《Transmigration: Children of The Plane》


 Chapter 1 Death And Transmigration

    ?Death and Transmigration


    Life was a fragile thing. It didn''t matter whether someone was the smartest being alive or a random beggar on the street. Everything was equally worthless in the face of the indifferent universe. No matter how precious or dear someone''s life was to you, in front of the cruel and unforgiving world, it could be taken away without any warning.


    And that was what happened to Xue Bai on the eve of his 10th birthday.


    "I''m sorry to say this, Mr. and Mrs. Xue, but your son has ALS and may not walk again." And with those words, Xue Bai''s childhood life ended.


    From that day onward, Xue Bai lived in his hospital room, which was great at first. After all, he was only 10 when he first heard it. So the first thought that came to mind was, "no more school," However, the novelty quickly wore out.


    Boredom quickly set in as he was in his bed all day, every day.


    So, to sate his boredom, Xue Bai asked his parents to buy him different electronics.


    The world he was born in was cruel to him, so he tried to find an escape from others.


    And after getting his first tablet, Xue Bai started his deep dive into the world of fantasy.


    Xue Bai then spent the rest of his time delving into different fantasy works. It didn''t matter what they were either, as he soaked up anything. Magic, supernatural, fantasy, the genre didn''t matter, and neither did the type of entertainment, as Xue Bai loved both tv shows and novels alike.


    Anything else that was full of unrealistic feats performed by superhuman characters brought enjoyment to his boring life.


    And for the next three years, Xue Bai''s life was spent doing just that. Reading every book that his parents bought him and watching every new show he found that piqued his interest. Other than his physical handicap, nothing was constant during his time in the hospital.


    Even his room had changed slightly over the years. Now, it had gained more liveliness than when he first was admitted, as there were books, manga, and CDs of his favorite fantasy works throughout the room.


    Time passed quickly, and on a random Monday morning that seemed like it was going to be a typical day, his parents barged into his room with confusingly broad smiles. His dad was carrying a box as he and his mother stood beside him, seemingly giddy with excitement.


    While confused, Xue Bai waited for his parents to exin what was in the box.


    This didn''t take long, as before his curiosity took over and Xue Bai asked first, his mother came to his side and exined what Mr. Xue was carrying.


    Mrs. Xue Bai exined that In the box was something called a VR(Virtual Reality) helmet, which the doctors had rmended. Apparently, the doctors had said while the chances were slim, it could theoretically help him walk again.


    And since Xue Bai was his parent''s entire world, it went without question that they wanted any opportunity they could get for their son to walk again, so while the chance was slim, they still bought a VR helmet and an apanying game for Xue Bai to y.


    The Xue couple was rather rich, and one measly VR helmet wouldn''t hurt them financially, so even if it didn''t do as advertised, the couple knew their son would enjoy the games nheless.


    And since they knew their son well, the game his parents bought was of his favorite genre, Eastern Fantasy.


    The mentions of immortality, flying, and fighting blood-boiling battles gave the young ALS patient enjoyment like no other.


    The game his parents bought him was the most recent popr Eastern Fantasy game called "Children of the ne," which, as advertised, had a new take on the over-saturated cultivation game genre.


    This game, like many others in the genre, required you to create a character and choose a starting point before fully jumping into a well-choreographed and beautiful cultivation world where your dreams coulde true.


    However, unlike in most cultivation genre games, where you were the only protagonist, this game was much different.


    In "Children of the ne," besides the character you create, there were five other ''protagonists.'' However, to separate you and your fivepetitors from the rest of the world, you were all given a blessing from the ne itself and were given the title called "Child of the ne."


    This would be a blessing that affected every aspect of your life in an extremely beneficial way.


    The title meant that you were blessed by fate. Having extremely good luck that would allow you to find great treasures anywhere or having great charisma that would give you an easier time creating allies.


    There were also many other inclusive traits, but they all boiled down to what the main character of a standard cultivation novel would have.


    Whether they were good or bad.


    Another new concept in the game was that, depending on how you yed the game, the other 5 Children of the ne could be your sworn brothers, spouses, or mortal enemies.


    Meaning that there were no set ways on how to y the game. The world was your sandbox, and every time you wanted to start a new world, you could even choose different allies or enemies to make your journey fresh every time.


    And no matter how fast you cultivated, the other Children of the ne had a feature that allowed them to keep up with your cultivation base and cultivation speed, raising the difficulty by giving you constant pressure.


    This way that no matter how good you were at the game or how well you were at using ''online references,'' you''d always have people on your heels.


    Finally, and most importantly, every single Child of the ne, besides you, was based on a standard cultivation novel troupe.


    Ring Grandma, Regression, Reincarnation, the top 5 most oversaturated and overused cultivation novel troupes, were being used in the game.


    Enticed by the description, Xue Bai didn''t even wait for his parents to leave before he put on the helmet and started his first ythrough of the game.


    Instantly he quickly fell in love with the game.


    And over the next two years, Xue Bai would spend most of his time ying "Children of the ne,"


    While he had finished the main story since there was a sequel on the way, he decided to explore everything the first game had to offer fully. Also, since the game was so realistic, Xue Bai constantly felt like he was doing all these heaven-defying acts himself, making him never want to remove the helmet.


    After waiting a month, Xue Bai finally received the next game, "Children of the Heavens."


    Reading the description, Xue Bai quickly learned that it took ce in the Immortal World, a higher ne. But in order to reach the Immortal Realm, you first had to ascend from the Baishen ne, the ce where "Children of the ne" took ce.


    But in order to ascend, there were two prerequisites. One was to have a cultivation base that was at least in the Immortal Origin realm, while the other was to pass a final Heavenly Tribtion.


    Thankfully, across his two years of ying, Xue Bai had long cultivated to the peak of the mortal ne, the 13th stage of the Immortal Ascension Realm.


    However, while he was waiting for his Heavenly Tribtion, Xue Bai suddenly felt short of breath.


    At first, he thought that it was a sneak attack, but since he already had someone to watch over him, Xue Bai ignored it and continued trying to calm himself.


    Heavenly Tribtions were no joke, and even the slightest change in mentality could result in his death and losing everything.


    But minutes quickly passed, and the feeling only got worse. Soon he couldn''t even breathe. Now scared, he thought hispanion had been killed, and he was next, so he hurriedly checked his surroundings.


    However, even after he used his Spiritual Sense, Xue Bai sensed nothing around him within miles.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Even hispanion was perfectly fine a few miles away,zily lying down on a rock.


    Seeing her so nonchnt made Xue Bai realize something. The feeling wasn''ting from inside the game but was insteading from his actual body.


    While he''d had attacks like these before, this one felt different, and almost instantly, Xue Bai knew it was severe. So before he inevitably passed out, Xue Bai paused the game, took off his VR helmet, and pressed the help button.


    But even as he was waiting for help to reach him, Xue Bai could feel himself hyperventting harder than ever.


    It was getting harder and harder to breathe, and his vision was nking.


    Feeling an ominous feeling building up inside him, Xue Bai quickly became scared. But what could he really do? He couldn''t do anything to help himself, so as he worried about death, he could only stay in his bed and wait for help.


    The help arrived quickly, and it only took just over 20 seconds for the door to swing open, and doctors stormed inside.


    But even as he saw the doctors barge in, something in Xue Bai made him know that they were toote. And just before passing out, Xue Bai got one more good look at the panicked looks on the doctors'' faces.


    ''They look so worried.''


    And after an unknown amount of time, Xue Bai finally woke up.


    But as he opened his eyes, the memories of why he passed out ran through his mind, and without even thinking, he sprung up from his bed to look around his room. Yet right after his back moved, shock filled his face, and he realized what he had just done.


    He had moved!


    Xue Bai hadn''t been able to sit up for almost a year, so doing it now with practically no effort shocked him.


    Still, his shock wasn''t over, as what surprised Xue Bai more than his body listening to him was his ''hospital room.''


    Not only had his tiny hospital bed transformed into an ancient Chinese bed that was big enough to fit an entire small family. It even had the cliche thin curtains that blocked the view from the outside.


    With his mind still reeling from the current situation, Xue Bai knew he had to investigate his surroundings.


    Not only did he find himself in an archaic room, but he also suddenly regained his mobility. Something was definitely off about his current situation, and he needed to find out before something bad happened.


    Climbing out of bed was simple, but as he went to move the curtains, he noticed thest anomaly, his body.


    When Xue Bai went to grab the curtains, he saw his hands were too small for a 15-year-old, no matter how weak his body was.


    Horrified, Xue Bai looked at the rest of his body, only to see that he was only a child, maybe 6 or 7 years old.


    Seeing his shrunken body, Xue Bai tried to think about what had happened to get here. It certainly wasn''t a kidnapping because no matter how good the kidnappers were, they wouldn''t be able to swap his body.


    Thinking supernaturally, Xue Bai soon thought up the only usible scenarios. He had either transmigrated or reincarnated. However, as he thought a little deeper, he remembered that for either to happen, Xue Bai had to die.


    ''I died?'' Xue Bai thought the worst.


    Instantly, he remembered everything in his life. His parent''s sweet smiles, the kind doctors who were always helping him, and even the novels that he hadn''t finished reading all the sweet parts of his life came to him.


    All the good nostalgic memories and the contradicting fact that they were all gone now made Xue Bai suddenly feel sick to his stomach. He had died. No matter how bad his life was, there were still many good things, and even if there weren''t, it was still his. So finding out that he had died made him feel nauseous.


    Holding his mouth and trying to suppress his vomit for a few seconds, Xue Bai jumped out of bed to puke whatever meal the previous host had eaten. Quickly scanning the room in hopes of finding a nearby bin to use, he spotted something resembling a trash can.


    Without checking to see what it actually was, Xue Bai ran over to it and vomited into it until his stomach felt empty, and he started dry heaving.


    After vomiting, Xue Bai began to calm himself down by taking a few deep breaths.


    Seconds quickly passed, and after taking in a few huge breaths, he soon regained hisposure.


    Though he still didn''t ept his new situation, Xue Bai knew that his opinion did not matter much in the grand scheme of things.


    Something had happened, and now he was in a new environment.


    So now filled with curiosity, Xue Bai stood up from the bin and finally started looking around his new room.


    And seeing it for the first time, he had very fewints. While it was an ancient time-themed room, everything looked rich and fancy to the point where he, a future-era person, could tell.


    From the gold-clothed linings on the nket or the cicada wing thin curtain around his bed, not a single thing in the room looked cheap. Hell, even the trash can he threw up into was created from what looked like shiny silver metal.


    As he finished evaluating his room, Xue Bai spotted a mirror next to a desk and decided to take a look at his new body. However, as he walked to the mirror, he soon found out he was too short to look at it standing normally, so after getting a stool that he found nearby, Xue Bai stood on it to see his new appearance.


    But like everything else that happened in thest two minutes, once he looked in the mirror, he was shocked.


    Looking back at him from inside the mirror was a Chinese toddler.


    This wasn''t very odd since Xue Bai himself was Chinese before transmigration, but once he looked at its, or rather his face, he was captivated.


    The skin of the toddler was fair and white, while its face seemed so delicate and pale that it looked almost like a porcin doll.


    Going down slightly, Xue Bai had his attention caught on the oddly colored eyes, which were an odd purple and ck hue. And while the color scheme was certainly quirky, it still was an excellent match to the ck-colored hair cascading down his neck and back.


    However, while Xue Bai was certainly shocked at his new cute appearance, after a quick nce over, he lost interest. Now, the only thing he could think about was one phrase that he yelled out.


    "FUCK AM I A GIRL?"


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 2 Sick Xue Bai

    ?Sick Xue Bai


    With such an effeminate face in front of him, Xue Bai''s first thought was that he had transmigrated into the body of a girl.


    Fearing the possible scenario, he immediately went down to check, but before he could, his room door swung, and a teenage girl in a maid outfit stormed in.


    "Young Master, you''re awake finally! Master has been.." The maid couldn''t finish her sentence because of the scene in front of her.


    In front of her, the usually calm and funny Xue Bai stood on a stool with vomit on his lips, grabbing his crotch as he looked in a mirror with fear on his face.


    Such crazy and nonsensical actions were clearly something that her Young Master would never do, but her eyes didn''t lie to her. And while she found it hard to believe, the person in front of her was clearly her Young Master.


    Xue Bai, on the other hand, was startled. After he heard someone''s voice, he had nned to try and fix his appearance somewhat, but the girl didn''t give him any time and instead charged into his room.


    Without time to even get his hands out of his robe, the girl barged into his room so fast that it gave him a shock. And with a soft yell, he lost his bnce and tumbled off the stool.


    Xue Bai, while falling, tried to grasp something to brace his fall, but he fell at a horrible angle and banged his head on the desk that the mirror sat on, passing out on impact.


    "Ah, Young Master, are you okay," The maid who witnessed all of this happen was rather slow on the uptake.


    Confused, she walked over to Xue Bai, and after a few prods, she realized that her Young Master had indeed passed out.


    But the poor maid wasn''t trained on what to do in a scenario like this. And since she was scared to do something that could worsen the scenario, she carefully picked Xue Bai''s small body up and ced him on his bed before leaving the room and informing her Master of what to do next.


    --


    In an office a few courtyards away, the same maid who had just scared Xue Bai into knocking himself out was now kneeling on the ground in front of a burly man as she reported on what had just happened.


    The burly she reported to was wearing a robe extremely simr to the one that Xue Bai now wore. With both a snow-white inner and outer robe, the robe looked extremely beautiful. It was then finished off with an emblem of a snowke with a sword piercing through it branded on the breast area.


    And while Xue Bai didn''t know it yet, the emblem gave away the man''s identity.


    However, unlike his beautiful robe, the burly man himself stood at tall 2 meters and with a thick and wild beard that matched his physique, giving him the impression of a ferocious general.


    After hearing the maid''s report, the burly man stood in silence for a few seconds as he thought over what the hell his son could have possibly been doing.


    Slightly apprehensive in front of her Master, the maid also stayed quiet and waited for his response.


    A minute soon passed, and eventually, the man got his thoughts together. Opening his mouth, the man asked with a rough voice, "So you''re telling me all that just happened?"


    "Yes, Master, Xiao''er would never lie to you," afraid that the man in front of her would think she was lying, she reiterated herself once more.


    "I''m not questioning your loyalty. I''m confused about that kid. While he had hit his head yesterday, it wasn''t hard enough for him to go stupid from it." The man called Master by Xiao''er started pacing around the room, stroking his beard as he thought about what could''ve happened.


    "Nevermind, I shall go see him myself. Follow me to his room Xiao''er. I''ll see for myself if he''s alright or not." Without enough information, the man couldn''t urately guess what was happening with his son. So he decided to see his son before making any decisions.


    Leaving the office, the man and maid named Xiao''er begin to make their way to Xue Bai''s room. However, once they got to the door, the man suddenly stopped abruptly, confusing Xiao''er, who was right behind him.


    But once she looked over at him in confusion, she saw him do something weird.


    Quickly forming a set of hand seals, the man conjured a white rune that he then ced onto his own body and the maids.


    However, this only confused the maid more. The man saw her confusion, but he didn''t bother to exin his actions, while Xiao''er was too scared to ask.


    What the man was doing was a simple invisibility spell. At his strength, the spell was useless, but it was more than enough to fool the mortal Xue Bai.


    Motioning for Xiao''er to follow him, the two enter the room and see something odd.


    Xue Bai was pacing back and forth with a panicked look, mumbling about how he could get out of his situation and where he was.


    Seeing his son act like this, the man seemed to figure out what had happened. It appeared that Xue Bai lost some of his memories from the fall, which in a way, was true.


    So deciding he''s seen enough, he released the invisibility spell and made himself show, much to the surprise of Xue Bai.


    To anyone with no idea of cultivation, suddenly having a 2-meter tall man suddenly appear would no doubt be a huge surprise. Xue Bai was no different.


    But once he took a look at the man''s face, Xue Bai''s shock turned to confusion.


    The face of the fierce-looking man who appeared out of nowhere made two different names appear in his mind: Duke of Snow Xue Feng, an NPC from "Children Of the ne," and "Father."<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, Xue Bai wasn''t in the best state of mind, and the words that came out of his mouth were a mess. Combining the two words, Xue Bai said, "Father Duke Xue," much to the confusion of the two people who had just appeared in his room.


    Thankfully Xue Feng''s confusion was short-lived, as right after, he put on a smile.


    "So you didn''t forget me, huh? This is going to be much easier then," While he was scared at the idea of his son forgetting him, Xue Feng feigned an angry attitude and, with a wave of his hand, a gust of icy cold wind brought Xue Bai underneath his armpit. And without any further words, he turned around and then carried the boy out of the room like a ragdoll.


    Xue Bai, who was now a handbag, had more than enough information at hand and finally had everything linked together. With his androgynous looks, the snow-white robe he and Xue Feng were wearing, and the man calling son, everything clicked.


    He had transmigrated into the game of "Children of The ne." Not only that, but he was now the only son of the Duke of Snow Xue Feng, Xue Bai.


    Xue Feng was a man who stood at the top of the Great Xuan Empire, the strongest and most dominant force on the Southern Continent. So even if Xue Bai didn''t know half of the man''s feats, he still knew that Xue Feng had a long resume of aplishments.


    While the mixed emotions rolling throughout his body distracted him, Xue Bai eventually noticed what was happening to him. He instinctively tried to struggle away from his father''s grip but to no avail.


    "Father, let me go. I''m not a baby, dammit." With Xue Bai''s attempts to escape failing, he then demanded to be let go while trying his best to sound like his predecessor.


    Xue Bai, in the game, while schrly looking and having a detached Immortal-like temperament, was known to have an extremely coarse mouth and curse a fair amount.


    "You''ve been acting like a fool since you woke up from that fall. So I''m taking you to see the Imperial Physician," Xue Feng replied without so much as even looking at his son. But after walking a few more steps, he caught Xue Bai''sst word, "And you still have that coarse mouth, huh? We''ll see if that old thing can fix that too."


    After hearing that, Xue Bai began to struggle even more. The Imperial Physician was a pedophile in the game. And with the beauty of his character, who knew what would happen to him if they went to the man?


    Or even worse, what if they discovered that he wasn''t Xue Bai and had only possessed his body? Meeting the Imperial Physician was a horrible idea, and Xue Bai wanted nothing to do with it.


    However, the reality was harsh, and he soon realized that he couldn''t escape from his father''s vice grip no matter how hard he tried. And after struggling for some more with no sess, Xue Bai finally epted he wouldn''t be able to break free forcefully, so he stopped struggling and began to assess his situation.


    The body he currently resided in was the only child of a Duke, a powerhouse at the peak of the Houtian Great Realm, but there was one downside. Xue Bai was a cripple in the story, fated never to be able to cultivate.


    Yet, while it was a death sentence for most people, with his father''s position in the Empire, Xue Bai lived a peaceful, struggle-free life.


    However, "Children of The ne" was an Eastern Fantasy game where you had to cultivate to be stronger and live longer.


    Being a mortal for his entire life was a terrifying matter. Just the aftershocks of two powerhouses fighting could instantly kill him, no matter how protected he was.


    As he was fearing for his future, Xue Bai suddenly remembered that since he should be in the game, all his knowledge about the game should also work.


    Xue Bai had explored the entire map of the first game, and he also knew most of the plot of the first game.


    If Xue Bai could collect all the hidden treasures he found during his ythrough, not only could he quickly fix his situation, but he could also be a powerhouse with his knowledge of the game!


    With such an optimistic view of his future, Xue Bai began to daydream about possible scenarios he could find himself in.


    Whether it was the cliche of saving a beauty, ying a dragon, or even bing a god, with the knowledge Xue Bai had, all of those were in the realm of possibility!


    While he was contemting his future, Xue Bai didn''t notice, but his facial expressions were changing in rtion to whichever scenario he was imagining.


    One second it was lustful, while another, it was righteous. And seeing such an odd phenomenon happen with his son, Xue Bai was stunned into silence. Even Xiao''er on the side was somewhat rmed.


    Sighing to himself, Xue Feng knew he would have to fork out a small fortune to fix whatever happened to Xue Bai.


    "If only he hadn''t fallen." Xue Feng sighed.


    However, now that it happened, Xue Feng could only deal with the consequences and hope his wife didn''t get too angry at him.


    Starting to walk forward once more, Xue Feng suddenly remembered something.


    "Xiao''er, I''ll be leaving for the Capital with Bai''er, but before Ie back, whoever was guarding Bai''er when he fell, execute them. We do not need useless men." Xue Feng ordered Xiao''er before leaving the Estate.


    While the maid was shocked at first, she regained herposure, hurriedly said yes, and left toplete the task she was given immediately.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 3 Treatment

    ?Treatment


    Originally the Great Xuan Empire had their Dukes live in the Imperial Capital, but some time ago, the rules changed.


    In fear of rebellion, a previous Emperor made aw that gave each Duke a fief to manage and control.


    But while this also gave the Duke freedom and a small area to control themselves, in reality, it was more an eviction than a blessing, as the minimum distance a Duke could create their fief from the Imperial Capital was 5 thousand miles.


    The reason behind this was to ''help'' ensure the Duke would never interfere with the Imperial Capitals'' geography.


    However, the reality was that through thisw, the Imperial Family could remove any potential powerful enemies from their home base while also using the three Dukes as guardians from any potential rebel armies that nned to invade from outside.


    So before any attacker could even attack the Imperial Capital, they would need to go through the Dukes and their territory first.


    And to further protect the Imperial Capital, the fiefs of the Dukes were ced in key locations. One to the south, another to the west, and finally, one to the east. As for the north, there was a vast ocean there that led to the Central Continent.


    Now, with all 4 cardinal directions having a blockade and no strong fighters allowed in the Imperial Capital, this meant that the Imperial Family was fully secured from all enemies on the outside and inside.


    As for the nobles that were still allowed to live inside of the Imperial Capital, there were die-hard loyalists to the Duan Imperial Family who would dly sacrifice their lives for the Empire.


    It was a genius move, Xue Feng had to admit, but he was already loyal to the Duan Imperial Family, and he wasn''t a very smart man when it came to building up a fief, so thew only annoyed him.


    Sure, he could understand the Duan Imperial Family''s plight. After all, having three Dukes live just miles away from them was certainly a security hazard, but no matter how reasonable thew was, it still annoyed Xue Feng.


    Because now, every time that he needed to travel to the Imperial Capital, he had to prepare to travel 5 thousand miles just to reach it.


    And while such a distance usually wouldn''t take him very long to cross with his cultivation base, this situation was different.


    Xue Bai was now ''sick,'' and Xue Feng needed to urgently see the Imperial Physician, as he lived in the Imperial Pce alongside the Imperial Family.


    However, change didn''t happen ording to Xue Feng''s convenience, so after packing some rations in case of emergency into his spatial ring, Xue Feng started to make his way to the enclosure where his mount and its descendants lived.


    His mount was a demonic beast simr to a griffin. However, instead of having a lion for its body, it was a bear. Therefore, the public knew it simply as a Bear Griffin.


    And Xue Feng''s personal mount had a cultivation base that almost rivaled his own, being at the middle stages of the Domain Lord realm, and led a small n of Bear Griffins.


    Years ago, after subduing the leader of this small n of Bear Griffins, Xue Feng offered to take its nsmen in. And keeping his offer, after the Bear Griffin leader came to Xue Feng''s dukedom, Xue Feng built an enclosure to give the small n a home.


    This way, not only would his mount have an area to roam freely, but Xue Feng could also have some of the talented subordinates under him try and subdue a Bear Griffin for themselves.


    It was a win for both sides.


    After reaching the entrance of the enclosure, Xue Feng put two fingers into his mouth and whistled. And a few momentster, a behemoth of a winged beast that stood at 5 meters tall and had a wingspan that was easily double its height flew out from the forest''s depths andnded in front of him.


    Happy to see his trusted mount, Xue Feng happily gave it a long-needed pet.


    The Bear Griffin was also happy to see his Master and let Xue Feng rub his fur. It even went so far as to lower his head, so Xue Feng wouldn''t have to only touch his body.


    A few seconds passed like this until Xue Feng eventually spoke up.


    "Hahaha, Xiao Xiong, you''re still so lively at your age! Come on. I''ve got to go to the capital for the Imperial Physician. Bai''er hit his head too hard, and I think he might''ve gone stupid." Xue Fengughed.


    While Xiao Xiong was a demonic beast, it also possessed a profound cultivation base and had also already awakened its spiritual intelligence. So after Xue Feng spoke, it instantly understood what Xue Feng said and hurriedlyid down so they could rush to the Imperial Capital.


    Xue Bai, who was still hanging under his father''s armpit, was instantly annoyed after he heard his father calling him stupid. But more than that, he was even more scared of seeing the Imperial Physician.


    ''What if they see I''m not Xue Bai and only an imposter possessing his body.'' The more Xue Bai thought, the worse of an oue appeared in his head. So he did as anyone would in his situation, convincing his father not to go.


    So with the cutest voice that he could pull off, Xue Bai asked, "Lord Father, your dear son Bai''er is perfectly fine. There is no need to tire yourself by taking me to capital."


    Hearing such a coquettish voice from his sailor-mouthed son gave Xue Feng shivers. With such a huge personality change, he feared the fall might''vepletely changed him.


    So as not to let his son''s condition deteriorate any further, Xue Feng immediately started to mount Xiao Xiong so they could begin their journey to the Capital.


    Seeing such a reactione from the historically calm Duke of Snow, Xue Bai knew he had done the opposite of what he nned to do.


    So before his father stormed the Imperial Pce, Xue Bai quickly stated his true thoughts. "You damn old man! I said that I was perfectly fine! If you take me to the Imperial Physician, I''ll tell all our guards you dress as mom whenever you''re alone."


    Xue Feng, still climbing Xiao Xiong, had stumbled and almost fell off Xiao Xiong after hearing what his son said.


    However, thankfully Xue Feng was at the peak of the Domain Lord realm, so he quickly managed to adjust himself while still holding Xue Bai before bing infuriated at his own son, who was threatening him.


    "You unfilial child! How dare you make up lies about me," Xue Feng yelled at his son, "Even if you told the guards, who would believe you."


    Without answering, Xue Bai just smiled at his father. However, the smile didn''t reach his eyes, showing his true emotions.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Seeing his son not answer, Xue Feng continued to yell, but you could tell from his voice that it was weaker than before, "You wouldn''t dare."


    "If you take me to that creepy old man in the Pce, I''ll do it. Just being near him gives me chills. I''m pretty sure he thinks I''m a girl, and I think you know the rumors about him." Xue Bai spoke fearfully.


    Even though Xue Bai hadn''t met the Imperial Physician himself in the game, the Physician was a well-known pedophile, even having his small arc if you created your character in the Duan Imperial Family.


    So rather than trying to convince Xue Feng that he was fine, Xue Bai gambled that Xue Feng, with his position, had allowed him to hear these rumors. And if Xue Feng did know the rumors, there was no way that he could take Xue Bai to the physician.


    And he gambled right. Xue Feng had indeed heard the rumors. However, the man was the greatest doctor in the Great Xuan Empire, so they were simply swept under the rug to protect the reputation of the Imperial Family.


    Seeing that he had begun to sway his father, Xue Bai continued, "Don''t we have our own In-House Physician take me to him instead."


    Hearing thepromiseing from his son, Xue Feng agreed, so they went to the in-house Physician instead.


    --


    After Xue Bai managed to convince his father to go to the In-House Physician, Xue Feng made Xiao Xiong return to his enclosure before turning back around and flying home. This didn''t take long, as with the speed of a peak stage Domain Lord like Xue Feng, flying just a few miles would take no more than a few seconds.


    The In-House Physician didn''t live far, as he had his own courtyard on the border between the Inner and Outer Regions of the estate. And since the soldiers who were his usual customers practiced in the Outer Region, cing his office near them would be convenient for both parties.


    And after Xue Feng made his presence known, the In-House Physician didn''t waste a second and quickly let them in.


    There, Xue Feng exined the problem before letting the old man do his job.


    "Young Master, I am going in to scan your body using my Spiritual Sense. At first, it might feel weird, but please don''t resist it. You aren''t nearly strong enough to do so, and if you resist it too much, you''ll hurt yourself." The In-House Physician said respectfully as he motioned for Xue Bai to sit down.


    Obeying, Xue Bai walked over to the table the In-House Physician pointed toward and sat on top of it.


    Taking a deep breath, Xue Bai then let his guard down and let the physician do his job.


    In-House Physician cautiously put his hand on the top of Xue Bai''s head before pouring his Spiritual Sense into Xue Bai''s body as he tried to see if there was anything wrong with the Young Duke.


    Soon, a minute passed, and the In-House Physician eventually took his hand off Xue Bai''s head before turning around and breaking the news.


    "Duke Xue, there seems to be nothing wrong with the Young Duke. Maybe he is telling the truth." The In-House Physician reported after he finished his check-up on Xue Bai.


    The In-House Physician was an older man known simply as Old Luo. And while he wasn''t as strong as the Imperial Physician, he was older than the man, so his experience made up the difference.


    And his checkup procedure was simple. After all, Old Luo only really examined Xue Bai''s body with his Spiritual Sense. But even after fully scanning Xue Bai''s body, Old Lu found nothing wrong with the Young Duke.


    Yet, Xue Feng wasn''t convinced, and even after Old Lu turned around and exined this to him, Xue Feng stillmanded the physician to double-check.


    Complying, Old Luo then grabbed Xue Bai''s wrist and checked his vitals the old-fashioned way. However, even after that, Old Luo still couldn''t find anything wrong, much to Xue Feng''s shock.


    Seeing that even Old Luo, who was in the Law Manifestation Realm, didn''t see anything wrong with him, Xue Bai guessed that even if there were something wrong with his soul, nobody in the Houtian Great Realm could see it.


    Even though Old Lu was only in the Law Manifestation realm, advancing to the Domain Lord realm didn''t give one many sense-rted abilities, meaning that he was almost at the same level as a Domain Lord physician.


    This meant that either only people in the Xiantian Great Realm could see through Xue Bai''s true identity or that there wasn''t a problem in the first ce.


    ''Maybe there isn''t anything wrong with my body. We share the same name and are both crippled in some way, so maybe we''re connected in some way.'' He thought inwardly.


    However, while Xue Bai was secretly feeling relieved on the inside, his outside facial expression was different.


    Sticking his chin up to his father arrogantly, Xue Bai made an expression that screamed, ''What did I tell you.''


    Still unconvinced, Xue Feng argued, "Then what were you doing in your room that scared Xiao''er so much."


    Remembering what he had done when he first transmigrated, Xue Bai blushed.


    From a third-person view, it did look like he had gone crazy. But Xue Bai couldn''t back down now, so he kept up the lie, "I had a super realistic nightmare."


    Hearing this, skepticism filled Xue Feng''s expression, and he remained doubtful. But even after he stared at Xue Bai for a good minute with the child not backing down, he gave up.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 4 Guilt

    ?Guilt


    Since Old Lu said that Xue Bai was fine even after both checkups, Xue Feng gave up on his persistence. So after asking the doctor to give Xue Bai some high Yellow-grade Soul Stabilizing Pills, he once again grabbed Xue Bai and left.


    Xue Bai at first wanted to refuse the pills, but thinking of the possibleplications from his transmigration, he epted them. The pills would only help him, as even if he wasn''t sick, the pills could be of use in the future once he started cultivating.


    After he left Old Lu''s office, Xue Feng was silent as he tried to think about what to say next. But after a few seconds, he managed to gather his thoughts.


    "Bai''er, I hope you don''t get angry with me. You were acting extremely bizarre once you woke up. Any other father would''ve acted just like me." Xue Feng sighed as he put down his son.


    However, Xue Bai wasn''t angry at the man but instead felt a rush of guilt in himself.


    Xue Feng cared so much about his son, yet he didn''t know that Xue Bai wasn''t his son, but rather some person from a different world or maybe even universe who identally possessed his son''s dead body.


    Yet, Xue Bai didn''t speak out his thoughts. No matter how guilty he felt, his life was more important.


    "It''s okay, Father. I know you only mean the best." Xue Bai said with a half smile. He couldn''t force himself to smile fully.


    Xue Feng didn''t notice this minor detail. So after giving his son a pat on the head, he walked Xue Bai over to his courtyard and left the kid alone.


    Finally, alone, Xue Bai started to think about his situation. He had transmigrated in his favorite game, "Children of the ne." as a character who shared his name.


    Back on Earth, Xue Bai would spend days daydreaming about what he would do if he ever transmigrated, so once he finally managed to live through the scenario of his dreams, Xue Bai was rightfully excited. Especially with his advantage of knowing so much about the world he ended up in, it was almost cheating.


    So before he forgot anything, Xue Bai wanted to make a n. But he decided to collect some information about his surroundings first.


    After ensuring his father was gone, Xue Bai left his room and began gathering information about current events and whether he was in "Children of The ne." As he left the room, he started looking at the estate he lived in more detail.


    From what he gathered after walking around was that it was separated into three main parts.


    The Outer Region wasn''t built on the estate but instead surrounded it, as it mainly housed the guards and foot soldiers loyal to his father. Having them live inside the estate would lower the prestige of the Duke''s home.


    Plus, there were way too many soldiers for the Inner Region to logically house. So Xue Feng let them live on the outskirts of the estate.


    The Inner Region was where important contributors to the Duke''s estate lived. Whether they weremanders in the army or hired side professionals like Old Luo, they all lived in the Inner Region.


    And finally, there was the Core Region.


    The Core Region was where Xue Bai and his parents lived, along with arge dormitory full of maids that kept the area lively for the three-person family. Only having three people live in arge area that was miles in surface area was lonely, so having a small legion of cheerful maids to keep the familypany was pleasant.


    Other than his family and the small legion of maids, the Core Region also kept the essential structures of the dukedom.


    Whether they were the herb gardens that grew the many medicinal herbs, the dukedom needed or the Martial Arts Pavillion that stored the many core scriptures that Xue Feng and his wife collected over the years, the Core Region was the most important and vital area of the entire estate and dukedom.


    Because of this fact, the Core Region was also the most heavily guarded. With arrays everywhere and shadow guards watching 24/7, there was almost no chance for someone to sneak in.


    As Xue Bai walked around the estate and saw the beautifulndscape before him, he slowly realized something. He wasn''t on Earth anymore, and this wasn''t a dream.


    In his heart, he should be happy. After all, he would finally live his dream life, cultivating to be immortal, fighting demons, suppressing prodigies, and finding beauties along the way, but deep down, he felt guilty.


    He would never see his parents again, and while he wasn''t that close with them since he spent most of his memorable life in a hospital room, they were still his birth parents, the people who raised him and gave him everything he needed to keep him happy in his prison.


    They raised him with all their might, and he would never get to repay them for it or even live up to their expectations.


    Just thinking of his mother''s excited face when she brought him "Children of The ne" and how she patiently exined it to him caused guilt to build up within him.


    Now being thrust into a new world with another loving family, what was Xue Bai supposed to do, forget his original and live a new life or alienate his new family in memory of his old one?


    The shing feeling in Xue Bai''s heart broke him, and he broke down. Thankfully he was still in the Core Region, so nobody saw him.


    Xue Bai knelt under a tree in his courtyard, crying his heart out. He was sorry for his mother and father, but most of all, he was sorry that he didn''t want to go back. He wanted to live his new life to the fullest.


    Xue Bai didn''t want to return even if he could. Earth was cruel to him. It took away his ability to walk, and his childhood, before slowly killing him. Now that he had arrived in such a beautiful world, he wanted to live a new life here.


    Xue Bai had dreamt of being in this situation countless times, and now that he was living his dream, he wanted to make the most of it.


    And maybe if he truly got strong enough, he could see his parents again. Thinking about that point, while it did feel like an excuse, Xue Bai genuinely thought it was possible.


    In other cultivation novels, whenever the protagonist reached theter stages of the novel, they could create and destroy tiny worlds like Earth with a snap of their fingers, so why couldn''t he?


    So with a shaky but new-found resolve, Xue Bai stood up, wiped his tears, and returned to his room. Now that he fully confirmed that he was indeed in "Children of The ne," he nned to fully assimte before people noticed something off about him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After all, Xue Bai came from the 21st century and knew nothing about this era''s traditions besides what he read in Chinese novels. So after reaching his room, he went to where his predecessors kept his books and started to read about the Baishen ne and n for the future.


    Xue Bai picked two books from his bookshelf, one about his surrounding geography and another about the history of the Baishen ne. Of the two books, Xue Bai first picked up the one about his surrounding geography.


    Even though Xue Bai had explored almost all of the mortal world, while doing this, he also ignored practically every town and city.


    Since he only started exploring after reaching the peak of the world''s cultivation, whatever the towns could offer him, Xue Bai already had a better version sitting inside his spatial ring.


    While the book mostly re-confirmed many things he already knew, it was still worth the read as he had learned some things he had forgotten.


    He lived on the Southern Continent, which was dominated by four major forces: the Great Xuan Empire, where he lived, and the Three Great Sects.


    Even though the Great Xuan Empire was the most dominant force on the continent, it couldn''t kick out the others as they were the only branch sect from the Central Continent. So the Three Great Sects were only suppressed by the empire but were still allowed to recruit disciples.


    However, one benefit that the Three Great Sects had over the Great Xuan Empire was a passageway to the Central Continent. Highly promising disciples were allowed to continue their cultivation on the Central Continent, which enabled the three sects to stand on equal footing with the empire.


    His father was a Duke, so he would typically continue to serve the Great Xuan Empire. However, Xue Bai had higher aspirations. He wanted to ascend, not serve as a general, to a mere Spirit Awakening realm Emperor.


    And since Xue Bai had such an aspiration, he would obviously n to join one of the Three Great Sects.


    The Three Great Sects were Wushen Academy, a ce where any type of cultivator could join as long as they had enough talent. Next, the Soaring Sword Sect, a sect that specialized in the sword, and only sword cultivators could enter, and finally, the Hundred Flowers sect, an all-girl sect.


    Xue Bai nned to join the Soaring Sword Sect. His father was a famed swordsman throughout the entire continent. With his teaching, even a pig could be a renowned Sword Cultivator, much less him.


    The rest of the book was either unimportant or things he already knew, so he ced the geography book down and picked up the history book.


    Xue Bai only skimmed through the history book while ignoring settlements in the Baishen ne. However, he was very interested in its story.


    His primary purpose in picking up the book was to look at the history of the Baishen ne to make sure what he knew was the same, which he quickly found true.


    To cultivate, one needed something called Martial Veins. Marital Veins would allow one to sense and absorb the Spiritual Qi in the air, and they only would awaken in children ages 11-15.


    If you didn''t awaken them between those ages, that meant you didn''t have a set of Martial Veins. Meaning that you would never be able to cultivate, effectively cutting off your fate with Immortal Cultivation.


    However, to the unresigned, there was a fine print.


    In the Baishen ne, though rare, there were also natural treasures that could give someone a set of Martial Veins. Still, those were rarer than a phoenix feather or a qilin horn, making them only things of legends and not a reliable thing to bet on should someone be born without Martial Veins.


    And even if there was a natural treasure of this nature found,moners or the poor would have to forget about their chances of getting one.


    Even a natural treasure that would give a cultivator even the lowest, low Yellow-grade Martial Veins would sell for sky-high prices, far beyond any mortal non-cultivator could possibly own.


    Martial Veins also had another variation. Besides the neutral version, there were also elemental versions that allowed the cultivator to control the respective element instead of the neutral Spiritual Qi.


    Because of the elemental variant''s rarity, if a cultivator awakened an elemental version, they were considered higher than its neutral counterpart.


    Away from Martial Veins, almost any item in the Baishen n, simr to the Four Great Realms of cultivation, natural treasures, weapons, or any supplementary item a cultivation could own, were divided into four tiers, Yellow, ck, Earth, and Heaven.


    Beyond that, they were further divided into low, middle, high, and peak in each tier.


    Yellow-grade corrted to the Houtian Great Realm, ck-grade to the Xiantian Great Realm, and so on until the Heaven-grade, which corresponded to the God Great Realm.


    However, thest two tiers weren''t ever used in the Baishen ne, as they represented the apex of cultivation.


    And even further narrowing down the talent pool, most cultivators on the Southern Continent only had a low or middle Yellow-grade Martial Vein, while peak geniuses would only have a low ck-grade set.


    Moreover, if a young cultivator awakened an elemental Martial Vein, they were instantly recognized as a prodigy.


    As for Martial Veins of higher rank? Those were reserved for those heaven-sent geniuses on the Central Continent and not the Southern Continent bumpkins.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 5 Huo Long, The Ring Grandma Protagonist, Intruder

    ?Huo Long, the Ring Grandma Protagonist, Intruder


    This meant that Xue Bai''s predecessor, who never awakened any Martial Veins, and missed out on having the possibility of being a cultivator, had to take a different route.


    And since he couldn''t cultivate his martial strength, Xue Bai''s predecessor took the opposite path and decided to cultivate his mental strength and became a schr.


    After he made the choice to be a schr, he very quickly became a sensation in the Great Xuan Empire.


    After all, with his looks, education, and intelligence, how could he not?


    Xue Bai was one of, if not the best-looking character in the game, and coupled with his breathtaking poetic ability, he quickly became the female idol in the Great Xuan Empire.


    But for a transmigrator, Xue Bai would never ept dying a mortal. No matter how prestigious his predecessor got as a schr, at the end of the day, he had no strength and could have his neck wrung like a chicken, even by a Vein Transformation ant.


    How could he, as a transmigrator, ept such a pitiful life?


    Now Xue Bai had to face the problem of hisck of Marital Veins. So before anything else, he needed to find a natural treasure that could help him awaken Martial Veins when he came of age.


    Looking over the desk a few steps away, Xue Bai found a calendar on the wall. Looking over at the calendar, Xue Bai saw that the year was currently 969.


    Xue Bai''s character was born in 962, so he still had four years before his 11th birthday, when he would undergo his first attempt at awakening his Martial Veins.


    And since Xue Bai wanted to cultivate, he had to go big.


    A Yellow¨Cgrade or a ck-grade Martial Vein was out the window. At the very least, Xue Bai wanted to be an Immortal and ascend.


    However, to ascend, at the minimum, one needed an Earth-grade Martial Vein. Because without one, any cultivator would find it difficult to reach the higher stages in the Xiantian Great Realm, let alone get to the Immortal Great Realm.


    But if he wanted a set of Earth-grade Martial Veins, Xue Bai would have to find a natural treasure of at least low Earth-grade. Because how could a treasure in the ck-grade give the consumer a Martial Veins of the Earth-grade? It was impossible.


    It was like getting a million dors out of a wallet. No matter how great the wallet looked or how expensive it was, it couldn''t possibly hold that much money.


    Only treasures in the Earth-grade could give Xue Bai a set of Martial Veins that could let him cultivate to the Immortal Great Realm and ascend.


    And on the Southern Continent, there were only two such treasures from his knowledge.


    However, they were both problematic. One was hidden in the Duan Imperial Family''s Monarch Tomb Secret Realm.


    The other was less problematic because it was in an easily essible area, but there was a fine print. It wasn''t ripe yet, and Xue Bai had to wait about three years before it ripened.


    But since the first was only avable in a secret realm that would only open 14 years from now, Xue Bai quickly took that off the table, which left Xue Bai with the second less problematic option.


    The treasure in question was a low Heaven-grade natural treasure called the Celestial Void Fruit. And its special effect was creating a set of Low Heaven-grade Martial Veins of the spatial attribute, which was one of the rarest and strongest since of its unpredictability and unorthodox fighting abilities.


    But unbefitting of its prestige as a Heaven-grade natural treasure, it was currently growing in a small town just outside the Great Xuan Empire.


    Thankfully, while it was far away from his dukedom, his family was more than strong enough to take it away without anyone noticing.


    Even better, because of the spatial attribute, the natural phenomenon that the Celestial Void Fruit produced at the time of ripening was a spatial pulse.


    And no one below the Immortal Great Realm could notice a spatial pulse, as in order to detect such a phenomenon, one would need a link with the void, an alternate dimension that allowed no life. Only cultivators in the Immortal Great Realm could live there.


    This meant that since only Xue Bai knew where it was when it ripened and that no one else could detect it, the fruit was destined to be Xue Bai''s!


    Of course, if it were in the Immortal Realm, the Celestial Void Fruit would cause wars and produce countless casualties. However, since it was growing in this mortal world, it would be fed to him, a cripple.


    Sadly while Xue Bai would get this fruit eventually, it also meant that he couldn''t cultivate for the next four years and could only start his n three years from now.


    Finished with the first step of his n to ascend, Xue Bai then ced the history book down and began writing down his ns for the next few years until then.


    ¨C


    After about an hour of writing, Xue Bai''s wrist got tired, and he ced his ink quill down.


    Giving his aching wrist a small massage, Xue Bai then stood up and started stretching. While it took a while to organize his thoughts well in his mind, Xue Bai eventually managed to write down the two most important things he needed to do in the near future.


    The two things he had written down were the Celestial Void Fruit and an extremely important person he needed to build a rtionship with before he rose to stardom.


    The Southern Continent where he lived was the only one that housed two Children of the ne.


    The other 3 Children of the ne each had their own continent: the Northern, Eastern, and Western Continents.


    And like every protagonist ever, the two Children of the ne that were on his continent started with humble beginnings. But, of course, their starts were different, and they both had their own struggles.


    The protagonist that Xue Bai decided to meet first was someone who also lived in the Great Xuan Empire.


    Also, coincidentally he was a part of a subordinate n under his father as well.


    This Child of the ne''s name was Huo Long. He was the eldest son of a fallen Marquis Family.


    The plot he was born in was the cliche of a supreme genius who became a cripple with no cultivation. However, once he found a ring containing the soul of a newly deceased powerhouse.


    And with the backing of a supreme powerhouse, like a phoenix from the ashes, Huo Long rose back to power, face-pping all those who once looked down on him.


    Huo Long''s family, the Huo n a few hundred years ago, led by Huo Long''s grandfather, quickly rose to great heights in the Great Xuan Empire.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But like any normal cultivation world, when one person or group quickly rose, it often caused one to gain public ire. And the wolves appeared after Huo Long''s grandfather vanished one day while he broke through to the Xiantian Great Realm.


    Then, without the protection of his grandfather, the Huo n suffered a steep decline.


    Huo Long''s grandfather was an anomaly in the Huo n''s history, and the second generation was never able to live up to their n founders'' potential.


    And with the wolves showing their fangs, the Huo n went into a steep decline.


    However, this decline onlysted until Huo Long''s Martial Vein awakening.


    That day, Huo Long awakened a Low ck-grade Martial Vein with a fire attribute.


    With such high potential, Huo Long was quickly named the n''s hope. Where he was given the entire n''s focus as they saw him as their rise back into the upper ranks of the Great Xuan Empire.


    However, the old enemies of his grandfather would never let him rise peacefully, and one day unable to fight back, Huo Long was crippled and lost the Martial Veins that had given him his potential.


    After the news of his ident was spread, Huo Long was quickly expelled from his sect. So he returned home saddened until he saw something fall from the sky.


    Curious, Huo Long stopped his carriage and followed it to see a ring. Assuming it to be a spatial ring, he picked it up, hoping to sell it to relieve some of his n''s financial problems, only to find it too heavy to be picked up.


    Unconvinced, Huo Long tried picking the ring up until he exhausted himself. Then, tired and still depressed from his expulsion, he was about to return to his carriage when he noticed a misty silhouette rising from the ring.


    The misty silhouette eventually took shape and turned into a jaw-dropping beauty. With red-colored hair that seemed to emit mes and phoenix-like eyes, a fire lotus imprinted in between her eyes. The misty silhouette looked like a goddess who had descended to the mortal world.


    However, oddly enough, other than her beauty, the beautiful woman was almost transparent, like she would fade away if she were hit with a strong enough gust of wind.


    The woman, who seemed like she would dissipate in the next moment, looked at Huo Long with eyes that seemed to see through him entirely and then announced herself.


    She imed to be a genius named Feng Huang, who had originally resided in the Immortal World. But, after the death of her senior brother, Feng Huang was caught in an ambush and died.


    Unresigned the fact that she never reached her full potential, she sacrificed her physical body to fake her death before leaving her soul in a ring to preserve her life. And that ring had coincidentally fallen into the Baishen ne.


    Now weakened, she needed a host to supply her with Spiritual Qi to keep her soul stable. And since she was on herst legs, she could only choose the nearby Huo Long as her host. Thankfully she chose right, as, under her teaching, Huo Long began to rise again.


    If Xue Bai wanted to be close to Huo Long, he would have to make contact before the protagonist established himself as a genius.


    During Huo Long''s first rise, he was surrounded by fake friends and spies who only sucked up to him because of his potential. However, once Huo Long''s ident, they would all leave him hanging dry after his ident.


    If Xue Bai wanted to make contact with him, it had to be before his awakening. Coming to him after would make Huo Long put Xue Bai in the same boat as the fake friends. Plus, being a friend before his awakening would show more sincerity.


    However, at this moment, the Huo n was in the middle of mass migration. They had just lost their fief and were being kicked out to the border of the Great Xuan Empire.


    If he went now, it would look like Xue Bai wasughing at them from their eviction. A Marquis family losing its fief and being banished to the border was something that had never happened before in the history of the Great Xuan Empire.


    The rank of Marquis was something second only to Dukes in the hierarchy of the Empire, so being banished to the border where either peasants ormoners lived was a great humiliation.


    So after some thinking, Xue Bai decided to give it a year before meeting the protagonist. A year was long enough to allow the Huo n to adjust to their new environment, and since Huo Long was only nine, there would still be another year before Huo Long would awaken his Martial Veins.


    During this year, he would try to gather information about the second protagonist living on his continent, but as she lived outside the Great Xuan Empire, it would be hard to find traces of her.


    As Xue Bai was stretching, he yawned.


    Feeling exhaustion sweep over him, he decided to end this long day and go to sleep. But before he went to sleep, he slipped the scroll into the geography book, hiding it just in case his father checked his room.


    It would be rather hard to exin its contents, and Xue Bai wanted to hide it in a simple spot for the night. Xue Bai nned to get a better hiding spot tomorrow.


    For now, he wanted to sleep.


    Then after blowing out the candles in his room, Xue Bai covered himself with his quilt and slept.


    However, unannounced to him, the second Xue Bai managed to fall asleep, a shadow quietly snuck into his room.


    After making sure, it wasn''t heard, the shadow slowly crept up to Xue Bai''s bed.


    Calmly looking at his sleeping face, the shadow confirmed that Xue Bai was indeed asleep.


    Following the quick reassurance, the shadow started to search the room.


    First, it swept through the entire room until it noticed the two on Xue Bai''s desk.


    Walking up to the desk, it skimmed through the books, checking if anything was hidden between the pages. And it was right. In the second book, a scroll with somewhat fresh ink fell out from between the pages.


    The shadow picked up the scroll and began to read the contents. After reading the scroll, the shadow recognized the handwriting that belonged to Xue Bai, and it started copying the scroll''s contents.


    After a few minutes of copying, the shadow was finished. Then, putting the scroll back, it took one final look at Xue Bai before sneaking out of the room again.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 6 Xue Feng’s Suspicions, Meeting Mother

    ?Xue Feng''s Suspicions, Meeting Mother


    A few courtyards away, in Xue Feng''s office, the shadow once again appeared.


    However,pared to Xue Bai''s dark room, Xue Feng''s office was fully lit, and under the light, the shadow''s identity was revealed.


    It was Xiao''er, Xue Bai''s usually cheerful and naive maid.


    While Xiao''er was Xue Bai''s personal maid, Xue Feng was still her Master at the end of the day, so when Xue Feng ordered her to sneak into Xue Bai''s room, she couldn''t refuse.


    However, even if Xue Feng hadn''t given her the order, she would''ve tried to sneak in any way to find out what happened with Xue Bai.


    His weird performance in the morning was extremely weird, and Xiao''er became concerned. Even if Old Lu said that there was nothing wrong, maybe the old man was a quack?


    Xiao''er cared for her Young Master very much and wanted to know if anything happened to him.


    After she entered Xue Feng''s office, Xiao''er respectfully handed Xue Feng her copied version of Xue Bai''s scroll and stood at his side, waiting for his judgment.


    "Celestial Void Fruit, spatial element Martial Veins, Huo n, Huo Long¡­."


    The more Xue Feng read the scroll, the more his eyebrows furrowed. The scroll consisted of two main things, where and when to find a treasure and a person to contact.


    However, they didn''t make sense to Xue Feng. A natural treasure that was worth looking at for him would never grow in such a remote region, let alone a legendary low Heaven-grade one.


    And as for Huo Long, while Xue Feng knew of his existence, his life was something that he could end with a simple order to a nearby guard. So why would his son want to build a friendship with him?


    But, what confused Xue Feng the most was that both of these things would onlye into value in the far future. So how did his coarse-mouthed shut-in of a son know all of this?


    Yet no matter how much Xue Feng thought about it, a reasonable answer never came to him.


    There was only one thing that he was only sure of. Xue Bai was hiding something.


    Though Xue Bai waspletely healthy after the fall, somehow, the fall gave him some future information. Whether the information was urate or not, only time would tell.


    "Xiao''er, continue to stay by Bai''er. If you encounter things like this again, bring them to me, but unless anything important happens, don''t do anything that could raise his suspicions." Then, with a hypothesis in mind, Xue Feng ordered Xiao''er before leaving the office.


    "Yes, Master!" epting hismand, Xiao''er quickly left the office, returning to the maid dormitories to maintain her image.


    Surprisingly the naive and cheerful maid, Xiao''er, was actually a cultivator!


    While she wasn''t as strong as Xue Feng, Xiao''er still had more than enough strength to elude the still-mortal Xue Bai.


    Ignorant of what happened in his father''s office, Xue Bai slept soundly and only woke up until the dawn of the next day.


    Then, after stretching and wiping his eyes, he climbed out of bed. Going back to his desk, he pulled out his poorly hidden future ns from the book and nned to hide them. Xue Bai then took the scroll and hid it under his mattress.


    While he had ess to spatial rings without any Spiritual Qi to activate them, they were just hunks of metal to him. So until he awakened his Martial Veins, he had to resort to this basic form of hiding.


    After making sure, there were no bumps in his mattress Xue Bai left his room.


    In Xue Feng''s office, two people stood silently across from each other. One was a burly two-meter-tall general, the other a child so delicate and beautiful you could''ve mistaken it for a porcin doll.


    After a minute of silence, Xue Feng broke the silence, "So you''re telling me you want to learn how to use the sword."


    "Yes, I am your child. So it should be without question that I know how to use a sword. And I think now is a great time for me to start." Xue Bai replied.


    Looking at the frail 7-year-old in front of him wanting to learn how to use a sword, Xue Feng didn''t know what to say. However, the world was cruel. If someone wanted to be stronger, who would dareugh at them?


    It was respectable to have the will to be stronger. Laughing at someone who wanted to would only show your insecurities or deformed personality.


    But the person who wanted to be stronger was his own son.


    And as a doting father, Xue Feng naturally didn''t want any harm toe to Xue Bai.


    However, without any reason to deny the child, Xue Feng did what any father would do in such a conundrum; deflect the problem.


    "Go ask your mother. If she says yes, we''ll start tomorrow."


    Unwilling to be sent away, Xue Bai asked, "You''re the man of this household. Shouldn''t you have the power to make such a simple decision?"


    "Your mother has always been overprotective of you. If I let you train and she disagrees, I wouldn''t hear the end of it for months." Xue Feng waved his hand, indicating that the conversation was over.


    Xue Feng did have a point there, but from what he knew about his mother, even if she agreed, it would be very tame training from guards.


    Xue Bai didn''t want to be coddled during training. Instead, he wanted to be trained by his father, a true swordsman who earned his duke title through battle and bloodshed.


    However, seeing his father''s face, Xue Bai knew he wouldn''t get through to his father, so he left the office and started to make his way to where his mother lived.


    ¨C


    Xue Bai''s mother, Li Rou, lived in the core region. However, since Xue Feng usually spent his days in the office ormanding the guards, she usually stayed in a courtyard near the maid dormitories.


    Li Rou was originally a famed archer in the Great Xuan Empire and the little sister of Xue Feng''s sworn brother Li Huo.


    However, after the three stepped away from the battlefield and received their aristocratic titles, Li Huo served as a matchmaker for the two, and they eventually married.


    Now in an era of peace, Li Rou revealed her gentle side and began to focus her time on alchemy and raising natural treasures for the dukedom instead of the archery and war games she was once famed for.


    After bing an alchemist, Li Rou also transformed her secondary courtyard into an expensive and valuable herb garden. In fact, should its value be evaluated, it would make her one of the wealthiest people on the Southern Continent.


    These were all of the details that Xue Bai was able to remember of his mother from the game. Beyond that, the woman was an enigma. However, he didn''t have much more time to think as he noticed that he had finally reached her courtyard.


    Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped in.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This time he wouldn''t take no for an answer.


    Once Xue Bai entered Li Rou''s courtyard, he immediately noticed the extensive greenery throughout it.


    Various fruit trees and beautiful shrubbery littered the garden giving the courtyard the atmosphere of a forest but still managing to maintain the noble identity of a Duchess.


    However, the picturesque scenery wasn''t what Xue Bai came for.


    Looking around the bright green shrubbery for his target, Xue Bai eventually found his mother.


    Like it was pulled out of a painting, Li Rou was in a picturesque position.


    Sitting peacefully in the center of the garden, with a pail in her left hand, she tended to arge tree that sat in arge plot of dirt all by itself.


    Though Xue Bai had no Martial Veins, he could very easily see that the tree she was tending to was something special.


    "Mother, I want to learn how to use the sword." Xue Bai asked boldly.


    It was better to be confident and ask this question, and by stating his demands first, Xue Bai thought it would raise his chances of Li Rou saying yes.


    Li Rou, however, continued to tend the tree in front of her as if she didn''t hear Xue Bai.


    Seeing this, Xue Bai sighed. While he hadn''t gained many memories from his predecessor, he remembered what she was doing. Li Rou had wanted a daughter, and with how beautiful Xue Bai was growing up, she treated him like one.


    Dressing him in fancy dresses and teaching him how to use makeup and other womanly activities was normal for the young Xue Bai.


    This was also the reason Xue Bai didn''t want to ask his mother for permission. She had always treated him as the daughter she never had, and in this situation, their desires wereplete opposites. She wanted him to learn tea ceremony, while he wanted to learn how to fight with a sword.


    However, this time, Xue Bai wouldn''t take no for an answer, so he tried to persuade his mother.


    "Mother, surely you must know what I''m here to ask for. Yes, while I know you don''t want me to learn the sword and continue to be your little child, the world is dangerous. And while I can''t cultivate yet, it''s still extremely important for me to start practicing early. The earlier I begin to train, the better I can protect myself, you, and Father."


    Hearing Xue Bai''s convincing argument, Li Rou''s body shivered for a moment. However, she didn''t respond and continued to tend to the fruit tree.


    Xue Bai didn''t see this small action and thought that Li Rou was still ignoring him, so he moved in closer to speak again until he heard her sigh.


    "Bai''er, I''m not against you training for the future. I''m just scared for you. The cultivation world is dangerous and full of treachery. And while I know with our standing in the Empire, you will eventually have to enter it, as your mother, how can I not worry?" Li Rou finally replied.


    Xue Bai was shocked. He hadn''t expected such a response. However, he could understand how Li Rou felt.


    The child she raised so preciously now wanted to learn how to fight. It was obvious how she would feel. But the world was dangerous, and avoiding the fight would only bring more danger. Only by facing the opposition head-on could he ensure his safety.


    Just as Xue Bai was going to respond, his mother finally turned and looked at him. At this time, Xue Bai also finally got his first look at his mother in this life.


    Unlike the burly and ferocious-looking Xue Feng, Li Rou looked both gentle and elegant. With smoothlybed-down ck hair that was held up by a ck crown, she looked graceful.


    Coupled with her blood-red robes and lips, Li Rou''s appearance was a beautiful contrasting color that made Xue Bai give a secret thumbs up.


    Li Rou didn''t notice this and instead spoke up for the first time since Xue Bai walked in.


    "I will allow you to practice. However, I don''t wish for you to learn the sword first from your father. So instead, I will teach you archery first."


    Xue Bai''s face lit up for a moment when he heard Li Rou''s first words, but once she finished her sentence, it darkened.


    Yet before he could say anything, Li Rou interrupted him and continued.


    "And before you say no, this is the most, I willpromise. So it''s this or nothing." Li Rou spoke bluntly.


    Seeing her look so obstinate, Xue Bai knew he wouldn''t be able to change her mind.


    However, he also began to think about her offer.


    Xue Bai felt he would eventually learn archery, so why not learn it from a famed archer like his mother?


    Plus, the spatial attribute Martial Veins that he nned to get synergized well with archery.


    Just imagine the idea of teleporting a volley of arrows in front of the enemy or making an arrow change directions mid-flight.


    Even just thinking about doing such a thing excited Xue Ba''s inner otaku.


    And knowing that his mother wouldn''t change her decision any time soon, Xue Bai agreed.


    "Then when can we start, Mother?"


    "There''s no rush, Bai''er. You''re still young. We will start next week. Mother needs time to prepare a training schedule and a ce for you to practicefortably," Li Rou gently said before a glint shed into her eyes, and she continued, "However, there are some new dresses I bought. Follow me. You can try them on."


    Xue Bai had turned to leave after hearing the first part, but when he listened to the second part only started leaving faster.


    Expecting this, Li Rou swept her arm, and a gush of fiery wind sent Xue Bai tumbling backward into her arms.


    "Bai''er, it''s only a few dresses. It won''t take long. You can leave after I see how they look on you." Li Rou spoke as she carried Xue Bai into her bedroom.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 7 A Talk Between Two Parents, Snowy Wind City

    ?A Talk Between Two Parents, Snowy Wind City


    Xue Bai was only allowed to leave after he tried on the dozen dresses Li Rou had recently tailored for him.


    The process was long and annoying, but since Xue Bai still felt some guilt toward Xue Feng and Li Rou for possessing Xue Bai''s body, he didn''tin during it and let Li Rou do as she wished.


    At the end of the session, while Xue Bai could still confidently say that he wasn''t a fan of cross-dressing, the dresses his mother had tailored for him were prettyfortable.


    Xue Bai might''ve even worn one of them if they weren''t so tantly women''s clothing.


    But the overall experience was still extremely annoying, so after he tried on thest dress, Xue Bai quickly left her courtyard, fearing that Li Rou would pull out old clothes for him to try on.


    Seeing her son leave so quickly, Li Rou sighed to herself.


    He was growing up, and she wouldn''t be able to continue her hobby much longer. Xue Bai was right that she liked to dress him up but was wrong about the first part. She never thought of him as her daughter.


    Li Rou just really liked using Xue Bai as a mannequin to try on new clothes.


    Smiling slightly to herself, Li Rou stopped thinking about that and then remembered something.


    cing the pail in her hand down, Li Rou stood up, left her courtyard, and started to make her way to Xue Feng''s office. It was still early in the day, and Li Rou knew he would be there.


    With long and masterful steps that each let her travel several meters, Li Rou quickly crossed the mile-long distance between the two and arrived at her husband''s office.


    Then without even bothering to knock, she entered.


    Inside, her husband, Xue Feng, sat at his desk slumped over as he read reports.


    When someone dared to barge into his office, Xue Feng stood up, ready to yell at the rude intruder, but once he stood up and saw the culprit, his anger extinguished and was quickly reced with love and gentleness.


    "Honey, what brings you here?" Then, putting his work to the side, Xue Feng asked.


    Usually, during the day, the two would each do their own thing, then they would congregate at night, where they talked about their day.


    During the day, Li Rou would either be in her garden tending to her medicinal herbs or leading the maids, while Xue Feng led the dukedom.


    Once Li Rou entered the room before she started to speak her mind, she quickly scanned her surroundings with her Spiritual Sense. Then, and only after making sure that they were alone, she finally started talking.


    "Husband, have you noticed anything strange from Bai''er? He seems different, almost like he''s nning something."


    Not expecting his wife to detect so much from her short meeting with Xue Bai, he asked how she noticed.


    "Besides him asking us to train, which he never would''ve done before, he seemed to enjoy our session today. While I still had to drag him into my courtyard to do our session, before, he would struggle every time I put on a dress for him. Yet this time, he was so cooperative." Li Rou exined.


    Not expecting such an answer, Xue Feng was momentarily speechless.


    ''Maybe he just finally epted his fate. You''ve been doing this twice a week for the past four years. If anything, I''m surprised he was still struggling.'' However, Xue Feng would never bring these thoughts to light.


    So, after regaining hisposure, he exined what happened to Xue Bai yesterday. From the fall to the scroll, Xiao''er had copied from his room.


    Li Rou became silent as she began to process the information.


    Xue Feng knew that it was a lot to digest, and he also stayed quiet as he didn''t want to rush her.


    Two were silent as minutes quickly passed until Li Rou eventually broke it with a dramatic proposition.


    "What if Xue Bai was possessed? You''ve surely heard of those stories, a powerhouse taking advantage of a young dying child, and then they proceed to steal their bodies." Li Rou asked solemnly.


    However, even just the mention of such a horrible situation made Xue Feng instantly furious. Just the possibility of an old fossil stealing the body of his only child made him livid.


    "Bai''er had only fallen. It was nothing even remotely life-threatening. While I had spections of my own, such a dramatic event is impossible. Besides, if such an expert wanted a body, why would he choose Bai''er? Even though our identity is prestigious to such a person who could do that, it would mean nothing to him!" Xue Feng yelled angrily.


    The more he spoke, the angrier he got, and towards the end of his sentence, he subconsciously released some of his aura and almost turned the inside of his office into an igloo.


    Realizing that he had almost destroyed his office, Xue Feng withdrew his leaking aura and took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down.


    After a few deep breaths and a cup of teater, Xue Feng felt better and took a seat before he continued his sentence, this time a lot less angry.


    "Besides, even if it were a possession, in those cases, the old fossil doesn''t get the memories. And even if there was an old man with hundreds of years of social experience, there was no way Old Lu or I wouldn''t have noticed something. Bai''er is my son. How could I not know his personality and temperament? And why would an expert ask permission to train from us tiny Domain Lord realm Ants." Xue Feng carefully analyzed as he shook his head.


    Li Rou had just said the worst-case scenario, and while he did get extremely angry at first, once he thought about it further, Xue Feng realized that the theory was full of holes.


    "I naturally think the same, but it''s always a possibility. The stronger you get, the more life matters. So possessing a dying child or dying themselves would be an easy decision for a powerhouse to make." Li Rou knew her theory had problems, but she just wanted to put the idea out.


    Nodding at her words, Xue Feng then put forth his hypothesis.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "My guess is that he somehow had a glimpse into the future after the fall. Look at the scroll. For example, Both this ''Celestial Void Fruit'' and Huo Long would onlye to value in the future and not in the near future either. The Celestial Void Fruit, ording to Bai''er, matures in 3 years, while Huo Long hasn''t even awakened his Martial Veins. So he can onlye to value in at least 5 or 6 years."


    While it was undoubtedly an absurd theory, it was the most logical one, and things like this, while rare, have happened before. For example, a genius almost dying and awakening memories of a past life. Or a different timeline has happened before.


    "Whether he has these memories or not, he''s our son. Nothing could go wrong as long as we continue to raise him with all our hearts. Even if he has memories, he''s still asking us for permission before doing things, so that means the memories couldn''t have changed him much." Xue Feng finally said, bringing their conversation to an end.


    Li Rou agreed, so she left Xue Feng alone so he could continue to attend to his work and returned to her courtyard.


    Unaware that his parents were suspicious of him, Xue Bai left the Core Region and made his way out of the estate for the first time since he arrived in this world. His destination was Snowy Wind City, the central city of his dukedom.


    Even though Xue Bai''s father had arrogantly named the city after himself, he still had put his heart and soul into building it from the ground up.


    And miraculously, even though Xue Feng had no talent in the business sense, and while being a newly enthroned Duke, Snowy Wind City was now quickly on the rise as one of the economic hubs of the Great Xuan Empire.


    Sadly the city was still too young and had too weak of a foundation to enter the top 3. Still, for Xue Feng, a martial fanatic, it was still a great central city. And with time, it would easily crack into the top three.


    Xue Bai''s purpose for going to the city was simply to have fun. While it had only been a week since he transmigrated, he had been trying to dodge suspicions from the people close to him the entire time.


    And as a result, Xue Bai had ignored the beautiful world around him.


    So now, with nothing to do until next week, Xue Bai wanted to explore a little.


    However, knowing he wouldn''t be allowed to go unprotected, he first nned to make a stop at the Inner Region, where his bodyguards usually lived.


    His bodyguards were a pair of twins who were at the peak of the Law Engraving realm. The twins were originally foot soldiers in his father''s army.


    However, after reaching their current realm at only 50 years of age and showing their exquisitebat talent, they were promoted and given the cushy job of bodyguarding Xue Bai.


    Reaching the Law Engraving realm for the Southern Continent''s standards was the marking of great talent. And since the twins both had peak Yellow-grade Martial Veins and were already on pace to reach the Domain Lord realm, Xue Feng wanted to make sure they did.


    Now with more resources than they ever had before, and ess to more Spiritual Qi in the Inner Region, the twin''s cultivation speed took off.


    As a result, with their confidence at an all-time high, the twins were preparing to attack the Law Manifestation realm within a decade.


    Now with a better environment and an overwhelming desire to break through, the twins became shut-ins, and they usually spent their time cultivating in their courtyard.


    While Xue Bai made his way to their courtyard and passed by someone, no matter if it was a maid cleaning up or a soldier, they would all greet him fervently by bowing deeply. Some even directly took a knee and called him Young Duke like he was a god amongst men.


    But this was all rather confusing. Though Xue Bai didn''t know much about Xue Bai, he knew for a fact that the Young Duke was a shut-in who rarely left his estate during his adolescent years.


    So why was everyone so full of respect for him?


    However, he quickly reached the answer. It was because he was the son of the legendary Duke of Snow. Therefore, everyone assumed that he would eventually be just as, if not greater than, Xue Feng. And because of that, they all put the father and son on the same level of worship.


    And at first, Xue Bai felt extremely embarrassed seeing so many grown men and women bow to him.


    Yet the feeling faded away after the 100th or so time, and Xue Bai soon became numb to it. Toward the end of his long journey to the twins, Xue Bai found himself only lightly responding with a nod of his head.


    A few milester, and with aching feet, Xue Bai eventually found where the two lived.


    Most of the time he spent walking was him trying to reach the area where the twins lived.


    After he reached the general area, it only took him a few minutes to reach their specific courtyard.


    As his bodyguards, the twins had their own courtyard with beautiful scenery and rich Spiritual Qi. How could Xue Bai possibly miss it?


    Reaching their courtyard, Xue Bai entered himself without knocking. He was their boss, after all, so why should he knock?


    Waking inside, he found the two cultivating diligently in their own rooms.


    ''Look how diligent they are,'' Xue Bai thought, ''These two sure deserve their position. However, I am bored, and my needse first.''


    And with such a train of thought, he woke the two up from their meditation and stated his purpose.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 8 Marquis Li Huo

    ?Marquis Li Huo


    Of the twins, the older brother was named Wang Shu, while the younger was named Wang Ye. However, since Xue Bai knew them for years, he gave them nicknames that stuck.


    Since they were surnamed Wang and the child Xue Bai would often forget names, he simply called them Big Wang and Little Wang, depending on their age.


    Away from Xue Bai, once the Wang Twins sensed someone entering their courtyard, without even having Xue Bai wake them up, they were alert.


    But since Xue Bai looked like he had a request to make, they stayed seated and waited for Xue Bai to announce his purpose ining over to them.


    And once Xue Bai started talking about his purpose ining, the two quickly became excited.


    This would be the first mission Xue Bai gave them after they became his bodyguard a few years ago.


    And while most people would''ve thought this to be annoying, the twins didn''t.


    They joined Xue Feng''s army with the dream of eventually bing his right and left-hand man.


    So what would happen if Xue Bai enjoyed them so much that he mentioned them to Duke Xue?


    Their dream would be another step closer to being fulfilled.


    The legendary Duke of Snow was a hero to them, and just the idea of being his right-hand man one day was what drove them to cultivate so diligently.


    Xue Bai, seeing the twins act so excited, was confused. It was a simple outing. What could possibly excite them so much?


    However, he didn''t ask. Some people were just weird, and prying would only confuse him more.


    After getting ready, the twins left their courtyard and went out to get a carriage.


    The carriage was about the size of arge van on Earth and was painted in the same color as Xue Bai''s and Xue Feng''s snow-white robes.


    And like his robes, each of the doors had Xue Feng''s Duke emblem branded on it, the snowke with a sword piercing through it.


    Big Wang quickly hopped on the top of the carriage, preparing to protect it, while Little Wang got in the navigator''s seat.


    "Young Duke, you can enter now. We will set off shortly!" Big Wang spoke up as Little Wang drove the carriage to the door of their courtyard, where Xue Bai was waiting.


    Nodding, Xue Bai calmly entered and left the estate, where he began his first journey into the Baishen ne.


    Destination Snowy Wind City!


    As Xue Bai climbed into the carriage interior, he realized just howrge it was.


    Even if Xue Bai didn''t include therge bed that randomly sat in the corner of the carriage''s interior, there was easily enough foot room to fit ten peoplefortably.


    Coupled with a small desk near the bed, the inside of the carriage was basically a mobile home!


    However, the carriage was destined to stay empty, as it was all for Xue Bai today.


    The only others going on this journey were Xue Bai''s bodyguards, and since the Wang Twins were responsible for driving the carriage and protecting it, they couldn''t enjoy the inside of it.


    Big Wang told Xue Bai that the journey to Snowy Wind City would take at least 2 hours. So to pass the time, Xue Bai intelligently decided to use the random bed that was behind him and directly went to sleep.


    Being a dress-up doll had somewhat tired him.


    Thankfully the journey was uneventful, and Xue Bai managed to stay asleep during the entire ride.


    While he was deep in sleep, the two-hour journey went by extremely quickly.


    Arriving at the gates of Snowy Wind City, Big Wang jumped down from the top of the carriage and gently woke up Xue Bai by knocking on the carriage door to announce their arrival.


    After wiping his eyes and giving his body a good stretch, Xue Bai got out of bed.


    While the Baishen ne was in the feudal era, cultivation made everything more advanced. So even while the carriage went down steep mountains and bumpy hills, Xue Bai didn''t even feel a single bump.


    Because of this, he was able to get a good nap.


    After he woke up, Xue Bai asked the twins to serve as his guides because while he had explored this entire world before, a city like this was a dime a dozen, and he couldn''t remember much about it besides its economic worth. And since the twins were born and raised in the city, Xue Bai thought that they were perfect for the job.


    So while the carriage entered the city, Xue Bai was briefed on the city and its structure.


    Xue Bai learned from the two that the city had three main zones. A Business Zone where all the stores, markets, and simr shops were located. And two different Housing Zones, one for the noble ns and another for ordinary and unaffiliated people to live in.


    The city lord was Li Rou''s older brother and Xue Feng''s sworn brother. A once famed soldier turned Marquis named Li Huo.


    And since he was trusted by Xue Fengpletely, Li Huo was allowed control of the city, dictating what could and could not go. For the residents living there, seeing Marquis Li was considered seeing Duke Xue since thetter rarely showed himself to the public.


    Li Huo was the only Marquis living in the city, with the other nobles only being Earls or Viscounts. Barons weren''t allowed to live in the aristocratic area as they were generally looked down on by the higher-ranked nobles.


    After hearing their exnation, Xue Bai figured out his schedule for today''s visit. First, he would visit his uncle and see if he could get some gifts from him. Then go and buy a medicinal herb book.


    Alchemy was a staple skill to learn in a cultivation world, and while he could learn about nts and herbs from his mother, Xue Bai thought he should study by himself first.<novelnext></novelnext>


    While Xue Bai was an alchemist in the game, in the game alchemy was automatic. So other than knowing a few recipes, Xue Bai was a novice at the upation.


    And since Xue Bai still wanted to be an Alchemist in this life, learning alchemy early on would be great.


    After that, he would try and test his luck in the Hawker''s Market. He was a transmigrator, after all. While he wasn''t a ''Child of The ne,'' his fortune should be unrivaled under those monsters.


    Of course, it wasn''t likely that he would find a Heaven-grade treasure. But he could surely find something in the ck or Earth-grade, right?


    "Little Wang, take me to Uncle Li first. I haven''t seen him since I was a baby. So we''ll visit him before anything else." Xue Bai ryed his thoughts to Little Wang, who was driving the carriage.


    "Understood, Young Duke, it shouldn''t take long." Little Wang replied respectfully.


    Then adjusting his route, Little Wang changed gates and went to the gate closest to the City Lord''s Mansion, where Li Huo lived.


    Of course, since the carriage was so noticeable, it naturally received many looks of worship as they drove through the city. However, nobody dared to stop it.


    After all, it was a carriage with the Duke''s Symbol, and the just person driving it was a peak stage Law Engraving realm powerhouse.


    So even if it wasn''t the Duke himself, whoever was in the carriage had to be someone with high status in the dukedom, messing with the person inside the nothing short of a death sentence.


    And when they saw the carriage drive unimpeded into the Marquis mansion, they were even more sure of their guesses.


    When his carriage finally entered the Marquis Mansion, Xue Bai asked to be let off as he thought he should walk the rest of the way. Since driving a carriage all the way to his uncle''s front door would seem a little disrespectful.


    Jumping out of the carriage, Xue Bai noticed the beauty of his surroundings.


    While it wasn''t as expansive as his home, it was just as beautiful.


    Li Huo lived in the center of a city, so it was natural that he didn''t possess the same scenic surroundings that Xue Feng''s estate had. And also, Li Huo had only a fraction of the space the estate had.


    Back home, even just the smallest Core Region was dozens of miles in diameter, and Li Huo''s mansion was only the size of the Core Region.


    However, Li Huo used the small amount of space that he was given and used it perfectly.


    As he appreciated his surroundings, a speeding silhouette entered his vision field. Sensing an iing being, the Wang Twins readied their swords. However, Xue Bai calmed them down.


    "We are in Uncle Li''s house now. Who else but him would dare to run this fast in it." Xue Bai calmly said as he motioned for them to put down the swords.


    The twins realized their stupidity and obeyed Xue Bai''s words. Once again sheathing their swords, the two calmed down and waited for Marquis Li to arrive, which didn''t take long.


    "Hahaha, my dear nephew, you''ve finally decided to visit me. Did that old thing at home kick you out?" Then, with boisterousughter, Li Huo appeared in front of the three.


    Seeing Li Huo appear before him, Xue Bai recognized him almost instantly as Li Huo was also, like his father, an important character in the Southern Continent''s plot.


    Li Huo was a tall man like Xue Feng. However, he was much skinnier, so with his height of 2 meters, Li Huo looked almost like arge log. He also sported the same wild beard as Xue Feng.


    "No, Uncle Li, mother decided to teach me archery next week. So I''m just out having fun before they lock me up and make me focus on training," Xue Bai exined.


    "Little Rou said that? I thought she would have looked you up forever." Li Huo looked surprised at what Xue Bai said. Then, however, he regained hisposure and continued, "I guess she finally realized that protecting you like that would only hurt you in the long term."


    Scratching his head, Xue Bai could onlyugh wryly at what his uncle said. Indeed his mother loved to coddle him, and he was also surprised when she let him.


    "Nevermind that. Now that you''vee to my city, what would you like to do, Nephew Bai." Then, seeing Xue Bai''s expression, Li Huo expertly changed the topic. His nephew had finally visited him, so Li Huo would let Xue Bai do anything he wanted.


    "I don''t know. While Little Wang exined to me how the city was structured, seeing is better than hearing. Why don''t you show me around?" Xue Bai asked


    Li Huo thought about it, and since he wasn''t busy with much today, he agreed.


    Calling a subordinate over, Li Huo exined what he was going to do. He then began to lead Xue Bai through the town.


    "Since your bodyguards have already exined to you how the city is structured, I''ll let you choose where you want to visit first, the Residential or the Business Zone." After exiting the City Lord Mansion, Li Huo asked.


    "I''d rather not see those snobby nobles, so take me to the Business Zone." Xue Bai replied.


    Hearing about nobles gave Xue Bai a weird feeling. In his memories, most nobles in The Great Xuan Empire were terribly conceited and arrogant.


    Otherwise, how could Huo Long make himself known throughout the empire so quickly if they weren''t?


    After all, every protagonist needed stepping stones. And an arrogant and snobby young master was the best target.


    "Hahaha, you speak as if you aren''t one yourself. But yes, the nobles in this city are extremely arrogant. They act as if the entire world owes them money. And those ignorant nobles even teach it to their younger generation, as if they should be proud to be mere Earls or Viscounts." Li Huoughed, finding Xue Bai''s words amusing.


    As the small group made their way to the business zone, the citizens of Snowy Wind City were stunned. The noble and mighty Marquis Li was talking amicably with a child. And gossip quickly started.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 9 Herb Mountain Pavillion

    ?Herb Mountain Pavilion


    "Does anyone know who that child is? To be escorted by the Marquis, not even a prince would have such an honor, right?"


    "Maybe it''s a rtive. Doesn''t Marquis Li have a nephew around his age?"


    "But that''s clearly a girl. The son of the legendary Duke of Snow should look like his father. Strong and war hungry. Not like that."


    "Then maybe it''s an illegitimate child. Marquis Li doesn''t have a spouse, right? So maybe this is Marquis Li''s love child."


    Hearing the discussions around him, Xue Bai became annoyed. He hadn''t even walked a full block yet, but the surrounding conversations and gossip were bing increasingly distorted.


    Yes, sure, he didn''t look like his father and was a little feminine-looking. However, the gossip was getting out of hand way too quickly. One man even thought he was a concubine that his Uncle was raising!


    Annoyed, Xue Bai was about to pull out his identity token and reveal his identity, but Li Huo stopped him.


    Confused, Xue Bai asked, "Why are you stopping me? These rumors are getting out of hand. Don''t you need to protect your reputation?"


    Li Huo swept his gaze over the crowd before asking something else in return, "How do you think your father got his reputation as the Duke of Snow."


    While Xue Bai was confused at such a question, he still subconsciously replied, "Because of his ice element Marital Veins, right?"


    Xue Feng had a rare ice element Martial Vein. Meaning that he was able to alter the weather and summon not only icicles but also blizzards and snowstorms to kill his enemies.


    And with a nickname like the Duke of Snow, it was only right for Xue Bai to assume his father got his nickname from his Martial Veins.


    But to Xue Bai''s surprise, Li Huo shook his head.


    "Yes, while his Martial Veins are part of the reason. It was mainly because of his temperament. Brother Feng''s face was always cold as snow. It was almost as if he didn''t have any emotions. whether he was fighting a battle or walking through the Pce, nothing would faze him. Paired with his signature ice element Martial Veins, after Brother Feng was given the duke title, the Emperor also gave him the title Duke of Snow."


    Xue Bai was surprised. He didn''t know this side of his father. Neither from the game nor the memories he had. From his 7 years in the world, Xue Feng was always a doting father to him.


    Never was there once an instance where Xue Bai felt an indifferent side from his father.


    Li Huo waited for a moment as he waited for Xue Bai to digest the information. Thankfully the boy didn''t take long, and once Xue Bai was back to reality, Li Huo continued his words.


    "While yes, these rumors could get out of hand or damage my reputation, if you attempt to deny them or look embarrassed in public, it would only look like you''re hiding something. So just ignore them and wait for something else to reveal your identity. The truth can''t be hidden forever."


    Hearing his Uncle''s words, Xue Bai was enlightened. Yes, just like in cultivation novels, the protagonist never bothered to exin themselves. Instead, they just did what they wanted and let other people reveal it.


    "Thank you, Uncle Li. I''ll take your words to heart." Xue Bai expressed his gratitude with a bow. Those words helped Xue Bai understand this world better.


    Seeing Xue Bai so willing to learn, Li Huo smiled and thought, ''It seemed those two are raising a good kid. It''s nice my matchmaking wasn''t in vain.''


    So Xue Bai did as Li Huo said, ignored the surrounding gossip, and continued to walk forward with pride. He was, after all, the heir to a Duke. Even if the crowd didn''t know who he was, Xue Bai still had an image to keep.


    Eventually, the group of people disbursed after noticing Marquis Li wouldn''t make a statement.


    Noticing this, Li Huo turned to Xue Bai, "See, look, they already left. If you tried to defend yourself, they would''ve spent hours making you attempt to convince them about your true identity. And even then, some still wouldn''t believe you. After all, you don''t look like Brother Xue one bit."


    Xue Bai felt wrong.


    "You can''t say that like it''s my fault. It''s not like I want to look like this, either. Most of the people who see me think I''m a girl." Xue Bai sighed. It was too much trouble being beautiful. He finally understood how women felt.


    "I still can''t believe someone as manly as Brother Xue could make someone like you. But, hopefully, you''ll grow out of it. A tan and some muscles should even you out. If not, just get a sign saying you''re a boy. It would help more than your looks." Li Huo joked.


    After some more back-and-forth talk, the small group of people eventually made it to the business zone entrance gate.


    The gate wasn''t as tall as the outer city walls, but it was still over 5 meters tall. At the entrance, there were four guards wearing armor with Xue Feng''s Duke symbol imprinted on it.


    Each guard stood ramrod straight, eyeing every visitor and checking for any suspicious individuals. No one was different in their eyes, and no matter how noble someone was, in the eyes of the guards'' everyone was equally suspicious.


    However, at the site of Li Huo, the four immediately bowed and yelled out, "Wee, Marquis Li."


    Hearing that the Marquis himself was in their vicinity shocked the surrounding crowd. But Li Huo just waved them off and continued walking with Xue Bai and the Wang twins.


    There was no need to interact with the people there, and while Li Huo had a free day, it didn''t mean he could squander it all with Xue Bai.


    Funny enough, as Xue Bai''s group entered the Business Region, the same gossip emerged again, but this time from the group that was still waiting to be let into the Business Region.


    Thankfully, it didn''t reach the same conclusion. Instead, the crowd collectively agreed that Xue Bai was a hidden love child that Marquis Li took out for a stroll.


    It was fortunate that Xue Bai was around to hear it, as he probably would have lost it.


    Finally, in the business zone, Li Huo asked, "Alright, Nephew Bai, we are here now. What did you want to do here."


    "Do you have a medicinal herb show around here? I want to buy a book about herbs. Mother spends all day with them. I want to see what makes them so fascinating." Xue Bai replied.


    "While we do have one, surely your mother has a medicinal herb book at home? Why buy one here? The one your mother has would be better than the ones avable at the shop." Li Huo looked surprised at Xue Bai''s answer.


    Even though she was less than 100 years old and had less than 30 years of Alchemy experience under her belt, Li Rou was still recognized as the Southern Continent''s greatest alchemist. With her peak stage Domain Lord realm cultivation base, Li Rou was even able to cross realms and create low ck-grade pills capable of sustaining a Xiantian Great Realm expert.


    So once Li Huo learned that Xue Bai wanted to ignore his mother''s skills and buy a book elsewhere, it was only right for him to be shocked.


    "You''re right. Mother does have them, but she keeps the books locked up like Fort Knox. So I can never even see them let alone read them." Xue Bai sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. But once his words left his mouth, he felt stupid.


    "Fort Knox?" Li Huo heard a weird noune out of Xue Bai''s mouth and was instantly confused.


    "Uncle, I think you''re getting old. You''ve already started to hear things."


    "I''m in the Domain Lord realm and have a lifespan of more than 500 years. So how could I be getting old in my nies."


    "You should be asking yourself this, not me, Uncle Li."


    As Xue Bai continued trying to convince Li Huo was hearing things, they eventually made their way to the city''s biggest medicinal herb shop.


    Called Herb Mountain Pavilion, it served as the best seller of medicinal herbs throughout the entire Dukedom.


    On a side note, the Herb Mountain Pavilion owner was actually his mother, Li Rou. However, as she spent most of her days at her herb garden, she was really more of a figurehead.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Since she was busy being a duchess and a mother, Li Rou left its management to one of her ex-disciples.


    The small group entered the pavilion and immediately noticed its interior design. It was built simply. The first floor was an expansive room with kiosks and small private rooms for customers everywhere. However, even though there were easily a few dozen kiosks on the first floor, almost every single one of them was upied, showing just how busy the pavilion was.


    However, as Xue Bai looked around, he failed to spot any items avable for sale. Confused, he decided to ask the information bank known as Li Huo.


    "Hey Uncle, where is the merchandise? I can''t see a single herb here. Are they on a different floor or something?" Xue Bai asked curiously.


    "Yes, you''re right. The herbs are on the second floor for window shoppers. This floor is mainly for buying information and people like you who are here to buy books." Li Huo exined with a smile before continuing, "If you want to buy a book about different types of medicinal herbs and their uses, then go to that kiosk. They''ll help you."


    "Uncle, before I go, I don''t have any money. Can you give me some Spirit Stones?" Xue Bai shyly asked.


    As their boss, he had nned to make the Wang twins pay, but now with a tycoon like his Uncle with them, he asked him instead.


    Not expecting a prestigious heir to a Duke to be broke, Li Huo startedughing.


    "Hahaha, Nephew Bai, this is your territory. One order from you can destroy a family. Who would dare take payment from their Lord''s only son." Li Huo said as he wiped away a tear,


    "But won''t they think I''m a tyrant by taking their goods without paying? This is my first public appearance. I don''t want to have a bad image." Xue Bai asked.


    He wanted to be sworn brothers with Huo Long. However, what if he gained a bad image in the empire, and Huo Long came out of nowhere and killed him in the name of righteousness?


    "Don''t you have your identity token? Show them that. Your mother keeps a tab here, which your father pays at the end of the month. You''ll be able to buy anything you want." Then, stillughing, Li Huo exined.


    Nodding, Xue Bai went to the counter, where he was greeted by a beautiful young girl who was the receptionist.


    The receptionist seeing Xue Bai walk here was instantly smitten.


    Though Xue Bai was 15 years old mentally, he was experiencing everything around him for the first time.


    So to an outsider, he looked like a kid seeing the outside world for the first time. Coupled with his beauty, the receptionist almost fell in love instantly.


    So putting on her best smile, she smiled and asked, "Young Miss, wee to Herb Mountain Pavillion. Do you already know what you would like to buy, or would you like me to exin it to you?"


    Seeing the receptionist light up at him, Xue Bai sighed. Sure enough, he wasn''t a protagonist, and there were no face-pping scenes. He wanted to be looked down upon by everyone, then pull out the identity token and shock them, but this receptionist looked at him like he was the epitome of beauty.


    "Yes, I would like to buy a medicinal herb encyclopedia. What''s the best type you offer here? Price isn''t a problem." Xue Bai said.


    "Our best one has ever known herb up to middle ck-grade. However, it was extremely expensive. Are you sure that you want it, Young Miss?" With the clothes Xue Bai was wearing, it was more than apparent that he was wealthy, but the book in question was expensive.


    It was almost 10,000 Spirit Stones, and while she did think highly of Xue Bai, the receptionist didn''t think Xue Bai had enough money to buy the book. So rather than have Xue Bai embarrass himself, she tried to persuade him to buy something else.


    "I think this should cover it." Then, expecting that he had to show his identity before getting the book, Xue Bai pulled out the identity token that he had prepared earlier.


    It was a small silver medallion with the Duke Symbol on it. However, on the back, it had his given name engraved on it.


    The receptionist initially thought Xue Bai would pull out a spatial ring. However, after seeing the Medallion, she became confused.


    ''When I said it was expensive, I meant in spirit stones, so why are you handing me arge silver coin'' She thought. However, the receptionist was highly trained, so she still took the Medallion before saying anything aloud.


    Below Spirit Stones, there was actually another currency of copper, silver, and gold coins. However, these were only for mortals, as cultivator items needed much more money to be purchased.


    And even if you had an infinite amount of gold coins, no cultivator would ept them. Spirit Stones could assist cultivation, but what could a gold coin do for a cultivator?


    Make them look nicer?


    They were useless, so once the receptionist saw Xue Bai pull out arger-than-normal silver coin, she almost giggled. But as she finally looked closer, the receptionist was d she didn''t say anything.


    ''Oh my god, that is the Duke''s Symbol! Who is this youngdy? Doesn''t the Duke only have a son? How would a little girl get his Medallion?''


    But keeping her thoughts to herself, she bowed and respectfully said, "Yes, Esteemed Miss, this will certainly cover it. I will put the bill on Duke''s tab. Give me one second. I will go retrieve the encyclopedia immediately."


    Finished with her words, the receptionist turned around and started to rush to the storage room. But before she got too far away, she heard Xue Bai''s voicee from behind and stopped.


    "Miss, I don''t think you looked at the Medallion correctly. Look at the back first before you go get the book." Xue Bai wanted to reveal his identity here, so he corrected the girl since she was still calling him Young Miss.


    "Don''t worry, Young Miss. I saw the Duke''s symbol on it. I know you have the Duke''s personal Medallion."


    "No, that''s the front of the Medallion. Look at the back. The fact that you''re still calling me Young Miss means that you haven''t seen the back of it yet." Xue Bai pointed out.


    "What do you mean by that, Young M...." The receptionist couldn''t finish her sentence as she finally saw the character Bai written on the back.


    ''Bai? Isn''t that the name of the Duke''s son? But then, who is this girl, and why does she have the Young Duke''s Medallion?'' As the receptionist''s mind was reeling, she finally recalled what Xue Bai had said.


    ''The fact that you''re still calling me Young Miss means that you haven''t seen the back of it yet.


    ''Oh my God, he''s the Young Duke!'' When it finally clicked, the receptionist was astonished. ''The Duke is such a behemoth of a man. Shouldn''t his son at least look somewhat like him? The Young Duke looks like a dignified Young Miss!''


    "I''m so sorry, Young Duke. This servant didn''t know your identity. Please forgive me for calling you a girl all this time."


    "It''s fine. You can make it up to me by spreading the word, so it doesn''t happen again." Xue Bai waved her off with a smile. Even though she thought he was a girl, the receptionist didn''t do anything wrong.


    Seeing that the Young Duke didn''t look angry, the receptionist sighed in relief. ''Thank the heavens the Young Duke is so understanding. I heard the Young Duke of the Wang family annihted a small n because a child sneezed at his birthday party.''


    "Then this servant will go and retrieve the encyclopedia." The receptionist then bowed and continued to go to the storage room.


    It didn''t take long for the receptionist to return. However, instead of bringing the encyclopedia, an old hunched-over man with a long white beard was with her.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 10 Zhou Beizhan

    ?Zhou Beizhan


    Confused at the appearance of an old man, Xue Bai looked over at the receptionist, who stood at his side humbly.


    Seeing the Young Duke''s confusion, the receptionist was smart and kindly exined who the man was.


    "Young Duke, this is the Vice-Pavillion Master of Herb Mountain Pavilion, Master Zhou." The receptionist exined before stepping away.


    However, from how light her steps were and the smile on her face, Xue Bai could tell that she looked extremely excited.


    And Xue Bai was right.


    For the receptionist, today was her luckiest day ever!


    Not only was she the first person to see the Young Duke, but she also got to meet the Vice-Pavillion Master. Her career was on the rise!


    After being introduced, Master Zhou, instead of continuing posing,ughed and added on his introduction.


    "Hahaha, how dare I have the Young Duke call me Master Zhou. Young Duke, you can call this old man Old Zhou if you would like." Zhou Beizhanughed.


    Zhou Beizhan used to be a disciple of Li Rou, but after some conflicting interests and personality changes, the two became estranged. However, while the two grew apart due to personality changes, Li Rou still trusted the man somewhat and left him to man the Herb Mountain Pavilion.


    But at the end of the day, Zhou Beizhan still saw himself as Li Rou''s disciple, so even if the child in front of him wasn''t the Young Duke, he couldn''t force the other party to call him Master. After all, the two would be in the same generation.


    "Then I will call you Old Zhou." Xue Bai nodded simply. Who was Xue Bai to disagree with if the man wanted to be called such? It didn''t hurt him in any way.


    Zhou Beizhan smiled.


    "Is the encyclopedia on you, or are you going to take me to it yourself?" Xue Bai continued as he was slightly confused. All he wanted was a book about some herbs, not an old man.


    "Oh no, Young Duke, don''t worry, I have it on me. I was coincidentally in the storage room when Ruyu came in looking for it. And when she told me the elusive Young Duke was looking for it, I had toe to see for myself." Zhou Beizhan continued praising Xue Bai as if it was his job.


    And while it did make Xue Bai feel happy, it eventually started to annoy him, so he cut the old man.


    "Old Zhou, if you have the book, may I please have it? Uncle Li is waiting for me, and I don''t want to waste his time." Xue Bai said as he pointed to Li Huo, who stood a few dozen meters away conversing with the Wang twins.


    After hearing that Marquis Li was here, Zhou Beizhan inwardly shivered with fear as a chill went down his spine.


    However, he was able to hold hisposure extremely well and had almost no outer appearance changes.


    But he no longer wanted to continue the conversation, so he pulled a book out of his spatial ring and handed it to Xue Bai.


    The book was about 4 inches thick and had an aged appearance, like it hadn''t seen the sun in decades. And even without looking into it, Xue Bai could see hundreds of ink smudges on the outeryer, showing just how much it had been through.


    "Young Duke, this is the same as the book you were looking for. However, it has my own special notes and observations written throughout it. While it might not be as advanced as the one that Master has, it should be enough for beginners like you." Zhou Beizhan quickly spoke as he handed the thick book to Xue Bai.


    As Xue Bai took the book from the hand of Zhou Beizhan, his arm slightly dropped from its weight.


    But thankfully, he didn''t embarrass himself too much as he was able to stabilize himself quickly and kept the book in his hand.


    "Who is your Master, Old Zhou?" Xue Bai curiously asked.


    To be the Vice-Pavillion Master of Li Rou''s Herb Mountain Pavilion, surely Zhou Beizhan had to have a rtionship with his mother.


    "Your mother, Young Duke. Without her, this old man would have still been a hunter wasting away my alchemy potential. And while she hasn''t epted me as a formal disciple, she is still my Master in my heart." Zhou Beizhan fanatically said.


    As he spoke about Li Rou, anyone could see the idolization in his eyes. It was almost fanatical.


    Creeped out, Xue Bai listed the old man as a weirdo in his mind.


    "Oh, look at me. I''m still making the Marquis wait. Young Duke, this old man won''t take any more of your time. Have a good rest of your day." And after a bow, Zhou Beizhan left the hall through a side door.


    Not forgetting, Xue Bai turned to the receptionist and reminded, "Miss Ruyu, don''t forget to tell others about my appearance. This is your punishment for misidentifying me."


    "Don''t worry. This servant will ensure everyone in this city knows what you look like by the end of today." Ruyu bowed happily before leaving toplete her punishment.


    She knew Xue Bai used the word punishment to take away any guilt she felt from calling him a girl during those conversations. But still, she went toplete it.


    ''Young Duke is so nice. Thank the Heavens I work here and not at the Duke Wang Fief.''


    Waving her off, Xue Bai left the shop and returned to Li Huo.


    "How was your first time buying something? Did they give you a hard time?" Then, seeing Xue Bai approach, Li Huo asked with a smile.


    "No, Uncle Li, as soon as the receptionist saw me, I think she fell in love with me." Xue Bai exined awkwardly.


    Li Huo''s smile stiffened.


    "With your looks, it''d be hard not to." Li Huo exined as his smile turned wry.


    "But there was also this Old Zhou. Ever since he appeared, he kept trying to get close to me. It was weird. That old thing was talking to me like he was an old friend. It gave me shivers." Xue Bai said.


    "Also, he kept saying he was trying to be my mother''s disciple. He looked half a foot in the grave, and yet he still wanted to study under my mom. Wouldn''t he croak before he learned anything?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai felt something off about that Zhou Beizhan.


    "Oh, Zhou Beizhan, that old relic. Nephew Bai, do you know why your mother never epted him as an official disciple?" Li Huo asked.


    "He wasn''t talented enough?" Xue Bai asked.


    He wasn''t faking. He genuinely had no idea who Zhou Beizhan was. The alchemist was neither an NPC nor a mob in the game, so Xue Bai knew nothing about him before he met the man a few minutes ago.


    "No, if it was just about the talent, then Zhou Beizhan fit Little Rou''s standards nicely. But rather, the problem came from his attitude." Li Huo spoke as he started to walk out of the Herb Mountain Pavilion.


    Their goal here was done. There was no need to stay any longer.


    "Zhou Beizhan always had your mother as his idol, but at his core, he was a beast. He would do anything for power. He''s a through-and-through snake. Even back when he was a hunter, there were rumors that he would kill his hunting teams after staying with them for a while. And while Little Rou never looked into that part, after teaching him for so long, she could sense Zhou Beizhans viciousness clearly, so after grooming him to be Vice-Pavillion Master, she has started to avoid him." Li Huo exined.


    Xue Bai was slightly surprised that the amicable-looking man had such skeletons in his closet. However, once he remembered the look in his eyes, Xue Bai felt it was reasonable.


    "So he was probably trying to build a rtionship with you to get to Little Rou." Li Huo finished.


    "Is my mother that great an alchemist?" Xue Bai didn''t think his mother, an NPC with almost no dialogue in the game, was so strong.


    "If she hasn''t told you yet, I won''t. But to put it into reference, she''s either as good as or better than the Imperial Alchemist in the capital." Li Huo replied.


    "Is she really that impressive?" Xue Bai was surprised he didn''t think his mother had any other skills but her archery.


    "Your mother was one of the reasons me and your father grew so fast." Li Huo paused momentarily to gather his thoughts before continuing, "Yes, while we were both extremely talented, the resources your mother created sped up our growth."


    "Now, since you''re getting this medicinal herb book, I assume you want to learn alchemy. And you''ve already told me that Little Rou is already nning to teach you archery, so ask her to teach you some alchemy at the same time." Li Huo took a breath before continuing. "You can''t cultivate yet, so you should spend this time learning as many skills as possible that could help youter on in your cultivation journey."


    "Do you know any side professions, Uncle Li?" Xue Bai asked. Maybe since his mother was a hidden alchemist, surely her brother must''ve learned something else.


    "Nephew, I''m a swordsman just like your father. Learning a side profession would only slow down the speed of my sword." Li Huo replied


    "My father doesn''t either? So then, who built those formations in the Core Region of our estate?" Xue Bai asked confusedly.


    If he wasn''t wrong, then Xue Feng was the Empire''s staple Formation Master. Whenever a formation needed to be built, Xue Feng was your man.


    Of course, only if you had the money.


    "Ahem, your father did build those, but he is still like me, a swordsman." Li Huo started to blush. He wanted to sound heroic in front of his nephew, but now he had pped himself in the face.


    "Enough about us older generation Nephew Bai. Where would you like to go next?" Li Huo quickly changed the subject. He had already been pped in the face once, and he didn''t want to ruin his reputation anymore.


    "I was nning on walking through the Hawkers Market to see if I could find anything nice." Xue Bai replied.


    Since his trip to the city was basicallyplete, all Xue Bai had left to do was go to the Hawkers Market and test his luck.


    Li Huo''s face changed when he heard that.


    "Are you sure, nephew? While I don''t want to sound derisive, the Hawkers Market isn''t for people like us. The people at the Hawkers Market are either hunters trying to sell the demonic beast parts or scammers." Li Huo kindly tried to dissuade Xue Bai.


    While he had phrased it nicely, the Hawkers Market was a cesspool. Even lower-ranked nobles didn''t go there, and now a Young Duke wanted to. It was odd, to say the least.


    "I know, Uncle Li, but I want to test my luck. Haven''t you heard of those stories of people finding treasures in bad ces? So maybe I''ll be lucky enough to find something worthwhile." Xue Bai replied.


    He knew it would be hard to convince Li Huo. After all, going to such a dump would only damage the reputation of someone of Li Huo''s standing.


    "Test your luck? If you want to do that, Nephew Bai, you can go to the Stone Gambling Pavilion. The chances of finding something there are infinitely better than in the Hawkers Market." Li Huo said as he remembered something.


    Xue Bai remembered what Li Huo was talking about. But he had some misgivings about it.


    "Isn''t the Stone Gambling Pavilion run by you? I don''t want to win a rigged game every time. It''d be no fun." Xue Bai asked with a raised eyebrow.


    The idea sounded nice, but he wanted to test his luck and not have his uncle manipte the chances behind his back. It would counteract his goal.


    "No Nephew, the Stone Gambling Pavillion is a subsidiary of the Three Great Sects. I heard it''s only a branch from the Central Continent. So even if I''m the City Lord here, I can''t change the odds." Li Huo shook his head.


    Thinking for a second, Xue Bai eventually agreed.


    "Then take me there instead. I was also kind of reluctant to go to the Hawkers Market."


    Xue Bai was also kind of reluctant to go to the Hawkers Market. Just thinking of the gazes he would have to endure from those hunters gave Xue Bai the shivers. They probably wouldn''t care if he was a boy.


    Smiling, Li Huo nodded and started walking to their next destination.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 11 Stone Gambling Pavilion

    ?Stone Gambling Pavilion


    As the group of three walked to the Stone Gambling Pavilion, Li Huo took the time to exin theyout of the building to them.


    The Stone Gambling Pavilion was built like a traditional Chinese pavilion with three floors.


    However, only the bottom two floors were avable for customers as the top floor was off-limits. The management stayed there. But the first and second floors were where the stones were sold.


    The pavilion''s interior was a vast hall separated down the middle by a long table that stretched through the entire first floor. On the tables were jade-colored stones of various shapes and sizes.


    Some were only the size of a fist, while others were as tall as four meters in height.


    And these stones were what people gambled on. The true names of the jade-colored stones were Spiritual Jade Stones. But that was a mouthful, so they were usually called stones by gamblers.


    The way that Spiritual Jade Stones came into existence was a rather lucky and mystical procedure.


    Originally they were normal jades. However, after they somehow absorbed a wisp of Spiritual Qi, they evolved into Spiritual Jade Stones.


    Now evolved, the Spiritual Jade Stones gained three traits.


    The first was their absurdly long lifespan. Spiritual Jade Stones could, if untouched, live up to hundreds of thousands of years.


    Second, was that after gaining spirituality, it would instinctively attach itself to thergest thing closest to it and start to grow around it until it encased itpletely. It had turned itself into a mystery box that could contain anything.


    From an Immortal cultivation technique to another rock, a Spiritual Jade Stone was the biggest gamble in the cultivation world.


    The final ability it gained was that after it encased the object, it would then stop any spiritual sensepletely, which meant that the only way to know what was in a Spiritual Jade Stone was to break it open.


    And with jade being amon mineral all over the Baishen ne, Spiritual Jade Stones could contain virtually anything. So after an intelligent man discovered their business potential, he created the first Stone Gambling Pavilion.


    The premise was simple: various Spiritual Jade Stones were set on disy and priced on their possibility of having something in them.


    Even though you couldn''t sense what was in it, cultivators made educated guesses ording to size, age, and how much Spiritual Qi it radiated.


    But while people could make guesses on what was inside, they were, at the core, guesses. So it was really just the house that decided on the prices of the Spiritual Jade Stones.


    However, Xue Bai couldn''t do any of that. So, with no Spiritual sense, or an ability to sense Spiritual Qi, Xue Bai nned to just pick one randomly.


    If he had a great fortune that was a staple in almost every transmigrator, it didn''t matter what he chose.


    Entering the pavilion, they instantly gained the crowd''s attention. However, Xue Bai ignored them and went to the disys.


    "Uncle Li, have you ever been here before? I need some tips." Xue Bai asked


    "While I have been here before, I wasn''t fully in the correct mind." Li Huo awkwardly replied.


    Of course, Uncle LI wouldn''t say he was ck-out drunk and gambled away almost one million Spirit Stones, so he only indirectly mentioned his blunder.


    "It''s fine. Any advice is good advice. You''ve been here a few times. Surely you must know the rules of this ce at least." Xue Bai said casually. He obviously didn''t know about Li Huo, embarrassing time here, and he thought that the man was just being humble.


    Li Huo was caught in a deadlock. He could see Xue Bai''s innocent eyes, which resembled a curious kid. But if Li Huo spoke about his time here, how could he continue being an Uncle figure in the boy''s mind?


    Conflicted, he eventually found a sentence to help him out.


    "Nephew Bai, one must experience failure firsthand to learn. Following the footsteps of others will guide you in the beginning but will only trap youter on." Li Huo solemnly spoke as he grabbed the shoulders of Xue Bai.


    Stunned at the philological words, Xue Bai was caught off guard.


    "Uncle Li, we are talking about gambling stones right now. Why did you suddenly start speaking so philosophically?" Xue Bai awkwardly replied as he gently pushed away Li Huo''s hands.


    "Ahem, you are my nephew. I must take any chance I can get to teach you about the world. Better now than on the battlefield." Li Huo coughed as he moved his hands himself.


    ''It worked. He stopped asking!'' Li Huo praised himself inwardly.


    Since Xue Bai wasn''t able to read the mind of Li Huo, he obviously didn''t know what the man was thinking.


    So after freeing himself, Xue Bai ignored the possible reasons why Li Huo was acting weird and left the tree.


    Li Huo didn''t want to help him, so Xue Bai had to talk to someone else. And after scouting the room, he eventually found someone who worked at the Stone Gambling Pavilion.


    The person Xue Bai chose was a shopkeeper who was operating a small question kiosk at the edge of the walls.


    The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with average looks and basic features. However, he had a scar covering almost the entire left side of his face, ruining any looks he had.


    "Shopkeeper, what are the rules here? I haven''t been here before and want to buy some Spiritual Jade Stones." Xue Bai asked the man at the counter.


    As Xue Bai asked his question, he was once again prepared to be misgendered, but surprisingly it didn''t happen, and once the shopkeeper locked eyes with Xue Bai, he recognized him.


    "Young Duke, why don''t you ask Marquis Li? He has..." Before the shopkeeper couldn''t finish his words, he suddenly felt like he had fallen into an iceke and froze.


    A terrifying pressure suddenly engulfed him couldn''t move, but thankfully it onlysted until he heard a voice in his head.


    ''If you tell my nephew what I did that day, I''ll cripple you. We are both men. Give me some face and save my reputation in front of the younger generation.''


    It was, of course, Li Huo trying to cover up his dark history by intimidating the poor shopkeeper.


    Which worked, and the shopkeeper quickly adjusted his train of thought before continuing his previous sentence.


    "The rules are simple here, Young Duke. You can look at any disy and do whatever you want to the Spiritual Jade Stone. However, you can''t touch it under any circumstance. Touching it means you n to purchase that stone. Also, after you purchase a Spiritual Jade Stone, you have the choice to either let us remove the jade skin covering the item inside. Or take it home and do it yourself. Also, finally, after you uncover your item, you can choose to sell it back to us at market price." The shopkeep kindly exined.


    Mentally noting down the rules, Xue Bai nodded at the man.


    "I see. Thank you, shopkeeper. I''ll go choose which ones I want." And without any further words, Xue Bai turned around and went back to Li Huo.


    "This servant is just doing his job. Young Duke, no need to thank me." The shopkeeper humbly replied.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He wasn''t at all bothered by Xue Bai''s attitude and instead saw off Xue Bai with a bow.


    Returning to Li Huo, Xue Bai, and his uncle started to look at the various stones. However, they all looked like green rocks.


    And since Li Huo wouldn''t help Xue Bai, he couldn''t see any difference between them all besides their sizes.


    Xue Bai spent the next 5 minutes looking around, but without a single clue, he eventually decided he had seen enough and chose three random ones of different sizes.


    The one was the size of a fist. The second was a little bigger and was about the size of a grown man''s torso, while thest was thergest one of them all and was almost 3 meters tall.


    The first two were rtively cheap at only a few hundred Spirit Stones. However, therge one was extremely expensive, being almost 10,000 Spirit Stones.


    "Shopkeeper! I chose these three. Also, can you remove the jade on the tall one? This will be the only one that I''ll open here. As for the other two, I''ll take them home." Xue Bai shouted, calling over the shopkeeper.


    While he didn''t want to expose his findings publicly, it was his first public showing in the dukedom, so he needed to show his good sides. And showing off the uncovering of an expensive andrge stone would do the job well.


    "Yes, Young Duke, I will call my best worker over right now." The shopkeeper then, after a bow, turned and ran over to the staircase leading upstairs.


    Presumably, he went to call the worker over.


    Thankfully the shopkeeper didn''t take long and was fast, And within 3 minutes, he returned with another man.


    The man in question looked like the most stereotypical cksmith with signature-tanned skin and a hairless face.


    Seeing Xue Bai, the cksmith ran over to Xue Bai and gave the Young Duke a quick bow.


    "Young Duke, you can call this servant cksmith Guo. I was told you would like me to uncover a Spiritual Jade Stone. Which ones would you want me to start on." cksmith Guo wasn''t a man for pleasantries, and after his greeting bow, he went straight to business.


    "cksmith Guo, just thisrge one. The other two stones I would like to uncover myself at home ." Xue Bai instructed.


    Hearing Xue Bai, cksmith Guo nodded and prepared to get to work.


    The process of uncovering a Spiritual Jade Stone was rtively simple.


    All cksmith Guo needed to do was to get a chisel and hammer and slowly chip off the jade skin.


    ? However, since there was a possibility of the Spiritual Jade Stone having an extremely thin jade covering, the process needed to be done slowly and by professionals. After all, if you smashed the item inside, not only would you waste your money, but also lose customers and lower the reputation of the store.


    cksmith Guo knew this and was extremely slow and methodical in his work to avoid damaging or destroying the item inside.


    On the side, as Xue Bai looked at cksmith Guo''s work, he couldn''t help but be impressed.


    cksmith Guo put his entire focus into every hammer swing and was tense the whole time, ready to stop a swing at the sight of something other than jade.


    But since cksmith Guo was so slow, it also meant that the process took some time. And the worker only managed to finish after an hour of tense working.


    Once the man wiped away theyer of sweat that had appeared on his forehead and stepped away from the Spiritual Jade Stone, Xue Bai stepped forward and started to look at the finished product.


    Looking at it, Xue Bai noticed that inside of finishing the job himself, cksmith Guo had only taken the entire topyer of jade and left a thin membrane of jade on the surface.


    Since Xue Bai wasn''t a regr here, he didn''t know what cksmith Guo meant by this, but once he asked the man, he got his answer.


    cksmith Guo had done it like that for extra effect. While he could''ve revealed it himself, he left it 90% done so Xue Bai could finish it himself.


    So without further ado, he respectfully handed a hammer to Xue Bai with both hands and asked the Young Duke to finish the job.


    "cksmith Guo, while I know that Spiritual Jade Stones are innately fragile, at the end of the day, it''s still a Spiritual Ore. I haven''t begun to cultivate yet. Can I break it?" Xue Bai asked with a raised eyebrow.


    No matter how weak a Spiritual Ore was, it was still a Spiritual Ore, something that had absorbed a wisp of Spiritual Qi. And since Xue Bai hadn''t even awakened a set of Martial Veins, let alone absorb Spiritual Qi, he wasn''t sure he could break the ore with his strength.


    To this, cksmith Guo patted his chest in confidence as he reassured the Young Duke.


    "Young Duke, don''t worry. This hammer is specially designed to break Spiritual Jade Stones. Even if this one was stillplete, it could shatter it, let alone now." cksmith Guo was confident in his answer.


    "Then wouldn''t I break whatever was inside instead?" Xue Bai couldn''t understand what this cksmith was trying to aplish.


    If the hammer was so strong, wouldn''t Xue Bai just break what was inside now?


    "Oh, I forgot to exin. This hammer''s power matches its user''s strength, so when I meant it could shatter theplete version, I meant in the scenario that I swung it. If the Young Duke had taken a swing at theplete version, you''d hurt yourself more than the Spiritual Jade Stone. But now that the stone is only protected by this thin membrane, your strength should be enough." cksmith exined awkwardly.


    "Then I will try. However, if I hurt myself, this is going to be free. Is that a deal?" Xue Bai proposed.


    The money aspect meant nothing to Xue Bai, and he really only spoke those words for aedic effect.


    And his purpose was sensed as cksmith Guoughed heartily at it before replying confidently.


    "Young Duke, this old man has never been wrong about an ore before. If you hurt yourself, you can choose any Spiritual Jade Stone we have here to take home." cksmith Guo patted his chest confidently. He wasn''t at all nervous that his calctions could be wrong.


    "Then I''ll take you up on that offer." Done speaking, Xue Bai turned around and took a swing at the stone.


    Immediately after making contact with the thin jade membrane, the hammer shattered it and left the inside uncovered.


    However, after the membrane fell, before anyone could see the contents inside, all the surrounding Spiritual Qi was immediately sucked towards the item inside, creating a thick mist that blocked their line of sight and also shocking everyone inside the Stone Gambling Pavilion.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 12 Yggdrasil

    ?Yggdrasil


    "Is that a phenomenon? But only a natural treasure ck-grade or above can create one."


    "Then did the Young Duke uncover a ck-grade treasure on his first try?"


    "My heavens, the Young Duke''s luck is amazing."


    As the crowd of people in the Stone Gambling Pavilion began an uproar, the Spiritual Qi mist subsided and began unveiling what was in the Spiritual Jade Stone.


    Since he had broken the membrane, Xue Bai was the closest to the center of the phenomenon and, therefore, the first one to see it.


    And the second he saw the treasure, Xue Bai recognized it, not because the item wasmon but because he remembered it from the game.


    At its core, the item that was in his stone was a fruit tree, but it wasn''t any normal fruit tree.


    But rather, it was a fruit tree that helped one of the Children of the ne in the game rise to glory.


    However, while his eyes were full of shock, more than anything, as he saw this tree here on the Southern Continent, Xue Bai became confused.


    The Child of the ne who found this tree didn''t find it on the Southern Continent but instead on the Central Continent, millions of miles away from where Xue Bai was.


    The tree was extremely unique and had many odd points about it, but there was one consensus about it for "Children of The ne" yers. The tree was stupidly overpowered.


    The tree was a relic from ancient times, and because of that, its name wasn''t known. But in the game, the protagonist who owned it named it Yggdrasil, after the sacred Tree of Life.


    Yggdrasil was a fruit tree that, every ten years, would bear anywhere from 5-100 fruits depending on how well it was taken care of during the ten years.


    The fruits created by Yggdrasil each had the miraculous effect ofpressing and purifying Spiritual Qi.


    And while these effects sounded simple, they weren''t.


    In the Baishen ne, the rank of your Martial Veins also dictated your future potential. Or, in essence, how far you would be able to cultivate and what realms you could reach.


    For example, a Low Yellow Grade Martial Vein would only allow someone to cultivate to the early stages in the Houtian Great Realm before you''d reach your innate limit, a stopgap that prevented you from even a step further.


    This happened because your Marital Veins would only be allowed to absorb Spiritual Qi pure enough to match its rank. So unless you could find a treasure that could purify the Spiritual Qi you held within your Dantian, you''d stay at your peak for the rest of your life.


    However, these treasures are extremely rare and were usually only given to geniuses trying to reach the 4 Purification stages.


    In the Baishen ne, almost every cultivation realm had nine stages. But no matter how well one cultivated each Realm, they couldn''t reach the limit with only nine stages.


    However, for geniuses or cultivation fanatics, there was another path they could walk down to perfection.


    After every realm, there were 4 extra stages known as the 4 Purification Stages.


    This realm had the purpose of strengthening your realm''s strength, fortifying your foundation, purifying your impurities, and giving you more Spiritual Qi.


    By cultivating these realms, you could not only condense and purify your Spiritual Qi, making it purer and giving you more in the long run but also perfect the cultivation realm and allow you to reach its utmost limit.


    And the Yggdrasil Fruits helped cultivators ovee this.


    What the fruits did was simple.


    It took all the Spiritual Qi in your Dantian andpressed it to its limit while purifying it to its limit as well. So if someone in the 7th stage of the Law Engraving realm ate a fruit, their realm would decline to the 1st stage.


    However, they would keep the same strength they had when they were at the 7th stage while at the same time also giving you a chance to reach the 4 Purification Stages.


    And by taking advantage of Yggdrasil, this protagonist raised armies of untalented people that were ever loyal to him and helped him be the powerhouse he was.


    But the protagonist found the tree in a secret realm, and it was much bigger than this tree in front of him. The only reason Xue Bai recognized it was because of the three purple-colored fruits hanging from a branch.


    Also, the tree looked much weaker, too. In the game, it was easily dozens of meters tall and had the look that any tree named after the Sacred Tree of Life should have.


    Yet now, standing in front of Xue Bai, it was barely three meters tall, and if it were not for the purple fruits hanging from the branches, it looked like a tree one could find in a park.


    However, Xue Bai didn''t care what its current strength was. Its potential was heaven-defying and was the core treasure of a Child of the ne.


    Now that he had it for himself, he wanted nobody to know about it.


    "Uncle Li, block their vision!" Xue Bai shouted loudly.


    Though some of the crowd might''ve already seen Yggdrasil, it could''ve only been, at most, a few of them, and Xue Bai wanted to keep that number as low as possible.


    Xue Bai''s shout confused Li Huo. However, hearing the urgency in his nephew''s voice swept his hand and created a gust of wind that blocked any sight of Yggdrasil from outsiders.


    Li Huo had a wind element Martial Vein, and with his strength, it was more than easy to wind a wind wall.


    After seeing Yggdrasil get covered with a wall of wind, Xue Bai sighed in relief.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, once he did so, Xue Bai realized that there were other people next to him.


    Sighing to himself once more, Xue Bai turned to the two Stone Gambling Pavilion workers with a not-so-sincere smile.


    "Shopkeeper, cksmith Guo, while I wouldn''t have liked you two to see this item, some circumstances aren''t up to me. So I will give you a choice, you cane and join our dukedom or mysteriously disappear after this wind wall dissipates." Xue Bai spoke as he motioned toward his left.


    Following up on his nephew''s threat, Li Huo unleashed the pressure of his cultivation base on the two workers.


    Seeing the amicable Young Duke suddenly turn hostile made two workers'' hearts go cold. They knew if they turned Xue Bai down, they would die. And looking at Li Huo at his side, who was now fully ready to fight, they knew that Xue Bai had the ability to do it as well.


    Li Huo had a cultivation base no weaker than Xue Feng, being at the peak of the Domain Lord realm.


    If it weren''t for the fact that Li Huo didn''t want his own fief to manage and wanted to live near his sister, he could''ve also been a Duke.


    But these two workers were still middling in the Dharma Idol realm, so forget about the peak stage Domain Lord realm Li Huo. Even the Wang twins could kill them.


    And while the workers were angry at first under the invisible coercion of Marquis Li, they both submitted with a deep bow. "We are grateful to work under you, Young Duke."


    "You two may stand." Xue Bai paused for a moment before continuing. "While we haven''t started on the right foot, I can guarantee you both won''t regret this decision."


    Nodding at their obedience Xue Bai left them alone and turned back to his uncle, who had confusion written all over his face.


    "Nephew Bai, while I know you need to talk to your new subordinates, tell me what''s going on with this fruit tree. Yes, a ck-grade treasure is something special, but to do all this to hide it from a bunch of hunters andmoners seems a little too much." Li Huo''s calm voice came from behind.


    "Uncle Li, while I can''t exin to you much about this tree, all you need to know is that this tree can turn any cultivator into a genius." Xue Bai vaguely replied.


    He wanted to end the conversation there so he could hurry and bring Yggdrasil home, but Li Huo was the opposite.


    While Xue Bai only said a few superficial words in response to his question, each of them was monumental.


    "Xue Bai, don''t you dare lie to me. I''m not a child who doesn''t understand the meaning of your words." Hearing Xue Bai''s words, Li Huo was at first astonished, then became enraged.


    He might''ve believed Xue Bai if the fruit tree was an Earth-grade or maybe Heaven-grade natural treasure. But the tree in front of him was at most low ck-grade, and not only that, but it was also on itsst legs too.


    "Uncle, while I know that this tree doesn''t look like anything special right now, give me at most ten years, and I''ll back up my words. But now make sure if anybody has seen the tree to make a Dao Oath to never speak of the tree. They can speak of me opening up a low ck-grade natural treasure but don''t say what it is." Xue Bai spoke solemnly to Li Huo, surprising the Marquis.


    In the short time he had been with his nephew, Li Huo had only seen the boy act cheerful and curious, but seeing him suddenly change tunes and speak so seriously made Li Huo understand that he was indeed special.


    But while Li Huo started to believe Xue Bai, whether the boy managed to back up his words or not would only be figured out with time.


    So giving Xue Bai some faith, Li Huo stepped out of the wind wall and began to round up the crowd and made sure to find anyone who saw too much and silence them with a Dao oath.


    A Dao Oath was something simple. You swore an oath with your Dao on the line, and if you broke the oath, you''d cripple yourself, losing any cultivation you had.


    And while the oath wasn''t much of a threat to most people in the Southern Continent since they had the lowest average cultivation base for any continent, it was different in the Stone Gambling Pavilion.


    Almost every person in the Stone Gambling Pavilion was a hunter, so if they lost their cultivation base, not only would they lose their livelihood, but they could also die on the spot.


    Once a person lost their cultivation base from a crippling, they would be their true age instantly.


    So while a 50-year-old Law Engraving realm cultivator was young at the cultivation bases standards, 50 years old was near the lifespan limit of mortals in the Baishen ne.


    And most people in the Stone Gambling Pavilion were much older than 50.


    Without much choice, everyone swore the Dao Oath.


    Better to do that than die where they stood.


    Seeing Li Huo handle the work so easily, Xue Bai remembered his father''s words and shouted, "Uncle, I had nned to stay in town longer, but this has changed things, so I''m going to go home now. I''ll trust you with this. Bye-Bye!"


    Then before his uncle could say anything in response, Xue Bai ran out of the Stone Gambling Pavilion with his bodyguards.


    Li Huo got a goodugh as he felt a bit of nostalgia for how Xue Bai acted.


    "This kid is just like his father, leaving me to do all the work while he goes off and has fun. But today has been a good day. Maybe I should have a kid of my own." Seeing Xue Bai run off so cheerfully, Li Huo was somewhat jealous.


    While he fought alongside Xue Feng before bing a noble, Li Huo never had any romantic interest, let alone thoughts about kids. But spending a day with Xue Bai sprouted the idea into his head.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 13 Shocking His Parents

    ?Shocking his Parents


    While Li Huo was thinking about marriage and parenthood, the Wang twins were trying to convince Xue Bai to stay with Li Huo so they could help him with the aftermath.


    "Young Duke, you can''t just leave Marquis Li with all the work and run home to have fun with your new tree." Big Wang spoke seriously.


    "Yes, Young Duke, like what Big Brother said, Marquis Li spent the entire afternoon with you. So at the very least, you should help him with the work at the end." Little Wang added.


    However, Xue Bai waved off their concern with a wave.


    "Don''t worry, you two. Father said Uncle Li is great with cleanup work. So if anything, I left Uncle Li in his element. So he''ll be fine." Xue Bai casually said.


    And he wasn''t lying. Xue Feng had indeed told Xue Bai this before he left, among other things.


    "Little Wang, where did you leave the carriage? We have to go back to the estate quickly. This tree needs some Spiritual Soil." Xue Bai said.


    Currently, Big Wang was just carrying Yggdrasil. However, that was only a temporary fix. In order to grow Yggdrasil to its peak potential, they need high-grade Spiritual Soil. Furthermore, leaving Yggdrasil out in the air would hurt it more than help it.


    So leaving it in this state would be very bad.


    "Young Duke, it''s at the entrance of the City Lord mansion. Would you like me to bring it here?" Little Wang asked respectfully.


    Xue Bai nodded.


    His small seven-year-old body was tired after walking all afternoon. So he nned to rest a little until Little Wang brought the carriage over.


    So after finding a nearby bench, Xue Bai sat down and waited for Little Wang, who left to bring the carriage.


    Thankfully Little Wang didn''t take long, and after 5 minutes, he returned.


    After getting inside the carriage, Xue Bai then jumped into the bed andmanded the two, "Don''t wake me up until you get to my courtyard."


    The twins were respectful and nodded, assuring that Xue Bai would be able to rest peacefully in their care.


    Seeing the two nod, Xue Bai then closed his eyes. And because of how tired he was, Xue Bai didn''t take long to fall asleep.


    After Little Wang sensed that the Young Duke had fallen asleep so heavily, Little Wang decided that he would drive the carriage slower this time, so he could let Xue Bai get more sleep.


    Because of this, the initially 2-hour-long journey this time took almost 4 hours. However, it was at least worth it, as once Xue Bai and the twins returned home, he felt full of energy.


    After the group reached Xue Bai''s courtyard, the Wang twins woke up Xue Bai, handed Yggdrasil, and left with the carriage as they couldn''t stay in the core region.


    Xue Bai let them off, but he also told them to call over the first maid they drove by as Xue Bai needed someone toe.


    This didn''t take long, as within 10 minutes, a young girl only a few years older than Xiao''er arrived.


    Xue Bai didn''t do any pleasantries and just directly told the girl his purpose.


    "Miss, call over Xiao''er and have her bring some Spiritual Soil to my courtyard." Xue Bai instructed.


    Not daring to dy, the maid gave Xue Bai a respectful bow and then left to ry themand as fast as her little legs could take her.


    After seeing her run off and making sure there was no one nearby, Xue Bai went to the pond in his courtyard, where his grand prize from the Stone Gambling Pavilion sat peacefully.


    Sitting at a cool 3 meters tall and with lush purple and red leaves, Yggradasil was an extremely odd-looking tree. However, when it wasbined with the pulsating purple fruits that hung from its branches, the tree looked like something out of a lucid dream.


    But rather than being confused about its appearance, Xue Bai instead just felt giddy as he looked at it.


    Xue Bai nned to get a set of low Heaven-grade Martial Veins, so he didn''t think he would ever struggle to cultivate in theter realms. But with Yggradasil at his side, any problem he could ever have would now be eliminated.


    Plus, he could also help his parents, who were a lot less talented than him, stay at his side and cultivate along with him instead of leaving them behind.


    And to do this, all Xue Bai had to do was feed a tree some high-ranked Spiritual Soil.


    Going through Yggrasdil and its majesty, Xue Bai was slowly getting lost in its beauty.


    Thankfully before he got too deep into it, Xiao''er arrived with the Spiritual Soil and arge pot. Apparently, the maid also ryed that he had Yggdrasil with him.


    "Young Master, I brought the Spiritual Soil." Then, cheerful as always, Xiao''er entered the room with a smile.


    "Xiao''er, bring it here, the pot as well." Xue Bai only took a quick look at Xiao''er before gluing his eyes back at Yggdrasil, seemingly afraid that it would disappear.


    "Young Master, what is this fruit tree? What makes it so special?" Curious as ever, Xiao''er rattled off questions rapid fire.


    Having such an extroverted maid was arge change to his life, but since she brought a lively personality into his life, Xue Bai felt that it was a refreshing change from his once quiet and lonely hospital room.


    So after waving his hand to get her to stop, Xue Bai spoke, "Xiao''er, if you''re going to ask me questions, ask them one at a time. Don''t throw a dozen of them at me."


    Xiao''er took a moment to think before choosing her first question to be answered.


    "This tree is the only of its kind, so it doesn''t have a name. What other questions do you have?"


    "If it''s the only of its kind, how did you find it? You only left the estate to go to Snowy Wind City, not to any secret realm." Xiao''er asked next


    "Uncle Li took me to the Stone Gambling Pavilion, and I opened this tree from a stone." After answering stood and tried to ce Yggdrasil into the pot, but he soon realized he couldn''t even lift it, so he asked, "Xiao''er, before I answer the next one, help me put Yggdrasil in the pot."


    "Yes, Young Master. But I thought you said this tree didn''t have a name. So why are you calling it Yggdrasil all of a sudden." Xiao''er asked with a tilted head.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It''s the name I gave it. I can''t always call it ''The Fruit Tree.'' It''s too tacky, so I named it Yggdrasil, after the sacred tree of life itself." Xue Bai lied.


    "But, Young Master, aren''t you insulting Yggdrasil by naming a dying fruit tree after it?"


    "Xiao''er, if I have enough time, this tree will not only live up to the Yggdrasil but also surpass it."


    "Young Master, that''s a big im. Are you not afraid of peopleughing at you?" Xiao''er was shocked, to say the least, but since it was her Young Master, she didn''t dareugh and only tried to stop Xue Bai from bragging to the public.


    "Xiao''er, why would I tell other people this? Wouldn''t that just put a target on my back?" Xue Bai stopped and looked back at Xiao''er like he was looking at a stupid person.


    Hearing such mean words, Xiao''er wanted to refute, but no words came out. Xue Bai spoke so straightforwardly and correctly that it shut the maid up and left her with no words to argue with.


    So without any words to refute, she just harrumphed and pouted, but she still went over and lent a hand to Xue Bai, who was struggling to lift the three-meter-tall Yggdrasil.


    Xiao''er was his maid, and she knew that her job came first.


    And with the two people cing Yggdrasil into the pot was a lot easier.


    "Oh right, I just remembered, Young Master. By the way, Madam asked me what you wanted with the Spiritual Soil," Xiao''er remembered suddenly.


    Hearing Xiao''er mention Li Rou, Xue Bai suddenly remembered what he wanted to do.


    "Speaking of mother Xiao''er, call my parents over. I need to show them Yggdrasil." Xue Bai already had a n for his parents.


    While he didn''t know what stage they were at currently, Their first appearance in the game was in the year 977, 2 years after the plot started, and by then, Xue Feng and Li Rou were at the 7th stage of the Domain Lord realm.


    And with the peak power on the Southern Continent only being in the Spirit Severing realm, a Domain Lord realm cultivation base was at the top of this continent.


    However, a Domain Lord realm cultivator in the Central Continent wasn''t even enough to be a doorman for some sects.


    So to make sure that Xue Feng and Li Rou never be liabilities or too weakpared to him, Xue Bai nned to give them each a fruit. Moreover, there were three fruits on the tree right now, so Xue Bai also nned to give thest to his uncle.


    Li Huo was actually ahead of Xue Bai''s parents and had a cultivation base at the peak of the Domain Lord realm. So giving him a Yggdrasil fruit would most likely make him the first of the three to enter the Xiantian Great Realm.


    Xue Bai didn''t need one anytime soon since the fruit was more useful for cultivators who were struggling with theirck of potential. And since he nned to get a low Heaven-grade Martial Vein, he wouldn''t have any bottlenecks until the God Great Realm.


    "Yes, Young Master, I''ll go call them over right now." Xiao''er answered.


    After replying, Xiao''er then left the courtyard to call Xue Bai''s parents, which didn''t take long because she returned with the two after only 10 minutes of waiting.


    "Bai''er, what did you call us for?" Li Rou''s soft and caring voice sounded.


    Following her melodic voice, she entered the courtyard along with Xue Feng and Xiao''er.


    "Mother, you asked why I needed so much Spiritual Soil, so this is why," Xue Bai announced, as he pointed at Yggdrasil dramatically.


    "You asked me for ck-grade Spiritual Soil so that you can nt this dying fruit tree?" Li Rou was confused.


    Li Rou thought that maybe Old Lu had gone senile and got the wrong diagnosis of her son''s condition.


    Xue Feng was more proactive and went to touch Xue Bai''s forehead, thinking he had a fever.


    Annoyed at their reactions, Xue Bai shook off his father and yelled, "I''m not sick! Look at Yggdrasil before you make those faces."


    However, instead of calming his parents, Xue Bai''s reaction only made their expressions more grave and distressed.


    "Honey, he even gave the tree a name. Maybe you should''ve taken him to the Imperial Physician." Li Rou covered her mouth in distress.


    Xue Bai became exasperated.


    "Mother, look at the fruits on Yggdrasil first. They are radiating Spiritual Qi. I didn''t pick up a dead tree from the side of the road." Xue Bai cried out.


    He truly couldn''t stand their faces full of pity.


    Thankfully his words did manage to strike a cord within the couple, as once Xue Bai mentioned Spiritual Qi, they focused their eyes on Yggdrasil seriously.


    "Oh, you''re right. They are natural treasures. But then, where did you get this thing? You only went to the city, right?" Li Rou started to ask the same questions that Xiao''er asked.


    "Mother Xiao''er already asked those questions. Just ask her to tell you them but first, let me exin what these fruits do." Xue Bai was feeling Deja Vu at his mother''s questions and quickly pushed them aside.


    Yggradil would change their fates, and he wanted to exin what it did before answering mundane questions again.


    "While I don''t know what stage you two are at, I do know you guys are in the Domain Lord realm. And I also know you two only have peak Yellow-grade Martial Veins and are just about to reach the end of your potential." Xue Bai was starting to market Yggdrasil to his parents.


    "Stop, stop, stop while these words are right. They hurt, so please, Bai''er, if you have a point, say it. Our old hearts can''t take much more." Xue Bai''s parents were taking too much damage from his innocentments.


    "Ok, I''ll make it simple. These fruits can bring you two to the ninth stage of the Domain Lord realm within a few years while also giving you a chance to break through to the Xiantian Great Realm." Xue Bai decided to drop the bomb since they wanted him to cut it short.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 14 Changing The Fate Of His Parents

    ?Changing the Fate of his Parents


    Xue Bai''s words were simple and short, but they were bombshells to Xue Feng and Li Rou.


    His father and mother were respectfully at the fourth and fifth stages of the Domain Lord realm.


    The Domain Lord realm was thest realm in the Houtian Great Realm, and since they had peak Yellow-grade Martial Veins, that meant they were only a few more stages away from the limit of their potential.


    Their Marital Veins couldn''t absorb the higher quality Spiritual Qi needed to advance to the Xiantian Great Realm, which would force them to stay at the peak of the Houtian Great Realm for the rest of their lives.


    So Xue Bai telling them that they could continue cultivating was earth-shattering to them. No cultivator wanted to stay at their strength for the rest of their lives. And after hearing from Xue Bai that these fruits could ovee theirck of potential, his parents were floored.


    Xue Feng knew his son was either ying an borate joke and was itching for a beating or that he was telling the truth. So immediatelyid out a soundproofing array.


    Because either way, no sound from what would happen next should leak out of the room.


    "Xue Bai, the words you have just said cannot be taken back. So exin to your parents clearly, or you won''t like what happens next." Xue Feng''s force dropped a few octaves, and he became serious.


    Xue shivered. Hearing them call him by his full name scared the life out of him. He couldn''t remember a time when they did that, even with his previous host''s memories.


    "Father, take a fruit. You''ll know if I''m lying or not immediately. I wouldn''t lie about something so important. While I know you two are always so business with the dukedom, I also know how much your cultivation means to you. If not, how could you guys let me practice at my age?" Xue Bai said.


    Xue Bai knew that he wouldn''t be able to convince his parents with just words, and instead, he just stepped aside and motioned to Yggdrasil.


    His parents nodded. If Xue Bai was lying about this, they could find out just by eating a fruit. So Xue Bai making such a big deal out of it only to be lying would just increase his punishment which would be very stupid for Xue Bai.


    However, even with the temptation in front of them, Xue Feng and Li Rou still shook their heads.


    "But we are talentless, and at the end of our potential, wouldn''t it be better for you to eat the fruit?" Li Rou denied it.


    Hearing their selflessness made Xue Bai''s heart warm. Such kindness was extremely rare in the cultivation world. Some parents would kill and refine their children for the chance to break through their innate limit, yet now even with the chance in front of them, Xue Feng and Li Rou still put Xue Bai first.


    "No, the fruits of Yggdrasil are made for people at the end of their potential. And it also involves the dantian. So if I ate it, I would explode." Xue Bai said as he shook his head.


    Xue Feng and Li Rou no longer had any misgivings, and they both walked to the purple and red fruit tree.


    "Bai''er, we are your parents, and we trust you with our entire beings, so for onest time, we will ask you. These fruits will not harm us, correct?" Xue Fen solemnly spoke as he plucked two purple fruits.


    And as he spoke these words, he looked his son in the eyes for any deceit, but after being met with clear and radiant eyes, Xue Feng stopped being suspicious and decided to eat the fruits.


    Xue Feng passed the second one to Li Rou, and after they both sat in the lotus position, the two ate the purple pear-sized fruit with quick bites.


    The effects of the Yggdrasil fruits came very quickly, and within a minute, they felt something urring in their dantian.


    Half of the spiritual Qi they had collected within their dantian was beingpressed while the other was being mixed as if someone was panning for gold with their Spiritual QI.


    The feeling was both bizarre and horrifying, and at first, they thought that Xue Bai had gone mad and poisoned them.


    However, once they both looked at him, Xue Feng and Li Rou saw him staring at them with an expectant and hopeful face.


    Seeing their son have so many expectations in them, neither Xue Feng nor Li Rou could bear to give up, so they gritted their teeth and decided to brave the odd feeling and see it through to the end.


    And soon enough, they realized what was happening in their dantian. The Spiritual Qi they had gathered during their almost 100-year-long life was beingpressed and purified.


    Their realm was rapidly dropping. However, they kept the same strength.


    The phenomenon was bizarre and mind-boggling, but it also coincided with what Xue Bai told them earlier.


    Because of their poor talent, the Spiritual Qi they had gathered before was impure and low in quality but high in quantity. And by eating the Yggdrasil fruits, their mistakes were being reversed, and they were being given a new lease on life.


    Soon Xue Feng and Li Rou''s fifth and fourth stage Domain Lord realm cultivation bases declined all the way to the first stage.


    But crazily enough, they didn''t lose any strength at all. And with this extremely high purity Spiritual Qi, not only were they confident that they could easily reach the ninth stage of the Domain Lord realm, but also they were sure that the Xiantian Great Realm wouldn''t be too far away.


    After their cultivation bases declined, the two stayed in the lotus position and meditated for a while to make sure nothing was wrong. But after testing their strength with simple movements, they realized the only thing that had declined was their realms.


    Finished checking out her gains from the fruits, Li Rou immediately thought of her brother and asked Xue Bai, "Bai''er, then what about thest fruit?"


    "Don''t worry, Mother. I was already nning to give it to Uncle LI. It will be my repayment for leaving him with the troubles I made." Xue Bai replied before she could mention the person.


    Xue Bai had long sensed her thoughts, and he assured her that thest Yggdrasil fruit would go to LI Hou.


    After Li Rou asked her question, Xue Feng, who was thinking of the critical questions, asked his own.


    "Bai''er, then this ''Yggdrasil'' tree, when will it bear fruits once more." Xue Feng asked as he looked at the weird-looking tree.


    Sadly, Xue Bai couldn''t answer his father''s question fully, and he shook his head in response.


    "I''m not 100% sure because I only remember its frequency from its peak growth, and currently, Yggdrasil is in a weakened state. But from what I know, once it gets out of this weakened state, then it will produce anywhere from 5-100 fruits every ten years. But now, with its health, I think we should focus on nurturing it more than the fruits." Xue Bai answered, thinking that Xue Fend would be disappointed.


    However, in the mind of the Duke, the opposite was happening. Earlier, Xue Feng had thought they had just eaten a once-in-a-millennium fruit and was feeling regretful.


    But once he heard that Yggdrasil could basically mass-produce them, he damn near fainted in excitement.


    "Bai''er, you understand the implications of this, right?" Xue Feng asked with a trembling voice.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As a Domain Lord realm cultivator, Xue Feng naturally knew all the implications that Yggdrasil would have on the Baishen ne, but he wanted to make sure that Xue Bai knew them as well.


    "How can I not, father? While I haven''t started to cultivate, I know the implications of Yggdrasil could have on the cultivation world." Xue Bai replied seriously.


    Naturally, he wasn''t a fool and knew that Yggdrasil had to be kept a secret.


    From almost every single cultivation novel he knew, protagonists would have treasures like this. Then in some odd way, whether he had to expose it to save a love interest or he stupidly left it out for the world to see when he thought he was alone, the treasure would get revealed.


    Then the news of the protagonist carrying a heaven-defying treasure would be spread around the world within days, and the entire world would chase him down for 200 chapters.


    It was amon troupe, but it was also a terrifying reality that Xue Bai wanted no part of.


    While Xue Bai wanted to experience the fun of a cultivation journey, he didn''t want to be on the run for ten years of his life. So he had no ns of telling anyone besides his family about this.


    Xue Feng and Li Rou sighed in relief after they saw how sensible their son was.


    But Li Rou still had one more question to ask.


    "Son, you must know that after taking any type of cultivation resource from pills to spirit fruits like that, you start to build an immunity to it. However, what about this Yggdrasil fruit? How many times can one eat it before it''s useless?" Li Rou asked with some anticipation in her voice.


    Just one fruit was able to give them a chance to break into the Xiantian Great Realm and advance to the Spirit Awakening realm. So what about if they ate two fruits? Would they advance to the Spirit Severing realm?


    Would three allow them to break into the Spirit Expansion realm?


    The possibilities were endless, and Li Rou felt like she had a whole new world opened up in front of her.


    Xue Bai smiled when he heard the question. Indeed this was the irond truth in the cultivation world.


    This was even the case with Heaven-grade natural treasures, and they weren''t exempt either.


    However, Yggdrasil''s fruits could somehow ignore the irond rule.


    No matter how many times you ate a Yggradsil fruit, it would still work like the first time.


    This was why the Child of the ne, who owned Yggdrasil, had such a powerful and loyal army behind him. He had brought them up from nothing, given them the world, and allowed them to fight against the geniuses of the entire Baishen ne.


    How could they not at least be loyal to such a man?


    However, this wasn''t going to happen in this timeline. Yggdrasil was his now. The all-powerful Devil ughtering Legion that once instilled fear into the entire Baishen ne would no longer exist.


    Instead, in its ce would be whatever Xue Bai wanted to follow him.


    Thinking about this, Xue Bai couldn''t help but smile.


    "Somebody can eat it as many times as they want. So it will always work." Xue Bai announced proudly.


    Hearing their son''s words, Xue Feng finally couldn''t handle the happiness and fainted, and Li Rou was close too.


    Xue Feng was rightfully excited. As a general, the thought of raising a personal army with the potential of reaching the peak of cultivation was his fantasy. So once Xue Bai told him that it was not only possible but they were able to do it, Xue Feng fainted with glee.


    "Mother, what just happened?" Xue Bai asked, stunned.


    When he first saw his father stumble, Xue Bai thought it was just a one-off thing. But seeing him faint floored Xue Bai entirely.


    His dad was in the Domain Lord realm and could split seas and sever mountain tops. How did he faint?


    "This happened once before when he first broke through to the Qi Sea realm. I think he can''t handle excitement too well." Li Rou sounded uncertain as she answered.


    She had a guess, but she wasn''t too sure about it.


    "Then wake him up. I need him to ce Yggdrasil somewhere secure." Xue Bai said impatiently.


    Finished with his words, Xue Bai wasn''t polite and began to p his father''s face.


    However, after three ps, he had to stop as his palms started to hurt, and he even felt his muscles pulsating in pain.


    "So this is what they meant by thick-faced," Xue Bai thought aloud. But as he held his hand in pain, his face looked enlightened.


    "Mother, you try. I might break my hand if I continue." Xue Bai asked as he turned to his mother.


    "Honey, I won''t p your father. Just wait until he wakes up. If anything, you should pray he doesn''t remember. He will string you up a tree if he does." Li Rouughed.


    Ignoring Xue Bai''s request, Li Rou went over to the fainted Xue Feng, gently ced him in herp, and waited for her husband to wake up.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 15 Plans For The Twins

    ?ns for the Twins


    Xue Feng eventually woke up, but even as he did, he was still somewhat in disbelief from Yggdrasil and thought the previous hour was a dream.


    However, after he sensed his lowered cultivation and saw Yggdrasil sitting just a few meters away, he realized it was real and beganughing in glee.


    "HAHAHA, Duan Zhen always bragged about how I would never reach the Xiantian Great Realm. Not only can I, but I could also reach it in a decade! He''s going to be scared out of his mind!" Xue Fengughed in pleasure as he began concocting random scenarios and started to lose himself.


    However, his fascinations quickly started turning crazy, and Li Rou thought he had gone mad. Thinking her husband had gone mad, Li Rou began to shake some sense into him.


    Thankfully it worked, as very soon, he started calming down.


    "Husband, all of that is in the future, but for now, we need to ensure that Yggdrasil is never known to the public. Even with how much Duan Zhen trusts you, he would not hesitate to start a war over this." Li Rou spoke seriously. She was the group''s sense of reason.


    Xue Feng came back to reality after he heard Li Rou''s words.


    "Bai''er, your mother is right. How many people did you tell about this?" Xue Feng seriously asked as he grabbed Xue Bai''s shoulders.


    If Xue Bai had told anyone about this, there would be many problems.


    "Only five people know of its existence, but each person is different. Since I nned to give Uncle Li a Yggdrasil fruit from the beginning, I told him what Yggdrasil does. But the other four people are different. Two of them are the Wang twins. After all, they helped me bring the thing back home, while the other two are the Stone Gambling Pavilion''s shopkeeper and chief cksmith. But neither of them knows anything about Yggdrasil and only thinks it''s a low ck-grade natural treasure." Xue Bai answered truthfully.


    "You opened Yggdrasil from a Spiritual Jade Stone?" His parents asked simultaneously.


    "Yes, how else would I find this good a treasure in the city." Xue Bai replied back.


    His parents were speechless. Yes, how else could he find Yggdrasil in the central city of the dukedom? Almost every inch of Snowy WInd City had been optimized for both real estate and defensive purposes. So finding something new there was virtually impossible.


