Chapter 110: A Strange Aura

A strange aura flashed by, vanishing before Li Feiyang could even react.

A flicker of bewilderment crossed his eyes. In that instant, Li Feiyang’s divine sense swept through Liu Pan’s body inside and out once more, yet he discovered nothing.

What surprised Li Feiyang even more was that after the strange aura dissipated, his divine sense detected that the hidden injuries in Liu Pan’s body had recovered slightly, and his cultivation speed had increased accordingly.

At this moment, Li Feiyang’s heart was in turmoil. Although he hadn't managed to perceive that aura clearly, he understood that the recovery of Liu Pan’s hidden injuries was inextricably linked to that strange energy.

About two hours later, Liu Pan ceased his cultivation. His cultivation at the second stage of the Martial Master realm had stabilized; entering the third stage would require more time.

Opening his eyes, Liu Pan saw Li Feiyang’s somewhat cold expression.

"Why have you stopped?" Li Feiyang asked, his tone clearly displeased.

Upon sensing that fleeting aura, Li Feiyang had focused all his attention on Liu Pan, waiting for it to appear a second time. However, after waiting for nearly two hours, it never returned. Although he had suspected that the aura might emerge during Liu Pan’s breakthrough, he had held onto a shred of hope and refrained from interrupting the process.

Now, while Li Feiyang was still waiting in hopes of a miracle, Liu Pan had taken the initiative to stop, which greatly annoyed him. For a cultivator who had reached Li Feiyang’s level of power, there was no need for any justification for his self-centered way of thinking. Consequently, in his eyes, Liu Pan stopping without permission was an affront to him—how could he be happy about that?

Hearing Li Feiyang’s voice, Liu Pan was startled, only then remembering the purpose of his cultivation. When he first began, he knew clearly that he was cultivating for Li Feiyang’s observation. However, as time passed, he had inadvertently become immersed in his own practice.

In truth, it was hard to blame Liu Pan; the meditation cushion’s auxiliary effects were incredibly comfortable, and as it was his first time using such an item, he had unconsciously ignored everything else. As for why he woke up after two hours, it was simply because his biological clock told him it was time to eat.

For many cultivators, as their power grew, they could sustain their physical needs by absorbing energy from the air. Many chose to do so, but Liu Pan was an exception. He had never considered relying on external energy to maintain his body. Even when he was severely injured after surviving the Martial Master tribulation and unable to move, he had used his mental power to select food from his storage bag to sustain himself.

For other cultivators, eating might be optional, but for Liu Pan, three meals a day were essential. This was one of the few habits he had brought with him from Earth; if he changed it, he would feel as though he were no longer himself. Ultimately, it was a form of obsession—Liu Pan did not want to change too much. Despite the passage of time and all he had endured, he had not forgotten his connection to Earth.

"Answering the senior, this junior felt that the power would not appear a second time in the short term, and I did not wish to waste your time, which is why I stopped," Liu Pan said respectfully. Having spent a long time communicating with Li Feiyang and settling his mind through cultivation, the tension he had felt earlier had faded, and his speech sounded much more natural.

As for what Li Feiyang had detected during his cultivation, Liu Pan could guess a little. In fact, when his soul first returned to his body after the tribulation, he had already noticed the issues within himself.

Liu Pan did not know what that mysterious power was. After the tribulation, as he cultivated, the force had appeared several times with a certain rhythm, always flashing by and quietly treating his internal injuries. Of course, had he understood what the power was or where it came from, he would not have spent over a month recuperating in that small village without leaving.

Until now, the only thing Liu Pan was certain of was that the power was extremely domineering, repairing his internal injuries in a very forceful manner. By now, it had repaired one-third of the hidden damage to his bones. Liu Pan could feel that the repaired bones were many times stronger than before. He even suspected that if he let this power slowly repair his body, even if his cultivation didn't see a massive jump, the sheer physical strength alone would allow him to fight opponents above his own level.

"Do you know when that power will appear?" Li Feiyang stared at Liu Pan, the confusion in his eyes deepening.

"It appears once every four days," Liu Pan said. But after reflecting on his recent breakthrough and glancing at the daylight outside, he added uncertainly, "It seems to have come a bit early today. In the past, it wouldn't appear until noon. Perhaps it has something to do with the breakthrough in my cultivation."

Li Feiyang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled a fist-sized stone from his storage ring and tossed it to Liu Pan. "Hold this Origin Stone and continue."

Liu Pan was stunned, but he immediately understood Li Feiyang’s train of thought. In fact, by mentioning that the aura might be linked to his breakthrough, he had been hoping to accelerate his progress. He, too, was curious about what this mysterious power was.

However, cultivation was one thing, but he still had to eat. Liu Pan spoke somewhat awkwardly, "Um, Senior, before I continue... could I have a meal first?"

