White-Robed Chief

Xiao Shi closed her eyes once again as she listened to Chu Li’s gentle voice. She followed his voice and breathed.

After a few huffs, Xiao Shi’s face was flushed red, redder than the sunset as if she was drunk. Her flushed face was dazzling and delicate, her eyes dimmed with stupor, her body, dangled.

Chu Li immediately supported her.

With the pouring of inner energy into her, Xiao Shi slowly recovered.

Xiao Shi grumbled flirtatiously, “Is your idea reliable?”

Chu Li answered, “This is a rare opportunity. Others don’t even get the chance to see a Spirit Crane and this is a Spirit Crane in the midst of cultivation, we can’t miss it and come again.”

“You’re sure it’d work? Humans and cranes are different after all.” Xiao Shi’s eyes flickered.

“The law of Heaven and Earth is the same. The Breathing Technique is a universal law, come!” responded Chu Li.

“… Alright then.” Xiao Shi was ready to go all out.

She never feared death as long as Chu Li was by her side. Even if she were to die, Xiao Shi could still be rescued. Hence, she continued to follow Chu Li’s instruction to breathe.

After a moment, her body started to rock and collapse over. She was caught by Chu Li again.

Chu Li looked into her internal body through the Omniscient Mirror and it really could not bear any heavy burden.

This Breathing Technique was ingenious. In just a short moment, it was as though Xiao Shi was drunk. It was not stifled but rather it was a boundless force that entered her body which she could not take any longer.

The spiritual force of the Spirit Cranes was exceptionally rich and so this force obtained from the Breathing Technique was also particularly strong.

Looking at these two little Cranes and adopting the unique breathing rhythm, taking in the spiritual force from Heaven and Earth, including absorbing cleanly the spiritual force poured in by Chu Li, converting it into a unique energy source, nourishing the body.

This Breathing Technique was most miraculous. It was the instinct of these two little Cranes, an instinct that was similar to eating and drinking.

Xiao Shi was momentary conscious and continued to stick to Chu Li’s breathing instructions. After a brief moment, she stumbled over again.

This time, Chu Li did not wake her and allowed her to lay in the thick grass growth to rest.

The two little Cranes were still breathing without moving an inch as if they had fallen asleep.

Standing on the tree top were the two adult Spirit Cranes who glanced over. They did not make a move.

Chu Li sat cross-legged on the grass.

He had joined in earlier these two little Cranes with the breathing and felt his internal organs suppressed then massaged by formless energy, becoming even stronger. This Breathing Technique was really an incomparable work of art.

If Chu Li could completely change his breathing rhythm just as the Spirit Cranes, as time goes by, his internal organs would become stronger beyond imagination.

When Xiao Shi finally came to, she realized she was covered and sitting in grass growth.

Chu Li was sitting beside her, not moving.

The moon was hanging high in the sky and seemed at an arm’s length.

The bright moon trickled its shine over the crowd of Spirit Cranes as well as on Chu Li.

The two little Cranes stood beside Chu Li and were as still as statues. Their feathers were purer and whiter than during the day and spread out a gentle glow aura similar to white jade.

Xiao Shi felt the world turn quiet as if there were only herself and Chu Li left in the world, as well as the two little Cranes.

She lowered her head to look her at her body. Xiao Shi felt that she was lighter as if she could glide and rise to the sky.

This wondrous feeling must have been a misconception or did she really, in fact, become lighter?

Chu Li opened his eyes and smiled. “How do you feel?”

Xiao Shi answered, “Not the same.”

Chu Li smiled. “This is the wondrous benefit from the Spirit Cranes’ breathing. With prolonged cultivation time in the future, it’s better to change our breathing so our bodies will become better.”

“Is this inner energy?” asked Xiao Shi.

Chu Li shook his head. “This is different from inner energy. It’s another energy source, it may be similar to a torso tuning technique… But it’s hard to say, we’ll know if we continue on with our practice. It is an ingenious technique.”

