After what felt like an eternity, their lips finally parted.

Zhou Kai could taste a faint, lingering saltiness. It was the moisture seeping from the corners of her eyes—tears of shame, humiliation, or perhaps something far more complex.

Li Youci looked as though her soul had been sucked out, or perhaps she had been struck dumb by lightning. She stared blankly at the face looming before her—that arrogant, domineering smile.

In those eyes, there was no apology. Only undisguised possession.

He… How dare he?! What gives him the right?!

A moment of stunned silence passed before a tidal wave of fury and shame crashed over her.

“Get lost!”

The shout was less a command and more a cry, laced with a sob she couldn’t quite suppress.

Her first kiss… gone? Just like that?

She shoved him. She didn’t use a shred of Mana, simply pushing Zhou Kai hard enough to send him stumbling out of the cabin.

Zhou Kai steadied himself on the deck of the Spirit Boat. He looked back just as the door slammed shut, sealing off the interior.

He touched his lips, savoring the lingering warmth and softness. A low chuckle escaped his throat.

She didn’t blast him out. She pushed him out.

There’s definitely a chance!

He cleared his throat and projected his voice toward the closed door.

“Grand Miss, the taste wasn’t bad, though a bit salty. Next time, remember to breathe. You nearly suffocated yourself.”

Inside the sedan, there was deathly silence.

But Zhou Kai could almost hear the sound of teeth grinding through the wood.

Inside the cabin.

Li Youci slumped against the wall, her delicate frame trembling uncontrollably.

She raised a hand to touch her lips. The scoundrel’s temperature seemed to still burn there, branding her.

Humiliation. Rage. Confusion. And a thread of panic she refused to acknowledge. These emotions tangled into a chaotic knot in her chest.

He kissed me… And when I was dazed earlier, did he also…?

The moment the thought formed, her cheeks burned crimson.

Kill him! The urge grew wild and thorny like a weed.

But if he dies, how will I find a cultivation technique suitable for my Yin Spirit Root?

Li Youci grabbed handfuls of her own hair in frustration. For the first time in her life, she felt truly trapped.

And all because of a man. A bastard!

Fine. I’ll leave his dog life intact for now. If he dares to try anything again, I’ll make him beg for death!

As for Shen Hanyi… I’ll consider this doing her a favor.

From that moment on, Li Youci did not step out of the cabin.

Zhou Kai became air to her. No matter what he said, the cabin remained silent.

Time flew by. Soon, the Spirit Boat entered the Fire Attribute trial grounds: the Ember Fall Dome Canyon.

Waves of scorching heat rolled through the canyon. Tiger-shaped beasts wreathed in molten lava lunged from the cliffs.

Zhou Kai was about to act when the cabin door burst open.

Li Youci stepped out.

She didn’t spare Zhou Kai a single glance. Her jade-white hands danced, weaving signs. Black Nether Fire erupted like death scythes, shredding the lava beasts and incinerating them into nothingness. Not even ash remained.

The battle ended in seconds.

She turned and shot a cold glare at Zhou Kai. Her eyes seemed to say: Look. This is the real me. A ruthless demoness who kills without blinking. Are you scared yet?

Zhou Kai simply leaned against the railing, arms crossed, smiling at her with appreciation.

To him, it just looked like a kitten baring its claws.

Seeing his lack of fear—and worse, his amused approval—Li Youci’s anger spiked. She snorted coldly, spun around, and marched back into the cabin.

Another few days passed.

Zhou Kai calculated the timeline. The scorching heat of the Ember Fall Dome Canyon didn’t just burn Mana; it accelerated the consumption of Vitality. A normal cultivator would need at least ten Fasting Pills a day to sustain themselves.

He estimated that even if Li Youci had prepared pills for the Qi Condensation stage, her stock should be exhausted by now.

Qi Condensation cultivators cannot fully abstain from food. Even with her Foundation Establishment resilience, the gnawing hunger and depleted Mana would eventually break her composure.

Zhou Kai walked to the curtained door and knocked gently.

“Grand Miss, hungry? I have Fasting Pills here. If you don’t come out, I’m going to slide them through the crack.”

No response.

Zhou Kai chuckled. He pinched a Fasting Pill and slowly, deliberately, began to push it through the gap in the door.

Just as half the pill poked through—

Swish!

A pale hand shot out like a viper, snatched the pill, and retracted instantly.

The speed was ghostly.

Zhou Kai didn’t get annoyed. One hour later, he returned with another pill.

He was devious. He only provided one pill every hour, keeping her perpetually on the edge of hunger.

Finally, three days later, when Zhou Kai offered the pill at the door… no hand came to take it.

Bang!

The cabin door was thrown open.

