"I need to continue cultivating!"
Xiao Ning'er disliked being disturbed by others, often wearing an expression that kept people at a distance. She rarely interacted with her classmates, especially the boys, and having no friends made her seem somewhat reclusive.
"I'll be leaving soon!" Nie Li replied with a faint smile, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Ning'er from head to toe.
Xiao Ning'er's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Nie Li's scrutiny was quite impolite, and it couldn't help but irritate her. Many people at Sheng Lan Academy pursued Xiao Ning'er, but she had always been dismissive, focusing only on her cultivation. Nie Li's behavior was no different from those other annoying boys!
"Are you not leaving yet?" Xiao Ning'er asked, somewhat unhappy. Nie Li had been disturbing her for quite a while now.
Nie Li's gaze fell on Xiao Ning'er's feet. She wasn't wearing shoes, and her feet, as smooth and exquisite as carved jade, were slightly flushed under the moonlight. "Every night when darkness falls, don't your feet burn as if on fire?"
Hearing Nie Li's words, Xiao Ning'er was slightly startled. "How did you know?" Because her feet were scorching hot, she usually didn't wear shoes when cultivating at night.
"Of course I know!" Nie Li smiled. "I not only know this, but much more. Your feet burn like fire, yet your constitution is extremely cold. Every midnight, it feels like you're plunged into an ice cave, causing great pain. When you try to cultivate Soul Power, you're also powerless to do so, aren't you?"
Xiao Ning'er's heart trembled. She had always endured these things alone, never even telling her family. How did Nie Li know?
Seeing Xiao Ning'er's expression, Nie Li knew his guess was almost certainly correct. In his previous life, this was the source of Xiao Ning'er's problem. It was called Extreme Cold Syndrome—frequent nighttime cultivation of Soul Power allowed cold, yin energy to enter her body, blocking her meridians. Mild cases led to severe illness, while extreme cases could result in exploding from internal pressure. In her previous life, Xiao Ning'er had been bedridden for two years, which was already very fortunate.
"Besides these symptoms, your body must have several bruised areas that are unbearably painful, lingering and showing signs of spreading," Nie Li stated confidently. "You haven't yet reached the Bronze One Star stage. Once you do, you'll either fall severely ill and suffer a drastic loss in cultivation, or you'll die."
Listening to Nie Li's words, Xiao Ning'er froze for a moment, clenching her fists as her eyes reddened. How could this be? Even though she was very strong-willed, receiving this news so suddenly was still a heavy blow.
Nie Li had identified her illness in a single glance, so his words were almost certainly accurate.
From a young age, she knew her family intended to marry her into the Sacred Family, to
Seeing the normally strong-willed Xiao Ning'er on the verge of tears, Nie Li couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
"Nie Li, you know what illness I have. You must have a way to treat it, right?" Xiao Ning'er asked in a panic, her strong defenses finally crumbling. "Can you help me?" After all, she was just a thirteen-year-old girl.
Xiao Ning'er had a proud nature and rarely asked for help. Hearing her words, Nie Li's heart softened. After a moment of silence, he said, "This illness isn't untreatable. You can look it up in the library of Sheng Lan Academy. It's called Extreme Cold Syndrome."
"Really?" A spark of hope suddenly rose in Xiao Ning'er. "How is it treated?"
"It requires a special Guide Technique massage to warm and nourish the meridians, dispersing the bruising. You'll also need to take a potion made from Gold Thread Herb and Heavenly Crown Herb daily. Given your current condition, you should recover in about a month, or even as quickly as ten days or so," Nie Li explained. This was the method for treating Extreme Cold Syndrome.
"Guide Technique?" Xiao Ning'er's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Despite being from a prominent family, she had never heard of anyone who knew a Guide Technique.
"Besides these treatment methods, you must also stop cultivating Soul Power in the middle of the night!" Nie Li reached out his hand. "Show me your Soul Power cultivation technique."
Xiao Ning'er looked up at Nie Li. If a stranger had asked to see her cultivation technique, she would have suspected them of trying to steal it. But seeing Nie Li's earnest expression, an inexplicable trust welled up inside her. After everything he'd said, she trusted him completely. She took out the Soul Power cultivation manual from her Space Ring.
It was a small, somewhat aged piece of parchment covered in dense text.
Nie Li reached out and took the parchment from Xiao Ning'er's hand, inadvertently brushing against the back of her hand. Her skin felt as smooth and delicate as jade, but Nie Li didn't pay it much mind and focused intently on examining the document.
After Nie Li touched her hand, Xiao Ning'er quickly pulled it back, her heart pounding wildly and her thoughts in disarray. What if Nie Li used this to blackmail her or had ulterior motives? But when she looked up, she noticed Nie Li hadn't even noticed her reaction. She felt a slight sense of relief. The way Nie Li looked down at the parchment, so exceptionally serious, made Xiao Ning'er momentarily lose her focus. After a moment, she came back to her senses, lowered her head, and stared at nothing in particular.
"Such a great, prestigious family, yet even their direct heirs cultivate such low-grade Soul Power techniques. No wonder the