Wang Xiaomi didn’t go far. She called Li Lan and a few other girls to gather together, analyze the situation, and prepare to deal with the two assassins.
Black Thorn and Deadly Car were waiting inside their vehicle for Shui Miao to show up. With such a massive high-rise building, it would be extremely difficult for them to locate Shui directly.
Inside his room, Shui Miao sat cross-legged and arranged the Five Elements Discs in front of him in the order of the Five Elements’ mutual generation, ready to practice his energy cultivation for a while and see if he could make a breakthrough. Ever since the last time, whenever he had free time, Shui practiced cultivation diligently. However, his internal spiritual energy had already hit a bottleneck and could no longer progress. This time, the discs contained pure spiritual energy instead of ambient spiritual qi, and the situation was different. Shui wanted to take a risk and try something new.
Two nights ago, with nothing much to do, Shui flipped through some notes left behind by his grandfather, deepening his understanding of the path of cultivation. He learned how terrifying a bottleneck could be—if he couldn’t break through, he would remain the same for the rest of his life, only capable of using his Yin-Yang Eye to observe the flow of the Five Elements’ energy, without being able to freely control spiritual energy to do what he truly desired.
Therefore, breaking through was essential.
Shui Miao’s yearning for spiritual cultivation and energy refinement far surpassed his desire for wealth.
Just in case, Shui Miao called his younger sister, Chenxiang, to let her know he was beginning his cultivation practice.
Then he called Wang Xiaomi. Upon hearing that Shui was going to meditate and would shut off his phone, Xiaomi didn’t mention anything about the assassins.
After turning off his phone, Shui locked the doors and windows, silently recited the incantation, and began his cultivation.
His first step was to test whether he could directly absorb the spiritual energy from the Five Elements Discs for cultivation.
After a few breaths, Shui realized he had succeeded—the pure spiritual energy within the discs was entirely absorbable!
As the spiritual energy from the discs entered his body, the sensation was completely different from absorbing ambient qi and converting it into spiritual energy internally. Previously, he absorbed ambient qi and transformed it into spiritual energy inside his body, but once the spiritual energy reached a certain level, he couldn’t convert any more. Now, by directly absorbing spiritual energy into his body, his body was forced to endure it. As long as he could endure the pressure and pain caused by the spiritual energy, he could keep absorbing it continuously.
Half an hour later, Shui’s body began to swell.
He looked like a fat man, completely different from his former self.
The spiritual energy inside him kept increasing, and the pressure inside and outside his body grew stronger. His meridians were the first to fail under the strain. His entire body’s meridians ached faintly, as spiritual energy mixed with his blood and surged rapidly through him, making his body increasingly hot.
Especially in the areas with finer blood vessels, the pain became unbearable, forcing Shui to stop cultivating.
After stopping, Shui opened his eyes and was shocked to find himself so fat—his fingers were twice as thick as before, a terrifying sight!
With great effort, he got up and looked in the mirror. He looked like a giant, bloated pig!
He was drenched in foul-smelling sweat, his skin dark and sticky. A large amount of spiritual energy mixed with his blood had surged through his body, forcing out impurities from his skin’s surface. He looked as if he had just crawled out of murky sewage. Shui went to the bathroom and then the shower room, stripped off his clothes, and took a warm bath, scrubbing himself clean.
Since his sister wouldn’t return for a while, Shui, now naked, stood in front of the mirror and was stunned. In the mirror was a pale, plump young man with a rosy glow on his face, his skin smooth and delicate. The small pimples on his face had vanished, replaced by soft, white, and flawless skin, as if it could burst with a single touch!
Never did he expect that enhancing his spiritual energy could make him whiter and smoother!
Shui had never been someone overly concerned with his appearance.
“Oh right! The pain seems to have disappeared?”
Shui touched his now-fat, enlarged ears and noticed the pain was indeed much less severe.
“Could it be that spiritual energy itself has healing properties?”
