Chapter 582: Portrait of a Beauty Leaving the Bath
In Su Yi’s eyes, the Seed of the Azure had two wondrous, irreplaceable benefits.
First, since it was a portion of the Origins of the Azure’s life force, so long as he cultivated here on the Azure Continent, he could rely on the Seed’s power to absorb a continuous stream of the world’s spiritual energy.
Especially when the power of the Origins of the Azure poured back into the Azure Continent, resulting in a Radiant Epoch! With the Seed of the Azure, he could seize a share of heavenly fortune!
Why were peerless geniuses described as “born blessed with great fortune”?
The crux of the matter was that their talent could easily connect with the Grand Dao of heaven and earth, enabling them to obtain unimaginable benefits from their cultivation!
That aside, since it was called the “Seed” of the Azure, it naturally had the potential to grow and transform.
As it underwent repeated transformations, this seed manifested of the world’s origin would sprout and grow. Eventually, it would become a complete world of its own!
The current Azure Continent was, in truth, the product of power of the Origins of the Azure, plus countless years of growth and transformation.
Thirty thousand years ago, the Azure Continent was a vast world home to numerous Emperors!
As a portion of the Origins of the Azure’s life force, the Seed of the Azure would, in the years to come, surely grow into a new world!
What Imperial Realm cultivator?wouldn’t?have gone red-eyed with desire over such a grand stroke of fortune?
Of course, Su Yi didn’t let it muddle his head.
Making the Seed of the Azure undergo repeated transformations would be unimaginably difficult.
Ordinary power couldn’t trigger its metamorphosis. Only power and treasures of or comparable to the Imperial Realm could serve as nourishment for its growth.
That aside, it would require an incomparably long time.
How could ordinary cultivators possibly achieve this?
For now, the Seed of the Azure’s most important function was assisting his cultivation. It would help him absorb the Azure Continent’s spiritual energy.
It could also help his seventh disciple, Xuan Ning, cultivate anew.
So long as he sealed Xuan Ning’s soul within the Demonic Womb, then used the Seed of the Azure to nourish it, Xuan Ning would be able to reforge his body and cultivate anew!
This was the reason Su Yi was willing to accept the Seed and the karma it entailed.
These three drops of blood were an unexpected harvest,?thought Su Yi.
When he first laid eyes on A’Cang, he saw through her origins. She was a Xiantian Ice Soul Spirit!
She was born with control over Ice Soul Divine Power. This was a first-rate talent even among Xiantian Spirits!
The fresh blood of a Xiantian Ice Soul Spirit was known as “Ice Soul Blood Gold.” As medicine, it could restore flesh even to a pile of dried bones, and if used to temper one’s foundations in the Grand Dao, it was unbelievably beneficial.
In the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, Ice Soul Blood Gold was one of the greatest Grand Dao Elixirs around, but it wasn’t something you could just seek it out; it could only be happened upon by chance. Even in peak-level orthodoxies, it was a precious divine object used only when the most important members of the sect suffered severe injuries and were on the brink of death!
It was no exaggeration to say that, had an Imperial Realm cultivator laid eyes on A’Cang, they would have seen her as prey.
Although Su Yi had requested three drops of her blood, he gave her a supreme cultivation technique suited to Xiantian Spirits. Its value to her far exceeded three drops of her blood.
This was what Su Yi meant by “positive karma.”
With his temperament, he disdained taking advantage of a young woman.
About an hour later.
Su Yi rose from his meditation, glanced at Dou Kou, and shook his head. “If you’re awake, don’t pretend to be asleep.”
Dou Kou’s eyelashes fluttered, and she shot to her feet, her charming features flushed red. “I… I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Su Yi laughed. “Embarrassed?”
Dou Kou whispered, “A little bit, but rest assured. Fellow Daoist Su, you saved my life, and I’ll remember this kindness for the rest of my days. I’ll be sure to repay you one day!”
As she spoke, her voice filled with solemnity and conviction.
“It’s fine. I just saved you while I was at it,” said Su Yi. How could he care about her repayment? “Come on, let’s get out here.”
With that, he led the way ahead, and Dou Kou hurried after him.
When they first met, the young woman was lively and chipper, with bright eyes, pearly teeth, and an air of pride and confidence. Every smile and every frown was charming; she was a peerless stunner.
Yet now, she lowered her pretty head and stuck close to Su Yi, meek and obedient. When her eyes landed on Su Yi, her gaze shone with a mixture of gratitude and admiration.
Su Yi might not care about having saved her life, but Dou Kou was very much aware that if he hadn’t saved her, she would never have escaped from that horrible, terrifying place alive!
When she recalled that Su Yi was only in the Gathering Stars Realm, it seemed incredible that he’d ventured into such unknown perils. How could Dou Kou not?admire him?
“Right, what kind of personality does your other soul have?” Su Yi asked suddenly.
He still recalled the moment he first laid eyes on Dou Kou. He could tell at a glance that there was something strange about her, and when he examined her more closely, he realized that she had two souls occupying her body!
This type of innate talent was extremely rare. By the Wilds’ standards of evaluating talent, it was first-rate.
Those with such talent almost always had terrifying potential and accumulations regarding cultivation.
If their cultivation method suited their unique talent, that was even better.
