"You two can continue. I'll see myself out." Chu Chu decided to play it safe and not get involved with whatever Song Shuhang and the well-read girl were doing.

Song Shuhang stretched out his hand and called out, "Sob, sob, sob~ Miss Chu Chu, wait a moment! Sob, sob, sob~ It's not as you think! You are definitely misunderstanding the situation!" Given Chu Chu's vigilant look, it was very likely that she had misunderstood what was going on.

"In that case, why is a big man like you crying so aggrievedly?" Chu Chu stopped in her tracks. However, her body still unconsciously leaned toward the exit of the 'library'.

"It's the effect of a cultivation technique. Sob, sob, sob~ Due to it, I can't help but cry," Song Shuhang replied.

Chu Chu paused for a moment and asked out of curiosity, "In that case, why is the fairy maiden next to you also crying?"

Senior Sister Ye took the initiative to reply, "Sob, sob, sob~ It's because Fellow Daoist Path-seeking Scholar and I are dating. After seeing him cry so aggrievedly, I couldn't help but cry myself. Sob, sob, sob~"

Dating?

Chu Chu counted on her fingers, trying to calculate how much time had passed since she had separated from Song Shuhang.

They had separated for a rather short amount of time!

And during such a short amount of time, Song Shuhang and the well-read fairy maiden started dating?

Casanova, impregnating touch, walking debauchery, and other fancy words resurfaced in Chu Chu's mind.

However, she quickly shook her head and cast these thoughts aside.

After all, it wasn't her first time dealing with Song Shuhang. Therefore, she had an idea of his character.

Nevertheless, the fact that Song Shuhang and that well-read fairy maiden, who seemed incredibly strong, had started dating so suddenly gave Chu Chu quite the shock.

❄️❄️❄️

Half an hour later.

Song Shuhang and Senior Sister Ye finally stopped crying.

Little friend Shuhang was exhausted both in mind and body. Since the day he was born up until now, he had never cried for so long and shed so many tears!

After a short rest, the trio decided to avoid talking about what happened earlier.

To make things less awkward, Senior Sister Ye decided to instruct Song Shuhang and Chu Chu during their practice.

After all, Senior Sister Ye was an expert of the Fifth Stage Spiritual Emperor Realm.

Moreover, she wasn't an ordinary Fifth Stage Spiritual Emperor. She was a very talented cultivator that had created a tailor-made cultivation technique for herself with the help of her teacher.

She had a great knowledge when it came to cultivation techniques, martial skills, magical techniques, and techniques to operate one's true qi and spiritual energy, with her expertise in regards to skills that exclusively belonged to her being even higher.

Listening to Senior Sister Ye's suggestions greatly benefitted Chu Chu.

After a short moment, Chu Chu silently moved to one side, starting to ponder over the newly obtained information.

❄️❄️❄️

Next, Senior Sister Ye helped Song Shuhang with his cultivation.

However, she rubbed her brows immediately after, somewhat worried.

Although Song Shuhang knew only a bunch of cultivation techniques and martial skills, he had already reached the master level in most of them.

❮Basic Buddhist Fist Technique❯, ❮Immovable Body of the Buddha❯, ❮Inverted Scale Saber Technique❯, ❮Virtuous Man's Ten Thousand Mile Walk❯, ❮Thirty-Three Divine Beasts' Technique❯, ❮Whale Swallowing Technique❯, Lightning Palm... all the above-mentioned cultivation techniques and martial skills were already at the master level.

Therefore, she could help Song Shuhang only with the ❮Steel Hands Technique❯ that he had just started practicing and that weird ❮Holy Light Sword Technique❯.

There weren't many things she could help Song Shuhang with when it came to cultivation techniques. She could only tell him about some little tricks, and that was it.

For example, how to use the minimum quantity of true qi to obtain the best effects while using saber qi and the likes.

Or how to take advantage of the explosive power of one's true qi while using the ❮Virtuous Man's Ten Thousand Mile Walk❯ to increase both the speed and efficiency of the footwork.

These not too showy small tricks were the essence of the knowledge countless senior cultivators had accumulated in the past.

Perhaps the proper use of these small tricks could make the difference between life and death or victory and defeat at the crucial moment.

❄️❄️❄️

After the practice, Song Shuhang and Senior Sister Ye started to rummage through the ocean of books once more in the hope of finding a method to stop Song Shuhang from spurting out blood from all over the body while using the appraisal technique.

Chu Chu didn't touch any of the books.

Since she was a girl, she was unable to become Senior Sister Ye's boyfriend and thus didn't have the qualifications to look at the books inside the room.

Thereupon, she decided to quietly move to one side and rest, playing the part of the third wheel. She was very curious as to how things between Song Shuhang and Senior Sister Ye would evolve.

Unfortunately, perhaps because she was such a glaring third wheel, there wasn't any development between Song Shuhang and Senior Sister Ye.

The two of them squatted down amidst the ocean of books while holding thick books in their hands, reading them with great interest. Only when they were exchanging books would they give each other a knowing smile.

Aside from that, the duo didn't get any more intimate.

The slow development made the nearby Chu Chu somewhat anxious.

Should I go to the room next door so that the relationship between Fellow Daoist Shuhang and Senior Sister Ye can advance further? Chu Chu thought to herself.

❄️❄️❄️

The next day, early morning.

It had been 37 days since Song Shuhang and Chu Chu had entered the Time City.

Song Shuhang opened his eyes.