Realizing this, Shui hurried back to his room, locked the door, sat cross-legged, and slowly regulated his internal spiritual energy. He found that the pain really did disappear quickly!
Spiritual energy was indeed magical, especially water-element energy, which had strong healing effects.
Once the pain was gone, Shui couldn’t wait to resume his cultivation again. Half an hour later, the pain forced him to stop once more. After stopping, he found himself drenched in foul sweat again, and his body had become even fatter. However, after taking a hot shower, the pain disappeared quickly again.
As long as there was no pain, his body could continue absorbing spiritual energy.
But there was a significant side effect—he was getting fatter and fatter. At this point, he must have weighed at least 300 pounds!
However, Shui’s fatness wasn’t real fat—it was the effect of spiritual energy.
Therefore, although he looked fat, his movements remained extremely agile because his actual body weight hadn’t increased.
Back in his room, Shui didn’t rush to cultivate again but started thinking deeply—how could he elevate and advance his spiritual energy?
Shui was completely self-taught, blindly exploring.
Besides normal energy regulation, he didn’t know what else to do to elevate his spiritual energy.
After thinking for a while, he gradually figured it out—his body wouldn’t transform just because of an abundance of spiritual energy. It was the quality, not the quantity, that mattered. To transform, he needed to purify his spiritual energy first!
With this realization, Shui calmed himself and slowly regulated his spiritual energy, making it circulate faster and faster within his body.
The accelerated blood flow placed a significant burden on the human body.
However, for Shui, this was an excellent form of training. The only drawback was that his body became increasingly hot, his sweat more profuse, and his body’s water content evaporated rapidly. He couldn’t continue for long before needing to stop to drink water and take a shower. After trying for a while, Shui decided to lock the door and sit cross-legged in a bathtub filled with water, naked. This way, his endurance time increased significantly.
However, after several hours, Shui noticed that the originally clear water had become murky and dirty.
He drained the water, refilled the tub with clean water, and continued his cultivation…
Shui repeated this several times. Unconsciously, his body became noticeably thinner.
But he could feel that his internal spiritual energy had become stronger!
A knock on the door interrupted him. It was already dark, and Chenxiang had returned. Finding the door locked from the inside, she knew Shui must still be inside.
Shui had just finished his bath, but his body was still fat, and his old clothes no longer fit. He couldn’t possibly meet Chenxiang naked, so he turned on his phone and called her, asking her to go downstairs and buy him some clothes suitable for a 250-pound man.
Chenxiang went downstairs, puzzled.
Shui glanced at several messages he had received while his phone was off—each one from Wang Xiaomi.
The messages read…
“Boss, we’ve spotted those two suspicious individuals. Don’t come downstairs yet. Wait until we uncover their true identities before coming down.” That was from 9 a.m.
“Manager, we’ve figured out the situation. They have a Taiwanese accent; they must be assassins sent by Old Master Lin. We’ll contact Director Zhang now and ask him to send people. Stay upstairs for now.” That was from 11 a.m.
“They’ve been captured by Director Zhang’s team. Guns were found on them—they are indeed the two assassins. It’s safe now. I’m waiting downstairs for you.” That was from 11:30 a.m.
“Why haven’t you turned on your phone yet, Manager?”
“Are you okay, Xiao Shui?”
“…”
Then, every three hours, Wang Xiaomi sent three more messages.
It was already past 9 p.m. now!
Shui felt like only half a day had passed, but it was already past 9 p.m.—truly unbelievable.
Half an hour later, Chenxiang returned. Shui hid behind the door, took the oversized clothes she had bought, put them on, and opened the door. Chenxiang was stunned speechless—”You… you… you…”
She thought she was seeing a ghost. When she had left in the morning, Shui had barely weighed 100 pounds, but now he had turned into a giant, bloated pig! Coupled with the old-lady-style fat pants and the extra-large T-shirt she had bought, the outfit looked even more ridiculous on him.
