Upon hearing those words, Lu Ning felt a sinking sensation in her heart.
“Master… Master, what… what do you mean by that?”
A faint smile gradually curled at the corners of Liu Ningshuang’s lips.
“I feel that having you stay here to cultivate with me for only one month is far too short.”
“While your cultivation has recovered slightly, you are still much too weak to venture outside.”
Liu Ningshuang paused, a flicker of obsessive light dancing in her eyes.
“I do not wish to see you bullied by those questionable women again.”
“From now on, the only person in this world allowed to bully you is me, your master.”
“Therefore, I have decided.”
“Starting today, you will stay comfortably in this forbidden area and focus on cultivating with me.”
“You will only leave this place once your cultivation has broken through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage.”
Lu Ning was speechless.
‘…What?’
As she looked at the woman who calmly spoke of imprisoning her until she reached the Tribulation Transcendence stage, her mind went blank.
The Tribulation Transcendence stage?
Was she joking?
Lu Ning was currently only at the early Void Refinement stage.
Between her and the legendary Tribulation Transcendence realm stood two massive hurdles: the Body Integration stage and the Great Ascension stage.
How many years would that take?
“Master!”
Lu Ning abruptly sat up from the jade stone.
Looking at Liu Ningshuang, she put on an expression of utmost sincerity.
“This disciple knows you are doing this for my own good. I am also willing to stay here and accompany you in your cultivation, but…”
Lu Ning’s tone shifted as a troubled look crossed her face.
“But there is the matter of the Tianmo Sect… Although the righteous factions have retreated for now, they certainly won’t give up easily.”
“I worry that if I don’t show my face for a long time, the sect might fall into chaos again. Furthermore, I fear that Qinghuan alone won’t be able to manage the situation.”
Lu Ning intended to use the sect and her rebellious disciple, Gu Qinghuan, as shields to make Liu Ningshuang change her mind.
However, Liu Ningshuang only shook her head gently after hearing this.
“Ning’er, you don’t seem to understand yet.”
“From the moment you stepped into this forbidden area, everything in the outside world ceased to have anything to do with you.”
“As for the Tianmo Sect…”
A trace of playfulness flashed in Liu Ningshuang’s eyes.
“You only need to remember one thing: once you become strong enough, you can rebuild the Tianmo Sect whenever you wish. That is enough. From this day forward, your only task is to stay here and cultivate with me.”
“Until you possess enough strength to protect yourself, you are not allowed to go anywhere.”
Hearing this, Lu Ning fell into utter despair.
She knew she was truly being imprisoned by this master of hers.
And it was being done under such a high-sounding pretext.
“There now, Ning’er.”
Liu Ningshuang stepped toward Lu Ning again and doted on her by pinching her cheek.
“Stop wearing such a sour face. I am doing this for your benefit.”
“Rest assured, I will take very good care of you.”
As she spoke, she pressed Lu Ning back down onto the warm jade stone.
Then, she lay down beside her, pulling Lu Ning tightly into her embrace.
“Ning’er, let us continue.”
Liu Ningshuang’s voice whispered in her ear.
“Let me see how long you can persevere in this round of cultivation.”
The following month was a nightmare of combined pain and pleasure for Lu Ning.
Every day, Liu Ningshuang pulled her into the Jade Pool Immortal Spring to “cultivate.”
Bit by bit, she carved the profound meanings of the Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Demon Arts into Lu Ning’s body and soul.
Through this passive “cultivation,” Lu Ning gained unexpected benefits.
Her cultivation level skyrocketed at an incredible speed.
Early Void Refinement stage… Middle Void Refinement stage… Late Void Refinement stage…
Early Body Integration stage… Middle Body Integration stage… Late Body Integration stage…
Early Great Ascension stage…
It wasn’t until a month later that Lu Ning finally woke up from a long session of “cultivation.”
Her power had reached an unprecedented height.
Middle Great Ascension stage!
In just over a month, her cultivation had soared from the early Void Refinement stage all the way to the middle Great Ascension stage.
With her current strength, she wouldn’t even fear Jing Linglong.
She was far stronger now than she had been when using the gacha experience card.
Thinking that she finally possessed enough strength to protect herself—and even strike back—Lu Ning’s heart burned with anticipation.
‘Gu Qinghuan, Jing Linglong, Su Yuexi…’
‘Once I leave this place, I’ll make sure you all experience the meaning of true despair!’
Lu Ning schemed silently, her face remaining expressionless.
At that moment, Liu Ningshuang, who had been sitting cross-legged beside her with her eyes closed to regulate her breathing, suddenly opened them.
A hint of gravity, difficult to detect, appeared on her cold and beautiful face.
“Master, what’s wrong?”
Lu Ning keenly sensed the change in her.
Liu Ningshuang did not speak.
She slowly raised her head, her gaze piercing through the barrier of the forbidden area toward the distant horizon.
After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice carrying an unprecedented seriousness.
“It seems something has happened in the Central Region. Some things that shouldn’t have appeared have awakened early.”
Lu Ning became nervous as she heard this.
Anything that could make even Liu Ningshuang look grave was definitely no small matter.
“Master, you…”
“Ning’er.”
Liu Ningshuang interrupted her.
“I must leave this place for a while to handle some matters. You stay here and cultivate well; do not run off.”
“I have already made all the necessary preparations for your future cultivation path. When you eventually break through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage, I will naturally return to fetch you.”
As she spoke, she took a jade slip emitting a seven-colored radiance from her storage ring and handed it to Lu Ning.
“This contains my cultivation insights from over the years, as well as some divine techniques I created. They should be of help to you. Also…”
Liu Ningshuang paused, a mysterious smile appearing on her face.
“I have prepared a grand gift for you. Once you are able to make all the power within this forbidden area your own, that gift will naturally appear.”
Lu Ning was filled with curiosity, but she knew now was not the time to press for answers.
“Master, how long will you be gone?”
“At the quickest, three to five months. At the slowest…”
Liu Ningshuang did not finish the sentence.
She reached out and gently cupped Lu Ning’s face.
Then, under Lu Ning’s startled gaze, she slowly lowered her head and pressed a soft kiss onto Lu Ning’s forehead.
“Ning’er, cultivate well. Wait for my return.”
Liu Ningshuang’s voice lingered in Lu Ning’s ear, tinged with a hint of reluctance and affection.
As the words faded, her figure vanished from the spot.