    But Li Rou caught onto something else, "How did you even find out about the Stone Gambling Pavillion? Neither of us told you about it."


    "Uncle LI told me to go there if I wanted to test my luck." Xue Bai replied innocently. His mother''s face looked scary, and he wanted to downy any involvement in this.


    "Did you only buy the stone that Yggdrasil was in?!" Li Rou was fuming.


    Not only had her idiot of an older brother not learned from his previous experience of gambling, but he dared to bring her son into it.


    "No, I bought two more, but I nned to open them at home." Xue Bai hurriedly exined as he pointed to the two stones that sat at the side of Yggdrasil.


    Xue Bai had made Little Wang carry them into his courtyard. But since Xue Bai couldn''t open them without help, they had been sitting on the ground.


    Li Rou snorted in anger.


    Waving her hand into the air, the two small stones that were a few meters away floated from their original positions and immediately attached themselves to her fair hand like they were metals being attracted by a ma.


    "I''m confiscating these! Also, if I ever catch you in a Stone Gambling Pavilion, then!" Li Rou didn''t need to finish her sentence.


    Even though Xue Bai didn''t know what she nned to do, he had no ns to find out.


    "I''ll get even with Big Brother Huo after this, but first, we need to n out what to do next." Then, suppressing her anger Li Rou spoke.


    The group of three became silent after Li Rou''s words as they thought about what they should do next.


    Xue Bai did have some ideas, but he felt like he had been talking way too much and way too intelligently for this entire day. Staying silent now was best.


    Thankfully both of his parents were extremely intelligent, and within a few seconds, they thought of the most reasonable actions to take next.


    "I think we should bring those two to us for a discussion and move the Wang twins into the Core Region of the estate." Xue Feng stated, which was quickly seconded by Li Rou.


    The twins were already bound to them, and their dukedom and Xue Feng looked highly upon their talent, so silencing them would be stupid.


    As for the other two, silencing wasn''t off the table, but for now, Xue Feng thought to just recruit them.


    If they weren''t loyal and tried to leak the information, it wouldn''t be toote to kill themter.


    Finished with their n, the parents stood up, ready to go andplete it.


    "Bai''er, take this token and go to my courtyard and find a ce to nt Yggdrasil somewhere where the Spiritual Qi is the densest. And don''t worry. I know you can''t sense it yet, so I have markers around the garden. From 1-10, with ten being the densest." Li Rou gently spoke as she handed Xue Bai a token with a flower engraved on it.


    Xue Bai took it and ced it into his pocket before asking a question of his own.


    "Mother, should Ie with you two to see the Stone Gambling Pavillion workers?" Xue Bai asked. He had recruited them and thought that he should see it through.


    After thinking for a little, his parents agreed. After his fall, while he hadn''t suddenly be a mature adult, he had grown somewhat and showed promise. So they thought that involving him in dukedom''s affairs earlier would help his growth.


    "First nt Yggdrasil in my garden, then you cane to us. We will be in the main hall where we talk about military affairs instead of my office." Xue Feng spoke.


    After nodding at each other, the trio split up to do their own roles.


    However, after his parents left, Xue Bai realized that he still couldn''t carry Yggdrasil, especially now that it was encased in a pot with Spiritual Soil weighing it down even more.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Xiao''er, call over one of the Wang twins toe and help me carry Yggdrasil. We are going to mothers courtyard!" Xue Bai yelled out.


    Xiao''er didn''t enter but just shouted back a yes, before leaving to get the Big Wang.


    It didn''t take long for Xiao''er to arrive with Big Wang. And after the man saw Xue Bai still struggling with Yggradrasil, he went and lifted it with ease.


    Big Wang was in the Law Engraving Realm, so the tree weighed almost nothing to him, no matter how overpowered it was.


    The three then started to make their way to LI Rou''s courtyard, but since Big Wang didn''t know the way, Xue Bai was in the lead.


    Half an hourter and with Xue Bai sweating bullets, the three arrived at Li Rou''s courtyard.


    ''This world is too big. Just the distance between courtyards is more than some parks!'' Xue Bai thought.


    He was getting really tired of how big the world was. And while Xue Bai knew the world was only big to him since he was still a mortal, it still didn''t make it less annoying.


    Thankfully, Xiao''er was a great maid, as once she saw how tired Xue Bai looked, she went into the pouch at her side, pulled out a small handkerchief, and delicately wiped away the sweat.


    "Young Master, I have some water if you''d like?" Xiao''er kindly asked as she pulled out a bottle of water from nowhere.


    But Xue Bai was too tired to realize that Xiao''er just used a spatial ring and nodded instead.


    Taking the water bottle and downing it, Xue Bai felt refreshed.


    After a few deep breaths, Xue Bai then went over to the gate of Li Rou''s courtyard.


    Though Li Rou had her courtyard unattended, she had locked it using a formation.


    Thankfully, Xue Bai had his mother''s token, so after he undid the formation blocking their entry easily, the three of them could enter inside.


    Inside his mother''s herb garden, Xue Bai now noticed the markers that were everywhere. He hadn''t noticed it the first time, but looking at it once more, he realized just how much his mother had detailed this spare courtyard of hers.


    Other than the numbers, almost every single herb wasbeled, and even the Spiritual Soil they sat in was also ranked andbeled.


    It was an OCD patient''s wet dream.


    However, Xue Bai didn''t look at the numbers much past his first nce. Big Wang was with him now, so rather than using the numbers that could be slightly wrong, Xue Bai asked the man to find the densest ces instead.


    "Young Duke, the densest is around that tree in the center." With his perception, it wasn''t hard for Big Wang to find it, and he quickly pointed it out.


    "Big Wang, dig out a space for Yggdrasil near the tree in the center but make sure it''s far away. I don''t want the two to kill each other." Xue Bai ordered.


    Finding a spot with dense Spiritual Qi and still far away from the tree in the center wasn''t easy, but Big Wang eventually found one and nted Yggdrasil in a hole he dug.


    "Young Duke, do you have any other orders?" Big Wang wanted to go back and cultivate. He and his brother were getting closer and closer to the Law Manifestation realm each day, and he didn''t want to waste a second.


    "Yes, go call your brother and meet us in the main hall. Father and Mother will be giving you a surprise." Xue Bai replied vaguely.


    But Big Wang could read through the lines and looked ecstatic. So after he quickly bowed, he flew off, running to go and find his little brother.


    "Young Master, are we going to the main hall now?" Xiao''er asked once she realized that their job here was done.


    Xue Bai nodded at her.


    Before the two left Li Rou''s courtyard, Xue Bai made sure to turn the formation back on. And since that was only a button press, the two then started to head over to the main hall.


    The main hall was a part of the same building as Xue Feng''s office. However, the office was only a side room, while the Main Hall took up the majority of the space in the building.


    And, like its nd and vague name, the main hall looked very simple.


    The main hall was just a vast hall with ten seats for everymander under Xue Feng and two at the front.


    However, since the two seats stood on an elevated tform, which signified a higher position, it was obvious that there were people even more important than the tenmanders.


    These seats were, of course, for Xue Feng and Li Rou.


    Usually, in the Baishen ne, most governmental bodies had a very patriarchal structure, but Xue Feng loved his wife and greatly respected her opinion.


    Coupled with her many alchemy-rted connections, Li Rou had apelling voice in the dukedom''s affairs.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 16 Commander Huo Chen

    ?Commander Huo Chen


    As Xue Bai entered the main hall with Xiao''er following closely behind, he saw the shopkeeper and cksmith Guo kneeling in the center of the hall with his parents and Li Huo looking at them from above.


    Li Huo, oddly enough, had his own seat at this time. However, from how much it differed from the rest of the hall''s aesthetic, it was obvious the man just pulled the chair out of his spatial ring so he wouldn''t be forced to stand.


    Xue Bai''s footsteps weren''t heavy nor created much of a sound, but since everyone in the main hall was in the Qi Sea realm and above, they had ess to Spiritual Sense.


    So once they all heard footstepsing, five strands of Spiritual Sense flew at Xue Bai and Xiao''er.


    After they realized who the person was, though, each pair of eyes had a different reaction.


    Xue Feng and Li Rou were the first ones to react as they both looked happy at his arrival and quickly motioned him toe over and stand with them.


    Xue Bai was obedient and nodded before he walked up the small set of stairs. But instead of Li Huo, who made himself at home, Xue Bai decided to stand behind them.


    While he was the heir, he had yet to seed his Father. So he couldn''t truly stand on equal footing as them yet.


    Once Xue Bai stood behind his parents, he felt a gaze to his right. But once he turned to look at who it was, he realized that it was his Uncle, who was looking at him unkindly.


    Li Huo was still annoyed from being left to clean up his mess. But Xue Bai just gave his Uncle a cheeky smile which caused Li Huo tough.


    He was going to start a conversation with his Uncle, but before he could, the Wang twins also entered the main hall.


    Once they entered, the twins saw the workers from earlier and were quick on the uptake, so without any words, they went over and knelt in the center of the hall next to them.


    Xue Feng started to speak after seeing everyone he called for in the Main Hall.


    "cksmith Guo, while I know your name, before I begin, shopkeeper, can you tell me yours?" Xue Feng asked.


    "Yes, Duke Xue, this servant''s name is Li Qi." Li Qi humbly answered. But as he did, Li Qi still kept his head facing the ground.


    "Then cksmith Guo and Li Qi, since I assume you both know why you''re here. I''ll exin to you your new positions in my dukedom. Since the main reason my son recruited you was that you saw something you shouldn''t have, you both have a choice." Xue Feng paused before he looked at them with cold eyes and continued, "Like those hunters, you both will swear a Dao Oath never to reveal what Bai''er opened. Or die where you stand."


    ''How is that a choice!'' The two men cried inwardly.


    But they were both greedy for life, so without any hups, they both swore a Dao oath. If they would rather die than bend, they would''ve died in the Stone Gambling Pavilion.


    So what was the point of being stubborn now? It would only waste theirs and the Duke''s time.


    Xue Feng smiled at this.


    "Now that the two of you are a part of my Dukedom and have decent cultivation and experience, I will give you both a space to excel in," Xue Feng finally looked at them and said. "cksmith Guo, you go and find Commander Huo in the Inner Region. He is the lead of my side professionals where you specialize in. And Li Qi, you can go back to Snowy Wind City and go to Herb Mountain Pavilion. You can take my wife''s token and find Zhou Beizhan and tell him to make you the lead of all sales associates there.


    Hearing such a generous offer, the two men who were still kneeling on the ground became ecstatic.


    They had thought Xue Feng would suppress them with terrible positions and be constantly supervised. However, to their surprise, it was the opposite.


    And since neither of them dared to deny such afortable position, they both kowtowed as hard as they could and responded, "Yes, Duke Xue!"


    Not bothering to respond, Xue Feng waved his hand, and a simr-looking token to the one that Li Rou gave Xue Bai appeared. Then by using his profound cultivation base while still sitting, Xue Feng made the token float over to Li Qi before gentlynding the man''s outstretched hands.


    "Go to your new positions now. I have already informed Commander Huo and Zhou Beizhan, and they are waiting for you." Xue Feng


    Kowtowing once more, the men quickly run to their new jobs. Leaving the Wang twins as the only people still kneeling on the ground.


    Xue Feng waited for a few minutes before speaking this time and let the two twins stay kneeling on the ground. However, once he felt the two previous men leave the Core Region, he started to speak.


    "Wang Ye and Wang Shu, while you two have seen a core secret like them. You both are in very different situations than them. Not only are you two my son''s bodyguards, but you two are also people I look favorably upon. So rather than giving you something like them, I''ll only promote you once more. You two are allowed to choose a courtyard in the Core region near my son''s. And while the Spiritual Qi in it isn''tparable to my own, it is far better than your previous courtyard." Xue Feng kindly spoke.


    Other than him and his wife, they were the only people to his knowledge with a peak Yellow-grade set of Martial Veins. So Xue Feng truly looked highly upon the twins and hoped that they could at least reach the Domain Lord realm in the future.


    Plus, the two were extremely loyal to his dukedom and him. And as an experienced general, Xue Feng knew his way around the human heart and how to make loyal subordinates.


    Suppressing them would only cause their loyalty to twist and turn them against him in the long run. So rather than idiotically creating two ticking time bombs at his side, Xue Feng promoted them.


    Hopefully, through this, the two would be firmly tied to his ship and would be his left and right-hand men.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But only time will tell.


    Thankfully it worked.


    The twins have wanted to rise in the Dukedom since childhood. And now that they heard they would be allowed to live in the Core Region, they felt like it was a dream. However, even after they pinched each other and reality stayed the same, they realized it was reality.


    So even harder than the men before, the twins kowtowed toward Xue Feng, thanking him.


    Xue Feng just waved them off with a smile and reminded them to move courtyards. And after kowtowing once more, they left.


    ''It seems they aren''t ingrates and know how to be loyal.'' Xue Feng thought.


    Once the outsiders left, Xue Bai couldn''t hold back his questions anymore. So after he turned to his father, he asked them.


    "Father, I understand Big and Little Wang, but why did you give those two such good jobs? While they are in the Dharma Idol realm, it''s because of the resources they wasted. Not only are they just medicine jars, but they also have nobat power. Why hire them?" Xue Bai was confused by this.


    While Xue Bai didn''t want to per se kill the two, at the end of the day, they didn''t know much. Why hire them?


    Worst case scenario, they leak the information about Xue Bai opening a low ck-grade natural treasure. However, even then? What about it? The other two Dukes had treasures of this rank. So why would their family having one be so bad?


    Xue Feng looked at his son with surprise. He didn''t think his son wouldment on his actions and would only nod mindlessly.


    ''He''s growing.'' Xue Feng smiled inwardly.


    Seeing his son want to be interested in his thought process, Xue Feng decided to exin it to him.


    "You''re right. While the information they possess isn''t too threatening to us, it''s still something important. And if they decide to leak it, while it wouldn''t bring too much of a threat to our home, it''s still a danger that I''d rather not have. Besides, our dukedom is more than capable of taking in two more workers, even more, so people in the Dharma Idol realm. Their strength is low, but their usefulness isn''t. Better to hire than to kill useful men." Xue Feng patiently exined to Xue Bai.


    Xue Bai nodded at this. Xue Feng knew they had a threat, but it was too small for him to worry about. And the value they possessed overvalued the minuscule threat they could possess should they turn rogue.


    But with their personalities, leaking the information would be little to none.


    Both of them were greedy for life. However, they swore a Dao Oath. So should they ever leak the information, their cultivation bases would be gone.


    And since both of the men were far beyond 100 years of age, if they were crippled, death wouldn''t be too far along.


    However, Xue Bai had another question.


    "I met Zhou Beizhan earlier today, and Uncle Li also told me about his past, but who is Commander Huo?" Xue Bai asked.


    He heard the name from Xue Feng earlier and wanted to bring it up then, but since his father was in the middle of giving out orders, he stayed mum and only remembered the name, so he asked about itter.


    "Commander Huo is a prodigy from a declining Marquis Family under me. He has been the only capable cultivator from their family in this generation, so after offering the Huo n to take them as subordinates, I took him away from them. So it was a win-win deal for us both." Xue Feng replied.


    Xue Bai''s face changed after he heard that. He knew who this Commander Huo was now.


    Commander Huo''s name was Huo Chen, one of Huo Long''s uncles and someone who would die soon. After hearing the news of Huo Long''s crippling, he made a trip back home but died of a sneak attack on the way back.


    However, Xue Bai didn''t show anything on his face.


    Saying all of this now would be stupid. It was better to wait and try to find a way to save the man in the future.


    Anyways he had time. Huo Long would be crippled in about seven years, so Xue Bai had more than enough time to formte a n to save Huo Chen.


    And after talking to his Uncle a little longer, he went to his room for the night.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 17 Archery Training

    ?Archery Training


    After the twin''s promotion and the hiring of Li QI and cksmith Guo, nothing much happened for a week.


    Of the few important events, Li Huo was given a Yggdrasil Fruit and was let in on the secret, Xue Bai visited Li Huo several times to keep the manpany, and finally, the Wang twins moved into a courtyard a few down from Xue Bai.


    However, now, after a week, Xue Bai''s idle life was finally going toe to an end.


    True to her words, Li Rou only needed a week to prepare both a field in the Core Region for Xue Bai to practice on and a training regimen for him to follow.


    Originally, Xue Bai wanted to practice on the army grounds, but after talking to his mother, he realized that it would be better to be by himself rather than on the army grounds.


    Since he would practice archery, Xue Bai would take up a lot of space while most soldiers would either spar or do body exercises. And because he was new, Xue Bai might identally hit another soldier.


    Of course, his arrows would do little damage to them, but it still would be rude to hit another man with an arrow.


    So after waking up early in the morning and changing into a tight training suit, Xue Bai went to the practice field Li Rou prepared for him.


    Standing in the center of a several-mile-wide dirt field, Xue Bai looked at Li Rou, who was standing in front of him.


    Since she wouldn''t do any serious feats today, Li Rou still wore her usual blood-red robe. However, since she thought it was appropriate, she tied her hair into a high bun instead of letting it fall down her back.


    Starting off the day, Li Rou first guided her son through some quick stretches.


    This didn''t take long, and after making sure Xue Bai was ready, Li Rou handed him a bow and an arrow.


    Li Rou pointed to a target about a kilometer away and said, "Bai''er, before I teach or show you anything, just take a shot at that target."


    Unlike Earth, the Baishen ne was truly t. Coupled with the fact that children on the Baishen ne were stronger than most humans on Earth, Xue Bai was easily able to see a kilometer away and also the target point Li Rou was pointing at.


    Xue Bai didn''t waste any time and went to fulfill his mother''s request, but he quickly embarrassed himself.


    Once he tried to take a shot Xue Bai quickly realized that he couldn''t even notch his arrow correctly.


    Thankfully, he didn''t embarrass himself much, as Li Rou finally stepped in after three failed attempts and stopped him. As a master archer, once Li Rou saw someone struggle with the most basic thing, she visibly cringed.


    She had done this to see how much Xue Bai knew about archery, but after realizing that her son was aplete rookie at archery, she realized that she had to start with the basics.


    "Bai''er in archery stance in everything if you don''t have a stable stance your arrow will never go where you want it to. So I want you to train this first." Li Rou kindly said as she took the bow and arrow away from her son


    She was slightly afraid that he''d hurt himself with the thing,


    "Mother, how do I practice standing correctly?" Xue Bai asked confusedly.


    How did one practice standing correctly? He didn''t know where she was going with her words.


    "Follow me, Bai''er. I prepared something for this situation." Li Rou said.


    Then she turned around and led Xue Bai to a different section in the practice field.


    The ce was only a few miles away, but it was still in the open field.


    However, this section was special.


    In front of Xue Bai were dozens of thin wooden pirs that stood two meters tall. Each loosely stuck into the ground.


    Once he saw the pirs, Xue Bai knew almost instantly what she was nning for him to do, but he still waited for her to exin it to him and not steal her thunder.


    "Bai''er, you will practice keeping a stable stance here with these pirs. Each of these pirs can only hold one foot and are extremely unstable. One badnding, and you''ll fall instantly." Li Rou exined.


    "Mother, that''s like two meters high. Won''t that hurt a lot?" Xue Bai asked.


    Ll Rou was the one who doted on him most, so he couldn''t imagine her putting him through the gauntlet.


    But surprisingly, his mother didn''t coddle him like usual and looked at him calmly and replied, "Everything in the cultivation world hurts. So I would rather you be in pain here with me than on the battlefield in front of someone trying to kill you."


    Xue Bai didn''t ask any further. His mother was right.


    He would need to go through trials and tribtions if he wanted to ascend. And while this was an extremely mild first steppared to the Children of the ne, it was still a good one.


    Having a low pain tolerance in a cultivation world was dangerous. Xue Bai would die if he took the time to hold a wound and scream in pain in front of an enemy.


    So without any cowardice and with his mother''s help, Xue climbed onto a pir and tried to stand. However, his first attempt didn''tst long, and he fell after only five seconds.


    But while he was on the dirt and wincing in pain, he didn''t notice the look of pain in his mother''s eyes, as a look of willpower quickly reced them.


    ''Remember what Big Brother Huo said. Coddling him will only lead to an earlier death.'' Li Rou constantly reminded herself.


    "Mother, when do I finish this training?" Xue Bai asked after swiping off some dirt.


    The fall didn''t hurt much, but the cloud of dirt that went into his mouth after he fell was annoying.


    ''Note to self; Close your mouth when you fall.''


    "We will move onto the next step when you jump andnd on every pir without falling in between." Li Rou answered with a sinister smile.


    ¨C


    That day Xue Bai fell a lot and very often as well.


    Li Rou had also tried to brainwash herself into forgetting about Xue Bai''s plight, but every time she looked at his face of pain when he fell, she decided to end the first session early.


    Also, while she wanted Xue Bai to face pain and hardships, she couldn''t force the seven-year-old to damage himself beyond repair.


    So she made a rule that Xue Bai was only allowed to train with the pirs for 3 hours a day, any more than that, and he was at risk of hurting himself more than he was helping himself.


    Following every session, Li Rou would then give Xue Bai a small bottle of crushed herbs for him to use when he bathed.


    This way, not only would he heal most of the day''s damage, but he would also walk away from the pain and soreness stronger. The herbs she chose were specially picked to be gentle and soothing in nature so that Xue Bai''s mortal physique could absorb the strengthening properties and help him temper his physique without much pain.


    Xue Bai epted the medicinal herb baths with pleasure, as not only would he leave the bathtub without any pain or soreness, but also, the bath was a somewhat euphoric feeling.


    With such peaceful and nurturing surroundings, Xue Bai only took a few days to show more than visible results.<novelnext></novelnext>


    At first, Xue Bai thought the odd pir would be impossible without any cultivation, but after his mother showed him that it was possible, Xue Bai started to take it seriously.


    Off the back of his mother''s support, Xue Bai managed to stand on a pir freely on the second day of training.


    And while this certainly raised his spirits, he soon realized the main challenge was for him to jump to the next one.


    Going from pir to pir wasn''t just as simple as jumping to another pir andnding. There was much more to it.


    It took a myriad of things to consider. First, Xue Bai needed to calcte the distance. Then he also needed to keep in mind to jump andnd with as little force as possible.


    The pirs were extremely unstable, so if Xue Bainded too hard, he would take the thing down along with him. And if Xue Bai jumped with too little power, he wouldn''t have the air time needed tond on the targeted pir.


    Finally, after hended, Xue Bai would have to immediately adjust his bnce, as standing on the pirs with poor stature was a gateway to the dirt below.


    However, Xue Bai could only slowly go through this training with pain.


    Xue Bai managed to jump onto andnd cleanly on the next pir after two more days of failing.


    Following his first sessfulnding, Xue Bai became a fish in the water and was able to jump from pir to pir easily. After a week, he could go around the pir training field like it was his own room, and he became confident in his skills.


    However, since there were so many pirs in the field, and Li Rou wanted Xue Bai tond on all of them, he stayed there for three months.


    After finishing the stability training, Li Rou took him back to the same spot from three months ago when he first shot the arrow.


    Now a little taller and with proper form, Xue Bai stood in the same spot he was a little over three months ago and attempted to shoot the arrow again.


    This time while he managed to notch it, he never managed to fire it because he still didn''t know anything about archery.


    "Mother, it seems we were too focused on the stability exercise. You forgot to teach me the basics of archery." Xue Bai and Li Rou looked embarrassed.


    While they didn''t waste the previous three months on the pir exercise, they forgot what they were initially trying to do. It was like preheating your oven to bake a cake, only to realize you didn''t have the cake ready yet.


    "Bai''er,e with me to my courtyard; we''ll start your lessons now." Li Rou calmly spoke.


    However, she quickly turned her head so as not to let her son see her blushing face, and with quick and wide steps, she walked out of the practice field.


    The following week of training was spent in Li Rou''s courtyard as she tried to teach Xue Bai the basics of archery, from holding the bow correctly to notching the arrows perfectly.


    Li Rou had thought it would take Xue Bai longer to learn all the theoretical knowledge. However, he learned it all in just an afternoon. No matter what she told Xue Bai, he would absorb it almost instantly and not forget, no matter how much time had passed.


    This was slightly shocking to Li Rou, but after she gained herposure, her face lit up.


    Any mother would be happy once she realized her son was a genius, and Li Rou was no different. So once she found out just how talented Xue Bai was, she decided to finish the lecture early and go right away to the actual archery training.


    Xue Bai was indifferent about this. His character in the game had be a famous schr in only a few years and became famous around the continent in histe teens.


    Hisprehension was naturally extraordinary. And learning simple theoretical knowledge about archery was nothing. Even learning martial techniques would be nothing for him.


    So for the third time, the mother and son duo stood at the practice field in front of the same target, and after some reminders from his mother, Xue Bai prepared to shoot the bow.


    ''Notch the arrow cleanly.''


    ''Find your target.''


    ''Aim.''


    ''Pull back the bowstring.''


    ''Release!''


    Fwang!


    And with a clean air-cutting sound, Xue Bai''s arrow flew out of his bowstring and toward his goal.


    Thump!


    His arrow hadnded on the target, but it was only on the white outer circle and not a point section.


    Xue Bai, seeing that he had missed the points, turned and looked at his mother, expecting to see her disappointed but saw her looking at him like she saw a ghost.


    "Mother, was my shot that bad?" Xue Bai shyly asked.


    Xue Bai was aplete archery rookie, so he had assumed he was horrible and untalented.


    "Bai''er, have you truly never shot an arrow before?" Li Rou asked in a trembling voice


    "Mother, if I had, I would''ve never gone through that wooden pir exercise for three months." Xue Bai replied sarcastically.


    Li Rou was floored. Her son justnded an arrow a kilometer away on his first shot.


    She had ced it far to humble him and had nned to make the target closer after every failure. But instead, her son had exceeded her expectations andnded it first try.


    Li Rou was caught in a conundrum.


    However, she was a very noble woman, and she didn''t let the difficulty she was facing show on her face. And instead, put a stern look on her face and started to speak in an equally stern voice to Xue Bai.


    "You missed. The target wasn''t even that far, I was expecting you to at least hit the thirdyer, but you didn''t even hit one. Try again. We won''t leave until you hit the thirdyer!" Li Rou harshly said, even though her inner self was blushing.


    Xue Bai felt embarrassed and nodded seriously.


    He was a rookie at archery and even worse at reading facial expressions, so he naturally didn''t know that he had utterly destroyed his mother''s pride in being an archery genius and instead genuinely thought he had ashamed her.


    So after he inwardly swore to improve, Xue Bai notched another arrow and shot again.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 18 Commander Huo Chen

    ?Commander Huo Chen


    Xue Bai second arrow hit the firstyer, but since his mother said the thirdyer, he kept shooting until he made it, which didn''t take very long as after his fourth try, he hit it, albeit barely.


    Li Rou seeing this, couldn''t keep a calm face and had her pride whittled away from witnessing her son visibly improve after every shot. So after hended it in the thirdyer, she stopped him and called it for the day.


    Her pride needed some rest.


    Though he was slightly still unwilling, Xue Bai gave the bow and arrow back to his mother and returned to his courtyard to bathe and rest.


    Xue Bai continued his archery training for the next nine months until it was a year exactly.


    During this time, he had grown tremendously under his mother. So much so that it scared Li Rou, but she still kept the illusion that Xue Bai was average to stimte his growth.


    However, though he had be a great archer, his passion didn''t lie in archery. So after the anniversary, Xue Bai nned to ask his mother again to let him practice swordsmanship.


    A yearter, Xue Bai would turn eight years old, but while he aged a year, he didn''t look any different from a year ago besides his hair growing longer and him growing a few more centimeters.


    Now 15 centimeters taller at 1.25 meters tall, Xue Bai once again stood in the archery field wearing a slightly modified version of the practice robe he had a year ago.


    After Li Rou gave Xue Bai his first practice robes, he realized that he didn''t like them whatsoever, especially whenever he shot an arrow.


    So after throwing away that robe, he asked his mother to make him a different set of robes.


    The set asked for was basically the same as his previous tight-fitting all-ck training outfit, except for the fact that this set didn''t have sleeves.


    Whenever he would shoot arrows, Xue Bai found it morefortable not to have sleeves.


    And since Li Rou was a very good tailor, she easily modified the robes to Xue Bai''s liking.


    "Mother, I want to learn swordsmanship from Father. I will still continue to practice archery, but I always have nned to follow in my father''s footsteps, and archery was only something to assist and not my main path." Xue Bai spoke calmly and firmly


    If he were indecisive or sounded weak, his mother would say no. So he spoke as he did.


    Looking at her son, who was trying to look strong and manly, Li Rou giggled.


    "Why do you want to learn swordsmanship? Your talent in archery is already heaven-defying. What if you have no talent with the sword, and you end up wasting your time?" Li Rou asked with a tilted head.


    Sure, it was customary for a boy to follow in his father''s footsteps and for a girl to follow her mother, but Xue Bai already had incredible talent in archery. So while it would be unorthodox, Xue Bai''s talent more than made up for it.


    "Using the sword is cooler than archery!" Xue Bai replied seriously.


    "..." Li Rou had no words. What other words would she expect from an eight-year-old?


    And she had foolishly been thinking only a year ago that an old fossil had taken over her son''s body.


    "Go tell your father about this. I don''t know anything about swordsmanship. Also, if he asks about my opinion, tell him you have my consent." Not knowing how to respond, Li Rou just waved off Xue Bai.


    "Thank you, mother!" Xue Bai ran off almost instantly.


    Xue Bai had long been tired of the nd and deste training field. In the past year, he had been in here for hours at the minimum and at the higher end, almost ten hours a day.


    Now all he wanted was a break from this ce.


    After he ran out of the training field, rather than going straight to his father, Xue Bai first went to his room, nning to take a quick bath.


    Right now, he was still sweaty from his training, his clothes were sticking to him like glue, and he was feeling beyond ufortable.


    Entering his courtyard, Xue Bai called the nearby Xiao''er to prepare a bath for him while he went into his closet to get a towel and a change of clothes.


    From his time as an ALS patient, Xue Bai became used to people bathing him. So right after his transmigration, he usually let Xiao''er bathe him.


    But once he realized that he was a young, energetic boy with a fully functional body, he became apprehensive about it and started to rid the maid of her duties and started bathing himself.


    After he got his change of clothes, Xue Bai entered the small bathhouse in his courtyard and slowly poured in the mixture his mother gave him.


    And after stirring the green mixture in his bathtub with a basin, the once clear blue water slowly dyed green.


    The mixture in the bottle was the same medicinal herb that Li Rou concocted a year ago to help him recover quicker while also strengthening his physique.


    While he couldn''t cultivate yet, having a stronger body would always help. And the herbs were also painless to absorb.


    In fact, the medicinal effects from the herbs were so easy to absorb Xue Bai could take a nap mid-bath and still absorb all the medicine. Which he usually did and nned to do now.


    So after a quick name, Xue Bai woke up refreshed and feeling even stronger than he was earlier. Hopping out of the tub, Xue Bai quickly changed into a new set of clothes before leaving for his father''s office to ask about his swordsmanship training.


    However, once he reached his father''s office and went inside, he found it to be empty.


    Thinking he was in a meeting with themanders, Xue Bai walked out of the office and over to the main hall only to find that vacant as well. Confused, Xue Bai gave up on searching for the man and went back to his mother to ask where his father was.


    Thankfully Li Rou had left the training field yet, as Xue Bai managed to catch her just as she started to leave the training field.


    Along with the fact that once he looked behind her and saw that all the archery equipment was gone, Xue Bai knew she had just finished cleaning up the practice field.


    "Mother, where is Father? I went to both his office and the main hall and couldn''t find him?" Xue Bai asked once he got her attention.


    "Oh right, I forgot, the Emperor had called all the Dukes over for a meeting. But he should be back by next week." Li Rou simply replied.


    Xue Bai almost stumbled.


    ''How did you forget the fact that your husband isn''t home?'' Xue Bai was floored.


    However, since he couldn''t say his true thoughts aloud, he asked something else.


    "Then what do I do now?"


    Hearing his question, Li Rou simply shrugged.


    "So I guess you can take this week as a break from training. Have fun for a little! But don''t worry. You don''t have to worry about him denying you. I''ll send your father the message that you''re moving on to swordsmanship." Li Rou said after a moment of thought.


    Li Rou then gave her son a pat on the head and left. She was busy today.


    Xue Bai stood still for a few seconds, exasperated.


    ¨C<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai now had nothing to do for a week. And after some time alone to think about his next move, he eventually thought that he should start preparing for when the plot of the game starts in 975.


    A year ago, Xue Bai told himself that he wanted to give Huo Long and his n a year to adjust to their new home.


    And now that a year had passed and he had nothing to do for this week, Xue Bai thought that it was about time that he paid the Child of the ne a visit.


    The only problem was getting permission from his mother to travel that far away from home.


    While the Huo n were a subordinate family, they lived at the border tens of thousands of miles away.


    It was so far from the dukedom that the only contact Xue Feng had with the Huo n was through Commander Huo and his annual home visits. Other than that, the two were more like strangers than masters and subordinates.


    And while this was normal, Xue Bai had arge problem now. Any powerful cultivator at Xue Feng''s level had cultivated to that level well, trampling over the corpses of his defeated foes.


    Because of this ever-true fact, it went without saying that Xue Feng had enemies. However, he was also extremely strong, so these enemies usually stayed underground in fear of him.


    But now, Xue Bai wanted to leave the dukedom. And while some of Xue Feng''s enemies were prideful and only wanted revenge against the Duke himself, some weren''t.


    Some were more than willing to kill Xue Bai just to get back at Xue Feng. So should Xue Bai ever leave the dukedom, there was no question that these turtles would leave their shells just to take him out.


    Thankfully, Xue Bai found a solution to this problem.


    Huo Chen


    While the Wang twins were strong, they were only in the Law Engraving realm at the end of the day.


    But everymander under Xue Feng was at least in the Law Manifestation realm, with Commander Huo being no exception. And moreover, Huo Chen was one of the strongestmanders under Xue Feng, being at the 6th stage of the Law Manifestation realm.


    So if Xue Bai brought along the Wang twins and Huo Chen, he would have more than enough protection.


    And luckily enough, Commander Huo''s annual home visit was also coincidently a few days from now. So now, Xue Bai only needed an excuse to apany him, and Operation: Meeting Huo Long would be a sess.


    Thinking this far, Xue Bai regained the color on his face and ran over to Li Rou, who was humming and walking away peacefully.


    "Mother, can I leave the estate?" Xue Bai hurriedly asked.


    Li Rou had started to walk away and was lost in her own thoughts as she hummed a tune, but once she heard Xue Bai running over to her and his question, she stopped and answered it.


    "If you want to go to the city, just find Big Brother Huo to apany you if you want to." Li Rou answered after a moment of thought.


    But while she did answer it, she got confused.


    Usually, when Xue Bai wanted to go out, she would only know he had left after her brother told her.


    It was odd for him to mention it first.


    "No, Mother, I don''t want to go to the city. I wish to explore some of the Empire. I have been cooped up in our dukedom for too long. I want to see the outside world." Xue Bai said seriously.


    Sadly no matter how much enthusiasm he put into his voice, Li Rou had none of it, and she instantly shot down the idea.


    "No, not a chance. Your Father and I have too many enemies. If you leave the dukedom, there won''t be anyone to protect, and you''d be killed almost instantly." Li Rou said as she shook her head.


    Xue Bai was still a mortal. Even if Xue Bai had protection like the Wang twins, just the aftershocks of cultivators fighting at her level could turn him to mush. If they went a step further and just aimed for Xue Bai himself, then the job would be even easier.


    However, even after hearing the blunt denial, Xue Bai wasn''t disheartened as he knew that his mother would disagree instantly.


    So before she could continue, he responded with his ready argument.


    "Then give me a protector. While Father is out currently, hismanders are still here. I could take one of them as a bodyguard with me. Sure, you guys might have enemies, but experts in the Great Xuan Empire who are stronger than amander would never waste their time toe and kill me, a mortal. And besides, all of the experts that could rival amander are high profile and are constantly watched. So if one tries to make a move against me, you could warn themander with me." Xue Bai quickly rattled off, stunning Li Rou.


    ''This brat came prepared with an entire argument?''


    However, while she was caught off guard by how prepared Xue Bai was, his words did make sense.


    So after Li Rou heard this, she began to think over his words.


    And very quickly, she realized that he was right.


    Everymander under Xue Feng was in the Law Manifestation realm.


    And in the Great Xuan Empire, the requirement to be a Marquis Family was only to be in the Law Manifestation realm and have enough military merits as well.


    So theoretically, eachmander under Xue Feng could be a Marquis. And having someone at that level leave their home toe and kill Xue Bai was unrealistic.


    Li Rou and Xue Feng had enemies, but none were that revenge-driven and petty. Besides, even if there was, Huo Chen was still a formidable cultivator in his own right.


    Huo Chen would be able to fight off against most powerhouses in the Great Xuan Empire, while the twins would protect Xue Bai from the aftershocks of the battle.


    The setup was nice, and Li Rou began to sway.


    "But whichmander would you go with? All of themanders are busy with their duties currently." Li Rou replied, somewhat swayed by her decision.


    "Doesn''t Commander Huo return to his n in a few days? I''ll apany him. At the same time, I can see how our subordinate n is going. Though they have declined and aren''t much of use to us, they are still our subordinates, so we should at least check up on them." Xue Bai''s preparations were perfect, and he began to strike the iron while it was hot after seeing his mother being swayed.


    Li Rou agreed.


    "Then first, bring Commander Huo over. We can continue this conversation with him. It would be useless if we agreed, but he doesn''t. I don''t want to force someone to protect you. " Li Rou replied.


    She had agreed, but she wanted to ensure Commander Huo would protect Xue Bai, even if it meant dying his return home.


    Excited, Xue Bai left to call the man over, but since he didn''t know where he was or he lived, Xue Bai found a nearby guard and ryed his mother''smand.


    And very quickly, Commander Huo arrived.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 19 Banquet

    ?Commander Huo wasn''t in the game as he had died before the plot began. But since the man''s appearance was shown in various pictures throughout the Huo n mansion, Xue Bai knew what he looked like.


    As amander under Xue Feng, Commander Huo naturally wore the signature light blue armor that had Xue Feng''s emblem etched onto the heart guard.


    But since he was in the estate and not on a mission, he didn''t bother to wear the helmet.


    Commander Huo was a man with a clean-shaven chin but with long and wild hair that he didn''t bother to straighten out. Moreover, since he didn''t have a beard covering it, you could see that his chin had a sharp jawline.


    Coupled with his above-average face, he was definitely something women would be after.


    He was currently being led by a maid over to Xue Bai and Li Rou, and after getting within earshot, he knelt and spoke, "Huo Chen is reporting to the Mistress and Young Duke!"


    After motioning that he could stand, Li Rou spoke, "Commander Huo, it seems it''s time for your annual return home, correct."


    While he didn''t understand where his mistress was going with it, Huo Chen still replied, "Yes, Mistress, I n to stay for a week this time. I''ve heard my older cousin has birthed a great child, and I n to teach him how to use a spear while I''m there."


    "Then my request is simple, take Bai''er with you and serve as his bodyguard. Since my Husband is currently in the Imperial Capital, we decided to let Bai''er gain some experience managing the subordinate families and want him to explore some of The Empire simultaneously." Li Rou exined.


    "While I am fine with that, Mistress, you do know my Huo n doesn''t have anything to offer the Young Duke during his stay?" Huo Chen replied, confused.


    "As long as this trip gives Bai''er some practical experience, it''ll be worth it. So do you agree or not?"


    "Yes, Mistress, this subordinate agrees." Huo Chen epted. It didn''t bother him much bringing Xue Bai with him. He was confident in his strength and knew that not many people even dared to attack Xue Bai in The Great Xuan Empire.


    "Then it''s settled. Also, since you are taking Bai''er with you, you may take a Bear Griffin as a mount instead of the usual carriage." And after sorting out the details, Li Rou left.


    Alone with his new bodyguard, Xue Bai cupped his fist and spoke, "Then I''ll be in your care Commander Huo."


    Cupping his fists back, Huo Chen replied, "It''s my pleasure to be your escort, Young Duke."


    Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for Commander Huo''s return home.


    Currently, Xue Bai was getting a stern talking to from his mother outside the estate while Huo Chen was readying the mounts they would use for the trip. Usually, when Huo Chen returned home, he could only take a carriage as it was a personal visit. But now that Xue Bai was with him, Li Rou let him take his mount home.


    "Bai''er listen to Commander Huo as you would to your father or me. While he is our subordinate, when you leave the estate, he will be your dependency. If you get attacked, however much effort he puts into the fight is your chance of survival."


    Huo Chen, who had heard Li Hou very clearly and defended himself, "Mistress, what kind of image of me do you have? I would protect the Young Duke with my life. And even if it weren''t the Young Duke and another child, no matter how much they annoyed me, I wouldn''t let them fend for themselves against cultivators."


    "Mother, what fools would even dare to attack someone affiliated with the Dukedom? Let alone someone like Commander Huo." His mother''s care touched Xue Bai, but he still acted a little resistant.


    "You''re father and I have made many enemies over the years. And while we killed most of them, some have closed up waiting for situations like this, so any precaution is a good one," Li Huo then looked at Huo Chen with cold and dead eyes and continued, "If Bai''er doesn''te back that means you''re dead as well."


    However, even after being threatened, Huo Chen didn''t cower and only pounded his chest and replied, "Don''t worry, Mistress, the Young Duke is in safe hands."


    Nodding back Huo Chen, Li Rou gave Xue Bai a big hug and returned to the mansion.


    "Young Duke, the city where my n lives are far, so we should start to get going." Huo Chen reminded before lifting Xue Bai up onto the mount he had readied.


    The Wang Twins also had a mount that they would share for the journey. And after some preparations, the two Bear Griffins Flew off.


    To prevent being sted off by the strong winds, Xue Bai was covered by a small shield of Spiritual Qi that was conjured by Huo Chen. And after a few minutes of flying, the small group had left the vicinity of the Duke Estate.


    "Commander Huo, how far is this trip going to take?" After leaving his home, Xue Bai asked.


    "Young Duke, my n lives on the Frontier City on the edge of The Great Xuan Empire. And with how fast our mounts are flying, we should arrive by tomorrow morning." Huo Chen replied respectfully.


    "Then I will rest for a little. Commander Huo, if anything important happens, wake me up." Xue Bai ordered. He had no ns to stay awake for another 16 hours, so he only instructed Huo Chen before closing his eyes.


    "You can rest easy Young Duke. The twins and I are enough to ensure your safety while you rest." Huo Chen promised.


    Nodding, Xue Bai closed his eyes but didn''t go to sleep. He only said he would because he wanted to think peacefully.


    Currently, they were on their way to Frontier City, where Huo Long lived with his n. The reason His Huo n lived so far away from The Capital was that it had risen so fast under his grandpa that the Emperor at that time gave the title of Marquis along with a fief to bring the n closer to the Empire. Ignoring that, besides Huo Long''s grandpa, no one in the n had even reached the Law Engraving Realm. But after the Huo n founder disappeared, the fief they had struggled to survive. Without the Domain Lord Realm of the founder to ensure safety, it had turned into a bandit home.


    The Emperor eventually took away the fief from the Huo n and moved them to the Imperial Capital just in case the founder would return someday. But he never did, so two years ago, the current Emperor kicked them out of the Capital and to the Frontier City along with other declined nobles.


    Xue Bai wanted to build a rtionship with Huo Long, and since he hadn''t turned into the cold n exterminating protagonist yet and was still a child, Xue Bai could adopt many ways to get close. But Xue Bai eventually went with the simplest version and would try and help out the Huo n.


    This way, not only could he befriend Huo Long but also his n. In the game, the Huo n founder hadn''t died like the entire Empire had presumed but was currently locked in a secret realm. He would break out in about 30 years and return with a Spirit Fusion Realm Cultivation.


    So if Xue Bai could relieve the Huo n''s difficulty, he could also befriend the Huo n founder and Huo Long at the same time.


    Xue Bai had brought some treasures that could help a n, like the blueprints to create a Spiritual Qi Gathering Array. Along with some Middle Yellow Grade Natural Treasures that could help the younger generation of the Huo n cultivate.


    Also another key thing to note is that Huo Long had just turned ten and would be awakening his Martial Veins next year. So Xue Bai also nned to send messages back and forth with the protagonist to ensure that their rtionship didn''t fall off after their separation.


    In the game, Huo Long was only allowed to cultivate for a little over two years before he had been crippled, just barely reaching the Muscle Nourishing Realm. Huo Long had also stayed a cripple for another year and a half before cultivating again. So with all the setbacks, the protagonist would face, Xue Bai would have around five years to be sworn brothers with Huo Long before his meteoric rise would start.


    After nning the encounter with the protagonist for a bit longer, Xue Bai began to tire out and finally went to sleep. And after a refreshing sleep, Xue Bai was awoken by a shaking from Huo Chen.


    "Young Duke, we have arrived." Huo Chen announced.


    As he looked at the towering thick metal walls surrounding the city in front of him, Xue Bai didn''t know what to say. Whenever he read "10-meter tall walls" in a novel, he skipped past it but now, looking at an actual 10-meter tall wall, he was astonished. The wall was the size of a three-story building, and it was built surrounding a city with a radius of a few dozen miles. So how much Spiritual Ore went into the wall?


    Seeing Xue Bai look at the walls with such surprise, Huo Chenmented, "Yes, Young Duke, the walls are the crowing achievement of the Frontier City. Our n at first had also looked down upon the city, but after seeing them, we were amazed too."


    The Wang Twins were rather indifferent to the situation. The only thing that excited them was cultivation.


    Shaking his head, Xue Bai looked away from the walls and asked, "Commander Huo, why are we outside the city right now? I assumed you''d wake me up in your n''s mansion?"


    "Young Duke, we must go through the security check before entering Frontier City." Huo Chen reminded.


    Scoffing at this, Xue Bai retorted, "Security Check? I am the Heir to a Duke who dares to check my pockets. Commander Huo, fly over the wall, see who dares to stop us."


    Realization struck Huo Chen. Yes, this child was the only son of a Duke. So what mere security guard would check him? Huo Chen had been used to going through the gates andplying since he didn''t have much of an identity outside of the Dukedom. But now Xue Bai was with him. So what rules would stop him?


    Huo Chen then mounted the Bear Griffen again and flew into the air scaring the nearby citizens.


    "What idiot is trying to skip the security check?"


    "Ha, more fools looking for an early death. Ignore them. The City Lord will shoot them down soon."


    "Wait, don''t those mounts look familiar?"


    "Oh, my heavens, those are the Duke of Snow''s Bear Griffins!"


    "There are two of them as well. Who in the world is riding them? All the Dukes have been gathered at the Capital."


    As the crowd was discussing the situation above them, an armored man came flying from inside the city and stood in front of Xue Bai in mid-air.


    "Look, it''s the City Lord!"


    "Things are getting interesting now."


    The City Lord pulled out a sword and pointed it at Xue Bai''s group before shouting, "Stop now before I take action!"


    "Country Bumpkin, look at who I am before raising your voice!" Xue Bai retorted.


    Hearing such arrogant words from an invader, the City Lord instinctively looked at the source of the voice and saw Xue Bai''s beautiful appearance and almost instantly knew who it was.


    ''Why is this high-profile character at the frontier city'' Seeing Xue Bai gave him a headache. Just being at risk of invasion every day was tiring enough, but now the Heir of Duke was here.


    But he didn''t say his thoughts and instead said, "Forgive me, Young Duke Xue. I didn''t notice it was you."


    "It''s fine, but now that you have moved, I have things to do." Xue Bai was still being arrogant.


    This city lord was a coward in the game and would abandon the Frontier City during an invasion, no matter who invaded. He would also be one of the first to run. Xue Bai had no respect for the man, so he continued being arrogant.


    "Young Duke Xue, may I know why you have graced our humble Frontier City with your presence before I leave you?" The City Lord almost had a vein burst from hearing Xue Bai. But he couldn''t do anything and continued to act humbly.


    "I ran away from home and am hiding from Father." Xue Bai replied sarcastically.


    "It''s my business what I''m here for. Now, move before I order Commander Huo to attack!" Xue Bai continued.


    Seeing Xue Bai not give him any face and that he wouldn''t get an answer, the City Lord bowed and left, ending the encounter.


    "Alright, Commander Huo, now take us to your n." Xue Bai ordered


    Now with no more distractions, the group continued their flight to the shock of the crowd outside the city.


    After shooing away the City Lord, the group of four only needed to fly for a few more minutes before they reached the Huo n Mansion.


    Xue Bai looking at the Huo n Mansion, could see that it was noticeably worse than either the estate where he lived or Li Huo''s Mansion. But the Huo n were trying their best with where they lived now and their financial situation.


    Huo Chen noticed the look in Xue Bai''s eyes, so he didn''t try to brag about this n home.


    Huo Chen lived during the era when the founder was around, so he also experienced the pinnacle of housing. So having been evicted from their luxurious home and given only a mansion in Frontier City was a hard adjustment. Thankfully he lived in the Duke Estate and didn''t have it as bad as his cousins and their children, who had to live there permanently.


    As Huo Chen was reminiscing, Xue Bai saw the mncholy look in his eyes, and to somewhatfort the man, Xue Bai patted him on the back and said, "Things can only go up from here, Commander!"


    Not expecting to beforted by a child less than a tenth of his age, Huo Chen could onlyugh awkwardly.


    After dismounting, the Wang Twins also noticed the poor-looking home in front of them. Astonished, Little Wang unconsciously said, "Commander, don''t tell me youe from this backwater ce?"


    Hearing his little brother say something so blunt, Big Wang smacked him on the back of his head before rephrasing it. "Commander, what he meant to say was that we know you game from a better background. So why is your n living here?"


    But surprisingly, Huo Chen was angry at Little Wang''sment and replied simply, "It''s because my Huo n isn''t strong enough."


    Ignoring the thoughtful looks on their faces, he turned to Xue Bai, still on the mount, and said, "Young Duke, you can jump off the mount now. I''ll help yound."


    While it wasn''t as tall as Xue Feng''s mount, the one that belonged to Huo Chen was still almost 4 meters tall. So Xue Bai needed help getting on and off the thing.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai nodded and jumped off before being caught with a gust of wind that Huo Chen conjured. Landing safely, Xue Bai patted off any fur that had stuck to his clothes, then looked at Huo Chen and asked, "Commander Huo will you show us in?"


    They hadnded just outside the Huo n manor, and a small crowd had gathered around them. While being the center of attention was nice, Xue Bai was getting really weird stares from some of the men, and he wanted to leave.


    "Give me one moment, Young Duke. I''m waiting for my cousin toe to greet us." Huo Chen paused for a moment before continuing, "When someone as important as youe to a household of lower importance, their head shoulde to greet you at the door."


    "No,mander, I know about greeting etiquette, but I''m getting some very disturbing gazes from the crowd. So I''d rather not stay in the open much longer."


    Hearing that, Huo Chen immediately spun and released some aura at the crowd. "The Young Duke is bothered by your stares. Leave!"


    With the pressure of a Law Manifestation Realm cultivation being unleashed on the crowd, the people quickly scattered. The strongest people in this town were the Patriarch of the Huo n and the City Lord, and they were merely in the early Law Engraving Realm. The people in the crowd had even lower cultivations. No one in the group could withstand Huo Chen''s pressure, and they ran away to not further anger the powerhouse protecting the small androgynous-looking child.


    Right after Huo Chen scared off the crowd, the gates of the Huo n mansion swung open. The person who opened the door was dressed in luxurious robes branded with a me symbol. He looked simr to Huo Chen, but their temperaments were different. Huo Chen walked with a ramrod straight spine he learned from his military training. But the man who opened the door walked out hunched over in exhaustion. Adding on the greying temples, though he and Huo Chen were the same age, he looked almost 20 years older.


    And after seeing Huo Chen, the man gained some energy he didn''t have before andughed happily, "Cousin Chen is it that time of year already? Come inside. We already had prepared a feast that would await you when you sent the message."


    Seeing his cousin, Huo Chen broke into a smile before replying, "Cousin Ming, I''ve always told you guys that you can see me as another member of the family."


    "Cousin Chen, you are one of the mighty tenmanders under Duke Xue. How can we not give you the treatment you deserve? If anything, we feel like we don''t give you big enough a wee." The man called Huo Ming replied.


    As the two were talking happily and giving each other hugs, Xue Bai on the side thought to himself. ''Leave to the protagonist to have apletely conjoined family. Commander Huo is a whole Realm above Huo Ming, and they speak so nicely with each other.''


    Commander Huo wouldn''t even bother to visit his n if this was any other family. But as the uncle of the protagonist, not only did he visit annually, but he wanted his cousin to talk to him equally.


    After hugging for some time, Huo Ming finally noticed Xue Bai and the Wang Twins and asked, "Cousin Chen, who are the people with you?"


    "Cousin Ming, you know how I work under Duke Xue, correct?" Huo Chen, not wanting to say directly, asked back.


    "How could I not? You are the pride of our n!"


    "And you also know how the Duke birthed a son a few years ago."


    "Yes, how could I not know that the legendary Duke of Snow birthed a son, but what does that have to do with the beautiful Young Miss you brought?" Huo Ming replied, not knowing he was talking about the son of the legendary Duke of Snow.


    Huo Chen, not expecting his cousin to so badly guess, was floored. He had so obviously implied who it was. So why couldn''t his idiot of a cousin guess?


    Thankfully Xue Bai was too far to hear their conversation. So Huo Chen only pulled Huo Ming over before whispering, "That''s the Young Duke himself, and while he isn''t bothered much by people misgendering him, I am amander, and my family won''t misgender him. Also, tell our n that anyone who does so will face the paddle."


    Huo Ming nodded heavily. ''Thank the heavens the Young Duke didn''t hear me.''


    After some more small talk, Huo Chen waved over Xue Bai and the twins to enter the Mansion.


    Entering the gate, Xue Bai saw that most of the Huo n were gathered around the entrance for a formal reception. Obviously, Huo Ming, as the Patriarch, ordered this grand reception to wee Huo Chen. Because if he had known Xue Bai wasing, every n member, young or old, would''vee out to greet him.


    However, even without mentioning his status with how Huo Chen and Huo Ming looked so respectful to him, the Huo n quickly noticed that there was a guest even more important than Huo Chen that had visited.


    "Whose that beautiful child with the Patriarch?"


    "How would I know? But even Uncle Chen is being respectful to her, so don''t try to antagonize her."


    "Maybe she is from the Dukedom and is out for experience?"


    The Huo n all had various guesses. However, neither Huo Chen nor Huo Ming bothered to exin and walked to the main hall where the banquet was being held.


    The Main Hall was built just like the one at the Duke Estate. However, since the Huo n was much better off than the Dukedom, it was less grand.


    But currently, it wasn''t set up for a meeting but instead had dozens of Kang tables in preparation for the banquet. They were all set up to face the back of the main hall, where two tables were set up for Huo Chen and Huo Ming to sit and eat at.


    However, now, with not enough tables with Xue Bai and the Wang Twins joining in, Huo Ming ordered some n members to bring in two more tables for them.


    After Xue Bai and his group took their seats, the rest of the Huo n also sat down at their tables. And with everyone sitting down, Huo Ming pped his hands and called for the maids and servants to bring in the food.


    After the dishes were served, Huo Ming stood up and announced, "While there have been some more guests to join us, the banquet is starting, my n members. You may eat!"


    Banquet


    After Huo Ming sat back down, the Huo n started to chat amongst themselves. While most of it was about who Xue Bai was, many of the children there didn''t care much and were focused on the food.


    Their n usually lived frugally, and with such a luxurious feast in front of them, the kids were having a great time.


    Seeing his n look so lively, Huo Ming smiled. It was moments like this that reminded him of what he was protecting.


    He then looked over at Xue Bai and spoke, "Young Duke, while I know our food isn''t like you''d receive at the Dukedom, they are the best our chefs could offer, so I hope you''ll enjoy it."


    Xue Bai didn''t have much of a picky appetite as he spent five years eating nd hospital food. So currently, he was already engrossed in the meal, but after hearing Huo Ming speak, he put down his chopsticks and replied back, "The food is wonderful, Patriarch Huo, don''t worry."


    Currently, Xue Bai had a table to himself, so he was able to pick whatever food he wanted from the options without another mouth taking any. However, the twins shared one and were butting heads with each other every few seconds. While Huo Chen and Huo Ming also shared a table but were more elegant with their eating choosing only to eat as a show rather than to get full.


    Seeing Xue Bai enjoy himself so much, Huo Ming was relieved. So whilefortable, he began to talk to Huo Chen, who sat next to him. "Cousin Chen, you got my message about my son, right?"


    "Yes, I did. I can still hear your bragging throughout." Huo Chen spoke irritably.


    Huo Ming only smiled at that. Yes, he did exaggerate about his son''s talents, but how else would he attract the attention of his extremely talented cousin?


    But he didn''t mention his lie and replied, "Xiao Long is maybe even more talented than I described him. Let me call him over right now."


    After speaking, Huo Ming stood from his seat and went to go call over the protagonist. And soon, Huo Ming returned with his son.


    Currently, Huo Long was only ten. And while Huo Long didn''t have the temperament he did in the game, he still had the looks. As a protagonist in a game, how could his looks be poor?


    Huo Long, and Xue Bai, were both extremely good-looking, but Huo Long had a different style of looking. Xue Bai looked like the epitome of beauty, with his white skin, red lips, and long eyshes making him look feminine. But Huo Long had a more manly look with a chiseled chin.


    As Huo Long walked up to the group, he bowed toward Huo Chen, thinking he was the leader. "Huo Long greets Uncle Chen."


    "So this your extremely talented son, huh?" Huo Chen spoke. "Just from the greeting alone, we already know his eyes don''t work well. Cousin Ming, what part of him was so special? You never mentioned it in the message."


    Reading in between the lines, Huo Ming quickly smacked Huo Long on the back of the head and sternly told him, "Unfilial Child, the son of our Lord is here. Greet him before your uncle."


    Aggrieved, Huo Long covered his head and spoke through tears, "But there isn''t even a boy here. There is only a girl here, and she''s eating the food like she''s a hungry ghost."


    However, those words made Huo Ming even angrier, and he smacked the protagonist once more before saying, "That isn''t a girl nor a hungry ghost that is the Duke of Snow''s son."


    Huo Long, at this point, wanted to leave. He had been looked down upon by his uncle, smacked twice in the head by his father, and was now forced to bow to a kid even younger than him.


    However, Huo Long saw that his father was readying another p behind him, so he forced a smile and bowed once more, "Greetings, Young Duke."


    Xue Bai watching all of this, couldn''t contain hisughter. The all-mighty future Huo Long was in front of him, tearing up like a child. And now, he had even been forced to bow in front of him. This was something he would brag about in the future.


    At first, he was annoyed at being called a hungry ghost, but after seeing that, any resentment he had dissipated.


    Huo Long seeing Xue Baiugh at him, was even more aggrieved. He had been smacked twice, and the target of his bow hadn''t even taken him seriously.


    Seeing the protagonist look like he was about to start crying in front of him, Xue Bai eventually stoppedughing and nodded at him epting the bow.


    After seeing that, Huo Chen finally looked at his nephew andmented, "So my cousin told me that have talent that could rival mine. What''s so special about you."


    After hearing that in the back, Xue Bai immediately started choking on the chicken in his mouth. ''Good lord, this mob who dies even before the game starts just said that Huo Long could barely rival him!''


    The three members of the Huo n turned around to see what was happening with Xue Bai, but he only turned them away with a wave indicating he was fine.


    "My father surely was exaggerating, Uncle Chen. I only have minor talent with the spear. I only hope that I can follow your footsteps and be amander under the Duke."


    Xue Bai in the back choked again from this. ''Please, I just want to eat these delicacies. So stop saying such funny things!''


    Hearing Xue Bai choke again, Big Wang went over to Xue Bai to make sure he was okay. But Xue Bai just waved him off and asked for some more fruit juice. Which he soon fetched from a nearby servant.


    Seeing that Xue Bai was okay for the moment, Huo Chen looked back at Huo Long and replied. "Since you use the spear, how about I teach you some techniques? You''ll be awakening your Marital Veins next year, too, and after that, you''ll have to focus on cultivation more. So it''s the best time to learn the fundamentals of your weapon before that."


    Excited, Huo Long thanked him, "Uncle Chen Xiao Long would be grateful if you did."


    Soon Huo Chen was starting to get along with his nephew, so he asked a maid to bring an extra mat for Huo Long to sit on so they could continue their conversation about the art of the spear.


    Xue Bai saw this and thought this would be an excellent time to build favor with the protagonist and stop him by saying, "Commander Huo, it''s fine Huo Long can sit next to me. I won''t be able to finish all this food myself either."


    "Young Duke, it''s arranged like this to promote your status. Having Xiao Long sit next to you would imply he''s your equal. If you really can''t finish your food, we will store itter, so don''t worry, it won''t go to waste." Huo Chen replied.


    While Huo Long was the Young Master of the Huo n here, his status was nothingpared to Xue Bai''s.


    "Commander Huo, don''t be such a rule stickler. It''s just a small banquet." Xue Bai smiled before calling over Huo Long to sit next to him.


    Huo Long seeing the gesture, while apprehensive at first, he soon forced himself to sit down next to Xue Bai. With the train of thought that, ''The Young Duke wouldn''t do anything to harm me.''


    Xue Bai was annoyed, though, because after sitting down, Huo Long continued to talk with Huo Chen about the art of the spear,pletely ignoring Xue Bai.


    ''I let you sit here so we could talk about life. Not so you talk with your muscle-brained uncle.'' Xue Bai mentally thought. However, he didn''t mention it and continued stuffing his face.


    Eventually, the banquet ended without Xue Bai even getting to speak with Huo Long, much to his annoyance. However, Xue Bai consoled himself by saying that he''d be here a few days and there would be no way that Huo Long could ignore him the entire time.


    After eating, Xue Bai was tired and asked, "Commander Huo, it''s gettingte. I''m tired. Where will I rest?"


    "Young Duke, follow that maid. She will take you to your courtyard. It''s the second nicest in our Mansion, so while it won''t be as nice as your home, it''s the best our humble home has." Huo Ming replied respectfully.


    Nodding, Xue Bai followed the maid out the main hall and to a courtyard. As Huo Ming said, it wasn''t as nice as his at home. But it was as nice as some of the luxury homes in Snowy Wind City.


    Seeing the courtyard in front of him, Xue Bai thought, ''While it''s still the home of country bumpkin, this''ll do for now.''


    He then tossed a spirit stone to the maid, thanking her for the guide before walking in. He quickly found where the bedroom was, and after making sure the windows were closed, he covered himself in the quilt and went to sleep for the night.

 Chapter 20 Talk Between Cousins, Face Slapping Opportunity?

    ?Talk Between Cousins, Face pping Opportunity?


    In Huo Ming''s office, both he and Huo Chen stood across from each other with two jugs of spiritual wine in between them.


    "Cousin Chen, why did the Young Dukee here to the Frontier City?" After taking a sip from his jug, Huo Ming asked.


    Huo Chen, however, had a ss with him, and after pouring a cup, he spoke, "I don''t know, either. I had just left the training grounds when a maid called me over to the Duchess. After when I got there, she asked me if I could bring the Young Duke along with me. And though she asked me politely, how dare I say no?"


    After downing his cup, Huo Chen remembered, "Though I recall she did say that this trip was to gain experience. The Young Duke should almost be old enough to attend some gatherings of nobility. So maybe this trip with me is to train him?"


    Huo Ming looked thoughtful after hearing that, but after taking another swig from his jug, he changed the topic. "Then who were those men with the Young Duke? I couldn''t even sense their cultivations."


    "Those are his bodyguards. And it''s normal for you not to be able to sense their cultivations. Most members of the Dukedom have an artifact that conceals it. But even if they weren''t wearing them, they are Peak Law Engraving Realm cultivators, so it''s good you didn''t try and probe." Huo Chen answered.


    "Hiss~~ Duke Xue gave his son such strong bodyguards?" Huo Ming was in awe. His son only had one guard, which was merely in the Organ Tempering Realm. But the Young Duke had two guards, and both were strong enough to level the entire city he lived in.


    "It''s not as simple as that. The Young Duke''s two bodyguards were up-anding prodigies in the Duke''s army. And they are the two with the greatest chances of bing a Domain Lord, so in order to prevent any assassinations, The Duke gave them the job of being the Young Duke''s bodyguards around five years ago." Huo Chen exined


    "Since they got their new promotion, they have only actually guarded the Young Duke twice. This being one of them." Huo Chen spoke. But after pouring another ss, he continued, "The promotion was only to give the twins more resources without angering the other soldiers."


    Huo Ming nodded. While it wasn''t what he would do in that situation, it still was an intelligent move from the Duke.


    "Then what about the Young Duke? As the son of the Duke of Snow, has he shown any immense talents or broken records from birth?" Huo Ming asked.


    "Hmmm. The Young Duke was a big hermit in his early years, but thisst year or so, he''s been leaving the estate a lot, visiting Marquis Li in Snowy Wing City." Huo Chen replied.


    "Also, I''ve heard from some maids that he has recently started to learn archery from the Mistress."


    "He isn''t learning swordsmanship from the Duke?" Huo Ming was somewhat shocked. The Duke of Snow had earned his title through bloodshed. And throughout the entire way, he held a sword in his hand and persevered forward. There were hundreds of poems and stories about his feats told by bards throughout The Great Xuan Empire. And Huo Ming would assume that the Young Duke would carry his father''s mantle.


    But Huo Chen just scratched his head at this question. He was also as confused as his cousin when he first heard this, but what could he reply with? While he was amander, he didn''t know about his Lord''s family situation.


    So he could only awkwardly respond, "Maybe the Duchess is scared of the Young Duke hurting himself with the sword and instead taught him archery? She does dote on him quite a lot."


    Little did he know just how right he was.


    The two cousins'' discussion continuedte into the night and into the morning. But, since the two were in thete Realms of the Houtian Realm, they were able to go a few weeks without sleeping perfectly fine. And after using Spiritual Qi to push the Alcohol out of their bodies, they were refreshed.


    Seeing the sun start to rise, Huo Chen stretched and asked, "Where does Xiao Long live? If he wants to join the Dukedom, he has to learn that training starts at sunrise."


    "He lives in a courtyard not far from here. Just follow me. I''ll show you." Huo Ming answered.


    As the two were nning to put the young protagonist through a hellish training regiment, Xue Bai woke up peacefully.


    "I don''t like this world''s norms about waking up. I miss being able to wake up at noon and waste the day away. But now I have to wake up at the crack of sunrise." Xue Bai said as he wiped his eyes.


    After some stretches he learned from his mother, Xue Bai called over a maid and asked her to bring a bucket of water and some mints to freshen up with.


    But while he was freshening up, he heard a gut-wrenching cry from a few courtyards down. And though it was far, Xue Bai could hear the pain in the scream.


    Curious, he followed the noise and witnessed an odd site. Huo Long was currently fighting for his life against Commander Huo while his father was in the back on a reclining chair, cheering them on.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As soon as Xue Bai entered the courtyard, all three people inside turned around to see the new guest. Each of the three had a different reaction, but Huo Long had the biggest.


    "Young Duke, save me! Yourmander is trying to kill me." After using Huo Chen''s spear thrust as momentum, Huo Long fell back towards Xue Bai. Soon Huo Long was hiding behind Xue Bai and using his tiny body as a shield.


    "Commander Huo, while I don''t like to interfere with family policies but attempting to murder your nephew at sunrise isn''t something a righteous man like you should do." Xue Bai said awkwardly. He had no idea what was happening and could only take a guess with the clues given.


    Though Huo Chen was slightly aggrieved by Xue Bai''s assumption, he still replied respectfully, "Young Duke, why would I try and kill my nephew? I''m training him. This is what I usually do when I return home."


    "It''s just that since he told me that he wanted to join the Dukedom, I had to prepare for the environment there."


    Xue Bai picked up the pieces from what Huo Chen said. It seems that it was apparently a surprise training session, except that Huo Long was scared for his life as he had never experienced it before.


    "Well, don''t be so loud then. I was awoken to Huo Long screaming bloody murder first thing in the morning. Imagine what the other Huo n members are thinking." After warning them, he pushed Huo Long back in front of Huo Chen and left the courtyard.


    With his protection gone, Huo Long was quickly taken back into the spartan training.


    "No! Young Duke,e back!" However, Huo Long''s cries weren''t heard, and they soon turned back into screams of pain.


    Xue Bai ignored the cries and went back to his courtyard. There he found the maid who handed him the mints to freshen up.


    "Excuse me, sister. Where could I get breakfast here?" Then, putting on his brightest smile. Xue Bai asked.


    After being in this world for more than a year, Xue Bai learned that no woman could resist his smile. Whenever he would ask women something and shed his smile, they would do anything to grant his request. He was a yboy incarnate.


    And sure enough, after seeing Xue Bai''s face and his polite tone, the maid was heart-stricken. And with as much effort as possible, she guided him to the ns cafeteria. While making conversation with Xue Bai along the way.


    Since it was early in the morning, the cafeteria was still empty, but people were slowly starting to fill in. However, Xue Bai ignored everyone and still conversed with the maid who guided him here.


    "Young Duke, all you have to do is order one of the maids, and they''ll help you. But, sadly, this is where we have to part ways. I have to clean your courtyard, Young Duke. But I''ll assist you if you ever need helpter today." After giving a seductive wink, the maid left.


    ''How can I call you idiot? You didn''t even leave a name, and I can''t send spiritual messages yet, either.'' Xue Bai thought.


    But he didn''t bother to mention it and just found a seat and called over a maid.


    "Sister, can you just bring me a ss of fruit juice and some meat buns?" Xue Bai asked nicely as he tried his strategy again.


    The servant nodded and went to retrieve Xue Bai''s order.


    However, as soon as she left, some teens in Huo n branded robes sat at Xue Bai''s table loudly.


    "Hey, this cafeteria is for Huo n inner disciples only!"


    "Little girl, how did you sneak in?"


    Xue Bai, at first, was confused, but after hearing them try and act threatening, he knew what they were doing and became excited.


    ''Finally, after a whole year, a Face pping opportunity!''

 Chapter 21 First Face Slapping

    ?First Face pping


    Xue Bai had many things on his bucket list, and a proper Face pping scene was extremely high on it.


    So after hearing the teens act arrogant, he puffed his chest even more than them and raised his chin.


    While his actions had confused the three, his words angered them, "If I told you who I am, you''d have to bow and kowtow to me. Are you willing to kowtow to someone you''ve never met?"


    "You arrogant little girl!"


    "We are children of elders!"


    "Even Young Master Long can''t make us kowtow to him!"


    Xue Bai''s words were like a match on a pile of dry wood and instantly ignited the trio. They started yelling and acting even more arrogant than Xue Bai, as if it would suppress him.


    Xue Bai, on the other hand, wasughing his ass off. The leader had taken what Xue Bai had done to a different level and was walking around like a peacock,


    But Xue Bai''sughter didn''tst long as they soon noticed Xue Bai having the time of his life from watching them act like fools.


    The leader, as he was acting like the biggest fool, mmed the table and immediately turned it to dust. Since they were teenagers, they had already awakened their Martial Veins and started cultivating. And with the Huo n as poor as they were, they were regr tables made of ordinary wood, so breaking it was simple.


    "Little girl, you are currently an intruder in the Huo n. Tell us who you are, or we''ll take you to the Disciplinary Hall!" The leader shouted.


    "My father is one of the Disciplinary Vice-Heads too! So if you go in, you''ll never get out!"


    "Who knows what would happen if a delicate girl like you went into prison." Thest threatened menacingly.


    However, their threats made Xue Baiugh even harder. Thest one especially made him hold his stomach in pain.


    "Brother Lin, I think this girl is broken. Just take her away." Then, one of the boys told the leader after seeing Xue Baiugh through all their threats when any other 8-year-old girl would be crying their eyes out.


    Nodding, the boy went to grab her then a gust of wind blew through the hall.


    "Young Duke, I got your message." Then, little Wang appeared and knelt in front of Xue Bai.


    Though Xue Bai was having fun toying with the kids, he knew that in order for a proper Face pping scene, there had to be someone to stun the opposite party into silence. So he crushed a messaging stone to alert Little Wang toe over.


    Messaging stones were usually for children without Spiritual Qi yet and had pre-set messages on them. That, when crushed, would be sent to the party it was linked to.


    The stone he crushed was "people are annoying me," a message he wrote himself.


    So after getting the message, Little Wang rushed over.


    "Which of these Country Bumpkins were bothering you." Little Wang could somewhat tell bad happened from the broken table and the three boys surrounding Xue Bai.


    Xue Bai wiped the tears from his eyes before responding, "These three fine boys had thought I was an intruder and were prepared to take me to the Disciplinary Hall. They even described what would happen if a "Young girl like me" went there. Fine kids if I say so myself."


    The fine boys in question wanted to cry, but no tears wereing out. At first, they were bored and decided to tease the neer in the inner region cafeteria. But after hearing the girl be so arrogant, they nned to scare her. But then, suddenly, an aurapletely encased them and immobilized them. And hearing the little girl exin their acts to the unknown powerhouse made them pale with fear.


    Yes, they had said that, but they wouldn''t actually do that. The three were just arrogant young masters who hadn''t seen the cruel world yet. They wouldn''t kill a beautiful little girl they had just met.


    Little Wang, hearing that increased the aura he pressed onto them. "So you three want to make the Young Duke disappear?"


    The three wanted to shake their heads, but the aura had almost made them kneel, and they were trying their best just to stand straight.


    "You three know the punishment for killing someone of nobility, right? They could execute three generations of your family!" Little Wang shouted


    Little Wang was right. Though the Huo n was a marquis n, only the Patriarch inherited the title, and his firstborn son earned the Young Marquis title. The n members were, while nobility, in the eyes of the public, were technicallymoners.


    "Little Wang, it''s alright. You''re about to kill them. Look, one of them even pissed himself." Xue Bai finally spoke from the back.


    From the moment Little Wang had entered the cafeteria, he had locked them in ce with his Spiritual Sense. And though he wouldn''t kill them, the Spiritual Sense of a Law Engraving Realm cultivator was more than enough to punish the beginner cultivators.


    "Are you sure Young Duke? They had threatened to kill you." Little Wang asked as he released them from the pressure


    "They weren''t serious. They probably haven''t even killed a Demon Beast, let alone a human yet."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hearing that, the boys nodded heavily. Xue Bai was right, they were only in the early Blood Exchange Reqlm, and most Demon Beasts were either at that realm or higher. Any lower and they were seen as normal animals.


    "Also, I had Goated them into it. I was finding the Huo n boring and wanted some entertainment." Xue Bai paused for a moment, then continued in a configured tone, "Though I was in the grand seat of the banquet yesterday, did you three not see me?"


    Hearing the words yesterday, the three boys blushed for some reason and didn''t answer.


    Frowning a bit from theck of response Xue Bai spoke once more, "I''m sure you know who I am now from what Little Wang said, so I''ll ask once more where were you three yesterday and why didn''t you see me?"


    The boys blushed harder but stayed quiet still.


    Until the leader spoke, "We know you are Duke Xue''s son, but can we not answer your previous question? We are still willing to apologize for earlier too."


    Hearing those words, Xue Bai knew that these fools had probably snuck out to the red light district to have fun. However, he was having too much fun teasing them, so how could he let up?


    Signaling, Little Wang Xue Bai ordered him to rerelease the pressure.


    "The Young Duke has asked twice already! So I will give you three fools three breaths to answer, or you''ll disappear instead!"


    Hearing Little Wang intimidate teenagers so well made Xue Bai think he had practice. But he didn''t point it out because he was currently struggling to hold a smile from breaking out.


    While Xue Bai was having a st, the three boys looked like they had been dropped into ice-cold water and turned pale. However, Little Wang didn''t let up and began to count.


    It only took to the count of 2 before they all knelt and yelled, "We were at the red light district, Young Duke, and missed the banquet. Please don''t kill us!"


    Hearing their heartfelt confession, Xue Bai couldn''t hold it in any longer and startedughing again. Little Wang also couldn''t help but chuckle a little.


    However, he quicklyposed himself, turned to the three boys, and said, "The Young Duke is thinking of your punishment. You may leave."


    However, it did little to change the situation. The three knew that they were being clowned from the beginning. However, what could they do about it? One was a powerhouse stronger than their Patriarch, and the other was the only child of a Duke.


    So they only bowed awkwardly and ran away. They wanted nothing to do with this bored Young Duke.


    Xue Bai onlyposed himself after a few minutes. And after wiping his eyes, he looked around and couldn''t find his sources of entertainment anymore.


    "Aww, they left. I had so much fun."


    "Young Duke, you are going to be a dragon amongst men in the future. Therefore, you need to conduct yourself ordingly." Little Wangmented on the side.


    Though he had yed second fiddle during the whole fiasco, he didn''t enjoy it.


    "Little Wang, you''re the fun one of the two. Why are you being so dramatic suddenly?"


    "Me and Big Brother Shu are feeling the Law Manifestation Realm and might go into seclusion soon. Without us, you might bother some other reclusive expert and get turned to dust."


    Hearing that, Xue Bai didn''t know what to say. He was aware that such a situation was possible, but the chances were so low.


    So he only responded with, "Little Wang, you have a big imagination."


    Little Wang brightened up after hearing that, but before he could reply, Xue Bai cut him off by saying, "Little Wang, my breakfast is taking too long. Go see what''s the problem!"


    Depressed, Litte Wangplied and soon returned with the maid and his order.


    "Sister, why did you take so long?" Xue Bai spoke with his signature smile.


    But the maid was scared still from it and could only force out, "Mr. Expert''s aura was scaring me, so I hid in the kitchen."


    Hearing that, Xue Bai smacked Little Wang and spoke, "How could you scare such a fragile beauty! Have you no shame?"


    Aggrieved, Little Wang thought, ''It was your idea. Plus, I didn''t even know she was there. How could I have excluded her from my aura?''


    However, Little Wang only meekly replied, "Young Miss, I''m sorry for earlier here is somepensation." And he then handed her a bag with 5 Spirit stones inside.


    Though the maid was terrified at receiving such a fortune after some persuading, she took it and ran off.


    And with no more distractions, Xue Bai started to eat his breakfast.

 Chapter 22 Watching A Protagonist Train

    ?Watching A Protagonist Train


    After finishing his breakfast, Xue Bai, with nothing on his schedule, decided to go back to spectate Huo Long''s training. Currently, the two were acquaintances at most, so he thought that he should at least be near him to bring them closer.


    "Little Wang, you can go back and cultivate. Besides those three hooligans, I think everyone else in the Huo n will know who I am." Xue Bai told his bodyguard.


    Little Wang nodded excitedly and left as fast as he entered.


    Leaving the cafeteria, Xue Bai made his way back to Huo Long''s courtyard. And though he didn''t know his way around the Huo n mansion, the protagonist''s screams made a great guide.


    After following the screams, Xue bai finally found the courtyard again. Entering the courtyard, Xue Bai saw the same scene from earlier, except that Huo Long was doing noticeably better than before.


    Earlier, he was entirely focused on protecting his life and had to take most blows with his body to protect his weak points. But now, he was actually able to block some of Huo Chen''s spear strikes.


    Realistically though, the only reason Huo Long was able to keep up with Huo Chen was entirely because Huo Chen had suppressed his cultivationpletely.


    The reason why was currently, the two were fighting using only spear skills. And if Huo Chen had used spiritual Qi to reinforce his body, Huo Long wouldn''t have stood a chance. So to practice Huo Long''s skills, he had suppressed his cultivation to the mortal level, and with Huo Long''s talent, he was visibly getting better.


    Giving a whistle of admiration Xue Bai walked over to Huo Ming and asked, "You consented to this?"


    Though he was startled a bit, Huo Ming still responded, "Xiao Long is talented, but our situation won''t allow him to grow peacefully. So I will train him as hard as I can so he can face them head-on when he grows up. A drop of sweat during training is better than a drop of blood in battle."


    Though what Huo Ming said was somewhat radical, Xue Bai agreed with it. In the game, the Huo n was the center of trouble. As besides, the two Marquis families who were targeting the Huo n and wanted nothing more than to exterminate them. They would eventually fight against the Duke, who was their superior.


    So Huo Ming throwing his son into spartan training at ten was the right choice. Naturally, though, it wouldn''t matter in the end. However, Xue Bai wouldn''t say anything about the future of the timeline. So he merely sat on a chair next to Huo Ming and watched the spar with interest.


    From what Xue Bai could see from the spar, though Huo Long''s plot hadn''t started yet, his talents were still here. And he was absorbing skills like a sponge from Huo Chen.


    In the game, Huo Long''s rise came from Feng Huang, his master, teaching him how to cultivate without Martial Veins. Through the method they used, Huo Long was given a talent equal to a Low Heaven Grade Martial Vein. And adding along the Martial and Alchemy teaching from a God in the Immortal World, his rise was inevitable.


    But something that his teacher always praised him for was hisbat talent and his tenacity. He could absorb skills mid-fight and adapt to what he was fighting against. He was also a pain to fight in the game because he was one of the only protagonists who would get stronger mid-fight.


    And that''s what he was currently doing against Huo Chen. When Xue Bai had first walked in after hearing screams, Huo Long was merely trying to protect his vitals, unable to counterattack or dodge. But now, he could dodge half of Huo Chen''s strikes, and though he hadn''t counterattacked yet, it wouldn''t take long from what Xue Bai was seeing.


    And seemingly being able to see that as well, Huo Chen stopped the duel.


    "Nephew, you''ve done well for the first day. I have two things to say now. What would you like to hear first? Your good aspects or the bad." As he wiped off some sweat, Huo Chen asked.


    After getting a break, Huo Long fell to the ground and took a breath.


    "The bad Uncle Chen. I don''t feel like I did very well enough to hear my good side. I didn''t even get tounch an attack." After thinking for a moment, Huo Long answered.


    Nodding approvingly, Huo Chen exined, "You pay too much attention. Though it might be one of your talents, it can sometimes hurt you more than help you. You can see everything so clearly, that when I move my arm, you''ll react before I even move. This can be advantageous if you''re dodging an attack. But if I''m doing a feint, you''ll be a sitting duck for my next attack."


    Xue Bai also agreed, but he thought it was bad advice. As Huo Long would get stronger, his dynamic vision would also get better. So he would eventually be able to even see through feints.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Huo Long, on the other hand, ignorant of his future, just nodded and noted it down.


    "Since you didn''t think you deserved the good advice, I will not tell you today. When you think you deserve it, I will tell you then." After saying this, Huo Chen then picked up his spear and left the courtyard.


    And though he left the courtyard elegantly, his mind was in chaos. ''That kid isn''t a talent. He''s a fucking monster! He grew like a weed in the spring. He couldn''t even see my swing in the beginning, but at the end, he could almost counterattack!''


    Huo Chen, at this point, thought that his cousin underyed Huo Long''s talents just to embarrass him. So, annoyed, he vowed to get back at his cousin before he left the Huo n.


    After Huo Chen left, Xue Bai got up from his seat and walked over to Huo Long.


    Acting like a curious child, he asked, "Why do you use the spear? Your father used a sword, and swords are cooler too."


    Huo Long, not expecting such a simple question from Xue Bai, was dumbstruck and didn''t know how to answer for a moment.


    But after seeing an angry face from his father, he quicklyposed himself and answered, "A spear is the true weapon for a general! And wish to make my family a Duke one day, and to aplish that, being a general is the quickest way."


    Xue Bai, of course, knew what his answer would be but asking it would help start a conversation, so he did it.


    "But if Commander Huo hadn''t decided to teach you, you''d have to learn the spear yourself. If you used the sword, your father could teach you anytime you wanted." Xue Bai counterargued.


    Hearing that, Huo Long swayed for a moment but eventually responded firmly, "Even so, I wish to use the spear!"


    Seeing that firm look reminded Xue Bai of Huo Long''s many fan-favorite scenes in the game. Personally speaking, Huo Long was his second favorite of the five protagonists. And seeing him up close gave Xue Bai a surreal feeling. He had spent thousands of hours ying "Children of The ne," and each of the protagonists gave him a special feeling. And the feeling Huo Long gave him was hope.


    Huo Long had the harshest life of the five. While the rest of the protagonists were looked down upon at one point, they didn''t spend their lives on the edge of a de and had rtively smooth growth periods. But Huo Long was stuck as a cripple for a whole year while enemies constantly attacked his family. And yet he still powered through and ended up winning. While it might''ve been through plot armor or luck that he was allowed to win. The sheer tenacity that Huo Long was something to admire.


    And watching that gave Xue Bai hope when he was in his hospital bed. Making him want to live longer and maybe be the first to beat his disease.


    On the other hand, while Xue Bai was reminiscing, Huo Long was confused. The Young Duke asked him two odd questions and then went silent. And just as he was about to say something, the Young Duke suddenly gained a mncholy look on his face as if he had faced endless sadness.


    ''Did I say the wrong answer? Why does he look so sad?'' Though Huo Long had thought of dozens of questions, he didn''t dare ask any of them and only waited for Xue Bai to finish thinking.


    Then,ing back to his senses, Xue Bai said, "Oh, my bad, I was lost in thought."


    "Well, if you like the spear, you''ll have to continue to use it forever. It''s a hard weapon to use, Huo Long." Finishing his sentence, Xue Bai turned and started to leave.


    But before he stepped out of the courtyard, he looked back, "If you think the training with Commander Huo is good enough, you can follow us back to the Dukedom. It''ll be great for your growth."


    After finishing his sentence, Xue Bai left, leaving behind the shocked Father and Son.


    ''Step 1plete! Now we just gotta be closer friends.''

 Chapter 23 Beginning Of Change

    ?Beginning of Change


    Xue Bai knew that while if he tried to get as close as possible to Huo Long extremely fast, it wouldn''t cause any suspicions now. But after Huo Long would pick up his master, Feng Huang would instantly know that Xue Bai was up to something.


    So he decided to bring the protagonist over to the Dukedom. Though a week was long, and they could be friends in that span of time. If Huo Long came to the Dukedom, they could socialize longer.


    While Xue Bai was still thinking about future moves, the father-son duo were still in shock.


    "Father, did the Young Duke just invite me to the Dukedom, or am I just hearing things?" Huo Long was the first to react.


    "No, you heard right. The Young Duke did invite you. But why? is he nning something?" Huo Ming responded.


    Huo Long looked thoughtful for a moment but then spoke, "No, Father, it shouldn''t be anything like that. If the Young Duke wanted to do something to me, he could do it with a snap of his fingers. Inviting me to the Dukedom just to kill me would be pointless."


    Huo Ming smacked Huo Long''s head after hearing that, "I wasn''t implying that, you fool. What I meant is that if he wanted to recruit you early. Your Uncle Chen was recruitedter in life, but maybe the Young Duke saw your potential and wanted to attach you to the Dukedom early on."


    Huo Long held his head in pain but didn''t dare cry. He had been smacked more times these past two days than in the past year. And crying would only make it worse, so he had learned to hold it in.


    Huo Ming ignored his son and continued, "Xiao Long, you must take this chance well. The Young Duke is a chosen child of the heavens. Whether you cling to this chance well or not will determine our n''s fate."


    Huo Long though he was still in pain, nodded at this. While the Huo n was currently peaceful, he knew that there still were enemies lurking in the dark who wanted their downfall. That was the reason Huo Long wanted to grow so fast. He wanted to help his father shoulder the burden of the n.


    Back to Xue Bai, he was walking around the Huo n exploring. Currently, every member of the n knew who he was, so he didn''t bother to call the Wang Twins for protection. As who in their right mind would try and attack him knowing that he was Duke Xue''s son?


    After walking for a while, he made it to the practice field for the younger generation. Since most children didn''t bother learning how to fight until they awakened their Martial Veins, everybody on the field was, at the youngest, a teenager.


    But their practicing disappointed Xue Bai as he saw that most of the teenagers on the field weren''t even trying and seemed only to be there just to pretend. Some of them even were sitting down on the dirt and watching others.


    "So you can see it too, Young Duke?" A voice suddenly can from Xue Bai, causing him to turn around.


    "Oh, it''s you,mander." Xue Bai spoke. Huo Chen had some time ago snuck up on Xue Bai,


    "And how can I not see it? Most of them aren''t even trying to practice, and some seem to be there just to make up numbers. With your n''s situation, I had assumed they would be practicing with as much energy as the soldiers back home."


    "You know, Young Duke?" Huo Chen didn''t think Xue Bai would learn about his n beforeing.


    "I read a report about your n before we left. When you were kicked from your fief and moved to the Imperial Capital, the Marquis Xia n and Marquis Huang n suppressed you at every chance. And they were also the biggest voice behind your banishment to Frontier City." Xue Bai answered.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Actually, Xue Bai hadn''t read a report and only mentioned what happened in the game. But how could he say that? So he instead told a little white lie. Huo Chen even seemed to be moved from that, so it was a good lie at that.


    "It''s because we haven''t told them yet. Much of the younger generations have already begun to be angry with our n''s founder. After all, they didn''t see his rise and only heard of him as the reason they were kicked out of Imperial Capital. If we tell them that his defeated opponents were after us, they will lose any respect that they still had." Huo Chen exined.


    "Commander, can I speak bluntly for a moment?" Xue Bai asked, and after receiving a nod, he continued, "That''s the dumbest reason I''ve ever heard. So you want a group of kids to respect an old man who abandoned his n just because of his talents? And to aplish that, you are willing to lull them into thinking that their situation is safe. Even though you could be wiped out any day?"


    Huo Chen, hearing Xue Bai wanted to argue, but he couldn''t. Everything that Xue Bai said was true. So he only sat through the lecture and waited for Xue Bai to finish.


    "The only reason the Huang and Xia ns haven''t wiped your n out is because of you and your affiliation to my father. But you won''t be able to break through to the Domain Lord Realm in your life and will be stuck with only 250 years of lifespan. They could wait you out, and after you, who would protect your n? Maybe Huo Long, but he currently is like a young tiger surrounded by adult wolves. They won''t let him grow peacefully or even grow at all. The second they see his potential, they''ll kill him. You know that better than I do."


    It was after hearing that Huo Chen was visibly shaken. That was what he was nning to do with Huo Long, and though he knew Huo Long would have a hard life, he didn''t think that his nephew was such a high-profile target for enemies. So after weighing his choices, he clenched his teeth and turned to leave.


    "Young Duke, give me a moment. I will like to speak to my cousin about this." And after saying this, he flew off.


    Xue Bau didn''t say anything and let him leave. In the game, besides Huo Long, no one in the n served any purpose. Hell, none of them were even named beside Huo Long and Huo Ming.


    And though the chances were slim, maybe by telling them about the danger that surrounded them, it could stop that from happening and give Huo Long some capable rtives.


    After watching the practice field for a little longer, Xue Bai stood up to leave. He had aplished his goal by staying here, so staying any longer served no purpose.


    And sure enough, as he continued to walk throughout the Huo n, a loud bell noise echoed


    throughout the Mansion. And though Xue Bai had never heard that sound before, it should be a n meeting rm from its urgency. So he found the nearest Huo n members and followed the crowd.


    After following them for a few minutes, Xue Bai was led to the Main Hall. There he saw on the elevated stand Huo Ming sitting on the main chair with a solemn look on his face. Huo Chen stood beside him with an equally serious face.


    On a side note, the Wang Twins were also there, but they had annoyed looks on their faces. Huo Chen had probably forced them from their cultivation toe here.


    Thinking that he should also be at the top, Xue Bai pushed his way through the crowd and walked over to the Wang Twins.


    Seeing Xue Bai walk over to them, the Twins asked him what they had been thinking this whole time, "Young Duke, what did Commander Chen call his entire n here for? Is it so important that even we shoulde?"


    However, Xue Bai didn''t answer them directly and only vaguely said, "He took my advice."


    And just after Xue Bai spoke, Huo Ming finally started to speak.

 Chapter 24 Nurturing The Huo Clan

    ?Nurturing the Huo n


    "My n members, today I have something to announce to you all." Huo Ming started off.


    "However, what I''m announcing today will be shocking. So I''m warning you all now that I demand silence. Anyone who makes enough noise loud enough to cover me will be punished ording to n rules."


    Seeing the n members around him gain solemn faces, Huo Ming knew he could finally talk about the main subject of the n gathering.


    "As all of you might know,st generation, my father, the founder of our n, was a rising genius in our Great Xuan Empire. His rise rivaled the Duke of Snow in your generation. And because of his Low ck Tier Martial Veins, the Emperor bestowed him the title of Marquis along with a fief. Since it was only a matter of time until he would enter the Domain Lord Realm and be strong enough to earn the Duke title, the Emperor gave him the fief as an early gift to promote a rtionship between the two." Huo Ming spoke.


    Huo Ming could see the confusion on his n members'' faces as he was just recitingmon knowledge, but he thought he should start the story from the beginning.


    "However one day after a breakthrough to the Xiantian Great Realm, our founder disappeared, and without his protection, our fief was turned into a bandit home." At this point, Huo Ming was trembling with anger. However, he continued, "However, what you all don''t know is that our fief being overrun was the plot of two of my father''s rivals. During his rise, my father constantly trampled on the then heirs to the Huang and Xia Marquis families."


    "And after he disappeared, they wanted to enact some type of revenge, but with their target missing, they went after us. Even after we were evicted to the Imperial City, they were thergest voice behind our banishment."


    At this point, arge number of murmurs and voices came from the crowd. Finally, however, Huo Chen silenced them all with a loud" Humph," filled with coercion.


    "I know we of the older generation have kept the lie that we were banished because ofck of strength, but that isn''t true. We thought that this lie would protect you all, but thanks to a rational outside voice, we know that this isn''t helping you but only lulling you into a false sense of security. Our n isn''t safe. If anything, we are in the most danger we have been in since our founding."


    After this sentence, the crowd erupted, and even some shouted. However, Huo Chen once again unleashed his aura, silencing them.


    "This is myst warning. You will wait until my cousin is finished speaking to speak." Huo Chen threatened.


    And after the crowd quietened down, Huo Ming finished, "Our n is in danger and you all of the younger generation wasting your time not even bothering to cultivate some days is a disappointment. You are our next hope but now not only are you throwing away your best time for growth but are digging a deeper hole for our n."


    After speaking that, Huo Ming walked off the stage, ignoring the crowd.


    However, Huo Chen didn''t leave. Instead, he continued with what his cousin was talking about.


    "The Young Duke saw your practice this morning. And he was royally disappointed. So for the rest of the week, I am here. You all will practice alongside Xiao Long. It will be at sunrise, and any person who iste will be punished ordingly. If you don''t bother to show up, you better be dead or bedridden. If not, then don''t bother showing your face in this n again. And this practice is for everyone, elders including. Just because you old fogies have a foot in the grave doesn''t mean that the Huang and Xia n will spare you."


    After speaking, he started to walk away but stopped after hearing Xue Bai''s voice.


    "Commander, wait, I have something to say." After speaking, he went to sit on the main seat where Huo Ming was earlier, "Big Wang, amplify my voice so they can hear me better."


    "You all now know that you are in grave danger, and while intense training for a week won''t do anything to help your situation, so I have brought something to help you all." It was then Xue Bai brought out the things he had prepared from home.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Two of them were blueprints of arrays that his father created. While the others were various natural treasures that could help people cultivators. And though they were merely Low Yellow Natural Treasures, they were something that the poor Huo n couldn''t afford.


    "The first blueprint is a Spiritual Gathering Array. I noticed that you all don''t have a great public cultivation ground, so this should help you all build some. And the second is a simple Protection Array. If built correctly, it can block any attack below the Law Gathering Realm."


    "There are three different Natural Treasures here that I am giving you all today. One that can help raise your absorption of Spiritual Qi, another to help you increase your cultivation, and thest that can help temper the physical body. Also, they all can be rented, giving you all ess to an endless supply of them should you raise them correctly."


    "And finally, I will be staying at the Huo n mansion for a week, and at the end, I will be taking Huo Long back to the Dukedom for extra training. But should anyone else catch my attention, I will bring them as well as long as they have at least a High Yellow Grade Martial Vein."


    Finishing his thoughts, Xue Bai went to leave as well, but the crowd seemed to want to ask more questions, so he stayed and decided to answer some.


    "Young Duke, but no one in our n has that good of a Martial Vein. Does that mean no one can follow you to the Dukedom?" A slightly taller young adult spoke first.


    His question was followed by a lot of yeses, so it seemed to be one of their biggest concerns.


    Not expecting their talent to be so low, Xue Bai looked at Huo Chen for confirmation and saw him nod.


    "Well, then I''ll lower the requirement to Middle Yellow Grade. However, my expectations will go up ordingly." Xue Bai answered.


    Though it wasn''t the answer they hoped for, Xue Bai''s response was reasonable. The Dukedom they all looked up to wouldn''t take in any trash and wanted only the best of the best. The only reason Xue Bai had lowered his standard was because of Huo Long. The other people he might bring didn''t matter much to him.


    The next question came from anky elder who asked, "Young Duke, this extra training, is this chance only for the younger generation, or do we old men have a chance too?"


    "Yes, only people 20 and under cane. Elders like yourself are at least in the Qi Sea Realm, and intense physical training won''t do much for you as you focus on cultivating your spiritual Qi and not the physical body." Xue Bai calmly answered.


    The elders were saddened but didn''t dare to try and make Xue Bai change his answer.


    The Huo n members kept firing out questions for the next 5 minutes, and after answering them, Xue Bai was finally tired of them and yelled out, "There is only onest question. Discuss amongst yourselves what it will be."


    The Huo n then immediately started to discuss who would ask thest question and what it would be. And after almost 10 minutes of waiting, thenky elder from before was asked to ask the final question.


    "Young Duke, if you are going to such lengths to nurture our n now, why don''t you move us into Snowy Wind City?"


    Expecting such an answer Xue Bai was calm facing it. But hearing it, a disdainful face appeared on his face.


    "You all are weak and pathetic, that''s why. Snowy Wind City is the crown achievement of my father''s fief. And you all want to enter for free? The only reason we had epted your n as a subordinate was for Huo Chen. My decision to nurture you was on a whim of mine. Whether you take your chances or not is your choice. If you want to enter Snowy Wind City, you must earn it yourself." After insulting them, Xue Bai stood up and left the Main Hall.

 Chapter 25 Returning Home

    ?Returning Home


    The following week at the Huo n was peaceful for Xue Bai. He would wake up at his usual hour, eat a delicious breakfast, and then watch the Huo n members suffer through their grueling training.


    Huo Chen''s threat was effective, and the next day every n member gathered at the practice grounds, ready to train.


    The first day was rather chaotic since they all had very different cultivation levels, with some still under 11 without Martial Veins and some being elders in the Qi Sea stage with half a foot in the grave.


    And with only the Wang Twins to assist him, Huo Chen spent the first day making groups to help him organize a training n. These groups were made based on cultivation levels.


    On the second day with groups made, Huo Chen led the groups in the early stages of cultivation and taught them how to cultivate more efficiently and essential fighting tips.


    While Little Wang and Big Wang led the groups of elders. Teaching them higher-level tips. Like how to use their Spiritual Qi more efficiently and Spiritual Qi knowledge that a family without a foundation like theirs wouldn''t know.


    On the third day, Xue Bai nned a littlepetition to see who the strongest cultivator in each realm was.


    Surprisingly, the winner of the Blood Exchange Realm tournament was the leader of the three bullies that Xue Bai had face-pped earlier in the week.


    And the winner of the Vein Transformation Realm was a face that Xue Bai actually recognized from the game. It was the childhood friend of Huo Long, Huo Siyan.


    She was a love interest in the game for a while in Huo Long''s story. However, she only had a Middle Yellow Grade Martial Vein and was destined to be left behind as Huo Long would get stronger.


    But currently, the two were like two peas in a pod and were constantly near each other and unconsciously flirting. Even Xue Bai was getting jealous looking at them.


    But seeing the two interact gave Xue Bai an idea. However, without a solid n, he put it to the back of his mind.


    The fourth, fifth, and sixth days were all intense training based on their weakness. So if someone had a ring reaction speed problem, that was all they worked on for those three days, and so on.


    Until it brings us to the seventh day, where every Huo n member stood in front of Xue Bai and his entourage as they were preparing to leave. Alongside Xue Bai''s group, he had brought Huo Siyan and the bully leader, who was named Huo Yao.


    Of all the Huo n members, Huo Yao was the most gifted inbat. Though he was only in the 7th stage of the Blood Exchange Realm, he had beaten multiple people in the 8th and 9th stages.


    While Huo Siyan had also won herpetition as she was at the peak of the Vein Transformation, it had been done using her stage advantage and not throughbat.


    Huo Siyan and Huo Long were on his Bear Griffen with Huo Chen. While Huo Yao sat with the Wang Twins.


    Since while Xue Bai tried to befriend the n, he didn''t make any friends that weren''t on the mounts already, so he sat quietly on the Bear Griffen during the send-off. But Huo Chen stood on his mount and looked coldly at the crowd.


    "I am leaving. However, I am still in contact with your patriarch and will know of any ckers. Thanks to the Young Duke, my visits will now be every six months instead of yearly, so any practice skippers will be dealt with when I return in half a year." Huo Chen threatened.


    After some more threats, Huo Chenmanded the older Wang Twin, "Alright, Wang Shu, you can start to fly. We are leaving."


    After seeing the twins fly off, Huo Chen then also ordered his mount to start flying away. Soon after, the two Bear Griffens lifted off the ground and started to fly back to the Dukedom.


    "Commander, I said that you can return every three months. So why are you lying to them." Xue Bai asked from the side.


    "Because I want to see the true ckers. If I say three months, then people will train all three months, but if I lie and say six months, some of thesezy bastards will definitely ignore my warnings. And these are the ones I want to catch." Huo Chen exined.


    Xue Bai nodded approvingly. That was a really smart move by themander.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After flying for a few minutes, Xue Bai closed his eyes. There was a whole day of flying in front of him. And Xue Bai did not n to stay awake during it all, so he ignored the curious gazes of the two sweethearts and went to sleep.


    Huo Siyan was only fourteen and still had her curious nature, so she had wanted to ask a ton of questions, but after seeing Xue Bai fall asleep, she was sad but didn''t dare to try and wake him up. So after sitting in silence for a minute, she soon chose to follow suit.


    On the other hand, Huo Long had just started to speak to Huo Chen about the spear once again. The two seemed to never run out of topics to talk about.


    On the other mount, Huo Yao was feeling super awkward. He was sat in between Big and Little Wang and was at a loss on how tomunicate with them. After flying and giving orders to their mount, the two immediately went into a cultivation state, ignoring everything around them.


    Huo Yao had tried to talk to them before they started, but they just ignored him and started cultivating. So now, hundreds of meters in the air with his only protection being a Spiritual Qi shield, he was feeling in danger.


    But thankfully, the trip was peaceful as they soon reached the Dukedom without encountering any troubles.


    When they reached the Duke''s estate, a group of soldiers and twomanders were outside to wee them. Li Rou was also there, standing at the front of the group with a broad smile on her face.


    Seeing his mother, a smile appeared on Xue Bai''s face. Ever since he came to this world, his mother has been helping him. While he wasn''t sure if his previous life was true or just some random memories that he somehow obtained, his mother still treated him as her own son.


    "Commander,nd the Bear Griffen. I don''t want to keep mother waiting for us."


    Huo Chen nodded and then told his mount to go ahead andnd just outside the estate. Afternding on the ground, Huo Chen then helped the three kids off the four-meter-tall Bear Griffen.


    Xue Bai then walked up to his mother, to where she then questioned him, "Who are the extra people you brought along with you."


    "Even though the Huo n is our subordinate, we don''t interact with them and have given them the cold shoulder these past few years. So to fix that, I have decided to bring some talented youngsters over to the Dukedom for extra training." Xue Bai exined.


    Li Rou was slightly shocked at this. Yes, what he said was true, but it was for a reason. The Huo n was declining more and more, so even though Huo Chen was a part of it, Li Rou and Xue Feng didn''t care much about the n.


    "You''re getting smarter every day, Bai''er!" Li Rou pulled him into a hug and praised, "But that still doesn''t exin who the three people are."


    While he was trying to escape from his mother''s grasp, Xue Bai continued, "The young boy is the Young Master of the Huo n, Huo Long. Commander Huo looked highly on his potential, so I decided to bring him to the Dukedom for extra training."


    Hearing that name, Li Rou''s eyes shed for a moment. ''This was the person Bai''er wrote about in his journal.'' However, she kept her thoughts to herself and let her son continue.


    "The other two are talents that I selected toe to the Dukedom. The girl is Huo Siyan, and the boy is Huo Yao. I had made a little tournament, and they won thepetitions for their realms, so as a reward, I brought them here."


    Hearing her son''s exnation, Li Rou then looked at the two with a curious gaze. She could tell at a nce that both of them only had Middle Yellow Grade Martial Veins. But her son went through so much trouble to bring them over here, so she wouldn''t try and ruin it for him now.


    "Commander Huo, you can take the boys to the soldier camp. Little girl, you can follow me. Though Bai''er brought you here, we can''t have a delicate girl like you, training with those rough army men. You''ll be with me until Commander Song returns from her hunting trip." Li Rou spoke.


    Though Huo Siyan was shocked from hearing that, the rest of the people from Xue Bai''s group nodded at Li Rou''smand.


    "Brother Long, but what''s going to happen to me?" Still reeling from the idea of training with the Duchess, Huo Siyan asked Huo Long nervously.


    "Sister Siyan, don''t worry. The Duchess is almost, if not just, as strong as the Duke. You are going to be in great hands. Me and Huo Yao will be fine, just go and train with a calm mind." Huo Long patted her back and calmed her down.


    Calming down from his words, Huo Siyan then gave Huo Long a quick hug where, after which they separated following Li Rou''s instructions.

 Chapter 26 Leisure Time

    ?Leisure Time


    Xue Bai and Huo Siyan waved goodbye to the protagonist and then followed Li Rou toward the core region of the estate.


    "Mother, has Father returned yet?" Xue Bai asked. He could not wait to start using the sword.


    "Yes, he has returned. He''s not in the office, though. He''s in our courtyard right now cultivating." Ever since Xue Bai gave them the Yggradasil Fruit, they had spent every moment they could cultivating. Before, because they had almost reached the limit of their potential, they would rarely cultivate, but now they were almost as addicted as the Wang Twins.


    "Alright, I''ll go find him. Huo Siyan, my mother, is a very good cultivator. Be sure to learn well from her."


    "Yes, Young Duke!" Huo Siyan replied. Li Rou was almost as legendary as Xue Feng in the kingdom. And being able to learn under her was a dreame true for the young girl.


    After saying goodbye to his mother, Xue Bai ran off to go see his father in his courtyard. His parent''s courtyard was right door to his, so it was rtively easy to find.


    Entering the courtyard, he could see his parents contrasting tastes affecting the environment. One half of the courtyard was a garden filled with beautiful shrubbery. In contrast, the other half was barren and built like a training field.


    In the training field side, Xue Feng sat in the middle, cross-legged cultivating. However, Xue Feng opened his eyes after Xue Bai entered the courtyard, apparently sensing his son.


    In truth, Xue Feng had only sensed Xue Bai as his courtyard had a simple sensing array that would notify him of any intruders. And only Xue Bai and Li Rou could get through without any resistance.


    "Bai''er, you''ve returned. How was your trip out to Frontier City?" Then, seeing his son, Xue Feng asked gently.


    Xue Feng was quite confused when he returned and learned that his shut-in son had taken the initiative to leave home. But he knew that at one point, his son had to leave him and go out on his own.


    "It was great. I brought over some talented youngsters from the Huo n." Xue Bai exined his time over at the n.


    "That''s nice and all, but I heard that you took some things from our treasury before you left. Why did you do that?" Xue Feng questioned.


    Xue Bai knew that he couldn''t hide this, so he answered with the response he had prepared earlier.


    "I had taken only some low-tier things to help the poor Huo n. They were things that are easily receable, so nothing important was lost." Xue Bai then told his father all the things he brought over.


    Xue Feng nodded approvingly at this. His son had only given the Huo n nonessential and receable things and fixed the ns'' poor rtionship.


    After exining the rest of his trip to his father, Xue Bai finally revealed what he came for. "Father, I''m pretty sure that mother told you. So when are we going to start training?"


    "We can start tomorrow. You must be tired from your trip here. Go and check on the kids you brought over and make sure they are adjusting well today." Xue Feng told his son.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though Xue Bai was a little disappointed at not starting today, what his father said was reasonable, so after nodding, he left the courtyard.


    After leaving, he first went to his own courtyard. Though his father told him to check on the Huo n members, he wanted to go and practice some archery. He and the Huo n members just separated, so it would be weird if he went and met up with them again. So he nned to change into some practice clothes and train for a while before meeting them again.


    When he first started to learn archery, he only thought of it as a small side skill he''d only use asionally. But the better he got at it, the more he enjoyed it. At first, though he shot very urately, it wasn''t very fun. But after his mother introduced running, sliding, and jumping shots was when he started to actually enjoy archery.


    Since it was close by, it didn''t take long for him to reach his courtyard. And when he entered, he saw his cheerful maid sweeping the ground outside.


    "Young Master, you''re back!" Xiao''er spoke excitedly.


    Most of her day was spent with Xue Bai, and when he left, her days became very dull. So his return excited the young maid.


    "Yes, I have returned. But I''m not staying in my courtyard yet. I''m just here to get a quick change of clothes. I''m going to the archery range now." Xue Bai exined as he went into his room.


    "Oh, let me help you change, Young Master."


    "No, Xiao''er! I don''t like your eyes when you watch me change. So you stay outside my room while I do so." Xue Bai quickly ordered.


    Xiao''er was like his mother in the aspect that she loved to change and dress him up.


    Hearing that, Xiao''er backed away with her head down like a sad puppy. He was right. She had gotten that habit from Li Rou. But how could she not? The Young Duke was too cute. He looked just like a real doll.


    In the room, Xue Bai quickly changed out of his robes and went into his training outfit. His normal robe attire was like the Earth Hanfu. They were light blue colored with snowkes dotted over them. Xue Bai loved the aesthetic look of it, but it was way too baggy to do any physical activity in it, so he had to take it off.


    His usual training wear was a tight ck shirt along with some slightly loose pants that resembled Earth''s sweatpants. He had told the seamstress how to make sweatpants from his memory, and after the third attempt, it came out just fine. So he told her to make a few more for him in different colors for different outfits.


    After he changed, he picked up his bow and a few arrows and left the courtyard. His walk to the archery field was uneventful, as the core region was rather empty.


    When Xue Bai first started archery with his mother, the field was barren except for the wooden pirs made for his stability training. But after Xue Bai would get better at archery, Li Rou would implement more obstacles for Xue Bai to navigate around to get to the target.


    First, it was the unbnced wooden pirs that he would have to stand on and shoot. Then it moved onto tall trees and thick shrubbery. Eventually, it slowly turned into a miniature forest that Xue Bai could parkour through while taking shots whenever he felt like it.


    After gaining a new healthy body after four years of lying in a bed and crippled, doing all these shy and fun exercises made Xue Bai thrilled.


    So after ying around for two hours, a surprise guest entered the field. Li Rou had came in with Huo Siyan.

 Chapter 27 Watching A Protagonist In Action

    ?Watching a Protagonist in action


    "Bai''er, why are you here? I thought you would be with your father." Li Rou asked as she noticed her son.


    Climbing down from a tree, Xue Bai responded, "I was for a moment, but he told me that we would start tomorrow. So I came here to pass the time."


    "But why are you here, mother? Huo Siyan had used the sword back at the Huo n. So I thought you would just teach her in the inner region."


    Huo Siyan had also used a sword in the game, so his mother bringing her to an archery range slightly confused him.


    "You''re right. Siyan does use a sword, but since I am teaching her for the next few days, I want to see if she has any talent in archery. If she doesn''t, then I will just teach her basic fighting, but if she does, then we''ll stay here most of her time here." Li Rou answered.


    "Umm, Duchess, if the Young Duke is here, wouldn''t it be bad if we kicked him out of his own training grounds?" Huo Siyan on the side asked.


    The past two days had been a fever dream for her, and though she had gotten through it all rtively smoothly, she didn''t want to antagonize the Young Master of the ce she would be staying at for the next month.


    "No, its fine, Huo Siyan. I was getting tired, so I nned to leave soon anyway." Xue Bai replied.


    Though in the Baishen ne, mortals were much stronger than on earth, he was still only eight years old, and the two hours of exercise had tired him out. So after fetching his arrows and bow, he said goodbye to his mother and went to go take a bath.


    His clothes stuck to his body too well.


    After Xue Bai left hearing distance, Huo Siyan asked Li Rou, "Duchess, why was the Young Duke here? I thought he would use the sword like the Duke."


    Li Rou, hearing that, was slightly annoyed. ''Why can''t my son learn my path as well? Those brain-dead swordsmen would die before even getting near me. The bow is clearly the better weapon.''


    However, instead of saying what her mind thought, she smiled and said, "I wanted to teach him archery before learning to use the sword. His father will still teach him swordsmanship. It''s just I was first nothing special."


    Huo Siyan nodded aimlessly as she didn''t know what the Duchess was hinting at in her words.


    Xue Bai was once again in his courtyard, but Xiao''er wasn''t inside this time. Now alone, he had to fill up his bathtub himself. And since he didn''t know the specific recipe for the medical bath either, he had to use regr water. So Xue Bai went to the pond in his courtyard and fetched a few buckets of clean water to fill his tub.


    After the bath, Xue Bai changed into a clean ck set of robes he had. He was nning on doing what his father told him and going to visit the Huo n boys. He had left them alone for almost three hours now, so they should have finally gotten their bearings in the Duke''s estate.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t sure where they were exactly, they were probably in the soldier barracks in the outer region. So Xue Bai made his way there first.


    As soon as he reached the barracks, he could hear cheering so loud that it went through the sound deafening array and outside.


    Mostly every building in the Duke estate had either an array that blocked all sound or most of it. The barracks had thetter just in case something tragic happened in it. So the outside world could hear any screams that wereing from inside.


    Curious, Xue Bai started to run over and see what was happening inside. And he was rewarded with a great sight.


    Huo Long was doing what he did best, fight. He was shirtless, fighting two men using only his spear and, unsurprisingly, holding his ground. Though the men had their cultivation suppressed, it was still an amazing feat. The fight looked even as though there were two against him. Huo Long would constantly try and make the fights solo by making his opponent''s spear sh against each other. And while the three fought, the crowd was cheering for the protagonist.


    Everyone loved an underdog, and the still mortal, 10-year-old Huo Long fighting against two grown men in the Qi Sea Realm almost defined the word underdog.


    Though it was exciting to watch, Xue Bai had seen better fights in the game, so after a quick see, he looked away, trying to find Huo Chen and Huo Yao.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He quickly found Huo Chen by his signature armor, as onlymanders were allowed to wear armor like his. And Huo Yao was also standing next to him, watching Huo Long''s fight with fervent.


    So walking up to the two, Xue Bai asked, "Commander Huo, what started this?"


    Though Xue Bai was curious about it, he had a guess and had only asked the question to start a conversation.


    "Young Duke, you know how when there is a new batch of soldiers, the new recruits have to face a hazing period from their seniors, right?" Huo Chen asked back.


    And after receiving a nod from Xue Bai, he continued, "Nephew Long didn''t take kindly to that and instantly wanted to fight a squad leader. While hazing is normal, that squad leader had indeed something rather vulgar to a ten-year-old. And I felt that a fight was fair, so I allowed it on the behalf that the squad leader suppresses his cultivation entirely. as any squad leader would have the cultivation of at least the Qi Sea realm."


    ''Yup, I knew it. The protagonist''s trouble ma is still there even before he bes a "Child of the ne" thank the heavens I''m not one.'' Xue Bai thought inwardly.


    Unaware of Xue Bai''s true thoughts, Huo Chen continued, "But surprisingly, Nephew Long beat the squad leader, and after being embarrassed and unresigned, he called in another squad leader to force Nephew Long to kneel. And that would bring us here."


    "How long have they been fighting for? Huo Long is getting tired. I think they are using their endurance against him." Xue Bai asked.


    "They''ve been fighting for about 5 minutes, but the previous fight was almost 20, so I think Nephew Long should be at his limit soon."


    "Shouldn''t you stop it, Commander Huo? Two men old enough to be his father are using their endurance to win a fight against Huo Long."


    Shaking his head Huo Chen replied, "My nephew is still too arrogant and hot-headed. Losing once in his youth would make him better in the long run."


    Xue Bai didn''t agree with that, but it wasn''t his family, so he wouldn''t interfere with it. Also, he didn''t think that Huo Long would lose the fight.


    Why? Because Huo Long was a protagonist, who in their right mind would bet against one?


    And sure enough, Huo Long started to improve so rapidly that it was to the point where it was visible to the naked eye. Every swing of his spear would use less and less energy but would carry the same force. He would dodge attacks by a hair and would constantly make his opponents stay on guard.


    "Commander, I think he just might win this. Would that put a wrench in your ns?" Xue Bai asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Young Duke, what do you mean by wrench?"


    "You heard wrong, Commander. I said would that disrupt your ns."


    "Young Duke, I am in the Law Manifestation Realm. How could I mishear something that was so close to me?"


    "Why are you asking me this? All I know is that you misheard me. But enough of that answer my question. Would Huo Long winning disrupt your ns?"


    Though Huo Chen had a suspicious expression, he still answered the question, "No, not at all. If my nephew could win this, why would I be unhappy? It would only mean that I had underestimated his talents."


    "At the end of the day, he is still my nephew, and I only want the best for him. Whether through strength as winning the battle or mentally through bettering his mentality from a loss. I only wish for him to grow fast so he could help me with my burden." Huo Chen spoke rather emotionally.


    ''My god, they''re so united it''s making me cringe. Plot against your nephew or something, you mob.'' Xue Bai thought inwardly.


    And as the two were talking, Huo Long finally knocked the spear out of both opponents'' hands, winning the duel.

 Chapter 28 The Aftermath Of The Fight

    ?The aftermath of the Fight


    After winning, Huo Long immediately fell to the ground. He had been fighting too intensely for too long and had exhausted himself.


    However, just as he had let his guard down, the Squad Leader, who he had defeated first, looked enraged. Apparently not epting his defeat, he picked back up his fallen spear and rushed again toward the defenseless Huo Long.


    However, he didn''t get far before three monstrous auras immobilized him. The threemanders in the barracks had taken action.


    "YE FEI! Have you lost your mind?!" Huo Chen was the first to jump into the ring between the two. With his eyes almost seemingly being able to radiate fury.


    He had just discovered this monster of a nephew, and now one of his subordinates wanted to kill him. Anger couldn''t describe his feelings right now.


    The two othermanders also quickly jumped onto the field with equally angry expressions. After all, although they didn''t have the family bond like between Huo Long and Huo Chen, they had just witnessed a Qi Sea Cultivator sneak attack a defenseless mortal child.


    No matter how Ye Fei could exin it, he had done an extremely taboo thing.


    "YE FEI, EXPLAIN YOURSELF!" Huo Chen was still fuming, unleashing his entire Law Manifestation Cultivation Base onto Ye Fei.


    Though he was being suppressed, through the tough training he received as a Squad Leader, Ye Fei could still answer. So gritting his teeth, he responded, "This brat came into our barrack to embarrass us. I needed to give our Dukedom some face."


    "THAT BRAT WAS MY NEPHEW! And the Dukedom would lose even more face if news came out that one of our squad leaders murdered a mortal child!"


    Hearing that, Ye Fei, at this point, knew he had messed up. He had seen Commander Huo bring the two children, but he had just thought they were potential recruits. But hearing that it was his nephew, Ye Fei gave up.


    "This subordinate will ept his punishment." Knowing when to ept his loss, Ye Fei lowered his head. However, he still nced in Huo Long''s direction with a look of hatred.


    ''If it weren''t for this brat, none of this wouldn''t have happened.''


    However, Huo Chen still noticed that and got even angrier, "Ye Fei, even now, you still won''t repent! Do you think I''m blind and can''t see your expressions!"


    "Commander Li, Commander Ling, take this man away. We''ll decide his punishment when all themanders have returned." Huo Chen ordered.


    Though all three of them weremanders in the Law Manifestation Realm, Huo Chen was the second strongest of all themanders, while the two he ordered were the newest and also weakest. So he could order them to do more minor things.


    "Yes, Commnader Huo." And after going to seal Ye Fei''s cultivation, the two put on some metal binds on him and then left the arena.


    "Nephew, are you okay." After seeing themanders take away Ye Fei, Huo Chen went over to Huo Long and asked.


    "Don''t worry, Uncle, that Ye Fe didn''t get to me, thanks to your help." Huo Long answered through breaths.


    Huo Chen sighed in relief. He wouldn''t know how to face his cousin if he had to bring his son back early with him being injured.


    While the two were talking, Xue Bai, in the back, was watching with relish.


    ''Even before bing a "Child of the ne," Huo Long can still attract trouble like a ma. He made a rational and prestigious Squad Leader ignore his reputation and career just to beat him down.''


    But unable to say his true thoughts, he walked over to the Nephew and Uncle and spoke, "Brother Long, you''re like a trouble ma!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    At this, Huo Long could only smile wryly, "I don''t want to be, though, Young Duke."


    Xue Bai didn''t respond to that and just patted Huo Long on the shoulder,ughing. ''You better get used to it. You could get three mortal enemies just by walking down the street when you awaken. A protected duel like this is child''s y.''


    "Enough of that. How have you and Huo Yao adjusted to the Duke Estate so far."


    "Though Huo Yao has been getting shy from all the soldiers, I feel like I''m in my element. Nothing matters here except how hard your fist is. It''s a refreshing change from the usual." Huo Long replied with bright eyes.


    Xue Bai, seeing that, could only sigh, ''Keep your innocence for as long as possible, brother. You have a rough path in front of you.''


    "Well, it''s gettingte. Call Huo Yao over. I''m going to take you guys to the courtyard you''ll be staying at for the month that you''re here."


    Nodded, Huo Long picked up his spear and went to find his cousin.


    On the side, Huo Chen was slightly confused, "Young Duke, you could have just let the two live here in the barracks with me. My courtyard is big enough to hold two extra kids."


    "No father said that I should take care of them, so I n to let them live in the core region near me. We have a surplus of empty courtyards there. So I n to let them choose their own."


    Shocked, Huo Chen replied, "Isn''t that too good an honor? Your bodyguards were only just allowed to live there recently, and that was after years of being with you. Those two brats haven''t even done anything yet, and you''re letting them live there with you."


    "It''s only for a month, and I''m investing in your nephew. If you think they don''t deserve this, train them into people who do."


    Patting his chest, Huo Chen swore he would. But, though he would train the two regardless, now that the Young Duke was investing in them, he had to put in twice the effort.


    After continuing the small talk a little longer, Huo Long returned with Huo Yao, both with their belongings.


    "Young Duke, we are ready."


    Xue Bai nodded and soon guided them to the core region. Though the two didn''t know the specialness of the core region, they could see the area they had entered looked a lot more luxurious than where the barracks were.


    Huo Long was the first to speak up, "Young Duke, where are you taking us? This ce seems like a utopiapared to the Huo n."


    "I''m taking you to the core region. My father said that I should treat you as I wish to be treated. So I will give you two the best treatment our dukedom can offer!" Xue Bai exined.


    And though the two boys were apprehensive about receiving such great treatment, Xue Bai eventually made them cave in.


    So Xue Bai ended up giving them a tour throughout the core region to let them see their options.


    However, as the entire experience was surreal, and they didn''t feel like they had earned it, the two just ended up sharing a courtyard near the exit of the core region. And even with Xue Bai''s persuasion, they still didn''t change their minds.


    After giving them a key to the array for the courtyard, Xue Bai waved them off. He was excited for tomorrow and couldn''t wait to sleep.


    After more than a year in this new world, he would finally use a sword!

 Chapter 29 Start Of Training

    ?Start of Training


    That night Xue Bai couldn''t sleep at all and ended up tossing and turning in his bed untilte in the night.


    Eventually, he resorted to having to light a calming incense stick to lull him to sleep. And after ten or so minutes, Xue Bai soon descended into a deep and peaceful sleep.


    But what Xue Bai didn''t know was that those were for cultivators. And for him to use one was going to make him sleep like a log for the next day.


    Next Morning


    "Young Master! It''s way past sunrise. Why haven''t you woken up." Xiao''er shouted from outside his bedroom.


    Unable to get an answer, Xiao''er eventually entered the room. When she saw the situation, Xue Bai was asleep with an incense stick lit up next to him.


    It looked normal except for the fact that Xue Bai lit up the wrong incense stick. While Xue Bai was gone, Xiao''er would sometimes sleep in his bed. And when he returned, she forgot to take away her incense sticks and left them in the bedside drawer.


    And though Xiao''er was young, usually cheerful, and naive, she was still a cultivator. Moreover, she had a High Yellow Grade Martial Vein and was in the Muscle Noursihing Realm. So in order to bring her to sleep, it took a lot more than the mortal Xue Bai.


    "Oh god, the Mistress is going to be so angry." Though she was scared of how Li Rou would react, Xiao''er still knew she had to go and exin what had happened.


    So she picked up Xue Bai and went to go to Li Rou''s personal courtyard.


    And with Xue Bai unconscious, Xiao''er was able to use her cultivation openly to help her go faster. So only after a minute, she made it to Li Rou''s courtyard.


    Though she was able to enter this courtyard out of respect for her Mistress, she still stood outside and waited to be let in, knowing that Li Rou could sense her. And soon enough, the doors swung open.


    "Why is Bai''er looking like that?" As soon as Xiao''er entered, Li Rou''s melodic voice entered her ears. But hearing Li Rou act so calmly only scared Xiao''er further.


    So without daring to hide anything, Xiao''er quickly exined what happened.


    "I understand, but I have one question. Why did you sleep in his bed?" Li Rou asked curiously.


    Blushing, Xiao''er didn''t want to respond immediately. But after seeing Li Rou frown, she quickly caved.


    "Young Master has a very nice scent, and it''s even stronger in his bed. And with how much I missed him, I ended up staying in his bed for the week he was gone."


    Li Rou just smiled at this. Since Xiao''er was a maid, she was going to follow Xue Bai for the majority of her life. So usually, maids of high-identity people like Xue Bai would end up taking the maid as a concubine. So seeing Xiao''er act like this made Li Rou smile.


    ''If she falls in love with him, it will be good for her. Just hopefully, she can stay beside him forever.''


    "It''s fine, Xiao''er. He would only sleep for about a day if you didn''t bring him to me. But now that he''s here, I can wake him up. So no harm was done."


    "Aren''t you going to punish me, Mistress?"


    "Why would I? While you made a mistake, nothing bad happened, so it''s okay as long as you learn from your mistake." Li Rou exined with a smile.


    Li Rou then took Xue Bai from Xiao''er andid him on herp.


    Moving the hair that covered Xue Bai''s forehead, Li Rou poked him and let a gentle stream of Spiritual Qi through his body. The stream then went throughout his body, cleansing him of all the smoke from the incense stick. And soon enough, Xue Bai opened his eyes.


    "Mother, how did you get into my room?" Xue Bai woke up confused.


    Smiling, Li Rou replied, "You aren''t in your room, sweetie. You''re in my courtyard."


    Not convinced, Xue Bai sat up and looked around.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''What the hell, why am I here? I don''t sleepwalk. How did I get here? And why is Xiao''er blushing so hard at me?''


    Though after thinking for a few minutes Xue Bai couldn''t answer anything, so he asked Li Rou, "Mother, why am I here?"


    "Ask your maid Bai''er. She knows more than me." Then, standing up, Li Rou responded.


    "But before you do, leave my courtyard. Your father has been waiting for you for the past two hours. If you dy any further, he''s not going to teach you at all."


    "Two hours? But it''s sunrise. What time did he get up?" Xue Bai mumbled, only to look up and see where the sun was.


    "Fuck! It''s noon. How did I oversleep that much?"


    Not even bothering to ask his still-blushing maid what happened, Xue Bai stood up and ran to his bedroom to look for a change of clothes. He had been waiting to use a sword for a year. He wasn''t going to let it go at thest step.


    With Xue Bai gone, Li Rou looked at Xiao''er with a strong gaze and spoke bluntly, "Xiao''er, it''s okay to love him but know that you most likely won''t be able to monopolize him."


    Xiao''er, hearing this, lowered her head in sadness for a moment but still nodded. She knew that but hearing it from her Idol was still hurtful.


    "I know, Mistress, but I still will anyways."


    Li Rou smiled at that and bent down and patted the maid''s head.


    "Then go on and follow him."


    Unaware of his first romantical interest Xue Bai had already changed outfits and was now running to his parent''s courtyard.


    He was going to practice there as the original practice field was now turned into a forest, making it hard to use a sword.


    Entering, he saw his father once again cross-legged cultivating.


    Xue Feng sending his son opened his eyes.


    "So you''re finally here, huh? Did you enjoy making me wait two and a half hours?"


    "Father, surely you know what happened. It wasn''t my fault."


    Xue Feng did know, but he still needed to keep his act up and only waved it off, saying, "Expect the unexpected. Life is random, and thankfully this random moment wasn''t life-threatening to you."


    "But enough of that. Today will be simple. We are going to find out which sword suits you best." Then, pausing for a moment, Xue Feng turned and pointed to a wall with over a dozen different swordsid out on the weapon rack. "Choose wisely, son. It will follow you for the rest of your life."


    Looking at all the different types of swords, Xue Bai was at a loss for a moment. There were so many options to choose from, and he was overwhelmed.


    There were greatswords the size of doors, shortswords made for duel wielding, and other more unorthodox types like rapiers, scimitars, and one even looked like a straighten-out machete.


    But though there were a lot of options Xue Bai still eventually chose the standard Jian. It was the mostmon type for a reason.


    "So you choose the same as me, huh? Why didn''t you grab one of the cooler-looking ones?" Xue Feng on the side asked.


    "They look cool, but I know they are just as hard to learn, so I''d rather choose the basic sword. If I have talent with another, I can switch, but if I choose an unorthodox one and end up having no talent with it, I''ll have wasted years of time." Xue Bai answered.


    Satisfied with the answer, Xue Feng stood up and spoke, "Well, get ready training starts today!"

 Chapter 30 Getting Beaten Up

    ?Getting Beaten Up


    For the next two days, Xue Feng would teach his son about the basics of swordsmanship. From a simple sh to the parry, Xue Feng would spend those two days drilling them in Xue Bai. And like archery Xue Bai would absorb all the knowledge like a sponge.


    Originally Xue Feng was nning on taking around a week to teach all the basics, but his son''sprehension ability shortened that by five days.


    However, after finding this out, Xue Feng was all smiles and just continued to teach his son with his full effort.


    On the third day, Xue Bai came to his father''s courtyard and saw that Xue Feng was already waiting there. However, this time, he was holding his own sword instead of sitting cross-legged in the field.


    "Father, what are we going to do today?" Xue Bai asked excitedly.


    Xue Bai was right. The sword was the right weapon to use in a cultivation world. Ever since he picked up the sword, he felt something click in his body. Holding a sword in his hand made him feelplete, and when there wasn''t a sword on his body, it felt like he was missing something. Before, he couldn''t feel this feeling as he hadn''t held one before. But after holding one, Xue Bai knew that this was going to be his weapon.


    Sure archery was fun, but at the end of the day, Xue Bai didn''t think he had much talent in that area. Instead, it was hisprehension ability that helped him grow. Whenever he failed, he unconsciously analyzed what went wrong in his head and eliminated failures automatically. But when he used a sword, he didn''t have to think. His body almost moved itself without him having to control it.


    "Bai''er, today we are going to spar a little. I saw that boy Huo Long fight yesterday, and it reminded me of something. That people grow the most inbat. So for the next few days, we are going to spar. Of course, I will suppress my cultivation so you can have a fair chance." Xue Feng exined.


    Xue Bai also agreed with his father, so he readied a stance and waited for a queue to start. However, he didn''t get one, and his father simplyunched at him without as much as a word.


    Deflecting his father''s swing Xue Bai jumped back, "You dirty old man, how dare you sneak attack me!"


    Ignoring the insult Xue Feng once againunched himself at his son, "Your enemies won''t tell you when they''re going to attack, and neither will I. So you better get used to it, Bai''er."


    Xue Bai groaned at that. ''Yes, that was true, dad, but this is my first time fighting. So give me some ck.''


    However, Xue Bai didn''t get to respond as Xue Feng was constantly on him, not giving him a chance to breathe.


    The fight continued on for ten minutes, and to say the least, Xue Bai did not have fun. Though he noticeably got better, his dad was too damn good, and he couldn''t fight back and got pummeled for the ten minutes.


    Xue Feng, without as much as a drop of sweat, looked at his son lying on the ground and said, "You get a minute for your break, then we start again."


    "A minute? You almost worked me to death. At least give me five." Xue Bai retorted.


    "50 seconds left." However, Xue Feng didn''t even respond to the plea.


    Knowing he wouldn''t be able to extend it, Xue Bai instantly sat cross-legend and started to meditate. Being in this world long enough, Xue Bai learned that even though he couldn''t sense Spiritual Qi yet, mediating still helped with fatigue faster than just normal resting. So to quickly restore his stamina, he would meditate.


    Soon after a minute, Xue Fen stayed true to his word and instantly charged right back at Xue Bai after a minute.


    The rest of the day followed that format with 10-minute high-intensity fights. Followed by a minute-long rest. And at the end of it, Xue Bai was on the ground, limp like a noddle. He couldn''t even stand up if he wanted to.


    Not only was he tired as a dog, but his body was battered from all the blows he had to take from his father. Xue Bai thought that with his character in the game that having aprehension that was one of the greatest in the Baishen ne and evenparable to the protagonists. He would be able to contend with his father after a whole day of fighting, but his father was just too damn good at the sword.


    Whenever he felt like he would finally get a hit in, Xue Feng''s sword would almost bend unnaturally and block it. Or if he thought he had blocked an iing attack, it would practically phase through his sword and hit him in the gut. Thankfully the sword was still sheathed, so he only took some blunt damage instead of shes.


    "Since the training will be rough from now on, we will only meet every other day. However, I still expect you to do your daily swings. I will know if you haven''t" After saying so, Xue Feng just sat down and started cultivating there.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "What am I supposed to do about my battered body? I won''t even be able to get up tomorrow, let alone swing a sword a thousand times." Xue Bai asked sarcastically.


    "Ask your mother for a medical herb bath. That should help with the soreness and bruises." Xue Feng answered without even opening his eyes.


    Xue Bai nodded at that and continued to lie down until he regained his breath. After which, he struggled out of the courtyard holding his stomach.


    Of all the ces that got hit, the stomach got hit the most, making him have to hold it just to be able to walk straight.


    After walking in pain for a few minutes, Xue Bai made it to his mother''s courtyard. However, before he even entered, his mother had already exited with a concerned look on her face.


    "Bai''er, what happened to you? You look so beaten up." Li Rou asked with concern.


    "That husband of yours had a great training n for me today." Xue Bai responded through gritted teeth.


    "Oh, then that''s fine. I thought someone had beaten you." The concern instantly left Li Rou''s face.


    "Someone did beat me, though, mother!" Xue Bai cried.


    Hearing that, Li Rou bent down and petted her son''s hair, "He did it to help you, sweetie. It probably hurt him more than you."


    After saying that, she scooped up Xue Bai and went inside her courtyard.


    Though Xue Bai didn''t usually like being carried, his mother was an exception. So he didn''t bother to resist and let her carry him.


    "He told you toe here for a medicinal herb bath, right?" Li Rou asked.


    Xue Bai nodded at that.


    "That''s great. I have a new recipe. Zhou Beizhan got it from the Imperial Capital. Apparently, it was originally from the central continent!" Li Rou said excitedly.


    Alchemy was as fascinating to her as archery, so getting a new recipe excited her.


    Xue Bai didn''t understand her excitement. But he still nodded aimlessly.


    Putting Xue Bai down on a bench, Li Rou went into her bedroom. "Sweetie, wait here. I''ll get the ingredients."


    She soon came back out with a spatial ring and a scroll. "Bai''er, this spatial ring has around a dozen sets of the bath. While this scroll has instructions on how to use it. Give it to Xiao''er to follow."


    Xue Bai nodded at that and, after some more small talk with his mother, left the courtyard to go to his own.


    When Xue Bai arrived at his courtyard, luckily Xiao''er was there, so he called her over and made her ready a bath for him with the ingredients.


    And after taking a nice refreshing bath, Xue Bai immediately chose to go to sleep. He was tired beyond belief after that training session.

 Chapter 31 End Of Training

    ?End of Training


    Xue Bai would still train with his father for the entire month of Huo Long''s visit to the Duke Estate. However, each day the time he would fight would increase. Each day from the original ten minutes would go up 10 seconds until the final day of their visit, where the initial time had increased by half to fifteen minutes.


    On the final day, Xue Bai had grown so much from his original starting point that it was almost unrecognizable. However, still, no matter how much better he got, Xue Feng also had the advantage in the fight. Dictating the flow of the spar and always keeping Xue Bai on the defensive.


    So like any other day, Xue Bai and Xue Feng stood across from each other, waiting for the duel to start. However, unlike other days Xue Feng stood in the middle of a square lined out in the dirt.


    Looking at his father standing so calm in the square Xue Bai was apprehensive about charging at him. Still, from the dozens of sneak attacks he suffered from, Xue Bai learned that it was better to take the initiative, so without waiting for his father to say anything, heunched himself at the man.


    After lunging at his father, Xue Bai swung his sword at his neck in full force. However, Xue Feng dodged it with a small step back. Leaving Xue Bai defenseless mid-swing.


    Not letting that chance up, Xue Feng gave a light kick to Xue Bai''s stomach, sending him tumbling backward.


    "It''s good that you take the initiative, but you still don''t know how to fight well. Only if you are 100% sure that you willnd an attack should you swing with full power. Because if you miss such an attack, you''ll bepletely wide open to a counterattack." Xue Feng exined while his son got up.


    "Come on, attack me again. I promised I wouldn''t move out this square the entire day."


    Xue Bai groaned at that. Since it was their final day of sparing for the near future, Xue Bai asked his father to give himself a handicap. Since Xue Bai hadn''tnded a clean hit in the entire month, they had fought, and he wanted one before they ended off.


    So Xue Feng proposed the square idea, and though it wasn''t what he wanted, Xue Bai agreed to it.


    Giving his stomach a rub to soothe the pain, a little Xue Bai stood back up and started charging at his father with his sword in hand. However, learning from hisst mistake, he didn''t give the first swing his all.


    Xue Bai''s first swing at his dad''s neck resulted in the same asst time, with his dad taking a step back to dodge it. However, the kick didn''te as before Xue Feng could send it out, Xue Bai had alreadynded back on the ground safely.


    "So you can learn? I thought you would be hard-harded like the other days." Xue Feng mocked.


    However, Xue Bai didn''t respond to that. Besides helping him at fighting, his father had constantly been trying to mock him in hopes of helping him get over losing his cool in a battle. While it was very helpful, hearing it was still a little hurtful.


    Shaking off the overwhelming urge to punch his dad in the face Xue Bai this time, swung at his father''s sword instead of a body part.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t as good as his father in swordsmanship, he grew the most in fights like this. So if he couldn''t get a hit in, he might as well use his dad as a whetstone.


    However, after a few shes, Xue Bai heard a cracking sounde from his sword.


    Stunned, Xue Bai jumped backward out of the square to see the problem. His sword had a ring crack on one side. It had splintered throughout most of the sword and was about to make the entire thing crumble.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But there was something odd about this. The sword was made from Dark Iron, a Low Yellow Grade Spiritual Ore, so why did it crack from simple sparing? Though his father was in the Domain Lord Realm, he had suppressed every part of his strength to the mortal level, so how did it crack?


    "You want to know how I did it?" Then, while Xue Bai was thinking, Xue Feng''s voice came from the square.


    "Take a closer look at the crack. If you''re smart enough, you can tell."


    Hearing such a provocation from his father, Xue Bai was determined to figure it out. However, even after looking at the ruined sword intensely for a minute, he couldn''t see anything besides the crack.


    "Look closely at the crack. The answer is there." Xue Feng''s calm voice came from the side.


    "The crack? There isn''t anything there besides a single clean crack down the middle." Xue Bai replied


    It was then he got it. There was only one single crack. Whenever a sword breaks normally, the damage is spread out, resulting in cracks everywhere. But on his sword, there was only one, meaning only one thing.


    "You aimed for the exact same spot on every swing?" Xue Bai asked incredulously.


    Hearing that, Xue Feng smiled, "See, you are smart, just gotta use your head more. And it''s a lot easier than you think. Though I have suppressed my cultivation, my reaction time and dynamic vision are still there. So aiming at your slow sword wasn''t very hard."


    "This is a little trick to help you break your opponent''s weapon even if it''s the same rank. Though it usually doesn''t happen this quick."


    "But why did you do that? We are sparing this meant to help me. Not for you to show off." Xue Bai retorted.


    Xue Feng couldn''t respond to that. His son was right. So he just waved his hand, saying, "Enough of me,e we''ll continue this fight."


    Nodding, Xue Bai went to the sword rack to pick a new sword before going back to the spar.


    For the rest of the day, Xue Feng would teach his son various tactics like the sword-breaking one. However, they all shared one thing inmon. They were only usable on certain asions making Xue Bai think of only one thing. ''Why does father know all of these?''


    Xue Bai also never did get a clean hit on his father. Though he knew himself to be extremely talented, not being able to whack Xue Feng once did bother him a lot.


    However, at the end of it, all Xue Feng said this, "The fact that you could even think about hitting me is a testament to your talent. With just a sword in my hand, even if I suppressed my cultivation, I could still fight someone in the middle stages of the Blood Exchange Realm. Let alone a child like you."


    "Be happy about your progress. It''s already good enough for now, Bai''er. Remember, you only just turned nine a few days ago. With the rate that you''re growing, you''ll probably be just as good as me before you turn twenty."


    Hearing that brightened up Xue Bai''s expression. His father was right. He hadn''t even begun to cultivate yet and was already this strong. So after cing the sword back in the rack, Xue Bai left his parent''s courtyard and went back to his own to take the medicinal herb bath.

 Chapter 32 Saying Goodbye

    ?Saying Goodbye


    Laying in the bath, Xue Bai was in bliss. The new recipe that Zhou Beizhan had bought was not only more beneficial to his adolescent physique but also gave a feeling of pleasure when absorbed.


    He had told his mother about it when he first used it. But she said that it was because one of the ingredients in it was also used to make aphrodisiacs. But thankfully, it was the ingredient that gave the euphoric feeling, not the lust drive, so Li Rou marked it safe for him to use.


    The only downside was that since it was easier to absorb, the bath ended faster as a result. So after about ten minutes, the originally green-colored bath water had turned back into clear spring water.


    Though he was saddened it ended, Xue Bai still got out of the bath. Then, having a towel ready right next to his bed, Xue Bai started to dry himself.


    "Xiao''er, bring me a change of clothes!" Xue Bai yelled outside.


    He knew that she was waiting outside for him.


    And sure enough, her voice came from outside, "Which outfit would you like, Young Master?"


    "Bring me the light blue one with the snowkes on it." Xue Bai answered.


    Out of all of his outfits, he liked that one the most. Everything about it matched his tastes, from thefort it gave while he wore it to its color.


    After receiving the order, it didn''t take long for Xiao''er to return with the aforementioned outfit.


    But, unlike usual, she didn''t leave immediately and let Xue Bai change by himself.


    "Xiao''er, you can leave now. I''m going to change." Xue Bai reminded.


    However, Xiao''er still didn''t leave. Instead, a fidgety and anxious look appeared on her face. This was somewhat rming to Xue Bai because in the nine years that he had known her, she never lost her cheerful look.


    Concerned Xue Bai asked, "Xiao''er, what''s wrong with you?"


    At first, she didn''t respond, but after hearing some more concerned words from Xue Bai, Xiao''er mustered up her courage and asked what had been weighing on her mind.


    "Young Master, will you always need me?"


    Thinking for a moment, Xue Bai then responded, "Maybe not forever, but I will need you for a very long time Xiao''er. So for the foreseeable future, I will need you."


    However, that was the wrong answer as Xiao''er started to tear up after hearing that.


    "Why? Are you going to throw me away, Young Master?" Xiao''er asked with tears glistening in her eyes.


    Stunned, Xue Bai didn''t know what to say. He had just wanted clothes, and now naked in a towel, he had to deal with his maid crying her eyes out.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t sure how to calm down a crying woman, he knew the basics and started to say what she wanted to hear.


    "Xiao''er, I will still have you by my side even if I don''t need you. What I meant by not needing you is when I get stronger than you in the future. When I do, you don''t have to protect me anymore and can live your life peacefully by my side."


    Those words seemed to help the maid''s conflicting emotions a bit. However, there still was some doubt remaining in her eyes.


    "You''re not lying to me, right, Young Master?"


    "Of course, why would I lie to you? Besides mother and father, I''ve been with you the most. How could I abandon you? I''m not a heartless monster."


    After hearing that, a smile appeared on the maid''s face. So wiping away her tears, she said, "Then, while you still need me let Xiao''er do these simple things."


    Hearing her phrase it like that, Xue Bai couldn''t refuse. And though he was sure that he had fallen into a trap from the beginning, fearing she would cry again if he pointed it out, Xue Bai let it slide.


    After letting Xiao''er change him, Xue Bai raced off to the inner region. Today was the day that the Huo n members would leave the Duke''s estate and go back home.


    Xue Bai wanted them to stay a little longer. However, Huo Long would undergo his first attempt at awakening his Martial Veins soon, and his father wanted to create arge event out of it. So he called them back home, saying that they could always return.


    Since it wasn''t too far away, Xue Bai arrived rtively quickly at the barracks.


    Though Huo Long was only with the soldiers for a month, with his talent and tenacity, he gained a very good reputation there. Bonding with a lot of the soldiers there. Especially with his uncle being amander, many people assumed that Huo Long would be one in the future as long as he awakened a High Yellow Martial Vein. So with no one wanting to offend the potential Commander, they all built good rtions with Huo Long, hoping it would bear to fruition in the future.


    The matter of Ye Fei was also forgotten, with only themanders really knowing what happened to him. Xue Bai''s parents also knew what had happened. However, since Ye Fei was only a squad leader, they left the punishment to themanders.


    Xue Bai only learned what happened recently, and knowing it made him smile.


    Themanders decided to cripple Ye Fei and banish him from Snow Wind City graciously. Normally something of that seriousness would be grounds for execution. Though the family was declining, Huo Long was the heir to a Marquis, while Ye Fei was amoner.


    However, throughout the entire trial, Ye Fei looked at Huo Long with a look of pure hatred, even when Huo Long asked for him only to be crippled.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''This is the perfect setup for a viin! Even if I messed with the plot line, he would still get stepping stones along the way.''


    Learning about that was very helpful to Xue Bai, and he wrote it down in his journal.


    "Brother Long, have you packed everything up?" Xue Bai asked.


    Huo Long was the center of attention at the entrance of the barracks, but after seeing Xue Bai walk up, the surrounding soldiers all parted.


    "Young Duke, you don''t have to call me Brother Long." Huo Long said awkwardly. After about two weeks into his stay, he could tell that Xue Bai was trying to be friendly with him. Though he wasn''t sure why he still felt undeserving of the friendship, so he tried to make Xue Bai continue to call him Huo Long, but to no avail.


    Though Xue Bai noticed this, he ignored it, saying, "You''ve lived in my home for more than a month. So calling you brother is something natural."


    "Then why not call Huo Yao, brother?" Huo Long retorted.


    Xue Bai didn''t answer this and merely coughed in response.


    "Enough of that, Brother Long. You still didn''t answer my question."


    "Yes, me and Huo Yao are already prepared to leave. We are waiting for Sister Siyan toe."


    Xue Bai nodded. Huo Siyan surprised him during her visit here. She had shown incredible talent in archery, which was surprising because, in the game, she had only used a sword.


    And besides Huo Siyan''s talent in archery, Li Rou also loved her personality, so she let Huo Siyan stay with her throughout the stay. However, she wasn''t epted as a disciple, sadly, as the girl''s talent was too low for Li Rou''s criteria.


    As the two were talking about Huo Long''s stay, a voice came from behind.


    "Sorry for making you wait, Young Duke, Brother Long." Huo Siyan had arrived.


    "It''s fine, Sister Siyan. The Young Duke and I were having a nice conversation." Huo Long replied, which was followed up by Xue Bai''s nod.


    "Well, now that you''re here, Siyan, we can finally leave." After sensing Huo Siyan arrive, Huo Chen strolled out from the barracks, ready with his mount.


    After seeing their ridee, the group of three walked over to leave.


    "Goodbye, Young Duke. We will keep this favor engraved in our hearts." Huo Siyan thanked with a slight bow.


    Huo Yao, still afraid of Xue Bai, only bowed deeply before hopping on the Bear Griffen himself. Of the three, he had the most gains from this trip. Huo Yao had arrived at the Duke''s estate at the 7th stage of the Blood Exchange Realm but now was at the 1st stage of the Muscle Nourishing Realm.


    Huo Yao had bet with some soldiers and won their resources, allowing his cultivation to skyrocket three stages in the month he stayed.


    Lastly, Huo Long gave Xue Bai a deep look before saying, "Young Duke, while I don''t know why you insist on calling me brother, at this point, I feel disrespectful by not reciprocating. So if we meet again, I''ll call you Brother Bai."


