Shen Tianxu listened without showing any reaction on his face. His mind was processing everything she said at incredible speed.
Analyzing the information. Forming plans and backup plans. Calculating probabilities and possibilities.
"Then why mention it at all?" he asked calmly.
Yue Lianxing looked at him with those cold eyes. Something flickered in their depths. Calculation perhaps. Or evaluation.
"Why should I tell you?" she asked back.
"You appear to have come here for something," Shen Tianxu said.
His mind was working through the situation. "You're powerful enough to destroy this entire world with a thought."
"Yet you specifically came here and specifically saved me from those slavers. You want something from me."
"Clever," Yue Lianxing said. A hint of approval entered her voice. "Very clever for a mortal."
"What do you want?" Shen Tianxu asked directly.
"That's not your concern right now," she replied. Her tone made it clear the subject was closed. "What you should be concerned with is whether you have the capability to be useful to me."
She pulled out a jade slip from somewhere. A storage ring perhaps, though Shen Tianxu hadn't seen her retrieve it.
The slip glowed with faint green light. Ancient characters were carved across its surface in patterns his eyes couldn't quite follow.
"This contains a complete martial arts cultivation technique," she explained. Her voice became more businesslike.
"Not a spiritual cultivation method. Your curse prevents you from practicing those anyway. This is pure martial arts that anyone can practice regardless of their spiritual roots or cultivation talent. It only requires comprehension and dedicated training."
She pressed the jade slip against Shen Tianxu's forehead before he could respond. The contact was brief. Just a moment of cool jade touching his skin.
Then knowledge exploded into his mind.
[Supreme Comprehension System Activated]
[Receiving martial arts technique...]
[Technique Name: Boundless Martial Body Art]
[Classification: Mortal Realm Martial Arts - Complete System]
[Realms: Body Tempering, Muscle Refinement, Bone Forging, Organ Strengthening, Blood Exchange, Marrow Cleansing....]
[Special Properties: Foundation technique for higher cultivation method]
[Analyzing complete technique structure...]
[Analysis complete. Full comprehension available. Awaiting active analysis.]
Information poured into Shen Tianxu's consciousness in an overwhelming flood.
A complete martial arts technique from beginning to end. Every form. Every stance. Every principle and application.
Detailed explanations for each realm of advancement. Training methods and breakthrough requirements.
The Boundless Martial Body Art. A martial arts system that would take normal practitioners decades to fully comprehend.
Some might spend their entire lives and never grasp all its intricacies.
His Supreme Comprehension absorbed and organized it all in seconds.
But he said nothing. Showed no reaction on his face. He wanted to see what she would say next.
"If you can comprehend this technique and reach initial mastery within one year, I will consider helping you with your curse situation," Yue Lianxing said.
"If you fail to show adequate comprehension, you're on your own. I'll find another path to achieve my goals."
"What if I ask why you're doing this?" Shen Tianxu asked. He wanted more information.
"Then I won't answer," she replied coldly.
"What do you gain from this?" he pressed.
"Prove yourself worthy first," Yue Lianxing said. Her tone carried finality. "Show me you have the capability to be useful. Then perhaps I'll explain more. Perhaps not. That depends entirely on your performance."
"If you are as smart as you seem to be, you would grasp this opportunity."
She waved her hand before Shen Tianxu could ask anything else.
The pocket world dissolved around them like mist in sunlight. Space twisted and reality reasserted itself.
Shen Tianxu found himself back in the normal world. The frozen ground. The scattered remains of dead slavers.
The two elf girls were nearby starting to wake up. Their eyes were fluttering open in confusion and fear.
Yue Lianxing stood several meters away. She looked at him one final time with those cold calculating eyes.
"One year," she repeated clearly. "Comprehend the technique. Reach initial mastery. Prove you're worth my time and effort."
Then she vanished. Simply disappeared as if she had never existed at all. No spatial ripple. No dramatic exit. She was just gone between one blink and the next.
The two elf girls sat up fully now. They looked around frantically. Terror filled their faces as they saw the destruction surrounding them.
The frozen dust that used to be their captors. The unnatural cold that still lingered in the air.
They saw Shen Tianxu sitting calmly nearby, no longer in chains. Somehow free while they remained bound.
"What... what happened?" one of them asked. Her voice shook with fear and confusion. Tears were already forming in her eyes.
"Who was that woman?" the other girl added. "Where did she go? What did she do to you?"
Shen Tianxu didn't answer immediately. His mind was completely focused inward.
His Supreme Comprehension was still processing the martial arts technique Yue Lianxing had given him.
The Boundless Martial Body Art. A complete system from foundation to peak of mortal martial arts.
But his system had detected something else. Something Yue Lianxing hadn't mentioned.
[Additional Analysis Complete]
[Special Note: Boundless Martial Body Art is designed as foundation technique]
[Higher cultivation method exists that builds upon this martial arts system]
[Estimated connection: Immortal-grade cultivation technique]
[Theory: Subject is testing Host's comprehension ability]
[Theory: Success may lead to access to complete cultivation method]
Shen Tianxu's eyes narrowed slightly as understanding clicked into place. She hadn't told him the full truth.
This wasn't just a random martial arts technique. This was a test. A way to evaluate his comprehension abilities before revealing her true intentions.
The Boundless Martial Body Art was the mortal foundation for some higher cultivation method in her possession.
After thinking carefully, he arrived at a conjecture.
'She must be struggling with that higher method and unable to breakthrough she came here. Immortals should have a way to sensing destiny to an extent. Divination is pretty normal in this universe."
If he could easily comprehend this lower version, it might mean he could help her understand the complete technique.
That's what she wanted from him. His Comprehension abilities. Though she didn't know about his system or his true nature.
One year? She expected this to take a year for initial mastery?
Shen Tianxu's lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. His first real expression since waking up in this body.
He would master it in far less time than that.
"Shen Tianxu?"