CHAPTER 660: CHAPTER 49: SENDING FLOWERS

Xiao Xian and Zhou Ziang walked side by side, initially feeling a bit awkward.

Neither of them spoke; Zhou Ziang, being tall, quickly moved ahead of Xiao Xian as they descended the stairs. By the time Xiao Xian reached the stairwell, she found him standing there, quietly watching her walk down.

As they progressed, his pace slowed.

Recalling his earlier caution and how he had adjusted his steps to match hers, Xiao Xian felt a warmth in her heart and a blush crept onto her face. "Thank you for the warning earlier."

"Wang Zhonghe’s cultivation is superb, but he’s not among the top cultivators in the country," Zhou Ziang had also been tested by Wang Zhonghe using the same method. Both being at the Gold Peak, Wang Zhonghe had been cultivating his Spiritual Power for a longer time. Yet, coming from a prestigious family, he was inevitably more impatient and his methods of cultivation rougher, something that Wang Shuai, his son, managed more pragmatically.

"But you still asked me to conceal my aura in front of him, were you afraid he would harm me?" After leaving the Qingzheng Building, it started snowing again. Zhou Ziang took off his coat and draped it over their heads.

"One must always be wary of others; this is your first cooperation with the Wang family. Their tradition has always been self-first, unsentimental in their dealings. Wang Zhonghe only knows that you are a low-level cultivator capable of Armor Making. Imagine, if he knew that you didn’t understand Spiritual Power control half a year ago but reached your current level of control within six months, do you think he’d still trust you?" Zhou Ziang was aware of some dishonorable secrets within such prestigious families and didn’t want Xiao Xian to know— right now, her focus should be on rapidly improving her strength. No one knew better than Zhou Ziang how much Xiao Xian had progressed, after all, they once had an "intimate" interaction.

Speaking of caution, Xiao Xian couldn’t help but recall nearly seven years ago when she first met Zhou Ziang, and they barely spoke formally. Later in the hospital, he left her a precious Purple Ginseng. Had he been unguarded towards her since then?

"Do you know about Spirit Stacking?" Speaking of Purple Ginseng, Xiao Xian remembered, Zhou Ziang was also an extremely powerful cultivator. Although he had concealed it well in front of Wang Zhonghe, Xiao Xian could feel a vitality around him that could melt winter snow. With such ease in controlling his Spiritual Power, she could hardly gauge the extent of his cultivation. Since he intended to help, Xiao Xian was determined to seize the opportunity.

"Spirit Stacking?" Just from Zhou Ziang’s tone, she could guess he was unaware of this skill. Xiao Xian was skeptical about this skill set by the central system, as several cultivators more senior than her were also ignorant about it. It seemed she could only hope Mei Nian knew something about it.

"If I’m not mistaken, that should be a personal skill of yours. Depending on the individual’s capability in managing Spiritual Power, the skills one can cultivate also vary." Zhou Ziang had seen the Cushion made by Xiao Xian that Zhang Shuai brought over. Wang Shuai was puzzled by Xiao Xian’s way of using Spiritual Power, believing that cultivators should use Spirit Power for more "conventional" purposes, whether for strengthening the body or forming attack methods like Spiritual Bombs or spirit blades.

Indeed, esteemed older generations like Wang Zhonghe and Mei Nian did so, while Xiao Xian’s use of Spiritual Energy for weaving seemed somewhat unconventional.

"Oh," Xiao Xian replied absently, her small face falling.

"However, looking at your use of Spiritual Power, it isn’t very aggressive; if you can harness it well, soft can overcome hard, which isn’t a bad thing. Come with me," unable to bear seeing Xiao Xian disappointed, Zhou Ziang led her to the garden of Si Yiyi Hospital.

Winter caused the vegetation to wither, leaving the garden barren except for some evergreen pine and cypress. Beside the artificial lake which had formed a thin layer of ice in the morning, there was a plum tree just starting to bloom.

"In terms of delicate control over Spiritual Energy, since you’ve managed to weave cushions with nearly uniform Spiritual Power, you must be quite skilled in its application. You don’t need further guidance on that from me. However, I’ve noticed that the Spiritual Power in your woven cushions has reached its limit in thickness, and it might be difficult to enhance it further," Xiao Xian had tried infusing more Spiritual Energy into the vine to make the cushions warmer and more durable, but the result was not good, and the vine would burst if over-saturated with Spiritual Power. This issue would be the biggest challenge for her in fulfilling the task assigned by Wang Shuai.