Infinite Awakening: My Exp Doubles Everyday novel Chapter 126

Chapter 126: We’re Cooked

"We’re really cooked this time," Xiang Yu thought. If Li Yao left, the sect would be left completely defenseless. It was practically a law of the cultivation world that the protagonist’s home always suffered an attack during their absence—allowing them to dramatically save everyone at the last possible moment, if they managed to save them at all.

His mind raced through various scenarios, each more catastrophic than the last. What could he possibly do to prevent the impending disaster?

"Senior brother?"

A gentle touch on his shoulder pulled him from his spiraling thoughts. He raised his eyes to meet Li Yao’s concerned gaze as she stood behind him, her brows furrowed with worry.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice tinged with genuine concern.

Xiang Yu quickly composed his expression, masking his inner turmoil. "I’m fine, just a little surprised is all," he replied as he rose from his seat.

He busied himself collecting the dishes from the table, the familiar routine helping to calm his mind as he thought of possible solutions. The ceramic plates clinked softly against each other as he stacked them, giving his hands something to do while his thoughts continued to churn.

Once finished with clearing the table, Xiang Yu excused himself and headed straight back to the spirit vein.

Unbeknownst to him, Li Yao appeared at the location moments after he entered, her keen senses having tracked him this far.

"The trail ends here," she declared, staring at the seemingly ordinary rock face before her.

[It’s likely another concealment array,] the Empress observed.

After a brief pause, she added decisively, [Let’s go back.]

"Shouldn’t we look inside?" Li Yao challenged, her curiosity growing. Whatever her senior brother was hiding, she wanted—perhaps even needed—to know.

[Every man has his own secrets,] the Empress countered. [If you don’t respect his privacy, he might come to dislike you.]

"Weren’t you the one who told me to follow him?" Li Yao asked incredulously, her hands finding their way to her hips in a posture of indignation.

[I changed my mind,] the Empress replied simply.

The Empress reflected privately that she had indeed sensed an unusual aura from this location before and had encouraged Li Yao to investigate. But now it seemed clear enough—just a low-level spirit vein that Xiang Yu had recently discovered. From all appearances, he was simply using it to cultivate herbs and refine weapons away from prying eyes. She had initially suspected more sinister motives for his secretive behavior, but it appeared he merely sought solitude. Interfering now would only antagonize him needlessly.

"Okay," Li Yao reluctantly agreed, casting one last longing glance at the concealed entrance before soaring away into the sky.

Inside the spirit vein, Xiang Yu had calmed somewhat, though anxiety still gnawed at the edges of his mind. He reasoned with himself that while such calamitous timing was common in cultivation stories, it wasn’t absolutely certain to happen in this case.

Nevertheless, precautions were essential. Li Yao would remain for two more days—by then, his formation mastery should advance to seventh grade. With that improvement, he should be capable of establishing a sect-wide protective formation strong enough to repel Core Formation cultivators and potentially withstand at least one strike from a Golden Core expert.

He also needed to focus on improving his talisman making to sixth grade. A sixth-grade explosion talisman, if deployed with proper strategy, could critically injure even a Nascent Soul cultivator.

With these preparations in place, the sect might just survive until Li Yao’s return.

Drawing a deep, steadying breath, Xiang Yu steeled his resolve. "Time to get to work," he murmured to himself, pushing aside his fears to focus on the tasks ahead.

...

After breaking through to the seventh grade of talisman making, Xiang Yu had gained insights into existing blueprints and even new ones. While these newfound blueprints had their own unique applications, most seemed tailored for specialized situations. Despite having access to this expanded repertoire, he still favored the straightforward effectiveness of explosion talismans.

Dinner proceeded normally, with conversation flowing naturally between the four of them. As the meal concluded and Li Yao prepared to leave, Xiang Yu called her back, retrieving a small package from his spatial ring. _{fr\eewe.bn(o)v\el.c(o)m}

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