    After saying so, Huo Long turned around and went over to Huo Chen to be lifted onto the mount.


    ''Yes! It worked! Though he''s suspicious, it still worked! Now I just gotta trick him into bing sworn brothers.'' Xue Bai''s mind was rejoicing


    However, on the outside, he kept a calm face waving at the Bear Griffen that was flying away.


    After the mount was out of sight, Xiao''er on the side spoke, "Young Master, why do you want to be brothers with that Huo Long so much? While he is the heir to a Marquis Family, their family is declining."


    "Xiao''er, you must never bully the poor youth!"


    Not knowing how to respond, Xiao''er changed the subject, "Young Master, I heard that Duke Yan gave birth to a beautiful daughter that''s your age. Why don''t you try and be friends with her?"


    ''Stupid woman, how dare I steal the Protagonist''s future wife. I want to be a God, not die in my twenties.''


    "I don''t wish to look for a woman this early on. I want to focus on cultivating for now."


    Slightly annoyed at Xue Bai dodging her questions, Xiao''er asked again.


    "Young Master,e on, tell me what''s so special about that kid."


    "You''ll know in the future, Xiao''er. Until then, I''m leaving you in the dark." Xue Bai responded mysteriously.


    Annoyed at the response, Xiao''er humphed and turned around, leaving Xue Bai by himself.


    Seeing his maid back with her signature look Xue Bai smiled and thought. ''This world is great!''

 Chapter 33 Huo Longs Awakening

    ?Huo Long''s Awakening


    After Huo Long''s departure, nothing significant would happen in Xue Bai''s life for almost another year.


    As per tradition in The Great Xuan Empire, noble heirs at the age of nine would undergo etiquette training to prepare for when they would seed their parents.


    Usually, heirs would go to a school in the capital for it. However, Xue Bai was a Young Duke, so he asked his father to invite a teacher to the Dukedom instead of going to the capital.


    Though it was an odd request, as it would be hard to build connections without going to the Imperial Capital, Xue Feng assumed his son''s shut-in nature wasing out again and agreed.


    The reason why Xue Bai didn''t want to associate with the nobles of The Great Xuan Empire was simple. He didn''t like any of them.


    Though his only knowledge of them was from the game, they were all horrible people from what he knew there. Every single heir was always plotting and backstabbing at every moment. And Xue Bai wanted nothing to do with that.


    The only good people in The Great Xuan were Duke Yan and his n and his father''s other subordinate, Marquis the Zhang n.


    But as the Young Duchess of the Yan n was Huo Long''s future wife, Xue Bai didn''t want to get anywhere near her for fear she would fall in love with his looks.


    While the Zhang n were Martial Fanatics who idolized strength more than anything. And with Xue Bai still not able to cultivate, it made them very hard to get along with.


    Thankfully Xue Bai''s father was a Duke, so Noble heirs would still try and build connections with him even if he didn''t leave his Dukedom.


    His etiquette teacher was a schrly-looking middle-aged man that always walked around with an ink brush and paper as if ready to paint a masterpiece at any moment. He always dressed in Confucian robes, too, which made Xue Bai think.


    ''Did Earth get Confucianism from here or the other way around.''


    However, without any solid leads, Xue Bai only wrote them down in his journal to remember in the future.


    On another note, while Xue Bai was studying tirelessly at home, Huo Long sessfully awakened his Low ck Grade Martial Veins, shocking the continent.


    There were eight young geniuses currently on the southern continent with Low ck Grade Martial Veins. Equally split up between the four major forces, so an heir to a fallen Marquis n awakening one hadpletely broken the bnce.


    However, the continent was still in store for surprises. After The Emperor personally inspected them to make sure the ims were true, he discovered that besides being Low ck Grade, Huo Long''s Martial Veins also had a Fire Elemental affinity.


    After hearing that, the other three forces all started offering olive branches to Huo Long, wanting to recruit him even if it meant angering The Great Xuan Empire.


    And after a long bidding war, just like in the game, Huo Long chose Wushen Academy.


    His choice was simple. He didn''t use a sword crossing out the Soaring Sword Sect. The 100 Flowers Sect only sent an invitation as a formality and didn''t want him, so Huo Long crossed them out as well. And Huo Long didn''t want to stay in The Great Xuan Empire as he knew that his enemies would always be around him if he did.


    So Wushen Academy was his only real choice.


    Xue Bai also visited the protagonist before he left for Wushen Academy and got Huo Long to call him brother, which brought a smile to his face.


    After Huo Long left, Xue Bai''s life descended into a peaceful time. However, he knew that this calm period was going to be rare in the future, so Xue Bai enjoyed it as much as he could.


    It was only after his tenth birthday that Xue Bai could finally start the beginning of his n.


    The Celestial Void Fruit only needed a week until it would ripen.


    With Xue Bai''s authority as a Young Duke, he had evacuated the town near where the Fruit would ripen. Xue Bai had staked his entire future on the Fruit. He wasn''t taking any chances with it.


    Xue Bai also nned to pick the Fruit himself. Though he wasn''t exactly sure how fate worked, he guessed that he should be the only one able to pick that Fruit without any repercussions. Moreover, since none of the "Children of the ne" have awakened yet, he should currently have the highest fate value in this world.


    However, Xue Bai still had a problem, how would he let his father allow him to go to where to Fruit was?


    The Fruit was even further away from the Dukedom than Frontier City, and convincing his mother to let him go there was enough of a headache.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But this matter was as important as his life, so Xue Bai mustered up his courage and went to his father''s office. Resolved never to leave until Xue Feng said yes.


    "That little quarantine in the sticks you made me order? If you want to go, you can just make sure to bring the Wang Twins with you." Xue Feng responded calmly.


    Xue Bai was stunned. He had prepared almost twenty minutes'' worth of counterarguments, and his dad said yes on the first attempt.


    "Father, you''re not even going to think about it? You haven''t even looked up from your paperwork." Xue Ba couldn''t help but ask.


    Raising his head, Xue Feng replied, "Don''t you want to go? Why are you asking me to reconsider?"


    Xue Bai quickly covered his mouth and smacked his forehead.


    ''Idiot, you got what you wanted. Just go''


    "Thank you, father!" Xue Bai yelled before he ran out of the office.


    After Xue Bai left, his father also got up and left the office and made his way to Li Rou''s courtyard.


    "Rou''er, did you hear our conversation." Entering the courtyard, Xue Feng asked.


    "Yes, I heard it. It''s about the second entry in Bai''ers journal." Li Rou answered.


    "Do you think that there is actually a Low Heaven Grade Natural Treasure there, Rou''er?"


    "That Huo Long, Bai''er wrote about did instantly be a rising star in our continent. So most likely, it''s true."


    Xue Feng nodded at that, but there was still something he was confused about.


    "But there is one thing that confuses me. The second entry was a Natural Treasure of the legendary Heaven Grade. So why would Huo Long, a kid with only a Low ck Grade Martial Vein, be written above it?"


    However, Li Rou only shrugged her shoulders at that question. The only reason they knew about these two things was because of their snooping. And even then, they didn''t know the ins and outs, only names leaving them halfway in the dark.


    "Well, enough of guessing which one of us is going to follow him." Xue Feng asked.


    "I''ll go. You have to watch the Dukedom, and if you leave, people will notice." Li Rou offered.


    Xue Feng agreed with his wife''s decision, but he still reminded, "Don''t let him know you''re there. It would be best if Bai''er told us himself about his memories. If he found us to be stalking him, it would destroy his trust in us."


    Still unaware of his parent''s suspicions of him, Xue Bai had already barged into the Twins'' courtyard and ordered them to follow him to the outskirts of the Empire.


    "Young Duke, why must we go so far away?" Big Wang couldn''t help but ask.


    "Yes, Young Duke, we are getting closer to the Law Manifestation every day. Taking us away will only dy us." Little Wang seconded.


    "I have spoken, and you both will follow me. We are leaving in the hour. Ready your things." However, Xue Bai ignored their pleas and ordered.


    Seeing they couldn''t escape their fate, the Twins got up from their meditation mats and walked out of the courtyard. Everything of use to them was already in their spatial rings.


    "Young Master, how are we going to get there?" After leaving the Duke Estate, Little Wang asked.


    "Go get your mount. Father gave me permission to leave, so it''s fine for you to bring her out." Xue Bai answered.


    Nodding, Big Wang went to get his Bear Griffen from the enclosure. Quickly returning, the group of three flew off toward the outskirts of the Empire.


    ''The First step of my ascension is almostplete!''

 Chapter 34 Rebirth Protagonist Xiao Mo, Step 1 Complete

    ?Rebirth Protagonist Xiao Mo, Step 1 Complete


    "Big Wang, I gave you the coordinates. Wake me up when we are close to it." Xue Bai ordered before closing his eyes.


    However, he wasn''t nning on sleeping yet as he had just remembered something extremely important.


    The Celestial Void Fruit he was about to pick was something originally picked by a random genius in the original timeline. However, during the game, it was stolen by one of the protagonists. Specifically a protagonist of the rebirth troupe.


    The game "Children of the ne" had five protagonists, each with a different troupe. Huo Long had the Ring Grandma troupe, while this one had the advantage of being reborn 40 years into the past back into his teenage body.


    The Protagonist''s name was Xiao Mo, originally a medicine boy from a sect in the Barren Lands of the Eastern Continent. However, he was chosen to be a follower of the sect''s Holy Son and soon followed him throughout his journey.


    But with his mediocre talent, Xiao Mo soon realized that if he wanted something in life, he had to snatch it himself. And so he became a menace to his Master, stealing his chances, using his name to pressure others, and other horrible things. But through this, he eventually overcame hisck of potential and gained a Middle ck Grade Martial Vein.


    After this, he managed to overtake his Master in strength and kill him. Finally, overthrowing the ve seal that he was branded with. Now with his new potential, he would soon take over the Eastern Continent and live thevish life of an Emperor.


    Growing overconfident and tired of the weak Eastern Continent, he made his way to the central continent, where he realized the unfairness of the world. He was once again taken as a ve to a sect in the sticks of the Central Continent. However, this time he would die in the sect of old age, never being allowed to fulfill his wishes.


    But he was reborn once again in the past, with his memories of the future. And with this, he would send the game into chaos.


    Of all the protagonists in "Children of the ne," he was the one Xue Bai was wary of most. Because of the five, they were all either nice people at heart or arrogant enough to put nothing in their eyes.


    However, Xiao Mo was the opposite. Living a life as a ve had twisted his mentality, and he now lived with the motto, "My way or the highway."


    He wanted the entire Baishen ne to be under his control, and with Yggradsil in his possession, he had the means to do so.


    Through most people''s ythroughs, he was the Final Viin in "Children of the ne," and the only way to kill him was to stop him in the early stages. Once he got Yggradsil and other Treasures from his memories, he would be almost unstoppable.


    Xiao Mo would also steal this Celestial Void Fruit in the game, but he would only do so in a few decades. Leaving Xue Bai with plenty of room.


    But what Xue Bai was worried about was a Luck Bacsh because he wasn''t sure what timeline he was in currently. He knew that Xiao Mo would awaken his memories in this one, but whether the fruit was already fated to be his or not was pressuring Xue Bai into giving it up.


    But Xue Bai knew that Xiao Mo wouldn''t spare him even if he didn''t get this fruit.


    As a control freak, Xiao Mo hated something he didn''t know about or couldn''t control. And with Xue Bai being an anomaly, Xiao Mo would kill him the first chance he got.


    Hoping that Xiao Mo wasn''t fated to get the fruit in this timeline was Xue Bai''s only hope.


    Xue Bai had already stolen Yggradasil from him, and there was no more reconciliation between the two. Neither wanted Yggradasil''s abilities to be known by the world.


    He and Xiao Mo would meet eventually, but until then, Xue Bai would prepare himself while stopping as many interceptions as possible.


    Remembering Xiao Mo also reminded Xue Bai of the second Protagonist on his continent. Finally, after two and a half years of being in this world, he had found her traces. But Xue Bai had bigger ns for the girl, so he left her to her own devices, leaving only a shadow guard to ry important news.


    Xue Bai soon fell asleep on the mount, bringing his messy mind to a calm state. Unfortunately, this ce was even further than Frontier City and would take almost 30 hours to reach on the Bear Griffen. However, with his past life experience, Xue Bai had developed a skill that could easily let him sleep for most of the day.


    Which worked just as well in his new life as Xue Bai was woken up suddenly by Big Wang.


    They had arrived.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Young Duke, I''ve arrived at the coordinates you gave me, but where do we go next? There isn''t a town for miles. And the closest one is abandoned." Big Wang asked.


    "No need, Big Wang, our goal is right in front of us." Xue Bai spoke with glowing eyes.


    In front of Xue Bai was a small nt that was only about three feet tall. Much shorter than the 4''2 Xue Bai. However, what made it special was an apple-sized fruit hanging on it. Surprisingly the small fruit was so heavy it had made the nt bend to support its weight.


    It was, of course, The Celestial Void Fruit. Currently, as it wasn''tpletely ripe, it hadn''t gotten its signature purple hue and was stuck with a dark blue shade. But Xue Bai had waited almost three years for this thing. So he could wait a little longer. The only reason he hade a week early was to prevent any mishaps from happening.


    "Big Wang, set up a concealing array around us. Make it about 30 meters in diameter. Then, little Wang set up camp for us. We''ll be here for a while." Xue Bai gave the two orders beforeying down on the Bear Griffen.


    He nned to sleep on it. How could he, a Young Duke, sleep on the cold forest floor when there was a fluffy and docile behemoth here begging for him to sleep on it?


    Obeying Xue Bai''smand, the Wang Twins both quicklypleted their orders before sitting down cross-legged and cultivating.


    Though the Spiritual Qi here was thin, with how close they were to the next realm, any Spiritual Qi was helpful.


    Days quickly passed with Xue Bai either sleeping or ying various card games with the Twins to sate his boredom. Until finally, it was the day of its ripening.


    "Big Wang, do you have the case ready?" Since Xue Bai couldn''t eat the fruit immediately, he had brought with him a case that could hold the Celestial Void Fruit without letting any of its essence leave it.


    "Yes, Young Duke. Here you go. Just be careful with picking the fruit." After handing the case to Xue Bai, Big Wang backed off per his previous instructions.


    With the case in hand, Xue Bai started slowly walking towards the fruit, waiting for the Spatial Pulse. Though no one under the Immortal Great Realm could sense spatial fluctuations, with how close Xue Bai was, he would be able to feel it blow past him.


    It only took a few minutes before it happened. A st of purple light emitted from the fruit before fading into nothingness a few feet into its flight. The Celestial Void Fruit had turned entirely purple and had ripened.


    Not wasting any time, Xue Bai picked the fruit and ced it into the case. Fearing that something might go wrong if he wasted any time.


    After the fruit was secured, Xue Bai looked up at the sky to see if anything had happened. But even after ten minutes, no lighting came down, bringing the ordeal to an end.


    "Wang Twins, let''s go home. Our mission here isplete." Then, after calming his uneasy heart down, Xue Bai ordered.


    "Young Duke, what exactly is that fruit?" Big Wang couldn''t help but ask.


    Hearing that question, Xue Bai had many answers to it in his mind. Unfortunately, most of them were sarcastic. However, he ignored all of them and responded with the most precise.


    "It''s our hope, Big Wang. This fruit is the start of me and the only hope of survival." Xue Bai spoke emotionally.


    Dumbstruck at such a serious answer, Big Wang wanted to ask another question, but Xue Bai spoke once again, shutting him up.


    "Big Wang, I miss my parents. Take us home at full speed."


    "Yes, Young Duke!" Putting his questions to the back of his mind, Big Wang ordered his mount to fly towards the Dukedom.


    ''Step 1 isplete. Now for step 2!'' With everything going right for him now, Xue Bai couldn''t wait for the future.

 Chapter 35 A White Lie

    ?A White Lie


    With Big Wang''s piloting skills and permission to fly at full speed, the originally 30-hour flight turned into a twenty-five-hour flight.


    This time Xue Bai was awake during their arrival, so Big Wang didn''t have to wake him up.


    Afternding outside the Duke Estate, Xue Bai, after being let down from the mount, instantly ran to his room without even responding to the soldiers weing him home.


    Nothing mattered more than to secure the Celestial Void Fruit. He had only just turned ten a month ago and had to wait almost a whole year to eat it. So he nned to hide it for the year before he could.


    After he made it to his courtyard, he activated the protection and noise-canceling array behind him.


    "YES! HELL YEA! EAT IT, XIAO MO! WHOSE THE REAL PROTAGONIST!." With no one able to hear his outburst Xue Bai released all the feelings he had held in when he was with the Wang Twins.


    Only after his throat ran dry did Xue Bai stop his cheering.


    After getting a drink to help his now sore throat, Xue Bai went into his room to hide the fruit.


    After a few months of being reincarnated in the Baishen ne, Xue Bai asked his father to build a safe, as he thought that hiding things under his bed was a little too childish.


    The safe was covered in all types of arrays, making it virtually impossible to open with brute force. And ording to Xue Feng, it could even take a few blows from someone in the Early Realms of The Xiantian Great Realm.


    Though Xue Bai thought it was a little too much for a temporary safe, he still used it to hide his journal and other various things that he didn''t want his parents to look at. So after cing the case containing the Celestial Void Fruit in it, Xue Bai locked it up and turned on all the arrays.


    Only then did Xue Bai finally sigh in relief. He had been anxious that he was in the timeline after Xiao Mo''s rebirth. But thankfully, the timeline seemed to be the first time he was reborn, so none of the chances he stole were fated to be his yet.


    This would make the fight between them a lot easier, as he could stop most of the interceptions before they would even meet without fear of a luck bacsh. Halting the protagonist''s growth by a huge percentage.


    As Xue Bai was about to leave his room, his parents walked into his courtyard, both with serious faces.


    ''I guess the Wang Twins already told them. Now, this is the hard part.'' Xue Bai thought to himself.


    Xue Bai wasn''t stupid enough to think the Wang Twins would keep the past week a secret, so he nned to tell his parents a white lie about his memories. Whether they believed his acting or not was only up to chance.


    So taking a deep breath to prepare himself, he walked out of the room to greet his parents.


    Xue Feng was the first to speak up, "Bai''er though we know to give you room to grow. The past week was something extremely odd even by your standard."


    Li Rou nodded at that, continuing, "We don''t need to know what that fruit is, but can you tell us how you know how it would be there? If someone told you, tell us because they could be plotting against both you and us with it."


    After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Xue Bai first asked, "Mother, Father, do you guys remember when I fell and woke up doing something really embarrassing around two years ago?"


    After seeing them nod, he continued, "While I was unconscious, I got these memories. But I was so confused after receiving them that I was questioning which life was real. That''s why I acted so stupid for a while."


    Xue Feng, hearing that had a look of enlightenment. ''No Wonder he didn''t want to go to the Imperial Physician!''


    "But after I sorted them out, I realized that these memories are of the timeline that should happen if I didn''t get these memories."


    At this point, Xue Bai knew he was saying too much, but his parents would constantly be suspicious of him if he didn''t give them something with real substance. So he gambled and pretended to tell the full truth only to be hiding the key detail.


    Li Rou and Xue Feng were stunned after hearing that. The two of them had only thought that Xue Bai had only gained the divination of two events. Not the memories of an entire timeline.


    "Then Bai''er, what happens in that timeline with us?" Li Rou asked tentatively.


    "Nothing actually, we live our life very peacefully. But there''s one downside. Apparently, I''m a cripple. So I never awakened my Martial Veins in that timeline."<novelnext></novelnext>


    The first half calmed Li Rou down, but the second half brought back her uneasy feeling.


    "But you''re so talented at archery and swordsmanship. How could you be a cripple?" Li Rou had visibly be saddened.


    Xue Feng stayed silent, wanting to hear the rest of the story.


    "No, Mother, it''s actually good that I am crippled. If I had inherited my talent from you two, I would at most have a Low ck Grade Martial Vein. But now, I can have something much greater with my memories." Xue Bai consoled.


    Though his parents were hurt by hearing such blunt words, they also agreed. Talent was usually inherited. Xue Bai would almost certainly follow in their footsteps for someone with Peak Yellow Grade Martial Veins like theirs.


    "Then that fruit that you picked from your memories, what rank Martial Veins would it give you." Xue Feng asked.


    Xue Bai lied, "Middle Earth Grade."


    However, even Xue Bai''s lie made his parent''s eyes bulge.


    Xue Feng was even more dramatic, grabbing Xue Bai by the shoulders.


    "Son, you''re not lying to us, right? Our old hearts can''t take this."


    Rolling his eyes, ''Of course, I am lying to you,'' Xue Bai thought.


    But he spoke, "When have I ever lied to you two about something this serious?"


    "Then why haven''t you eaten it already? With talent like that, you could be an Immortal!" Li Rou''s eyes, at this point, had almost turned into stars.


    "Mother, I would die. I''m not eleven yet. My body couldn''t handle the awakening process of the Martial Veins."


    Xue Feng smacked Xue Bai on the head after hearing that.


    "Then what do you think those medical baths you''ve been soaking up for thest two years do." Xue Feng spoke angrily.


    "They strengthen my physique, but what does that have to do with me being ten still?" Xue Bai spoke through tears. Xue Feng put some strength behind that smack making his head sting.


    Frowning at what her husband did, Li Rou grabbed Xue Bai and held him gently, "That is exactly the point, Bai''er. They strengthen your physique. Why do you think some children awaken their Martial Veins at eleven while others can only do so at 15?"


    "A talent issue?" Xue Bai guessed.


    "No, it''s because their bodies aren''t strong enough to bear the awakening process. But you have been soaking up in medical herb baths since childhood. Your physical body at this point should be as strong as someone who just reached the Blood Exchange Realm. You''re well over the minimum strength to awaken Martial Veins." Li Rou exined.


    "Then I can start to cultivate already?" Xue Bai started to look excited.


    Xue Bai transmigrated into this world in thest month of the 969th year. And he would turn eleven in mid-973. That would give him a little under a year and a half until all the protagonists would awaken in 975. But if he could start to cultivate almost an entire year in advance in mid-972, he could prepare so much more in advance.


    Seeing his parents nod, Xue Bai went into his safe and pulled out the Celestial Void Fruit.


    "Father, how strong of an array can you make? I need you to conceal my phenomenon when I awaken." Xue Bai spoke.


    Thinking for a moment, Xue Feng answered, "If I have time to prepare, I can create a Middle ck Grade formation."


    "That''s good enough, then. Set up a concealing array in my courtyard. I don''t want the world to know about what''s going to happen next."

 Chapter 36 The Beginning Of A Legend

    ?The Beginning of a Legend


    It took Xue Feng a few hours to build his best-concealing array, but after he was finished, Xue Bai still didn''t look confident and said to construct a few more.


    The Celestial Void Fruit was a Low Heaven-Grade Natural Treasure, after all. And though Xue Bai wasn''t sure what natural phenomenon it would make after he ate it, it had to be something that wouldn''t dishonor its rank.


    Xue Bai didn''t think that these arrays could mask the phenomenonpletely. He only hoped that whatever did leak out was something they could exin logically. He was afraid not of the people on the Southern Continent but those of the Central one.


    Though they were far away from the Central Continent, if the Phenonomon wererge enough, peak experts would definitely be able to sense it. And after capturing his family, a simple soul search would end Xue Bai''s life.


    So he hoped that it could lower the exposure enough to where it seemed only to be a Low Earth Grade Treasure. That way, it would never reach the Central Continent and only scare the people in the Southern Continent.


    After exining his goal to his parents, they both agreed and would spend the next two days building dozens of different types of concealing arrays in his courtyard. Anything to suppress the phenomenon to its lowest possible output, from noise suppression to camouge arrays.


    "This is thest one I can make, Bai''er. Any more, and I think your courtyard would copse on itself." Xue Feng spoke.


    "Let''s just hope this is enough." Li Rou sighed, "Alright, Bai''er, sit down cross-legged here. We''ll protect you."


    Nodding, Xue Bai sat on a meditation mat he had prepared earlier. Holding the Celestial Void Fruit in his hand, Xue Bai was filled with an odd emotion that he couldn''t describe.


    This fruit would start his cultivation journey. After eating it, he would embark on a road filled with countless corpses, struggles, and peril. But at the same time, he would also find his closest friends and spouse and create a family because of it as well.


    He could also choose not to eat it and live avish life as the child of a Duke. Though he wouldn''t inherit his father''s Dukedom, his next sibling would inherit the Dukedom. And would most likely treat him kindly and let Xue Bai live a prodigious life.


    It was while Xue Bai was feeling the most conflicted when something happened. Both of his parents grabbed his shoulders. Then, turning around to face them, he saw the gentlest looks on their face.


    They didn''t care what decision he would make. They would stand behind whatever he chose, whether he would stay a cripple or embark on the path of a genius destined to tramble on his peers. They didn''t care because, at the end of it, he was still their child, Xue Bai.


    Seeing his parents look at him with so much faith Xue Bai knew he couldn''t let them down. Resolving himself, he ate the fruit in 3 quick bites.


    After eating it, Xue Bai immediately felt something flow within. Every inch of his body was being explored by this unknown gas. From the tip of his toes to the top of his head, the gas flowing inside of him was changing him inside out. It was strengthening his physique in a gentle manner and giving his body the ability to withstand the Low Heaven Grade Martial Vein.


    Xue Bai thought that it would make him feel indescribable pain and had even readied a rag to bite on just in case. But it actually felt euphoric, as if he was ascending from his mortal body into a higher type of being.


    Xue Bai was even changing on the outside. His originally silky ck hair was dying into a purple shade like his eyes. His pupils also soon lost their ck color turning entirely purple like his iris.


    Xue Bai''s metamorphosis took around an hour, during which the entire time, Xue Feng and Li Rou wereser-focused on Xue Bai to make sure everything went right.


    Before Xue Bai ate the fruit, they were apprehensive about it, thinking that Xue Bai was being plotted against. However, after they saw their son change from the inside out, they knew that this was the real deal.


    After his mediation wasplete and Xue Bai opened his eyes, Xue Feng was the first to make eye contact with him. But seeing his son''s eyes look like that almost made Xue Feng want to kneel and prostrate himself to him.


    Xue Bai''s new eyes didn''t look that different from their original ones. However, they seemed to radiate majestic that someone like Xue Feng couldn''t even begin to contend with.


    It was like seeing a baby dragon staring at him. Even though it was still a baby that Xue Feng could crush like an ant, the thought of doing that terrified Xue Feng so much that he thought that the heavens would smite him down if he did.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, after taking a side nce at his father, Xue Bai ignored him and looked up at the sky with an intense gaze.


    "It''sing. Get ready. This is what we prepared for." Xue Bai announced suddenly.


    After saying so, he stood up from his meditation mat and calmly looked up at the sky to witness the phenomenon he had created.


    Hundreds of meters above the sky of the Duke Estate, space severed open. The blue sky had a hole in it, as if someone had shed a sword that severed space leaving only a purple void. In the purple void that radiated emptiness, a slitted eyeball opened itself.


    Peering from above, the eyeball looked down on the Baishen ne with unknown emotions. The eye scanned the Baisehn ne as if looking for something. However, it soon found the target it was searching for, Xue Bai.


    After staring down Xue Bai with enough pressure that it could make the surrounding space tremble, the eyeball started closing and with it the severed space.


    However, a sentence rang in Xue Bai''s ears before the space was closed entirely.


    "You''ve inherited a path belonging to a descendent of mine. Honor him well, or you''ll be doomed for eternity!" The voice sounded archaic and was filled with majesty. However, Xue Bai couldn''t tell which gender was saying those words, as if something was stopping him from remembering the pitch it sounded in.


    After hearing the archaic voice, Xue Bai cupped his fists and bowed to the space above. He didn''t know if the eye could still see him, but he still thought to honor it. The Celestial Void Fruit would be the start of his legend, and the person who allowed him to eat it deserved his respect and thanks.


    After the eye disappeared and the space healed, a purple-colored gas also descended from the sky and slowly moved towards Xue Bai, seemingly ignoring every object in its path.


    At first, Xue Feng and Li Rou thought it was dangerous and stepped in front of Xue Bai, wanting to protect him, but Xue Bai waved them off.


    Xue Bai knew that this was the true baptism from the eyeball. The Celestial Void Fruit itself wasn''t a High Tier Natural Treasure. Instead, it carried a marker that, when ingested, would give you the Low Heaven Nature Treasure. That was the only reason he could carry it casually and even contain it, as even treasures of Earth Grade would develop a minor form of sentience and try to defend themselves. Let alone something in the Heaven Tier.


    So Xue Bai sat back on the mat and opened his mouth to suck up the gas that floated next to him. And after he sucked it in was when the indescribable pain he imagined came.


    His body felt like someone was putting wires throughout his entire body. But Xue Bai knew that these were the Martial Veins. For them to truly help him cultivate, they needed to run throughout his body, like his normal veins.


    Prepared, Xue Bai stuck the rag he had prepared earlier into his mouth and epted the pain with relish. This pain was something that would help him ascend. This pain was the beginning of his legend. If all he had to do were endure for a few minutes and be a genius rivaling a "Child of the ne," he would ept it.


    He needed to kill Xiao Mo, and if he couldn''t even handle some physical pain, how would he contend with the Final Boss of his world?


    Xue Bai bit down so hard that he almost ripped right through the rag. The resolution on his face was so profound that even his parents wondered what he was thinking about. However, he ignored everything and focused on the pain surging through him.


    Xue Bai was repeating the same words in his head over and over again to the point where he didn''t know how much time had passed. But only realized that the pain had subsided.


    Taking the shredded rag out of his mouth Xue Bai opened his eyes to look at the world that had changed in front of him.


    In front of him, the world had gained a newyer that he couldn''t see before. The colors were brighter, and the air was glistening.


    "So this is Spiritual Qi, huh?" After saying so, Xue Bai passed out.


    "BAI''ER" Were thest words he heard as he saw both his parents shout as they rushed to catch him.

 Chapter 37 Vein Transformation Fruit

    ?Vein Transformation Fruit


    Xue Bai would spend the next four days unconscious.


    But While he was in aa, he spent the four days living through his first life but in the third person. He didn''t know what made him astral project, but he was thankful for it.


    Living in the Baishen ne for the past two years had already made the faces of his parents be vague. But now, living his life again, he could see them once again, and maybe for the final time.


    From the moment he was diagnosed with ALS to when he was gifted "Children of the ne," Xue Bai watched his life calmly without thinking much about it. However, as watching it again for the second time, he noticed his mother''s oddity.


    When he lived his first life, whenever he saw his mother, she always seemed like a bundle of joy. Laughing and bringing color to his world. However, now, seeing his mother again, he knew that it was all a mask. Her expression looked forced, and she always had red eyes from most likely crying to herself before entering his room.


    However, no matter what, she would never even frown once she came into his room. Whenever she was in Xue Bai''s room, she was his sun, and no negative emotion ever came out of her.


    If Xue Bai weren''t in a soul-body watching it, he would have already broken down in tears. His mother was the most selfless woman there was. She had birthed him and wanted to bring a child into the beautiful world and hopefully have him care for her in herte age. However, it ended up being the opposite, with her taking care of Xue Bai during his life. But yet, she still chooses to hide her sadness and make Xue Bai smile.


    "Mother, wherever you are, I will find you. I don''t know how long it will take or if you''ll die before I can get to you. But one day, I''ll fulfill my filial duty!" Xue Bai swore in his heart.


    After making that promise, the rest of Xue Bai''s life ended as normal till he saw how he died. It was exactly as he assumed. ALS suddenly broke out in his circtory system, making it impossible for him to breathe, and he died of asphyxiation. The doctors stormed the room as fast as they could, but Xue Bai died before he could be taken anywhere to save his life.


    After seeing his death once more, Xue Bai was only even more resolved to be immortal. Dying once was enough for him.


    Once Xue Bai died again, his vision turned ck, and he soon woke up in a bed in his room. Looking around his room, he saw Xiao''er wetting a rag to keep his temperature low, presumably.


    Xue Bai stood up to try and call her over, but he found that his body was a little weak and he couldn''t even sit up, let alone stand.


    So with a hoarse voice, he called out the maid''s name. And after he did, he saw her visibly shake before turning around slowly.


    Seeing her face shocked Xue Bai, her eyes were red with tears, and she had bags that looked like she hadn''t slept in days.


    "Young Master, you''re awake!" Crying out, Xiao''er leaped towards Xue Bai''s bed, hugging him, afraid he would disappear again.


    "Xiao''er, what happened? I only remember falling asleep after eating the Celestial Void Fruit." Xue Bai asked.


    However, Xiao''er was still hugging him, tears streaming down her eyes.


    "Xiao''er, did you hear me? No way she fell asleep right here?" Xue Bai was stunned. This was so novelistic.


    Having a beauty care for him while unconscious and then falling asleep in hisp after waking up.


    Seeing Xiao''er fast asleep on hisp Xue Bai couldn''t get angry at her, though he never could anyways. So instead of rudely waking her up to ask about his situation, he waited for his parents to notice his awakening. They were keen on these types of things.


    And sure enough, after a few minutes of waiting Li Rou entered the room, soon followed by Xue Feng.


    Li Rou first went to pick Xiao''er up and check on her condition, while Xue Feng went to Xue Bai.


    "Bai''er, how are you feeling right now?" Xue Feng asked.


    "Physically or the changes to my body?" Xue Bai asked back.


    Thinking for a moment, Xue Feng replied physically they could discuss the changes to his body at a different time.


    "I don''t feel anything negative. It''s just that I''m starving and also super thirsty. Also, how long was I asleep for?" Xue Bai answered.


    Li Rou was the one to answer his question this time, replying, "Around four days, we had fed you fasting pills to keep you alive."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though Xue Bai was shocked, he guessed it was around that length from how Xiao''er looked.


    "Can you stand Bai''er?" Li Rou asked.


    Xue Bai shook his head at that. His body was too weak currently. The fasting pills didn''t give him any strength but only kept him alive.


    Taking some food out of her Spatial Ring, Li Rou handed it to Xue Bai, "Here''s some food and water then, Bai''er. Eat and rest well. When you feel like you can move around,e outside. We''ll be waiting for you to discuss your new Marital Veins." After giving his head a pat, his parents left the room.


    Seeing the delicacies in front of him, Xue Bai didn''t wait. His stomach was rumbling louder than an earthquake. With how hungry he was, Xue Bai soon finished the food that his mother gave him, and after downing it with some water Xue Bai fell back asleep, but this time on his own ord.


    Outside his bedroom, Xue Feng and Li Rou sat by the small pond waiting for Xue Bai to wake up again.


    "Rou''er, Do you think the fruit worked?" Xue Feng broke the awkward silence.


    Li Rou held the asleep Xiao''er on herp while she fiddled with the maid''s hair. But after hearing the question, she looked up at her husband.


    "It definitely worked. We both saw the Martial Veins after Bai''er passed out. But whether they are Low Earth-grade is something we need to test when he wakes up."


    Xue Feng nodded at that.


    "Husband, what about the Emperor? What did he say?" Li Rou asked.


    "He said that he woulde to visit. Though I kept denying that we had anything to do with the eyeball, the fact that it was right above us made us the number one suspect." Xue Feng sighed.


    "How long until he arrives?" Li Rou asked tentatively.


    "The Emperor is in the thinking that a Secret Realm has opened near our Dukedom, so he ns to bring Duke Yan and Duke Wang along with him. So the three of them will arrive sometime next week. However, I''m slightly worried when they discover Bai''er. His new appearance isn''t something that can be yed off with cosmetics."


    "I can get Zhou Beizhan to get some hair dye for Bai''er, but what do we do about those eyes? Not only are they eye-catching, but they also give off a majestic aura. The Emperor would feel threatened just being around them." Li Rou spoke.


    Sighing once again, Xue Feng didn''t have an answer to that.


    "We can either hide Xue Bai in his room, iming sickness. However, the Emperor is a suspicious man and would demand to see Bai''er even then. Or we send Bai''er out of the Dukedom." After thinking for some time, Xue Fen spoke out about their only options.


    "Send me out of the Dukedom!" Then, as they were thinking about which to choose, Xue Bai walked out of the room.


    "Bai''er, are you okay to stand?" Since Li Rou was holding Xiao''er, Xue Feng went over to help Xue Bai stand.


    "I''m fine, Father. The food was extremely nourishing. So walking is no problem for now." Xue Bai answered.


    "That''s great!" Xue Feng eximed, "Also, I had cut you off. What were you going to speak about?"


    "Send me out of the Dukedom. There is something else I need before I can cultivate. This appearance of mine will also change once more after I get thisst opportunity. So showing the Emperor my appearance only to change a few dayster will make himpletely suspicious of us." Xue Bai exined.


    Though his parents were unwilling to let him leave, Xue Baiforted them, saying that this was necessary.


    "But before you leave, we will help you gain some strength. Now that you can cultivate, we can give you a gift we have prepared ever since you were 5!" Li Rou said excitedly.


    Under the approval of his wife, Xue Feng took a case simr to the one that once held The Celestial Void Fruit from his spatial ring.


    Opening it showed a yellow fruit the size of only an orange.


    "This Bai''er is the Vein Transformation Fruit! Though it might not be as good as the stuff in your memories, it''s perfect for your situation! Eating it can help you instantly path out all 5 Veins. After that, all you need to do is open up your dantian, and then you can reach the peak of the Vein Transformation Realm!!" Xue Feng exined with pride.

 Chapter 38 Dont Buy! Copy Of A

    38 The Target of a Conspiracy


    The Target of a Conspiracy, The Wang n


    The feeling of entering the cultivation journey was great, and Xue Bai was going to test out his new power, but something unexpected happened that stopped Xue Bai from doing that.


    With his liver connected to his Spiritual Qi vascr system, an excess strand of Spiritual Qi went into his liver, giving it a small evolution.


    And now, significantly stronger than before, the liver finally managed toplete a job it had been wanting to do for years.


    Unaware of what was happening inside of him, Xue Bai stood up to feel his new power, but suddenly he felt a ck ball go up his throat. Thinking it was bile, Xue Bai turned his head to the side to puke it out.


    But instead of the refreshing feeling one would feel after they freed their airways, once Xue Bai saw what exactly he had thrown up, his face turned pale.


    What he threw up wasn''t food, bile, or anything else a human should throw up, for that matter. Instead, it was a worm curled up into a ball.


    The worm in question was blood red, and though it was curled into a ball, you could still tell that it was at least a foot in length when stretched out.


    On the bright side, however, the worm was dead after Xue Bai threw it up.


    "Wait, that was in me?" Seeing himself throw up something so big terrified Xue Bai.


    As his thoughts were reeling from the thousands of questions boiling in his mind, Li Rou''s voice came from behind.


    "Bai''er, what in the heavens did you just throw up?" Li Rou''s eyebrows shot up, and her face was deeply confused.


    However, Xue Bai wasn''t the one to answer. Instead, a furious Xue Feng did. And in a voice that seemed to make the air tremble, Xue Feng started to speak.


    "That''s a Vein Swallowing Worm."


    While Li Rou was much more knowledgeable than her husband, she didn''t have a clear line of sight to the worm and was confused about what exactly it was. But after Xue Feng, who saw itpletely, mentioned its name, Li Rou immediately became distressed.


    "But that''s been banned throughout the Baishen ne by the Righteous Alliance! Only demonic sects would dare to use these!" Li Rou said in a panicked tone.


    "That''s exactly why I''m furious. A mere demonic scum HAS TARGETED MY ONLY SON!" Xue Feng roared in anger.


    Though Xue Bai had guessed what it did from the name, he still asked what it did.


    Xue Feng was still a step away from going insane, but since his son had asked him a question, he decided to stop screaming. And Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, Xue Feng started to exin what they were.


    "They are a special type of Gu that are raised to swallow the premature Martial Veins of children. And their usage is even more sinister. Because in order to cripple a young child, all you have to do is to make a child under 11 swallow it, and as long as the Martial Vein isn''t a realm higher than its rank, the Vein Swallowing Worm will consume it. But the most aggravating thing about it is that it''s almost impossible to detect once swallowed." Xue Feng spoke in an ice-cold tone.


    Xue Bai''s face turned pale after hearing that. But since it had already happened, he steeled himself and asked his follow-up question.


    "Why?"


    "Because it dies as soon as it eats the Martial Vein of the child. Then it dposes by itself and soon be excreted by the child who swallowed it. So you wouldn''t even know you had it the entire time. Only thinking that you were born a cripple." Xue Feng continued.


    Xue Bai understood what had happened to him at this point. How could he not? He had been the target of a conspiracy to ensure that Xue Feng didn''t have an heir.


    And once he looked at the Vein Swallowing Worm once more, it made even more sense.


    "So it being red meant that I had a fire element, Martial Vein?" Xue Bai asked tentatively.


    Li Rou had a fire element Martial Vein, and while it wasn''t 100% guaranteed, most of the time, children would inherit the element of their parents.


    Xue Feng nodded at his son''s inquiry before asking his own question.


    "Bai''er who did this, and don''t you dare tell me that you don''t know or that you''re not sure. I know that you know, and hiding it will only make this matter worse. So you will tell me which demonic scum is plotting against me THROUGH MY OWN SON!" Xue Feng''s anger was almost tangible at this point. And because of that, at the same time, the temperature around them was starting to decline rapidly.


    Even the still-asleep Xiao''er had curled up subconsciously to protect herself.


    Although Xue Bai gained some cultivation, he still couldn''t fully handle the aura his father was subconsciously releasing.


    "XUE FENG! Your son is the victim here! Don''t you dare coerce him!" Then, seeing that the children couldn''t protect themselves, Li Rou yelled back as she put up a shield of Spiritual Qi to protect the two children.


    "Li Rou, I, Xue Feng, can handle any type of viiny, any matter ofbat! But some demonic scum has tried to plot against me through my own son! How can I, as a man, take this!" Xue Feng was riled up even more seeing Li Rou.


    Thankfully just as the two were about to go against each other, Xue Bai answered the question.


    "Duke Wang, I''m almost certain it''s Duke Wang. I didn''t even know this was in me. The memories didn''t include this. The version of me in my memories also thought he was a cripple by fate." Xue Bai answered.


    Each of the four starter continents had its own main viin that one would finally face off with just before leaving for the Central Continent. And the main viins in the Southern Continent Arc, where Huo Long rose, were Duke Wang and his n.


    The reason? They were subordinates of a demonic sect in the Central Continent by the name of the Blood Saber Sect.


    On the Southern Continent, there were three major sects. And each of them was a part of the Righteous Alliance and was consequently a righteous sect.


    So even though they would constantly be at each other''s throats during times of peace, at threat of a demonic sect appearing in their homnd, they would drop all fights against each other to unite against the invaders.


    And like clockwork, every few decades, the Blood Saber Sect would invade the Southern Continent, trying to gain a stable foothold on it.


    This way, they would gain more resources and arger funneling of talented disciples and fodder. They were a demonic set, after all. Using humans as furnaces and blood bags was their signature marker.


    However, after decades of failure and the loss of countless disciples, the Blood Saber Sect became tired of openly trying to expand into the Southern Continent and being targeted by three sects of equal strength.


    So to get around this, they hatched a n by choosing various high-ranking groups and corrupting them, turning them into subordinates to support them when they decided to branch out openly.


    And since Duke Wang and his n were already tainted beyond redeemability, they became the sect''s first target. Also, besides their horrible morals, the Wang n wererge enough to be a supportivebat force but not big enough to alert the three sects.


    Xue Bai knew this, and he also knew that they were the only group of power in the Southern Continent with the support of a demonic sect with ess to the Vein Swallowing Worm. Hence he was 100% certain that Duke Wang was the culprit.


    "Duke Wang! WANG YICHEN, THAT SNAKE-EYED BASTARD!" Xue Feng yelled. He looked as if he was about to leap out of the courtyard and find the man so he could fight him to the death.


    "Father, wait!" Xue Bai quickly yelled out. He didn''t want his father to do anything drastic. So before the man did, Xue Bai exined the entire situation to them.


    "So, what you''re telling me is not to attack the man who ordered to have you to live as a cripple but still stay alongside him like good friends." Xue Feng asked angrily.


    "No, you didn''t let me finish. The reason I never knew that I was plotted against wasn''t that I was oblivious, but instead, the Wang n and their backer got destroyed." Xue Bai continued.


    And while to him, such a thing was normal, once Li Rou and Xue Feng heard it, they were slightly skeptical.


    In order to be a sect on the Central Continent, especially one strong enough to try and branch over to a different continent, there at least had to be a Spirit Fusion realm cultivator within the sect. So how could such a power be wiped out?


    "Which expert did they provoke that''s strong enough to wipe them out?" Xue Feng asked, "Is it another sect from the Central Continent?"


    He was both curious about the answer and skeptical about it all.


    "No, you two have already met the culprit." Xue Bai answered vaguely.


    However, his words confused them.


    "The strongest person we''ve met was the Emperor, and even then, he was only in the Spirit Awakening realm." Xue Feng retorted.


    "He''s not strong enough to do it currently, but he will soon enough." Xue Bai seeing his father calm down from his previous state, decided to tease him and answer indirectly.


    "To destroy a sect on the Central Continent, they would at least need a high ck-grade Martial Vein. There hasn''t been a person born with a Marital Vein ranked that high on the Southern Continent since ancient times." Li Rou answered.


    But since her son looked so adamant, she started to recall all of the people she had recently met in hopes of remembering who their son was talking about.


    Xue Feng was a little sharper, and he easily noticed the smile on his son''s face. Then, knowing that they were getting teased, he grabbed Xue Bai and started to shake an answer out of him.


    Unable to escape his father''s vice grip, Xue Bai eventually yielded and revealed the answer.


    "It was the kid I was trying too hard to be friends with. Remember the Young Marquis Huo Long I brought to the Dukedom for extra training?" Xue Bai confessed much to their disbelief.


    Not believing Xue Bai, both of his parents raised their eyebrows.


    "Bai''er sure he''s talented and has low ck-grade Martial Veins, but that''s still not enough to destroy a sect in the Central Continent."


    "To start even the lowest grade sect on the Central Continent, one must at least be in the Spirit Purification Realm. And even then, that''s far beyond Huo Long''s potential."


    But at their questions, Xue Bai stopped answering. He had revealed too much and even questioned whether it was the correct move.


    The only way to persuade them was to tell them that Huo Long was also a Child of the ne. But even then, it would most likely only make them question whether his memories were really true or not.


    "It''s fine if you don''t believe me, but promise me this. Neither of you will interfere with Huo Long''s life for the next three years. That means any secret protection you''ve put around him, call them back. Also, if you have any ns to meet him again, cancel them. This is as important as my life. He needs to be left alone until the 6th month of 975!" Xue Bai spoke seriously for once.


    That''s when Huo Long would regain his cultivation base and potential. Interfering before that could cause a butterfly effect that could mess up everything Xue Bai nned for.


    Though they were still doubting Xue Bai, his parents agreed. Paying attention to Huo Long wasn''t worth it, so this promise would only save them resources.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    -------------

 Chapter 39 The Target Of A Conspiracy

    ?The Target of a Conspiracy


    Seeing this fruit, Xue Bai recognized it from the game and didn''t need Xue Feng''s exnation. However, seeing the excitement on his father''s face didn''t let him stop the man.


    This fruit was something rtivelymon as it was only a Middle Yellow Grade Natural Treasure. However, it was entirely monopolized by noble ns making it almost impossible to get to people without backgrounds.


    Like Xue Feng said, its purpose would give you enough Spiritual Qi to path out all 5 Veins in the Vein Transformation Realm. But that was only true for the Baishen ne.


    The First Realm in the Human Cultivation System was called the Vein Transformation Realm, and it marked the beginning of the evolution of the Mortal Body by creating a vascture system for your Spiritual Qi.


    In the Baishen ne version, there were six stages, 1 for each major limb and one for the brain, then finally connected all of them while opening up a dantian at their connecting point. However, in the immortal world above, there were ten stages, the six of the Baishen ne along with the Liver, Kidney, Lungs, and Heart. This would create aplete circuit allowing your Spiritual Qi to ess every vital part of your body. However, the Baishen ne version only allowed you to strengthen your limbs.


    The 6-stage Vein Transformation Realm was a downsized version of the Immortal Realm version that would let less talented cultivators cultivate more quicker. But at the same time, blocking any chance for them to reach the Immortal Great Realm, as theplete circuit was needed inter realms.


    How did Xue Bai know this? It was on the forum page for "Children of the ne." One yer befriended Feng Huang, Huo Long''s master, and learned it from her.


    And with the choice between both versions, Xue Bai would choose the second one any day.


    "Bai''er,e and sit down cross-legged. We''ll help you path out your veins." Li Rou beckoned her son over while saying.


    Xue Bai nodded and sat down on the mat, but before he ate the fruit that was handed to him, he warned his parents.


    "The first four vein pathways will be for the limbs, but thest one, instead of going towards my brain, I want you to guide the Spiritual Qi to my Liver."


    Dumbstruck at such a statement, Xue Bai''s parents didn''t know how to react for a moment. Finally, however, Li Rou was the first to speak up as the calmer voice in the rtionship.


    "Is this also from your memories?"


    Nodding Xue Bai exined the difference between the two different cultivation systems.


    Li Rou and Xue Feng were floored at hearing it.


    "It''s such a simple thing. How did no one notice it? Spiritual Qi flows all throughout our body. So why couldn''t we extend our vascr system to our organs as well." Li Rou covered her mouth in shock.


    "The Heart Vein would increase regenerative powers, the Kidneys help remove impurities within our Blood and Dantian, the Liver would help our poison resistance, and the Lungs our Spiritual Qi absorption rate. It''s genius!" Xue Feng mumbled to himself.


    "It''s only a disappointment we can''t do this anymore. If we could, we would have already reached the Xiantian Realm with Yggdrasil''s fruits." Li Rou shook her head disappointingly.


    Over the past two years, the two of them had already regained their cultivation and surpassed it. Currently, they were both at the 7th stage of the Domain Lord Realm. And were still charging toward the Xiantian Great Realm.


    "When I get strong enough to protect the two of you, I can let you recast your foundations, improve your Martial Veins and cultivate along with me! Then let alone the Immortal Great Realm, even the God Great Realm wouldn''t be a dream for you two." Then, as the two were getting depressed, Xue Bai shouted out.


    And just as Xue Bai hoped, his words brought smiles to their faces.


    "You little brat! You haven''t even reached the Vein Transformation Realm and are talking about bing mythical Gods." Xue Feng gave his son a rough pat on his hair.


    "Bai''er, no matter what, you have to focus on yourself. If you fall, no matter what goals you have nned for us will be for naught. Remember, without strength, dreams will stay dreams." Li Rou said lovingly.


    Though he was annoyed at his father, Xue Bai nodded at his mother''s words.


    "Alright, enough talk of the future, Bai''er, eat the fruit." Xue Feng ordered.


    Xue Bai nodded once more and regted his breathing before swallowing the fruit in two bites.


    Immediately he felt a ball of Spiritual Qi flow down his throat and near his naval as if going to an imaginary dantian. Then, just as he was confused about what to do, he heard his mother''s calm voice.


    "Bai''er, you feel the Spiritual Qi in you, right? Now guide that along where you feel my own."


    Suddenly, he felt a second Foreign Spiritual Qi in his right arm.


    Following what his mother said, he willed the Spiritual Qi within him and traced along the path his mother guided out for him.


    However, almost instantly, he felt a searing pain in his right arm. Almost as if someone was branding him from the inside.


    But just as Xue Bai was going cry out in pain, Xue Feng, who was standing idly on the stand, grabbed his shoulders and forced him to be still.


    "Bai''er, you are creating a new veinwork manually. Of course, it will hurt, but if you move and lose focus, you destroy your right arm permanently. Now choose, be a baby and let that cry out or grit your teeth and continue." Xue Feng spoke roughly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though Xue Feng was chastised by Li Rou after, his words did the trick, and Xue Bai held it in and continued creating his first pathway.


    This continued on for the other three major limbs until Xue Bai finally reached the 4th stage of the Vein Transformation Realm.


    "Mother, can you sense where my Liver is? This is something very important, this vein has to connect with it, or something will go terribly wrong." Xue Bai nervously.


    Though he didn''t know what would happen if he missed, as cultivation in the game was almost automatic, he didn''t want to be the first to find out.


    "Yes, Bai''er, you have no resistance to my Spiritual Sense. You''re like an open book to me currently." Li Rou answered.


    "I''ve already guided you to a path. Now trace it, and you should be finished."


    Feeling the new path that his mother created, Xue Bai traced it until he finally connected with his Liver.


    However, as soon as Xue Bai created the liver vein, something unexpected happened. With his Liver connected to his Spiritual Qi vascr system, an excess strand of Spiritual Qi went into his Liver, giving it a small evolution.


    Now significantly stronger than before the Liver started its job.


    After Xue Bai stood up to feel his new power, he felt a ck ball go up his throat. Thinking it be bile, he went to the side to puke it out. But it wasn''t what came out. Instead, a worm curled up into a ball.


    The worm in question was blood red, and though it was curled into a ball, you could still tell that it was at least a foot in length when stretched out. But after throwing it up, the worm was dead now.


    "Wait, that was in me?" Seeing himself throw up something so big terrified Xue Bai.


    As his thoughts were reeling from the thousands of questions boiling in his mind, Li Rou''s voice came from behind.


    "Bai''er, what in the heavens did you just throw up?"


    However, Xue Bai wasn''t the one to answer. Instead, a furious Xue Feng did.


    Xue Feng spoke in a voice that seemed to make the air tremble, "That''s a Vein Swallowing Worm."


    Knowing the name, Li Rou was obviously distressed, "But that''s been banned throughout the Baishen ne by the Righteous Alliance! Only demonic sects would dare to use these!"


    "That''s exactly why I''m furious. A mere demonic scum HAS TARGETED MY ONLY SON!"


    Though Xue Bai had guessed what it did from the name, he still asked what it did.


    Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, Xue Feng exined, "They are a special type of gu that are raised to swallow the pre-mature Martial Veins of children. So you just have to make a child under 11 swallow it, and as long as the Martial Vein isn''t a realm higher than its rank, the Vein Swallowing Worm will consume it. But the most aggravating thing about it is that it''s almost impossible to detect once swallowed."


    "Why?"


    "Because it dies as soon as it eats the Martial Vein of the child. Then it dposes by itself and soon be excreted by the child who swallowed it. So you wouldn''t even know you had it the entire time. Only thinking that you were born a cripple."


    "So it being red meant that I had a Fire affinity, Martial Vein?" Xue Bai asked tentatively.


    Xue Feng nodded at his son''s inquiry.


    "So then, me being a cripple wasn''t an unlucky urrence? But the plotting of someone else?"


    Xue Feng nodded at this as well before asking his own question.


    "Bai''er who did this, don''t tell me you don''t know or that you''re not sure. I know, you know, and hiding it will only make this matter worse. So you will tell me which Demonic Scum is plotting against me THROUGH MY OWN SON!" Xue Feng''s anger was almost tangible at this point. And because of that, at the same time, the temperature around them was starting to decline rapidly.


    Even the still-asleep Xiao''er had curled up subconsciously to protect herself.


    Although Xue Bai gained some cultivation, he still couldn''t fully handle the aura his father was releasing.


    "XUE FENG! Your son is the victim here! Don''t you dare coerce him!" Then, seeing that the children couldn''t protect themselves, Li Rou put up a shield of Spiritual Qi to protect them.


    "Li Rou, I, Xue Feng, can handle any type of viiny, any matter ofbat! But some Demonic scum has tried to plot against me through my own son! How can I, as a man, take this!" Xue Feng was riled up even more seeing Li Rou.


    Just as the two were about to go against each other, Xue Bai answered the question.


    "Duke Wang, I''m almost certain it''s Duke Wang. I didn''t even know this was in me. The memories didn''t include this. The me in my memories also thought he was a cripple by fate."

 Chapter 40 Wang Clan

    ?Wang n


    The main viins in the Southern Continent Arc, where Huo Long rose, were Duke Wang and his n. They were subordinates of a Demonic Sect in the Central Continent.


    The three major sects of the Southern continent were all righteous sects. And though they would constantly be at each other''s throats, at threat of a demonic sect appearing in their homnd, they would drop all fights against each other to unite against the invaders.


    The Demonic Sect was tired of openly trying to expand into the Southern Continent and being targeted by three sects of equal strength. So they hatched a n by choosing various high-ranking groups and corrupting them, turning them into subordinates to support them when they decided to branch out openly.


    The Duke Wang n was their target. They wererge enough to be a supportivebat force but not big enough to alert the three sects.


    And as the only group of power in the Southern Continent with the support of a Demonic sect with ess to the Vein Swallowing Worm, Duke Wang was Xue Bai''s answer.


    "Duke Wang! WANG YICHEN, THAT SNAKE-EYED BASTARD!" Xue Feng yelled. He looked as if he was about to leap out of the courtyard and find the man to fight to the death.


    "Father, wait!" Then, stopping his father before he did anything drastic, Xue Bai tried to exin the entire situation to them.


    "So, what you''re telling me is not to attack the man who ordered to have you to live as a cripple but still stay alongside him like good friends." Xue Feng asked angrily.


    "No, you didn''t let me finish. The reason I never knew that I was plotted against wasn''t that I was oblivious, but instead, the Wang n and their backer got destroyed." Xue Bai continued.


    "Which expert did they provoke that''s strong enough to wipe them out?"


    "Is it another sect from the Central Continent?"


    "No, you two have already met the culprit." Xue Bai spoke, interrupting their barrage of questions.


    "The strongest person we''ve met was the Emperor, and even then, we could fight him to a standstill with our new strengths." Xue Feng retorted.


    "He''s not strong enough to do it currently, but he will soon enough." Xue Bai seeing his father calm down from his previous state decided to tease him and answer indirectly.


    "To destroy a sect on the Central Continent, they would at least need a High ck Grade Martial Vein. There hasn''t been one that high born on the Southern Continent since ancient times." Li Rou questioned as she recalled all of the people she had recently met.


    Xue Feng was a little sharper and saw the smile on his son''s face. Then, knowing that they were getting teased, he grabbed Xue Bai and started to shake an answer out of him.


    Unable to escape his father''s vice grip, Xue Bai eventually yielded and revealed the answer.


    "It was the kid I was trying too hard to be friends with. Remember the Young Marquis Huo Long I brought to the Dukedom for extra training?"


    Not believing Xue Bai, both of his parents raised their eyebrows.


    "Bai''er sure he''s talented and has Low ck Grade Martial Veins, but that''s still not enough to destroy a sect in the Central Continent."


    "To start a sect in the Central Continent, one must at least be in the Spirit Purification Realm. And that''s beyond Huo Long''s potential."


    But at their questions, Xue Bai stopped answering. He had revealed too much and even questioned whether it was the correct move.


    The only way to persuade them was to tell them that Huo Long was also a child of the ne. But even then, it would most likely only make them question whether his memories were really true or not.


    "It''s fine if you don''t believe me, but promise me this. Neither of you will interfere with Huo Long''s life for the next three years. That means any secret protection you''ve put around him, call them back. Also, if you have any ns to meet him again, cancel them. This is as important as my life. He needs to be left alone until the 6th month of 975!" Xue Bai spoke seriously for once.


    That''s when Huo Long would regain his talents. Interfering before that could cause a butterfly effect that could mess up everything Xue Bai nned for.


    Though they were still doubting Xue Bai, his parents agreed. If anything paying attention to Huo Long wasn''t worth it, so this promise would only save them resources.


    "But Bai''er, after knowing this, I must take some form of revenge. If I let them be destroyed by an outsider''s hand while I sat and did nothing, I would never be able to live with myself." Xue Feng refused to let the idea of revenge leave his mind.<novelnext></novelnext>


    His son, his pride and joy, was almost forced to live a life of mediocrity and die a pitiful young death. If he couldn''t avenge that, he wouldn''t be able to call himself a father.


    "I think I know what to do. However, it still has to do with me leaving the Duekdom before the Emperor, and the other Dukese." Xue Bai answered.


    After knowing that his crippling was the n of somebody and not fate, Xue Bai was also angry, but he wasn''t as hot-headed as his father.


    "What do you n to do?" Li Rou asked. For some reason, the look of her son concocting ideas looked creepy.


    "You said the Emperor thinks that there is a Secret Realm opening in our Dukedom, right? I know where one is, and coincidentally thest thing I need is also there. You can lead all the Wang n members you can into the Secret Realm. And I''ll make sure they never leave!" Xue Bai spoke proudly. Even thest part of his statement was filled with a premature form of killing intent.


    Hearing his words, Xue Feng was all smiles, and the two began to discuss their n.


    Seeing the men ignore her, Li Rou was smart and picked up Xiao''er and left the courtyard. Leaving the two to their own devices.


    By the time the father and son duo finished their n, it was night.


    Noticing how fatigued his son looked, Xue Feng stood up and was about to leave. But before he left, he said.


    "The Emperor and the two Dukes will arrive in around 4 or 5 days. So we will spend the next two making sure you have aplete grasp on your powers. Though you might know how the Secret Realm isid out, you still need to be strong enough to protect yourself should something happen to you."


    Though he was tired, Xue Bai still nodded at what his father said. Feeling all the power within him made him giddy with excitement. So waving goodbye to his dad, Xue Bai went into his room to go to sleep.


    As soon as Xue Bai hit his mattress, he fell asleep. Thest day was tiring for him. He had just woken up from a 4-daya, reached the fifth stage of the Vein Transformation Realm, and learned that he was the target of a plot targeting his father.


    For now, all he wanted to do was sleep and ignore all the troubles.


    Meanwhile, While Xue Bai was deep in dreand, Xue Feng and Li Rou were talking about what happened today in their own courtyard.


    "So, do you think Bai''er lied to us?" Li Rou asked.


    "No, Bai''er was never a good liar. I''m sure that everything he said was true. And even without trusting Bai''er, the fact that Wang Yichen and his n are the subordinates of a Demonic Sect from the Central Continent is something I could believe. In the past decade or so, they''ve lost their morals. Have you heard of what his son has been doing recently?" Xue Feng replied.


    Li Rou had obviously heard about Wang Yichen''s son, but she ignored it since he was just a kid. But still, some of the rumors made her fear what he would grow up into.


    "Of course, I''ve heard of them, but still, how many of them do you think are really true?"


    "There''s no smoke without fire, Rou''er. Look at Bai''er. Have you heard of one bad rumor about him? That Wang kid doesn''t look at people as humans. Ever since he awakened his Martial Veins four years ago, something in him had changed. He killed a family because they dressed poorly, ''Hurting his Eyesight'' Rou''er. Those were peasants as well. It wasn''t their choice to dress in rags. And he even did it in the middle of the main city of his Dukedom."


    Sighing, Li Rou knew her husband was right. That wasn''t one of the rumors but something well-known. And it made her think. If he did that out in public, what was he doing behind closed doors?


    "Enough of that demon. What do you n to do with Bai''er for the next two days?" Then, changing the subject, Li Rou asked.


    "Nothing super intensive, just making him know where his limits lie. Testing hisbat power. Simple things. I also want to see just how powerful someone with a Low Earth Grade Martial Vein is." Xue Feng was somewhat excited for tomorrow.


    "If you are going to do just that, then it''s fine but don''t overwork him. If he goes into the Secret Realm injured, his life could be in danger." Li Rou reminded.


    "Rou''er, I love him just as much as you. I''m no fool to send him off somewhere dangerous half-dead."


    "Hmph, just so that you know."


    The two continued to converse until midnight, when they realized howte it was. But instead of sleeping, the two just began to cultivate.


    Since they were in the Domain Lord Realm, they could go many days without sleeping, and meditation at their Realm almost negated their need for sleep. So nighttime for them was spent cultivating.

 Chapter 41 Experimenting

    ?Experimenting


    Since his body was still weak from hisa, Xue Bai slept that day until noon.


    Xue Feng had thought of waking him up early, but he kept thinking of how tired his son looked. So he let Xue Bai sleep.


    At noon when Xue Bai woke up, he sent a message to Xiao''er to bring him some nourishing food along with some water to freshen up.


    It didn''t take long for Xiao''er to arrive with the aforementioned items, but both of his parents hade along with her.


    "Bai''er, youe and eat outside, and we''ll talk while you do." Xue Feng spoke.


    "Yes, Father, just let me freshen up. I still haven''t washed my face." Xue Bai answered while quickly going through his morning routine.


    After brushing his teeth with some mints, Xue Bai left his room and went to the main area of his courtyard, where Xue Feng and Li Rou sat. Xiao''er was also there, but she was kicking her feet in the pond on the side.


    "Why did you guys bothe here? I thought only father woulde." Xue Bai asked as he sat down at the small table that Xiao''er brought for him to eat his food on.


    "He was, but I decided toe here and supervise since I don''t trust him not to overwork you." Li Rou answered.


    Confused, Xue Bai looked at his father for an answer, but Xue Feng only shrugged.


    Xue Feng had promised not to overwork Xue Bai three times, but Li Rou insisted oning. At this point, Xue Feng was thinking she was only using this as an excuse to watch her son.


    And Xue Feng was right. She was. To Li Rou, this was as important as Xue Bai''s first steps. This would be his first time using Spiritual Qi, and she wanted to see it firsthand. But if she said her true thoughts, Xue Feng wouldugh at her, so she used the excuse of watching over Xue Feng.


    Not knowing how to continue that conversation, Xue Bai quickly ate his food while they overwent the n from yesterday. With Xue Bai''s knowledge of the Secret Realm, trapping the Wang n members was easy. And with Xue Feng''s coordination from the outside, it was almost guaranteed that the n would seed.


    After Xue Bai finished his food, Xiao''er took away the table she had brought and cleared the surrounding area for him.


    "Alright, how are we going to test my strength?" Xue Bai asked while doing some stretches.


    "By fighting, of course. How else would you?" Xue Feng said with a smile, "But don''t worry, you won''t be fighting me. Instead, you''ll be sparring with your lovely maid, Xiao''er." Xue Feng announced.


    Stunned, Xue Bai asked precautiously, "But Xiao''er is a mortal. Wouldn''t that be overkill?"


    Xue Bai loved Xiao''er personality and wouldn''t even y rough with her, let alone use her to test his new-found strength. He wouldn''t be able to live with himself if he injured her.


    "Young Master, I am not a mortal. Look!" Xiao''er on the side spoke out.


    As she finished speaking, she took off the cultivation-concealing artifact she always wore. Letting her aura unleash to the fullest.


    Xue Bai was stunned. He didn''t know that Xiao''er could cultivate, and seeing her aura, she didn''t appear to be weak for her age. Xue Bai couldn''t even attempt to gauge her cultivation. So she had to at least be in the Blood Exchange Realm, but even so, she had to be high within it.


    "Are you in thete stages of the Blood Exchange Realm?" Xue Bai prodded.


    "Higher." As Xiao''er said this, she had a smug look on her face.


    "The Peak of the Blood Exchange Realm?"


    "Higher." Xiao''er smile became even smugger as she said it the second time.


    "You''re in the Muscle Nourishing Realm?" Xue Bai asked with some shock.


    "Yes, I am in the fourth stage, to be exact," Xiao''er announced as she let her aura subside. "So I am perfect for you to test your strength."


    Xue Bai was shocked, to say the least. Xiao''er this year was only 16, and to be in the Muscle Nourishing Realm at her age was something rare.


    Huo Yao was 17 when he first came to the Dukedom and was only at the 7th stage of the Blood Exchange Realm. And it was only because of the resources he won from the soldiers he was able to reach the Muscle Nourishing Realm. If not for that, he would''ve probably reached it at 19.


    Yet Xiao''er was only 17 and 3 stages higher than him. That already rivaled some of the fastest geniuses on the Southern Continent, yet she was his maid.


    "Why are you my maid then? Wouldn''t you be a great prodigy in our Dukedom?" Xue Bai asked suspiciously.


    Pouting a bit at the question, Xiao''er responded, "Why can''t a prodigy be your maid? I wanted this job, and I fought hard for it too."


    ''Yes, you can be a maid, but you''ll be a maid. Don''t all prodigies have arrogant hearts? Not bowing down to even the heavens. So why would you want to be a maid?'' Xue Bai thought but, scared of offending the girl, kept it to himself.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I can tell what you''re thinking, Young Master. Why would I want to be a maid as a genius? It''s simple. I don''t like fighting. So as your maid, not only do I get as many resources as if I join one of the three great sects. I also don''t have to partake in infighting, plotting, fights, or even bootlicking. And I even get to be myself and get to serve a cute Young Master like you. What more could I ask for!" Xiao''er spoke proudly.


    Xue Bai was somewhat impressed with her thinking. Xiao''er didn''t like any of the aspects of joining a Sect, so she instead found a cushy job that fit all of her demands but allowed her to get the same amount of resources if she joined a Sect.


    "You''re smarter than you look, Xiao''er. You have my praise." Xue Baiplimented.


    Just as Xiao''er was going to respond to that. Xue Feng finally spoke.


    "Alright, enough of that, you two. Bai''er, you need to find out how your powers work. We are also curious about how your Space Element works."


    Li Rou and Xiao''er nodded at this.


    The different affinities worked simply. For example, Xue Feng had an Ice Elemental Martial Vein, and when he was in the lower realms, he could do simple things like creating icicles and lowering the temperature. But when he reached the Law Manifestation Realm, he could create blizzards onmand.


    "I don''t know where my limits lie, but I can do this." Xue Bai then coated his hand in a purple-colored Spiritual Qi. Then, shing his hand into the empty air, he created a spatial tear.


    Though it was quickly healed by the ne, it still gave no small amount of shock to the three.


    "How was that?" Xue Bai asked


    "Bai''er, that spatial tear, where does it lead to?" Xue Feng asked after heposed himself.


    "I don''t know. Had wanted to crush the mints, but I found it too hard, so I used some Spiritual Qi to help me out, but instead of crushing them, I had diced them into dust." Xue Bai exined awkwardly.


    "This is going to take longer than we thought." Xue Feng sighed.


    Xue Bai, in the game, had a Fire Element Martial Vein as he wanted to be an alchemist. So he knew nothing about the Space Element, much less did the three people with him.


    So they decided that they would spend the rest of the day testing various ideas with the Space Element. And then have Xue Bai spar with Xiao''er on the second.


    The first thing they tested was where did his spatial tear lead to. But since they were terrified of the void, they tested it out with a rock.


    shing open space once again, Xue Bai opened a tear in the air. And behind him, Xue Feng stood ready with a small rock and threw it into the void before the tear healed itself. However, the rock never appeared again, to their confusion.


    They were thinking of various ces it could have gone to until Xiao''er said, "Young Master, do it again. Maybe it also needs an exit point, and the first tear is only an entrance!"


    Since it seemed like a reasonable idea and they had nothing to lose, Xue Bai did it again. And Xiao''er was right. As soon as Xue Bai made an exit, the rock exited. However, it came out in a powdery state. The rock couldn''t handle the void of space.


    "So I can''t transport anything unless they are strong enough to withstand the void. But how strong is the void, and what is the minimum amount of durability something needs to survive in there?" Xue Bai thought aloud.


    "We have a few MIddle Yellow Grade Swords you can use to test it. But that''s the highest you can use. Unfortunately, high Yellow Grade Weapons are hard toe by for us." Xue Feng offered.


    Nodding, Xue Bai took the sword from Xue Feng''s hand and proceeded to do the experiment once more. And the same asst time, the sword came out in a powder.


    "So, Middle Yellow Grade is still too weak, huh?" Xue Bai spoke.


    "It probably needs a minimum of the ck Grade to survive in the void." Li Rou imputed.


    "This also isn''t a very reliable move, as creating the tears needs me to be there. So in order for me to use this effectively, I need to at least be in the Law Manifestation Realm." Xue Bai said.


    Agreeing with what Xue Bai said, his parents continued to test his Element throughout the night, only leaving when Xue Bai hadpletely run out of Spiritual Qi.


    Thinking it was a good spot to finish, Li Rou and Xue Feng made their leave. But before they left, Xue Feng reminded, "Bai''er, you can cultivate now, so you should probably get used to cutting out sleep. So this night, I want you to cultivate throughout it instead of sleeping."


    And without waiting for a refusal, Xue Feng left.


    Though Xue Bai loved to sleep, he knew the best time to cultivate was during the night. So he agreed and went to his room and followed the instructions.


    Closing his eyes and sitting cross-legged on his bed, Xue Bai tried to sense the Spiritual Qi around him. And with his Low Heaven Grade Martial Veins, it didn''t take him very long.


    Confident, Xue Bai then began to absorb all the surrounding Spiritual Qi. However, while he did so, he discovered that his Martial Veins were vacuuming the entire surrounding Spiritual Qi.


    ''So this is why protagonists cultivate so fast. You''d have to be brain-dead not to cultivate fast with talent like this!'' Xue Bai was enlighted.


    However, he didn''t let his concentration slip and continued to cultivate throughout the night.

 Chapter 42 Quick Sparring, Leaving Home

    ?Quick Sparring, Leaving Home


    The enjoyment of getting stronger was so fulfilling that Xue Bai didn''t feel the passage of time and only realized that it was sunrise until he heard Xiao''er knock on his door.


    "Young Master, your parents are waiting for you. I have prepared you some breakfast and things to help you freshen up." Xiao''er announced before she entered the room.


    Reluctantly, Xue Bai opened his eyes. From one night of cultivating, he had already almost pathed out half the way to his sixth Vein, the kidney. So it would only take him around 3 or 4 more days at most to reach the sixth stage.


    This already showed the heaven-defying potential of a Low Heaven Grade Martial Vein. Not only could he reach higher heights, but he also gathered Spiritual Qi like a ck hole.


    For someone with a High Yellow Grade Martial Vein like Xiao''er, it would take her at least three months to do each Vein. Yet he could do them in 3 days.


    Even without obtaining any treasures to speed up his cultivation, Xue Bai could reach the Blood Exchange Realm by the end of the month easily.


    Shaking away his thoughts of invincibility, Xue Bai got off his bed and went to eat his breakfast quickly.


    The usual breakfast of Xue Bai consisted of Meat Buns and some fruit juice. There were more vorful options, but Xue Bai didn''t like using chopsticks much, so the finger food meat buns were his choice for breakfast.


    After he finished eating his breakfast, Xue Bai quickly downed the juice before freshening up. After washing his face, Xue Bai also decided to change his clothing. Yesterday he stayed in sleepwear while they tested out his Space Element. But today, they would fight, and Xue Bai didn''t think he could fight well in sleepwear.


    Finally done with his preparations, he left his room, where he saw his parents talking while waiting for him. However, their conversation stopped as soon as he exited the room.


    "Bai''er, how did you rest?" Li Rou asked gently


    "I''m fine. I think I''ve fully recovered from thata." Xue Bai answered.


    "Hahaha, good good, good. Then are you ready to finally fight like a true cultivator!" Xue Feng asked joyfully.


    Seeing his father look so excited made Xue Bai smile. It was just yesterday that Xue Feng was ready to fight Wang Yichen to the death. But now he wasughing so loud that the branches of the surrounding trees were shaking.


    "Alright, Xiao''er,e here for a moment. Since you aren''t good at controlling your strength, I''m going to suppress your cultivation.." Li Rou said.


    "But Mistress, Young Master knows how to fight. If you even out our cultivation, I''ll be instantly suppressed by him." Xiao''er cried out.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t suppress your cultivation that low. I''m only going to bring you down to the third stage of the Blood Exchange Realm. You''ll have the advantage this way, but Bai''er won''t be beaten too easily." Li Rou consoled.


    Though she was unwilling, Xiao''er still gave Li Rou ess to her dantian by lifting her shirt a little.


    The process was simple, as Li Rou touched the t and pale stomach of Xiao''er and ced a simple seal on her dantian.


    "Alright, that''s good. Now Xiao''er, Bai''er stand in between us." Li Rou ordered.


    Nodding, the two kids got in between them and readied a stance.


    The two were also both bare-handed. Xue Bai wanted to use a sword to spar, but thinking that he should practice hand-to-handbat as well, he decided against it. While Xiao''er didn''t know how to fight whatsoever, so she just nned to use her realm advantage to suppress Xue Bai.


    Seeing them both ready, Xue Feng announced the start.


    Just like he learned from his father, Xue Bai instantly charged at Xiao''er, throwing a punch.


    Xiao''er saw the fisting and took arge step to the right, dodging it with ease. Though her realm was suppressed, her reaction time was still there, giving her an immense advantage.


    Predicting such a move, Xue Bai didn''t waver and instantly followed Xiao''er, not letting hernd safely.


    Panicking slightly, Xiao''er gave a wide kick, not letting Xue Bai get too close.


    Still unfazed, Xue Bai infused some Spiritual Qi into his legs, jumping clean over the kick before unleashing his own to the top of her head.


    Xue Bai knew that his only advantage in this fight was hisbat experience, as Xiao''er was the definition of a greenhouse flower. So he nned to keep her constantly on the back foot by attacking constantly.


    Which worked as to be able to respond to the overhead kick, Xiao''er had to jump back once again to avoid it.


    She didn''t like fighting and was afraid to hurt Xue Bai, so she instinctively looked to escape rather than counterattack.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This continued on for almost ten minutes, where the entire time, Xue Bai had Xiao''er constantly on the back foot. But still, with her superior reaction time and cultivation advantage, she would easily dodge all of his moves.


    Tired of chasing her around his own courtyard, Xue Bai stopped.


    "Father, can we just bring a foot soldier for me to fight? Xiao''er obviously doesn''t want to fight me, and honestly, neither do I. She looks like a defenseless sheep every time I almost hit her." Xue Bai asked.


    It was quickly seconded by Xiao''er, who nodded profusely.


    "No, no one can see your new appearance and that you can cultivate. Not only have you started cultivation a year early, but you are already at the peak of the Vein Transformation Realm. This would be too groundbreaking for the Continent." Xue Feng instantly refused.


    "Then how about I leave early and fight some demonic beasts? The secret realm is some distance away, and I can use the trip there as a tempering experience while learning how to fight." Xue Bai proposed.


    Li Rou wanted to deny it, but Xue Feng was all for it.


    "Husband, no. Bai''er is too young to fight demonic beasts. Everyone is at the minimum in the Blood Exchange Realm, and Bai''er still hasn''t reached it yet."


    "But he''s bringing Wang Ye and Wang Shu with him. So nothing could possibly go wrong with them around. Also, I don''t think Bai''er is any weaker than someone in the first stage of the Blood Exchange Realm when he has a sword." Xue Feng calmly persuaded.


    "Also, either of the Wang Twins can suppress the demonic beasts giving me a fair fight against them." Xue Bai also chimed in.


    With both of them bringing up good points, Li Rou eventually conceded. She only wanted to keep Xue Bai''er away from the cultivation world as a protective mother. However, fate didn''t let her.


    Between the overly ambitious Wang n and the godly potential of Xue Bai''er, nothing would let him live a peaceful life.


    "But remember, your safety alwayses first, so take this spatial ring with you. It has many life-saving measures in them. Also, you can keep the ring. It has about 10 square meters in it, so you can also take anything interesting out of the Secret Realm." Li Roupromised.


    The spatial ring she handed over was a simple silver ring with a clean design. To the untrained eye, it would look like something you would find in a street stall.


    "Thank you, mother!" Xue Bai epted the ring before putting it on happily.


    Now that he had Spiritual Qi, he didn''t have to use that safe anymore and could hide things on his body.


    Curious about its content, Xue Bai infused some Spiritual Qi into the ring to see how it worked. Instantly Xue Bai felt his conscious tug, and his vision switched. Instead of seeing his parents, he could only see a 10 square meter room filled with various chests. Each chest has abel on it describing its content.


    From healing pills tomunication stones, the spatial ring contained anything that Xue Bai could possibly think of. In the antidote pills, chest there was even something that helped cure the effects of aphrodisiacs.


    After finishing searching through the ring, Xue Bai brought his consciousness back to reality, where he saw his family waiting for him.


    "How was it? Did you look at its contents" Li Rou asked.


    "Mother¡­ you''re awfully prepared, aren''t you?" Xue Bai asked with a weird gaze.


    Confused, Li Rou asked, "What do you mean, Bai''er?"


    Not sure how to exin it, Xue Bai didn''t prod anymore, "Nevermind, when do I leave? I can''t wait to fight a real demonic beast."


    "I''ve already sent the Twins a message. They should have readied the mount outside the estate. So you can meet up with them as soon as you are ready." Xue Feng spoke up.


    "Good! Let me get a sword. Then I''ll go." Xue Bai said excitedly before going back into his room.


    "No, wait, Bai''er, I have one for you." Xue Feng quickly called out, "Since you will most likely be one of the weakest participants entering the secret realm, I will give you something to close the gap.."


    After saying so, Xue Feng pulled a slick, light blue sword out from his spatial ring.


    "This is a sword that cksmith Guo made for you. He didn''t name it because he wanted the honors to go to you. He said he wanted to make it up to you since you gave him such a great opportunity and made this sword for you. Though it isn''t a High Yellow Grade Sword, it''s the best Middle Yellow Grade one you can find." Xue Feng exined before handing it over.


    Taking the sword, Xue Bai fell in love with it instantly. Not only was it his favorite color, but it also fit his preferencepletely.


    Since starting to use the sword, Xue Bai learned that he always liked lighter swords, as his sword style was fast-paced, and swinging around a broadsword was too hard. So he would also choose light swords.


    "I will name it Pale Blue! Father, ry my thanks to cksmith Guo." Xue Bai cheered before running off to meet the Wang Twins, who were waiting for him.

 Chapter 43 Training Once Again

    ?Training once again


    "Husband, do you think he''ll be safe? This is the first time Bai''er is leaving, and he''s going into a Secret Realm. You know what happens in Secret Realms. Murder and robbing aremonce." Li Rou asked worriedly.


    "If it were a random Secret Realm, I would worry, but he said that he knows this one like the back of his hand, so I''m not." Xue Feng calmly responded.


    "But even so, some things can''t be prepared for. What if he runs into a Muscle Nourishing Realm Beast? Even with his full strength, he wouldn''t stand a chance." Li Rou still wasn''t convinced of her son''s safety.


    "You gave him enough protection talismans to protect him against someone as strong as Wang Shu. So how can you be worried about a mere Muscle Nourishing Realm Beast?" Xue Feng retorted.


    "I''m his mother. I have to worry about his safety. I can''t be like you handing him a sword and sending him off with augh." Li Rou spoke as she lightly punched Xue Feng.


    Laughing, Xue Feng didn''t respond and just pulled Li Rou into a hug.


    While his parents were talking in his courtyard, Xue Bai entered once again.


    Pushing herself away from Xue Feng, Li Rou asked, "Bai''er, why did youe back?"


    "Mother, my appearance, everyone would see this. Even though I did change a lot, the servants would still recognize me. So I need a cloak or something to hide this." Xue Bai exined.


    He had only walked a few feet before he realized this major problem, so he ran back before anyone saw him.


    Smacking his forehead Xue Feng responded, "How could I forget that?"


    Then pulling a ck cloak out from his spatial ring Xue Feng handed it to Xue Bai.


    "I used this in my youth. It is a simple artifact that will make people ignore your presence." Xue Feng exined.


    Taking it and putting it on, Xue Bai instantly felt like he had a shroud covering him.


    "What rank is it? And how strong does one have to be to see through it." Xue Bai asked before he left.


    "I used it in my youth, so it''s only a Low Yellow Grade Artifact, but that''s only ranking its durability. No one under the Qi Sea Realm should be able to see through you as they don''t have their Spiritual Sense yet." Xue Feng exined.


    Nodding happily, Xue Bai went into his room to test it out. Looking in his mirror, Xue Bai couldn''t see himself clearly. It was as if he was in his own peripheral vision, even though he was right in front of himself.


    After looking at himself for a few more seconds, Xue Bai looked away. It hurt his eyes when he stared too long.


    "Thanks, Father, I''m going now!" Xue Bai spoke once again before he left.


    With a cloak now to hide his identity, he should be in the clear to make it outside the Duke Estate without catching any attention.


    Running out of the Duke Estate didn''t take long. Since this time, Xue Bai could use Spiritual Qi to cut his time by more than half.


    Outside he saw the Wang Twins on their Bear Griffin waiting for him.


    Forgetting he was wearing the cloak Xue Bai stood next to the mount and was waiting for the twins to let him up. However, instead of a lift, he was chastised.


    "Hey, you kid, this is the mount of the Young Duke. Move away. We are waiting for him. If you want to wait for your father to leave the estate, wait somewhere else." Big Wang shouted from above.


    The two had assumed Xue Bai was the son of one of the soldiers in the Dukedom. And though it was a good moment for a face pping, Xue Bai needed all the time he could to prepare for the Secret Realm, so he merely pulled down the hoddie of the cloak to show who he was.


    "You cultivation fanatics, it''s me. Let me up. We''re on a tight schedule." Xue Bai yelled out before pulling his cloak back up just in case anyone was near.


    "Young Duke, what happened to you?" The Twins shouted out.


    "You fools, if I wanted the world to know, would I wear a cloak? Let me up before people start staring," Xue Bai ordered.


    "But, Young Master, were you just using Spiritual Qi to run here? How could you do that? You''re not even 11 yet." Little Wang asked stupidly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Pinching the bridge of his nose, Xue Bai just jumped onto the Bear Griffin himself.


    "You two should cultivate your minds first. The questions you ask make me think of toddlers." Xue Bai spoke afternding.


    But neither of the two could respond. When Xue Bai had used Spiritual Qi there, he had shown his cultivation to the two. And after sensing it, they were stunned.


    At first, Little Wang had thought he was seeing things when he saw Xue Bai glowing in a purple hue since no element of Spiritual Qi he knew was purple, and Xue Bai hadn''t even turned eleven yet to be able to awaken his Martial Veins.


    But seeing Xue Bai jump 4 meters into the air and reveal a cultivation of the fifth stage of the Vein Transformation Realm stunned him into silence.


    "What are you two staring at me for? I''m still the same person."  Xue Bai said with a smile, trying to break the odd atmosphere.


    "Young Duke, both me and my idiot of a little brother swear to the Heavens that we won''t tell a soul about this!" Big Wang shouted as soon as he regained hisposure.


    The past two years have been the most peaceful stretch of time for the Wang Twins since their childhood. They didn''t have to work intense hours like other soldiers or do the patrol''s that evenmanders weren''t excused of. And they were able to live in the core region and cultivate in the densest area of the Duke Estate.


    But they both knew it was from this child in front of them. He had let them have everything they always wanted but could take it away just as easily.


    So now, with Xue Bai showing them such a confidential thing Big Wang knew that he had to keep his mouth shut, or they wouldn''t enjoy their positions much longer.


    But since he was already tied to Xue Bai, he thought to make the affiliation even stronger with a Dao oath.


    Which worked. Though Xue Bai didn''t expect them to make a Dao oath, it made a smile appear on his face.


    "You two should be this sharp all the time. It would make your lives much smoother." Xue Bai said as he took a seat on the mount.


    "Young Duke, though we are merely your servants, can we know what''s going on with you or where we are going?" Big Wang asked cautiously.


    Thinking about how to phrase it for a moment, Xue Bai eventually got it.


    "You don''t need to know the specifics, but I can cultivate now. And for where we are going, here are the coordinates." Xue Bai as he handed Big Wang a scroll.


    "Young Duke, this isn''t very far from Snowy Wind City. Are you sure?" Big Wang asked.


    However, Xue Bai just rolled his eyes at him.


    "When have I ever been wrong? Just fly the bear to where I want you to."


    Surprisingly after Xue Bai said that, the Bear Griffin cried out as if it was hurt from hearing that.


    "Woah, you can understand me?"


    "Young Duke, my mount is a beast in the Law Manifestation Realm. Of course, it can understand you." Big Wang said proudly.


    To which the Bear Griffin cried out again.


    Xue Bai was slightly amazed at that. Since he transmigrated, this was the first time he had tried tomunicate with a demonic beast. He knew they were intelligent enough to talk to, but he ignored it since he didn''t get anything from talking to them.


    So Xue Bai tried to talk with the Bear Griffin as Big Wang set off to fly to their destination.


    Asking it simple questions like how life was in the enclosure and how Big Wang was as an owner, Xue Bai managed to pass the time.


    Reaching their destination didn''t take long, as it was only a few miles away from Snowy Wind City in the surrounding forest.


    "Young Duke, we have arrived at your coordinates, but what are we going to do here? It''s just a forest." Big Wang asked as theynded.


    "First, I need to train. Then we find a Secret Realm!" Xue Bai said with a wide smile.

 Chapter 44 Space Element Prowess

    ?Space Element Prowess


    In the forest outside of Snowy Wind City, Xue Bai stood face to face with a wolf that stood at about 1 meter tall. The wolf had grey fur but had blood stains permanently dyed into it, giving it a bloodthirsty aura.


    But currently, its eyes were full of fear, and it was shivering as if it was facing a god. This was somewhat true, as Big Wang was unleashing the full aura of his Peak Law Engraving Realm cultivation on it.


    This was the third beast that Xue Bai would fight against. But since its cultivation was in the middle of the Blood Exchange Realm, Big Wang suppressed it by unleashing his aura on it, thereby lowering itsbat power.


    "Young Master, itsbat power should be lowered by at least half. You can go ahead and fight it safely!" Big Wang yelled out.


    After swearing the Dao oath, Xue Bai allowed them to call him Young Master like Xiao''er. This is because they would be bounded to him for the foreseeable future, so Xue Bai thought it would be appropriate.


    "Alright, but don''t push it into a corner! Make it think it has some hope so it''ll fight me with its all and not give up." Xue Bai replied.


    Seeing Big Wang nod, Xue Bai readied Pale Blue and charged at the wolf.


    The wolf seeing that the only way of escape was through the small child in front of it, also jumped at Xue Bai and wanted to bite his head off.


    Xue Bai saw through this, imbued his weapon with his spatial element, and swung the sword at the wolf''s neck, seemingly wanting to go blow for blow.


    The wolf also saw this and, confident in its fur, ignored the sword and continued on with his attack.


    However, something incredible happened as soon as the sword made contact with the wolf''s neck.


    Pale Blue, though swung with little to no power, sliced cleanly through the wolf''s neck, severing his head.


    The wolf, still thinking it had won the battle, kept a smirk on its face even in death.


    "Young Master, your space element is terrifying as always." Little Wangplimented.


    "Indeed, if your opponent weren''t prepared and didn''t defend themselves fully, they wouldn''t even know how they died." Big Wang seconded.


    Every element that a Martial Vein had created a different phenomenon when it was imbued into a weapon. The fire element would make it ignite, and the poison element would apply ayer of poison to it, and so on.


    And from the three demonic beasts that Xue Bai had fought against, he realized that his Space element made his sword function as a separator. Whatever his sword shed when imbued with his element would be cut through if it wasn''t stronger than him.


    The wolf had assumed that Xue Bai''s weak swing would only stab his fur and not mortally wound it. So it decided to go blow for blow and rip Xue Bai''s jugr while he took a stab to the neck.


    But sadly, the wolf didn''t expect Xue Bai to sever its neck before it even reached him cleanly.


    Sheathing Pale Blue, Xue Bai went over to the wolf and dismantled it for valuable parts. He would move away from home eventually, and without any money, hunting demonic beasts would serve as his primary ie. So practicing on lower-level beasts that weren''t worth much would help him in the longer run.


    Since the wolf''s fur was already beaten up even before Xue Bai fought it, he decided not to skin it as it wouldn''t even sell. So he only took the ws and the teeth.


    "Alright, Big Wang, find another one, preferably one stronger than this. Thest two didn''t even fight back and were sliced in two instantly." Xue Bai ordered.


    Big Wang smiled wryly at that.


    ? ''It''s because your element is too strong against these mindless beasts. They don''t even bother to protect themselves and just charge to their deaths.''


    But Big Wang didn''t say his thoughts and merely spread out his Spiritual Sense to search out stronger beasts.


    As a peak Law Engraving Cultivator, Big Wang''s Spiritual Sense could extend out for a few miles, but the more it stretched out, the less detailed the information.


    Thankfully as they were in a forest known for its demonic beast poption, he didn''t have to look far as he spotted a leopard only a few hundred meters away.


    "Young Master, I found a leopard in thete stage of the Blood Exchange Realm. Is that enough?" Big Wang asked.


    Thinking for a moment, Xue Bai nodded. Though it was almost an entire Realm higher than him, when it would be suppressed by Big Wang, it should even out the strength gap.


    "Little Wang, go bring it over here." Xue bai ordered.<novelnext></novelnext>


    epting the order, Little Wang jumped off in search of the beast, which didn''t take long as he returned after only 3 minutes carrying a blue-colored leopard above his shoulders.


    "Young Master, I brought the beast." Little said as he tossed it onto the ground roughly.


    The beasts would die sooner orter, so his treating it harshly didn''t matter much.


    The blue leopard was having a horrible time, though. It was enjoying its day when suddenly, it felt a god-like pressure immobilize it. Then after it had unwillingly epted its fate, a human came out of nowhere, grabbed it, and ran off with it.


    Then after reaching its destination, it was rudely thrown onto the ground. Getting up to assess its situation, it ended up staring face-to-face with a human child.


    "Big Wang, don''t suppress it at first. I want to see how well I fare against it." Xue Bai ordered.


    "Young Master, that isn''t a very good idea. If youe home missing even a hair, the Duke and Duchess will skin us alive." Big Wang said cautiously.


    "You are in the Law Engraving Realm. A fight on this level is even slower than children fighting in your eyes. Just be prepared to step in at any moment." Xue Bai said as he rolled his eyes.


    Smacking his head in realization, Big Wang stepped off to the side and released his Spiritual Sense from the leopard, letting it move freely.


    Able to move freely, the leopard finally sized up Xue Bai standing in front of it.


    It could detect some Spiritual Qi from Xue Bai, but it was minusculepared to its own. And the difference in physique was huge. The leopard was almost the same height as the previous wolf, yet, a whole foot longer.


    Deciding Xue Bai to be easy prey, it jumped at Xue Bai using its thick thigh muscles.


    Almost instantly, it arrived in front of Xue Bai, swiping its w at his face.


    Xue Bai had wanted to sever its head off like the previous wolf. However, the leopard didn''t seem to want to get close to him. So instead, Xue Bai ducked until the w passed over him, then attacked by stabbing Pale Blue upwards as if wishing to skewer the leopard on top of his sword.


    However, the leopard was quick to respond and merely twisted its body irregrly, dodging the attack altogether.


    "Tsk, this thing is too fast." Xue Bai mumbled.


    "Young Master, do you want me to suppress it yet?" Big Wang shouted out.


    "Not yet. Only make a move if you think I''m losing the fight. Until then, stay out of it." Xue Bai ordered.


    After saying so, Xue Bai pounced onto the leopard, wanting to dictate the rhythm of the fight. However, the leopard was too fast for Xue Bai.


    It dodged all of his attacks with ease and would take a sword attack head-on, leaving him without the chance to use his trump card.


    But in good news, Xue Bai gained valuable experience in this fight. Unlike his previous three fights, this onested longer than 5 minutes giving him the much-needed time to adapt and grow that his other fights didn''t give him.


    However, the leopard was still too strong, and Xue Bai had to ask Big Wang to suppress the leopard making the fight easier. And after some careful testing with it, Xue Bai finally got a grasp on how strong he was.


    Currently, at the 5th stage of the Vein Transformation Realm, he was about as strong as someone in the first or second stage of the Blood Exchange Realm. But this was only because of his sword skills and adaptability talent.


    Xue Bai fought the leopard for another 10 minutes before it gave up andy on the ground epting its fate.


    Not wanting to tease it, Xue Bai infused Pale Blue with the space element and threw it at the leopard, instantly piercing its skull.


    Though the leopard had seemingly surrendered, Xue Bai would never trust that and so he confirmed the kill before even getting near it.


    After dismantling it for its skin, ws, and teeth, Xue Bai ced them all in his spatial ring before announcing his next move.


    "Alright, we''ve been out here for almost a day. We are going to the Secret Realm now. I need as much time as possible to set up the trap." Xue Bai spoke to the twins.


    "We''ll be right behind you, Young Master!''

 Chapter 45 Secret Realm Opens, Guests Arrive

    ?Secret Realm Opens, Guests Arrive


    "Young Master, this Secret Realm, can we enter as well?" Big Wang asked excitedly.


    Little Wang on the side also looked hopeful.


    Looking at the duo''s appearance, Xue Baiughed. Secret Realms were synonymous with opportunities and skyrocketing cultivation. They could turn a trash into a genius, yet they could also do the opposite, destroying someone''s future cultivation or even cause death.


    However, the twins looked excited, ignoring the peril. Most likely, they were confident in their abilities. Sadly they wouldn''t be able to enter this Secret Realm.


    "No, you two cant. The limit is the Muscle Nourshiing Realm and below. If you two were to enter the Secret Realm, it would copse almost instantly." Xue Bai said, crushing their hopes.


    Downcasted, the two lowered their eyes while they waited for their next orders.


    "Alright, take me to the second set of coordinates I gave you. The Secret Realm''s entrance is over there." Xue Bai ordered.


    Nodding, the two started to guide Xue Bai toward the second set of coordinates. Though Xue Bai knew the coordinates to important locations from the game, he didn''t know how to get there with just that, so he had the twins lead him there.


    Along the way, Xue Bai would also fight the beasts that were arrogant enough to challenge the twins. Through that, he verified his guess on his strength.


    He was as strong as someone in the second stage of the Blood Exchange Realm. But with his Space Element, he could potentially kill anything in his Realm if they didn''t protect their body with Spiritual Qi. Even if it was a higher realm, with a sneak attack, he could inflict severe damage if not kill them outright.


    This brought a smile to his face, as in this manner, he wasn''t far from the protagonists.


    While he was thinking of his future, the group of three made it to the Secret Realms entrance, the foot of a cliff.


    "Young Master, these are the coordinates you gave me. Are you sure this is the ce?" Big Wang asked.


    "Yes, now stand back. I have to open the sealing array that''s hiding it." Xue Bai ordered.


    The cliff they were staring at looked ordinary in every manner except one. It had a huge paw print imprinted in the center of it. But what made it so unique was the size of the paw print. Just the diameter of the paw was 4 meters wide, and the height was around 6 meters.


    Looking at the paw print gave the twins a huge scare as they tried to imagine which massive beast made it. Just the paw print alone dwarfed the mounts they were so proud of. They couldn''t even imagine how big the beast was.


    "Young Master, maybe you shouldn''t enter this Secret Realm. What if the beast that made this imprint is in there?" Little Wang asked tentatively.


    "I already told you two that the limit of the Secret Realm is the Muscle Nourishing Realm. So how could such a beast be able to stay in there." Xue Bai said while rolling his eyes.


    Though they were still apprehensive, hearing what Xue Bai had to say, their worries lessened.


    "But, Young Master, how are you going to open this Secret Realm?" Big Wang asked.


    "One second. I need to find the hole." Xue Bai interrupted while trying to concentrate.


    The way to open the Secret Realm was simple. In the center of the paw print, there was a small millimeter-wide hole. All he needed to do was to infuse some Spiritual Qi into it. But the only problem was with the size of the paw print. Locating such a small thing was difficult. And Xue Bai would only find it after another five minutes of searching.


    Pointing his finger at the hole, Xue Bai infused a strand of Spiritual Qi into it and jumped back, waiting for the entrance to open, which happened very quickly.


    After about half a minute, the paw print started to vibrate, making more and more noise as time went on until it came to the point where rocks from the cliff above were beginning to fall, threatening Xue Bai''s safety.


    "Young Master, stand next to us. We''ll protect you!" Big Wang shouted as he created a shield around the three of them to protect themselves from any falling debris.


    Though he and his little brother were strong enough that these rocks wouldn''t injure them, Xue Bai wasn''t. Each of the rocks, with the velocity they were falling, could easily crush Xue Bai into a meat paste.


    Not wanting to die an early death, Xue Bai went in between the two and waited for the Secret Realm to open fully.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After vibrating for another five minutes, the Secret Realm finally opened, showing the inside.


    However, before Xue Bai could even look inside, a tidal wave of Spiritual Qi hit the three of them.


    "Quickly cultivate. This is the blessing for discovering it first!" Xue Bai yelled out.


    Sitting cross-legged, Xue Bai immediately began to cultivate. In the Baishen ne opening, ancient Secret Realms like this unleashed a tidal wave of Spiritual Qi when it first opened.


    Cultivating now with an almost infinite supply of pure Spiritual Qi Xue, Bai started to path out his sixth vein.


    While Xue Bai was trying to reach the sixth stage of the Vein Transformation, the twins were currently struggling with the two options avable. Whether to cultivate and potentially reach the Law Manifestation Realm or protect Xue Bai, who was currently defenseless.


    However, Xue Bai seemed to sense their indecisiveness, and before sealing off his senses, he told them, "You two can take this chance to cultivate. However, breakthrough quickly as this wave of Spiritual Qi doesn''tst very long."


    "Thank you, Young Master!" The twins shouted out excitedly.


    The twins had been stuck at the peak of the Law Engraving Realm for the past two years and had begun to doubt their potential. But with this opportunity, they were almost guaranteed to break through their bottleneck.


    So they also followed what Xue Bai did and started to break through.


    Xue Bai was the first to wake up as his stage breakthrough was simplepared to what the twins were doing.


    ''The effect of connecting the kidney vein isn''t useful in the earlier stages, but the more pills one consumes, and the more hidden toxins umte in their body, the more helpful it bes.'' Xue Bai thought.


    The effect of the liver, kidney, and lung veins didn''t give much of abat power boost. But they provided more supporting abilities to help cultivatorster throughout their journey.


    So Xue Bai assumed that breaking through to the sixth stage wouldn''t give him much of a power boost. But nheless, it was still vital to his future cultivation.


    After studying his gains, Xue Bai sat down and continued to cultivate. Though the wave of Spiritual Qi had subsided, the Wang Twins hadn''t finished their breakthrough. Reaching the Law Manifestation Realm took more than just ample Spiritual Qi.


    The wave of Spiritual Qi had only given them enough to ensure they wouldn''t fail the breakthrough. Now, all they needed was to just understand the next Realm before advancing.


    While Xue Bai was waiting for the twins to finish their breakthrough, his father was about to wee three groups of prestigious guests.


    Currently, in the air above the Duke Estate were three airships, each with a different symbol branded on the side.


    However, the airship in the center was almost twice the size of the other two showing that whoever owned it was a tycoon. Branded with a 5-wed dragon and entirely gold ted, it announced that it was the personal airship of the Emperor himself.


    And at the bow of the airship, peering down from above, a man in Imperial Robes and an Imperial Crown looked at Xue Feng.


    "Your Majesty, you''ve arrived!" Xue Feng yelled out with emotion.


    "Duke Xue, you know I''m a no man for pleasantries. Have you found where the Secret Realm is?" The Emperor waved off Xue Feng''s attempt to waste time.


    After the Emperor spoke, the man who stood on the bow airship on the left also spoke up.


    "Xue Feng, stop stalling for time! You already know why the three of us came over here."


    The man who shouted wore blood-red robes with a devil w printed on the back. While his hair was wildly let out to flow in the wind. If one didn''t know who he was, they would assume him to be a rugged demonic cultivator. But instead, he was the God of War of The Great Xuan Empire, Wang Yichen.


    Hearing that, Xue Feng''s face went cold. Before knowing what he did now, he would have waved it off with augh. But after learning that this man ordered his son to be a cripple, Xue Feng wanted this man to die. However, he knew it wasn''t time yet. Not only was Wang Yichen only slightly weaker than him, but the Emperor and Duke Yan also wouldn''t let him kill Wang Yichen in the open.


    "Duke Wang, I have already sent two of my most trusted subordinates to investigate the Secret Realm. Come in. I am awaiting their message as we speak." Xue Feng said with a smile.

 Chapter 46 Entering The Secret Realm

    ?Entering the Secret Realm


    In Xue Feng''s office, he, along with Duke Wang, Duke Yan, and Emperor Duan Zhen.


    Duke Yan''s full name was Yan Zhanyu, and true to his name was an effeminate-looking man. He was also a native of The Great Xuan Empire. Like the Wang n, his n had been around since its establishment. He was currently dressed in a set of blue robes that matched well with his blue eyes and ck hair.


    Duke Yan had the highest realm of the three Dukes at the peak of the Domain Lord Realm. However, since the Yan Family were more businessmen than fighters, he could only fight with the other two evenly and not beat them.


    Currently, the three were sitting around Xue Feng while a maid had served them tea cautiously. After doing so, the girl ran off, fearing she would do anything stupid and threaten her life.


    Taking a sip of the tea Duan Zhen was the first to speak, "So, have you found the Secret Realm yet, Duke Xue?"


    "I have sent out one of my best subordinates to where the phenomenon came from. Whether or not it''s the Secret Realm or not we will have to wait." Xue Feng said, not answering the question directly.


    Though Duan Zhen was annoyed at Xue Feng''s dismissiveness, he knew it was his territory, and starting a fight over something so trivial would only ruin his reputation. He snorted before closing his eyes, waiting for the message.


    "Brother Xue, I see your cultivation has made progress in these past few years." Yan Zhanyu said with a smile.


    Though Xue Feng did have cultivation concealing artifacts, none would work against powerhouses at his level, so his rise in cultivation was easily noticeable by the Peak stage Domain Lord Yan Zhenyu.


    "Hahaha, it''s still nothingpared to Brother Zhenyu." Xue Feng replied with a smile.


    "It''s only because of our age gap. When I was your age, I was still in the Law Manifestation Realm." Yan Zhenyu said wistfully.


    Xue Feng was currently only 82. Though it might seem he was an old man with a foot in the grave, he looked like a man in his mid-thirties. With his cultivation in the Domain Lord Realm, he had a lifespan of 500 years. So in mortal realms, Xue Feng was less than a fifth of the way through his life, equalling out to less than 20 years old. However, with his slow progress in the early stages, he appears how he does now.


    While Yan Zhenyu was almost 130 years old, even with his Peak Yellow Grade Martial Veins, without the elemental affinity that Xue Feng had, his progress was a level slower.


    "Hmph! He most likely forced his cultivation higher with some pills he made his wife make." Wang Yichen snorted,


    It was well-known within The Great Xuan Empire that Li Rou was the best alchemist. So her making pills for Xue Feng was something very usible. Adding along to the fact that Xue Feng was at the limit of his potential, using some pills that sacrificed any future achievements was something believable.


    Hearing this, Xue Feng just smiled and didn''t respond. If this were a week ago, he would''ve defended himself. However, why should he bother with a soon-to-be-dead man?


    After another hour of waiting, the group collectively opened their eyes and looked in the direction of where Xue Bai and his bodyguards were.


    "This? This is someone breaking through to the Law Manifestation Realm?" Duan Zhen spoke uncertainly.


    "Xue Feng, you sent a pair of Peak Law Engraving men to investigate?" Wang Yichen asked.


    "Yes, this should be them. They had been at the peak of that realm for more than two years now. I assume finding the Secret Realm finally gave them a chance to break through." Xue Feng said happily.


    With the Wang Twins bing Law Manifestation Realm cultivators, he now had two moremanders underneath him. How couldn''t he have been happy?


    Standing up, Wang Yichen spoke, "Now that we know where the Realm is, shouldn''t we go over?"


    "Wait a little more. They brought along some low-cultivation ves to check the Secret Realms limit on cultivation. They''ll be sending me the info shortly." Xue Feng lied.


    Xue Bai had already told him the details of the Secret Realm. However, how could he say that? So he gave a reasonable lie to give his son more time?


    Nodding, not finding any irregrities in the lie, Wang Yichen said back down, awaiting the message.


    After another ten minutes of waiting, Xue Feng pretended to receive the awaited message. Then, pulling out amunication slip to continue the lie, he read out, "The limit is the Muscle Nourishing Realm."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Is there an age limit?" Wang Yichen asked.


    "No, there isn''t. However, we should leave opportunities like this to the young generation, shouldn''t we?" Xue Feng answered.


    Yan Zhenyu and Duan Zhen also nodded, agreeing with Xue Feng''s statement.


    Not wanting to be against the other three powerhouses, Wang Yichen put away his idea of deploying mind-controlled ves to loot the Secret Realm for what it was worth.


    "I assume you three brought along talented juniors with you?" Xue Feng asked. And after seeing the three nod, he continued, "Bring them to the Estates entrance, and I''ll take you to the Secret Realm."


    While the three men were gathering their n members, Xue Bai was about to enter the Secret Realm.


    "Young Master, my idiot of a brother, and I can''t thank you enough for letting us break through alongside you." Big Wang said sincerely while he knelt down.


    Though Little Wang was annoyed at being called an idiot, he still knelt down, too, showing his deep gratitude.


    If it weren''t for the Spiritual Qi wave, the twins wouldn''t have broken through even with another year to prepare. But thankfully, not only did the phenomenon give him ample Spiritual QI, but it also gave them a small enlightenment allowing them toprehend the Law Manifestation Realm and advance.


    "It''s fine. The stronger you two are, the better protected I am." Xue Bai said while motioning them to stand.


    Standing, Big Wang asked, "Young Master, I sent the message to the Duke. Now, what do we do?"


    "You two stand here and wait for my father. And I will enter the Secret Realm." Xue Bai said while going to walk in.


    "Wait, Young Master, it''s dangerous." Little Wang shouted while pulling Xue Bai back.


    Annoyed, Xue Bai looked back at Little Wang like an idiot, "What do you think I am here for, to sightsee. I am going to enter the Secret Ream before my father and the other Dukese here." Xue Bai snapped.


    "But, Young Master, you said the limit was the Muscle Nourishing Realm. You''re only in the Vein Transformation Realm. How could you defend yourself against a beast at the peak of that realm?" Little Wang said worriedly.


    Not knowing how to answer that question without leaking critical information, Xue Bai just pulled Little Wang''s hand off his shoulder.


    "My father let me do this, so let go of me, Wang Ye." Xue Bai ordered coldly.


    Hearing Xue Bai call him by his actual name Little Wang shouted back in fright. With how nice Xue Bai treated the two of them, he had forgotten that Xue Bai could have them die with one order.


    "Sorry, Young Master, you can do as you''d like." Little Wang spoke softly while moving back.


    Nodding, Xue Bai stepped through the paw print, which served as an entrance. Walking through, Xue Bai felt his vision blur, and his body moved rapidly. The feeling continued for about half a minute until he saw his surroundings change.


    Now standing in a forest, Xue Bai saw the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.


    He currently stood under a tree at the edge of a forest. While in front of him was a beautifulndscape that mesmerized him. Though he hadn''t created his brain vein, allowing him to better his vision with Spiritual Qi, the purple gas he had received from the eye had strengthened his body twice fold, giving him better eyesight. And allowing Xue Bai to see this picturesque scene.


    Mountains so tall they seemed to pierce the sky, trees that were thicker than ten men, grass so green it looked fake. Everything in front of him screamed beauty. If a photographer from earth took a picture of this scene in front of him, they could win a Pulitzer Prize with nopetition. Sadly this view was all to Xue Bai himself.


    After relishing the view, Xue Bai''s eyes finally turned serious. Before his father would arrive with the Dukes and the Emperor, he had to prepare a trap that could wipe out the Wang n members while leaving the Yan and Duan n members alone. Thankfully the Secret Realm wasn''t very big, and he knew just the right method to use to kill them.


    "But first, I need toplete Step 2."

 Chapter 47 Step 2

    ?Step 2


    Step 2 of Xue Bai''s ascension to bing a god was to acquire a high-level bloodline. He had already had the Martial Veins. However, as high rank as they were, they were only half of his n. Toplete his n, he needed a bloodline on an equal level or higher than his Martial Veins, and this Secret Realm had one.


    The paw print on the cliffside was the entrance to a Secret Realm made by an Immortal-level cultivator who died to a betrayal before reaching his full potential. So in order to find someone to avenge him, he created this Secret Realm with his bloodline as the reward. And Xue Bai knew how to get it without any trouble.


    The Immortal Cultivator in question had a Low Heaven Grade Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline. And just like the one from folklore, he was also gifted with fire maniption and illusion skills. And that''s what Xue Bai was after.


    During his time in the game, he was a High ck Grade Alchemist, and in order to utilize his skills, he needed a fire affinity. However, with Spatial Element Martial Veins, Xue Bai almost gave up until he remembered this Secret Realm.


    Through this bloodline inheritance, he could be in control of two separate elements while also gaining god-level talent in illusion arts. And even better, Xiao Mo didn''t know of this opportunity, as Xue Bai had only found this out during his time scouring random areas in the Baishen ne for fun.


    So with the entire Secret Realmsyout memorized in his head, Xue Bai climbed the tallest tree near him to see where he currently was.


    "I''m on the forest region''s edge, so the Secret Realm''s core shouldn''t be too far from me." Xue Bai mumbled to himself.


    Dropping down from the trees canopy, Xue Bai ran out into the in in front of him towards the sky-piercing mountain in the distance. The core, along with the Bloodline Inheritance, was there.


    However, with reward came risk, and before Xue Bai could reach his destination, a 3-meter-long snake sprung out from the tall grass toward him.


    Though he was slightly surprised by the sneak attack, Xue Bai didn''t lose his calm and pulled Pale Blue from its sheath and took a swipe at the tail that was attacking him. And fortunately, the beast was also in the Blood Exchange Realm, and with the Space Element infused into Pale Blue, the snake''s tail was severed entirely.


    At the pain of losing its tail, the snake jumped back and constricted the muscles on its lower half to stop any more blood loss. Then, now with its life safe, the snake raised its scaled head to find the assant, only to see Xue Bai sprinting off, ignoring its presence.


    Though Xue Bai could easily kill the snake, that would risk other beastsing to pile on him and threatening his life. Also, killing the snake would Xue Bai nothing giving him even less incentive to continue the fight.


    Nothing in this Secret Realm mattered to Xue Bai except the Bloodline Inheritance.


    Along the way, a few more beasts tried to swallow Xue Bai whole, but luckily, they were all in the Blood Exchange Realm, giving him the ability to either kill them in one sh or mutte them before running away.


    Finally, after almost half an hour of running, Xue Bai made it to the cave where the Bloodline Inheritance was. Like everything in the cultivation world worked, there would be a trial, so before entering headstrong, Xue Bai sat down and meditated.


    From the Spiritual Qi tidal wave, Xue Bai has already reached the 6th stage of the Vein Transformation Realm. But while waiting for the twins to break through and using the residual Spiritual Qi in the air, he had pathed out almost 70% of the way to the 7th vein, his lungs.


    So with the about two hours he had before the Dukes, and his father arrived, he nned to break through to the Seventh Stage. He needed the lung vein to pass the trial, as he wouldn''t be able to reach the Trial area without it.


    While Xue Bai was cultivating, Wang Yichen, Yan Zhenyu, and Duan Zhen had gathered all of the juniors in the Muscle Nourishing Realm and below.


    However, seeing the members of the Wang n, Xue Feng was confused, "Duke Wang, why isn''t your son here? I heard that he had awakened a Middle ck Grade Martial Vein a few years ago. Surely a Secret Realm like this would be something he shouldn''t miss." With his son promising to wipe out the Wang n member who would enter, not seeing Wang Yichen''s pride and joy here to die disappointed Xue Feng, though he didn''t show it on his face.


    Remembering his son Wang Yichen gave a heartyugh, "Oh, that untalented bastard is preparing to break through to the Bone Strengthening Realm, and I couldn''t bear to pull him out of his closed-door seclusion."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though he was belittling his son with his words, he was obviously praising him. This year Wang Yichen''s son, Wang Yu, would be 15, and with him preparing to reach the Bone Strenghting Realm before 16 was definitely heaven-defying speed.


    Xue Bai felt that Xiao''er was a genius for the Southern Continent, but she was already 16 and only at the Fourth Stage of the Muscle Nouirshing Realm. While Wang Yu had almost reached the Bone Strengthing at 15 was something that could only happen in the Central Continent.


    ''Look at your hubris. My son is still ten and at the peak of the Vein Transformation Realm! He could reach the Bone Strenghting Realm at 13 or even 12!'' Xue Feng bragged mentally.


    However, on the outside, he was mounting his Bear Griffin, ready to guide the three groups to the Secret Realm.


    Duan Zhen, Yan Zhenyu, and Wang Yichen had already boarded their airships and started to follow Xue Feng as he flew toward the Secret Realm.


    With their modes of transportation, it didn''t take them long to reach the forest outside of Snowy Wind City.


    "You all stop here. The rest will be on foot." Xue Feng said while ordering his mount to lower itself to the ground.


    "Xue Feng, I speak for the rest of us when I say that walking would lower our standing." Wang Yichen spoke rudely.


    Though Duan Zhen and Yan Zhenyu didn''t say anything, they agreed.


    Ignoring their resistance, Xue Feng continued, "This forest is the best hunting ground near Snowy Wind City. If Ind Xiao Xiong and you allnd your airships, that would make most of this hunting ground a dead zone for any demonic beasts."


    "So you''ll all walk with me or note at all." Xue Feng spoke dominantly.


    Ever since he had consumed the Yggdrasil fruit and was given a chance to reach the Xiantian Great Realm potentially, he regained his youthful confidence.


    And the three noticed that, but how could they know of what Xue Feng had encountered? They merely guessed that he was getting cocky after breaking through to the Seventh Stage of the Domain Lord Realm.


    So with the confident Xue Feng and the probability that he wouldn''t guide them if they didn''t get down, the three heads of the ns decided to exit their airships along with the juniors they had brought along.


    "Alright, you brats, you''ll be walking the rest of the way. Follow Duke Xue, and make sure not to lose sight of any of the four of us." Duan Zhen yelled out authoritatively.


    In The Great Xuan Empire, each Duke had a different personality. Xue Feng had a confident and youthful style, Wang Yichen had an arrogance and disdain for the mortal world, and Yan Zhenyu was sly, and a slick businessman, but Duan Zhen had the authority and skills to keep them serving under him. So with one order to the n juniors of each group, Duan Zhen had made sure to instill a sense of submissiveness into them.


    ''This is as much as Father can buy you, Bai''er, '' Xue Feng thought as he led the group towards the Secret Realm Entrance.


    Meanwhile, as theynded outside the forest, Xue Bai''s eyes opened. Then, exhaling a breath of turbid air, Xue Bai felt different.


    Now with the lung vein, the air he was breathing in was purer and even filled with Spiritual Qi. So now, even by just breathing, Xue Bai could improve his cultivation, however, by a negligible amount.


    "Time for the trial." Xue Bai spoke to himself as he entered the cave.

 Chapter 48 Huli Jing

    ?Huli Jing


    Entering the cave, Xue Bai was met with a huge pond. From an outsider''s perspective, they would assume that this was the end of the cave. But Xue Bai knew differently.


    Taking off his shirt, revealing a lean physique, Xue Bai took a deep breath before jumping in.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t sure if the pond was the first trial or not, it still served as a great method of filtration. In order to pass through, you needed to hold your breath longer than any Muscle Nourishing Realm cultivator could. So there were only two ways to pass through, either have the lung vein to be able to enhance your lung capacity or be in the Qi Sea Realm and speed through the pond before he even lost his breath.


    However, with the Secret Realms limit being the Muscle Nourishing Realm, it made sure that only people who knew the Immortal Realm cultivation System could enter.


    Diving into the pool, Xue Bai immediately felt the cold water piercing his skin. However, after conjuring ayer of Spiritual Qi to protect himself, he felt the effects subside.


    "My breath can onlyst half an hour, but my shield canst only half of that. I''ll freeze to death if I don''t find the entrance in 20 minutes." Xue Bai thought to himself.


    He knew that the entrance was only about 10 minutes away, but that was only if he knew the exact path toward it. If he calcted the amount of time he needed to find the correct one from all the duds, he would freeze to death long before reaching his goal.


    Xue Bai didn''t know the exact path to this Secret Realm, as when he found this, he was at the Peak of the Immortal Ascension Realm. And he blew through the pond at the speed of sound instead of swimming through it.


    So with his life on the line, Xue Bai swam as fast as he could, checking all the pathways in the underground pond. Thankfully he found it on his third try in under ten minutes. Though the Spiritual Qi shield blocked most of the cold, it couldn''t block it all, and he was starting to get really cold.


    Jumping out of the pond, Xue Bai first went to dry himself with some towels he had brought along with him in his spatial ring. After doing so, he put his shirt back on and looked around at his surroundings.


    In front of Xue Bai was a ruined pce. The pce was about the size of the Imperial pce in The Great Xuan Empire. However, it was made from much better materials. Though Xue Bai could only see them rusted and falling apart, he could still recognize some of the metals from legends.


    "Neb Ore, Stardust Gold, Even Celestial Diamond, holy sh*t, forget the Bloodline. If I take all of these, I could be the richest man in the Baishen ne." Xue Bai thought to himself.


    Going to a copsed wall, Xue Bai was about to pick up an ore before he realized something. The Nine-Tailed Foxes were known for their illusion art, and he didn''t remember this from when he explored it during the game. His encounter with the first trial was seeing an enemy he had during that time weakened and on the verge of death, and not a ruined pce.


    "I almost fell for the oldest trick in the book." Xue Bai mused while unsheathing Pale Blue.


    Now instead of greedily picking up the Neb Ore in front of him, Xue Bai swung his sword, infused with the Space Element, towards it. Normally if his Middle Yellow Grade Sword would sh with the Middle Earth Grade Neb Ore, his sword would shatter on impact. However, Pale Blue went right through it before the illusion wore off, showing the Neb Ore to be a normal rock.


    After seeing through the illusion, Xue Bai''s real surroundings were shown. He was currently still in a cave. However, unlike the previous cave, which was empty except for the pond, this one was overgrown with greenery. The walls were covered in vines, and mushrooms covered every rock.


    However, that wasn''t of Xue Bai''s concern. What was of his concern was a silver door and pedestal.


    Walking up to the pedestal, Xue Bai read the text on it, "Enter the silver door to start the second trial."


    Following the directions, Xue Bai walked towards the Silver Door. The door was as tall as the cave''s roof, reaching easily over five meters tall. And was made of very strong and resilient material, but through years of disregard, it had begun to deteriorate from its once prestigious appearance.


    When Xue Bai reached the door that was as tall as a house, he pushed it open with all his might and revealed what was within.


    A pure white room that resembled a psyche ward from Earth was shown to Xue Bai. The only difference was inside. Instead of padding, the floor waspletely t.


    Feigning a curious look, Xue Bai walked around the room in awe, waiting for something, which didn''t take long. Then, as the space in front of him wobbled, a handsome middle-aged man in pure white robes manifested. He floated in the air and overlooked Xue Bai as if trying to look through him.


    "You don''t have to fake that look. I know you know where you are." The man spoke deeply.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Jumping back in fright, Xue Bai pulled out his sword looking to defend himself.


    "Who are you?" Xue Bai asked as he put a serious look as if he was ready to fight with his life on the line.


    "Child, I am not going to be fooled by your act. If I couldn''t see through this ploy with all my years of experience, I might as well kill myself with a block of tofu." The apparition spoke.


    Hearing that, Xue Bai was a little disappointed. ''These ancient relics are too sharp!''


    Putting away his scared look, Xue Bai looked at the apparition levitating in front of him with calm eyes.


    "Xue Bai greets Senior Huli Jing." Xue Bai greeted with a bow.


    "You even know my name, too, huh? I had watched you single this ce out ever since you entered my Secret Realm. But I didn''t think you''d also know my name." Huli Jing mused before he lost his smile and asked with cold eyes, "So are you going to tell me how you know all of this, or will you die where you stand."


    Xue Bai just smiled at the threat, not taking it seriously, "Senior, I can guarantee that if you kill me, there will be no one that will be able to find this Secret Realm ever."


    "Are you threatening me, child?" Huli Jing said deeply.


    "No, how could I threaten you, an Immortal? Though you have died and are only a remanent soul, I know that you could easily destroy half of the Baishen ne should you choose to fight." Xue Bai shook his head.


    "I''m only informing you of the situation outside. Cultivators are getting worse with every generation, and the chances of someone knowing the Immortal Worlds cultivation system are already close to zero. But them also coincidentally finding this Secret Realm. Impossible."


    Agreeing with Xue Bai, Huli Jing spoke, "But what does that have to do with you finding out who I am."


    "I wasn''t nning on answering that, Senior. A man must always keep secrets. I only came here to tell you that I can help you take revenge." Xue Bai said.


    "HA! A mortal Child like you want to kill my enemies! Do you know how strong the people who killed me were?" Huli Jingughed. He didn''t take Xue Bai''s im seriously.


    Shaking his head Xue Bai didn''t know their exact strengths. But Huli Jing, before dying, was an Immortal Cultivator with a Middle Heaven Grade Bloodline, so his enemies should at least have been in the God Great Realm.


    "While I can''t now, I have the capital to do so in the future." Xue Bai said while extending his arm out to Huli Jing.


    Knowing what Xue Bai was implying, Huli Jing grabbed the extended arm and poured his spiritual sense into Xue Bai.


    "A Low Heaven Grade Martial Vein. Not bad for a mortal ne like this. However, this still isn''t enough to avenge me. A Middle Heaven Grade Martial Vein is needed at the minimum, while I was hoping for a High Heaven Grade!" Huli Jing said as he released his spiritual sense.


    "But if Senior gives me him Bloodline Inheritance, I could also have a Middle Heaven Grade Bloodline." Xue Bai persuaded.


    "No, I wanted my Bloodline to be the supplementary aid to their potential. Not the one to take the lead. I don''t wish for my sessor to follow in my footsteps." Huli Jing denied it.


    Huli Jing, while having a Middle Heaven Grade Bloodline, only had a Peak Earth Grade Marital Vien, which made him a high-value target as he could never reach the God Great Realm with his potential but had a Bloodline that would make one in that realm jealous.


    Seeing such a look on Huli Jing''s face Xue Bai knew this old relic would be a hard nut to crack, so Xue Bai pulled out his trump card, "Then Senior do you know what a Bloodline Core is?"

 Chapter 49 Bloodline Infusion

    ?Bloodline Infusion


    "How could I not know what a Bloodline Core is?" Huli Jing snorted. "If anything, I should be questioning why you, a mortal child in a mortal ne, know what a Bloodline Core is."


    Xue Bai smiled at the question. Bloodline Cores were another high-level Immortal World technique that the yer who learned under Feng Huang posted on the forums.


    Beast Bloodlines, when in humans, often made the cultivator more beastlike and savage while also bringing out the personality of the Bloodline. However, with Bloodline Cores, you could avoid that side effect while keeping all the benefits.


    "Then, Senior, do you know how to mutate a Bloodline Core?" Xue Bai asked another question.


    "No, why would I ever want to mutate my own honored Bloodline?" Hulu Jing asked with disgust apparent on his face.


    "Because it''s weak, senior. Though it is in the Middle Heaven-grade,pared to the others in the same rank, it''s weak. You haven''t even reached atavism yet. So how can you even call it honored." Xue Bai replied coldly.


    Angered, Huli Jing released some pressure on Xue Bai, "You are an interesting child that shouldn''t be in a mortal world. However, don''t think that will prevent me from killing you here. My remnant soul can survive another million years. I don''t believe another prodigy won''t stumble upon my Secret Realm."


    Struggling to withstand the pressure, Xue Bai spoke, "Senior, I am doing it for you. Listen to my method."


    "My patience runs thin, and other cultivators have entered the Secret Realm. Finish speaking your business or continue through my trial." Huli Jing lost the amicability he had earlier.


    "Senior, do you know of the Celestial Void Fruit?" Xue Bai asked. After receiving a nod, he continued, "Then, senior do you know of a mighty figure with the Celestial Void Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline?"


    "How can I not know of the Void Fox Emperor? He''s the only surviving member of the Heaven Trampling Sect. And a figure at the Peak of the God Great Realm." Huli Jing spoke with reverence in his eyes.


    "Then do you think Senior Void Fox Emperor gained his Bloodline Naturally?" Xue Bai asked.


    Hearing the question, Huli Jing couldn''t answer truthfully, but putting together the clues from Xue Bai''s words, he answered no.


    "Correct, he also mutated his Bloodline Core! And you know how he aplished this?" Xue Bai asked as he pointed at Huli Jing.


    "With your Bloodline and my Martial Veins. During the creation of his Bloodline Core, he infused the Elemental Essence from his Marital Vein into his forming Bloodline Core, mutating it into the Celestial Void Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline. Isn''t that genius!" Xue Bai spoke excitedly.


    Huli Jing didn''t reply immediately as he was thinking of what Xue Bai had said. Though it sounded crazy, after thinking it through, it was usible. Taking away all of the Elemental Essence from your Martial Veins was possible, but it served only detrimental side effects, and to take it all in and pour it into your forming Bloodline Core was nothing short of madness.


    One small mistake during the infusion could not only destroy your Bloodline but could also leave you with a new Martial Vein without its previous element. But to survive and be a mighty figure like the Void Fox Emperor, how could he y life safe and not take risks?


    "Child, you''re not lying to me, are you?" Huli Jing increased the pressure on Xue Bai to force out the truth.


    "If I am lying, may the Heavens Smite me down this moment." Xue Bai swore a dao oath to prove his truthfulness. He had already annoyed the Immortal, and this was the only way to let Huli Jing believe him.


    And after waiting for almost five minutes with nothing happening, Huli Jing agreed.


    "Follow me, child. I''ll help you through the infusion process." As he spoke, Huli Jing walked toward a normal-looking wall.


    Xue Bai, though confused, followed the apparition. There he saw that the wall in front of him faded away like an illusion to show a cave abode with only a meditation mat.


    "Sit on the mat. And grit your teeth. This is going to be the most painful thing you''ll most likely ever experience." Huli Jing bluntly said.


    Xue Bai sat down but was a little apprehensive about feeling pain. So before Huli Jing put his hand on his back, Xue Bai shyly asked, "Can you numb the pain for me."


    Not even bothering to answer the question, Huli Jing pulled a bottle out of nowhere and handed it to Xue Bai, "Swallow this, and you can inherit my Bloodline."


    Inspecting the bottle for a moment, Xue Bai thought it looked alluring. The liquid in the bottle was a red hue, so clear it was almost see-through.


    "Stop looking at my Bloodline, and swallow it." Huli Jing berated from behind.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai took a deep breath before downing the bottle in one gulp. He knew it was going to be painful, so he decided to do it all at once.


    And Huli Jing was right. Almost instantly, he felt his entire body start burning up from the inside. It was almost as if he was melting. His old human blood was boiling and evaporating while slowly being reced by foreign blood, and the pain from it was slowly driving Xue Bai to insanity.


    However, whenever Xue Bai thought he would lose his grip, a cool feeling would flow into him from his back, numbing the pain.


    Huli Jing was soothing his soul to make sure Xue Bai wouldn''t go mad. And this was slowly tempering Xue Bai''s soul.


    The soul was something untouchable for any cultivator under the Xiantian Realm and would only ever increase in strength alongside your realm. But through this torture, Xue Bai was strengthening his soul before the Xiantian Realm.


    This process of destruction and healing of Xue Bai''s body and soul continued for another three hours until Xue Bai felt his body cool down.


    "Senior, why must you be so petty? Is it because I called your Bloodline mediocre?" Xue Bai asked bitterly.


    Throughout the entire process, Xue Bai wanted to pass out. However, Huli Jing never let him go unconscious once and made him stay awake through the whole ordeal.


    "If you passed out, you would have missed out on the golden opportunity of the soul tempering. Don''t you feel everything is clearer now? Your soul originally was already as strong as someone two realms higher than you. But now it''s almost as strong as the average cultivator in the Qi Sea Realm." Huli Jingmented.


    Unconvinced, Xue Bai opened his eyes, and true to the man''s words, everything looked clearer. He could see everything in front of him clearly. Even how many cracks were in the wall of the cave abode. And the memories of his previous life that had be blurry were as clear as if it happened yesterday.


    "Then can I snuff out people''s souls with a nce? Or maybe even turn people into ves with amand?" Xue Bai''s otaku nature came out as he asked.


    "Nonsense, where did you even get those ideas from? You can''t even use your soul as a weapon until the Soul Fusion Realm. Until then, the only advantages a strong soul will give you are only supplementary. Withprehension or adaptability in battle. Those things you mentioned are possible, but you aren''t strong enough to do them yet." Huli Jing lectured.


    "Then what about the Bloodline? Was the infusion sessful?" Xue Bai asked curiously.


    "Look at yourself in the mirror before you say, was the infusion sessful." Huli Jing replied sarcastically.


    "Look in  the mirror?" Xue Bai muttered confusedly before walking to the mirror and witnessing his new appearance.


    "Oh my god, I''m even hotter!" Xue Bai eximed. "No, this is bad. Before, people would back off after hearing I was a man, but now, some people might even kidnap me knowing I''m a man."


    Before, Xue Bai was undoubtedly beautiful with his full red lips, long eyshes, and pale jade-like skin. But now, every aspect that made him beautiful was magnified by a few times, and he even gained a seductive aura.


    His lips were now almost blood red, his eyshes batted themselves even if he didn''t do it manually, and his skin somehow looked even more jade-like. Each hair strand of his was glossier and flowed down his back like a waterfall.


    But the most eye-catching of all was the snow-white fox ears and the nine tails that had be a part of him. His tails pointed upwards, unwilling to touch the ground as if they were royalty walking on a red carpet. And his ears twitch ever so slightly, giving someone the urge to rub them.


    As Xue Bai was dumbstruck by his new looks, Huli Jing in the back sighed, "Child, this is the fate of the holders of this Bloodline. We are cursed to be beautiful forever."


    "Was it like this for you, too, Senior Huli?" Xue Bai asked as he found a brother in arms.


    "Too much so, child. I had been hunted down by Dual Cultivation and Demonic Sects for more than half of my cultivation journey. Even if I could prove myself to be a man, they still wouldn''t let me go. And not only men were after me but also women. Women in the Immortal Realm are surprisingly bold, just straight out dering me to be their boy toy. It was a new experience for me when I first experienced it." Huli Jing sighed while reminiscing about the past.


    "Well, enough of me. It''s time to create your Bloodline Core. The faster we do this, the less your personality gets warped from the Beast Bloodline." Huli Jing spoke seriously.


    Afraid of going through the pain once again, Xue Bai asked, "How much is this going to hurtpared to the Bloodline Inheritance?"


    "It shouldn''t hurt at all." Huli Jing responded, "However, you need to be focused the entire way through. As one slip up could detonate your Bloodline and waste your Elemental Essence."


    Nodding seriously, Xue Bai sat back down on the meditation mat, ready for the final step of his ascension to godhood.

 Chapter 50 Mutating The Bloodline

    ?Mutating the Bloodline


    Creating a Bloodline Core was simple, as all you needed to do was to gather all of your Blood Essence into one spot and condense it as hard as you could. And like diamonds, under immense pressure, it starts to crystallize.


    But the hard part was to infuse the Elemental Essence into it while keeping it stable. Thankfully Huli Jing was next to him to help him throughout the process, as just the Middle Heaven Grade Bloodline was as tough to control as a bull. But making his Low Heaven-grade Spatial Element stay still in the same spot with it was almost impossible.


    Directing his consciousness inside of himself, Xue Bai found the many drops of Blood Essence throughout him and managed to corral them in a spot opposite from his heart.


    "Senior Huli, I''ve gathered them. Help me keep it stable while I gather my Elemental Essence." Xue Bai asked.


    Nodding, Huli Jing easily controlled the rowdy Bloodline within Xue Bai.


    Gathering his Spatial Essence was moreplicated than finding his Blood Essence, but it didn''t take long as, within ten minutes, Xue Bai managed to bring it to where Huli Jing corralled his Bloodline.


    The next step was to fuse the two together. And with Huli Jing''s powerful soul, the infusion process was as smooth as possible to the point where theybined as if they were originally one.


    Finally, thest step was to give it enough pressure to crystallize into a core.


    "COMPRESS!" And with a loud shout, Huli Jing started topress the newly fused Bloodline.


    The process happened quickly, and within an hour, Xue Bai finally mutated his Bloodline.


    "You''re right. It didn''t hurt at all!" Xue Bai spoke with a smile.


    "Why would I bother to lie to a child." Huli Jing humphed.


    Smiling at the man, Xue Bai ignored his muttering and went to the mirror to investigate his new appearance.


    His eyes and hair before were entirely purple like his hair. But after his new Bloodline mutation, his hair, eyes, ears, and even his tails, were a shimmering purple as if a Neb were contained within them.


    "This is so beautiful." Xue Bai muttered softly.


    After staring at his eyes long enough, Xue Bai tore his eyes away from the mirror to look at Huli Jing, only to see him flickering as if he would dissipate soon.


    "Senior Huli! What''s happening to you?" Xue Bai asked with concern.


    "I have already found someone to inherit my legacy. Therefore, there is no point in my remnant soul staying here any longer." Huli Jing answered.


    "But you said it could stay here for another million years? So how are you going to die already?" Xue Bai asked with confusion.


    "I never said I was dying, fool. I had prepared a physical body in the Immortal Realm in the situation that I would die prematurely. The body has been ready for around 10 thousand years. Now I merely need to enter it with my remnant soul." Huli Jing exined.


    Xue Bai took a sigh of relief. Huli Jing was the first person besides his family he felt close to. Having him die a day after he met him would leave a sour feeling in his heart.


    "Before I leave, this Secret Realm is going to copse in on itself in ten hours. There isn''t anything of value to you here, so you should tell those other children in here to leave alongside you." Huli Jing spoke while Xue Bai was thinking.


    "Wait, Senior Huli, I have a request." Xue Bai remembered what he needed to do before he left.


    "I only have an hour. Say it quickly." Huli Jing responded impatiently.


    "In this Secret Realm, there should be four groups of people. Can you find all the people with a devil w branded on their attire?" Xue Bai asked.


    "Yes, easily. There are currently 20 of them in here. And they are all mostly in the Muscle Nourishing Realm. Why? Are they yourpanions?"


    "No, the opposite. I need to kill them. Can you do it for me, Senior?"


    "I am an Immortal. Though I have lost my physical body, I am still strong enough to tten this entire ne should I wish to. And you want me to kill a group of kids?" Huli Jing didn''t know whether to be angry orugh at such a request.


    "How am I supposed to kill them? I''m only at the Vein Transformation Realm." Xue Bai cried out.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You have a High Heaven-grade Bloodline, for heaven''s sake. So go and find a few Peak Muscle Nourishment Realm beasts and coerce them into being yourckeys." Huli Jing berated.


    "You''re right!" Xue Bai forgot his new Bloodline and was thinking about how to face the Wang n members head-on.


    "Do you have any more questions before I leave?" Huli Jing asked impatiently.


    "Yes, how can I hide my tail and ears? They are too eye-catching."


    "Just focus hard enough on your Bloodline Core. This should be second nature to you." Huli Jing answered.


    Listening to the man Xue Bai once again focused his consciousness within himself and willed his Bloodline to suppress itself. And after a minute of concentration, the extra details disappeared.


    Now, as his Spatial Elemental Essence was transferred into his Bloodline Core Xue, Bai''s eyes and hair had returned to their normal hue. However, he still kept the beautiful transformation and seductive aura, sadly.


    "Thank you, Senior Huli!" Xue Bai thanked him with a sincere bow.


    However, Huli Jing waved his hand dismissively, "It was a give and take. If you knew who killed me, then you wouldn''t be thanking me."


    "Senior Huli, who killed you?" Xue Bai asked before the man left for good.


    "I wrote it in the spatial ring on the desk. Besides the note, there are also enough resources for you to cultivate to the Xiantian Great Realm smoothly. But after that, you''d be on your own. Also, there is a seal on the note, and you can''t break that seal unless you had a cultivation matching mine when I passed. So if you can''t even reach my peak, then you shouldn''t bother to know." Huli Jing answered before he finally faded away.


    Saddened at the disappearance of Huli Jing, Xue Bai once again gave a deep bow before preparing to leave the cave abode.


    Picking up the spatial ring and walking out of the cave, Xue Bai''s eyes be cold.


    "Wang n members, I hope you wrote your wills." Xue Bai spoke aloud as he jumped into the pond once again to leave the trial area.


    The swim out of the Trial area was faster than entering it, and after about ten minutes of swimming, Xue Bai exited the pond and arrived back in the cave he started in.


    Now with a Fire Element affinity, Xue Bai dried his soaked clothing by conjuring a small fire in his hand.


    Though Xue Bai didn''t know much about the Space Element, the Fire Element was his strong suit. In the game, he had cultivated to the peak of the mortal world with a Fire Element affinity, Martial Vein.


    After drying himself, Xue Bai left the cave and climbed the mountain above the cave.


    Now with his stronger soul, Xue Bai remembered everything about the Secret Realm, and the strongest beast in it lived at the top of this mountain. So after subduing it and the rest of the beasts who lived alongside it, he should have enough power to wipe out the Wang n members.


    Before Huli Jing left, he gave Xue Bai the locations of the Wang n while leaving a small soul imprint on each of them. And Xue Bai was the only person who could sense the imprints.


    From what Huli Jing sensed, of the 20 Wang n members who entered the Secret Realm, four were at the peak of the Muscle Nourishing Realm, while all but one of the rest were at various stages in the Muscle Nourishing Realm. But one person.


    Usually, in Secret Realms, groups split up and go search for fortuitous encounters on their own. However, the group of 20 from the Wang n stayed together as a unit, protecting one person who stayed in the center. And this person in the center was the anomaly.


    From what Hulu Jing told him, the person being protected was only in the Vein Transformation Realm. But he was at the peak of it, just one step away from entering the Blood Exchange Realm.


    "It shouldn''t be Wang Yu. That Demon spawn would be in the Bone Strengthening Realm this year. And the only other person in the Wang n that would be able to order this many people but being this weak should be the Grand Elders grandson." Xue Bai thought to himself.


    "Well, it just makes my job easier to do."


    Climbing to the top of the mountain didn''t take very long, but with less than 10 hours left before the Secret Realm closed, Xue Bai climbed as fast as he could.


    After wiping out the Wang n members, Xue Bai nned to search the Secret Realm himself. He knew where a few Natural Treasures that could help his cultivation were located.


    As Xue Bai nned for the future, he realized he had finally reached the top of the mountain. The peak of this mountain was odd, and unlike most mountains, this one''s peak was utterly t and was covered in trees that towered over the clouds giving him a sense of awe.


    But he wasn''t given a moment to appreciate the scenery as within a minute of reaching the top, a hawk with an almost 2-meter wingspan flew out of a tree and charged at Xue Bai.

 Chapter 51 Sneak Attack

    ?Sneak Attack


    The hawk that flew at Xue Bai was only in the Blood Exchange Realm, and he could easily slice it in two. However, doing that would reveal his cultivation to the other hawks on the mountaintop, so Xue Bai instead released the aura of his High Heaven Grade Bloodline to let every hawk on the mountaintop know that he was royalty.


    Appearing in his hybrid form and fully unleashing his High Heaven-grade Bloodline into the air, the hawk who thought it had another easy meal. Instantly pressed itself against the ground in fear.


    And soon enough, the hawk in front of Xue Bai wasn''t the only one. Out from the trees, other hawks flew out from where they were before and prostrated themselves onto the ground in front of Xue Bai.


    Birds from the early stages of the Blood Exchange Realm to the peak of the Muscle Nourishment Realm flew out from their nests andy on the ground with their beaks on the rocky floor, awaiting Xue Bai''s next move.


    However, Xue Bai was still waiting, as the mountain overlord hadn''te out from his nest yet. The overlord was the only creature in this Secret Realm in the Bone Strengthening Realm, and Xue Bai needed its strength to wipe out all of the Wang n members confidently.


    And after waiting for another minute, the hawk flew out. Butpared to the rest of its species, it looked different. Along its wings, there was a trace of lightning flickering.


    "You actually have a trace of a thunderhawk bloodline. I didn''t notice before, but you are indeed special from the rest." Xue Bai thought aloud.


    A thunderhawk was a beast that could potentially grow to the Immortal Great Realm and could create thunderstorms with the p of its wings. But this little hawk in front of him didn''t have a pure enough Bloodline to do anything near that significant. Just the fact that it was still in the Bone Strenghtihng stage showed that.


    "Well, that is going to make everything easier." Xue Bai spoke.


    Pointing his finger at the beast, Xue Bai gestured for it toe close. And though it was still terrified of Xue Bai, it still walked over and prostrated itself at Xue Bai''s feet.


    Climbing on its back, Xue Bai patted it, saying, "Get up. You have to kill a group of people for me."


    Usually, a beast in its Realm wouldn''t be able to understand Xue Bai, but since it had a trace of an Immortal Bloodline through its Bloodline Inheritance, it was able to understand the general meaning of Xue Bai''s words.


    So after Xue Bai sat downfortably, it stood up and cawed loudly for the rest of its species to hear while flying off the mountaintop.


    After flying off, the other hawks, who were still prostrated on the ground, stood up and flew in the direction of the thunderhawk. Although Xue Bai subdued it as the overlord of the Secret Realm, it could stillmand the rest of his species. So after hearing the thunderhawk caw, they all followed him.


    While sitting on the thunderhawk''s back, Xue Bai guided it toward the Wang n cluster. However, along the way, Xue Bai would stop and pick various Natural Treasures that he spotted.


    Though they were only of the Low Yellow Grade, they all would help Xue Bai path out his veins faster, so he collected them without restraint.


    Finally, after another hour of flying and scavenging, Xue Bai found the Wang n members. Currently, they were fighting a small n of monkey Demonic Beasts.


    The leader of the n was a tall and ferocious-looking ape that stood at over 3 meters and was half a step into the Bone Strengthening Realm.


    To contain the ape while the weaker Wang n members wiped out the n of monkeys, the four Wang n members that were at the Peak of the Muscle Nourishing Realm joined together and were suppressing him. However, they were unable to do any severe damage to him and were waiting for the rest of the fellow n members to help after killing all the monkeys.


    The Grand Elder''s grandson was far away from the battle, calling out orders whenever was needed, which gave him the appearance of a schrly strategist. However, Xue Bai knew that he was just as bloodthirsty as Wang Yu.


    His identity was just as prestigious, and it allowed him to do as he wanted. And with a Demonic Sect as their superior, how could he not act as he wished?


    As the Wang n members fought their hearts out, Xue Bai stood in the air and watched them calmly. Though he had enough battle power to kill them all with the hawks he had brought with him, he wanted to y the role of a fisherman and wait until both slides were weak and thene in and wipe them both out.


    The battle continued on for a long time, but the Wang n were winning in a dominant fashion. The only reason the monkeys were still holding on was the Ape leader was holding back the Wang n''s strongest fighters. And without the strength of the Peak Muscle Nourshiing Realm cultivators, Wang Mo, the Grand Elder''s grandson, ordered them to fight in groups of three to ensure there were no casualties. This strategy worked, but it also slowed down the speed at which the monkeys were killed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai seeing all of this, estimated that the fight wouldn''t end for another hour. So he sat down on the thunderhawk and started to cultivate.


    "Make a sound when the battle ends." Xue Bai ordered before sealing his senses.


    Currently, Xue Bai was at the 7th stage of the Vein Transformation Realm as he had just pathed out his Lung Vein.


    So taking out a Spirit Fruit from his spatial ring Xue Bai quickly consumed it and prepared to path out his Heart Vein.


    The Heart and the Brain Vein were the most important of all the Veins in the Vein Transformation Realm. The Heart Vein could increase your regenerative abilities tenfold. While the Brain Vein increases your intelligence,puting power, andprehension ability.


    After consuming the first Spirit Fruit, Xue Bai sensed he only had about a fifth of the needed Spiritual Qi to reach the next stage. So he pulled out four more and consumed them as fast as possible. With the Kidney Vein, he wasn''t worried about building any impurities within himself.


    Though it took almost an hour, Xue Bai finally ate all the Spirit Fruits and had gathered the Spiritual QI from them and prepared to path out his Heart Vein. But before he could, the thunderhawk he was riding on cawed out.


    Opening his eyes, annoyed, Xue Bai looked down and saw that the ape was finally severely injured by the Wang n members. One of the Peak Muscle Nourishing cultivators had managed to stab one of its eyes, blinding it.


    Without half its vision, the ape was quickly suppressed by the Wang n members. They took advantage of the ape''s vision loss by staying on the side without vision. Though the ape knew what they were doing, it could do nothing to stop it and was soon severely injured again as another Wang n member nearly managed to sever an arm, crippling it.


    Then, without an eye and arm to fight against the besiegement, the ape finally fell unwillingly.


    "Don''t attack just yet. Prepare yourself and target urately. In the first attack, you must take out at least two of those Peak Muscle Nourishing Realm cultivators." Xue Bai calmly spoke.


    The thunderhawk under him wanted toplete its mission as fast as possible and get this wild ancestor off of its back as quickly as possible. However, after hearing the order, it calmed down and tensed its body, ready to attack.


    Though Xue Bai was too high up to hear what the Wang n members were speaking about, he could see Wang Moe out from his hiding spot and start to order them to dissect the monkeys for loot.


    Though the Wang n was already extremely rich, more money was never an issue, and the bodies of an entire n of monkey demonic beasts would sell for a pretty penny.


    The weaker members were designated with the job of dissecting the monkeys, while the four strongest had the job of the ape leader.


    However, two were too tired to help, so they sat down to meditate and regather their stamina before joining in.


    Unaware of the danger Wang Mo allowed them and also sat down and cultivated. As he was in the center of his n members, he assumed it would be safe to cultivate and seal his senses.


