Supreme Taming Authority-Chapter 55: Traitor!

Xian Long pulled back from the hug and turned to face Xian Tiandi directly.

His young face was filled with gratitude so intense and raw it was almost painful to witness.

Tears still glistened at the corners of his eyes. He was still just thirteen years old.

Although for the cultivation world, that’s old enough to experience the cruelty of the world.

"Thank you," he said, his voice thick with emotion and cracking slightly. "Thank you so much for saving my sister. I don’t know what I would have done if... if she hadn’t..."

Xian Tiandi placed a firm but gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder, meeting his eyes steadily. "Yu’er is my sister too, Long. Of course I would save her. There was never any question about what I would do."

Xian Long nodded vigorously, trying hard to compose himself and regain some measure of control. He wiped at his eyes roughly with the back of his hand, clearly embarrassed by his emotional display in front of them.

Yu’er reached over and pulled him into another proper hug, this one gentler. "It’s okay to be scared, Long. It’s okay to cry when you’re worried about someone you love. I was scared too during the ambush."

"But you’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator," Xian Long protested weakly, his voice muffled against her shoulder again. "You’re strong and powerful. You shouldn’t be scared of anything. You’re supposed to be invincible."

His words were still a bit childish but it was understandable.

"Everyone gets scared sometimes," Yu’er said with patient wisdom. "Strength doesn’t mean you stop feeling fear or stop being vulnerable. It means you find the courage to act anyway, even when you’re terrified. Even when every instinct tells you to run. That’s what real strength is."

Xian Long absorbed that wisdom silently, processing her words carefully. After a long moment, he pulled away from the embrace and settled himself into one of the empty chairs near the bed.

His earlier distress was slowly giving way to natural curiosity about what had actually happened during the incident.

But before he could formulate his questions, Yu’er turned to Xian Tiandi with an exaggerated mock glare that didn’t quite hide her genuine curiosity.

"Speaking of secrets," she said, her tone carrying a clear hint of playful accusation. "Big Brother, you never told me you could cultivate now. Last time I visited you didn’t say anything about it."

Xian Tiandi blinked, genuinely surprised by the sudden shift in topic and the direction of the conversation.

"When I visited the clan just two months ago," Yu’er continued, crossing her arms over her chest in mock indignation, "you were still just a regular person with no spiritual abilities. No spiritual root, no cultivation base, no meridians opened. Just my ordinary big brother who everyone in the clan said would never become a cultivator no matter what happened."

She leaned forward in her chair, her eyes sharp with curiosity. "And now I hear from Elder Feng that you’re somehow at Qi Condensation realm? When exactly were you planning to tell me about this dramatic change? Were you just going to let me find out from sect reports?"

Her tone was light and teasing, clearly not actually angry. But there was genuine curiosity underneath the playful accusation. And perhaps just a hint of feeling left out of something important in her brother’s life.

Xian Tiandi laughed, and the sound was natural and unforced. "I had a fortuitous encounter during that time. It awakened my dormant spiritual root and gave me the foundation I needed to begin cultivating properly."

"A fortuitous encounter," Yu’er repeated with obvious skepticism, raising one eyebrow. "That’s awfully convenient timing, don’t you think?"

"Says the person who just found a jade key to an actual immortal legacy," Xian Tiandi countered smoothly with an amused smile.

Yu’er’s mock glare dissolved immediately into a genuine grin of acknowledgment. "Fair point, Big Brother. Fair point indeed."

Xian Long, who had been listening to this playful exchange with growing excitement and interest, suddenly blurted out, "Big Brother isn’t just at Qi Condensation realm though. He’s at the absolute peak of it!"

Yu’er’s eyes widened dramatically in shock. "What?"

"Peak Qi Condensation," Xian Long confirmed proudly. "I saw him training. His spiritual energy is incredibly dense. The elders say he has one of the most stable foundations they’ve ever seen."

Xian Tiandi glanced at Xian Long while thinking, ’Traitor! I now know where your true allegiance lies.’ he was already thinking of ways to ’teach’ his little brother about the ways of the world.

Yu’er stared at her brother with open shock. "Peak Qi Condensation? But... it’s only been two months! I’m at Foundation Establishment realm, and it took me three years to progress from Qi Refinement to where I am now!"

She shook her head in disbelief. "Big Brother, what kind of fortuitous encounter did you have? That cultivation speed is absurd!"

"A very good one," Xian Tiandi said simply, maintaining his cover. "The legacy I found included cultivation resources and techniques that accelerated my progress significantly." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Significantly is an understatement," Yu’er muttered. She studied him more closely, her spiritual sense probing gently at his cultivation base.

Xian Tiandi allowed the examination. His Qi Condensation realm cultivation was perfectly stable, showing no signs of hasty advancement or weak foundation. Because it wasn’t hasty. He’d cultivated with the precision and knowledge of someone who’d reached the peak of the universe.

Yu’er’s expression shifted from shock to contemplation. "Your foundation is perfect. No instability, no gaps. You must have encountered something truly incredible."

She started to say more, then stopped herself. Xian Tiandi could see the restraint in her eyes. She wanted to ask more questions, wanted to know every detail. But cultivators didn’t pry into each other’s fortuitous encounters. It was considered extremely rude.

Instead, Yu’er shifted topics. "How was your journey here? Any other incidents besides the cult attack in Bluestone City?"

"Relatively peaceful," Xian Tiandi replied. "We encountered some demonic beasts, but nothing the elders couldn’t handle. The journey took about two weeks total."

"And you?" Xian Tiandi asked. "How have you been? Besides the obvious recent trouble."

Yu’er’s expression brightened. "Training has been going well. Master has been teaching me advanced techniques. I’ve been studying formation arrays and alchemy on the side. The sect has incredible resources for learning."

"That’s good," Xian Tiandi said. "Diversifying your skills will serve you well."

The three of them settled into easier conversation