Shui, holding a backpack, smiled awkwardly: “Hehe, sis, don’t worry, I’m fine. These clothes are a bit ill-fitting, but it’s okay—I’ll slim down soon. Don’t worry about me. This is the result of my spiritual cultivation. I’ve advanced a lot today. Oh, and please clean up the bathtub area. I have something important to do in Jing Shui Village. You can carry on with your things—I’m off. Feel free to call me anytime.”
With that, Shui walked out the door with his backpack.
Chenxiang stood there for a while, stunned. Although it was hard to believe, she knew this was indeed Shui—his voice, expressions, and tone were unmistakable.
“Ahhh! Who are you!?”
Wang Xiaomi was dozing in the car when she suddenly heard the door open and saw a fat man entering the vehicle, which startled her.
“Hehe…” Shui chuckled, scratching his head. “It’s me. I’ve just gotten a bit fatter. Xiaomi, let’s go to Jing Shui Village.” He showed her his phone. “These are the messages you sent me. I just stopped cultivating and saw you were waiting for me, so I hurried down.”
“Shui Miao, come on! How could you turn into this in just a day?”
Wang Xiaomi still looked doubtful.
Shui sighed. “It’s all from the cultivation practice. Although I gained weight, I made significant progress today. Let’s go. Tell me about those two assassins on the way.”
Wang Xiaomi carefully examined Shui. To verify whether this fat man was truly Shui, she said, “Answer one question. If you get it right, you’re Shui Miao. If not, you’re not. Do you remember the most important thing you said to me the day I dropped you and Lin Jie off at the airport?”
“…”
Shui hadn’t expected that after gaining weight, even Xiaomi wouldn’t recognize him. After a pause, he sighed again: “Okay, that day I asked her, ‘Can I love you?'”
“OK, correct!”
Wang Xiaomi snapped her fingers and drove off.
Shui rubbed his chin, looking at Xiaomi’s sweet expression, suddenly realizing: “Oh! Xiaomi, you’re taking advantage of me!”
“Where? It was your own question, okay?” Xiaomi giggled.
Shui shook his head and smiled. “Well, if you say so, I don’t mind. After all, I’m a guy—I don’t lose anything.”
“You say that, but what if I tell Lin Jie that you’re eyeing someone else while already having someone in your heart?” Although it was a joke, Wang Xiaomi’s face still blushed.
Shui winked at Xiaomi. “Xiaomi, you don’t really like me, do you?”
“Even if I do, you already have someone you like.” Xiaomi didn’t deny it.
Wang Xiaomi didn’t go far. She called Li Lan and a few other sisters to analyze the situation and prepare to deal with the two assassins.
Hei Ci and Duo Ming waited in the car for Shui Miao to appear. Given the size of the high-rise building, it would be quite difficult for them to find Shui Miao directly.
Shui Miao sat cross-legged in his room, arranging the Five Directions Plate in the order of the five elements’ mutual generation in front of him. He was ready to practice Qi cultivation for a while, hoping to make a breakthrough. Since the last time, Shui Miao had often practiced Qi cultivation whenever he had time, but the spiritual power within him had reached a bottleneck and could no longer progress. This time, the Five Directions Plate contained spiritual power rather than spiritual energy, making the situation different. Shui Miao decided to take a risk and give it a try.
A couple of nights ago, with nothing else to do, Shui Miao skimmed through the notes his grandfather had left him. He gained a deeper understanding of Daoist cultivation and realized the severity of bottlenecks. Without a breakthrough, he would remain stagnant forever, only able to observe the energies of Yin, Yang, and the five elements with his Yin-Yang eyes, without being able to freely control spiritual power to do as he wished.
Thus, a breakthrough was essential.
Shui Miao’s desire for Daoist cultivation and Qi practice far exceeded his desire for wealth.
To be cautious, Shui Miao called his younger sister, Chen Xiang, to inform her that he was about to start practicing Qi cultivation.
