Chapter 15: Acquiring the Sacred Heart Technique and the Changing Relationship with Aunt Tang Yuehua
Chapter 15: Acquiring the Sacred Heart Technique and the Changing Relationship with Aunt Tang Yuehua
After a while of closeness, Xu Yan felt warmth and comfort in his aunt’s embrace.
Tang Yuehua, too, found a deep sense of security holding this little one in her arms.
No one disturbed them.
Time passed swiftly.
Half a month went by.
Xu Yan stayed comfortably at Yuexuan.
During the day, he had Princess Xue Ke as company in class; at night, his mature aunt kept him company.
Life was simply delightful.
Meanwhile, he had not paused his cultivation in these two weeks.
Having consumed all his Soul Essence Fruits, his soul power had now reached level thirty-eight.
Training his mental strength here, his mental energy points had already hit six thousand.
This was the realm of the Spirit Abyss.
The next level, the Spirit Domain, required a breakthrough in mental energy points.
In class, Xu Yan was playing the harp.
[Ding! Check-in available. Would you like to check in?]
“Check in,” Xu Yan silently recited in his mind.
Every day, he eagerly awaited this system prompt.
These days, he hadn’t gained anything extraordinary—either an increase in soul power level or mental energy points.
That was still acceptable.
Yet, Xu Yan hoped to obtain some valuable skill.
[Ding! Check-in at Yuexuan Chapel successful, acquired the Sacred Heart Technique.]
[Ding! Sacred Heart Technique cultivation method fully integrated with the host.]
Suddenly, a flood of information surged into Xu Yan’s mind.
The Sacred Heart Technique contained several mysterious offensive martial methods.
Among them were the Four Tribulations of the Sacred Heart, the Four Absolutes of the Sacred Heart, and the Seven Void Realms.
[Matching soul skills for the Sacred Heart Technique: Unrestrained Ascension Step, Sea-Absorbing Sacred Heart Spell, Heavenly Palace Illusion.]
The Unrestrained Ascension Step was a lightness soul skill; when unleashed, it appeared as if one was strolling leisurely, floating ethereally like an immortal.
The Sea-Absorbing Sacred Heart Spell was a soul skill with devouring power; in this soul-power-centered world, it could absorb others’ soul power for one’s own use.
Thus, he would no longer worry about running out of soul power.
The Heavenly Palace Illusion could manipulate hearts through mental energy, creating illusions and inducing hallucinations.
This aspect was similar to the pupil technique of the Reincarnation Eye; in the future, combining various abilities could prove useful against enemies.
Assimilating all the skills of the Sacred Heart Technique, Xu Yan’s lips curved into a faint smile.
He had grown considerably stronger.
With his abundant mental energy, although he still could not rival soul masters of the Soul Combatant rank, he need no longer fear soul masters below the Soul Saint level.
Wasn’t this practically invincible?
When he had leisure, Xu Yan would retreat to a quiet place to cultivate alone.
Though he had gained the Sacred Heart Technique and immense overflow power, in this world, the strength of one’s soul power still mattered most.
The various abilities of the Reincarnation Eye consumed soul power, and so did the Sacred Heart Technique.
“Xu Yan, what are you doing?”
Xue Ke approached brightly, sitting beside him with a reserved grace, gently pressing her skirt with her hands, tilting her head to ask.
“Nothing much, Your Highness. Is there something you need?” Xu Yan looked at her, inquiring.
“Uh, actually, there is something,” Xue Ke pondered, then said, “Don’t be mad when I tell you.”
Seeing the slight embarrassment on Xue Ke’s delicate face, Xu Yan smiled gently, “It’s alright, just say it.”
“Well, I told my brother about you. He seems quite interested and said he wants to meet you tonight,” Xue Ke softly said, “Xu Yan, he’s inviting you to the Imperial Palace as a guest. There’s no other meaning.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Yan was delighted—could he be so lucky as to meet his long-cherished goddess, Qian Renxue, so soon?
“Um… I need to ask Aunt first. If she agrees, I can go; otherwise, I dare not,” Xu Yan said deliberately.
“No worries. If it’s not possible, I’ll inform Lord Xuan,” Xue Ke replied.
Xu Yan nodded, then stood up, “Alright, I have something to do. If it’s okay, see you tonight.”
“Okay, I’ll arrange for someone to welcome you at the Yuexuan gates,” Xue Ke nodded happily.
Xu Yan left.
After the day's lessons ended, Xu Yan sought out Tang Yuehua.
Through these days of interaction, Tang Yuehua’s feelings for Xu Yan deepened.
Because Xu Yan taught her to play songs on the harp, their bond naturally strengthened.
At first, she regarded Xu Yan as a junior, but over time, she realized her feelings were changing.
Perhaps due to her admiration for her brother, she had a brother-complex; Xu Yan’s appearance bore some resemblance to him, and thus her emotions shifted.
Gradually, it turned into romantic affection.
She was troubled and conflicted, wondering why she developed such feelings for Xu Yan, but she couldn’t resist.
Every day she longed to see him, and when she saw him growing close to Princess Xue Ke, a pang of jealousy stirred in her heart.
Yet, in front of the students, she dared not reveal any inappropriate emotions; in private, she longed to be with Xu Yan.
In fact, Xu Yan, consciously or not, gave subtle hints, causing Tang Yuehua to fall deeper in love.
Seeing Xu Yan approach, Tang Yuehua’s face softened with a tender smile as she stepped forward and embraced him.
Xu Yan gently wrapped his arms around her slender waist and said, “Aunt, I’m going to the Imperial Palace for a while.”
Tang Yuehua was startled, quickly lifting her gaze to his handsome face, asking, “Is it Xue Ke who asked you to go?”
“Yes. Aunt, if you don’t want me to go, I won’t,” Xu Yan said, reaching out to caress her fair, delicate face.
Tang Yuehua closed her beautiful eyes, seemingly savoring the touch, her breath fragrant.
After a thoughtful pause, she opened her eyes.
“Go ahead. You should have your own social life,” she said softly with a gentle smile.
“And also, don’t call me ‘Aunt’ when no one else is around; it makes me uneasy.”
“Alright, then I’ll call you Yue’er,” Xu Yan smiled.
Tang Yuehua pouted coquettishly, lightly tapping his chest. “So disrespectful.”
“If not Yue’er, should I call you ‘wife’?” Xu Yan grasped her soft jade-like hand and pressed it to his forehead.
They could hear each other’s heartbeat and feel each other’s breath.
At that moment, a flush rose on Tang Yuehua’s lovely face; she felt nervous and flustered, as if the temperature had risen several degrees.
Xu Yan kissed her on her pure white forehead, then immediately withdrew, saying, “Don’t wait up for me tonight. I might be very late. You should rest early.”
Tang Yuehua softly replied, then watched Xu Yan turn and leave.
Watching his figure gradually vanish, she took a few steps forward, recalling their intimate moments, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.
(End of chapter)