Chapter 149 So You Are That Kind of Female Driver

Qin Shuang sat upright, naturally exuding an aura of cold and refined elegance that sparked endless imagination.

Those were thoughts mostly revolving around conquest and desecration.

As the car started moving, her demeanor remained poised, serene, and slightly aloof.

It seemed that the demure and clinging posture she had displayed yesterday in front of the bustling crowd was merely an illusion.

"I seem to recall you saying that if I defeated young master Li Shaohua, I would get to hold your hand." Recalling the events of yesterday, Xiao Nan suddenly felt a strong urge to witness her fluster for reasons unknown.

He said it casually.

"Did I? How come I don't remember?"

True to form, Qin Shuang reneged on her words instantly.

Remaining with that serious, shameless demeanor, Xiao Nan shook his head without exposing her little mental games. Instead, he smiled and said, "Oh, I suppose I must have remembered incorrectly. Perhaps it was classmate Xiaorou who said it. I'll ask her later."

"You dare?"

Qin Shuang finally failed to maintain her expression. Her face flushed with a hint of anger, and she couldn't help reaching out to punch him.

Xiao Nan dropped his shoulder and extended his hand, catching her fair, snow-white fist right in his palm.

Thinking he would need to absorb the incoming force, he discovered instead that her fist was as soft as boneless jade, carrying not an ounce of momentum as it landed in his hand.

Furthermore, it smoothly unfolded, and she turned her hand to gently clasp his palm.

"Well, your way of fulfilling promises is certainly quite unique." Xiao Nan felt a sliver of quiet triumph in his heart. Raising his eyes to look ahead, he suddenly shouted, "Watch the road!"

With a whoosh, Qin Shuang hastily pulled her hand back and concentrated on driving.

So you're that kind of female driver.

Xiao Nan was rendered momentarily speechless.

Wasn't it just holding hands? You stopped looking at the road entirely.

Naturally, these words could not be spoken aloud; otherwise, he suspected he might be beaten to death on the spot.

"When you go inside the Void Crystal Chamber to cultivate, stay extra vigilant if any unexpected changes occur, and don't try to be a hero." After driving for a while, Qin Shuang spoke abruptly.

Xiao Nan raised an eyebrow, asking in surprise, "You mean the Li family might make a move today? Surely they wouldn't be so impatient?"

"It's just a guess." Qin Shuang turned her head to glance at him, a flicker of hidden worry in her eyes. Changing the subject, she continued, "Since the New Year, Yuanjiang Prefecture has recorded thirteen cases of martial artists losing control while practicing the Primordial Spirit Visualization Method, symptoms differing somewhat from Li Shaohua's.

"Their minds shattered, their appearances became bizarre, and they acted like madmen devoid of much reason.

"Moreover, those individuals hid themselves extremely well in daily life, never showing their faces in public."

"You mean the cultivation technique Li Shaohua practices allows for autonomous control?" Xiao Nan instantly grasped the implication behind Qin Shuang's words.

Recalling yesterday's scene, he also began to feel that something was amiss.

Had Li Shaohua not been driven to the brink of life and death, he wouldn't have lost control and transformed; that was a mutation born under extreme circumstances.

Under normal conditions, even if he swaggered his way into university, others would find it exceedingly difficult to detect.

"The Primordial Spirit Visualization Method is a name we gave it. Over in the barren wilderness, it is actually called the Ancestral God Battle Body.

"The core tenet of the technique is to summon the lingering soul remnants of the most ancient and powerful barbarian ancestral gods, using the power of heaven and earth to temper the spirit and soul while transforming the physical body. By doing so, one crosses the boundary between gods and mortals, acquiring supreme divinity.

"To put it simply, it is a method for achieving godhood. Practiced to an advanced stage, it grants longevity, forges an undying physique, and delivers formidable combat prowess."

"Wouldn't that make it an exceptional technique? Everyone in the desolate wilderness must practice it, then."

Given so many benefits, Xiao Nan truly could not fathom why anyone would refuse it.

He suspected that Qin Shuang had more to say.

"On the contrary, in the barren wilderness, only the most devout believers are qualified to practice it without having their minds corrupted into madness.

