In a wooden house, two people were inside a quiet room—one lying unconscious in bed, the other silently observing him.
It was the naked young man… and Xi Ling.
'What's wrong with him…? It's been two hours, and he's still losing life force every second. His expression isn't good either…'
She had intended to inspect his body two hours ago, but just as she was about to, his face twisted into a horrible distortion—and he suddenly began leaking life force at an alarming rate. What was even stranger, he hadn't woken up. He just kept sleeping, continuously making expressions as if he was dying over and over again.
'Strange… what a strange human…'
Xi Ling had been silently observing him ever since. Though she had already covered his body with a long white silk sheet. She didn't really understand what was wrong with being naked—but her mother had told her: "Never show your body" So, naturally, she thought it was wrong to be naked while someone was around.
'Though… he is close to death,' she concluded, eyes narrowing slightly. At this rate, he would really die.
Then, a completely foreign thought slipped into her mind.
Should I save him...?
She had plenty of treasures that could restore life force, even in someone this close to death. It wouldn't be so hard.
'No… what am I thinking?' She quickly shook her head. 'Is it because of the smell? Am I getting soft because of some human's scent?'
She didn't like the thought. This was the longest she had ever let a human live in her presence. And now she was entertaining the idea of saving one? Just what was going on with her?
Still, as she sat there and continued to observe him…
Her gaze—usually cold, sharp, and merciless—had involuntarily softened. Just a little.
Meanwhile, in a place like an endless void, the young man reappeared once again. His eyes were nearly lifeless now—empty, dim. Though, the pain had subsided... At least, it didn't feel as bad as the first thousand times.
He looked ahead. The blurry figure was still there—unchanged. Just a few steps away. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make out any details. It was like trying to focus through a veil of water. He didn't know who it was… or even... what it was.
"Hehehehehe… Do you really think that's all I can do??!"
The ancient voice returned, echoing with cold amusement. But at the end of the sentence, it stopped abruptly—as if something had interrupted it.
The young man blinked. He didn't know why, but he was still alive. Five full seconds had passed since his last death. Normally, that would've been enough time to die at least five more times.
Then, out of nowhere, a strange sensation began to wash over him. Refreshing. Gentle. Almost divine.
His mind started to clear.
The fog that had suffocated him began to lift. His will—the part of him that had been beaten, shattered, and drowned—began to resurface. He felt alive again.
Truly alive.
His body began to blur—flickering faintly, as though he were fading out of the void entirely.
"Tch... Don't think this is over," the ancient voice muttered darkly, "We'll continue where we left off. " the voice stopped but added in an instant with an evil tone. "Let me give you a 'Parting Gift'"
This time, something shifted in the figure. For the first time, the blurry figure moved—slowly, raising a single finger.
And then—
"ARGGGGHHHH!!"
A scream tore from the young man's throat as unbearable agony surged through him once more. A final gift of pain.
Before everything vanished.
Meanwhile, in the quiet room, Xi Ling stared at her delicate hands in bewilderment.
'How could I give him one of the pills Mother gave me…?'
She still couldn't believe what she had done. Even though her mother had given dozens of those pills—not particularly precious for someone at higher worlds—they were enough to shake this entire mortal world if revealed.
She probably wouldn't needed that many, but still…
She wouldn't gain anything in return, not from some mortal nobody.
Meanwhile, as the pill began to take effect, the young man's nearly lifeless body started to show signs of rebirth. His life force surged rapidly. What's more—although his body had looked sickly and weak at first, in the forest. It now began reshaping itself. Muscle formed beneath his skin, his chest broadened, and his limbs refined. His form changed right before her eyes.
In just a few seconds, he had completely changed.
Now, lying in front of Xi Ling was a handsome young man who appeared around sixteen years old. His body had become sleek and well-toned—refined without being bulky, almost like a piece of art sculpted by divine hands. He was strikingly handsome, with sharp, well-proportioned features that gave off a quiet strength, even in sleep.
Xi Ling couldn't help but nod inwardly. He certainly looked more tolerable now. Not just handsome—his body now resembled that of a proper cultivator. No longer looked pathetic. In fact, it was better than most of the cultivators, even though his body hadn't refined now, he was still mortal after all.
But she knew this transformation wasn't caused by her pill. No—it had only restored what was already there. He must've been gifted by the heavens... any mortal woman would lose herself staring at him.
Though Xi Ling didn't feel anything,
To her, he was still an insect. A human. And, more importantly—weak.
Far too weak.
And just as she was going to move, her expression suddenly twitched. Her eyes sharpened. Something was wrong.
In the blink of an eye, an invisible death aura enveloped the young man.
She felt it instantly—his life force dropped in a violent burst like a candle being smothered by a gust of black wind.
And then—
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream shattered the silence of the room, echoing off the wooden walls. For a moment, everything stood still—Xi Ling's expression darkened, her sharp eyes locked onto the young man writhing beneath the silk.
Minutes passed.
His head kept pounding, zonking relentlessly from within—as if someone were slamming a hammer into his mind again and again.
Thankfully, the pill's effects hadn't worn off. Though it had already restored his life force once, its residual strength continued to work inside him. Harsh breathing filled the room, ragged and broken. He clutched his chest, eyes wide and unfocused, trying desperately to grasp what was happening.
It felt like I died a hundred times by his last move…
If it weren't for the fact that he had somehow gotten used to that torment in the void, he was sure his mind would've completely shattered just now.
And that figure… the blurry figure.
Was it a dream? No… it couldn't be.
He didn't understand what was going on, how he had opened his eyes somewhere else if it wasn't a dream, and also why he didn't remember anything apart from that void.
His thoughts swirled in chaos. Nothing made sense.
And then, slowly, his body moved. He sat up with trembling arms, chest still heaving from exhaustion.
But as his gaze lifted, His breath hitched.
Someone was watching him. Silently. A single figure stood by the side of the room, expression unreadable.
He froze.
Terror instantly bloomed in his chest. After everything he'd endured, he instinctively feared anyone.
But then his eyes adjusted.
And he saw her.
Xi Ling.
Even through the haze of confusion and fear, her appearance stunned him.
She was beautiful— otherworldly beautiful. Ethereal white hair cascaded behind her, delicate facial features that seemed carved from flawless crystal, her figure slim yet curvy in all the right places, draped in an elegant black dress. She looked like a celestial being… or a nightmare in disguise.
But the moment he met her eyes—
He nearly collapsed again.
There was no warmth, no kindness in her gaze. In fact, he couldn't feel the slight softness hidden in those eyes. She hid it very well.
Her violet eyes gleamed with pressure, and His instincts screamed at him to run. But he couldn't move. It felt like some invisible force was wrapping around his limbs, keeping him still. He couldn't even breathe right.
She was beautiful… but terrifying. Like a flower blooming atop a battlefield—deadly and untouchable. And then, her voice broke the silence.
"Human… You are strange..."