The Art of Subduing Dragons

Chapter 63

Cultivators possess extraordinary lifespans. Once they reach the Foundation Establishment stage, they gain an additional hundred years of life beyond that of ordinary people. If they achieve Core Formation, living for centuries becomes easy. Cultivation shields them from the ravages of time, but at the same time, it can also make them easily forgotten by time.

This time, Luo Qingci was determined to go into seclusion and cultivate diligently, so she temporarily blocked the system and immersed herself completely in her practice. When she finally awoke from seclusion, six years had already passed.

Meanwhile, Ruan Li and her group, three years after arriving in the Ghost Realm, finally found the entrance to the Ten Directions Secret Realm and began their trial journey within. The secret realm was rich in spiritual energy, and the treasures found there far surpassed those in the cultivation world, attracting not only cultivators from the Immortal Sect but also various beasts and wandering spirits from the Ghost Realm.

The past few years in the secret realm were fraught with danger, with fierce battles occurring frequently. The intense trials left Ruan Li little time to think about Chi Qing, but whenever she had a moment to herself, her thoughts would inevitably drift to what Chi Qing might be doing now.

She couldn't understand why she felt this way. After all, she had managed to get by during their long separation before, but now her longing was growing uncontrollably.

One day, after Ruan Li and Su Yu's group successfully slew a bone vulture nearing the Golden Core stage, they took its skull and inner core, resting temporarily on the spot.

She gave the skull to Hua Xuwan, who practiced both alchemy and weapon forging, and the skull would be more useful to her. Ruan Li initially wanted to give the inner core to Su Yu, but Su Yu refused.

"I already have plenty of inner cores of excellent quality, and this bone vulture's core aligns with your attributes. You should keep it," Su Yu said, glancing at Ruan Li with a smile. "Besides, I noticed that you seem to enjoy playing with these round things. Keeping it as a toy isn't a bad idea."

Su Yu had long noticed that Ruan Li loved collecting round objects. Sometimes, Ruan Li would even gather inner cores from spirit beasts that had no practical use, while useful ones she would often give to others.

Ruan Li was momentarily taken aback, then shyly pressed her lips together. She was stunningly beautiful, with delicate, sharply defined features. Though her looks leaned toward the striking and fierce side, her large, bright, and expressive eyes gave her a youthful innocence that made her irresistibly adorable. At this moment, her bashfulness made her glance around nervously, her lips pursed—a sight too cute to ignore.

"Ha!" Su Yu found her so endearing that she couldn't help but laugh out loud. She then teasingly asked, "I often see you playing with a blood-red inner core. From its color and purity of spiritual energy, it doesn't seem like one we found in this secret realm. Is it from a Zhaoyao?"

Ruan Li blushed, "I just think it's pretty, nothing special."

Though Su Yu had become more composed over the years, her playful nature resurfaced when dealing with her junior sister, and she began to tease Ruan Li even more.

"Oh, just because it's pretty, huh? I thought maybe your sister Chi gave it to you, which is why you treasure it so much."

"Senior sister, you're just like Bai Jing and the others, you've gone bad! What sister Chi? You never call her that," Ruan Li complained, both embarrassed and annoyed.

Su Yu chuckled and waved her hand. "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. But, although we call her 'senior,' her temperament is quite different from the usual elders. Calling her 'sister' isn't too far off."