Chapter 374: Another Familiar Face?!

Chapter 374: Another Familiar Face?!

Chen Huaian stared at the person in surprise.

After all, he never thought he’d run into her here of all places.

To put it bluntly—it was ridiculous. That person turned out to be his ex: Ren Xiaozhao.

Only, the current Ren Xiaozhao was completely different from the Ren Xiaozhao of the past. Not only had she become an Awakened, but a swirl of gray qi hovered over her head—a sure sign of having joined a Hidden Sect and cultivated their arts, taken their pills, and used their Ascension Pillars, leading to this ominous accumulation of qi.

“What are you looking at? Never seen a fairy before?”

Ren Xiaozhao rolled her eyes, face full of disdain.

She hadn’t recognized Chen Huaian.

She just thought he looked familiar.

Mainly because Chen Huaian had changed so much—after becoming a cultivator, his body had been fully purified of impurities. Then with the transformation from the True Dragon Physique and Heavenly Demon Art, his height had gone from 1.78 meters to a full 1.9 meters. Not an ounce of fat remained on his body—every cell existed solely for energy, and every inch of muscle was packed with power.

People who saw him every day hadn’t noticed the gradual transformation.

But by now, he was completely unrecognizable from the man he used to be.

Plus, he was wearing a baseball cap that shadowed his features—making it even harder to recognize him.

Back when Chen Huaian was livestreaming his climb of Mount Taishan, she had already noticed the changes in her ex-boyfriend.

He made a fortune from those streams, and she’d even considered getting back together.

But knowing he was a cancer patient, she kept hesitating.

If he were just some average guy, maybe. But a cancer patient? That was version T0—a walking disaster. Not someone to mess with.

By the time Spiritual Revival became undeniable and the government went public with the news, the internet exploded with predictions and doomsday theories. Especially when word got out that Chen Huaian had single-handedly driven off the Corpse King Emperor Jiang and become a hero of Tianfu District—by then, his cancer was already cured. She tried to reach out and reconnect, but…

She no longer had the right.

He was now an Awakened, a chosen one of the new world.

And she was just a normal person. The fact that he hadn’t come after her was already kindness.

But then, things changed when a cultivator from the Formless Sect found her.

He told her she had innate spiritual roots and was a natural fit for cultivation. So she entered the sect’s outer circle.

Through that opportunity, she met many Ascenders and descendants of noble families.

Even though her own strength was trash, her peers were strong—so by association, she felt strong too.

Her cultivation was only Qi Refining, but she already thought of herself as a celestial maiden, someone above the rest.

So when she saw Li Qingran—whose spiritual presence outshone everything and whose sweetness nearly stole the souls of the senior brothers beside her—her old envy flared up.

And when that happened, her usual spiteful tongue naturally followed.

“A country bumpkin fairy?” Li Qingran blinked, a bit confused. A crumb of cake fell from her lips and vanished into pure qi as it hit the floor. Her big eyes glanced toward her Master, then pointed at herself. “Is… is she talking about me?”

Chen Huaian was thoroughly amused by his disciple’s dazed expression. He chuckled and nodded:

“Mm, fairy is you. Country bumpkin is her.”

“Who says so! That’s outrageous!” Ren Xiaozhao flared up. She stormed over to Chen Huaian and Li Qingran, raising a hand to slap him across the face—but before her hand could fall, an immense force stopped her in her tracks.

The two people who’d shown no spiritual pressure moments ago now released a terrifying aura that crushed her like a mountain.

To Ren Xiaozhao, the man and girl who’d been quietly sitting in a corner—looking like some ship’s janitors—suddenly transformed into monsters.

Especially when Chen Huaian looked up and revealed the face beneath the baseball cap.

Ren Xiaozhao was struck dumb.

“You—you’re Chen Huaian?!”

Before he could reply, a tall figure had already stepped between them.

A cold voice rang out, laced with a subtle killing intent—still melodious like a silver bell, but enough to send shivers down the spine.

“What kind of stray mutt dares to call my Master by name?”

Li Qingran took one step forward, and Ren Xiaozhao was forced one step back by the invisible pressure. Her raised hand was pushed further behind her. Within ten steps, her arm was bent backward—like someone was yanking it from behind—sending waves of pain through her that made her cry out uncontrollably.

“Senior Brother… Senior Brother, help me…”

The other cultivators from the Formless Sect finally snapped to attention—but they didn’t exactly jump to defend her.

“Uh… Miss, could you let our junior sister go? She didn’t really mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, we’re all fellow cultivators—no need to get physical. Can’t we just talk it out?”

“Miss, I can tell you’re extremely talented. Why not join our Formless Sect? We’ve got the best resources, the most powerful arts—you could become one of the most famous Ascenders in the world!”

The first two still tried to reason, but the third gave up the act and just started recruiting on the spot.

Li Qingran usually appeared soft and gentle.

But when it came to her Master—she became a whole different person. Her cold gaze swept over them as she spat out one word:

“Scram.”

“Hey! What’s with the attitude? You don’t want the nice way? Just a Foundation Establishment novice—what are you so arrogant for?!”

“Exactly! Let go of our junior sister now!”

Stung by the single word “scram”, the three Ascenders shouted indignantly:

“If you don’t release Xiaozhao now, you’ll regret it when Senior Brother Wang arrives!”

Li Qingran said nothing.

She simply advanced three steps, her expression like frost.

Her cultivation flared from early Foundation Establishment all the way to Peak Foundation Establishment, completely suppressing them.

Ren Xiaozhao’s arm twisted even more violently—flesh and bone grinding audibly.

If not for her Master telling her to keep a low profile, she’d have gone all out already. These annoying flies were really spoiling her mood.

“Sh*t! She’s Peak Foundation Establishment!”

“Sister Xiaozhao, hang in there! We’re getting Senior Brother Wang right now!”

The three of them ditched Ren Xiaozhao and fled on the spot.

Li Qingran didn’t hold back—she had no intention of killing anyone, but pain? Pain was free.

She gently swung her hand downward.

Crack! With a sickening snap and a scream like a pig being slaughtered, Ren Xiaozhao’s raised arm was dislocated. It now hung from her shoulder like a rag, only skin and tendons keeping it attached.

“Who dares bully someone from the Wang clan?!”

Just as Li Qingran finished dismantling Ren Xiaozhao’s shoulder…

A voice rang out from the distance.

The three fleeing Ascenders had returned, flanking a young man in embroidered robes.

This man radiated power and had clearly reached the early Golden Core stage.

His eyes were sharp as eagles, piercing and aggressive—he’d likely cultivated some kind of vision-enhancing technique.

Chen Huaian was still basking in the thrill of being protected by his disciple.

But when he heard that voice, his lips twitched.

What was going on today?

Another familiar face?!