I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

Welcoming the Tenth Level

After some time apart, Qin Shimeng had already reached the tenth level of the Crystal Stage, and Liang Xiaorou had also attained the second level of the Golden Core Stage. Their cultivation progress far exceeded the plot of the novel. However, some events were meant to occur when they were not strong enough, encountering danger, and then the protagonist heroically saving the damsel in distress, earning her affection. Now, due to Ye Yong’s interference, their growth had become uncontrollable; by the time danger arose, they would be able to handle it themselves, perhaps even turning the tables and saving the hero instead…

Although they had lost the opportunity to increase their affection, Ye Yong did not feel it was a pity, as the margin for error had increased, allowing the female leads to better cope with the effects of the butterfly effect. After all, he couldn’t guarantee that a second incident in the Black Water Secret Realm wouldn’t occur.

“How has your cultivation progressed after such a long seclusion?” Liang Xiaorou, dressed in a small-sized cultivator’s outfit from the Sword Pavilion, clearly had just been practicing, as evidenced by the wrinkles in her clothing; she had rushed over immediately upon receiving Ye Yong’s notice.

“I’ve already reached… the ninth level of the Crystal Stage.”

“What is this ‘Crystal Stage’ nonsense?”

“It’s just a personal term, don’t mind it.” Ye Yong felt utterly helpless at this point. The “spirit stone” in his dantian had always been just one, unlike others who had several spirit crystals.

Originally, the Crystal Stage was about compressing spiritual energy into crystal blocks, increasing storage capacity while further enhancing the concentration and strength of the spiritual energy. When reaching the Golden Core Stage, all spirit crystals would undergo a super mixing and compression, transforming into a Golden Core. Ye Yong, however, seemed to have skipped directly to the Golden Core, and even the size of his Golden Core far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators, nearly occupying his entire dantian.

As his cultivation improved, that “spirit stone” became increasingly bright and beautiful, like a polished gem. Ye Yong felt that when he broke through, he would likely directly coat it in gold, simply and brutally transforming it into a Golden Core.

—

—

“It seems that this batch of new disciples has a lot of potential. Normally, after half a year of joining the sect, even with great talent, one would only reach the sixth layer of crystallization. But this time, besides you and Shimen, there are others who have reached the eighth layer. The overall level is higher than in previous years. The elders say it’s a sign of the return of a flourishing spiritual energy, but I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen.”

Having seen the script, Ye Yong knows that a catastrophe will occur again in the future. The Heavenly Dao has already foreseen it, which is why many new cultivators are breaking through and improving faster than before. The dormant immortal plants and beasts will gradually awaken, preparing to face the impending disaster. Liang Xiaorou, being a celestial body, can sense the mandate of heaven, so it’s normal for her to have a different feeling from the general public, who see it as a good thing.

“Don’t overthink it.” Ye Yong doesn’t intend to reveal future events. As the saying goes, the secrets of heaven must not be leaked, especially when it concerns the safety of this world. Ye Yong already feels like he’s being watched by the Heavenly Dao; if he starts leaking secrets everywhere, the Dao might lose patience and strike him down with divine lightning, turning him into a pile of ash.

“I want to take a break for a couple of days before continuing my closed-door training. Why don’t you keep me company?” Ye Yong shifts the topic.

“Who would keep you company?” Liang Xiaorou huffs, proud and defiant, her first reaction naturally being to say the opposite of what she feels.

“I have no plans; you can decide.”

“Yes, the young master has the final say.”

“Let the master decide.”

Unfortunately, facing three female leads who dare to confront their own feelings, her pride clearly falters, falling apart in a messy way.

Liang Xiaorou didn’t expect them to strike back so quickly. However, the words have already been said, and there’s no turning back; she finds herself in a bit of a bind. Why did she have to say such things? Now, Liang Xiaorou is filled with regret—immense regret.

Ye Yong raises the corner of his mouth, deliberately saying, “Since Xiaorou isn’t coming, we’ll just…”

“I-I will!” Liang Xiaorou raises her voice: “If you insist on having me accompany you, I can consider it.”

Ye Yong never expected to hear such textbook-like prideful remarks in real life; it’s simply astonishing. He quickly waves his hand: “Resting is about relaxing and having fun; forcing it isn’t good.”

Liang Xiaorou grits her teeth, unsure how to respond. Seeing this, Ye Yong stops teasing her, as a bit of playful banter can help her realize that pride won’t get her anywhere. Overdoing the teasing would only lead her to despair, spiraling down a dark path.

Soon, Ye Yong continues, “You don’t like being forced, do you?”

“Not at all.” This time, Liang Xiaorou has learned well, responding softly: “But I don’t feel forced…”

“Then let’s do it together.” He knows when to stop; pride will gradually turn into frankness, and Ye Yong is quite measured: “Let’s decide on our itinerary.”

Each person gets half a day of alone time. Ye Yong can’t be so straightforward, after all, his relationship with the female leads hasn’t been laid bare. He doesn’t have the face to directly say he wants them to share his time equally, instead using the excuse of drawing their portraits individually.

Since it’s for individual portraits, it wouldn’t be appropriate for others to be present, making solitude reasonable.

Sometimes, in life, one must feign ignorance while being fully aware, seeing through things without speaking out. Qin Shimen and the others tacitly accept this reasoning and have no objections to the time allocation.

—

Looking at the relatively peaceful and gradually taking shape harem, Ye Yong felt quite gratified, for his previous efforts had not been in vain. Only by laying a solid foundation could everyone reach a tacit understanding; otherwise, a spark could ignite at any moment.

However, the current number was still small, manageable for now. If the numbers increased in the future… Ye Yong shook his head, leaving future troubles to his future self. For now, he would simply enjoy the time spent with the female leads.

——

Pleasant times always pass quickly. The day of his breakthrough didn’t count, and the two days spent with the female leads seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye. Compared to the days spent in seclusion and consuming pills, one felt like seconds while the other felt like years. Yet, as delightful as the gentle embrace of warmth was, Ye Yong knew he had to keep striving.

After all, if he didn’t seize the moment, by the time the main characters all broke through to the Golden Core stage, he would still be stuck at the tenth layer of Foundation Establishment, leading to unnecessary troubles.

Returning to the windowless room, even with the spirit candle illuminating the space, the gloom of the closed-off chamber could not be concealed. Ye Yong didn’t immediately begin cultivating; instead, he browsed the system shop.

He was currently at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, halfway through, and it wouldn’t be long before he could break through to the tenth layer.

The last time he reached the tenth layer, extraordinary phenomena occurred. This time, with a higher cultivation level, the expected phenomena would be even more impressive, so he had to be well-prepared.

Soon, Ye Yong found a five-rank formation diagram called “Weidi Yanjing Array.” According to the description, even if a Spirit Transformation cultivator unleashed their full power within the formation, no energy fluctuations would be perceived from the outside. If he were being hunted, having this would allow him to break through stealthily and then surprise and counterattack his enemies—truly tailor-made for the protagonist.

The Weidi Yanjing Array had an upgraded version called the Weitian Yanjing Array, which could even deceive the heavens, but that was a nine-rank formation, an incredibly formidable existence that Ye Yong couldn’t use at the moment.

Spending 30,000 reversal points, he purchased the diagram and the materials for the formation. Ye Yong began to set up the array. Although the closed-off chamber was small and didn’t require many materials, the matrix of a five-rank formation was extremely complex, and it took him a whole day to complete it.

Everything was ready; it was time to welcome the tenth layer.