?"

Worry filled Su Huanli’s eyes. "A debt of this magnitude... how can I ever repay you?"

"I wasn’t thinking about any of that when I saved you. And now you’ve reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Isn’t that a good thing?"

Song Jiulai patted Su Huanli’s arm. "You’re the first friend I made after coming here. I couldn’t just stand by and watch something happen to you. As for the rest, I’ll tell you when the time is right."

Hearing this, Su Huanli nodded.

"Alright."

Su Huanli was a person who could keep a secret. Since Song Jiulai told her not to ask, she wouldn’t press the matter.

Song Jiulai asked, "Have they found Shui Ping?"

Shui Ping had returned with Su Huanli. Now Su Huanli was saved, but it seemed Shui Ping was still missing.

"She’s been found." Fortunately, the news Su Huanli received was good. "She was afraid the attacker would follow her and bring trouble to the Sect, so she’s been hiding these past few days. Thankfully, she’s safe."

The first thing Su Huanli had asked about upon waking was Shui Ping’s whereabouts.

Song Jiulai let out a sigh of relief.

It was a good thing they were both safe.

Su Huanli looked at Song Jiulai hesitantly. "That Golden Core cultivator who was chasing us... Jiulai, do you have any idea who they were?"

When Su Huanli woke up and learned that she had been saved by Song Jiulai, she was extremely surprised.

She remembered that Song Jiulai wasn’t anywhere near the Sect; she had assumed she was far away.

How had she rushed back so quickly?

But since Song Jiulai had saved her, Su Huanli wouldn’t question it.

It just made the cultivator who had hunted them seem all the more strange.

"That person is likely from the Tianyang Sect."