Protagonist-Surpassing Battle Prowess!

As a cultivator who carried many secrets upon him, cautiousness was buried deep into Shu Yidan's bones. He always hid away his true thoughts and showed a façade to the world. Yet now, he had suddenly spilled out the sentiments of his past life!

He was never a trusting person, and he was never quite that close to Xiaoyi. And yet, he had inadvertently closed the distance to her in no time. It was almost too good to be true.

He knew that he wasn't facing a mental influence and he knew he held no special feelings for Xiaoyi, be it love or hatred. So why…?

"Brother Shu, I do have the Mountbatten Sword Immortal's Bloodline. I think it would be easier for me to reach Nascent Soul at the least." Xiaoyi asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"True, that. But you'll have to steadily unravel the entirety of the gifts of your bloodline…while not letting it set your path." Shu Yidan replied.

"What do you mean?" Xiaoyi was quite mystified.

"See, bloodlines are usually physiques passed down through lineages. Something like the Nine-Tiger Bloodline gives divine strength and makes cultivating certain martial techniques easier." Xiaoyi wanted to interrupt, but before she spoke, he started. "Your Sword Immortal Bloodline doesn't offer you advantages in physique – no, rather than that it is an inheritance of Sword Intent – the Mountbatten Sword Intent. As a True Immortal Inheritance, you have inherited Sword Intent and should be able to inherit the Dao Domain as well. Also, you should have some of Mountbatten's cultivation technique inherited as well, I suppose."

"Yes, I do. I have the memory of a few of Ancestor Mountbatten's cultivation techniques." Xiaoyi sighed in reply.

"As I said, that's your inheritance. The Sword Immortal Bloodline gives you memory inheritance of Sword Intent and further, top level cultivation techniques and your Ancestor's insight. It is envied for a reason – your ancestor ascended to immortality, the trace he left for you is enough for you reach Nascent Soul." Shu Yidan didn't envy Xiaoyi – he had ascended to a True Immortal himself, after all.

"But, what did you say about 'not letting the bloodline set my path'?" Xiaoyi asked him.

"Oh, Mountbatten's Dao was peerless and his path led to Immortal Ascension. But your bloodline isn't enough to contain the entirety of the Dao, it is only enough to send you into the doorstep of the Immortal Path – Nascent Soul Realm. The path ahead would have to be forged by yourself. The bloodline will still be of help until you reach the realm of your Ancestor but it will get lesser and lesser, I suppose." Shu Yidan ended.

"…Thank you. Master never quite explained in such detail. You are quite well-learned." Xiaoyi's sincerity in her thanks warned Shu Yidan's heart.

"I get by. It seems you are what you look like - a hillbilly fresh in the city." Shu Yidan lightly teased her.

Xiaoyi didn't seem offended. Instead, she continued with her questioning.

"So, you are saying that the Dao Domain Inheritance will make me breakthrough to Nascent Soul, right? But if I breakthrough using my Ancestor's blessings, I might be locked on to his path." Xiaoyi asked him.

"That's exactly how it is. You are a smart-cookie." Looking down on the little village idiot was a matter of fact.

"So what path would you prefer? If you were in my place, I mean?" Xiaoyi asked Shu Yidan with a serious expression.

"Hey, your path means your path. In any case, breaking through to Nascent Soul is something that you'll certainly succeed in. That means that no matter what decide, you have something to fall back upon. Even if you waste hundreds of years and fail to grasp anything, you can always fallback on your Ancestor's blessings and breakthrough to Nascent Soul!" Shu Yidan's words sounded weren't too cheerful.

"Brother Shu, how far are you from grasping a Dao Domain?" Xiaoyi's questioned him.

"A little bit too far. If it weren't for my desire to cultivate a certain Dao Domain, I would have grasped one already. But for now…" Shu Yidan pretended to grit his teeth.

"Heh, watching a cultivator get enlightenment in a Dao Domain is a splendid matter, or so I've heard. It is enough for Qi Refining cultivators like me to get an insight, at the least." Xiaoyi tugged against the rope that bound her, as if trying to scratch a part of her skin with the rope.

"Well, it certainly is a splendid lightshow. My Dao Companion is close to comprehending a Dao Domain, or so she told me. There she is, sleeping on the bed over there. How lucky, I wish I could sleep tonight as well…" Shu Yidan's complaints were ignored by Xiaoyi.

Feng Shiyao was there in the nude upon the bed, her sleeping posture enticing all eyes, even those of poor, childish Xiaoyi. Curiously, the fluids residue of her coupling with Shu Yidan had vanished.

"Brother Shu, your Dao Companion usually sleeps naked at night? And… ah…" Yixiao seemed to want to ask what Shu Yidan was doing with Feng Shiyao naked, but didn't have the guts to ask, thankfully for him.

"Yeah, we were enjoying conjugal bliss until someone broke open the door." The tone of complaint in Shu Yidan's voice caused Yixiao to wryly smile.

The conversation between them was suddenly covered by an awkward silence. Both the fellow apprentices looked each other in the eye before turning away, unwilling to broach the topic of what this conjugal bliss was.

Just then, the Feng Shiyao who was in the dreamlands opened her eyes. Blank and void, they were reminiscent of Shu Yidan's memory when he received the former Shu Yidan's quest.

In her eyes, countless runes started flashing. Azure wind and crimson fire flashed around her. The two Intents that Shu Yidan never knew Feng Shiyao cultivated, had actually reached the point where she was a single step away from Dao Domain.

Just like Xiaoyi wished for, there was a Dao Domain breakthrough for her to spectate and draw insight from.

Suddenly, everything behind their rapidly growing familiarity made sense. Actually, it was the grace of the World shining upon Xiaoyi.

Shu Yidan had once thought about Xiaoyi, 'if not for being a girl, she might have been the Hero he was opposing.'

His thoughts were wrong. Xiaoyi, despite being a girl, was still the protagonist of the world.