Ting said goodbye to those who hadn't wandered too far yet with brief waves. Occasionally, her gaze drifted to Noah, then to the old man, and then she looked around before anyone could notice.

  To help someone break through a bottleneck... Her eyes met Noah's, who had already noticed her frequent looks. Lines appeared between her brows as she turned away. How exactly is he going to do something like that? I thought he said he hasn't been in this world for very long.

  The path of her gaze was retraced and seen.

  Could he be using a pill?! Her eyebrows rose for an instant. She shook her head with a restrained movement, denying her assumption. No, there's no reason for him to give something like that to a stranger. Yeah, it can't be that..., right?

  — Is something wrong? — he asked. — Do you want something? Maybe a dessert?

  — No, I— she stopped, looked at those following them a few steps behind, and reconsidered, — No, it's nothing... I can eat after you're finished.

  Yes, it must not be a pill.

  She sighed.

  Even if he knows alchemy, there's no reason to hand out something so valuable so carelessly and randomly. That would be madness. Then again, if he hasn't been here for long and, in the little time he has, stayed in a place like this or even trapped in the Demon Beast Forest, doesn't that mean he might not know how rare or important those kinds of pills are?

  Swallowing hard, Ting watched Xia Tao and Undric for a moment.

  Noah isn't stupid, but that doesn't prevent him from being deceived and used when he doesn't have all the information. Just like—

  She froze for a brief moment before taking his hand.

  Noah looked at her, confused. He thought she wanted to avoid doing that in front of other people. Ting, however, couldn't do the same and look him in the eyes now.

  ...I think I'm doing it...? She realized, not very pleased.

  After arriving at the Radiance residence, they followed Undric to an empty room where Xia Tao sat on the floor as Noah instructed.

  The old man sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. He was ready for whatever method was coming. As long as it worked, it was enough.

  — Alright, let's try. Whether it will work or not depends on you, — Noah said.

  And then he began to recite words; simple, clear, and calm. There were no secret formulas or ancient phrases. Yet, they carried a weight greater than the stars could hold.

  This is..! Ting quickly felt the energy inside her vibrate. No, if he had just given out a pill, it would have been easier. How can he do something like this?!

  She sat down, as the Qi within her pulsed eagerly with every word spoken.

  Noah was so engrossed that he didn't notice.

  He spoke words that shaped. Commanded. Words that penetrated not just ears but the very flow of Qi, dictating the pathways it should follow.

  Undric recognized the structure. However, he couldn't recall everything he had heard before to say if there were any alterations. Though, he was attentive enough to notice that Ting had entered meditation, as had Xia Tao.

  — That should be enough. Let's—

  For a moment, Noah seemed to freeze when he realized the state Ting was in.

  He turned to Undric.

  — Can you help me a little now?

  Undric nodded, somewhat incredulously.

  A being like him, so powerful. Yet he doesn't know how to use Qi to move objects?

  It seemed odd to him.

  He lifted Ting with the greatest care, always keeping in mind that he had to maintain her position unchanged, and went with Noah to the room where the two were staying.

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  — Sir! — a servant ran to him along the way, breathless, — S-Sir, Xiao Feng has returned and—!

  — What-?! — his control over Ting's body faltered, and he barely moved. Undric's body trembled and the nearest servants found themselves unable to breathe. There seemed to be something very heavy in that place, an invisible and cold pressure. — Sorry, I'll be more careful from now on.

  With a furrowed brow and long strides, Undric reached the room in seconds. He placed Ting on the bed without haste and turned in a swift motion.

  — Thank you...

  Apparently, the matter really is urgent. Noah thought to himself, for Undric left without even listening to the thanks.

  He closed the door and turned to the bed, sitting in front of Ting.

  — What a problem, — he sighed.

  What should I do? Any mistake during cultivation is dangerous, especially those you don't understand. Even more so since these are the very first parts of the early stages, the changes I made could still end up causing her problems in the future.

  Noah thought about this as he watched the internal movement of Ting's Qi. Everything seemed fine, but even about that he was uncertain.

