Chapter Forty-Five: Mutation?

The sound of the water basin hitting the floor drowned out Li Su’s murmurs. Yin Yao turned her head in fear toward Li Su, terrified that the noise might wake him! But seeing his peaceful slumber, she relaxed at last. She gently unclasped his hand from her own, bent down to pick up the basin, and, seeing her clothes now soaked, shook her head with resignation and went to change into something clean.

Half an hour later, Li Su awoke. Yin Yao, seeing how much he had recovered, could not help but admire the remarkable resilience of the Li Yin family. Li Su turned to Yin Yao, acting spoiled, his voice soft and childish: “Yao’er, I’m so tired!”

Yin Yao looked at him, helplessly amused. Was this really the same person who had aided her so powerfully just a short while ago? “Then rest more and talk less,” she said, glancing at him before adding to herself, “Thank you for earlier.”

Just those simple words made Li Su, who had just been pouting, break into a cheerful smile again. Yin Yao reminded him to rest well, then closed the door and went outside.

Strolling among the fields, she felt her body and mind at ease. Behind her skipped a dainty, snow-white little fox, joyfully bounding along. It had appeared when Yin Yao summoned her Ice Spirit once more—a little fox conjured from thin air! She had been greatly surprised at first, but after sensing it with her spiritual power, she discovered that it was indeed another form of the Ice Spirit. She named it Bing’er.

“Bing’er!” Yin Yao called softly.

With a swift motion, Bing’er leapt into her arms and lay there obediently. With a silent thought, the little fox vanished from her embrace, and instead, her right hand now gripped the Ice Spirit in its weapon form. With a few light steps, she soared into the air, heading forward.

She swung the Ice Spirit toward the rocky hill, striking it forcefully. The hill trembled violently, a thunderous sound echoing out, and several deep marks appeared on its surface as fragments of stone tumbled down. Yin Yao easily dodged them, looking at her Ice Spirit with satisfaction. This breakthrough was far greater than before! She could not help but remember how, in her frenzied outbursts before, she had used all her strength and managed only to make the hill shake slightly.

The Ice Spirit vanished in an instant, and Bing’er lay sleeping in Yin Yao’s arms as she stroked its fur and turned to head back the way she came.

In the distance, a dark shadow flashed by…

The shock to the rocky hill had awakened Li Jin, who had been resting with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes, then closed them again, quietly sensing the fluctuations of power around him and was astonished to discover that Yin Yao had succeeded in breaking through the Illusion Level and entered the Void Realm! Remarkable! The student surpasses the master. Yet, why did her power seem so unstable?

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Li Jin pondered deeply, but could not find the answer.

At dinner, Li Jin, driven by curiosity, asked Yin Yao, “Yin Yao, your strength seems to have surpassed the Illusion Level, hasn’t it? You must have leapt two levels and entered the Void Realm.”

Yin Yao looked up at this elder, her expression calm as she smiled faintly: “Yes. I hope I didn’t disturb you this afternoon.”

“Indeed, I was startled by your power when you shook the hill!” Li Jin laughed heartily, playing along. “But, tell me, have you noticed anything unusual about your power?”

A flash of surprise flickered in Yin Yao’s eyes. She had long been aware of something strange, but could not find the reason. She hadn’t expected that just this one display of power would be enough for the Master of the Li Estate to discover it!

Suppressing her shock, she asked sincerely, “Master Li, what do you mean by that?”

Li Su, who had been eating with his head down, looked up in astonishment at their words, curiosity lighting his face: “Father, did you discover something? Tell us!”

But at this point, Li Jin unexpectedly lowered his head, seeming somewhat dejected. He had thought Yin Yao might know something about it, but she was completely in the dark, not even a hint of a clue. How could he draw any conclusion?

Seeing that Li Jin had suddenly fallen silent, Yin Yao pressed on, “Master Li, do you know something about this?” After all, her own unstable and unusual power was a matter of great importance to her.

Li Jin, hearing her, finally raised his head. Since neither of them knew, he decided to probe further to see what he could deduce: “Yin Yao, have you studied any other forms of martial arts?”

Li Su now remembered how difficult it had been when Yin Yao broke through her bottleneck—far harder than expected! It had even cost him so much spiritual power that he fainted. He was determined to get to the bottom of it.

“Yao’er, has your power mutated? Why didn’t you tell me?” Li Su looked at Yin Yao, dissatisfied and a little angry, though the mutation was only his own guess.

His seemingly random complaint gave both Li Jin and Yin Yao a hint.

Yin Yao frowned at his words. “Mutation? I’m not sure either.”

Their exchange made Li Jin fall into deep thought once again.

Li Su was a firm believer in practical investigation. Taking advantage of his seat close to Yin Yao, he grabbed her hand and sent his spiritual power inside to explore. To his surprise, he encountered resistance! Yin Yao, confused and irritated by his sudden action, pulled her hand away in annoyance.

“What are you doing, Li Su, at a time like this?”

“I just wanted to investigate the abnormality in your power with my spiritual energy!” Li Su replied, aggrieved, his voice catching.

“Exactly!” Li Jin, reminded by Li Su’s action, responded at once, “Yin Yao, forgive my presumption. Let me examine you with my spiritual power.” He took her hand.

Yin Yao gave her consent and waited quietly for his findings.

Gentle spiritual energy flowed in, probing slowly. Li Jin discovered that Yin Yao’s power was indeed peculiar. The power of their family was always the gentlest and most easily accepted, yet now it was being kept at bay! If he forced his way in, his power would be bounced out. This strength, infused within her like snow, permeated every part of her being, and seemed to have been triggered by some stimulus.

“Yin Yao, did you achieve your Illusion Level breakthrough alone?” Li Jin withdrew his hand, having learned little.

Yin Yao answered him honestly: “Li Su helped me greatly.”

Seeing their gazes fall on him, Li Su immediately brightened: “Yes, I helped! I exhausted myself to the point of fainting for Yao’er!”

“Li Su fainted?” Li Jin understood—though Li Su behaved childishly, he was a rare genius. For him to faint, the power involved must have been extraordinarily strong! The trigger was clear—now all that remained was the power carried in blood.

“Yin Yao, have you ever suffered significant blood loss, or has anyone ever given you their blood?”

“Ji Xuanyu!” Yin Yao blurted out.

Li Jin’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Someone from the Ji family?”

“Yes—he possesses dragon power!” Yin Yao decided to tell Li Jin; after all, some things must be lost to be gained. This was a minor secret.

Li Jin stroked his beard, understanding dawning on his face. “No wonder.”

Yin Yao and Li Su listened to his words, still puzzled. Seeing their confusion, Li Jin explained patiently: “If the power of the dragon and your own are blended together, and you are strong enough and handle it well, you can completely purify his blood, transforming it into your own—blood unique to the Spirit Fox lineage. However—”

Li Su, his impatience truly childlike, interrupted, “However, what?”

Yin Yao had meant to ask, but since Li Su had already spoken up, she decided to listen carefully. After all, it didn’t matter who asked.

“If you don’t handle it well, your power will be extremely unstable. In the worst case, you could lose control and fall into madness. Yin Yao, I’ll help you stabilize the dragon’s power for now, but whether you succeed in purifying it will depend on your own efforts.” Li Jin’s tone was earnest and weighty.

Yin Yao stood up and bowed deeply to him. “Thank you, elder!”

Li Jin smiled kindly. “The final result depends on you. I can only help you for the time being. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

“Yes, I will do my best!” Yin Yao replied, her voice full of determination—for, after all, it concerned her very self.