Chapter 80: A Craft?

Before long, fine beads of sweat had appeared on Chu Tian’s forehead. He nearly gritted his teeth as he finally uttered the activating word.

With his current cultivation, forcing the Spirit Gathering Formation into motion was still a stretch. It placed an overwhelming burden on his spiritual consciousness, threatening to exhaust him.

But at last, the Spirit Gathering Formation was complete.

In that instant, the air currents around him seemed to shift. The faint spiritual energy that had previously been scattered throughout the atmosphere now surged toward the villa, converging from all directions.

He began cultivating the Devouring Heaven Demon Art.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chu Tian drew in the surrounding spiritual energy with wild abandon. With each breath, the spiritual energy was drawn into his body, flowing through his pores and gathering within him.

As Chu Tian cultivated, the environment within the villa underwent a dramatic transformation. The gathered spiritual energy created a vacuum-like aura across the entire estate. The once sparse flowers and plants seemed to receive some miraculous nourishment, flourishing and growing strong in an instant. The whole villa teemed with vitality.

“When did the air in the house become so fresh?” Liu Qingxue immediately sensed something was amiss and quickly noticed the changes around her. Though it was the height of summer, a cool breeze now drifted through the villa, dispelling any trace of heat and leaving only refreshing coolness.

“Did someone turn on the air conditioning?” Gao Haiting asked in surprise.

“Even if we had ten air conditioners running at once, it couldn’t possibly feel this cool,” Liu Qingxue shook her head, instantly dismissing the suggestion.

“Little Tian shut himself in his room as soon as he got home. Could he be up to something in there?” Qin Shiya wondered aloud.

“Oh no!” At that moment, Zhao Linger’s expression changed abruptly.

“Seventh Sister, it’s rare for you to visit, why all the fuss?” Liu Qingxue frowned.

“Eldest Sister, Little Tian must have locked himself in again, busy with some boy’s handiwork!” Zhao Linger’s tone was grave, as if she truly believed something was wrong.

“Handiwork?” Liu Qingxue was taken aback, then blushed. She certainly understood what her seventh junior sister was implying. With seven stunning senior sisters living under one roof with Chu Tian, any young man would be tempted.

When thoughts arose late at night with nowhere to vent them, a young man’s only recourse would be his own handiwork.

“You’re talking nonsense. Our little junior brother is nothing like that,” Gao Haiting corrected her.

“Sixth Sister, this has nothing to do with being indecent. It’s simply an instinct all boys are born with,” Zhao Linger wagged a finger in front of Gao Haiting, as if to say she simply didn’t understand.

“Seventh Sister, I truly don’t know how you became a famed model of purity. Your dirty jokes are more outrageous every time,” Qin Shiya complained.

“Outrageous or not, if you don’t believe me, let’s go check Little Tian’s room ourselves,” Zhao Linger got up at once, brimming with enthusiasm as she marched toward Chu Tian’s bedroom.

“Eldest Sister, aren’t you going to stop her?” Gao Haiting turned to Liu Qingxue, seeking support.

“Sixth Sister, aren’t you curious what Little Tian is doing in there?” Liu Qingxue mused to herself.

“Eldest Sister, don’t tell me you really think he’s… you know, in there?” Gao Haiting exclaimed.

“Well, you can never be sure,” Liu Qingxue replied with a soft laugh as she too walked toward Chu Tian’s bedroom.

Seeing this, Gao Haiting and Qin Shiya exchanged glances, hesitated a moment, and then followed.

As they neared the bedroom, the four women instinctively softened their steps, as if hoping not to be detected by Chu Tian.

Yet they seemed to have forgotten one thing: Chu Tian was a Martial Lord. No matter how quietly they moved, he was likely to sense them.

“Little Tian, what are you doing in your room?” Liu Qingxue took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

There was no response.

Chu Tian continued drawing in the world’s spiritual energy, his own aura growing even more powerful.

Only after ten minutes did the door finally open.

“Eldest Sister, what is it?” Chu Tian’s forehead was drenched with sweat, as if he truly had been engaged in some strenuous activity.

“Little Tian, what were you doing in here?” Gao Haiting’s expression was odd; her faith in Chu Tian was wavering.

“Little Tian, if you really have that need, you could always come to Seventh Sister. I’d be happy to help you,” Zhao Linger showed no hint of the restraint expected of a pure maiden. She draped her arm around Chu Tian’s shoulders, her manner openly intimate.

“Seventh Sister, what are you talking about?” Chu Tian asked, already wary after being teased by Third Sister earlier. He wasn’t about to fall for it again.

But Liu Qingxue wasn’t joking. Her eyes were fixed on the room’s arrangement.

“Is that a Spirit Gathering Formation?” she asked, instantly pulling everyone’s attention back to the situation at hand.

“Once the Spirit Gathering Formation is complete, it will draw the world’s spiritual energy here and transform the environment. If you live within the range of the formation for long, any ailments in your body will be cured, and living a long life will no longer be just a dream!” Qin Shiya was the first to step into the room. She knew well the wonders of such a formation and carefully felt the energy pulsing within.

“Little Tian, I’ve decided—I’m moving in to sleep with you tonight,” Zhao Linger half-joked, climbing onto Chu Tian’s bed and rummaging beneath the covers as if searching for incriminating evidence.

Chu Tian was speechless. Did Seventh Sister really think she’d find used tissues on his bed?

Impossible! And even if there had been, he would have destroyed all the evidence long ago.

“Seventh Sister, behave yourself,” Liu Qingxue chided, her tone firm as she pulled Zhao Linger off the bed.

“Eldest Sister, I lacked the strength before to protect all of you. That’s why Second Sister suffered at the hands of Situ Feng,” Chu Tian looked directly at his four senior sisters, making a solemn promise. “But that will never happen again.”

“Little Tian, this isn’t just your responsibility. You’ve already protected Second Sister,” Liu Qingxue said, then turned to the other three women. “From today on, everyone must redouble their cultivation. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” the three women replied obediently, not daring to contradict their eldest sister.

At that moment, a figure appeared at the end of the hallway. It was Ye Binglan, returning from the bar.

“How could you possibly train without me?” Ye Binglan laughed lightly, having heard everything that had been said.

“Second Sister, you’re back? Where’s Fifth Sister?” Qin Shiya turned, surprised to find Ye Binglan alone.

“Fifth Sister received a call this morning and hurried back to Jinling. It seems there was a family emergency,” Ye Binglan explained.