Su Wan’er woke up amidst a burst of sharp pain. She snapped her eyes open, her right hand instinctively reaching for her waist. Her sword was still there, which brought her a little reassurance, but a split second later, she sprang up. Her longsword left its sheath, the tip pointing straight ahead.

Sitting by the campfire was a man. He looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in a gray robe. He was handsome, but there were no fluctuations of spiritual energy around him at all.

A mortal? Su Wan’er did not lower her sword; instead, she gripped it tighter.

She had been hunted relentlessly, fleeing all the way from Mount Cangwu to here. The Evil Curse afflicting her was still continuously eroding her body.

In this kind of situation, a mortal appearing before her was far too suspicious.

Su Wan’er’s gaze stabbed toward the man like a knife, trying to find a flaw in his expression.

She met his eyes, eyes as calm as a pool of still water. There was no fear, no surprise, and he didn’t even look at the sword in her hand. The firelight flickered in his pupils, yet it seemed unable to illuminate any emotion.

He merely tilted his head slightly, watching her with a languid posture.

Su Wan’er’s heart suddenly sank.

This feeling… she had only ever felt it from her Master. It was the kind of indifference born from weathering the vicissitudes of life and seeing through everything.

No, that’s impossible. She carefully sensed him again; there was indeed no fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from him. But how could a mortal be so calm with a sword held against his neck?

Unless…

He wasn’t a mortal, but an expert whose Cultivation Base far exceeded hers, having returned to a state of natural simplicity so profound that she couldn’t sense his power at all.

A fine layer of cold sweat broke out on Su Wan’er’s forehead.

Right at that moment, the man spoke, his voice completely flat.

“Is this how you treat your savior?”

Su Wan’er froze.

She looked down at the injuries on her body; the wounds had been simply bandaged.

He was the one who had saved her.

She bit her lower lip, slowly withdrew her longsword, and knelt on one knee. “Su Wan’er… thanks fellow Daoist for the life-saving grace. I was impolite just now and beg your forgiveness. But this junior has one doubt: why did Senior help me?”

“No particular reason. This Venerable1 saved you simply because I felt a fateful connection with you.”

A fateful connection? Hearing this, she couldn’t help but look at him again.

After observing him carefully, she still didn’t detect any spiritual energy fluctuations. However, that face held absolutely no expression, he was neither smug about her gratitude nor angry about her wariness.

This kind of composure couldn’t be faked.

The slight suspicion that had just risen in Su Wan’er’s heart was once again dispelled.

Lai Li’an’s heart rate had already soared to 180.

Just now, that sword was a mere 0.01 centimeters away from his throat!

Wet blood still lingered on the blade, radiating a faint chill. He could feel his back already drenched in cold sweat.

But he didn’t move, not even blinking.

The skills he had honed over the past three years scamming wandering martial artists in the market were all put to use in this very moment. He told himself:

When Su Wan’er retracted her sword and knelt down, he almost couldn’t hold back a long exhale of relief.

Then, he looked at the system panel that popped up.

15 points.

Too low.

Lai Li’an calculated rapidly in his mind. Relying solely on the identity of “her savior” wasn’t enough; he needed more compelling “evidence.” But right now, he had absolutely nothing on hand, no Cultivation Base, no magical artifacts, not even a single medicinal pill to offer.

Wait.

He suddenly thought of something.

Her pursuers.

If she really was being hunted down, then what about the people chasing her? She had been unconscious for at least several hours. Why hadn’t those pursuers caught up?

A plan formed in his mind.

Lai Li’an withdrew his gaze, looked at Su Wan’er, and said in a casual tone:

“I already took care of the people chasing you.”

Su Wan’er’s body visibly stiffened.

She jerked her head up, her eyes full of disbelief. What?

“A few at the Early Foundation Establishment, and one at the Late Foundation Establishment.” Lai Li’an’s tone remained flat. “Their Cultivation Bases were nothing special. They are already dead, so you don’t need to worry.”

Su Wan’er’s eyes widened.

Late Foundation Establishment… casually taken care of?

Earlier, there had indeed been three Early Foundation Establishment cultivators chasing her, but she hadn’t seen a Late Foundation Establishment one.