    Up above, Xue Bai finally found his targets and chance to attack. And as soon as the 2 closed their eyes, Xue Bai ordered the hawks to strike.


    "Go fast! Tell them that everyone must kill at least one of them in the first sneak attack!" Xue Bai ordered.


    Conveying Xue Bai''s message to its species with a loud caw, the thunderhawk flew down as thunder flickered off of its wings.


    Though the thunderhawk was subdued by Xue Bai easily, it still was a Bone Strengthening Realm demonic beast with an Immortal Bloodline. It could have easily wiped out the Wang n and the monkeys by itself, though it might have taken a while.


    But now, with the Wang n severely exhausted and with the help of over a dozen other hawks and a sneak attack, the attack couldn''t have failed.

 Chapter 52 Teasing The Villain

    ?Teasing the Viin


    As Xue Bai and the hawks flew down, the Wang n members were oblivious to it until it was toote.


    The two Peak Muscle Nourishing Realm Wang n who were dissecting the ape leader were the first to notice. And they saw that the target was their friends who were meditating, but as they were too far away to help them, they could only shout as loud as they could to get their attention.


    "Brother Ye! Watch out!"


    "Wang Guo, stop cultivating! Defend yourself!"


    However, it was toote, and just as they opened their eyes, the thunderhawk managed to grab them with its sharp thunder-imbued talons and pull them into the sky.


    And other than the thunderhawk, the other dozen hawks each managed to pick out a target and either kill or severely injure them. Leaving only five members of the Wang n able to fight the ensuing battle. But with their severe exhaustion from the previous battle and the weak Wang Mo they had to protect, the Wang n surviving members knew they were in danger.


    All five members who came out unscathed immediately dropped what they were doing to form a circle around Wang Mo. Wang Mo was thest to react as his only eyes shot open after he heard two of his strongest bodyguards scream in terror.


    "Who dares!" Wang Mo shouted out.


    "Young Master Mo, we are being ambushed!" The surviving two Peak Muscle Nourishing Realm bodyguards shouted as they went to protect him.


    "Who dares to ambush us?" Wang Mo asked confusedly.


    "Young Master Mo, it seems to be a n of hawks. They managed to attack fourteen of us before we could react."


    "They even got Young Master Ye and Young Master Guo."


    Hearing the many voices around him answer his questions. Wang Mo took a moment to process it all before making another decision. Though he was arrogant, bloodthirsty, and a horrible child, he was still the grandson of a Peak Domain Lord cultivator and was able to keep his calm in this despair-inducing moment.


    After analyzing his situation, he first wanted to gather the numbers on the enemy forces, so he asked, "Wang Yibo, how many hawks were there and how strong was their leader."


    Wang Yibo was one of the Peak Nourishing Realm Cultivators that came into the Secret Realm.


    "Young Master, there were 13 of them. However, the leader managed to kill both Brother Ye and Brother Guo in one attack. They sat extremely close to each other." Wang Yibo responded.


    "Those idiots!" Wang Mo angrily berated.


    Wang Mo didn''t care that they had just died and instantly started to insult them. The only person his age he would ever bother caring for was Wang Yu. Anyone else was either an ant waiting to be crushed beneath him or a pawn for his use. And the two that had died were thetter.


    After angrily shouting for a minute, Wang Mo asked, "How strong was the leader?"


    "The leader of the hawks was odd. We couldn''t see through its cultivation. And its wings also had thunder flickering off of them." Wang Yibo tentatively answered.


    "Fools, if you can''t see its cultivation, then that means it''s stronger than you." Wang Mo insulted them again.


    "But Young Master Mo, the cap of this Secret Realm is the Muscle Nourishing Realm. How can something stronger than us exist here? Even the ape we fought earlier was too strong for the Secret Realm." Wang Yibo disagreed.


    "Though that ape was half a step in the Bone Strengthening Realm, at the end of the day, he is still in the Muscle Nourishment Realm." Wang Mo calmly analyzed.


    "But in Secret Realm, usually there is one beast that is above the limit. And that hawk with thunder must be it." Continued Wang Mo


    "Then¡­ You mean that hawk is the overlord of the Secret Realm?" Wang Yibo asked.


    But before he could get an answer, Xue Bai had finally rounded back above the surviving members. He took longer than he thought, as Wang Ye and Wang Guo survived the initial attack and had managed to fight their way off of the thunderhawks talons.


    Afraid that they would manage to injure the thunderhawk, Xue Bai ordered it to drop them to the ground harshly and kill them there. And with the help of its profound cultivation and the rest of its species, the thunderhawk killed the two with little to no injuries.


    Standing on the thunderhawk above Wang Mo, Xue Bai looked at them calmly. They hadn''t noticed him yet, but even without seeing him, terror could still be seen on the Wang n member''s faces.


    Though Wang Mo looked the mostposed of them all, Xue Bai could tell his heart was in chaos. With Xue Bai''s soul as strong as Qi Sea Realm cultivators, he could sense Wang Mo''s soul fluctuating rapidly.


    Xue Bai discovered he could do this when the hawks were killing Wang Ye and Wang Guo. But since he couldn''t attack with his soul, this was the limit of his capabilities.


    Not in a rush to attack, Xue Bai stood in the air and waited. The Wang n members wouldn''t be able to move anywhere, and the longer they were tense, the more they would deteriorate. They hadn''t rested from the first battle, and now they had to stay tense and ready for battle in front of an entire n of hawks.


    "Young Master Mo, there seems to be something on top of the hawk leader staring at us." With one of the strongest cultivation among the survivors, Wang Yibo was the first to notice Xue Bai.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Wang Mo, hearing him, also stared at the thunderhawk in the lead and noticed a figure standing up top of it.


    "Fellow Daoist! If you are in control of these hawks, can you please give my grandfather, the Grand Elder of the Wang n, some face and call them off." Wang Mo asked.


    Though it was, on the surface, a request, Wang Mo knew that the only people allowed into the Secret Realm had to be people from The Great Xuan Empire. And hearing his grandfather''s name, they would surely fear him and let them go.


    However, Xue Bai was unphased. Dead men told no tales.


    Seeing that the figure ignored them, Wang Mo was infuriated. However, he knew that they wouldn''t be able to survive the second attack, so he calmed himself down and tried to plead again.


    "Fellow Daoist, in our journey throughout this Secret Realm, we have gathered many Low Yellow Grade Natural Treasures. And even a Middle Yellow Grade one, if you''d let me and my subordinates go, you can have them all." Wang Mo offered with a smile.


    But Xue Bai didn''t respond but instead waved his hand once more, ordering the hawks to attack again.


    "Dammit! Everyone defend me!" Wang Mo shouted. He was too weak to participate in this fight, as even the weakest hawk was in thete stages of the Blood Exchange Realm. And not everyone possessed Xue Bai''s Space Element allowing them to leapfrog stages and fight.


    At Xue Bai''s order, all of the hawks, besides the thunderhawk, flew at the herded Wang n members. And in the ensuing fight, the hawks decided to gang up on the two weakest people instead of the whole group. With their strategy, they managed to kill their two targets bringing down the original 6 to 4.


    "Dammit! You useless pieces of garbage, how hard is it to stand your ground!" Wang Mo shouted out, terrified.


    "Young Master, there are more than twice of them than us. And we are still almost empty of Spiritual Qi!" Wang Yibo reminded.


    "Then burn your Blood Essence! If I die here, your families will go down with me!" Wang Mo threatened.


    The two continued arguing, but as soon as the hawks returned to their original positions, Xue Bai waved his arm mercilessly again, ordering them to attack.


    From all the cultivation novels he read, Xue Bai had no mercy toward those from Demonic Sects, and he was more than willing to be their executioner.


    The second wave of attacks killed thest Wang n member, who wasn''t Wang Mo''s personal bodyguard while leaving the bodyguards severely injured.


    Wang Mo, who was still feigning calmness, couldn''t hold in his anger anymore.


    "You piece of trash who doesn''t even dare to show his face to us! How dare you kill members of the Noble Wang n! You''ve written yourself a death warrant! It doesn''t matter which of the three great families you are from. You''ll die a horrible death!"


    After seeing that his prey waspletely defenseless, Xue Bai decided he would taunt them before killing them. Though he knew he shouldn''t y with his enemies, those were only for high-value targets. The people in front of him were all half-dead and were a dime a dozen throughout the Baishen ne. So whateback could they possibly make?


    So wanting to talk to the survivors, Xue Bai motioned for the thunderhawk to fly down.


    On the other hand, Wang Mo seeing this, thought that his threat had worked and was ecstatic.


    "HA! You were terrified! Yes,e down and kowtow in front of me and beg forgiveness and maybe I''ll let you live!" Wang Mo shouted in a deranged manner, surprising everyone.


    Wang Yibo, the other bodyguard, or even Xue Bai, had not expected Wang Mo to think that he was surrendering. After all, Xue Bai had every advantage and was a few more shes away from wiping out the Wang n members. Why would he surrender?


    Xue Bai up above even started tough loudly.


    ''I thought that only viins in cultivation novels could possibly be this dumb.'' Xue Bai thought mentally.


    Xue Bai''sughter was so loud that the three survivors could also hear it. Wang Yibo and thest bodyguard looked awkward, but Wang Mo turned red from embarrassment. He obviously could tell why Xue Bai wasughing, and it didn''t feel good.


    "Wang Mo, oh Wang Mo, never did you think you''d fall in this unnamed Secret Realm, did you. With the Demonic Sect as a backer and a Peak Domain Lord grandfather, you thought you were a child of the heavens, didn''t you?" Xue Bai mocked as the thunderhawknded.


    Hearing those words, Wang Mo was terrified. Most of the younger generation in the Wang n didn''t know that they were the subordinates of a Demonic Sect, but Wang Mo was the only grandson of the Grand Elder, so he was allowed to know despite his age.


    But this man who had nearly wiped them out clearly wasn''t a Wang n member, so how did he know?


    "Who are you? And how do you know that." Wang Mo asked deeply.


    Landing gracefully on the ground, Xue Bai extended his tails outward to show their majesty, released the aura of his Bloodline in the air and stuck his nose up before answering the question.


    ''Since I have the opportunity to pose, I shall do so!'' Xue Bai thought.


    "Wang Mo, you''ve seen me before. Can it be that you can''t recognize Brother Bai?'' Xue Bai asked with a saddened face.

 Chapter 53 Killing Wang Mo, Yan Fengxian

    ?''Brother Bai? No matter how I look at it, this is a Fox Vixen that gained a human form!'' Wang Mo thought inwardly.


    "Oh right, I forgot I''m still in this form. So you probably wouldn''t recognize me." Xue Bai said after seeing his confusion.


    "No, no, no, Brother Bai, how could I not recognize you." Wang Mo spoke quickly.


    Xue Bai had actually met the two during an awakening ceremony he was forced to attend by Xue Feng.


    There the two had constantly called him Brother Bai in tones full of sincerity, but their eyes said the opposite. They were full of disdain and schadenfreude.


    The two had probably heard of Xue Bai''s poisoning and were taking this chance to ''Make Friends,'' so when Xue Bai goes to them in the future for help, they could ruthlessly deny him and crush his spirits.


    Remembering their cruelty, Xue Bai''s desire to kill Wang Mo increased, and the coldness in his eyes deepened.


    As his chance of survival decreased, Wang Mo thought that he had finally grasped a strand of hope and tried to continue this conversation.


    Xue Bai could obviously tell Wang Mo was lying. However, he only flew down to taunt them, so he decided to y along.


    "Of course, how could Brother Mo not recognize me? After you and Brother Yu called me Brother Bai for an entire night, how could you not remember me even if I changed forms?" Xue Bai spoke with a relieved smile.


    "Then Brother Bai, could you please do your Brother Mo a favor and call off those hawks of yours? They nearly wiped us out." Wang Mo asked kindly.


    "No, Brother Mo, I can''t do that." Xue Bai shook his head innocently


    ''This slut! How dare she say no!'' Wang Mo thought mentally.


    However, on the outside, he kept a forced smile and asked, "Why Brother Bai? Could it be that you''re angry with your Brother Yu and me?"


    "You could say that. After all, your Wang n fed me a Vein Swallowing Worm at my young age, almost stealing away my future." Xue Bai spoke in a mncholic voice.


    Hearing Vein Swallowing Worm from Xue Bai, Wang Mo''s mind started to race, trying to think who was in front of him.


    ''His given name is Bai, and we fed him a Vein Swallowing Worm. And extremely feminine looking. Wait, I know now!''


    "Are you Xue Bai?" Wang Mo asked carefully.


    "Correct! Took a little longer than I thought it would." Xue Baimented with a smile.


    However, the smile wasn''t one of excitement or praise but one full of disdain.


    "If you are Xue Bai, how dare you attack us! Do you think Xue Feng could protect you from my n!" Wang Mo, finally knowing who had driven him and his n members to the brink of extinction, was enraged.


    The Wang, Yan, and Duan ns were the Three Great Families of The Great Xuan Empire. Each of the ns had at least three different Peak Domain Lord Realm Cultivators to protect it at any given moment.


    But Xue Feng, though a Duke, hadn''t been added to that list as the foundation of his n wasn''t strong enough yet. He and Li Rou were the strongest in the Dukedom, yet they were only at the 7th stage of the Domain Lord Realm. With the next strongest being Zhou Beizhen at the 3rd stage of the Domain Lord Realm.


    Li Huo and his subordinates didn''t count as Li Huo was a noble himself and the people under him belonged to him, not Xue Feng''s Dukedom.


    And seeing that the son of a mere newly appointed Duke had almost killed him, Wang Mo''s eyes had turned red in anger.


    "How dare you, a Vein Transformation ant, call my father by his full name!" Xue Bai shouted.


    Xue Bai waved his hand once again, and the thunderhawk spat out a ball of lightning at Wang Mo''s left arm.


    "ARGH!" Unable to dodge, Wang Mo''s left arm was scorched and burned to a crisp, leaving him roaring in pain.


    "Xue Feng is a mere cultivation fool who got lucky with his Martial Veins! Why wouldn''t I dare call him by his full name? This continent will be trampled under my Wang n soon enough. By then, Xue Feng wouldn''t even dare to call me by my full name!" Wang Mo shouted back as he held his scorched stub of an arm.


    "You''re really insane, aren''t you? Even now, at the brink of death, you still speak with such enthusiasm. If you had half a brain, you''d be begging for mercy at my feet." Xue Bai insulted.


    He had started to lose interest in this brain-dead cannon fodder.


    "How are you even able to cultivate? That Vein Swallowing Worm should''ve crippled you like the piece of trash you should be!" Wang Mo shouted.


    Seeing Wang Mo be increasingly unhinged, Xue Bai lost any motivation to continue the conversation and ordered the hawks to attack the surviving three Wang n members with a wave of his hand.


    Wang Yibo and thest bodyguard had long given up resistance and epted their fates. But Wang Mo picked up a sword and fought to his dying breath, not wanting to give Xue Bai any satisfaction.


    Now that their job was done, Xue Bai looked at the n of hawks and ordered, "You can take your species and leave. I have no more for you to do."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Eager to leave Xue Bai, the thunderhawk turned into a sh of lightning and flew off after hearing the order. The rest of its species was confused at first, but they soon followed it back home.


    Then alone, Xue Bai finally let out what he was holding back and proceeded to vomit.


    This was Xue Bai''s first time killing any human, and the first time he killed 20 people in one go. And each and every corpse in front of him was diced into dozens of pieces. Though most of the faces were peaceful as they died instantly to a sneak attack, Wang Mo''s facial expression, full of malice and hatred, burnt its way into Xue Bai''s head.


    Xue Bai vomited for almost 5 seconds until he finally regained control of his stomach. But instead of looking away, he continued to stare at the corpses.


    "Xue Bai, this isn''t Earth anymore. Get used to this now peacefully before it catches up to you and almost kills you." Xue Bai spoke aloud to try and calm himself down.


    Xue Bai knew that the Baishen ne was a chance for him to live his dream life. But, unfortunately, it woulde along with a trail of blood and corpses along the way. And he wanted to strengthen his determination and will now rather than on a battlefield where it could cost him his life.


    ''Do what needs to be done, not what you want to be done. Do what needs to be done, not what you want to be done.'' Xue Bai repeated the phrase in his mind over and over again like a mantra to try and keep himself from throwing up again.


    After a few minutes of stern concentration and throwing up whatever was left in his stomach. Xue Bai finally stood up and wiped the vomit off of his lips. He had finally adapted to the corpses and was no longer disgusted or scared.


    Finally calm, Xue Bai went to Wang Mo''s body and took its spatial ring.


    As the leader and a massive arrogant bastard, Wang Mo held every valuable item they found on his person.


    "Oh, he was telling the truth. He did find a Middle Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit." Xue Baimented as he inspected the ring.


    Besides the Middle Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit, there were almost a dozen Low Yellow Grade ones inside and a few valuable ores that Wang Mo also found.


    Now alone, Xue Bai decided he would do some looting before he left. The Secret Realm would only close after another 4 hours, so he wanted to break through to the 8th stage of the Vein Transformation Realm before he left. And with the Spirit Fruits he had stored, he nned to go into closed-door seclusion at home to break through to the peak of the Vein Transformation.


    The rest of Xue Bai''s time in the Secret Realm was peaceful. Relying on his overwhelmingly powerful soul and memories, he managed to loot every important spot in the Secret Realm. He found another 3 Middle Yellow Grade Spirit Fruits and another 7 Low Yellow Grade ones.


    Bringing his total loot gains to 5 Middle Yellow and 25 Low Yellow Grade Spirit Fruits from his two looting sprees and Wang Mo''s Spatial Ring


    After picking one more fruit, Xue Bai decided that it was time to leave the Secret Realm. But there was one problem. The Emperor, Duke Wang, and Duke Yan were outside watching the exit. And it was almost impossible to slip past them without them noticing.


    The cloak that Xue Feng gave to him only worked for those under the Qi Sea stage, but those three were some of the strongest in the continent, and it would only take a single sweep of their spiritual sense to see who was under it.


    Xue Bai also couldn''t send a message to his father to help him out. His only options were to try and find another exit or hide together with the Yan n members.


    Though the Duan Family and his n were allies in the game plot, it was only because of the threat of the Wang n. Without the considerable threat making them ally together, the Duan Family could have easily been an enemy.


    But not only did the Yan family have his future sister-inw in it, but Xue Feng was also always close to Yan Zhenyu. So Xue Bai thought that he could hide with them.


    If he were in the crowd of the Yan n members, neither of the other heads would bother to look at him. Though a cloak was something out of the ordinary, it was still verymon for people to wear.  So it wouldn''t warrant a Spiritual Sense sweep, and even if it were enough, neither Duan Zhen nor Wang Yichen would out of respect for Yan Zhenyu.


    With those thoughts and the fact that Xue Bai didn''t know if there was a second exit, he chose thetter.


    Finding the Yan n members didn''t take long, but now Xue Bai had the problem of how to get to the Young Miss of the Yan n without being attacked.


    This year Yan Fengxian was 13. And though she was a year older than Huo Long, it didn''t matter much since they were childhood sweethearts.


    From what Xue Bai remembered in the game, she had awakened a Peak Yellow Grade Martial Vein and had also joined Wushen Academy. There she fell in love with Huo Long.


    But since it was only 972, Xue Bai wasn''t sure if she had fallen in love yet. The only thing he was sure of was that the seed of feelings was there, as Huo Long had saved her life earlier this year from what he knew. So now Xue Bai only hoped that he could take advantage of that.


    Xue Bai tried his best to act like a teenage girl and ran out shouting, "FengFeng! Oh my heavens, it''s so good to see you here!"


    Yan Fengxian, hearing someone call her by her nickname, turned around instinctively to see who it was. But she also kept her guard up and stood behind two of her strongest nsmen.


    Though she was talented, at 13, she was only in the Middle stages of the Blood Exchange Realm, and in case of a sneak attack, she needed to be near them for a chance of survival.


    "Fellow Daoist, if youe any closer, I will order my nsmen to attack you! Since you know my nickname, I must know you personally. Can you take down your cloak before we let you get any closer?" Yan Fengxian asked politely.


    Though he was annoyed that he didn''t get close enough to whisper, Xue Bai nned for something like this and spoke loudly, "I am Brother Huo Long''s friend! He told me so much about you."


    Hearing Huo Long''s name, a smile appeared on Yan Fengxian''s face, and she let her guard down.


    ''Anyone who knows our rtionship and my nickname should be a friend.'' Yan Fengxian thought inwardly as she let Xue Baie closer.


    ''Ses! Now all I need to do is camouge with them and escape!'' Xue Bai thought excitedly.

 Chapter 54 Sneaking Into The Yan Clan Group

    ?Sneaking into the Yan n group


    "Sister, can you tell me your rtionship with Big Brother Long." When Xue Bai got close, Yan Fengxian asked with a smile.


    However, instead of answering Yan Fengxian''s question, Xue Bai dodged it and requested something.


    "Fengfeng, can I ask you something first?" Xue Bai asked as she eyed the nearby Yan n members.


    Understanding what Xue Bai meant, Yan Fengxian waved them away, leaving the two alone.


    "What''s wrong, sister? What do you want to ask me?" Yan Fengxian asked.


    After Yan Fengxian spoke, she saw Xue Bai pull down the cloak from his head to show his face. And since Xue Bai had already gotten out of his hybrid form and looked like his normal human self, Yan Fengxian immediately knew who he was after pulling down his cloak.


    "You! Xue Bai, how did you get into this Secret Realm? We didn''t see you enter with us. Also, you can''t even cultivate yet. Are you looking to die!" Yan Fengxian asked worriedly.


    Ignoring all of her questions, Xue Bai pulled his cloak back over his head and spoke, "Nevermind that, I need to leave this Secret Realm and with your n is the only usible way. Will you let me follow you or not?"


    Though Yan Fengxian was annoyed at being ignored, she still took a moment to think about Xue Bai''s question.


    "You can follow us, but what will be in it for us?" Yan Fengxian tried to bargain.


    "I don''t have anything of value on me. But after we leave, I can mention this to my father, and he''ll surely give you something worthwhile." Xue Bai answered.


    Yan Fengxian agreed. She also didn''t carry many valuable things with her and believed that Xu Bai also wasn''t, even though Xue Bai had a spatial ring full of things that could send the continent into war.


    "Alright, put on this uniform. Wearing the cloak would only make you look suspicious." Yan Fengxian spoke as she handed him a set of robes with the Yan n symbol.


    Thanking her, Xue Bai went to go and change quickly behind a tree.


    "Young Miss, who is that girl you let stay with us?" After Xue Bai left, one of the Yan n members asked Yan Fengxian.


    "She''s a friend, and she''s going to stay with us as we leave." Yan Fengxian answered ambiguously.


    "But Young Miss, anyone who can enter this Secret Realm is a part of the Three Great Families. So why can''t she just go along with her nsmen?"


    Yan Fengxian was caught off guard at the question, but as a trained heir to a Dukedom, she kept her cool and answered, "She was caught in an inner strife. So she is hiding with us toy low."


    The Yan n member nodded and didn''t ask any more questions. The lie that Yan Fengxian made up madeplete sense for the situation.


    Xue Bai quickly changed out of his set of robes and into the new ones, but he decided to leave the hood on. This was because his face was very well known throughout The Great Xuan Empire, so even if he put on a new set of robes, the heads of the Three Great Families would spot him.


    Xue Bai only hoped that Yan Zhenyu would stop the other two heads from using their spiritual sense on his descendants.


    Running back to the Yan n members, Xue Bai noticed Yan Fengxian squirming with a blush on her face. Curious, he ran over to see what she was so fidgety about.


    "Xue Bai, you said that you learned about me from Big Brother Long, right? What did he say to you about me?" Yan Fengxian asked shyly


    "Oh, that? I only assumed your rtionship. Brother Long did mention you to me at his awakening banquet, but he only said he saw you as a junior sister. I just hoped that you didn''t see him as a senior brother." Xue Bai replied.


    Yan Fengxian was stunned for a moment before blushing even harder. ''This little brat tricked me!''


    However, with so many people around, she didn''t say anything aloud and humphed before walking away.


    "Alright, my Yan n members, the Secret Realm will close in another 90 minutes. So we will first walk towards the exit. After that, you can all take advantage of the pure Spiritual Qi and cultivate before we leave." Yan Fengxian stood in front of the group of people and ordered.


    Since throughout the Secret Realm, the purity of the Spiritual Qi stayed the same, Yan Fengxian wanted to be near the exit while they cultivated. Though she didn''t know what would happen if they stayed longer than the 24-hour time limit, she didn''t want to be a test dummy and find out.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Since what Yan Fengxian said was urate, and she was the leader of the group, no one had any objections, and they all followed Yan Fengxian to the exit. Along the way, Xue Bai stayed next to Yan Fengxian and avoided any conversation that the Yan n members tried to initiate.


    Soon, with the help of a marker that Yan Fengxian ced down when they first entered, the Yan n members quickly found the exit and set up a small camp around it. And after setting up a few detection arrays around themselves, the Yan nsmen started cultivating.


    The Secret Realm''s Spiritual Qi was more than five times as pure as the outside world, and they wanted to take advantage of theirst hour inside it.


    Xue Bai also wanted to break through to the 8th stage of the Vein Transformation Realm, but he did not want to create a bigmotion, so he moved away from everyone before cultivating. The weakest person in this Secret Realm was at least in the middle stages of the Blood Exchange Realm, so if Xue Bai revealed his Vein Transformation cultivation, everyone would notice it.


    Finding a small cave nearby, Xue Bai set up a concealing and a detection array to protect himself.


    "I have an hour before the exit opens. That should be enough time." Xue Bai muttered to himself.


    Pulling a Middle Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit, Xue Bai quickly gobbled it down and began to path out his Heart Vein.


    The Heart Vein was the most vital vein of the nine in the Vein Transformation Realm, as it could do every single job and its own. Not only could it help your regenerative abilities, but it could also help strengthen your body.


    Blood was the foundation of a strong body and flowed all throughout the body. So with the Heart Vein, you could constantly funnel Spiritual Qi into blood, helping to strengthen your body from the inside.


    Calming his thoughts, Xue Bai quickly found his Heart and began to path out the vein. Though Xue Bai felt the searing pain again, since it was the 8th time he felt it now, he could bear through it without a frown.


    The process was fast and without any troubles, so after 30 minutes, Xue Baipleted his breakthrough sessfully.


    Feeling the new power within him, Xue Bai tried to test his regenerative abilities. First, taking a short knife out of his spatial ring, Xue Bai shed his finger. Then circting Spiritual Qi into his Heart, Xue Bai saw his wound heal at a pace visible to the eye.


    "This is so cool." Xue Bai muttered softly before he realized the time, "The Secret Realm exit should be appearing soon. I got to get moving."


    Exiting his cave, Xue Bai ran toward the Yan n camp. As he was close by, it didn''t take long to reach the camp after 10 minutes of running. When Xue Bai arrived, he witnessed the Yan n members all awake from their cultivation sessions.


    "Only I could cultivate here a little bit longer. One more hour, I could reach the 7th stage of the Muscle Nourishing Realm."


    "Hahaha! I finally reached the Peak of the Muscle Nourishing Realm! Grandfather will surely be proud!"


    All of the Yan n members had various emotions about the end of the Secret Realm, but nheless, they were all happy they were allowed toe here.


    Besides the Yan ns camp, about 200 meters away, the Duan n members had also set up their own and were waiting for the exit to open. But Xue Bai didn''t know any members of the Duan n, so he left them alone.


    Shifting his gaze back to the Yan n camp, Xue Bai quickly found Yan Fengxian and ran up to her.


    "Xue Bai, you''re back." Yan Fengxian said as she spotted him, "Where were you? I was just about to send Yan Yang to go and look for you."


    Yan Yang was the strongest Yan n member who had entered the Secret Realm. So her sending him to look for Xue Bai showed how caring the girl was.


    "I felt that I should hide a little further away after all your nsmen think I am a girl from the Wang n. If I stayed with them, they''d eventually find out something was wrong." Xue Bai answered.


    "Sigh~~ Still, why did you even enter a Secret Realm? You can''t cultivate yet. I can''t even guess how you survived for so long." Yan Fengxian sighed


    However, much to Yan Fengxian''s annoyance Xue Bai once again dodged her question.


    "Sister Yan, how long until the exit opens?" Xue Bai asked, ignoring her question.


    Annoyed at Xue Bai dodging her question again, Yan Fengxian was going to chastise him, but before she could, space behind her trembled, and a spatial gate 5 meters tall and 5 meters wide opened in the air.


    "I guess it opens now." Xue Baimented.

 Chapter 55 Wang Yichens Rage

    ?Wang Yichen''s Rage


    The exit gate manifesting in the air caught everyone''s attention. But suddenly, one person from the Duan n made an observation.


    "Hey, did anyone see where the Wang n members are?"


    And like a pebble thrown into a pond, ripples started to form. No one had seen or even sensed the twenty Wang n members for over 5 hours, and they assumed the worst. The Wang n had brought 20 members like the other two ns, but they had the most Peak Muscle Nourishiming Realm cultivators, along with the Grandson of their Grand Elder. Massive waves in The Great Xuan Empire would ensue if they all died in a small unknown Secret Realm.


    Yan Fengxian seeing that her nsmen were conversing with each other about the disappearance of the Wang nsmen, quickly attracted their attention.


    "You can all talk about this once we leave! We don''t know how long this gate is going to be open for, so quickly go through it!" Yan Fengxian ordered.


    Coming back to their senses, both ns started to walk out of the exit. They could gossip in the outside world. If they got stuck in here forever, they would have nowhere to cry.


    Xue Bai stayed close to Yan Fengxian as he walked through the portal. Then, feeling his surroundings shift, Xue Bai saw himself appear in the forest he was in just a day ago. In front of him stood the heads of the Three Great Families, Duan Zhen, Yan Zhenyu, Wang Yichen, and his father. The Wang Twins were also there, but they stood off to the side in respect.


    The four powerhouses had their eyes closed in meditation, but after sensing the portal and the groups of teenagers exit, they opened their eyes.


    The Duan n members went toward the Emperor, while the Yan n members went to Yan Zhenyu. Xue Bai also followed them as he had to keep up appearances.


    And thankfully, neither Duan Zhen nor Wang Yichen bothered to look at Xue Bai and his cloaked appearance.


    But Wang Yichen immediately sensed that something was wrong.


    "Where are my Wang n descendants?!" Wang Yichen shouted.


    However, no one answered him, though they were just gossiping about it inside the Secret Realm, they didn''t dare to do it in front of Wang Yichen. He was just as well known to be merciless as Wang Yu. So if they said that all of his descendants died in the Secret Realm, weren''t they asking to be killed?


    "I SAID, WHERE ARE MY WANG CLAN DESCENDANTS!" Wang Yichen shouted once more. At this point, Wang Yichen had already released his Domain and was fuming.


    In the Domain Lord Realm, you create a Domain belonging to you based on the Law(s) youprehended in the previous two stages. And Wang Yichen, known for his merciless personality as a General, hadprehended the Law of ughter.


    And out from Wang Yichen spread out a bloody aura that soon spread out to everyone else. And the teenagers from the Duan and Yan n were the first to bear the pressure of it.


    They all felt as if they had been thrown into a warzone that had been raging on since primordium. A bloodthirsty pressure engulfed them, and the weaker ones were forced to kneel instantly.


    No matter how much potential they had or how many stages they could leapfrog, Wang Yichen was at the Peak of the Domain Lord Realm. Thankfully right before the aura forced everyone to kneel, Yan Zhenyu and Xue Feng also unleashed their Domains to counteract Wang Yichen''s


    "Wang Yichen, what are you doing!" Xue Feng was the first to shout at him.


    Knowing that his son had done the job, Xue Feng felt ecstatic inside. Though he hadn''t gotten his revenge just yet, this served as a nice interest.


    ''This is what you get for trying to cripple my son, you demonic scum.''


    "Duke Wang, no matter how angry you are, trying to coerce our descendants in front of us doesn''t seem like a smart move." Duan Zhen spoke calmly.


    Yan Zhenyu didn''t speak and merely agreed with the other two.


    "All twenty of the Wang n younger generations I allowed into that Secret Realm have disappeared, and you all are telling me not to be angry?!" Wang Yichen wasn''t calming down and instead doubled down, forcing his Domain out to the fullest.


    Now blood apparitions in armor started to appear, each holding a spear.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I''m going to get an answer from one of those kids. It only matters how many will die before it. Blood Spirits attack!" Wang Yichen ordered with a mad smile.


    At Wang Yichen''s order, the apparitions charged at the teenagers who had just exited the Secret Realm.


    However, just as the apparitions were about to make contact with a member of the Duan n, someone folded and told Wang Yichen what had happened.


    "Duke Wang, we noticed that the Wang n members somehow disappeared 18 hours in. We don''t know how thought the only way we noticed was that they stopped making noise."


    Hearing the answer, Wang Yichen ordered the apparitions to stop but didn''t call them back.


    "So what you are telling me is that they died?! With their strength, they could''ve taken down the average Bone Strengthening Realm beasts. How could they die in a Secret Realm with the Muscle Nourishing Realm as the limit!" Wang Yichen started to press for more information.


    But just as he was going to unleash his Blood Spirits again, Duan Zhen sighed and unveiled his Domain. A Dragon roar spread out hundreds of miles, followed by a golden dragon spread out from behind Duan Zhen.


    Unlike the other three men, Duan Zhen was in the Xiantian Great Realm, and his strength spoke for itself. As soon as he unleashed his Domain, it crushed Yan Zhenyu, Xue Feng, and Wang Yichen''s Domains, almost effortlessly shocking everyone.


    ''Duan Zhen is stronger than the rumors!'' Was the shared thought from all three of them,


    It was well known throughout The Great Xuan Empire that Duan Zhen had a Low ck Grade Martial Vein and had already reached the Xiantian Great Realm. However, as Duan Zhen was still only 110 years old, they had assumed he would only be in the first or second stage of the Spirit Awakening Stage. But with thebat strength he had revealed with his sigh, the three men knew it wasn''t as low as they thought.


    Ignoring the thoughts of the men around him, Duan Zhen looked at the person who had revealed the news with a cold gaze.


    "Duan Ye, Duke Wang would have never attacked any of you. And even if he were mad enough to, I would have stopped it. The only reason he sent out the Blood Spirits was to hope someone was weak-willed enough to fold. So when we get back to the Pce, you''re going to face the wall for a decade to temper your spirit." Duan Zhen ordered mercilessly.


    Though Duan Ye was heartbroken from hearing his punishment, he knew not to refuse and epted it. Everyone who hade to the Secret Realm was under 18 years old, so to face the wall for ten years would end any childhood he had.


    After giving Duan Ye, his punishment Duan Zhen looked at the fuming Wang Yichen calmly and spoke, "Duke Wang, you got your answer. Coercing my or Duke Yan''s descendants anymore will only break rtions between us. I rmend you go back home and try and hire a divinator. Maybe you can find some clues about the perpetrator."


    After saying so, he turned around and left with his descendants. From start to finish, he never showed emotion and stayed as calm as an Emperor should be.


    Yan Zhenyu was about to do the same, but Yan Fengxian went to him and told him about their extra guest.


    After hearing what his daughter told him, Yan Zhenyu looked over at Xue Feng with meaningful eyes.


    "Brother Xue, do you mind if we go to your Dukedom and talk?" Yan Zhenyu spoke with a smile.


    Though Xue Feng was confused, seeing a figure in the Yan n group wearing his old cloak, he figured it out.


    "If Older Brother Yan is asking, how can I, as a Little Brother, refuse?" Xue Feng replied equally as enthusiastically.


    "XUE FENG! If I find out that any of this has to do with you, I will make sure you''ll pay the price!" Wang Yichen screamed out before they left.


    Though he didn''t have any leads, Xue Feng was the most suspicious in his mind. Even though he was the discoverer of the Secret Realm, Xue Feng didn''t send a single person inside. No matter how unpopted his Dukedom is, he could have sent a handful. Yet Xue Feng didn''t send a single soldier, which made him the number one suspect in Wang Yichen''s mind.


    Xue Feng seeing Wang Yichen still boiling with rage, just shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk away. In his mind Wang Yichen was a dead man walking, so the threat didn''t even bother him.


    "DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT" Left alone in the forest with nothing to vent his anger on, Wang Yichen started to destroy the nearby shrubbery.

 Chapter 56 New Allies

    ?New Allies


    Back in the Dukedom, Yan Zhenyu and Xue Feng sat across each other drinking tea. Xue Bai and Yan Fengxian were also there, standing behind their respective fathers.


    "Sigh~~ Brother Xue, never could I have imagined that you would be able to let your son cultivate a year early." Yan Zhenyu sighed.


    Though Xue Bai''s cultivation concealing artifact could block Yan Fengxian from seeing his cultivation, it couldn''t block Yan Zhenyu''s senses.


    "It just a fortuitous encounter Bai''er encountered. Nothing that could surprise Older Brother Yan." Xue Feng said humbly.


    Of the three heads from the Three Great Families, Yan Zhenyu was the most amicable. And with Xue Bai saying that he was the most likely person to ally with in theing future, Xue Feng was polite.


    "While being able to start cultivating a year early isn''t something I would want as I was able to cultivate peacefully, some people don''t have that luck, and being able to get stronger a year faster would be something they would kill for. Moreover, a year earlier would allow any young genius to be one of our continent''s rising stars in the future." Yan Zhenyu sighed again.


    "Oh right, forgive me for asking, but what grade Martial Vein did Nephew Bai awaken?" Yan Zhenyu suddenly asked.


    If Xue Bai awakened a set of Martial Veins lower than Peak Yellow Grade, it would severely damage his stock in Yan Zhenyu''s mind. But if he awakened anything above Peak Yellow Grade, it would do the reverse.


    Hearing this question, Xue Feng smiled, "Big Brother Yan, you must surely know that some things are better left hidden. What if the wrong people heard it? It would be catastrophic."


    Though Xue Feng''s words were ambiguous and had multiple meanings, with how astute Yan Zhenyu was, how could he not understand what Xue Feng was implying?


    "Brother Xue, don''t worry. My Yan n will be a great ally to your Dukedom." Yan Zhenyu swore as he patted his chest.


    Smiling, Xue Feng looked over at Xue Bai and motioned him to speak.


    "Senior Yan, my Martial Veins are High ck Tier with a Fire element attribute." Xue Bai spoke cleanly.


    Dumbstruck, Yan Zhenyu couldn''t reply for a moment. Even Yan Fengxian was stunned.


    ''Father and I only have a Peak Yellow Grade. Even Big Brother Long, who is being groomed as a potential High Elder, only has a Low ck Grade Martial Vein!''


    "Nephew Bai surely you ain''t joking with this old man?" Yan Zhenyu finally forced words out of his mouth after a few seconds of silence.


    Xue Bai knew that actions served better than words, so, from his hands, he summoned a small ball of fire, which shocked everyone, even Xue Feng.


    Since they left the forest and arrived back at the Dukedom, Xue Fen hadn''t had time to talk to Xue Bai personally, so he had no idea of his son''s gains, even his cultivation. As to the untrained eye, it only looked like Xue Bai was at the 5th stage of the Vein Transformation Realm, even though he was at the 8th.


    ''Looks like Bai''er gained some valuable things in the Secret Realm.'' Xue Feng thought


    "Sigh~~ The younger generation will always surpass the older. Brother Xue, you have a wonderful son. Don''t forget this old man when you rise to the heavens." Yan Zhenyu seemed to age a little as he spoke.


    "Older Brother Yan, don''t worry. As an ally, my Dukedom will always be willing to send a hand to help whenever you need one." Xue Feng said with a smile.


    What Yan Zhenyu was seeing was only the tip of the iceberg, yet he was already feeling so mncholy. If Xue Bai had revealed all of his strengths, Yan Zhenyu might just have had a heart attack.


    "Brother Xue, would you like to discuss the conditions of our partnership?" Yan Zhenyu asked after his face regained its color.


    "Yes, we can do it here. Bai''er, go and show Niece Yan around our Dukedom." Xue Feng shooed out his son without care.


    Pouting a little from his father being so rude, Xue Bai walked away with a lowered head.


    ''I wanted to show off more¡­.''


    After the kids walked out of the main hall, Yan Fengxian finally couldn''t hold her curiosity anymore and asked, "Xue Bai, how did you start cultivating a year early? I don''t know of anyone in the Baishen ne that has ever done that. If I could cultivate a year early, I would already be in the Bone Strengthening Realm. And then, not even that demon Wang Yu would be my opponent. I wouldn''t have to endure that lustful gaze and could send him flying with one palm."


    Xue Bai was paying attention to her words in the beginning, but after her third sentence, his brain shut off, and only one thought was in his mind. ''This woman is a chatterbox!''


    "Sister Yan, if you talk any more, I''ll tell Brother Long that you''re a bad person!" Xue Bai threatened.


    The threat seemed to work as Yan Fengxian instantly covered her mouth. "You wouldn''t dare. And Big Brother Long wouldn''t believe you anyway!"


    "Try me, women." Xue Bai doubled down.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then.. what do you want?'' Seeing Xue Bai look serious, Yan Fengxian conceded.


    "Leave me alone I need to cultivate. Go to my mother. She''ll like your type of character." Xue Bai said as he left the girl to herself.


    Xue Bai wanted to close up and reach the peak of the Vein Transformation Realm as soon as possible. He could cultivate a year earlier than everyone, and he wanted to establish a lead that would make it so that no one his age could ever catch up to him.


    Xue Bai''s goal was to reach the Bone Strengthening Realm before the plot began in 975, and he had a little less than 3 years toplete it. But with his potential, it wouldn''t be too hard as long as he didn''t run into any significant problems.


    But to reach that, Xue Bai needed to cultivate like a madman. Crossing 3 Realms in 3 years was almost impossible, even with his Low Heaven Grade Martial Veins. Thankfully with Huli Jing''s spatial ring, Xue Bai wouldn''t becking in resources to help him get there.


    Thankfully Xue Bai''s thoughts weren''t known to the outside because if so, he would be beaten to death. Wang Yu was seen as a heaven-sent genius, yet he was only going to reach the Bone Strengthening Realm at 15. Yet Xue Bai wanted to reach it two years earlier. If he wasn''t crazy, then what was he?


    Crossing 3 Realms in 3 years was something never done before in the Southern Continent. Maybe only the geniuses from the Central Continent could achieve something like that. And even in the Central Continent, maybe only peak geniuses could do that.


    Meanwhile, Yan Fengxian was getting aggravated by how Xue Bai treated her. But her father told her repeatedly not to antagonize him as Xue Bai was going to be a dragon when he matured.


    ''HUMPH! Big Brother Long is better.'' Yan Fengxian thought childishly, unaware of how right her childish thought was.


    Xue Bai went to his room and tried to prepare for his first close door seclusion. He had enough Spirit Fruits to be able to reach the peak of the Vein Transformation Realm. It only matters how fast he would do it.


    In his courtyard, he saw Xiao''er kicking her small pale feet in the pond.


    "Young Master, you''re back!" Sensing Xue Bai enter, Xiao''er turned around excitedly.


    Standing up from the pond, Xiao''er ran up to Xue Feng and hugged him.


    "I missed you so much!" Xiao''er said while smothering Xue Bai.


    Though Xiao''er was still a young and growing girl, biological physics didn''t work typically in a cultivation world, and she was already well endowed at a young age. And coupled with the fact that Xue Bai only stood up to her chest, he was very well starting to suffocate in between her two mountains.


    At first, Xue Bai was feeling great pleasure in between her mountains, but when he started to lose oxygen, he pushed himself away from Xiao''er before he croaked.


    "You vixen! Why are you trying to kill me?" Xue Bai used, after he got free.


    "Young Master, how could you say that." Xiao''er said as she looked heartbroken, "I was only trying to greet my Young Master as a maid should."


    Dumbfounded at her response, Xue Bai didn''t know what to say for a moment. Someone is corrupting his cheerful naive maid!


    "Who taught you this, Xiao''er? Whoever taught you this is a bad person, and you shouldn''t listen to them in the future." Xue Bai questioned.


    "But it was taught to me by Mistress," Xiao''er spoke softly, "How can I not listen to her in the future?"


    "Mother?" Xue Bai muttered.


    ''Why the hell is mother teaching Xiao''er how to seduce me? I can''t even pass down the family line yet. So what purpose does this serve?''


    "Ahem- Still listen to mother. Just think about what she is teaching you before you apply it in the real world." Xue Bai coughed.


    He couldn''t possibly tell Xiao''er not to listen to Li Rou. Wouldn''t that make the maid a rebel?


    Hearing Xue Bai''s words, Xiao''er seemed tomit them to memory before asking what was on her mind.


    "Young Master, why are you here? I noticed that some important guests are visiting. Shouldn''t you be apanying them?"


    "That girl is annoying, so I am going to cultivate in my room. I feel like I can break through to the 9th stage, so I''m going to close up for a while." Xue Bai waved off as he walked to his bedroom.


    "Then, Young Master, do you still want me to deliver you food, or do you want some fasting pills?" Xiao''er spoke.


    Xue Bai was about to close the door when he heard Xiao''er speak.


    "I want to keep my sense of taste. So continue to send me food. But only lunch and dinner, breakfast won''t be necessary." Xue Bai said as he closed the door.

 Chapter 57 Peak Of The Vein Transformation Realm

    ?Peak of the Vein Transformation Realm


    Sitting down on his bed, Xue Bai turned his consciousness into Wang Mo''s Spatial Ring. Since his own spatial ring was filled with the protection items his mother gave him, while Huli Jing''s had more valuable items, Xue Bai ced all his gains from the Secret Realm into Wang Mo''s.


    Shifting through the contents, Xue Bai eventually found what he was looking for, the 5 Middle Yellow Grade Spirit Fruits. After eating these five Natural Treasures, Xue Bai was confident he could climb to the Peak of the Vein Transformation Realm.


    Calming his mind for a moment, Xue Bai quickly swallowed the first two fruit. Then, very quickly, Xue Bai once again felt the sensation of a foreign ball of Spiritual Qi ball up where his dantian should be.


    The next vein Xue Bai needed to path out was the brain. The Brain was usually the final vein that cultivators would path out, as it didn''t give a directbat power boost. Instead, what it did was boost the brain''s capacity and functionality.


    From boostingprehension to bodily control, the Brain Vein gave you an overall boost in your intelligence. Pathing out the brain vein essentially gave you 100 IQ points in Earth terms. It could turn a retard into a Nobel Peace prize winner on Earth.


    This was also why Xue Bai''s character was such a famous schr in the game''s plot. Even without unlocking his Brain Vein, he could beat other schrs in debates and knowledge of Confucianism.


    But the Brain Vein was also the most dangerous, as you could turn yourself into a retard with one mistake. Fearful of ending his cultivation journey early, Xue Bai carefully pathed out his vein with precision.


    As Xue Bai was carefully pathing out his final vein, Xue Feng and Yan Zhenyu had finalized their alliance agreement. And Xue Feng was sending Yan Zhenyu off.


    "Big Brother Yan, you are wee toe back to our Dukedom at any time." Xue Feng spoke whileughing merrily.


    The alliance agreement was heavily in his favor putting him in a very good mood.


    "Brother Xue, you really milked my Yan n for what it was worth, didn''t you." Yan Zhenyu said with a wry smile.


    "Big Brother Yan, I can promise you in 10 years, everything will be worth it. Bai''er will be a dragon in this smallnd. This continent won''t be able to hold him. When he goes to the central continent, you''ll know that you made the right move. You know what they say, ''When an immortal ascends. Even the pigs and chickens ascend with him.''" Xue Feng said while patting the shoulder of the depressed Yan Zhenyu.


    "Brother Xue, are you calling my Yan n pigs and chickens?" Yan Zhenyu''s wry smile became even more profound.


    "Ahem- Big Brother Yan, you know that wasn''t what I meant." Xue Feng coughed awkwardly.


    "I know what you meant, Brother Xue. It''s just Nephew Bai reminded me of the old truth." Yan Zhenyu spoke with a mncholy voice.


    "Big Brother Yan, us old men shouldn''tpare ourselves with the younger generation. It will only hurt us." Xue Feng said with emotion.


    From what he learned from Xue Bai, Xue Feng knew that the next generation was going to be filled with dragons and phoenixes, and he had no business meddling in it.


    "Well, Brother Xue, we can have drinks another time. I need to head back to my Dukedom." Yan Zhenyu said as he released his airship from his spatial ring.


    Xue Feng stayed out and sent Yan Zhenyu off until he couldn''t see the airship anymore. After seeing him off, Xue Feng went to Xue Bai''s courtyard to talk about what happened in the Secret Realm.


    "Master, Young Master is in closed-door seclusion right now. He told me not to let anyone in." Xiao''er told Xue Feng as he came into the courtyard.


    "What closed-door seclusion could that brat be in? He''s still in the Vein Transformation Realm. At most, he''s going up one stage. How long could that possibly take." Xue Feng was annoyed but still respected his son''s decision and started waiting outside the room for him.


    Meanwhile, back in Xue Bai''s room, he had finally finished pathing out his Brain Vein and was inspecting the difference.


    His head felt clearer, and he could almost control his movements perfectly.


    Standing up to throw a punch, Xue Bai could feel every part of his body move along with his thoughts. From his fist balling up to his shoulder following through, it was almost like he could feel every muscle in his body move along with his thoughts.


    After testing some other simple exercises, Xue Bai got over the excitement of advancing and sat back down to advance his cultivation again.


    In the Realms before the Qi Sea Realm, you could continually advance your cultivation without worries about damaging your foundation. And Xue Bai, with his surplus of resources, would take advantage of this.


    Sitting down cross-legged, Xue Bai pulled out the remaining three Middle Yellow Grade Spirit Fruits. The final stage of the Vein Transformation Realm was called the Dantian Opening stage. And like its name, you had to connect all of the Veins you had pathed out andbine them at your naval and open a dantian.


    But because of itsplexity, it usually took twice as much Spiritual Qi as any other stage in the Realm to ascend to this stage. So to be safe, Xue Bai took out the remaining fruits.


    After calming his mind, Xue Bai gobbled down thest of the fruits and began to connect all of his veins. The Baishen ne version having only five veins to link would make this easy. However, Xue Bai was cultivating the Immortal Worlds version, so it took much more concentration and knowledge of the human body. Thankfully being born in the 21st century, Xue Bai knew the human anatomy very well and was able to connect the veins sessfully, creating aplete circuit.


    Now, all Xue Bai needed to do was link them all at his navel, and form a Dantian, absorb a wisp of Spiritual Qi, and he could be called a Peak Stage Vein Transformation Cultivator.<novelnext></novelnext>


    With his knowledge of the game from his previous life, Xue Bai was easily able to connect them to his navel. Then with excess Spiritual QI from the second Middle Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit, Xue Bai started to form a Dantian.


    A Dantian, or Elixer Field, was where the Spiritual Qi was collected and stored. It was also the most vital spot to a Cultivator, as even in thete stage of cultivation, one could recover from a crushed heart or severed head. But if your Dantian were damaged or even destroyed, you''d have to cultivate again from the beginning, no matter how strong you once were.


    The process of opening the Dantian didn''t take long as, after an hour, Xue Bai finally felt it form at his naval.


    "This feels so weird but also so strong." Xue Bai spoke aloud, "I feel like I could fight dozens of times longer than before."


    Xue Bai''s observation was urate, as before opening your Dantian, you could only fight using the excess Spiritual Qi lingering in your veins or the Spiritual QI you absorbed from the air during the battle. However, neither was sustainable in an extended fight.


    But now, with a Dantian, Xue Bai could hold hundreds of the amount of Spiritual Qi than he could before.


    Curious about how aplete circuit worked with a real body, Xue Bai tried circting his Spiritual Qi throughout his body.


    ''From the Dantian, up to the liver, then the kidneys, into the lungs, then finally the heart.''


    With aplete circuit, Xue Bai''s spiritual Qi could reach every vital body part and help it. So, for example, if he needed to help heal a wound, he could send Spiritual Qi into his heart. Or if he was poisoned, he could send it to his liver.


    But if he only had the 5 Veins in the Baishen ne version, he would only be able to strengthen his limbs to make himself stronger.


    "Thank the heavens I didn''t do the degraded version." Xue Bai sighed.


    After saying so, Xue Bai finally looked outside his window and noticed howte it was.


    "Xiao''er must be tired from watching so long." Xue Bai said as he ran out of his room to relieve the maid of her duties.


    However, after opening his door, he saw both of his parents sitting outside waiting for him.


    "Father, Mother, why are you guys here?" Xue Bai asked confusedly.


    "You brat, you''ve made us wait for some time, huh?" Xue Feng greeted as he opened his eyes.


    Li Rou, on the other hand, was gentler with her greeting.


    "Bai''er, how was your first seclusion? Was it sessful?"


    Ignoring his brute of a father, Xue Bai went over to his mother and exined to her what he had secluded himself for.


    "So what you''re saying is that you''ve already opened up your Dantian?" Li Rou asked as she covered her mouth in shock.


    Xue Feng, on the side, had a smile full of fatherly pride after hearing that.


    Lifting his shirt a little, Xue Bai said, "You can go check if you''d like."


    "No, that''s not what I meant, Bai''er. Mother believes you. It''s just a little shocking. After all, you''ve only been 10 for a few months, yet you''re already stronger than some 13-year-olds." Li Rou said as she shook her head.


    Xue Bai had a smile of pride until Xue Feng came from the side and knocked him on the head.


    "Enough of that. What happened in the Secret Realm? Though Duke Yan and the others couldn''t tell, we can see your appearance change. You look even more beautiful and feminine than before." Xue Feng spoke.


    Holding his head in pain, Xue Bai looked at his mother for help.


    Seeing his eyes, Li Rou sighed and then pulled Xue Bai into herp while rubbing his head to soothe the pain.


    "Xue Feng, you have to stop smacking him on the head. What if he bes stupid one day?" Li Rou admonished.


    "I didn''t put that much force into it anyway." Xue Feng replied.


    Shaking her head, Li Rou looked back at Xue Bai in herp and asked, "But still, he''s right. You look very different than before. What exactly happened in there?"

 Chapter 58 Bloodline Kin

    ?Bloodline Kin


    Standing up from his mother''sp Xue Bai showed them his most significant change.


    "I got a bloodline." Xue Bai spoke inly as he entered his hybrid form.


    Like before, in Huli Jing''s cave abode, nine fox tails appeared from Xue Bai''s lower back along with his ears, and then finally, his hair changed colors. His sudden transformation stunned his parents. As unlike a normal fox''s tail and ears, Xue Bai''s were an odd shiny purple hue. It was as if there was a shimmering neb within his tails. Same with his hair and ears.


    But Li Rou and Xue Feng''s shock didn''t end there as they noticed a strong, seductive auraing from Xue Bai. Thankfully they were strong enough to ignore itpletely. However, they still noticed it.


    First, to respond, Li Rou asked, "Bai''er, what bloodline did you get in there?"


    Xue Feng nodded at her question too. Though he had many questions going through his head, they all boiled down to what Li Rou asked.


    "The first Bloodline I got was a nine-tailed fox Bloodline. That''s why you guys sense the seductive aura." Xue Bai exined.


    "Then I mutated it into a different Bloodline more suitable to me. But sadly, I couldn''t get rid of the seductive aura." Xue Bai finished.


    "Then Bai''er, what rank is your new Bloodline?" Xue Feng asked.


    Taking a deep breath, Xue Bai responded, "Father, I don''t wish to tell you."


    Stunned, Xue Feng asked back, "Why."


    "I don''t think you two can handle the Karma from knowing. I was apprehensive even when I told you two about my Martial Veins. But with my Bloodline, I don''t think you two would be able to live long after knowing." Xue Bai spoke severely.


    Xue Bai knew that there was another person with the exact same mutated Bloodline. And that person was one of the strongest cultivators in the entire Immortal World. And when Xue Bai first mutated his Bloodline into what it is now, he felt a resonance deep within him that went upwards into the heavens, and he knew that the person on the other end was the one with the same Bloodline as him.


    And as his Bloodline Kin, the Void Fox Emperor would surely do something to protect Xue Bai from any greedy cultivators as Bloodline Kin were something even closer than a normal family. Even now, Xue Bai could still feel the resonance with the Void Fox Emperor. It felt as if they were twins born from the same womb.


    However, Li Rou and Xue Feng were verymon people in the world. Whether it be position or strength, there were millions of people like them throughout the Baishen ne. So if Xue Bai told them he had a High Heaven Grade Bloodline, he might just curse them indirectly.


    After all, there were diviners, even in the mortal world, who could predict the lives of mortals with a flick of their fingers. However, the Immortal World diviners had to have been thousands of times better and would be able to find Xue Bai through his parents if he decided to tell them.


    So Xue Bai decided not to tell them. He loved his parents in this life and didn''t want to have a hand in their deaths.


    Oddly enough, Xue Feng or Li Rou didn''t get angry. Xue Feng even smiled.


    Standing up, Xue Feng patted his son on the shoulder and spoke firmly, "Son, you are a cultivator now. And having important secrets is something that will happen eventually. But they must be kept to yourself. Even people like me and your mom are no exceptions. Disasteres from the mouth."


    Li Rou also imputed from the side, "Bai''er, even when you get married or have sworn siblings in the future, you have to keep some things from them. You can never know someone''s true thoughts. With the future you bear, obtaining high-level treasures will be normal. But you must learn to keep hidden cards, especially if people are greedy for them. Many geniuses have fallen before reaching their potential because of a betrayal from a closepanion."


    Not expecting the life lesson, Xue Bai didn''t know what to say for a moment. He knew what they said was true from all the cultivation novels he had read. But hearing it from someone was odd.


    However, it made him smile. Xue Bai''s parents in this life loved him with all their hearts. They knew he had massive secrets on his body, but they weren''t greedy for them. Instead, they wanted him to keep it to himself and leave them in the dark.


    "Right, Bai''er, so now, with your new Bloodline, you have another Element, right? I saw you create a fireball in front of Duke Yan." Xue Feng said, breaking the silence.


    Coming back from his thoughts, Xue Bai responded, "Yes, my new Bloodline gives me a Fire Element affinity, but also gives me peak level talent at illusion arts."


    After a few more basic questions about his Bloodline, Xue Feng asked about the elephant in the room.


    "Bai''er, so how did you kill all of the Wang n members."


    "It''s simple. I released the Bloodline Suppression from my Bloodline against a Bone Strengthening Demonic Beast and its n. Then I used them to kill the Wang n members." Xue Bai exined simply.


    "But wasn''t the limit of the Secret Realm the Muscle Nourishing Realm? So how did you find a Bone Strengthening Demonic Beast?" Li Rou asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It was the overlord of the Secret Realm." Xue Feng responded.


    Li Rou and Xue Feng nodded at that. Secret Realms always had at least one beast that was the guardian of the core region. And that beast, as the guardian, was usually the strongest in the Secret Realm. So Xue Bai finding the overlord and subduing it made sense to the two parents.


    Li Rou and Xue Feng continued to ask various questions throughout the night about what Xue Bai encountered in the Secret Realm. It was only when the sun started rising that they noticed the day had changed.


    Even Xue Bai didn''t notice, as after breaking through two stages in a day, his stamina had been increased greatly, and he didn''t feel tired even after staying up through an entire night.


    ? Standing up, Xue Feng smiled at Xue Bai, "Bai''er, it''s morning now. Do you want to go to the practice field and test out your new strength?"


    Xue Bai readily agreed. He, too, was curious about his new strength. When he was only at the 6th stage of the Vein Transformation Realm, he could fight someone at the 2nd stage of the Blood Exchange Realm. Now that Xue Bai was at the Peak of the Vein Transformation Realm and had aplete circuit, how strong was he now?


    Li Rou on the side just shook her head, "Men will be Men."


    And after patting the dirt off her robe, she walked out of the courtyard to do her own business.


    Ten minutester, Xue Feng and Xue Bai stood across each other in the practice field. Xue Feng was still wearing his Duke clothing while Xue Bai was fitted in his sleeveless ck practice wear.


    "Bai''er, are you going to go into your hybrid form to fight?" Xue Feng asked while taking out a simple iron sword from his spatial ring.


    "Not yet, Father, that form, while it does give me a power boost, I want to see how strong I am without it." Xue Bai answered while shaking his head.


    "What about your Space Element?" Xue Feng asked while getting into a defensive stance.


    "Not that either. The Space Element isn''t something for practice spars. However, I''m going to use the Fire Element. So I need to get used to it." Xue Bai responded while also taking out a simple iron sword from his spatial ring.


    Xue Bai was lying with his words as he was most likely the most skillful with the Fire Element in the Baishen ne. He only said it to keep up his lie of only knowing the direction of the timeline and not his previous life.


    "Alright, enough talking, Bai''er,e at me." Xue Feng said.


    "Wait, what level did you suppress your cultivation to?" Xue Bai asked before charging at his father.


    "Same as yours, the Peak of the Vein Transformation Realm." Xue Feng replied.


    "But that''s not fair. You''re in the Domain Lord Realm. At least give me an advantage." Xue Baiined.


    "Bai''er, nothing in this cruel world is fair. Never forget that." Xue Feng said sternly, and he stood up and began to lecture.


    "Also, you have a Low Earth Martial Vein. You are meant to be an anomaly, even amongst geniuses. And you are going to learn what it means to be a genius. It''s not luck or background or even cultivation speed. It is being invincible in the same Realm. Let alone me, a mere Domain Lord. Even if a god himselfes down to your Cultivation Level, you have to win."


    Not expecting to get lectured, Xue Bai was stunned for a moment, but he soon regainedposure and listened with all of his attention.


    "Bai''er, while I may not show it, I love you just as much as your mother. And I, too, wish to let you live a peaceful life under our protection. However, that''s not a father''s job because the world is a cruel ce. So I am here to make you into a man and teach you how the world works before kicking you out of the nest."


    "But until the day I do, I will make you into the best man I can. So pick up your sword and fight." Xue Feng finished as he went back down into a defensive stance.


    "Thank you, Father. I will always remember those words." Xue Bai said from the bottom of his heart.


    Xue Feng smiled and was going to respond until he saw Xue Bai charge at him.


    "You Brat!" Xue Feng yelled with a darkened expression.


    ''And I was proud of him for a moment.''

 Chapter 59 A Year Of Chaos

    ?A Year of Chaos


    The fight went as anyone expected, with Xue Bai being suppressed without being able to do much. But through some extended testing, they figured out that Xue Bai was now at least as strong as someone at the 3rd stage of the Blood Exchange Realm.


    However, it was all a guess as Xue Bai had yet to cultivate any Martial Techniques, as in order to do so, one must be in the Qi Sea Realm at the minimum. And in order to not end the fight instantly, Xue Feng hadn''t used any.


    Laying on the ground, defeated, beaten, and exhausted, Xue Bai was feeling a myriad of emotions.


    Whether it be excitement at his new strength or annoyance at his father, who had beaten him into this state, Xue Bai was feeling conflicted on various levels. However, all of his feelings and thoughts reminded him of one thing. He was getting stronger.


    If Xue Bai were on Earth, he''d be the strongest human who had ever existed. Though he wouldn''t be invincible as missiles and heavy guns would be able to kill him, he still could be able to fight and destroy any average human on Earth with little to no effort.


    And Xue Bai''stent potential made him hopeful for the future. He had another 3 years of peaceful growth where he could grow without any troublesing his way at home.


    After that, Xue Bai decided he would join the Soaring Sword Sect. And if everything went as he nned, Xue Bai would at least be in the Bone Strengthening Realm. And with his Martial Veins, he would instantly be one of the Sect''s gems. Moreover, the speed at which we cultivated would make him a genius amongst geniuses even by the Central Continents standards, let alone this backwater continent.


    The only thing he had to be careful of during these three years was the Wang n. But not because of their strength, but Wang Yu. That kid was a menace in every sense of the word. If not for Huo Long and the other protagonist on the southern continent joining forces in the plot, he would''ve easily taken over the continent.


    Wang Yu was recognized as the hardest early game viin from any of the continents unanimously by yers. After all, as the first major viin to two protagonists, how could he not be a challenge?


    However, Xue Bai shook away his swaying thoughts and stood up from the ground. No matter how fast he grew, the climactic battle of this continent wouldn''t happen for at least another 10 years. Even with his Martial Veins, he would only get to theter stages of the Houtian Great Realm in histe teens.


    For now, all he needed to do was to seize the moment.


    "Carpe Diem, was it?" Xue Bai muttered to himself as he patted the dirt off his clothes.


    "Carpet them? Bai''er, what are you saying?" Xue Feng on the side heard Xue Bai and asked confusedly.


    "Father, you''re hearing things. You should get your ears checked out." Xue Bai said without a change in expression.


    "Nonsense, I''m at the 7th stage of the Domain Lord Realm. How could I be hearing things?"


    "Maybe you''re getting old. Aren''t you like 100 at this point?"


    "You stinky brat! You know I''m only 82. How dare you curse me?" Xue Feng was blowing smoke from his nose at this point.


    Knowing he touched a sore spot, Xue Bai giggled and ran away, not wanting to mess with the old man any longer.


    Though Xue Feng was still annoyed, he smiled at Xue Bai, acting like a child. He wasn''t really angry and only put up a pretense. It was moments like that gave him the most happiness. However, they also gave him a strong sense of danger.


    Xue Feng was weak, and he knew that. Even in The Great Xuan Empire, where he is held as one of the biggest powerhouses, there were a least a dozen old monsters stronger than him. And that wasn''t even mentioning the Three Great Sects neighboring them.


    While Xue Feng would love to y with his son in peace, he also had the duty of protecting the peace they had. Until Xue Bai grew up, Xue Feng had the mission of protecting Xue Bai from harm.


    So standing up with resolution Xue Feng walked to his courtyard.


    "I can most likely break through to the 8th stage tonight."


    Like sand falling from an hourss, time passed by faster than anyone realized, and soon ten months passed, and it was already Xue Bai''s 11th birthday.


    To Xue Bai, it felt like only a few months had passed with how serene life was, but to the Southern Continent, it was anything but.


    Groundbreaking news popped up almost every week, making it a blood-boiling time to be alive.


    First was Wang Yu, the continent''s biggest rising star. After joining the Soaring Sword Sect, his cultivation started to advance at heaven-defying speeds, and he reached the Bone Strengthening Realm at 15 years and 4 months old, breaking the Southern Continent''s long-standing record.


    After that was a piece of news that shook the continent, it was the death of a peak powerhouse, a Peak Domain Lord Realm old monster died. The person in question was, amazingly, the esteemed Grand Elder from The Great Xuan Empire''s Duke Wang n.


    After the death of his only descendant, Wang Mo, the Grand Elder, couldn''t control his Spiritual Qi and suffered Qi Deviation crippling himself. And without Spiritual Qi or his high cultivation to sustain his old life, The Grand Elder died from old age.


    And the Wang n, though heartbroken, had tried to keep it under wraps for as long as they could, but it leaked during a meeting of The Empire''s higher-ups one day.


    During the meetings, normally, any cultivator in the Domain Lord Realm and above is required to be present by Imperial Law. However, after not seeing the Wang ns Grand Elder, the Emperor, Duan Zhen, became enraged.


    Duan Zhen thought that the old man had supposed himself higher than the Imperial Law. So angered, Duan Zhen nned to make an example out of him and barge into the Wang n Dukedom in search of him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But after breaking into the man''s cave abode, Duan Zhen was met with a corpse.


    And unfortunately enough for the Wang n, who nned to keep it under wraps, the other higher-ups had followed Duan Zhen wanting to see a good show. And they all recognized the corpse as the Grand Elder.


    Unapologetic for his mistake, Duan Zhen also ordered Wang Yichen to exin how the Grand Elder died. After all, to hit the dog, you had to ask its master first. And the Grand Elder was one of the strongest dogs in his control. So it, suddenly, dying was a huge matter.


    Embarrassed, angered, and annoyed, Wang Yichen refused to exin to all of the uninvited guests. However, Duan Zhen just got angrier, thinking it to be an act of rebellion, and forced out an answer from Wang Yichen.


    Then there, kneeling under Duan Zhen''s pressure and in front of all the higher-ups of The Empire, Wang Yichen exined how the Grand Elder died.


    And though all the higher-ups wereposed enough not tough in front of Wang Yichen and promised not to release the news. Only hours after ending the meeting, the Wang n had already be theughingstock of The Great Xuan Empire and Southern Continent.


    After all, The Grand Elder''s death had to be the first in history. A Peak Domain Lord dying to Qi Deviation was an enigma.


    Even Xue Bai couldn''t control himself andughed himself to tears after Xue Feng told him.


    Finally, thest piece of news happened merely a week ago. And it was the tragic story of Huo Long.


    After awakening his Low ck Grade Martial Veins, Huo Long was seen to be Wang Yu''s onlypetitor in the generation. And he lived up to it, breaking through to the Muscle Nourishing Realm at only 13 years and 8 months old.


    However, after an ambush targeting Wushen Academy''s members in a Secret Realm, Huo Long had his Dantian Shattered, and Martial Veins crippled. Heartbroken and devasted, Wushen Academy tried to heal Huo Long to no avail. And after giving him a few benefits aspensation, Huo Long was expelled.


    And now it was January 2, Xue Bai''s birthday, and also coincidentally exactly 18 months until the start of the plot.


    Today would be the day that Xue Bai "awakens his Martial Veins" even though he had done so almost a year ago.


    Though Xue Bai had Low Heaven Grade Martial Veins with a Space and Fire Element affinity, he nned only to reveal a High ck Grade Fire Element set of Martial Veins.


    The reasoning was simple, any higher and it wouldn''t do anything but make him a bigger target. A Peak ck Grade Martial Vein would threaten the true powerhouses of the Baishen ne living in the Central Continent. But also any Lower and the Vein Swallowing Worm that the Wang n poisoned him would have swallowed it.


    The Worm he poisoned with was only a Middle Yellow Grade worm. And a High ck Grade Martial Vein couldn''t be swallowed by a worm of that quality. So in order to not make the Wang n any more suspicious, he choose to ''awaken'' a High ck Grade Martial Vein.


    And though Xue Bai knew that a High ck Grade Martial Vein would make him an even bigger target to the Wang n, he didn''t want to cower.


    Xue Bai wanted to win. He wanted to ascend. He wanted to survive his apotheosis and be a god.


    If he cowered now before to the insignificant Wang n before even meeting Wang Mo, what right did he have to go against him?


    "Young Master, you look lost. What''s wrong?" Suddenly the words from his maid took him away from his thoughts.


    Looking back, he saw Xiao''er dressed up as fancy as she could with a huge smile stered on her face.


    The years were treating Xiao''er better and better as she grew up. And now 17, Xiao''er stood at about 1.75 meters tall with bulging mountains and long slender legs that peeked out from her cheongsam. Coupled with her cheerful and naive smile, she was a world-ss beauty that could tempt even monks.


    "Damn jailbait." Xue Bai muttered under his breath.


    "Young Master, you said that phrase again! What does jailbait mean, and why do you only say it to me?" Xiao''er pouted.


    Now at 17, with the resources she received, Xiao''er had stepped into the Bone Strengthening Realm. And was able to hear Xue Bai''s whispers.


    "You''ll learn when you''re older. Now just help me put on this stupid ornamental outfit." Xue Bai refused to borate.


    Currently, he and Xiao''er were dressing up in their best clothes to attend his birthday party and "Awakening Ceremony."


    "Hmph! I''ll make you spit it out one day." Xiao''er humphed, but she still obeyed Xue Bai''smand.


    How could she say no to such an appealingmand? Being able to dress up Xue Bai was always one of her favorite activities.


    Soon enough, with 4 hands, Xue Bai eventually entered his outfit.


    "Alright, Xiao''er, let''s go greet the guests." Xue Bai said while extending his hand to his maid.


    "Yes, Young Master!"

 Chapter 60 The Worriers Of Xiaoer

    ?The worriers of Xiao''er


    In the Main Hall of the Estate, countless people of high standing were seated, waiting for the person of honor to arrive.


    Xue Feng sat at a table at the front of the Main Hall alongside Li Rou. Both of them were dressed as elegantly as Xue Bai had.


    Currently, the two were conversing with Yan Zhenyu and his wife, Luo Mei.


    "Brother Xue, you''ve already broken through to the Peak of the Domain Lord Realm. You''re not even 90 yet. How are old men like us supposed to live with ourselves when you cultivate like that." Yan Zhenyu spoke as he poured himself a cup of wine.


    "Big Brother Yan, it''s not like I can''t cultivate. I have to ensure the safety of Bai''er. I am the Redwood shielding him from the strong winds wanting to unroot him." Xue Feng spoke sincerely.


    "Sigh~~ If only our FengFeng could be as talented as that Wang Yu kid." Yan Zhenyu sighed as he down a cup.


    "Why are you bringing up that monster, Big Brother Yan?" Xue Feng asked.


    "These past few years, the Wang n have been pushing for a marriage between Wang Yu and FengFeng." Yan Zhenyu responded.


    Stiffening up a little from the answer, Xue Feng asked once again, "You''ve denied them, right?"


    "I have been, yes. FengFeng has been really close with that Huo Long kid recently, and rather than forcing her to marry someone she didn''t know. I let her stay with Huo Long." Yan Zhenyu said as he started to pour himself another cup.


    "But then Huo Long had his ident. And after that, the Wang n has been pushing it even more. I can''t seem to go a week without having a letter sent to me." Yan Zhenyu spoke while downing the drink he had just poured out.


    "Big Brother Yan, surely you''ve heard of the rumors around that demon?" Xue Feng asked, trying to help out his friend.


    Though in the beginning, Xue Feng only saw Yan Zhenyu as an ally and only called him a Big Brother in respect for his age. But, over thest year, Yan Zhenyu has helped his Dukedom grow exponentially with his business expertise. And now Xue Feng genuinely saw him as a Big Brother figure.


    And though Xue Feng wouldn''t say what Xue Bai told him about the Wang n, he had to make sure Yan Zhenyu didn''t make a horrible decision.


    "Of course I have. It is just that the Wang ns dowry offers have been getting more and more extravagant. It''s even making me think if FengFeng is worth it." Yan Zhenyu spoke.


    "Are you tempted?" Xue Feng asked curiously.


    "I can''t say that I''m not, but I won''t sacrifice my daughter for some mary gain. I''ve reached the limit of my potential long ago, so anything I gain now is useless." Yan Zhenyu answered.


    Xue Feng sighed in relief after hearing that. If his ally were stolen by his mortal enemies n, he would have nowhere to cry to.


    After taking another drink of wine, Xue Feng opened his mouth again to continue the conversation until he sensed that the person of honor had arrived.


    From the entrance out the Main Hal, Xue Bai walked in. Hand in hand with Xiao''er, the two were dressed in fancy traditional Chinese Clothing.


    Xiao''er was dressed in a ck Cheongsam that matched perfectly with her obsidian-colored hair.


    While Xue Bai was in a Hanfu, much like his Snowked covered one, however, this one was purple gold colored and was much longer and embroidered with various gems along the edges.


    "Look at the Young Duke''s outfit. Those are Deep Sea Gold pieces on the side."


    "Deep Sea Gold is a Middle Yellow Grade Ore, and yet it''s merely being used as an ornamental gem on his birthday outfits."


    "Sigh~~ Comparing yourself with the Young Duke will only hurt you. Why bother?"


    "And look at the girl in his arms. She''s only 17, and she is already in the Bone Strengthening Realm. Who is she?"


    "I don''t know, but with that talent, she must be from one of the Three Great Sects!"


    Ignoring the gossip of the people in the hall, Xue Bai and Xiao''er walked to the front where Xue Feng sat.


    "Father, your child hase." Xue Bai said with a ceremonial bow.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Hahaha, Bai''er, no need to be so stiff! Come over and sit down next to me. It''s almost time for you to turn 11." Xue Feng spoke with a huge smile that spread across his face.


    In the Baishen ne, birthdays were celebrated from the time you were born instead of the day. So Xue Bai nned to fake his awakening a minute after his birthday.


    Complying with what his father said, Xue Bai brought Xiao''er to sit at a table next to his father. Usually, as he was only the heir, Xue Bai would have to sit behind his father, but since today was a day about him, Xue Bai was allowed to sit side to side with Xue Feng.


    Sitting down, Xue Bai noticed something wrong and saw that Xiao''er hadn''t sat down and was standing off to the side.


    "Why are you standing to the side Xiao''er? Come sit down with me." Xue Bai said.


    "No, Young Master Xiao''er is your maid, and I need to act like one. Though it was nice having the guests think I was a genius from the Three Great Sects, I am still your maid and should act like it." Xiao''er said as she shook her head.


    Frowning a bit, Xue Bai didn''t like how Xiao''er was acting currently. Just before they walked into the hall, she was a bundle of joy, skipping every step. But after hearing the gossip, she became depressed.


    "Xiao''ere sit down." Xue Bai ordered.


    Hearing his tone, Xiao''er knew she had to obey. Though Xue Bai and Xiao''er were extremely close, at the end of the day, Xiao''er was still his maid and had toply with his orders. And while unwilling, Xiao''erpleted and sat down next to Xue Bai.


    "Xiao''er, what''s wrong? Ever since you heard those people, you seemed to be depressed. Did you hear anything vulgar from one of them?" Then, as she sat down, Xue Bai put his hand on her thigh and asked caringly.


    Flinching at Xue Bai''s touch Xiao''er jumped for a moment. But after hearing his caring words, she calmed down and looked at Xue Bai deeply before saying what was on her mind.


    "Young Master, I remember you saying that you''ll be joining the Soaring Sword Sect in two years. When you join the sect, will you bring me along with you?" Xiao''er asked.


    "If they allow me, yes. I should be talented enough for them to make an exception. If not, then I''ll probably have you join the sect yourself and then let you live alongside me." Xue Bai answered after thinking for a moment.


    Hearing Xue Bai''s answer, the anxious heart of Xiao''er calmed down a little. However, she still had one more question.


    "Then what about those other sect''s girls? What if you find a girl more talented than me who wants to be your maid." Xiao''er asked with anxiousness apparent in her eyes.


    ''I knew it! She was just jealous.'' Xue Bai thought.


    From her first question, Xue Bai had a feeling of where she was leading into but let her continue. But after hearing her second question, he figured out that the maid was just anxious that he would find another more beautiful and talented person to rece her role as his maid.


    "I promise you, Xiao''er, that no one will ever rece you as my maid. I can even make a Dao oath if you''d like." Xue Bai answered while giving her his most reassuring smile.


    "No, don''t, Young Master! Xiao''er believes you. Your word is more than enough." Xiao''er hurriedly said.


    ''I know I told Mistress that I don''t expect to have Young Master all to myself, but as long as I keep any vixens away from him, how can I not?'' Xiao''er thought.


    At first, she was genuinely worried she would be reced, but after hearing that Xue Bai would swear a Dao Oath for her, the worries left her heart.


    "Oh right, why were you standing off to the side? You even eat next to me most days. Why wouldn''t you sit next to me at a simple party?" Xue Bai suddenly asked, bringing Xiao''er out of her thoughts.


    "I thought that if I was more of an obedient maid, you wouldn''t want to rece me," Xiao''er answered as a blush bloomed like a rose onto her jade-like face.


    "Hahaha." In response, Xue Bai just startedughing more to the embarrassment of Xiao''er.


    As the blush on the face of Xiao''er got redder and Xue Bai''sughter got louder, Xue Feng finally stood up to speak.


    "Guests from throughout my Great Xuan Empire, I wee you all to the awakening ceremony of my pride and joy, Xue Bai!" Xue Feng announced loudly.


    "Now there are about 2 hours until Bai''er turns 11, so you all can take this time and feast on the cuisine I have prepared for you all!" Xue Feng spoke as he pped his hands.


    Then, with the p as a queue, an entire group of caterers entered the Main Hal carrying various expensive dishes and began serving them to every table.


    "Enjoy!" Xue Feng finished as he sat back down.

 Chapter 61 Xue Bais Awakening

    ?Xue Bai''s ''Awakening''


    The feast went on smoothly, but the gossip never stopped.


    One of the biggest pieces of the talk was who the girl next to the Young Duke was.


    Some of the more likely answers were a genius from the 100 Flowers Sect or a high-level noble from The Great Xuan Empire, while some of the wilder guesses were a hidden love child from the Duke or a Mistress being raised for Xue Bai.


    Xiao''er heard most of them, and she didn''t know what to say to them all. At first, she had wanted to clear up the misunderstanding but was dissuaded by Xue Bai.


    Xiao''er had liked some of the guesses, with some of them calling her a Young Marchioness(Female Marquis). But some of them made her want to attack the person saying them.


    The other major talk point was what grade Martial Vein the Young Duke would awaken. Unsurprisingly no one guessed that Xue Bai would be a cripple, as with parents like Xue Feng and Li Ruo. If he was unqualified to have one, then who would be?


    The two guesses with the highest votes were either a Peak Yellow Grade or a Low ck Grade. And as for the Element, most people agreed that Xue Bai would follow his Father and awaken an Ice Element Affinity.


    To this, both Xue Feng and his family and Yan Zhenyu and his wifeughed.


    Soon enough, the two hours passed, and it was a few minutes shy of Xue Bai''s birthday.


    "Bai''er, go up the stairs and sit on the Heavens Bestownent Podium." Xue Feng spoke.


    A Heavens Bestowment Podium wasn''t a spirit tool that could help the chance of awakening but more of an item used to bless luck upon the person sitting on it.


    The idea behind the Heavens Bestowment Podium was simple. It was a 15-step tall podium that was built to look up to the Heavens. As it was believed, the closer one was to Heaven, the greater their luck would be.


    That was also why geniuses were sometimes called Heaven''s Favorites or Children of the Heavens.


    Nodding, Xue Bai walked away from his table and climbed the stairs of the Heavens Bestowment Podium. Though it was tall, with Xue Bai''s cultivation, it didn''t exhaust him, and he soon reached the top.


    Seeing a meditation mat for him to sit on, Xue Bai walked over and sat cross-legged on it and started to meditate while he waited for his birthday toe.


    After about 10 minutes of waiting, Xue Bai got a voice transmission from his Father, saying it was time.


    Voice transmissions, like Spiritual Sense, were a fundamental ability for people in the Qi Sea Realm and above.


    The natural phenomenon of a Martial Vein was very easy to mimic as all that happened during its awakening was a pulse of Spiritual Qi that spread out from the person who was awakening it. And depending on the grade of the Martial Vein, the damage caused by the pulse would go up. But if the Martial Vein had an Elemental Affinity, then the Spiritual Qi pulse would be of that Element.


    So with Xue Bai''s "High ck Grade Martial Vein," the damage to his pulse would be equal to about a full power attack from ate-stage Blood Exchange Realm cultivator. And would also have to be of the Fire Element.


    Thankfully over the past year, Xue Bai''s cultivation had advanced to the Peak of the 8th Stage of the Blood Exchange Realm.


    So to create a wave of fire with the power of the Late Stage was simple enough.


    Concentrating his mind, Xue Bai summoned the Fire Element Spiritual Qi from his Bloodline Core and propelled it out from him.


    "Oh, my heavens! That was a strong propulsion, wasn''t it?"


    "Indeed, that was at least as strong as someone in the Blood Exchange Realm."


    "Then that means that the Young Duke awakened a Low ck Grade Martial Vein?"


    "Ha! I''m rich, Luo Fei. Pay up those thousand Spirit Stones!"


    As the crowd was praising the Young Duke for his talents, an old white-haired Domain Lord Realm Cultivator stood up suddenly.


    "That wasn''t just a simple Early Stage Blood Exchange Realm pulse. That was at least in the Late stages."


    At first, the crowd thought the man to be talking nonsense, but after they recognized the man, everyone was stunned into silence.


    "Then Senior Ye, that means that the Young Duke awakened a High ck Grade Martial Vein?"


    Though the old man named Senior Ye was annoyed that he was questioned, he still nodded at the question.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Not only that, but it was a pulse of Fire, meaning that it also has a Fire Element Affinity."


    After hearing the confirmation, the crowd instantly erupted.


    Wang Yu, known as the greatest prodigy in the Southern Continent''s history, only had a Middle ck Grade Martial Vein. And it didn''t even have an Elemental Affinity.


    So Xue Bai awakening a Martial Vein one grade higher and with an Elemental Affinity had stunned the crowd.


    After the initial chatter died down, many attendants left the party early, each with different excuses. But Xue Feng excused them all with a smile. He knew that they were leaving to ry the news to their respective parties.


    ''The more the news spreads, the more allies we can sucker in.'' Xue Feng thought as he waved off the guests.


    Xue Feng knew that the Wang n would also get the news, but after the death of the Grand Elder and his and Li Rou''s Cultivation increase, there was no need to fear them. Though the Wang n had a much higher poption and average cultivation, wars in the cultivation world weren''t won by numbers but by the strength of the leaders.


    After all, even if there were a thousand Qi Sea Realm cultivators, Xue Feng would be able to wipe them all out with his Domain.


    Also, the Wang n would never be able to fully dere war on his Dukedom as long as Duan Zhen was alive, giving Xue Feng even more confidence. All Xue Feng needed to do was to protect Xue Bai for another 10 years until he reached their level.


    As Xue Feng was off in his own thought, Xue Bai stood up from the meditation mat and started to walk down the stairs of the Heavens Bestowment Podium.


    "Father, Mother, your child has sessfully awakened his Martial Veins." Xue Bai spoke as he reached the bottom.


    "Hahaha, of course, you did. You''re my son. If you couldn''t, then who could?" Xue Fengughed as he patted his son on the shoulder.


    "If only you had awakened my Element." Xue Feng sighed.


    Xue Bai winced as he pushed his Father''s hand off his shoulders. Even though they were pretending, Xue Feng had put a lot of force into the shoulder pats. Most likely slightly annoyed that Xue Bai hadn''t gotten his Element.


    "It''s not my fault I didn''t get your Ice Element, don''t take it out on me, old man." Xue Bai whispered.


    Ignoring his son''s remark, Xue Feng turned back to the crowd and spoke, "Guests, the party has finally reached the end. I need to start to teach Bai''er about cultivation, and I know you all would like to go back to your ns and rest, so you may all do so."


    Though Xue Feng''s words were ambiguous, all of the attendants knew that Xue Feng didn''t want them here anymore. Also, adding on to the fact that they needed to go back to their ns and report the breaking news, the rest of the attendants still in the Main Hall left as fast as they could.


    Soon the Main Hall was empty except for Xue Bai''s family and Yan Zhenyu and his wife.


    "Brother Xue, I will also be taking my leave. Fengfeng has juste back from Wushen Academy, and I would like to apany her. She''s been in the dumpstely." Yan Zhenyu spoke as he stood up.


    Yan Zhenyu had onlye to the ceremony to show his stance as Xue Feng''s ally. Now that the ceremony was over, he didn''t need to stay any longer.


    "Then take care on your return journey Big Brother Yan." Xue Feng bid the man farewell with cupped fists.


    After seeing Yan Zhenyu, Xue Feng ordered for the servants to clean up the Main Hall. The Main Hall was used for other things and was needed for tomorrow.


    "Father, I am going to go back to my courtyard." Xue Bai spoke up.


    Xue Feng didn''t care much about what his son said and waved him off. The only point of this ceremony was for the outside world. So Xue Feng didn''t care what Xue Bai did after it.


    Getting permission, Xue Bai grabbed the petite hand of Xiao''er and went back to his courtyard.


    Back in his room, Xue Bai called out to Xiao''er, "Xiao''er, help me get this carpet off me. It''s way too ufortable."


    "I think it suits you well, Young Master," Xiao''ermented as she went over to help.


    "It''s because of my beauty, not the outfit, Xiao''er. Remember that." Xue Bai responded arrogantly.


    "Yes, yes, my Young Master is the most beautiful person in all of the Baishen ne." Xiao''er sarcastically spoke.


    "As long as you know."

 Chapter 62 Blood Exchange Realm

    ?Blood Exchange Realm


    Taking off the ceremonial outfit took a lot less time than putting it on, and with four hands helping out, Xue Bai was soon freed from its shackles.


    Free, Xue Bai changed into a piece of casual wear he fished from his closet.


    "Young Master, what do you n to do today," Xiao''er asked curiously, anticipation oddly apparent in her eyes.


    Xue Bai''s itinerary today only had the birthday party on it. Besides that, Xue Bai had the day free.


    "First, I need you to write and deliver a letter for me." Xue Bai said.


    "Oooh, is it a love letter? Who is it to? Could it be Young Duchess Yan?" Xiao''er, the ball of curiosity she was, immediately fired off half a dozen questions in response to Xue Bai''s simple response.


    Giving the chatterbox a flick on the forehead, Xue Bai answered, "No, you fool. I told you I don''t like that girl. This letter is to a friend of mine. He got into an identst week, and I want to send him a letter about it."


    Holding her forehead in pain, Xiao''er pouted with tears glistening in her eyes. Though Xue Bai didn''t put much force into the flick, he had infused some Spiritual Qi into his fingers to make it sting.


    "Don''t look at me like that, you romantic. Get a scroll and transcribe what I''m going to say." Xue Bai said, ignoring the maid''s cry.


    Wiping away her tears, Xiao''er went to get a scroll and quill to transcribe Xue Bai''s words.


    "Brother Long, I heard about your ident. And I know you must be feeling a myriad of emotions currently, so I won''t give you empty caring words or condolences; instead, I''ll give you a gift. Along with this letter, I will send a simple treasure pill perfect for your situation. This pill''s effects are simple, making it only a Middle Yellow Grade Pill. But It''s specially made for people in your situation, people who have recently had their Dantian shattered." Xue Bai was going to continue speaking until he saw Xiao''er tearing up.


    Stunned, Xue Bai went tofort her, thinking he had flicked her too hard.


    "Xiao''er, I''m sorry I shouldn''t  have flicked you too hard." Xue Bai said as he rubbed her forehead.


    Though Xiao''er liked the feeling of beingforted, she moved away and shook her head.


    "I''m not crying from that. Your letter reminded me of what happened to that Huo Long boy. His story was so tragic." Xiao''er said as she wiped her red eyes.


    Xue Bai instantly felt like all of his care was wasted. Tempted to flick her again, Xue Bai decided not to and went back to speaking, so Xiao''er could continue transcribing.


    "What the pill does is take all of the residual Spiritual Qi in your body that scattered from when your Dantian was shattered, and strengthen your body, extending your lifespan. With the Realm you had before, you could live up to 200 years with the residual Spiritual Qi in your body. But I liked having you as a brother, and I hope you did the same. And if you have the same amount of pride in your bones, I know I saw two years ago. Then you won''t eat it. But instead, bring it back to me."


    "You will hear of my Martial Vein rank soon enough, and in about 18 months, I will join the Soaring Sword Sect. And if you don''t fix your situation soon, then we won''t meet again. But if you have the potential I saw those years ago, we will meet again, but until then, I will move on forward towards the peak."


    "Xiao''er, did you get all of that?" Xue Bai asked.


    "Yes, Young Master, I got all of it." Xiao''er nodded. "But I have a question. In the letter, you seemed so indifferent to his situation. Aren''t you going to try and help him out? Huo Long was crippled, and he even came from a poor background. How is he going to fix his situation by himself?"


    "Xiao''er, sometimes helping a man out of trouble will do more harm than good. And this is one of those situations." Xue Bai answered indirectly.


    Though Xiao''er didn''t understand what Xue Bai meant, she still nodded and stamped the scroll with the Duke''s symbol.


    "Young Master, do you want me to deliver it personally or just send amander?" Xiao''er asked.


    "Hmm, Just send amander. Who knows what chaos you''d cause if you left home unattended." Xue Bai answered after thinking for a moment.


    Xiao''er did have ns of creating mischief outside but hearing Xue Bai say it aloud made her annoyed.


    "I''m not a toddler. I can control myself on an important trip!" Xiao''er stomped her feet and humphed.


    "You do know you''re acting like one right now, right?" Xue Bai retorted.


    Not bothering to respond, Xiao''er blew a raspberry at Xue Bai and left the bedroom.


    "That fool." Xue Bai said while shaking his head.


    Though Xiao''er had stopped trying to seduce Xue Bai in the past year, she was now trying to include herself in every part of his life.


    Xue Bai knew that Xiao''er was trying to make him depend on her so he wouldn''t abandon her, so he let her.


    But it all made Xue Bai feel weird. He had sworn on multiple asions that he wouldn''t abandon her. She was his closestpanion in this world. So how could he just kick her to the curb? But she still continued to attach herself to him.


    The only time Xiao''er wasn''t with him was when he was cultivating. Yet she still felt she could be tossed away.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Women areplicated." Xue Bai sighed as he sat down cross-legged.


    Xue Bai had been at the peak of the 8th stage of Blood Exchange Realm for almost a week now and nned to break through today.


    The Blood Exchange Realm was a Realm made to purify the mortal Blood within the human body. Each stage purifies the Blood more and more by removing the impurities within.


    Pulling out two different pills from his spatial ring Xue Bai started cultivating.


    These two pills were a Blood Ignition Pill and a Blood Replenishing pill. Both of which were Low Yellow Grade Pills with simple functions.


    The Blood ignition Pill did as its name said. It ignited the Blood of the person who swallowed it. And it gave the consumer a power boost but at the price of a long weakened period.


    The Blood Replenishing Pill also followed its name and replenished the Blood within the person who consumed it. It was a healing pill usually used for people who had been stabbed and lost an excessive amount of Blood.


    Though the pills were different and had different uses, when they were used together, they worked wonders for anyone in the Blood Exchange Realm.


    The Baishen ne''s way to advance through stages in the Blood Exchange Realm was rather crude and slow.


    Baishen ne cultivators would slowly absorb Spiritual Qi and purify the Blood within your body. However, some yers in "Children of the ne" discovered a way to speed up cultivating in the Realm.


    Using the Blood Ignition Pill, you could ignite away the Blood within your body and also indirectly ignite the impure Blood. And then following it up with the Blood ReplenishingPill, you could recover all of the lost Blood. And now, with Spiritual Qi in your bloodstream, no impure blood would be replenishing, speeding up your cultivation speed tenfold.


    With this cheat code, Xue Bai was able to continue his heaven-defying cultivation speed and hopefully reach his goal of advancing to the Bone Strengthening Realm at 13 before the plot began.


    The process of Xue Bai advancing his cultivation went smoothly, and after another hour, Xue Bai finally broke through to the 9th stage of the Blood Exchange Realm, but at a small cost.


    "Ugh, I''m covered in this impure blood again." Xue Bai muttered in disgust.


    After every breakthrough in the Blood Exchange Realm with the cheat code, Xue Bai would have his skin covered in ckish Blood filled with impurities. As when using the Blood Ignition Pill, all of the ignited Blood would be released through his pores. But as the pure Blood within his body was hard to ignite and release, the impure Blood was usually the only thing left secreted out of his pores.


    "Xiao''er, are you back yet!" Xue Bai yelled out his window.


    "Yes, Young Master, I''m here!" Xiao''er responded from the courtyard.


    She had been back for about 10 minutes, but as Xue Bai was still breaking through, she sat by the pond and waited for him to exit himself.


    "Xiao''er, ready a bath. I broke through again." Xue Bai ordered.


    Quick toply, Xiao''er readied Xue Bai''s bath. And soon enough, Xiao''er announced it was ready. Then, grabbing a set of clothes to change into, Xue Bai left his room.


    Going into his bathroom, Xue Bai saw Xiao''er sprinkling some crushed medicinal herbs into the bath water as she waited for him to arrive.


    "Thanks, Xiao''er. You can go now." Xue Bai spoke with a smile.


    Smiling back at Xue Bai, Xiao''er responded, "It''s fine. I love to help you out, Young Master!"


    Taking off his clothes, Xue Bai quickly jumped into the bath and began scrubbing off the impurities attached to his skin.


    On the side, Xiao''er took away his dirty clothes and took them away to take them to be cleaned.


    After a few minutes of intense scrubbing, Xue Bai finally deemed himself to be clean enough to leave and hopped out of his now-dirty bath water to dry himself.


    Summoning a fireball, Xue Bai easily dried himself before changing into a set of clothes he had prepared before.


    As Xue Bai finished changing into his clothes, Xiao''er came back into the room.


    "Young Master, now what do you n to do?" Xiao''er once again asked, anticipation once again appearing on her face.


    After hearing the question a second time and seeing the same anticipated look in her eyes, Xue Bai realized that the question wasn''t targeted at him. So instead of answering truthfully, Xue Bai responded, "No, I don''t have anything nned, Xiao''er. Do you have anything nned to do?"


    "Good! Thene and apany me to Snowy Wind City. I want to go shopping." Xiao''er spoke with a wide smile.


    Putting out her hand, Xiao''er began to walk out of the room.


    Submitting himself to his fate, Xue Bai agreed, took her extended hand, and followed her.

 Chapter 63 Commander Zhang Ye

    ?Commander Zhang Ye


    "Xiao''er, do you want me to call the Wang Twins?" Xue Bai asked as he followed the maid.


    "No! Those brutes will ruin today''s d- our afternoon." Xiao''er responded while almost exposing her n


    ''She was clearly going to say date wasn''t she?'' Xue Bai thought mentally.


    Xue Bai thought about exposing her but decided against it and let the girl think she had the upper hand.


    "Then who is going to protect us? A beautiful girl like you is bound to be kidnapped if they are left alone. Even if we are in Snowy Wind City, someone would risk it for the chance of getting stunning beauty like you." Xue Baiplimented.


    Hearing his words gave Xiao''er shing emotions. She was happy to beplimented but also scared of being kidnapped. The conflicting emotions made her stop walking and think about what to do.


    "Then, Young Master, should we get the Wang Twins?" Xiao''er asked as fear started to appear on her face.


    "Xiao''er, I''m joking. Why are you getting so scared." Xue Baiughed, "Who in Snowy Wind City doesn''t know what I look like? Besides, Father has a Squad of Shadow Guards that follow me whenever I leave the Core Region. We''ll be safe. Come on."


    Both relieved and annoyed, Xiao''er merely humphed before continuing her way out of the Duke Estate, Xue Bai in tow.


    The pair didn''t take long to reach the edge of the Estate, where they were met by a huge bumbling crowd.


    As the core of the entire Dukedom, the Duke Estate saw a lot of foot traffic daily. Whether it was aspiring teenage cultivators trying their luck to enter the patrol guard or curious trying to see the legendary Duke of Snow, the estate entrance was always filled with people.


    "Young Master, should we get a carriage?" Xiao''er asked.


    This was her first time going to Snowy Wind City without supervision, and she couldn''t decide on whether to walk or get a carriage.


    "Xiao''er, today is your day, so you choose." Xue Bai answered.


    "Then¡­ We''ll get a carriage. I heard that people get ambushed on their way to cities. So we should be safe in a carriage." Xiao''er responded after a moment of thinking.


    ''God, this girl is too naive. How has she not been tricked yet?'' Xue Bai mentally thought.


    As the two were conversing, a robust gentleman in armor approached them. His armor was clearly one that belonged to the Dukedom as branded on the heart guard was a snowke.


    "Young Duke, are you alsoing to Snowy Wind City." The man, still in armor, asked.


    Looking up at the man once again, Xue Bai noticed that he had on the armor made specifically formanders. But since Xue Bai didn''t know all of the 10manders, he was clueless about his identity.


    "Yes, I ammander. Why would you like to take us along with you? We happen to need a carriage," Xue Bai responded with a smile.


    "It would be my honor, Young Duke." Themander said.


    During the conversation, Xiao''er was crouched behind Xue Bai, scared of the tall armored man.


    Acquiring a ride with ample protection, Xue Bai turned around and pulled onto the hand of Xiao''er.


    "Come on, we got a carriage, and we have enough protection not to get ambushed!" Xue Bai said with a bright smile.


    Still wary of themander, Xiao''er merely nodded softly in reply to Xue Bai.


    "Commander, forgive me for being ignorant, but what''s your name? I haven''t yet seen all of themanders, you being one of them." Xue Bai asked as he followed the man.


    "There is no need to admonish yourself, Young Duke. Usmanders are your subordinates. You knowing our names is only a grace from you, not a right. My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Ye, Young Duke." Zhang Ye responded as he guided the two to his carriage.


    "Zhang? Could you be from the Zhang n under us?" Xue Bai asked curiously.


    Under Xue Feng were three subordinate Marquis ns, the Zhang n, the Huo n, and the empty Marquis estate of Li Huo. Though Li Huo was only a subordinate in name as they were brothers-inw.


    The Zhang n was the first n that bannered itself under Xue Feng after his promotion to Duke as Xue Feng and the Zhang n Patriarch got along exceptionally well. Adding on to the fact that the Zhang n was full of martial art fanatics, the Zhang n Patriarch took the opportunity to join Xue Feng''s Dukedom so his descendants would have the lofty goal of the Legendary Duke of Snow whenever they cultivated.


    "Yes, I am Young Duke." Zhang Ye answered wryly.


    "You don''t have to answer this, but why did you join our Dukedom? Surely the Zhang n would have enough resources for your growth." Xue Bai asked curiously.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This Zhang Ye was another unmentioned mob in the game, and Xue Bai knew nothing about him or his background.


    Zhang Ye looked conflicted for a moment before he responded, "It''s because I offended the Young Marquis of our n. And after years of suppression, I decided to join the Dukedom. This way, I could have the resources for my growth but also have safety, as even in the n manor, I didn''t feel safe."


    Seeing his expression, Xue Bai only nodded in response, obviously not wanting to touch upon a soft spot for the man.


    After a few more minutes of walking in silence, the group of three reached Zhang Ye''s carriage, where a chauffeur awaited while meditating.


    The carriage was standard and inexpensive looking. However, the Duke Symbol branded on the side made everyone know that it was carrying someone special.


    Sensing Zhang Ye''s approach, the chauffeur opened his eyes and spoke, "Master, you''re here. I thought you were getting dyed by something."


    "Old Ye, I was dyed. We have guests that will be riding with us on our trip to Snowy Wind City." Zhang Ye answered.


    Old Ye was an old man with a long white beard. And though Xue Bai couldn''t see his cultivation, Xue Bai knew that it had to be at least above the Qi Sea Realm to be a chauffeur for Zhang Ye.


    "Young Duke!" Old Ye at first thought it was a friend of Zhang Ye, but after seeing Xue Bai''s doll-like appearance, he quickly jumped off of the carriage and bowed respectfully to Xue Bai.


    "It''s fine, Senior Ye. You can continue doing your job." Xue Bai waved him off.


    Though Xue Bai loved the authority that came with his new identity, it often got repetitive, and he came to find it displeasing.


    Complying with the order, Old Ye said, "Young Duke, please don''t call me Senior. I can''t handle the repercussions. This old man would like to live out his years. You can call me Old Ye as Master does."


    "Then I won''t be polite." Xue Bai responded calmly.


    Another political skill Xue Bai learned over the years was to call anyone by a respectful title even if it wasn''t needed. Not only did it give Xue Bai a humble appearance, but it gave him an amicable feeling which also eased the following conversation.


    Even in cases like Old Ye and Xue Bai calling him senior, Xue Bai made the man smile for a moment. After all, being called Senior by the continent''s next big prodigy would bring a smile to almost anyone.


    "Young Duke, you can ride in the carriage. Old Ye and I will sit in the front to guard you and this Miss here." Zhang Ye spoke respectfully.


    Though Zhang Ye wasn''t sure of the identity of Xiao''er, he assumed it to be either Xue Bai''s personal maid or a maid that Xue Bai brought along for eye candy. But either way, Zhang Ye didn''t dare to offend the girl, so he politely called her Miss.


    "Alright, Xiao''er and I will be in the carriage. You can notify us when we get to Snowy Wind City." Xue Bai agreed with the arrangement and hopped into the carriage.


    Inside, Xiao''er finally opened her mouth and breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Young Master, that man looks so scary! How can you talk with him so casually?" Xiao''er asked in awe.


    Exasperated at her words, Xue Bai pinched the maid''s nose before responding, "Zhang Ye is one of Father''s most loyal and strongest subordinates. So why would I be afraid of him?"


    Moving away while holding her red nose in pain, Xiao''er angrily responded, "Then what if the man is a spy? And he is getting close to you so he can assassinate you!"


    Xue Bai, hearing her words, wanted to pinch her nose again even harder, but seeing her look so wary, Xue Bai knew it wouldn''t be possible. So he just looked at her like one would a stupid person and didn''t answer.


    "Young Master, don''t look at me with those eyes. I could be right about my guess!" Xiao''er spoke angrily as she saw Xue Bai''s face.


    She was unwilling to admit her words were stupid and doubled down.


    "Xiao''er, you do know that the carriage walls aren''t soundproof, right? Zhang Ye doesn''t have a noise-canceling array built onto it as ours does. So he can hear everything you''re saying from the outside." Xue Bai finally spoke up as he sped his forehead.


    Xue Bai was right. Zhang Ye and Old Ye heard everything from the outside and were both stifling theirughter in respect.


    Listening to Xue Bai''s words, Xiao''er quickly held her mouth with her palm as if it would take back the words she spoke.


    "Oh no! Young Master, what do we do? What if he decided to kill us now?" Xiao''er still believed in her words and was starting to look frightened.


    "Xiao''er, you need to stop reading those novels. Your imagination is too wild." After that, Xue Bai couldn''t be bothered by the maid any longer.


    "Commander Zhang, Xiao''er, and I arefortable! You can start to drive the carriage!" Xue Bai opened the window and yelled out.


    And with a pouting Xiao''er, a tired Xue Bai inside the carriage set off to Snowy Wind City.

 Chapter 64 The Nearing Plot

    ?The Nearing Plot


    ? The trip to Snowy Wind City went smoothly without any hups along the way. The only downside was that Xiao''er was still suspicious of Zhang Ye and stayed quiet the entire time.


    Xue Bai had tried to exin to Xiao''er that if Zhang Ye were a spy and had malicious intentions towards the two of them, he would''ve long been found out and dealt with.


    But Xiao''er stuck with her delusions to the point of being fanatical, leaving Xue Bai with a headache.


    After a short and quiet carriage ride, they finally reached Snowy Wind City.


    "Commander Zhang, where will you be headed here?" Xue Bai asked curiously as the carriage went through the city gates undisturbed.


    Usually, any carriage would be inspected, even if it were amander''s, but since Xue Bai was riding in it, they were allowed to go in without a check.


    "I n to go to Herb Mountain Pavilion, I recently heard the rumors of a Fire Origin Fruit, and I thought I should check up on Zhou Beizhan and see if the rumors are true." Zhang Ye answered.


    ''Oh, that''s the first arc of Huo Long''s rise. Should I let the plot go on or steal it?'' Xue Bai''s mind spun as he heard Zhang Ye''s answer.


    The rumors about the Fire Origin Fruit were true, and there was one growing in The Great Xuan Empire.


    This fruit marked the beginning of Huo Long''seback and was also the catalyst for his regaining his talents. Through the fruit, Huo Long, with the help of Feng Huang, was able to start his journey as a Child of the ne.


    Xue Bai, remembering that point, decided to give up on interfering with the plot. If he stole the fruit that was so integral to Huo Long''seback, the butterfly effect would destroy all of his ns, and the gains wouldn''t outweigh the losses.


    ''I put so much work into befriending Huo Long. I shouldn''t break it all up right before he gains value.'' Xue Bai consoled himself.


    The Fire Origin Fruit was a High ck Grade Natural Treasure that was the dream for any cultivator with a Fire Element Affinity. Not only would it increase your affinity with the Fire Element, but it would also help youprehend Fire Laws in the future with twice the result and half the effort.


    While it would prove helpful for Xue Bai if he did eat it, Xue Bai nned to use the Space Element while leaving the Fire for his alchemy career.


    Learning Fire Laws weren''t needed to be a better alchemist. As long as you had a hot enough fire, skillful fire maniption, and the fundamental knowledge to back yourself, bing a prestigious alchemist was easy.


    And with Xue Bai''s fire maniption experience from the game, and Li Rou helping him learn, he was bound to be a great alchemist.


    Pulling himself from his thoughts, Xue Bai continued the conversation with themander.


    "Commander Zhang, a Fire Origin Fruit is a High ck Grade Natural Treasure! Something like that is even rare on the Central Continent. How could it pop up here?" Xue Bai asked with fake shock.


    However, to this, Zhang Ye shrugged with an ''I don''t know myself'' expression.


    "I naturally thought of that too, Young Duke, but the rumors have spread through most of The Empire, so I thought to give it a shot. If I missed something this big because of doubt, I wouldn''t be able to live it down." Zhang Ye spoke.


    "What if the rumors are true, Commander Zhang? The fight for the Fire Origin Fruit will surely cause a river of blood to flow. That''s something that would move even Domain Lord Realm cultivators." Xue Bai asked while pretending to be a curious boy.


    Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Zhang Ye eventually answered, "Even so, I will try and obtain the Fire Origin Fruit. Young Duke, to reach my position, even with my High Yellow Grade Martial Veins, wasn''t easy. And over the many years that I have lived, I have learned one fundamental truth. Opportunity and risk go hand in hand."


    Though Xue Bai knew that from all of the cultivation novels he read, Zhang Ye didn''t have the theoretical knowledge that Xue Bai had. And even without help from his own n, Zhang Ye was forced to learn everything about the world himself.


    Gaining a newfound respect for themander, Xue Bai praised, "That''s the mentality a cultivator should have, Commander Zhang. When you have children in the future, make sure that this knowledge reaches the next generation!"


    "I will keep your words near my heart, Young Duke!" Zhang Ye responded solemnly.


    Though Zhang Ye didn''t n to have children any time soon, this tip from Xue Bai would stick with him like glue for the rest of his life.


    Not knowing how to continue this conversation without mentioning the future, Xue Bai merely patted the man on the shoulder and bid him farewell.


    But oddly, before Xue Bai could step off, Xiao''er grabbed him and pulled him back a little.


    "What''s wrong, Xiao''er?" Xue Bai asked as he turned to face her.


    "Young Master, put on this ne!" Xiao''er spoke as she handed a simple ne with a pristine-looking piece of jade as the centerpiece.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though confused, Xue Bai still listened and took it from her hand. He trusted Xiao''er with all of his heart and knew she would never do anything to harm him. And it was also an extremely fashionable ne that Xue Bai thought looked nice enough to wear even for his prestigious identity.


    "What is this Xiao''er?" Xue Bai asked as he motioned for her to help put it on.


    However, the maid merelyughed and replied with an ambiguous, "You''ll learnter."


    Thinking it to be another one of her preparations for their trip, he shrugged his shoulders and didn''t bother to ask anymore and stepped off of the carriage.


    They had passed through the city gates and had been waiting in the square just outside the entrance. The square was built for merchants to instantly unload their wear without wasting time and set up shop.


    "Oh right, Commander Zhang, you can go to my father and receive a High Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit as my thanks for the ride!" Xue Bai remembered just before he got out of sight of the two.


    "Many thanks, Young Duke!" Zhang Ye''s cold face finally brightened up as he heard Xue Bai''s words.


    Old Ye on the side was at a loss for words. A High Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit was something he could only dream of, yet the Young Duke just handed one out like a cabbage. And for such a menial task as well.


    "Master, do you predict that this would happen?" Old Ye couldn''t help but ask.


    "The Young Duke has always been a generous heir, so while I did approach with ulterior motives, I only thought I would get a closer rtionship with the Young Duke. Receiving a High Yellow Spirit Fruit was never in my imagination, let alone my predictions." Zhang Ye answered.


    "Then Master, that High Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit, will you be needing it?" Old Ye couldn''t help but lick his lips as he prodded.


    Seeing his butler with such a grotesque expression, Zhang Ye couldn''t help but smack the man. And after getting a good hit on the back of Old Ye''s head, Zhang Ye responded, "Of course, I''ll be needing it. A High Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit could help me break through to the Middle Stages of the Law Manifestation Realm. By then, I could finally get out of the bottom three of themanders."


    "But Master, I heard that Commander Song is also secluding herself to break through to the 5th stage. Are you confident to fight above your Realm?" Old Ye couldn''t help but ask.


    Old Ye didn''t want to dampen Zhang Ye''s spirit, but his Master was in need of a reality check, and Old Ye was the only one capable of giving him one.


    Zhang Ye, hearing his butler demean him, wanted to give the old man another p but stopped himself.


    "Sigh~~ Commander Song is even freakier than those Wang Twins. How can I, an old man, catch up with her? I only hope that she can surpass Commander Jiang soon enough. That schrly-looking man gives me an eerie feeling." Zhang Ye couldn''t help but shudder at the mention of Commander Jiang.


    As Zhang Ye and Old Ye started to brawl over the High Yellow Grade Spirit Fruit, Xiao''er had finally regained her confidence and was leading Xue Bai around Snowy Wind City.


    "Young Master, where do you want to go first? There is the Stone Gambling Pavilion, where you opened Yggdrasil. A theater where bards talk about the legends of our Empire, or I heard that there is an auction happeningter today!" Xiao''er couldn''t stop talking and rattled off dozens of sentences before Xue Bai had to shut her up manually.


    Though the height gap between them was still apparent, with Xue Bai at 4 ''9 while Xiao''er stood at a tall 5'' 8, Xue Bai was still able to cover her mouth with his hands.


    Shocked at the move, Xiao''er wanted to step back, thinking that Xue Bai was up to no good, but after seeing Xue Bai''s eyes full of purity, she rxed herself and waited for him to speak.


    "Xiao''er, today is your day. I am only apanying you. Wherever you wish to go, I''ll follow." Xue Bai spoke before taking his hands off her mouth.


    "Then to the Auction! I have never been to one before. It''s always been my dream to buy everything from an auction and leave nothing to anyone else." Xiao''er spoke as soon as her mouth was free.


    Nodding behind the excited Xiao''er, Xue Bai allowed himself to pull along through the town on the way to their destination.


    "Xiao''er, which Auction House are we going to? If we are going to Mother''s, then there is no point. The auctioneers would give us every item to try and please us." Xue Bai asked.


    In Snowy Wind City, there were three main Auction Houses, each with a different backer. But thergest one, Golden Hall Auction House, was the one built by Li Rou. Like Mountain Herb Pavilion, this one was managed by a half-disciple, but the one who managed this one was a girl who had been on good terms with Li Rou, unlike Zhou Beizhan.


    The other two Auction Houses were popr but couldn''t surpass the poprity of Li Rou''s, as it was built on their home court.


    "That, my beautiful Young Master, is a secret!" Xiao''er answered mysteriously.


    She finally had a chance to get revenge and wasn''t letting it slip by.


    Seeing her rebellious side pop up again, Xue Bai was tempted to order her to fess up but seeing the brightest smile she had ever worn in years on her face, Xue Ba let it go and submitted to his fate.

 Chapter 65 Golden Hall Auction House

    ?Golden Hall Auction House


    Standing in front of a tall 4-story golden bricked pagoda with a sign that had familiar-looking handwriting printed on it, Xue Bai didn''t know what to say.


    "Xiao''er, didn''t I say we shouldn''t go to Mother''s Auction House?" Xue Bai spoke after a few seconds of silence.


    "It''s fine, Young Master. I brought veils!" Xiao''er proudly announced as she pulled out two ck veils that covered everything from the cheekbones down.


    "Then how are we going to get a booth if we don''t rely on our identities?" Xue Bai didn''t believe Xiao''er thought this far through.


    "Ta-Da!" Xiao''er cheered as she pulled out a golden card.


    It was a Golden VIP Card that only high-profile guests of Golden Hall Auction House could. In order just to be put on its waitlist, you had to spend over 5000 Spirit Stones.


    With that, not only could they get a booth, but they could also get a loan of up to a thousand spirit stones, which was enough to buy a Peak Yellow Grade item potentially.


    "How did you even get that?" Xue Bai asked with confusion apparent in his tone.


    "Easy! I asked Mistress, and she gave me one. As the owner of the Auction House, she had a few lying around in her spatial ring." Xiao''er announced proudly with her hands on her hips.


    "You¡­ Why do you want to go to this Auction House so badly?" Xue Bai couldn''t help but ask after seeing Xiao''er look so prepared.


    "Because the Golden Hall Auction House will protect us! Have you not heard of young and naive children bidding with their parent''s money but also offending an elder of a high-ranking institution? Then after the Auction ends, the elder goes and kills the child and steals the item." Xiao''er started speaking with her knowledge from the many novels she had read.


    "If we go to either of the two other Auction Houses, that would happen to us. But the Golden Hall Auction House made by Mistress is known for protecting each and every bid winner until they arrive safely."


    "Yes, but that servicees with a high fee Xiao''er." Xue Bai reminded.


    "Young Master, we have more Spirit Stones than stones. A little extra money won''t hurt our wealth." Xiao''er spoke as she put on her veil.


    "Xiao''er, you don''t expect me to put on this veil, do you?" Xue Bai asked.


    Xue Bai looked extremely feminine all throughout his life. And it only got worse after he got the 9-tailed Fox Bloodline, where he gained a seductive aura. The only thing that gave away his male gender was his Adam''s apple and chiseled chin.


    However, the veil covered both of them and only showed his long eyshes and jade-like skin. If Xue Bai put the veil on, he would look like any other city toppling beauty in the making, as they would corrte his t chest with his age, thinking Xue Bai hadn''t gotten his growth spurt yet.


    "Young Master put it on. What''s the worst that could happen? If anything, as long as you reveal your identity, everyone would back away in fear." Xiao''er calmly persuaded as she put the veil on for Xue Bai.


    Seeing that Xiao''er had a point, Xue Bai let her put the veil on for him, as he had no idea how to tie it properly.


    The process was quick, and after tying it nicely around Xue Bau''s head, the veil was set.


    And from the effeminate-looking boy, Xue Bai turned into an icy cold beauty that was still budding.


    "Xiao''er, be honest. Do I even have a resemnce to a man with this veil on?" Xue Bai asked.


    "Young Master, which answer do you want? The one that helps your pride, or the truth." Xiao''er responded.


    "The truth. Xiao''er, my pride isn''t helpful here." Xue Bai said.


    "Then no, Young Master, you look nothing like a man currently. If anything, I''m honestly a little jealous of your beauty currently." Xiao''er said with a straight face.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Xiao''er, then why didn''t you get me a mask or something not so tantly feminine?" Xue Bai asked as he sped his forehead.


    Not wanting to answer the question, Xiao''er turned around and strolled into the Auction House.


    Inside they saw a magnificent interior where gold was the main color, with a long hall that led into a huge auditorium. Golden Hall Auction House was the most beautiful building Xue Bai had seen in his entire life.


    However, before they could explore, a female attendant approached them with a bright smile.


    "These two Young Misses, are you here to attend our Auction?" The attendant asked as the smile still on her face got wider.


    Unlike any protagonist would, Xue Bai and Xiao''er both were dressed in expensive and showy clothes. And the female attendant seeing that, immediately adopted her nicest smile and attitude.


    Also, along with the fact that Xiao''er never wore maid clothing, the attendant assumed that Xue Bai and Xiao''er were two noble girls out trying to have fun at an auction.


    Not bothering to correct the girl''s mistake, Xue Bai nodded at Xiao''er, who then pulled out the Golden VIP Card.


    "We want a private booth for the auction. Is that alright?" Xiao''er asked politely.


    Seeing the card, the female attendant was stunned for a moment before the smile on her face widened even more.


    "Of course, there is a private booth avable. Young Nobles, please wait a moment while I get a manager to take you there." The attendant replied with a bow. Even going as far as to change the way to address Xue Bai and Xiao''er.


    Alone with each other, Xue Bai and Xiao''er started talking about the Golden Hall Auction House and its grandeur interior to pass the time.


    And soon enough, a well-dressed man with a handlebar mustache grew well enough to make any man jealous appeared along with the female attendant from earlier.


    "Noble Guests! Please follow me. I''ll take you both to the Private Room we have prepared for you." As he got within earshot of Xue Bai and Xiao''er, the man announced his purpose, wasting no time, and began to escort them to their booth.


    Following the man and the attendant, Xiao''er asked, "You two, what are your names so we can remember in the future?"


    "This one''s name is Hong Li, while the girl under me is Yan Chenyu." The man named Hong Li responded.


    Nodding calmly, Xiao''er didn''t ask any more questions.


    Following the Manager up a few sets of stairs, the group of four soon reached their destination.


    "Noble Guests, this will be your booth for the auction. Would either of you like to use the loan of 1000 spirit stones we give to any Golden VIP Card members?" Hong Li asked before he opened the door.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t sure if other people knew his voice, Xue Bai wanted to keep his identity a secret, he didn''t n to talk. So he looked at Xiao''er, who then spoke out his thoughts.


    "There will be no need for the loan,"  Xiao''er replied as she shook her head.


    What a joke. Xue Bai was the son of your boss. Even if we took all of your money, what could you say? And what money did theyck as the heir to a Dukedom and his personal maid?


    "Then, Noble Guests, I will leave you two your booth by yourself." Hong Li said as he opened the door for them.


    As Hong Li guided them in, he showed Xue Bai and Xiao''er how to bid and turn on the arrays that block others from seeing inside the booth before leaving Xue Bai and Xiao''er alone.

 Chapter 66 Jade Slips

    ?Jade Slips


    As soon as Hong Li and Yan Chenyu left, Xiao''er jumped onto the couch in excitement.


    "Young Master, you saw that? That Hong Li person totally thought I was a nobledy! It didn''t even cross his mind I was just a maid!" Xiao''er announced proudly as she rolled over the couch, inspecting itsfortability.


    "It''s because I let you wear your own clothes. Do you want to wear the maid uniform Mother made?" Xue Bai asked back sarcastically.


    "No! Never that maid uniform makes me look like a ball of clothes." Xiao''er replied, pleading in her tone.


    "You do know why she made it like that, right?" Xue Bai asked as he sat down in a chair himself.


    "Yes, yes, I heard it from Mistress herself almost a hundred times," Xiao''er spoke in a monotone voice.


    Putting his hand under his chin, Xue Bai asked, intrigued, "Then what is the reason Mother made it like that?"


    Standing up and mimicking Li Rou''s temperament, Xiao''er replied in the best impression of Li Rou she could, "Because of the soldier''sscivious nature, these clothes will help the maid from being looked at lustfully."


    Xue Bai, hearing her impression, was stunned for a moment before erupting into a fit ofughter.


    "Hahaha! Oh, that was good, Xiao''er. Do you practice this?" Xue Bai asked as he wiped the tears from his eyes.


    "Not many times. I was scared that the Mistress would hear me." Xiao''er answered as she blushed a little.


    How could she tell Xue Bai that she practiced almost every day in the maid dormitories or that there was an annualpetition on who could make the best impression of Li Rou?


    "You''re a gem, Xiao''er. I really don''t know how Mother found you." Xue Bai said honestly.


    Ever since he transmigrated into the Baishen ne, the person who was with him most wasn''t his father or mother but Xiao''er. And she always managed to make him smile and brighten up his day.


    Whether it was through her antics or her nativity, Xiao''er was Xue Bai''s entertainment in this world.


    "So you''ve finally noticed my majesty!" Xiao''er announced as she stood up on the couch with her nose raised up high.


    "It''s not toote for you to worship me now, Young Master. I can guarantee you a blissful life underneath my wing." Xiao''er announced arrogantly as if she were an emperor herself.


    Not taking herment to heart, Xue Bai turned his attention to the ss window that showed the auditorium for the auction house.


    Through it, Xue Bai could see the massive auditorium he saw a glimpse of from the entrance. But now, a few floors up, he could see it in all of its glory.


    From what Xue Bai knew, Li Rou was the main voice in designing both Mountain Herb Pavilion and Golden Hall Auction House. And Xue Bai was filled with praise after seeing them both. Even if Li Rou was on Earth, she could have made a living with her interior decoration skills.


    The auditorium wasrge enough to hold at least 1500 people, while not even including the dozens of personal booths and 5 VIP booths. Xue Bai looked at it, nodding at everything.


    ''Even on Earth, with such an extravagant auditorium like this, only the high ss would be able to step foot into it.'' Xue Bai, though mentally.


    "Xiao''er, do you have the list of things that are getting auctioned off in this Auction?" Xue Bai asked as he spun his head.


    Still lying on the couchzily, Xiao''er lifted up her head at Xue Bai and shook her head. She only knew that an auction was happening today, not of its contents.


    "Then hand me the Communication Token that Hong Li left. We need to get a list." Xue Bai ordered.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Unwilling to get up from thefortable position she had been carving out onto the couch cushions, Xiao''er asked back, "Why do we even need to know what they are auctioning? It''s not like we need to save money. We can buy everything they are auctioning today and still have enough to live for a year."


    Xue Bai, seeing her expression, didn''t know how to reply for a moment. It was obvious she didn''t want to get up, but she still made such a valid excuse to excuse herziness.


    "If you don''t want to get up, just say so. I can get it myself." Xue Bai sighed as he got up from his chair.


    ''At this point, is she even still a maid?'' Xue Bai thought.


    As his thoughts cycled away, Xue Bai picked up the Communication Token and sent some Spiritual Qi into it to announce he needed assistance. And soon enough, after only a minute of waiting, a knock sounded on the door.


    "Noble guests, it is Yan Chenyu. May I enter?" Yan Chenyu announced from outside the door.


    "You may enter!" Xiao''er yelled out.


    After getting permission, Yan Chenyu opened the door and walked in.


    Cupping her fists and bowing slightly, Yan Chenyu asked, "Noble Guests, what did you need assistance with?"


    Still not wanting to talk, Xue Bai motioned for Xiao''er to speak for him.


    Getting a nudge on her hip, Xiao''er looked at Xue Bai''s meaningful eyes and knew what she had to do.


    "We need a list of the items you will be auctioning off today, Miss Yan," Xiao''er asked politely.


    Nodding, Yan Chenyu pulled out a Jade Slip from her pocket and handed it to Xiao''er.


    Jade Slips were amon cultivation tool for transferring information quickly. As your cultivation became higher and higher, the cultivator reading speed also quickened. But Jade Slips were better as they could instantly transfer information to the brain of the recipient. And all it took to create a Jade Slip was a piece of Jade Ore and the Cultivation of at least the Qi Sea Realm, making it verymon to be used.


    After handing over the Jade Slip, Yan Chenyu asked, "Is there anything else Noble Guests would like before I leave?"


    Thinking for a moment, Xue Bai couldn''t think of anything he would need from Yan Chenyu anymore, so he waved her off, expressing his stance.


    Obeying, Yan Chenyu bowed once more and left the booth.


    "Young Master, why don''t you speak to them?" Xiao''er asked curiously, stillzing on the couch.


    "It''s because I think Hong Li would be able to recognize my voice. And also that I am a man. Even if I look feminine, my voice still sounds like a boy." Xue Bai replied.


    "What if you make your voice sound like girls, then? Wouldn''t you be able to talk then?" Xiao''er asked.


    "Why would I want to be recognized as a girl? Just people mistakenly thinking I''m a girl is annoying. But now you want me to trick people into thinking I''m a girl?" Xue Bai answered rhetorically.


    Sticking out her tongue, Xiao''er didn''t respond and merely turned around and closed her eyes on the couch as if she wanted to fall asleep.


    Seeing Xiao''er be unresponsive, Xue Bai just closed his eyes and started to examine his cultivation.


    Ever since he broke through to the 9th stage of the Blood Exchange Realm, he had yet to see his gains.


    ''Let''s see how strong the Peak of the Blood Exchange Realm makes me!''

 Chapter 67 Start Of The Auction

    ?Start Of The Auction


    When Xue Bai was at the Peak of the Vein Transformation Realm, he could already leapfrog five stages and fight someone at the 3rd stage of the Blood Exchange. And that trend continued all throughout Xue Bai''s cultivation in the past year.


    When he was at the 8th stage of the Blood Exchange Realm, he could fight someone at the 2nd stage of the Muscles Nourishing Realm. However, now that Xue Bai was at the Peak of the Blood Exchange Realm, he could choose one of two paths.


    His choices were to continue in the Blood Exchange Realm and step into the Purification Stages or advance into the Muscle Nourishing Realm.


    The Stages of the Purification Realm were, in order, Small Sess, Great Sess, Perfection, Purification, and Compression.


    The Small Sess, Great Sess, and Perfection Stages were meant to perfect the Realm, while Purification and Compression were for the Dantian.


    Though the nine stages in the Blood Exchange Realm had removed most of the impurities within Xue Bai''s blood, there were still some hidden impurities that were either hard to reach or too small to be found easily. And the Small Sess, Great Sess, and Perfection Stages were meant to expel them.


    On the other hand, the Purification stage was meant to purify all of the Spiritual Qi in the Dantian, while the Compression Stage was meant topress all of what was left¡ªleaving a perfect Realm and a pure Dantian.


    And though the Purification Stages were extremely hard toplete for any aspiring cultivator, the rewards it gave were worth all of the trouble.


    Not only did it give you abat power boost by perfecting each Realm. It also gives you purer Spiritual Qi while also allowing you to store more Spiritual QI within your Dantian.


    However, the major downside and the reason most people on the Southern Continent didn''t cultivate the Purification Stages was that in order to do so, it took an enormous amount of resources and a long amount of time. And because of the Southern Continent''s bareness, it made it hard for cultivators to do so.


    Even a peak genius on the Southern Continent had at most a Peak Yellow Grade Martial Vein, so for them to spend an entire year of their youth to perfect a Realm, the losses outweighed the gains.


    Though they might have awakened a Peak Yellow Grade Martial Vein and had the limit of the Domain Lord Realm, that didn''t mean that they were guaranteed to reach it. If they wasted too much of their youth and time, they could possibly only reach the Law Manifestation Realm or even lower.


    And with their limit known and not enough resources, the Purification Stages weren''t of much value to the average cultivator.


    However, to Xue Bai, with Huli Jing''s storage ring and a Low Heaven Martial Vein, the Purification stages weren''t a challenge whatsoever. Not only was his cultivation speed heaven-defying, but he also had enough resources to make a Sect on the Central Continent go red with jealousy.


    Thinking that much, Xue Bai decided that he would cultivate them.


    After all, he had to contest with Xiao Mo and the other great geniuses of the Baishen ne. And just because people on the Southern Continent didn''t cultivate the Purification Stages didn''t mean the cultivators on the Central Continent didn''t.


    Xue Bai knew that in order to join some of the best sects in the Baishen ne, it was a requirement to cultivate the Purification Stage in at least 10 different Realms.


    As Xue Bai was about to seal his senses and start cultivating, Xiao''er tapped his shoulder, awakening him. Opening his eyes with confusion apparent in them, Xue Bai looked at Xiao''er to see what she was going to say.


    "Young Master, look out the window. The auction is about to start," Xiao''er spoke as she pointed behind Xue Bai.


    Turning his head, Xue Bai saw that on the stage, a beautiful-looking woman in her early twenties appeared. Though the woman wasn''t wearing anything scandalous, she was dressed in a loose set of robes. And her busty figure couldn''t be contained by them and was stretching the clothes to their limit, giving the audience a small tease of whaty within.


    ''I didn''t even think they could grow that big.'' Xue Bai thought before his vision turned dark.


    "Wait! Young Master, don''t look!" Xiao''er screamed as she covered Xue Bai''s eyes.


    At first, Xiao''er didn''t see who appeared on the stage as she was stillzing away on the couch. But after seeing the woman and her lust-inducing figure and Xue Bai getting lost in her chest, Xiao''er panicked and blocked his eyesight.


    "Xiao''er, why are your hands on my eyes?" Xue Bai asked.


    At first, Xue Bai thought he was going blind, but after hearing Xiao''er shout in panic, he knew that his maid was being jealous again.


    ''I didn''t even look at her chest for long! It was only a small glimpse.''


    "Humph! I saw your eyes looking at her chest. You looked no better than those soldiers we have at the Dukedom." Xiao''er spoke in a reprimanding tone.


    Knowing that even if he bothered to refute Xiao''er, she would still get angry, Xue Bai decided to double down.


    "Humph! Even if I was looking, what are you going to do about it?" Xue Bai replied with his chin pointed to the ceiling as if he was looking down on Xiao''er.


    Hearing Xue Bai''s arrogant reply, Xiao''er was stunned. She had thought that Xue Bai would say sorry, and then she would reluctantly pull away her hands but make him not stare at the hostess''s chest. But what Xue Bai said threw Xiao''er off, and she didn''t know how to reply.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then, then, then, I''ll tell Mistress! She will beat you up!" Xiao''er spoke fiercely.


    "Mother, if anything, would give me a thumbs up." Xue Bai replied back smugly.


    "Then I''ll beat you up!" Xiao''er shouted out threateningly, but Xue Bai could tell she had lost some of her spirits from before.


    Seeing Xiao''er act like she was, Xue Bai''s eyes shed a crafty look, and he immediately turned around and pounced on the girl.


    Landing on her stomach, Xue Bai reached for her hips.


    "KYAA!" Xiao''er yelled out as she was caught off guard.


    Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Xue Bai started to tickle Xiao''er sides.


    From his more than 4 years with Xiao''er, Xue Bai knew that she was extremely ticklish, especially on her hips, which were his targets.


    "Wait! Wait! Young Master, no, don''t, you know I''m ticklish!" Xiao''er tried to shout out in betweenughs, but Xue Bai ignored her and continued mercilessly.


    "Let''s see if you''ll beat me up now, huh!" Xue Bai muttered.


    "I''m sorry, Young Master. I won''t threaten you again." Xiao''er yelled out as she finally yielded.


    Seeing her give up, Xue Bai got off of her stomach and humphed.


    "I wasn''t even looking at that woman for long. It was also thest thing I noticed, Xiao''er. I didn''t look at them like a lustful demon." Xue Bai exined.


    However, Xiao''er still couldn''t reply as she was getting her breathing under control and wiping the tears from her eyes from all of theughter.


    As Xue Bai continued to exin his innocence, the busty woman on the stage pulled out a pedestal from her spatial ring and began to talk to the audience.


    Though it was inconvenient for thedy to have to supply her own pedestal, having her do so could also allow the audience to gaze at her lower half for longer, gaining more attention that Golden Hall Auction Houses needed.


    "I, Ling Yun, wee all of our special guests today to our Golden Hall Auction Houses annual auction!" The busty woman named Ling Yun announced as she gave a deep bow to the audience, teasing them even more.


    "Humph, that Vixen!" Xiao''er up in the booth muttered unhappily.


    ''Just give me a few more years, and I''ll have that vixen crying with jealousy!'' Xiao''er thought mentally as she looked at her own mountains.


    Xue Bai on the side saw her but didn''tment as he knew that they were a touchy subject for women.


    "I hope that all our dear guests have the list of all that we will be auctioning off day, so without further ado, I will start with the first item on the list!" Ling Yun announced as she motioned to the curtain and signaled out a group of people pushing a cart where on top, a case covered with a cloth sat.


    The attendants pushed the cart in front of Ling Yun, bowed, and then went back behind the curtains to not disturb the auction any longer.


    By herself again, Ling Yun started to speak about the first item.


    "Our first item is being auctioned off today is a sword that was forged by the Assistant Chief cksmith of our Dukedom, cksmith Guo." Ling Yun announced to the crowd.


    The crowd, after hearing the woman, naturally erupted into cheers. After being taken in by Xue Feng and put under Huo Chen, cksmith Guo had turned from a chicken into a phoenix.


    Before in the Stone Gambling Pavillion, he was only a man who cut open stones. But now, with his own Smithy and a handful of capable subordinates, he finally had the chance in life to do his passion.


    And with his talent, he quickly became a High Yellow Grade cksmith even though he was only in the Mid stages of the Houtian Realm.


    Now cksmith Guo had arge influence, and his works were known all throughout the Dukedom and even had some fame throughout the entire Great Xuan Empire.


    Seeing the reaction of the crowd, Ling Yun knew she had them, and without wasting any further time, she pulled off the cloth, revealing the sword inside.

 Chapter 68 Stealing A Protagonists Opportunity

    ?Stealing a Protagonist Opportunity


    Under the cloth was a Jian-type sword that was about a meter long. However, what made it special was that the entire sword was smoldering red as if pulled right out of ava pit.


    "As you can see, this sword right here is, as you guessed. It was made from a Lava Essence Ore! It is also a High Yellow Grade Sword. However! From cksmith Guo''s mouth himself, he said that this sword isn''t any worse than a Peak Yellow Grade Sword. It was only because of his unfamiliarity with the ore that lowered its potential grade." Ling Yun spoke calmly.


    But before the crowd could speak up, Ling Yun raised her hand, indicating that she wasn''t done. And with Ling Yun''s beauty, no man dared to disobey for fear of angering her or her pursuers.


    Smiling, Ling Yun spoke, "Since you all are so obedient, I''ll make an exception and make this quick. This sword, because it was made out of Lava Essence Ore, can amplify the Fire Element of the user by almost 50 percent!"


    Hearing that, the suppressed excitement of the crowd erupted. A 50 percent amplification was a huge amount that could help cultivators leapfrog multiple stages. It could also be a powerful trump card to help a weaker cultivator surprise and sneak attack his stronger opponent.


    Even Xue Bai, up in the booth, was slightly surprised. But he was for a different reason. That sword was the signature weapon of Huo Long for most of his Southern Continent journey until it broke in the final climactic battle against Wang Yu.


    The sword that Huo Long named Fire Breath was a gift from his father, Huo Ming after Huo Long regained his cultivation base. Though the reason wasn''t known, Xue Bai guessed that either Huo Ming won the auction or killed the person who did and stole it from the corpse.


    But now that the sword was in front of Xue Bai, how could he let Huo Long have it?


    Though Huo Long and Xue Bai were very close friends, who would be able to resist such a good weapon? Also, it wasn''t as if Xue Bai was stealing it from Huo Long himself. Huo Long wasn''t meant to get the sword for another 3 years.


    Adding on the fact that this sword would be perfect for the Fire Element that he nned to show to the world, this sword was a chance that Xue Bai wouldn''t let go.


    ''Sorry, Brother Long, I''ll make it up to youter.'' Xue Bai thought mentally.


    "This sword made by cksmith Guo doesn''t have a name, as he left it to the owner to name it themselves. The starting price is 300 Spirit Stones!" Ling Yun announced as she waved her arms down, indicating the crowd to start bidding.


    The prices of High Yellow Grade treasures would vary, but they would usually be in the 100 to 500 Spirit Stone range. 500 Spirit Stones and above were meant for the Peak Yellow Grade, while below 100 was meant for Middle Yellow Grade. So having such a starting bid for Fire Breath, a sword that was almost a Peak Yellow Grade Weapon, was reasonable.


    After all, a bid was meant to escte slowly. What was the point of having an auction if they started the bid at the asking price for the sword?


    After getting permission to start bidding, the crowd immediately started.


    "310 Spirit Stones!"


    "320 Spirit Stones!"


    "330 Spirit Stones!"


    And slowly but surely, the price was increasing until suddenly, a big shot in one of the private booths made their presence known.


    "400 Spirit Stones! Please give my father, Marquis Huang, some face, and let this sword be mine." A deep-sounding voice echoed out from one of the private booths.


    Inside the booth sat a young, ferocious-looking teen that looked to be around 18 years old.


    Standing to his side was an equally ferocious-looking middle-aged man that wore a set of bronze armor that covered everything but his face and an old man in a butler uniform.


    "Young Master Wei, this isn''t our territory. You can''t use Master''s name to suppress the citizens of Snowy Wind City." The old man in the butler uniform spoke up with disapproval in his tone.


    However, the young man just waved off the concern as if he had done so dozens of times already.


    "It''s fine, Old Chen. It''s only a High Yellow Grade Sword. Duke Xue won''t go against our Huang n over such a small thing. Besides, even if he does, we still have the Wang n behind us." Huang Wei spoke in a rxed tone as if he didn''t even care about Xue Feng''s threat.


    "Young Master, no matter how unpopted Duke Xue''s Dukedom is, he and his wife still are in the Domain Lord Realm. Adding on Zhou Beizhan and Marquis Luo, our Huang n won''t evenst a day underneath their attacks." Old Chen couldn''t help but say.<novelnext></novelnext>


    To be conferred as a Marquis, one had to be at least in thete stages of the Law Manifestation Realm and have an equal amount of merit to The Great Xuan Empire. And as one of the strongest Marquis'', Marquis Huang, Huang Wei''s father, was at the Peak of the Law Manifestation Realm.


    But under the siege of 3 Peak stage Domain Lords and 1 Early stage Domain Lord, Marquis Huang wouldn''tst even an exchange before falling.


    "Rx, Old Chen. We aren''t mortal enemies with Duke Xue. It''s only one sword. At worst, I can give somepensation, and we''ll be square." Huang Wei spoke as he waved away Old Chen and continued to ogle Ling Yun down below.


    Old Chen, seeing Huang Wei still arrogant even in foreign territory, sighed to himself and didn''t speak any further.


    ''I can only hope that something can break his arrogance soon before he brags in front of the wrong person.''


    Down below, ignorant of the discussion in the private booth, the crowd was shocked after one of the guests in a booth revealed themselves.


    "Oh my heavens, even a Young Marquis is here!"


    "Who is in the other private booths then?"


    "Idiot, that''s not what you should be asking! If a Young Marquis is only allowed to be in one of the dozen private booths, then which bigshots are in the 5 VIP booths?"


    After somebody made that observation, the crowd started to guess which big shots were in them, but even after a few minutes, no one could make a good one.


    However, Ling Yun was angered after hearing Huang Wei''s invisible threat. He hadpletely taken away the liveliness that the sword generated.


    After all, most of the guests weren''t strong enough to be unphased by an angered Marquis n.


    "Young Marquis Huang, this will be your first and only warning. Our Golden Hall Auction House is made by Duchess Li. No one''s identity means anything here unless you''re above the Duchess!" Ling Yun said coldly as she looked at the private booth Huang Wei was in.


    "This also goes to anyone else thinking of using their outside identity to suppress our guests. In the Golden Hall Auction House, it doesn''t matter who you were before you came in. Aftering in, all of you are our guests, nothing more!"


    After threatening the rest of the big shots, Ling Yun put back on her signature smile and continued the bidding war.


    "400 Spirit Stones, I heard from Young Marquis Huang. Is there anyone else who would like to make another offer?"


    However, no one in the crowd dared to bid anymore. Though Ling Yun had suppressed the big shots in the booths from threatening publically, Huang Wei was a known scoundrel throughout The Great Xuan Empire. And if they bid against him, they wouldn''t live very long after.


    Even Ling Yun was visibly annoyed. But just as Ling Yun was about to speak up again, a woman''s voice boomed out from a private booth.


    "430 Spirit Stones! Huang Wei, this isn''t your territory but Snowy Wind City. Keep your dirty mouth shut before someone takes your head." A cold but alluring voice spoke out.


    Huang Wei, in his booth, was sipping wine peacefully as he awaited his victory to be announced. Because after announcing his name Huang Wei was confident that no fool in the crowd would be dumb enough to bid against him, even if Ling Yun had berated him earlier, lowering his prestige.


    But after hearing the cold voice from afar, Huang Wei couldn''t help but shiver. So after hiding the wine he was drinking and any other age-inappropriate items, Huang Wei opened the window and put on a fawning smile while looking in the direction of the female voice.


    "Oh, my dear Mei''er, I didn''t know you wereing to this auction as well. Forgive me for not greeting you earlier. Also, on behalf of our long rtionship, you can have this sword." Huang Wei spoke in a tone full of affection.


    However, his love talk seemed to make the cold voice be full of disdain and anger instead of seducing it.


    "Huang Wei, I have told you countless times to call me by my full name, Li Mei, not that disgusting Mei''er. And I am winning this auction with my own ability, not from your handout." Li Mei coldly shouted without even bothering to open the window.


    Huang Wei ignoring the tone of Li Mei''s voice, still kept a fawning tone and spoke, "Mei''er, you know I''m sincere. Why must you be so reproachful towards me?"


    Sadly Li Mei didn''t bother to reply to Huang Wei anymore and waited for Ling Yun to continue the bidding war. Huang Wei sensing this, closed his window while keeping a smile on his face until he disappeared behind the array.

 Chapter 69 Spirit Cleansing Fruit

    ?Spirit Cleansing Fruit


    However, as soon as the window blocked outside vision, the smile on Huang Wei''s face instantly disappeared and was taken over by a gruesome and ferocious expression.


    "That slut! For three years, I have bootlicked, fawned, and even given her gifts, and yet she still gives me the cold shoulder!" Huang Wei growled out as his face contorted in rage.


    "Young Master Huang, Master has told you before. That Li Mei girl is arrogant by nature and isn''t going to be fooled by your sweet talk and smile. She''ll only submit to you if you are superior to her in strength." Old Chen on the side couldn''t help but say as he saw that Huang Wei was about to start destroying the booth.


    "Fine! Doesn''t she only have a High Yellow Martial Vein? I have one, too. Let''s see who''ll be stronger during the Hidden Dragon Rankings in 978!" Huang Wei shouted as he made a decision.


    Old Chen, on the side, seemed to be released from a burden and looked a few years younger.


    ''Master, though it was for the wrong reasons, Young Master is finally on the right path.''


    Ling Yun, not bothering to disturb the two teens, continued the auction.


    "Young Miss Li has bid 430 Spirit Stones. Does anyone else have a bid?" Ling Yun announced.


    But inwardly, Ling  Yun thought that Li Mei had won and was about to m her gavel, as the price that Li Mei gave out was already close to the retail price that Golden Hall Auction House estimated Fire Breath to be.


    However, Xue Bai, seeing that every otherpetitor had given up, finally decided to jump in and steal Fire Breath.


    "Xiao''er, you can toss out a bid. It doesn''t matter which number it is." Xue Bai said as he chewed on a fruit that Golden Hall Auction House left on the table.


    Xue Bai didn''t want to bid for two main reasons. One, he still wanted to keep his voice hidden as he wasn''t sure if anyone who knew his voice was present. And two, it was Xiao''er who wanted to attend this auction. So it would probably hurt the girl if Xue Bai stole her chance to bid.


    "Young Master, you said any amount, right?" Xiao''er couldn''t believe her ears.


    Young Master was letting her squander money!


    "As long as you don''t blow our entire worth, then yea, any amount.  But try and make it reasonable, though." Xue Bai answered back with some suspicion in his tone.


    As the only son of a Duke, Xue Bai was rich enough to drown people in Spirit Stones. And as the tycoon he was, Xue Bai had around 15000 Spirit Stones to his name.


    ''This girl can''t be thinking of blowing all of our money, right?''


    "550 Spirit Stones!" Xiao''er yelled out.


    ''Oh, if it''s just that, then it''s fine.'' Xue Bai sighed inwardly.


    Xue Bai was thinking that Xiao''er was going to spend more than a thousand. But since it was below 1000,  it was fine.


    However, unlike Xue Bai, the tycoon, the guests attending the auction in the crowd were stunned. 550 Spirit Stones was an astronomical amount to the rogue cultivators and Demonic Beast Hunters in attendance.


    550 Spirit Stones was already enough to buy a Peak Yellow Grade Treasure, something made for only Domain Lord Realm cultivators. Though it would be one of the worst types of treasure in the Peak Yellow Grade, it was still something the attendants would never even dream of getting.


    "So those are the tycoons in the VIP Booths then, huh? Spending 550 Spirit Stones like it were gold coins."


    Nobody knew who said those words, but it managed to encase everybody in the crowd''s thoughts perfectly.


    Ling Yun, unlike the shock from the crowd, was feeling a tinge of excitement. As the host of the auction, Ling Yun would get amission from any auction item that went over its retail price. And though Fire Breath was a High Yellow Grade Weapon that was close to Peak Yellow, it only had a retail price of about 450 Spirit Stones.


    But now that Xiao''er went 100 Spirit Stones above the retail price, Ling Yun was able to get a huge chunk ofmission from it.


    "I see that a Nobel Guest in one of our VIP Booths has made the next bid! Doesn''t anyone have a bid higher than 550 Spirit Stones?" Ling Yun shouted out.


    But even after a minute of waiting, no one raised their voice. Whether it was the sky-high price or the possibility of offending the big shot in the VIP booth, no one dared to bid.


    Ling Yun noticed that, mmed her gavel, and announced that Xue Bai had won the sword.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The Noble Guest in our VIP Booth has won this yet-to-be-named sword! Now onto the next item!" Ling Yun spoke.


    After Fire Breath, the auction continued on smoothly as any normal auction would. But unfortunately, the items being sold didn''t catch Xue Bai''s interest. They were either something he could get from his father, or he disdained them.


    After all, not every item could be as special as Fire Breath. Some items were even as low as the Low Yellow Grade, while most of the items that were being sold were of the Middle Yellow Grade.


    The only thing that caught Xue Bai''s attention was a bottle of High Yellow Grade Soul Stabilizing Pills. But it was not because of its rarity, as Xue Bai had already eaten his fill of Soul Stabilizing Pills, but because Zhou Beizhan had made this batch of pills.


    Looking at it from afar, Xue Bai could see that the pill had almost reached a Pseudo-Perfection Grade in purity.


    Pills in the Baishen ne were divided into 5 main tiers of purity. Waste Grade, which was 15% and below. Low Grade, which was 30% and below. Mid Grade, which was 50% and below. High Grade, which was 80% and below. Pseudo-Perfection Grade, which was 90% and below, and finally, Perfection Grade, which was anything below 99%.


    A 100% purity pill was something that was only talked about in legends, as to create a pill with absolutely no impurities was unfathomable. After all, every single herb in the Baishen ne had at least some impurities. Even if it were a Lotus Treasure, eating too many would still cause impurities to build up.


    So how could you purify something that was created by something with impurities?