"Warriors who succeed in cultivation are referred to by various cults of evil gods as Judgment Warriors. Such people live lonely lives devoted solely to faith, comparable to ascetic monks, and they are terribly difficult to deal with.

"By contrast, here on our side, the Primordial Spirit Visualization Method has been scattered everywhere by interested parties. Every year, a few defiant people try practicing it, and Yuanjiang Prefecture alone has seen countless cases.

"That's why, the moment Li Shaohua used it back then, everyone recognized it."

"I see. With immense benefits come immense risks... Has really no one ever succeeded in practicing it before?"

Xiao Nan was baffled. How could someone with a promising future like Li Shaohua fail to see reason and practice a technique with such obvious, fatal flaws? Wasn't this courting death?

That couldn't be right; he couldn't possibly be that foolish.

"If no one had ever succeeded, there wouldn't be so many people willing to gamble on such a chance... Although those individuals only achieved minor success, it was still remarkable.

"It's not that no one has tried to uncover the secrets within, but who would ever reveal their own fortuitous encounters? Heaven knows how those people managed to survive the harrowing trials of mental transformation."

Qin Shuang harbored no such doubts, explaining in detail: "The reason we suspect something is amiss with the Li family is because rumor has it that a verified method exists to bypass the risks of practicing Primordial Spirit Visualization.

A cold glint flashed in Qin Shuang's eyes as she continued, "By moving far away from the ancestral wastelands and supplementing one's cultivation with natural waters, one can suppress the ancestral god's will and achieve success through an alternative path...

"Though the resulting technique is merely a weakened version, it easily surpasses countless wondrous arts and secret manuals existing within the empire."

Xiao Nan finally understood this explanation.

Even as a castrated version of a cultivation technique, it was still a path pointing straight toward the divine realm.

Mastering even twenty or thirty percent of it would grant a fundamental evolution, far beyond the reach of ordinary martial arts.

No wonder so many people were willing to take calculated risks despite knowing the extreme dangers.

"If I'm guessing correctly, the Li family has somehow acquired natural water. Furthermore, such auxiliary treasures for cultivation only exist among the barbarians."

"Correct." Admiration for Xiao Nan's swift comprehension shone brightly in Qin Shuang's eyes. She raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "It's not that no one can venture into the Endless Forest to acquire natural water, but doing so requires at least a Grade Nine Grandmaster.

"Anyone else wishing to obtain it would have to trade with the barbarians; otherwise, they can't even dream of it."

"It's also possible the Li family obtained it from their imperial capital main branch, isn't Li Nantian supposed to be very powerful?"

Xiao Nan was somewhat unfamiliar with certain details and did not understand why Qin Shuang discounted Grandmasters.

Li Nantian, known as the Dragon-Slaying Sword, had allegedly slain a black dragon as easily as cutting grass; even if he weren't a Grandmaster, he surely couldn't be weak.

The corners of Qin Shuang's lips curved into a pretty arc that could pass for a smile: "The Li family's imperial capital main branch? Heh, Li Yuanchen was driven out by Li Yuanhao anyway; calling it exile wouldn't be far off the mark.

"When he originally came to Yuanjiang Prefecture, he was full of resentment, constantly plotting his return to seize the mantle of the primary branch patriarch. How could he possibly secure such vital resources?

"Besides, even if Li Nantian had obtained natural water, he would consider it insufficient for his own use, let alone bestow it upon his descendants."

Fearing Xiao Nan might not comprehend, she elaborated: "It is a spiritual elixir, the finest treasure for cultivating mental power, far superior to Spirit-Concentrating Incense.

"Even the Clear Spirit Water—diluted countless times over by the barbarian gods—greatly outperforms Spirit-Concentrating Incense."

Put that way, Xiao Nan finally understood.

The reason Li Shaohua practiced this technique was not merely out of an inability to resist temptation, but rather to leverage this method for a breakthrough. By reaching a realm of strength capable of crushing the direct lineage of the main Li clan, he could complete his revenge.

After all, if one truly succeeded without suffering a mental collapse, the rewards were immense.

The external manifestation would be a formidable physique, accompanied by massive surges in speed and strength.

The Li family's foundational ancestral arts would also rise with the tide, reaching an indescribable realm.