He then called Wang Xiaomi. Upon learning that Shui Miao was going into seclusion for Qi practice and would turn off his phone, Wang Xiaomi didn’t mention the assassins.
After powering off his phone, Shui Miao closed the doors and windows, silently recited the incantations, and began his Qi practice.
The first step was to test whether he could directly absorb the spiritual power from the Five Directions Plate for cultivation.
After a few breaths, Shui Miao realized he had succeeded—the pure spiritual power within the Five Directions Plate could indeed be absorbed!
The spiritual power entering his body felt entirely different from the previous method of absorbing spiritual energy and converting it into spiritual power. Previously, he absorbed spiritual energy and converted it into spiritual power within his body, but once the spiritual power reached a certain level, he could no longer continue the conversion. Now, he was directly absorbing spiritual power, forcing his body to endure it. As long as he could withstand the swelling and pain caused by the spiritual power, he could continue absorbing it indefinitely.
Half an hour later, Shui Miao’s body had swollen up.
He appeared to be an entirely different individual—a colossal figure of obesity.
The spiritual power within him continued to increase, and the pressure inside and outside his body grew. His meridians were the first to bear the brunt, aching faintly all over. Spiritual power mixed with blood flowed rapidly, and his body grew hotter and hotter.
Especially in areas where his blood vessels were narrow, the pain became unbearable, forcing Shui Miao to stop his Qi practice…
After stopping, Shui Miao opened his eyes and realized he had become extremely fat. His fingers were twice as thick as before, and the sight was terrifying!
Struggling to get up, he looked at himself in the mirror—he resembled a giant fat pig!
He was drenched in foul-smelling sweat, his body covered in a black, sticky substance. The massive amount of spiritual power mixing with his blood had forced impurities out through his skin, making him look as if he had just crawled out of murky sewage. Shui Miao used the bathroom, then went to the shower, stripped off his clothes, and washed himself with warm water.
Since his sister wouldn’t be back for a while, Shui Miao stood naked in front of the mirror and was stunned… Reflected in the mirror was a fair, plump, rosy-cheeked individual with an exceptionally healthy complexion. The two small acne spots on his face had disappeared, replaced by smooth, fair skin that seemed almost tender to the touch.
Who would have thought that enhancing spiritual power could make his skin fairer and more delicate!?
Shui Miao wasn’t particularly concerned about his appearance.
“Wait! The pain seems to have subsided?”
Shui Miao touched his now large and fleshy ears and realized the pain was significantly less intense.
“Could it be that spiritual power itself has healing properties?”
Thinking this, Shui Miao hurried back to his room, locked the door, sat cross-legged, and slowly regulated his breathing to circulate the spiritual energy within his body. He soon discovered that the pain had indeed vanished quickly!
Spiritual power was miraculous—water-element spiritual power had particularly strong healing effects.
Once the pain disappeared, Shui Miao eagerly resumed his Qi practice. Half an hour later, the pain forced him to stop again. After stopping, he found himself drenched in foul sweat once more, and his body had grown even larger. However, after taking a hot shower, the pain quickly subsided again.
As long as there was no pain, his body could continue absorbing spiritual power.
But there was a significant side effect: Shui Miao was getting fatter and fatter. By now, he looked like he weighed at least 300 pounds!
Shui Miao’s fatness wasn’t real weight gain but an effect of the spiritual power.
Thus, although he looked fat, his movements remained agile because his actual weight hadn’t increased.
Returning to his room, Shui Miao didn’t rush to practice Qi again. Instead, he pondered how to refine and elevate his spiritual power.
Shui Miao was largely self-taught and still finding his way.
Apart from the normal circulation of Qi and regulation of breath, he didn’t know how to refine his spiritual power.
After some thought, he gradually realized that his body wouldn’t transform simply because of an abundance of spiritual power. What mattered was quality, not quantity. To achieve a breakthrough, he needed to purify his spiritual power further!