  If I correct what I said earlier and add the rest of the steps, will this override the mistakes she might have absorbed? No, the question is, is she even still listening to me?

  — Tsk! — a grinding of teeth echoed. — I think trying is better than doing nothing.

  Closing his eyes, Noah took a deep breath and mentally put the words in order. The next ones couldn't have any mistakes or unnecessary phrases. Everything had to be perfect.

  — If you can still hear me, Ting, forget everything I said before. Focus on what I'll say now.

  The words echoed through the room with unparalleled calm and fluency. Beautiful poems or random phrases with an attractive sound, to those nearby who were not cultivators, that was all they could make of them. But Ting saw their true nature.

  Her energy stopped. Recoiled. United and resonated. Spinning like a vortex whose power was at ideal control.

  Like a lost essence, a bluish trail concentrated, drifting toward the ethereal junction. It was a fine, chilling line. It circled the whitish vortex and made its color flicker. It flashed. Sped up, then calmed down.

  Though small, the change was there. A bluish mark upon her.

  Blinking her eyes open, Ting blinked again and again. Her eyes locked on the calm face of the one still sitting in front of her. Leaning forward, she steadied herself with her hands. The face she gave Noah was one of raised eyebrows and abundant curiosity.

  — How..? — she whispered, unable to suppress the question burning inside her.

  — If you keep looking at me like that, you'll end up burning a hole in my face.

  Ting clenched her fist, gripping the blanket. She slid up to sit, but the intensity of her gaze did not decrease.

  Noah lay down across her legs.

  — I deserve at least this after watching over you the whole afternoon, don't I?

  Her eyelids fluttered and she narrowed her gaze.

  — Is that something you can't tell me?

  — How I know how to do it? I think so. Now, what I did, no. — Turning over, Noah grabbed her hand and placed it atop his own head. — It's actually very simple. I just told you all about the initial stages of cultivation.

  Simple?!

  Ting's hand trembled, frozen in place.

  She looked at Noah, and he didn't seem to be lying.

  He really has no idea what he's talking about, does he...?

  Sighing, she began stroking his hair.

  — If I may say so, you shouldn't have done that. Especially for someone you barely know.

  — Does that include you too? — Noah glanced at her, curious how she would answer his tease.

  Ting looked away.

  — Yes...— she murmured. — Me too.

  — Of course, so who else would I tell if not you?

  What is that supposed to mean...?

  She looked at him thoughtfully.

  — Anyway, this isn't as simple as you make it sound, — she said, forcing herself to refocus and drop what she thought was pointless. — Helping someone to cross minor stages just through understanding techniques is already extremely rare. But what you did is just absurd. Making someone advance four times to reach the ninth stage of Qi Condensation using only words... I don't know what else to call it but that.

  — Then should I just keep this as our secret from now on?

  Ours...

  Her mind wandered. Her fingers stopped. Her gaze drifted before returning to caresses.

  — Yes, it would be better if you kept that a secret as much as possible.

  Ting raised her head, looking toward the door and beyond. She tapped Noah's head, trying to get his attention.

  He turned.

  — Can we continue this outside?

  — Are you sure..?

  She nodded.

  — Please, I need to step into some open air for a moment.

  Noah stood up, then held out his hand to her.

  Their palms met.

  — But it's going to be my way, alright?

  —...As long as it’s not anything embarrassing.

  Leaving the room, the two walked toward a tree in front of the quarters. The cold breeze rocked its branches, carrying away loose leaves.

  Noah sat down first, leaning against the trunk. He raised one arm, making space for Ting to sit.

  — Really..? — she raised an eyebrow.

  — If you don’t want to, it’s fine.

  — No, it’s fine. — She knelt, then moved close until his hand rested on her shoulder. — Honestly, I thought you'd ask for something else. Like for me to sit in your lap or something.

  — Hmm, yeah, I admit I would have. But I changed my mind, since you wouldn’t like it.

  Noah's hand slid down to her waist. He pulled her closer.

  That distance was never enough. No matter how close she was, Noah felt that Ting was still too far away.