Chapter 67: Si Jin is Increasingly Moved
Si Jin’s breath grazed Yun Sheng’s cheek, bringing with it a tingling sensation.
Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips curled slightly, but she held his gaze stubbornly.
"Of course I’m in a hurry. I risked my life to win this, so it’s only natural that I want to confirm it right away. Or... are you planning to go back on your word?"
She said it deliberately, her tone a mix of accusation and provocation.
Her delicate chin tilted up slightly, revealing the pale, vulnerable line of her neck.
Si Jin’s gaze slid down from her cheek, lingering for a moment on her neck. His Adam’s apple bobbed.
"Go back on my word?" he repeated, his voice low, husky, and dangerous. "Do I look like the kind of person who goes back on his word?"
Yun Sheng met his mesmerizing, deep blue eyes. Though her heart was pounding like a drum, she forced a smile.
"The great and famous Former War God... you certainly wouldn’t go back on your word to a nobody like me."
Si Jin, the Former War God, was now a traitor to the Star Alliance with a ruined reputation. Had anyone else brought it up, he would likely have been enraged.
But for some reason, hearing it from her, there wasn’t a trace of disgust. Instead, it carried an inexplicable sense of intimacy.
"The reward is valid, of course. But before I pay up, I should at least know what my partner, who fought for her life to win this match, actually wants."
Si Jin’s gaze locked onto Yun Sheng’s, and the corners of his mouth curled into a teasing smirk.
"Speak. What do you want?"
Under his stare, Yun Sheng took a deep breath, her heart thumping fast and heavy in her chest.
Getting stronger—that was her one and only, all-consuming thought at that moment!
"I want to know how to safely and effectively assimilate and utilize external spiritual power."
Then, she added with conviction.
"I know you can. I... I’ve seen the combat recordings from your early days. Once, you collaborated deeply with an S-Class guide, temporarily merging your spiritual power to jointly fight an extremely tenacious High Level contaminant. You won."
As her words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The teasing smile on Si Jin’s face vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold, sharp scrutiny.
The very atmosphere around him seemed to grow heavy.
"Assimilate and utilize external spiritual power? Why would you suddenly want to know about that?"
’Why would a "dud" whose own spiritual power is so weak it’s almost nonexistent—who has only just started learning to focus it—suddenly take an interest in such a profound and dangerous technique?’
Yun Sheng’s heart clenched.
She hadn’t planned on revealing anything about her abilities, but that last fight with the C-level Sentinel had made her see just how small and powerless she truly was.
A single, restricted C-level Sentinel had nearly managed to seriously injure her, while the people around her—Si Jin, Bai Ye, Zhou Lin—were all S-Class or higher. And that wasn’t even mentioning the threats of Lin Yueyao and the Chen Family lurking in the shadows.
The vast but uncontrollable power she had "stolen" in her spiritual landscape... if she couldn’t learn to wield it soon, she would forever be nothing more than a fish on the chopping block.
’So-called self-preservation would be nothing but a joke!’
Worry and desperation intertwined, compelling Yun Sheng to take a risk. She had just proven her worth and won the promise of a reward, and she chose this moment to test him.
She knew she couldn’t tell the truth, at least not the whole truth.
So, she gritted her teeth and said, "This is the reward you promised me, isn’t it? It’s my right to choose what I want to know. As for why... I don’t think that was part of our agreement, was it?
Si Jin, you did promise me. And the great Former War God doesn’t go back on his deals."
Si Jin didn’t speak immediately.
He simply watched Yun Sheng in silence, his gaze seeming to pierce through her forced composure to see the churning fear, longing, and unyielding stubbornness deep within her.
’Why is she asking about this?’
’A coincidence? Or... is that strange ability of hers related to this request?’
Countless speculations and doubts swirled in Si Jin’s mind.
But he also knew that pressing her now wouldn’t guarantee a truthful answer; on the contrary, it might just scare her off.
"Provocation, and... deflection. It seems you have even more secrets than I thought."
Si Jin took a small step forward, closing the distance between them again, and the oppressive aura he exuded intensified.
"However, you’re right. A reward is a reward. I won’t go back on what I promised. As for the method to assimilate and utilize external spiritual power... I can teach you.
But you need to think this through. This path is a hundred times more dangerous than simple combat training. The slightest mistake, and your spiritual landscape could be completely overwhelmed, contaminated, or even... collapse! If that happens, you might just become a mindless madman."
His warning was cold and brutal, and he wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest.
Yun Sheng’s heart beat even faster, but the light in her eyes grew even more resolute.
’She wasn’t afraid of danger, only of not having the chance to become stronger.’
"I’ve thought it through," she said, enunciating each word clearly.
Si Jin gave her a deep look. "Fine. Rest for two days and recover. Then I’ll start teaching you. But there’s one condition... you must follow my methods exactly. No acting on your own. Otherwise, you’ll have to bear the consequences."
"I understand," Yun Sheng nodded solemnly.
The deal was struck.
She had traded one dangerous victory for a "lesson" that was even more perilous, but one that could also bring about a fundamental transformation.
"Thank you, Si Jin."
Yun Sheng broke into a smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners, filled with sincerity.
As Si Jin watched the faint radiance her smile brought to her pale cheeks, something flickered in his eyes.
He had long grown accustomed to darkness and cold, just as he had grown accustomed to the fear and hatred in the eyes of others.
Such a sincere smile was so unfamiliar to him that it was almost jarring, and yet... it was strangely soothing.
He didn’t respond to her gratitude, only saying flatly, "Let’s go. I’ll take you back."
But as he turned, the slight slowing of his pace seemed to betray a hint of gentleness that even he hadn’t noticed.
...
「Star Alliance Military Department, Bai Ye’s Office」
The atmosphere was stern and cold.
Luo Cheng stood ramrod straight in front of the desk, reporting.
"General, the team assigned to Miss Yun Sheng reports that she was involved in a conflict with Zhao Qian and her group this morning at the Interstellar Department Store in the central district."
Bai Ye’s hand, which was in the middle of reviewing a document, paused. He didn’t look up. "Get to the point."
"Yes, sir," Luo Cheng immediately replied. "During the conflict, a D-level Sentinel with Zhao Qian attempted to attack Miss Yun Sheng but suddenly lost control in what appears to be a spiritual power outburst. That Sentinel has now been taken to the hospital attached to the Tower. The preliminary diagnosis is a sudden spiritual landscape disorder of unknown cause."
Bai Ye finally looked up. His deep, dark eyes showed little emotion, but his brow was slightly furrowed.
"A sudden loss of control and outburst? Are you suggesting his loss of control had something to do with Yun Sheng?"