    On the Southern Continent, anything in the Mid Grade was seen as the standard, while High-Grade pills were the sign of an experienced Alchemist. Pseudo-Perfection Grade Pills were hard to find. In order to create them, you had to fully understand a Pill, from the creation process and each of its ingredients. On the Southern Continent where Xue Bai lived, only a handful of renowned alchemists could create pills of that grade,


    And finally, Perfection Grade pills were only from the Central Continent. As any alchemist who could create pills of that grade was taken away by Central Continent forces for grooming.


    Even Xue Bai''s mother, Li Rou, was only able to make a batch of Perfection Grade pills once every few months. Yet now Zhou Beizhan was already at the barrier of being able to make Perfection Grade Pills.


    No, Zhou Beizhan had most likely already passed it. If he hadn''t passed the barrier, he would have kept these pills to himself to study with. As the pills in the bottle were at least 78% purity, if Zhou Beizhan could find one mistake in the creation process of that pill and fix it, creating a Perfection Grade pill would follow.


    ''I should tell Mother about this.'' Xue Bai thought.


    He knew about the awkward rtionship between the two. With Zhou Beizhan''s greed and desire to climb the hierarchy of the cultivation world and Li Rou''s hatred of that, their rtionship hadn''t been good for decades.


    However, that had nothing to do with Xue Bai. He was only a messenger.


    After the pills, the items that followed didn''t even make Xue Bai lift an eyebrow which continued until Ling Yun finally reached thest item of the auction.


    "Finally, we are at thest item we will be auctioning off this evening! And I know this item is something that most of you all in the VIP Booths have been waiting for. So without wasting any time, I will bring it out." Ling Yun announced as she motioned for someone from behind the curtains toe out.


    This time instead of a cart with a cloth on top that was pushed by a few people, only one person came out and the person held in his hands a simple case.


    And after passing it over to Ling Yun with a bow, the attendant quickly left not to disturb the rest of the auction.


    "Now, I know that the rumors might have seemed exaggerated, but our Golden Hall Auction House never lies about its wares. And in this case, it is the final auction item and the item that caused so much publicity for this auction. A Low ck Grade Natural Treasure that one of our hunting teams found!" Ling Yun shouted out with excitement.


    "Here, in this case, a Spirit Cleansing Fruit. However, I know that most of you know its effects, but I''ll exin it to those who don''t. "


    "Everyone here knows that the Houtian Great Realm is meant for nourishing the body, while the Xiantian Great Realm is meant for the soul. And this fruit right here can not only heal a soul injury, but it is also something that can help a Peak Domain Lord possibly step into the Xiantian Great Realm." Ling Yun lectured with excitement.


    "As in order to speak into the Xiantian Great Realm, one needs to sense and awaken their soul. And this fruit is able to help you do that." Ling Yun finished.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I have finally uploaded my second novel!


    It is called Rebirth of a Divine Lord and is something I have been working on for just as long as this novel.


    Here is the link. I hope you enjoy it!


    https://.webnovel/book/rebirth-of-a-divine-lord_24853821006260405

 Chapter 70 VIP Booth Guests

    ?VIP Booth Guests


    After speaking, Ling Yun ced the case she was handed onto the pedestal in front of her and opened it to the excited crowd.


    Due to boredom, Xue Bai had turned on the sound-canceling array long ago and missed Ling Yun''s vivid speech. But seeing the crowd look crazy and Ling Yun''s own excitement, even Xue Bai was slightly curious about what was inside.


    Adding onto the fact that Xue Bai still hadn''t looked at the jade slip that listed all of the items that were being auctioned, Xue Bai waspletely in the dark about what was in the case.


    Earlier, Xiao''er made a good point about the surprise factor that convinced him not to look at the Jade Slips'' contents. After all, they hade here to have fun, not for business. Getting surprised at the things being sold seemed to be a great way to enjoy the day.


    Back to the stage, as soon as Ling Yun opened the case, a burst of Soul Qi flowed out into the crowd, surprising everyone.


    (Note: Soul Qi is a different type of Spiritual Qi that is helpful only for the Soul. Even though Spiritual Qi is also helpful for the Soul, Soul Qi, since it can only help the Soul, is more than twice as effective as Spiritual Qi for the Soul.]


    Everyone who felt the burst of Soul Qi immediately felt enlightened, as if they had gained 100 IQ points. Their minds cleared up, and they were able to figure out key problems they had earlier when they were cultivating their Martial Techniques.


    Seeing everyone''spletive looks, Ling Yun''s face was full of smiles. Though releasing this wave of Soul Qi would lower the essence of the Natural Treasure, it would also give everyone in the audience a free sample of what they were buying, therefore increasing the price.


    The problem with most rare items, like the Spirit Cleansing Fruit, in auctions was the fear of buying something that didn''t work or was a dud. But now that everyone felt the effects, the price would surely skyrocket.


    "I am sure that everyone knows the value of the Spirit Cleansing Fruit, so there won''t be a starting bid. You can all begin to bid!" Ling Yun announced, giving the crowd the floor.


    After Ling Yun announced the start of the bid, the crowd immediately shouted dozens of different amounts for the Spirit Cleansing Fruit. And within seconds, the price had already gone up to 1000 Spirit Stones, more than double thest most expensive item.


    Xue Bai, in the VIP booth, was even slightly tempted to bid for the fruit. Currently, both of his parents were at the Peak of the Houtian Great Realm and were only one step away from advancing into the Xiantain Great Realm.


    However, that onest step was a problem to countless cultivators all throughout the Baishen ne. To advance into the Xiantain Great Realm, one had to do two things, first, sense your soul and, finally, awaken it.


    But the soul was an illusory and intangible thing. Without proper guidance or high-level treasures to help, it was almost impossible to sense it yourself.


    Even if you knew where your soul was and how to look for it, sensing it was still hard.


    It was like trying to navigate through a maze blind while you had the map in your head. Even if you knew where to go and the correct path, getting to the goal was still difficult.


    And even after sensing it, one would only be ssified as a Half-Step Xiantian Great Realm cultivator, and that still wasn''t a true Xiantian Great Realm cultivator. Only when one awakened their soul would they truly be called a Xiantain Great Realm cultivator.


    Xue Feng and Li Rou were currently still at the Peak of the Domain Lord Realm, unable to sense their souls. If Xue Bai could get the Spirit Cleansing Fruit, it would be able to help the two of them finally advance to the Realm of their dreams.


    Thinking that far ahead, Xue Bai decided he would win the Spirit Cleansing Fruit. But since the bidding war had yet to pick up, he was in no rush to bid.


    "1500 Spirit Stones!" Suddenly a bidder that wasn''t sitting in the crowd yelled out a bid. It was Huang Wei.


    Hearing the astronomical numbere from the Young Marquis, the attendants in the crowd were disheartened. They could neither contend with Huang Wei financially nor survive the wrath of the n behind him.


    In Huang Wei''s booth, he and Old Chen were conversing about the Spirit Cleansing Fruit.


    "Hey, Old Chen, do you think we have a chance at winning this thing? Father gave me almost 3 thousand Spirit Stones just for this thing alone." Huang Wei asked casually as he swirled the wine in his cup.


    "I only know as much as you do, Young Master Huang. Though Master gave us most of the annual earnings from the n, surely the other heirs in the booths like us are in the same situation." Old Chen said his thoughts.


    "Then Old Chen, what about the people in the VIP Booths above us?" Huang Wei spoke as he looked upwards at Xue Bai''s booth.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Young Master, we neither know of the identities of the people up there nor the limit of their wallets. We can only hope that the Spirit Stones Master gave us is enough." Old Chen said seriously.


    "Then Old Chen, how about we let one of the VIPs win, then follow them outside? If they are a big shot, we can give them a polite greeting and try to build connections. But if not¡­." Huang Wei spoke as he swiped his hand across his neck.


    "No, Young Master Huang, we can''t do that!" Old Chen immediately denied the suggestion.


    What Huang Wei nned to do was nothing short of suicide. Not only did every owner of a VIP membership card have a huge background, but even if they didn''t kill the owner of one would provoke not only Golden Hall Auction House but Li Rou, who backed it.


    "Why do you look so scared, Old Chen? As long as we do it cleanly and don''t leave a trace, what can Duchess Li do but swallow the injustice." Huang Wei persuaded in a rxed manner.


    "Young Master, no matter what, the Duchess is a Peak Stage Domain Lord Realm Cultivator. We can''t afford to provoke a powerhouse of that level." Old Chen, at this point, wanted to shed tears.


    His Young Master seemed to be overwhelmed with greed to the point of madness. Not only did he want to kill someone with a prestigious background, but he also wanted to offend a Peak Stage Domain Lord Realm cultivator.


    "Old Chen, don''t worry, I''m no fool. I know which people I can target and which I can''t. If it''s something I''m not confident in going after, I will try and build a rtionship. But if they don''t have a powerful background or strength, then we do the second n." Huang Wei exined his thought process, trying to calm his butler down.


    Old Chen did rx a little from Huang Wei''s words, but he still had a feeling that his Young Master was going to kill someone today.


    As the two conversed, the bid of the Spirit Cleansing Fruit had increased another 200 Spirit Stones from 1500 to 1700 courtesy of Li Mei and another heir in a booth.


    Seeing that his voice was forgotten, Huang Wei threw out another sky-high bid and directly raised the price by another 200 Spirit Stones.


    The bidding war between the teenage heirs in private booths until 2500 Spirit Stones, where one of the people in the VIP Booths didn''t bother waiting anymore.


    And with a deep, resounding, and booming voice, a man shouted, "3200 Spirit Stones!"


    Though no one in the Auction Houses recognized the voice, from the aura behind it, they knew that man wasn''t weak.


    While the crowd and the guests in the private booths were trying to decipher who the man was, Ling Yun was smiling from ear to ear.


    "We have a guest in one of our VIP Booths, bidding 3200 Spirit Stones. Anyone else would like to beat it?" Ling Yun spoke.


    "Humph, Luo Kun, this Spirit Cleansing Fruit is mine! So don''t think that just because your older brother became a Law Enforcement Elder at Wushen Academy, I won''t dare to go against you anymore. 3350 Spirit Stones!" As if not wanting to be left out, another voice bid and upped the price by another 150 Spirit Stones.


    "Hahaha! It''s good that you still have your spine, Feng Wei! I thought you lost it after thest time I beat you! However, this Spirit Cleansing Fruit is mine. Anyone who dares to fight with me for this is my enemy. 3500 Spirit Stones!" The man named Li Kun joyfullyughed as he bid once more.


    After hearing the argument between the two, the crowd finally managed to figure out who the two were.


    "So it''s the Head of the Core disciples of the Soaring Sword Sect and the number 1 ranked student from the Heaven Ranking List from Wushen Academy. No wonder they are allowed in the VIP Booths."


    "But did Luo Kun just say that he managed to beat Feng Wei?"


    "Shhh! Ignore that part. If you want to die, don''t bring the rest of us down with you.  Feng Wei is still a Law Engraving Realm cultivator. No matter what, he can kill almost everyone in this building."


    Even Xue Bai was slightly surprised by their appearance in Snowy Wind City. But after thinking about it, it seemed to be reasonable. To be someone of their positions in the Three Great Sects, they would at least need a Low ck Grade Martial Vein. And obviously, Luo Kun and Feng Wei both certainly had one as the leaders of the younger generation from their respective Sects.


    And presumably, after hearing that Golden Hall Auction House would be auctioning off a Spirit Cleansing Fruit, they most likely dropped everything to attend the auction.


    Even if they weren''t at the Peak of the Houtian Great Realm, using a Spirit Cleansing Fruit would still be of value for their struggles in the future when they were.

 Chapter 71 The Effects Of The Spirit Cleansing Fruit

    ?The Effects of The Spirit Cleansing Fruit


    What a Spirit Cleansing Fruit did was heal the spirit of any foreign malicious intents. Originally it was used for people who had been afflicted with a ve seal that was branded on the soul or if Demonic Qi infected someone''s soul.


    Because instead of Spiritual Qi, the Spirit Cleansing fruit contained Soul Qi. And to any cultivator under the Xiantian Great Realm, Soul Qi wouldn''t do anything. As Soul Qi was meant for cultivating the soul, cultivators in the Houtian Great Realm couldn''t even sense their soul, let alone cultivate it.


    However, over the years, cultivators realized that eating a Spirit Cleansing Fruit greatly aids in the process of sensing the soul. As when the Natural Treasure was consumed, you would feel a gust of pure Soul Qi that cleansed your soul.


    And if the consumer''s Spiritual Sense were sharp enough, they would be able to feel where their soul was hidden from where the Soul Qi circted to.


    That was the reason why Li Mei and Huang Wei were bidding for the fruit even though their cultivation had just reached the Qi Sea Realm. They had already cultivated their Spiritual Sense and would be able to pinpoint the location of their soul after eating the Spirit Cleansing Fruit with it.


    However, after Luo Kun and Feng Wei jumped into the bid, both Li Mei and Huang Wei were forced to give up. Neither of the two was a figure they could provoke. And even if they could, both of the heirs only had 3000 Spirit Stones left, and neither Li Kun nor Feng Wei nned to stop raising the price.


    And soon enough, the price managed to reach 4300 Spirit Stones, setting a Golden Hall Auction House record.


    "Feng Wei, you sword maniac! I don''t believe you have more money than me! 4500 Spirit Stones. If you can bid any higher, then it''s yours." Luo Kun shouted as he grew closer and closer to his limit.


    Sword Cultivators from the Soaring Sword Sect were known for being blindly addicted to the pursuit of the peak of swordsmanship and were full of disdain for worldly items. Feng Wei himself was no exception. And with the price getting so high, Luo Kun threw all of his cards on the table and bid his limit, hoping that Feng Wei didn''t have more.


    And luckily, he guessed right. Feng Wei''s limit was a little higher than his previous bid at 4400. But now, after Luo Kun raised it so much, Feng Wei was forced to give up on the Spirit Cleansing Fruit.


    Luo Kun, seeing his rival, didn''t raise the bid even after almost a minute, knew that Feng Wei had finally given up on the Spirit Cleansing Fruit.


    "Hahaha! Beauty Ling, It seems that I have won this Spirit Cleansing Fruit! Hurry and announce my win." Luo Kun shouted as he opened his window.


    Though Ling Yun was disgusted at being hit on so openly and arrogantly, she still had to do her job. Adding on the fact that Luo Kun had arge backing like the Wushen Academy behind him, Ling Yun couldn''t coldly reject him in front of so many people.


    So gritting her and putting on an awkward smile, she went to pick up her gavel, but just as she was going to m it on the pedestal, another voice entered the bidding.


    "5000 Spirit Stones!" Xiao''er yelled excitedly.


    Once again, Xue Bai had given her consent to spend as much money as she wanted. And instead of simply betting ten more to win, Xiao''er wanted to make the number a nice and clean 5000 and upped the bid by another 500 Spirit Stones.


    Seeing salvation appear in front of her, Ling Yun didn''t waste a second and announced, "Another Noble Guest in the VIP Booth has bid! Does anyone else have a higher bid!"


    Seeing that his momentum had been stolen and he lost his chance to hit on the stunning Ling Yun, Luo Kun was enraged. Sticking his head out the window, he looked in the direction of Xue Bai''s booth and yelled.


    "Whichever blind dog is in that booth, do you not know who I am?! I am Luo Kun, the top Disciple of Wushen Academy! I have ranked first on the Heaven Ranking List! Do you know what happens to people who dare to offend me?!" Luo Ken yelled as he pointed at Xue Bai''s booth.


    However, Xiao''er and Xue Bai were both unphased. Though Luo Kun could suppress Huang Wei and Li Mei with his status, Xue Bai had nothing to fear. Both of his parents were as strong as the Wushen Academy''s Dean, while his father had more than a dozen Law Manifestation Realmmanders under him.


    While Wushen Academy was known as one of the Four Great Sects and had a sect in the Central Continent backing it, Luo Kun would never be able to mobilize the entire strength of the Academy for a petty grudge.


    At best, he would be able to get his brother, a Law Enforcement Elder, to help him. But his older brother would at most be in the Law Engraving Realm, possibly the Law Manifestation Realm. And such meager strength wouldn''t even be able to break into the Dukedom''s Inner Region, let alone the Core Region where Xue Bai spent most of his days.


    However, if  Xue Bai wanted to get Luo Kun killed, he could tell his father, and it would be done by sunset.


    That was the power of having a strong backing. If it were someone like Huo Long, a teen full of potential butcking a powerful backing, he would either have to hide his identity while bidding or kill Luo Kun discreetly before he would return to Wushen Academy. But the former was difficult to achieve, while thetter would most likely still be linked to Huo Long, leading to a Continent-wide manhunt.


    Xiao''er also knew this and didn''t flinch at Luo Kun''s threat but instead looked over at Ling Yun and spoke calmly, "Is this how Golden Hall Auction House treats its VIP members?"


    At first, Ling Yun wanted to help out Xue Bai, but after remembering Luo Kun''s backing, she held back and nned to wait until Luo Kun''s anger dissipated before bing a third party to calm the situation down. But after hearing Xiao''er sound unphased and almost apathetic to Luo Kun''s threat, Ling Yun was scared.


    ''Luo Kun, though still weak, is surely one of the most well-known prodigies in the Southern Continent. Which backing do those girls have that can make them so calm under his threat?''


    Yes, Ling Yun, unlike the crowd, knew who was in each booth and VIP booth, but as an experienced host, she kept it to herself. And after some guesswork and digging, Ling Yun and Golden Hall Auction House found out each of the people in the booths. Except for Xue Bai''s. The only thing they managed to gather was that they came into Snowy Wind City in a carriage driven by Commander Zhang.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Which even by itself was something shocking. Commander Zhang, though the third weakest of themanders under Xue Feng, was still a full-fledged Law Manifestation Realm Cultivator. A powerhouse on that level was someone that Luo Kun''s older brother wouldn''t even look in the eyes. But Commander Zhang was only able to drive the carriage of those girls.


    ''Who are you two?'' Ling Yun thought as she tried to guess. But the words of Xiao''er stopped her thinking and forced her back to reality.


    "Luo Kun! I already told Huang Wei that our Golden Hall Auction House doesn''t stand for any threats during an auction! When this is over, go and find Manager Hong for a fine. If not, then humph! Even your older brother won''t be able to shield you." Ling Yun threatened as she regained her posture.


    Luo Kun angered to the point of wanting to spit out blood from the back-to-back misfortunes, knew he had kicked a wall. Though he wanted to stick his head out the window and fight longer, he knew that Ling Yun was right and decided it was better to retreat for now.


    "That bastard in that room, if you dare wait outside Golden Hall Auction House and see if you can keep that cold attitude!" After yelling out his final remark, Luo Kun closed back his window and sat back down in his chair.


    However, his threat only served to make Xue Baiugh to himself in the booth.


    "Young Master, should we call Master to help us with that brute? Though we are from a better force, we don''t have any strong bodyguards with us." Xiao''er asked.


    Though Xiao''er knew that Luo Kun served as no threat to them. Currently, they were out on a trip and without a strong bodyguard. If Luo Kun threw caution to the wind and attacked them, Xue Bai would be forced to use the life-saving methods he had been given for emergencies.


    "No, it''s fine. Though Big Wang and Little Wang didn''te with us, Father always had a squad of Shadow Guards following me, protecting me from the shadows. And the head of the squad that is assigned to me is in the Late Stages of the Law Engraving Realm." Xue Bai spoke as he wiped the tears from his eyes.


    "But then, wouldn''t that reveal our identities?" Xiao''er asked.


    "Xiao''er, we only disguised ourselves beforeing into Golden Hall Auction House. Plenty of people have seen us before." Xue Bai responded.


    However, Xiao''er shook her head at Xue Bai''s words confusing him.


    "No, Young Master, no, they don''t know what we look like."


    "Huh? Xiao''er, are you sick? How would they not know what we looked like?" Xue Bai asked back with an odd expression on his face.


    "Young Master, you remember the jade ne I gave you?"


    "Yes, you gave it to me not long ago. How could I forget? Where are you going with his Xiao''er?"


    "It has an illusory effect on it. And since Master personally engraved the Array on the piece of jade, no one below his realm can see through it." Xiao''er answered.


    Not expecting such an answer Xue Bai didn''t know how to respond for a moment.


    Xiao''er saw his expression and patiently waited for him to gather his thoughts which didn''t take long.


    "Do you have one as well? Though you aren''t as well known as me, you were seen by a lot of people at my Awakening Ceremony. So people would recognize you if you appeared in public." Xue Bai asked.


    Nodding, Xiao''er pulled out a simr ne from under her robes.


    Ignoring the glimpse of the bulging mountains of Xiao''er that she most likely revealed on purpose, Xue Bai asked his second question.


    "Then what does it show to the outsiders that look at us?"


    "It shows both of us with ck veils on. So not anything very different than our current appearances." Xiao''er responded shyly.


    "So¡­ then even if I didn''t put on the veil, people would still see me in a veil?" Xue Bai asked with an odd expression.


    "Yes! But don''t worry Young Master, you looked extremely beautiful, so I don''t think it''s a disgrace to your looks!" Xiao''er thought Xue Bai was saddened and tried tofort him.


    Ignoring the myriad of feelings he had, Xue Bai spoke simply, "Xiao''er, I don''t care about how I look. But, please, for things like this, just tell me beforehand."


    "I understand, Young Master!" Xiao''er answered, ignorant of Xue Bai''s inner feelings.

 Chapter 72 The Miserable Ending Of Luo Kun

    ?The Miserable Ending of Luo Kun


    While Xue Bai was conflicted at the feeling of being plotted against by his own maid, the bidding for the Spirit Cleansing Fruit ended. After all, the 5000 Spirit Stones was a price that most people wouldn''t even earn in a lifetime, let alone be able to spend for a single Natural Treasure.


    "The Noble Guests in our VIP Booth win the bid for the Spirit Cleansing Fruit bringing our Golden Hall Auction Houses annual Auction to an end. For guests who won a bid, please find an attendant to hand the Spirit Stones to where you will receive your prize." Ling Yun announced as she mmed her gavel for thest time.


    Soon after Ling Yun mmed her gavel, a knock sounded from the door of Xue Bai''s booth.


    "Noble Guests, it''s Yan Chenyu. May I enter?" Yan Chenyu asked politely from outside.


    Looking over at Xiao''er, Xue Bai nodded.


    Knowing what he meant, Xiao''er spoke out, "You can enter Miss Yan."


    After gaining permission to enter, Yan Chenyu first bowed as a greeting before stating her purpose.


    "Nobles Guests, I have the Spirit Cleansing Fruit. And the Lava Essence Sword with me, but first, Golden Hall Auction House needs the payment." Yan Chenyu spoke.


    Xue Bai could hear that the girl was speaking respectfully on the surface, but he knew that she was merely posturing and keeping up an appearance.


    After all, she had the Golden Hall Auction House behind her and Li Rou, who backed it.  In her mind, no matter how prestigious Xue Bai''s background was, he would still have to cough up the money.


    Though Xue Bai knew he could easily do a face-pping act here, it would most likely reveal their identities if he did so. So he simply pulled out a Spatial Ring he prepared before and handed it to Xiao''er.


    "Inside the Spatial Ring is 5000 Spirit Stones, including the Spatial Ring. That should be enough," Xiao''er spoke as she handed the ring over to Yan Chenyu.


    A Spatial Ring, at minimum, would be a Peak Yellow Grade item. And the one that Xue Bai handed over was Wang Mo''s, making it more expensive than usual. So the 5550 Spirit Stone bill was easily covered by the Spatial Ring and its contents.


    Taking it, Yan Chenyu calmly put it in her pocket before going into her own.


    Surprised that Yan Chenyu didn''t check the Spatial Ring and count the Spirit Stones, Xiao''er asked, "Miss Yan aren''t you going to inspect the amount?"


    "This Noble Guest is joking. I am not in the Qi Sea Realm and don''t have Spiritual Sense yet. If I had to count the Spirit Stones, it would take a few minutes at least for me to count this many. Also, since you are able to own a VIP membership card to our Golden Hall Auction House, you surely wouldn''t scam us." Yan Chenyu answered calmly as she pulled out a familiar-looking case.


    Finding the reason eptable, Xiao''er didn''t ask anymore and calmly took the case from Yan Chenyu''s hand.


    "Then Noble Guests, Yan Chenyu will take her leave." Afterpleting her job, Yan Chenyu once again bowed respectfully and left the booth.


    Now alone again, Xiao''er handed the case to Xue Bai.


    "Young Master, why did you bid for it? If you revealed your identity, you could''ve just taken it for free." Xiao''er asked curiously.


    "Because Xiao''er, you told me not to reveal my identity. Also though I am the Young Master of this Auction House, if I take the Spirit Cleansing Fruit without paying for it, Golden Hall Auction House would lose a massive amount of reputation." Xue Bai responded as he palmed his forehead.


    "How would it lose reputation?" Xiao''er asked curiously as she moved closer to Xue Bai.


    "Because the Spirit Cleansing Fruit was the heart of this auction. People like Luo Kun and Feng Wei had onlye because of it. But if they came and it was snatched by me, the Young Master of Golden Hall Auction House, it would ruin its reputation." Xue Bai answered.


    Nodding, Xiao''er thenid down on thep of Xue Bai.


    "Young Master, did you have fun today?" Xiao''er asked as she looked up at him from below.


    Thinking for a minute, Xue Bai answered, "So far, yes. I''ve learned that Auctions are fun to attend. But don''t you have any more ns? You can''t end the day now. It''s still only 6 pm. We have more time."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Excited at his words, Xiao''er nodded.


    "Of course! How could I let our da- trip end so easily!" Xiao''er spoke, once again almost letting her true intentions out.


    Then patting her forehead, Xue Bai said, "Thene on and take me on your next nned trip."


    "Of course!" Standing up from Xue Bai''sp, Xiao''er put one hand on her hip, extending her other hand to Xue Bai, and spoke, "Follow me, Young Master! Today is going to get even better!"


    Standing up with a smile, Xue Bai put the auction items in his Spatial Ring before taking the maid''s extended hand.


    Now hand in hand, the two cheerfully walked out of Golden Hall Auction House, ignoring the stunned gazes of the people they passed by. While outside, they found Luo Kun standing with a malicious look on his face.


    "Wow! Who would have guessed the people who went against me were such beautiful budding beauties? Good! Both of you can be my concubines." Luo Kun spoke lustfully as he went to grab Xiao''er.


    However, before he could, Xue Bai finally spoke up in public for the first time. Looking over into the alley to the side of Golden Hall Auction House, Xue Bai spoke calmly, "Don''t kill him but make him regret his decision."


    Luo Kun was confused at who Xue Bai was talking to, but thinking it to be a ploy, remained unphased and continued to grab at Xiao''er.


    But sadly, he was never destined to reach the beautiful Xiao''er, as before he could, a terrifying pressure engulfed him.


    As his face immediately turned pale, and scared for his life, Luo Kun''s instinct took over, and he yelled for his protector.


    "Uncle Chen, HELP!"


    And almost instantly, a middle-aged man appeared in front of Luo Kun. The man looked to be in histe 40s and was around 50 percent simr to Luo Kun but had half a head of gray hair, showing that he was nearing the end of his lifespan.


    And after appearing, the first thing the man called Uncle Chen did was dissipate the pressure that immobilized Luo Kun. Seeing his nephew''s face regain its rosy color, the man looked at the source of the pressure.


    "Fellow Daoist, can you forgive my ignorant nephew here? He didn''t know these two Young Misses were protected by you." Uncle Chen cupped his fists in the direction of the alley.


    Hearing such stupid words of negatione from Uncle Chen, Xue Bai wanted to fan the mes a little. But sadly, before he could order the Shadow Guard Squad Leader to stop, a wind de flew out, decapitating Uncle Chen while severing the right arm of Luo Kun.


    Sighing to himself, Xue Bai felt a little regretful at the lost chance to tease a Law Engraving Realm Powerhouse. However, there was no use in crying over spilled milk. So he merely blocked the eyesight of Xiao''er with one hand and took her hand with the other.


    "Wait, Young Master, I''m fine! I''ve seen things like this." Xiao''er cried out.


    "You don''t have to see any more of this Xiao''er. You are my maid, not a fighter. Your life will be peaceful. Bloody things like this aren''t something you should see anymore." Xue Bai answered arrogantly as he pulled Xiao''er out of the square.


    Though Xue Bai knew that the world was cruel and greenhouse flowers weren''t suitable for it, he still wanted Xiao''er to keep her cheerful and bright smile for as long as he could.


    Though it was arrogant and a little greedy, so be it. The cultivation world was a ce where arrogance got you ces. And greed brought you even further.


    Xiao''er, stunned at Xue Bai''s dominance, merely nodded softly as she let herself be pulled away from the scene.


    Since the square outside of Golden Hall Auction House wasn''t veryrge, walking out of it didn''t take long. And after taking his hand off the eyes of Xiao''er, Xue Bai asked what was next in her n.


    "Hehe! Follow me, Young Master. Celestial Maiden Xiao''er will guide you to your next destination!" But once again, Xiao''er didn''t answer but merely took Xue Bai''s hand and pulled him along.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Please read the Authors note!

 Chapter 73 Xue Bai’s Heartfelt Feelings

    ?Xue Bai''s Heartfelt Feelings


    "Alright, Celestial Maiden Xiao''er, are you going to exin to me why we are at another Auction House?" Xue Bai asked.


    Currently, Xue Bai and Xiao''er were standing hand in hand in front of the second most popr Auction House in Snowy Wind City. Like the Golden Hall Auction House, which was backed by Li Rou, giving it home field advantage, the Auction House in front of the two was backed by the Yan n.


    And since the two ns had been allies for almost two years now, Yan Zhenyu''s Myriad Treasures Auction House was able to grow to twice its size with the support of Xue Feng.


    However, as prestigious and high-end as it was, they had just attended another Auction, so why were they here?


    "Hehe! Young Master Myriad Treasures Auction House also is having an Auction currently!" Xiao''er giggled.


    "And I also assume you have a VIP membership card for this one too?" Xue Bai spoke as he managed to guess where this was going.


    "Young Master is so smart! I do have one, soe on, let''s enter!" Xiao''er yelled excitedly as she pulled Xue Bai into the Auction House.


    Submitting himself to his fate, Xue Bai let Xiao''er drag him into the Myriad Treasures Auction House.


    The second Auction went by quicker than the first, and soon enough, it ended before Xue Bai knew it.


    Xue Bai didn''t even bother to pay attention and merely cultivated in the back of the VIP room. He gave Xiao''er permission to spend as much money as she wanted, but with the condition that she doesn''t spend more than 8 thousand Spirit Stones.


    The Small Sess Stage wasn''t as far away as Xue Bai thought. Not only was he able to use the Blood Ignition Pill cheat, but also the Liver Vein allowed him to purify his blood as well as his Dantian.


    From the progress Xue Bai made in the 3-hour auction, Xue Bai calcted that he would be able toplete the Small Sess Stage within a week. Then, adding on the following four stages he had to progress through, Xue Bai estimated that it would take about a month and a half toplete the Blood Exchange Realm''s Purification Stages.


    Satisfied with his progress, Xue Bai opened his eyes and looked over at the ball of excitement in front of him.


    "Xiao''er, how was it? Did you find anything you liked?" Xue Bai asked with a smile.


    "Humph! I''m not telling!" Xiao''er replied as she pouted and turned her head.


    At her reaction, Xue Bai could only smile wryly. Xiao''er had taken him out to apany her, but he ignored her during one of her nned trips, making her angry. Thankfully it wasn''t for long, so the maid wasn''t shunning him altogether but just being petty.


    Thankfully Xue Bai had a trick that always worked to bring her out of her petty moods.


    So standing up from his cross-legged position, Xue Bai went over to Xiao''er and stood in front of her.


    Smiling brightly with puppy dog eyes, Xue Bai looked at Xiao''er and asked, "Xiao''er, I''m sorry. Can Celestial Maiden Xiao''er bring her noble self to forgive me?"


    Seeing the puppy eyes from Xue Bai, Xiao''er wavered a little, but she hardened her will and turned her head away from Xue Bai.


    "Young Master, that won''t work on me anymore!" Xiao''er announced proudly to mask herck of confidence.


    Slightly surprised that it didn''t work, Xue Bai knew he had to take it up a notch, so he grabbed the petite hand of Xiao''er and made her turn to face him.


    "Come on, Xiao''er, can you really not forgive me?" Xue Bai asked again.


    And finally, the defense of Xiao''er crumbled, and she hugged Xue Bai, pulling him into her bulging mountains.


    "AHH! You''re too beautiful Young Master. How can I not forgive you!" Xiao''er squealed as she suffocated the boy.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai, now with a higher cultivation base than before, relished in his position but eventually had to pull himself out before he died of suffocation.


    After the two made up, Xiao''er continued to drag Xue Bai across Snowy Wind City for the rest of the day.


    Whether they were shopping in a high-end retail store or in Mountain Herb Pavillion, Xiao''er didn''t leave one stone unturned and managed to go to every shop she nned too much to the exhaustion of Xue Bai.


    It was onlyte at night when Xue Bai was almost broke did Xiao''er finally finish her day. And after calling Big Wang toe and pick them up, the two stood next to each other, waiting.


    "Young Master, how was today? Did you have fun on the date I prepared for us?" Xiao''er asked curiously as she sat down on a bench next to her.


    "Oh? So you''re finally brave enough to call it a date now, huh? I thought you would identally say it first." Xue Bai raised his eyebrow as he looked over at the now-seated Xiao''er.


    "I already basically said it a few times today already. I might as well say it now that the day is over." Xiao''er spoke as she rocked her feet back and forth.


    "But enough of me. What did you think of our first date?" Xiao''er asked again.


    But Xue Bai once again didn''t answer the question but instead asked his own.


    "Xiao''er though mother and father didn''t tell you all of the details, surely you know that I am going to be special in the future, right?" Xue Bai asked in a solemn tone.


    After seeing Xiao''er nod, Xue Bai continued to speak in the same solemn tone, "I know your feelings, and to be honest. I feel the same way. But this world is going to be very cruel in the uing years. And love is going to be one of the veryst things on my mind. But if you can endure the long wait for my eptance, then fine, I will ept your feelings."


    Not expecting such a serious response from Xue Bai, Xiao''er didn''t know how to respond for a minute and stayed silent as she processed his question.


    Expecting such a simr situation, Xue Bai stood up and walked over to Xiao''er.


    Holding her hands once again, Xue Bai spoke, "Xiao''er, forget my previous words. No matter your feelings for me, I will keep you by my side. You can call me arrogant or a control freak, but I want you to stay with me forever."


    After saying so, Xue Bai bent down a little and gave the stunned maid a peck on the lips.


    ? "While I don''t know why you are so scared at the thought of being abandoned, Xiao''er, know that I will never abandon you. Even if in the future I don''t stay faithful to you alone and have other wives, or if a dayes when I get angry at you. I will still have you by my side. The past five years with you by my side have been amazing, and I couldn''t have asked for more from my personal maid. You aren''t expendable in any way, but the opposite. So be more confident in yourself. You are my, Xue Bai''s, maid. In the future, you will only be by my side as I climb through the Baishen ne." Xue Bai continued to speak as he finished talking about the feelings in his heart.


    Xiao''er was still stunned by the huge events that had happened in momentum and couldn''t reply for a minute. But after she finally digested everything, tears of happiness fell from her eyes.


    "I''m sorry Young Master, but don''t worry, Xiao''er will be the best Xiao''er she can be from now on!" Xiao''er announced proudly as she wiped the tears from her eyes.


    "Good. But wipe your tears. Big Wang is here now. And he most likely saw them already." Xue Bai said as he helped her.


    After cleaning up her teary face, Xue Bai and Xiao''er stood up from the bench and went over to Big Wang.


    "Young Master, is Miss Xiao''er okay?" Big Wang asked, concern apparent in his tone.


    Xiao''er was Xue Bai''s personal maid. If she were bullied or wronged, then Snowy Wind City would be turned upside down. And Big Wang, the bodyguard who didn''t follow them, would be punished.


    Shaking his head, Xue Bai answered, "Xiao''er is not crying out of being bullied, but happiness. So it''s fine, Big Wang. Just drive the carriage."


    Big Wang wanted to ask more, but he noticed that Xue Bai turned on the noise canction array. So assuming his Young Master didn''t want to be disturbed anymore, he turned the carriage around and went back to the Duke''s Estate.

 Chapter 74 Feng Huang

    ?Feng Huang


    The ride back to the Estate was very peaceful. Xiao''er had fallen asleep on Xue Bai''sp while hebed through her obsidian-colored hair with his fingers.


    After he spoke out his true feelings to Xiao''er, Xue Bai felt at peace. Though it feltical and cringy as he said it, the message was conveyed finely, so it was okay.


    Xue Bai knew that Xiao''er obviously loved him, and though he wasn''t sure if he did too, he knew that he would eventually. And with Xiao''er bing more and more anxious and scared of being abandoned, Xue Bai decided he would calm her heart with flowery words.


    Though his words were flowery and somewhat over the top, Xue Bai meant most of them, especially the beginning. The world after the plot would begin in 975 would turn into chaos. Geniuses would pop up everywhere like weeds in the spring. And countless hidden and ancient sects would appear alongside them.


    Including the 5 Children of the ne, Xue Bai knew that his life was going to be full of chaos. And he wanted to warn Xiao''er about it, though indirectly.


    "Hehe, Young Master is mine now!" As Xue Bai was thinking of the future, Xiao''er mumbled in hisp.


    After they got into the carriage and she stopped crying, Xiao''er felt extremely tired and imed her spot on hisp and went to sleep almost instantly. At first, Xue Bai was going to push her off, but after remembering his words from earlier, he let her rest on him. He had just said that in a few years time, he wouldn''t even think about love, so Xiao''er probably wanted to get her fill now that it was still peaceful.


    As Xue Bai was alone, messing with the hair of Xiao''er. Back in the Huo n, Huo Ming received a letter branded with the symbol of Duke Xue.


    Huo Long''s Courtyard


    "Long''er a letter for you came from the Dukedom. It also has Duke Xue''s symbol on it." Huo Ming spoke as he entered the courtyard of his only son.


    Huo Ming, from thest time Xue Bai saw him, seemed to age at least 10 years. His face was haggard, and there were streaks of gray appearing in his hair and beard.


    After Huo Long first awakened his Martial Veins, Huo Ming thought that it was finally time for their Huo n to rise once again. And for two years, it seemed so. But when the devastating news that his only son, his pride and joy Huo Long, had his Dantian Shattered and his Martial Veins crippled, everything came toppling down.


    The business partners Huo Ming managed to make backed out of their deals even at the cost of the penalty. The allies he had made in preparation for a fight with the Xia and Huang n abandoned him for the enemies they had promised to go against with him.


    And his cousins, who had long forgotten about the Patriarch''s seat, were all now looking at it like a pack of hyenas.


    Huo Ming wanted everything to be a dream, one that he wanted to wake up from, but after Huo Long came home from Wushen Academy withpensation in hand, Huo Ming was forced to ept reality.


    Seeing his son try and look brave and calm even after having his future destroyed almost broke Huo Ming, but he kept it together. And for the past week, he had been trying to get his son out of his courtyard but to no avail.


    Until today came around when he received a letter from the Dukedom, branded with Duke Xue''s personal seal, thinking it was for him, he was going to open it until he saw that it was for his son instead.


    Though he was confused about what Duke Xue would want with his cripple son, Huo Ming didn''t dare to disobey his lord and gave it to his son without opening it.


    Huo Long hearing his father call him, came out of his bedroom, soot covering his face.


    "Father, I couldn''t hear you. What did you say?" Huo Long asked as he wiped the soot off of his face.


    Seeing the soot on his son''s face, Huo Ming''s heart clenched.


    "Xiao Long, you don''t have to work so hard anymore. Being an alchemist without having any Spiritual Qi is something that maybe only the gods above can do. In this life, Father will take care of you. You don''t have to worry about that anymore." Huo Ming spoke caringly as he used his Spiritual Qi to help clean the soot off of Huo Long''s face.


    Huo Long wanted to stop his father, but the soot was really hard to get off without Spiritual Qi, so he let him do it. But after his face was cleaned up, he moved away and repeated his question.


    "Father, why did you call me? I didn''t hear your words earlier."


    "You received a letter from the Dukedom." Huo Ming answered as he pulled the letter out from his robes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Taking it and seeing the Snowke symbol Huo Long was confused, "Father, why would Duke Xue send me a letter? I never even met the Duke, let alone got associated with him. Why would I get a letter?"


    However, Huo Ming was just as confused and just shrugged his shoulders in reply to his son''s question.


    "I don''t know, Xiao Long. I am the messenger here. Since it says your name, I don''t dare to open it myself." Huo Ming answered as he left the courtyard.


    Just looking at his son''s pitiful circumstances made Huo Ming age twice as fast, and he didn''t want to stay any longer.


    However, Huo Long didn''t open the letter but instead stood in silence, waiting for his Father to walk away further. And after hearing his Father walk far enough, Huo Long turned on his courtyard''s noise-canceling array and camouge array.


    Over the years, Xue Bai had given the Huo n the blueprints to many different arrays, with the noise canceling and camouge array being two of them.


    After feeling secure enough, Huo Long faintly called out, "Master, is this letter safe to open?"


    And shockingly, instead of his question fading in the air, from the discrete-looking ring on his finger, an illusory figure formed like a cloud of smoke.


    The figure was of a young woman that had a mesmerizing beauty that seemed even to seduce the soul. But besides her face that would bring Empires to ruin, the next thing someone would notice was her red-colored hair or rather me-colored hair.


    Instead of having normal hair, her red hair seemed to be engulfed in a me that would never burn out.


    The woman was none other than Huo Long''s Master, Feng Huang. He had discovered her in a weakened state while traveling home from Wushen Academy.


    While in a carriage, Huo Long heard an earth-shattering sounde a few hundred meters away from him. Thinking it to be a treasure that could help his situation, he jumped out of his carriage and ran towards the site of impact.


    But instead of any Natural Treasure, Huo Long was met with a simple-looking iron ring. Thinking that even the heavens themselves were ying with Huo Long''s life, he went to throw the ring as far as he could, but when he bent down to pick it up, Huo Long realized that he couldn''t pick it up.


    Not convinced, Huo Long went to try once more, but before he could, Feng Huang manifested herself in front of him. And after hearing her story, Huo Long thought he had found a person simr to himself. It was then that Feng Huang offered to teach Huo Long cultivation and how to fix his situation.


    Though he was skeptical at first after Feng Huang nearly incinerated the entire forest he was in, Huo Long hurriedly knelt down and epted her as a Master.


    Now through her teachings in the past week, though Huo Long had yet to fix his cultivation problem, he had learned the basics of alchemy and had begun concocting. That''s why he was covered in soot almost the entire day.


    As Feng Huang fully manifested, she raised her fair hand and levitated the letter near to her, where she then inspected it with her Soul Sense. As a remnant soul, Feng Huang long lost her ess to Spiritual Sense and was forced to use the Soul version, Soul Sense, something only avable to Soul Fusion Realm Cultivators and above.


    Giving the letter a quick sweep Feng Huang deemed it to be safe and handed it back to Huo Long.


    "Xiao Long, you mentioned this Duke Xue to me before, isn''t your friend from there? Maybe the letter could be from him." As Huo Long opened the letter, Feng Huang imputed from the side.


    Agreeing with her guess, Huo Long spoke in a mncholy tone, "Most likely. That Duke Xue is a powerhouse that not even father could meet. Him sending me a letter would be like the Emperor inviting a beggar to the pce."


    "Xiao Long, now that you are my Feng Huang''s disciple, that Duke Xue is nothing. You''ll grow to something that can''t be contained in this tiny mortal world. Give yourself 10 years, and you''ll be stronger than anyone on this tiny continent." Feng Huang spoke as she saw Huo Long look sad.


    Even though Feng Huang had constantly taught Immortal Realm-level alchemy techniques to Huo Long, it was almost like ying music to a cow. Huo Long knew nothing about Alchemy and merely thought that the skills he was learning weremonce.


    And even if Feng Huang tried to say otherwise, Huo Long would pick them up at heaven-defying speeds and reply with his same mncholy voice, ''If they were from the Legendary Immortal Realm, how could a cripple trash like me learn them so fast?''


    It made Feng Huang angry to no end, but she couldn''t do anything about it until she could help the boy cultivate once again.


    "Yes, I know, Master. You''ve mentioned this countless times already." Huo Long said as he finally unsealed the letter and found Xue Bai''s words within.

 Chapter 75 Huo Longs Reaction

    ?Huo Long''s Reaction


    It didn''t take long for Huo Long to read the letters as even though he had his Dantian shattered, he still had his brain vein pathed out, which boosted hisprehension and, in turn, his reading speed.


    But though he could read it fast, after seeing who the sender was, Huo Long still read it slowly so as not to miss a word.


    Seeing ite from a friend of his, Huo Long, who had been abandoned by the rest of his friends already, thought it was going to be another simr letter. However, as he started to read it, Huo Long realized it wasn''t what he thought it was.


    Finally reaching the end, Huo Long was somewhat ashamed of himself. He thought that Xue Bai would cruelly throw him away after he had lost his value. But after reading the letter, it seemed to be the opposite.


    Not only did Xue Bai not give up on him, but he even encouraged him to continue on his own path and fix his situation.


    But Huo Long was confused about the pill part. So calling back his father, Huo Long asked if anything came along with the letter.


    "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Here, this spatial ring came with the letter." Huo Ming answered after he heard Huo Long''s question.


    But even though Huo Ming said he forgot, Huo Long saw that he was most likely going to keep that spatial ring if he didn''t point it out.


    So with an impolite shove, Huo Long got his greedy father out of his courtyard again before looking into the spatial ring, where inside, he found what he was looking for.


    "Master, what does this pill do?" Huo Long asked as he pulled it out for Feng Huang to inspect.


    With her deep knowledge of alchemy, it only took Feng Huang a nce to see and identify the pill.


    "It''s a Qi Absorbing Pill. It''s for people in your situation who had their Dantians shattered and have excess Spiritual Qi flowing out through their bodies. It takes all of the Spiritual Qi in your body and absorbs it into your vitality, greatly increasing your lifespan. That Xue Bai kid wasn''t lying about the letter." Feng Huang exined.


    Hearing Feng Huang''s words, Huo Long felt even more conflicted in his heart. Even now, he had no idea why Xue Bai was so adamant about making friends with him. At first, he had thought that Xue Bai was friendly to everyone, but after hearing Yan Fengxian brand Xue Bai as a narcissist and horrible person, Huo Long didn''t know what to think anymore.


    "Master, I told you about Brother Bai before. What do you think about him?" Huo Long asked.


    After a few minutes of thinking, Huo Long still couldn''te to a stable answer and decided to ask his all-knowing Master instead of thinking further.


    "I remember you had told me about him, and though I don''t know much, I have a few guesses. One, he tries to befriend every potential prodigy in The Great Xuan Empire. Two, he got lucky with you. Or three, he knows a divinator who managed to divine a glimpse of your future." Feng Huang replied after a moment of thinking.


    "Divinators are so powerful?" Huo Long asked with some shock.


    He knew some stories about divinators, but since most of the ones in the Baishen ne were either scammers or only strong enough to divine mortals., Huo Long didn''t give them any respect.


    "There are strong divinators everywhere, even in this tiny mortal ne. But at the end of the day, most of them are just old fossils who try to peek into the future out of enjoyment." Feng Huang spoke with a disdain-filled tone.


    Feng Huang seemed to have bad encounters with divinators in her cultivation journey. Huo Long, sensing that, also didn''t dare to bring them up again.


    "Master, do you think that Brother Bai can make it to the peak of cultivation as he said in the letter?" Huo Long couldn''t help but ask.


    "Sigh~ Xiao Long, you have to know, the peak of cultivation is something that even my Senior Brother, the greatest prodigy to ever exist in the Immortal World, a child of destiny, couldn''t even reach. So your friend most likely meant the peak of this mortal world. Your friend did awaken a High ck Grade Martial Vein, which is very talented for this mortal ne. But the peak of cultivation is somethingpletely different. After all, just ascending to the Immortal World is already heaven-defying enough for someone born in this destend." Feng Huang spoke as she sighed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It seemed that Feng Huang couldn''t hold back her sadness after mentioning her deceased Senior Brother.


    On the other hand, Huo Long got somewhat jealous. His Master seemed to worship this ''Senior Brother'' of hers to the point of fanaticism. And every time he made a mistake, he would bepared to the mysterious man.


    "Master, what happened to your Senior Brother? You never told me." Huo Long asked.


    "Sigh~ I wish I knew as well. My Senior Brother, my Junior Brother, and I were all in the Late Realms of the God Great Realm until one day, my Senior Brother came to the both of us and spoke something weird. In his words, he was going to, ''Break the Illusion.'' But after he left the sect, he never came back. And since my Senior Brother was the Sect''s guardian and the strongest protector, we tried to keep the news from leaking for as long as possible. But eventually, other sects noticed his disappearance. And after a long war, our sect fell." Feng Huang spoke in a saddened voice.


    "I see." Huo Long nodded.


    He couldn''t say that he didn''t believe her, could he? After all, the God Realm to him seemed like something so illusory. He didn''t think that his master was someone from those Realms.


    Feng Huang naturally saw through his suspicions but didn''t bother to defend herself. Time would prove everything.


    Away from the Huo n, the Wang n was feeling the exact opposite as Huo Long.


    "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" In his office, Wang Yichen had destroyed everything that could be as he raged after hearing the news of Xue Bai''s awakening.


    "Which bastard was so cheap that only fed that trash a Middle Yellow Grade Vein Swallowing Worm!" Wang Yichen screamed as he finished demolishing his office.


    Storming out, he found dozens of his subordinates kneeling both in fear and respect.


    "Master Wang, it was the Third Elder. He is the person involved in all assassinations and poisonings." Then, seeing that Wang Yichen seemed to have calmed down a little, one of the ck-clothed men raised his hand and spoke.


    Sadly though his observation was right, Wang Yichen was acting like a volcano and was merely quiet before erupting. And after hearing that his third brother was the culprit, Wang Yichen waved his hand and turned the ck-clothed man into a blood mist.


    Wang Yichen was a Peak Domain Lord, while the ck-clothed man was merely in the Qi Sea Realm. So with just a ball of Spiritual Qi, Wang Yichen was able to erase his existence easily.


    "Someone bring Third Brother here right now! I demand to know why our n failed because of someone being cheap!" Wang Yichen ordered as he sat down on the grass.


    Whether it was because they were scared of the consequences of being slow or wanted to get away from the volcano of Wang Yichen, no man stayed in the area of Wang Yichen''s order. And with more than a dozen people following his order, the Third Elder came very quickly.


    The Third Elder of the Wang n was named Wang Yin, and he was a skinny andnky man with a clean-shaven chin. Along with his snake-like eyes and forked tongue, Wang Yin looked almost to be a Snake Demon who had gained a human form.


    This was slightly true, as those weren''t his born looks but the result of cultivating an iplete Demonic Cultivation Technique. The Cultivation Technique gave him the springing power of a curled-up snake, along with the camouge ability. However, it came at the cost of a permanent appearance change.


    Entering the courtyard of Wang Yichen, Wang Yin was nervous, to say the least. Unlike other ns where decisions were vote-based, Wang Yichen ruled the Wang n with an iron fist. Whether it was strength,works, or even intelligence Wang Yichen was miles in front of every single one of his siblings and cousins.


    And after staying in the Patriarch seat for more than 30 years by now, Wang Yichen had almost forgotten his familial bonds being just as cruel to his family as he would an enemy outside.


    So after being called into Wang Yichen''s office after seeing him lose hisposure and destroy his own office, Wang Yin feared for his life. But sadly, he had to enter, as if he didn''t, he would die in his own courtyard.


    "Big Brother, you called for me?" Wang Yin spoke with a smile as he bowed.

 Chapter 76 Wang Yin

    ?Wang Yin


    "No Third Elder, It is Patriarch to you." Wang Yichen replied coldly to his younger brother''s attempt to speak cordially.


    Wang Yin also knew that his attempt wouldn''t work, but with how bad of a situation he was in, it was worth a shot.


    "Yes, Patriarch, my apologies." Wang Yin spoke with an insincere bow.


    Wang Yin was one of the Elders who weren''t convinced of Wang Yichen''s appointment to Patriarch. Even though Wang Yichen was the most talented in his generation, Wang Yin, The Third Elder, The Second Elder, and the First Elder all also had Peak Yellow Grade Martial Veins. So even if Wang Yichen was faster than them to reach the peak of the Domain Lord Realm, he didn''t have any hopes of advancing like his three brothers.


    "So, Third Elder, I assume you know your mistake. Would you like to repent for your sins willingly, or do you want me to force you?" Wang Yichen asked coldly.


    "Wait, Patriarch! The servants didn''t inform me of what I had done. Can you please grace me with the knowledge of my mistake?" Wang Yin spoke hurriedly.


    Though he knew he had made a mistake, Wang Yin assumed it to be a tiny fault. But hearing the solemn wordsing from Wang Yichen, Wang Yin knew it wasn''t the case. And since he couldn''t get out of punishment, he would rather know why it was happening than be in the dark.


    While Wang Yichen ruled with an iron fist and was ruthless to any man, he was still a stickler for rules. So after hearing Wang Yin plead ignorance, he pulled out a notebook from his spatial ring.


    "10 Years ago, I ordered you to poison Xue Bai, son of Duke Xue Feng, with a High Yellow Grade Vein Swallowing Worm. However, you cheapened out and only fed Xue Bai a Middle Yellow Grade Vein Swallowing Worm. As I didn''t believe that Xue Bai would awaken a High ck Grade Martial Vein, and your services to the n are extensive, I only then punished you by having you assassinate two Peak Domain Lord Realm cultivators. Youpleted the task sessfully, but I warned you then that if Xue Bai does awaken a High ck Grade Martial Vein, you''ll regret it." Wang Yichen spoke coldly.


    Since Wang Yin could infer where Wang Yichen was going from the first sentence, he had long since turned pale from fright. But out of respect and fear, Wang Yin let his older brother finish his words before speaking.


    "Then Patriarch, that Xue Bai awakened a High ck Grade Martial Vein?" Wang Yin asked tentatively.


    "Not only that, it even has a Fire Element affinity! Third Elder, so now that you know your crimes are you willing to repent, or do you want me to force you?" Wang Yichen berated as he mmed the armrest of the chair he sat in, turning it into dust.


    Wang Yin wanted to fight for himself. However, even though they were both in the same Realm and Stage, Wang Yichen''s Domain was much stronger than his own. And a fight would only serve to anger Wang Yichen even more while being beaten into submission.


    It was a lose-lose.


    So gritting his teeth, Wang Yin knelt down and spoke, "This Elder is willing to repent for his sins."


    "Smart man. Then I''ll give you your task now. Since you''ve already made a mess, you should take responsibility and clean it up yourself." Wang Yichen spoke as he stood up from the chair he was in.


    "Wait! Patriarch, you don''t mean you want me to.." Wang Yin spoke. But before he could finish his sentence, Wang Yichen cut him off.


    "You aren''t a child. You know what my words mean¡ªno need to say it aloud. You also aren''t allowed back into our Wang n Estate to ask any Wang n members for help or use any Wang n resources until you havepleted your mission. This includes arrays, formations, and even pills." Wang Yichen spoke as he strode off into the core region of the estate.


    Wang Yin, in the courtyard, was now feeling a wealth of anger. Back when he had to assassinate the Peak Domain Lord cultivators 10 years ago, it was much easier. As not only was he allowed to recruit help from the Wang n, but he also could use the Space-Sealing Formation of the Wang n.


    The Space-Sealing Formation of the wang n was a Middle ck Grade formation that they had received from their Demonic Sect backer. What it did was seal the space inside the formation. Making whatever was inside sealed inside until the formation was either turned off or broken.


    The array was useful for assassinations and sealing powerful beasts that the Wang n couldn''t defeat. It was only through the Space-Sealing Formation that Wang Yin was able to kill such high-profile cultivators without being chased by their backers.


    However, now Wang Yichen told him he wasn''t able to use the only treasure that allowed him toplete thest mission. The pills weren''t a problem, while not being able to recruit help increased the difficulty a little, but without the Space-Sealing Formation, Wang Yin had no confidence to kill Xue Bai.


    Xue Bai was a known shut-in in The Great Xuan Empire. He spent almost all of his life in the Duke Estate. There he was protected by two Peak Domain Lords but also more than a dozen Law Manifestation Realm cultivators too.


    And on the off chance that Xue Bai wasn''t in the Duke Estate, he was in Snowy Wind City, where Li Huo lived. Li Huo was also a Peak Domain Lord Realm cultivator.<novelnext></novelnext>


    At the minimum, this mission would take a few years toplete, either that or an immense stroke of luck.


    Thinking that far, Wang Yin went back to his courtyard to try and finalize a n before Wang Yichen kicked him out of the Estate.


    Xue Feng''s Dukedom


    Unaware that a Peak Domain Lord Realm Cultivator was now targeting him, Xue Bai was in his room cultivating. Now that he had decided to cultivate the Purification Stages, he nned to waste no time.


    Xue Bai gave himself a goal of reaching the Bone Strengthening Realm by 13.  But now that he decided to cultivate the Purification Stages, he had 8 more stages on his way to reaching his goal.


    And even with his High Heaven Grade Bloodline and Low Heaven Grade Martial Veins, Xue Bai wasn''t very confident of advancing 22 stages in 18 months. As even though he was cultivating extremely fast now, the higher his realm got, the slower his cultivation speed would get.


    However, the dilemma only served to harden his will even further, and Xue Bai put twice as much effort into his cultivation schedule.


    Away from Xue Bai''s room, Xiao''er was currently in Li Rou''s personal courtyard speaking with her.


    "So Bai''er really said all of that?" Li Rou asked with a little bit of shock.


    Xiao''er had just exined Xue Bai''s confession to her, and hearing it, Li Rou was somewhat at a loss for words. Either her son was a natural-born yboy or a die-hard romantic, but either way, Li Rou was still confused.


    Blushing as she remembered Xue Bai''s romantic words to her, Xiao''er answered, "Yes, he even gave me a kiss."


    Li Rou seeing Xiao''er look like a maiden in love, was feeling a myriad of emotions. But instead of projecting, she walked over to Xiao''er and said, "Xiao''er, even though his words were a confession to you, he said some other cryptic words along with them. He has told Xue Feng and me that the next few decades will be chaotic, to say the least. And with your personality, it''s going to be a hard time for you."


    "Even so, Mistress, I love Young Master with all of my heart!" Xiao''er couldn''t help but interrupt.


    However, Li Rou shook her head softly instead of getting angry.


    "Xiao''er, sometimes emotions can make humans do unimaginable things. Like how pressure can speed up cultivation or anger can sometimes make us burst out with more power. But love, love doesn''t give anything. It''s as much a burden as it is a blessing. Bai''er is destined to be a dragon soaring through the heavens. And to stay by his side, you are going to have to find some use. Bai''er even said it himself. He is not sure if he will stay faithful only to you. And even if he promised never to abandon you, sometimes being ignored while being so close to your love is even worse than being thrown away." Li Rou said seriously.


    Xiao''er, hearing her words turned pale. Everything that Li Rou said was true and an extremely likely scenario. But to Xiao''er, it was a nightmare. She knew that Xue Bai was most likely going to have more than one wife and was fine with it as long as she was by his side. But what Li Rou said terrified her.


    If she stayed her useless self, even if she stayed by his side, Xue Bai wouldn''t give her the same amount of attention as he does now.


    Xiao''er was confident in her looks and appearance, but throughout the entire Baishen ne, even if she were in the top 1% of looks, there would still be millions of other women who were more beautiful than her. And there were bound to also be more talented than her in that group as well.


    So it wasn''t unlikely that a more beautiful, more talented, and more obedient woman would fall into Xue Bai''s life.


    "Then, Mistress, what do I do?" Xiao''er spoke as she tried to hold back tears. "I don''t want to be ignored by Young Master."


    "Simple Xiao''er, learn something that is useful!" Li Rou answered.


    "Like what, Mistress?" Xiao''er asked as she looked puzzled.


    "Hehe,e into my room Xiao''er. We''ll talk there." Li Rou spoke mysteriously.


    And as confused as Xiao''er was, she could only follow her Mistress.

 Chapter 77 Xue Fengs Plan

    ?Xue Feng''s ''n''


    The next morning, Xue Bai awoke from his cultivation session with a gleeful expression. His estimate from earlier was incorrect.  The ce he had cultivated earlier had messed up his calctions.


    Earlier, he was cultivating in Snowy Wind City. And even though Snowy Wind City was one of The Great Xuan Empires'' greatest cities, its Spiritual Qi density could notpare to Xue Bai''s courtyard.


    And after cultivating in his bedroom, Xue Bai guessed that he could bring his previous estimate of 5 weeks down to 1 month. But still, with hisrge goal ahead of him, this still wasn''t optimal. Xue Bai needed to advance 22 Realms in 18 months, and bitter cultivating, even at his home, wasn''t going to cut it.


    "This won''t do. I should go out and grab some opportunities to speed up my cultivation. Bitterly cultivating is driving me nuts, and it''s not even able to match the pace needed for my goal." Xue Bai thought aloud as he changed into some athletic wear.


    Walking outside, Xue Bai was about to ask Xiao''er what was on the itinerary for today, but oddly he found that she wasn''t here yet. Which was odd, as in the four odd years he had been in this world, Xiao''er had only beente once. She was so steady at her job that Xue Bai even thought she was secretly living in his courtyard.


    Though he was curious about where she was, Xue Bai didn''t n to follow his itinerary for today anyway. So after closing up behind him, Xue Bai went to his Fathers office for permission to leave the Duke Estate. He had a few opportunities in his mind that were either just right for picking that suited his situation nicely.


    Thankfully Xue Feng was inside his office. So after excusing himself, Xue Bai entered and spoke his request.


    "Father, my cultivation speed is slowing down, and at this rate, I won''t be able to reach the goal I set for myself. So I wish to leave home and get a few opportunities to help speed up my cultivation." Xue Bai asked.


    After allowing his son to enter the office, Xue Feng took a moment to drink some tea to refresh his parched throat. But after he heard his son''s words, he spat out the tea in a veryical spit-take scenario.


    Coughing to regain control of his throat, Xue Feng spoke wryly, "Bai''er, you are an 11-year-old Peak Blood Exchange Realm cultivator. If you''re cultivating slowly, then are the rest of us even cultivating?"


    "I know that I''m special, Father, but still, at the speed I''m going, I won''t be able to reach the goal I set for myself." Xue Bai said as he slightly admonished himself.


    "What in the heavens is the goal you set for yourself? Reach the Xiantian Great Realm at 15. You''re speeding through the Cultivation Realms like aet right now, Bai''er. If anything, I''m worried that you''ll reach the Xianitan Great Realm before me." Xue Feng spoke awkwardly.


    However, Xue Bai didn''t take his Fathers word seriously. His dad''s vision was too limited currently. But thankfully, it was something that could be fixed. Xue Bai only needed to y the role of teacher.


    "Father, I still wish to go out and grab some opportunities for myself. Don''t worry. I know where the opportunities are and how to grab them safely without putting myself in danger. Nothing will happen as long as the Wang Twins are with me." Xue Bai exined himself.


    "Bai''er, how detailed are those memories of yours?" Xue Feng couldn''t help but ask.


    Xue Bai had told them about the memory of a different timeline, but Li Rou and Xue Feng thought it was almost like a slideshow of the future. With only general events and societal trends. But after Xue Bai told them about the Blood Exchange Realm cheat code, Li Rou and Xue Fend realized that what Xue Bai knew wasn''t as simple as they thought.


    And now Xue Bai was telling Xue Feng that he even knew where specific treasures were hidden. So Xue Feng once again had to reevaluate his guess on what was in his son''s head.


    "Never mind that, Father. Can I leave then?" Xue Bai asked as he ignored his Fathers probing question.


    "Bai''er, instead of going to get them yourself, why don''t you write them down and let me pass them along to the soldiers under me? Now that the Wang n knows of your ''talent,'' they most likely are paying close attention to you, And with the fact that you escaped their ws once, they are going to go for the kill this time." Xue Feng spoke seriously.


    Xue Bai suddenly turned pale. He forgot just how merciless the Wang n was and how much of a threat he was to them. Wang Yichen would kill his own brother if he even showed a glimpse of superior potential. Let alone him who had a High ck Grade Martial Vein and was the son of his strongestpetitor. How could he not be on their kill list with such a resume?


    And with the multitude of assassins living in the Wang n, killing him, a weak Blood Exchange Realm ant, was easier than counting to 10. So even if Xue Bai had heaven-defying potential, the ability to leapfrog multiple stages, and was gifted with a High Heaven Grade Bloodline, against a Peak Domain Lord, like Wang Yin, Xue Bai wasn''t even worthy enough to take on a strand of his aura, let alone leapfrog to his level.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Even if Xue Bai was protected by the Wang Twins, they were only at the 1st Stage of the Law Manifestation Realm. And even though they had a much higher Cultivation Base than him against Wang Yin, they still would only be reduced to fodder against him.


    "But Father, I don''t want to be a coward." Xue Bai spoke as he put on a conflicted expression.


    On one side was the Wang n and Wang Yin, who would most likely be wanting to go after him. While on the other side, he had the safe option of holing up for 18 months before he nned to join the Soaring Sword Sect.


    And while thetter was the smarter decision Xue Bai didn''t want to cower away.


    Seeing that his son didn''t unhesitantly cower, Xue Feng smiled brightly. There were many things in life that could be improved forcefully, like cultivation and appearance. But among them all, Will was something known to be hard to improve.


    If someone were born a coward, they would most likely stay a coward the rest of their life unless something dramatic happened to change it. But if he were born proud and courageous, then they were a step ahead of any of their cowardly opponents. And seeing Xue Bai be so courageous even under the threat of the Wang n, Xue Feng was somewhat proud.


    "Bai''er, if it is a time when your opponent is still someone in your capacity to fight, then being a coward is something wrong. At that point, even I would look down on you. But against the Wang n, you can hide to protect yourself. Or if you want to be brave and ruthless, you can do the opposite." Xue Feng spoke with a smile.


    "What''s the opposite?" Xue Bai asked.


    "Bait them in!" Xue Feng spoke deeply. But inwardly, he was against this n and hoped that Xue Bai wouldn''t choose this option. However, as a Father and General, Xue Feng knew he needed to teach his son fighting tactics.


    ''Bait them in! Yes, that''s genius! With Mother, Father, and Uncle Huo, killing a lone Wang Yin would be easier than turning a hand!'' The more Xue Bai thought of the idea, the more it seemed appropriate for the situation.


    "Alright, Father, I''m in! How do we start this n!" Xue Bai spoke excitedly.


    ''Huh! He agreed? Aren''t 11-year-olds supposed to be scared of Domain Lord? Why is he so ready to put himself as bait against one? And a Peak Domain Lord at that!'' Xue Feng thought.


    Currently, his mind, after hearing Xue Bai''s answer, was beginning to cave in on itself. Though he did throw out the suggestion, he was almost 100% Xue Bai would say no. And after that, he nned to let Xue Bai practice at home alongside him.


    But hearing Xue Bai wanted to step up to the dangerous job Xue Fend was at a loss for words.


    "Wait, Bai''er! Think about this clearly. The Wang n will send one of their three head elders for you. And they are all at the Peak of the Domain Lord Realm. So even if we manage to set up the ambush perfectly, the Wang n Elder might still be able to kill you with his nce." Xue Fend stood up and tried to dissuade his son.


    However, Xue Bai was firm on the idea.


    "No, it''s okay, Father. I have taken your words to heart, and I wish to be the bait against Wang Yin! Not only would we be able to let me explore outside the Dukedom, but we would also take away one of the Wang n''s biggest weapons. I find the results to be worth the risk." Xue Bai said seriously.


    ''I only said to scare you! I didn''t mean it seriously.'' Xue Feng, at this point, wanted to cry but had no tears. But sadly, the ship had already sailed, and there was no going back.


    So putting on a fake smile, Xue Feng patted his son''s shoulder and said, "You''re indeed my son Bai''er but go back to cultivate. I, your mom, and uncle need to n this out."


    After saying so, he flew off without waiting for Xue Bai''s input.

 Chapter 78 The Livid Li Rou

    ?The Livid Li Rou


    In Li Ruo''s courtyard


    "Dammit, Xue Feng! How dare you n to use Bai''er as bait! Have you lost your mind!" Li Rou screamed angrily.


    Her idiot of a Husband not only offered such an idiotic idea but also persuaded Xue Bai to ept it! If he hadn''t gone mad, he was close to it.


    To be fair, using weak assassination targets as bait was a verymon tactic. But usually, the target would at least be a Realm or two Lower to ensure they would die from the shockwaves of the pursuing battle.


    But Xue Bai was a mere Blood Exchange Realm Cultivator, while Wang Yin was a Peak stage Domain Lord Realm Cultivator! That was a difference of 7 Realms or more than 60 stages!


    Not even just the waves, Xue Bai would die from a mere off nce from someone that powerful.


    The more Li Rou thought about it, the angrier she got and the harder she did what she was doing.


    Currently, Li Ruo was beating Xue Feng with as much force as she could. Besides her Domain, she had used everything, even the Laws sheprehended. But thankful for Xue Feng as he was a sword cultivator, his physical body was extremely strong, and he was able to take Li Rou''s beating. And since he was the one at fault, Xue Feng could only grit his teeth through it.


    "Rou''er, calm down. Brother Huo, you and I are all Peak stage Domain Lords, and with our strong foundations, how could a single Peak stage Domain Lordst under our barrage?" Xue Feng tried to exin


    "Dammit, he is an assassin, not a man fighting for his life. His goal is to kill Bai''er, not to survive against us. A single nce is all he needs to kill Bai''er. Do you seriously think that Wang Yin wouldn''t even look at his target?"  Li Rou, however, didn''t let up and continued letting out fireball after fireball.


    Naturally, as an Alchemist, the Law that Li Rouprehended was Fire.


    "That Wang Yin is as much a coward as he is a good assassin. There is no way he is willing to trade his life for Bai''er. Even if Bai''er revealed his true Martial Vein rank, Wang Yin still wouldn''t do it. Let alone a High ck Grade one." Xue Feng argued.


    Hearing that, Li Rou stopped her barrage. Xue Feng did have a point. Even though Wang Yin had a prestigious reputation as the continent''s strongest assassin, he had an even more known reputation as a massive coward.


    In order to assassinate a mere Early Stage Domain Lord Realm Cultivator, Wang Yin once spent more than a month waiting until his target was in a weakened state beforeunching his attack. And when he attacked, he even used the Wang n''s Space Sealing Formation.


    Though Wang Yin didn''t leave any traces, sometimes leaving no traces meant more than leaving a few. And smart cultivators soon linked it to Wang Yin.


    But even if it were a coward going after her son Li Rou didn''t feel good as it was a man who was only slightly weaker than her! Li Rou knew how strong she was right now and how easily she could kill Xue Bai at any moment. And with someone on her level of strength going after her son, Li Rou wanted to lock Xue Bai away in a safe and melt the key.


    But sadly, her idiot of a Husband had already told Xue Bai that the n was set. And if she were to cancel it suddenly, Xue Bai would definitely feel depressed from it.


    "Go call my idiot of an older brother then! We are going to n this down to the exact second! Not a single hair on the head of my Bai''er can be hurt!" Li Rou huffed before going to the Main Hall.


    Finally free of the beating, Xue Fend stood back up and quickly got any dirt off of his robe so as not to ruin his majestic appearance. And after making sure his wife had calmed down, he left the Duke Estate and flew in the direction of Snowy Wind City.


    Though he could''ve sent a message to Li Huo through amunication crystal, Xue Feng hadn''t seen his brother-inw in a few months and felt it was overdue. So taking this chance, Xue Feng decided to have a drink with his sworn brother and brother-inw. Not only could he rx for a while, but he could also let Li Rou cool down as he did.


    Away from Li Rou''s courtyard, Xue Bai had finally found someone who knew where Xiao''er was.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Young Duke Sister Xiao''er is still sleeping in her dorm right now. Would you like me to call her for you?" A maid responded.


    This maid, though Xue Bai didn''t know her name, he knew that she was one of the closest friends of Xiao''er. So after he spotted her, Xue Bai asked the question.


    "But it''s almost noon. Xiao''er has never slept thiste? Do you know why she is so tired?" Xue Bai asked.


    But the maid also didn''t know herself and merely shrugged her shoulders.


    "I don''t know why she is so tired, Young Duke. But she came into her dormte into the night yesterday. She only entered at around 1 or 2 am." The maid answered before going back to her post.


    Xue Bai, curious, decided to get to see Xiao''er for himself. And after some walking, he made it to the maid dormitories.


    The maid dormitories were more like arge resort vi with many courtyards instead ofrge and cramped apartment buildings.


    The core region had more space than it knew what to do with, so Li Rou, who was in charge of both construction and the maids, decided she would splurge and give the maids asfortable a living area as possible.


    And Xiao''er, Xue Bai''s personal maid, was given the best courtyard possible. So not only did it have the densest Spiritual Qi, but it also had the best view.


    Since the Duke Estate was built on top of arge mountain, the courtyard of Xiao''er had a view that looked down on the world from above. It could also see Snowy Wind City but barely. And currently, inside that courtyard, Xiao''er in her bedroom was asleep in a thin negligee.


    But oddly, she was sweating profusely even though the temperature in her room waspletely normal. It was even to the point where her white bedsheets were dyed almost entirely gray. At the same time, her negligee was stuck to her body like anotheryer of skin.


    And Xue Bai, who had impolitely walked into her bedroom, was greeted with the blood-rushing sight. Sadly his body was too underdeveloped, and besides almost getting a small nosebleed, nothing happened to him.


    Ignoring the temptation to do something immoral to the defenseless Xiao''er, Xue Bai simply wet a rag and put it on the forehead of Xiao''er before sitting beside her and starting to cultivate.


    ''This is too ufortable! It''s like having a 5-star Michelin steak in front of you but being unable to eat it.'' Xue Bai angrily thought.


    It was only at times like this went he hated his underdeveloped body.


    Xue Bai, though, was going to be focused on mainly cultivating since Xiao''er was willing to be so open with him; Xue Bai didn''t n to be polite. She''s a maiden in a feudal-era China-Esquend, yet she is making the moves. If I deny her, am I even a man?


    However, with his underdeveloped body, Xue Bai was forced to wait at least two more years. And since doing the deed with a 13-year-old body would be both ufortable for him and Xiao''er, Xue Bai agreed with her they would cook the rice when he turned 16, which was recognized as the age of adulthood for boys.


    And until then, Xue Bai was stuck with the identally seductive Xiao''er teasing him 80% of the day.


    Shaking his head to get rid of his unnecessary thoughts, Xue Bai recited some heart-calming mantras before cultivating. So swallowing the pills required for his cheat code, Xue Bai began to cultivate. Though the courtyard of Xiao''er didn''t have as dense Spiritual Qi as Xue Bai''s, the difference was minuscule.


    As Xue Bai continued cultivating the Purification Stages, Xiao''er was currently undergoing a metamorphosis that was changing her aptitude from the inside out.

 Chapter 79 Dual Essence Fruit

    ?Dual Essence Fruit


    It all started yesterday night when Xiao''er went to beg Li Rou to help make her useful. After pulling Xiao''er into her bedroom, Li Rou pulled out something she had been hiding for a long time.


    "Xiao''er, do you know what this fruit is?" Li Rou asked.


    Currently, Li Rou was pointing at an ordinary-looking pink fruit only the size of a tangerine. By ordinary, it meant that it wasn''t currently exuding any Spiritual Qi whatsoever, but for some reason, just looking at it made the body of Xiao''er heat up.


    And waiting for the feeling to stop, Xiao''er went over and closed the case while answering, "No, Mistress, I don''t know what this fruit is. But the feeling it gave me felt like an aphrodisiac. Xiao''er doesn''t like it."


    "No need to rush your opinions, Xiao''er. Before you make an opinion, let me tell you what this does first." Li Rou spoke calmly.


    Though Xiao''er still felt a little apprehensive, she knew that Li Rou would never force her to do something she would never want. So she nodded and let Li Rou exin.


    "This fruit right here is called a Dual Essence Fruit. Does that name ring a bell?" Li Rou asked.


    But seeing Xiao''er shake her head Li Rou knew she would have to exin what it was.


    "Xiao''er, you know what Dual Cultivation is, right?" Li Rou asked. But after seeing Xiao''er blush, she knew her answer even without hearing the words of Xiao''er.


    "Then exining the effect of this fruit will be simple. What it does is gives the person who eats it a special type of Physique. A Physique perfectly made for Dual Cultivation." Li Rou exined.


    "The Physique is just like what the fruit is named after, called a Dual Essence Physique. It is a Middle ck Grade physique that leaves a strand of Pure Yang Qi and a strand of Pure Yin Qi within your Dantian. And after you give your purity up to a man, they gain a Pure Yang body Physique, while your body turns into a Pure Yin Physique."


    "And since a Pure Yang Physique and a Pure Yin Physique harmonize so well, after that, every time you two Dual Cultivate together with Bai''er, you''ll receive four times the rewards with half the effort." Li Rou finished.


    After she finished exining, Li Rou sat down on her bed and waited for Xiao''er to finish processing the information.


    "Then, then, Mistress, you want me to eat this and be Young Master''s Dual Cultivation Partner?" Xiao''er asked as he could feel her head burning up.


    Though the offer was good, the idea of it made Xiao''er blush to the tips of her ears. Even if she would tease Xue Bai any chance she got, it didn''t mean she was ready to do the act. The only reason Xiao''er would do that was that she knew that she would give herself to Xue Bai eventually, so why not have some fun before then?


    Of course, it wasn''t because Xiao''er was a loose woman who loved to seduce men. On the contrary, she was a chaste maiden who valued her purity more than her life, and if it were any other man, let alone tease them, Xiao''er wouldn''t even smile at them. So even if she was a vixen to Xue Bai, she knew nothing about that subject and was even extremely shy toward it.


    Li Rou, somewhat understanding what was going in the maid''s brain, nodded at her question. Li Rou knew Xue Bai would always have an extremely heaven-defying cultivation speed. But with a Dual Cultivation partner at his side constantly, his speed would increase even more.


    And while Li Rou wanted both Xiao''er and Xue Bai to be happy, life was cruel. So even though she knew that Xue Bai would always love Xiao''er and never abandon her, she couldn''t guarantee that Xiao''er would always be needed in his life. But this fruit could not only reforge the potential of Xiao''er but also could give her evesting use in Xue Bai''s life, making sure the maid would never be ignored.


    The only cost was that Xue Bai would be exposed to the bird and the bees earlier than she had nned. But that wasn''t much of a downside to Li Rou, who wanted Xue Bai to grow as fast as possible.


    It was simply a win-win! Li Rou herself didn''t want to eat the fruit, as her marriage with Xue Feng was more than plentiful, and the Yggdrasil Fruits were assisting their talent situation.


    However, Xiao''er was much worse off.


    Though she had a High Yellow Grade Martial Vein and was one of the best talents in the Southern Continent, Li Rou knew from Xue Bai that the realpetition would be in the Central Continent.


    From Xue Bai''s mouth, ''This is the starting area. I won''t have many threats during my time here. As for potential rivals, there would be even fewer. And with my knowledge, any potential rival I would have, I''m making sure to turn them into allies.''


    So the High Yellow Grade Martial Veins of Xiao''er would only be helpful for a very short amount of time. And after arriving at the Central Continent, Xiao''er would eventually be a useless vase at Xue Bai''s side.


    Unaware of Li Rou''s thoughts, Xiao''er had already mentally agreed. This fruit would give her everything she wanted while making her useful in the future. The only downside, if it could be called a downside, was that Xue Bai would constantly lust over her.


    "I''ll do it, Mistress! Xiao''er wants to be useful!" Xiao''er yelled out.


    Proud of her, Li Rou stood up and looked at the maid with eyes full of pride.


    "Good! But I can''t help you with the absorption process as it happens within you slowly. After eating it, you''ll fall into a sma." Li Rou exined, but after seeing Xiao''er turn pale from fright, she rified. "You''ll only be asleep for a day, not anything dramatic. And don''t worry, I will check on you every few hours to make sure you''re doing fine."


    Sighing from relief, Xiao''er felt relieved after she heard Li Rou''s words. She thought that she would stay in aa for months or years. But thankfully, it was only for a day.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though it was inconvenient, a day-longa was well worth the gains.


    So taking that fruit and going to her room Xiao''er steeled herself and ate it before going to sleep.


    Where she was now, sweating out almost all of the liquid from her body. But soon as hera hit the 12-hour mark, the smoldering heat she was feeling suddenly turned into a freezing cold.


    Xue Bai sensing that, awoke from his cultivation state and looked over at her, confusion apparent in his eyes.


    "What the hell? What''s going with Xiao''er?" Xue Bai mumbled. But his hands moved fast, and after he took the wet rag off of her head, he took out every nket in his spatial ring andid them on top of her.


    Suddenly just as Xue Bai was going to return back to cultivating, a figure entered the room.


    "Oh? Bai''er, what are you doing here?" Li Rou spoke as she drifted in like a fairy.


    Li Rou knew what would happen at the 12-hour mark and arrived as soon as she noticed. But to her surprise, her son was in the room, taking care of Xiao''er.


    "Mother? Wait, do you know what is happening with Xiao''er" Xue Bai asked.


    Since Li Rou hade in almost right after Xiao''er started to freeze, Xue Bai assumed that it wasn''t a coincidence, but Li Rou had a hand in it.


    Smiling, Li Rou asked, "What if I do Bai''er?"


    "Then it must be a good thing. You love Xiao''er almost as much as me. There is no way that you''d harm her." Xue Bai answered matter of factly.


    Li Rou, who was nning on masquerading as a viin to tease him, suddenly felt her son wasn''t fun.


    "Tsk! ying along, Bai''er. But yes, I am the one who did this." Li Rou spoke as she walked over to the side of Xiao''er.


    Running her hands through the hair of Xiao''er Li Rou spoke of what she did yesterday with the maid.


    Xue Bai stayed quiet throughout and slowly soaked up the information. But in the end, he didn''t know what to feel.


    Xiao''er was doing this for him, but it was unnecessary, to say the least. Xue Bai, while he didn''t have a n for the problem of Xiao''er yet. He knew that of everyone he knew, Xiao''er had the least potential and was going to require an extremely high-ranking Natural Treasure to fix it.


    Xue Bai had a few potential targets, but they were all in the Central Continent and far away from him currently. And if Xue Bai only fixed the talent of Xiao''er sote, she would be too far behind him to ever catch up.


    The Dual Essence Fruit did fix the problem, but the fact that it wasn''t Xue Bai didn''t fix it made him feel¡­ weird.


    Ever since he came into the Baishen ne, it had been him changing the fates of people, but now having the fate of Xiao''er changed by someone other than him made something in him feel¡­ weird.


    It was as if his car, without his permission, was taken and given a nice paint job. Sure it felt good, but it was his car. He should have had an opinion or at least done it himself. While his thought process made him sound like a control freak, that was necessary in a cultivation world.


    If someone wasn''t able to control the things around them, how could they be trusted to control the things away from themselves?


    Li Rou sensing something was wrong, went over.


    "Bai''er, what are you thinking about? You look off right now." Li Rou asked gently as she crouched down to Xue Bai''s height.


    Not knowing if something odd was manifesting in himself, Xue Bai told Li Rou the truth.


    However, Li Rou justughed it off.


    "It''s fine, Bai''er. If anything, that feeling is needed in a strong man. Xiao''er was going to be your woman eventually. So my doing something to her without your permission was somewhat wrong on my part. But I didn''t expect you to have such feelings for her already? She got you that bad?" Li Rou teased.


    Blushing at her words, Xue Bai pushed the woman out of the room before she said anything more to embarrass him.

 Chapter 80 Xiaoer Wakes Up, Huo Chens Assassination.

    ?Xiao''er wakes up, Huo Chen''s assassination.


    Now alone, Xue Bai was questioning what he should do next. From Li Rou''s words, Xue Bai learned that Xiao''er would stay asleep for another 12 hours. But considering the fact that he had nothing to do today, he decided to cultivate in the girl''s room until she woke up.


    Though he could go to the practice field and sharpen his Martial Techniques or practice application with his Space Element, his cultivation base was the source of his power. The higher his cultivation base became, the stronger his Space Element and the better hisprehension would be as well. So as long as his cultivation base advanced, the other two would soon follow it.


    And since he was still far behind in making his goal, Xue Bai decided that he would double the amount of time he spent cultivating. So sitting back down on the mat, Xue Bai resumed his cultivation.


    Currently, he was at the 9th stage of the Blood Exchange Realm. Though most cultivators would call the 9th stage the peak, Xue Bai nned to cultivate the Purification Stages, so he didn''t say he was at the Peak of the Blood Exchange Realm. For him, the 13th stage was the true peak.


    The next stage Xue Bai was nning to advance to was known as the Small Ses Stage. In simple terms, it was just another way to call it the 10th stage of the Blood Exchange Realm, as in order to advance to the Small Sess Stage, Xue Bai still needed to remove the impurities from his blood.


    So swallowing more Blood Ignition and Blood Replenishing Pills, Xue Bai continued to cultivate, waiting for Xiao''er to wake up.


    Soon hours went by, but Xue Bai was deeply engrossed in the process of getting stronger. He had long lost track of time and only knew that he had consumed all of his Blood Ignition and Blood Replenishing Pills.


    Standing up, Xue Bai soon realized his skin was covered by a faintyer of impurities, but since it was nowhere near the amount that was expelled when reaching the Small Ses Stage, Xue Bai knew he was still in the 9th stage. But sick of the smell, Xue Bai still went to go take a quick bath to rinse it off.


    Whether it was because he didn''t want the cliche to happen or he knew Xiao''er was going to awaken soon, Xue Bai quickly bathed and changed before going back into the room. Inside, Xiao''er was still emitting a freezing cold aura, but Xue Bai could feel its temperature was higher than when it first started.


    Since Li Rou had told him that this was a sign of her immediate awakening, Xue Bai went over to the side of Xiao''er and waited patiently. And soon enough, after about 10 minutes of waiting, the cold temperature soon began to subside, bringing the room back to normal.


    Xiao''er, the source of the phenomenon, began to wake up. With her eyes fluttering open, Xiao''er looked around herself, confused.


    "Where the heck did these nketse from? It''s too hot for this!" Xiao''er mumbled as she threw off the half dozen nkets Xue Bai put on top of her.


    However, her aim was off, and instead of themnding on the ground, theynded on top of Xue Bai, who was at her bedside.


    "AH! Young Master, what are you doing here?!" Xiao''er yelled as she noticed the intruder.


    Pulling the pile of nkets off of himself, Xue Bai looked at her nkly and replied, "I was watching you for a while."


    "How Long?" Xiao''er asked as she got off the bed to help Xue Bai.


    "When I woke up and found out you weren''t by my side." Xue Bai answered.


    "Why? Am I that important Young Master?" Xiao''er asked as she blushed lightly.


    ''Not only did Young Master care for me so much that he noticed me gone instantly, but he even watched me as I was defenseless!'' The more she thought about how caring Xue Bai was, the more her ego became inted.


    "Well, yes to that as well, but mainly because I don''t have anything to do today, so I sat on your side cultivating. This way, if anything happened during your transformation, I could tell mother instantly." Xue Bai exined his thoughts.


    Though Xue Bai''s logic-filled exnation did serve to dete her ego slightly, Xiao''er was still on cloud 9.


    "No need to be shy, Young Master! After all, if I were you, I would not only do the same but even worship myself." Xiao''erughed as she patted Xue Bai on the shoulder.


    "It''s a good thing we are who we are and not switched." Xue Bai said inly as he took the hand of Xiao''er off his shoulder.


    "It''s already 8 PM, Xiao''er. What do you want to do?" Xue Bai asked as he made himself at home by lying down on the bed of Xiao''er.


    Xiao''er knowing what he wanted, went onto the bed as well and put his head on herp as she thought about what to do.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''It''s already toote to go out to Snowy Wind City. And Young Master has already cultivated for so long, so his veins must be sore.'' As Xiao''er went through the possibilities in her head, she realized she didn''t know what to do.


    "I don''t know what to do, Young Master. It seems that Xiao''er already wasted most of today asleep." Xiao''er answered as shebed her fingers through his hair.


    Xue Bai was also at a loss until he remembered something interesting that was happening today.


    Though the plot had yet to begin, small events that led to it were in motion. And tonight, Huo Chen was going to go back to his home of the Huo n. He had long heard of Huo Long''s ident, but as he was busy with work and far away from the territory, he hadn''t gone to visit his nephew. So after backing it back to the Dukedom, he would ask Xue Feng for permission to go back home. And on the way, he was going to be assassinated.


    Xue Bai, knowing the plot, would never let that happen, so he broke amunication crystal for his parents.


    And in less than 30 seconds, both of his parents were in the room.


    "Bai''er, what happened? If it was just Xiao''er waking up, you could''ve just called me. Why did you also call Husband?" Li Rou asked.


    "Yes, Bai''er, I was in the middle of something. What was so important for you to call me?" Xue Feng asked as he looked visibly annoyed.


    "Father has Commander Huo left the Estate yet?" Xue Bai asked as he quickly got to the point.


    "That is what I was doing. Huo Chen came to me asking for permission to leave. But since you broke themunication crystal, I left him in the office." Xue Feng answered.


    "Good! Father, we can have a chance to do some more damage to the Wang n!" Xue Bai spoke excitedly as he jumped off of the bed.


    Though his parents were confused about his words, after Xue Bai told them what was going to happen, they soon realized why he was so excited.


    "Bai''er, are these also from your memories?" Xue Feng asked.


    Xue Bai nodded to his words and continued, "Though I don''t know the strengths of the assants, the assassination happened very close to Snowy Wind City, so you two can go and clean them up before any opponent forces notice your disappearance."


    "But Bai''er, how are we going to know where it takes ce?" Li Rou asked.


    "Didn''t Father just say that Huo Chen hasn''t left yet? So you two can follow him. He''s the target. Wherever he is, is where the assassination is going to take ce." Xue Bai replied simply.


    After Li Rou heard the extremely simple answer, she felt her previous question was a little dumb, so as not to let Xue Bai see her faint blush, she pulled Xue Feng out of the room and went to where Huo Chen was.


    "Xiao''er, I got us some entertainment! Would you like to see Mother and Father fight?" Xue Bai asked with a cheeky smile.


    Seeing his face, though Xiao''er knew it was up to no good, she was also interested, so she answered, "Wherever Young Master goes, Xiao''er will follow."


    "Good answer, my maid! Now follow my parents!" Xue Bai spoke excitedly as he went over to the main hall.


    Quickly running over, the two managed to arrive just as Huo Chen left the estate. Though his parents were still inside the Main Hall discussing the n.


    "Mother, Father! Xiao''er and I want to watch the assassination attempt and the fight!" Xue Bai announced as he walked in.


    "No! No way. The fight that is going to happen is way about your cultivation. Just the after-shocks alone could kill you." Li Rou instantly went to refuse.


    But Xue Bai anticipated her answer and persuaded, "Mother people who are going after Commander Chen are merely going to be in the Law Manifestation Realm at most. You two are Peak Stage Domain Lords. There won''t even be much of a fight but instead just a full-scale suppression. Plus, you guys could take Uncle Huo to watch me if anything."


    Xue Feng, after hearing that, was all for the idea. He had nned to show his might to Xue Bai eventually. So doing it sooner was even better. And after convincing Li Rou, both of the parents agreed.

 Chapter 81 Changing The Fate Of Huo Chen

    ?Changing the Fate of Huo Chen


    Since it would take too long if Xue Bai walked, Xue Feng went over and picked him up while Li Rou picked up Xiao''er. And after messaging Li Huo to meet them outside of Snowy Wind City, the group flew off.


    In the air, seeing thend under them go by extremely fast, Xue Bai was feeling at peace.


    "Father, when you could first fly, how did that feel?" Xue Bai asked on top of his father''s shoulder.


    Thinking for a moment, Xue Feng eventually answered, "It wasn''t as good a feeling as you''re thinking, as I never nned to fly much in battle. I was only amander in the Imperial Army then, and the air-to-air fights were between the generals above us. So I never fought in the air until the Law Manifestation Realm."


    A few meters to the left, Li Rou also imputed, "It was a great feeling for me as I was an archer in the backlines. Now instead of having to rely on tall trees and other foliage, I could shoot from above in every scenario."


    Nodding simply at their answers, Xue Bai stayed quiet and enjoyed the serene peace that came from flying. And eventually, Snowy Wind City came into sight, and the group flew down to meet up with Li Huo.


    Landing peacefully just outside the city, the group found Li Huo in a set of armor awaiting them.


    "Brother Feng, why did you call me out here? And to be armed at that." Li Huo asked, getting straight to the point.


    "Commander Huo is going to be sneak attacked in a little. Just follow Rou''er and me, and we''ll talk on the way." Xue Feng spoke quickly as they set off in the direction that Huo Chen went off in.


    Nodding at his words, Li Huo followed the group as he was given a quick breakdown of the n.


    "I see what you two are nning, but why did you bring Nephew Bai and his maid with you?" Li Huo asked with some confusion in his tone.


    Though he wasn''t against having theme, it was still odd. After all, there was going to be a fight involving some of the continent''s peak powerhouses. However, bringing the two kids made it seem like a family outing and not an assassination.


    "You''ll be protecting Bai''er and Xiao''er. Husband and I will be fighting the assassins." Li Rou answered inly.


    "Wait! Why am I the one who is sitting back? I am stronger than you, Little Sister Rou. Besides, can''t they stay at home and watch through a projection array?" Li Huo had several questions.


    But sadly, Li Rou ignored them all and looked forward as if she hadn''t heard them at all.


    Seeing his wife ignore her brother so coldly, Xue Feng could only scratch his head wryly.


    "Brother Feng, there is no way she is still angry about me showing Nephew Bai the Stone Gambling Pavilion, right? That was almost four years ago. And Nephew Bai also got that tree from it too. So if anything, I deserve to be praised for my choice, not ignored." Li Huo was speechless at Li Rou''s attitude.


    However, Xue Feng, the awkward third party, could only shrug his shoulders. He knew how petty Li Rou was from firsthand experience.


    And then, in silence, the three flew in the direction of Huo Chen until they finally heard the sounds ofbat.


    "I asked who you three are!" Huo Chen''s yells could be heard as the three sped up.


    However, his cries received no answers. But instead, Xue Feng, Li Rou, and Li Huo could tell from the sounds that the fight was bing more and more intense as time passed.


    Thankfully before Huo Chen fell under the des of the assassins, Xue Feng arrived.


    "Lord Duke! Lord Duchess! Why are you here?" Huo Chen eximed in shock as he noticed the group''s appearance.


    Currently, Huo Chen''s appearance could be described as miserable. Hismander''s armor had more chips than whole parts. His left leg was almost severed, and blood dripped down his head from a massive sh that went across his forehead. However, seeing his Lord and his wife appear, he regained hisposure, knowing that the assassins would finally die.


    The assants who almost killed Huo Chen were four assassins dressed in deep ck cloaks that almost managed to reflect the light, paired with a hood that covered their entire heads, showing no features to the outside world. Xue Feng and his group couldn''t even tell what gender was under the cloak, let alone any other detail.


    The assassins were just as surprised as Huo Chen at the sudden appearance of Xue Feng and his group, but as they were highly trained, the four each gave each other a signal. And each took out a blood-red pill from their spatial rings and consumed them before charging off in separate directions, not even bothering to attack Xue Feng or the weak Xue Bai and Xiao''er.


    The four assassins were all at the 7th stage of the Law Manifestation Realm, which was more than enough to quickly kill Huo Chen, who was only at the 6th stage of the Law Manifestation Realm. But after the appearance of Xue Feng, Li Rou, and Li Huo, they knew that doing any future damage to Huo Chen was impossible.


    So the group chose thest remaining option and ran off to escape.


    "Fools! Now that we''re here, how can you escape?" Li Rouughed as the three released their Domains.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Fengprehended the Element of his Martial Veins and unleashed his Ice Domain, while Li Rou, his opposite,prehended his opposite Element and unleashed her Fire Domain.


    Li Huo was the odd one out as his Martial Vein didn''t have an elemental affinity, but true to his weapon of choice, Li Huoprehended the Sword Law and unleashed a deadly Sword Domain.


    At the beginning of the Domain Lord Realm, the range of your Domain would be very short, varying between 1-10 meters. However, the sizes grew exponentially at the 9th stage of the Domain Lord Realm. For example, Li Rou and Xue Feng have Domains that, at full power, could expand out to almost a kilometer from them. Li Huo''s was a little worse, only at around 950 meters, but it was still more than enough to trap the assassins inside.


    "Now that you''ve turned into turtles trapped in a jar, will you give up who hired you, or will we need to force it out of you 4." Xue Feng spoke menacingly as he walked closer to them.


    "Attack! Go for Xue Bai!" The assassin, who seemed to be the leader, shouted.


    However, they were never destined to reach their goal, as almost instantly, Li Huo waved his hands and formed a sword array that protected the kids within.


    This was the power of a Domain Lord. Inside their own Domain, they were the Lord. Whatever they wished to happen happened. As long as theprehension of their Law was deep enough, they could even bend reality to their wishes.


    Xue Bai and Xiao''er inside the sword array were watching with rapt attention. And the eyes of Xaio''er almost seemed to be glittering at the act of power.


    "It''s useless." Li Rou shook her head as she saw the group try and struggle. Then, waving her hand, she summoned a fireball andunched it in their direction, scorching them and the clothes covering them, revealing their appearances.


    "Without a Domain to protect yourself, you can''t even fight back. Let alone try and take advantage of the situation." Xue Feng spoke as he walked over to the group.


    Grabbing a man who didn''t speak up earlier, Xue Feng didn''t recognize him even after a good lock. Killing him directly, Xue Feng grabbed the spatial ring and inspected its contents. And true to his guess, he found what he was looking for.


    Inside of the spatial ring, beside a few pills rted tobat, there was only a token with a red skull branded on it.


    Throwing it over to Li Rou, Xue Feng spoke, "Blood Skull Hall. Even if we tortured them for half a century, they wouldn''t give up who hired them."


    "Tsk! Then just kill them all. What''s the point of keeping a hostage that nobody wants." Li Rou spoke angrily.


    Nodding at her words, Xue Feng summoned three icicles for the remaining assassins, but Xue Bai spoke up just as Xue Feng was about to skewer the men.


    "Father, wait! Don''t kill them. They aren''t from the Blood Skull Hall!" Xue Bai yelled out.


    Though Li Huo and Huo Chen were confused at Xue Bai''s sudden interruption, Li Rou and Xue Feng knew that Xue Bai was right and stopped.


    "Brother Huo, bring Bai''er over here." Xue Feng asked.


    Nodding, Li Huo put away the sword array and brought Xue Bai over to Xue Feng without letting the assassins get a potential move.


    Going over to Xue Feng''s side, Xue Bai spoke, "They are from the Xia n. They are pretending to be a part of the Blood Skull Hall to shift the me just in case they get found out. As no one ever bothers to torture a Blood Skull Hall member."


    After hearing their identities get exposed, the three remaining assassins tried to charge at the close Xue Bai. But Xue Feng expected it and merely froze them from the chin down.


    "You three are good! You almost tricked me! Good, now I get to see your Xia n patriarch again. I never did like the look on his face." Xue Feng spoke with a fake smile.


    "Brother Huo, can you bring these men to the prison? If you do, I''ll let you extort a Marquis!" Xue Feng asked.


    Though the request was somewhat annoying, the reward was more than worth it. So Li Huo happily grabbed the three surviving assassins and flew off.


    "Commander Huo, speak of this to no one. No, never mind,e here and swear a Dao Oath here." Xue Feng ordered as he looked over to Huo Chen.


    Even though they never directly mentioned why they were here, Xue Bai spoke some very ambiguous words, and Xue Feng would never let that leak out. But since the man with them was Huo Chen, Xue Feng couldn''t kill him. After all, they spent all this time saving his life. So how could they kill him after all of the work they just did?


    Huo Chen knew he had witnessed something he shouldn''t have respected the order and swore a Dao Oath in front of Xue Feng and Li Rou.


    "Alright, you can continue on your way home. Just remember to watch out for assassins next time." Li Rou spoke casually as she waved him off before flying back home with her family and Xiao''er in tow.


    "What the hell just happened?" Huo Chen muttered. But as he was alone in the forest once again, no one could answer his question.

 Chapter 82 Confessions

    ?Confessions


    "Mother, are you not going to exin what just happened to Commander Huo? He looked so confused at everything." Xue Bai couldn''t help but ask as they flew away.


    "We don''t really need to. He can assume what happened himself. He''s a smart man." Li Rou spoke casually.


    Though Xue Bai still felt bad, he couldn''t change the mind of his stubborn mother, so he stopped asking questions.


    "Mistress, I didn''t know you were so cool! That fireball you made was so amazing!" Xiao''er was simpler, on the other hand.


    "Xiao''er, you''ll get to my level eventually. Just cultivate diligently." Li Rou spoke sweetly as she rubbed the head of Xiao''er.


    "I will!" Xiao''er nodded expectantly.


    After the maid''s words, the rest of the flight was spent quietly as the group enjoyed the serene scenery as they flew to the prison.


    The prison of their territory was built on the side of an extremelyrge and steep mountain. It was also built just a few kilometers away from the Estate and far away from Snowy Wind City, which was why Li Huo wanted to deny Xue Feng''s request.


    Landing on the prison walls, Xue Feng called over a random guard.


    "Yes, Lord Duke!" The guard asked respectfully.


    "Where did Brother Huo go? He was carrying two men frozen in a block." Xue Feng asked, getting right to the point.


    "Lord Duke, if you meant Marquis Huo, then he should be in the Negotiations Chamber. He only arrived a few minutes ago." The guard answered.


    Xue Bai, on the side hearing the name ''Negotiations Chamber,'' shivered. That name, though, seemed nice on the surface. But it couldn''t possibly be what it entailed.


    ''This is a prison. Why the hell would there be any negotiations? This is a cultivation world, not Earth. Even if we did catch the wrong guy, we could just flip the script, and it''ll be the right one.''


    Unaware of his son''s thoughts, Xue Feng nodded at the guard''s words before flying over to the Negotiations Chamber.


    The Negotiations Chamber, on the surface, seemed to be a simple-looking pagoda, but Xue Feng, the man who built and designed it, knew that everything scary about it wasn''t above ground.


    However, just before he was about to step in, Xue Feng looked over to Xue Bai and said, "Bai''er do you want toe down there with us? It''ll be cruel torture isn''t a beautiful sight. You can stay in the pagoda, and we''ll ry their words to you."


    With those words, Xue Bai agreed. He also didn''t want to see two grown men get tortured. Even if he knew that he''d have to do things like that eventually, once he saw such a brutal scene, it would be hard to forget. So Xue Bai nned to keep his innocence as long as possible.


    Nodding, Xue Feng flew Xue Bai and Xiao''er to the top floor of the pagoda before he and Li Rou went down to where Li Huo was.


    Xue Bai, now on the top floor, jumped on a chair and rxed as he waited for his Father to contact him. The top floor was mainly used for receiving guests, and because of that, it was well-furnished and fancy looking. So Xue Bai felt at peace in it, even though there were countless men in extreme agony a few floors down.


    "Xiao''er, why do you look so anxious? Nothing is going to happen to you. Just sit down." Xue Bai couldn''t help but giggle as he saw how Xiao''er looked.


    "But, Young Master, aren''t you scared? There are such brutal things happening a few dozen meters away from us." Xiao''er asked as she sat on Xue Bai''s chair forfort.


    Thankfully it was a loveseat, so she was able to sitfortably.


    "Xiao''er worse things happen. The stuff that''s happening down there is pretty tame for what happens in the outside world." Xue Bai spoke simply as he pulled out some food from his spatial ring.


    Like in my novels, the spatial ring in the Baishen ne was able to keep things at the same temperature as when it was put in. So the food Xue Bai was eating was still the same piping hot it was when he put it in.


    "Young Master, how can you have the appetite to eat now?" Xiao''er asked, amazed.


    "I''m hungry, Xiao''er. I''m not going to ignore my hunger because of what''s happening a few floors down." Xue Bai spoke casually as he continued eating, ignoring the amazed Xiao''er.


    As Xue Bai was eating, Xue Feng and Li Rou finally reached where Li Huo was at. Walking into the cell, they saw Li Huo sitting casually, waiting for their arrival, as the two Xia n members were chained up while staring at Li Huo with bloodthirsty eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Brother Feng, you''re here. I already took the chance to seal their cultivation bases. So you can ask away." Li Huo replied as he noticed Xue Feng walk in.


    Though Li Huo had Spiritual Sense, the cells were covered with arrays that blocked any Spirit Sense from going in or out, leaving Li Huo in the dark until Xue Feng walked into the room.


    Nodding at his brother-inw, Xue Feng looked at the two Xia n members deeply.


    "Are you going to say your ns, or are we going to have to force it out of you?" Xue Feng spoke simply.


    Now that the two Xia n members were in prison, their lives were forfeit. The only thing that mattered was how long it took them toe clean before they died.


    The two Xia n members look at each other seriously before seeminglying to a decision.


    After a few seconds of silence, the leader spoke up, "We can tell you as long as you get revenge for us. We were forced to do this, and neither of us wants the man who told us to do this to live peacefully."


    "You have no right to negotiate. I''m only giving you two the choice of whether you die with or without pain." Xue Feng refused immediately.


    In a negotiation, in order to be able to negotiate, each side had to be equal. This was especially so in a cultivation world where might equal rights. If you didn''t have a big enough fist, your words meant nothing.


    Even though the two Xia n members had the information to negotiate, they weren''t strong enough to stop Xue Feng from simply forcing it out of them.


    "It doesn''t matter whether you want or don''t want to avenge us. He''ll being after you anyway, so you''ll need to defend yourself." Then, finally, the second Xia n member spoke up.


    "Who was it?" Li Rou couldn''t help but speak out.


    Hearing such ominous wordse from him, she couldn''t help but go curious.


    The two Xia n members looked at each other before saying, "Wang Yin. Myrade and I were out on an excursionst week before Wang Yin found and kidnapped us. After that, he fed us a poison pill and told us to kill Huo Chen."


    "Forced toply, we nned for 5 days before going to assassinate Huo Chen, where you three found us."


    "Oh, then that''s fine." Li Rou breathed a sigh of relief.


    She was thinking that there was some mastermind plot behind the Xia ns'' motive. But it turns out it was just the Wang n getting bloodthirsty and wanting to damage their Dukedom even more.


    "Then you two have no more use." Xue Feng spoke casually before summoning two icicles and killing the two.


    "Tsk! Even Bai''er could''ve told us that. We wasted an entire night for nothing." Li Rou clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    "It''s fine as long as we get the right information. Wasting a few hours was worth it. We rely too much on the information Nephew Bai gives us nowadays." Li Huo chimed in from the side.


    Li Rou agreed with his words before walking out of the cell.


    After the death of the Xia n members, the group of three went to the top of the pagoda to meet up with Xue Bai.


    "Mother, Father, what happened? Were they too hard to break?" Xue Bai asked as he saw the three walk into the room.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t sure about how ruthless his parents and uncle were, they were all extremely famous generals they couldn''t be nice people to their enemies. To be able to still be tough-willed even after being interrogated by them, those men surely must have been iron-willed.


    "No, it was the opposite. They came clean instantly. We didn''t even need to touch them." Xue Feng spoke.


    "Oh. Then do we go home now?" Xue Bai asked. He was slightly disappointed in the two, but it was getting somewhatte now, so he wanted to go home now.


    No one disagreed with Xue Bai''s proposal, and after bidding Li Huo farewell, the groups went back to their homes.

 Chapter 83 Li Rou And Xue Feng Break Through

    ?Li Rou and Xue Feng Break Through


    As the family got home, Xue Bai finally remembered the Spirit Cleansing Fruit.


    "Father, Mother, I got something for you two." Xue Bai spoke up as theynded.


    Pulling out the case holding the Spirit Cleansing Fruit, Xue Bai opened it and exined its effects.


    Surprised at their son''s thoughtfulness, Li Rou and Xue Feng couldn''t help but smile.


    "You''re such a filial child. What would we do without you." Li Rou lovingly spoke as she rubbed Xue Bai''s hair.


    Xue Feng, on the side,ughed proudly and happily. After Xue Bai''s ''awakening'' a few years ago, so many things had gone right for their Dukedom. Whether it was gaining the Yan n as an ally or Xue Bai''s now heaven-defying potential, Xue Feng never seemed to stop smiling.


    After Li Rou epted the fruit, the group went their separate ways.


    Back in his room, Xue Bai went to sleep. Even though he usually supplemented sleep with cultivation, he had cultivated for most of the day, and now, his Veins were already sore and aching. So instead of cultivating and possibly injuring a vein, he nned to sleep for once.


    Though the one missed night of cultivation could lower his chances of reaching his goal, it was better than injuring a vein.


    Jumping on his bed, Xue Bai went to sleep almost the second his head hit the pillow. Out of the many perks cultivation gave him, the ability to instantly fall asleep was something that he thought was the most useful. Instead of wasting 15 minutes lying still, Xue Bai could now fall asleep before his head even reached the pillow.


    Away from Xue Bai''s room, Xiao''er was in Li Rou''s courtyard again.


    "Mistress, did my awakening go sessful?" Xiao''er asked excitedly.


    "Yes, how could it not? I was the one who supervised it." Li Rou spoke with pride.


    "But now that it has, you must cultivate diligently. Though this physique is highly ranked, its ability is only shown after you give your first time to Bai''er and Dual Cultivate. Currently, it''s still only slightly better than Peak Yellow Grade Martial Vein, which is still much worse than Bai''er." Li Rou continued.


    "Of course, Mistress! Xiao''er will cultivate twice as diligently now!" Xiao''er seriously spoke as she nodded like a bobblehead.


    Smiling at the maid''s reaction, Li Rou gave Xiao''er a head pat before saying, "Then go start right now. You know the saying, ''A thousand-mile journey starts with one step.''"


    Nodding, Xiao''er ran off to her courtyard, not daring to miss a second.


    Seeing the girl run off so happily, Li Rou slightly shook her head before leaving her courtyard and going to her shared courtyard with Xue Feng.


    Flying over the courtyard, she saw Xue Feng in the center of the garden, meditating to calm his mind.


    "Husband, are you ready now?" Li Rou spoke as shended.


    Though her words were ambiguous, Xue Feng knew what she meant.


    "Yes, but why do you have to phrase it like that? When you phrase it like that, it sounds like you''re suggesting somethingpletely different." Xue Feng sighed as he opened his eyes.


    "Who else is here to hear me? And besides, if not you, my Husband, who else can I speak so flippantly to?" Li Rou retorted as she walked over.


    Not bothering to argue any further, Xue Feng pulled out the Spirit Cleansing Fruit and sliced it in half.


    Passing one half to Li Rou, Xue Feng said, "Good Luck." Before eating his half.


    Smiling, Li Rou replied, "I don''t need it."


    Eating her own half, Li Rou sat down cross-legged and began to focus on the changes happening within her body.


    She could feel the Soul Qi traveling through her body, searching for something. And soon enough, the aimless Soul Qi seemed to find what it was looking for and after reaching a random location near her heart, it dispersed on the spot.


    Just as Li Rou memorized the location where the Soul Qi dispersed, she felt a warm gust of energy that seemed to cleanse her very soul. It was as if she had lost a burden she didn''t know bound her.


    Not only did her shoulders feel lighter, but she was also released from some brain fog that seemed to shackle her from furtherprehending the Fire Law she was known for.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, Li Rou ignored the euphoric feeling and began to remember where the Soul Qi dispersed. Xue Bai had told her that even if it seems like there is nothing there, ignore that and look deeply there.


    Listening to her son''s words, Li Rou focused deeply on the spot. And very soon, she found something. An illusory phantom curled up in a fetal position. And as soon she looked at it meaningfully, it stared back.


    And as it did, an explosion happened in Li Rou''s mind. Then, like a ck hole, Li Rou''s Dantian absorbed all of the surrounding Spiritual Qi madly.


    Her Dantian rapidly bloated to the point that Li Rou thought she would blow up. However, since it didn''t seem dangerous yet, she held back from stopping the phenomenon.


    She could tell that this phenomenon was actually helping her. Not only did her Dantian expand, but her body also seemed to be nourished, increasing her physical strength.


    The sensation of her physical body being strengthened was almost intoxicating, but it eventually began to scare her.


    The feeling continued for almost an hour until Li Rou''s body visibly began to grow.


    Fearing for her life, Li Rou was going to stop it, but right before she was going to resort to drastic measures, the excess Spiritual Qi bloating her Dantian and physical body seemed to funnel out of her now expanded Dantian all on its own ord.


    Then from her Dantian, the Spiritual Qi flowed into her soul, vitalizing it.


    However, even after her soul absorbed all of the Spiritual Qi, it still stayed in the fetal position. Like a fetus growing in the womb, her soul looked to be far from being ready.


    After giving her a few more looks, Li Rou seemed satisfied with her advancement and opened her eyes.


    To her left, she could still see Xue Feng still madly absorbing Spiritual Qi.


    Seeing that he would still be unavable for another hour, Li Rou shifted her attention to her strength.


    After eating the Spirit Cleansing Fruit, not only did Li Rou sense her soul, but she also managed to advance to the Xiantian Great Realm, skipping the half-step statepletely.


    Currently, Li Rou was in the 1st stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm. This Realm, like the others, had 9-13 stages in which Li Rou had to slowly feed her Soul, Spiritual/Soul Qi, until it awakened.


    After that, Li Rou would have the chance to advance to the Spirit Severing Realm. But since she was only to advance to her current Realm with the help of the Yggdrasil Fruit, Li Rou wasn''t sure if she could go that far.


    However, even advancing to the Xiantian Great Realm made Li Rou feel satisfied. Before Xue Bai found Yggradrasil, she and Xue Feng were more than fulfilled staying at the Peak of the Domain Lord Realm.


    Even if it wasn''t the peak of strength in the Southern Continent, it was more than enough to guarantee their safety. As cultivators in the Xiantian Great Realm on the Southern Continent, numbered in the single digits. And they all stayed either in seclusion year long or were the guardians for their sects, making them unable to travel the continent.


    Even more so with Li Rou and her Husband''s peaceful nature, the chances of someone stronger than them finding trouble with them were almost none.


    But now, in the Xiantian Great Realm, and with the chances of advancing even further, Li Rou was feeling content.


    Just as Li Rou was lost in her thoughts, she sensed Xue Feng stopped absorbing Spiritual Qi next to her. Spinning her head in his direction, she found him opening his eyes.


    "Did you advance as well?" Xue Feng asked as he saw his wife standing up.


    "Yes, but I finished a while ago. I was just testing out the difference." Li Rou bragged.


    In their entire rtionship, Xue Feng always had a higher cultivation base, so her having the lead for a little made Li Rou feel smug.


    Seeing her arrogant smile, Xue Feng wanted to knock her down a peg, but since he wasn''t sure if he''d win in a fight, he gave up on his n.


    "Now that we advanced, what do you want to do, Rou''er? We can go out and kill Wang Yin without even having to use Bai''er as bait now. Or should we wait as Bai''er told us?" Xue Feng asked as he stood up.


    "I say both. That Wang Yin deserves to die, but that''s as far as we should go. The Wang n should make a fine sharpening stone for Bai''er. The only thing we have to make sure of is that none of the old farts of the previous generation don''t go after Bai''er." Li Rou answered.


    Finding her words sensible, Xue Feng agreed before he took Li Rou''s hand into the bedroom to rest. Though they had broken through to the Xiantian Great Realm and were full of strength, they nned to consolidate their foundations before cultivating any further. And a quick rest would serve to help that.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Read the Authors Note!

 Chapter 84 Wang Yins Assassination Attempt

    ?Wang Yin''s Assassination Attempt


    As the residents of Duke Xue''s Estate were sleeping, Wang Yin was having a horrible time. Though Wang Yichen had banished him from the Dukedom temporarily, he had also allowed Wang Yin to stay for a day to prepare. But as nighttime came, so did Wang Yin''s time limit.


    And after being kicked out like a broke tenant by hisndlord, Wang Yin found himself without a home. While he could easily afford to stay at a top-ss hotel to sleep in, he was an assassin on a mission, so how could he act high profile and in a luxurious room?


    So swallowing the insult, Wang Yin simply flew in the direction of Duke Xue''s Snowy Wind City, using his anger as fuel. But due to its far distance, Wang Yin only arrived by the time the sun rose.


    Arriving in Snowy Wind City, Wang Yin made sure to hide his identity as well as he could. Wearing a presence-suppressing cloak and arge bamboo hat on top, Wang Yin managed to sneak into Snowy Wind City without alerting any of the guards.


    The foot soldiers were only in the Organ Tempering Realm, while the captains were barely in the Dharma Idol Realm. So sneaking past them was simple for the Peak stage Domain Lord Realm, Wang Yin.


    Finding a decent motel as close to Duke Xue''s estate as possible, Wang Yin prepared to set up his long-term stakeout. But, unfortunately, he knew how much of a shut-in Xue Bai was, so Wang Yin could only hope that he would be able to finish his mission by the year''s end.


    However, as he sat down, he realized that watching the gate of the estate for an entire year would be extremely boring. So after thinking about his options, Wang Yin decided to go get some extra help.


    Though Wang Yichen had stopped him from recruiting help from the Wang n, recruiting a rogue cultivator was within the rules. So slipping out from his motel room, Wang Yin crept around Snowy Wind City, trying to find a suitable cultivator to ''recruit.''


    Sneaking around the lively city, Wang Yin struggled to find a suitable cultivator to recruit. While his requirements were high, as long as he found the right man, then the job wasplete. After all, the man he chose wouldn''t be able to refuse even if he wanted to.


    Wang Yin would continue searching for another hour until he found the perfect person for the job. A Squad Leader in Duke Xue''s army. And not only was the man by himself, but he was also wobbling through the streets visibly intoxicated.


    Making sure his presence was concealedpletely and that he hadn''t left any clues that could possibly connect him to his identity, Wang Yin made his move.


    As an assassin, the Law that Wang Yinprehended was the Law of Shadows. And while it was only a branch of the Darkness Law, it was more useful than any other Law that he would haveprehended.


    Using his Domain inbination with his understanding of the Law of Shadows, Wang Yin was able to teleport in the shadow of anything within his Domain.


    So unleashing his Domain silently, Wang Yin engulfed the unsuspecting Squad Leader inside of it, and before the man could react, Wang Yin teleported into the shadow of the Squad Leader. After rising out of the man''s shadow like a demon from the earth, Wang Yin quickly knocked the man unconscious before he could let out a cry for help.


    Disappearing into the shadows once more, Wang Yin made his way outside of the city after making sure that no one was following him. Following a quick search for a cave, Wang Yin tossed his ''recruit'' onto the ground, rudely awakening him.


    "Who dares! Do you know who I am?!" After waking up from the harsh impact, the man instantly sobered up and yelled out.


    Not bothering to dignify the man''s arrogant response, Wang Yin ignored the man''s words and spoke out his own.


    "Ant, I am Wang Yin, the Third Elder of the Duke Wang n. You have the knowledge I need, so either you willingly be my ve or lose your will." Wang Yin spoke emotionlessly.


    The Squad Leader, who still had an arrogant expression, froze at Wang Yin''s words. The words that Wang Yin spoke were short and simple, yet they had the arrogance that almost forced him toply.


    And wanting to have his will intact, the Squad Leader could only nod.


    "Good choice. Now don''t resist. If you do, I''ll simply kill you. It only took me an hour to find someone that matched my requirements. And I can spend another." Wang Yin spoke as he palmed the head of the Squad Leader.


    Branded a ve seal on the man, Wang Yin looked satisfied.


    ''Now I have inside information. All I need is to wait for news toe.'' Wang Yin smiled as he looked relieved.


    Giving the Squad Leaders his instructions and a method ofmunication, Wang Yin left as quietly as he arrived, and within 10 minutes, he had already arrived back in his motel room. Sitting on the mattress, Wang Yin closed his eyes and started meditating.<novelnext></novelnext>


    While his cultivation couldn''t advance any further, he could always deepen his understanding of the Law of Shadows. And though it was a small power boost, any strength gain he could get at his age was worth it.


    However, just as he was going to begin hisprehension session, themunication token he gave to the squad leader broke.


    "Dammit! I swear to the heavens something good must''ve happened, or I''ll skin that bastard and use him as a coat!" Wang Yin swore as he left the motel room.


    Rushing to the meet-up spot, he told the Squad Leader. Wang Yin soon found the man pacing around anxiously.


    "Ant, tell me what happened. And it better be good, or I can guarantee your ending won''t." Wang Yin threatened as he set up a simple noise-suppressing array in the alley.


    "Master Yin! You told me to notify you when the Young Duke Xue leaves the estate, correct?" The Squad Leader spoke as he heard Wang Yin appear.


    "Yes, what of it? Did you get the day he''d leave?" Wang Yin asked with slight hope.


    ''As long as it''s within the year, It''ll be fine.'' Wang Yin prayed inwardly.


    "No, Master Yin, I think he left just now. I saw his carriage leave the Estate with his bodyguards just a few minutes ago. And from the route I think they took, they should be heading to the forest just outside Snowy Wind City." The Squad Leader spoke.


    "You''re not lying to me, right?" Wang Yin spoke seriously.


    "No, Master Yin. You have my life in your hands. How dare I lie to you with something so easily proven." The Squad Leader answered.


    ? "Good! Even the heavens are helping me, Wang Yin!" Wang Yin yelled out happily. "But now you serve no purpose."


    "What do you mean, Master Y-" Sadly, before the Squad Leader could speak up, Wang Yin had already detached his head from his shoulders.


    Laughing merrily, Wang Yin snuck out of the alley to find Xue Bai''s carriage. And with the help of the Squad Leader''s directions, Wang Yin quickly found it exiting Snowy Wind City from the gate closest to the forest. And true to the Squad Leaders'' words, the Wang Twins, who were known to be Xue Bai''s bodyguards, were near it.


    With one driving it and the other resting on the top as if he were scouting for potential enemies.


    "Good, that idiot didn''t lie to me. However, it''s still not confirmed that Xue Bai is in that carriage." Wang Yin thought to himself.


    But since that carriage had only carried Xue Bai before, the chances that he was in it currently made Wang Yin more than willing to follow it. So, while dipping in and out through the many shadows of Snowy Wind City, Wang Yin eventually caught up with the carriage and began following it outside the city.


    However, sadly for Wang Yin, all the measures he took to ensure his secrecy were nothing in the eyes of Li Rou and Xue Feng.


    "Husband, did you know that Squad Leader who ratted Bai''er out?" Li Rou asked as she watched Wang Yin follow the empty carriage into the forest.


    "I do, surprisingly. But it wasn''t for good reasons. Commander Huo came to me recently and told me about that man''s unjust deeds. Apparently, he was a known gambler and had racked up a ton of debt, but instead of paying, he would ''Put it on Lord Duke Xue Feng''s tab.'' So I was nning on crippling the man sometime next week, but Wang Yin beat me to it." Xue Feng chuckled.


    "Husband, should we attack now? Wang Yin already looks apprehensive about whether Bai''er is really in that carriage." Li Rou spoke up.


    Wang Yin had been following the carriage for almost 10 minutes through the forest and was questioning whether Xue Bai was truly in it. The beasts this deep in the forest were already at the Bone Strengthening Realm and even were something that Xue Bai would not be able to even look in the eye, let alone fight against.


    And as Wang Yin followed the carriage deeper into the forest, the worse feeling he got.


    So deciding to stick to the gut feeling that had helped him this long, Wang Yin decisively went to turn back and wait for another opportunity, but before he did, a powerful pressure engulfed him.

 Chapter 85 Killing Wang Yin

    ?Killing Wang Yin


    Not bothering to say or word or even defend himself, Wang Yin instantly dove into the shadows and ran away as fast as his slender body could take him.


    "You''ve alreadye out this far, Wang Yin. You might as well stay with us forever." Li Rou spoke emotionlessly as she unleashed her Domain.


    Xue Feng followed suit and released his Domain, sealing away any possible escape route Wang Yin could take.


    "Xiantian Great Realm! Xue Feng, how the hell did you break through?!" Wang Yin yelled out as he popped out from the shadows.


    Since his escape route had been sealed, Wang Yin knew he could only fight his way through. But after seeing his opponent''s cultivation, he was floored.


    ''They have Peak Yellow Grade Martial Veins! How the hell did they break through their limit?!'' Wang Yin''s mind reeled as he tried to exin his bizarre circumstance.


    "Does it matter to tell a dead man?" Xue Feng spoke coldly as he sent dozens of meter-long icicles at Wang Yin.


    ''Fast!'' Wang Yin thought as he dove into the dirt in an attempt to dodge them. But as hended, an arrow covered in smoldering hot mes flew at him.


    "Dammit!" Wang Yin grunted. And deciding to throw caution to the wind, he pulled out a sword and shed with the arrow.


    However, as Li Rou was now much stronger than him, her arrow won, with the sh sending Wang Yin and his sword flying in two separate directions.


    Going to strike the iron while it was hot, Li Rou flung out four more arrows before Wang Yin could recover. And thanks to her precise uracy, they all hit their targets¡ªeach of the assassin''s limbs. Skewering Wang Yin to the tree that hended next to.


    "You bastards! How dare you attack me! Are you not afraid of a war between our Dukedoms?!" Wang Yin yelled out as he realized that his life was now in imminent danger.


    "Wang Yin, surely you don''t think that we have to dignify those words with a response, right? You came all the way from your Dukedom, killed a squad leader under me, stalked my son''s carriage with malicious intentions, and only now do you regret it? If you were afraid of a war, you wouldn''t havee to Snowy Wind City wanting to assassinate Bai''er." Xue Feng replied as he shook his head.


    Though Xue Feng didn''t like to converse with his enemies, Wang Yin was a strong powerhouse from their generation, and out of respect, he nned to exchange a sentence before killing him. Even if there were a chance of Wang Yin receiving back up or being rescued, Xue Feng would be able to sense it long before they could arrive, so he was confident that he could Wang Yin before they did.


    Wang Yin, also finding his words a little shameless, blushed a little, but before he could feel embarrassed, the searing paining from the arrows sobered him up.


    ''I can''t die here! No, not yet. Lord Fifth promised me that he could take me to the Central Continent and even break through to the Xiantian Great Realm!'' Wang Yin thought as he tried to find some way to continue the conversation.


    "Wait, Xue Feng, we can talk about this. You also hate my older brother too. I can help you take him down. I know a lot of the Wang n''s dark dealings." Wang Yin begged as he negotiated for his life.


    "Husband, there is no need to converse with such a man. Demonic scum like him should be killed on sight." Li Rou spoke in a tone filled with disdain as she notched another arrow.


    ''This bitch! I''m not speaking to you but to your Husband. How dare you interrupt!'' Wang Yin angrily thought, but as his life was in her hands, he spoke differently.


    "Duchess Li, no need to be drastic. You can brand a ve seal on my soul. I promise to be the number 1 horse under you two if you so desire." Wang Yin begged even more desperately after seeing Li Rou''s eyes.


    However, before he could continue, Li Rouunched the arrow at his head, killing him instantly.


    "Whatever information you have, Bai''er already knows." Li Rou coldly spoke as she put her bow back in her spatial ring.


    "Rou''er burn the corpse. Make sure not to leave any trace behind." Xue Feng spoke as he flew into the sky.


    He would watch their surroundings to stop anybody froming over, while Li Rou would clean the scene to make sure that Wang Yichen would never know what happened.


    Li Rou, on the ground, made quick work of Wang Yin''s corpse while also looting it for all it was worth.


    "Wang Shu,e over here now!" Li Rou yelled out.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Already waiting for his call, Wang Shu quickly sprinted over.


    "Yes, Mistress!"


    "Take the carriage back home. Don''t waste any time either, be just as fast as you left." Li Rou ordered. And after seeing that the twins epted it, she flew off. Having both her and Xue Feng be away from the Estate was never a good idea, and she wanted to be back as soon as possible.


    Meeting up with Xue Feng in the air, Li Rou flew back to the Estate casually, as if she hadn''t just killed a Peak Stage Domain Lord Realm cultivator a moment before.


    However, unlike Li Rou''s calm exterior, the Wang n Estate was erupting in chaos.


    In the Baishen ne, most forces would have a Soul Lamp bound to every one of their most important members. The Wang n and Wang Yin are no exception.


    So at the moment of Wang Yin''s death, his Soul Lamp immediately lost its light, indicating that he had died. And as there was at least 1 Wang n member watching the Soul Lamps at every second of the day, the second Wang Yin''s Soul Lamp extinguished, he noticed.


    And not daring to dy the grave news, the Wang n member charged to the Core Region of the Estate to break the news to the higher-ups.


    "Halt! Wang Ye, you know you can''t go into the Core Region. So why are you here?" However, before he could go in, he was stopped by a guard.


    Wang Ye taking a moment to catch his breath, took deep breaths before he replied.


    "Hurry, let me in. An Elder''s Soul Lamp extinguished! I have to tell the other Elders." Wang Ye shouted.


    While he knew that the information was sensitive, Wang Yin''s death couldn''t be hidden for long. So Wang Ye was okay with giving away some of the details to the guards.


    The two guards looked at each other deeply before letting in Wang Ye. Whether he was lying or not wasn''t their business, but if he was telling the truth and they didn''t let him in, they would die a miserable death. While Wang Ye was lying, that would be fate instead.


    After being granted ess, Wang Ye rushed as fast as his Qi Sea cultivation could take him toward the Main Hall. Reaching the Main Hall, Wang Ye was about to ring the n meeting bell, but just before he did, he saw Wang Yichen from afar.


    "Patriarch! Something terrible happened!" Wang Ye yelled as he ran over to Wang Yichen.


    Wang Yichen, hearing someone call out to him, looked over in Wang Ye''s direction. However, since he didn''t recognize the kid, he didn''t say anything and waited for Wang Ye to close the distance.


    "Patriarch, something terrible happened!" Wang Ye shouted as he got close.


    "I heard you earlier, child. You don''t need to repeat yourself. Speak of the terrible news." Wang Yichen spoke irritably.


    From this one interaction with Wang Ye, Wang Yichen already disliked him. Not only could he not keep hisposure, but he also couldn''t speak directly.


    "Patriarch, it''s the Third Elder. His Soul Lamp went out a few minutes ago." Wang Ye quickly exined as he could see Wang Yichen losing patience from his expression.


    "Wang Yin? Are you sure? You know how Soul Lamps can sometimes flicker as if they were going to extinguish but still be lit?" Wang Yichen suddenly became serious as he spoke.


    "I am 100% sure, Patriarch. How dare I not make sure? It didn''t flicker at all. It went directly out without any suspense." Wang Ye reiterated.


    "Shit!" Wang Yichen cursed as he ran over to the Main Hall.


    Running over to the bell, Wang Yichen rang it with all of his might.


    ''This is going to be ugly.'' Wang Yichen groaned as he rang the bell. He could already tell that this n meeting wasn''t going to be a pretty one.


    As Wang Yichen mentally prepared for the uing chaotic meeting, all of the higher-ups exited their courtyards and rushed over at the sound of the bell. While they weren''t sure of what the meeting was being called for, since anyone who dared to ring the bell without proper reason would be killed, they knew that it was serious.

 Chapter 86 Wang Clans Arrogance

    ?Wang n''s Arrogance


    Very soon after the bell rang, the various higher-ups belonging to the Wang n arrived at the Main Hall.


    "Patriarch, what happened?" A burly man asked as he stepped up to his older brother.


    The burly man was the First Elder, Wang Chen, and the strongest man in the Wang n beside Wang Yichen and the Great Elder, who secluded himself all year long.


    (Note: This Great Elder is different from the Grand Elder, who died in chapter 58. This one is one of the few cultivators on the Southern Continent in the Xiantian Great Realm. He is the uncle of Wang Yichen and an old man with half a foot in the grave.)


    "I''ll announce the news as soon as all the Elderse here. There is no need to rush, First Elder." Wang Yichen spoke coldly.


    Though Wang Chen''s question was simple and the thoughts of many others, Wang Yichen hated being told what to do, so he stubbornly denied the man.


    Wang Chen could obviously sense Wang Yichen''s stubbornness and was aggravated, but since he was weaker than his older brother, Wang Chen could only swallow the injustice.


    After the quick conversation, the rest of the Wang n''s higher-ups arrived very quickly.


    The Wang n had 10 Elders who supervised the n''s internal affairs, 5 Elders who managed the Disciplinary Hall, and 2 Elders who were constantly outside the n doing anything ndestine.


    And each of the Elders was in the Domain Lord Realm, making the n a powerful force even by the entire continent''s standards. However, since the Wang n only had 1 Xiantian Great Realm cultivator to protect it, they were permanently stuck under the Duan Imperial Family.


    The Duan Imperial Family had at least 3 known Xiantian Great Realm cultivators protecting it at all times. Duan Zhen, the current Emperor, the previous Emperor, and an Imperial Advisor who taught both Emperors. Andpared to the Wang n, with only a single Xiantian Great Realm cultivator who was already half dead, they were much stronger.


    Following the arrival of all the Wang n higher-ups, Wang Yichen strolled into the Main Hall and motioned for the Elders to follow him. And after sitting in his seat, Wang Yichen finally addressed what he called them over for.


    "The Third Elder died outside whilepleting a mission I assigned him." Wang Yichen spoke bluntly, not caring about how shocking or devastating the news was.


    Almost instantly after Wang Yichen broke the news, every Elder in the Main Hall started shouting various questions to him. However, he didn''t bother to address them and only stared at them nkly as he wanted the Elders to calm down first.


    The Elders sensed that all began to quiet down.


    Wang Chen, since he was the strongest Elder in attendance, took the opportunity to ask the question most of the higher-ups had.


    "Patriarch, what mission did Third Elder have? We don''t remember you giving him a mission recently." Wang Chen asked.


    Seeing the Elder Council''s confusion, Wang Yichen knew he had to exin the story from the beginning.


    "When I first ordered Third Elder to poison Xue Bai a few years ago, I had told him to feed the child a High Yellow Grade Vein Swallowing Worm to prevent any mishaps. However, as to cheap out, Third Elder only gave Xue Bai a Middle Yellow Grade Vein Swallowing Worm."


    "However, as I did tactilely agree that Xue Bai couldn''t possibly be more talented than Yu''er, I only gave Third Elder a light punishment, but I had told him that day that if Xue Bai awakens a High ck Grade Martial Vein, he would rue the day he decided to be cheap."


    "And following Xue Bai''s awakening, as his punishment, I ordered him to clean up the mess that should''ve been cleaned all those years ago." Wang Yichen exined simply.


    "So, Patriarch, you''re saying that Duke Xue and Duchess Li killed Third Elder?" Wang Chen asked as he tried to get more information out of his ice-cold brother.


    "I don''t know the specifics, First Elder. That Wang n member over there only just broke the news to me a few minutes ago. However, that would also be my first guess." Wang Yichen answered as he pointed to Wang Ye, who stood just outside the Main Hall.


    Following his words, the various elders all had different opinions. Some wanted to storm Snowy Wind City and demand an exnation, others wanted to wait and test the waters, and a few even wanted to swallow the grievance and publicly sever ties with Wang Yin calling it an act of betrayal to the n.


    However, Wang Yichen didn''t care for any of their opinions, as he had the right to force the n to do what he wanted. And even before he learned of Wang Yin''s death, Wang Yichen knew what he wanted to do in this scenario.


    "Calm down, Elders. I had already nned for this scenario before Third Elder even left for his punishment mission." Wang Yichen shouted to calm down the argument.


    The Elders, though annoyed at how Wang Yichen didn''t care for their opinions, knew it was better to endure than to go against the Patriarch openly. So they all quickly shut their mouths and waited for Wang Yichen to finish his words.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "In case of the death of the Third Elder, I nned to start a Demonic Beast riot throughout The Great Xuan Empire, as to give him a usible death. Since the Empire will eventually discover his death, exining that he died in Duke Xue''s territory will be suspicious and fake his death in the riot. And also, with this riot, I will try and create as much chaos as possible and weaken The Great Xuan Empire." Wang Yichen exined.


    After Wang Yichen finished exining his n, the various Elders all had different opinions, but they could all agree that the n was very well thought out and perfect for the scenario.


    Wang Yin''s death couldn''t be hidden forever, but if they told Duan Zhen how Wang Yin died in Duke Xue''s territory, a big investigation would start. But if they gave Wang Yin a different death to the public, not only could they cover up the failed assassination but also deal massive damage to The Great Xuan Empire.


    Though the Wang n were members of The Great Xuan Empire, they were merely puppets being raised by the Demonic Sect in the Central Continent. So they had no loyalty to the Imperial Family above them, nor did they care for the well-being of the other ns in the Empire.


    If anything, they wish for the other ns to be weakened during the Demonic Beast Riot, so when they are weak, the Wang n coulde in and force the survivors to submit or even wipe out a n and me it on the Demonic Beasts.


    After he finished exining his n, Wang Yichen was about to adjourn the meeting, but someone spoke up.


    "But Patriarch, what about Duke Xue? While it might not have been him to kill Third Elder, surely he must know who did." An Elder spoke up.


    "What of him? So what if Xue Feng knew it was us? While he is a Peak stage Domain Lord that is nowhere near enough to shake our Wang n''s foundation. We just need to wait for Yu''er to grow up and for Lord Fifth to fulfill his promise. After that, let alone a mere Xue Feng, even Duan Zhen would be nothing in front of our Wang n." Wang Yichen spoke coldly.


    As Wang Yichen exined the details of his n to the Elders, Li Rou and Xue Feng arrived back at their Estate.


    Landing in Xue Bai''s courtyard, the couple could see their son practicing the sword as Xiao''er watched from the side.


    "Bai''er, how''s your swordsmanship?" Xue Feng asked with a bright smile as hended.


    Not bothering to turn around, Xue Bai answered, "Tedious, I still can''t understand Sword Law yet. If I hadn''t seen Uncle Huo do it yesterday, I would think that you were lying to me."


    "Bai''er, Sword Law is something that took Brother Huo decades to understand and master. Just because you saw him do it once, and asked me what it was, doesn''t mean you are going to master it. If that were the case, there would be many more Law Engraving Realm Cultivators in the world." Xue Feng replied bitterly.


    After Xue Bai saw their Domains in the fight against the Xia n cultivators, he had been adamant about learning Laws.


    "Bai''er, Husband is right. How about you try toprehend your Space Element instead of trying to grasp Sword Law? Husband and your Uncle Huo can always guide you with Sword Law, but your Space Element is something you have toprehend yourself." Li Rou gently persuaded as she sat down next to Xiao''er.


    "Fine. But I''ll get it eventually." Finally, Xue Bai relented after hearing his mother''s words.


    He had wanted to learn Sword Law early because, through it, he would be able to use Sword Kinesis and fly with that before the Qi Sea Realm. Though just the very idea ofprehending a Law in the Blood Exchange Realm was arrogant and mad, Xue Bai knew it was possible. Especially with his Soul Strength.


    However, since Li Rou advised him to focus on his strengths, he decided he would only try andprehend Sword Law by himself and not in front of his parents. Nevertheless, Xue Bai was confident he would be able to do it, and it would also be a lovely surprise for his parents.


    "Mother, Father, you two look different. What happened?" Xue Bai asked as he finally turned around.


    Currently, Li Rou and Xue Feng both look almost ten years younger than they did yesterday.


    Yesterday, Li Rou looked like a mother in her early thirties, while Xue Feng had the appearance of a fierce middle-aged general. But now, the two both looked like they were in their twenties.


    He knew that his parents had eaten the Spirit Cleansing Fruitst night, so while he had a guess on what happened, Xue Bai wanted them to exin it themselves.


    "Bai''er, no need to praise us. If it weren''t for you, we wouldn''t be able to regain our youthful appearance." Li Rou shook her head slightly.


    Li Rou could tell Xue Bai''er phrased his words open-endedly as to let them brag, but she knew it was only because of him they were allowed toe this far.


    So even if she were to brag, it would indirectly praise him instead of her.


    Xue Feng, on the side, agreed and didn''t respond but nodded at his wife''s words.

 Chapter 87 Earth Spirit Milk

    ?Earth Spirit Milk


    "It''s still you two who broke through to the Xiantian Great Realm. I merely gave you the opportunity." Xue Bai shyly responded.


    That was true. While he was the one who gave them the Spirit Cleansing Fruit, if they weren''t able to capitalize, they wouldn''t even have advanced to the Half-step Xiantian Great Realm, let alone to the Spirit Awakening Realm that they were in now.


    "Alright, enough of us. Bai''er, how is your cultivation going? I heard that you set a high goal for yourself. What is your goal?" Li Rou asked curiously.


    "I want to reach the Bone Strengthening Realm before the sixth month of 975." Xue Bai answered seriously.


    "Bai''er. That''s a very high goal. I know that you have an Earth-grade Martial Vein, but even so, isn''t that too much?" Li Rou couldn''t help but ask in shock.


    The sixth month of 975 was only 18 months away, and for Xue Bai to reach the Bone Strengthening Realm, he would have to advance almost a stage a month.


    "I believe in my potential, Mother. And with my memories, I can guarantee that I''ll be able to reach my goal." Xue Bai spoke solemnly.


    Li Rou wanted to try and tell Xue Bai to lower his goal a little, but after seeing him radiate so much confidence, she swallowed the words in her mouth.


    The family would spend the rest of the morning talking about various things in life until Xue Feng and Li Rou would have to leave for work.


    "Bai''er, we killed Wang Yin earlier, so you are safe to leave the Estate to look for those opportunities you keep mentioning. But just make sure to bring the Wang Twins along with you." Xue Feng spoke as he left.


    "But Bai''er, remember, no matter how valuable that opportunity is, your life is worth more. You, with your potential, will be an Immortal even if you miss one chance, so take care of your life." Li Rou spoke as she gave her son a hug before flying off.


    After bidding them farewell, Xue Bai went over to call the Wang Twins for their new job of protecting him.


    The Wang Twins, after breaking through to the Law Manifestation Realm, had still kept up their same diligence and intense Cultivation routine. Still, with their limited potential, their cultivation bases had been stalled at the 1st stage of the Law Manifestation Realm without any signs of it advancing.


    Through this trip outside, Xue Bai hoped that while getting spirit fruits for himself, he could also get a few that could help the cultivation of two.


    By now, instead of being Xue Feng''s subordinates, it was better to call them Xue Bai''s. And as his first pair of subordinates, Xue Bai wanted to treat them well.


    However, sadly, Spirit Fruits that helped cultivators in their Realm were much farther than Snowy Wind City''s forest.


    But even after telling them their cultivation bases would be paused, for the time being, neither of the twins even broke into a frown. Instead, the twoughed.


    "Young Master, us breaking through to the Law Manifestation Realm outside the Secret Realm was more luck on our part. If it weren''t for you allowing us to use that chance to break through, we would''ve been stalled at the Peak of the Law Engraving Realm, perhaps even until now. So even if we spend another year at our current cultivation stage, we''d be content." Big Wang exined merrily.


    "Yes, Young Master, it''s all thanks to you we could even reach our current position. If Master hadn''t made us your bodyguards, we still would''ve most likely still would be meddling in the Early Stages of the Law Engraving Realm. And besides, me and Big Brother n to spend more timeprehending our Law as we have been giving it less attention these past few years." Little Wang seconded.


    Seeing that the twins were fine with their situation Xue Bai didn''t say anymore and got into the carriage they had prepared.


    And after giving Little Wang the first set of coordinates, the group of four set off.


    The first opportunity that Xue Bai nned to grab, while it was useful for him, it was mainly for Xiao''er. It was a huge puddle of 1,000-year-old Earth Spirit Milk.


    Earth Spirit Milk was in the category of treasures like Ginsengs, where the older they became, the higher their rank.


    10-Year-old Earth Spirit Milk wasn''t ssified as a Natural Treasure and could only be used as a cosmetic item for cultivators.<novelnext></novelnext>


    100-Year-old Earth Spirit Milk was categorized as a Middle Yellow Grade Natural Treasure.


    And 1000-Year-old Earth Spirit Milk was categorized as a Peak Yellow Grade Natural Treasure and so on, with every 1000 years bringing the grade up by two stages.


    There could also be older and different variants, but Xue Bai didn''t think they existed in this mortal ne, putting them out of his consideration.


    And what Earth Spirit Milk did was extremely special. It could purify a cultivator''s body from all impurities it had within. While also elevating the cultivator''s Martial Vein Rank by a level. The limit of the Martial Vein advancement, however, was as long as the consumer''s Martial Vein was below the rank of the Earth Spirit Milk.


    So for Xiao''er, who had raised her cultivation base by consuming pills like candy and only had a mere High Yellow Grade Martial Vein, the Peak Yellow Grade Earth Spirit Milk was perfect for her.


    By purifying the body of Xiao''er, it would save her years in herter Realms as impurities within the body served as blockades.


    The more pills one would consume, the more impurities would build up in their veins. And like a congested road, the Spiritual Qi they would absorb would have to go around the impurities or, worse, get sucked into them, making that Spiritual Qi useless and also wasting the cultivator''s time.


    So for Xiao''er, who was basically a pill jar in human form, the 1000-Year-old Earth Spirit Milk fit her perfectly. And the Martial Vein advancement only served as icing on an already perfect cake. The potential of Xiao''er, even with her new physique, was still something to worry about. But after she would consume the 1000-Year-old Earth Spirit Milk, the problem wouldn''t be as bad.


    As Xue Bai was going to exin what he was going to give Xiao''er, Big Wang''s voice suddenly came from outside.


    "Young Master, we can''t get any closer to the first set of coordinates you gave us. There is a cliff here stopping us.!" Big Wang yelled.


    "Tsk- Horrible timing. Whatever Xiao''er stay here, I''ll exin it to you when Ie back." Xue Bai clicked his tongue in annoyance as he jumped out of the carriage, leaving the confused Xiao''er inside.


    Getting out of the carriage, Xue Bai found himself still on the trail that led through the forest, but to his left was the cliff he was looking for.


    "Little Wang,e and fly me down this cliff. And Big Wang, you watch the carriage and make sure that Xiao''er stays safe." Xue Bai quickly threw out orders.


    Both twins obeyed quickly, and Xue Bai''s orders were soon followed. And after making sure that Xue Bai had a good grip, Little Wang flew down the cliff.


    "Young Master, where do you want me to fly to? There is a lot of fog here." Little Wang asked as they quickly descended the cliff.


    Little Wang knew that Xue Bai wouldn''t be able to see anything with his low cultivation, so he wanted to be Xue Bai''s eyes. But he needed to know what they were looking for to do that.


    "It''s a cave that''s about the height of a grown man. And at the mouth of the cave, there is a thick dying branch." Xue Bai answered.


    Comically the Earth Spirit Milk was a treasure that Huo Long would find after being forced to jump off a cliff to hide from his enemies.


    However, now that Xue Bai was here, it would belong to him.


    With a proper image, Little Wang quickly found the cave matching Xue Bai''s description. And after gently dropping him in the mouth of the cave, Little Wang turned around and let Xue Bai do his business.


    Inside the cave, Xue Bai found the Earth Spirit Milk easily as not only was the cave small, but it also sat directly in the center of the cave.


    Quickly scooping it up and cing it within a sealed container, Xue Bai flew out with the help of Little Wang.


    Though the Earth Spirit Milk was definitely the most important item they would grab today, it wasn''t the only one. And wanting to be home before nightfall, Xue Bai didn''t want to waste any time.

 Chapter 88 The Start Of The Plot

    ?The Start of the Plot


    After getting the 1000-Year-old Earth Spirit Milk, Xue Bai would spend the rest of the day plundering the forest outside of Snowy Wind City dry of all its opportunities.


    It didn''t matter who they belonged to originally. They all ended up in Xue Bai''s pocket by the end of the day.


    And while this might change the course of the plot by a little, Xue Bai wasn''t too worried about it.


    Children of the ne weren''t chosen by their innate Karmic Values but instead by their potential. So Xue Bai stealing the chances of the other Children of the ne wouldn''t stop them from being chosen. At worst, it would just slow down their growth by a notch, but to Xue Bai, that was only a plus.


    While he wanted to be sworn brothers with Huo Long, he still wanted to be the bigger voice in the rtionship and possibly even have the protagonist to his call. So having Huo Long weaker than him was necessary for that to pan out.


    After a day of plundering back home, Xue Bai would eat the various Natural Treasures he stole and cultivate wildly, not wasting a single moment. And thanks to the various potent tonics he found, his cultivation would see massive improvements in a very fast time.


    Not only Xue Bai but also Xiao''er, who had her potential improved and her body purified by a drop of the 1000-Year-old Earth Spirit Milk, also cultivated at insane speedspared to the rest of the Southern Continent.


    Within a week, Xue Bai advanced to the True Peak of the Blood Exchange Realm while Xiao''er went from the 2nd stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm to the 4th stage.


    However, the immense growth of Xiao''er was because of her removing all of the impurities within her veins. As when they were first removed, all of the Spiritual Qi stuck inside were finally able to reach her dantian, which instantly brought her up two stages.


    And this astronomical pace wouldn''t slow down because of Xue Bai''s over-picking of the forest near him. Xue Bai had knowledge of the entire Baishen ne, let alone just the Southern Continent. So as he continued to pick thends near him dry, his scope would increase.