If a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator was truly killed so easily by this person, then this person had to be at least at the Golden Core Stage!

She subconsciously wanted to retort, but swallowed the words just as they reached her lips.

If the other party were truly a mortal, how could he see through someone’s cultivation base, and how could he possibly kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Since that was the case, didn’t her inability to see through his cultivation base prove that his realm was far above hers?

But… but this was just too much of a coincidence.

She had been heavily injured, fallen from the sky, and just happened to crash right in front of a hidden expert?

Su Wan’er bit her lip, suspicion and shock churning alternately in her heart.

Lai Li’an watched her fluctuating expressions, knowing that it wasn’t quite enough yet. He needed to add more fuel to the fire to completely shatter her doubts.

He cast a faint glance over Su Wan’er’s wounds, a trace of scrutiny in his tone:

“Why would a group of Foundation Establishment brats chase after a junior at the Early Qi Condensation realm like you?”

Su Wan’er’s pupils suddenly shrank.

If it was just suspicion a moment ago, she now believed it seventy to eighty percent. The other party was definitely not a mortal, otherwise, how could he see through her cultivation base?

This casual question was more convincing than any lofty boasting.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but his next words cut her off.

“Let me guess.” Lai Li’an narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on Su Wan’er’s pale face. “The injuries on your body aren’t from ordinary swords or sabers. There is an evil energy eroding the areas around the wounds, eating away at your Spiritual Root. Ordinary cultivators wouldn’t use this kind of method; it’s too malicious.”

Su Wan’er’s face turned a few shades paler.

Lai Li’an continued, “Could it be that the other party wants to seize the Spiritual Root in your body? It seems the grade of it isn’t low, right?”

As he spoke these words, he was actually frantically thanking the system in his heart for the information it had given him about Su Wan’er.

Su Wan’er’s lips trembled slightly as she tried to speak.

Seeing this, Lai Li’an added fuel to the fire, “A Supreme… Water Spiritual Root.”

Su Wan’er’s heart jolted.

He could even see through this! Instantly, she became guarded.

Lai Li’an’s face showed no fluctuations. He merely nodded slightly, as if this answer had long been within his expectations:

“Just as I thought. A Supreme Water Spirit Root paired with your Innate Dao Physique is indeed worth those people investing such great capital.”

Su Wan’er was completely shocked.

Innate Dao Physique!

She had never told anyone about her physique. Even her Master had only vaguely sensed it and never confirmed it, yet this person… had seen through it with just a single glance?

Su Wan’er abruptly raised her head, staring intently at Lai Li’an’s face.

There was still no expression on that face. The firelight danced in his pupils, reflecting no emotion. He just sat quietly by the campfire, looking like an ordinary scholar.

Yet it was precisely this kind of person who made a chill rise from the bottom of her heart.

This was absolutely no mortal.

Su Wan’er took a deep breath, withdrew her scrutinizing gaze, and respectfully lowered her head, “Senior has a discerning eye, this junior is in awe.”

Ding!

Lai Li’an almost jumped up from the ground.

Early Foundation Establishment!

Three years! Three whole years! He finally had a cultivation base!

His heart pounded madly, blood surged through his veins, and an unprecedented power welled up from deep within his body, as if something was taking root and sprouting in his Dantian.

This feeling… this feeling…

Was so fucking exhilarating!

The system did not stop.

Lai Li’an’s smile froze on his face. Suppressing the urge to curse, he rapidly scanned the contents of the gift pack.

Products produced by the system were bound to be top-tier, but he couldn’t use them! Only one talisman was usable, and it was a consumable item.

His expression shifted again and again, eventually settling into a subtle look that was neither a smile nor a frown.

It took him three years to obtain a Foundation Establishment Cultivation Base, only for the system to tell him it was just an empty shell.

No… wait.

His gaze fell on the last item.

This was the only thing he could use, but why didn’t he feel any changes?

Various emotions churned in his heart, yet his face maintained an unfathomable indifference.

Then, he realized he had made a mistake.

He had been staring at the system panel for too long.

From Su Wan’er’s perspective, he had been staring right at her the entire time.