"Is... is that right?"
The young girl's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, tinged with uncertainty. She mimicked Xiang Lie's posture, straining her slender shoulders to feel the sacred muscle that Xiang Lie revered as the "throne."
"Yes, that's it!" Xiang Lie's eyes sparkled with the glow of a mentor. He looked at the young girl as if she were a masterpiece he was admiring, "Very good, you have a high level of insight! Remember, close your eyes and feel it with your heart!"
He extended a finger and gently tapped the spot where her neck met her shoulder.
"This is the foundation of your throne. Now, focus all your intent here. Imagine it contracting, exerting force, calling out to your soul! Be careful not to let your arms and back compensate for the effort—that would be a desecration of the throne! Stay focused, stay pure!"
Xiang Lie patiently instructed her, imparting all the "trapezius philosophy" he had cultivated over years of arduous training.
The young girl obeyed, closing her silver eyes as her long lashes trembled slightly. She focused intently, feeling and mimicking the movement, her small shoulders rising and falling repeatedly.
However, her body was simply too frail.
After just a few minutes of weightless training, a fine layer of cold sweat covered her forehead, sticking a few strands of silver hair to it. Her already pale cheeks had lost all color, appearing almost translucent, and her breathing had grown rapid.
"Stop, stop for a moment."
Xiang Lie immediately noticed her unusual condition and promptly halted this sacred initiation ritual.
He furrowed his brows, looking at the girl's weakened state, a wave of pity rising in his heart. This child was a prodigious talent for cultivation, a once-in-a-lifetime genius, but her foundation was too weak. She was like a flawless jade, yet covered in thick layers of dust.
"You're still too weak, severely malnourished," Xiang Lie said in a tone that brooked no argument.
He walked over to his gym bag, unzipped it, and carefully pulled out a brand-new, stylishly packaged bottle of protein powder mix.
This was the latest model of "Muscle Engine" he had imported at a high cost. It was said that one bottle contained the protein and carbohydrates equivalent to three meals, and it was a treasure he usually saved for breaking through plateaus.
"Here, drink some of this. It should help." He unscrewed the cap and handed it over.
The girl took the bottle of liquid with its strong vanilla scent, hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Xiang Lie.
Xiang Lie gave her an encouraging smile that would make even Azu and Ayou proud.
Under Xiang Lie's sincere gaze, the girl finally gathered her courage, brought the bottle to her lips, and cautiously took a small sip.
The next moment, something unexpected happened!
"Pfft!"
The girl seemed to have drunk a mouthful of concentrated sulfuric acid, violently spitting out all the liquid in her mouth! Her face instantly wrinkled, and she coughed violently, her body swaying, seeming even weaker than before, almost unable to stand.
"Hm?" Xiang Lie was puzzled.
This shouldn't be happening! This is top-quality stuff, smooth in texture and sweet in taste. Why is she reacting like this?
He instinctively picked up the bottle and checked the production date. Everything seemed fine; it was fresh.
Could it be... counterfeit? Had he been scammed by the reseller?
Just as Xiang Lie was puzzled, a sharp, piercing alarm suddenly shattered the silence of the abandoned factory!
"Woo—woo—woo—!"
The alarm was piercing and urgent, echoing through the empty factory and reverberating with each sound.
Immediately afterward, a series of well-trained, synchronized footsteps approached from the distance, carrying a metallic rhythm as they swiftly surrounded the area. That sound was not something ordinary police or security guards could produce.
The moment she heard that sound, the girl's reaction was a hundred times more intense than when she had drunk the "poison"!
It was a fear etched deep into her soul, impossible to suppress!
Her pupils contracted sharply, the blood drained from her face, and her body trembled like a leaf in the wind. She didn't even have time to scream; the instinct to survive completely took over her body.
She glanced into the darkness deeper within the factory, disregarding the injury to her ankle, and crawled inward with all her might, using both hands and feet!
"Hey! What are you doing!"
Xiang Lie was stunned by the scene before him.
"Running like this will worsen your injury!" He rushed forward to grab her.
However, the girl seemed to hear nothing of his words, her mind fixated on a single thought—escape!
Her frail body erupted with astonishing strength, crawling frantically across the rough cement floor. Sharp pebbles and glass shards sliced through her palms and knees, and the already injured ankle, dragged violently across the ground, left a glaring, intermittent trail of blood.
Her eyes saw only endless darkness and despair.
Just as Xiang Lie was about to catch up to her, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice echoed through the loudspeaker, filling the entire factory.
The voice was loud, authoritative, and carried an unquestionable tone of command.
"Everyone inside, please evacuate the 'Weapon Girl' immediately! They are extremely dangerous!"
The voice echoed loudly in the empty factory, each word striking Xiang Lie's heart like a hammer.
"Everyone inside, please evacuate the 'Weapon Girl' immediately! They are extremely dangerous!"
Xiang Lie's pursuing footsteps suddenly halted. He stared in disbelief at the silver-haired figure leaving a trail of blood on the ground, desperately fleeing into the darkness.
Weapon... girls?
"Everyone inside, please evacuate the 'Weapon Girls' immediately! They are extremely dangerous!"
The third warning, like a final ultimatum, froze the atmosphere on-site to a standstill.