Why was this talent so impressive? The reason was simple.
When such people cultivated, it was as if two people were laboring toward the same goal simultaneously!
They could split their attention too. For instance, while one of her souls practiced as a soul cultivator, comprehended the Grand Dao, and researched Daoist magics, the other could focus on her cultivation and?tempering?her cultivation base.
Cultivating in such a way, it would have been difficult?not?to make rapid progress!
Dou Kou froze, seeming a bit out of sorts. “My other soul… How do I put it? She’s, ah, an idiot enamored with painting.”
“Using painting to enter the Dao? How could that make her an idiot?” Su Yi didn’t get it.
Dou Kou’s pretty face flushed red, and she stammered, “She… She… She only draws women…”
“....”
If a man had such a hobby, one might call him “amorous.” After all, what man didn’t like beauties?
But for a woman to have such a hobby was… rather strange!
No wonder Dou Kou hemmed and hawed and looked uncomfortable when he brought up her other soul. Ordinarily speaking, what woman liked drawing other women?
Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “There are countless worlds out there. Every strange thing you can imagine is out there somewhere. That goes for people too. Her hobby is a bit out there, but it’s understandable.”
Dou Kou grimaced. “That’s not it… Fellow Daoist Su, you don’t get it. There’s something off about her paintings.”
This instantly piqued Su Yi’s curiosity. “What’s ‘off’ about them?”
Dou Kou thought for a moment, then gnashed her teeth and took a scroll from her sleeves. She passed it to Su Yi. “This is one of her recent works. You’ll know what I mean when you see it.”
Su Yi unfurled it, and he was instantly stunned.
The painting depicted a beautiful woman after leaving the bath. She was shrouded in mist and entirely naked. Her back was fair and smooth, and one of her long, jade-like legs was on a footstool as she leaned slightly forward and used a washcloth to wipe beads of water from her calf. Although only half of her was visible through the steam of the bathwater, the arch of her spine accentuated her curves.
This was a painting of a beautiful woman leaving the bath, a masterful depiction. It captured the moment of its subject's greatest natural beauty, creating a vivid, incomparably dazzling scene.
The faint mists shrouded the freshly bathed woman’s beautiful figure and the traces of fair skin left ample room for the imagination.
Were this the work of a mundane artist, it would have inevitably shone signs of mortal craftsmanship.
But since this was the work of a cultivator, it had an indescribable, enchanting air about it, one difficult to put into words.
When Su Yi saw the painting,?even he?couldn’t help but feel dazed. Then, he clucked his tongue approvingly. “Such skills are rare indeed. The beauty depicted is extremely beautiful, but she retains a natural charm. This is far superior to straightforward erotica.”
Dou Kou’s face flushed red. Hearing Su Yi’s praise only made her feel even more awkward, and she whispered as quietly as a gnat, “I’ve made a fool of myself.”
When he saw how bashful she was, he rolled up the scroll and returned it to her. “There’s nothing shameful about this. On the contrary, using painting as means to pursue the Dao has always been a path of cultivation. Mighty cultivators can guide the forces of heaven and earth between splashes of ink. Each touch of the brush gives rise to wind and lightning, resulting in true masterpieces.”
Su Yi paused here, and his eyes shone with reminiscence. “I once met an old monk who excelled at painting. He painted scenes of the Netherworld so vivid that enemies trapped within his paintings would suffer the torments of hell.”
He then looked at Dou Kou and teased, “Your other soul might well achieve this one day too. She can use her paintings to enter the Dao and manifest the beauties within her work. They might even become conscious spiritual entities.?That?would be interesting.”
As Dou Kou listened to this, her expression turned a bit strange.
She suddenly realized that Su Yi, who she saw as candid and unrestrained, as detached and extraordinary as a fallen immortal seemed… extremely interested in this. He was talking much more than usual, the words flowing out of him without the slightest inhibitions.
Are men… all like this??Dou Kou muttered to herself.
“Right, who is the woman in the painting?” Su Yi asked suddenly.
The subject of the painting was a woman, but as it was a view from the back and she was shrouded in mist, her face was a mystery.
“Uh…” It was as if Dou Kou had been struck by lightning. She hurriedly put the painting away, and her cheeks flushed red. She looked incomparably embarrassed.
“It’s you?” Su Yi’s expression was strange.
No wonder she was so embarrassed when he commented on the painting earlier. So, it turned out?she?was the beauty in the painting…
Su Yi couldn’t help but re-evaluate Dou Kou.
This made her thoroughly uncomfortable, and her hair stood on end. Inwardly, she cried out in regret.?How could I have been so stupid as to take out a painting for him to see?
Su Yi could tell she was uncomfortable, so he laughed. “Relax. I won’t tell anyone else your secret.”
He thought for a moment, then took out a jade slip, engraved it, and passed it to Dou Kou.
“These are some of my insights into the Dao of Painting. They're not very useful to me, but they might well help your other soul elevate her mastery of her art. They'd really be wasted otherwise, so take them.”
Dou Kou was stunned. She said hurriedly, “Fellow Daoist Su, you saved my life. I’m already beside myself with gratitude. How could I possibly…”
“Take it,” said Su Yi, interrupting her. He stuffed the jade slip into her hands, then put his hands behind his back and continued ahead.
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