Chapter Fourteen: Red and White

Li Sibai knew that this ancient tree spirit possessed formidable power, and he was certainly no match for it.

After listening to Caiyao’s introduction, the old tree spirit had been observing Li Sibai, who sat on the ground. This young man, though refined and pleasant in appearance, was not particularly striking; no matter how he looked, there seemed to be nothing extraordinary about him. Earlier, he had accidentally helped Caiyao out of the predicament with the azure luan, but Caiyao had also saved his life—by all rights, they had already settled any debts between them. How could Caiyao so casually recognize him as an elder brother? And yet, she spoke of him in the highest terms.

At this thought, the old tree spirit's face darkened with a touch of anger. He decided to test the young man further. With a swish, another vine shot out directly toward Li Sibai.

Li Sibai, lost in thought and completely relaxed, was startled by this sudden attack. Before he could react, the vine had already wrapped around him.

“Why are you attacking me again all of a sudden?!” Li Sibai shouted, but the old tree spirit had already pulled him up close, while Caiyao watched on with an amused grin.

“Girl, is this boy really as talented as you say? I can’t see anything special about him.”

“Old tree spirit, if you don’t believe me, why not try for yourself?”

“Hm…” The old tree spirit hesitated, then slowly set Li Sibai back on the ground. At the same time, a faint green mist began to drift along the vine toward Li Sibai.

Li Sibai had no idea what the tree spirit intended. He glanced up at Caiyao, who sat on a branch, but she showed not the slightest sign of worry, only a bright, encouraging smile. This reassured him somewhat.

Within moments, the pale green mist had completely enveloped him. At first, Li Sibai felt a twinge of anxiety, but then a strange sense of familiarity washed over him—a feeling of comfort, like bathing in a gentle spring breeze, leaving him refreshed and clear-headed.

“What is this…?” Li Sibai wondered, but could not be certain. He decided to cross his legs and let the breath in his body harmonize with the green mist. Soon, his Xuantian Arts began to circulate. Energy surged through his body; the green mist, mixed with the ambient pure energy, was drawn into him. Yet, rather than increasing, his internal true energy seemed to be suppressed, while another current within him seized the opportunity to grow, merging with the newly absorbed energy and green mist, almost entirely occupying the center of his dantian.

At first, Li Sibai found the sensation familiar, reminiscent of when Caiyao had covered him with white light—though then, the comfort was warm, while now it was cool and refreshing.

The old tree spirit, for his part, was secretly astonished. That a youth so young could possess such talent—he was indeed a rare prodigy.

With this realization, the old tree spirit increased the output of the green mist, doubling its strength. Li Sibai’s comfort swiftly turned to pain; the pleasant coolness now became unbearable, as if he would soon be frozen solid. His body began to shiver uncontrollably.

Caiyao, seeing this, quickly intervened: “Old tree spirit, slow down! My brother’s cultivation isn’t high enough—he can’t absorb so much pure energy at once. If you push too hard, you’ll only make things worse.”

The old tree spirit was startled by her words and hastily withdrew the excess green mist. The pressure on Li Sibai eased, and the earlier gentle coolness returned.

Thus, the old tree spirit maintained a steady flow of green mist into Li Sibai, while Li Sibai’s Xuantian Arts continued to absorb the pure energy. The two forces mingled within him, refining and accumulating into a kind of unknown energy. Though Li Sibai was puzzled, he did not stop.

After about the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, Li Sibai reached another bottleneck. The exhaustion and pain grew. He bit his lips, furrowed his brow, clenched his fists—clearly enduring terrible suffering. Sweat poured from him, soaking his clothes, just as it had when Caiyao helped him to advance before.

At this crucial moment, his consciousness seemed to blur. Scenes from dreams appeared before his eyes: the sorrowful woman—who was she? Then Uncle Cai Da seemed to call, “Come back and I’ll cook you braised pork!” In a blink, Yao Xueqing smiled at him, saying, “When will you enter the inner sect? I’ll be waiting for you.” Then Caiyao appeared before him: “Brother, you must hold on, it’s almost over!”

“Ahhh!”

Li Sibai awoke with a start. Caiyao was right in front of him, having taken the form of that innocent and lovely maiden, her face full of anxious concern. So, it hadn’t all been an illusion—it was real!

Clenching his teeth, Li Sibai roared, “Open!”

With a thunderous sound, all the accumulated energy burst forth. Li Sibai felt a surge of icy energy sealing his body, yet he felt immeasurably comfortable. A stream of white, chilling energy shot from within him, down the vine, and straight into the old tree spirit.

“Ahhh!” This time it was the old tree spirit’s turn to cry out…

Suddenly, all was silent. The insects fell quiet, the beasts ceased their howls, even the wind seemed to stop, not a leaf stirring.

Within Li Sibai, the icy energy spread wildly, then fused with a current of red energy. The once meandering stream became a rushing river, flowing swiftly; where it passed, the torment of cold vanished, replaced by a burning, comforting warmth.

Li Sibai slowly opened his eyes, filled with confusion and delight.

He rejoiced at his successful breakthrough to the fifth level of the Phoenix Dawn Realm, yet was alarmed to sense two distinct energies within him—one red and scorching, the other white and chilling. What was going on? He could not fathom it. He looked up at Caiyao, crouched in front of him, and then at the old tree spirit, who seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Caiyao, do you know what I just felt? I…” Li Sibai wanted to ask her what had happened, but the words caught in his throat, and he did not know how to begin.