“What is its function?”

“It can prolong life so that Young Miss can live longer.”

“But I have already consumed a Longevity Grass.”

“So Young Miss is resentful of living longer?”

“I’m just afraid that you all will be dead by then. Living alone would be uninteresting.”

Chu Li laughed out loud.

“What are you laughing at! You did not consume the Longevity Grass, you wouldn’t be living longer than I am.” Xiao Shi rolled her eyes at him.

Chu Li said, “If I were to advance to the Enlightened Master’s Boundary, I would.”

“Can you really become an Enlightened Master? It’s not something that can be cultivated by any ordinary person.” Xiao Shi shook her head.

Chu Li smiled. “Young Miss thinks I can’t?”

“… It’s hard to say.” Xiao Shi was hesitant and shook her head.

Normally, Chu Li would not have a chance of becoming an Enlightened Master because that was reserved for either the Tempest Temple or the Emperor.

But Chu Li was a rare talent, becoming a Grandmaster in a short period of time. His martial arts was continually advancing. This was never before heard of. He may indeed become an Enlightened Master one day.

“So Young Lady should practice more the breathing technique of the Spirit Cranes. I don’t want to be an Enlightened Master yet Young Lady couldn’t live past us.” smiled Chu Li.

“Alright, I will.” Xiao Shi nodded.

The two little Cranes were engrossed in their cultivation and showed no signs of slowing down.

Chu Li’s Life and Death Scripture was still in circulation, inviting spiritual force from all directions into their bodies, and at the same time, into his body. Through breathing in the spiritual force and transforming it into peculiar energy, it oscillated his internal organs.

His internal organs were strengthened and becoming ever stronger.

Xiao Shi went through another cycle of the Breathing Technique and it was not long before she collapsed drunk.

——

Xiao Shi was awakened by a loud cry and when she opened her bright eyes, light had shone over the land.

She shifted her head to look and found Chu Li fooling around with the two little Cranes.

The two little Cranes were pecking him with their beaks like two quick sharp swords. Chu Li was blocking them with his fists. It was the little Cranes exciting cries that awakened her.

These two little cranes were without any fancy techniques but excelled in speed. Their speed became faster and faster over time.

In the beginning, they were only using their beaks to peck but as they found that they had nothing on Chu Li, they self-learned using their bodily techniques having their claws latched onto the ground, extending and leaping, quickening their long beaks by a few tads.

Xiao Shi watched for a moment before shaking her head.

“Clang!” One of the little Crane’s long beak was blocked by Chu Li. It did not retract its movement and pecked onto a rock on the ground.

The rock instantly cracked into half, giving Xiao Shi a fright.

“How dangerous!” cried out Xiao Shi.

Chu Li was blocking the two long beaks while smiling. “That’s what makes it interesting!”

“Can you take it if they get to you?” asked Xiao Shi.

Chu Li grinned. “I have found some success in tuning my body. It’s okay.”

Xiao Shi added, “Putting these two little ones out in the world is enough to handle Grandmasters.”

Chu Li nodded.

This was the scary part of Spirit Beasts. These two little Cranes were this powerful so it was easy to see how horrifying the two adult Spirit Cranes could be. Chu Li would not be able to handle them but it would be interesting to know if an Enlightened Master could handle them.

The two adult Spirit Cranes let out a clear cry and landed from the sky. They each held an animal the size of a rabbit in their mouth and in their claws, another. Chu Li was not familiar with this animal.

“It could be a Spirit Rabbit,” answered Xiao Shi.

Chu Li smiled. “Spirit Cranes eat this? Similar to a Golden Eagle eating a rabbit?”

Xiao Shi exclaimed, “They eat anything. Don’t think that they’re vegetarians!”

The two adult Spirit Cranes tossed two Spirit Rabbits to Chu Li and cast some from their beaks to the little Cranes.