Shen Haoran rushed out of the cave and plunged straight into the lake before him. The bone-chillingly cold water quickly calmed him down.

’Damn it!’ Shen Haoran thought abruptly, now that he’d calmed down. ’The young woman is still lying naked in the cave, and Elder Yan is right there with her!’

At that thought, Shen Haoran quickly rushed back into the cave. He saw Elder Yan standing there shamelessly, his gaze darting toward the young woman from time to time!

"Elder Yan, why didn’t you cover her up with something!" Shen Haoran demanded, looking at the disrespectful old man.

"I wouldn’t dare touch this little lady. She’s all yours!" Elder Yan teased, seeing how unbelievably nervous Shen Haoran was.

"You..." Shen Haoran was speechless. He quickly found one of his own robes in his Storage Ring and draped it over the young woman. If this went on any longer, Shen Haoran was sure he’d go mad!

After draping his robe over her, Shen Haoran watched as the young woman’s body temperature gradually returned to normal and her breathing became slow and steady. Only then did he let out a heavy sigh of relief. However, the thought of having to gather the materials for the Five Elements and Four Symbols Skill within a limited time immediately brought a wave of immense pressure. He couldn’t afford to rest, so he called Elder Yan over and resumed his Cultivation.

...

Time always flew by during Cultivation. 「Two days later」 Shen Haoran was sitting cross-legged on the ground, restoring his depleted Spiritual Power. Suddenly, a cold light flashed and a sharp Treasure Sword was pressed against his neck. A voice filled with an icy chill rang in his ear:

"Who are you? And why am I here?" Though the voice was cold, it was as melodious as heavenly music.

Shen Haoran turned his head slightly and saw a devastatingly beautiful face. The young woman who had been in a deep slumber had finally awakened.

Shen Haoran was visibly stunned when he met her expressive eyes, but the sharp edge against his neck prompted a quick reply. "My name is Shen Haoran. The Nine Nether Qi in your body flared up and froze you solid. You collapsed in the middle of a battle between two Tier Six Spirit Beasts, so I brought you back here!"

However, just as Shen Haoran finished telling the truth, a terrifying aura erupted from the young woman, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe. Shen Haoran was shocked by this pressure. ’I can’t believe it,’ he thought. ’This girl, who looks about my age, is actually a Spirit General! A fifteen or sixteen-year-old Spirit General... if word of this got out, it would shake the entire continent!’

Following the burst of power, her voice grew even colder, and a tangible killing intent enveloped Shen Haoran. "Tell me, how do you know about the Nine Nether Qi in my body? Who are you, and what are you after?"

’So she doesn’t believe me. It makes sense, I guess. In her eyes, I’m just a Tier Three Spirit User. How could I possibly contend with the Nine Nether Qi?’

"Everything I said is true," Shen Haoran said. "It’s only the Nine Nether Qi; that’s not enough to trouble me. If you don’t believe me, look at yourself. Don’t you see the Seal I left on you?"

"Hm?" At his words, the young woman glanced down at her arm, only to realize she wasn’t wearing her own clothes. A thought struck her, and she glared at Shen Haoran, demanding, "Where are my clothes!"

Seeing her question, Shen Haoran scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Er... inscribing the Seal required extremely pure Fire Attribute Spiritual Power, so... your clothes were burned away..."

"What!?" The young woman was horrified. If her clothes were burned away, didn’t that mean this brat in front of her had seen her entire body?! The very thought sent a surge of killing intent swirling through her heart.

Sensing her killing intent, Shen Haoran hastily explained, "But don’t worry, I didn’t see anything! I swear to the heavens!"

But the young woman wasn’t listening to his explanation. Since childhood, anyone who dared to have indecent thoughts about her—aside from her parents and closest relatives—had been sent to the Yellow Springs, to say nothing of anyone who’d actually touched her! And now this Shen Haoran... he hadn’t just seen her naked, he had touched her all over. How could she possibly let him off for such a flagrant humiliation?

And yet, though her heart was filled with killing intent, she found she couldn’t bring herself to strike whenever she met Shen Haoran’s eyes. A strange, unidentifiable emotion swirled in her heart, leaving her deeply vexed.

"You can’t kill me!" Shen Haoran said, watching her warily. "The Seal on your body will only last for half a year, and I’m the only one who can save you. You’d better think this through!"

"Hmph!" The young woman snorted, slowly retracting her killing intent. Distracted by that inexplicable emotion, she knew she couldn’t bring herself to kill Shen Haoran. Instead, she looked down at her own body.

Streams of red Spiritual Power were circulating across her body in a strange pattern, finally converging to form a peculiar talisman that looked incredibly mystical. She could also clearly feel that the Nine Nether Qi, which had been stirring restlessly within her, had lost all its vitality. It had become inert, and her body felt much more comfortable.

"This is..." The young woman was astounded. The Nine Nether Qi had always been a thorn in her side. Ever since birth, she had lived in fear every single day—fear that the Nine Nether Qi would suddenly claim her life, fear that it would claim the lives of others. She was tormented by it endlessly. To see the Nine Nether Qi truly suppressed now, her heart naturally filled with joy.

"That’s the Nine Nether Reincarnation Seal," Shen Haoran explained, seeing her joyful expression. "But I had to use substitutes, so it will only hold for half a year. Within that time, we must rush to Celestial Martial City and obtain the Primordial Spirit of the Fire Element. Only then can we complete the true Nine Nether Reincarnation Seal!"

Hearing this, the young woman stared at Shen Haoran and asked, full of hope, "And that will get rid of this Nine Nether Qi for good?"

"No. The Nine Nether Reincarnation Seal is only a sealing technique," Shen Haoran explained. "Once your power reaches the Spirit Emperor Level, the Nine Nether Qi will break the Seal! We have to find a way to truly neutralize it before then." With that, he handed a Scroll to the young woman. "This is the way to truly neutralize the Nine Nether Qi."

The young woman took the Scroll. Her face lit up when she saw the introduction for the Five Elements and Four Symbols Skill, but as she read on, her expression slowly fell, and her eyes gradually filled with despair.

"It’s impossible to find these materials! It seems this is my fate," the young woman said with a long sigh.

Seeing her so dejected, Shen Haoran snatched the Scroll back. "How can you know it’s impossible when you haven’t even tried?" he said, looking her in the eye. "For every problem, there’s a solution. Trust me. I will find all of these materials and help you neutralize the Nine Nether Qi in your body!"

Gazing into Shen Haoran’s confident eyes, the young woman’s heart skipped a beat. She asked, "We’ve only just met. Why do you want to help me?"

At her question, Shen Haoran gave a slight smile. "It’s a feeling," he said.

"A feeling?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Yes. Something deep inside me is telling me that you’re very important to me. That I can’t lose you," Shen Haoran said, his gaze as intense as a torch as he stared at her.

Hearing his words, that vexing emotion rose in her heart once more. She quickly averted her eyes from his fiery gaze and lowered her head, as if to hide her flushing cheeks from him.

’I...’ The young woman was surprised by her own reaction. ’In the past, whenever others confessed their feelings for me, I never felt a thing. But this time... I actually feel shy. And even a little pleased with myself. What’s wrong with me?’

Seeing the bashful young woman before him, Shen Haoran chuckled and asked, "So, what’s your name?"

"Ji Lingxuan."

(PS: Flirting!!!!)