Chapter 162: 161. Paying a Visit

161. Chapter 161: Paying a Visit

During the second half of the night, Li Yi stood guard in the room, staying awake the entire time; any ghostly entity foolish enough to approach he struck down without hesitation, ensuring safety and preventing the theft of the three people's yang life force.

Thus, the night passed.

Only when dawn broke did the yin energy filling heaven and earth begin to rapidly dissipate; some clueless ghosts, unaware they should flee, were severely wounded by the sunlight and quickly dissolved—these evil entities could not survive past the first sunrise, and suddenly, heaven and earth seemed cleansed.

But Li Yi understood that the dissipating spirits were all insignificant; the truly powerful, intelligent ghosts had already withdrawn before dawn, and they would reemerge on the first day of next month to continue stealing yang life force, repeating the cycle endlessly.

His fierce ghost-slaying last night had protected only those few beside him.

Compared to the grand tide of the Four Seas and Eight Zones, it was negligible.

Li Yi now gazed at the sunrise, a shadow darkening his heart; unless the matter of ghostly life-stealing was resolved, the Four Seas and Eight Zones were not a suitable world to live in—its people lived too short a life, with no chance of redemption, for cultivation and evolution were impossible due to the thinness of cosmic energy and the excruciatingly slow pace of advancement.

Martial cultivation offered no path forward either; Fan Zhizhou had said that once you reached Spirit Refining, any attempt to break through would draw a pack of ghosts and gods to kill you—you could only remain stagnant at Spirit Refining, die, and become a yin spirit, one of the evil ghosts feeding on living beings' yang life force.

It seemed the heavens and earth had reached their limit on the number of ghosts and gods they could sustain, refusing to allow another Law-Form powerhouse to steal their share of sustenance; thus, the established ghostly interests had completely sealed off the path for newcomers.

Under such conditions, one could only be born a slave, and a short-lived one at that—who could endure this?

Even martial artists could only barely improve their living conditions, unable to change anything.

"Compared to Earth, this place's cruelty is no less severe—are the Four Seas and Eight Zones and Earth unusually harsh, or is every world like this? If every world is this cruel, what's the point of crossing realms? Or am I just unlucky, having stumbled upon this world, while better, happier worlds exist elsewhere, merely beyond my reach?" Li Yi's gaze flickered, his thoughts complex.

He pondered alone for a long time, yet found no answer.

But Li Yi understood that no matter where he was, personal strength mattered most; since every world was cruel, he would rely on his own power to carve out his own sky.

Thinking this, his resolve hardened once more, and his confusion vanished.

"Senior brother, I have good news—I and Little Sister have both broken through to Blood Refining."

Suddenly, at that moment, Rong Niang and Zhao Qian stepped out of the room; both looked much younger, especially Rong Niang, whose face was now pale and delicate, as if she had returned to eighteen, radiating vitality.

Li Yi glanced at them, surprised: "Broken through to Blood Refining overnight?"

"Yes, Little Sister and I replenished each other's life force; as our life spans increased, we noticed our blood and qi became exceptionally strong, our bone marrow exceptionally full, and without realizing it, we reached Bone Marrow Refining's peak—then our bone marrow began generating new blood, formally entering Blood Refining." Rong Niang's expression was filled with excitement.

"I didn't expect replenishing life force could do this—but I can understand: more life span means a longer peak physical condition, which greatly aids martial cultivation." Li Yi said: "Since you've broken through thanks to this opportunity, you must continue cultivating hard and strive to become experts in the Meridian stage soon."

"Senior brother, I doubt I'll ever break through to Meridian, but Little Sister has great potential—she's only sixteen; a Blood Refining cultivator at sixteen is already a genius." Rong Niang said humbly.

Zhao Qian said: "I'm no genius—Senior Brother Li is the true genius. I only benefited from your luck, gaining life force out of nowhere, and happened to break through."

Li Yi shook his head: "This isn't because of me—you merely reclaimed what was stolen from you. By the way, how much life force did each of you replenish last night?"

"Rong Niang and I each gained twenty years of life force," Zhao Qian said.

"Only twenty years? Not enough. People in the Four Seas and Eight Zones live only fifty years; normally they've lost at least forty years of yang life force—you need to regain at least forty. I seized over three hundred years last night; even halved, that's about one hundred sixty years—plenty for you both." Li Yi said.

Rong Niang stepped forward: "Senior brother, we planned to give some of the remaining life force to Master, some to the martial school, and save the rest for you—you'll need it later."

