C4 Who Is the One Who Came?

Ye Xiao continued his cultivation until a subtle current of Essence Qi began to flow through his meridians, signaling it was time to rest. Opening his eyes, he found darkness had enveloped the sky, prompting his leisurely return to the city.

The progress made today was tantamount to a month's worth of diligent training in his previous life. Ye Xiao contentedly scratched his head, his earlier bewilderment now cleared away.

Upon arriving at the Ye Family estate, the night had deepened. The expansive grounds were enveloped in silence, save for the flickering lights in a handful of rooms. Ye Xiao tread softly to his own small courtyard.

The Qian Yuan sword lay dormant once more. After freshening up, Ye Xiao lay in bed, his mind wandering through the day's strange events... when suddenly, a series of faint footsteps outside his door broke his reverie. A shadowy figure materialized at the threshold, and Ye Xiao quickly shut his eyes, feigning deep sleep.

The door squeaked open, and the figure stepped inside, quietly closing it. The sound of approaching footsteps grew nearer as the figure reached the side of Ye Xiao's bed. The visitor remained silent, seemingly observing Ye Xiao for a moment.

Then, leaning over, the visitor extended a hand and gently lifted Ye Xiao's palm. Suppressing the urge to strike back, Ye Xiao realized this was not the approach of an assassin. The subtle presence of killing intent was something he, a former supreme assassin, could not mistake. Besides, had this person intended to harm him, their actions would have been quite different.

Ye Xiao's hand was enveloped in a pair of large, warm, and dry hands. The calloused fingers tenderly stroked his injuries. Moments later, a stream of pure and warm Qi surged into Ye Xiao's body through the Lai Gong Acupoint in his palm.

A wave of relief washed over Ye Xiao. He was thankful for the Qian Yuan sword's earlier guise, which had kept the true state of his meridians hidden. Otherwise, the visitor would have discerned everything, potentially causing a significant disturbance.

The Qi thrashed within him, threatening to break free, yet perhaps due to the Qian Yuan sword's adept manipulation, the invasive Qi began to dissipate bit by bit within Ye Xiao's meridians.

The visitor remained undaunted, steadily channeling pure vital energy into Ye Xiao's body for a full hour before ceasing. They gently caressed Ye Xiao's palms once more before tucking his hands back under the covers.

Rising to their feet, the figure lingered, gazing at Ye Xiao, then let out a heavy sigh laden with exhaustion and a sense of powerlessness.

Only when the figure had departed and the door was shut did Ye Xiao open his eyes, catching just a glimpse of the retreating silhouette.

Who was this person?

After a long period of contemplation and no clear answers, Ye Xiao succumbed to a heavy slumber.

Come morning, Ye Xiao awoke and hastily summoned the Qian Yuan Sword.

"What's the big idea waking me up? I've had a long day, and you should know better than to bother Master Sword without good reason!" The Qian Yuan Sword responded with clear annoyance.

Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Ye Xiao reflected on how, in stories, treasured possessions were always fiercely loyal, guarding and serving their masters without question. Yet, here he was, dealing with quite the contrary. Still, one must bow their head when under another's roof, especially when asking a favor—or in this case, a favor from a sword.

"Ah, Master Sword, here's the thing," Ye Xiao began, recounting the previous night's events to the Qian Yuan Sword.

"Oh?" The sword replied, sounding surprised, then after a thoughtful pause, ventured, "Could this person be trying to help you unblock your meridians?"

"Unblock my meridians?" Ye Xiao echoed, puzzled, "Is that even possible for someone else to do?"

"Of course, it's no easy feat!" the Qian Yuan Sword explained, "Firstly, to help someone unblock their meridians, one's own cultivation level must be sufficiently high. For the Qianyuan Spell, that means at least reaching the fourth or fifth level. Secondly, there are 108 primary meridians in the human body, not to mention countless smaller ones. It's not a task that can be accomplished overnight. It requires day after day of effort. But in doing so, the person's cultivation would be continuously drained. By the time all the meridians are unblocked, at best, their vital energy would be severely depleted, at worst, their cultivation could be permanently reduced! So, in essence, no one typically resorts to this method to unblock another's meridians."

After hearing the Qian Yuan Sword's remarks, Ye Xiao found himself perplexed. Surely no one would go out of their way to help him in such a manner.

A man and his sword, after a lengthy discussion, still couldn't reach a conclusion. Ye Xiao eventually decided to put the matter aside.

Having washed up, he stepped out of his home and made his way to the same spot in the forest where he had practiced the day before.

Perched atop a massive boulder, Ye Xiao sat cross-legged, drawing in the dense vital energy and refining it within his body.

"Kid, if you keep training this way, sure, you might become stronger than the average person, but if you aspire to be an unparalleled warrior, it's going to be quite the challenge," the Qian Yuan Sword commented with a hint of lethargy.

"Then how should I train? My master taught me this way," Ye Xiao replied, puzzled. He had trained this way in his past life, and from what he remembered, the cultivation techniques on this continent were all quite similar.

"Your master doesn't know jack," the Qian Yuan Sword retorted with scorn.

"Sure, you're practicing Qi refinement, but ultimately, the Essence Qi you cultivate is stored in your meridians, and as your cultivation level rises, it will accumulate in your dantian. But no matter where it's stored, it's still within your body, which means your body is the vessel. The capacity and resilience of this vessel will inevitably determine the amount and quality of your Essence Qi in the future. Isn't that obvious?"

"Really?" Ye Xiao mused, finding the logic sound yet still harboring some skepticism.

"If I didn't need you to grow stronger so that you could eventually help me break my seal, I wouldn't bother with you. And here I am, Master Sword, trying to do a good deed, and you still doubt me..."

"Alright, so what should I do?" Ye Xiao reasoned that the Qian Yuan Sword had a point; after all, it resided within him, and any misfortune that befell him would be detrimental to it as well.

"Fool, fool, I've spelled it out for you, how do you not get it? Why would I choose to reside in an imbecile like you, it's enough to drive Master Sword mad. Since you need to enhance your endurance, you obviously have to toughen up your body." Ye Xiao could almost picture the Qian Yuan Sword, if it were human, hopping mad and cursing him out.

"Uh, Master Sword, how exactly should I train my body?" Ye Xiao inquired, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

The Qian Yuan sword sighed without words, its tone a mix of resignation and annoyance. "Just my luck to have stumbled upon an imbecile like you. Remember the waterfall we passed earlier? Head over there."

They had indeed crossed paths with a towering waterfall, nearly a hundred meters high. Ye Xiao didn't understand the connection between body tempering and a waterfall, but he proceeded toward the nearby cascade nonetheless. He knew better than to ask another question; it would likely send the Qian Yuan sword over the edge.

In no time, they reached the waterfall's edge. The water plummeted from the great height with such abundance and force that it had carved a depression over a meter deep into the giant boulder below, a testament to the waterfall's relentless power.

"Just jump down onto that rock," the Qian Yuan sword instructed, evidently not in the mood for further discussion.

"Ah!" Ye Xiao's eyes bulged as he stared at the powerful torrent of water. Given his modest level of cultivation and slight build, wasn't leaping into the waterfall tantamount to courting death?

"Um, Master Sword, are you really telling me to jump?" Ye Xiao couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of nefarious plot disguised as training. He grumbled to himself, suspicion brewing within.