Li Youci stood there in her black dress, chains wrapped around her waist, her face obscured by the black veil. Though he couldn’t see her expression, her exposed eyes were filled with a glacial warning: Play me again, I dare you.

She didn’t speak. She just extended her hand toward him.

The message was clear: Pills. Now.

Zhou Kai hid the bottle behind his back, grinning shamelessly. “Grand Miss, you want the pills? You have to trade for them.”

Li Youci’s gaze dropped to absolute zero.

She didn’t waste breath arguing. Her figure blurred, leaving an afterimage.

Zhou Kai felt his shoulder lighten. The three Jade Arm Mantises that had been perched there, munching on beast feed, vanished.

They reappeared in Li Youci’s grip.

She dangled one of the mantises in front of Zhou Kai’s face. The threat in her eyes was explicit: No pills? I tear the hostage.

“Hey, hey, hey! Grand Miss, let’s talk this out!” Zhou Kai instantly ‘panicked,’ raising his hands in surrender. “I’ll give you the pills! Don’t hurt the little guys!”

He tossed the bottle over.

Li Youci caught it, scoffed, and turned back to the cabin. The door slammed shut—Thud!—and a soundproofing barrier shimmered into existence.

Inside, she looked down at the three emerald-green, jade-like mantises in her hand. The more she looked at them, the angrier she got.

“Traitors,” she hissed at the insects. “Eating inside but serving the outside! When you grow up and gain sapience, go hack that bastard to death! Do you hear me?”

The three Jade Arm Mantises paused.

Hearing that this woman wanted them to kill their Master, they instantly revolted.

They abandoned their delicious feed balls and began to struggle violently. They issued sharp hiss-hiss warnings, raising their tiny jade-sickle forearms. They charged at Li Youci’s fingers, slashing swish-swish-swish in a display of adorable, milky ferocity.

They were ready to fight her to the death!

“Good. Very good!” Li Youci laughed in disbelief. “Even the things he raises dare to threaten me!”

A wisp of Nether Fire curled around her fingertip. She stared at the three insects, the urge to incinerate them rising.

But the flame didn’t strike.

She abruptly withdrew her hand, her chest heaving with pent-up frustration. With a cold hmph, she turned her head away, refusing to look at them anymore.

Even the pets were against her. She would add this to Zhou Kai’s debt!

The journey continued in this strange state of “Cold War” and “Feeding Time.”

They cleared the remaining trial grounds, their Storage Bags nearly bursting with high-quality beast materials.

Finally, they emerged from the Earth Attribute Great Hall. The scenery changed drastically.

The rushing river that had guided them vanished, plunging deep underground.

Before them lay a massive circular stone platform. It was ancient and weathered, carved with complex array patterns.

Zhou Kai looked at the platform, a faint unease stirring in his gut.

He stepped onto the stone.

Snap.

An invisible shackle shattered.

BOOM!

Suppressed spiritual power surged like a dam breaking, flooding through his limbs and meridians.

Foundation Establishment Layer 3 Mana. Bone Forging Layer 3 Vitality.

It all returned in an instant.

The sensation of regained power was intoxicating. Zhou Kai stretched, his joints popping like firecrackers.

But his heart sank.

He wasn’t afraid of Li Youci attacking him now that her cultivation was restored. After their recent “friendly interactions,” he was confident the tsundere kitten wouldn’t actually kill him.

He was afraid of the implications.

If the Five Elements Trials were the first stage, suppressing everyone to Qi Condensation…

Then what about the second stage? Would the opponents now be at the Foundation Establishment level? Or even Golden Core?

Li Youci, a peak Foundation Establishment powerhouse, might be able to handle it.

But for a “minor cultivator” like Zhou Kai, barely at the third layer, the loss of the level-playing field was catastrophic.

And that raised a glaring question.

Fang Lizhe’s great-grandfather—the one who fled to the mortal world—was a mere Qi Condensation cultivator. How in the hell did he survive this danger-filled Secret Realm to steal the Cicada Raiment Art?

Did he kill people in the Five Elements trial grounds? Did he ambush someone in Forgetfulness River City?

But once he left the city, once he left the Secret Realm… a Qi Condensation cultivator holding a supreme treasure would be a beacon in the night. How could he escape unscathed?

Unless…

A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Kai’s eyes.

Possibility one: The old man was hiding his strength the entire time. (Unlikely. Why flee to the mortal world if he was strong?)

Possibility two: The Cicada Raiment Art was never found in the high-danger zones.

His expression turned grave. He cupped his hands toward the Spirit Boat hovering nearby.

“Grand Miss! This subordinate has an urgent report regarding the Cicada Raiment Art!”