C23 Devoured the Yuan Nucleus

Ye Xiao was gently laid upon a large, somewhat flat boulder. The young girl pondered for a moment before producing a milky-white pill, roughly the size of a cherry, from seemingly nowhere. She pried open Ye Xiao's mouth and placed the pill inside. It dissolved instantly, and though the unconscious Ye Xiao couldn't swallow, the liquid medicine from the pill flowed down his throat and quickly dispersed into countless streams throughout his body.

The Qian Yuan Sword within him observed this and couldn't help but click its tongue in admiration. "She truly is a wealthy young lady. That pill must be at least of the three Yuan Dan grade."

The pill's effects were indeed frightening; the numerous wounds on Ye Xiao's body rapidly ceased bleeding, even showing signs of healing and scabbing over.

By the time Ye Xiao awoke, dawn was breaking. He forced his eyes open and saw the young girl sitting beside him. Embarrassment washed over him—he had intended to be her rescuer, yet this girl, who was young in years, turned out to be a formidable expert, with a cultivation level far surpassing his own.

The golden wolf that had nearly beaten him to death was no match for her in a direct confrontation.

Perhaps it was the efficacy of the pill, but Ye Xiao found himself able to sit up, albeit with some effort.

He felt for his mask, which was nowhere to be found. The girl extended her hand and tossed an object to him. Catching it, he realized it was his mask.

"This mask is so ugly, why would you wear it?" the girl said with a slight grimace.

Ye Xiao, foregoing an explanation, offered her an awkward smile. "Thank you for saving my life, miss. May I have the honor of knowing your name?" His curiosity about why such a lovely girl would be alone in the depths of a dense forest was quelled by the realization of her profound skills; it no longer seemed so peculiar.

The girl's eyes twinkled mischievously as she replied, "I'm Xue Yaner. And what might your name be, young man?"

"Xue Yaner?" Ye Xiao mused to himself, admiring the name that seemed tailor-made for her beauty. "I am Ye Xiao, from Night City, not far from here."

"Ye Xiao?" Xue Yaner repeated softly to herself.

Ye Xiao examined the scabs on his wounds, his ears filled with the Qian Yuan Sword's relentless chatter. His gratitude toward Xue Yaner deepened. Their first encounter had not only been life-saving, but she had also offered him precious medicinal pills for his injuries, a testament to the beautiful young girl's immense kindness.

Gazing at her charming face, lit with a soft smile, Ye Xiao found himself momentarily lost in thought. He wondered which sect could have nurtured such a disciple, blessed with both stunning beauty and profound cultivation. Surely, she must have attained at least the mid-level of a Yuan Master, if not higher.

"Miss, your cultivation is truly mysterious, effortlessly driving off that binary beast," Ye Xiao commented, struggling to find the right words, and ended up offering a somewhat awkward compliment.

The youth cocked his head to the side, "It's really no big deal. I don't even like cultivating; it's so dull! My mother says if I had been diligent, I'd be at the King Yuan level by now."

That remark left Ye Xiao at a loss for words. A King Yuan in a place like Night City was an elite master, a force to be reckoned with. Even in County City, such a person could stand their ground.

Master Teng had only managed to reach the mid-level of King Yuan in her forties. This girl, barely in her early teens, was already at that level?

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old King Yuan? Ye Xiao's lips quirked in a wry smile. The thought was quite the blow to his ego.

With such power, he wouldn't have feared facing the twenty-some Wang Family Royal Guards head-on. There would be no need for the caution he was forced to exercise now.

"Brother Ye Xiao, why is your cultivation only at the Yuan level?" the young girl asked naively, her question nearly causing Ye Xiao to choke. How could she be so carefree about such matters? He scratched his head, unsure of how to respond.

"My mother says I can cultivate faster by absorbing Yuan nuclei. Maybe you should try it too, Brother Ye Xiao?" she suggested, noticing his silence.

"Absorbing Yuan nuclei?" Ye Xiao was taken aback. He knew Yuan nuclei were valuable, but this was the first time he'd heard of them being used in cultivation.

"Qian Yuan Sword, can this Yuan nucleus actually accelerate my cultivation speed?"

"Hmm, I'm not entirely sure, but in theory, it should. Yuan nuclei are formed by Origin Beasts absorbing Essence Qi, which isn't too dissimilar from your own cultivation process," the Qian Yuan Sword replied with some uncertainty.

"Brother Ye Xiao, why don't you give it a try?" the young girl suggested, pulling out a handful of milky-white, round objects from her bosom with her snow-white hands.

Ye Xiao was taken aback once more. Before him were several Yuan nuclei, and judging by the energy fluctuations, two were from binary beasts, while the others, even more potent, were from three Origin Beasts.

Though Ye Xiao was unsure of their exact worth, he suspected they could easily fetch thousands of amethysts.

Ye Xiao hesitated; cultivation was never something to be taken lightly. This unorthodox method made him uneasy, yet the allure of increased power was incredibly tempting.

After a moment's deliberation, Ye Xiao succumbed to the lure of strength. "Thank you, Snow. I'll borrow one of your Yuan nuclei to experiment. Whether successful or not, I promise to repay you with a Yuan nucleus as soon as possible."

With that, he reached out and took a binary beast's Yuan nucleus from Xue Yaner's delicate palm. The brief touch of her cool skin sent an unexpected thrill through him, which he quickly quelled, and focused on the Yuan nucleus in his hand. It was small, but the surge of elemental energy within was astounding, truly befitting a Yuan nucleus comparable to that of a Yuan Master.

"Um, Snow, how exactly do I use it?" Ye Xiao asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"You just swallow it, right?" Xue Yaner responded, a touch of incredulity in her voice. Her beautiful eyes twinkled with amusement at Ye Xiao's seemingly naive question.

Taking her advice, Ye Xiao looked at the Yuan nucleus in his hand, closed his eyes, placed it in his mouth, and began to guide it towards his dantian.

Xue Yaner watched him intently, her chin resting in her hand. Suddenly, she gasped softly, murmuring to herself, "Oh, that's right. Mother mentioned that the first time you consume a Yuan nucleus, it should be done in conjunction with stimulating specific acupoints. But which acupoints was it again?"

Upon hearing those reckless words, Ye Xiao nearly passed out. "Girl, you're really going to be the death of me," he thought, even though the Yuan nucleus had already entered his body and couldn't be removed.

Xue Yaner pursed her lips, visibly annoyed. "Well, I might as well give it a shot. It probably won't go wrong," she mused.

Ye Xiao's body tensed up at her words. 'Why on earth did I go along with her suggestion?' he lamented internally. He was certain he was a goner. If he wasn't so sure that there was nothing about him that would make this skilled young lady go out of her way to harm him, he would have suspected a plot to rob and murder him.

Suddenly, a faint surge of vital energy targeted his Shen Ting acupoint. Ye Xiao was about to resist when it dawned on him that this careless young lady must be trying to stimulate his acupoints. Resigned, he decided to let go and entrust his fate to the heavens, hoping for a miracle.