    Within the month, he sessfully advanced to the Muscle Nourishing Realm while Xiao''er advanced a stage as well. Moreover, since they had broadened their scope range, Xue Bai was also able to snag chances that were helpful for not only the Wang Twins but also his parents.


    And with the Earth Spirit Milk and his Kidney Vein, Xue Bai had no worries that he would flood his body with impurities and would consume Natural Treasure after Natural Treasure without worry.


    So with no repercussions, unlimited resources, and an iron-forged will, Xue Bai would cultivate at the fastest possible speed he could.


    The plot was getting nearer by the day, and every second he wasn''t getting stronger, Xue Bai felt like he had a fire below him boiling him. So with no immediate threats, Xue Bai would cultivate fast and calmly for another 17 months until the eve of the Plot.


    5th month of 974


    Now halfway through age 13, Xue Bai had grown very well at a mature height of 156 cm, but sadly he still had an androgynous beauty instead of a handsome one. But now, after being in this body for five years, he had gotten used to it and was growing to like it.


    Xiao''er, unlike him, had stopped growing any further thanks to a pill he gave her a few months ago.


    The pill was a simple one but to women was one of the most precious gifts possible, as it stopped any visible aging. So Xiao''er now looked eternally 19, which, in her words, was ''The peak of her beauty.''


    Xue Bai had also given one to his mother, Li Rou, who had locked her appearance at the young age of 25pared to her almost century true age.


    Cultivation-wise, Xue Bai had reached his goal of reaching the Bone Strengthening Realm before the plot''s beginning. But not only that, he took it a step further and made it to the 2nd stage.


    Xiao''er also too made leaps and bounds in the past 18 months, reaching the Organ Tempering Realm. However, since that realm was known to be extremely painful to advance through, her cultivation speed had stalled.


    However, still, a 19-year-old Organ Tempering Realm cultivator wasn''t something to scoff at in the Southern Continent. Even Huang Wei and Li Mei, the heirs to a Marquis family, were only slightly faster.


    While they looked to be 18 currently, their true age was in their mid-twenties. It was just that they were raised using age slowing medicines, and their appearances looked to be much younger than it is.


    Xiao''er had thought of using them, but since Xue Bai knew where to find the age-stopping pills, he told her not to.


    Besides Xue Bai and his maid, the Wang Twins also made steady progress, advancing to the 4th state of the Law Manifestation Realm thanks to the resources Xue Bai gave them. They could''ve advanced further, but the twins wanted to focus on theirprehension of the Law of Swords instead.


    They knew their limit would be the Domain Lord Realm, and they were also confident that they would reach it eventually, so instead of rushing and hitting their limit early on. The twins decided to focus on their Lawprehension first.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The same was the case for Li Rou and Xue Feng, as they only had advanced two stages in the Spirit Awakening Realm, but their reasoning was slightly different than the twins.


    After reaching the Xiantian Great Realm, one would have to start cultivating their soul instead of their body, and while Spiritual Qi could also help nourish the soul, its effects were mediocre at best.


    So to counteract that, people like Duan Zhen and other tycoons would use the variant of Spiritual QI, Soul Qi, to cultivate. But Soul Qi was extremely hard to obtain as it could onlye from natural Grotto Heavens or various Natural Treasures.


    And as for Li Rou and Xue Feng, who had neither, they could only cultivate with subpar Spiritual Qi slowing down their cultivation speed.


    However, since the two knew that they were already beyond their innate limit. They were only grateful to be in the Xiantian Great Realm and weren''t very disappointed with their progress. To them, every stage of advancement was a blessing.


    Outside of their home, the rest of the Southern Continent was rather peaceful thanks to one man Wang Yu. Now almost 18, Wang Yu was a pressure that engulfed every possible genius or rising star of the Southern Continent.


    He had spent most of his days in the Soaring Sword Sect, but due to the sudden death of Wang Yin in the beast riot that engulfed The Great Xuan Empire and other various Wang n members who "randomly disappeared," he was forced back home.


    However, even after returning home, his cultivation speed didn''t decline but instead sped up as he shattered every single long-standing record of the Southern Continent.


    Reaching the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm at 16 and 4 months. Entering the Organ Tempering Realm a weekter. Advancing to the Qi Sea Realm at 17 and 7 months, and now at 18 and 2 months, Wang Yu was at the 5th stage of the Qi Sea Realm.


    Even before, when he was at the Soaring Sword Sect, Wang Yu would often bepared to the Central Continent geniuses. But now, as his talent seemed to have awakened fully, he had broken the three views of everyone who had once judged him.


    However, Xue Bai knew that this cultivation speed wasn''t truly his own, but Wang Yu was being force-fed resources by the Demonic Sect that backed his n.


    They were nning on Wang Yu bing the Holy Son of the Soaring Sword Sect and then, at a critical point, having Wang Yu unleash devastating damage onto it before retreating.


    This plotline happened in Xue Bai''s personal ythrough of "Children of the ne" and was definitely the most annoying one. While Wang Yu was a starting viin, he was the worst one of all. So even though Wang Yu was bing a medicine jar, his strength was still the real deal making him a pain to deal with.


    However, Xue Bai, now in the Baishen ne himself, was more than confident to deal with him. He only needed a few more years.


    As Xue Bai was thinking about his rtively uneventful past 18 months, Xiao''er had sometimes snuck up behind him.


    "Young Master, why are you on this cliff? Is there something you''re waiting for here?" Xiao''er asked as she sat next to Xue Bai.


    Currently, Xue Bai was sitting on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the very scene he had anticipated for so long. And now that there was another pair of eyes wanting to witness it alongside him, Xue Bai had noints.


    "Xiao''er, just wait. At midnight you''ll see something you''ll never forget." Xue Bai replied mysteriously as he waited.


    Listening, Xiao''er waited while reclining on the chest of Xue Bai. And thankfully, after only a few minutes of waiting, midnight struck.


    However, as nothing happened for almost 5 minutes, Xiao''er was about to speak up until Xue Bai suddenly stood up.


    "It''s here!" Xue Bai yelled out fanatically.


    And following his words, the sky above the Baisehn ne suddenly split open, revealing the heavens above where five heavenly lightning bolts flew down, striking five different spots throughout the ne.


    Two on the Southern Continent and one on the Eastern, Nothern, and Western marking the locations where each protagonist started.


    "They''ve been chosen."


    6th month of 975 The Plot Begins

 Chapter 89 Soaring Sword Sect

    ?Soaring Sword Sect


    The five lightning Bolts flew down to the Baishen ne at velocities capable of splitting thend it hit. But oddly, once the lightning bolts hit their designated locations, there was no further sound. Almost as if, wherever the lightning bolts struck, they were absorbed.


    Xue Bai knew what the phenomenon was, but most of the people of the Baishen ne were ignorant. The five lighting bolts each targeted a Child of the ne and were the blessings given to them by the ne itself.


    "Young Master, what were those lightning bolts?" Xiao''er asked with fear in her voice.


    ''Those lighting bolts came from the heavens themselves and looked so terrifying!''


    "Those Xiao''er are the beginning of a new era! Now Xiao''er, it''s time I am going to go join the Soaring Sword Sect." Xue Bai excitedly yelled as he ran back to his home.


    He had been holing up at home for too long! He wanted to have fun in this world! And now that the Children of the ne had been chosen, it was the perfect time to do so.


    "AH! Young Master, wait for me!" Xiao''er shouted.


    She only noticed Xue Bai had left by the time he had already run dozens of meters away from her.


    The run back to the Estate didn''t take long, and after about 10 minutes of running, Xue Bai made it back.


    Ignoring the greetings of the many soldiers and servants, Xue Bai continued to run through the Estate and made it to his parent''s courtyard.


    Sensing Xue Bai long before he made it inside, Li Rou stepped out and looked at her son, who looked like a child ready to cause chaos.


    "So this is what you meant earlier when you said the world is going to change then." Li Rou asked as she looked at Xue Bai.


    She, too, noticed the heavenly lightning bolts and Xue Bai storming to her courtyard a few minutes after couldn''t be a coincidence.


    "Yes, Mother, the world is changing now. And I want to go join the Soaring Sword Sect now. The annual recruitment is happening in a few days. I need transportation." Xue Baic calmly spoke as he looked at Li Rou.


    Xue Bai had long told his parents of his desire of wanting to join the Soaring Sword Sect, so Li Rou had no objections.


    "I''ll tell the Wang Twins to take you first thing after sunrise. But, for now, go and rest." Li Rou spoke before going back into her courtyard.


    Xue Bai also was fine with her arrangements and, after thanking her, ran to his courtyard to prepare for the journey.


    "Young Master! You abandoned me! You know I can''t run as fast as you. Why did you go so fast!" Xiao''er cried out as she walked into his courtyard.


    Though Xiao''er was almost a Realm higher than Xue Bai, she hadn''t trained in any Movement Techniques, making her speed extremely slowpared to others in her cultivation realm who had. And for Xue Bai, who trained in High Yellow Grade Movement techniques, beating Xiao''er in a race was simple.


    "Oh. Sorry, Xiao''er. I got too heated and forgot about you." Xue Bai awkwardly spoke.


    He was lost in the moment and got too excited and forgot that he was much faster than Xiao''er.


    Thankfully after coaxing the maid for a few minutes, he managed to calm her down.


    And after lighting a few mind-calming incense sticks, Xue Bai went to sleep for the night in preparation for the trip tomorrow.


    In a deep sleep, thanks to the incense sticks he lit, Xue Bai dreamt through the night, only awakening until Xiao''er had to shake him.


    "Young Master, the Wang Twins, and Mistress are waiting for us! Wake up!" Xiao''er yelled as she shook her Young Master.


    Hearing the shouts of Xiao''er, Xue Bai shot up like a rocket and started to prepare. And after breaking a personal record, Xue Bai quickly got ready for the trip.


    Grabbing the stunned Xiao''er, Xue Bai charged out of the room and ran to the meet-up spot outside the Estate.


    As Xue Bai ran through, he could hear the various murmurs of the soldiers talking about him. Apparently, Li Rou had told some of the servants that he''d be joining the Soaring Sword Sect today, allowing the rumors to spread. And since Xue Bai took no effort to conceal his cultivation base at home, most of the servants could detect his heaven-defying cultivation speed.


    However, since most of the servants didn''t ever leave the Dukedom, his cultivation base hadn''t been announced to the outside world yet, surprisingly.


    "Young Duke seems to have advanced again! Heavens a 13-year-old Bone Strengthening Realm cultivator!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Not even just the first stage either, but Young Duke reached the second stage!"


    "And those Wang n members walk around bragging about their Young Duke! Just wait till our Young Duke ps all of their faces!"


    Smiling at their bragging, Xue Bai continued to run past them and soon made it outside, where he found the Wang Twins and Li Rou waiting for him.


    "Bai''er, I am going to follow you to the Soaring Sword Sect in case the Wang n tries and do something scandalous during your trip." Li Rou said after Xue Bai got within earshot.


    Xue Bai agreed.


    Though he was slightly ufortable traveling with his mother so far, it was better than dying an unjust death in the middle of nowhere to a Wang n member.


    Seeing that Xue Bai didn''t have any disagreements, Li Rou nodded before entering the carriage.


    While she could sit on the top of the carriage like Big Wang does, after reaching the Xiantian Great Realm, she didn''t even have to keep her spiritual sense out to be able to see her surroundings.


    As long as she was conscious, she had a constant bird''s eye view around herself that spanned further out than Big Wang could detect even with his Spiritual Sense.


    So instead of sitting on the ufortable roof of the carriage, Li Rou would rather sit in the very well-designed and pleasant interior.


    Xue Bai, hand in hand with Xiao''er, soon followed suit and entered the carriage. And after telling Big Wang they were ready, they set off.


    The Southern Continent was split into five regions. Thergest and most expansive of which was The Great Xuan Empire upying almost 50 percent of the continent!


    However, a lot of the area they covered was barren and deste of Spiritual Qi, making it unattractive for the other three forces to try and take by force.


    Other than The Great Xuan, the Three Great Sects each controlled an area of around 15 percent. But unlike The Great Xuan Empire, all the area that the Three Great Sects controlled was blessednd filled with Spiritual Qi.


    Moreover, the Three Great Sects were constructed on the Northern Shore, making it extremely close to the Central Continent and therefore giving it even purer and denser Spiritual Qi.


    The capital of The Great Xuan Empire was also built on the shore, but only a few could live in the capital, making it iparable to the Three Great Sects. However, with a much better cultivation environment than itspetitor, the Three Great Sects also were much harder to join.


    The minimum requirement to join was a Middle Yellow Grade Martial Vein, and even then, you could only be a servant disciple. To truly be an outer disciple with a chance of rising in the ranks, you had to have a High Yellow Grade Martial Vein.


    To be a Core Disciple and have the opportunity to travel to the Central Continent, one had to have a ck Grade Martial Vein.


    Of course, one could travel to the Central Continent without one, but to do that, you''d have almost to sell your freedom to a Core Disciple. And since most who could join the Three Great Sects had pride, that choice wasn''t very popr.


    However, Xue Bai wasn''t worried about any of this. To the outside world, he had a High ck Grade Martial Vein, and even in the Central Continent, that was something high tier, let alone the backwater Southern Continent.


    The only reason he was joining the Soaring Sword Sect was to intercept all of the chances Wang Yu was fated to get, while also gaining a free ride to the Central Continent. If it weren''t for that, he would most likely continue to hole up in his home while plundering the continent.


    "Mother, do you have any connections in the Soaring Sword Sect? Why did youe instead of Father or Uncle Huo?" Xue Bai asked.


    Xue Bai didn''t think that his mother only came out of curiosity and guessed that she came with another motive.


    "A cousin of mine is an Inner Elder there, and I would like to see her." Li Rou casually answered.


    "Mother, you never told me about your family. Besides Uncle Huo, where are the rest of your family?" Xue Bai asked curiously.


    Li Rou never did speak about her family to him. And over the years, he had gotten curious.


    Xue Bai knew that Xue Feng came from a small family ofmanders, and after awakening his Peak Yellow Martial Vein, he had be their pride. But since he had grown too fast, he ended up bing estranged from his parents and cousins. So after bing a Duke, Xue Feng arranged for them to be a Viscount family living in Snowy Wind City.


    However, after years of estrangement and nomunication, Xue Feng didn''t like speaking to them and let them live their own lives.


    "My family is a group of runaways, Bai''er. We were actually from the Central Continent, but after years of decline, we chose toe here to the Southern Continent. Where danger was less, and the requirements to live peacefully were lower." Li Rou simply spoke and didn''t speak any further.


    And even though Xue Bai tried to ask for more, she stayed silent, even going as far as to close her eyes and start cultivating.

 Chapter 90 Entrance Exam, Registration

    ?Entrance Exam, Registration


    After Li Rou decided to start cultivating, Xue Bai could only start as well. The ride to the Soaring Sword Sect would take almost two days, and rather than waste that time doing nothing, Xue Bai thought that he might as well cultivate.


    Even though Xue Bai knew that he wouldn''t be able to advance a stage before they arrived, two days of cultivation wasn''t something to put down.


    So after swallowing some Bone Strengthening Pills, Xue started to cultivate.


    The Body Refinement Realms were all about creating a strong vessel to be able to prepare the future Realms.


    If the body were a water tank, the Blood Exchange Realm would be about purifying the water, and the Muscle Nourishing Realm was to change the pipes, then the Bone Strengthening Realm was to rebuild the Water Tank!


    The Bone Strengthening Realm was the most important of all of the Body Refinement Realms as without a sturdy enough Water Tank, no matter how well built the rest of the system was, it would all be for naught if the Water Tank copsed.


    During the Bone Strengthening Realm, one would have to strengthen his entire skeleton once to advance through a stage. But whether it do to ack of resources or time, some cultivators would choose not to Strengthen their entire skeleton to its perfection, leading to many differences between Bone Strengthening Realm cultivators.


    This was also another reason why Xiao''er wasn''t as strong as other Organ Tempering Realm cultivators. During her Bone Strengthening Realm stages, she had only strengthened her skeleton to the bare minimum needed to advance. And while Xue Bai kept trying to advise her not to, she would only reply with, ''I cultivate to live a long, fruitful life next to Young Master not to fight against others.''


    And since, besides her sound reasoning, she was a stubborn woman. So without bothering to try and convince her further, Xue Bai eventually gave up on trying to advise her not to.


    However, Xue Bai was the opposite. He cultivated to be strong amongst hispetitors. He needed to be strong, so in each realm, he had to be able to not only contest the Children of the ne but also beat them in same-stage fights.


    So since Xue Bai had a surplus of resources and a lot of time, he would make sure to strengthen each part of his skeleton to its absolute zenith. This would not only give him a much strongerbat power than hispetitors but also gives his future cultivation a stronger foundation.


    So sealing his senses, Xue Bai began to cultivate, ignoring the time that passed by.


    And would only open his eyes to swallow Bone Strengthening Pills or Natural Treasure. In this state, Xue Bai didn''t notice how fast time was going by until Xiao''er eventually shook him.


    "Young Master, we are here," Xiao''er said after Xue Bai opened his eyes.


    "Huh? There is no way I was cultivating for two days. That felt like, at most, one day." Xue Bai couldn''t believe he had lost track of the time that badly.


    "You''re right Young Master. It was only one day, but the recruitment ceremony changed slightly this year." Xiao''er exined.


    Apparently, this year, instead of the simple recruitment ceremony, where they only tested your Martial Vein, the Soaring Sword Sect and the other two Great Sects changed it.


    After the lighting bolts came down from the heavens, some expert diviners tried to predict what they were for. But after doing so, they were only met by various phrases that all roughly tranted to one meaning.


    Geniuses will appear like weeds in the spring, and the next century will be full of countless legends.


    So with that information, the Three Great Sects decided to change their recruitment ceremony to an Entrance Exam and go with a quality over quantity approach.


    As if the next era would be filled with geniuses, why would they try to recruit people who would only be trash in their generation?


    This way, while their poption would decrease, their overall strengths would increase.


    After hearing the exnation from Xiao''er, Xue Bai remembered that this did happen in the game, but due to his excitement, he forgot about it.


    However, it still didn''t matter. Even if Xue Bai were trash in regard to hisbat power, his Martial Vein would turn him into an exception.


    At the end of the day, even if Xue Bai wasn''t invincible in the same Realm, he could also run away ande back after his cultivation base surpassed his enemy.


    After all, most people on the Southern Continent had Martial Veins in the Yellow Grade, while some had a Low ck Grade. So to surpass them, Xue Bai would have to hole up and cultivate for at most 100 years beforeing out to avenge himself.


    But thankfully, that wasn''t the case with Xue Bai, so his chances of bing a Core Disciple were almost 100 percent. The only way Xue Bai wouldn''t be a Core Disciple was if he decided not to participate.


    "Xiao''er, when is the Entrance Exam?" Xue Bai asked as he stretched his sore limbs.


    Sitting down for a day hurt his legs.


    "It starts tomorrow afternoon, but the sign-ups have been open for almost a month now," Xiao''er answered.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Alright then, follow me. I will sign up in style!" Xue Bai proudly spoke as he exited his carriage.


    Li Rou, sensing the duo about to leave the carriage, opened her eyes, got out of her cultivation session, and followed Xue Bai out of the carriage leading the way for the group.


    She hade to protect her son, and sitting in a carriage while he explored an unknown and potentially dangerous city didn''t help her goal.


    The Wang Twins also took the moment to exit their cultivation state and follow the family. As even though Li Rou was there with them, they were Xue Bai''s bodyguards. So if they stayed far away while their Young Master was attacked, their reputation would be damaged even if Li Rou saved them.


    As the group strolled through the city, Xue Bai eventually would spot various signs mentioning the name of the city, which was simply named Soaring Sword City, in homage to its creator and backer.


    Xiao''er and Li Rou would asionally get stared at by the people walking by because of their high-tier beauty. But whether it was a good or bad thing, their looks were overshadowed by Xue Bai.


    Not only men but even some women would turn their heads to take a double take at Xue Bai. Giving him a huge headache, but thankfully any lustful attempts to create conversation were dealt with by the Xiantian Great Realm Li Rou.


    And after seeing multiple Domain Lords be sent flying by the casual backhand from Li Rou, no one dared to interact with Xue Bai anymore in fear for their lives.


    With Li Rou''s senses, the group soon found the registration line for the Entrance Exam, but after finding a line that spanned almost 500 people, Xiao''er became disgruntled.


    "Young Master, this is going to take forever!" Xiao''er mumbled.


    "You''re right, Little girl! Better obediently stay in line! Yesterday a 5th Stage Domain Lord was sent flying because he tried to skip the line." One man shouted after noticing the beautiful Xiao''er.  "A peak stage Domain Lord is watching over this event!"


    While the tip might now build a direct rtionship, it was better than nothing.


    "Xiao''er, you think too simple." Xue Bai spoke as he shook his head, "Mother, can you do the honors!"


    And since Li Rou didn''t want to spend the better half of a day in line, she obeyed her son''s words. And used the cultivation world''s version of a fast pass and immediately unleashed her cultivation base into the air.


    "Another group of fools!"


    "Just because you have three beauties doesn''t mean you can skip the line. This is the Soaring Sword Sect, not the red light district."


    The others in line were feeling disdainful at Li Rou''s act of aggression and were waiting for the group to be kicked out by the Core Elder supervising the registration. After all, a Peak Stage Domain Lord was watching this event. And because of Li Rou''s young appearance, the group didn''t think that Li Rou was stronger than a Domain Lord.


    Li Rou''s cultivation was on the Xiantian Great Realm. However, the people in line were youngsters still below the Qi Sea Realm. So how could they tell the difference between a Domain Lord and someone in the Xiantian Great Realm?


    To them, both auras were strong and profound but to go about differentiating them was too difficult.


    It was like trying to guess which of the two mountains was taller by standing at their base.


    And as they waited to see Li Rou and her group be sent flying, to their shock, the Core Elder supervising the event flew over instead ofunching Li Rou flying and greeted her with a fawning expression.


    "Senior, there is no need for you to unleash your aura. If you had told this Junior earlier, I would''ve let you skip this line." Instead, the Core Elder spoke in a polite sincere voice as he motioned for Li Rou and her group to move ahead.


    The Core Elder who managed the registration appeared to be in his middle ages but however due to his white hair, Xue Bai could tell he was nearing the end of his lifespan.


    He also carried a broadsword on his back, which was a signature characteristic of Soaring Sword Sect Disciples. Doing this would help them deeper understand Sword Law and increase their bond with their sword as well.


    Nodding at the man''s instructions Li Rou and her group walked through the crowd ignoring their reactions.


    "Senior, if I may ask, which of these two youngdies will you be allowing to join our Entrance Exam?" The Core Elder asked as he guided Li Rou toward the front.


    Though he felt that Li Rou looked familiar, he couldn''t guess her identity exactly, so he continued calling her Senior as to show respect.


    Either way, when they went to register for the Entrance Exam, Li Rou would say her identity then. So whether it was now orter didn''t matter much to the Soaring Sword Sect Core Elder.


    "Elder, I am a boy, and it''s just me. Xiao''er is my maid." Xue Bai spoke up, stunning the crowd.

 Chapter 91 Showing Off Spectacturaly

    ?Showing Off Spectacturaly


    However, unlike the crowd, the Elder managed to keep his calm. And thanks to the help of Xue Bai''s gender reveal he was finally able to guess Li Rou''s identity.


    "I see! So you must be the famous Young Duke Xue of The Great Xuan Empire. And this senior over here must be the prominent Peak Yellow Grade Alchemist Duchess Li! Forgive me for not recognizing you earlier." The Elder expertly spoke as he gave a curt bow.


    Even Xue Bai was slightly surprised by how eloquently the Elder of the Soaring Sword Sect spoke. Usually, people from the Soaring Sword Sect were blunt, rash, and very direct with their interactions.


    But this seemed to be theplete opposite. This Elder seemed to be extremely social and cultured to the point where he even gave both Xue Bai and Li Rou elegant titles instead of calling them by their names. It was to the point where even Xue Bai felt prideful of his title.


    "It''s fine, Elder. We didn''t introduce ourselves, so if anything, it''s our fault you didn''t recognize us." Xue Bai spoke after he finished gloating mentally.


    "So, Young Duke Xue, if I may ask, would you like to go through our entrance exam or join the sect directly?" The Elder asked as they made it to the registration desk.


    "I can skip the entrance exam?" Xue Bai asked, slightly shocked.


    "Of course you can, Young Duke Xue! You awakened a High ck Grade Martial Vein with a Fire Element affinity! Even if you were in our main sect, you''d be admitted without going through a trial. Let alone this branch Soaring Sword Sect." The Elderughed.


    Hearing that, Xue Bai found it reasonable. Even the Sect Master of the Main Branch of the Soaring Sword Sect was only in the Mortality Shedding Realm. So Xue Bai, who could not only reach that Realm but also possibly advance beyond it, was someone who could have rules bent around.


    After all, even if Xue Bai didn''t fight a single time during his stay at the Sect but merely cultivated diligently for a few hundred years, he could still be a powerhouse in the Mortality Shedding Realm. And for a Sect in the Central Continent where power mattered most, that was definitely a good trade.


    However, Xue Bai wanted to show off his talent and skills. So how could he not participate in the entrance exam?


    ''I became a shut-in for more than five years just to show off at this moment. I am going to show off, and I am going to do it spectacrly!'' Xue Bai thought.


    But on the surface, he kept his face calm and humble and spoke different words.


    "Elder, no matter how talented I am, I disdain people who try to bend the rules for their benefit! I will take the entrance exam like any other potential disciple." Xue Bai replied righteously.


    "Good words Young Duke Xue! That''s the exact temperament a swordsman should have! Righteous and forthright! I''ll sign you up right at this moment." The Elderughed merrily as the way that he looked at Xue Bai changed.


    ''I thought he would be like those other spoiled young masters and try to bend every rule of our sect as if it were their home. But it looks like I was wrong. This Xue Bai is destined to go ces.'' The Elder thought as he transcribed Xue Bai''s name onto a Jade Slip.


    "Young Duke Xue, forgive me for being pervasive, but I still do need to check your Marital Vein and Cultivation Base." The Elder spoke after he finished writing Xue Bai''s name down.


    Xue Bai, who had no problem and was even slightly excited, nodded at the man''s words. After all, revealing his heaven-defying cultivation base was surely the best way to show off, especially in such arge and diverse crowd.


    "Young Duke Xue, pour your Elemental Essence into this stone. It will test your Martial Vein." The Elder instructed.


    Obeying, Xue Bai poured in his Fire Element, but instead of doing it normally, Xue Bai, with precise control, managed to lower its purity far below its actual rank. While this trick was slightly hard to do, it was possible. However, since it served no positive purpose, no cultivator did it.


    After all, unless you n on going to y pig to eat the tiger, why would you want your Martial Vein rank known to be a lower rank than it actually was?


    And after a few seconds, the stone lit up and portrayed Xue Bai''s ''Martial Vein Rank.''


    "High ck Grade Fire Element Martial Vein!" A cold robotic voice boomed throughout the town square.


    And as it did, it also gave birth to some intense debates within the crowd spectating Xue Bai.


    "So the rumors were true. Xue Bai did awaken a better talent than Wang Yu."


    "Then who do you think will win the title of Holy Son?"


    "It''s hard to say. But I still think Wang Yu is going to be the next Holy Son."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yea, you''re right. After all, Xue Bai is still only 13 currently. Wang Yu is more than five years older than him."


    "Indeed. Even if Xue Bai will have a higher peak, Wang Yu is still in the lead for now. I heard he reached the 6th stage of the Qi Sea Realm a month ago."


    As the crowd tried analyzing the uing battle for the Holy Son between Xue Bai and Wang Yu, The Soaring Sword Sect Elder was so excited that his aging, wrinkled face turned rosy with enthusiasm.


    "Good! Good! Good!" The Elder yelled out three times.


    "Elder, where do I test my cultivation base?" Xue Bai calmly asked as he removed his hand from the testing stone.


    However, since the Elder was still relishing in his excitement, the impatient Li Rou snorted loudly to remind him where he was.


    Coming back to his senses thanks to the snort, the Elder quickly replied."Young Duke Xue, you can just take off your cultivation concealing artifact and let me examine it myself."


    The Elder was at the Peak Stage of the Domain Lord Realm, so if it weren''t for the cultivation-concealing artifact that Xue Bai wore, he would be able to tell his cultivation base easily.


    "Yes, Elder." Xue Bai humbly replied while taking off his ne, letting his cultivation base reveal itself.


    However, while he acted humble, the reveal was anything but. Giving not only the Elder but also everyone stronger than Xue Bai the shock of their life.


    "2nd stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm!" The Elder couldn''t help but gasp at the reveal.


    And like a rock thrown into a stillke, waves rippled in the crowd after the Elder''s words.


    "Xue Bai is in the Bone Strengthening Realm? How could that be? He''s only supposed to be 13 this year!"


    "He only awakened two years but advanced more than three entire realms? Is the Elder not mistaken?"


    "Fool! The Elder is in the Domain Lord. How could his senses not work for a 13-year-old?"


    "But still, even if Xue Bai started to cultivate at 10 or 9, isn''t reaching the Bone Strengthening Realm at 13 something impossible? Wang Yu only had a Martial Vein Rank 1 rank lower, and yet he only reached the Bone Strengthening Realm at 15 and a half. Xue Bai is more than two years younger currently."


    Xue Bai, the source of themotion, was struggling to keep his inner smile from revealing itself.


    ''Stay humble, Xue Bai! Stay humble. You can''t reveal your true nature yet!'' Xue Bai mentally brainwashed himself.


    "Young Duke Xue, you''re extremely talented. You''re making this old man feel useless." The Elder awkwardly spoke after he regained hisposure.


    "I''m still much weaker than you, Elder, so you don''t have to feel like that." Xue Bai replied humbly.


    Though hisment helped to reduce some of the Elder''s feelings, it still didn''tpletely erase them. And after he wrote down Xue Bai''s 2nd stage Bone Strengthening Realm cultivation, he respectfully bid himself farewell.


    The Elder feared if he stayed any longer, his Dao Heart would copse.


    "Young Duke Xue, I have registered you for the entrance exam. You cane then, and you''ll be able to take it then." The Elder shouted as he walked back to his desk.


    Giving the Elder a respectful bow, Xue Bai left the crowd. The group nned to find a nice hotel to stay in until the exams started.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Read the Author''s Note!

 Chapter 92 First Trial

    ?First Trial


    Thanks to Big Wang and his imposing aura, the group managed to get the name and location of the nicest hotel in Soaring Sword City from one of the other youths preparing to register. And after buying four rooms for a day, the group went to cultivate for the night.


    However, inside his room, Xue Bai looked at his guest with an odd gaze.


    "Xiao''er, what are you doing in my room? I thought you had one for yourself." Xue Bai asked as he noticed Xiao''er sitting on his bed.


    "I have Wang Shu my room to sleep in," Xiao''er replied innocently.


    "But where are you going to sleep then? There is only one bed in here." Xue Bai said in response.


    "You''re going to cultivate tonight, Young Master. I can sleep on the bed." Xiao''er replied as she tucked herself in the bed as if it were her own.


    And before Xue Bai could say anything in response, she fell asleep.


    "This woman just stole my bed, didn''t she?" Xue Bai was dumbstruck at the odd series of events, "She''s right. I wasn''t nning on sleeping, but still, how can you just take it?"


    But no matter how much he thought about the situation, Xiao''er was still fast asleep on his bed.


    Shaking his head, Xue Bai chose to ignore his rebellious maid''s action and sat cross-legged to cultivate for the day,


    Though it was still the early hours of the afternoon, Xue Bai didn''t have anything to do in the city. So instead of wandering the city aimlessly, he nned just to seclude himself and cultivate for the day.


    Swallowing a few Bone Strengthening Pills, Xue Bai closed his eyes and started to strengthen his bones.


    The Bone Strengthening and Organ Tempering Realm Realm were the opposite of the previous Realm, the Muscle Nourishing Realm.


    As in thetter, you would have to use Spiritual Qi and slowly nourish your muscles giving them strength, flexibility, and endurance.


    However, in the Bone Strengthening and Organ Tempering Realm, you''d do the opposite. Using Spiritual Qi as a cksmith''s hammer, you''d have stamped out all of the impurities within your bones and organ, thereby strengthening and purifying them at the same time.


    Because of this, the Bone Strengthening Realm and the Organ Tempering Realm were known as the test of will and determination of a cultivator.


    However, thanks to the Bone Strengthening Pills Li Rou gave him, Xue Bai could ignore the heart-wrenching pain normal cultivators had to go through.


    The Bone Strengthening Pills were made with the intention of giving Xue Bai a painless time through the Realm. And while they were most definitely slower than being rough and merciless to yourself, Xue Bai had the time.


    He was merely 13 and a half currently. So his taking an extra month or two during the Bone Strengthening and Organ Tempering Realm to avoid a lot of pain was worth it in his mind.


    Losing his sense of time, Xue Bai cultivated diligently throughout the day until he was awakened by a nug from Xiao''er.


    "Young Master, the entrance exam is starting soon. Wake up." Xiao''er gently spoke, trying to wake Xue Bai up.


    Opening his eyes, Xue Bai awakened from the cultivation session. And after giving his sore limbs a nice stretch, he changed into his athletic wear.


    While Xue Bai didn''t know what the entrance exam would be about, he knew that he would have to fight something eventually.


    So after freshening up and with Xiao''er at his side, Xue Bai walked out of the hotel room and made his way to the square. He didn''t know what his mother was doing. However, he was sure that she could still sense him from wherever she was.


    The Spiritual Sense of someone in the Spirit Awakening Realm was more than enough to cover the entire Soaring Sword City.


    However, just in case, Xue Bai still notified the Wang Twins for them toe and protect him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Meanwhile, almost ten thousand prospective disciples had congregated in the city square. The entrance exam was scheduled to start at noon, but since the Core Elder who was in charge was a knownzy man, he had yet to arrive even though it was 11:45.


    Even some of the Inner Disciples who were there for crowd control were getting impatient, but after remembering who it was, they forced themselves to hold it in.


    But as the time grew closer and closer to noon, eventually, the Inner Disciple with the highest cultivation stood up to address the crowd of exam takers.


    "All potential Junior Disciples, Since Elder Yang is not yet here, then I, Luo Ye, will announce the rules in the meantime!" Luo Ye yelled out to the crowd.


    "There are going to be 2 trials today that will determine whether you can join our Soaring Sword Sect, and tomorrow there will be one final test that will decide your cement within the Sect!'' Luo Ye exined simply before going into detail.


    However, the first exam was supposed to take ce right after Elder Yang appeared in the square. And it consisted of him unleashing his aura of the Peak Stage of the Domain Lord Realm out. This would test the will and the foundation of the exam takers.


    Cultivators who were raised up with medicines while staying inside theirfortable homes and ignoring any chances to fight and temper their will were no cultivators that the Soaring Sword Sect wanted.


    The Soaring Sword Sect was a sect that needed swordsmen who were not only ruthless to the enemy but also themselves, and weak-willed noble generation medicine jars weren''t needed.


    And the easiest way to fish them out was to use the strength of a powerhouse like Elder Yang. As participants who had weak and unsteady foundations, thanks to having their strength forcibly advanced by pills, wouldn''t be able to survive the aura of someone that strong.


    But now that Elder Yang wasn''t showing himself, Luo Ye didn''t know how to start the exam. After all, while he was a mighty and famous inner disciple, he was merely in the Dharma Idol Realm, and his aura was nowhere near the strength of a Domain Lord, let alone a Peak Stage one like Elder Yang.


    Thankfully just as Luo Ye was going to reschedule the exam, a sword came flying in from the Soaring Sword Sect above. And on top of that sword stood a white-haired young man.


    He was wearing the standard garb that was required of a Core Elder from the Soaring Sword Sect. Still, instead of wearing it correctly as it usually was, he had opened it loose in the middle, allowing his arm to rest in the pocket he had created rather than having it at his side.


    And in his other arm, he held a wine gourd that permeated a fruity wine aroma that even the exam participants on the ground could smell even though they were almost 100 meters below the man.


    However, unlike the professional-looking Core Elder that Xue Bai had yesterday, that oozed noble bearing and eloquence, this Core Elder who flew in looked like a drunk that anyone could find in a town. If it weren''t for the fact that he didn''t have a long messy beard or was wearing the uniform of a Core Elder from the Soaring Sword Sect, the exam participants would assume he was.


    The Core Elder in question flew down from the sky and sheathed the sword he rode in on before taking a long swig from his wine gourd. After this, he finally addressed the people in the crowd, who were stunned.


    "Potential Martial Nephews and Nieces, I am Elder Yang and the proctor for your first trial. And since I waste and I was never a man for pleasantries, the trial will start now!" Elder Yang shouted before he unleashed his aura without warning.


    And because of the no warning, almost right after Elder Yang''s aura released, hundreds of people knelt, mming their faces onto the hard concrete.


    "This is only the aura of someone in the Early Stages of the Dharma Idol Realm! Currently, there are just over 9,000 people in this square. But Senior Brother told me that is way too much, so I        will keep increasing the strength of the aura until there are only 5,000!" Elder Yang yelled out.


    And true to his word, Elder Yang would increase its strength slightly over the course of the entire test.


    As time passed during the first test, more exam takers were forced to kneel and fail the test.


    By the time it had reached 5 minutes, Elder Yang''s aura had risen to the Middle Stages of the Dharma Idol Realm, while more than 2.500 people had already failed the trial. But thankfully, because of the strong inner disciples nearby, anyone who had failed were picked up and taken out of the square before anysting harm could happen to them.


    Elder Yang, seeing this grew somewhat impatient and raised the strength of another Minor Realm going to the Late Stages. And almost immediately after he did so, hundreds of exam takers wobbled, struggling to stand while some couldn''t hold on and face-nted onto the ground.


    "Elder Yang, the number has reached 3,000!" Luo Ye shouted as he pulled another young teen out from the concrete.


    The only requirements of this entrance exam were to be under 25 years old, but sinceter on there would be a demonic beast hunt, most examinees were in the older age range. So while seeing a young teen was rare in the crowd, they were still there.


    However, sadly since strength was going to be needed in theter parts of the exam, most of the young people were going to fail this year.


    Well, except for a few.

 Chapter 93 Second Trial, More Cannon Fodder

    ?Second Trial, More Cannon Fodder


    "Xiao''er, how long do you think this is going to take?" Xue Bai asked curiously.


    Currently, he was on the edge of the town square, not because he wanted to be low profile, but because he got to the examte. So rather than push through the massive crowd, Xue Bai decided to stay on the edge. It didn''t matter how far he was from Elder Yang, as the pressure remained the same strength everywhere.


    And at the edge, he was casually standing upright as if there were no pressure on his shoulders. However, since Xiao''er was the type of person this test was aiming to weed out, he had to take the pressure on her, too, so he had an arm around the maid''s shoulders to make sure she wouldn''t fall.


    Xiao''er, free of any pressure, thought about Xue Bai''s question seriously for a moment.


    "That man over there in the inner disciple''s robe said that there have been 3,000 dropouts so far, so it can''t be much longer," Xiao''er answered.


    Nodding slightly at her answer, Xue Bai was about to move closer to the center, but a figure shed in front of him just as he was about to take a step forward.


    "Young Duke Xue, while we know you are talented enough to join the sect, bringing in an extra person seems too much, doesn''t it?" It was Luo Ye.


    Elder Yang had noticed how Xue Bai was carrying Xiao''er through the exam and was slightly displeased, but while he was a drunk, he knew not to expel such a prodigy rashly. So he ordered Luo Ye to go and try to stop Xue Bai.


    "Senior Brother, this is just my maid. I don''t y on doing this to anyone else." Xue Bai responded.


    "Young Duke Xue, that might be true, but it still doesn''t make what you''re doing right." Luo Ye sighed. He, too, didn''t want to nag, but since it was Elder Yang''s order, he had to.


    "Then, when I be a Core Disciple tomorrow, am I allowed to bring her in as a servant?" Xue Bai asked as he tried to negotiate.


    However, as arrogant as Xue Bai sounded, his words were very likely toe true. He had a High ck Martial Vein Rank and a cultivation that rivaled people a decade older than him.


    If Xue Bai couldn''t be a Core Disciple, then who could?


    "This¡­ I need to ask Elder Yang for permission." Luo Ye spoke hesitantly before flying off.


    While Luo Ye thought Xue Bai''s words were arrogant, he also believed that Xue Bai could fulfill them. So rather than deny the future Core Disciple coldly, he could go to an Elder and have them deny Xue Bai.


    This way, while Xue Bai might be slightly angry at Luo Ye, most of the anger would be diverted to Elder Yang instead of him.


    Xue Bai, with nowhere to be, as the test was still in progress, waited for Luo Ye patiently in the same spot.


    Very soon, Luo Ye flew back with the decision from Elder Yang.


    "Young Duke Xue, Elder Yang said that your maid can enter the sect as a servant that can follow you but on the condition that you have to be a Core Disciple." Luo Ye spoke.


    At first, Elder Yang was adamant about tossing Xiao''er out, but after some very patient persuasion from Luo Ye, he managed to calm the Elder down and make him make the correct decision.


    "I''ll follow your arrangements, Senior Brother." Xue Bai replied with cup fists before turning around and shouting, "Big Wang! Take Xiao''er out of the town Square."


    And before Luo Ye could react, Big Wang appeared next to them and escorted Xiao''er away.


    Since Xue Bai wasn''t in the Qi Sea Realm and couldn''t project his Spiritual Qi outside his body yet, he had to hold Xiao''er to protect her from the pressure manually. But Big Wang didn''t need to and merely ced a shield around the maid while escorting her out.


    While Big Wang could also hold Xiao''er to escort her out, he wasn''t a fool and obviously didn''t choose that option. Even though Xue Bai and Xiao''er still hadn''t done anything physical yet, how dare he touch her? She was Xue Bai''s future woman!


    Even if Big Wang didn''t die afterward, he would lose the hand he touched Xiao''er with at the minimum.


    Seeing that Xiao''er left without making arge fuss, Luo Ye sighed in relief. Adding on the fact that Xue Bai was extremely cordial, he felt like he was lucky.


    Most second-generation nobles like Xue Bai would be arrogant to the heavens, and even having them follow the long-standing rules of the Soaring Sword Sect would cause a massive problem. But thankfully, Xue Bai wasn''t like those good-for-nothings. Instead, he was a very humble and down-to-earth young man.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then Young Duke Xue, Senior Brother, wishes you luck for today''s trials. I must be going back to my duties now." Luo Ye bid Xue Bai farewell before flying off to continue his job.


    Following the small interlude, after about ten more minutes of peace and quiet, the trial soon ended.


    After counting that there were only 5000 people left, Elder Yang withdrew his aura and left. Only the first trial needed him to be there. And while he was told to stay for all of the trials today, he didn''t care and only wished to go back to his peak and drink.


    Luo Ye obviously saw through this but could only shake his head. After all, he was only in the Dharma Idol Realm. How could he force a Peak Stage Domain Lord to stay if he didn''t want to?


    "Potential Junior Brothers and Sisters, please nowe close. We are going to take an airship to the next trial site." Luo Ye loudly spoke as he took out an airship from his spatial ring.


    Thankfully because of its immense size, it could hold all 5,000 participants. And after all of them boarded, Luo Ye exined the next trial.


    Of course, this spatial ring wasn''t Luo Ye''s, but the sects, as a spatial ring big enough to carry an airship, had to be, at the minimum, a ck Grade Treasure.


    The next trial involved a demonic beast hunt that was going to take ce in a forest that the Soaring Sword Sect strictly guarded and monitored. There, thanks to the Soaring Sword Sect''s purposeful rearing, the strongest demonic beast was only at the peak of the Qi Sea Realm.


    This trial would testbat power and strength.


    Thanks to an Array Formation that covered the entire forest, every demonic beast that someone killed would be tallied and marked as points. And after this trial, only the top 1000 would be able to join the Soaring Sword Sect.


    The participants, hearing the rules, were worried about their chances as this year, the Soaring Sword Sect didn''t seem to care about potential much but rather, current strength. Both the first and second trials catered to the stronger and older participants rather than the young and full of potential ones.


    However, since no one dared to call out the Soaring Sword Sect, they all shut their mouths and could only prepare for a chaotic second exam.


    On the other hand, Xue Bai was rtively calm about the current situation. Of the participants, only a few hundred were in the Organ Tempering Realm, giving Xue Bai an almost guaranteed chance of passing.


    Anyone who was in the Qi Sea Realm and above, as long as they weren''t old and at the end of their potential, were allowed into the sect with almost no trials needed. This meant that the strongest possiblepetitors Xue Bai had, were, at most, at the peak of the Organ Tempering Realm.


    And Xue Bai''s cultivation of the 2nd stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm, and his leapfrog ability of 4 stages, he was as strong as someone in the 6th stage. And that was more than enough to ce him into the top 1000.


    As long as he didn''t immediately run into a Qi Sea Realm demonic beast, nothing really could stop Xue Bai from joining the sect, which caused him to feel calm.


    However, as he was rxing on a reclining chair he intelligently kept in his spatial ring, a group of people came to disturb him.


    "Xue Bai, you seem awfully calm. Are you so arrogant that you think you beat everyone here with just your mere Bone Strengthening Realm cultivation?" A disdainful voice spoke.


    Opening his eyes slightly, Xue Bai found the culprit and the entourage in front of him, all carrying smug looks toward him. And though Xue Bai didn''t know who they were, seeing their extremely famous robe, he could tell which force they belonged to.


    "Wang n, huh? I thought you all were still holed up mourning your Grand Elder and Third Elder. Why are youing to join the Soaring Sword Sect?" Xue Bai sneered, giving the group no respect whatsoever.


    Stunned at his undisguised arrogance, the group didn''t know what to say for a second. Their group had five people, all of whom were in the Organ Tempering Realm. And one of them was even at the peak of the Realm.


    So while they didn''t think Xue Bai would fear them, as fighting was strictly forbidden on the airship, they thought he would be slightly apprehensive at least.


    After all, the Wang n was much stronger than his own n, and they were overwhelmingly stronger than him. But not only did Xue Bai not care, he even insulted them and their n.


    "You! Xue Bai, how dare you curse our Wang n!" The leader shouted usingly.


    The shout also managed to attract some attention from the rest of the ship as both parties were high-profile candidates to join the Soaring Sword Sect. One was the most talented person in their generation, and the other was a well-known Wang n genius.


    But to everyone''s disappointment, Xue Bai didn''t respond to the man''s poor attempt at goading and just closed his eyes and continued resting. Sensing that, the Wang n leader tried to goat Xue Bai more, but Xue Bai still stayed silent, ignoring the group.


    ''I''ll kill you allter! For now, you can speak as much as you like!'' Xue Bai thought mentally.

 Chapter 94 The Second Trial Begins

    ?The Second Trial Begins


    Xue Bai had no good feelings for the Wang n, and while his father and the Wang n hadn''t broken off all rtions yet, that was only on the surface. Both groups wanted nothing more than to kill every single person rted to the other.


    Wang Yichen knew that Wang Yin was killed by somebody from Xue Feng''s camp and was furious. While Xue Feng still wanted to avenge Xue Bai from when he was almost crippled.


    So Xue Bai seeing such talented Wang n members who were going to join the Soaring Sword Sect, how could he let them live? They obviously weren''t joining the Sect to help it. Most likely, they were spies to be nted inside to do just the opposite.


    And even though these Wang n members most likely didn''t know why they were ordered to join the Soaring Sword Sect, they would in time. Either once they rise to a prominent position or their Demonic Sect backers make their move into the Southern Continent.


    However, one way or another, if they joined the Soaring Sword Sect, they would only create chaos and mischief, so stopping them beforehand would only help Xue Bai in the long run.


    Unaware of their imminent demise, the Wang n members eventually walked away from Xue Bai, but not before throwing a myriad of insults his way.


    However, since the crowd could tell that Xue Bai disdained even talking to them, it only looked like a pathetic attempt to protect their pride and reputation.


    As the airship flew closer and closer to their set destination, Luo Ye made his way to the deck where all of the 5,000 participants were waiting.


    "Potential Junior Brothers and Sisters, since we won''t reach our destination for another hour, I will take this time to exin to you the rules of the second trial!" Luo Ye shouted, gaining everyone''s attention.


    And with no one daring to miss the rules, they all became mute and awaited Luo Ye''s exnation.


    ? Like most of them guessed, the second trial involved a demonic beast hunt. Before entering the forest, each participant would receive a token that was linked to the Array Formation surrounding the forest.


    In the forest, every demonic beast, small orrge, was intrinsically linked to the array, meaning at the event that should a monster die, the Array Formation would notice. So for the participant to gain the points of their defeated prey, they would have to go to its corpse and ce their jade token on it.


    After which, they would be able to gain the points that the demonic beast was worth.


    For points, the ranking was very orderly and easy to understand.


    Early Stage Muscle Nourishing Realm 1 point.


    Middle Stage Muscle Nourishing Realm 5 points.


    Late Stage Muscle Nourishing Realm 10 points.


    Peak Stage Muscle Nourishing Realm 15 points.


    Early Bone Strengthening Realm 50 points.


    Middle Bone Strengthening Realm 100 points.


    Late Bone Strengthening Realm 150 points.


    Peak Bone Strengthening Realm 200 points.


    Early Organ Tempering Realm 500 points.


    Middle Organ Tempering Realm 750 points.


    Late Organ Tempering Realm 1000 points.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Peak Organ Tempering Realm 1250 points.


    If it came to the case where someone killed a Qi Sea Realm beast, they would instantly be allowed to join the Inner Sect.


    As not only were there very few Qi Sea realm beasts inside the forest but also having the strength of the Qi Sea Realm was the minimum requirement to join the Inner Sect.


    After Luo Ye finished exining the next trial, he asked if the crowd had any questions. But since there were more than 5000 people on the deck, his open-ended question turned into a shouting game.


    Sensing his mistake, Luo Ye unleashed his aura and forced the crowd to calm down.


    "One at a time, and if anyone asks a stupid and nonsensical question, then don''t me me for being rude!" Luo Ye snorted as he followed up.


    After that, more than 80% of the questions were retracted. While they didn''t know what a stupid and nonsensical question was, no one wanted to be the one who was used as an example.


    "Senior Brother Luo, during the trial, what should we do if we n to team up!" Someone yelled out.


    "A good question! But the answer is simple. The token has a feature to trade and give points. So if you are teaming up with others, have the leader be someone trustworthy and split the points fairly." Luo Ye answered.


    After that, one of the Wang n members would ask a question.


    "Senior Brother Luo, what about deaths? Surely during an exam this size, deaths are unavoidable." The Wang n member spoke, but throughout his entire question, he had his gaze locked on Xue Bai.


    Luo Ye, with how astute he was, easily noticed that there seemed to be some bad blood between the two parties. And though he knew Xue Bai had an extraordinary identity, he didn''t want to have the Young Duke to have an easy time.


    So as to give the Wang n member the green light, Luo Ye replied, "Of course! Deaths are naturally going to be unavoidable in such an environment. So as to stop some unnecessary deaths, we are also going to give every participant a re! If you shoot this re into the air, either my fellow Inner disciples and I or an Outer Elder wille to assist you."


    The crowd, hearing that they had a safety, had their hopes up, but Luo Ye continued his sentence before they could get relieved fully.


    "However, depending on where your re is shot from, it could take a few minutes for someone to assist you. So take the re with the knowledge that it isn''t instant. Of course, if you shoot out your re, you are disqualified from this year''s entrance exam." Luo Ye finished.


    The Wang n member who asked this was all smiles, and as to try and instill some fear into Xue Bai, he looked over and sliced his finger across his neck.


    But sadly, the Wang n was met by a fast-asleep Xue Bai, who hadn''t seen anything he had done. Flushed from the embarrassment, he quickly looked away and paid attention to Luo Ye.


    The Q&A would continue, and after having to kick out a few idiotic participants, the airship finally reached its destination. And after theynded on the outskirts of the forest, Luo Ye gave them a warning.


    "Before you all go into the forest, I am going to warn you all. While killing a Qi Sea Realm demonic beast will instantly allow you to be an Inner Disciple like me, it is also the fastest way to die an unnecessary death." Luo spoke solemnly. "A Qi Sea Realm demonic beast is something on apletely different level than one in the Organ Tempering Realm. Not only can they release Spiritual Qi from their body, giving them a ranged attack, but they also have a demon core giving them more than enough endurance to fight an extended battle."


    Unlike the thunderhawk that Xue Bai found in the Secret Realm, demonic beasts, like humans, aren''t able to release Spiritual Qi from their bodies, as they can only reinforce themselves with it.


    So when going against a demonic beast who had not only the physical strength advantage but also a ranged advantage, any participant going against a Qi Sea Realm demonic beast wouldn''t have any advantage other than intelligence.


    And to prevent ignorant deaths, Luo Ye specially warned the participants from going against one.


    After the warning, Luo Ye waved his hand, and to hismand, a group of Soaring Sword Sect disciples started to hand out the tokens and the res to the participants.


    "Potential Junior Brothers and Sisters, I wish you all good luck!" Luo Ye yelled out to the 5000 participants before rudely kicking them off of the ship.


    They had the rules exined to them, were given the tokens needed to keep score, and were exined how the re works. So like a mother bird pushing their children out of the nest, Luo Ye left the participants to themselves as he controlled the airship to fly up once again.

 Chapter 95 Space Element Uses, Gravity Field Array

    ?Space Element Uses, Gravity Field Array


    Xue Bai, ignoring every person who wanted to team up with him, sprinted off into the forest.


    While teaming up was a good idea for most contestants, as the forest was a deadly ce. And more concentrated strength meant that not only were their chances of survival higher but also their chances of joining the Soaring Sword Sect!


    But Xue Bai was confident in his strength. And in the off chance that he did end up running into something far beyond his capabilities, he had nock of survival items to protect his life.


    Though the Inner Disciples had examined all of their spatial rings and taken any extremely powerful artifacts, they weren''t able to sense the items Xue Bai was given by his parents.


    As Xiantian Great Realm cultivators, they could ce a part of their will onto Xue Bai''s body, and in a moment of survival, all Xue Bai needed to do was circte Spiritual Qi into the brand and activate it, thereby saving his life.


    And not only that, but Xue Bai also had a few forms of protection that didn''t break the rules.


    However, even if he were so weak that he needed to team up with others or didn''t have a life-saving measure, Xue Bai wouldn''t. And it was for a very simple reason. He was shy!


    Most of his interactions involved exchanging pleasantries with other various nobles, like Yan Zhenyu, or putting on a fake persona to befriend important characters in the plot, like Huo Long or Yan Fengxian.


    But when it came to making a friend from scratch, Xue Bai was clueless. In his first life, he didn''t interact with a single person his age and lived in a hospital room bed bound. While in his second life, Xue Bai had holed up at home for the five years he had been here.


    And though Xue Bai had certainly interacted with other people in this world besides the important figures in the plot, no one he had spoken to was his age.


    Thankfully his extremely shy nature was mistaken as him being a cold and arrogant genius above worldly matters by the other exam takers.


    However, unlike the other participants, who were full of awe at the cold Xue Bai, the Wang n members were filled with killing intent. Not only did he make them look like fools in the airship, but even if he hadn''t, their Patriarch long passed the order to kill Xue Bai any chance they could.


    "Young Master Lin, what are we going to do about that Xue Bai? The Patriarch wants his head." One of the Wang n members looks over at their leader and asks.


    The leader of the group and the person Xue Bai embarrassed the most looked thoughtful for a moment before giving out orders.


    "Wang Xiang, you are the Third Elder''s son, so I think you should constantly follow Xue Bai and give us his position. While killing Xue Bai is important, entering the Soaring Sword Sect is as well. We only have two days for this trial, so if we spend too much time looking for and trying to kill Xue Bai, we might not be able to gather enough points to pass." Wang Lin spoke calmly.


    Surprisingly the group of Wang n members who were joining the Soaring Sword Sect in this exam was all people of high social standing. Besides Wang Xiang, who was the son of a high-ranking Elder, the other two who were looked over by most of the other participants were also the children of Elders. Albeit their parents weren''t as high ranking as Wang Xiang''s father.


    And as the leader of this group of second-generation talents, Wang Lin was the son of the First Elder Wang Chen!


    However, unlike Wang Xiang or Wang Yu, who were the only children of their parents, Wang Lin was the youngest of 3 brothers meaning his position in the n hierarchy was slightly reduced.


    But still, thanks to his father still being alive, unlike Wang Xiang, Wang Lin was put in charge of this group of Wang n members.


    Wang Xiang unsurprisingly had no objections to Wang Lin''s order as he felt it was very simple for him. As Wang Yin''s son, while he hadn''t reached his father''s level orprehended the Law of Shadows yet, he still was given the same demonic snake cultivation technique as his father while also being taught the same concealment techniques.


    Meaning that he was more than capable of stalking a much weaker Xue Bai. Also, by stalking Xue Bai, he could also avoid having to kill demonic beasts to pass this exam, making the situation a win-win for him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    So after giving a few more orders to the other two Wang n members, Wang Lin and Wang Xiang both went their separate ways. One following the direction Xue Bai left in and the other in the opposite direction.


    Xue Bai, while he was unaware of just who exactly wasing to stalk him, knew that there would be one toe. But since he didn''t have a Spiritual Sense, nor did he have a wealth of experience in covering his tracks, he let it happen.


    He had a n that would help him kill someone of Wang Lin''s strength. He only needed time to set it up. So after running a few miles away from the drop site, Xue Bai got to work.


    Going into his spatial ring, Xue Bai pulled out various formation gs and started to set them up in a wide clearing of the forest he found.


    In the past few years, he had been in this world, other than alchemy from his mother, Xue Bai had dabbled in array formations, as his father was known as one of the best formation masters on the continent.


    Any powerhouse that wanted to establish a force woulde to his father and ask Xue Feng to help them build various array formations, whether it be a protection array or a Spiritual Qi gathering array.


    So if Xue Bai didn''t at least inherit some of his father''s skills, it''d be a waste.


    However, this array formation that Xue Bai was setting up was something that he created himself using the knowledge of his Spatial Element.


    Xue Bai knew that before the Qi Sea Realm, cultivators couldn''t release Spiritual Qi from their bodies unless very specific scenarios happened. But Xue Bai didn''t want to be constrained by such a stupid rule, so he made his own way around it.


    By creating an array formation!


    In the Baishen ne, there were many different types of array formations: Attack, Defense, Protection, Supportive, etc. And the one that Xue Bai created was, in essence, a supportive formation; however, in reality, it was more attack rted than supportive.


    By imbuing each Formation g with the Space Element, Xue Bai was able to create a gravity field.


    Though back on Earth, humans could never truly understand gravity, there was a well-recognized theory about it.


    Humans thought gravity to be rted between your mass and the piece ofnd you were currently on, whether it be a, meteor, or whatever. That''s why there was no gravity in outer space, as you weren''t standing on anything, meaning no force was pulling you downward.


    So after almost a year of thinking and failed experiments, Xue Bai finally found a way to take advantage of that and create a gravity field using his Space Element.


    By imbuing his Space Element on specific formation gs that Xue Bai had his father created for him, Xue Bai essentially managed to stackyers of space on top of each other. Meaning that for each formation g Xue Bai set up, he could increase the gravity by one fold.


    So for the dozen formation gs that he was setting up in an ambush location, Xue Bai could magnify the gravity in the area by a whopping 12x!


    This meant that whoever managed to fall into Xue Bai''s trap would not only have to fight him but also the crushing gravity that was threatening to turn their body into mush.


    Xue Bai, using some soldiers who had volunteered, managed to figure out that no one below the Qi Sea Realm could handle 10x gravity. 11x gravity would reduce the strength of a Qi Sea Realm cultivator by almost 50%, while 12x could evenpletely immobilize one!


    Xue Bai wanted to make more formation gs and potentially be able to take down some with a much higher cultivation base, but he could only control 12 formation gs. And even then, it was extremely straining on him, so if he weren''t forced to, Xue Bai wouldn''t activate all 12.


    But nheless, with these 12 formation gs Xue Bai, as long as he had enough preparation time, Xue Bai was invincible in this entrance exam!

 Chapter 96 Gravity Field Activate

    ?Gravity Field Activate


    After setting up the array formation, Xue Bai knew he needed some bait for his n to work. And what better bait than him, the very target itself?


    But Xue Bai very quickly shook that idea out of his head. While standing in the center of the formation would be a very easy way to lure out whoever was chasing him. It would also scream out, "I have a n. Come close to me."


    Even a braindead person would know that Xue Bai had a trump card and was waiting for someone to test him. Or the man could just use ranged attacks from afar to pelt the restrained Xue Bai to death.


    Either way standing inside a circle and waiting for his stalker wasn''t a n Xue Bai wanted to use.


    So after some brainstorming, Xue Bai eventually found a suitable n. And after leaving his array formation behind, Xue Bai dove into the forest in search of a demonic beast.


    His n was simple. Lure a demonic beast near his array formation and, while showing his back to where his array Xue Bai would pretend to struggle against it. This way, hopefully, Xue Bai would get his stalker to appear behind him and in the array formation where his life would be forfeit.


    Jumping from tree to tree, Xue Bai searched for a suitable beast to ''struggle against.'' While his stalker might not know the limits of Xue Bai''s strength, he could still assume that Xue Bai could cross a stage or two to fight.


    This wasmon for high-level geniuses everywhere in the cultivation world. Even Wang Yu could leapfrog above his rank and fight people two stages above him.


    So if Xue Bai couldn''t, while it wouldn''t be an instant red g, there would definitely be some suspicions.


    Eventually, Xue Bai found a demonic beast that should be beyond his capabilities. It was an Azure Winged Wolf in the 5th stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm.


    The Azure Winged Wolf, while it had a mighty name, it was amon demonic beast throughout the Baishen ne. At first, many had thought it to be a descendent of the legendary Moon Howling Heavenly Wolf, a demonic beast that could grow to the God Great Ream. But after many disappointments, the Azure Wing Wolf was eventuallybeled as an odd mutation of the Azure Wolf.


    This Azure Wing Wolf in front of Xue Bai, like the others, looked extremely simr to the Azure Wolf, a demonic beast that could grow up to the Qi Sea Realm but had a set of pure white wings, giving it a holy aura. However, it was constructed by the bloodthirsty expression it always carried.


    And while this demonic beast was certainly strong and had the realm advantage over Xue Bai, Xue Bai had thebat power of a 6th-stage Bone Strengthening Realm cultivator.


    But, since he needed to y pig to eat the tiger against both the Azure Winged wolf and his stalker, Xue Bai didn''t use his full strength and causally shot off a half-charged arrow at his opponent before retreating.


    The arrow wasn''t imbued with either of Xue Bai''s elements, nor did he use his entire strength to fire it. So the Azure Winged Wolf, who was suddenly pierced in the back by an arrow from a much weaker prey, was naturally enraged.


    So giving, after unleashing a guttural roar, the almost 3-meter tall Azure Winged Wolf unfettered his wings and flew in the direction Xue Bai ran in.


    The Azure Winged Wolf, while it had a wingspan of almost double its height, wasn''t able to fly but could only glide due to its massive weight. However, that was more than enough to catch up to his much weaker prey.


    But while the Azure Winged Wolf chased Xue Bai through the dense and chaotically arranged forest, it soon realized that its wings would do more harm than good and retracted them, opting to chase Xue Bai on foot.


    And this chase would continue for a long time, as Xue Bai would take various detours making sure that when he retreated to where he set up his array formation, it would look out of desperation and not nned.


    Not forgetting to constantly shoot arrows back at the Azure Winged Wolf behind him to keep it enraged, Xue Bai calmly navigated through the forest as if it were his own home.


    Using the branches of trees and boosting pads or spots to grapple, Xue Bai was like a fish in the water as he dove and ran through the forest calmly.


    Finally, after taking almost half an hour of leading the Azure Winged Wolf around, Xue Bai arrived back at his array formation, where he, afternding on a position just outside of it, turned to fight the demonic beast.


    As an opening attack, Xue Bai took back out his bow and sent off a ming arrow at the Azure Winged Wolf''s eye. Then, without even bothering to wait for the arrow to reach its target, Xue Bai charged at his enemy with Fire Breath in hand.


    Ever since he won the sword in the auction 18 months ago, it hadpletely overtaken Pale Blue as his signature weapon. The Fire Element amplification that it gave was too valuable at lower cultivation Realms. In the five physical Realms, where every power boost was useful, a 50% amplification was heaven-defying.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Azure Winged Wolf, who was still enraged from Xue Bai leading it around for almost an hour, wanted nothing more than to kill and eat Xue Bai this instant.


    So instead of dodging the two-pronged attack, it used a w to swipe the arrow away, then ignoring the searing pain it felt on its paw, jumped at Xue Bai, who was still charging.


    Even though the Azure Winged Wolf was enraged, it still kept some rationality and wanted to use its advantage to win the fight against Xue Bai. It knew it was stronger than the tiny human and nned to use its physical body to crush Xue Bai.


    However, Xue Bai had long predicted something simr, and as the Azure Winged Wolf was in the middle of its jump, he pulled out a spare sword from his spatial ring and threw it at the demonic beast''s wing.


    The Azure Winged Wolf, not sensing a threat from the feeble-looking iron sword, nned to, like the arrow previously, swat it away. But since the w it used earlier was still in pain, it used one of its wings, expecting to see the iron sword be sent flying.


    However, what it didn''t know was that the sword was imbued with Xue Bai''s Space Element. So after the Azure Winged Wolf''s wing made contact with the sword, it was pierced through like a bullet going through a sheet of paper, almost cutting the wing in half.


    Xue Bai''s Space Element, to the ignorant people of the Baishen ne, would bepletely overlooked. Instead, they would think the iron sword he threw out was a treasure sword that could cut through steel like mud.


    And while this would also give Xue Bai his fair share of troubles, it was much better than people knowing he had two Elements, one of which was something only seen in the Immortal World.


    Continuing to go on the offensive, Xue Bai, while the Azure Winged Wolf was roaring in pain, jumped up at one of the demonic beast''s eyes and shed with Fire Breath, almost blinding it.


    After acrobatically jumping away from the Azure Winged Wolf, Xue Bainded calmly on the ground. But now that the distance between them was extended, Xue Bai felt calm.


    Sure the sneak attacks were sessful, but Xue Bai could''ve also ended the fight with that sword. However, the stalker still hadn''t shown himself yet, and Xue Bai needed to make him appear before killing the Azure Winged Wolf.


    But since he had shown himself yet, Xue Bai was thinking he was having too easy of a fight to lure the man out. So Xue Bai continued the fight and attempted to visibly struggle as to lure out the stalker.


    But even after a few minutes of going blow for blow with the Azure Winged Wolf Xue and the stalker still hiding in the surroundings, Xue Bai was getting impatient.


    However, just as he was thinking about ending the fight, he felt a presence enter the array formation he had set up.


    By now, Xue Bai''s clothes had dozens of cuts in them, with blood leaking out from them like a bottle of water with a hole giving him a very pathetic appearance.


    Adding the fact that his hair waspletely disheveled, his originally clean outfit was all muddy, and his heavy breathing. Xue Bai looked to be on hisst legs.


    And Wang Xiang, who was hiding in a nearby tree seeing this, thought it to be his chance to make an achievement towards the n.


    His father had died, and now he, as the only man in his direct family, needed to step up and protect his mother. And what better way than to kill their most talented enemy before he managed to grow up?


    Plus, the tangible excitement that came from being able to kill a cultivator who was destined to reach the Mortality Shedding Realm made the situation all too appealing for Wang Xiang.


    But thanks to his father''s extensive teachings, Wang Xiang knew to keep his calm, and still using his concealment arts, began to sneak up behind Xue Bai. His father had long beaten into him the core rules of a sessful assassin, and to kill his target in one move was rule number 1.


    So even though Xue Bai was a full Realm lower than him, Wang Xiang still took him as an enemy on the same level and nned to use his entire strength and make sure there was no chance for the Young Duke to survive.


    However, just as Wang Xiang was about to get within striking distance of Xue Bai, an ominous feeling suddenly engulfed him. And trusting his instincts as an assassin, Wang Xiang instantly abandoned the mission and sprinted away, not caring about the noise he made.


    But it was toote.


    "TOO LATE!" Xue Bai yelled out as he turned around. "GRAVITY FIELD ACTIVATE!"

 Chapter 97 Wang Xiang’s Death

    ?Wang Xiang''s Death


    Following Xue Bai''s shout, an overwhelming force suddenly engulfed Wang Xiang and forced him down to the ground. Xue Bai had activated six gs making the gravity in the array formation only 6x.


    Though this wasn''t nearly enough to instantly kill Wang Xiang, Xue Bai still needed the man alive to interrogate him. After which Xue Bai could do with the man as he pleased.


    Ignoring the Azure Winged Wolf, who was still enraged, Xue Bai walked into the gravity field and to the prone Wang Xiang.


    The Azure Winged Wolf was never a true threat to Xue Bai, but now that the gravity field was activated, it mattered even less now. So now, inside the array formation, Xue Bai was safe. And if the demonic beast still tried to attack Xue Bai, it would copse the second it entered the array formation.


    As the creator of the array formation, it naturally didn''t affect Xue Bai, so he could walk into it with no fear.


    Looking at his stalker, Xue Bai recognized the man surprisingly. In the future, Wang Xiang, along with Wang Lin and Wang Yu, would be the Three Demon Children of the Wang n.


    Wang Mo wasn''t a part of the Three Demon Children, as, in most ythroughs, he would die to the female protagonist. Either because he lusted over the girl''s beauty and tried to force himself onto her or being killed by her in a fight over a Natural Treasure.


    Either way, Wang Mo was never a potential enemy like his other fellow Wang n descendants.


    So while Wang Xiang looked slightly younger than his Demon Child''s future self, his appearance didn''t change much. After all, Wang Xiang was currently already 19. Therefore, any further appearance changes would be more mental and temperament rather than actual bodily changes.


    "Wang Xiang, I never thought it would be you who would be sacrificed. I thought it would be one of those other Cannon Fodders. Did you piss off Wang Lin earlier?" Xue Bai amusedly asked as he squatted down to Wang Xiang''s head.


    As Xue Bai was speaking, however, rather than wanting an answer, he was looting the immobile Wang Xiang. After all, what if the man had some type of defensive or offensive artifact that could help his counterattack?


    It was better to strip the man of his belongings than to take that risk.


    "Xue Bai! What the hell have you done to my body!" Wang Xiang grunted.


    The Space Element and its application weren''t very well known in this primitive continent. Other than teleportation and spatial folding, any other aspect of space might as well be a myth.


    So naturally, the gravity field that was currently pinning Wang Xiang to the ground was just extremely confusing to the ignorant youth.


    Xue Bai, seeing the youth''s confusion, smiled. He, of course, wouldn''t exin it, so instead of answering, Xue Bai continued to loot the man for everything he was worth.


    "Xue Bai, have you no shame! My shirt is only a Middle Yellow Grade Defensive artifact!" Wang Xiang shouted as Xue Bai began to take his outer robe off.


    Laughing awkwardly, Xue Bai stopped his shameless actions. He just wanted to know if there was something under the robe, not the actual robe. But to Wang Xiang, it seemed like Xue Bai wanted to strip him nude.


    After looting Wang Xiang for what he was worth, Xue Bai wiped his hands on the immobile youth''s robe, and he then started to speak.


    "Wang Xiang, so are you going to tell me where your buddies are or do you want me to force it out of you." Xue Bai spoke as he tried to act domineering by cing his hands behind his back and raising his chin.


    "I don''t know where they are, you fool!" Wang Xiang berated. "I was supposed to stalk you while they tried toplete the trial! So how would I know where they are."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then how would you contact them?" Xue Bai was feeling awkward now.


    He was trying to be the domineering interrogator, but he now just looked like a kid trying to have fun.


    "Why the hell should I tell you? Your bastard of a father had mine killed!" Wang Xiang bursted out angrily as he tried to regain his mobility.


    "Why do you think my father had yours killed?" Xue Bai amusedly asked.


    Hearing the outburst from Wang Xiang, Xue Bai was curious about the opinion of the Wang n and the death of Wang Yin. Though Xue Bai knew the Wang n could never guess that Xue Feng and Li Rou had broken through to the Xiantian Great Realm, they must''ve been able to guess something simr.


    After all, Wang Yin, even if he couldn''t kill Xue Bai, he could''ve surely gotten away with his life. The man''s survivability was something ranked at the top percent of people in the Southern Continent. So even if he were caught in an ambush by Li Rou, Li Huo, and Xue Feng, Wang Yichen was confident in Wang Yin''s ability to escape.


    If it weren''t for that fact, Wang Yichen wouldn''t have ordered for that to be his punishment. He needed Wang Yin''s strength and contributions to the n. And to send him on a suicide mission benefited nobody but his enemies.


    But with the bizarre death of Wang Yin, the Wang n surely must''ve had some odd guesses about what truly happened.


    "How else would my father die if not for Xue Feng hiring some Xiantian Great Realm expert" Wang Xiang snorted as he managed to slightly lift himself off the ground.


    "You''re in my palm now. Stop struggling." Xue Bai snorted.


    And activating another formation g, Xue Bai amplified the gravity another fold mming Wang Xiang back into the ground. This time much more violently than before as blood spurted out from his limbs.


    "How are you supposed to contact Wang Lin and the other two? I still have five more formation gs I can activate, and the more I do, the more this is going to hurt. So rather than you dying painfully, you can die easily now." Xue Bai emotionlessly spoke.


    Wang Xiang was raised to be an assassin like his father, so Xue Bai knew that lying that he would let the youth live wouldn''t work. So instead of saying that, he just threatened to give him a much more painful death.


    After the threat, Wang Xiang soon confessed. With the array bounding him to the ground, he could tell that he was a turtle in a jar. Nothing could save him unless they were in the Qi Sea Realm. However, the only powerhouses in the Qi Sea Realm were the demonic beasts in the forest.


    But Xue Bai was too far away from where the Qi Sea Realm beasts were located, and even if they were, Wang Xiang would only die a brutal death to one of them.


    With Wang Xiang confessing, Xue Bai eventually found out that in Wang Xiang''s spatial ring were threemunication tokens that, when broken, would send a different message to Wang Lin.


    One of them, Wang Xiang, had already broken, and it meant that he had found Xue Bai and was stalking him. Another would be in the case Xue Bai found his presence and was forced to fight. And the final one meant that he had killed Xue Bai and needed Wang Lin toe over. Thest of which would send the location of where Wang Xiang was to Wang Chen.


    After the confession, Xue Bai went into the Spatial ring and found the aforementionedmunication token. And after shattering it, Xue Bai killed Wang Xiang with a stab to the neck and moved the corpse into the center of the array formation.


    People in the Baishen ne ced great importance on the corpses of their fallen brethren, and the cruel Wang n was no different. And Xue Bai was, of course, going to take advantage of that.


    His n was simple. He would have the corpse of Wang Xiang in the center of the array formation, and once Wang Lin and the others entered the radius of the formation gs, he would activate it, killing all 4 in one go.


    "1 down, four more to go!" Xue Bai excitedly spoke before finding a good hiding spot.

 Chapter 98 Crippling The Wang Clan

    ?Crippling the Wang n


    The Azure Winged Wolf had long run away after it sensed Wang Xiang''s cultivation, so Xue Bai was now alone again. However, instead of having to fake a struggle against a weaker beast, he could now hide in a tree.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t sure if Wang Lin would take the bait, he would most certainly send the other two cannon fodder in to test the waters. Like any other Wang n Young Master, Wang Lin cared little for anyone he didn''t see on the same level as himself.


    However, that category only had Wang Yu in it, as deep down, he even disdained Wang Xiang. Wang Lin looked down on the assassin-type fighter that Wang Xiang, his father, was.


    Of how burly and headstrong his father, Wang Chen, was, Wang Lin was raised following those same principles. So he naturally thought Wang Yin was a coward who only used sneak attacks instead of an assassin.


    And this guess of Xue Bai''s would eventuallye to fruition.


    A few hourster, Wang Lin rushed over with an excited look on his face.


    "Wang Xiang, you haven''t let the n down! Where is that trash?" Wang Lin yelled out excitedly as he came into earshot.


    However, very soon, he sensed something wrong. There was nothing within hundreds of meters of where Wang Xiang''s location ping. The area was deathly silent, and he could see neither Wang Xiang nor Xue Bai.


    "Wang Che, Wang Xiao stop. Something isn''t right here." Wang Lin ordered as he stopped the two.


    The other two, also sensing the grim atmosphere,plied obediently and put their guards up.


    Forming a tight circle formation, the three started to walk steadily in the direction Wang Xiang''s location ping came from earlier. And after a few tensed-up minutes, the group eventually came into view of Wang Xiang''s corpse.


    "Young Master Lin, isn''t that?" Wang Che spoke up, but before he could finish his sentence, Wang Lin cut him off.


    "Yes, that is Wang Xiang. Someone killed him and is toying with us." Wang Lin solemnly spoke.


    "Then what are we supposed to do, Young Master Lin." Wang Che asked cautiously. "We need to retrieve Young Master Xiang''s corpse."


    Wang Lin, though a headstrong man, was extremely smart, so after hearing Wang Che''s question took a moment to think before reaching a good answer.


    "You two go and retrieve Wang Xiang''s corpse. But while you do so, make sure to stay separate by 5 meters at the minimum. I will stay here and watch over you two." Wang Lin ordered.


    Obeying his order, Wang Che and Wang Xiao cautiously walked toward Wang Xiang''s corpse. And whether it was thanks to their cautiousness or something else, Wang Che sessfully managed to retrieve Wang Xiang''s corpse. And after cing it within his spatial ring, the two started to return to Wang Lin.


    Xue Bai, seeing all of this from a tree, was calm and patient. Though he could get those two into his trap and kill them, they were only a consolidation price in Xue Bai''s mind.


    All three of them were in the Organ Tempering Realm, and the only way for Xue Bai to kill them was either through a sneak attack or the array formation. So taking the two wasn''t worth it in his mind.


    However, after noticing Wang Lin''s position, Xue Bai got an idea.


    Notching an arrow on his bow, Xue Bai sent it to Wang Lin''s left, forcing him to dodge to his right.


    Wang Lin was only a few feet away from the closest formation g. And once he was forced to dodge, he would enter the gravity field.


    Wang Lin naturally saw the arrow flying toward him, but rather than taking a risk to deflect or take the arrow head-on, he yed it cautiously and forced himself to dodge it. No matter how ominous a feeling his dodge gave him, he pushed it down and trusted his cautious mind rather than his gut instinct.


    In Wang Lin''s mind, the shooter of the arrow had to be at least just as strong as himself, so if he didn''t dodge the arrow, it would pierce him and most likely take him out ofmission for the preceding fight.


    So after jumping to his right, Wang Lin shouted, "Who''s there!"


    But immediately after he shouted, even before hended, an overwhelming force sent him downward, pinning him into the mud.


    "ARG!" Wang Lin grunted as he tried to free himself from the pressure.


    Still, like Wang Xiang, no matter how hard he forced himself to stand or how much he forced his body beyond its limits, Wang Lin stayed pinned to the ground.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Wang Che and Wang Xiao were suffering the same circumstances a few meters away, but unlike Wang Lin, they very quickly epted their situation and didn''t struggle. They weren''t given the same brutal physical training as Wang Lin was forced through by his father. So not only were they physically weaker than him but also mentally, leading to their weak will.


    Xue Bai, still in the tree, however, was ecstatic.


    ''Sure enough, even if I''m not the protagonist, cannon fodder will always be cannon fodder. Just one arrow sent the man jumping into a death trap like a rabbit.'' Xue Bai mentally chuckled as he dropped down from his perch.


    "Idiots of the Wang n! I, Xue Bai, have arranged your deaths! Be grateful, for you have died to a future God Great Realm cultivator!" Xue Bai arrogantly announced as hended on the ground gracefully.


    The three immobile Wang ns, both seeing and hearing such a disy of arrogance, didn''t know how to respond for a moment. Xue Bainded with such beautiful movements that it was almost theatrical.


    However, the three very soon regained theirposure as their overwhelming rage brought them back, with Wang Lin the first to respond.


    "Xue Bai, do you know what you''re doing right now?" Wang Lin spoke rather calmly, to the surprise of Xue Bai.


    Xue Bai had thought he was like Wang Xiang and would project by screaming out their grievances in the hope of intimidating Xue Bai out of killing him. But not only did he not yell or use, but Wang Lin almost seemed calm about the situation.


    "You''re awfully calm about this, Wang Lin. I thought you would scream at me like your second cousin. He kept screaming about a war between ns, but in the end, wanted a peaceful death by offering to bait the three of you into my trap." Xue Bai responded to him as he came into the radius of the array formation.


    But unlike what he did with Wang Xiang, Xue Bai stayed away from Wang Lin. The son of Wang Chen was much more capable than Wang Xiang. And Xue Bai didn''t think he could loot the man without having something go wrong.


    However, Xue Bai still was confident that the three were turtles in a jar. Therefore, Wang Lin was dead unless he could summon an elder-level figure for protection. But if it were so easy to do that, then why couldn''t Wang Xiang do the same?


    Still pinned to the ground, Wang Lin didn''t have a change in expression even after hearing that his cousin had baited him out for an easy death.


    "That coward feared both death and pain. The title of an assassin was so that he could walk around with his head up in the n. If he didn''t have that, no one would bother to care about him." Wang Lin disdainfully spoke.


    "The man is dead. Don''t you know you shouldn''t curse dead people?" Xue Bai answered as he notched an arrow.


    "Why shouldn''t I? That Wang Xiang and even his father weren''t men in my mind but weak-willed rats with a strong punch. If he weren''t useful to the patriarch, Wang Yin would''ve long been dead." Wang Lin casually responded as he watched Xue Bai kill Wang Che with an arrow.


    Following up with another arrow to Wang Xiao''s forehead, Xue Bai notched his final arrow and pointed it toward Wang Lin.


    "Anyst words, Wang Lin?" Xue Bai asked, "You had the potential to be something great. And if you were corrupted by those demons, we could''ve been friends. So would you like to get something off your chest?"


    "I''d rather die in regret than to be friends with trash like you. Kill me, you bastard. However, know that¡­." Wang Lin spoke before he was cut off.


    Xue Bai didn''t want to be cursed, so he killed Wang Lin before he could say anything else.


    However, his previous words were true. Wang Lin had the persona of an early rival of a protagonist. The one who would be a strong youth in the novice vige but, after being beaten by the protagonist, would turn into loyal dog number 1.


    However, instead of a worthy protagonist, the cliche happened with Wang Yu in their Wang n hierarchy. And since he had submitted to the wrong man and had the Demonic Sect corrupting him at an early age, Wang Lin had long turned into something terrible.


    So while Xue Bai did feel slightly regretful at the wasted potential of Wang Lin, it was only that much. He would never endanger his life to try and recruit a ticking time bomb, no matter how full of potential it was.


    Xue Bai had a Heaven Grade Martial Vein and Bloodline. Nothing was more full of potential than him. So rather than cultivate a white-eyed wolf, why not cultivate himself?


    Shaking away any distractive thoughts, Xue Bai looted their bodies before torching them and retrieving his formation gs. He only had two days to enter the top 1000, but he had already wasted the better half of a day toying with the Wang n cannon fodder and now needed a lot of catching up to do.


    "They should''ve added a scoreboard to these jade slips." Xue Bai sighed as he jumped into a tree in search of prey to hunt.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Read the author''s note. There is an important statement there.

 Chapter 99 Hunting

    ?Hunting


    Jumping from branch to branch of the countless sky-piercingly tall trees in the Soaring Sword Sect''s hunting grounds, Xue Bai was feeling in his element.


    Whether it was from the years that he spent in his forest-like training grounds or the slight influence that came from his bloodline, whenever Xue Bai was in a forest, he felt free. The feeling was so refreshing that he even almost had the instinct to reveal his true form.


    However, in fear that a Soaring Sword Sect powerhouse would notice his pure demonic beast bloodline and mistake him for a demon, Xue Bai kept it hidden.


    After all, the Soaring Sword Sect was an entirely righteously-sided organization and would never allow a demon into their fold, no matter how talented they were.


    And while Xue Bai might not be righteously aligned, as long as he was a Soaring Sword Sect member, he had to at least act like one.


    After exploring the forest for almost 10 minutes, Xue Bai finally found his first prey, but since the beast was merely a jaguar-type demonic beast in the Muscle Nourishing Realm, Xue Bai didn''t even bother to draw his sword out.


    Simply notching an arrow and sting it toward the jaguar''s throat, Xue Bai quickly killed the demonic beast. And after jumping to the ground, Xue Bai ced his token on the jaguar''s forehead, after which a ten appeared on his token, indicating that the jaguar was a Late Stage Muscle Nourishing Realm demonic beast.


    Following the quick jaguar kill, Xue Bai would spend the next few hours cutting down various beasts, but sadly none of them were strong enough to give Xue Bai a thrill. The strongest of the demonic beasts he had encountered was only in the Early stages of the Bone Strengthening Realm.


    But since Xue Bai was almost as strong as someone in the Late stages, the demonic beast died with a swift arrow to the throat.


    Along the way, Xue Bai had also seen other participants, but because Xue Bai usually was springing from tree to tree like a monkey, no one saw him. And even if they did see him, no one dared to talk to him, potentially gaining his ire.


    The impression that Xue Bai gave the participants was of a high and aloof cold genius. And since that temperament wasn''t rare, most people knew how to interact with those people. So the participants knew not to interact with Xue Bai, who was so focused on the trial, and left him alone.


    Sure there were people who had malicious intentions toward him, but without any information about Xue Bai nor a n, they suppressed their hostile nature.


    Xue Bai, whether unaware or uncaring of their feelings, was more focused on the number of points he had, or rather how little he had.


    Currently, Xue Bai only had 300 points. And while he didn''t know how many points the otherpetitors had, he was sure that his measly 300 was in the lower half of the rankings. Which meant that at the rate he was going, entering the top 1000 would be nothing more than a pipedream.


    And while on the off chance that Xue Bai did fail this trial, the Soaring Sword Sect would surely still allow him in by bending a rule or two, but that would lower his value.


    Xue Bai wanted to get in by his own strength and not only keep his same value but possibly even elevate it by a notch.


    Though he had Senior Huli''s spatial ring of resources, and his surplus of memories, who would deny even more resources being allocated to them?


    And if he ended up having too many to consume himself, Xue Bai could even start to nurture a force under him!


    There was no reason why more resources could hurt Xue Bai, so he wanted as much as he could get.


    However, as he was looking at his pitiful amount of points, Xue Bai noticed that the sun was already starting to set. Xue Bai and the other participants had arrived at the Soaring Sword Sect''s hunting grounds early in the morning, but he had spent almost 4 hours dealing with the Wang n members. And after another 7 hours of subpar hunting, the sun was already halfway down the horizon.


    However, instead of pitching a tent for the night, Xue Bai decided to continue hunting. The almost pitch-ck darkness had no effect on Xue Bai. And it certainly had no effect on the other participants. And while Xue Bai didn''t know the minimum amount of points needed to enter the top 1000, he knew that he was certainly far behind it.


    He had already spent a lot of time and got extremely unlucky in regards to encountering strong, worthwhile demonic beasts to hunt.


    So rather than waste a night, Xue Bai nned to hunt through it and try to make up for the time he wasted earlier.


    And by virtue of his persistence, only a few minutester, Xue Bai finally found a demonic beast that was worth his time. However, as much as it was prey, it was also an old friend.


    "I thought you would hide. Who would''ve thought that I''d find you only a few hourster." Xue Bai smirked as he found the Azure Winged Wolf licking its wounds under arge dead overhanging tree.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hearing the humannguagee from near it, the Azure Winged Wolf looked up instantly and scanned its surroundings with itsrge blue eyes before spotting Xue Bai in a tree a few dozen meters away.


    And after spotting him, Azure Winged Wolf, like Xue Bai, also became excited, and for the same reason too.


    After encountering this devil spawn, it had possibly the worst day it had ever had in its hundred years of living.


    First, It had been casually walking through its territory when an arrow suddenly pierced its back. Looking at the culprit, the Azure Winged Wolf found it to be a small human child, even weaker than itself.


    Obviously, enraged, the demonic beast swore to eat the assant, but even after almost an hour of chasing, it still couldn''t catch up with its much weaker attack. However, not only could it not catch up to the tiny human, but it also had to dodge the dozens of arrows it was attacked by.


    But just as the Azure Winged wolf was about to give up, the human child stopped and began to fight. Ecstatic, it fought back, swearing to eat its attacker, but even at the cost of an eye and almost half of its left wing, the wolf still couldn''t win. And to make matters worse, randomly, a Peak stage Organ Tempering Realm human appeared.


    Thankfully the human and human child seemed to have a business to do together, so after making sure neither of the two were paying attention to it, the Azure Winged Wolf flew off to its territory to rest, which brought it to its current location.


    Remembering how easily it had suppressed Xue Bai in the fight following the sneak attacks, the Azure Winged Wolf felt confident in its chances of victory. So after standing up, the demonic beast did an animal version of a joint stretch and then proceeded tounch itself at Xue Bai, wanting to be the sneak attack in the second fight.


    However, this time, it was warier and knew that instead of parrying or swatting away projectiles, it nned to dodge them.


    Xue Bai could also sense the wolf''s cautiousness and smiled. He, of course, wouldn''t tell the wolf that his cautiousness wasn''t needed. It only benefited Xue Bai, after all!


    Meeting the Azure Winged Wolf''s charge, Xue Bai imbued Fire Breath in smoldering me before meeting the wolf''s charge head-on.


    And while Xue Bai could very easily kill the Azure Winged Wolf with his Space Element, that would take away both the fun and the chance to practice against a weaker beast.


    Throughout the years, while Xue Bai certainly had fought against opponents, it was all either against his parents or in their supervision. Meaning that he never really had the chance to fight a blood-rushing fight or even test out his new theories in battle. At home, he could work on his foundational fighting knowledge.


    But now, in the hunting grounds, Xue Bai could finally let loose and fight with all his heart. And he could finally test out the various ideas he had that he couldn''t test before. After all, this Azure Winged Wolf would die no matter what, so why hold back any cards?


    So test Xue Bai did. Testing various applications of the Fire Element and even some movement techniques that he encountered a bottleneck in. All in all, Xue Bai used the Azure Winged Wolf as a sharpening stone.


    The Azure Winged Wolf almost instantly managed to sense that the small human child was also toying with it, but due to its fear of the iron sword, it had to swallow its anger and fight cautiously.


    However, after 10 minutes of decent experimentation, Xue Bai eventually got bored of fighting the weaker demonic beast and decided to end the fight.


    The Azure Winged Wolf, at this point, was on itsst legs, and any further fighting with it would be immoral. So to quickly end the fight, Xue Bai notched an arrow and, after imbuing it with his Space Element, sent it flying toward the forehead of the demonic beast.


    And unable to dodge in time, the wolf took the arrow head-on and finally closed its eyes forever.


    Content with his practice, Xue Bai got the 100 points the Azure WInged Wolf was worth before continuing his adventure through the hunting grounds. It was only around 2 am, and there were still more than 4 hours before the participants who had chosen to rest would wake up, and Xue Bai needed to catch up before they did.


    And hopefully, even not just catch up but also create afortable lead.


    "I should try and find an Organ Tempering Realm Beasts." Xue Bai muttered to himself as he jumped from tree branch to tree branch.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I''m back! Read the author''s note for more info on my personal situation.

 Chapter 100 Miscalculation

    ?Miscalction


    After killing the Middle Stage Bone Strengthening Realm Azure Winged Wolf, Xue Bai''s token went up another 100 points, bringing his score up to 400. However, that was nowhere near enough.


    In the airship, Xue Bai managed to spot almost 500 Organ Tempering Realm cultivators. But that obviously couldn''t be the ones that Xue Bai managed to see were the only ones, as Xue Bai couldn''t have seen and examined each and every trial taker that was on the ship.


    So taking into consideration how many people he had on the ship,pared to the Organ Tempering Realm cultivators he saw. And using that same percentage for the remaining people that he hadn''t, Xue Bai estimated there were at least 700 Organ Tempering Realm cultivators.


    Leaving Xue Bai with a 300-person safe area for participants below the Organ Tempering Realm to slide in.


    But having to crawl into the bottom 30% by the skin of his teeth just to pass didn''t feel right with Xue Bai. He wanted to climb to at least the top 50%!


    But because of the exponential grading system, Xue Bai would have an extremely tough time aplishing that. Even if he decided to go beyond his strength and hunt Peak Stage Bone Strengthening Realm demonic beasts, it would take almost three demonic beasts of that strength for Xue Bai just to equal 1 Early Stage Organ Tempering Realm one.


    So rather than continue to scrounge by and only kill Bone Strengthening Realm demonic beasts, Xue Bai nned to hunt one in the Organ Tempering Realm instead. And while he wasn''t strong enough to kill one himself, with his gravity field array, Xue Bai could potentially even kill a beast in the Qi Sea Realm, let alone something in the Organ Tempering Realm.


    However, the only problem was on how to sessfully lure a demonic beast into the gravity field array formation. Setting an array around a settled demonic beast would never work, as while they didn''t have Spiritual Sense, they would most certainly be able to sense Xue Bai setting up an array around their territory.


    While barbaric and known to run on instincts alone, demonic beasts were extremely keen in the wild and were more than able to sense changes in their territory.


    So Xue Bai''s only choice was to set up the gravity field array formation far away from the target demonic beast and then lure it into the array, where Xue Bai could easily kill it. But there was a problem with that n.


    Xue Bai wasn''t sure if he could run away from an Organ Tempering Realm demonic beast long enough to get it into the gravity field array formation.


    While Xue Bai wasn''t weakpared to his peers in the Bone Strengthening Realm and was almost as strong as someone in the Late Stages of the Realm, that''s all he was in the Bone Strengthening Realm.


    Pitted against a demonic beast, who, as a race, were known to be nigh invincible in their respective stages, for Xue Bai to escape against one who was an enter Realm above him, his odds weren''t the highest.


    However¡­


    "With great riskes great reward! Besides, what''s the worst that could happen? I can''t die as long as I have the soul imprint." Xue Bai motivated himself.


    And following a few ps to the cheek for extra adrenaline, Xue Bai sent off in search of a weak Organ Tempering Realm demonic beast. While he was going risky, he didn''t want to kill himself by going after one in the Middle or Late stages.


    Now with his range of targets expanded, after finding and killing a few more weaker demonic beasts, Xue Bai finally found his perfect target.


    The mark he had chosen was another jaguar-type demonic beast that he managed to sense had just advanced to the Organ Tempering Realm. The way he spotted this was very easy, as whenever a cultivator breaks through, whether human, demonic beast, or devil, their aura bes shaky and unrestrained, leaking into the air.


    And while it should be impossible to sense the cultivation of something that was almost a realm higher than his own, Xue Bai''s strong soul and the jaguar''s unrestrained aura gave him the perfect scenario to be able to do so.


    The jaguar demonic beast that Xue Bai had found possessed an odd barf green fur color with bark-like spots that covered its body like a checkerboard. And seeing such an oddly toned demonic beast, Xue Bai, even with his wealth of knowledge about demonic beasts, couldn''t tell what it was.


    And after some thinking that led nowhere, Xue Bai eventually gave up on thinking about it and marked it up as an odd mutation that gave the jaguar such a peculiar pigment.


    While knowing what the species of the demonic beast you were hunting was important for the uing fight, since it wasn''t in the Qi Sea Realm, nor did it have any special bloodlines, Xue Bai didn''t care much about what specific species it was.


    Species for beasts in the five physical realms didn''t matter much as before the Qi Sea Realm. They hadn''t yet tapped into the power of their bloodline yet, meaning that any innate ability that woulde from their bloodline would still be dormant within them.<novelnext></novelnext>


    That was why demonic beasts with high-grade bloodlines were able to do things that other demonic beasts couldn''t do until the Qi Sea Realm. The Qi Sea Realm was a giant barrier that blocked any demonic beast with an impure or low-grade bloodline advancing past.


    And this oddly green-hued jaguar demonic beast in front of Xue Bai was one such demonic beast. A degraded mixed breed that would most likely never advance another Realm again in its lifetime.


    However, at this moment, no matter how many derogatory terms Xue Bai could hurl at his mark, it still didn''t change the fact that it was still currently much stronger than him.


    So putting aside any disdain he had towards the demonic beast, Xue Bai quietly left the sleeping powerhouse to go and set up the gravity field array formation some ways away.


    Finding a suitable spot didn''t take long, as only about 2 kilometers away was arge clearing that was more than able to fully hold down the merely 3-meter tall and 4-meter long jaguar.


    And after making sure that all 12 of his formation gs were concealed from sight, Xue Bai went back to where his target slept. Where after climbing a tall tree nearby, Xue Bai took a deep breath before pulling out his trusty bow and arrow.


    Xue Bai knew that if he hit this shot, it could potentially make or break his chances.


    While Xue Bai had his arrow dodged by Wang Lin earlier in the day, that shot wasn''t fully charged up, nor did Xue Bai mean for it to hit him. So against this half-asleep jaguar that had its guard down, Xue Bai was confident in his chances of hitting his mark.


    Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, Xue Bai aimed at the resting jaguar''s left eye. Then, following a few mental preparations, Xue Bai engulfed the arrow in mes. And after circting as much Spiritual Qi into his arm to amplify his strength, Xue Bai sent it flying toward the jaguar''s eye.


    And like a shooting star soaring through the night sky, Xue Bai''s me-covered arrow flew at the mutated jaguar before perfectly piercing through its left eyelid, dooming it to never open again.


    However, before Xue Bai had any chance to celebrate, the jaguar, who suddenly lost half of its vision, jumped up before unleashing a guttural rage-filled roar, not bothering to restrain its anger.


    It had been asleep peacefully until it woke up to a smoldering arrow that pierced its eye.


    Opening its other eye, the jaguar scanned its surroundings menacingly before spotting Xue Bai in the tree a few dozen meters away.


    Because of its towering rage, the jaguar instantly started to sprint in Xue Bai''s direction, not even bothering to check its surroundings fully.


    Xue Bai, seeing that his target had taken the bait and was more than enraged, ran off in the direction of where he set up the gravity field array formation.


    Though Xue Bai practiced movement techniques, the movement techniques before the Qi Sea Realm were extremely basic and fundamental. And because of this, the speed bonus that the movement techniques gave to him weren''t enough to give him much of a lead over his chaser, who was almost a realm above him.


    ? Jumping from branch to branch in the treeline above, as if he were a monkey reincarnated, Xue Bai managed to, while not extending the lead, keep the gap between him and the enraged jaguar.


    Down below, the jaguar, who was still seething with rage from having its eye blinded, chased Xue Bai with persistence. Even going as far as ramming through trees, unrooting them by force to make sure it didn''t lose its line of sight on Xue Bai.


    The chaotic chase would continue with Xue Bai not daring to miss a step in the foliage above or the jaguar down below, who seemed to want to eat Xue Bai''s flesh and drink his blood, chasing behind, slowly catching up.


    However, thankfully because of Xue Bai''s elevation advantage and the route he nned in advance, the jaguar was never truly able to catch in spite of its overwhelmingly higher cultivation base.


    And while Xue Bai was calm about this situation, the jaguar down below wasn''t. It knew it was stronger than the human child, and it also knew that it was faster. But because of the dozens of obstacles that it had to run through and the one blind eye, it was forced to eat its much weaker assant''s dust.


    So with how much rage and thoughts of revenge had clouded the jaguar''s instinctual brain, it did the only thing it knew that could change the situation, it started to burn its Blood Essence.

 Chapter 101 Meeting A Shameless Fellow

    ?Meeting a Shameless Fellow


    And after the jaguar made the rash decision, a huge cloud of steam started to emit from its body, clouding the forest behind it in a huge thick fog.


    "Fuck!" Xue Bai was terrified.


    While he knew that blinding it would certainly gain its aggression and make it follow him till death, Xue Bai didn''t think it would burn its Blood Essence this early. The fight hadn''t even started yet!


    Blood Essence was a vital building block of life and was something inside of every creature. And each drop of Blood Essence within a creature contained that creature''s life force.


    So it wasn''t far-fetched to say that however many Bood Essence drops something had was rted to how much longer it had to live!


    And when a creature advanced past the Blood Exchange Realm, they would naturally gain the ability to burn their Blood Essence, which, in return, would give them a huge short-termbat power boost. But this would naturallye with an equivalent price.


    In rtion to how many drops of Blood Essence one would burn, their lifespan would also decrease by that much. And if that weren''t enough of a side effect, right after their short-term power boost, they would also enter an extended period of weakness where they wouldn''t even be able to put up 10% of their normal fighting strength.


    So Xue Bai seeing the jaguar start to burn its Blood Essence this early on, was just as shocked as he was scared out of his wits.


    Xue Bai had already taken into calction the jaguar''s speed for the run toward the array formation. And earlier, he was more than confident that he could safely enter the formation long before the jaguar could, but now that it had started burning its Blood Essence Xue Bai wasn''t sure.


    However, no matter how scared he was, Xue Bai could only focus his emotions on his legs and hopefully run faster.


    The jaguar down below, gaining the strength and speed of a demonic beast a few stages higher than its original self, felt full of confidence. So no longer wanting to continue the game of cat and mouse, it made a bold decision and hopped in the tree line wanting to swat Xue Bai down.


    "Dude, you''re a jaguar, not a monkey. Stay on the ground." Xue Bai pitifully cried as he was forced out of the trees.


    Jumping down from his height advantage, Xue Bai rolled to distribute the pain before sprinting even faster to his goal.


    Currently, he was only a hundred meters away from the gravity field array formation, so while getting out of the trees did endanger him, Xue Bai had some confidence he could keep the lead for this short of a distance.


    And not wanting to burn his much more valuable Blood Essence for such a trivial demonic beast, Xue Bai would resort to firing arrows behind himself to keep the jaguar back.


    50 meters


    Xue Bai ducked under a low-hanging branch before using his sliding momentum to send himself flying forward.


    30 meters


    Xue Bai could almost smell the jaguar''s hot breath behind him, but too scared to look, he only continued running as the gravity field array formation was in sight.


    10 meters


    Having already barely dodged a lunge from the jaguar, Xue Bai cared little for his appearance anymore, and after circting his Spiritual Qi into his feet, he jumped forward,nding safely into the gravity field array formation.


    Inside, Xue Bai sighed in relief while trying to catch his breath. That was too close forfort. Thankfully it was worth the effort.


    The jaguar seeing this odd spectacle, was slightly confused, but since his target had seemingly given himself up to fate didn''t bother to question it and jumped at Xue Bai, aiming to bite a good chunk of his body.


    "Finally! Gravity Field activate!" Xue Bai yelled in a refreshing voice.


    And to hismand, the demonic beast who had given him the scare of his life was instantly pinned to the ground like it weighed nothing.


    "Idiot!" Xue Bai scornfullyughed. Earlier, he had been chased like a mouse being ousted from a diner kitchen. So now that his chaser was immobilized, he wanted to get his payback.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The jaguar, while confused at the sudden overwhelming force, was still influenced by the rage that overrode its mind, and instead of caring about Xue Bai''s taunting, tried to still move in his direction, as toplete its goal of eating him.


    However, Xue Bai activated 8 formation gs right from the start. And even the Peak Stage Organ Tempering Realm Wang Lin had been forced to the ground, unable to move an inch under such pressure. The much weaker jaguar wouldn''t be able to even lift its head, let alone reach Xue Bai.


    And after giving the still simmering jaguar a few petty kicks and insults, Xue Bai finally felt refreshed. So with nothing more to do, he finally beheaded the demonic beast with Fire Breath.


    However, as he did, guests arrived.


    Before he could pull out the jade slip and im the 500 points the Early Stage Organ Tempering Realm jaguar was worth, a volley of arrows came flying toward him, numbering in the dozens.


    However, Xue Bai remained calm and continued to pull out his jade slip. Because as soon as the arrows entered the gravity field array formation, they all sank to the ground like they were 1000 pounds weights, and not the aerodynamic lightweight arrows that they were.


    "XUE BAI, STOP!" Then, seeing that their deadly sneak attack had failed, the assants made their presence known.


    Ignoring them momentarily, Xue Bai first imed the 500 points. Then after he did, he looked at his attackers.


    "You all are not much stronger than me. So why have youe to disturb me when I have tried so adamantly not to bother anyone?" Xue Bai asked calmly.


    The group that attacked Xue Bai wasn''t a small one, as it had almost a dozen youths within it. But the cultivation bases of them all were extremely different.


    The cultivations that Xue Bai could sense himself were 5 Early stage Bone Strengthening Realm cultivators, 3 in the Middle stages and 1 in the Late Stage.


    The other two were either two strong or had cultivation-concealing artifacts, but Xue Bai was leaning more toward the former rather than thetter. As the two stood in the front of the group, and instead of carrying bows like the others, they carried long shiny silver swords that looked extremely expensive and high-ranked.


    And just from the swords alone, Xue Bai could tell that these youths in front of him were of noble identity. But since he hadn''t seen any of them in the Empire nor recognized them from the game, he could only guess that they were from an affiliated family to the Soaring Sword Sect.


    The Soaring Sword Sect in the game didn''t have either of the two protagonists on this continent join it. So naturally, the side characters and extras that were a part of it didn''t gain any of the poprity and fame that the other two Sects did.


    "You, with your mere 2nd stage cultivation base, are only slightly weaker than us?'' One of the two leaders snorted.


    This youth had a messy head of ck hair, but it was most likely because of the less-than-livable standards of the hunting grounds. Other than that, he was a handsome-looking fellow, butpared to his partner, he was a little normal looking.


    "I can''t tell if you''re arrogant or blind. Don''t you know if you can''t see someone''s cultivation base, it means they''re stronger than you?" The youth continued speaking.


    Ignoring his rhetorical remark, Xue Bai looked at the other leader.


    This youth, unlike his partner, still had a pristine robe, and his hair was still in a stylish man bun while the rest cascaded down his back like a ck waterfall. And coupled with his chiseled chin and determined eyes, he was definitely a looker for the opposite gender.


    Not only that, but he also seemed much calmer and possessed a much steadier temperament than his partner. It was obvious to the keen eye that while the two had the same cultivation base, he was the bigger voice.


    "Answer my question." Xue Bai emotionlessly spoke as he pulled out his bow.


    The rasher leader was about to erupt at the sign of disrespect, but the calm one put his hand on his shoulder before he could.


    Cupping his fists toward Xue Bai, the calm youth spoke, "Young Duke Xue, we had noticed that you seemed to have some trouble with that damned jaguar demon, so we came to assist you. Thankfully you managed to behead the beast before our arrow volley could assist you."


    Astounded at the man''s words, Xue Bai didn''t know how to respond for a moment.


    ''I have seemed to have met a shameless fellow.'' Xue Bai thought.

 Chapter 102 Sword Tomb

    ?Sword Tomb


    Xue Bai, while he was definitely an unrestrained child, couldn''t be regarded as shameless. However, this man was a truly shameless fellow.


    He had ordered a volley of arrows to either kill Xue Bai or force him away from the 500-point jaguar. Either way, those arrows had no hint of the assistance that the calm youth spoke of.


    And obviously not liking the answer, Xue Bai sent an arrow loose to express his displeasure.


    The calm youth, expecting such a response, didn''t react much but merely brought out his sword to deflect the purple-hued arrow. However, to his shock, his Peak Yellow Grade sword was pierced in two by the arrow, leaving him defenseless.


    Finally dropping his calm exterior, the youth forced himself to duck and used his left leg to swipe out his right, dropping himself like a sack of rock and narrowly avoiding the Space Element-infused arrow.


    However, an archer behind him wasn''t as quick to react to the threat, and by having his leader block what happened in front of him, he had a hole pierced through his torso.


    And now, with a fist-sized hole in him, while unwilling and confused, the archer quickly fell over after spurting some blood from his now eight orifices, where he soon died.


    The arrow would also continue on its course, going through two trees before losing strength and crumbling. It was, after all, only made from some Low Yellow Grade materials, nothing special.


    While Xue Bai''s Space Element gave it the prative power of something far beyond its rank, the arrow''s weakposition couldn''tst after going through 4 much stronger bodies.


    Giving a whistle of praise, Xue Bai felt somewhat astonished at the youth''s quick thinking and execution.


    "You''ve got a nice head on your shoulder, brother. Do you want to throw your life away for a mere 500 points that have already been imed?" Xue Bai calmly spoke while notching another arrow.


    Now revealing a much nastier and aggressive face, much more menacing than the rough leader, the youth angrily wiped his robe clean and fixed his hair once more.


    "Xue Bai, are you so idiotic to use such a powerful treasure for a meaningless sneak attack!" The youth angrily yelled, "You can''t have many more of those. And you''ve already wasted one."


    Still not liking the man''s attitude, Xue Bai sent another arrow flying, this time at the rough leader.


    The time around, no one dared to take the arrow head-on, and they all jumped away, not letting it hit them. However, to their embarrassment, this time, after missing everyone, the arrow anticlimactically pierced into a tree, showing none of the prative power that the first one possessed.


    "You 11 have high potential to be great dogs." Xue Bai mocked. "I only just made themand, and you all rolled on the mud before I even told you to. It seems like you must''ve been one in one of your previous lives."


    And while the insult hit them hard, making them feel extremely embarrassed, they all realized something from their interaction with Xue Bai.


    He was a hard nut to crack. And with that strange suppressive force around him, they weren''t sure if they could force anything out of the Young Duke.


    The leaders sensing this knew that they should ept their loss, and after collecting the youth''s dead corpse, they left as quickly as they appeared.


    "Xue Bai! This isn''t over!" The leader threatened, obviously not convinced by thetter''s abilities.


    In his mind, if it weren''t for the strange force around Xue Bai, he would have been a soft persimmon, something they could do anything they liked to.


    Once again, not bothering to respond, Xue Bai sent another arrow flying into the shrubbery, where they disappeared.


    "AGHHH! MY ARM!"


    *THUD*


    And after hearing a scream and the sound of a body dropping, Xue Bai felt satisfied.


    "Double Kill!" Xue Bai muttered, pleased with his uracy.


    "But I wonder who those were? That green tea bastard looked like someone important. His sword is even better than mine." Xue Bai thought aloud as he collected his formation gs.


    While Fire Breath was an excellent weapon, it still was only a pseudo-Peak Yellow Grade weapon. The only reason Xue Bai used it was for the Fire Element amplification that it gave.


    If not for that, Xue Bai would simply ask his Father for a Peak Yellow Grade sword as well. The difference that one rank made mattered a lot.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Having a sword one rank higher would allow you to break your opponent''s weapon much faster than simply shing with weapons of the same rank.


    But since Fire Breathpliments his Fire Element so well, it being slightly weaker and less durable than a Peak Yellow Grade sword was worth it.


    However, it didn''t matter much at the end of the day. That green tea youth''s strength didn''t give Xue Bai any threat, no matter how rich he was. And his background was even less of something to worry about.


    If he were the son of an Elder or someone else high up in the sect, he would''ve been able to join the sect without this trial. So his family couldn''t have anyone stronger than Xue Feng or Li Rou.


    "Well, enough of that." Xue Bai muttered softly. "Onto the next beast."


    The night was still young, and Xue Bai only had 900 points, which could only be in the middle of the pack for this trial. The sun had only set for an hour so far, so Xue Bai still had another 10 hours until the morning. And at the rate he had found and killed the jaguar, Xue Bai estimated he could kill another 7-8 demonic beasts in the Organ Tempering Realm.


    So after cleaning up his traces, Xue Bai did just that.


    His first target after the jaguar was a lucky breakpared to his first. It was a snake demonic beast in the middle stages of the Organ Tempering realm, who lived in a somewhat shallowke pond that left it half bathing in the sun. So instead of having to lure the snake out of its habitat and into his gravity array formation, Xue Bai simply built it around theke.


    And as he expected, the snake only groggily watched Xue Bai from afar, not expecting that Xue Bai was setting up a formation able to kill it. The snake didn''t disturb Xue Bai during the entire process since it was an entire Realm above Xue Bai, it was so arrogant that it was even to the point where it didn''t even deem him a threat.


    After the gravity field array formation was set up, the snake, no matter how regretful and unwilling, soon became fish on the chopping block to Xue Bai. And quickly iming the 750 points, Xue Bai''s point total soon became 1650.


    The next two demonic beasts, while not as easy as the snake, were much simpler than the jaguar, with neither burning their Blood Essence until they were detained in the gravity field.


    However, their reactions were a little toote, and once again, after killing them, Xue Bai happily imed another 1000 points.


    But while he searched for his fifth beast to hunt, Xue Bai found something interesting.


    A few hundred meters out from the core of the Soaring Sword Sect''s hunting grounds where the Qi Sea Realm demonic beasts lived, tworge groups of participants were grouped up discussing something.


    Curious Xue Bai, while he didn''t reveal himself, got close enough to hear their conversation.


    "Ye Xuan, are those rumors true?" A cold voice sounded out from the mass of youths.


    The speaker was the leader of one of the two groups and was a tall, rough, masculine-looking young man. With tanned skin and standing over two meters tall, the man was practically a giant. Just the pressure he subconsciously gave up pressured the weaker members of the group.


    His cultivation wasn''t weak either, as, from the myriad of auras exuding from his group, his was the strongest.


    "Shi Tian, you know my older brother is in the Inner Sect. So how could he be wrong?" Another voice replied sarcastically.


    The person who answered seemed to be the leader of the second group. However, this youth, unlike Shi Tian, had an average build with a slightly above appearance. But it was obvious that he cared too much about his appearance as there was a distinctyer of makeup on it.


    However, unlike his self-consciousness about his appearance, his cultivation was just as profound as the burly man named Shi Tian.


    "So where is that Sword Tomb located then? The core region is more than 5 kilometers in surface area. And we can''t even search every part as some are guarded by Peak stage Qi Sea demonic beasts." Shi Tian asked as he crossed his arms.


    "This rumor has been around for ages, and while they haven''t found it, my elder brother has a map of what has been searched. And currently, they have searched more than 80% of the core region." Ye Xuan calmly exined as he pulled out a map, "If we y our cards right, we can find it today."


    Taking the map from Ye Xuan, Shi Tian easily found Ye Xuan''s to be true, as the map was red in more than 80% of it. However, whether this map was even of the core region or if this Sword Tomb was true, Shi Tian didn''t know.


    ? "Fine, my Shi n and I will assist you. But our groups will fight once the Sword Tomb is found." Shi Tian strongly replied as he pocketed the map.


    "Naturally!" Ye Xuan''s eyes glowed as Shi Tian agreed, but no one was truly sure of what his excitement truly meant.


    And after shaking their hands in agreement, therge group separated into two before disappearing into the core region.


    Up in the tree, overhearing the conversation, Xue Bai was somewhat intrigued.


    "I''ll follow that Ye Xuan. He''s lying about something." Xue Bai muttered softly before continuing to stalk the average-looking man.

 Chapter 103 Changing Situation

    ?Changing Situation


    Ye Xuan and his group were fast, galloping through the Soaring Sword Sect''s hunting grounds like horses through a prairie. However, since a group could only be as fast as its slowest member, Xue Bai was able to keep up, albeit barely.


    They would continue their pace until they traveled almost a kilometer from their original location, where they conversed with Shi Tian and his nsmen.


    And after checking their surroundings for any watching eyes or ears, the Ye nsmen took a moment to gather their thoughts.


    "Young Master Xuan, is this Sword Tomb truly so hard to find that you would need Shi Tian and his group." One of the Ye n members spoke up.


    After he voiced his doubts, the rest of the nsmen also perked their ears up, wanting to hear the truth behind this Sword Tomb they''d heard little about.


    "Naturally, it isn''t something that hard to find. As long as we as a group split up and searched carefully, we could find it even before nightfall tomorrow." Ye Xuan exined, "However, the ces left that are still not searched are the territories of Peak Qi Sea Realm demonic beasts. So Shi Tian, that barbarian and his nsmen, are going to be our cannon fodder in search of the Sword Tomb."


    Hearing the simple yet insightful n, the Ye n members immediately started to praise the Young Master to the heavens as if he had solved the mystery of the Universe.


    However, in the face of the praise, Ye Xuan remained calm as if situations like this weremonce and merely waved his hand humbly.


    "Dear god, are people really like this? Don''t you get tired of having people act so one-dimensional around you all day?" In a tree a few dozen meters away, Xue Bai couldn''t help but murmur.


    While he had seen many cultivation novels where a Young Master would be followed by an entourage constantly who would praise them to the moon no matter what they did, however seeing it, in reality, was another thing.


    Xue Bai himself once had other noble children in Snowy Wind City try and submit themselves to him, wanting to be ackey of his, but since he neither wanted one nor didn''t find the nobles worthy enough, he denied them.


    So seeing such an odd cliche in action in front of him, Xue Bai felt exasperated. Even from a distance, the excessiveplimenting and praising felt suffocating.


    Down below, unlike Xue Bai, Ye Xuan was feeling at the peak of his power and, wanting to continue on the feeling, began to throw out orders.


    "Ye Chen, take three people of your choice and go to these coordinates and set up a surveince group. Big brother said that of all the ces where the Sword Tomb could be hidden, this is the most usible. Ye Xiao, take four people with you and split up searching for that barbarian and his nsmen. We need to know where they are at all times. The rest of you follow me!" Ye Xuan barked out three orders in rapid session.


    Ye Chen and Ye Xiao, of the group that followed Ye Xuan, were the strongest besides Ye Xuan, so their leaving was somewhat concerning. But since none of the Ye n members knew as much as Ye Xuan, they all didn''t raise their concerns and merely nodded in subservience.


    And after quickly following his orders to the letter, Ye Xuan''s original group of 14 split up into three smaller groups.


    One group of 4 followed anky youth in a robe simr to Ye Xuan''s, another followed a chubby young man, and the final stayed with Ye Xuan awaiting further orders.


    Xue Bai also stayed near Ye Xuan, as he still didn''t think Ye Xuan was telling the truth even to his own nsmen. His face, even now, was full of hidden intentions. It was as if he trusted none of the ''subordinates'' that followed him, praising him to the moon every chance they had.


    His orders, while they seemed important and meaningful on the surface, didn''t matter much. If he had told the truth about Ye Chen''s assignment, why not all of them go there themselves?<novelnext></novelnext>


    And Ye Xiao''s order made even less sense. He had just said that Shi Tian and his crew were sent off to be cannon fodder in danger zones. Why would they need a surveince squad around them?


    If anything, the only goal Ye Xuan''s orders served was to leave Ye Xuan by himself. As the few people still with him were much weaker and should pushe to shove, Ye Xuan could kill them all with little to no effort.


    And true to his guesses, as soon as the two second-strongest Ye n members left Ye Xuan alone, something happened.


    "Young Master Xuan, what are your next orders?" A youth spoke up after Ye Chen and Ye Xiao''s groups left earshot.


    "Die for me!" In a voice that resembled none of his previous haughty attitude, but more of a demon birthed from the depths of hell, Ye Xuan yelled out as he charged at his three nsmen.


    Then, both stunned and too weak to react fast enough, the first youth Ye Xuan targeted was sted into a nearby tree, where his back caved in on impact. Soon dying after would.


    The next thankfully managed to react after seeing his fallen Ye n member die, but since Ye Xuan was more than six stages stronger than him, he soon fell in a short five exchange-long fight.


    "Young Master Xuan! What are you doing!" The final survivor cried out as he tried to run away in the direction Ye Chen left.


    "Even now, you y dumb? Do you think I don''t know that you all are spies sent by Third Uncle to watch me?" Ye Xuan snorted as he easily caught up to the much weaker runner.


    And grabbing the youth by the neck like a kitten, Ye Xuan didn''t even wait for an answer to his rhetorical question before snapping the youth''s neck like a dry twig.


    ''Oh? That turned rather dark.'' Xue mentally thought.


    Seeing the carnage fold below him, Xue Bai could only be surprised. While he knew that Ye Xuan wanted to be alone, he didn''t think he''d kill his subordinates so fast and cruelly at that. Xue Bai had either thought that Ye Xuan trusted only these three or would try and abandon them before searching for the treasure himself.


    Ye Xuan killing the three was a possibility in Xue Bai''s mind, but it was only so, not any more than that.


    However, before Xue Bai could continue thinking about the constantly changing situation, Ye Xuan had already started running in a direction different from where Ye Chen and Ye Xiao had left. And not wanting to make his already hour-long stakeout go to waste, Xue Bai quickly started his pursuit.


    Thankfully Ye Xuan himself didn''t seem to know where he was going, stopping every few hundred meters before pulling out a map as if to check his surroundings, allowing Xue Bai to catch up.


    But still, as he stayed in the treeline, Xue Bai was still confused about what this youth was nning. He had gone through so much by inviting in another n, separating himself from Ye Chen and Ye Xiao, and even killing three of his n brothers. But if it were all for this Sword Tomb, surely, he could''ve done all of this without going to such lengths?


    Xue Bai didn''t know, but since he had already wasted so much time following this intriguing storyline, he nned to follow it through.


    Plus this Ye Xuan had such a protagonist name that it made Xue Bai feel like someone watching the rise of a protagonist, even if this youth was an unnamed extra in the game.

 Chapter 104 Lucky Encounter

    ?Lucky Encounter


    After traversing for another few kilometers, despite his dozens of twists and turns as if he were trying to shake off any pursuers, Ye Xuan eventually made it to a clearing in the forest. Then, taking a moment to readjust his condition, Ye Xuan sat down cross-legged and began to meditate, circting his Spiritual Qi.


    His meditation would be quick as after only ten minutes, he was done. However, even after Ye Xuan opened his eyes, he waited in his position, most likely for someone else.


    And soon enough, a familiar face soon showed up.


    "It took you long enough, you barbarian." Ye Xuan coldly muttered as he eyed the person running up to his position.


    "The people around me were much stronger and smarter than yours. It naturally took me much longer to get away." Shi Tian responded with an equal amount of distance and coldness in his tone.


    "Hmph! Follow me." Not bothering to continue their hardheaded conversation, Ye Xuan flicked his sleeves and went to a specific tree at the edge of the clearing.


    "This Sword Tomb better be worth it, Ye Xuan. I had to abandon my nsmen for this." Shi Tian remarked as he followed the average-looking youth.


    "I told you not to bring them in the first ce. Your circumstances are better than mine. I don''t know why you didn''t take advantage of that." Ye Xuan responded as he reached his target.


    Shi Tian only snorted in response.


    Seeing hispanion not answer, Ye Xuan focused on the tree in front of him.


    It wasn''t a special tree by any stretch of the imagination and would be overlooked in any forest. However, to Ye Xuan, this tree was more appealing than any beauty he had ever seen himself.


    And while struggling to hold back the feeling of licking his lips in anticipation, Ye Xuan pulled out a talisman from his spatial ring.


    cing it gently onto the tree, Ye Xuan jumped away, pulling along Shi Tian as well.


    "What are you doing!" Shi Tian tried to struggle out of his grasp.


    "Saving you. Just move back obediently. Something is about to happen!" Ye Xuan berated not letting go.


    However, Shi Tian wasn''t any weaker than him, so after a fierce struggle, Shi Tian managed to get free from Ye Xuan''s grasp. But scared of what Ye Xuan mentioned, Shi Tian listened and moved back alongside Ye Xuan.


    And soon enough, the talisman that was ced on the tree eventually seemingly melted into it, and like an ice cube in a pot of water, it disappeared, not even leaving a trace behind.


    Following the odd phenomenon, shaking soon came from the tree and its surroundings before something bizarre happened. The ground started copsing, with the ordinary tree as the epicenter.


    Turning the originally clear and calm clearing that was a serene change in the chaotic and dangerous hunting grounds into a sinkhole that went down almost a dozen meters.


    "This is why I told you to back up. Now follow me. That sound might likely attract some Qi Sea Realm demonic beasts. Getting inside is the only safe haven for us." Ye Xuan simply spoke as he jumped down the hole.


    Nodding thankfully, Shi Tian also followed, jumping down into the sinkhole, leaving Xue Bai''s eyesight.


    Up in the tree, seeing all of this happen, Xue Bai was indecisive.


    "I should follow, but I don''t think I can evade their detection in such a tight spot." Xue Bai was at an impasse regarding his next move.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Following the two down there would almost certainly lead to them sensing his presence and most likely killing him soon after. However, if he stayed out here, not only could he miss the treasures down there, but he would also be wasting the time he spent stalking Ye Xuan.


    But after some thinking, Xue Bai eventually figured out a n that was the best of both worlds.


    Killing and robbing!


    Ye Xuan and Shi Tian obviously knew what was in the Sword Tomb and would pick the Tomb cleanly before exiting. So why not wait outside and set up a formation so when they leave, their loot would be his?


    Thinking this much, Xue Bai had already convinced himself and began to work on his trap, which didn''t take long as, after quickly setting up his gravity field array formation around the entrance/exit of the Sword Tomb, Xue Bai was ready for when the two would leave.


    All he needed to do was to wait for them to leave the safety of the Sword Tomb and into the trap.


    And that is what he did. Sitting down cross-legged in a random tree nearby, Xue Bai started to meditate as for when Shi Tian and Ye Xuan finally left, he''d be in his peak condition.


    However, very soon, some terrifying pressures started to congregate around Xue Bai and the sinkhole.


    Qi Sea realm demonic beasts had be curious about what happened here, and since it was their territory, they also needed to investigate it.


    And of the many beasts that soon showed up, there were three that scared Xue Bai the most.


    A skyscraper-tall lion and bear where every step they took shook the ground, and a snake with a waist thicker than the very tree Xue Bai sat on, led the group of almost a dozen Qi Sea Realm demonic beasts. It was very obvious to tell that of all of the demonic beasts that arrived, those three were the strongest.


    Very quickly, the clearing was filled with terrifying beasts, each able to swallow Xue Bai whole like a snack.


    Thankfully, while the demonic beasts had Spiritual Sense, theirs were concentrating on the sinkhole and not the trees above. So after failing to enter the Sword Tomb themselves through multiple attempts, the beats eventually started to leave. However, one stayed.


    It was the over 5-meter-tall lion that wanted to stay in case something had already entered the Sword Tomb. And the other demonic beasts didn''t care much, so after a few roars that seemed to resemble a conversation, the group scattered, returning to their own territories.


    Xue Bai, in the tree, seeing all of this happen, was feeling a wealth of emotions. However, all of them were positive. Whether it was thankfulness that the demonic beasts all ignored him or that a Qi Sea Realm demonic beast had perfectly entered his trap, all of his emotions were good.


    "Never mind anything else. Let''s kill this lion first." Xue Bai simply spoke before activating all 12 formation gs.


    Activating all 12 formation gs would give the gravity field array formation enough strength topletely immobilize an existence in the Qi Sea Realm. However, at the same time would also drain Xue Bai''s Spiritual Qi just as quickly.


    And while Xue Bai hadn''t tested how long he could keep up with the strain of having all 12 formation gs activated, he was sure that it couldn''tst longer than 5 minutes. He had activated 11 formation gs before once at home, and that had onlysted for less than 10 minutes. So adding one more g into the equation would surely take away even more time.


    So not daring to waste a second, Xue Bai jumped down and charged at the lion as soon as the gravity field array formation immobilized it.


    Like the other beasts Xue Bai had trapped within the array formation, the lion was instantly both confused and enraged at the sudden suppressive force that immobilized him.


    However, its roars did nothing to shake Xue Bai''s will, and after crossing the distance between the two, Xue Bai jumped on top of its head and pulled out Fire Breath.


    Imbuing both his Fire Element and Space Element into the sword, Xue Bai drove it deep into the back of the creature''s head.


    And like a knife through butter, Xue Bai''s sword sliced through the skull of the creature, going right to the brain, instantly killing the Qi Sea Realm lion.

 Chapter 105 Killing And Robbing

    ?Killing and Robbing


    And after a few post-mortem shakes of unwillingness, the lion''s life force quickly faded. However, as unwilling as it was, with only a Qi Sea Realm cultivation base, the lion, without an intact brain, wouldn''tst long.


    Of course, higher cultivation bases would allow someone to live without their brain, heart, or even physical body as a whole, but for the lion, who was still in the Houtian Great Realm, it could only ept its death.


    After killing the behemoth, Xue Bai quickly deactivated the formation gs before storing away the lion''s corpse in his spatial ring. Following the cleaning of the crime scene, Xue Bai didn''t waste a second and quickly climbed back into his hiding spot up in the tree, as he knew that this wasn''t the end of the situation.


    While Xue Bai wasn''t sure how strong that lion was, it couldn''t have been a weak beast in the Qi Sea Realm as it was one of the three leaders of this section of the core region. And in order tomand other demonic beasts around and be recognized as a leader, unlike the human world, only strength was needed.


    In the human world, even Xue Bai, a weak youth in the 5 physical realms, could order around weaker Domain Lord Realm cultivators just by using the threat of his parent''s name. But in the demonic beast world, Xue Bai would only be another ant forced to submit to a stronger demonic beast.


    So for that lion, who was able to lead this section of the core region, it had to, at the minimum, be in the Middle stages of the Qi Sea Realm. However, Xue Bai guessed that the lion was a few stages higher, possibly either in the Late stages or maybe at the Peak of the Middle stages.


    And the death of such a powerhouse would surely cause chaos in the core region. Whether it was the corpse of the lion that other demonic beasts would greed over or the possibility of taking over the lion''s territory, chaos was bound to ensue after its death.


    However, unlike Xue Bai''s guess, no beast reacted immediately after the lion''s death. But since that would only help him, Xue Bai didn''t care much.


    So instead of mulling over why no demonic beast sensed the lion''s death, Xue Bai sat in the tree and tried to regain his peak condition by meditating. In that short minute-long interval of when he had activated all 12 formation gs, Xue Bai had used almost a third of his Spiritual Qi.


    And with Ye Xuan and Shi Tian leaving the Sword Tomb any moment, Xue Bai needed all the Spiritual Qi he could possibly have, should anything go amiss.


    Thankfully nothing disturbed Xue Bai nor the Sword Tomb, where Ye Xuan and Shi Tian were, giving Xue Bai ample time to recover his wasted Spiritual Qi.


    Hours passed, and the once-set sun had once again started to rise again from the east, shining light into the once terrifying and morbid hunting grounds. However, the picturesque sunrise didn''t soothe everyone''s hearts, as Xue Bai himself was starting to lose patience for the duo in the Sword Tomb while he stayed in the tree.


    He had long regained all of the Spiritual Qi he had used in the lion''s execution, but without anything to do, Xue Bai was forced to stay in the tree waiting. And after a few hours of waiting Xue Bai was getting both sore and bored.


    Xue Bai didn''t go down from the tree as he was scared of bad timing. But the longer he stayed in the tree, the more he thought that something had gone wrong in the Sword Tomb.


    Maybe the two ran into an ident, or maybe there was another exit down there. Either way, Xue Bai was about to lose his patience waiting for so long.


    "I''ll give it another half hour. After that, I''m going in." Xue Bai pacified his anxiousness by saying so.


    Thankfully, his time limit would never be reached, as the duo finally left after another 10 minutes.


    Looking giddy with excitement and patting each other''s backs like good lifelong friends, Ye Xuan and Shi Tian left the Sword Tomb.


    "Brother Xuan, I can''t believe you allowed me toe along with you to this Sword Tomb. The gains we got are by no means small." Shi Tian merrilyughed as he smacked Ye Xuan''s back with enough force to send him stumbling.


    Caught unprepared at the powerful smack, Ye Xuan first recovered before answering.


    "Brother Tian, I needed your hands inside. Without you, I couldn''t have gotten so much." Ye Xuan coughed awkwardly.


    "That''s true. I don''t know how you would pass that second trial room without me." Shi Tian nodded in response.


    The two would stroke each other''s egos as they climbed out of the pit. However, as they jumped out, they noticed something.


    "Brother Tian, did the area around here look so destroyed before we went in?" Ye Xuan spoke confusedly.


    "No. But didn''t you say that Qi Sea Realm demonic beasts would converge after the sinkhole was made? So maybe they destroyed the surroundings before leaving." Shi Tian shrugged his shoulders as he answered.


    Which was half right. However, how could Shi Tian know that Xue Bai killed a Late-stage Qi Sea Realm demonic beast on thend they stood on?


    Ye Xuan subconsciously agreed with Shi Tian''s words, but he felt something was slightly wrong with the area. However, without any evidence and only an ominous feeling in his stomach, Ye Xuan could only shake his head as he started to leave.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Brother Tian, I''ll be off." Ye Xuan waved off as he started to walk away.


    "Brother Xuan, are you sure you don''t want me to help you kill those ungrateful bastards?" Shi Tian couldn''t help but say as Ye Xuan walked away.


    Ye Xuan had naturally told him his story while they were in the Sword Tomb. And finding his situation despicable, Shi Tian wanted to help him out.


    However, Ye Xuan shook his head. While Ye Chen and Ye Xiao were spies nted under him by his suspicious Third Uncle, he couldn''t bring foreign hands into his own n matters.


    Unable to convince his newfound brother, Shi Tian could only shake his head, but before they could separate, Xue Bai finally made his move.


    Activating eight formation gs at once, Xue Bai immobilized the two just before they left the area of his gravity field array formation.


    "Brothers, do you have something for me?" Xue Bai curiously asked as he jumped out of the tree.


    His words were, of course, sarcastic, and the two could obviously sense that and started to yell out for Xue Bai to let them go.


    However, Xue Bai just stared at them calmly, waiting for them to regain theirposure.


    "Xue Bai, what are you nning to do with us?" Ye Xuan eventually calmed down after seeing how indifferent Xue Bai became.


    "I said it before. I''m curious about what you two found for me in that Sword Tomb." Xue Bai replied once more.


    Gritting his teeth in anger, Shi Tian answered, "We found nothing for you, Xue Bai! What we found down there is our own."


    "That might''ve been the case earlier, Brother. However, now that you''re trapped by me, anything that belongs to you belongs to me." Xue Bai spoke with a smile as he took their spatial rings, much to their displeasure.


    "So either you two can exin what you both found down there, and we go our separate ways. Or¡­" Xue Bai spoke as he pulled out his bow and let loose any arrow that stuck itself in the mud, only a few inches away from Shi Tian''s head.


    With such an undisguised threat, Shi Tian wanted to fess up almost instantly and, without looking over at Ye Xuan for confirmation, began to confess.


    The Sword Tomb was the grave site of the previous Grand Elder of the Soaring Sword Sect, a powerhouse in the Xiantian Great Realm. And they both only figured out this from a rumor that was famous in the Inner Sect.


    So after some plotting and promises to stronger Inner Disciples, Ye Xuan managed to get the maps and information about the Sword Tomb.


    Finding their story believable, Xue Bai nodded simply before killing them both.


    Letting them live was never on the table. He was ''Killing and Robbing'' after all. If he only robbed them but let them go, then how could it be called ''Killing and Robbing''?


    And whether or not this was something a righteous cultivator would do, Xue Bai cared not one bit.


    Righteous and Demonic was the most useless-sided argument he had ever learned about.


    Even on Earth, from the novels he had read, Xue Bai knew that the cultivation world wasn''t ck and white. Righteous cultivators were backstabbers, while demonic cultivators were just downright insane.


    So the righteous and demonic factions never appealed to him. Whether it was the moralpass one had to abide by in the righteous faction or the horrible reputation demonic-sided cultivators had, Xue Bai wanted to do with neither.


    So without any guilt to his conscience, Xue Bai burnt the two corpses before leaving the core region with excitement in his steps.


    Not only did he kill a Qi Sea Realm demonic beast, but he had also found the inheritance of a Xiantian Great Realm cultivator.


    Life was good for the androgynous youth.

 Chapter 106 Breaking Through

    ?Breaking Through


    Now with the corpse of a Qi Sea Realm demonic beast, Xue Bai didn''t need to do any more hunting to pass the trial, so after finding a rtively nice cave to rest in, Xue Bai sat down, waiting for the end of the trial.


    However, even if he didn''t have the lion''s corpse in his spatial ring, Xue Bai also had 2650 points to his name from all of the Organ Tempering Realm demonic beasts he had killed. So even if he didn''t have the lion''s corpse, Xue Bai could pass the second trial.


    All in all, Xue Bai was more than content with this trial. The only thing he was slightly regretful of was that he didn''t find any Natural Treasures within the hunting grounds.


    His guess on why he couldn''t find anything was that either the Inner Disciples who rear the demonic beasts take them for their own use or thatst year''s trial takers picked the hunting grounds clean.


    However, it didn''t bother Xue Bai that much, as he still had a wealth of Natural Treasures in Senior Huli''s spatial ring.


    Finding afortable spot in the cave, Xue Bai set up a few protection and detection array formations to protect himself before pulling out a meditation mat.


    There was still a day before the trial would be over, so Xue Bai hoped that he could advance a stage before leaving the hunting grounds.


    He had been at the 2nd stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm for about a week now and was feeling more than confident that he could finally advance to the 3rd stage tonight.


    The myriad of fights he had gone through had made him thoroughly understand his strength and even slightly strengthened his skeleton. So all he needed to do was toplete the final push.


    Pulling out a Middle Yellow Grade Natural treasure from Senior Huli''s spatial ring, Xue Bai swallowed it whole before starting to cultivate.


    The Natural Treasure peacefully went down Xue Bai''s throat and eventually turned into a mellow ball of Spiritual Qi that ran along his skeleton, nourishing it from the inside out.


    Suppressing the feeling of letting out a moan of contentment, Xue Bai quickly concentrated and began to circte the Spiritual Qi that ran throughout his body, along his bones.


    The feeling was sublime, and more often than not, Xue Bai would almost lose his focus from the pleasure, but thanks to his experience in the Realm, Xue Bai was able to keep his concentration all throughout the day.


    Xue Bai''s cultivation session wouldst the entire morning until deep into the afternoon when Xue Bai felt something in him pop.


    Opening his eyes at the distinct sound, Xue Bai stood up, pleased with his progress.


    Standing up, Xue Bai decided to give his limbs a stretch. However, as he did, the cave was soon filled with sounds of crackling and popping sounds. It was almost like the sounds of cooking popcorn being yed through a speaker.


    After making sure his body was in good condition, Xue Bai started to make his way out of the cave.


    The second trial would end at sunset, and currently, it was around 5 PM, which gave Xue Bai around 3 hours to make it back to where they were dropped off. If one couldn''t make it back to where they were dropped off before the airship left at 8 PM, they would be either disqualified orbeled as dead.


    Either way, staying in the hunting grounds any longer gave no advantages to Xue Bai, so he wanted to leave as soon as possible. And after making sure he collected all of the array formations he set up in defense, Xue Bai started to make his way out of the hunting grounds.


    Once again, taking to the tree canopies, Xue Bai, using his knowledge of the hunting grounds, made his way to where they were dropped off. However, since he was only a kilometer out from the core region of the hunting grounds, Xue Bai knew he was going to take a long time to reach his destination.


    So putting more effort into his sprint, Xue Bai ran full speed to the meeting area.


    Meanwhile, at Xue Bai''s destination, participants started to gather up, marking the end of the second trial.


    "Senior Brother Luo Ye, in your previous experience, what was the minimum amount of points needed to pass this second trial." A participant asked Luo Ye, whofortably sat at the bow of the ship.


    "I don''t know, Junior Brother. This year is the first time we have had something like this before." Luo Ye replied simply.


    If it weren''t for the fact that the youth talking to him was in the Organ Tempering Realm and was almost guaranteed to enter the sect, Luo Ye wouldn''t even have bothered to acknowledge the question.


    "Then, Senior Brother Luo Ye, which of the participants do you think is going to take home first in this trial?" The youth followed up, not sensing Luo Ye''s rising displeasure.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hearing the question, while he might''ve been annoyed by the conversation, got Luo Ye thinking. However, very quickly, he got his answer which he was very confident in.


    "The Wang n members." Luo Ye confidently spoke.


    "Why do you say so, Senior Brother Luo Ye." The youth curiously asked.


    "It''s simple. They have the strongest group." Luo Ye exined, "Both Wang Lin and Wang Xiang are at the peak of the Organ Tempering Realm. Adding onto Wang Che and Wang Xiao, who are in the Late stages of the Organ Tempering Realm, their team is a force to be reckoned with."


    "Senior Brother Luo Ye, no one has heard from the Wang n members." But then, the youth suddenly remembered, "They made some noise in the first hour, but they suddenly disappeared after threatening Xue Bai."


    Stunned, Luo Ye could only speak out, "Xue Bai?"


    "Yes, Senior Brother Luo Ye, Xue Bai. One of the Young Dukes of The Great Xuan Empire. The one who awakened the High ck Fire Element Grade Martial Vein." The youth reiterated.


    "I know who you are talking about, you half-wit." Luo Ye scolded, "I was just remembering who Xue Bai was for a second."


    "I remember talking to him during the first trial. He was extremely confident in bing a Core Disciple right from the start. His confidence was something to look at." Luo Ye admired.


    "So you''re telling me that Xue Bai, a child in the 2nd stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm, killed two cultivators at the Peak of the Organ Tempering Realm and two at the Late Stages?" Luo Ye asked, skepticism in his voice.


    "I never said anything like that but instead pointed out the facts. And after they threatened Xue Bai, no one has heard from them since." The youth exined hurriedly.


    "Xue Bai, huh?" Luo Ye could only speak out the name as a myriad of emotions riled up in him.


    He, of course, could tell that something had most likely happened to the Wang n members. However, he still couldn''t bring himself to suspect Xue Bai. After all, the strength gap was too apparent.


    ''Looks like this year isn''t going to be peaceful.'' Luo Ye mentally thought.


    "Then Senior Brother Luo Ye, what ce do you think Xue Bai is going to get?" The youth asked, seeing that the conversation had changed.


    "I think he''ll either struggle to even enter the top 1000 and be let in dishonorably. Or shock us all." Luo Ye replied without much thinking.


    "Why do you think that he''ll struggle? Isn''t he the greatest talent in this batch, even rivaling Wang Yu from a few years ago." The youth asked.


    "It''s because this test is too hard for the weaker participants and greatly favors the older ones. While Xue Bai is definitely one of the continent''s greatest talents, he is currently too young and weak. The 2nd stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm is something unheard of from a 13-year-old youth, but in this trial, it''s only in the top half of strength." Luo Ye exined.


    "Then why do you think he''ll shock us all? While he is a talented youth, no matter how many stages he can cross to fight, he surely can''t fight an Organ Tempering Beast?"


    "I don''t know either. I just have a feeling that Xue Bai doesn''t want to be average and is nning to shock us all." Luo Ye simply replied.


    After he finished talking, Luo Ye also closed his eyes, seemingly finished with speaking for the day.


    The youth also stopped disturbing Luo Ye and went back to his group to wait for the rest of the participants to arrive.


    As the time became closer and closer to 8 PM, more and more participants arrived, making the originally deste area lively.


    However, more people also meant more eyes, so very soon, someone eventually noticed that there were several important figures missing. Mainly Xue Bai, the greatest talent in the Southern Continent''s history and the Wang n''s next generation of talents.


    Thankfully just before the 8 PM time limit, one of the two missing groups arrived.


    Xue Bai.

 Chapter 107 Another Pitiful Character

    ?Another Pitiful Character


    Arriving at the meeting location, Xue Bai first took a moment to catch his breath. He had been running nonstop for almost 3 hours, and not only did his Spiritual Qi almost run dry but his physical strength had also been depleted.


    Thankfully after swallowing some Qi Replenishing Pills, Xue Bai''s face quickly regained some of its normal rosy color.


    "Xue Bai, you''re thest one. Hurry and get onto the airship." Luo Ye yelled out with a smile.


    Xue Bai was thest person to arrive, and the 8 PM time limit was just about to end. And adding onto the fact that Luo Ye wanted to go back to the sect as soon as possible, he ended the trial at the sight of Xue Bai.


    "But Senior Brother Luo Ye, what about the Wang n members, Shi Tian and Ye Xuan. Their ns won''t let this matter drop if we leave without them." Another Inner Disciple remarked.


    Which was something to be concerned about, as not to mention the powerful Ye and Shi subordinate ns, the Wang n was something to be scared off.


    If they had to go over to the Wang n and break the news to Wang Yichen that their four most talented juniors in his n had died in a simple entrance trial, there would be hell to pay.


    "It''s 8 PM right now, so since they''re not here, that means they''ve failed the second trial. So even if their ns make a fuss, our Soaring Sword Sect is no soft persimmon either." Luo Ye waved his hand as he spoke.


    Not knowing how to respond to Luo Ye''s arrogant dismissal, the Inner Disciple could only nod his head and lower the airship to let Xue Bai on.


    Jumping onto the airship once again, Xue Bai went over to Luo Ye.


    "Senior Brother Luo Ye, where will we tally the score we umted during this trial?" Xue Bai asked.


    "We will do so at the city square back at Soaring Sword City. After that, we will announce the third and final trial." Luo Ye answered with a smile showing apletely different attitude than what he showed with the other participant.


    Unlike the other participant whom Luo Ye merely spoke to perfunctorily, Xue Bai was the real connection Luo Ye hoped to build during this year.


    While that other participant was certainly talented for a Southern Continent youth, Xue Bai was on an entirely different level. Not only was Xue Bai the top talent in the Southern Continent, but even Soaring Sword Sect''s main branch in the Central Continent, where geniuses were a dime a dozen, Xue Bai would still prosper as one of the best.


    If Luo Ye managed to build a connection with Xue Bai, now before the child''s rise, his future would be immeasurable!


    When Xue Bai eventually advanced to the Xiantian Great Realm, and possibly even in the Late stages of it, as long as he favored rtionships, even a tiny word or promise now would hold limitless value should Luo Ye hold it for the future.


    Thinking about this, Luo Ye''s smile became deeper and deeper, to the point where it somewhat scared Xue Bai off, making him back up a few steps.


    "Senior Brother, I will be taking my leave. The run back has exhausted both my physical body and made my Dantian run dry." Then, cupping his fists respectfully, Xue Bai quickly backed away from Luo Ye.


    ''That smile was creepy. It was like I was a naked beauty in front of a pervert.'' Xue Bai shivered as he walked away as fast as he could.


    After spending a few years in this body, Xue Bai had very astute senses when it came to perverts, and this Luo Ye was turning on a few rms in Xue Bai''s mind.


    Mentally noting down not to interact with that odd Senior Brother anymore, Xue Bai quickly found himself a room that was unupied and began to meditate.


    While he regained his breath and some Spiritual Qi, Xue Bai was still running on fumes currently. And while he wanted to just hit the pillow and go to sleep, he knew the airship ride wouldn''t take long. So instead of sleeping, he nned to meditate and regain some energy before attending the final count when they arrived back at Soaring Sword City.


    After swallowing a few more Qi Replenishing pills, Xue Bai continued to meditate. The trip back would onlyst a few hours, and Xue Bai wanted to make the best out of them.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Deep in meditation and without a sense of time, Xue Bai focused on regaining his Spiritual Qi peacefully until his spatial ring buzzed out of nowhere.


    Opening his eyes to the sudden disturbance, Xue Bai went to look at the message that awakened him. Checking it, Xue Bai noticed that Xiao''er had messaged him after she noticed that he hadn''t gotten off the ship yet.


    Putting on an awkward smile that exined his thoughts profoundly, Xue Bai stood up to leave, albeit reluctantly.


    After Xue Bai left the room before making it back to the deck of the ship, he easily found the rest of the participants exiting the airship that hadnded.


    "Young Duke Xue, the ranking ceremony will be held in the square. Please make your way off the airship." An Inner Disciple gently reminded, seeing Xue Bai look slightly confused.


    Thanking the man, Xue Bai quickly made his way off of the airship, where he saw a huge stage set up in the middle of the once-emptied-out city square.


    There, on top of the stage, was a huge screen, resembling the mega screens at sporting events, that listed the top 1000 scores for the second trial.


    The lowest score, ce 1000, was currently only 600. However, that was mainly because less than a quarter of the participants had their scores tallied.


    Xue Bai estimated that the 1000th ce would have around 1000 points, so this 600 wouldn''tst long.


    The first was somewhat eye-catching, though, as instead of showing a point total, it showed ''Killed three Qi Sea Realm demonic beasts.'' This was extremely surprising, as the strongest person attending was the Peak of the Organ Tempering Realm.


    And while many geniuses could cross stages to fight, crossing Realms was much harder, especially with the Qi Sea Realm being thergest gulf in power one would gain advancing past a Realm.


    The difference between a peak stage Organ Tempering Realm cultivator and a 1st stage Qi Sea Realm was almost the difference between a teenager and an adult.


    A Qi Sea Realm cultivator had ess to long-range attacks, Martial and Movement Techniques, and so many other things that could make a huge difference in the uing fight.


    And the difference in power didn''t lower between a demonic beast and a human either. As when a demonic beast finally advanced to the Qi Sea Realm, they finally inherit their bloodline memories, allowing them to gain bloodline abilities no less powerful than some Martial Techniques humans used.


    So for a youth to kill a demonic beast in the Qi Sea Realm was surprising for Xue Bai. However, once he saw the person''s name, something clicked in him.


    "Ye Rou? Isn''t that the Sect Leader''s second disciple?" Xue Bai remembered the girl''s name.


    While she couldn''t be called cannon fodder due to her strength in the game, she basically was. Wang Yu lusted after the girl during his stay at the Soaring Sword Sect, and 9 times out of 10, he would usually end up kidnapping her before abandoning the sect.


