In a dark room illuminated by moonlight, a figure was tossing and turning on the bed. His covers were kicked off on the ground and his body was covered in sweat.

The peaceful night’s silence was broken by the screams of this individual.

“NO! No…”

Ikasa sat upon his bed, his eyes wide open. His mouth still uttered the word ‘no.’ He took in his surroundings and breathed a sigh of relief.

‘So it was just a nightmare.’

He poured himself a glass of water and closed his eyes replaying the nightmare.

It was the scene of the last moments of Wu Nan. But if it was just Wu Nan, he wouldn’t call it a nightmare. Wu Nan turned into Xin Ruo, Feng Yan, and the Kids; even Yao Han and the two boys who gave him laxatives replaced Wu Nan.

And Ikasa beheaded them all. The gazes of pain, betrayal, rage, and accusations pricked his conscience. It was all because he had buried the question of his humanity.

‘Am I some freak robot or an actual living human?’

He shook his head and looked outside. The full moon in the sky reflected in the pond outside creating an illusion of two moons.

‘Maybe a stroll outside will clear my head.’

Ikasa put on his robe and headed to the pond. The warm night air was slowly cooling and turning chilly. He enjoyed the gentle breeze that brushed against his face.

He reached the orchard near the pond and that’s when he heard it.

“Gudgugud..”

Bubbles appeared on the surface of the lake. Startled, Ikasa hid in the darkness offered by the trees in the orchard. He watched cautiously as a figure emerged from the water.

Brown locks of hair spread behind her as the figure swam towards the shore near him. Only now did he notice the clothing placed on the large rock.

When he focused back on the person, she had emerged completely from the water. She was none other than Xin Ruo.

She shook her head and her dense black hair followed suit. The water detached and formed droplets that reflected the moonlight on the star of the show.

Her facial features were exquisite; a straight pointed nose, brown almond eyes, and plump cherry red lips. What more can a man ask for?

But today, his attention was captured not by her soft cheeks. Instead, his eyes refused to look away from a single drop that trickled down her chin.

He wanted to be that drop. Look down, into the deep ravine formed by her soft mounds. And then jump into that valley.

Make a way down through her generous breasts. Maybe even give her pink nipples a flick.

As the drop slowly crossed the valley, clinging to the side of her mature and full peak, his heartbeat accelerated. He could imagine the smooth softness of those breasts as the drop was joined by many fellow droplets rolling down from them.

Leaving the enticing peaks behind, the droplet began his journey into the tanned, flat lands of this beauty’s abdomen.

‘I want to mark this patch of skin with his kisses and caresses.’

He gulped at the thought.

His heart almost skipped a beat when the droplet almost fell into her deep belly button.

‘Will its journey end here? Will it not get to see the ultimate treasure of this body?’

His worries were for naught as the drop narrowly avoided that disaster and raced down from her slender waist, into the gulf formed by her thighs.

Ikasa sighed in regret at the demise of this drop, but his eyes followed countless other drops rushing down on her long, lean legs. These divine legs were a feast for the eyes.

She walked to the rock where her clothing was. Her every step sent a wave down her firm bosom. Her gentle sway of hips caused his heart to be swayed.

He gulped as she bent to pick up her clothes. Her bouncy heart-shaped rear was presented to him by her action. His tongue swirled on his dry lips at the sight of the treasure cave hidden within.

Then she disappeared behind the rock and he let out a sigh of disappointment. He looked down at his erection.

‘I want her right now, but I don’t want a passion for one night to ruin our budding romance.’

As the thought flashed through his mind, he was reminded of his biology class.

“… one of the characteristics that make living beings ‘living’ is the urge to procreate.”

One of the major representative symptoms of this urge was arousal. And he had experienced it in this body. He looked down at his tent and smiled.

“Yep, I am definitely a Human.”

He had found his solace.

—

The next morning, Ikasa met with Xin Ruo and the kids before they began their training. He distributed the newly printed [Around the Body in 80 Breaths] among the kids.

“These are upgrades to your current cultivation manual. This technique is peerless even in the Top Grade Path Forging Realm manuals.”

He saw the excitement on the kids’ faces while Xin Ruo looked stunned. He was very much satisfied with their reactions. Perceiving their impatience, he handed the manuals to them.

“I won’t say much, just use them and experience their power yourself.”

Energy Vortexes larger than the one caused by [Dumb Belle’s Guide to Strength] formed around everyone. They also lasted for a much longer time.

The whirlpool caused by his high-grade manual lasted for about ten minutes. On the other hand, the energy vortex formed by the new manual had still not subsided after twenty minutes.

The cocoons formed around them due to the presence of excess energy were broken after half an hour. Ikasa had started his exercises for the day while he waited for them to digest their gains.

“What? My cultivation fell back to stage 1 of the Path Forging realm!”

He heard Hei Ying exclaim as he was finishing his seventh lap around the grounds. Concerned, he hurried to where the group was standing.

“I also regressed to stage 1!”

“Me too…”

Chu Qing and Yan Xiao expressed their woes.

“Boo hoo… I am also in stage 1 now. Say was this some evil scheme of Brother Ikasa? Is he using this method to catch up to us?”

*Thwack*

Ikasa heard Luo Qiqi’s false accusations and couldn’t help but give a light smack on the back of her head. She turned to see who dared smack her head but turned obedient seeing who it was.

At this moment, the energy vortex around Xin Ruo also faded. The kids gathered around Xin Ruo to complain about their lowered Cultivation Stages. Hearing their complaints, she felt her body’s condition.

As a result, she discovered an anomaly. She performed all the battle techniques she knew one after another. Even then she didn’t even break a sweat.

“This is strange. My cultivation stage is much lower but I feel stronger than when I was at stage 5.”

Ikasa was watching Xin Ruo go through every battle technique. He was amazed and pleased with her progress. He had an idea as to why everyone’s cultivation regressed.

He might’ve not been able to cultivate but he had read many books and accumulated lots of theories over the years. He stepped forward to clear the confusion.

“Since you guys learned a new Energy Cultivation Manual, new paths have opened for your energy. Your older energy path is just a fraction of this extended pathway. So naturally, your cultivation has fallen as you have yet to clear the new pathway.”

Everyone had a look as if they had a revelation. They looked at Ikasa with admiration.

“Big Brother Ikasa is so smart!”

Yan Xiao said with stars in his eyes. Ikasa’s chest expanded with pride. And it was quickly shriveled by Chu Qing’s words.

“He is a miser and a cheater, but he is smart.”

‘This money-hungry ghost is still holding a grudge.’

Ikasa quickly changed the subject.

“The Challenger’s Arena is just two weeks away. You guys need to practice your battle techniques well so that you can show them off on stage.”

“Will we really be able to do well? What if we fail?”

Pei Yuan was the most afraid of going on stage.

“Weren’t you guys confident when I first asked you? Why are you getting cold feet now? Anyways, winning or losing doesn’t matter. All you have to do is show off your battle techniques.”

“But brother Ikasa our cultivation stage fell…”

Pei Yuan’s jitters spread to others as well.

“Didn’t you hear your sister Xin Ruo? Even if her cultivation stage fell, she is stronger than before. The same is the case with you guys. Don’t worry too much. Spar with sister Xin Ruo and practice your combat skills. You will be fine.”

The kids were still in doubt. It was time for a dose of a pep talk.

“Remember you are the Strongest Path Forging realm cultivators in this city, thanks to yours truly!”

And Ikasa gave an elaborate bow and stumbled in the process.

His over-the-top acting brought a smile to the tense kids. He picked himself up as he thought, ‘Mission Accomplished!’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep