Chapter 227: Body Outside the Body

Shen Xi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing across layers of cloud sea toward the direction of Lihai.

His tone grew somewhat somber.

"A hundred years ago, I, like these newcomers, was selected into the Earth-Moon Academy and came to the Second Realm to cultivate."

"But I had many thoughts of my own—I refused to follow the Academy's prescribed cultivation methods."

Upon hearing this,

the man chuckled: "That's true. Before I came here, I'd already heard that Shen Xi of the Baiye Mansion was the most unpredictable in his actions."

Shen Xi nodded and continued: "I used my own methods to escape the cultivation site early, concealed my Sacred Selection identity, and disguised myself as a native spirit."

"Through a secret technique, I found a celestial treasure that had fallen from the heavens."

"But when I opened the treasure, no matter how carefully I acted, I still stirred up a faint ripple of spiritual energy."

"A top-tier Divine Palace cultivator in this world sensed it and chased me down from a thousand li away."

"With my Surge Spring realm cultivation, I fought him directly, using every trick I knew to stall him for a long time."

As he recalled these events, his expression was proud, his gaze sharp.

As if, in that instant, he had returned to his youthful, spirited days.

"But at the time, I had just entered the Surge Spring realm."

"The gap between our realms was simply too great."

"In the end, I could only take the treasure and use the Body Outside the Body technique to escape."

"That Divine Palace cultivator wasn't unscathed—he lost an arm in the process."

As he spoke,

the man nodded again and said: "Your talent truly lets you escape death in dire moments."

Shen Xi: 6th-grade Divine Gift talent.

Technique: Body Outside the Body.

This was known to all.

"I fled to Lihai."

Shen Xi lowered his gaze and continued: "I was rescued by a woman."

"What happened after that felt like a dream."

"She was a refined lady, well-read, gentle, and kind."

"At the time, my spiritual essence was damaged; under her careful care, I slowly recovered."

"That period was perhaps the happiest of my life."

Shen Xi smiled, his expression complex.

"Later, just after I had fully healed,"

"I was horrified to discover that the top-tier Divine Palace cultivator had somehow traced my spiritual signature!"

"I had injured his arm—he now had a lead and would come for me at any moment."

"To avoid dragging her and her family into danger, I could only use the Body Outside the Body technique and slip away quietly."

Shen Xi gazed toward Lihai, his tone now calm.

"After I left, the Academy found me and forcibly brought me back to the cultivation site."

"I was a 6th-grade talent."

"The Earth-Moon Academy imposed a brutal cultivation regimen on me."

"By the time I broke through to the Divine Palace realm and regained my freedom, years had passed."

Shuodaozheli 。

The man beside him, eyes filled with curiosity, asked urgently: "When you went back, what became of that woman?"

Shen Xi's expression darkened; he fell silent.

The man said: "You're at the crucial part—keep going."

Shen Xi finally spoke: "She became pregnant. The Zhang family, fearing disgrace, froze her in ice."

"When they saw me, the Zhang patriarch explicitly forbade me from ever meeting her again."

The man asked: "With your strength at the time, couldn't you have forcibly taken her away?"

Shen Xi shook his head: "The Zhang family had already hidden her and left contingency measures. Even if I slaughtered every last one of them, I couldn't find her—only risked triggering the ice-sealing technique and killing her."

The man clucked his tongue: "That Zhang patriarch is so narrow-minded—what's wrong with a daughter marrying a Sacred Selection?"

Shen Xi said: "Natives think differently from us."

"Besides, in this world, Sacred Selections are merely visitors."

"We appear suddenly, stay for a while, then vanish just as suddenly."

"The Zhang patriarch understood this perfectly—that's why he refused outright, even at the cost of his life."

"Later, the Zhang family made a pact with me."

"If I could remain in this world for a full century, they would allow her to marry me openly."

He turned to face the man beside him.

"Is this story enough to explain why I've stayed here?"

At the edge of Shengshan, only the fierce wind remained, and silence.

The man stared at Shen Xi, saying nothing.

In his view, the story had inconsistencies.

"For a hundred years, you've guarded this gate—have you never gone to the Zhang family to check on her?"

After a long pause, he finally voiced one of his doubts.

"Of course I've gone—more than once."

Shen Xi nodded. "Sixteen years ago, when the Zhang patriarch died of old age, I used my Huashen to visit."

"And I found the place where she was frozen."

"The ice was still intact."

"To honor my promise, I didn't take her away early—I stayed here, waiting."

"Only half a year remains until the story ends."

Shen Xi smiled. "When that day comes, you must come to the wedding feast."

The man smiled too. "In the Earth Alliance, I have connections reaching the heavens—if you want to take her out, I can help."

Shen Xi laughed. "Then I thank you in advance."

(End of Chapter)