Chapter 125: A Moment Beneath the Bodhi Tree (1)

Lying on either side of their husband, the two sisters watched him with concern. The pleasure that had clouded their eyes had faded, replaced by worry.

"Has something gone wrong?" Ji Yue asked.

"Are you okay?" Ji Yan followed.

Gu Yuan chuckled. "I’m fine."

And he really was. He hadn’t suffered any backlash or unpleasant side effects from using Future Manifestation. The ability had simply run its course.

Still, even if only for a day, he had possessed immense power, and now that it was gone, he felt strangely hollow.

It was like the tide going out. The sea was still there somewhere beyond the horizon, but the shore felt bare, wet, and strangely quiet.

His body kept reaching for strength that was no longer there. His limbs felt heavier than usual, and the sensation was uncomfortable.

He was still at the Embryo Realm, with strength countless times greater than that of an ordinary person. But such a sudden loss of power wasn’t something one could easily adjust to.

To take his mind off it, Gu Yuan decided to lose himself in the soft bodies of his two women.

Ji Yan grew cheeky almost immediately, trying to reclaim some of the pride she had lost over the previous day. Ji Yue, at least, remained his ally.

One week passed that way.

At the end of it, Gu Yuan finally left the two women on the bed, where the evidence of their adventures lay scattered across the sheets. He took a bath alone before stepping outside.

The sunlight greeted him warmly.

He stretched his limbs, taking in the fresh air. The lingering heaviness in his body had long since disappeared, and he felt considerably more refreshed.

Only then did he make his way to the small Bodhi Tree.

Sitting beneath its branches, Gu Yuan closed his eyes and allowed his mind to settle. The familiar calming sensation of the tree’s presence helped clear his thoughts, and before long, he began reviewing the changes Future Manifestation had brought about.

First was his cultivation.

As expected, it had returned to the First Stage of the Embryo Realm.

But what about everything else?

His mastery of techniques, his comprehension, and even the Saber Intent he had acquired during that day. Had any of those remained?

Gu Yuan tried to recall the knowledge he had possessed while Future Manifestation was active.

Yet no matter how carefully he searched through his memories, he couldn’t grasp it.

It was like waking from a dream in which he had spoken a foreign language fluently. The feeling of fluency lingered, but the words were gone. He could remember that his saber had once sung with something sharper than any edge, but not how to make it sing.

The mastery had been real while it lasted, but it had belonged to the dream, not to him.

Gu Yuan felt a little disappointed.

It would have been wonderful if he could have retained even a fraction of that mastery. But there was no point dwelling on something he couldn’t change.

Instead, he decided to make the most of the experience.

Activating his Heart of Comprehension, Gu Yuan began carefully recalling the techniques he had used that day, along with the insights he had gained from wielding them. He couldn’t simply recover the mastery Future Manifestation had granted him, but perhaps he could understand some of the principles behind it.

Even a small gain would be worthwhile.

He remained beneath the Bodhi Tree for three days.

When he finally opened his eyes, he hadn’t made any direct progress in his techniques, nor had he recovered the mastery he had temporarily possessed.

Nevertheless, Gu Yuan was satisfied.

He could feel that his future training would be slightly easier. The experience had given him a glimpse of heights he couldn’t yet reach, and even if he couldn’t retain the knowledge itself, he had gained a better understanding of the direction he needed to pursue.

It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

When Gu Yuan opened his eyes, he found Ji Yue sitting beside him.

She hadn’t said a word. She had simply been there, watching him for who knew how long. Her silver hair, now carrying a faint platinum sheen, caught the sunlight filtering through the Bodhi Tree’s branches. A gentle smile rested on her lips, as though she were perfectly content to sit beside him and watch him think.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I’m fine." Gu Yuan smiled at her. "What about you?"

"Better than ever." Ji Yue leaned her head against his shoulder, looking rather pleased with herself. "Now, I only need to close the gap that has opened between Yan and me."

"Then what are you doing slacking around here?"

Ji Yue chuckled. "My husband is still more important than my cultivation. Surely, you don’t expect me to spend every waking moment training?"

"Of course not. I wouldn’t dare."

"Good."

She smiled before continuing, "Besides, there’s still a pile of matters I need to take care of within the sect. The aftermath of the demonic beast tide has left us with quite a bit of work."

"Well, it was rather sudden." Gu Yuan thought about it for a moment before asking, "Didn’t you foresee it through your divinations?"

"No, I didn’t." Ji Yue shook her head and began to explain. "Divining the future is never easy, especially at my current strength. And the present situation is clearly tied to the Immortal World, so if I tried to divine anything about it, I would only alert them. It’s better that I don’t."

"I see."

Gu Yuan nodded. He wasn’t particularly surprised. Considering everything that had happened, it would have been strange if there were no forces from the Immortal World involved.

"Don’t worry. I won’t be caught off guard like that again."

Gu Yuan turned to look at her.

"Then I’ll take your word for it."

His tone was light, and the faint smile on his face made it clear that he wasn’t questioning her abilities. He was simply teasing her.

Ji Yue chuckled softly. "Yes, please do."

He smiled and let her rest against his shoulder. For the time being, there was no need to concern themselves with the troubles outside. They had finally found a moment to sit together, and that alone was enough.