Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

The two entered the room, one after the other.

The first thing Ling Ye did was turn around, close the door, and slide the bolt shut.

The second thing—

She raised her hands and undid the sash at her waist.

"My lady, there’s really no need to jump straight to this step!"

Jiang Mu was so scared he grabbed her slender, fair wrist, beads of cold sweat popping up on his forehead.

"I may be an easygoing guy, but everything has to proceed step by step, right? Sister Ling, you’re being a bit too direct. You haven’t given me any time to mentally prepare.

If this is too much, how about we eat some melon to cool down first?"

"What are you talking about?"

Ling Ye had a confused expression on her face.

"Then what are you doing?" Jiang Mu asked.

"I’m showing you something."

"And you need to take off your clothes to show me something?" Jiang Mu asked, pointing at her sash.

"..."

Ling Ye froze for a moment, then realized he’d gotten the wrong idea.

Her delicate, pretty face flushed scarlet in an instant. She glared at him, a mixture of shame and anger in her eyes. "What kind of nonsense are you thinking!"

She forcefully broke free from Jiang Mu’s hand and turned her back to him.

After a soft rustling of fabric.

Ling Ye turned back around. In her hand was a light, silvery piece of Soft Armor, which she held out to him. "This Soft Armor has a protective Cultivation Technique on it called the *Compendium of the Mystic Gang*. You can take a look."

Jiang Mu was speechless.

’If you were just giving me a Cultivation Technique, you should have just said so! You made me imagine all sorts of things.’

Jiang Mu took the ’freshly-worn’ Soft Armor.

The Soft Armor was woven from fine, resilient, ice-blue silkworm threads. It was as light as air, cool to the touch, and yet exceptionally soft.

If one looked closely, they would see that every single thread was engraved with minuscule runes.

It also carried the faint, unique fragrance of a woman.

Seeing the man instinctively lift the Soft Armor and sniff it, Ling Ye clenched her fists, wanting nothing more than to punch him.

’What’s there to smell?’

’Why does he love sniffing my things so much?’

Jiang Mu caressed the Soft Armor and said with a smile:

"This is a Magical Treasure, isn’t it? And here I thought you were giving it to me. Oh, I’d be so embarrassed... this gift is far too precious... I suppose I’ll reluctantly accept it, then..."

"..."

Ling Ye snatched it back, slammed it on the table, and said coldly:

"This is the divine protective armor my master once gave me. I can’t give it to you. But the Cultivation Technique engraved on it can be passed on.

Of course, you’re the first.

Remember, once you learn it, take this secret to your grave. Don’t tell anyone else."

In truth, Ling Ye was lying.

The real name of this Cultivation Technique was the *Taiyi Jinhua True Form*.

It was one of the Cold Moon Sect’s pinnacle techniques, with strict sect rules forbidding it from being taught to outsiders.

But Ling Ye had come up with a brilliant idea.

She would simply change the name of the Cultivation Technique.

’What? You say I’m violating the sect rules?’

’No way.’

’I’m teaching the *Compendium of the Mystic Gang*. What does that have to do with the *Taiyi Jinhua True Form*?’

This was the only thing she could do for Jiang Mu.

It wasn’t born from some ulterior motive, but purely from an appreciation for his talent.

Yes, that was it. An appreciation for talent.

She could swear on her conscience.

Jiang Mu leaned in and studied it for a long time, then asked in confusion:

"Sister Ling, apart from these patterns that look like chicken scratch, there are no words on it. How am I supposed to read this?"

"Give me your hand."

She took Jiang Mu’s hand, pressed it gently onto the Soft Armor, and whispered, "Close your eyes."

Jiang Mu did as he was told and closed his eyes.

The next moment, a cool, gentle stream of energy flowed from the Soft Armor into his palm, traveled up his arm, and went straight to his mind.

BOOM—

Jiang Mu’s mind cleared.

In a trance, he saw a hazy halo of light, from which a blurry, illusory figure of a woman sitting cross-legged emerged.

Immediately after, points of starlight lit up within the illusory woman’s body.

Those were acupoints.

These points of starlight connected to form lines, clearly marking the path of the acupoints and the route for circulating energy...

’So you can teach a Cultivation Technique this way.’

Jiang Mu watched, his eyes unblinking, memorizing the circulation path of the Spiritual Qi.

At the same time, a stream of information flowed into his mind.

Once this Cultivation Technique was mastered, it could form a layer of Protective Gang Qi on the surface of the body.

This Gang Qi could not only nearly double one’s defensive strength, but also resist the corrosion of most common poisons.

It could even ward off the effects of ordinary fire and water.

Of course, its only drawback was that it consumed an enormous amount of Star Power.

But for Jiang Mu, who had the Demon Slot’s auto-cultivation feature, this was no problem at all.

After a long time, the blurry figure gradually faded away.

Jiang Mu’s consciousness returned to his body. He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them for an instant before vanishing.

"How was it?"

Ling Ye, who had been watching him closely, asked.

This was Jiang Mu’s first time experiencing such an immersive way of learning a Cultivation Technique. He found it novel and nodded.

"I’ve memorized it."

Ling Ye breathed a sigh of relief, then her expression turned serious.

"This Cultivation Technique is extremely difficult to start. The slightest mistake in the energy circulation path can damage your meridians. Try to run it for one full cycle now. I will act as your Guardian and correct you."

"Alright."

As Jiang Mu spoke, he started taking off his shirt.

"What are you doing, taking off your clothes?"

Ling Ye jumped in alarm and quickly turned away.

"I’m used to taking my shirt off when I practice my techniques. Otherwise, it gets uncomfortable when I start sweating."

While deftly removing his outer shirt, Jiang Mu asked curiously, "Why did you turn around? I’m just taking off my shirt."

Ling Ye bit her lower lip and slowly turned back around.

He had indeed only bared his upper body.

Ling Ye’s pretty face flushed red. She quickly shifted her gaze upward, not daring to let her eyes wander, and composed herself before saying:

"Then... you may begin."

Jiang Mu sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and focused his mind.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Demon Slot began to vibrate.

To speed things up, he directly synchronized the cultivation path of the *Compendium of the Mystic Gang* with the two Demon Shadows in the bubbles.

His true self, along with the two shadows, began cultivating simultaneously—a three-core operation!

As the Cultivation Technique operated, a faint white mist gradually began to rise from Jiang Mu’s body.

Ling Ye stood quietly to the side, concentrating on sensing the flow of his energy.

Whenever she detected a blockage in his meridians or a deviation in his Star Power, she would extend a slender finger and gently press on the corresponding acupoint, using her own gentle Spiritual Power to guide and clear the obstruction.