    There after being kidnapped would have a ve seal branded onto her soul, turning herself into one of Wang Yu''s many sword ves.


    Overall a tragic ending for such a beautiful and talented woman, so after remembering her name, Xue Bai felt pity for her.


    However, only so much. He wouldn''t go out of his way to save every character with a tragic ending, even if they were a sky-toppling beauty.


    Huo Chen was the only exception as he was a loyal subordinate to his father and deserved the rescue, but this Ye Rou was a random girl he had never even so much seen before. So how could he go out of his way and save her?


    Shaking his head in dismissal, Xue Bai made his way to the stage.


    It was time to show off again!

 Chapter 108 An Annoying Woman, Showing Off Once More

    ?Small announcement, Li Er Chen from thest chapter has been renamed to Ye Rou and will be referred to as such from now on!


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    An Annoying Woman, Showing Off Once More


    Currently, there was a line of a few thousand people long, in between Xue Bai and the stage, so until then, Xue Bai was stuck waiting in line. And while Xue Bai could skip it by revealing his identity, he had already shown his personality as a righteous potential disciple to the Core Elder a few days ago, and using his identity to suppress others didn''t match that.


    So albeit reluctantly, Xue Bai entered the line and waited for his turn.


    Thankfully, the line went by quickly as all one had to do was to touch their personal jade token to the array formation that had all of the scores. After that, their score would be disyed on therge expansive screen that was visible everywhere in the city square.


    However, only the 1000 top scores were given the spotlight, as the bottom 4 thousand were only given a small spot on the screen.


    The reason for this was obvious, as, besides the participants who were in the bottom 4 thousand, no one cared for the bottom rankers. Instead, everyone''s focus was on the top 1000 who would pass the trial. Especially the top 100, as those would be key figures in the uing genius-filled era.


    In line, Xue Bai would every once in a while have someone try and talk to him so as to build a rtionship, but thankfully after giving the perpetrator a cold nce, they would always stop.


    Until one didn''t, at least.


    "Young Duke Xue, how were your gains in the second trial? I heard some other participants saying that it should''ve been extremely hard for someone with your cultivation base. After all, this trial was more focused on the participants with an Organ Tempering Realm cultivation base." A lively-looking girl asked in rapid fire.


    The girl, who was a chatterbox, was a youthful-looking girl with a slender and graceful figure. Unlike the innocently seductive appearance of Xiao''er, this girl had the charm of the girl next door. Infinitely cheerful and curious about the expansive world.


    And like her appearance, as soon as she saw Xue Bai in line, she made her way toward him and started talking to him like one would an old friend. And to this odd act, Xue Bai had no idea how to get the girl to shut up.


    He had already given her the cold gaze that had deterred countless others, yet she didn''t even so much as grow a frown and continued to speak her thoughts.


    "Sister, please, one at a time! You''ve tossed out 20 questions. I can only answer so many!" Xue Bai cried out.


    He thought that if he stayed silent long enough, the girl would eventually find him boring and leave, but not only did she not, but her enthusiasm seemed to be higher!


    Out of the many things that Xue Bai had cultivated in this new world, his social skills were definitely not one of them. So in the face of such an extrovert, Xue Bai didn''t know what to do.


    "Finally, you responded!" After hearing Xue Bai finally speak, an even wider smile appeared on the lively girl''s face.


    "How can I not? If I didn''t, my ear would fall off before my turn woulde." Xue Bai bitterly responded.


    "My Father told me that if someone ignores me, then it means that I didn''t try hard enough." The lively girl proudly announced as she ced her hands on her hips, highlighting her figure.


    Ignoring both the disy of her figure and the odd advice her father gave her, Xue Bai reiterated himself once more.


    "I can answer a few questions, as we are going to stay in this line for another 10 or 20 minutes at the least. But! One at a time, your voice isn''t very pleasing to the ears, and you also talk very fast. So speak slowly and calmly." Xue Bai exined his thoughts, though they were rather blunt.


    Not at all phased by Xue Bai''s blunt speech, the girl asked her first question without much thought.


    "How well do you think you''re going to do in this trial?" The girl asked.


    "Does it matter to you so much where you need to bother me so much? I''ll pass with flying colors." Xue Bai rolled his eyes as he replied.


    "Hehe!" The lively girl didn''t seem to mind his vague answer and only continued to shoot out more questions, rapid fire.


    Xue Bai, still not wanting to talk to a random girl he didn''t know, continued to give vague and unclear answers. However, oddly the girl didn''t seem to care and even continued asking until the point where Xue Bai was allowed onto the stage.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Young Duke Xue, please ce your jade token here." The Inner Disciple, who manned the array formation, gently instructed.


    Giving a small nod in agreement, Xue Baiplied and ced his jade token onto the array, where soon, his score of 2650 appeared on the screen. His score gave him the position of 632.


    As the scoring event was more than three-quarters of the way done, Xue Bai''s score didn''t reach as high as he thought, but still, with how low people had their expectations of him, Xue Bai''s cement shocked everyone.


    Most people were in the thinking that Xue Bai would most likely only ce in the bottom echelons of the top 1000, while some even thought that he would embarrass himself and not even reach the top 1000. But, no one expected the ce he managed to get.


    However, with shock also came uneptance, and very soon, rather than cheers, there were many voices denouncing Xue Bai''s score. Saying that he either cheated or had another, stronger youth killing demonic beasts for him while he reaped the benefits.


    The voices were so loud that even the Inner Disciple manning the array formation wanted to say something, but before he could, Xue Bai made another move that stunned the crowd.


    Pulling out the corpse of the Qi Sea Realm lion that he had killed, Xue Bai stunned the crowd into silence this time.


    The Inner Disciple in front of Xue Bai was the first to get out of their stupor.


    "Young Duke Xue, this lion, you killed it yourself?" The Inner Disciple questioned skeptically.


    And while his question was a stupid one, who could me him? Xue Bai''s cultivation wasn''t hidden from him, and he could clearly see that Xue Bai was only at the 3rd stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm. So for him to pull out the corpse of a demonic beast in the Qi Sea Realm, the Inner Disciple was rightfully skeptical.


    "Yes, I did, Senior Brother!" Xue Bai simply replied.


    "Forgive me for being invasive, but may I ask how you did so? The Senior Brothers in the sect might not ept it if you don''t give us a reason." The Inner Disciple spoke hesitantly.


    The rules for the second trial were that as long as someone killed a demonic beast in the Qi Sea Realm, they were allowed instant admission into the Inner Sect. However, the Inner Sect was filled with cultivators in the Qi Sea and Dharma Idol Realm. So it would be extremely hard for them to have to ept a 3rd stage Bone Strengthening 13-year-old into their fold.


    In the Soaring Sword Sect, it didn''t matter whether Xue Bai was the only child of two Peak stage Domain Lords or was a Young Duke of The Great Xuan Empire. It only mattered how strong he was.


    Andpared to his soon-to-be Senior Brothers and Sisters, Xue Bai wasn''t nearly strong enough to be epted by them.


    That''s why even though he was asking for Xue Bai''s presumably trump card, which was a known taboo, the Inner Disciple didn''t look very troubled about it.


    Xue Bai, also predicting such a thing, wasn''t phased by the intrusive question. Instead, he proceeded to pull out his formation gs and show them off.


    While showing the gravity field array formation to the world would definitely take away its secrecy, it still didn''t take away any of its surprise factors. For example, even if someone knew that Xue Bai had the gravity field array formation, how could they dodge it?


    It was undetectable, and its effects were extremely strong. So revealing its existence didn''t bother Xue Bai much.


    "Senior Brother, as you know, my Father is a well-known Formation Master, and me as his son, I, of course, learned some under him. And this array formation can, with an extreme amount of preparation, suppress an existence in the Qi Sea Realm." Xue Bai exined as he set up the formation around the Inner Disciple.


    After he finished exining it, Xue Bai also proceeded to activate it, summoning a huge suppressive force onto the shoulders of the Inner disciple.


    Thankfully the Inner Disciple was in the Dharma Idol Realm, so he didn''t copse into the ground like the others Xue Bai used the gravity field array formation on.


    "This is indeed something someone in the Qi Sea Realm couldn''t take." The Inner Disciple nodded approvingly.


    After this, he proceeded to input Xue Bai''s score on the screen, fully convinced of the youth''s strength.


    "Next!"


    The scoring ceremony continued peacefully.

 Chapter 109 Ye Rou, Clear Skies Restaurant

    ?Ye Rou, Clear Skies Restaurant


    Xue Bai''s score of 2650 and cement of 632 didn''t stay on the screen for long since he had killed a Qi Sea Realm demonic beast. So after the Inner Dicsples ced his score into the array formation, his cement moved to number 1, directly above Ye Rou.


    Which, at first, was met with a lot of questions, but the Inner Disciple manning the array formation dispelled them all by mentioning the fact that the lion that Xue Bai killed was in the 6th stage of the Qi Sea Realm. And while Ye Rou had only killed three demonic beasts in the Qi Sea Realm, the ones she had killed were all either in the 1st or 2nd stages.


    So Xue Bai rightfully took first ce.


    However, seemingly ignorant of the crowds'' new analyzing and worshiping gazes, Xue Bai went to go find the annoying woman again.


    And after getting off the stage, Xue Bai easily found the girl who had bothered him so much. However, currently, she was being surrounded and bothered by a small group of male youths. And from their unhidden lustful gazes, Xue Bai could easily tell what they were bothering her for.


    "Junior Sister,e on. I haven''t been unreasonable. I only asked for your name." One of the young men asked as he tried to grab her arm.


    Seeing this, the lively girl''s face, for the first time, grew a deep frown. At first, she had tried to get them away from her by persuading them nicely, saying that she was waiting for her friend to finish inputting their score. But no matter how nice she was to the group of young men, they were still persistent.


    However, as she was still naive to the world, the lively girl tried to bear through their talk and wait for Xue Bai. But when they tried to grab her, she finally realized that being nice to people like this would only achieve the opposite of what she wanted.


    So as any person who was annoyed and at the end of their rope would do, she unleashed her cultivation base, smacking away the person who tried to grab her.


    And her cultivation base surprised not only the perverted men but also shocked Xue Bai, who was preparing to help her.


    ''She''s as strong as Wang Lin and Wang Xiang!'' Xue Bai mentally thought, ''No, she''s stronger!''


    Even though he couldn''t tell her cultivation base exactly, Xue Bai could guess approximately how strong she was. And her cultivation base, while it looked to be at the same strength as Wang Lin and Wang Xiang, it seemed slightly stronger.


    It was like two mountains of the same height; however, hers was much wider and more expansive than the other one.


    And after some quick thinking, Xue Bai quickly reached two conclusions on how it was like this. She had either cultivated the Purification Stages as he had, or she was at the half-step Qi Sea realm. But Xue Bai was leaning more toward the former as if she was at the half-step Qi Sea realm. It would''ve shown itself in her aura.


    As Xue Bai''s mind was reeling at the sudden incident that was unfolding in front of him, the lively girl had already beaten the group of young men into pig heads.


    "Humph!" And with aical humph, the lively girl shook her hands clean as if wiping off any dust that could''ve dirtied her fair hands.


    Turning around after a job well done, she managed to find Xue Bai looking at her with calctive eyes.


    "You don''t have to look at me like that, Young Duke Xue. I was nning on telling you who I was when you came back anyways." The lively girl waved her hand, casually dismissing Xue Bai''s gaze.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "So I assume you''re Ye Rou, right?" Xue Bai asked confidently.


    During their previous "interaction," Xue Bai never really looked the girl in the eyes. But now, face to face with her, Xue Bai could connect her appearance to the sword ve she would be in the future.


    And with the strength she just disyed that was superior to even Wang Lin and Wang Xiang, if she wasn''t Ye Rou, then who could she be?


    To Xue Bai''s question, Ye Rou nodded in agreement before looking up at the screen. And very soon, her beautiful face was full of shock.


    "You beat me! Wait, even more importantly, how the hell did you kill a 6th-stage Qi Sea Realm beast!" Ye Rou shouted out in shock.


    She currently had more than a dozen questions in her mind. However, those two were the most important.


    However, Xue Bai ignored her questions and only reiterated himself once more.


    "I told you earlier. I would pass with flying colors." Xue Bai simply spoke before leaving the girl in a stupor.


    The next trial would be announced tomorrow, so Xue Bai had no more reason to stay in the city square. Plus, Xiao''er was also waiting for him.


    So after giving a somewhat polite goodbye to Ye Rou, Xue Bai ran off in search of his maid.


    Thankfully the search didn''tst long, as Xiao''er wasn''t far from the spot he took the first trial two days ago.


    "Young Master! I''m over here! Mistress is waiting for you in the Clear Skies Restaurant." Xiao''er yelled out as soon as she saw Xue Bai.


    She had been waiting just outside the square for a few hours at this point, so after seeing Xue Bai look for her, she finally felt relieved. A little longer, and she would''ve gone into the crowd to look for him herself.


    Nodding at the words of Xiao''er, Xue Bai took her fair hand and started to make his way over to the Clear Skies Restaurant.


    The Clear Skies Restaurant was the number 1 dining ce in the Soaring Sword City. It was said the owner of the Clear Skies Restaurant was previously a Core Elder from the Soaring Sword Sect, but after suffering an injury that injured his foundation, he left and created the restaurant with his Dao Companion.


    And with his strength and influence, Clear Skies Restaurant very easily over years became the number 1 dining ce in Soaring Sword City. After all, it was backed by the Soaring Sword Sect itself, so how could foreign restaurants possibly keep up?


    The restaurant itself was structured beautifully with nine floors, where each floor up could hold fewer and fewer people. However, at the same time allowed more and more extravagant dining options to those on the higher floors. But at the same, in order to qualify to go to the higher floors, one''s identity should also be just as high profile.


    So naturally, Li Rou, a Peak Stage Domain Lord and the Duchess of The Great Xuan Empire, was allowed onto the ninth floor, where she currently sat waiting for her son and his maid to arrive.

 Chapter 110 Talking With Li Rou

    ?Talking with Li Rou


    Clear Skies Restaurant wasn''t hidden at all and was even ced at the center of the Soaring Sword City. And with its 9-floor tall height, it was extremely hard to miss for any passing by citizens.


    And after showing his identity to the guards on the base floor, Xue Bai was easily allowed to reach the top floor, where his mother waited for him.


    Li Rou had rented out the entire top floor for the next few hours as she wanted to be alone with Xue Bai for their discussion. She hadn''t seen her son for the past two days and would be leaving soon, so she wanted no distractions during their encounter.


    So after Xue Bai reached the table, she put her chin into her palms and let Xue Bai speak his mind.


    "So that array formation of yours allowed you to even kill something in the Qi Sea Realm?" Li Rou asked with some shock in her tone.


    Xue Bai had just finished exining to her what happened in the second trial, bar from killing Ye Xuan and Shi Tian and finding the Xiantian Great Realm powerhouse''s inheritance. And while he could''ve told her about that, Xue Bai didn''t think it was too significant for her to know.


    After all, he found much better things like the Celestial Void Fruit and Yggdrasil. So the inheritance of a measly XIantian Great Realm cultivator didn''t seem too important in his mind.


    And after he exined everything to her, Li Rou was most shocked by the prowess of his gravity field array formation. She had personally seen Xue Bai work on it for weeks, so hearing that it paid off so well, Li Rou was both shocked and happy.


    "Yes, Mother, but I can''t activate all 12 formation gs for very long. And since only I am immune to its effects, it''s also not useful in a group battle scenario." Xue Bai exined somewhat disapprovingly.


    The gravity field array formation was Xue Bai''s crowning achievement in this life so far, but since he''s had so little time to work on it, it still had many kinks that he needed to work out. And the odd fact that only Xue Bai was immune to its effects was the biggest one that he had yet to even figure out how to solve.


    The only reason that only Xue himself was immune to it was, whenever he would be in the gravity field array formation while it was powered on, he would coat himself in his Space Element Spiritual Qi using it as armor. And for some mystical reason that Xue Bai still had yet to figure out exactly why, would counteract the gravitational force created by the formation.


    And with no knowledge of why he was even immune, Xue Bai still thought of the gravity field array formation to be a prototype at best.


    Seeing his admonishing expression, Li Rou''s heart softened, and she went over and gave her son an affectionate pat on the head as to cheer him up.


    "Bai''er, you''re still young and full of heaven-defying potential. Give yourself another year, and I know you''ll figure out the problems naturally." Li Rou spoke lovingly.


    Xiao''er, on the side, also shared the same sentiment.


    Nodding at their words, Xue Bai slightly cheered up before going to pick up the menu that was put in front of them a while ago.


    Li Rou had taken him out to eat for two main reasons. One was that she would be returning home today and wanted to take thisst chance to share a meal with her son, and the other was to have an early celebration of Xue Bai''s admission into the Soaring Sword Sect.


    And since the owner of Clear Skies was owned by a Domain Lord, its food was naturally high tier. Including the fact that Li Rou was allowed onto the 9th and top floor, the group of three was allowed to eat the best dishes the restaurant served.


    Xue Bai chose a dish called zed Five Colored Peacock, something he thought resembled fried chicken from the earth. However, their tastes were ofpletely different worlds.


    Chickens on earth were low-ss lifeforms that would only suit the taste buds of mortals. But the Five Colored Peacock was, at the minimum, a demonic beast in the Qi Sea Realm. While the ones served in the Clear Skies Restaurant were in the Law Manifestation Realm.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And while its strength was something that could destroy mountains and dry up rivers, its taste was just as strong. Thousands of years of cultivation had enhanced not only its strength but also its vor.


    Sadly since the meat was too nourishing and full of Spiritual QI, Xue Bai was only allowed to eat two bites by his mother. In her words, any more and Xue Bai would explode from oversaturation.


    Thankfully the two bites that he had were more than worth it, as they were easily the most delicious thing he had eaten in his entire life.


    Not only that but after he ate them, he was given almost a week''s worth of cultivation that he was then forced to circte quickly before they dissipated. And not wanting that to happen, Xue Bai quickly sat cross-legged before cultivating.


    The cultivation session, unlike others, wasn''t very long, and within the hour, Xue Bai had used up all of the Spiritual Qi the Five Colored Peacock gave him. Sadly, the surplus of cultivation didn''t allow Xue Bai to break through to the 4th stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm.


    However, it did manage to bring his cultivation to the peak of the 3rd stage, making him just one more step away from the 4th stage.


    "Bai''er, how was your cultivation?" Li Rou asked when Xue Bai finally opened his eyes.


    "Sadly, I didn''t manage to reach the 4th stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm. However, I did reach the peak of the 3rd stage." Xue Bai exined.


    "That''s good." Li Rou nodded approvingly, "Bai''er, I have to leave now as your father is nning on leaving the Dukedom and needs someone else to protect it."


    While Li Rou was somewhat ufortable with leaving Xue Bai alone in such foreign territory, she knew he was more than equipped to protect himself from almost any cultivator in the Southern Continent.


    So after giving him enough money tost more than a year and making sure her soul imprint was still powered, Li Rou left, returning to the Dukedom.


    Xue Feng managed to pry the location of a Middle ck Grade Natural Treasure from Xue Bai, and since his cultivation was a lot slower than he liked it to be, he nned to go and retrieve it. Sadly it was far away from The Great Xuan Empire, meaning that he would have to leave the Dukedom for some time.


    And since he couldn''t leave his territory unprotected, he asked Li Rou toe back and protect it herself.


    Thankfully the Wang Twins still stayed behind with Xue Bai and protected him from any cannon fodder who wanted to hurt their Young Master. It was their job, after all. So how could they just leave?


    And while Xue Bai was protected by Li Rou''s soul imprint, what if the attacker was only in the Law Engraving or Law Manifestation Realm? Wouldn''t it be a waste to use an attack that could kill even Peak stage Domain Lords against someone so much weaker?


    However, before Li Rou left, she warned him, "Bai''er remember to be careful of the Wang n and their attacks. While they don''t know that you killed their n members, they can guess it rather easily. After all, you exposed the existence of your array formation that could allow you to kill them."


    Xue Bai took her advice seriously and nodded solemnly at it. He knew just how vicious the Wang n was. Even if they weren''t sure if Xue Bai killed Wang Lin and Wang Xiang, they''d rather kill 10,000 wrong suspects than let the true culprit go.


    Leaving Clear Skies Restaurant with Xiao''er, Xue Bai returned to the hotel they had stayed at and rented their rooms for one more night.


    Thest and final trial would be tomorrow, and Xue Bai wanted to be fully rested in preparation.


    So instead of cultivated during the night as he usually did, Xue Bai slept peacefully in his bed, waiting for the action-packed day tomorrow.

 Chapter 111 Final Trial

    ?Final Trial


    Deep in sleep and without a sense of time, the night for Xue Bai went by quickly. And he would only wake up just shy of 6 am thanks to his natural rm clock.


    Quickly washing up with a bucket of spirit water, Xue Bai changed into a new set of training clothes before making his way to the city square. While he had already guaranteed his entry into the Inner Sect from the previous trial, the third trial was the one that would potentially allow him to be a Core Disciple.


    The position of Core Disciple in the Soaring Sword Sect was something illustrious and was only given to those who were deserving of it.


    And for any potential youth to be a Core Disciple, there were two requirements. The first was for one to have, at the minimum, a ck Grade Martial Vein. Which Xue Bai definitely passed.


    While the second was to have a high enough affinity with Sword Law, which was going to be tested in the third and final trial.


    The Soaring Sword Sect, after all, was a sect made for Sword Cultivators. So how could they allow someone in if they had no affinity for Sword Law?


    And while Xue Bai didn''t know his affinity for Sword Law, as his character in the game was a cripple, it couldn''t be low as even now, with his Bone Strengthening Realm cultivation, he felt as if he had touched the boundary of Sword Law.


    So going into the final trial, Xue Bai felt confident that he could follow up on his deal with Elder Yang and be a Core Disciple.


    Walking side by side with Xiao''er and with the Wang Twins following close behind, Xue Bai calmly made his way to the city square, where the remaining 1000 participants awaited the final trial.


    Other people, of course, were allowed to watch the final trial, as the results of this trial could improve or even nullify the results from the previous two. Making this final trial the only one that genuinely mattered for factions to take notice of.


    However, only the participants were allowed into the City Square, while the attendants watching the trial were only allowed to watch from afar.


    And Xue Bai himself, seeing all of the watching eyes focused on the stage, was even slightly nervous.


    There was easily triple the number of participants watching the final trial. And each of them was the respective recruiter for their factions, which meant that they all had both strength and a good eye for talent.


    And with thousands of powerhouses looking at him, not just Xue Bai but even all the other participants were slightly nervous at all of the invisible pressure.


    The Soaring Sword Sect higher-ups obviously noticed this. Still, they yed ignorant and let the situation happen, as this could also test the participants that were going into their sect.


    Being able to keep your calm while having thousands of eyes on you was a valuable skill for any cultivator, especially a righteous one.


    So after shaking away the stage fright, Xue Bai bid Xiao''er farewell before making his way to the stage where the final trial would take ce.


    The final trial, while the most important trial, was also the simplest one. As all one needed to do was to ce their palm onto a testing stone, named the Sword Law Jade Stone, that could test one''s affinity to Sword Law.


    How the stone worked Xue Bai had no clue. But since it was one of the Soaring Sword Sects, Three Great Heirlooms, Xue Bai didn''t bother to question it either.


    Most likely, the Sword Law Jade Stone was something from ancient times that was passed down from Sect Leader to Sect Leader.


    As the first-ce ranker from yesterday''s trial, Xue Bai was required by tradition to go first again in the final trial, so as he made his way toward the stage, the crowd opened and made way for him.


    The earlier he went, the earlier they could go, after all. So why would they be rude and block him out when all it would be doing was also dying their turn?


    On the stage, the proctor once again was the same Inner Disciple from yesterday Luo Ye.


    "Young Duke Xue, I think you know how this trial works, so I won''t bother you with any more words." Luo Ye spoke with a smile that seemed to contain more meaning than Xue Bai wasfortable with.


    "Yes, Senior Brother." Xue Bai replied with a forced smile as he ced his palm onto the Sword Law Jade Stone.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Sword Law Jade Stone had nine grades and three secret tiers. The nine grades were the mostmon results for anyone trying to join the Soaring Sword Sect and were simply ranked highest to lowest, 1-9.


    But, to keep his end of the deal with Elder Yang, Xue Bai needed to be a Core Disciple and to be one, Xue Bai needed his Sword Law affinity to reach one of the three secret tiers, which were named Immortal, God, and Divine.


    However, throughout the entire history of the Soaring Sword Sect, only two people have ever had their Sword Law affinity be ranked at God, and both of them be the Sect Leader of the Soaring Sword Sect within their generation. While no one, not even from the Central Continent, has ever reached the Divine tier.


    Even the Soaring Sword Sects founder didn''t think that the Divine tier was something a youth in their Mortal ne to reach. But rather, it was something that could only be touched by the geniuses in the legendary Immortal World.


    Xue Bai himself didn''t think he could get the Divine tier either, as even the strongest Child of the ne barely reached the Divine tier. So for him, an ex-Cannon Fodder with no innate talents, how could he possibly match up with that monster?


    Xue Bai was, however, confident in his chances of reaching the God tier, while he knew he was at least guaranteed the Immortal tier. And while it seemed arrogant for him to think so, something within him told him that he could.


    The instinct was odd, but it was strong and wasn''t something he could suppress.


    Meanwhile, away from Xue Bai''s thoughts, after he ced his hand on the Sword Law Jade Stone, it started to glow brilliantly.


    And like a hologram, a number projected upwards showing Xue Bai''s current rank detected by the Sword Law Jade Stone.


    Speeding past the nine grades, Xue Bai''s rank almost instantly became rank 2.


    "Young Duke Xue''s rank surely can''t be lower than the three secret tiers, right?" A youth mumbled, identally portraying the thoughts of everyone near him.


    "How can it not? Young Duke Xue has a High ck Grade Martial Vein, after all." A youth beside him seconded.


    "And remember that Wang Yu only has a Middle ck Grade Martial Vein, but even he was able to get an Immortal tier rank. If Young Duke Xue can''t at least match that, then it would be the world''s greatest injustice." Finally, an Elder nearby spoke out.


    No one disagreed with their words. However, since they were all keen on finding out Xue Bai''s grade, they all stayed mum, waiting for the Sword Law Jade Stone to finish its appraisal.


    After almost a minute of staying at rank 2, Xue Bai''s score naturally climbed up to rank 1, where it teaued for a few minutes, giving everyone in the crowd a scare.


    However, since Xue Bai himself looked confident and rxed, no one dared to yell for him to get off the stage. He was the son of two Peak stage Domain Lords, after all. If they insulted and berated him, wouldn''t that just be seeking an early death?


    The reason that Xue Bai, on the stage, looked so calm was that he had yet to fully ce his palm onto the Sword Law Jade Stone. Currently, he had onlytched the tips of his fingers on it while his palm stayed above it, elevated.


    And after seeing his score teau, Xue Bai eventually figured out it was time to stop holding back and fully ced his hand on the Sword Law Jade Stone. Almost instantly, Xue Bai''s grade changed and turned into an Immortal tier grade.


    Seeing his score change after an almost 2-minute-long teau, the crowd, while shocked, didn''t react much. Everyone had predicted Xue Bai would get such a grade. The only question was if Xue Bai managed to reach the legendary God tier grade.


    "Young Duke Xue, you''ve already met the standard for a Core Disciple!" Luo Ye spoke excitedly from the side.


    The more he looked at Xue Bai and his overwhelming talents, the more Luo Ye knew his decision was right. But, sadly, he didn''t know the more he tried to get close to Xue Bai, the further he pushed him away.


    Still wary of his Senior Brother, Xue Bai ignored his words before fully concentrating on the Sword Law Jade Stone. He felt something within the Jade Stone that almost felt like a blockade. Something inside was blocking him from reaching the God-tier grade.


    And it didn''t seem like a third party who interfered with the Sword Law Jade Stone, but rather a test. It was like there was a puzzle stopping Xue Bai from reaching the God tier Grade.


    But Xue Bai hade this far, so how could he give up now? So instead of giving up like Luo Ye persuaded him to do, Xue Bai poured his Spiritual Qi into the Sword Law Jade Stone.


    However, as he did, something within changed, and before he could react, his vision went dark, and he found himself somewhere else entirely.

 Chapter 112 The Soaring Sword Sect Founder

    ?The Soaring Sword Sect Founder


    Xue Bai''s line of sight changed from the city square''s stage in Soaring Sword City to an all-white expanse. As for why he thought of such a weird word to describe his new surroundings was that no matter how far he looked, there was only white. No walls, or even anything else for that matter.


    And at first, while he was stunned at the sudden transportation and was even more curious about his new surroundings, Xue Bai stayed calm at it all. From his previous knowledge of cultivation novels, he could assume that he somehow activated an inheritance and was brought here in consciousness form.


    So instead of walking around like a headless chicken, demanding a way out, Xue Bai stood in ce waiting for whoever controlled the Sword Law Jade Stone toe out and show him what exactly he was going to receive.


    And it didn''t take long, as before Xue Bai became impatient or bored, space rippled in front of him before a figure appeared in front of him.


    The figure was an old sagely looking man wearing an all-white robe that matched both the room and his snow-white hair and beard. And on his back was a standard Jian Sword that was three feet long but, for some odd reason, was as thin as a Cicada Wing.


    Carrying an evesting indifferent look, the sagely old man, while he looked amicable and kind, also had an ice-cold gaze that seemed sharper than even the sword on his back.


    And as he appeared, with his own apathetic eyes, he stared Xue Bai in the eyes, trying to find any of the confusion or surprise he expected. However, after seeing none of the emotions he predicted, the old man eventually spoke up first.


    "Child, why aren''t you confused about your situation or the sudden transportation?" The sagely old man asked.


    "I was in the middle of the Soaring Sword Sects final trial, but suddenly, before anyone could react and try to stop it, I was transported to this ne. So while I am confused about it all, I know it would be useless." Xue Bai spoke, lying through his teeth.


    "Then why not try and explore your new surroundings?" The sagely old man wasn''t convinced and tried to pry deeper.


    "Someone obviously brought me here, and it wasn''t idental. So why should I move when eventually someone woulde to me?" Xue Bai answered rhetorically.


    Stunned, the sagely old man couldn''t bring himself to think of a response to Xue Bai''s words. The words made clear sense and were a very realistic answer. However, they also seemed a littlezy in the sagely old man''s ears.


    ''Which weirdo hase to receive my inheritance this time.'' The sagely old man sighed inwardly.


    But on the outside, he kept the same indifferent expression he had on ever since he first manifested.


    "Your words sound logical, but they are hard to follow through with, child." The old man sighed, "Well, never mind that. But child, do you know who I am?"


    And as the sagely old man said so, he immediately took a posture that was odd, but Xue Bai knew it was. Around the Soaring Sword Sect, and even in the Soaring Sword City, there were statues of an old man in that exact posture, and the sagely old man was not only the old man in the statue but also in that exact posture.


    So rather than continue to y ignorant, Xue Bai fed into the old man''s ego and answered obediently.


    "You''re the Soaring Sword Sect''s main branch Founder!" Xue Bai yelled out excitedly as he also faked some shock.


    However, no matter how ''good'' Xue Bai was acting, it couldn''t fool the Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder, and he instantly saw through Xue Bai''s act.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Child, while it''s great you know who I am, you don''t have to act so pretentious. It only makes me feel vain." The Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder sighed.


    "Hehe.." Xue Bai could only giggle awkwardly in reply.


    "Senior, what did you bring here for?" Xue Bai asked, ignoring the odd look on the Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder''s face.


    Sighing once more, the Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder felt that even though he was nothing more than a remnant soul, he had aged a few years. However, since he had already brought Xue Bai into this dreamscape, he could only continue the inheritance forcefully lest Xue Bai goes out and tell everyone that he, the Soaring Sword Sect''s founder, didn''t follow up on his word.


    "Then, child, let me tell you why I brought you here." The Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder spoke solemnly as his bearing and posture instantly changed from his previous old sagely appearance to a Sword Saint able to cut down both Immortal and Devils alike.


    "The Sword Law Jade Stone is a Divine Artifact from the primordial era that is passed down from Sect Leader to Sect Leader in the Soaring Sword Sect. And while the one in your branch sect isn''t the true artifact, it still has a trace of my will inside for any truly high-prospect disciples like you." The Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder seriously exined.


    And not waiting for Xue Bai to speak up, he continued.


    "And as you know, there are 12 tiers someone can be graded as. However, you also must know that there is a mysterious and unimaginable ranking of Divine which has never been seen before. And throughout the long extensive history of the Soaring Sword Sect, there has never been someone to ever reach the grade. But there is a reason behind this, and it''s rather simple. No one, not even the current Soaring Sword Sect''s Sect Leader, can ever reach that grade." The Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder exined much to Xue Bai''s shock.


    "Why?" Xue Bai asked curiously.


    At first, he thought that he would simply be given a heaven-defying sword skill and the encounter would be done, but now that The Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder decided to give him a history lesson, he was genuinely intrigued.


    "It''s the same reason why almost no one has reached the God tier grade on your continent. Because in order to reach the God tier grade, one has to understand Sword Law. But since whenever one uses the Sword Law Jade Stone, their cultivation would be in the Qi Sea Realm or lower, almost no one has managed to take that step." The Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder exined patiently, feeling that the curious child version of Xue Bai was much more appealing to the eye than the previous version.


    "So not only can I not reach the Divine tier grade, but I can''t even get the God tier grade?" Xue Bai asked inquisitively.


    The reasoning that the Soaring Sword Sect Founder gave was reasonable, but it also made him feel slightly disappointed. If he had done the trial in maybe another year at most, Xue Bai would have been able to reach the God tier grade.


    And after the Soaring Sword Sect Founder nodded to his question, Xue Bai asked a follow-up.


    "Then what does one need to do in order to reach the Divine tier grade?"


    However, to his disappointment, the Soaring Sword Sect Founder didn''t answer his question and merely shook his head in response.


    "If you would like to know, then first make your way to the Central Continent. Knowing this early would only do more harm than good." The Soaring Sword Sect Founder ruthlessly extinguished Xue Bai growing curiosity.


    "However, since I know you must be slightly disappointed in yourck of ability to not be able to reach the God tier grade. I''ll give you an opportunity. And should you grasp this well, not only would you be able to reach the God tier grade, but reaching the Divine tier grade will only be a matter of time." The Soaring Sword Sect Founder spoke, and without waiting for Xue Bai to respond, pointing his finger at Xue Bai''s forehead and sending a stream of information directly into his head.


    And, while it was for a different reason thanst time, once again, before Xue Bai could react, his vision went nk.

 Chapter 113 A Long Dream

    ?A Long Dream


    This time, instead of finding himself in a nk domain, Xue Bai found himself seemingly in another body.


    However, while he seemed to be in another body, he had no control over it and could only spectate from a first-person perspective.


    And like his own transmigration, this time, Xue Bai found himself possessing a child''s body. But unlike his own prestigious start, being the son of two Peak stage Domain Lords, the child he now possessed started from as humble of a beginning as one could live in a cultivation world.


    A mortal orphan living in a barren region of an also barren continent.


    If anything, this could also be the start of a standard cultivation novel''s main character.


    The child started as a beggar living in a rather prestigious and beautifully structured city resembling an ancient Empire, going around from alley to alley, begging and stealing scraps to live on.


    However, since a cultivation world was cruel to homeless people, especially to homeless children, the child''s life was more than difficult.


    Being beaten half to death by arrogant nobles wasn''t rare and spending days starving happened more often than not.


    But one day, his fate changed.


    After spending his childhood and some of his teenage years as a beggar, he found an ancient-looking, broken rustic sword. And with this sword, the child eventually stepped onto the path of cultivation.


    Going through countless perils and tribtions, facing other more talented geniuses and heavenly beauties, the child who had long lost his emotions turned from a beggar into a sword demon obsessed with the sword and only the sword.


    And Xue Bai, spectating all of this, found hisprehension of Sword Law bing deeper and deeper. Seeing someoneprehend Sword Law without a teacher or an Elder''s influence was very beneficial for Xue Bai.


    Xue Bai, under his father, was given a very smooth and peaceful cultivation journey where Xue Feng very easily solved any mistake he encountered or was stuck on. However, the child didn''t.


    It was like during school, if Xue Bai got an answer wrong, Xue Feng would tell him only the answer, but not how to reach the answer. While for the child, he had to find not only the answer but why the answer worked and even why didn''t the previous answer work.


    And Xue Bai, spectating all of this, could find all of the possible bottlenecks he could possibly face in his future journey without having to struggle through them as the child did.


    He had to go through life learning both the rights and wrongs of Sword Law. And if he identally took the wrong path without having an Elder notice and fix his route, the child had to figure it out himself.


    Xue Bai would continue to live this life for what seemed to be centuries, where the once beggar child turned into a Domain Lord, a Xiantian Great Realm expert, and even someone who stood at the peak of the Mortal ne reaching the Immortal Ascension Realm.


    And along his entire journey, like glue, the ancient-looking broken rustic sword stayed with him, being not only his trump card but also a teacher figure. As not only did the rustic sword allow him to step onto the path of cultivation, but it also gave him his Cultivation Technique once he reached the Qi Sea Realm.


    But since the sword wasn''t a sentient being, it was only a constion reward to make up for the difference the child would sufferpared to his much better-off rivals.


    Finally, Xue Bai''s new body''s identity revealed itself. As he had long reached the limit of the Mortal ne he lived in, he eventually decided to do something for the ne he lived in and built a Sect in his name called the Soaring Sword Sect.


    However, spending his days building his sect from the ground up, even with his immense strength, took more than the Soaring Sword Sect Founder thought.


    Without any experience, like in his youth, he had to figure out his way by himself. However, with his cultivation base, he had more than enough time to do it slowly.


    But slowly, the more he did build his sect, the more he found that his already rusted sword would rust even more.


    And obviously terrified at the idea of losing the thing that gave him his life, the Soaring Sword Sect Founder tried countless things to stop it, but nothing worked. Countless heavenly elixirs, Natural Treasures, and even resorting to hiring peak Divinators, wasted.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But eventually, just before the sword copsed due to rust, the Soaring Sword Sect Founder figured out what the problem was.


    The sword was him, and he was his sword. It wasn''t the sword that was rusting, but him. He had spent hundreds of years dulling his sword by turning into a figurehead who manned a sect and not his previous sword demon self.


    So abandoning his position and returning to Sword Demon self, the Soaring Sword Sect Founder decided to take thest step that he had pushed off for so long.


    Ascending


    However, just before he took the final step, the dream ended, blue balling Xue Bai.


    But thankfully, the Soaring Sword Sect Founder kept his word, and Xue Bai finally managed toprehend Sword Law!


    But sadly, since he wasn''t in a physical form or not even in control of a body at all, Xue Bai couldn''t test out his new prowess.


    Thankfully before he could mop about it, his vision returned to reality where almost no time had passed since he first poured his Spiritual Qi into the Sword Law Jade Stone.


    "Young Duke Xue, 5 minutes have already passed. Would you like to give up now?" Luo Ye,pletely unaware that Xue Bai had lived a few thousand years in a foreign body, asked tentatively.


    Five minutes was usually the limit of how long one was allowed at the Sword Law Jade Stone, so at this point, Luo Ye wanted Xue Bai to stop, as his grade had stopped at the Immortal tier grade.


    However, since Xue Bai was who he was, he couldn''t rudely kick him off the stage as he did with less prestigious disciples.


    Xue Bai, obviously choosing to ignore the Inner Disciple''s words, did as the Soaring Sword Sect''s Founder told him to do and imbued his Sword Law into the Sword Law Jade Stone, finally being able to change his grade.


    "There it is! God-tier grade! Xue Bai is going to lead the Soaring Sword Sect into an era of power!" An elder hidden in the crowd sighed, filled with emotion.


    And other than him, everyone else in the crowd had simr thoughts. Feeling either excited for the new era or Xue Bai''s cultivation journey.


    Luo Ye, however, felt that his cheeks turned red from the face p he had just delivered to himself. But since he wanted to stay on Xue Bai''s good side, instead of avenging the injustice, he put on a forced smile before congratting him.


    Sadly since Xue Bai was still cautious toward Luo Ye and the fact that he was too excited to test out his Sword Law, Xue Bai merely cupped his fist toward Luo Ye before running off like a child with a new toy to where Xiao''er was.


    He had justpleted another one of his goals and wanted nothing more than to try it out. And while staying in the city square would help Xue Bai build many connections that could help him in the future, he felt that even if he ignored them now, they would still be willing toe back another time.


    So after running past any trying youths, Xue Bai grabbed the fair hand of Xiao''er and asked for the Wang Twins to take him to the forest outside of Soaring Sword City.


    After all, only in truebat could Xue Bai truly test something like Sword Law!


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I felt like this chapter could''ve been much more. However, I couldn''t really portray my thoughts well, making this turn into what it is currently. I don''t know how those Chinese authors do it so well.


    Whether it was the vision or even the crowd''s reaction, I feel like I missed out on a lot of ideas that could''ve helped the narrative better. If anyone has either a type or a mistake I made in this chapter, please put it in thements below, as I feel like I could''ve done so much better with this one.


    And while I do feel like that with all of my chapters, this one specifically gave me that feeling the most.

 Chapter 114 Severance

    ?Severance


    Meanwhile, back at the city square, multiple beams of light flew in beforending on the stage, seemingly out of breath.


    It was obvious that they used all of their might to reach the city square at full speed.


    And as the figuresnded, everyone in the crowd could recognize their extremely prominent robes.


    They were all Core Elders, on the same level as Elder Yang!


    However, instead of doing anything that would resemble their identities or strength, they all started looking around the stage like a child during an Easter Egg hunt. But soon, they all became confused after seeing no one else on the stage but Luo Ye.


    After seeing no one else on the stage but Luo Ye, one of the figures couldn''t hold in his curiosity and grabbed the Inner Disciple.


    "Luo Ye, where was the prodigy that activated the God tier grade from the Sword Law Jade Stone!" He shouted, nearly turning Luo Ye, a Dhamra Idol Realm cultivator, deaf.


    However, Luo Ye struggled to respond to the Core Elder''s question. After all, he was just about concussed from the shout.


    "Dammit, Old Long! You damn near killed the boy." An old female voice sounded, and before the man could respond, the apanying figure appeared between the two.


    "Luo Ye, ignore that brute of a man." The kind olddy spoke as she poured some of her Spiritual Qi into Luo Ye''s body, suppressing the injuries he suffered from Old Long''s shout.


    And very soon, Luo Ye regained consciousness, and he soon managed to answer the question that almost killed him.


    "Elder Song, the person that activated the God tier grade, was Young Duke Xue. But right after he did so, he ran off like he couldn''t wait to do something." Luo Ye answered.


    "Why didn''t you stop him, you fool!" Old Long once again bombarded Luo Ye with high-pressure soundwaves, but this time instead of identally, it seemed more purposeful.


    It was apparent that Old Long was rather angry at Luo Ye''s foolish decision.


    Thankfully this time, Elder Song managed to protect Luo Ye in time, stopping the same situation from happening once more.


    "Old Long, do that one more time, and I will ban you from the Alchemy Pavilion!" Elder Song was about to lose it.


    And that threat seemed to finally suppress the volcano known as Old Long, as after Elder Song said that, he became as quiet as a kitten.


    "Luo Ye, while Old Long was harsh with his words, he still is right. How could you let such a prodigy out of your sight?" Elder Song tranted Old Long''s words in a more gentle manner.


    "How could I stop the Young Duke?" Luo Ye bitterly replied, "Not only was I still in shock myself, but even if I wasn''t, how dare I hold him back?


    Xue Bai was the only child of possibly the most influential couple on the Southern Continent. And it is more than well-known that Li Rou and Xue Feng doted on him more than anything.


    While Luo Ye could''ve been kind and gently told Xue Bai to stay back, what if that angered the Young Duke?


    The gains didn''t outweigh the losses, so Luo Ye let Xue Bai do his own business.


    "Then do you know what happened just before Xue Bai reached the God tier grade? Did he look as if he had lost his soul beforeing back with a much different temperament?" Elder Song spoke solemnly, slightly startling Luo Ye.


    Hearing the odd question, Luo Ye thought for a moment, recalling what happened at the end. And simr to her words, while slight, something like that did happen to Xue Bai.


    "Now that you mention that Elder Song, Young Duke Xue''s temperament and even his entire bearing did suddenly change at the end. If I didn''t lose sight of him the entire time, I would''ve guessed it was an entirely different person." Luo Ye spoke as if he was suddenly enlightened.


    After Luo Ye spoke, the rest of the Elders who came along with Elder Song immediately changed expressions.


    "Old Long, find Xue Bai now! We can''t let anything happen to him!" Elder Song spoke up.


    While Old Long was brash and a brute, he was also not only the strongest but also the most loyal Elder that came along. So Elder Song fully trusted him to do the job right.


    Nodding seriously, Old Long spread his Spiritual Sense out before instantly flying off in the direction Xue Bai left in while the other Elders followed.


    However, as all of the Core Elders started a manhunt for Xue Bai, he was off in his own world, trying to find something to fight.


    "Big Wang, find a demonic beast at the Peak stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm!" Xue Bai ordered Wang Shu as they finally arrived at the Thousand Beasts Forest.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Thousand Beasts Forest was arge expansive forest that covered almost 1/8 of the Southern Continent. However, while it was extremelyrge, it only mostly covered the southern part of the continent, making it rather barren of Spiritual Qi, greatly affecting the strengths of the demonic beasts within.


    After all, only with more Spiritual Qi could a demonic beast grow. And by living in a barren region, even reaching the Qi Sea Realm would be hard, while advancing any further would be almost impossible.


    And because of that, Xue Bai knew that it was also the best ce to test out his new strength.


    Previously he could only fight four stages above himself, so with his 3rd stage, Bone Strengthening Realm cultivation, Xue Bai could potentially fight something in the 7th stage.


    However, now with Sword Law, Xue Bai''s confidence swelled, and he was almost ready to dere himself invincible in the Bone Strengthening Realm. But first, he needed to test out his im before announcing it to the world.


    So what better way to do that than to fight something at the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm?


    Big Wang, while he was slightly apprehensive at the idea of letting Xue Bai fight something so much stronger than him, couldn''t deny his Young Master''s request. So after some internal pacification, Big Wang spread out his Spiritual Sense in search of a demonic beast that matched Xue Bai''s request.


    Worstes to worst, he and Little Wang could suppress the demonic beast before it could do any evesting harm to Xue Bai. Fights on their level were almost in slow motion, so they would be able to reach in time should anything go amiss.


    Without his several mile-long Spiritual Sense, Big Wang was easily able to find a demonic beast that matched Xue Bai''s request. And luckily for his heart, it was something that had just broken through to the peak of the stage, meaning that it was much weaker than other demonic beasts in the same stage.


    "Young Master, I found a me Smander at the Peak stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm as you wished. Would you like me to bring it here or take us to it?" Big Wang asked respectfully.


    Thinking for a moment, Xue Bai chose the former. Why should he go so far and fight something when Big Wang could spend less time and bring the demonic beast right to him?


    Big Wang,plying with Xue Bai''s request, disappeared from his position at a speed that Xue Bai couldn''t register in search of the me Smander.


    And before long, Big Wang returned with the aforementioned beast levitating next to him.


    The me Smander was a rather ugly and dirty demonic beast that usually lived in mud all of its life,  so Big Wang was rather reluctant to touch it like he did the other beasts he would personally fetch for Xue Bai.


    "Young Master, would you like me to suppress it?" Big Wang asked after he tossed the me Smander onto the ground.


    "No need. I want to test something." Xue Bai waved his concern, "But pay attention and be ready to step in."


    Nodding, both Big Wang and Little Wang backed off, letting Xue Bai experiment.


    ? Instead of using Fire Breath to fight the me Smander, Xue Bai did something different.


    Extending his middle and pointer finger out, Xue Bai concentrated on it by using his newlyprehended Sword Law. And to hismand, an illusory purple de manifested from his finger, almost as if a sword had been created.


    While Sword Law was a general term for anyone who had taken the first step in Sword Cultivation, it varied from person to person.


    One Sword Cultivator couldprehend any type of Sword Law from a Fire-based one or even a Righteous variant. However, no matter how different or obscure a Sword Law variant was, they were all even in strength. After all, the strength of the Sword Law depended on who the Sword Cultivator was.


    And Xue Bai''s Sword Law was heavily influenced by his Space Element. So using his previous experience of his Space Element, where Xue Bai would slice through any demonic beast like butter using it, Xue Baiprehended a Spatial Sword Law that focused on Severance.


    Xue Bai wanted to cut through anything, whether it was God, an Immortal, or a Devil, and whether it was arrogance or confidence, Xue Bai didn''t know, but the more heprehended his Sword Law, the easier it became. It was almost as if he had done it before. But since that wasn''t possible, Xue Bai shook the idea out of his head.


    "Severance." Xue Bai muttered before shing out his conjured sword toward the still-concussed me Smander.


    The purple illusory sword, following Xue Bai''s will like a dutiful servant, flew out at a speed that Xue Bai could barely trace before cutting the me Smander in two. Even going as far as to fly past the me Smander''s body into the treeline, managing to slice almost a dozen trees before finally dissipating.


    Xue Bai, after all, didn''t put much Spiritual Qi into it, so it couldn''tst long after flying away from him.


    Seeing his new prowess, Xue Bai was more than ecstatic, but before he could show his emotions, almost a dozen figures flew over,nding in front of Xue Bai and his group.


    It was the Core Elders who finally managed to find Xue Bai.


    However, instead of mentioning their purpose ofing over, they were all ck-jawed at Xue Bai''s act of strength.


    "Dear God. Just what have we recruited?" Old Long muttered, not all hiding his shock.


    "A monster Old Long. A monster." Elder Song responded.

 Chapter 115 The Soaring Sword Sect’s Layout

    ?The Soaring Sword Sect''s Layout


    As the Core Elders arrived, Xue Bai and his group obviously were rmed. After all, who wouldn''t be at the sudden arrival of almost a dozen Domain Lords?


    But after noticing the distinct robes that were only worn by Core Elders of the Soaring Sword Sect, Xue Bai calmed down and greeted them.


    "Xue Bai greets Seniors." Xue Bai gave a standard humble greeting by cupping his fists and giving a small bow.


    However, as he did, he noticed the odd and analyzing gazes of the Core Elders, especially Old Long, who was staring at him rather intensely.


    "Xue Bai, what did you just do?" Elder Song spoke up first.


    One, she wanted to build a good rtionship with Xue Bai first, and two, since Old Long was still there, she needed to step up first. After all, how could she let that brute talk to Xue Bai?


    "That was my Sword Law, Elder." Xue Bai responded kindly in turn.


    The olddy was nice to nice, so he would naturally reciprocate.


    "But why was it purple? From what I know, no Sword Law branch is purple?" Old Long spoke up from the side with an inquisitive tone.


    But before Xue Bai even registered the question, Elder Song smacked Old Long on the back of his head, sending him stumbling into the dirt.


    "You old fogey! Xue Bai''s secrets are his own. So stop trying to dig into them!" Elder Song berated rudely before turning back to Xue Bai.


    "Xue Bai, we should go back to the Soaring Sword Sect. The news of your God-tier grade Sword Law affinity is going to spread fast. And while we are one of the top powers in the Southern Continent, there still are forces who are hostile against us, and now you''ll most likely be their one target for the foreseeable future." Elder Song spoke before going over to Xue Bai, nning to take him to the sect herself.


    Not having any problems with the olddy''s arrangement, Xue Bai nodded but also gave a request.


    "Elder, can you bring along my maid and my bodyguards? They have been following me for almost as long as I can remember, and I would like them toe with me to the Soaring Sword Sect." Xue Bai asked.


    Looking at who Xue Bai was pointing at, Elder Song noticed the rather talented Xiao''er and thought that she could make an exception. But after looking at Big Wang and Small Wang, her white brows furrowed.


    "The girl cane. While she isn''t a monster like you, she could still be ssified as a genius." Elder Song spoke as she looked at Xiao''er closely, "But your bodyguards can''t. They are neither potential disciples nor Elders we are looking for."


    Slightly disappointed, Xue Bai was about to try and refute, but Big Wang and Little Wang spoke up.


    "Young Master, don''t worry about us. We will stay in Soaring Sword City for now. It''s at the base of the Soaring Sword Sect, so we won''t ever be far." Big Wang reassured.


    "Yes, Young Master. If you ever leave the sect, just send us a message we''ll be over before you can blink your eyes." Little Wang seconded.


    Seeing them so epting of the situation, Xue Bai relented and let them do as they wished.


    "Then, Elders, I will be in your care." Xue Bai spoke, motioning that he was ready to be transported.


    After that, Elder Song engulfed both Xue Bai and Xiao''er in her Spiritual Qi before flying off in the direction of the Soaring Sword Sect.


    The trip didn''t take long, and Xue Bai didn''t try to converse with Elder Song or the other Core Elders. So after about 20 minutes of silence, Elder Song eventually made it to the base of the Soaring Sword Sect mountain.


    "Xue Bai, do you know theyout of the Soaring Sword Sect, or would you like for me to exin it to you?" Elder Song asked as she let Xue Bai down on the ground.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Genuinely not knowing how it wasid out, Xue Bai gave Elder Song the floor for her to exin it.


    The Soaring Sword Sect was divided into two Mountain Ranges. One had both the Outer Sect and the Inner Sect, while the second had the Core Region, where Core Elders, Disciples, and any other influential figures stayed.


    However, the first Mountain Range was definitely much smaller than the second, as the Outer Sect was kept purposely small and bare. It was amon tradition in the Baishen ne because anyone below the Qi Sea Realm was seen as children by the ones above it. And this way, the Outer Disciples would also be more motivated to cultivate diligently and reach the Qi Sea Realm as soon as possible.


    The Outer Sect had only three Main Mountains for the three main cultivation paths in the Soaring Sword Sect: Alchemy, Forgery, and Sword Cultivation.


    Beyond that, the Inner Sect was muchrger and had better funding, with 9 Mountains, each led by an Inner Sect Elder, who, at the minimum, were at the Middle stages of the Law Engraving Realm, and the maximum, the Peak stage of the Law Manifestation Realm.


    The Inner Sect was also regarded as the true start of a Soaring Sword Sect Disciple, as there, one could take on a Master, choose their path, and even start toprehend their very own Sword Law.


    Xue Bai was also going to be there, but since he had reached the standards of a Core Disciple, it was no longer appropriate for him to go there.


    Finally, the Core Region was where the Soaring Sword Sect''s most important and strongest figures resided. From the most influential aristocratic families to the Core Elders, anyone who had any influence lived there.


    And while this usually led to nepotism, no aristocratic family ever dared to go over the line. After all, one bad move and they could be turned extinct by a Core Elder nearby who were Early stages of the Domain Lord Realm, at the least.


    Any figure residing in the Core Region, should they step into the Inner or Outer Sect, could cover the Heavens with a palm and do whatever they pleased.


    Of course, this rarely happened as almost everyone in the Soaring Sword Sect couldn''t be bothered with worldly matters and stayed wholeheartedly focused on their cultivation.


    The Core Region also had its own mountain range separated from the Inner and Outer Sect, further increasing the gap between the two sides.


    It was often even thought that the two parts of the Sect werepletely different entities who ran on their own without the interference of the other.


    And like the Inner Sect, where each Inner Elder had their own mountain as their own, the Core Elders in the Core Region also had their own Mountain under their name. However, it was much different in the Core Region, as in order to live on a Core Elder''s Mountain, you would be joining their faction, whereas, in the Inner Sect, it was random.


    This way, the aristocratic families, in order to continue living in the Core Region, would be forced to choose a Core Elder''s Mountain to live on, basically turning them into the subordinates of whoever they chose, greatly suppressing any influence they could have on the other parts of the Sect.


    The Sect Leader also had his own Mountain; however, only he and his personal disciples were allowed onto the Mountain.


    Elder Song finished with her exnation, looked over at Xue Bai, and started to ask follow-up questions.


    "So Xue Bai, which Elder''s Mountain would you like to join?" Elder Song asked with some anticipation in her voice.


    The other Core Elders, at this point, were feeling both regret at not being able to talk to Xue Bai all this time and cursing Elder Song in their hearts for stealing the opportunity.


    After all, being able to take in such a monster who would most likely turn into the next Sect Leader would allow their faction to prosper for the next few thousand years!


    However, sadly, they were destined to be disappointed.


    "Elder Song, is it possible for me to join the Sect Leaders Mountain?" Xue Bai asked, instantly extinguishing their hopes.


    "Hahaha, good words, Xue Bai!" A voice sounded above everyone bringing their attention toward it.

 Chapter 116 Yue Zifeng

    ?Yue Zifeng


    "Greetings, Sect Leader!" Everyone but Xue Bai and Xiao''er shouted before giving a deep, respectful bow at the sight of the man who appeared randomly.


    Looking up at the man above, Xue Bai almost instantly recognized him as the strongest man on the Southern Continent, the Soaring Sword Sect''s Sect Leader.


    Yue Zifeng!


    Long obsidian ck hair tied into a ponytail held by a golden crown. Piercingly blue eyes that managed to stare into Xue Bai''s very soul and the distinct red and blue colored swords strapped onto his back.


    Xue Bai couldn''t fail to recognize him even if he tried. After all, that man was the reason why Xue Bai chose to join the Soaring Sword Sect.


    There were two reasons why Xue Bai wanted to join the Soaring Sword Sect over Wushen Academy, where Huo Long was.


    First, Xue Bai was a savant with a sword, and he thought that going to the Soaring Sword Sect was the next natural choice. And second, because of the man floating above them currently.


    Yue Zifeng was, like The Great Xuan Empire''s Emperor and his parents, an expert in the Xiantian Great Realm.


    However, unlike them, he wasn''t merely in the Spirit Awakening Realm, but instead the Spirit Severing Realm and the 5th stage at that!


    And Xue Bai, wanting a thick thigh totch onto, nned to be the man''s disciple.


    So after realizing who the man was, Xue Bai quickly knelt along with the Core Elders while also pulling the still confused Xiao''er down as well.


    "And he has great manners, too, boot!" Yue Zifengughed, "Xue Bai, you can join my Mountain now. Just earlier, I had epted another disciple. This year I can finally bring my personal disciple count to 3 now!"


    And without waiting for anyone to say anything, Yue Zifeng conjured arge hand of Spiritual Qi and grabbed Xue Bai and Xiao''er before flying off, leaving the Core Elders in a state of confusion and regret.


    Xue Bai knew that Yue Zifeng was a man that didn''t like pleasantries and anything excessive, so he wasn''t very confused at the sudden action of the Sect Leader; however, that couldn''t be said for Xiao''er.


    "Young Master, is that really the Sect Leader?" Xiao''er asked in a whisper as her skeptical nature kicked in once more.


    But this time, instead of Xue Bai answering her doubts, it was Yue Zifeng who answered.


    "Hahaha! Little girl, if I wasn''t the Sect Leader, who else would be able to make all those old fogeys kneel?" Yue Zifeng answered happily.


    Usually, he wouldn''t answer a silly question like that, but since the girl seemed to be close to Xue Bai and he was in a very good mood after epting two extremely talented disciples, Yue Zifeng decided to make an exception and answer it.


    "Xiao''er, his portrait is almost everywhere in the Sect and Soaring Sword City. How could I be mistaken?" Xue Bai followed up.


    Finding the answer eptable, Xiao''er didn''t ask any more questions and stayed mum, waiting to arrive at wherever Yue Zifeng was going to take them.


    Along the way, Yue Zifeng took the moment to tell Xue Bai about how his specific Mountain wasid out.


    The Sect Leader''s personal Mountain, since he had the least amount of disciples, was the smallest, but since he also needed the most Spiritual Qi and was the head of the Sect, his Mountain was the most prosperous.


    And on it were six different Mountain Peaks. One was for Yue Zifeng, while the others were for his personal disciples.


    But since most of the Peaks were deste year-round, they all had very few buildings.


    Each Mountain Peak only came prepared with an Alchemy Pavillion that could support even a Low ck Grade Alchemist, a Forge that could also support one, various Medicinal Herb gardens, and various top-tier training grounds that a personal disciple of the Sect Leader deserved.


    There were, of course, some Forbidden Grounds on the Sect Leader''s Mountain, but Xue Bai didn''t n on going to any of them soon, so he didn''t ask any questions about that.


    "Sect Leader, I know of your first disciple, but who is the other disciple that you epted earlier?" Xue Bai asked while he already knew the answer.


    "Why are you being so distant, Bai''er? No need for such a detached title. Just call me Master!" Yue Zifeng said with a slight frown as if Xue Bai''s words had hurt him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then Master, who is the disciple you epted earlier?" Xue Bai asked once more.


    epting Yue Zifeng as his Master was Xue Bai''s main goal of joining the Soaring Sword Sect, so Xue Bai had no problem calling the man as such.


    "Funny enough, Bai''er, my newest disciple, can''t keep herself from talking about you ever since I epted her. She said that you were the most focused man she had ever met." Yue Zifeng answered with a chuckle, "She said that she tried talking to you for almost 20 minutes before you even acknowledged her presence. And even after that, you still were cold and taciturn toward her."


    ''The plot hasn''t changed, indeed. He still epted that chatterbox even with my own existence.'' Xue Bai mentally thought.


    Xue Bai had a feeling that his appearance in the Soaring Sword Sect eptance ceremony might change the plot by him overshadowing Ye Rou and stealing the spot as Yue Zifeng''s second disciple. But thankfully, it didn''t, and instead, Yue Zifeng epted them both.


    After all, only children choose. Men just take them all.


    "Did she say anything besides that, Master?" Xue Bai asked.


    Thinking for a moment, Yue Zifeng eventually shook his head.


    "No, but Rou''er did pester me to ept you as her Junior Brother. In her words, ''I want revenge!''" Yue Zifeng answered.


    Finding such an action matching the chatterbox''s personality, Xue Bai didn''t react much to his Master''s words.


    "Master, why does each Mountain Peak have an Alchemy Pavilion and a Forge?" Xue Bai asked.


    "The Forges are there because I myself am a Low ck Grade cksmith, and should any of my disciples n to inherit my mantle, they would have one on their own Peak where they can practice at ease," Yue Zifeng answered, "However, the Alchemy Pavilions were my first disciple, Xiaorou''s idea. Like you, she also has a Fire Element Martial Vein, so she decided to pick up Alchemy. And since I built one on her Peak, I decided to do so on all of the other Peaks."


    Nodding at the answer, Xue Bai didn''t ask any more questions. He already knew almost everything about Yue Zifeng anyway, so asking anymore didn''t give him anything.


    After the short conversation, the trio continued flying toward Yue Zifeng''s Mountain in silence, and before long, they arrived.


    Dissipating therge hand of Spiritual Qi, Yue Zifeng let Xue Bai and Xiao''er onto the ground, allowing them to see the scenario of their new home.


    And seeing it with his own eyes, Xue Bai was slightly shocked by how serene their Mountain Peak looked.


    Flourishing medicinal fields filled with countless high-quality Medicinal Herbs, where if even any were taken out, it could cause bloodshed. Breathtaking waterfalls that fell into a manmadeke of Spiritual Water.


    Everywhere Xue Bai looked was something that he and Xiao''er couldn''t take their eyes off. Even the courtyards were built to perfection, making his at-home look middle-ss at best.


    ''This is the difference between a Southern Continent force and a Central Continent one.'' Xue Bai mused inwardly.


    While Li Rou personally led the construction of his Dukedom and was someone who had lived in the Central Continent for most of her youth, she, at the end of the day, couldn''tpare to the Soaring Sword Sect.


    Whether it was the financial difference or even the experience, Li Rou couldn''t even contest the beauty of something made by a force that, even on the Central Continent, was a powerhouse, let alone this backwater Continent.


    "Bai''er, choose a courtyard for yourself to settle into, and once you finish, meet me on my mine Peak, and we can officially do the disciple eptance ceremony. You can also choose a separate courtyard for the little girl with you, as I don''t want you to be distracted." Yue Zifeng ordered before disappearing just as mysteriously as he had appeared before.


    With a wry smile, Xue Bai went to go choose his own courtyard casually. It didn''t really matter which one he would choose as they were all rather basic and had a lot of room for personal modification.


    Xiao''er also chose the closest courtyard to Xue Bai. Since she couldn''t live in Xue Bai''s courtyard, she nned to be right next to him instead.


    Xue Bai didn''t n to do much in his courtyard, so after changing into a more formal attire, he left to go andplete the disciple eptance ceremony Yue Zifeng talked about.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Sorry for thete upload. I''m not going to lie. I literally just woke up and uploaded it. I stayed up toote ying with friends.

 Chapter 117 Acceptance Ceremony

    ?eptance Ceremony


    Leaving his courtyard, Xue Bai saw that Xiao''er was still inside her own, so rather than bothering her to apany him, Xue Bai went to Yue Zifeng''s Temple on his own.


    Thankfully since Yue Zifeng''s Peak was only one over, Xue Bai didn''t have to run for long to reach it. And after climbing the set of stairs, Xue Bai soon made it over to Yue Zifeng''s Temple, where he usually spent his days.


    But since the doors were closed, Xue Bai decided to make his presence known even though Yue Zifeng most likely already sensed him.


    "Master, Bai''er has arrived." Xue Bai politely spoke before entering.


    "Come in." Yue Zifeng''s calm voice came from inside, where immediately after, the Temple doors opened, allowing Xue Bai entry.


    Walking inside, Xue Bai first noticed how bare the inside of Yue Zifeng''s temple was. As, besides a small library that was filled with various ancient-looking scrolls and books, all there was a meditation mat that Yue Zifeng currently sat on.


    Motioning for Xue Bai toe over, Yue Zifeng pulled out a small table and a tea set.


    "Bai''er, I assume you know how this ceremony works, so I won''t lecture you." Yue Zifeng casually spoke as he let Xue Bai do the work.


    Understanding what he had to do, Xue Bai went over and prepared a cup of tea for Yue Zifeng obediently before serving it to him with both hands.


    Smiling contentedly, Yue Zifeng downed the cup of tea that Xue Bai had made without much thought.


    While being a Natural Treasure in their own right, the tea leaves he had prepared were rather in, so Yue Zifeng didn''t care much about their taste. However, the real reason why he was so content was because of how good this day was.


    Not only did he ept Ye Rou, a generational talent on her own, but he even managed to take Xue Bai, a monster that already broke more records than he could remember.


    A monster with a Fire Element High ck Grade Martial Vein, 13-year old 3rd stage Bone Strengthening Realm cultivation, God tier grade Sword Law affinity, and maybe the most spectacr of them all, managed toprehend his own Sword Law!


    Just remembering all of the des that Xue Bai managed to collect in his less than a week of exposure made the in tea he drank taste better than any Spirit Wine he had ever tasted.


    "Good! Now you are officially my third disciple!" Yue Zifeng happilyughed as he finished the cup of tea, "Tomemorate this, I''ll give you a gift. I noticed your sword is rather weak, being only High Yellow grade, but is used from a great piece of ore. Hand it to me, and I''ll reforge it into something worthy of what it was made out of."


    Nodding, Xue Bai took Fire Breath out of his Spatial Ring and handed it to You Zifeng without any hesitation. His Master was someone in the Spirit Severing Realm, and even his physical body was stronger than Fire Breath. So how could he lower his pride by so much and steal Fire Breath from Xue Bai?


    Other than taking Fire Breath from Xue Bai, Yue Zifeng also handed him a defensive robe named the Golden Cicada Mystic Robe, which was strong enough to take more than ten hits from anyone in the Domain Lord Realm before breaking.


    Of course, this didn''t mean that Xue Bai could take ten hits from someone in the Domain Lord. The Golden Cicada Mystic Robe only protected his physical body, but if a strong enough prative force hit Xue Bai, then his organs would explode, killing him that way.


    However, for anyone in the younger generation, Xue Bai was now almost an iron wall of defense thanks to it.


    More than happy, Xue Bai gave Yue Zifeng a bow of gratitude, but Yue Zifeng just waved it off nonchntly.


    "I hadn''t used that thing for more than a century, so it''ll be better in your hands than to continue rusting in my Spatial Ring." Yue Zifen exined.


    "Master, what do we do next?" Xue Bai asked with some anticipation in his voice.


    He had be a Core Disciple and even epted a powerhouse as his Master, so Xue Bai was filled with more serotonin than ever. So wanting to continue his streak, Xue Bai wanted to do something exciting.


    However, Yue Zifeng shook his head and proceeded to extinguish Xue Bai''s enthusiasm.


    "Usually, I would take this moment and give you a Cultivation Technique, but currently, you''re too weak for that. So you should take this time to get used to my Mountain before holing up and cultivating. Your Bone Strengthening Realm cultivation is certainly mind-boggling at your age, but it''s still too weak." Yue Zifeng spoke, "So until you reach the Qi Sea Realm, I can''t do much to help you besides with your Sword Law. But I also think you should hold off on that as it would dy your cultivation speed even more."<novelnext></novelnext>


    So with dropped shoulders, Xue Bai left his Master''s Temple to explore the Mountain.


    His Master was right. The Five Physical Realms in cultivation were nothing in the cultivation world, so while Xue Bai''s cultivation was something amazing, it still didn''t allow him to do something special.


    Walking back down the stairs of his Master''s Peak, Xue Bai first decided to pay Ye Rou a visit. She was his Senior Sister now, so he thought it would be polite to acknowledge her.


    Though she was annoying and going to suffer a horrible fate in the future, Xue Bai didn''t dislike her much. She was only so outgoing and talkative because of her previous upbringing, and with how sad that was, Xue Bai didn''t have the heart to hate the girl.


    So while hatching up an idea to save her from her fate, Xue Bai walked up the stairs that led to her Peak.


    However, before he could reach the top of the stairs, he noticed a slender and beautiful figure standing at the top, with her hands on her hips and her nose raised into the air.


    "You''ve done well, my dear Junior Brother, ining to greet me before Senior Sister!" Ye Rou arrogantly spoke as she walked down the stairs.


    "I can still leave, you know. I still haven''t reached the top." Xue Bai spoke as he motioned to turn around.


    "No, no, no! You cane up." Ye Rou changed tunes instantly and let Xue Bai go up the stairs himself instead of continuing to tease him.


    Shaking his head in exasperation, Xue Bai was feeling slightly regretful abouting to meet Ye Rou first. However, he knew of Jiang Xiaorou''s personality from the novel, and most likely, she wouldn''t even allow him up her Peak if he went to her.


    Jiang Xiaorou, the Sect Leader''s first disciple, was the typical Iceberg beauty that cared about nothing but increasing her own strength, but after falling in love would be the most caring woman ever.


    However, like Yan Fengxian, she was also a part of Huo Long''s harem, and even if she wasn''t, Xue Bai had no thoughts of trying to seduce the women.


    He personally didn''t like people with cold, aloof, and detached personalities. Emotions were what made someone human, so if you constantly suppressed them and turned yourself into an iceberg not phased by anything, were you even human at that point, or just a robot?


    Xue Bai liked lively women like Xiao''er. However, Xiao''er was too naive and cheerful at some points, annoying Xue Bai to no end. But he couldn''t bear to make her change, so Xue Bai let her be.


    Getting out of his thoughts, Xue Bai made it to the top of Ye Rou''s Peak, where he first saw a few dozen female servants going around cleaning and modifying thendscape.


    Most likely, Ye Rou didn''t like how her Peak looked and wanted to modify it to her liking as soon as possible.


    "Ignore those Sisters. Come over to my courtyard." Ye Rou pulled on Xue Bai''s sleeve as she spoke, guiding him to her courtyard.


    Following his Senior Sister, Xue Bai found out that her courtyard looked exactly the same as his. in and basic, where it was extremely susceptible to personal modifications.


    Most likely, Yue Zifeng did this on purpose, where instead of him picking a design that his disciple would dislike, he could choose the ndest design that allowed them to revise it however they wished.


    "Second Senior Sister, isn''t it inappropriate for me to go into your courtyard?" Xue Bai asked as they reached the door.


    Though Xue Bai was still extremely young at 13, Ye Rou wasn''t. She was already 18 and, in the eyes of the people from the Baishen ne, at marrying age. So for him, a male, to go into her courtyard with her alone it was definitely slightly inappropriate.


    "Nonsense! You''re my Junior Brother, nothing more." Ye Rou retorted, "And besides, even if you had bad thoughts, one punch and I could take you out!"


    Ye Rou also waved her fist around as if showing Xue Bai what would happen to him if he did try anything.


    And while her words were rather crude for someone of her appearance, Xue Bai agreed with them. So with a wry smile, Xue Bai followed his Senior Sister into her courtyard.

 Chapter 118 Jiang Xiaorou

    ?Jiang Xiaorou


    The inside of Ye Rou''s courtyard was the same as Xue Bai''s, with a simple picturesque garden and arge pond of Spiritual Water.


    So making himself at home, Xue Bai sat by the pond and let his feet dip inside, waiting for Ye Rou to speak her mind.


    After all, she had looked so prepared when he saw her at the top of her Peak, so Ye Rou, by all means, should have something in store for his visit.


    However, just like Xue Bai, Ye Rou also sat down, waiting for him to speak his mind.


    In her mind, Xue Bai had, for some reason,e to visit her instead of their almighty Senior Sister, so Ye Rou thought that he had something arranged beforehand.


    And just like that, an awkward silence ensued where both parties were waiting for the other to speak first.


    Meanwhile, back on Yue Zifeng''s Peak, a guest arrived.


    "Master, Xiarou asks for permission to enter your Temple!" A cold, detached feminine voice sounded, breaking Yue Zifeng out of his thoughts.


    Quickly allowing his first disciple inside, Yue Zifeng put away the scroll he was reading and focused his attention on the entering figure.


    It was a young woman who wore a long pale blue dress adorned with tassels. There seemed to be a fiery wind blowing around her body that was strong enough to melt the grass around her feet.


    However, in contrast to her aura that wanted to burn the world, her face was the epitome of coldness. Coupled with her snow-white skin and icy blue eyes, she looked like an ice sculpture.


    It was as if even if the world copsed in front of her, she wouldn''t even bat an eye.


    And with her bright red lips, fair supple pale skin, and silky ck hair, the woman who walked in could take down an Empire with her beauty alone, should she please.


    However, what garnered more attention than her otherworldly beauty, was that on her back was arge red broadsword that could instead be called a door rather than a sword used forbat.


    But besides her looks or therge 2-meter broadsword strapped onto her back that contrasted with her mere 1.7-meter height, there was something else that drew attention.


    In the middle of her forehead was a red phoenix mark that, even until now, no one knew of its purpose. But since it didn''t damage her looks but rather amplified them, Jiang Xiaorou and Yue Zifeng let it be.


    Yue Zifeng even had the belief that it was something heaven defying, but because of his limited knowledge, he couldn''t identify it.


    However, Yue Zifeng didn''t even care about the woman''s beauty but instead looked at her with an adoring and parental gaze as he waited for her to speak her mind.


    The cold beauty was, of course, his first disciple, Jiang Xiaorou, someone who he had raised since she was just a baby.


    Yue Zifenng had found her at the site of a ughtered mortal vige hidden in a small below-ground pocket space, crying her eyes out.


    At first, once he sensed that a small 4-year-old baby was left alone as the only survivor of a vige piging, Yue Zifeng nned to send her to an orphanage that he knew to live the rest of her life in ignorance.


    But after he saw the phoenix mark on her forehead, he instinctually felt that this little girl would be something in the future.


    So taking the gamble, he decided to take her as his first disciple, hoping that when she turned 11, her Martial Veins would be something proportional to the effort he put into raising her.


    Thankfully, it did, as when she awakened at 11, she was found out to have a Fire Element Low ck Grade Marital Vein. Coupled with her Immortal tier grade Sword Law affinity, the little mortal girl he found turned into someone worthy of his teaching.


    And over the years, Jiang Xiaorou lived up to his expectations, bing the Head Disciple he had always hoped her to be. Eventually, Yue Zifeng grew to think of her as more of his daughter rather than a disciple.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Master, Xiaorou has a question." Jiang Xiaorou spoke in her cold, indifferent voice, bringing Yue Zifeng out of his reminiscing thoughts.


    "Speak your mind Xiaorou." Yue Zifeng spoke as he poured out two cups of tea using an expensive set of tea leaves that he usually saved for high-profile guests.


    Yue Zifeng couldn''t stop smiling today, so using the expensive tea leaves didn''t bother him much.


    "Master, I want to know who is all of the new people on the Mountain. I came out of seclusion and noticed them." Jiang Xiaorou spoke as she moved over to ept the cup of tea her Master had made for her.


    "Two of them are your newest Junior Sister and Brother, while the others are just maids and attendants who are here to keep their Peaks lively. Not everyone is like you who can endure such loneliness." Yue Zifeng answered.


    Nodding, Jiang Xiarou began to ask about the newest additions to their deste Mountain. And more than happy to speak to his adopted daughter, Yue Zifeng exined the origins of Ye Rou and Xue Bai to her in detail.


    "So Ye Rou is from one of those vain Noble Families." Jiang Xiarou''s brows were furrowed, and her already cold voice seemed to turn the air frosty as she spoke.


    It was more than apparent that she had many bad dealings with the Nobel Families living in the Soaring Sword Sect.


    "Her family is something on itsst legs, Xiaorou, so it''s still nothingpared to therger ones." Yue Zifeng sighed.


    He knew of the many conflicts that the Jiang Xiaorou had with the Noble Families in the Soaring Sword Sect, but Yue Zifeng couldn''t do much as his hands were tied in that matter.


    On the one hand, there was the pearl of his life and adopted daughter, while on the other were the many Noble Families living in his Sect.


    And while he could out and unroot them from his sect as a whole, through his great strength and influence, that would not only cause massive uproars, but it would also make the Soaring Sword Sect many times weaker and possibly a target from its enemies.


    While regarded as a tumor and a horrible influence inside of the sect, the Noble Families inside also represented more than 30 percent of the Soaring Sword Sect''sbat strength.


    Whether it was from the younger generation, full of youth and potential wanting to cultivate as fast as possible to be useful to the Sect, or the older generations on theirst legs, willing toy down their lives to protect the ones weaker than them.


    As at the end of the day, Yue Zifeng, through many tests and various cmities, learned that the Noble Families were loyal to his sect.


    So he couldn''t truly unroot them, no matter how much they annoyed him or his daughter.


    Jiang Xiaorou also knew of this conundrum that troubled her Master, so she didn''t make it difficult for him and decided to ask questions about her much more talented Youngest Junior Brother.


    "Master, then what about that Xue Bai? Is he really as talented as you say?" Jiang Xiaorou asked as she poured out two more cups of tea.


    However, what she didn''t expect was instead of siping the tea she poured out, her usually stoic Master would take out a jug of wine.


    "Where do I start?" Yue Zifeng sighed as he dumped out the tea and poured out two cups.


    He wanted to project, and mere tea wouldn''t help him, no matter how delicious it was.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Sadly, this chapter is a short one, but after this, the chapters will spike in word count, with them all being around 1800-2000. So bear through this shorter one for today.


    Sorry once again.

 Chapter 119 Ye Rou’s Story

    ?Ye Rou''s Story


    At the same time, back at Ye Rou''s Peak, however, the silence finally ended.


    "Second Senior Sister, are you going to speak your mind, or are you trying to torture me with this awkward silence." Xue Bai couldn''t help but ask.


    They had been sitting in silence for the past 15 minutes, and at this point, Xue Bai was about to lose his mind.


    He had thought that Ye Rou would initiate the conversation. After all, she was the one who looked so prepared at the top of her staircase. It looked like she had nned out something in preparation for his visit.


    So nning to take the backseat as a Junior Brother should, Xue Bai wanted to let Ye Rou take the floor.


    But even after all of that waiting, she still hadn''t even said a word, let alone initiated a conversation!


    "You were the one who decided to visit me first instead of Senior Sister!" Ye Rou retorted with a blushed face, "I didn''t have any time to prepare!"


    Ye Rou was feeling more than embarrassed at this point. She knew that she was unprepared for Xue Bai''s visit, but she had hoped that he had brought something to talk about in hopes she could cover up herck of preparation, but he hadn''t.


    She was losing her prestige as her Senior Sister already!


    Seeing Ye Rou''s face turn so red that it looked almost like blood would leak, Xue Bai sighed and changed the subject.


    ''This Second Senior Sister of mine is too foolish. Maybe this was why she suffered so harshly.'' Xue Bai thought inwardly.


    "Then tell me about your family or your talents." Xue Bai suggested, "I don''t know anything about you besides your name and cultivation base."


    This was, of course, a lie, but it did manage to get the conversation started.


    Ye Rou then started to tell Xue Bai about her less-than-carefree life that turned her into the girl she is now.


    Ye Rou was born into one of the Noble Families of the Soaring Sword Sect, which gave her a much higher starting point than most others. However, she soon learned that her home wasn''t all sunshine and rainbows.


    Like Huo Long and his n, her Ye House, within the Soaring Sword Sect ns are called Houses, was in the middle of a sharp decline.


    However, unlike Huo Long''s n, her house was in decline because of ack of people.


    A few decades ago, in the year 935, more than 20 years before Xue Bai was born, the Demonic Sect had invaded the Southern Continent, engulfing it in a continent-wide war.


    This was coincidentally the war that made the legend of the Duke of Snow in The Great Xuan Empire. Because before this war, Xue Bai''s father was merely a high potentialmander under Yan Zhenyu.


    And as a Noble House in the Soaring Sword Sect, the Ye House was, of course, forced to enlist in the war efforts.


    Sadly in a manner that Ye Rou didn''t want to go into detail, almost all of their House members died, leaving her House with only her Father, the Head of the House, and her Mother.


    However, while her Father was the only survivor of the war, he didn''te back without injuries. And his once 5th stage Law Manifestation Realm cultivation base deteriorated into the Law Engraving Realm, where it slowly worsened as the years went by.


    Following the news of the Ye House''s cmity, her once noble and prestigious House turned into a small three-person family. And forced to sell off their possessions, her House eventually became extinct, only leaving her half-crippled father and mother, who was merely in the Dharma Idol Realm.


    Thankfully because of their past rtions, they were able to survive, but it wasn''t anything prestigious.


    Ye Rou didn''t know of their past, but from the stories her Mother told her, she could imagine how strong their House once was.


    Beyond that, Ye Rou didn''t talk much more about her past, as she could be visibly seen to be tearing up just thinking about it.


    Xue Bai thankfully knew of all of the details surrounding thest Righteous Demon War, as the topic was obviously a heavy one for Ye Rou to talk about.


    So instead of prying deeper and possibly hitting a sore spot, he let Ye Rou skip over many details before she came to talk about herself.


    "I know that I''m not as talented as you are, Junior Brother, but my talents weren''t bad as well!" Ye Rou spoke proudly.


    Which was well within her right for someone of her caliber.


    Like any Core Disciple, Ye Rou a Low ck Grade Martial Vein. After all, not everyone was as talented as Wang Yu or ''Xue Bai'' and could awaken Martial Veins of higher ranks.


    However, unlike other Core Disciples, Ye Rou possessed a Metal Element Martial Vein that, whenbined with her identity as a Sword Cultivator, made her a force to be reckoned with.


    It was all because of her rare Element that Yue Zifeng epted her as his second disciple.


    Of all the Elements that a Martial Vein could have, Metal was the one that harmonized the best with Swordsmanship. After all, the sword that most people would use was made out of metal. So how could it not be amplified?<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai also learned indirectly that Ye Rou currently was only a few months away from her 19th birthday, which, coupled with her Peak stage Organ Tempering Realm cultivation base, she was definitely a genius at the top of her generation.


    Of course,pared to Wang Yu, who was currently at the 5th stage of the Qi Sea Realm at almost the same age. Butpared to any other genius, she was definitely a top-tier youngster.


    "So what about you, Junior Brother? What is your story?" Ye Rou asked.


    Ye Rou spent her youth cultivating diligently locked up at home by her Father, so while she knew of The Great Xuan Empire''s existence, she didn''t know its inner workings. So she, too, didn''t know of Xue Bai or any other genius from The Great Xuan.


    The only person she knew from The Great Xuan Empire was Wang Yu; however, she had never interacted with or even seen him.


    So she didn''t know anything about Xue Bai, his parents, or even of his background. And while Ye Rou could guess that Xue Bai came from a noble background because of his luxurious clothing, which made her jealous, she didn''t know anything beyond that.


    And since she had already talked about her life, it was only fair for her Junior Brother to share about his own.


    "My life?" Xue Bai thought about it for a moment.


    Of course, he wouldn''t mention anything about his previous life, but still, Ye Rou''s question got him thinking.


    Xue Bai, so far, during his six years in this world, had lived an extraordinarily peaceful and undisturbed life. Living inside of the Core Region in his Dukedom, Xue Bai was basically a shut-in.


    And because of this, unlike Huo Long or Ye Rou, or even Wang Yu, Xue Bai didn''t have much of a story. He cultivated diligently, teased Xiao''er, and stole opportunities from others, but besides that, nothing that happened in Xue Bai''s life was especially worthwhile.


    His life wasn''t dull, of course, but it wasn''t a blood-curdling adventure that would keep a listener on the edge of their seats either.


    But with the threat of Xiao Mo lurking above him constantly, Xue Bai had a motivation and reason to cultivate as he did, but beyond that, there was nothing. No n to protect, no rtive to avenge or love interest to save, no reason that any standard cultivation novel protagonist would be burdened with.


    Of course, Xue Bai didn''t think that without a burden, it would make him worse, but still,pared to Ye Rou, who couldn''t fail, or Huo Long, who lived on the edge of a de his entire life, Xue Bai was definitely carefree.


    But instead of saying that, Xue Bai spoke, "My life has just started, Second Senior Sister. I joined the sect to be the powerhouse I was destined to be."


    While he said so, however, Ye Rou felt something from him.


    Ye Rou was definitely a beauty by every metric, from her long slender legs to her curvy figure and even her country-toppling face, but looking at Xue Bai sometimes made her feel inferior.


    Coupled with his deep, meaningful eyes that started into the Spiritual Water pond, the scene in front of Ye Rou was like a Banished Immortal dering his destiny.


    However, unwilling to ept the odd feeling growing within her, Ye Rou shook her head, banishing any strange thoughts in her head.


    "That''s quite the promation Junior Brother. Aren''t you afraid of being struck down by lightning?" Ye Rou responded.


    But Xue Bai shook his head, "I don''t think what I said was sphemous. If anything, if I don''t be a powerhouse, it would be more sphemous."


    Not being able to retort to Xue Bai''s unconcealed arrogance, Ye Rou stayed quiet once again, bringing her courtyard into an awkward silence.


    "Second Senior Sister, I am going to visit First Senior Sister now." Xue Bai spoke as he conjured a me and dried his feet.


    The conversation had gotten stale, and Xue Bai had already had a deep enough talk with his new Second Senior Sister, so there was no more meaning in staying longer.


    Ye Rou also agreed and didn''t stop him.


    Letting him leave, Ye Rou bid her Junior Brother farewell before going into her own bedroom.


    Like Xue Bai''s own bedroom, hers was bare of any designs, only having a desk, bed, and closet. However, Ye Rou ignored everything and instead closed her blinds, making sure no one could see inside.


    After making sure that no one was around, Ye Rou jumped onto her bed and pulled out a jade token with the Ye character on it before closing her eyes in serenity.


    "I''ll be someone strong, Mother and Father. Don''t worry about Rou''er." Ye Rou mumbled before falling asleep.


    Unaware of what happened after he left, Xue Bai started to make his way to where his First Senior Sister resided.


    But since her Peak was the furthest away, Xue Bai walked faster than usual, wanting to reach there before nightfall.


    It was well into the afternoon at this point, and Xue Bai didn''t think visiting his First Senior Sisters Peak at night would portray a nice first impression.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I named the ns in the Soaring Sword Sect Houses as to reduce confusion when talking about ns inside the sect and the ones in The Great Xuan Empire. What do you guys think of the change?

 Chapter 120 Iceberg Beauty Senior Sister

    ?Iceberg Beauty Senior Sister


    Xue Bai would reach his First Senior Sister''s Peak just shy of 6 pm, but since he knew that Jiang Xiaorou was a woman of few words, it was fine. Unlike Ye Rou''s Peak, where he stayed there for almost 2 hours, Xue Bai didn''t think he would even be able to stay on Jiang Xiaorou''s Peak for more than 10 minutes.


    So after putting on a polite expression, Xue Bai started making his way up her stairs.


    But before he could reach the top, Jiang Xiaoru appeared in the sky above him.


    Sensing her appearance, Xue Bai looked up, and after seeing the door-sized sword on the back of a heavenly beauty coupled with the signature phoenix mark on her forehead, Xue Bai instantly knew it was his First Senior Sister.


    "Why are you here, Junior Brother?" Jiang Xiaorou spoke coldly.


    Of course, she didn''t hate Xue Bai or felt any negative emotions towards him, but rather she spoke in this manner to everyone, even Yue Zifeng.


    "I came to greet you, First Senior Sister." Xue Bai answered.


    "There is no need for that, Junior Brother." Jiang Xiaorou spoke, shaking her head.


    And without any more pleasantries threw a Spatial Ring at Xue Bai before disappearing again.


    However, before leaving Xue Bai to his own devices, her cold, indifferent voice drifted into the air, "This is my greeting gift for you."


    Starstruck at the quick encounter, Xue Bai almost fumbled the Spatial Ring.


    "First Senior Sister, is there anything else? I thought you would like to talk to me." Xue Bai asked the air to no response.


    Seeing that Jiang Xiaorou really left, Xue Bai merely sighed before leaving her Peak.


    ''I spent so long getting her and left before I could talk to her.'' Xue Bai thought.


    Walking back to his Peak in resignation, Xue Bai took the moment to appreciate the scenery that Yue Zifeng so arduously created over his long tenure as the Soaring Sword Sect''s Sect Leader.


    As deste as it was, the Sect Leader''s Mountain was easily the most beautifulndscape Xue Bai had ever seen. From the serene walkways that ran through the various valleys and hills to the clear and beautifulkes and ponds scattered throughout, Xue Bai was more than happy with his new home.


    The only thing that Xue Bai was feeling regretful of was how few people there were. Other than Yue Zifeng and his disciples, no one was allowed onto the Mountain.


    Even servants and maids were only allowed temporarily and were required to leave before nightfall.


    This feature was something appealing to Jiang Xiaorou and Yue Zifeng, but to Xue Bai, Xiao''er, and Ye Rou, it was rather torturous.


    Staying on a Mountain far away from anyone else made the newest additions to the Sect Leaders Mountain feel isted.


    Ye Rou had also brought this up to Yue Zifeng, but he had waved it off with two simple sentences.


    "Being isted and lonely can not only help build character but also take away any distractions and allow you to cultivate more diligently. And there are too many secrets on my Mountain that no one, other than you all, can see."


    And without being able to try and argue further, Ye Rou could only try and slowly ept her new life. Thankfully she was allowed to have some servants and maids to attend to her during the day and pass on various gossip from the outside world.


    Xue Bai eventually decided that he had looked around enough, and since nightfall was soon, he went back to his Peak, nning to end his day.


    Starting tomorrow Xue Bai would have to start cultivating diligently and persistently until he reached the Qi Sea Realm.


    Yue Zifeng said himself that he didn''t n on teaching Xue Bai much until he had reached that Realm, as there wasn''t a great deal that he could.


    The five physical realms were something that could be rushed through and didn''t even require a Cultivation Technique, so besides some basic tips on Spiritual Qi and how to absorb it more efficiently, Yue Zifeng couldn''t teach Xue Bai anything.


    And while Xue Bai was definitely slightly disappointed about that fact, it was something he knew was reasonable.


    He had holed up for six years already, so continuing to do so for another year wouldn''t be too bad.


    Xue Bai was currently at the peak of the 3rd stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm while only 13 and a half. And with his current cultivation speed, reaching the Qi Sea Realm in a year wasn''t something unreasonable.


    Wang Yu only reached the Qi Sea Realm at 17 and 7, so Xue Bai reaching it more than three years faster was definitely much better. Coupled with the rate at which Xue Bai was advancing, he predicted that he and Wang Yu''s cultivation would even out at around the Law Engraving Realm.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But since Xue Bai was invincible in whatever realm he was in, he guessed that he would most likely be able to fight Wang Yu head-on during his Dharma Idol Realm.


    However, that was still years into the future, so before he put his horses before the cart, Xue Bai stopped his train of thought and started focusing on the present.


    ''I got to show off enough already. My value and potential should already be well known throughout the continent.'' Xue Bai consoled himself as he finally made it to the top of his Peak.


    But as he did, he noticed Xiao''er seeing off almost a dozen female servants,manding them as a boss would his subordinates.


    "Young Master, you''re back!" Xiao''er shouted excitedly, dropping the activity as she ran over and gave him a hug.


    "Xiao''er, what are all these people here for?" Xue Bai asked with a guess in mind, reciprocating the hug.


    Xue Bai, over the years, had grown to almost 1.6 meters, and so while he wasn''t all tall as the 1.7 meter-tall Xiao''er, he could now hug her without suffocating in her deep valley.


    "Oh them? It''s because of how in this Peak is, so I hired them to design it to my liking." Xiao''er exined.


    "No, I know that, but how did you get so many people here so quickly? We just got this Peak a few hours ago." Xue Bai reiterated.


    "Oh, that? Master helped me" Xiao''er looked enlightened.


    However, her sentence just confused Xue Bai even more.


    "Master? Who is your Master?"


    "Your Master, the Sect Leader," Xiao''er answered before going into more detail.


    Apparently, sometime after Xue Bai left Yue Zifeng''s Peak, Xiao''er left their Peak, wanting to find servants to help her design the Peak. But after she reached the bottom of the Mountain, she realized that she was locked in, and without one of the Sect Leaders tokens, she couldn''t get out.


    So naturally, she went to Yue Zifeng''s Peak and asked for one, and he eventually gave her one. But before she left, Yue Zifeng made the decision to ept her as an indirect disciple and allowed her to call him Master.


    And while an indirect disciple was a lower standing than Xue Bai, a personal disciple, it still gave Xiao''er enough standing to hire a lot of servants to help construct the Peak to her liking.


    Xue Bai guessed that Yue Zifeng only epted her as an indirect disciple because of him, but since it didn''t do anything but bind him closer to Yue Zifeng, he didn''t care.


    Xiao''er, while talented to the Southern Continent standards, she didn''t reach the standards of a Core Disciple. She only had a Peak Yellow Grade Martial Vein and didn''t even take the Sword Law affinity test.


    However, there would only be benefits from this decision, so Xue Bai couldn''tin.


    "Xiao''er then, now that you''re a disciple of the Sect Leader, you have to live up to your title. So no morezing around." Xue Bai reminded as he pinched the girl''s nose.


    Xiao''er, ever since she had reached the Organ Tempering Realm, had been cultivating less and less, slowing down cultivation speed by more than a level, halting her cultivation at the 1st stage of the Organ Tempering Realm.


    And since she was already more than a year older than Ye Rou, who was about to advance to the Qi Sea Realm, her cultivation didn''t seem worthy of her new position.


    "I know that, Young Master. That''s why I was getting the servants to leave now. I wanted to cultivate tonight." Xiao''er humped as she jumped away from Xue Bai''s pinch.


    "Then good! I''ll be in my courtyard. Goodnight, Xiao''er." Xue Bai said as he waved the maid goodbye.


    Xue Bai nned to break through to the 4th stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm tonight and didn''t want any distractions. So no matter how much Xiao''er meant to him, he wanted to be alone for the night.


    "Goodnight, Young Master!" Xiao''er replied before going to her own courtyard.


    She hadn''t cultivated in a long time, and she wanted to get back into the habit of doing so, and today was the day for her to get back into it.


    So after the two entered their respective courtyards, the once lively Peak descended into a deep silence.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The revision is still going strong, and right now, I have reached chapter 6. I will most likely finish up all the chapters until chapter 10 by tonight.

 Chapter 121 4th Stage Of The Bone Strengthening Realm

    ?4th stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm


    In his own courtyard, Xue Bai turned on the Spiritual Qi Gathering Array and pulled out his favorite meditation mat from his Spatial Ring before sitting on top of it.


    The Spiritual Qi Gathering Array was something he had at home too, but the one at his dukedom was merely a Peak Yellow-grade one.


    However, the one in his courtyard was a Low ck-grade one, and while the difference was only one rank, Xue Bai felt the difference easily.


    Absorbing Spiritual Qi from the air resembled drinking water from ake, and the Spiritual Qi Gathering Array improved how one could drink it.


    Without one, and in a barrennd, a cultivator could only drink the water drop by drop, making their cultivation speed be as slow as possible. In a better cultivation environment, you could use your hands to bring the water to your mouth and help your cultivation speed.


    Using his Spiritual Qi Gathering Array at home was like drinking from theke with a straw.  While it was effective, he could only take in so much.  But now, in his new courtyard, it was like he was gulping the water directly from the source, which greatly increased his cultivation speed and efficiency.


    So thankful for his Master''s care, Xue Bai stopped thinking about anything unnecessary and began to break through.


    He was already at the peak of the 3rd stage, so should nothing go wrong, he would be able to break through tonight.


    However, before attempting to break through, Xue Bai went to open the Spatial Ring that Jiang Xiaorou gave him.


    Since it was her greeting gift, and she was a Dharma Idol Realm cultivator, it couldn''t possibly be anything worthless.


    So with high expectations, Xue Bai infused some Spiritual Qi into the ring, where soon his consciousness went inside.


    There he found a few hundred pill bottles stacked up into a small tower, ores piled up in the same manner, and finally, a dozen cases on the side.


    Xue Bai recognized the cases of things that could keep the Spiritual Qi of a medicinal herb locked in, greatly increasing its lifespan after being unrooted.


    "These pills must be something First Senior Sister created herself, while the other two must be things she found identally but had no use for." Xue Bai thought to himself.


    Most of the pills that Xue Bai looked at were either High Yellow-grade Qi Replenishing Pills that were used to quickly replenish any lost Spiritual Qi, which was a very famous pill.


    The other pills were also valuable and included many pills that the outside world would drool over.


    Over a dozen Explosive Spiritual Qi Pills, which was the enhanced version of a Blood Ignition Pill that could work for even Law Engraving Realm cultivators.


    A dozen Yang Essence Pills that could boost the cultivation speed of someone with a Fire Element Martial Vein.


    And most noteworthy, a rare poison pill called a Sincerity Revealing Pill that, when fed to any cultivator below the Domain Lord Realm, could force them to speak only the truth for as long as it was in their system.


    The ores and medicinal herbs were less valuable and appealing, with the best only being a High Yellow-grade Natural Treasure, but Xue Bai could tell that they weren''t for him to use but rather to practice with.


    Their master was a cksmith, while she was an Alchemist, and since Jiang Xiaorou didn''t know which path Xue Bai would take, she just put both inside the Spatial Ring.


    "First Senior Sister is such a tsundere." Xue Baiughed.


    Jiang Xiaorou looked so cold earlier, but she gave him such a nice greeting gift. She even acted as if she was driving away an invader rather than her Junior Brother.


    ''I''ll repay this favor.'' Xue Bai thought.


    But since Jiang Xiaoru was currently much stronger than him, Xue Bai was once again reminded that strength mattered most.


    So after putting away the Spatial Ring, Xue Bai returned to cultivating.


    And after swallowing a Spirit Fruit from Senior Huli''s Spatial Ring, Xue Bai began to attempt his breakthrough.


    Once again, gathering the excess Spiritual Qi within him, Xue Bai, ording to what his Father told him, started to stamp out the impurities from his bones.


    Thankfully it was already the fourth time he had done this, making the pain a lot less than what he had experienced during his previous breakthroughs. And after an hour of bitter cultivation, the breakthrough naturally came bringing his cultivation to the 4th stage.


    Standing up in satisfaction, Xue Bai once again stretched, filling his room with the sounds and crackling. And after giving his new body a few tests, Xue Bai was feeling refreshed.


    But after the breakthrough, his skin was now covered in a thinyer of impurities and a thick stench.


    Not wanting to go to sleep in such filth, Xue Bai decided to take a bath before going to sleep.


    Every three stages in each Rrealm represented a small Realm and would usually be represented by arger-than-normalbat power boost.


    So for Xue Bai breaking through to the 4th stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm, he also managed to temper out arge chunk of the impurities within his Blood Marrow that inhibited the evolution of the human body.


    The same process would happen at the 7th stage and the 10th stage. However, then, thebat power boost would be a lot less than it was now, as the first impurity expunging was always the most thorough.


    Following ones would only temper out the hidden and much less impactful impurities.


    Taking a quick bath, Xue Bai changed into a set of in sleepwear he owned before falling asleep on his new bed in a foreign region for the first time.


    ''Life is good.'' Xue Bai smiled as he fell into a deep sleep.


    In the dream, he once again relived the life of the Soaring Sword Sect Founder, but this time the dream was much more focused and detailed.


    Allowing Xue Bai toprehend his Sword Law in a deeper state, further increasing its strength.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He also learned that Swordws had a ranking that followed how deeply oneprehended their own Sword Law.


    The first Realm of Sword Law had its progress mapped out in a percentage-based system that went to 100%.


    And was further sectioned out into six stages; Entry Level 1-20%, Small Sess 21-40%, Great Sess 41-60%, Sublimity 61-80%, Perfection 81-99, and finally, Transcendence 100%.


    Xue Bai also found out that currently, he was only at the Entry Level and merely at 5% in it at that.


    But instead of dampening his spirits, it only further fueled his excitement.


    In the game, Xue Bai, besides using it for flying around and masquerading around as Sword Immortal, had never used a sword. So he knew next to nothing about Sword Law and its intricacies.


    So now, for Xue Bai to start his journey in it, he felt like an adventurer that was charting out new territories that had never been explored before.


    Beyond the first Realm of Sword Law, Xue Bai sadly didn''t find out the second Realm of Sword Law, but since the first six stages were more than enough for now, he wasn''t very disappointed about it.


    Xue Bai eventually woke up at sunrise, thanks to his natural body rm clock. But for the first time, he was feeling annoyed at how responsible his body was.


    "A little more, and I could''ve reached 10%." Xue Bai angrily spoke as he kicked his nket off of himself.


    Before going to sleep, Xue Bai''s Sword Law progress was at 5%, but after waking up, it was at 9%.


    The Soaring Sword Sect Founder hadn''t lied when he said thatprehending Sword Law would be natural for Xue Bai.


    With how educational and helpful the dreams had been, even a pig could''ve taken the first step inprehending Sword Law, let alone Xue Bai, a historical talent!


    However, Xue Bai was rather curious about how strong hisbat power would trante or if it would even give him much of a power boost.


    Currently, with his Sword Law, Xue Bai knew that he was invincible in the Bone Strengthening Realm. But he couldn''t truly estimate his strength, as the me Smander he had fought earlier didn''t even give him a fight but acted more like a dummy.


    And he had also never tested himself against someone in the Organ Tempering Realm yet, making the approximation of his strength even vaguer.


    He had no reference, after all.


    And coupled with the fact that Xue Bai didn''t know anyone in the early stages of the Organ Tempering Realm but Xiao''er, so his strength guess would stay vague.


    Xiao''er was a medicine jar, and herbat power wasn''t anything to even bring up.


    Xue Bai couldn''t even remember a time that Xiao''er even tried fighting other than that pitiful spar a few years ago when he first got his Space Element.


    "I should ask Master to get an Outer Disciple." Xue Bai thought.


    Since he also had nothing to do, Xue Bai decided to follow up on his idea, and after making sure Xiao''er was okay, Xue Bai nned to go to Yue Zifeng''s Peak.


    But at the courtyard of Xiao''er, Xue Bai found out that while she wasn''t doing bad per se, she wasn''t doing well either.


    Currently, Xiao''er was still in a mediation state, cultivating, but from her rapidly fluctuating aura, Xue Bai could tell she was attempting a breakthrough to the 3rd stage of the Organ Tempering Realm.


    However, from her furrowed brows, Xue Bai could tell she was struggling. He guessed that she tried to break through prematurely and didn''t prepare enough Natural Treasures in case this situation happened.


    Not wanting for her to suffer a bacsh from failing to break through, or even worse, Spiritual Qi deviation, Xue Bai quickly ran over and fed Xiao''er a High Yellow-grade Spirit Fruit from Senior Huli''s Spatial Ring.


    Xiao''er feeling something at her lips, at first wanted to resist, but with her consciousness still focused on breaking through, was stuck in ce.


    "Xiao''er, it''s me, don''t worry." Xue Bai quickly spoke, thinking that Xiao''er mistook him for a scoundrel.


    "This will help you breakthrough. Eat it." Xue Bai added, and thankfully, Xiao''er listened.


    Swallowing the Spirit Fruit easily, the aura of Xiao''er, which was previously chaotic and unstable, soon stabilized.


    And within the hour, her previous treacherous situation changed for the better.


    Xiao''er broke through to the 3rd stage of the Organ Tempering Realm.


    "Xiao''er, why didn''t you prepare anything before trying to break through?" Xue Bai asked as she opened her eyes.


    When going for a breakthrough, there were two things one needed to prepare. First, a good enough environment with plentiful Spiritual Qi, and in case of ack of it, enough Natural Treasures that could help you take the final step should you need it.


    So while Xiao''er checked the first box, she didn''t check the second, which, worste to worst, could''ve even crippled her.


    "I suddenly felt that I was ready for the next stage and tried it instinctually." Xiao''er awkwardly responded, "I didn''t think I would fall short at thest step."


    Her excuse was reasonable, so Xue Bai didn''t n on lecturing her much. So after giving her some resources that he got from Jiang Xiaorou, Xue Bai left the Peak nning to ask his Master for some Outer Disciples to practice his new strength on.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I have started to write Huo Long''s awakening chapter. I n to release it either tomorrow or after tomorrow. And don''t worry, it won''t take up the day''s upload but will instead be uploaded alongside it.

 Chapter 122 Body Tempering Path

    ?Body Tempering Path


    "No, not a chance. You''re my personal disciple. If you went around challenging Outer Disciples like a madman, what would that do to my image?" Yue Zifeng denied it immediately, giving Xue Bai an odd sense of deja vu.


    "But I want to test out my new strength. The Core Elders took me to the sect before I could fully experiment with it." Xue Baiined.


    "In the Training Pagoda on your peak, there are a few Sword Puppets with varying cultivation levels if you want to." Yue Zifeng said.


    "But I''d rather fight something with sentience than some Sword Puppet." Xue Bai didn''t relent.


    However, Yue Zifeng just waved off Xue Bai and spoke mysteriously before kicking him out.


    "Don''t underestimate those puppets. They are much stronger than you think."


    Xue Bai still didn''t fully believe his Master, but since he couldn''t do much about it, he could only leave and return back to his peak with dropped shoulders.


    Along the way, Xue Bai saw the many servants once again going over to Ye Rou''s peak. He greeted them normally, shing a bright smile at them, but after walking away, he came to regret his choice.


    "Oh my god, Senior Brother Xue is so cute!"


    "He''s like a little doll! And his skin is fair and supple!"


    "I could pinch those cheeks forever and still be content!"


    And with a shiver traveling up his spine, Xue Bai put more effort into his walk and quickly made it back to his peak, where he found Xiao''er once againmanding a group of servants.


    Xiao''er was curious as to why Xue Bai was back so quickly, but since she was busy, she decided to wait until nightfall when they were alone to ask.


    Xue Bai, seeing that, also did the same and went over to the Training Pagoda that Yue Zifeng had mentioned.


    Both of them were busy with their own business, so instead of making the situation awkward by interrupting each other, the two only greeted each other and continued doing their jobs.


    The Training Pagoda, Xue Bai learned from Yue Zifeng, had seven floors, each upied by more than a dozen sword Sword Puppets of varying cultivation realms. And the higher one would go up, the stronger the Sword Puppets would get.


    So, for example, the first floor only had Bone Strengthening Realm Sword Puppets that didn''t even startprehending Sword Law, while the top floor had Domain Lord Realm Sword Puppets with Perfection level Sword Laws.


    Of course, these Sword Puppets also couldn''t be taken out of their respective Training Pagodas and used for war purposes, as they were not only intrinsically connected to it but also powered by the Spiritual Qi on the Mountain. If they could, the Soaring Sword Sect would''ve long conquered the Southern Continent.


    And while Yue Zifeng didn''t want Xue Bai to be practicing hisbat skills, since Xue Bai looked extremely eager to, he decided to let his disciple do as he pleased. Yue Zifeng knew that Xue Bai couldn''t cultivate all day long and decided that practicing hisbat skills while his sore veins were recovering was a good idea.


    He was even going as far as to rmend different things to practice, like for Xue Bai to go against multiple opponents and hone his skills in one against many fights, or even suppress his cultivation base and fight against the Sword Puppets using only his Sword Law to further perfect it.


    Finding his idea rational and more than helpful, Xue Bai nned to follow them and entered the Training Pagoda with high expectations.


    Unlike at his home, where he had practiced in arge field, the pagoda he was equipped with now was much different.


    The training field at home was much more expansive and helped Xue Bai with many secondary skills, like his movement techniques, his evasion ability, and the one he worked on the most, his archery.


    But the Training Pagoda now couldn''t help him with any of that. Here, while he wasn''t in a small room, there wasn''t nearly as much space as he had back at home.


    This meant that he was in a forced encounter with the Sword Puppet that was on each floor.


    After a moment of hesitation, Xue Bai entered the pagoda and decided to stay on the first floor instead of going up to the second floor with the Organ Tempering Realm Sword Puppets.


    Though he had already managed to kill a demonic beast at the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm, the fight hadn''t really tested out any of Xue Bai''s strength.


    It was more simr to Xue Bai using the me Smander as a testing dummy for his Sword Law.


    Looking around the first floor, Xue Bai found it to be around 10 meters by 10 meters with a height of around 3, making it rather spacious. The walls were also made of an unidentifiable silver metal, but after giving it a rather hard punch, Xue Bai only felt a stinging pain in his fist while the wall waspletely untouched.


    ''It has to at least be a High Yellow-grade Spiritual Ore.,'' Xue Bai examined from his punch.


    Even though he wasn''t able to destroy a Middle Yellow-grade Spiritual Ore with a punch, a full-power punch from him could at least leave a dent. But since the wall waspletely unscathed, Xue Bai knew that it was stronger than what he guessed.


    Continuing to look around, Xue Bai noticed that there wasn''t anything in the room besides a control array that presumably controlled the first floor. So after walking up to the control panel that controlled the entire Training Pagoda, he first activated it to release one Sword Puppet at the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm.


    Hearing a door open, Xue Bai turned in its direction and saw the silver wall open up and let out an armored silver puppet.


    The Sword Puppet was tall, at around 1.95 meters, and only carried a standard 3-foot long and 2 inches wide Jian sword.


    Other than its bright silver armor and sword, there were no identifiable features on it, fully representing its identity as a Sword Puppet and not a sentient being.


    But before Xue Bai could further examine it, the Sword Puppet readied its sword and jumped at Xue Bai.


    Stunned at the sudden act of aggression, Xue Bai was caught off guard for a moment, but thanks to his training, he was able to regain hisposure and quickly managed to pull out Pale Blue from his Spatial Ring and defend himself.


    Yue Zifeng took Fire Breath from him, so Xue Bai was forced to make do with his much weaker backup sword.


    Thankfully the Sword Puppet''s sword matched its cultivation level and wasn''t much stronger than Pale Blue.


    But after Xue Bai shed with the Sword Puppet, he immediately found himself at a huge disadvantage.


    Since the Sword Puppet didn''t have any Spiritual Qi, its strength was ssified by its physical strength.


    So instead of Xue Bai, who had to reinforce his body with his Spiritual Qi to get his strength, the Sword Puppet was constantly at Xue Bai''s peak strength.


    Coupled with the fact that Xue Bai didn''t n on using his Sword Law just yet, the physical strength difference quickly showed, as, after more than a few shes, Xue Bai found his wrists getting numb.


    ''I should start doing body tempering.'' Xue Bai was feeling good that he didn''t go ahead and start on the second floor.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Most likely, if he went up there, not only would Pale Blue not be able to hold up, but neither would his physical body.


    While the Houtian Great Realm was known to be the great realm where cultivators perfected their physical bodies, it didn''t truly strengthen it to its true potential, but instead to the minimum strength needed to prepare for the Qi Sea Realm.


    But this path had many downsides, so one day, a cultivator who saw this massive w decided to create a cultivation path that could not only stop this problem but also build upon it and make it a strength of the human race and not a weakness.


    And eventually, he created the body-tempering path, where one could dig out the true potential of the human body and make it strong enough to not only match up but also defeat the demonic beasts which were born with much stronger physical bodies.


    This way, one could take their physical body to new heights where it would eventually even match their Spiritual Qi cultivation.


    The realms he decided on, however, were less than original and followed the ranking of items throughout the cultivation world: 4 realms of Yellow, ck, Earth, and Heaven, with four minor realms of Early, Middle, Late, and Peak.


    However, this path was also filled with hardships. Besides a strong mind to withstand the physical torment that came from tempering the human body, one also needed deep pockets to supplement their body tempering journey.


    Thankfully Xue Bai had both, so after deciding his next move, Xue Bai focused on the losing battle.


    Since the young age of 7, Xue Bai had been soaking in medicinal herb baths that were prescribed by his mother, so his physical body was much stronger than the usual youth and was at the Low Yellow-grade. However,pared to the Middle Yellow-grade Sword Puppet, Xue Bai was more thancking.


    A few more minutes went by, and since Xue Bai hadn''t used his Sword Law yet but only his swordsmanship, he was still on the losing end. But through this losing fight, Xue Bai was also feeling his already great swordsmanship improve, albeit slightly.


    And since his sword skills had recently teaued because of his practicing other things, Xue Bai gritted his teeth and continued the losing fight he was in.


    However, he didn''tst long. As the fight ended before the 20-minute mark woulde, the Sword Puppet sent Xue Bai''s sword flying and pointed his own at Xue Bai''s throat.


    Since Xue Bai was on the losing side of the fight for the entire time, he also used his Spiritual Qi at a much faster rate than normal. And while the fight was short, the intensity was high. So Xue Bai quickly ran out of Spiritual Qi, giving the Sword Puppet the winning move by knocking away his sword.


    The Sword Puppet was programmed not to kill any entering disciple, so it made no further movement after pointing his sword at Xue Bai''s throat.


    Sighing, Xue Bai turned off the array formation and sent the Sword Puppet back into its storage room. Although he knew that he wouldn''t be able to win the fight against the Peak stage Bone Strengthening Realm Sword Puppet, it still felt disappointing.


    But instead of moping around, Xue Bai sat down on the floor of the Training Pagoda and went over his performance against the Sword Puppet.


    His physical body was too weak, and because of that, he had to use his Spiritual Qi much faster than he was used to and, in turn, lose faster.


    Other than that, Xue Bai thought rather highly of his performance against the stronger Sword Puppet.


    After all, without his Sword Law, Xue Bai could only fight something four stages higher than him. So with his 4th stage cultivation, Xue Bai could potentially fight something at the 8th stage, and as heaven-defying, as that was, it was 1 stage lower than his opponent.


    Done with his performance evaluation, Xue Bai picked up Pale Blue and turned the array formation back on, starting round 2 with the Sword Puppet.


    He had nothing better to do, and while the progress he made with his swordsmanship was little, it was still there. So why not continue it?


    Cultivating throughout the day would make his veins sore and take away his habitual nighttime cultivation session. And while he could brave through the soreness and pain, Xue Bai decided to y it safe, as it was verymon for someone to rupture or evenpletely cripple their veins from a too-long cultivation session.


    So Xue Bai nned to spend his mornings/afternoons practicing his swordsmanship and then cultivating during the night. This way, he could live up to Yue Zifeng''s goals and still increase his strength at a rapid pace.


    And after turning the array formation back on, Xue Bai once again faced the Sword Puppet.


    Hours quickly passed, and Xue Bai slowly improved, but sadly the losses never stopped, and even until Xue Bai left, he still hadn''t won a match.


    But on the bright side, the fight''s length had extended from the original short 20 minutes to 25 minutes giving Xue Bai some satisfaction from his more than poor performance.


    Picking up his sore body from the ground, Xue Bai left the Training Pagoda feeling more than content. Progress was slow, but it was there, and with nothing more to do but train, Xue Bai found his growth speed more than eptable.


    Outside, the sun was starting to set, and Xiao''er was once again getting the female servants to leave the Peak as per Yue Zifeng''s rules.


    "Young Master! Look at our courtyard," Xiao''er yelled out after noticing Xue Bai walking out from the Training Pagoda, "I made it just like the one back at the Dukedom."


    Curious at the deration, Xue Bai followed her and went over to his courtyard and found it true. His courtyard was almost exactly as it was back home. Even the courtyard of Xiao''er was the same as hers back at the maid dormitory.


    However, this time, since the materials used for the construction were much better than the ones back at home, the new designs looked much better than the original.


    Whether it was the walls used for the outside, or even the curtain at his bedside, everything in the courtyard was an upgrade.


    And while he was slightly looking forward to a new home andyout for his courtyard, seeing the nostalgic bedroom back in his new home, Xue Bai couldn''tin. He had stayed in it for his entire life in the Baishen ne, so seeing it once more, Xue Bai was content.


    "Good job Xiao''er." Xue Bai approvingly nodded as he patted her head.


    "Of course!" Xiao''er raised her nose in pride, "It''s me, after all. How could it be bad."


    "Yes, yes, my Xiao''er is the best." Xue Bai nodded inly, "Now go to your courtyard and cultivate. You can''t ck for even a day."


    Proceeding to push her toward her courtyard, Xue Bai tried to coax her into continuing to cultivate diligently.


    "But Young Master, it''s so boring," Xiao''erined, but after turning around and seeing Xue Bai''s stern face, she stopped and grudgingly listened.


    "Good girl." Xue Bai felt proud of her progress, "Just make sure not to do any more rushed breakthroughs. I can''t have you crippling yourself this young."


    And after making sure Xiao''er started cultivating, Xue Bai went back to his own courtyard and sat down before beginning to cultivate for the night.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Huo Long''s awakening chapter isplete and will be released in a few hours! Also, I have created an auxiliary chapter that lists the known ''Children of the ne'' while also giving them a small description for anyone who has forgotten, so take a look!


    Finally, I want to say beforehand that the cultivations realms were something that I had added in on an impulse of my thanks to a very active reader. But since I think they would trante well with my system, I don''t think it seems too out of ce. But if anyone sees any jarring plot hole or mistake, pleasement on it, and I''ll find and fix it.

 Chapter 123 Peaceful Cultivation

    ?Peaceful Cultivation


    The night went by fast, and when morning came, Xue Bai woke up at his normal time. But this time, he was slightly sad as he didn''t get the dream again, making him miss out on the Sword Law progress he was just getting used to.


    "What are the requirements to have the dream pop up?" Xue Bai was confused, but since he couldn''t figure it out without seeing the Soaring Sword Sect Founder once again, he gave up.


    He also couldn''t ask Yue Zifeng about it, as Xue Bai didn''t think that the Soaring Sword Sect Founder would want him to tell anyone about the dreams he was getting. And while Yue Zifeng was definitely trustworthy and would never greed over them, Xue Bai thought that the fewer people that knew about the dreams, the better.


    After all, only two days after firstprehending Sword Law, Xue Bai had already reached 9%prehension, which already rivaled some people in the Dharma Idol Realm, let alone the other youngsters in the Bone Strengthening Realm with him.


    So after freshening up with some Spiritual Water from his pond, Xue Bai started his day.


    Changing once more into his training outfit, Xue Bai once again went into the Training Pagoda, where he nned to improve his swordsmanship. Even though he could most likely instantly kill the Sword Puppet, it wouldn''t give Xue Bai anything but a small momentary satisfaction.


    But continuing to practice against it without his Sword Law and only his swordsmanship would allow Xue Bai to improve daily and at a considerable pace at that.


    Xue Bai wanted to be able to beat the Sword Puppet without his Sword Law before moving on. He nned on keeping his Sword Law a secret as it would make a great trump card because, like his Space Element, when his Sword Law was used against an unprepared target, its attack power could even cross Realms!


    The only people who knew that Xue Bai hadprehended Sword Law were the Core Elders and Yue Zifeng. Thankfully none of the people mentioned seemed to be talkative, and with age came experience, so it was more than likely they all knew how to keep a secret. So Xue Bai was hopeful that his Sword Law would stay a secret.


    Of course, Xue Bai wouldn''t dy itsprehension process because of this. He would only keep it a secret from the outside world.


    So to make up for the fact that he was nning on hiding his Sword Law, Xue Bai needed to practice his other forms ofbat.


    Going back into the Training Pagoda, Xue Bai was about to turn the array formation on and release the Sword Puppet once more, but before he did, he remembered something.


    The Spatial Ring from the Xiantian Great Realm expert he stole from Ye Xuan and Shi Tian!


    So after a quick run to his bedroom, Xue Bai got the Spatial Ring out from the robe he kept it in.


    A Spatial Ring couldn''t be stored in another Spatial Ring, so Xue Bai had merely put it in the pocket of the training robe he used that day.


    And after returning to the Training Pagoda, Xue Bai poured his Spiritual Qi into the Spatial Ring, where he soon found his consciousness looking inside.


    The Spatial Ring was small, only 2 square meters, which was much smaller than Xue Bai''s own personal Spatial Ring, and inside there weren''t many things either, with there only being two wooden cases and a small pile of Jade Slips.


    Taking everything out, Xue Bai put the Spatial Ring into his pocket,pletely disregarding it. It was only a Low Yellow Grade Spatial Ring and could contain little, giving it no use for Xue Bai, who had much better Spatial Rings.


    Opening the wooden boxes first, Xue Bai saw two pill bottles, each filled with ten pills that Xue Bai couldn''t identify.


    Confused, Xue Bai got the 5 Jade Slips and started to digest their information.


    "So that''s what they are." Xue Bai muttered, now enlightened.


    From the 5 Jade Slips, Xue Bai figured out why Ye Xuan and Shi Tian were so greedy for the inheritance.


    Inside the first Jade Slips was the Low ck-grade Cultivation Technique that once belonged to the Xiantian Great Realm expert.


    Before reaching the Qi Sea Realm, one didn''t need a Cultivation Technique since all they were doing was strengthening the physical body.


    However, after reaching the Qi Sea Realm, it was necessary. Without it, advancing any further could cause many different negative repercussions, from Spiritual Qi Deviation, self-crippling and even death.


    Li Rou and Xue Feng both had a Low ck-grade Cultivation Technique that Xue Bai didn''t know much about.


    However, for people other than them, getting such an advanced Cultivation Technique was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Even for people like Ye Xuan, who was from one of the Noble Families in the Soaring Sword Sect.


    But since Xue Bai had no need for the Cultivation Technique yet, he pushed nning to give it to Yue Zifeng sometime.


    The Second and third Jade Slip had two Martial Techniques that were indispensable to anyone cultivating the Cultivation Technique. But for anyone else, they were subpar at best, diminishing any value they could possibly have for Xue Bai.


    And finally, thest two Jade Slips gave Xue Bai the name and description of what the Pills were.


    The first bottle contained a rare Pill named a Bodhi Pill that could magnify theprehension ability of the consumer by 10x for a day.


    While the second contained another rare pill that was named a True Water Essence Pill, which was like the Yang Essence Pill that Jiang Xiaorou gave him but was helpful for Water Element cultivators instead of Fire Element cultivators.


    Depressed that the second was useless for him, Xue Bai pushed it aside with the other garbage, dejectedly, while storing away the Bodhi Pills.


    They were going to be extremely helpful once Xue Bai got a Cultivation Technique. With them, he would be able to take another step ahead of hispetition andprehend his Cultivation Technique much deeper than them.


    And after thanking thete Ye Xuan for the gift, Xue Bai stood back up and turned on the array formation, starting the day''s training.


    Xue Bai continued this simple but repetitive life for another week, where every morning and afternoon, Xue Bai would enter the Training Pagoda and fight against the Peak stage Bone Strengthening Realm Sword Puppet. And during the night, Xue Bai would cultivate diligently, making full use of the dense Spiritual Qi at his peak.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He would also force Xiao''er to cultivate just as much as himself while making sure she didn''t ck off. Xue Bai also managed to persuade her to enter the Training Pagoda with him and finally start training herbat skills.


    Thankfully, while Xiao''er wasn''t as talented as Xue Bai with the sword, her talent at swordsmanship wasn''t too bad, and her progress was rather fastpared to other disciples. And since her skills were so bad, her progress was also extremely fast.


    It was like increasing your grades during school. Going from 1-20 was fast and simple, but going from 50 to 70 was much harder.


    And this example perfectly matched the situation with Xue Bai and Xiao''er. Since Xiao''er had never tried fighting before, she could only get better. Coupled with her above-average talent, she was progressing at an extremely quick rate.


    However, Xue Bai was already much more experienced than her, so his progress was also slower.


    During their week of diligent cultivation Yue Zifeng seeing Xiao''er blossom into a Sword Maiden out of nowhere, out of curiosity, tested the Sword Law of affinity of Xiao''er and found out that she had a Rank 2-grade affinity, which wasn''t bad by any means and was in the top 10% of cultivators on the Southern Continent. Still,pared to the Immortal-grade requirement for a core disciple, it was definitelycking.


    Besides his ever-increasing skill with the sword, Xue Bai''s cultivation speed didn''t fall behind, and within the week, he managed to break through another stage, reaching the 5th stage of the Bone Strengthening Realm.


    However, his Sword Lawprehension had halted at 9%, as besides the first dream he had on the first night on his Peak, he had never gotten another one.


    But after remembering just how far ahead he waspared to his peers, Xue Bai didn''t get too saddened over the fact but just instead tried looking for ways to get the dreams back.


    After experiencing the feeling of his Sword Law progress increasing effortlessly, Xue Bai was reluctant to go back to his previous way ofprehending Sword Law himself at home.


    Besides news on Xue Bai, Xiao''er had also broken through another stage, reaching the 4th stage of the Organ Tempering Realm. But before she could rejoice at the fact that she was catching up to Ye Rou, a piece of news came from the peak over.


    Ye Rou had broken through to the Qi Sea Realm.


    She had been at the Peak stage for almost a month now, and after getting a few treasure pills from Jiang Xiaorou and Yue Zifeng, she broke through smoothly without any trouble.


    Yue Zifeng nned to do a grand ceremony to celebrate it while also announcing her and Xue Bai to the Southern Continent. But that wouldn''t be for another month or so, giving Xue Bai some time to advance his cultivation a few more stages and hopefully a whole new Realm.


    Xue Bai also knew this event was going to be the first appearance of the female ''Child of the ne.'' Other than Ye Rou''s public appearance, the Soaring Sword Sect and the other two great sects would coborate and set up a small tournament for rogue cultivators wanting to join.


    There she would show her talent and be picked up by an Elder from the Hundred Flowers Sect and start her rise to prominence.


    However, now that Xue Bai was here, he had different ns for the girl. Of course, he didn''t want to get on her bad side, as having one ''Child of the ne'' as an enemy was scary enough, but instead, wanting to do like what he did with Huo Long and befriend her before she started to rise up.


    And with the information that he had gotten over the years, thanks to his Fathers subordinates, Xue Bai had finally managed to locate her.


    The only problem was Yue Zifeng.


    "No, why would you leave the Mountain? There is nothing outside that could possibly be better for you than what is on your peak." Yue Zifeng spoke calmly, not knowing he was impeding Xue Bai''s five-year n.


    "Master, I sense an opportunity is out there for me, and it''s calling out for me to get it." Xue Bai pulled out his trump card.


    Thankfully it worked, and as instantly, instead of shooting Xue Bai''s request down once more, Yue Zifeng looked contemtive about his words. And after a few minutes of thinking, he spoke up.


    "You''re not lying to me so that you could go out and have fun, are you?" Yue Zifeng asked seriously.


    He knew that some heavenly geniuses were blessed by fate and would find treasures like sand on a beach. So Xue Bai saying that a treasure was calling out to him wasn''t too far-fetched an idea.


    However, the only thing stopping Yue Zifeng from letting his disciple go was that he knew that Xue Bai was a troublemaker who liked to show off, so he couldn''t be sure if Xue Bai wanted to sneak out and have fun or was truly serious with his words.


    "Master, I promise that when Ie back, I''ll be at the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm at the minimum!" Xue Bai swore solemnly.


    There were many opportunities hidden throughout the Southern Continent that Xue Bai hadn''t looted yet, and adding on the many resources in Senior Huli''s Spatial Ring, advancing his cultivation to the Peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm in a short time wasn''t impossible. All he had to do was give up on training anything else and focus entirely on his cultivation base during his time out.


    Away from Xue Bai''s thoughts, Yue Zifeng seeing his prized disciple look so confident, relented and gave him permission.


    "However, take those bodyguards of yours along with you. I would give you a shadow guard from our Sect, but I know those two living in the Soaring Sword City have followed you for a long time and would most likely be much better than a stranger." Yue Zifeng reminded me.


    Thanking Yue Zifeng with a grateful bow, Xue Bai ran off to leave, but before he did, Yue Zifeng''s shout came once more.


    "Bai''er, I have reforged that sword of yours." Yue Zifeng announced while pulling out a Spatial Ring.


    "In this Spatial Ring is the reforged sword, along with some other life-saving methods that I have prepared for you," Yue Zifeng exined, "As long as you don''t run into someone as strong as me, you''ll be invincible on this continent."


    Even more grateful, Xue Bai epted the Spatial Ring and gave Yue Zifeng another much deeper bow before running off, this time for sure.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Huo Long''s Awakening Part 2 will be uploaded at 4 PM EST!


    The third ''Child of the ne'' is going to be announced soon, you all can guess what troupe she follows in thements, and I''ll like the winner.

 Chapter 124 Leaving The Sect

    ?Leaving the Sect


    Xue Bai didn''t n on bringing Xiao''er with him this time. So after telling her his ns and pushing away Xiao''er, who was crying her eyes out, he was off.


    Xiao''er was still only at the 4th stage of the Organ Tempering Realm, and while that was alright for a Southern Continent Genius, Xue Bai knew there was a lot of room for improvement.


    So before he left, he told her that if she managed to break through two more stages before he returned, he would give her a reward when he came back. And she, of course, epted the deal, but still saddened about the fact that Xue Bai was leaving her, she cried for a few minutes before letting him go.


    Xue Bai also bid Ye Rou farewell, but since the two weren''t too close, the goodbye didn''tst long. He also wanted to go to Jiang Xiaorou''s peak and do the same, but after remembering their first encounter, he gave up on the idea.


    Hence, with no more things holding him back, Xue Bai took the teleportation array that was on the mountain and left.


    The teleportation array took Xue Bai to the City Hall in the Soaring Sword City, saving Xue Bai hours of travel time. And after showing his identity to the guards watching it, Xue Bai went over to where the Wang Brothers were residing.


    They hadn''t changed hotels and continued to stay inside the same one that Xue Bai had booked in temporarily. So Xue Bai didn''t need to take any time and contact the twins and ask for their new location.


    Entering the lobby once more, Xue Bai scanned it quickly before finding what he was looking for, the Front Desk.


    Currently, as the hype from the Soaring Sword Sect entrance exam had died down, there was only one person staffing it, and it was a young average looking girl around the age of Xiao''er.


    Her cultivation wasn''t much to speak of, though, as even Xue Bai could see through it, and it was only in the Muscle Nourishing Realm.


    During the 5 physical Realms, the only realm that gave you a lifespan increase was the Blood Exchange Realm. Any cultivator whopleted the Blood Exchange Realm would be granted with a 100-year lifespan, which was almost double the mere 60-year average lifespan for mortals.


    So for any cultivator with low talents or extremely poor background, after reaching the Muscle Norushing Realm, they would stop cultivating and calmly ept their fate.


    "Miss, can you send a message to the people living in these two rooms?" Xue Bai asked politely to the receptionist, ignoring her flushed face, "Tell them that their Young Master is here and waiting for them in the lobby."


    "Yes, give me one second, Young Master!" And before she could embarrass himself anymore, the young girl ran off toplete Xue Bai''s task.


    Xue Bai knew why she looked so embarrassed, but he didn''t care much since he was used to it. So after sitting down at a chair nearby, Xue Bai waited for the twins toe down.


    Thankfully the hotel was well worth its reputation as the best in Soaring Sword City, as, within 5 minutes, the Wang Twins arrived in the lobby.


    They were skeptical when the receptionist first came to their rooms and told them that Xue Bai was downstairs waiting for them. After all, Xue Bai had just joined the Soaring Sword Sect a little more than a week ago. How could he leave so soon?


    But after the girl exined who was downstairs, they were convinced and ran downstairs as fast as they could.


    They hadn''t broken through during their time within the city and were already missing the opportunities they received by following Xue Bai. So after being called by him, they didn''t dare to dy even by a second and ran down as quickly as they could.


    "Young Master, where are we going this time?" Big Wang asked as they arrived in front of Xue Bai.


    However, he didn''t answer them but instead stood up first and made his way out of the hotel lobby.


    The twins weren''t offended by Xue Bai ignoring them but instead merely followed behind him, thinking that he didn''t want to exin his ns in the open.


    And after walking out, Xue Bai pulled out a carriage that Yue Zifeng had given to him from his Spatial Ring and hopped in.


    This carriage was better than his previous carriage in every manner. From its durability to its speed, nothing that Xue Bai''s previous carriage could do was better than the new one.


    But most important of all, the carriage had the personal symbol of Yue Zifeng branded onto it. With two swords intercrossing, one blue and one red.


    The twins seeing the new extravagant carriage had many questions, but since Xue Bai seemed to be in a rush, they held them back and took their usual seats.


    Little Wang drove while Big Wang sat on top with his Spiritual Sense spread out.


    "Take us out of the city first, and then I''ll exin where we are going." Xue Bai spoke from the inside.


    "Young Master, which gate do you want us to exit from?" Little Wang asked as he sat in the driver''s seat.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The South Gate." Xue Bai answered calmly.


    Nodding, Little Wang didn''t ask any more questions and followed his Young Master''s instructions.


    Xue Bai''s carriage eventually caused many people to do double takes, but since no one dared to impede its way, the Xue Bai quickly drove through Soaring Sword City without any interruptions.


    "Young Master, where to now?" Little Wang asked as the carriage finally made it out of the city.


    Xue Bai then gave him a set of coordinates before telling Little Wang to go as fast as the carriage could allow him.


    Before joining the Hundred Flower Sect, the female ''Child of the ne'' was extremely nomadic and spent her days going from city to city, looking for any opportunity she could get her hands on.


    And the set of coordinates that Xue Bai gave him was of a city on the border of the Southern Continent. There, the female ''Child of the ne'' would get into trouble with the City Lord''s son and then, after a long chase, would be able to kill him.


    Xue Bai wanted to not only stop the confrontation but also try and recruit the Child of the ne to the Soaring Sword Sect. At first, Xue Bai wanted to recruit her as a subordinate, but since that idea would most likely never be able toe to fruition, he took a step back and nned to get her into his sect.


    Either way, she would be able to stay close to him in the near future. And with closenesses familiarity, so as long as Xue Bai yed his cards right, he could be able to build a good rtionship with the girl.


    Xue Bai had also had the thought of trying to seduce the girl and possibly go that route, but the morality of it was definitely gray, so he shut down that idea before it grew up.


    He wasn''t opposed to the idea of a harem, especially being in a world where strength mattered above all, but still bringing a girl into his harem, not for feelings, but greed,  didn''t sit right with Xue Bai.


    And further, bing the lover of a ''Child of the ne'' would more than likely cause a huge butterfly effect that could destroy the use of Xue Bai''s future knowledge. So, for now, Xue Bai only nned to get on her good side by recruiting her into one of the Three Great Sects.


    Little Wang, on the other hand, seeing the coordinates was extremely confused.


    The region where the coordinates were was in the most barren part of the Southern Continent, which was usually called the Barren Lands. Because it was so far away from the Central Continent and where Spiritual Qi spread out from, it might as well not have had any.


    Because of that, even people in the Qi Sea Realm were rarer than a Phoenix feather or a Qilin horn over there.


    As for the higher realms? They might as well have been myths because not only was there nowhere near enough Spiritual Qi to supplement breakthroughs past the Qi Sea Realm, but most people didn''t even know what came after the Qi Sea Realm there.


    There were no legacies passed down from stronger cultivators as anyone who advanced that far had long cut their ties with the Barren Lands, making the higher Realms such mysterious existences.


    "Young Master, are you sure you want to go that far down south? There will be nothing for us down there." Little Wang had to make sure that Xue Bai didn''t give him the wrong set of coordinates.


    "When have I ever been mistaken about these things?" Xue Bai scoffed, "Just go to where I marked."


    And after saying so, he stopped responding and turned on the Spiritual Qi Gathering Array Formation that was inside the carriage. Time stopped for no man. Just because he was on other business didn''t mean that Xue Bai was going to ck on his cultivation.


    The Spiritual Qi Gathering Array Formation in the carriage was indeed much weaker than the one on his peak, but since it was still helpful, Xue Bai turned it on, nning to cultivate during most of the trip down south.


    He had made a bold promise to Yue Zifeng as well, so he had even less of a reason to ck.


    Little Wang, outside, seeing Xue Bai, stopped responding, just sighed, and set off.


    Leaving earlier would allow the group to arrive earlier, and Little Wang wouldn''t be able to cultivate while he was driving the carriage, so instead of trying toin to the obviously close-minded Xue Bai, he simply started driving with dropped shoulders.


    The coordinates that Xue Bai gave them weren''t very close either and were extremely far. And even with their new upgraded carriage, it would still take at the very least three days to get there. So Little Wang didn''t waste time and started their long journey in search of the second and final ''Child of the ne'' on the Southern Continent.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I have updated the character images chapter and ced images for Ye Rou, Jiang Xiaorou, Yue Zifeng, and the female ''Child of the ne.'' And also, because of this, I sort of spoiled her name, but instead of deleting the mistake, I n to do a double upload for you guys today.


    The second chapter will be uploaded at 6 PM EST.


    It''s about Zhu Que and her plot points!

 Chapter 125 Zhu Que, The Rags To Riches Protagonist

    ?Zhu Que, The Rags to Riches Protagonist


    The female Child of the ne was a humble vige girl named Zhu Que.


    She was born in a small fishing vige on the most southern tip of the Southern Continent in the year of 961, making her a year older than Xue Bai but a year younger than Huo Long.


    Usually, the ocean in the Baishen ne was the most terrifying ce, as not only were the waters deeper than how higher the skies were, but also how many demonic beasts lurked within.


    This also made the fisherman upation almostpletely extinct, as to be able to catch the ferocious demonic beats within the oceans, one had to have the matching strength. Because, unlike forests where with enough rearing, one could control the poption and strengths of the demonic beasts within, the ocean was too big and mysterious to be controlled.


    Making it a ce uncontrolled and untouched by humanity.


    It was aplete deathtrap, as not only would one have to constantly use their Spiritual Qi to supplement theck of oxygen, but also have to use it to defend themselves from countless demonic beasts attacking them. And should one go deep enough, they would also have to protect themselves from the crushing pressure of the deep ocean.


    Overall the ocean was a deathtrap that every cultivator avoided, except for Zhu Que vige members.


    There, since there was almost no Spiritual Qi in the air or even water, the ocean wasn''t filled with demonic beasts capable of sundering mountains, but instead normal fish. The fish there were, of course, stronger than the ones on Earth, but at the end of the day, they were still fish without any cultivation.


    So for the vige members in Zhu Que''s vige, the stronger, vitality-filled fish were their source of not only food but also their cultivation resources. Since without any Spiritual Qi in the air to absorb, the mortals living in Zhu Que''s region had to resort to other ways to cultivate.


    And the nutritious and vitality-enriched fish they hunted daily was the best tonic for their bodies.


    In the vige, Zhu Que was equivalent to the ss belle, who was adored by everyone and had the greatest background since her father was the Vige Chief. She would also live an extremely carefree life, eating the best fish and having the most luxurious essories for a vige, that is.


    However, that serenity onlysted until her 15th birthday, when she awakened her Marital Veins.


    Unlike where Xue Bai lived, usually in the Barren Lands, one could only awaken their Marital Veins muchter. And in the region where Zhu Que lived, it was mostmon for children to awaken them at thete age of 15.


    Usually, when one awakened their Martial Veins, there would be an apanying natural phenomenon. This happened with ''Xue Bai''s'' awakening when he unleashed a pulse of Spiritual Qi that was just as strong as someone in thete stages of the Blood Exchange Realm.


    But no one in Zhu Que''s vige was even in the Blood Exchange Realm, let alone in thete stages of it. So for Zhu Que, who awakened a Peak Earth-grade set of Martial Veins, her awakening was more than something to worry about.


    A Peak Earth-grade set of Marital Veins was equivalent to an attack from someone at the 9th stage of the Muscle Nourishing Realm.


    However, since all of the vigers living in her vige are ignorant of Zhu Que''s hidden potential, they all choose to hold a small ceremony to celebrate it instead of running far away from her.


    While technically the Young Vige Chief, Zhu Que didn''t have any arrogance and instead loved being doted on by the vigers, so when her father announced her ceremony, no one was absent.


    And without surprise, once Zhu Que awakened, her Marital Veins, cmity struck. Her Martial Veins were of the ice element, so as soon as her natural phenomenon swept through her vige, everything within 30 meters was turned to ice, including the vigers.


    Both horrified and confused about what happened, Zhu Que didn''t know what to do, but after a quick check, she quickly figured out that everyone was dead.


    She would then spend the next few days breaking down in a mess of emotions from the fact she had destroyed everything she ever knew. And eventually, with more guilt than her young shoulders could carry, she grievously buried everything before leaving her vige where she should start her rise to prominence.


    Knowing her heart-wrenching beginning, Xue Bai wanted to stop it, but sadly, even with his father''s many capable subordinates, he was never able to find her vige. Moreover, even though Xue Bai did explore the entire mortal world during his ythrough of "Children of the ne," when he did, almost 200 years of in-game time had passed. And 200 years was more than enough to cover the remnants of a deserted mortal vige.


    Even now, Xue Bai had only found the city where Zhu Que''s first arc was, and not the protagonist herself. This was the reason why Xue Bai wanted to appear during her first arc, as while he didn''t know where she was before it, he could 100% guarantee her appearance in the city then.


    And while this rough manner of searching wasn''t something befitting of his identity, there wasn''t much Xue Bai could do about it. Zhu Que''s start was too far, and she lived a nomadic life capable of leaving even the gypsies on Earth in awe.


    Before entering the Hundred Flowers Sect, Zhu Que didn''t even have a home but instead spent her nights either camping out in forests or in random motels.


    Thankfully her first arc made her location known, giving Xue Bai the opportunity to find her.


    So with a slight smile on his face, Xue Bai fell into a mediation state.


    Days would pass in this manner, with Little Wang driving as fast as the carriage would allow him, Big Wang intimidating any ignorant demonic beast or fearless bandit away, and Xue Bai cultivating in the carriage.


    Xue Bai also slept in the carriage, as the interior had a bedroom with a bed. And while it wasn''t asfortable as the one in his courtyard at the sect, it was much better than he had in his previous carriage. And since the carriage also suppressed any of the rockings, Xue Bai was able to sleep peacefully inside the carriage.


    But since he couldn''t cultivate for the entire trip, he did get bored.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, the group was in the middle of nowhere, giving Xue Bai no outlet for entertainment. So to fill his bored mind, he started to think about his near future and how he wanted to live the next few years.


    Besides training his swordsmanship, cultivating diligently, and furtherprehending his Sword Law, Xue Bai wanted to start truly tapping into his full potential. Xue Bai had a big disadvantagepared to every other ''Child of the ne,'' which was hisck of a strong motivation.


    Zhu Que wanted to revive her parents, Huo Long wanted to protect his home, and Xiao Mo wanted to right every wrong he had faced in his previous life, but Xue Bai? He just cultivated since he knew Xiao Mo would try ande after him one day.


    However, even then, the stimulus that gave Xue Bai was nowhere near what the other ''Children of the ne'' have. And while Xue Bai didn''t n on throwing himself into hell to stimte his potential, he knew that encountering a few hardships was necessary to be a true powerhouse.


    For the six years Xue Bai lived in this world, instead of the cruel world for what it was, he had taken this life as another ythrough of "Children of the ne."


    So when he first returned to the sect, Xue Bai nned to ept a few bounty missions from the sect. This way, he could finally have a true fight to the death and start to temper his mindset.


    All of the fights to the death Xue Bai had been a part of could barely be called a fight. With Wang Mo, Xue Bai relied on the Thunderhawk, and with the many fights during the demonic beast hunt, he relied on his Gravity Field Formation.


    Through these fights, Xue Bai wanted to reach his full potential. Recently Xue Bai had beenx in hisparisons, narrowing his mindset.


    Whenever he thought of a genius, his mind would start trailing to Wang Yu, but for him, who knew of the future of the Baishen ne, this was the definition of stupidity. Wang Yu was a pawn, groomed by the Demonic Sect, nothing more.


    And while he was a viin in "Children of the ne," that''s all he was, a minor character fated to die as a stepping stone to a ''Child of the ne.''


    How could Xue Baipare himself to someone that wasn''t even fated to reach the Xiantian Great Realm?


    So after returning to the sect, Xue Bai nned to ask Yue Zifeng to create a high-intensity and efficient cultivation regiment.


    Through this, he hoped that he could finally tap into the full potential of someone with a Low Heaven-grade Martial Vein, as currently, he was bringing shame to whoever that eye belonged to.


    Beyond that, Xue Bai nned to try and start purging the Southern Continent of the Demonic Sect.


    The Demonic Sect weren''t dumb and knew not to put all of their eggs in one basket. So besides the Wang n in the Great Xuan Empire, they had also corrupted other families in preparation for their invasion. The Wang n was just theirrgest and most important chess piece.


    So the Demonic Sect had nted various spies into important positions of the Great Xuan Empire and Three Great Sects. And of the four powers on the Southern Continent, the Soaring Sword Sect had the most traitors.


    Sword Cultivators were known for their extreme power and almost suicidal fighting style. So to prevent as many needless deaths for their forces, the Demonic Sect ced more than a few dozen spies into the Soaring Sword Sect.


    And while most of their positions weren''t very high, their sheer number was more than worthy of concern.


    Knowing this, Xue Bai wanted to kill most of them before the next Righteous vs. Demonic war broke out.


    Xue Bai knew the future, after all, so why would he not take advantage of it?


    Of course, the spies would eventually figure out that someone was hunting them. But, by then, the damage would already be done.


    Other than that, Xue Bai started to list down the many opportunities that would appear soon.


    The plot had finally started already, and with two ''Children of the ne'' on his continent, there were going to be more chances than Xue Bai would even be able to steal.


    Because of this, Xue Bai nned topromise and only take the most important and grand ones. Therefore, anything lower than the ck-grade was instantly scratched off and ignored as Xue Bai disdained anything of the Yellow-grade. This way, the ''Children of the ne'' would have some natural treasures to speed up their cultivation speed.


    ''I''m such a nice man.'' Xue Bai thought.


    nning his future during the day and cultivating during the night, Xue Bai steadily lost track of their location, but soon enough, they arrived.


    "Young Master, we have arrived, but something is wrong." Little Wang''s voice came from outside, but instead of carrying the usual strictness and seriousness, there was a hint of¡­ughter?


    Confused, Xue Bai went out, where he found what made Little Wangugh, and soon couldn''t control himself either.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

 Chapter 126 Ocean Breeze City

    ?Ocean Breeze City


    Outside of the carriage was a small city that was fully surrounded in all directions by a tall 5-meter tall made entirely of normal iron. And to any mortal or any cultivator still in the five physical realms, it would certainly look extremely menacing and overbearing, but to Little Wang, it wasn''t much stronger than a piece of paper.


    However, that wasn''t what Xue Baiughed at. Instead, he wasughing at their less-than-wee reception.


    Currently, in front of their carriage were a few thousand armed soldiers in silver armor holding spears. A standard unit would normally be something to fear, but there was a slight problem. Only a few soldiers were above the Muscle Nourishing Realm, while most of them were in the Blood Exchange Realm.


    Xue Bai could even see a few 18-year-old boys who were still in the Vein Transformation Realm.


    But the funniest thing of all was the clear arrogance stered onto the face of themander heading it all.


    Themander at the front of the small army was at the 7th stage of the Muscle Nourishing Realm and wore a fine set of gold armor, which,pared to all of the soldiers under him, certainly looked awe-inspiring. But the gold he used in the armor wasn''t a Spiritual Ore, but normal mortal gold.


    And on his face was the very same broad smirk Xue Bai had carried before when he showed off his cultivation base during the Soaring Sword Sect''s entrance exam.


    It was like themander was just itching for a chance to show off his prestige and might to the citizens of the city while fending off the mysterious invaders of Xue Bai and his bodyguards.


    "Little Wang, what did you do to make them act like this?" Xue Bai asked as he regained hisposure.


    Hisughter was making the originally arrogant and confidentmander feel apprehensive. If even in the face of him and all of his subordinates, a child couldugh, it was either because of arrogance or ignorance.


    But with how luxurious both Xue Bai''s clothing and the carriage were, themander was starting to feel it was the former rather than thetter.


    ''No, even if a dragones to my city, it''ll have to coil up! If a tiger dares toe, it''ll have to kneel!'' Themander pushed down his rising desire to run away as he thought inwardly.


