Body Empowering Realm

Jiang followed behind her to the Guo clan.

"Young Lady!"

The two guards watching the gate to the clan exclaimed in shock when they saw her approaching.

"Shh! Don't tell my father that I sneaked out," Xue shushed them.

The two guards looked at each other before nodding their heads together. They respect her enough to listen to her words.

Jiang looked around the dark courtyard of the Guo clan as he followed Xue inside. She was careful and avoided being seen. She then led him to an empty room.

"Young Noble, this is your room. We still have the cultivation manuals you borrowed from us here," Xue said.

The room was average-sized. There was a single bed and a small bookshelf acting as a table with a chair in front of it.

"My room…"

Jiang walked inside and only felt unfamiliarity. He didn't feel close to this place at all. It was as if this was his first time here.

He looked at her smiling face and back at the room.

"This is really my room?"

"Yes, Young Noble. You said you preferred a simple room, so my father gave you this one," Xue answered.

Jiang sat on the bed and felt its softness.

"I still remember when you used to teach me here. It felt like it had happened a long time ago, but only a year had passed. Young Noble, no, Master, I hope you regain your memories soon," Xue said and bowed to him.

Jiang was taken aback by her show of respect. She looked at him one last time before leaving the room, and a feeling of sadness engulfed her departing back.

"This… maybe I really lost my memories," Jiang muttered and stared at his empty palms.

He lit up the candle on top of the table and grabbed a book from the bookshelf under it.

"Classic Cultivation Guide."

Jiang read the whole thing.

Basically, he needed to gather energy from the surroundings and empower his flesh. This realm was called the Body Empowering Realm.

It was divided into eight stages. At completion, his body would be very hard and capable of supporting more energy, and he would be eligible to step into the Energy Accumulation Realm.

The first stage was empowering his hair. It was very simple, and everyone could do it without any problem.

Jiang sat on the bed and meditated. He felt his surroundings and tried to sense this so-called 'energy'.

He reminded himself of his goal and felt motivated to cultivate. He would defeat Zeng Wei and show Lin Fengfang her mistake for betraying him!

A minute passed by, and he couldn't feel anything.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

Half an hour.

And finally, after a whole hour of peace and silence, Jiang felt something touch his hair. It was hot and delicate like fresh ash from a burnt log.

He picked one hair from his head and imagined it absorbing this energy. The energy flowed into this hair strand and incorporated itself onto it.

Jiang opened his eyes and plucked that hair from his head.

It was glossy and healthier than before. A few seconds later, the energy absorbed by that strand of hair dissipated away. It withered and lost its glossy appearance.

"Cultivation is interesting. I wonder what level I reached before I lost my memories," Jiang wondered.

Jiang closed his eyes and tried once more.

It only took him a few minutes to absorb energy into this next strand of hair. It became faster and faster.

A minute, a dozen seconds, and then finally, to a single second for one strand of hair to absorb energy. There were so many hairs on his head, and it made the experience grueling and time-consuming.

Jiang was patient. After the love of his life betrayed him, he was calmer than before when it came to things. He also already tried to kill himself, and he didn't die. His current mentality was maturer than his previous self.

"One hair at a time, patience is a virtue. One hair at a time, patience is a virtue. One hair at a time, patience is a virtue…" Jiang recited to himself.

He was entirely focused on cultivation and didn't realize that the whole night had passed.

"Young Noble?"

Jiang slowly opened his eyes and looked at Xue at the door. She wore a cute, long blue dress. She looked like a water princess.

Her long legs were hidden under her skirt, and it only made one look up and gaze at her beautiful face.

"It's already morning?"

Jiang stared at the bright skies outside and was shocked. It didn't feel like that much time had passed.

"You're cultivating, right? Do you want me to help you, Young Noble?" Xue asked.

"I have one question. Do I need to 'energize' all of my hair?" Jiang asked innocently.

"Hehehehe! I remember I asked that question before, and you laughed at me," Xue giggled to herself. It was a melodious sound that calmed one's heart.

"So, what's the answer?" Jiang pressed on awkwardly.

"You need to energize them all, Young Noble. Even the ones down there…" Xue said and blushed.

Jiang was embarrassed, seeing her blush.

"Thank you. Is there anything you need from me?" Jiang asked and realized she came here for something.

"Young Noble, my father wants to meet you. He is suspicious about you. Don't worry. I won't let him do anything bad," Xue promised.

"Mm."

Jiang nodded his head and stood up. He was grateful to have a place to stay and also wanted to know more about his past self. Asking her father should be the first step to knowing why he lost his memories.

"This way, Young Noble. Do you still remember when we first met in this room? I was so unruly back then and didn't want to cultivate," Xue conversed as they walked together.

Jiang silently listened and nodded his head once in a while.

"You told me I would be married off to a scoundrel if I don't become strong enough to control my fate," Xue muttered with admiration flashing in her eyes.