Four days should have already passed in the outside world, right?

Song Shuhang was now sure that Pavilion Master Chu had really forgotten about the fact that he and Chu Chu were in the Time City.

Such being the case, he would seize the opportunity and practice here for a few more days. After all, it was a very good place to practice.

But right at this time, the muffled sound of a sob reached his ears.

Is Senior Sister Ye crying? It's still early morning. What did she think of that she started crying so early?

Thereupon, Song Shuhang turned his head around. Immediately after, he saw that Senior Sister Ye was curled up like a small cat, sobbing from time to time. It seemed she was having a nightmare.

Given her realm, Ye Si didn't really need to sleep.

But yesterday, after seeing that Song Shuhang had gone to sleep, she randomly found a place and lay down, resting a bit.

After falling asleep, she unexpectedly had a dream, something she hadn't had in ages.

"Hey, Senio— Ye Si, Ye Si, wake up." Song Shuhang stretched out his hand and gently shook Senior Sister Ye.

Senior Sister Ye opened her eyes and sobbed a few times. Afterward, she said embarrassedly, "Was I crying?"

"Yes. Senio— Ye Si, what did you dream about?" Song Shuhang asked.

Senior Sister Ye pondered for a moment and forced a smile, saying, "It was a rather inconceivable dream... in the dream, it felt as though the world was ending. Cultivators were brutally killing each other, and there was destruction everywhere. I haven't had a dream for a very long time. But now, I suddenly had this strange dream. It was rather heartbreaking."

"It was a nightmare then," Song Shuhang said softly.

"Yes, but I feel much better after crying," Senior Sister Ye said with a smile, stretching herself.

Tears were the best way to release the pent-up emotion within one's heart.

❄️❄️❄️

Song Shuhang and the others ate lamb-flavored fasting pills for breakfast.

Afterward, Shuhang and Chu Chu started their daily practice with Senior Sister Ye supervising them.

Within just a day, Chu Chu's swordsmanship had reached new heights, and her understanding of basic saber techniques had also reached the beginner level, with Song Shuhang's gains being even higher.

After practice, Chu Chu found an excuse to temporarily leave the library room, giving Song Shuhang and Senior Sister Ye the possibility to spend some time together.

Unfortunately, Song Shuhang and Senior Sister Ye didn't really think about the fact that a man and a woman were inside the room all alone.

Senior Sister Ye happily dove into the ocean of books, holding a thick book in her hands and reading it with great interest.

On the other hand, Song Shuhang took a horse-type spirit beast crystal out of his size-reducing purse. He had obtained this horse-type spirit beast crystal from that stallion spirit that had tried to kidnap Lady Onion back then.

The rank of the spirit beast crystal was quite low, only of the Second Stage rank. Back then, the stallion spirit must have really given his best to gather so many low-level spirit beast crystal of the Second Stage.

Eating the crystal was equivalent to absorbing the energy of a spirit stone of the Second Stage.

At this time, the strength of Song Shuhang's constitution had increased and was basically approaching the peak of the Second Stage Realm while his mental energy had already reached the Third Stage rank.

He had managed to open his third dantian—the Dragon Claw Dantian—recently. Thanks to that, he didn't have to worry about his body suddenly exploding due to the excessive amount of true qi. At this time, aside from his glabella hurting due to the extra amount of mental energy, his body didn't have any other problem.

Such being the case, he could try to use the ❮Whale Swallowing Technique❯ to eat spirit beast crystal once more, fully developing the embryonic form of the 'pseudo-innate true qi' inside his Sea of Qi Dantian.

Since the spirit beast crystal the stallion spirit gave him was of the Second Stage rank, Shuhang could eat it without problems.

The only thing he didn't know was whether the horse-type spirit beast crystal would influence his mental energy as well.

Just as he was in deep thoughts, Song Shuhang's heart jumped.

In the next moment, blood spurted out of the right hand he was using to hold the spirit beast crystal. Two small but very painful wounds had appeared on it.

Song Shuhang clenched his teeth.

Afterward, runes emerged from his eyes and fell on the spirit beast crystal, forming the picture of a clock.

After a short moment, they returned to Song Shuhang's eyes.

It's a horse-type spirit beast crystal of the Second Stage rank. It can be eaten through the ❮Whale Swallowing Technique❯ and can slightly strengthen the constitution, increase the quantity of true qi, and further develop the 'pseudo-innate true qi'. After eating it with the ❮Whale Swallowing Technique❯, the quickest way to absorb it is to run for 5000 meters on four limbs.

"..." Song Shuhang.

"Path-seeking Scholar, did you get injured?" Senior Sister Ye put down the book she was reading and run to Song Shuhang's side, using a healing technique to treat his wounds.

"You don't need to worry, Senio— Ye Si. It's just a small wound," Song Shuhang said with a smile.

He didn't need a healing technique to cure wounds of such degree. He could heal them within a minute by relying on the strength of his constitution alone.

"Did the appraisal technique activate?" Fairy Ye Si asked.

"Yes." Song Shuhang nodded.

Fairy Ye Si sighed and said, "It seems we need to quickly find a way to deal with the aftereffects of this secret technique. Otherwise, I fear that you might truly die if you end up appraising something too strong someday."

Song Shuhang forced a smile.

At this time, Shuhang was really scared of tripping and falling to the ground. Because if he were to touch the ground with his hands, appraising either the Time City or the meteoroid below, he would die for sure.