With this in mind, Shui Miao calmed himself and slowly regulated his spiritual power, circulating it through his body over and over again, faster and faster!
The accelerated blood flow placed a tremendous burden on his body.
However, for Shui Miao, this was an excellent method of training. The only drawback was that his body grew increasingly hot, and he sweated more profusely, leading to a significant loss of fluids. He had to frequently pause to drink water and take showers. After a while, Shui Miao simply locked the door, sat naked in a bathtub filled with water, and focused on regulating his breathing. This approach allowed him to sustain the practice for a much longer duration.
But after a few hours, Shui Miao noticed that the originally clear water had become murky.
He drained the tub, refilled it with clean water, and continued regulating his breathing…
After repeating this process several times, Shui Miao realized he had unknowingly lost a significant amount of weight.
However, he felt that the spiritual power within him had grown stronger!
A knocking sound echoed—it was already dark outside. Chen Xiang had returned and found the door locked from the inside. Unable to open it, she knew Shui Miao must still be inside.
Shui Miao had just finished showering, but his body was still very large. His old clothes no longer fit him. He couldn’t possibly meet Chen Xiang naked. With no other choice, Shui Miao quickly turned on his phone and called Chen Xiang, asking her to buy him some clothes suitable for a 250-pound person.
Puzzled, Chen Xiang went downstairs.
Shui Miao checked the several text messages he had received consecutively—all from Wang Xiaomi.
The messages read…
“General Manager, we’ve discovered those two suspicious individuals. Please don’t come downstairs yet. Wait until we’ve investigated their backgrounds before you come down.” This was sent at 9 a.m.
“Manager, we’ve figured out the situation. They have Taiwanese accents and are likely assassins sent by Old Man Lin. We’re contacting Director Zhang now to send people over. Please stay upstairs and don’t come down.” This was sent at 11 a.m.
“They’ve been apprehended by Director Zhang’s team. Firearms were found on them—they are indeed the two assassins. It’s safe now. I’m waiting for you downstairs.” Sent at 11:30 a.m.
“Manager, why haven’t you turned on your phone yet?”
“Xiao Shui, are you okay?”
“…”
After that, Wang Xiaomi sent three more messages, one every three hours.
It was already past 9 p.m.!
To Shui Miao, it felt like only half a day had passed. He couldn’t believe it was already past 9 p.m.
Half an hour later, Chen Xiang returned. Shui Miao hid behind the door, took the clothes she had bought for a chubby man, put them on, and opened the door. Chen Xiang was stunned. “You… you… you…”
She thought she was seeing a ghost. When she left in the morning, Shui Miao weighed at most 100 pounds, but now he looked like a giant fat pig! Coupled with the oversized pants meant for elderly women and the extra-large T-shirt Chen Xiang had bought, Shui Miao looked utterly ridiculous.
Shui Miao picked up his backpack and smiled awkwardly. “Hehe, little sister, don’t worry. Your brother is fine. The clothes are a bit ill-fitting, but it’s okay. I’ll slim down soon. Please don’t worry about me. This is the result of my Daoist cultivation and Qi practice. I’ve made significant progress today. Could you please clean up the bathtub? I have something to do in Jingshui Village. I’m off now. Call me anytime.”
With that, Shui Miao picked up his backpack and left.
Chen Xiang stood in a daze for a while. Although it was unbelievable, she knew this person was Shui Miao—his voice, expressions, and tone were unmistakable.
“Ah! Who are you!?”
Wang Xiaomi was dozing off in the car when she suddenly heard the door open. Startled, she saw a chubby man getting into the car.
“Hehe…” Shui Miao scratched his head and laughed. “It’s me. I’ve just gained some weight, Sister Xiaomi. Let’s go to Jingshui Village.” Shui Miao showed Wang Xiaomi his phone. “These are the messages you sent me. I just finished cultivating and found out you were waiting for me, so I rushed down.”