Li Feiyang froze, clearly not expecting such a request at this moment. Before he could react, Liu Pan hurriedly explained, "It’s like this, Senior: since I began my path of cultivation, I have never missed a meal. When I woke up earlier, it was because it was time to eat. If I don't eat, I cannot calm my mind. I ask that you allow me to have a meal first..."

After a long while, Li Feiyang finally regained his composure. He gave Liu Pan a strange look and then called out to the door: "Li Pei! Have a meal prepared and brought to this room immediately!"

...

Liu Pan had never imagined he would one day be cultivating with an Origin Stone in this desolate corner of the Southern Province, let alone under the guidance of a Martial Emperor, with food and drink served at his beck and call. It was surreal.

Although taking higher-grade pills would have cured his injuries faster and boosted his cultivation, both Liu Pan and Li Feiyang tacitly avoided suggesting it. Neither of them could be sure if that strange power would continue to appear if his injuries were gone.

In the days that followed, Liu Pan immersed himself in a life of eating and cultivating—a dull, simple routine that went on day and night. Because of this, he added a new meal to his daily schedule: a late-night snack.

Li Liao observed Liu Pan’s routine closely, staying by his side constantly, even sharing meals with him. During this period, the red-clad man, Yang Yi, visited several times, but Li Feiyang drove him away each time. Eventually, Yang Yi had no choice but to stay at an inn across from the square. As for the Fire Sun Sparrow, it naturally stayed in Yang Yi’s room across from the square, far away from Liu Pan.

Three days later, on a morning after Liu Pan finished breakfast, he sat on the meditation cushion as usual, holding the Origin Stone. It had to be said that cultivating with an Origin Stone was significantly faster; in just two days, his second-stage Martial Master cultivation had completely stabilized and was nearing perfection. He estimated that within two more days, he would break through to the third stage. And this was while he was still heavily injured—had he been healthy, he felt he would already be pushing toward the fourth stage.

Suddenly, both Liu Pan and Li Feiyang froze, opening their eyes simultaneously.

"It seems this really does have something to do with my cultivation speed," Liu Pan remarked. After three days together, his behavior had become more natural. He found that when Li Feiyang wasn't "mad," he was actually quite easy to get along with.

Li Feiyang frowned imperceptibly. The strange aura had appeared again, but it was just as fleeting as before. Although his divine sense had been locked onto Liu Pan, the appearance was so sudden and unexpected that he had missed it once again.

"How much longer until you break through to the third stage?" Li Feiyang asked. He felt that staying by Liu Pan’s side like this wasn't a sustainable solution, as he couldn't predict when the aura would appear. After a moment of thought, he decided to focus his observation on the exact moment of the breakthrough, betting that the aura would likely appear then. Of course, if the previous occurrence was just a coincidence, he would have to find another way.

"Based on this pace, I should break through by tomorrow afternoon," Liu Pan estimated.

"Tell me when you feel the breakthrough is imminent. Now, go eat. We continue afterward," Li Feiyang said, already rising to sit at the dining table.

Soon, a knock came at the door, and delicious dishes were brought in...

Two days later, in the afternoon, Li Feiyang stared intently, his divine sense fully locked onto Liu Pan. To perceive that strange aura in detail, he even maximized his mastery of spatial force, sealing the surrounding area to eliminate all external interference.

Liu Pan held not only the Origin Stone but also a jade tablet that emitted a faint, strange ripple—Li Feiyang’s Soul-Mark tablet. Only by holding it could he remain safely within the sealed space.

As the Profound Ice Art circulated, the energy from the Origin Stone was rapidly drawn into Liu Pan’s body and merged into the slightly dim Origin Core in his dantian. His aura grew steadily stronger. About a quarter of an hour later, Liu Pan’s body shuddered slightly as he successfully broke through to the third stage of the Martial Master realm.

However, Li Feiyang was stunned. The strange aura had not appeared.

"Damn it!"

Li Feiyang didn't just want to curse; he wanted to commit murder. He had prepared for this for so long, only to come up empty-handed.

Liu Pan woke from his meditation. Seeing the frustrated Li Feiyang, he feared the man would vent his anger on him. But he had worried in vain. Suppressing his urge to go berserk, Li Feiyang waved his hand to dispel the spatial seal. Yet, the moment the seal vanished, the strange aura flashed by and was gone...

After a long silence, Liu Pan said weakly, "Senior, does this aura have some connection to the outside world? You had the space sealed, which might be why it didn't appear."

"..."

At that moment, Li Feiyang felt completely numb, almost wanting to laugh.

"Continue cultivating!"

Li Feiyang replied with a darkened face, but before he could finish, a knock sounded at the door: "Senior Brother, the recruitment period is over. It is time for us to return to the sect!"