Chapter 319: Gifts

Cheng Lingyu smiled politely. After a brief exchange, Shi Xinghun called Song Xuejiao away.

Nie Jiaolong watched their retreating silhouettes, puzzled. “What’s between them…?”

Hong Xiu Tian Xiang said, “I heard many on Xingyun Ridge are pursuing Song Xuejiao. It seems Shi Xinghun is ahead now.”

Qu Wei remarked, “Affairs of the heart are hard to predict.”

Cheng Lingyu laughed. “Shi Xinghun isn’t bad. If Xingyun Ridge nurtures him, he’ll likely reach the Spirit Martial Realm someday.”

In the Tianyang Empire, Blood Martial reigned supreme while Spirit Martial commanded respect. With Shi Xinghun’s current cultivation level, he was already formidable. If he achieved mastery, he’d become a prominent figure among cultivators.

Lan Xiaozhu nodded. “The strongest isn’t always best. Suitability matters more.”

The four women turned to Cheng Lingyu, their gazes varied.

“Why stare at me?” he asked.

Hong Xiu Tian Xiang whispered, “You carry a strange allure.”

Cheng Lingyu stiffened, instantly withdrawing his aura. His ethereal charm vanished, leaving him starkly ordinary.

Qu Wei sighed. “Your aura bears the mark of the heavenly way. Hiding it changes nothing.”

Nie Jiaolong softly said, “Time with you intoxicates unnoticed.”

Cheng Lingyu fell silent. He’d neglected this aspect, yet his grasp of the heavenly way had deepened.

“Why don’t powerful, high-level cultivators emit this aura?”

Lan Xiaozhu answered, “External manifestations differ. You seek the perfect path—arduous yet captivating. Others walk different roads, so their influence varies.”

Cheng Lingyu murmured, “A perfect path… But the flawed heavenly way—can it tolerate perfection?”

Lan Xiaozhu hesitated. “Perfection invites ruin and temptation.”

Cheng Lingyu nodded thoughtfully.

“Let’s exchange contribution points.”

He led them to claim a thousand points each—a welcoming gift. Lan Xiaozhu and Qu Wei accepted readily. Hong Xiu Tian Xiang and Nie Jiaolong rejoiced; such points could fetch ample resources.

That afternoon, Hong Xiu Tian Xiang and Nie Jiaolong departed. Before Qu Wei left, Cheng Lingyu handed her a gift.

“This Broken Blade, named Broken Rainbow, was once a high-grade spirit artifact. Even damaged, it surpasses mid-grade ones.”

Qu Wei swung the blade. A crimson aura slashed a distant tree.

“This spirit artifact doubles my combat power! Incredible!”

Cheng Lingyu smiled. “Xiaozhu receives the Heavenly Umbrella—a mid-grade defensive spirit artifact.”

Both items came from the blood lake. He’d gifted the Heavenly Wolf Claw to Hu Yuer and kept the Fixed Space Shuttle.

Lan Xiaozhu beamed, testing the umbrella’s sturdy defense—suited to her gentle, defensive nature. Qu Wei, aggressive by contrast, clutched the Broken Blade.

After sending off the two women, Cheng Lingyu arrived at the Fallen God Seventh Palace. Before getting close, a figure flew toward him and threw herself into his arms.

“Elder brother… why did you take so long? I’ve been waiting anxiously!”

Fang Ruohua said excitedly, forgetting proper etiquette between men and women as she pressed against Cheng Lingyu’s chest.

Cheng Lingyu’s smile stiffened briefly before he wrapped his left arm around her slender waist, right hand smoothing her hair. “I’m here now,” he said gently.

Fang Ruohua gazed at him with shining eyes. “Elder brother Mu Hua came yesterday. I waited all this time thinking you’d arrive sooner!”

She pouted, clearly having endured a difficult wait.

Cheng Lingyu smiled apologetically. He’d purposely delayed his visit but hadn’t expected her persistent vigil. “I thought you might be cultivating,” he offered.

“You owe me compensation! Stay at Seventh Palace tonight,” Fang Ruohua demanded, standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Her face flushed pink as she averted her eyes.

Cheng Lingyu blinked in surprise, unprepared for her boldness. Fang Ruohua tugged his arm toward a distant tree to escape the awkward moment.

Under the broad canopy, the straightforward girl leaned against him, listening raptly to tales of ancient ruins. Cheng Lingyu relaxed against the trunk, fingers threading through her hair as he spoke, her sweet scent mingling with the rustling night breeze.

When he finished recounting adventures by midnight, Cheng Lingyu presented the Fixed Space Shuttle – a high-grade spirit artifact even Spirit Masters coveted. “Merge this with your body. It’ll aid you greatly.”

Fang Ruohua’s eyes lit up. Now at Blood Martial First Level through rigorous training at Fallen God Ridge, this treasure would multiply her overall strength.

Cheng Lingyu watched her joyful expression with protective fondness. “I’ve more pills and herbs for you.” Knowing he’d eventually leave, he aimed to strengthen her as his legacy to Fallen God Ridge.

Their night passed in warm companionship, Fang Ruohua unaware of his underlying motives but sensing his unique care. Drawn by his mysterious allure, she’d grown attached without realizing.

At dawn, Cheng Lingyu returned to Supreme Spirit Palace to focus on cultivation. Having reached Blood Martial First Level’s peak, he prepared to advance to Blood Weapon Second Level – a challenging stage involving engraved formations for most cultivators, but manageable through his mastery of Heavenly Spirit Diagram’s first six realms. However, his perfectionist approach from Thousand Layers of Snow training demanded exhaustive effort.

…

Meanwhile at Fire Rain Marsh in Tianyang Empire’s southeast – where eternal flames fell like rain – Caiyun meditated inside a divine-patterned fireball hanging from a giant fire tree. Since obtaining Five-Color Celestial Cloud half a year prior, her cultivation had skyrocketed from Blood Weapon Second Level to fifth level of Blood Martial. The lethal marsh proved ideal for merging with her celestial cloud while absorbing Strange Flames and divine energies.

Flame rivers snaked through the scorched landscape, firebirds nesting in crystalline trees bearing rune-covered fruits. Such extraordinary phenomena only manifested in this marsh, one of Tianyang’s Five Deadly Zones alongside Blood Moon Wasteland – where recent events had shaken Brilliant Star Continent. Thousand Snow’s suppression of Divine Martial Sect and Heavenly Palace had thrust Cheng Lingyu’s name across Nine Heavens and the earth, though he remained unaware while training.