“Shui Miao, no way! How did you become like this in just one day?”
Wang Xiaomi still looked skeptical.
Shui Miao sighed. “It’s all because of Qi practice. Although I’ve gained some weight, I’ve made great progress today. Let’s go, and tell me about those two assassins on the way.”
Wang Xiaomi examined Shui Miao closely. To confirm whether this chubby fellow was indeed Shui Miao, she declared, “Answer one question. If you get it right, you’re Shui Miao. If not, you’re not. That day, when I drove you and Sister Lin to the airport, what was the most important thing you said?”
“…”
Shui Miao hadn’t expected that gaining weight would make even Wang Xiaomi fail to recognize him. After a pause, he sighed again. “Alright, that day I asked her, ‘Can I love you?'”
“OK, correct answer!”
Wang Xiaomi snapped her fingers and started driving.
Shui Miao touched his chin and, seeing Wang Xiaomi’s sweet expression, suddenly realized something. “Oh! Sister Xiaomi, you’re taking advantage of me!”
“Not at all. You were the one who asked me, remember?” Wang Xiaomi giggled.
Shui Miao shook his head and smiled. “Alright, if you say so, then I don’t mind. Anyway, I’m a guy, so it’s not like I’m at a disadvantage.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Sister Lin that you’re eyeing someone else while already having someone?” Even though it was a joke, Wang Xiaomi’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Shui Miao blinked at Wang Xiaomi. “Sister Xiaomi, you don’t actually have a crush on me, do you?”
“What if I do? You already have someone you like.” Wang Xiaomi didn’t deny it.
Shui Miao scratched his head, unsure whether to feel awkward or pleased. He had meant it as a joke but didn’t expect Wang Xiaomi to actually have feelings for him. Given Wang Xiaomi’s bold and straightforward personality, Shui Miao was worried she might be as open as Liu Hongmei. If that were the case, he would be in over his head.
Even if Wang Xiaomi were willing, Shui Miao wouldn’t act recklessly.
Right now, Shui Miao was entirely focused on cultivation, breakthroughs, refinement, and becoming stronger.
Seeing Shui Miao’s awkward silence, Wang Xiaomi liked him even more. She smiled faintly and teased him, “Xiao Shui, have you ever had a girlfriend? You seem so shy—have you ever even held a girl’s hand? Hehe, these days, pure-hearted guys like you are rare.”
“Sister Xiaomi, I even kissed Sister Lin that day. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Shui Miao broke into a cold sweat but refused to back down. As a man, he couldn’t afford to be as shy as a girl.
Wang Xiaomi smiled, pursed her lips, and waved her hand. “That doesn’t count. That was an emergency rescue, like a lifeguard performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
“By that logic, I really am pure!”
Shui Miao’s heart was stirred, and he couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild. What was going on with Wang Xiaomi today? Why was she suddenly being so ambiguous with him?
Even if Xiaomi were willing, Shui would never act recklessly.
Because right now, Shui was completely focused on cultivation, breakthroughs, transformation, and becoming stronger.
Seeing Shui’s awkward silence, Xiaomi liked him even more. Smiling gently, she teased him, “Xiao Shui, have you ever had a girlfriend? You’re so shy—tell me, have you even held a girl’s hand before? Hehe, these days, guys as innocent as you are rare.”
“Xiaomi, don’t you remember that I kissed Lin Jie the other day?”
Shui blushed slightly but refused to back down. After all, he was a man—he couldn’t act like a shy girl forever.
Xiaomi smiled, pursed her lips, and waved her hand. “That doesn’t count. That was an emergency rescue kiss—just like a lifeguard giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
“If I go by your logic, then I really am a pure guy indeed!”
A ripple stirred in Shui’s heart. He couldn’t help but imagine more. What was going on with Xiaomi today? Why was she suddenly acting so flirtatious with him?
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