Lin Zhenzhen broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

But she quickly realized that if Xuan Yuanzhao had discovered Xiao Hei's presence, he would never have had the patience to waste so much time talking to her.

So what was he talking about?

Lin Zhenzhen slowly turned around, her mind racing as she considered how to answer.

Xuanyuan Zhao was looking at her with a stern face, his dark eyes seemingly able to see into people's hearts.

Lin Zhenzhen could only vaguely reply, "Please forgive me, Young Sect Master. There was a reason for all of this. I did not intentionally hide it."

"Not deliberately concealing it?" Xuan Yuanzhao's long, dark eyelashes pressed down, concealing any extraneous emotions in his eyes.

At this moment, he was no longer the boy who lit a flame for her in the darkness, but had become the cold and selfless young sect master of the Heavenly Crane Sect.

"Alright, since that's the case, I'll give you a chance to explain yourself. You can still say that you used the power of a supernatural magic weapon to get by going from the third level of a Spirit Master to the second level of a Great Spirit Master."

"In just three days, you've advanced from the third stage of a Great Spirit Master to the first stage of a Spirit Venerable. Can you really attribute that to the magic weapon?"

The Spirit Venerable stage?

Lin Zhenzhen frowned. She was so busy that she had completely forgotten about this.

Presumably, he was busy fighting monsters and desperately absorbing spiritual energy in the Forest of Mystery, which caused his cultivation level to increase too quickly.

Xuan Yuanzhao observed the changing emotions on Lin Zhenzhen's face.

He reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look directly at him.

"There are many suspicious points about this training. So many high-level demonic beasts appeared together on the edge of the Misty Abyss Forest, causing serious casualties to the sect. Now the people in the Deacon Hall have traced it back to you."

"They suspect you've secretly practiced forbidden techniques."

When he mentioned the words "forbidden technique," Xuan Yuanzhao increased the pressure on his fingers.

It was as if he would crush her bones if she simply nodded in agreement.

Lin Zhenzhen's clear eyes flickered slightly, then she chuckled softly, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

"Why did I become stronger because I practiced forbidden techniques?"

Xuanyuan Zhao frowned. Lingzhen's expression was too unfamiliar, making him feel very uncomfortable.

"Naturally, it's because your cultivation speed has exceeded the upper limit of normal methods."

"What if it's a transfer of spiritual energy?"

Xuan Yuanzhao's pupils dilated slightly, and he repeated, word by word, "You mean the transfer of spiritual power?"

"The underground cave in the Forest of Mystery is actually a celestial abode. During the time you were trapped in a nightmare, I encountered the remnants of the abode's owner's spirit. We made a deal, and he bestowed spiritual power upon me."

Lin Zhenzhen cleverly mixed the truth with the lies.

"Ling! Zhen!" Xuan Yuanzhao gritted his teeth and increased the pressure on his hands.

"Do you take me for a three-year-old?" He laughed angrily. "Let's not even talk about whether you can endure the pain of transferring your spiritual power. What do you have that's worth him exchanging his spiritual power for?"

Lin Zhenzhen smiled faintly, looked directly into Xuan Yuanzhao's eyes, and replied, "It's nothing, just ten years of lifespan."

The air was slightly stagnant.

Xuanyuan Zhao didn't react for a moment.

"What did you say?"

Although cultivators can extend their lifespan through cultivation, that is only if their inner essence remains intact.

The inner essence is like the inner core of a demon cultivator; its operating mechanism is complex and of great significance to cultivators.

Yuanshou is a component of inner essence. Indeed, many immortals who have died need to cultivate Yuanshou in order to extend the time their divine consciousness remains in the world.

“At that time, I was seriously injured and your spiritual power was incomplete. High-level demonic beasts could pounce on us at any moment.”

"If we didn't make the exchange, we would both likely die there. Trading ten years of lifespan for two lives is a good deal, isn't it?"

Lin Zhenzhen spoke calmly, as if she were talking not about herself, but about a complete stranger.

But her fingers were twisting the hem of her skirt tightly, as if she couldn't bear to recall the pain of that time.

Xuan Yuanzhao's heart suddenly clenched with pain, and he instinctively denied her: "I don't believe what you're saying."

"Heh." Lin Zhenzhen suddenly curled her lips into a smile, the meaning of which was ambiguous.

"Then I swear to the Mother of the Heavens and the Heart of the Earth that if I have uttered even a single lie, may my Lingzhen family suffer the torment of having their hearts devoured by demonic beasts. Do you believe me now?"

The Heart of the Earth possesses the power of faith of all the inhabitants of the Xuan Tian Continent, and no one dares to challenge its divine might.

This is the heaviest oath.

Upon hearing Lin Zhenzhen's words, Xuan Yuanzhao fell silent.

After a while, he finally let go.

After the shackles were removed, Lin Zhenzhen gently rubbed her chin, then picked up the spirit pouch that had fallen to the ground and asked, "If you still don't believe me, then send me to the Hall of Deacons."

Xuanyuan Zhao looked at her, feeling inexplicably flustered, but he couldn't explain where his inner turmoil came from.

From childhood to adulthood, he only cared about how to be a successful leader and how to become a true strongman.

I never imagined that one day I would care about another person's feelings.

He had never done this before and didn't know how to do it.

Xuan Yuanzhao was silent for a moment, then softened his tone and said seriously, "I will investigate the specific situation. But according to what you said, transferring spiritual power is not the best solution."

By reviewing the situation from a more rational perspective, we can do better next time.

This is how Xuanyuan Zhao comforts people.

"As long as we use talismans to mask the smell first, and then find an opportunity to send a signal to the sect for help, we can..."

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