"That's right," Zhao Qian nodded. "We intend to set aside one hundred years for you, Senior Brother Li—this way, you can maintain your peak longer, perhaps even become an ultimate powerhouse."

Even though Li Yi had refused life force, they still instinctively wanted to reserve most of it for him, hoping he would one day achieve greatness.

Li Yi smiled: "I know you mean well, but keep it for yourselves. Besides, if it's not enough, I'll just raid again on the first day of next month. Enough of this—today you should tell Master the good news and help him recover his lost life force."

"You're right, Senior Brother Li—I'll go at once." Zhao Qian nodded eagerly, then returned to the room to prepare.

"Rong Niang, go too. This must be kept secret—don't let anyone know. Oh, give some life force to Skinny Monkey—he's been working hard lately; don't leave him out." Li Yi said.

"Understood, Senior brother, I'll remember." Rong Niang nodded to each point.

"I'm returning to my cultivation. If anything happens at the martial school, notify me. Also, tell Master this: in a few days, I'll leave this place and return to my original world." Li Yi added.

Rong Niang's expression changed instantly: "When are you leaving, Senior brother?"

"I'm not sure. I'll observe for a few days, then leave once Master's injuries are fully healed." Li Yi said, walking toward the training grounds.

Rong Niang hurried after him: "Will you return alone this time?"

"Probably. I came in haste, unprepared. Next time, after I finish matters on the other side, I'll come back to visit." Li Yi said: "By the way, you and Zhao Qian return early today—I'll guide your cultivation and see if you can adapt to our world's methods."

Rong Niang's gaze grew complex; she watched Li Yi's back, a longing rising within her—she wanted to follow him, but she didn't know how to say it—would he resent her if she asked?

And Li Yi showed no intention of taking anyone with him.

"Senior brother, go ahead and cultivate—I'll be back with Little Sister shortly." Rong Niang still lacked the courage to ask, so she focused on the immediate task.

After they left, Li Yi continued training alone on the practice ground.

The effects of the Hundred Tiger Ginseng Pill he'd taken yesterday still lingered; he continued mobilizing his blood and qi to nourish his bone marrow, striving to advance his martial realm and strengthen his power further.

But Li Yi clearly felt his cultivation pace had slowed.

His formidable physique was an advantage—but now, it was also a disadvantage.

To reach Bone Marrow Refining's peak, Li Yi needed far more time and resources than ordinary martial artists; this realm couldn't be rushed—even an Evolver had to proceed slowly. But this slowness had its benefit: his Bone Marrow Refining surpassed that of ordinary martial artists by several times, even tenfold.

Yet even though his progress slowed, Li Yi didn't slack off—he trained exactly as he always did.

During Li Yi's cultivation, his former servant, Jin Dafu, arrived with over a dozen servants: maids, footmen, cooks, laborers; though only a dozen, each had been carefully chosen for their honesty and reliability.

"Master, are these servants satisfactory?" Jin Dafu led them onto the training ground, bowing respectfully as he waited for Li Yi's inspection.

Li Yi glanced over them and said: "Fine. Assign them their duties—this grand mansion needs some life."

"Master speaks wisely. I'll attend to it immediately. Su Qiaoer, stay behind and serve Master properly." Jin Dafu gestured to a young, beautiful maid, then led the others away from the training ground.

Soon after, the servants began working under Jin Dafu's orders—cleaning trash, sweeping courtyards, organizing belongings, while two guards stood watch at the mansion gates.

With these dozen servants, the place now looked properly inhabited.

With servants handling chores, Li Yi could focus entirely on cultivation without worrying about trivial matters.

Thus, when afternoon arrived,

Jin Dafu rushed over in haste: "Master! The Prefect of Sanyang has come to pay a visit."

"Fan Zhizhou?" Li Yi, who had been meditating to circulate his blood and qi, suddenly opened his eyes, frowning: "I understand. Have him wait in the main hall—I'll join him shortly."

He remembered discussing ghosts and gods with Fan Zhizhou just last night—yet today, he came to pay a visit.

Was he eager to cross realms?

Li Yi thought for a moment, then resumed cultivation briefly, finally calming his blood and qi, ending his day's training. At his side, the maid Su Qiaoer had already brought a basin of clean water and a towel.

"Master, wash your face," Su Qiaoer whispered softly.

Li Yi didn't refuse; he took the towel, washed his face and hands, then strode off.

Since he was in the Four Seas and Eight Zones, he had to accept this master-servant mindset.