    Decades of an uncontested position and life had numbed the once famedmanders'' senses with arrogance.


    "There wasn''t much I could do, Young Master. As soon as the guards saw the carriage, greed overcame them, and they started harassing us. So I pped them all into oblivion." Big Wang instead answered from above.


    And as he did, he also pointed to a patch of dirt that was nowpletely red, which was most likely what remained of the poor guards.


    "Didn''t that reveal your power? How could they still dare toe and attack us then?" Xue Bai was confused.


    Was stupidity a hereditary trait for anyone living in a cultivation world?


    The Wang Twins were also confused about the matter and couldn''t give Xue Bai an answer, so they could only shrug in response.


    "Show your strength then. I need to search for someone who is living in the city right now. Don''t be too rude, though. I don''t want to leave a bad reputation." Xue Bai spoke simply.


    While Xue Bai could wait for Zhu Que to get chased around by the City Lord before saving her to give himself a better image, that would waste too much time. Other than recruiting Zhu Que, Xue Bai needed to find a specific opportunity that was key to the girl''s growth.


    Each of the ''Children of the ne'' had a specific thing that they were better at than all of the other ones.


    For example, Xiao Mo had the most potential, and Huo Long had the most plot armor. And not unlike her peers, Zhu Que had her own characteristics.


    She was the luckiest.


    Zhu Que could find a Heaven-grade bloodline in a trash can should she be in the right ce. And because of that, she was effectively the greatest treasure finder in the entire Baishen ne.


    But the greatest treasure she ever found was during her early years of cultivation.


    A few miles away from the city Xue Bai was currently in was a mountain range that contained a spear that wasn''t just important to Zhu Que, but it was practically her logo.


    The spear was a long 2-meter spear that was entirely blood red, as if he was created in a blood pit. But since it was the signature weapon of a ''Child of the ne,'' how could it be normal?


    In the spear was the will of a Dragon God who once lived in the Immortal Realm that would give its bloodline, which was slightly worse than Xue Bai''s being at the Middle Heaven-grade. While also giving her his cultivation techniques and a few dozen Martial and Movement techniques to her before finally dissipating.


    It also told her that the spear was made from his corpse, making it a weapon unrivaled in the Baishen ne.


    Now equipped with a peak Earth-grade Martial Vein, a bloodline of even higher value, and a spear made from the corpse of a God Great Realm dragon, Zhu Que would be the powerhouse she was destined to be.


    And as tempting as it was, Xue Bai didn''t think he would be able to steal the spear.


    With all of the other chances Xue Bai had intercepted from the plot, all of them were random Natural Treasures that Huo Long or Zhu Que could do without. Yggdrasil didn''t count, as Xiao Mo wasn''t fated to get it in this timeline.


    But the dragon spear was the symbol of Zhu Que. Something tightly intertwined with her fate. Attempting to steal the dragon spear would almost certainly result in a Luck Bacsh.


    So Xue Bai nned to move attention elsewhere within the Secret Realm and plunder everything else in there.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Secret Realm was equipped with countless Natural Treasures that would speed up Zhu Que''s cultivation speed dozens of times.


    With them, Xue Bai was confident he could reach the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm within two weeks.


    Of course, this would also slightly slow down the progress of Zhu Que, but Xue Bai nned to make it up to the girl. Either by making Yue Zifeng ept her as a disciple or in some other manner.


    Away from Xue Bai''s thoughts, Big Wang finally unleashed his cultivation base, throwing the entire city into a panic.


    "Bring your City Lord here. We are looking for someone who is currently residing inside of it." Big Wang spoke as he once again concealed his aura.


    From what he sensed in the city using his Spiritual Sense, he could tell that no one was even in the Qi Sea Realm, let alone a realm closer to him.


    So when he concealed his aura, he looked like a normal 30-year-old man, but as everyone in the city had already felt superhuman power, no one dared to think of him as one.


    Following hismand, themander of the small army rushed into the city as fast as his meager cultivation allowed him lest Big Wang felt annoyed and destroyed the city with a palm.


    Even though he was usually arrogant and tyrannical, if the entire city were destroyed, themander didn''t think he would be able to escape either.


    The city that Xue Bai was currently standing outside was named Ocean Breeze City after the ocean that was only a few miles away from it.


    And while its structure and atmosphere were primitive to Xue Bai and the Wang Twins, to themander currently running through it, Ocean Breeze City was the epitome of peak living conditions.


    However, he didn''t have time to indulge in its architecture, as he was sprinting through the city without caring for his image in order to fulfill Big Wang''s request.


    Thankfully the city wasn''t toorge in diameter, so while his cultivation was small, themander was able to quickly reach the City Lord''s Mansion that was built in the center of Ocean Breeze City.


    "City Lord! City Lord! The enemies outside demand your presence!" Themander shouted with care for his image as he ran into the mansion.


    His words immediately created an uproar within the mansion, but themander cared little for the reactions of the servants around and continued his way to the main hall where the City Lord was currently.


    "Commander Fang, speak slowly." The City Lord spoke with some confusion in his tone.


    In the main hall, there were only two people, one a tall, middle-aged man with grayed temples and some faint wrinkles and the other a young man who, like 70% like the City Lord.


    The City Lord was named Chen Li, while his son next to him was named Chen Kun.


    The two were obviously in the middle of a deep discussion, but after seeing the usually calm and indifferent Commander Fang run inside the main hall with such fear and panic on his face, they stopped speaking and turned in his direction.


    He had also felt Big Wang''s aura sweep over the city, but without any information, he had nned to try and let his son escape while he faced the enemy.


    But after hearing Commander Fang''s words, he dropped the conversation with his son and waited for Commander Fang to speak his mind.


    "The people outside who killed our guards are much stronger than I thought they were." Commander Fang spoke fearfully, "They demand your presence outside."


    "Do you know what they want, Commander?" Chen Li asked before asking a follow-up, "Are they hostile?"


    If they were hostile, his only hope was to get his family to escape through a nned escape route before going to face the enemy alone.


    Ensuring the survival of his bloodline was thest thing he could do as a father.


    Thankfully the Commander eased his fears.


    "No, while they had killed the guards, it was only because they had tried extorting the nobles in the carriage. After that, they killed no one but instead spoke of their needs." Commander Fang answered.


    "Then what do they want?" This time Chen Kun spoke.


    Sending his father off to face powerful enemies capable of engulfing the entire Ocean Breeze City with their aura alone didn''t sit very well with the young man, so he at least wanted to know why his father would leave.


    "The Young Miss inside of the carriage said she was looking for someone who was living inside Ocean Breeze City currently." Commander Fang answered.


    Hearing the request, Chen Li became silent and began to think about his options. However, after a few minutes of thinking, he realized he didn''t have any. It was either staying inside and angering the powerhouse of unknown power and potentially facing extermination or going out to see what they wanted.


    So after sighing deeply, Chen Li stood up, "Commander Feng, lead the way."


    He had no choice!

 Chapter 127 Searching The City

    ?Searching the City


    Following Commander Feng, Chen Li rushed out of the city and to the gate where Xue Bai''s carriage was waiting, where he would finally see the beings that forced him and his city into this perilous situation.


    Xue Bai had been feeling suffocated inside the carriage, so he now sat in the driver''s seat while the Wang Twins stood at the sides of the carriage showing their subservience.


    Chen Li could also sense this, but since Commander Feng said that one of the servants was the one who engulfed the city, he didn''t dare to treat them as servants.


    And since the two of them were so obviously twins, Chen Li also assumed that both of them had either the same or extremely simr cultivation bases.


    Chen Li,pared to the citizens inside of Ocean Breeze City, was a cultivator who stood at the Peak of the Muscle Nourishing Realm. And usually, his cultivation was more than enough to walk around unrivaled in the Barren Lands, butpared to Xue Bai''s group, he was nothing but an ant.


    He had expected not to be able to sense the cultivations of the twin servants, but what shocked him was that even the Young Miss was someone he couldn''t see through! Not even sensing Xue Bai''s cultivation base, Chen Li couldn''t even detect an ounce of Spiritual Qi around him!


    Concealing your own cultivation base wasn''t hard, and with enough practice, anyone could do it with ease, but even if someone was a master at doing so, they couldn''tpletely hide all of their aura.


    Which usually ended up in having some Spiritual Qi leak through, giving the observer a reasonable estimate of their cultivation base.


    However, Chen Li couldn''t even sense the leaking Spiritual Qi from Xue Bai, which meant that Xue Bai''s cultivation was much higher than his own.


    Chen Li was someone in histe forties and had spent his entire life cultivating to his current cultivation base, but a young girl not even halfway through puberty was not only stronger than him but stronger than him to the point he couldn''t even see a wisp of his aura!


    This, of course, wasn''t the case, as Xue Bai was just wearing his usual cultivation-concealing artifact, but how could Chen Li know about that?


    The Barren Lands didn''t even have alchemists. So how could they have artifact refiners who knew about cultivation concealing artifacts?


    In order to be a truly epted side professional, one needed to at least be in the Qi Sea Realm. And to refine a cultivation-concealing artifact, one needed to at least be in the Law Engraving Realm since the process behind it was so intricate.


    However, Chen Li thought that this was no time to ask questions to these mysterious immortals, so he forced down his curiosity and knelt down.


    "Great Nobles, this lowly one is the City Lord of Ocean Breeze City, Chen Li. I am willing to follow your orders to my dying breath!" Chen Li earnestly spoke.


    However, Xue Bai just waved it off casually. While he did look down on this barren region, he didn''t care enough to show off here.


    As much as he liked showing off, Xue Bai liked to do it to people of higher strength than himself. Doing it to bumpkins weaker than even himself would not only take the fun out of it but also make him feel bad.


    It would be like bragging in front of a child about how much money you make yearly. It''s iparable and would only make him seem vain.


    "City Lord, no need to be so humble. I''m no tyrant. I just need to search for a girl currently residing in your city." Xue Bai spoke simply.


    Xue Bai''s idea of recruiting her was to appear mysteriously and elegantly before ''recruiting'' her. And while Zhu Que could easily misunderstand it, Xue Bai was positive he could dispel the hostile feelings that the girl had toward him.


    Right now, Zhu Que wasn''t the fearsome spear-wielding Ice Dragon Empress she would be in the future, but instead, a vige girl carrying a burden far beyond her mentality could.


    The fact that she hadn''t copsed into an emotional wreck at this point was somethingmendable.


    And Xue Bai nned to take advantage of that. Like when he made friends with Huo Long before he became close-hearted and wise beyond his age. But now, Xue Bai nned to do the same with Zhu Que.


    She had yet to receive the inheritance that made her the unparalleled genius she would be in the future. Coupled with the fact that her cultivation was almost nonexistent this early in the plot, Xue Bai was confident he could fool the girl.


    ''I''m giving her a background and protecting her from all the future cmities she''ll face in the future. How could this be called immoral? Xue Bai consoled himself.


    He also knew the personality of Zhu Que and that she had the habit of showing her emotions on her face, unlike Xiao Mo, who could keep a smile on his face while fighting against his mortal enemy.


    So should Xue Bai ever start to aggravate her, he would be able to back up ordingly, and vice versa.


    Away from his thoughts, Xue Bai had finished telling Chen Li what he nned to do, and after waving the man off, he turned to Big Wang.


    "Big Wang, scan the city for a figure that looks like this." Then, Xue Bai spoke and described the appearance of Zhu Que to him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Chen Li''s appearance wasn''t very needed, and Xue Bai only called him out as a formality. He didn''t truly need the man''s permission or help.


    As Xue Bai was describing how Zhu Que looked to Wang Shu, in the room of an inconspicuous motel inside the city, a girl with arge cloak sat cultivating peacefully.


    After awakening her Peak Earth-grade Martial Veins, Zhu Que had spent almost every moment she could cultivating.


    She had heard of the legends of the mysterious cultivators who were Immortal, could seize the suns and moons with their hands, and control the cycle of reincarnation with a thought, but other than stories, she knew almost nothing about it.


    These stories were, of course, extremely exaggerated by the people in the Barren Lands because in order to do anything even remotely simr to that, one needed to be in the Immortal Great Realm at the minimum.


    But still, the legends she heard of, lies or not, gave her more than enough motivation to cultivate.


    All Zhu Que knew was that if she became strong enough, she could maybe resurrect her parents, which was more than enough reason for her to cultivate.


    So without daring to waste a second, she wanted to start cultivating, but without any information about it, she was stuck before even step 1.


    Thankfully, she remembered how the Vein Transformation Realm worked from a hunter who lived in her vige, so during the two weeks that had passed from her awakening, Zhu Que had started cultivating. And in the little time that she had, due to her great talent, she had already pathed out her Right Arm Vein and started to do her Left Arm''s Vein.


    Which was undoubtedly heaven-defying speed. Managing to reach the 1st of the Vein Transformation Realm in less than two weeks was impressive speed, but it still couldn''t make her a genius.


    Right now, Zhu Que was just about 15 years old, and a 15-year-old 1st stage Vein Transformation Realm cultivator wasn''t a genius by any stretch of the imagination, but instead was somethingughable by the Southern Continent''s standard.


    Of course, this couldn''t be helped since she had only awakened her Martial Veins on her 15th birthday. But the sects wouldn''t care about that and would deny her without care.


    How could she exin herself?


    "I awakened my Martial Veins at 15, so it didn''t take me four years to reach the 1st stage but instead only one week."


    Who would believe that? It was more likely they believed she was a God Great Realm cultivator''s reincarnation.


    And, since Zhu Que didn''t even know the grade of her Marital Veins, she couldn''t try and prove her talent to match her story. She could onlypare her pace to others, and from the stories she heard of from other cultivators, Zhu Que learned that she was a genius.


    ''Others take years to do what I did in less than two weeks! Were those words that came from the lightning bolt true?'' Zhu Que couldn''t help but wonder.


    Like Huo Long, she was also struck by the lightning bolt and received the same message. Still,pared to Huo Long''s wealth of knowledgeing from an aristocratic family in the Great Xuan Empire, Zhu Que didn''t know how truly important it was and thought it was a hallucination.


    She didn''t know how talented she was, nor about the Baishen ne at all. Zhu Que only knew that cultivation meant being strong. And if she was strong enough, she could bring back her parents.


    ''Mother, Father, Aunties, and Uncles, Little Que will bring you all back!'' Zhu Que swore as she clenched her small fists.


    The reason why she was living in Ocean Breeze City was that she had heard that the ce where she lived didn''t allow cultivators to grow very far. So Zhu Que nned to spend all of her money buying supplies before starting the long trek into the true cultivation world.


    She had found a Low Yellow-grade Spatial Ringst week and was able to store all of the rations she had bought while also hiding them from any greedy eyes.


    And today marked the day that she had nned to leave Ocean Breeze City and start her journey as a cultivator. But Zhu Que knew that the massive wealth she had exposed in the past few days had attracted many greedy eyes, so she wanted to wait until nightfall and take advantage of the darkness to escape the city.


    So before the long journey, Zhu Que nned to rest and ready herself, but just before she closed her eyes, something crazy happened that made her question her grasp on reality.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Small announcement, I am going to leave the country for about two weeks, so my upload schedule is going to change.


    It''ll still be once a day, but the upload time is going to change. The timezone I''ll be going to is Central European Standard Time, so while it''ll be 1 pm for me, it''s going to be different for you guys.


    For anyone who is toozy to look it up, Central European Standard Time is 6 hours ahead of EST.


    But don''t worry, I won''t miss an upload because of this. I have queued chapters to upload automatically for another week. However, I won''t respond much to yourments and questions as I usually do.

 Chapter 128 Recruiting A Child Of The Plane

    ?Recruiting a ''Child of the ne''


    Above her came the sound of a sword slicing through the air, and since Zhu Que wasn''t deaf, she obviously stood up and looked up reactively but what she saw made her think she was dreaming.


    The roof above her motel room was severed cleanly as if it were paper!


    And to make matters more shocking, before she could fully grasp what just happened, arge hand made of some clear gas manifested and calmly picked up the roof before tossing it into the distance like it were a weightless pebble and not a few ton heavy roof of a building.


    Following the sudden feat of superhuman strength, Zhu Que''s view of the skies was now unblocked, and because of that, she managed to see the perpetrators.


    In the air above her were three figures. Two middle-aged men in shining Silver armor adorned with a snowke with a sword pierced through. One held a sword, while the other had an outstretched hand that seemingly controlled the giant hand she had seen earlier.


    Zhu Que quickly pieced together that the middle-aged men were the people who removed her roof so surgically, but they weren''t the figure that truly garnered her attention. Instead, the epitome of beauty above them stood on a sword floating in the air.


    Sword Kinesis was a skill that was the usual mode of transportation for Sword Cultivators but to do so required Sword Law. And even then, one could stay in the air for as long as their Spiritual Qi allowed them to.


    So since he was only in the Bone Strengthening Realm, Xue Bai couldn''t stay in the air for very long. However, in order to keep the mystical and mysterious image engrained in Zhu Que''s mind, Xue Bai needed to fly.


    After all, if he were to be carried like a handbag by Big Wang, any demeanor of an expert Xue Bai would have would be swept away.


    But this would also drain Xue Bai''s Spiritual Qi extremely quickly, so before he fell out of the air and embarrassed himself, Xue Bai quickly started speaking.


    "I was right! Peak Earth-grade Martial Vein truly did appear in this region!" Xue Baiughed as if he had found a treasure.


    Following his words, Xue Bai controlled his flying sword to descend downward and dropped into Zhu Que''s motel room.


    Even flying for 5 minutes had drained his Spiritual Qi by more than half, and if he stayed any longer, he would most likely start to wobble in the air. So before he embarrassed himself, he dropped out of the air.


    Landing a few feet away from Zhu Que, who was stunned motionless, Xue Bai started pacing around her as if he were admiring a piece of art.


    "Master is going to be excited!" Xue Baiughed before looking at Zhu Que, who was still covering her face with the cloak, "Sister, do you know how talented you are?"


    However, still stunned silent, Zhu Que couldn''t formte a response and only sputtered incoherent nothingness.


    "Take your time, Sister," Xue Bai said in a reassuring tone, "I know there was a lot of stimuli just now, so take your time to organize your thoughts."


    And to help her calm down, Xue Bai pulled out a small table and two chairs, along with a tea set.


    "Drink some tea and rx your mind. No one would ever dare to rush you with me here." Xue Bai calmly spoke as he poured out a pot of Fragrant Dew Tea.


    The tea wasn''t extremely luxurious, only being a Low Yellow-grade Natural Treasure, but its entire effect was for soothing an anxious soul, which was perfect for Zhu Que''s current situation.


    Seemingly able to start grasping her words again, Zhu Que mumbled a soft thank you before sitting down.


    She also grabbed one of the cups of tea Xue Bai set out and poured out a cup of the Fragrant Few for herself, but before she sipped from the cup, she pulled down her cloak, revealing her face.


    At this early in the plot, Zhu Que wasn''t the beauty she waster on, but the more Xue Bai looked at her, the more pleasing she became to the eye.


    Her eyes, while covered with her long unkempt bangs and bags, had a deep beautiful red color that contrasted with her element. With fair red lips, long legs, and thick thighs, she was definitely a beauty, but from the rough tan and her years of no personal upkeep, her looks were severely downgraded.


    However, once she gets her bloodline, all of that would change. And she would undergo a stunning metamorphosis, transforming her from her caterpir state into a beautiful butterfly.


    Xue Bai only needed to bring her to where it was kept and gain her favor. So putting on a patient smile, Xue Bai let Zhu Que process her situation.


    As for the motel owners who were screaming outside about their roofs, Xue Bai motioned for Little Wang to take care of it, which was easily settled by him throwing an entire bag of gold coins toward them.


    While Spirit Stones were the mostmon currency in the Baishen ne, for people in the Barren Lands, Spirit Stones were so rare that one could even be a family heirloom.


    And to spend such a valuable item on anything, or even for cultivation, was a waste of heaven''s resources in their minds. So instead, they used Copper, Silver, and Gold coins for most of their transactions.


    The Great Xuan Empire also had Gold Coins, but since most of the poption of the Great Xuan were cultivators, gold coins were barely used. However, most cultivators still kept a bag full of them, just in case they would ever need them.


    Little Wang was no exception, and while he wasn''t sure how many were in the bag he had thrown at the motel owner, he knew it was in the thousands range, which to him was nothing. But as for the motel owner, he now had not only enough money to retire but even for their grandchildren to retire.


    ? And after thanking Little Wang profusely, the motel owner ran off, not wanting to disturb their business. He didn''t even care about his motel anymore either, and right now, he couldn''t wait to go out and live the rest of his life as an Emperor!


    The payoff wasn''t hidden from Zhu Que either, and after she saw such a fortune be thrown out so casually as if it were nothing, the image of this mysterious beauty and her bodyguards was elevated once more.


    However, instead of speaking yet, Zhu Que quickly downed the cup of Fragrant Dew Tea.


    Zhu Que didn''t think it was poisoned, if Xue Bai and his followers wanted to kill her, she wouldn''t be able to resist at all. So why would he go through such extensive efforts to kill her with poison when he could do so with the flip of his hand?<novelnext></novelnext>


    And true to her guess, once she finished her cup of tea, she instantly felt a cool gush of refreshment that traveled all throughout her body, calming her chaotic and anxious mind.


    "Um, can I call you Little Sister?" Zhu Que spoke up as she surveyed the room.


    However, after seeing the two bodyguards in armor frown at her words, she looked closer at Xue Bai and, to her shock, found he had an Adams Apple!


    "Sorry," Zhu Que apologized immediately, "I didn''t know you were a boy. I mean, it''s hard to guess."


    Thankfully, Xue Bai didn''t care much and waved off her concern.


    "It happens almost every time I meet someone new, so it''s fine. Just continue what you were saying. Little Brother is fine."


    Even though he was older than Zhu Que by a few years mentally, Xue Bai didn''t care much if he was called Little Brother. If anything, the close form of addressing would only make their rtionship closer. So Xue Bai was okay with it.


    "Then, Little Brother, it is." Zhu Que said dly with a smile that caused a small ripple in his heart.


    ''Damn the charm of a female protagonist too much!'' Xue Bai cursed as he suppressed the feeling.


    Other than having men lust over her and attempt to kidnap her at every turn, Zhu Que has had simps who, after falling in love with her at first sight, would do anything to please her.


    And since Xue Bai had no wish to be such a deplorable man, he forcibly suppressed any lovey emotion he felt toward the girl. He already had Xiao''er!


    "You said that I was extremely talented, right?" Zhu Que asked, uncertainty in her tone.


    To which Xue Bai nodded.


    "Then what does that mean? I know I have Martial Veins and can cultivate a little quicker than others, but how does one test talent?" Zhu Que spoke rather embarrassedly.


    She had no clue about anything in the cultivation world beyond Martial Veins and the Vein Transformation Realm. And since Xue Bai looked so helpful and willing to assist, she could only burden him with her ignorant questions.


    Xue Bai, thankfully, was more than willing to help her, and during the next hour, he would exin to her everything about cultivation, its realms, how items were ranked, and anything else she wanted to know.


    And over the course of the conversation, Xue Bai could feel she was opening up to him. Zhu Que had just suffered the worst cmity in her life just two days ago, and her opening up this early was a surprise to Xue Bai.


    But since he couldn''t really ask why she trusted him without raising her suspicions, he could only chalk it up to his overwhelming charm and beauty.


    "Sister Zhu, as I said earlier, my Master would be more than willing to ept another disciple. Do you want toe to follow me back to the sect?" Xue Bai finally tossed out the hook.


    Zhu Que, however, to his slight surprise, didn''t agree immediately but instead threw a question back at Xue Bai.


    "Little Brother, I heard stories of people being able to resurrect the dead by cultivating," Zhu Que asked with glistening eyes, "Is this true, or are they just stories."


    Xue Bai obviously knew what she meant by her words, but since she didn''t go any deeper with her words, he didn''t point it out.


    The matter of her killing not only her parents but everyone she knew was something she wanted to take to the grave. So she, of course, wouldn''t tell Xue Bai who she meant only an hour ago, no matter how much she enjoyed hispany.


    "Yes, you can, Sister Zhu," Xue Bai answered, giving her hope, "However, in order to do so, you must be strong. Far stronger than you can even imagine. But I can guarantee you it''s possible."


    He, of course, couldn''t truly say it was possible, but from the cultivation novels he had read, once the main character would be strong enough, they would resurrect all of their weaker friends and family.


    And Xue Bai didn''t think the world he was in was any different.


    Hearing Xue Bai''s answer Zhu Que went silent for a minute and lowered her head, and after mumbling a few words, raised her head once more. From Xue Bai''s words, she could tell that the task was daunting, but since Zhu Que heard it was possible, a fire ignited in her eyes.


    "Then I will join!" Zhu strongly proimed as she wiped away the tears falling from her eyes.


    "Good! Master will surely be happy!"


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    When this chapter is uploaded, I should have arrived at my destination.


    Also, something I figured out is that webnovel has a very easy way to upload chapters ahead of schedule, so I think I will still have chapters uploaded at 1 PM EST.


    If this does end up changing, though, I will warn you guys, however.


    And one final announcement, the next chapter I will upload is, so far, my favorite one I have written. A lot of stuff happens, and one of them is something you have been knocking on me for, ever since chapter 1.


    I won''t go into further details, but just wait and see!

 Chapter 129 Clearing The Fog In His Eyes

    ?Clearing the Fog in his eyes


    After Zhu Que epted Xue Bai''s offer, she asked for a small request.


    "Can you take me to my vige? You said that your sect is really far away, and I would like to say goodbye to the people there before I leave." Zhu Que asked while fidgeting.


    She had already wiped away her tears, but her eyes were still red, showing how hard she had been crying earlier.  Still, Zhu Que knew that once she left the Barren Lands, they wouldn''t be able to return for a long time. So before her vige decayed in the long sands of time, she wanted to take onest look.


    Xue Bai had no reason to decline her tiny request, so after epting, he let her onto his flying sword.


    "Hold tight. If you let go, Big Wang is going to have to catch you, and I can guarantee you it won''t be veryfortable." Xue Bai warned as he left her to get a good stance on the sword and grip on his waist.


    Zhu Que flushed with embarrassment at the forced close contact, especially since it was her first time being around a male her age. But seeing Xue Bai look so calm about it, she shook her head to dispel any weird thoughts and let Xue Bai know she was ready.


    After Zhu Que was stable, Xue Bai flew out of the city along with the Wang Twins, once again drawing many eyes. However, he didn''t care much for their awe and kept a calm face, and remained focused on controlling the flying sword.


    Flying using a sword was something he had done in the game, but doing it with his physical body was a lot harder, meaning Xue Bai had to put twice as much effort into it lest he fell from the skies.


    Thankfully, he kept his skills, and before long, Xue Bai left the city borders and made it back to his carriage.


    "This is my carriage. Tell Little Wang where your vige is, and he''ll drive us toward it." Xue Bai spoke as he dismounted from the flying sword.


    Xue Bai didn''t know where her vige was, so he had to rely on Zhu Que''s navigation to get there.


    Zhu Que, whose cheeks were still flushed, nodded softly before giving Little Wang a basic route to where her vige was located.


    Little Wang nodded in response, then replied, "Miss Zhu, you can rest in the carriage alongside Young Master. The trip won''t take long."


    Zhu Que, who had shedded away most of her anxious shell,plied with Little Wang''s words and entered Xue Bai''s carriage.


    Inside she found Xue Bai resting on top of a small bed, reading a scroll. And while to Xue Bai, the bed wasn''t veryfortable, to Zhu Que, the bed looked to be fit for an emperor.


    "Sister Zhu, you can just take a seat anywhere." Xue Bai spoke without looking up.


    "But what if I dirty them?" Zhu Que nervously asked.


    Zhu Que hadn''t showered in more than two days, and if she ruined the luxurious furniture, she didn''t think she would be able topensate Xue Bai even if she sold herself.


    Hearing her response, Xue Bai paused for a second before breaking out into a fit ofughter that just further embarrassed Zhu Que.


    "Sister Zhu, don''t worry. The inside of the carriage cleans itself automatically. So even if I threw a bucket of mud onto the floor, it would be cleaned almost instantly." Xue Bai exined, washing away any hesitations Zhu Que had.


    "Are you saying that I''m a bucket of mud?" Zhu Que jokingly asked, as she sat across from Xue Bai.


    After Zhu Que''s joke, the two would continue speaking about their lives, with Xue Bai mentioning Yue Zifeng and how epting he would be toward her and Zhu Que dodging his questions about her family.


    He knew why she was doing it and didn''t push her, but he was slightly confused. They were going to their vige currently, and even though Zhu Que most likely buried the bodies, if they arrived at an empty vige, even a fool could guess what happened. So why was she hiding it even though?


    Xue Bai was curious, but since he would find out the answer soon, he stayed quiet and let her avoid his questions.


    "Young Master, Miss Zhu, we''ve arrived!" Little Wang''s voice came from outside.


    "Do you want me to follow you or stay here?" Xue Bai asked as he noticed Zhu Que suddenly tense up.


    However, instead of answering straightaway, Zhu Que first stood up, albeit robotically, and opened the door before turning around.


    "Little Brother, while I don''t know how strong you are, I assume you can sense that there is no one there, right?" Zhu Que asked as she stepped out of the carriage.


    Following her out, Xue Bai nodded.


    Though he didn''t have Spiritual Senses, Xue Bai had heightened senses that no normal mortal would have. And while it didn''t give him the ability to sense how many people were in a location, it did let him know that there wasn''t anybody there.


    Stepping out of the carriage, Zhu Que looked at the vige entrance that had stood tall for her entire life. But now, instead of a bastion that she thought would protect her forever, it now only looked like a ruin.


    "Little Brother, I know you said that I''m extremely talented and someone who is destined to be a powerhouse that stands at the top of this world," Zhu Que spoke, as her voice started to choke up, "But I didn''t want any of that. I had a peaceful life. Living with my mother and father at home and ying with all of the aunties and uncles in the vige. Everything was good."


    As she spoke, she walked through the vige, caressing various buildings and structures, smiling every now and again as if she were reminiscing about the past.


    "Certainly, at times, life was rough. Like during the cold winters or when a stray demonic beast would terrorize us. But who doesn''t have any troubles in their life." Zhu Que joked.


    Xue Bai followed her the entire way through and let Zhu Que speak out the words weighing down her consciousness.


    "And then one day, the day that was supposed to be my most memorable today, everything changed." Zhu Que continued, as she let the tears that she had been holding back break through, "My Martial Veins killed everyone. Just froze them all like we do the fish we catch!"


    "Little Brother, I don''t want to be a genius or a powerhouse. I just want to be Little Que from Blue Stone Vige again!" Zhu Que cried out as she squatted down in an emotional wreck.


    Xue Bai maintained his silence, but as she copsed, he went over and hugged her as she cried her heart out.


    This was something he didn''t expect from how strong-hearted Zhu Que''s character was in the game, but it wasn''t something unreasonable.


    He had interfered with her story too early, and there were bound to be things out of his calctions.


    Zhu Que was a 15-year-old girl who had identally killed not only her entire family but also everyone she had ever known. So her breaking down was nothing excessive.


    But this also reminded Xue Bai of something he had stupidly ignored.


    He wasn''t in a game or a book.


    This was a real world, and people weren''t pieces of code following their programming. But instead, real, living, breathing people with emotions, goals, and motivation.


    If he continued trying to only adhere to the plot and ignoring everything else, Xue Bai would eventually face a cmity. There were many things Xue Bai didn''t remember from the plot and more things that were going to change thanks to the butterfly effect he created.


    Nothing was set in stone, especially with his interference. Continuing to base his life around the plot of ''Children of the ne'' would only bind his mentality and narrow his vision.


    Xiao Mo wasn''t an undefeatable devil, Huo Long wasn''t a man who would trample all of his peers, and Zhu Que wasn''t an Empress. Instead, they were all people starting their cultivation journey, hoping to make their mark in the cruel cultivation world.


    What did it matter that they were blessed by the ne or had unimaginably high luck? Was he any worse?


    Xue Bai knew the course of history for the next 200 years and had a special view of the world no one born in the Baishen ne had.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''So what if they were ''Children of the ne.'' So what if they were destined to be Gods? Am I any worse? Am I supposed to keel over and be a stepping stone? No! I''m unresigned! I want to be my own protagonist!''


    As Xue Bai became more and more enlightened, around him, his aura started to change more and more.


    The Sword Law, which had been stuck at Entry Level 9% for so long, finally started to increase!


    Entry Level 10%


    Entry Level 13%


    Entry Level 15%


    Entry Level 20%!


    Small Sess Level 21%


    And while changes were happening on the inside of Xue Bai, the changes on the outside were just as stunning.


    The usual childish and yful look in his eyes faded away quickly, being reced by a colder, sharper look. It was like a turbid cloud that constantly impaired his vision was blown away, giving him an undisturbed and clear view of the world in front of him.


    And as his eyes became sharper, the air around him also subtly changed, and he seemed like an unsheathed sword.


    The sudden change was dramatic, but instead of focusing on his Sword Law that had advanced so far, Xue Bai withdrew the overwhelming pressure that was scaring Zhu Que and instead started patting her back.


    "Sister Zhu, the world is cruel, and the heavens are indifferent. However, we are cultivators who don''t ept heaven''s will. So what if the heavens took away your family? One day you''ll be strong enough to take them back." Xue Bai consoled, "I know you''re broken. I know you''re angry. And I know you''re resentful.  But I have one thing to say for that."


    "Be strong. Strong enough to never feel this way again. Strong enough to never be angry again. And be strong enough to never lose anyone once again."


    "You have the talent and the fate to be someone strong. Don''t waste it in this manner."


    Xue Bai''s words weren''t very consoling or heartwarming, but to Zhu Que in his arms, they were the thing she needed most.


    She wasn''t just a small vige girl from the sticks but also a ''Child of the ne.'' If Xue Bai hadn''t been with her today, most likely, she would''ve kept her emotions bottled up until she died. So when she heard Xue Bai''s words, her adaptive nature quickly showed itself.


    Wiping away the tears that refused to stop, Zhu Que, with Xue Bai''s help, stood up once again. But this time, instead of the teary broken face that couldnd someone a role in a soap opera, she carried the face that Xue Bai knew.


    The Ice Dragon Empress who terrorized every single female genius on the Central Continent!


    "Thank you, Little Brother. I''m sorry for how I was acting just now." Zhu Que awkwardly apologized.


    Xue Bai''s robe was now damp from all of her tears, and his pants were dirtied from the mud he stood on when he knelt down tofort her.


    "No, Sister Zhu, thank you." Xue Bai shook his head.


    What just happened to her was something that Xue Bai needed more than her. If he kept his same attitude, not even facing Xiao Mo, most likely, Xue Bai wouldn''t even have one against Wang Yu.


    His previous point of view of the world was mediocre at best and self-destructive at worst.


    And thanks to the weakness Zhu Que just showed, not only did it allow Xue Bai to be enlightened, but it also allowed his Sword Law to increase by 11% and into a new stage.


    He also figured out why his Sword Law''s progress was halted at 9%.


    Sword Law wasn''t something a physical thing that people could control with their hands. Instead, it was something spiritual and closer to a will.


    And Xue Bai''s previous mentality was not only dampening his Sword Law''s strength but even going so far as to dull it. For a Sword Law to be powerful, not only did one''sprehension have to be deep, but their mentality had to match!


    Sword Cultivators were powerful because of their mentality. No matter what was in front of them, they''d still sh out their sword. But Xue Bai''s previous attitude had set limiters on himself.


    He subconsciously thought that he was a level worse than the ''Children of the ne.'' Thinking that he had to befriend them in order to survive.


    While that might not be too bad a thing to any normal cultivator, to a Sword Cultivator, however, that was almost a crippling mentality.


    Thankfully Zhu Que had woken him up, although unknowingly.


    This was also most likely the reason the dreams had stopped, as even if he gained the entire inheritance of the Soaring Sword Sect Founder instantly, his Sword Law would stay at 9%.


    Without a sharp mindset to match, having a deeplyprehended Sword Law was nothing,


    It wasughable. He wasprehending a Sword Law based on severance, where if even the heavens themselves stood in front of him, Xue Bai would still sever it in two, but yet he had such a cowardly and cautious mindset.


    That was also why he was so grateful to Zhu Que, as without her, Xue Bai may have never cleared the fog that blocked his vision. And even if he did, Xue Bai would either do it toote or have to lose something dear to him.


    But either oue wasn''t something he wanted. And while Zhu Que didn''t know what she did or even what happened to Xue Bai, it was still a life-saving favor that he would remember. And to that, he was grateful.


    Xue Bai didn''t know how much stronger the Small Sess stage waspared to the Entry Level, but the Soaring Sword Sect Founder did mention many times that for every level one advanced, their Sword Law would enter an entirely different realm of power.


    So even if Xue Bai didn''t get any cultivation increase from this trip, just recruiting Zhu Que and the Sword Law advancement made the trip more than worth it.


    On the other hand, Zhu Que didn''t know what Xue Bai meant when he thanked her, but instead of questioning, she only nodded somewhat mindlessly in response.


    "Are you ready for your new life, Sister Zhu?" Xue Bai asked with an outstretched hand


    "Yes!" And without any hesitation, she grabbed it.


    ''Mother, Father, aunties, and uncles, Little Que is going to bring you all back! No matter how long it takes!''


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    As you all can tell, because of webnovel''s less-than-helpful customer service, I have yet to get this work contracted. Meaning, I haven''t earned a dime on this. So to help this, I made a ko-fi. I also n to make a Patreon soon, but since my stockpile of chapters isn''t as ahead as I''d like, I have to hold off on that.


    If anyone really likes the work or maybe wants to put an idea of theirs inside of it, you can donate, and I''ll most likely do it.


    Anything would be helpful.


    https://ko-fi/rbi123

 Chapter 130 The Azure Dragon God

    ?The Azure Dragon God


    However, before Xue Bai left with her, he remembered something.


    "Sister Zhu, I have an extra High Yellow-grade Spatial Ring. If you want to, you can bring the bodies of your parents and keep them in there." Xue Bai exined as he pulled out the Spatial Ring Jiang Xiaorou gave him.


    It was an extra anyway, so giving it away as a gift didn''t matter much to Xue Bai.


    But Zhu Que shook her head.


    "My parents had always said that if they died, they wanted to be buried in the vige. They lived there and wanted to die there, so if I took them away, I wouldn''t be able to face them in the future." Zhu Que exined.


    Xue Bai didn''t persuade her any further. It was her choice, and his forcing her would only be rude.


    The duo eventually said goodbye to Blue Stone Vige and returned to the carriage, where the Wang Twins waited.


    Both of the twins were smart and knew not to speak about what happened inside the vige. Even without using their Spiritual Sense, seeing a few hundred meters in front of them was no problem, so they obviously saw and heard everything.


    From Zhu Que''s breakdown to Xue Bai''s sudden enlightenment and temperament change, the Wang Twins knew everything that happened in Blue Stone Vige.


    But since Zhu Que was someone who their Young Master, through much effort, recruited personally, they didn''t dare to bring her weak side.


    As for Xue Bai''s sudden enlightenment, they were his personal bodyguards, and anything that he didn''t want the world to know, they would keep to their graves. And since Xue Bai didn''t tell the world he hadprehended Sword Law, why should they?


    "Young Master, are we going back to the sect yet?" Little Wang asked as Xue Bai and Zhu Que stepped into the carriage.


    He had no desire to stay in this destend any longer, and since Xue Bai''s goal looked to bepleted, Little Wang was impatient to go back home.


    Sadly Xue Bai shut down his hopes.


    "No, go to these coordinates." Xue Bai said as he gave Little Wang the coordinates to where the Azure Dragon God''s grave was.


    Unlike how Senior Huli had hidden his inheritance in a Secret Realm, the Azure Dragon God, who left his remnant will in the Baishen ne, had only hidden it inside a random mountain near Ocean Breeze City.


    It was there that Zhu Que would gain enough strength to turn the tables on Chen Li before she killed him.


    So before going back to the sect, Xue Bai nned to get the inheritance because, like Little Wang, Xue Bai had no ns of ever returning to the Barren Lands unless it was absolutely necessary.


    Little Wang, while slightly saddened at the blunt refusal, stillplied with Xue Bai''s orders and started the drive to where the Azure Dragon God''s inheritance was.


    "Little Brother, I thought that we would be going to your sect?" Zhu Que, who had overheard the conversation, asked.


    "We will, but there is just going to be one pit stop before that. And this pitstop actually has something to do with you." Xue Bai exined mysteriously.


    Zhu Que, confused at the vague words, started to ask questions, but to her disappointment, Xue Bai stayed silent.


    ''If I say anymore, it would only raise more suspicion, so I might as well stay quiet.''


    The drive to the mountain didn''t take long, and after reaching its base, Xue Bai once again took Zhu Que''s hand and led her to where it was.


    Unlike wherever Huo Long had picked up Feng Huang, the Azure Dragon God''s remnant will wasn''t hidden at all and even would be andmark in the future.


    Because after Zhu Que sessfully mutated her bloodline, a loud heaven-stirring dragon roar echoed throughout the Baishen ne, and as the center of the roar, the entire mountain range effectively copsed.


    Thanks to that, Xue Bai was able to easily find which mountain the inheritance was. But now came the hard part.


    "Little Brother, are you sure you know where you are going?" Zhu Que asked as she fiddled with her new coat.


    Zhu Que still had her old peasant clothing, and since the mountain was bound to be cold, Xue Bai had given her a coat that was good for keeping its wearer warm.


    And since it was easily the most expensive gift Zhu Que had ever gotten before, she had not stopped ying with it ever since he had given it to her.


    However, the new coat couldn''t keep her upied forever, as hiking up and down the mountain for almost an hour had started to tire her out.


    "I don''t know where I''m going," Xue Bai awkwardly responded, "I only know there is a cave on this mountain with a w mark above it."


    Even though the mountain range had copsed after the dragon''s roar, arge rock that had a w mark on it had stayed in shape. And since the same rock was apparent in Senior Huli''s Secret Realm, Xue Bai guessed that rock was also the marker for the Azure Dragon God''s cave.


    "You mean that one over there?" Zhu Que innocently spoke as she pointed into the distance.


    "Huh?"


    Turning around, Xue Bai was floored.


    Only a few hundred meters away was the exact cave and dragon w mark he was looking for.


    ''As expected from the luckiest ''Child of the ne.'' She instantly found something I spent over an hour looking for.'' Xue Bai could only ept the indirect defeat.


    "Good eye Sister Zhu. What would I do without you." Xue Bai sighed as he started to make his way toward the cave.


    Still not fully understanding what Xue Bai was so mncholy about, Zhu Que just took his statement as praise and followed him.


    But oddly enough, the closer Xue Bai got to the cave, the less he could see it. And by the time he entered the 100-meter range, it hadpletely vanished from his vision.


    Like a mirage a delusional man would see, the cave hadpletely disappeared from his vision.


    Stunned, Xue Bai turned to Zhu Que, but to his further confusion, her facial expression didn''t change even a little. It was obvious she could still see the cave and hadn''t had it disappear from her vision.


    Not wanting to show his sudden problem, Xue Bai didn''t mention it but started slowing down his pace to let Zhu Que take the lead.


    To not let it show much, though, he started to make small talk with Zhu Que.


    "Sister Zhu, how was your life in Blue Stone Vige?" Xue Bai picked a random topic, but one that was deep enough to distract her.


    Thankfully it worked, as before long, the two were in a deep discussion, with Zhu Que leading the way toward the cave.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, something happened just as Xue Bai and Zhu Que entered the 100-meter range.


    "Anomaly begone!" Suddenly a shout loud enough to threaten to overturn the heavens themselves echoed into Xue Bai''s head.


    Both unprepared and too weak to even defend himself, Xue Bai instantly had both of his eardrums burst, while he himself was sent flying dozens of meters backward.


    "Little Brother!" Zhu Que didn''t hear the voice, but after seeing Xue Bai sent flying and so severely injured out of nowhere, she was scared for not only her life but Xue Bai''s.


    Xue Bai, however, was in no condition to respond to her concern.


    ''Fuck! I knew that Azure Dragon God would''ve been suspicious, but why was he so cautious? Surely he can tell I mean no harm to Zhu Que and only good!'' Xue Bai cursed inwardly.


    Quickly going into his Spatial Ring, Xue Bai shakily pulled out a bottle of healing pills to help suppress his injuries. This was the first time Xue Bai had ever been injured ever since he transmigrated, and it was such a horrible one.


    Currently, not only were his ears still buzzing, but he could only see a few feet ahead of him instead of the usual few miles. The shout somehow urately and perfectly injured all of his senses and organs but left his Dantian and veins unharmed.


    It was obvious the perpetrator only wanted Xue Bai to suffer and not truly kill him.


    But before he could swallow them, the voice once again echoed into his head.


    "Speak! Who are you? Why are you with Zhu Que?" Hearing it for the second time, with it being at a normal volume, Xue Bai could hear the voice clearly.


    The shout came from a male with a deep and resounding voice. But clearly, right now, it was full of anger and confusion.


    And following his second shout, a mysterious force also immobilized the concern-filled Zhu Que, who was running toward Xue Bai.


    Somehow the Azure Dragon God knew something was off about Xue Bai.


    Which was something reasonable. Huli Jing, who Xue Bai had previously interacted with, was only in the Immortal Great Realm. But with the Azure Dragon God, not only was he in the God Great Realm, but he was also a powerhouse with the Great Realm.


    So his being able to sense Xue Bai''s odd appearance wasn''t very surprising to Xue Bai.


    Though Xue Bai didn''t know much about the God Great Realm, in other cultivation stories, Gods were beings who could control fate, destiny, and even time.


    And currently, Xue Bai was an enigma that confused even the Azure Dragon God.


    Xue Bai''s fate was of a mortal''s, yet he was a heaven-defying prodigy by the standards of not only the Baishen ne but even the Immortal World. His destiny was to die of old age yet without any cultivation, yet at the pace he was going, even bing an Immortal wasn''t out of the question. And his current actions did match with any other timeline whatsoever.


    Even if the Azure Dragon God thought with his left foot, he would be able to figure out that Xue Bai was definitely someone suspicious. So while he could kill Xue Bai instantly without much thought, he nned to first get answers before doing so.


    What if Xue Bai''s appearance was the plot of someone targeting his inheritor?


    Knowing the full story was more important than dealing with Xue Bai.


    Still, Xue Bai obviously couldn''t give the answer the Azure Dragon God wanted and began to lie his ass off.


    "Senior, what do you mean? I am Zhu Que''s Senior Brother." Xue Bai struggled to answer.


    But since he was still mostly deaf, his voice came out harsh and slurred.


    "Don''t lie to be mortal! Why can''t I see through you?!" However, the Azure Dragon God didn''t let up.


    He had prepared for far too long to get an inheritor, so when he suddenly saw Xue Bai, an enigma who even he could see through, he was more than enraged.


    The Azure Dragon God didn''t know why Xue Bai was here or what he was, but since he was suspicious, he didn''t n to show mercy.


    Zhu Que was his hope, and he couldn''t let anything happen to her.


    "Senior, I am the descendant of The Void Fox Emperor of the Heaven Trampling Sect!" Xue Bai lied.


    Even though he didn''t know how strong the Azure Dragon God was, the Void Fox Emperor was, from what he learned from Huli Jing, someone who stood at the top of the Immortal Realm.


    So he nned to hopefully borrow a tiger''s skin and y off as the supreme being''s descendant. He did, after all, share his bloodline.


    And it was a well-known fact within the Immortal World that no one had the same bloodline as the Void Fox Emperor.


    To prove his point, Xue Bai even changed into his true form, just in case the Azure Dragon God didn''t believe his words.


    WIlling his Bloodline Core, Xue Bai made his fox ears, and nine fox tails manifest while also showing the pressure of his High Heaven-grade Bloodline.


    The Azure Dragon God, seeing this, was stunned. At first, he wanted to refute Xue Bai''s words and then continue to pressure the answers that he wanted out of Xue Bai.


    After all, the Void Fox Emperor was someone who was a known loner, as ever since the copse of his sect and the death of his family, he had be reclusive and emotionless.


    So he assumed Xue Bai''s im of being his descendant was pure nonsense, but after seeing both the signature fox ears and tail, he didn''t know anymore.


    And even if he could refute the physical features as illusions, there was no denying the bloodline pressure that made even his bloodline threatened.


    ''Is he really the Void Fox Emperor''s descendant? But how did he end up in a mortal ne?'' The Azure Dragon God''s mind raced as he tried to find a reasonable exnation, but even after going through hundreds of thousands of ideas, he couldn''t think of anything.


    However, he did know one thing. He wouldn''t be able to kill Xue Bai anymore.


    Xue Bai was rted to the man who ruled an entire Heaven all by himself, and no matter how strong the Azure Dragon God was, he didn''t dare kill someone rted to the Void Fox Emperor.


    So before he made his rtionship with Xue Bai into mortal enemies, the Azure Dragon God decided to finally appear.


    "What do you want, Little Celestial Void Fox?"


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Any support is wee!


    https://ko-fi/rbi123

 Chapter 131 The True Death Of A God

    ?The True Death of a God


    "What do you want, little Celestial Void Fox?" The Azure Dragon God cautiously asked as he manifested.


    He appeared in his human form instead of the Azure Dragon form he appeared in with Zhu Que.


    However, while in a human form, he looked nothing like a normal human.


    Standing at almost 3 meters tall, he was a giant. And coupled with the two 6-inch long dragon horns that spurted out from his forehead and curled upward, he towered over Xue Bai.


    Sadly while the Azure Dragon God looked menacing, he was only a see-through manifestation that was flickering as if he would dissipate any second.


    But, while Xue Bai was surprised that the Azure Dragon God appeared, he still couldn''t answer, as he hadn''t healed from his injuries, meaning that his eardrums were still damaged.


    However, since he saw the Azure Dragon God''s mouth move and could guess that he was trying to talk to him, Xue Bai spoke in a slurred voice, "I can''t hear."


    Recalling what he had done, the Azure Dragon God, feeling apologetic, waved his hand and let a small ball of Soul Qi go into Xue Bai''s body, healing it back to its peak.


    But the thorough healing had only wasted less than a quarter of the Soul Qi that the Azure Dragon God gave him, while the rest stayed in a gaseous form that sat above his Dantian.


    "Take that as my apology. It was more than enough to heal you, but I made the remaining Soul Qi stay inside you. It should help you recover from mortal injuries quickly, but there are only enough for three full recoveries." The Azure Dragon God exined.


    Even though he knew that this wasn''t nearly enough topensate Xue Bai for his injuries, there wasn''t much he could give Xue Bai. He was only a remnant will, and that little bit of Soul Qi that he gave to Xue Bai made his already dissipating form be even more see-through.


    "Since you are the descendant of the Void Fox Emperor, I won''t be harsh anymore. But if you want to follow Zhu Que any further, you have to exin your purpose." Crossing his arms across his chest, the Azure Dragon God spoke coldly.


    Zhu Que was someone he managed to lure through centuries of karmic interference, and even if Xue Bai were someone rted to the Void Fox Emperor, he wouldn''t be polite.


    He was already dead anyway, so there wasn''t much he could lose.


    "I told you before, Senior. Zhu Que is Junior''s Sister. I noticed this cave, but after we walked toward it, it disappeared from my vision, so I knew it was special." Xue Bai kept up the lie.


    After knowing how strong of a card the Void Fox Emperor was that even the Azure Dragon God didn''t dare to provoke, Xue Bai knew that he was safe now. And since the Azure Dragon God couldn''t force any more answers out of him, he decided to keep up the tant lie.


    The Azure Dragon God also sensed Xue Bai''s stubbornness to keep his appearance a secret, so instead of trying to coerce Xue Bai, he made another decision.


    "Swear a Dao Oath that you won''t hurt, betray or slow down the growth of Zhu Que, and then not only will I leave you alone, but I will also give you something worth the trouble." The Azure Dragon God spoke.


    Knowing that this was the furthest the Azure Dragon God wouldpromise, Xue Bai epted and swore the Dao Oath.


    He never did n to hurt Zhu Que, so this Dao Oath did nothing to burden him. The only problem was the promise not to slow down her growth, but if he brought that up now, it would only serve to destroy the trust between him and Zhu Que.


    Xue Bai could see that Zhu Que was currently immobilized, as he could still see her looking at him with a face full of concern while her mouth moved. Sadly he couldn''t hear what she was saying.


    The Azure Dragon God most likely also blocked her voice from traveling over here.


    Anyway, Zhu Que was now firmly an ally of his, so if she grew a little faster than what he nned for, it wasn''t truly a loss on his end.


    Hearing Xue Bai swear, the Azure Dragon God felt relieved and began looking up at the sky.


    "Then I will count on you, little Celestial Void Fox. Just protect her long enough to bring my bloodline back to its heights." The Azure Dragon God sighed.


    The Void Fox Emperor was someone that even he, during his prime, looked up to. Along with his Senior Brother and Junior Sister, he not only dominated an entire era but even an entire epoch leading to the rise of the Heaven Trampling Sect.


    And even though his sect was destroyed, his reputation didn''t fall one bit, and if anything, it only increased. Because after faking his death during the sect''s destruction, the Void Fox Emperor eventually returned countless times stronger before killing every organization that targeted his sect.


    Such a man''s descendant couldn''t be a deplorable existence, especially since Xue Bai''s Bloodline purity was something that wasn''t a bit inferior to his ancestor.


    ''Maybe this timeline is the one where Zhu Que can finally ascend. Maybe this boy can finally help her avenge me. Someone that even I, Long Tian, can''t see through surely is someone who can kill those bastards.'' The Azure Dragon God mncholy thought.


    Following the Azure Dragon God''s sigh, like a gust of wind sweeping away a dust cloud, his remnant will finally dissipated into the wind as if there were no one there in the first ce.


    He wasn''t like Huli Jing or Feng Huang, who was on the Baishen ne with their entire soul. The Azure Dragon God was truly dead. The only thing that was still in the Baishen ne was the remaining will he had left on the spear he nned to give to Zhu Que.


    And while the remnant will was conscious and could think coherently, it still wasn''t him. The Azure Dragon God had long died, and the only thing that kept his remnant will lingering even after his death was his determination to wait for Zhu Que to appear.


    So after he hadpleted his job, he finally let his remnant will dissipate, returning to the cycle of reincarnation he had waited so long for.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Yao''er, Sister Qi, Yan''er, may we meet again in a different life.'' And with a thought back to his past, an Azure Dragon God who once led an era finally died.


    Following the Azure Dragon God''s vanishing, the binds that locked Zhu Que in ce also disappeared.


    "Little Brother! Are you ok?!" Zhu Que hurriedly ran over, ignoring Xue Bai''s new form.


    Zhu Que was definitely more than curious about whatever the hell just happened, from the mysterious force that sted Xue Bai away to his new form, but they could discuss thatter. For now, she just wanted to know if he was alright.


    "I''m fine, Sister Zhu." Xue Bai waved off her concern. His pathetic appearance didn''t match his condition.


    "But you look so¡­" Zhu Que didn''t finish her sentence, but Xue Bai knew what she meant.


    "It''s fine that Senior healed me before he left. My appearance is only because of the initial injury." Xue Bai answered.


    "No, not that. When I spoke about your new appearance, I meant the, you know, tails." Zhu Que hesitantly spoke as she looked at his new form.


    However, as she did, a deep blush started appearing on her face. Xue Bai''s seductive aura started to leak again.


    Over the years, Xue Bai had learned to contain the seductive aura well, but that was only when he was in his normal form. Whenever he entered his true form, it would leak out naturally.


    Xue Bai suddenly remembered he was in his true form, and while he could most likely fully exin it since Zhu Que wouldn''t tell anyone, he didn''t.


    "Long story short, this is my true form." Xue Bai simplified it as he willed his bloodline core to hide his fox features once again, turning his eyes back to normal while making the tails and ears disappear.


    Seeing that Xue Bai didn''t want to go into further details, Zhu Que was astute and didn''t push further.


    Changing the subject, Zhu Que asked something she caught from his previous sentence that confused her, "Little Brother, who did you mean by that Senior?"


    It was then that Xue Bai realized that the Azure Dragon God most likely only showed his physical form to him and not Zhu Que.


    "Nevermind then," Xue Bai shook his head as he changed the subject, "Let''s continue to the cave. Great opportunities are waiting for us."


    "No! Little Brother, if only at the edge of the cave that happened to you, then imagine how dangerous the inside is?" Zhu Que didn''t want to risk her life so early on.


    "No, that was it," Xue Bai spoke as he got up, "There isn''t anything stopping us from going into the cave. And even if there were, I would still go in."


    And without saying any more, he started going toward the cave. After the Azure Dragon God''s remnant will finally dissipated, the illusion of making the cave disappear from his line of sight also left. Meaning that Xue Bai could see where it was even without Zhu Que''s help.


    Zhu Que was extremely apprehensive about going toward the cave, but since Xue Bai looked so determined, she could only suppress her fears and follow him.


    While the injuries that the mysterious force inflicted on Xue Bai did slightly lower his position in her heart, she could also tell that whatever did injure Xue Bai was something beyond mortal means.


    Whether it was from the sudden st of force to the fact that Zhu Que was immobilized without even seeing the enemy, Zhu Que could assume that the ''Senior'' Xue Bai talked about was someone strong, stronger than she couldprehend, most likely.


    "Wait up, Little Brother!" Zhu Que shouted as she chased after Xue Bai.


    As the duo entered the cave, Xue Bai finally saw the inside.


    At first, there wasn''t much separating this cave from a normal one besides therge dragon w outside, but when Xue Bai went deeper, he soon found what made it different.


    A few dozen meters inside, the cave split into two forks, with one having a purple trail and the other an ice-blue one.


    Xue Bai knew what the trails meant and directly went into the purple one. While there most likely wasn''t anything stopping him from taking both, especially since the Azure Dragon God''s remnant will had fully dissipated, he had sworn a Dao Oath that stopped him from slowing down Zhu Que''s growth.


    And if he took the very thing that made Zhu Que her future self, then wasn''t he just asking to die?


    "Sister Zhu, take the ice-blue path. It''s the one for you. This is my own." Xue Bai spoke as he entered his own cave.


    Not exining any further, Xue Bai walked through the entrance, where inside, he saw a simple cave abode.


    However, the Azure Dragon God''s corpse wasn''t in there, so Xue Bai just assumed it to be an extra one he had built for whatever reason.


    The cave abode wasn''t big, even smaller than his bed at home. Other than a desk, meditation mat, and a bed made of white jade, there wasn''t anything else.

 Chapter 132 Luxurious Gifts

    ?Luxurious Gifts


    Walking deeper into the cave abode, Xue Bai noticed that on top of the desk were a note and 3 Jade Slips.


    Assuming this to be what the Azure Dragon God left for him, Xue Bai picked up the note first.


    ''Little Celestial Void Fox, since when you and Zhu Que arrived just as my remnant will was at the end of its lifespan, and I hadn''t anticipated the arrival of someone else, I don''t have much to prepare for you. So I left you some things I had looted from an enemy of mine who was at the Peak of the Immortal Great Realm, along with something special I left for you. And don''t worry, each of the items in this cave abode, bar from the desk, is something that anyone in this mortal ne would kill for. So take them as my gift for looking out for Zhu Que.''


    After reading the note, Xue Bai at first felt the Azure Dragon God was being cheap, but before he made any further assumptions decided to look at what exactly the Azure Dragon God had left for him.


    And since Xue Bai needed to wait for Zhu Que to inherit the Azure Dragon God''s mantle, he decided to learn what was left for him. And after picking up one of the Jade Slips, Xue Bai brought it to his forehead.


    However, after he learned everything from it, a look full of shock appeared on his face.


    The reason for this was because of the first item, the simple-looking gold meditation mat.


    From the Jade Slip, Xue Bai learned that it was something named the ''Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus.'' It was a meditation mat made primarily from a Natural Treasure named the Soul Sublimation Lotus, but the creator, to further enhance it during its creation process, used a high-grade Spiritual Ore named Starfield Ore.


    And while Xue Bai knew neither of the two things used in the Jade Slip, the Azure Dragon God kindly exined that both items were of the Middle Earth-grade. However, when they werebined in the creation process, thanks to the skill of their creator, they were elevated to the High Earth-grade, creating the meditation mat that was in front of Xue Bai right now.


    The Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus had two purposes, each thanks to its two core materials.


    The Soul Sublimation Lotus was a Natural Treasure that specializes in healing soul injuries and resolving mental demons, while Starfield Ore was the core material of any Spiritual Qi Gathering Array Earth-grade and above.


    So whenbined and transformed into the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus it now created a masterpiece of a meditation that not only stopped any chance of mental demons appearing while cultivating and had a self-imbued Middle Earth-grade Spiritual Qi Gathering Array.


    "Fuck! Isn''t this too extravagant!" Xue Bai couldn''t help but shout a curse.


    Xue Bai always had a coarse mouth, but since he had to keep up his image in front of almost everyone, it rarely came out. But seeing such a treasure, it came out as naturally as water would from a faucet.


    And it wasn''t because the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus was too rare a treasure, and the bumpkin Xue Bai couldn''t wrap his head around it. Xue Bai had Yggdrasil, a Natural Treasure that was so overpowered that no one even knew its grade, and a High Heaven-grade Bloodline.


    The reason he cursed was because of how easy it was to get this thing. All he had done to receive them was swear a Dao Oath that didn''t bind him whatsoever.


    And thanks to that, he had gotten not only the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus but also there were still two other things that he had not checked out yet, that were most likely of equal value.


    Realizing this, Xue Bai quickly grabbed the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus and ced it within his Spatial Ring, seemingly afraid someone would descend from the heavens and steal it for himself.


    After that, he went back over to the desk and brought the second Jade Slip to his forehead, eager to find out the grades of the other two items.


    The second Jade Slip was about the ''mattress,'' but oddly enough, Xue Bai learned that it wasn''t a mattress, but instead, arge piece of an unrefined Spiritual Ore called a Nine Serenties Jade.


    At first, just by hearing the name, Xue Bai didn''t recognize this item, but toward the end, Xue Bai was able to remember it.


    Nine Serenities Jade belonged to a small family of Spiritual Ores, simply named the Serenity Jades. And in this family were nine different Spiritual Ores, with the Nine Serenities Jade being the rarest and arguably best.


    The Nine Serenities Jade was a Spiritual Ore that was known as the best possible material for armor. This was also why the Nine Serenities Jade looked like a mattress, as while it was a Spiritual Ore at the Peak Earth-grade, it only gained its Peak Earth-grade defensive strength when Spiritual Qi was poured into it, and unless someone did, it was still malleable enough for someone to sleep on.


    This way, it had both the advantage of heavy armor and light armor, making it a prime core material for any armor.


    Finished with the memory transfer, Xue Bai ced the Jade Slip down with a slightly disappointed expression.


    Even though it was such a good item to be gifted, Xue Bai couldn''t do a thing with it!


    How would he even go about refining a Peak Earth-grade Spiritual Ore? Let alone finding a me strong enough to refine it, how would he even cut it? The mattress-sized piece of Nine Serenities Jade was 2 meters long and almost 1.5 wide.


    "That''s slightly worse than the mediation mat since I don''t even know where to find someone strong enough to refine such a high grade Spiritual Ore." Xue Bai thought aloud.


    But since the gift was still more than luxurious, Xue Bai wasn''t picky and ced it into his Spatial Ring.


    ''It''s fine. Worstes to worst, I can just use it as a brick.'' Xue Bai mused.


    He was a transmigrator, after all. How could he be without a brick?<novelnext></novelnext>


    Keeping his hopes high, Xue Bai picked up the final Jade Slip and brought it to his forehead.


    And very quickly, Xue Bai learned that this Jade Slip was the most valuable, and as more and more information poured in, the shock on his face became deeper and deeper.


    Not truly epting what he was told, Xue Bai quickly opened the drawer of the desk and, true to the Jade Slips instructions, inside were four different Jade Slips!


    Thest gift was a body tempering art! And not just a normal one, but it was the body tempering art that made the Azure Dragon God the powerhouse that he was!


    Stunned for a moment, Xue Bai didn''t know how to respond to such an exorbitant gift.


    Body tempering arts were something much rarer than normal cultivation techniques. Since unlike for Spiritual Qi cultivation, body tempering didn''t require a corresponding art for one to advance.


    Like when Xue Bai was a child, as long as one used enough medicinal herb baths or other Natural Treasures to temper their body, it would naturally grow in strength.


    But that didn''t mean body tempering arts were useless. If anything, it meant the opposite. When body tempering blindly without an Art, one could only strengthen their body to the bare minimum.


    While with a body tempering art, they could, depending on how advanced the technique was, strengthen their body many folds stronger per realm.


    If without a body tempering art, when advancing one stage, they could gain 100 pounds of strength, then by using a body tempering art, they could gain 1000 or even 10,000 pounds of strength per stage!


    This was also why Xue Bai was slightly hesitant to start body tempering. Though he knew of many chances that held a body tempering art, many of them were of low quality and wouldn''t give Xue Bai the advantage he wanted. And like cultivation techniques swapping between different ones, while possible, were too dangerous. So he held off until he could find a body tempering art more suitable for himself.


    However, the body tempering art that the Azure Dragon God gave him was not only something ahead of its ss, but it was something to kill for, even in the Immortal World.  Because not only did this body tempering art give its user the physique of a Dragon, but it also could, should its user not have one, be able to give a high-grade noble Dragon Bloodline!


    This was why Xue Bai was so stunned. In order to gain a bloodline, there were only two ways.


    The first was the easiest and mostmon, being born with it. However, for many talented cultivators who were born in a less-than-capable n, there was the second way, which was to have the bloodline of your choice infused into your body, thereby gaining it for yourself.


    However, now the Azure Dragon God told Xue Bai that just by cultivating ording to the Body Tempering Art he just gave him, he could gain such a noble bloodline. It was normal to be floored.


    But while Xue Bai was touched by receiving such an exorbitant gift, he soon realized the words that the Azure Dragon God used.


    "Isn''t the red thread of fate for marriage?" Xue Bai mumbled, "I''m fated to marry Zhu Que?"


    In the Jade Slip, the Azure Dragon God mentioned that while he couldn''t divine anything about Xue Bai when he divined Zhu Que''s future, he managed to see her connected with an illusory figure with nine tails by a red thread.


    And from there, it didn''t take a detective to connect the dots that Zhu Que and Xue Bai were fated.


    This was also the only reason why he decided to leave the Body Tempering Art to Xue Bai.


    Xue Bai didn''t know how divination, fate, or karma worked, but the Azure Dragon God obviously did. And while mentioning this as a lie would be a smart idea and would make Xue Bai care for Zhu Que even more, Xue Bai didn''t think it was a lie.


    So, hearing that he was fated to marry Zhu Que, Xue Bai stayed mum for a moment, not knowing how to process it fully.


    Being able to marry such a beautiful and talented ''Child of the ne'' would surely be the dream of countless bachelors in the Baishen ne, and it was also beneficial for Xue Bai, but it still left an odd taste in his mouth.


    "Never mind," Xue Bai shook his head, "Even if we are fated, we''re still young. Just take it one step at a time."


    Done with what the Azure Dragon God gave him, Xue Bai grabbed the four Jade Slips in the drawer and left the cave abode to check on Zhu Que. It hadn''t been long since he went in, so Xue Bai guessed that she still should be in the process of epting the bloodline. And true to his guess, she was.


    Seeing she still hadn''t even started mutating her bloodline, Xue Bai knew she would be busy for a while.


    So to pass the time, he decided to start reading the body tempering art that he had just received.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sorry for thete chapter. Was out with family for longer than I thought.


    Anything is helpful!


    https://ko-fi/rbi123

 Chapter 133 Celestial Dragon Transformation Scripture

    ?Celestial Dragon Transformation Scripture


    The four Jade Slips that the Azure Dragon God left for Xue Bai each corrted with one of the Great Realms, so after finding out which ones were which, Xue Bai first grabbed the Jade Slip that corrted with the Houtian Great Realm, and brought it to his forehead.


    The Body Tempering Art that the Azure Dragon God left for Xue Bai was named the Celestial Dragon Transformation Scripture, which was something he had found in a Secret Realm during his youth. And after learning it, he soon started to rise from a normal youth in the extremelypetitive Azure Draong race into the powerhouse that shook the Immortal World''s Dragon ns.


    This was also why Xue Bai was so eager to learn its profoundness. It could make the Azure Dragon God trample all of his peers in the Immortal World, so imagine the advantage it could give Xue Bai in this primitive Baishen ne. The anticipation was killing him.


    And the hype wasn''t wrongly ced, as by the time the Jade Slip finished its memory transfer, Xue Bai''s face couldn''t hold back a smile.


    The first chapter of the Celestial Dragon Transformation Scripture was named the Dragon Body Tempering Art.


    In the Dragon Body Tempering Art were six chapters that all prepared the foundation for the following chapters. After all, the Houtian Great Realm was known to be a foundational realm that strengthened the body in the early Realms and gave cultivators a glimpse into the Great Dao in theter Realms.


    The first chapter, however, was the one that Xue Bai mainly focused on, as he knew that he shouldn''t bite off more than he could chew.


    Furthermore, the Azure Dragon God himself had warned him, saying the profoundness of the Celestial Dragon Transformation Scripture was something far beyond anything that Xue Bai had and most likely ever seen.


    Mainly because this first chapter was about how to create the dragon bloodline, and the many intricacies thatced the first chapter made it soplicated that even if the Celestial Dragon Transformation Scripture was handed out to the poption, not even .001% of the poption could understand it.


    However, Xue Bai was confident in his talents, so instead of being disheartened, a fire was lit inside of him. Having one HIgh Heaven-grade bloodline was certainly something to be happy about, but Xue Bai, ever since his enlightenment, swore never to becent once again.


    While he didn''t think of himself to be under the ''Children of the ne,'' that didn''t mean he didn''t have disadvantages.


    They could find treasures of this quality just by walking around, turning every cmity into a blessing, and many other things that Xue Bai just couldn''t do.


    Everything he earned, he would earn by his own merits, not something ced onto hisp by luck because of luck.


    So since the Azure Dragon God gave him a chance to gain another bloodline on the level of his current one, why deny it?


    Even if it were hard or nearly impossible, as long as there was a chance, Xue Bai wouldn''t give up.


    However, very soon, ck lines appeared on Xue Bai''s forehead.


    In order to start cultivating the Dragon Body Tempering Art, he needed a dragon-type Natural Treasure to catalyze the prototype dragon bloodline he would create. And not only that, while he could constantly upgrade the grade of the bloodline, the type and grade of the bloodline he started with would be determined by what treasure he would use.


    "As expected, while this cultivation technique is mystical, they can''t create something out of nothing." Xue Bai sighed.


    At first, he was hooked after hearing that he could create a noble dragon bloodline by cultivating the Celestial Dragon Transformation Scripture, but after reading the fine print, he realized that was just a tease from the Azure Dragon God.


    Nheless, Xue Bai was still excited about the future. He was the disciple of one of the most powerful men on this continent, so while it might take some time, there was no doubt in his mind that he couldn''t get a dragon-type natural treasure.


    cing the Jade Slip back into his Spatial Ring, Xue Bai soon sensed a rising auraing from Zhu Que in front of him.


    It was as if a Divine Dragon was descending into the mortal world, disdaining everything in sight.


    "FUCK!" Xue Bai remembered toote.


    Jumping over next to Zhu Que, Xue Bai took the Nine Serenities Jade out of his Spatial Ring and ced it over both of them just as the phenomenon fully manifested.


    Then just as he fully protected himself and the still-meditating Zhu Que, a deafening dragon''s roar erupted from her body.


    Following the shout, out from Zhu Que''s body, an Azure Dragon hundreds of miles long flew out from her be, causing every demonic beast within the Barren Lands and even further out to kneel in fear.


    Dragons were something of legends, and just the mentioning of their name would be enough to instill fear into a demonic beast, so when the phantom of one appeared, no demonic beast even dared to breathe in its presence.


    The Azure Dragon phantom flew out of the cave Xue Bai and Zhu Que were in, destroying the entire mountain range until it reached the skies above the Baishen ne. Where after opening the skies with another roar, it disappeared, leaving everyone just as confused as when it appeared.


    Meanwhile, back in the Soaring Sword Sect.


    At his own peak, Yue Zifeng peacefully sat as he drank a cup of tea he had poured out for himself.


    Recently more and more small sects have beening to the Soaring Sword Sect to offer gifts and swear fealty to them.


    Which was something Yue Zifeng had expected. After all, his sect now had both Wang Yu and Xue Bai, two of the greatest talents the Southern Continent had ever seen.


    And while he was a powerhouse in the Spirit Severing Realm and the Sect Leader of one of the three great sects, Yue Zifeng couldn''t keep down a smile.<novelnext></novelnext>


    So during the past almost month, since Xue Bai had been epted into the sect, he had spent a lot of it strengthening his faction and pressuring the others.


    Even though Yue Zifeng was the Sect Leader and his sect was united, there were still overly ambitious people who wanted his throne. So after taking the two most talented disciples in the most recent entrance exam, Yue Zifeng had managed to give his faction more potential power.


    Currently, he had just called Ye Rou over and was waiting for her to arrive. Her and Xue Bai''s announcement ceremony was soon, and he wanted to check up on the progress of her cultivation technique.


    She had just broken through to Qi Sea Realm and chosen a suitable cultivation technique, and he, naturally, as her Master, needed to guide her through any troubles she ran into.


    But as he waited, his previously calm facial expression suddenly morphed into shock and disbelief.


    And with a sh, he teleported out of his temple and into the skies above, where he witnessed something he would never forget.


    An Azure Dragon rose into the air before tearing open the heavens above and disappearing.


    "Divine Dragon soaring throughout the heavens, disdaining all of creation¡­." Yue Zifeng couldn''t help but murmur a poem he had once heard in his youth.


    "Wait! That came from the Barren Lands." Yue Zifeng quickly noticed.


    Reacting quickly, he took out amunication token and crushed it before flying toward the main hall. Themunication token he had just crushed was a sect-wide gathering order for every Elder.


    That phenomenon meant one of two things, either a heavenly genius appeared or a fortuitous encounter of equal proportions. Either way, his Soaring Sword Sect couldn''t miss out on it. They had already recruited the two best prodigies of this era, and if they managed to find whatever this phenomenon marked, this generation would be dominated by his sect.


    And just the idea of that gave even more excitement to Yue Zifeng, so he wasted no time in preparing to embark to the main hall.


    Yue Zifeng, of course, knew that the other three great powers would also sense the phenomenon and prepare ordingly, but he was confident he would be able to win the ensuing fight.


    Sadly he didn''t know that the cause of this phenomenon was his newest and most treasured disciple, recruiting another disciple for him. And even if Yue Zifeng did, he wouldn''t know whether to feel touched orugh.


    Xue Bai was enough of a monster for him to teach, and yet Xue Bai wanted him to take on another even more talented disciple?


    While the possibility of doing so was tempting, Yue Zifeng didn''t think his poor self was worthy enough to teach such monsters.


    Thanks to his profound cultivation base, Yue Zifeng quickly arrived at the main hall where he and the Elders gathered for important matters.


    It was built on the border between the Core Region and Inner Sect, making it easy for non-Core Elders to enter without entering the Core Region where they didn''t belong.


    Even though the Inner and Outer Elders were weakerpared to the Core Elders, their voice was important. They were able to give the usually recluse Core Elders a point of view they wouldn''t normally see.


    Going into the main hall, Yue Zifeng oddly saw that he wasn''t the first person there. It was, weirdly enough, the usually drunk andzy Elder Yang.


    And to make matters even more confusing to Yue Zifeng, Elder Yang, who almost always looked red as a beet from the Spirit Wine he drank like water, lookedpletely sober without a hint of a blush on his face.


    "Elder Yang you?" Yue Zifeng didn''t know how to phrase the following sentence.


    He couldn''t ask why are you suddenly sober, could he?


    Thankfully Elder Yang could infer what the Sect Leader was hesitant about and rified himself.


    "Sect Leader, while I do drink a lot, it''s because of my physique, not because I like to. And thanks to my physique, I can also expunge any of the alcohol in my system." Elder Yang spoke.


    Hearing this, Yue Zifeng did remember Elder Yang''s odd physique and how it worked. Apparently, Spirit Wine was even more beneficial to Elder Yang than using Spirit Stones.


    However, Elder Yang didn''t know the name of his physique or its rank. Yue Zifeng had hypothesized it was at least Middle ck-grade, but beyond that, the sect was in the dark.


    So after nodding in understanding, Yue Zifeng went to his seat and waited for the rest of the Elders to arrive.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I suck at poems, but I tried alright.


    Anything is helpful!


    https://ko-fi/rbi123

 Chapter 134 Yue Zifeng Appears

    ?Yue Zifeng Appears


    It didn''t take very long for the rest of the other Elders to arrive, and after every single Core and Inner Elder entered the main hall, Yue Zifeng started to discuss what measures that they should take in order to ensure that their Soaring Sword Sect managed to secure whatever created that phenomenon.


    However, about half an hour into the discussion, a Core Elder suddenly remembered something and voiced it out.


    Surprisingly it was the extremely polite and astute Core Elder that Xue Bai had met during the entrance exam registration.


    The Core Elder, named Elder Zhuo, raised his hand and said, "Sect Leader, one of my disciples saw Young Duke Xue traveling toward the Barren Lands."


    "Bai''er?" Yue Zifeng mumbled subconsciously.


    ''He told me he had sensed an opportunity. Does that mean he sensed whatever created that Divine Dragon phantom?!'' Yue Zifeng, very quickly, using the limited information he had, reached a reasonable conclusion.


    "Never mind the ns! I''ll go myself. Bai''er is in danger!" Yue Zifeng shouted.


    And before anyone could respond, he summoned his flying sword, shooting through the skies, going toward the Barren Lands.


    ''The powerhouses of the Southern Continent are going to converge onto Bai''er. I have to be there and make sure none of those old fogies make a stupid decision.'' Yue Zifeng thought as he swiftly flew through the clouds.


    Meanwhile, back at the site of the Azure Dragon phantom, Xue Bai finally regained consciousness.


    Before the mountain range copsed, he had dove over to Zhu Que and protected them both with therge block of Nine Serenities Jade.


    He had purposely not poured any Spiritual Qi into it, making it stay stic, so hopefully, when the many pieces of rubble would fall onto them, the flexible piece of jade would morph around them, protecting them in a 360 degree.


    Thankfully while Xue Bai did fall unconscious because of the roar, the two of them werepletely unharmed.


    However, now there was a problem. Zhu Que was still unconscious on top of him, and there was an entire mountain range worth of rubble on top of them, most likely. And while the Nine Serenities Jade did protect them from any damage, Xue Bai had so little room to maneuver, it was like he was being encased in saran wrap.


    Coupled with the fact that he was basically glued underneath Zhu Que, he was feeling extremely ufortable. And it wasn''t because he was feeling any temptation from the unconscious Zhu Que, he was a man of morals after all, but rather, right now, Zhu Que was stuck in her hybrid form. So currently, not only was there a scaly 1.5-meter-long tail digging into his stomach but also a set of wings that hurt much more.


    But since there wasn''t much he could do until she woke up, Xue Bai would have to bear through the painful feeling.


    Thankfully he remembered something.


    Going into his spatial ring, Xue Bai crushed amunication token that would give his location to the Wang Twins.


    The twins were both in the Law Manifestation Realm, so the copse of a normal mountain range wouldn''t hurt them whatsoever, and to be able to dig Xue Bai and Zhu Que out would be extremely simple.


    So after sending the message, Xue Bai waited. There was nothing for him to do after all but sit tight and wait for his rescue.


    Time passed slowly, and with an ice-blue dragon tail and a pair of wings digging into his stomach, it only went by slower. Luckily, however, before Xue Bai lost his mind and pushed Zhu Que out of the protective barrier, he heard a lot of movement above him.


    The movement above him sounded like a dump truck carrying the rubble from a demolished building. And soon enough, Xue Bai felt his own body lift up as he was taken into the air.


    Grabbing Zhu Que''s thin waist, Xue Bai ignored the pleasant feeling and let his body be carried as he ced the Nine Serenities Jade back into his spatial ring.


    Looking up, Xue Bai spoke, "Big Wang, quickly, we have to go back to the sect¡­." But he wasn''t able to finish his sentence.


    In front of him wasn''t Little Wang or Big Wang, but instead, his Master, Yue Zifeng, floating on a flying sword.


    "Ah, Master, how are you doing?" Xue Bai awkwardly spoke.


    After being caught in such an awkward situation, Xue Bai truly didn''t know how to speak. He was stuck under a mountain range of rubble, in a tight space, while holding a beauty by her waist.


    It didn''t take much of an imagination for someone to think odd things were happening in the Nine Serenities Jade.


    "I see you''ve been cultivating well, Bai''er," Yue Zifeng said meaningfully.


    "Master, please don''t joke around," Xue Bai embarrassedly said, "Also, Master, how did you find me? I sent my location to the Big Wang and Little Wang, but how did you know where I was?"


    "I didn''t," Yue Zifeng said as he pulled Xue Bai onto his flying sword, "After seeing the Divine Dragon phenomenon, I rushed over here as fast as I could. But after I reached here, I managed to sense the soul imprint I nted onto you deep in the rubble."


    "You ced a soul imprint on me?" Xue Bai asked.


    ''I didn''t even notice!''


    "Never mind that," Yue Zifeng''s face suddenly turned dark, "Didn''t you say that you sensed an opportunity for yourself? So howe it looks like you snuck out and went to pick up girls?"


    While Yue Zifeng wasn''t sure if the dragon girl in Xue Bai''s arms was the reason for the phenomenon, it still didn''t exempt the fact that Xue Bai was in such a situation.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He had let his precious disciple go out for almost a week dying his vital cultivation time and had gone out picking up girls? It was reasonable for Yue ZIfeng to be angered,


    "Master, it isn''t what it looks like. I also gained a valuable opportunity. Look!"


    WIlling his Sword Law, Xue Bai created another illusory sword, butpared to thest time, there was a stark difference.


    The first time he had used it, the illusory sword was only almost two fingers long, but now the length had almost doubled, bing just shy of a foot long.


    "Small Sess stage Sword Law?" Yue Zifeng asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Xue Bai nodded rapidly as he withdrew it once more. Conjuring it now took a lot more Spiritual Qi than it didst time. And even though he withdrew it, it still sapped out more than a quarter of his Spiritual Qi.


    ''I should test that.'' Xue Bai thought.


    However, Yue Zifeng shook his head, "You said that you''d focus on your cultivation during your trip. I still remember you arrogantly iming to reach the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm before returning."


    ''I was confident I could, but I didn''t think you''d put down your status and fly all the way over here.'' Xue Bai mumbled inwardly.


    But on the outside, he quickly changed the topic.


    "Master, but look how filial a disciple I am for you. I have gotten you another heaven-defying talent to take on!" Xue Bai spoke as if he were a car salesman while gesturing toward Zhu Que in his arms.


    "You mean this dragon girl?" Yue Zifeng spoke oddly, "Bai''er, I''m sure you know, but our sect is a righteous one. Taking in demonic beasts is something taboo. And while I don''t care much for the rule, the other Elders in the sect do. If they find out that I took on a demonic beast as a disciple, my position would be in jeopardy."


    In the Soaring Sword Sect, while Yue Zifeng was the second strongest man, the strongest person in the sect was the Grand Elder, who wouldn''t appear or make a move unless the sect was about to be destroyed. So because of this, his words werew.


    However, if enough Elders rose against him and wanted to impeach him, they could ry word to the main branch on the Central Continent and have him reced.


    Yue Zifeng was at the peak of the Southern Continent with his power, but in the Central Continent, people in the Spirit Severing Realm were a dime a dozen.


    "Master, she is a human." Xue Bai voiced, "Don''t you see she doesn''t have any of the baleful Qi around her? She just has a demonic beast bloodline."


    Taking another look at the unconscious Zhu Que in Xue Bai''s grasp, he noticed that she didn''t exude the baleful Qi that demonic beasts usually exuded when they took human form. But he still shook his head, even after realizing that.


    "That doesn''t make it better, Bai''er," Yue Zifeng said with a frown, "Human cultivators with demonic beast bloodlines are no better than the demonic beasts themselves."


    Yue Zifeng didn''t know about bloodline cores, but he did, however, know about humans with demonic beast bloodlines.


    In the cultivation world, Martial Veins were the most important thing in a cultivator that decided how far they would go. But there were many unwilling people who didn''t believe in their limits. So to go around that, they started looking for external ways.


    And the first way they figured out was through demonic beast bloodlines. By taking in a high-grade demonic beast bloodline, untalented humans were allowed to go past their innate limits.


    However, the consequences soon bore the fangs. When someone took in a demonic beast bloodline, they would soon lose their human nature, bing more beast than man.


    This was why Yue Zifeng didn''t want this dragon girl in his sect, even though she didn''t seem to be a demonic beast. He could obviously see that she wasn''t emitting any of the baleful Spiritual Qi that demonic beasts usually do. But her being a human with a demonic beast bloodline didn''t make her any more appealing to him.


    If anything, it made it more of a deal breaker because, with a demonic beast, you could tame it and turn it into a mount. But with a human?


    "Master, I promise that Sister Zhu is free from all of those emotional side effects." Xue Bai swore.


    "Bai''er countless geniuses have done the same thing, thinking that they could ovee the changes but have still sumbed to the side effects." Yue Zifeng sighed.


    "Master, these situations aren''tparable," Xue Bai persisted, "You saw it yourself. The phenomenon that Sister Zhu created was something far beyond the normal bloodlines you are talking about. I can even make a Dao Oath if you are still unconvinced."


    Xue Bai didn''t want to expose the existence of bloodline cores, as that would most likely cause Yue Zifeng to notice his. So he could only use the phenomenon as an excuse to persuade Yue Zifeng.


    Yue Zifeng, on the other hand, seeing Xue Bai be so rebellious, was getting a little exasperated, but before he continued persuading Xue Bai otherwise, his facial expression changed.


    "Bai''er, we''ll continue this discussionter." Yue Zifeng spoke solemnly.


    Then grabbing both Xue Bai and the still unconscious Zhu Que close to him, Yue Zifeng rapidly formed a dozen strange hand seals before shouting, "Lightning Body Flicker!"


    And with a sh of golden radiance, Yue Zifeng disappeared from his original position.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Anything is helpful!


    https://ko-fi/rbi123

 Chapter 135 The Other Heads, Yue Zifeng’s Thoughts

    ?The Other Heads, Yue Zifeng''s Thoughts


    Following Yue Zifeng''s sudden disappearance, a dozen figures appear in the mountain range. The dozen figures were split into three groups of 4, and in the lead of each group were three people, each with an aura as bottomless as the sea.


    The other peak powerhouses of the Southern Continent had arrived.


    "That sword idiot''s aura is still lingering here." A captivatingly beautiful woman spoke as she traced the lightning bolts that marked where Yue Zifengst stood.


    The woman wore a revealing cheongsam covered in flowers as she swayed her way toward Yue Zifeng''s remnant aura.


    However, instead of tempting any of the other powerhouses in attendance, the men there either pushed their heads down, not daring to look at her, or gave her a look of disdain.


    "Sect Leader Zi, Sect Leader Yue isn''t a man you can speak so lightly of." A burly man with arms thicker than most men''s legs spoke rudely.


    Of all the people in attendance, this man was thergest, standing easily over 2 meters. Coupled with his dark tanned skin, it was better to call him a barbarian rather than a human.


    Hearing this, the woman surnamed Zi was about to fly into a rage, but another man stepped in between the two and quickly de-escted.


    "Sect Leader Zi, Dean Guo, this isn''t the time for bantering. Just give this old man some face and put aside your conflicts. We must find whatever created that Divine Dragon phenomenon." An old man dressed in a Confucian robe spoke calmly.


    He had a head full of white hair and an equally white beard to match, but while those were telltale signs of an old aging man, there was not a single wrinkle on his face. And from the liveliness in his eyes, it didn''t seem like the old man would croak anytime soon.


    "Imperial Advisor Lu, I''ve given you face countless times, but this brute of a man refuses to give me!" Sect Leader ZI didn''t seem to care about Imperial Advisor Lu''s words and pulled out a zither from her spatial ring.


    The zither was two and a half meters long, with the head and body of a phoenix. It was unknown what wood it was made of, but the veined patterns on it almost looked like feathers.


    "HA! You think just because you have a High ck-grade weapon that your stupid Music Law can contest my Spear Law!" Dean Guo didn''t seem to care that he infuriated the beautiful woman and instead pulled out his own weapon.


    It was a halberd, but from how long and thick it was, it was more reasonable for one to call it a pir with an axe on the end rather than a halberd. The halberd was made from a dark silver metal that seemingly made the air around it darker giving it an ominous aura.


    However, just as the two powerhouses were about to sh, Imperial Advisor Lu finally had enough.


    "I SAID ENOUGH!" Putting away any of the amicable ambiances he had previously, Imperial Advisor Lu stepped between the two and started to suppress them both with his cultivation base.


    Of the three Xiantian Great Realm cultivators in the Great Xuan Empire, Duan Zhen was the weakest, still being in the Spirit Awakening Realm.


    The second strongest was Imperial Advisor Lu, who was in the 6th stage Spirit Severing Realm, a stage higher than Yue Zifeng and two stages higher than Sect Leader Zi and Dean Guo, who were both in the 4th stage.


    "You foolish children, this isn''t the time for games! Sect Leader Yue not only arrived before us but even managed to leave before we got here as well." Imperial Advisor Lu berated, "It means that either he has found whatever created the Divine Dragon phenomenon and left or figured out where it is."


    Hearing the old man''s intuitive words, both Dean Guo and Sect Leader Zi stopped their fight.


    Though Imperial Advisor Lu was stronger than both of them, if it came to a two versus one fight, the oue would most likely go in their favor. Imperial Advisor Lu, while he did have a higher cultivation base than the two, he was also in thetter half of his life, so not only did he have no more potential within him, but also hisbat strength declined as well.


    Andpared to Sect Leader Zi and Dean Guo, who were still in their prime, he was a level weaker.


    So while they were suppressed slightly, neither was too offended. After all, they were acting extremely foolish during such an important matter. The old man''s anger was more of a wake-up call rather than a threat.


    After putting away her phoenix zither, Sect Leader Zi motioned to another captivating beautiful woman behind her.


    "Wan''er, try and find where that sword idiot went. He couldn''t have gone far." Sect Leader Zi ordered.


    "Yes, Sect Leader!" The woman named Wan''er replied, admiration filling her voice.


    Then flying over to where Yue Zifengst stood, Wan''er took out an odd object; a tortoise shell. After which, she threw it onto the ground below.


    And only enough, instead of shattering due to their height, the tortoiseshell stayed intact and started spinning rapidly.


    It eventually stopped, however, and ended up pointing in a direction due east.


    "He''s going back to the Soaring Sword Sect!" Sect Leader Zi angrily shouted, not caring to keep up her seductive temperament.


    Following her shout, without saying another word, she flew off in the direction Yue Zifeng left.


    The others, including the old Imperial Advisor Lu and the burly Dean Guo, also shot off in the direction of the Soaring Sword Sect.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Even though no one said anything about it, everyone was aware of the secretly rising Soaring Sword Sect. No matter how well Yue Zifeng had tried to hide the information, the other three great powers managed to figure out that the legendary Young Duke Xue had joined their sect.


    And with Wang Yu also in the sect, they were all wary of the future. So no one there wanted Yue Zifeng to further the lead over them and im whatever created the Divine Dragon phenomenon.


    So in an act that would most likely never be recreated, three of the great powers of the Southern Continent each worked together to make sure Yue Zifeng didn''t return to the Soaring Sword Sect.


    A few hundred miles away, Yue Zifeng, still covered in a mass of lightning, was flying as fast as his flying sword would let him. He had also made it muchrger to let Xue Bai sit on itfortably while also allowing Zhu Que to rest without falling off.


    "Master, did the other heads of the great powers arrive?" Xue Bai asked.


    Though Yue Zifeng hadn''t said anything, how could Xue Bai not assume what had happened?


    "Yes, and since you im that the dragon girl created the phenomenon, there is no need for me to stay any longer." Yue Zifeng calmly answered without turning around.


    "Then why are we running?" Xue Bai questioned, "While you might not be the strongest person on this continent, Master, surely the other heads wouldn''t start a life-or-death battle here?"


    "You don''t understand, Bai''er. Ever since Wang Yu entered the sect, the other great powers have been secretly slowly distancing themselves from us while conjoining together more often. But after you joined, they haven''t bothered to conceal their movements and have basically started rallying against us." Yue Zifeng sighed.


    While he had expected such an oue to happen, it still annoyed him greatly.


    They were the heads of the three great powers, and while the Soaring Sword Sect had great future potential, surely it didn''t mean that the heads should put down their pride and go against him, did it?


    Hearing Yue Zifeng mention Wang Yu, Xue Bai suddenly remembered a question he had wanted to ask his Master.


    "Master, what do you think of Wang Yu?" Xue Bai cautiously asked.


    Seeing that Yue Zifeng had himself brought up the viin, Xue Bai wanted to get his Master''s opinion on him. Xue Bai would have to kill him eventually, so it would be good to know how his Master felt about him beforehand.


    Yue Zifeng took a moment to think after hearing Xue Bai''s question and only started to talk after he gained his answer.


    "Bai''er, do you know why sects recruit only young people full of potential and not strong men in their prime? Surely directly recruiting a Law Engraving Realm man who had hopes of reaching the Domain Lord realm in the future would be better? After all, the strong man would be able to reach the Domain Lord realm in maybe 10 or 15 years, but the young teenager? He might not be able to reach such a height in even 60 years." Yue Zifeng asked.


    Xue Bai didn''t take long to reach the answer, "They want to instill a sense of loyalty into the minds of the impressionable young people. While also influencing them with their own rules. But grown men already have their own viewpoints and loyalties, and changing them would be almost impossible."


    "Correct," Yue Zifeng nodded approvingly, "So when you ask me about what I think about Wang Yu, he reminds me of a grown man stubborn in his ways. He is talented by every measure and destined to be great at many things during his life, but a good disciple?"


    Yue Zifeng left his question hanging and didn''t follow up on it. But Xue Bai understood what his Master was implying.


    Sects recruit young people full of potential rather than strong powerhouses because of how easily influenced the youngsters arepared to the powerhouses.


    It was like the youngsters were y that could be molded ording to the wishes of the Soaring Sword Sect, while the powerhouses were already their own sculptures.


    And Wang Yu fit thetter category, making him a less-than-desirable disciple.


    He was talented, no one could deny that, but Yue Zifeng had the feeling that they were raising a white-eyed wolf instead of a disciple full of filial piety.


    Xue Bai didn''t ask any follow-up questions. The answer he got just now was more than enough to see Yue Zifeng''s point of view.


    Even though Yue Zifeng didn''t want to kill Wang Yu or suppress him, he was at the same time wary of him already. So Yue Zifeng was on the fence, basically.


    This meant that Xue Bai only needed to give his Master some evidence of Wang Yu''s corruption and fully bring Yue Zifeng onto his side.


    The group of three would continue flying toward the Soaring Sword Sect in silence. However, before they managed to reach their territory,pany caught up.


    "Yue Zifeng, stop this instant!" A wrathful woman''s voice echoed into the air.


    Hearing the voice, Yue Zifeng''s face noticeably cringed.


    "Of all the people who could''vee, it had to be her?" Yue Zifeng sighed as he infused more Spiritual Qi into his flying sword.


    They were too close to stop now just because of a shout. Especially since the owner of that voice had arrived, conversing with that woman took years of his life.

 Chapter 136 Coming Back To The Sect

    ?Coming Back to the Sect


    "Yue Zifeng, I said stop!" The woman''s voice came once again. But this time, it was filled with even more anger. It most likely saw that Yue Zifeng not only ignored hermand but even sped up a level in response.


    "Master, it seems that woman hates you." Xue Bai couldn''t help butment.


    Xue Bai didn''t know much of Yue Zifeng''s past other than his wife had died, so hearing this female voice full of anger, Xue Bai was slightly confused.


    "She does Bai''er. She does." Yue Zifeng simply spoke, not intending to dive deeper into the subject.


    Yue Zifeng would continuously pour more and more Spiritual Qi into his flying sword, and as they grew close to the Soaring Sword Sect''s territory, Yue Zifeng would sense more familiar auras close in behind him.


    And while the woman''s voice became increasingly angry and barbaric, he never stopped flying.


    Should a battle take ce, while Yue Zifeng was confident he would survive and escape with his life, he also knew that one of the people there would take the chance and kill Xue Bai in the ensuing chaos.


    Xue Bai was too talented for any of the other powers to feel safe, and while Xue Bai would most likely leave the Southern Continent in the future, who could say that before he left, he would wipe out their sects?


    There was too much of an unknown with such a prodigy around, and no one dared to gamble with it.


    Knowing this, Yue Zifeng didn''t slow down but instead only increased his speed to the point where his usually rosy face started losing its color.


    Seeing just how determined Yue Zifeng was and knowing just how close they were to the Soaring Sword Sect, every powerhouse but Sect Leader Zi eventually made the hard decision to stop chasing and leave, returning to their own forces.


    Since they couldn''t stop Yue Zifeng from getting the treasure, they could only go home and try to n how to further suppress the growth of the Soaring Sword Sect.


    It was at this moment when Yue Zifeng knew he was in the clear, Zhu Que had woken up.


    But after she groggily wiped her eyes and stretched, she soon noticed her surroundings.


    Instead of being inside the cave she had been in when she was mutating her bloodline, Zhu Que was now on top of a 5-meter-long and 3-meter-wide sword, shooting through the air.


    "Little Brother!" Zhu Que shouted out in a panic.


    Looking around for Xue Bai, thinking she had been kidnapped, she eventually found him sitting next to a man in a set of snow-white robes and two swords strapped onto his back.


    Following her shout, both Yue Zifeng and Xue Bai turned around to look at her.


    "Sister Zhu, you''re awake," Xue Bai said as he turned around, "While you were unconscious, my Master came and picked us up."


    And after pointing toward Yue Zifeng, Xue Bai became quiet. Yue Zifeng was silently appraising Zhu Que.


    Even though most people took time for their personalities to fully morph after taking in a demonic beast bloodline, it would still show in minor ways during the early stages.


    For example, they would be angry quicker, have less patience, etc.


    But looking at Zhu Que right now, Yue Zifeng couldn''t see anything wrong with her. She looked like a normal 15-year-old vige girl. She even was starting to blush at being stared at for too long.


    "I won''t ept her as a disciple," Yue Zifeng coldly said, but just as Xue Bai was about to raise amotion, he continued, "Yet! It''s too early to see if she has been affected by the new bloodline, but you can allow her to stay at your peak since you''re so confident she is fine. However, if she does end up creating chaos, you''ll be punished ordingly."


    Finishing speaking out his thoughts, Yue Zifeng closed his eyes and turned back around, not wanting to answer any more questions. He had already given Xue Bai a foot. Any more, and he would start to lose his patience.


    Scooting over to Zhu Que, Xue Bai spoke, "While I do know I promised that he''d take you on as a disciple, this is still very good. Before reaching the Qi Sea realm, there isn''t much that Master can teach you anyway. So you can take the few years before that to give him a good impression. Also, since Master is allowing you to stay on my peak, that means he''s indirectly letting you be a Core Disciple."


    Zhu Que nodded expectantly at his words. She didn''t know why Yue Zifeng looked so calctive toward her, she was sure she could eventually be the disciple that he wanted.


    But just as she was about to stand up, she felt the extra extremities on her body.


    "AH!" Zhu Que was stunned.


    She had a tail, wings, and a pair of horns!


    "Sister Zhu, don''t panic," Xue Bai spoke in a calming voice, "Focus on your bloodline, and it''ll go back into your body."


    While Xue Bai meant to say bloodline core, he knew he couldn''t say it aloud, so he only said bloodline. Thankfully either Zhu Que knew what he meant, or she was extremely talented, but it didn''t take long for Zhu Que to hide her draconic features.


    However, now there was one problem.


    "Little Brother, my clothes." Zhu Que embarrassedly spoke as she hid her back from Xue Bai.


    Unlike Xue Bai''s much more expensive robes that allowed his tails toe out freely, Zhu Que was dressed in a pain set of pants and a shirt that were not only worn out from excessive washing but also made of extremely fragile mortal fabrics. So after her wings and tail came out, it basically shredded the back of them.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Nodding, Xue Bai gave her arge robe to wear over her own ripped clothes.


    "I''ll give you better clothing when we get to the sect. But, for now, just wear this. It''ll cover you well." Xue Bai said as he handed it to her.


    Nodding shyly, Zhu Que put it on quickly. Having her back bare near Xue Bai and his cold Master made her feel so embarrassed that she wanted to hide in a hole.


    After making sure, Zhu Que was okay with both her situation and understanding of where she was, Xue Bai went back over to Yue Zifeng.


    "Master, is that woman still chasing us?" Xue Bai asked curiously.


    Xue Bai had a feeling about who the woman was, but he wasn''t 100% sure, so he didn''t say anything about it. But that didn''t stop his curiosity to figure out why she seemed so angry at Yue Zifeng.


    "She''s still behind us, yes, but she won''t catch up. Not only is my cultivation higher, but my flying sword is also much faster than her flying speed." Yue Zifeng confidently spoke without opening his eyes.


    He still had his entire focus on the formation that controlled how fast his flying sword went. So even though Yue Zifeng was near the home stretch, he didn''t n to getcent.


    Interacting with that woman was a worse oue for him than fighting all of the other heads of the great powers.


    "Master, can you tell me why she hates you?" Xue Bai curiously asked.


    To this question, however, Yue ZIfeng opened his eyes and gave Xue Bai a re.


    "Children should worry about children''s problems. And leave the adult things to the older generation." Yue Zifeng obviously didn''t want to talk about the woman chasing them.


    "Master, you''re such a powerful and righteous man. Surely it couldn''t have been that bad." Xue Bai continued.


    He did move back a little in response to his Master''s re, but he still asked for a follow-up. Yue Zifeng was a great Master to him and wouldn''t do anything to hurt him.


    Seeing Xue Bai look so rebellious, Yue Zifeng had a strong urge to spank the child, but after remembering a promise he made to a certain someone, he sighed and decided to give a half answer.


    "Bai''er, you''re a young and handsome youth, but don''t take advantage of this. Don''t be a skirt chaser," Yue Zifeng said, "It wille back to bite you in the future."


    Nodding somewhat nkly, Xue Bai didn''t know how to respond to such advice.


    Thankfully before the atmosphere got awkward, they arrived.


    Standing up, Yue Zifeng first grabbed Xue Bai and Zhu Que with a conjured hand of Spiritual Qi before storing his flying sword in his spatial ring.


    Yue Zifeng would then fly casually toward their mountain, and after dropping off the two youngsters, he left a message for each of them.


    "Bai''er, I don''t want you to leave the sect until you reach the Qi Sea realm," Yue Zi said. "And you, dragon girl, while Bai''er has told me you''re extremely talented and a diamond in the rough, I don''t fully believe him. So take these few years before reaching the Qi Sea realm and make me believe him. I don''t like having a liar as a disciple."


    After speaking, Yue Zifeng once again disappeared, leaving only a lingering lighting aura in the air.


    "Well, Sister Zhu, wee to your new home?" Xue Bai spoke with a wry smile.


    Yue Zifeng didn''t even give Zhu Que an introduction to the sect but instead left like a mysterious immortal. It seems he still didn''t think Zhu Que was immune to the demonic beast bloodline.


    Xue Bai would then give Zhu Que a quick guide around his peak, showing her the various facilities and buildings.


    However, along the way, Xue Bai noticed that he didn''t see Xiao''er, which did manage to raise his eyebrow, but he didn''t mention it aloud. He was with Zhu Que now, and bringing up that rebellious maid would just be odd.


    They would meet each other soon enough. The peak wasn''t thatrge after all.


    "Little Brother, is there a way I can get a new set of clothing? This robe is a little tight." Zhu Que spoke embarrassedly.


    The robe he gave her was his own, so it didn''t have the stretchiness in the front that a normal female robe would have, especially for a female as well-endowed as Zhu Que.


    "Sister Zhu, just choose one of the courtyards. There will be arge wardrobe there for you to choose from. You can also take the time to adjust your new room. Find me after that. I will be in the Training Pagoda." Xue instructed as he waved her goodbye.


    He wanted to test just how strong his Small Ses stage Sword Law was!


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I am releasing a side chapterter today, and sadly it''s not the Xiao Mo awakening chapter. That''ll be out sometime next week. This one is something rather important to the story but not vital. So instead of making it a normal chapter, I am only making it a side one.


    But I can guarantee it''s extremely interesting so don''t worry.


    It''ll be released at 5 PM EST.

 Chapter 137 The Changes In Xiao’er

    ?The Changes in Xiao''er


    As he entered the inside of the Training Pagoda, Xue Bai was met with a rather big surprise.


    Xiao''er was on the first floor fighting a sword puppet!


    Before Xue Bai left to recruit Zhu Que, Xiao''er was at the 4th stage of the Organ Tempering realm. And while she was usuallyx when it came to cultivation, Xue Bai had promised to give her something if she broke through 2 stages before he returned.


    Knowing this, in the week he had been gone, she hadn''t rested much and would spend almost all day either in the Training Pagoda or cultivating.


    Thanks to that, in the week Xue Bai had been gone, she had broken through a stage, reaching the 5th stage.


    And she was confident that she would reach the 6th stage before he returned. Xue Bai did say he would return in about three weeks.


    However, she was currently unaware that Xue Bai''s trip had been cut short by Yue ZIfeng, so after hearing someone enter the Training Pagoda, she didn''t think it was him.


    "Sister Rou, if you''re going toe in, send me a message," Xiao''erined as she sent the sword puppet in front of her flying with a swift kick.


    Xiao''er was currently on the first floor, and the puppet she was fighting was only at the peak of the Bone Strengthening realm. So while herbat strength was weak for her cultivation, she could still suppress people of lower cultivation with overwhelming strength.


    The only reason she was fighting such a weaker opponent was just like Xue Bai. She wasn''t looking for a blood boil and only wanted to train her swordsmanship. So herunching her opponent away wasn''t very surprising to her, but what did surprise her was when she turned around.


    "Young Master!" Xiao''er shouted in shock, "You said you wouldn''t return for another two weeks."


    "Some things came up, and Master forced me toe back," Xue Bai sighed, "But other than that, Sister Rou? You became friends with Second Senior Sister?"


    Xiao''er was a cheerful girl who could light up anyone''s day, so it wasn''t surprising that she made friends with Ye Rou, but he didn''t think it would happen this quickly.


    "Yes! Sister Rou and I are kindred spirits." XIao''er cheerfully spoke as she skipped over to the control panel, shutting down the sword puppet.


    "Young Master, do you want to use the first floor? I can go upstairs if you''d like." Xiao''er asked.


    But Xue Bai shook his head, "I need to test something against the Organ Tempering realm puppets. So you can stay here."


    After saying that, he bid farewell to Xiao''er, directly skipped the first floor, and went upstairs. Ever since he broke through to the 5th stage of the Bone Strengthening realm, the puppets on the first floor didn''t pose any threat to him anymore.


    The only way they could was if he brought the number of puppets into the double digits, but that wasn''t what Xue Bai wanted to test currently, so he ignored the first floor. Instead, he wanted to test his destructive power right now.


    On the second floor, Xue Bai noticed that everything was the same as the first. From the silver walls to the position of the control panel, nothing was different.


    But since it was only more convenient, he didn''t say anything but merely went over to the control panel.


    Inputting the array to release a sword puppet at the 1st stage of the Organ Tempering Realm, Xue Bai readied himself.


    ? Focusing within himself, Xue Bai once again conjured the purple illusory sword into his right hand and weed the silver armored puppet that charged at him without warning.


    In most cases, before reaching the Qi Sea realm, you weren''t given ess to long-range attacks, making most fights in the 5 physical realms closebat brawls.


    There were, however, rare circumstances where one could go around that limitation, and one of the mostmon ones was toprehend a Law before the Qi Sea realm.


    This was why Xue Bai was able to kill the me Smander from a long distance using the illusory sword that he had conjured from his Sword Law.


    However, he wasn''t nning on using his long-range ability and instead met the charge of the sword puppet head-on.


    Sadly the sword in his hand wasn''t as long as the ones he usually used, forcing him to use it more like a dagger rather than a sword. Which, while foreign to Xue Bai, wasn''t ufortable, as he quickly got a grasp on it after twirling it around a little. Feeling good with the small test, he felt ready enough to fight.


    The first sh with the sword puppet, however, made the situation awkward.


    Sword puppets on each floor had weapons making their cultivation base. So the Organ Tempering realm puppet in front of Xue Bai had a sword that was a Middle Yellow-grade treasure.


    But as Xue Bai and the puppet shed, Xue Bai''s illusory sword cut through the puppet''s sword like a knife through butter. It even shed into the sword puppet''s chest, breaking its silver armor.


    If Xue Bai hadn''t reacted fast enough and withdrew his sh, it would''ve most likely cleaved through the sword puppet as well.


    The only downside was that the puppet was nowpletely out ofmission and needed to go back into the Training Pagoda array to heal its damages, leaving Xue Bai without a training dummy.


    Xue Bai didn''t care much, however, but rather he was excited at his new strength. But right when he was about to smile, he almost copsed. Conjuring the illusory sword now at the Small Sess stage sapped almost half of his Spiritual Qi.


    "This can''t be used haphazardly." Xue Bai noted.


    Though the illusory sword wouldn''t dissipate due to time, it existed almost like a prepaid phone.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However much Spiritual Qi Xue Bai poured into it during its creation dictated everything about it, from its strength, to how much damage it could do before it dematerialized.


    "All the more reason not to rely on it, then."


    Feeling happy about his progress, Xue Bai swallowed a pill to regenerate his lost Spiritual Qi before turning the array off and leaving the Training Pagoda.


    Xiao''er seeing her Young Master leave so quickly was curious about what he did up there, but since Xue Bai looked so haggard, she held back her questions. They could talkter when Xue Bai looked and felt better.


    Walking out, Xue Bai walked to where the courtyards were and quickly found where Zhu Que had decided to live.


    Like Xiao''er, she had chosen to live next to Xue Bai, taking the empty courtyard on the other side of his.


    "Sister Zhu! If you are done changing,e with me to Master''s peak. We need to get you an identification token!" Xue Bai yelled from outside.


    Xue Bai knew that Zhu Que most likely decided to take a bath along with changing into her new robes, so instead of going into and encountering the age-old cliche, he stayed outside and yelled into it.


    Even though the Azure Dragon God said that they were fated to marry, Xue Bai still didn''t believe it fully, and both of them were still too young to even start thinking about such a future.


    Following his shout, the door to Zhu Que''s courtyard quickly opened, where she exited wearing a pristine light blue robe that matched both her new hair color and eyes while she was in her hybrid form.


    Before, when she first awakened her Martial Veins and had her ident, the color of ice terrified her and became a trigger for her trauma. But after she mutated her bloodline and had more time with the element, she became more and more attached to it.


    She knew that being afraid of her new strength would be dangerous, so she tried to step out of the shadow of her trauma and enjoy the beautiful color that was light blue.


    After sessfully mutating her bloodline, Zhu Que hadpletely changed on the outside. Her rough tan was gone, the thick, bruised calluses on her hands had disappeared, and even her temperament had changed from the shy farmer girl to a cold, aloof genius befitting her new talent.


    Overall if Xue Bai hadn''t seen her before and knew her from the game, he would''ve struggled to corrte the two together.


    "I''m ready, Little Brother." Zhu Que spoke as she exited the courtyard.


    After shepleted her metamorphosis, Zhu Que was on cloud nine.


    Even though her parents had died, and she had been living as a beggar for two weeks, after she met Xue Bai, her life took aplete 180.


    At first, when Xue Bai told her that the courtyard had clothes for her prepared in the closet, Zhu Que had thought that there would be maybe two, at most, five pieces of clothing to look at. After all, her narrow outlook on the world made her a frog at the bottom of a well. But after she entered the closet, she was floored.


    Just the closet alone was bigger than her house back at Blue Stone Vige. And the clothing options had everything from a beautiful ck backless dress befitting a grand ball to a pair of pink silk pajamas for bedtime.


    There wasn''t a single type of clothing Zhu Que could think of that wasn''t in the closet.


    And like a child in a candy store, she had taken the time to look at everything she could have, where eventually, she decided to pick a beautiful martial robe that matched her favorite color.


    So as she exited her new courtyard and saw Xue Bai''s gaze Zhu Que felt as proud as a peacock, even going as far as to subconsciously raise her chest and nose as if saying, ''Look at me.''


    "Good, follow me," Xue Bai nodded at her as he turned around, "Also, don''t stray far. It''ll be bad news if someone sees you without me on this mountain."


    Nodding in response, Zhu Que followed close behind. She guessed that while Yue Zifeng didn''t ept her as a disciple of his, he allowed her to join both the sect and let her live in the legendary Core Region.


    If he hadn''t, Yue Zifeng would have most likely made Xue Bai abandon her in the Inner or even Outer Sect.


    Descending the peak, Xue Bai would give Zhu Que a basic tour of Yue Zifeng''s mountain, telling her which areas she could explore and which she couldn''t.


    Zhu Que, behind took note of everything, not daring to miss a word. She had barely managed to get here. To leave just because she trespassed something would be such a disappointment.


    Xue Bai would also take his time and show Zhu Que some of the most beautiful scenic areas on the mountain that he managed to discover.


    He noticed that Zhu Que loved nature, so he made sure to show her all of the beauty her new home had to offer. From the deep, expansive valleys to the crystal clearkes that looked ripped right out of a painting.


    But it was when the two were exploring a small serene waterfall that Zhu Que spotted, when out from behind the waterfall, a curious voice full of cheer came.


    "Junior Brother, who is the girl with you? Are you raising a wife that I don''t know about?"


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The side chapter ising out at 5 PM EST.


    Anything is helpful!


    https://ko-fi/rbi123

 Chapter 138 Giving Zhu Que A Tour

    ?Sorry for thete chapter upload just got back.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Giving Zhu Que a Tour


    Then walking out of the small cave that the cascading waterfall blocked, Ye Rou walked out, lively as ever.


    "Second Senior Sister, don''t joke. This is a potential disciple that Master found, and I''m taking the time to show her around the mountain." Xue Bai spoke with a wry smile.


    Since Xue Bai didn''t have Spiritual Sense yet, he didn''t notice her in the cave even though she was so close by, while Ye Rou could notice them.


    Ye Rou was also taking a break from cultivating and noticed the picturesque waterfall, but after she entered the cave behind it, she felt it was such a soothing environment that she fell asleep. But she was thankfully awoken by Zhu Que and Xue Bai talking.


    So after hearing she had another potential Junior Sister, Ye Rou''s eyes lit up. Other than Xiao''er, every disciple that Yue Zifeng took on was a genius that could lead a generation. So curious, she went over to examine her newest addition to their lineage.


    However, after giving Zhu Que a thorough look, Zhu Que became confused very quickly.


    "You''re only at the 2nd stage of the Vein Transformation realm?" Ye Rou asked, somewhat shocked.


    This girl seemed to be 15-16 years old already, and yet she barely even started cultivating. How could their Master take on a disciple this slow at cultivation?


    "Second Senior Sister, she had just awakened her Martial Veins a little less than a month ago. She came from the Barren Lands. It''s the grade of her Martial Veins and her bloodline that makes her so talented." Xue Bai spoke up from the side.


    He could see Zhu Que''s ears droop down like a puppy''s when Ye Rou unintentionally insulted her. Zhu Que was obviously self-conscious about her low cultivation, especially to those her age, but there wasn''t anything she could do about it in the short term.


    "Barren Lands? But why does her skin feel so nice?" Ye Rou questioned as she got a little handsy, touching the hands of Zhu Que, "I heard that the people there are like mortal farmers with rough skin."


    Zhu Que felt ufortable at the sudden touching, but since the culprit was her future Senior Sister, she forced herself through it. But after Ye Rou started touching her face, Zhu Que couldn''t anymore, jumping back.


    "Senior Sister, please condone yourself better!" Zhu Que admonished as she jumped behind Xue Bai for cover.


    "Ah. Hehe." Ye Rouughed awkwardly in response. She knew she had gone too far, "Sorry, Junior Sister, it''s just your skin felt so supple. It was like pinching a baby''s bottom. I lost myself in the feeling."


    "Second Senior Sister, we''ll take our leave. Sister Zhu still needs her identification token." Xue Bai quickly spoke after seeing the two get off to an awkward start.


    And without waiting for a reply, Xue Bai took Zhu Que''s hand and ran off toward Yue Zifeng''s peak. They had spent enough time wandering, and now the sun was starting to set, and they could always explore the mountain another day.


    "Little Brother, if that''s your Second Senior Sister, who is the head disciple?" Zhu Que asked as she let herself be pulled along by Xue Bai.


    "The head disciple of our lineage is First Senior Sister. Her name is Jiang Xiaorou, and she is also Master''s adoptive daughter." Xue Bai exined, giving Zhu Que a rough understanding of Jiang Xiaorou.


    The two would meet eventually, so instead of giving Zhu Que an entire biography of Jiang Xiaorou, Xue Bai only gave her the basics, so when they did, the two would have things to talk about.


    "Is this Senior Sister strong? She''s ahead of both you and that perverted Senior Sister from earlier." Zhu Que asked innocently.


    "Cough!" Xue Bai couldn''t help but cough as he tried to mask hisughter, but thankfully he quickly regained hisposure when he answered, "First Senior Sister is in the Dharma Idol realm, so yes, she is strong. Plus, she is only 22, so her cultivation speed is one of the fastest on the continent."


    Of course, Wang Yu was much more talented and would most likely be in the Law Engraving or even Law manifestation realm at that age, but still, Jiang Xiaorou''s cultivation speed was something to admire.


    But Xue Bai wouldn''t bring that up right now. He was praising his iceberg beauty Senior Sister, not the minor viin Wang Yu.


    "Wow!" Zhu Que was instantly starstruck and took Jiang Xiaorou as her model.


    After some more simple talk, Xue Bai eventually made it to Yue Zifeng''s peak.


    "Master, Sister Zhu needs an identification token." Xue Bai announced outside of Yue Zifeng''s temple.


    "Go to the Registration Hall. She can get one there. You have my token, so no one would dare to give you a hard time." Yue Zifeng''s voice drifted out.


    The Registration Hall was a building where new disciples could, as the name said, register for their new identities. Xue Bai, Ye Rou, and Xiao''er didn''t need to go there since they were disciples of the Sect Leader, but Zhu Que had to.


    She wasn''t his disciple, but someone Xue Bai had recruited to join their sect. Hell, Yue Zifeng hadn''t even tested her talent and only took Xue Bai''s word for it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And while this was a severe case of nepotism, who would dare say anything? It was Xue Bai, the greatest talent in the Southern Continent''s history, doing the act on Yue Zifeng, the Sect Leader''s orders. As long as someone didn''t have a hole in their brain, Xue Bai would be able toplete his job smoothly.


    Nodding at his Master''s instructions, Xue Bai turned over to Zhu Que, "I guess we have to walk some more."


    "It''s fine. Taking in my new environment would be good. After all, I don''t know anything about the sect yet." Zhu Que replied.


    She was enjoying her time with Xue Bai, so spending a little more of their day together didn''t bother her at all.


    Motioning her to follow him, Xue Bai used Yue Zifeng''s Teleportation Array and teleported to the Outer Sect, where the registration hall was.


    It was built there for convenience since more than 90% of the people who join the Soaring Sword Sect start as Outer Disciples. After all, not everyone was like Xue Bai and Ye Rou and could immediately be a Core Disciple and join the Core Region.


    Walking out of the Teleportation Array, Xue Bai and Zhu Que certainly attracted many eyes. After all, they were both extremely good-looking, but after they saw Xue Bai''s Core Disciple uniform, they quickly shifted their visions away.


    In the Soaring Sword Sect, Core, Inner, and Outer Disciples each had their own uniforms, with the Inner Disciples having a light blue robe with the sect''s insignia, while Outer Disciples having a dark blue robe with the same insignia.


    But Core Disciples had a matte ck robe with golden lines throughout. (See Cover)


    This way, no one would ever not recognize the wearer.


    Of course, disciples could also not wear the robes of their sect since they had identification tokens with their identities engraved onto them. However, if someone did this, they would be taking away the main perk of wearing the uniform, the indirect threat.


    The Soaring Sword Sect was known to be very protective of their disciples, so if one died, it would soon turn into a snowball effect of other disciplesing to avenge their deceased friend.


    Xue Bai, of course, knew this and purposely changed into the Core Disciples'' robes before leaving home.


    "Junior Brother, do you know where the Registration Hall is? I need to get an identity for my Junior Sister." Xue Bai asked one of the Outer Disciples guarding the teleportation array.


    The Outer Disciple in question was slightly disgruntled after being called Junior Brother by such a childish voice. However, after he turned around and saw Xue Bai''s robes, his anger went out of the window.


    And after politely giving Xue Bai the directions, he went back to his post. As much as he wanted to be a guide to the two Core Disciples'' beauties, his job was more important.


    "Little Brother, when did I be your Junior Sister?" Zhu Que teased as they walked toward the Registration Hall.


    She had been calling Xue Bai, little brother, ever since they met a few days ago. So his calling her Junior Sister was a big change in their dynamic.


    "Simple ordering. You''ll be Master''sst disciple and, in turn, my Junior Sister," Xue Bai simply replied, ignoring her tant attempt to get a reaction out of him, "Why do you not want to be my Junior Sister?"


    Disappointed she couldn''t further tease him, Zhu Que could only shake her head slightly in regret and continue to follow Xue Bai.


    The process of getting Zhu Que an identification token didn''t take very long, and after listing both her name and position of Core Disciple, the two returned to their peak.


    On the way back to their peak, Zhu Que didn''t talk much and seemingly stayed in her own world, lost in thought, but after they reached their courtyards, she left a message to Xue Bai before scurrying away like a kitten.


    "Thank you, Little Brother. I don''t know how you found me or why you were so good to me, but thank you. Your appearance in my life was perfectly timed."


    And before Xue Bai could respond, she left, leaving him feeling guilty inside. However, he quickly shook that off.


    ''What I did was good for both of us. Now she can grow safely and 10x quicker than if she was still a rogue cultivator and in the Hundred Flowers Sect.'' Xue Bai remembered.


    This world wasn''t a game but real life, and sticking to the ''plot'' and feeling bad for interfering in it was something he needed to remember constantly.


    Xue Bai would eventually return to his courtyard and close up for the day before going to sleep.


    Since he had advanced to the Small Sess stage, Xue Bai was sure that the dreams woulde back, so instead of cultivating, he nned to sleep.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Anything is helpful!


    https://ko-fi/rbi123

 Chapter 139 Power Of The Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, Group Breakthroughs

    ?Power of the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, Group Breakthroughs


    Minor Change, Huo Long, Xue Bai, and Zhu Que aren''t half human, half demonic beasts. They are just humans with demonic beast bloodlines. I have fixed this for Huo Lon and Zhu Que, but I couldn''t exactly find the chapter where I mentioned this for Xue Bai. But still, note that he is not a hybrid, just a human.


    Also, not to confuse, but they do have hybrid forms, which is when they will their bloodline core and gain the powers of the demonic beast bloodline they have.


    If someone can find the chapter where I call Xue Bai a half-human half demonic beast, that would be great. I don''t like having mistakes.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Xue Bai''s guess was right, and after he entered thend of dreams, he soon entered the body of the young Soaring Sword Sect Founder.


    This time he was seeing the middle ages of the founder when his Sword Law was in the Small Sess stages.


    Most Sword Cultivators would only reach the Small Ses stage at the Dharma Idol realm, and since the Soaring Sword Sect Founder started cultivatingte, his being so old yet only at this realm wasn''t very odd.


    In the dream, Xue Bai also indirectly learned that while having a deeperprehension of your own Sword Law would make it increasingly stronger, it would also make it much more costly to summon.


    That was the reason why Yue Zifeng wanted Xue Bai not to focus too much on his Sword Law since, even now, Xue Bai could barely summon his Sword Law at the cost of half of his Spiritual Qi. If Xue Bai reached 30% or even higher, he might not even be able to manifest it.


    Cultivation required a bnce, and not one thing was superior to the other. Xue Bai had aprehension talent that far outmatched his current cultivation base, and at first, he thought that it was a cheat, but now he realized it wasn''t. Without a matching cultivation base, his Sword Law would do more harm than good.


    Seemingly aware of Xue Bai''s current problem, after indirectly instructing him not to focus on his Sword Law anymore, the dream ended, waking Xue Bai up in the middle of the night.


    Indignant but without anywhere to vent his anger, Xue Bai just nned to start cultivating. It was deep into the night, and no one on the peak was outside of their courtyard. Xiao''er and Zhu Que were both most likely cultivating.


    So after kicking off the sheets that covered him, Xue Bai got out of bed and pulled out the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus.


    ''This thing better be as good as it was advertised.'' Xue Bai angrily mumbled as he sat on top of it.


    The other two items he got were heaven-defying yet werepletely unusable to him currently. So all he hoped for was that the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus was at least usable.


    However, before he could grumble anymore, his entire mind went nk. Like a deep cleansing of his entire being, every negative or contradiction in his head vanishedpletely.


    It was like he was rid of all mortal bindings and ascended to a new height of mental rity. Different from when his soul reached the Qi Sea realm level or when he became enlightened after seeing Zhu Que cry, this time, it was different.


    He had been rid of all self-demeaning shackles. His mind had be clear. It only had one goal, and it was to cultivate. No distracting thoughts were in his mind but cultivation.


    The feeling was amazing, but before Xue Bai got drunk on it, he quickly focused his attention and started cultivating.


    Xue Bai also noticed that the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus did, in fact, produce a lot of Spiritual Qi. In fact, it created so much that a fog of Spiritual Qi started to manifest in his bedroom. However, this phenomenon only happened when he sat on the lotus, meaning that before he could refine the treasure as his own, it was touch activated.


    However, he was sadly only in the Bone Strengthening realm, and since this treasure was of such a high grade, unless he used an underhanded tactic or an unorthodox method, it would be impossible to refine it as his own.


    No one could steal it from him anyway, so whether he bound it to himself or not didn''t matter much in his mind.


    The only thing that did, however, was how much Spiritual Qi was produced in his room.


    Not even bothering to use his Martial Veins to slowly absorb the Spiritual Qi in the air, Xue Bai just started taking in huge gulps of air to cultivate.


    This was something anyone could do, but since the Spiritual Qi density in the air was low, the efficiency of this tactic was awful, so no one did. But now, with there being a viscous fog of it in his bedroom, breathing it in manually was many times more efficient than cultivating the normal way.


    But very soon, his expression changed.


    "No, this can''t continue." Xue Bai thought as he jumped off of the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus and also turned off the Spiritual Qi Gathering Array.


    While he was absorbing Spiritual Qi faster than he had ever before, he couldn''t refine it at the same speed. So instead of advancing his cultivation as fast as he thought he would, Xue Bai was merely absorbing more than he needed.


    The Spiritual Qi in the air was different from the ones in natural treasures. In natural treasures, the Spiritual Qi was not only pure, but it was also safe to use immediately. However, with the Spiritual Qi in the air, he needed time to refine the Spiritual Qi he gathered in his Dantian before running it along his skeleton and tempering it.


    Not only that, but the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus was producing more Spiritual Qi than he could even absorb at this unproductive rate, making the Spiritual Qi fog in his room thicker and thicker to the point where Xue Bai felt suffocated.


    "Damn that dragon," Xue Bai cursed, "Everything he gave me had a fine print,"<novelnext></novelnext>


    The body tempering art needed a draconic type natural treasure to even start, the Nine Serenities Jade was stuck in an unusable shape, and now the Soul SUblimation Golden Lotus was too strong for his own good.


    While Xue Bai was still grateful for everything the Azure Dragon God gave him, especially since the god had little to no time to prepare, unlike with Zhu Que''s gifts, it was still extremely inconvenient to have such good items but not to be able to use them to their full potential.


    "I should get Xiao''er and Zhu Que." Xue Bai thought.


    He would most likely suffocate should he continue using the mediation mat alone. This is because there was too much Spiritual Qi being produced inparison to how quickly he was using it.


    However, with three people?


    Finding the idea usible, Xue Bai left his courtyard and brought the two girls over to his own.


    Xiao''er was, of course, extremely confused after seeing another person on their peak, but after Xue Bai told her Zhu Que''s tragic backstory, Xiao''er waspletely fine with her, even going so far as to tearfully hug her saying that she''d take care of Zhu Que.


    Zhu Que could only nod at this. While Xiao''er was Xue Bai''s personal maid, she was also much stronger than her. And being taken care of by someone four realms above her didn''t seem too bad.


    Going into his bedroom, Xue Bai then told his n to the two girls. And since it was only something beneficial to them, they agreed.


    Hopping back onto the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, Xue Bai quickly started cultivating once more.


    The two girls, at first, were confused about what Xue Bai meant when he said there was too much Spiritual Qi for him to use and thought it was an excuse to get them into his bedroom.


    But after seeing a thick fog of Spiritual Qi manifest in front of them, the two put away any skepticism they had and followed suit by cultivating as Xue Bai did.


    And while all three of them couldn''t waste all of the Spiritual Qi produced by the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, their pace matched how much was produced, making the fog stay the exact same density.


    The night passed quickly, but since the trio were cultivating in such a perfect environment, neither of them woke up at the usual sunrise but instead stayed deep in the cultivation state until noon, when their veins became sore.


    However, when they all opened their eyes and looked at each other, they were at a loss for words.


    They had all broken through!


    Xue Bai had the smallest reaction since it had been more than a week since hisst breakthrough, and his entering the 6th stage was close even without the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus. However, to Zhu Que and Xiao''er, it was massive.


    Zhu Que had thergest since she had directly broken through 2 stages, reaching the 3rd stage of the Vein Transformation realm. At the same time, Xiao''er had a simr level of shock since she had also broken through, even though herst breakthrough was only a few days ago.


    "Little Brother!" "Young Master!"


    "No!" Xue Bai quickly cut them off.


    "I don''t want to hear praise about this thing." Xue Bai exined, "Also, don''t tell anyone, not even Master. Just in the night,e over to my courtyard and cultivate like yesterday. This has to be kept a secret."


    The two girls obediently nodded and swore never to tell a soul.


    Xue Bai had two reasons for this. One, the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus was too good a treasure for anyone to find out. And two, having a secret kept between the two of them would allow the two girls to get closer.


    Xiao''er was his future lover, and apparently, he was fated to marry Zhu Que. However, before any fantasies of a harem sprouted in his mind, he needed to at least make sure the two girls liked each other''s presence.


    And while Xue Bai thought he was thinking too far ahead, it didn''t hurt him at the end of the day, so he stuck with it.


    Following his instructions, the two girls bid each other farewell, each going to do their own business. Xiao''er wanted to go back to the Training Pagoda (She liked being in there a lot), and Zhu Que went back to her own courtyard without giving too much information.


    However, Xue Bai knew she was going to start digesting the full inheritance from the Azure Dragon God. Since mutating her bloodline back in the cave, Zhu Que hadn''t had a chance to look at what exactly she was given.


    Now was the perfect time to do that since Zhu Que couldn''t cultivate anymore, and there wasn''t anything else to do.


    Xue Bai didn''t care what they did and merely left them to their own devices. However, he did follow Xiao''er and went to the Training Pagoda.


    While he hadn''t been in the Soaring Sword Sect for long, entering that building once a day was almost a ritual for him at this point, and if he didn''t, he would start feeling rusty.


    So after climbing up to the second floor like usual, Xue Bai turned on the array and readied himself.

 Chapter 140 Two Weeks Go By, Visitors At The Peak

    ?Two Weeks go by, Visitors at the Peak


    Xue Bai''s life for the next two weeks would stay the same. The monotone and simple lifestyle he lived in the Soaring Sword Sect was extremely fulfilling to him. And it also gave him a much better environment to grow than at home.


    His youth was something he would never gain again, so he needed to make every moment worth it. And that he did.


    In the two weeks, Xue Bai managed to break through 2 more stages, reaching the 8th stage of the Bone strengthening realm. But, unfortunately, he had also stoppedprehending his Sword Law, meaning that it stayed at 21%.


    There wasn''t much he could do about it, sadly. It was already too strong for him to use casually and was only fit to be used as a trump card meant to finish a fight quickly rather than in an extended brawl. It took too much Spiritual Qi to use to fit thetter situation.


    As for hisbat strength, it had also improved. Xue Bai, during this week, went from having a 4-stage leapfrog ability to a 5-stage one, making him as strong as someone at the 4th stage of the Organ Tempering realm.


    Xiao''er also broke through. However, since she was in the Organ Tempering realm, her breakthroughs needed more Spiritual Qi, and she couldn''t gather as much as Xue Bai, which led to her only being able to advance 1 stage, reaching the 7th stage of the Organ Tempering realm.


    She was, however, in her own words, ''very close to the 8th stage.'' So Xue Bai guessed she was at the peak of the 7th stage.


    Herbat power had also surprisingly caught up to her cultivation, making her useful for the first time in a long time.


    However, her personality hadn''t changed, and when she first realized this, she spent two days boasting about it at dinner, only stopping when she noticed Xue Bai and Zhu Que grew numb to it.


    But the biggest surprise from the trio was Zhu Que, who advanced a whole 4 stages, reaching the 7th stage of the Vein Transformation realm. She, of course, knew theplete Vein Transformation realm from the Azure Dragon God and nned to cultivate the realm to its truepletion, not the castrated Baishen ne version.


    This, to the outside, was something mind-boggling, but to Xue Bai, it was rather slow. She had a Peak Earth-grade Martial Vein and a bloodline in the Heaven-grade.


    With those two factors, he had thought that two weeks was more than enough for her to at least advance to the Blood Exchange realm.


    He even constantly asked her if she wanted some resources. Zhu Que was a Core Disciple, so she was allocated a monthly allowance of resources. However, she shook her head, saying not they were unneeded.


    And while he wanted to press her in hopes of her changing her mind, Xue Bai didn''t. She had a determined look on her face, and it didn''t look like she was doing it out of pettiness or guilt.


    ''Maybe it''s part of her cultivation technique or something.'' Xue Bai could only guess.


    Some races, like the phoenix race, had cultivation techniques they needed to adhere to even before the Qi Sea realm, so maybe the dragon race wasn''t different.


    Zhu Que had also surprised Xue Bai with her strength because she was just as strong as someone in the middle stages of the Blood Exchange Realm when she went into her hybrid form to fight.


    But since the form made her look too ''ugly,'' she rarely went into it.


    Seeing her strength boost so much in her hybrid form also made Xue Bai curious as to how much his strength would increase in his own hybrid form. But after remembering the seductive aura, his curiosity dimmed.


    How could he use it while fighting another man? Such a situation would make him feel too awkward to continue fighting.


    ''I gotta learn how to suppress that.'' Xue Bai could only note down for the future.


    On a side note, Yue Zifeng hadn''t left his peak much since they returned to the sect, so the trio stayed by themselves on the peak, not even leaving to eat since they could call servants over to cook for them on theirs.


    Ye Rou would join and y with the girls whenever she was bored but other than that, nothing disturbed them.


    Zhu Que and Xiao''er had also gotten much closer during this time, but it was to the point where it was odd. Apparently, sometime when Xue Bai hadn''t paid attention, Xiao''er and Zhu Que had be Sworn Sisters, with Xiao''er being the big sister.


    Xue Bai had no idea how this happened, and the two didn''t bother exining it to him. So he could only wave it off as girl things, which left him even more confused.


    "Young Master, that mat of yours is magical!" Xiao''er yelled as she stretched her slender body.


    Ever since she had started cultivating alongside Xue Bai, her speed was more than double what it was before. And while she couldn''t sleep in it, she also got to share a bedroom with Xue Bai. It was a win-win!


    "Yes, but you have to stop announcing it, Xiao''er. There are ears everywhere." Xue Bai reminded as he stored the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, "Also, quickly go back. What if someone sees you two here."


    Today was the morning of Xue Bai and Ye Rou''s first showcase to the world, and they had just finished their cultivation session.


    So before anyone entered their peak and saw their scandalous setup, Zhu Que and Xiao''er usually ran out of his courtyard.


    Reminded by his words, Xiao''er and Zhu Que quickly snuck out like thieves in the night. However, sadly, they were toote.


    "Bai''er, this is quite the nice thing you have going here. Having two girls apany you in the night and warm your bed. Even some emperors are worse off than you." A sarcastic voice full of love came from above his courtyard.


    Hearing he was caught, Xue Bai froze up, but after registering the voice to its owner, he was more confused than afraid.


    "Mother?" Xue Bai yelled out, stunned.


    In the air, instead of Yue Zifeng as he expected, it was Li Rou.


    "Mistress!" Xiao''er was much simpler and only looked excited to be reunited with the woman who raised her into who she was.


    Smiling happily, Li Rou flew down and rubbed the head of Xiao''er. She always did like the little maid. If not, how could she be the personal maid of Xue Bai?<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Mother, why are you here?" Xue Bai asked as he ran up to his mother.


    "Your Sect Leader invited your father and me to your announcement ceremony." Li Rou answered as she finally started looking at Zhu Que.


    Since the girl could stay in Xue Bai''s bedroom during the night, she was obviously rather important to Xue Bai.


    ''Good looks, good temperament, but her cultivation..'' Li Rou was at first proud of her son''s selection skills, but when she noticed that Zhu Que was only in the Vein Transformation realm, her brows furrowed.


    "Bai''er this is?" Li Rou asked as she looked over to her son for more information.


    Though Zhu Que looked nice, Xue Bai could also get beautiful women with just amand, so it was obvious he didn''t take her in just because of that. So there had to be another reason.


    "Mother, this is Sister Zhu. She is someone that I found out during an excursion." Xue Bai briefly exined, "Don''t focus too much on her cultivation. She is just as talented as me."


    ''Which you, the public you, or the real you?'' Li Rou asked in a voice transmission.


    Xue Bai raised a two behind his back, signifying his answer. Li Rou was in the Xiantian Great Realm and could obviously see what Xue Bai was doing. His tiny body couldn''t stop her bird''s eyes view Spiritual Sense.


    Getting the answer she wanted, Li Rou''s expression changed from a calctive one to a broad smile.


    "Little girl, you can call me Auntie!" Li Rou dotingly spoke as she went over to examine Zhu Que closer.


    Stunned by the sudden change, Zhu Que was confused and looked over at Xue Bai for help, but after seeing him nod, she could only say what Li Rou said.


    "Auntie." Zhu Que shyly spoke.


    "Good! Since you look at me as such, I''ll give you a greeting gift." Li Rou happily spoke as she pulled out a spatial ring, "This is a Middle Yellow-grade spatial ring. Inside are also enough pills and treasures to raise you to the Organ Tempering realm. Though I might not look like it, I am a Peak Yellow-grade Alchemist. So my products are at the top of this continent''s standards."


    After getting such an extravagant gift for nothing from a woman she had just met, Zhu Que''s personality made her instantly want to deny it, but after seeing Li Rou''s stern face, she could only take it.


    "Thank you, Auntie!" Zhu Que spoke as she put the spatial ring onto her right hand.


    "It''s fine. You called me Auntie. I should naturally give you something as a greeting gift." Li Rou waved it off as she patted Zhu Que on the head.


    "Mother, is Father here as well?" Xue Bai asked as their conversation ended.


    "Husband? Yes, he''s speaking with your Sect Leader right now. I just didn''t want to intrude on their barbaric discussion about swords, so I came to find you two." Li Rou answered.


    "But never mind those brutes. How is your cultivation, Bai''er? After bing the personal disciple of one of the strongest people on our continent, surely you must''ve advanced leaps and bounds." Li Rou asked.


    Though Li Rou could sense his cultivation right now should she wish to, she didn''t and instead wanted to hear Xue Bai''s story. It would waste time, and she liked hearing stories from her son, so it was a good n either way.


    After asking, Li Rou also gently floated her way over to a pavilion that sat in the middle of the manmade pond in his courtyard. She also flew the three children toward her to sit with her.


    It was big enough to seat more than five guests easily, so the group of 4 wasfortable with sitting at it.


    After taking a seat, Xue Bai told his mother about what he had done so far at the sect, from his cultivation progress to hisbat power boost.


    But what he didn''t notice when he talked about his Small Sess stage Sword Law Li Rou''s face cringed for a fraction of a second before returning to normal.


    "That''s great, Bai''er! But what about Xiao''er? I see she looks a lot different now. It''s almost like she''s a sword maiden now." Li Rou asked as she pinched the cheeks of Xiao''er, who wasn''t paying attention.


    Though Xiao''er hadn''t much of a change in personality or temperament, there were other minor changes in her that Li Rou noticed. For example, she now walked steadily and firmly like a true cultivator and not a normal girl, and her eyes were much more focused, albeit there were only more focused when she wanted them to be.


    Overall the change was noticeable, and Li Rou got curious. Xiao''er never tried to fight, and even just the thought of it before made her cringe. But only after a month in the Soaring Sword Sect, she changed?


    To this question, XIao''er stopped Xue Bai and answered herself.


    "The Sect Leader also epted me as a disciple. And I, as one of Master''s disciples, can''t be such a greenhouse flower." Xiao''er exined.


    Nodding at the answer, Li Rou felt that the maid had grown a lot since she joined the sect, more mentally than physically, however.


    The trio would continue speaking about their lives since their separation, with Zhu Que sitting on the side, nodding and mentally taking notes from time to time.


    They continued talking until suddenly, Xue Bai felt a buzzing from the identification token that he kept strapped onto his waist.


    ''Bai''er,e over to my peak. Your announcement ceremony is about to start. You can take the teleportation array with your father and me.'' Yue Zifeng''s voice came from the token.


    The other three also heard the voice and stood up, ready to leave.


    Xue Bai, Xiao''er, and Zhu Que already had their Core Disciples robes on, while Li Rou was only a guest, so she had already arrived in fashionable clothing.

 Chapter 141 An Unexpected Participant

    ?An Unexpected Participant


    Hearing the message, Li Rou didn''t n on wasting time, and since the children were already dressed, she simply lifted them up with her Spiritual Qi and flew them alongside her, going toward Yue Zifeng''s peak.


    And with her Spirit Awakening realm cultivation, Li Rou wasn''t slow by any means and turned the originally hour-long walk into a short 5-minute flight. Of course, she could''ve gone much faster, but since she had to make sure none of the children got hurt from the speed, Li Rou could only go that fast.


    Landing at the peak, the group saw both Xue Feng and Yue Zifeng standing next to each other,ughing and patting each other''s backs as old friends would.


    Ye Rou was also there, but since she couldn''t really join the conversation between the two men, she only stood behind them obediently without saying anything. Her eyes did brighten, though, when she saw Xue Bai and the rest arrive.


    "Bai''er, you''re here. Good, we can leave now." Yue Zifeng noticed the group''s arrival and led them toward the teleportation array.


    "Master, where is the ceremony going to be held? It can''t be in the main hall. I heard there is going to be a tournament for potential disciples." Xue Bai asked as theynded.


    "Where did you hear that from?" Yue Zifeng questioned, "But yes, that''s right. There will be a tournament. So we will be holding it in the city square of Soaring Sword City, where the entrance exam was held. Elder Zhuo had personally renovated the area for this."


    Xue Bai nodded at this and didn''t ask any more questions, making the group descend into a calm silence as they walked toward the teleportation array.


    Though they were all cultivators who could cross several meters with one casual step, no one was in a rush and instead walked normally like mortals, taking their time.


    Ye Rou also took the moment of silence, ran over to her fellow disciples, and started talking to them.


    Since she was in the Qi Sea realm above them all, she had obviously noticed the group''s crazy advancement speed and wanted to know how they cultivated so fast.


    However, none of the three answered her, angering her to no end.


    "I am your Senior Sister!" Ye Rou grunted.


    But the three were merciless and ignored her qualms.


    After a quick walk, the group eventually reached the teleportation array. There, Yue Zifeng chose the destination of Soaring Sword City, and soon, the group vanished from their original position.


    Arriving in Soaring Sword City, a thought suddenly came to Xue Bai.


    "Master, wouldn''t it have been better for our image if you flew us here on your flying sword and not us walking from the teleportation hall?" Xue Bai asked.


    Yue Zifeng was stunned in ce, and the smile on his face froze. He hadn''t thought of that. However, since he couldn''t reveal the mistake to his disciples, he quicklyposed himself.


    "Bai''er, we are already the strongest sect on the continent, and any more showy acts would only make us look vain. We also are Sword Cultivators. So these fancy showy worldly things are beneath us. Don''t you forget!" Yue Zifeng seriously spoke as he seriously believed his own words.


    However, his efforts were in vain, as Xue Bai had seen the stop and facial expression change. But since his Master had tried so hard to cover it up, Xue Bai didn''t expose the man and nodded solemnly as if he mentally engraved the words in his mind.


    Since the teleportation hall was extremely close to the city square, the group didn''t have to walk far. And after a quick 10-minute walk, they arrived.


    Like during the final trial in the entrance exam, the city square was cleared out of any structures and had a stage at its front with a dozen seats. The stage this time was however raised a few meters into the air to give a certain ambiance to the noble people who were allowed to sit on it.


    But unlike the final trial, where the center of the square was empty, now there were tenrge battle areas ready for the uing tournament.


    As they entered, Li Rou and Xue Feng also left, leaving to sit at the Great Xuan Empire''s section. After all, they were the newest Xiantian Great Realm experts of the empire, making them much more important than they were before.


    They had thought about concealing their breakthrough to lure the Wang n into a sense of security while further reducing the number of their members. Sadly Imperial Advisor Lu had seen Xue Feng during his excursion and also his new cultivation base.


    He had also made a huge deal out of it, giving the couple a new honorary title of Grand Duke and Duchess tomemorate it.


    And while the title did exist and wasn''t something he had randomly created to bind the couple to the empire.


    However, the title was usually only used for Imperial Family members who were out of the throne inheritance line yet too strong to be killed off but their contender siblings.


    For the title to be given to Xue Feng and Li Rou was certainly a shock to the empire, but after the couple exposed their cultivation bases, no one had anyints, of course, besides the Wang n. But they weren''t here.


    So after Li Rou and Xue Feng took their seats behind Duan Zhen and Imperial Advisor Lu, Yue Zifeng also made his way toward the guest of honor seat.


    The ceremony was quick, with Yue Zifeng only publicly announcing he had taken on two more disciples while showing off Xue Bai and Ye Rou to the crowd. He, however, hadn''t exposed Xue Bai''s cultivation. Ye Rou''s he did, though.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Other than that, nothing of importance happened, which soon led to the main event.


    "Sect Leader Zi, Dean Guo, Emperor Duan, this seat has talked long enough. Which of you would like to take the honors and start the tournament." Yue Zifeng spoke as he returned to his seat.


    Sect Leader Zi didn''t even bother to look at Yue Zifeng and turned her head away in protest, while Duan Zhen felt out of ce because of his weakness.


    He was the only head in the Spirit Awakening realm, which made him a lot less powerful in the eyes of the many people in attendance.


    However, what could he do? He was more than 50 years younger than the other three and had much less time to cultivate. Duan Zhen knew he wasn''t any worse than them but just needed more time to lessen the strength gap.


    "Then this Seat will take the honors." Dean Guo spoke in his rough voice as he stood up.


    Duan Zhen was too weak, while Sect Leader Zi was still acting petty toward Yue Zifeng, making him the only option.


    "Since I''m a man for no pleasantries, I''ll make it quick," Dean Guo spoke loudly, projecting his voice throughout the city square, "The rules for the first round are simple. 10,000 of you are here, and there are 10 arenas. Elder Zhuo from the Soaring Sword Sect will divide you all into ten groups, and thest 100 people in each field will move on to the next round."


    Sitting back down, Dean Guo let the Elders in the square deal with the chaos themselves.


    "Sect Leader Yue, I see the cultivation bases of your disciples are advancing at heaven-defying speeds. Is there something you taught them that let them advance so fast?" Dean Guo asked as he noticed Xue Bai''s cultivation.


    From what his intelligence reports said, Xue Bai was only at the 2nd stage of the Bone Strengthening realm when he first joined the sect. So seeing him at the 8th stage of the realm not even two monthster, he was definitely curious.


    "Haha! I haven''t taught Bai''er anything yet. His cultivation speed is due to his diligence and talent." Yue Zifengughed, ignoring the loaded question.


    "What about you? I heard that you also recruited one of this generation''s greatest talents sometime ago," Yue Zifeng suddenly remembered, "What was his name? Huo Long! Yes, Huo Long, where is he? Surely he deserves to be your disciple. While it''s worse than Bai''er, a fire element Low ck-grade Martial Vein is something thates only once a generation on this continent."


    "Sect Leader Yue while I know you sword cultivators are recluses and ignore worldly matters, surely you know what happened to Huo Long, right?" Dean Guo angrily replied as he squeezed the armrest of the chair.


    Dean Guo was a rash man who was quick to violence, so the fact that he was holding back his anger right now was quite surprising to those around him.


    Yue Zifeng as well, so after seeing that, he stopped. Angering the man further would only cause a fight. He only wanted to send a shot back at Dean Guo, not turn this tournament into a bloodbath.


    However, he didn''t apologize and merely stopped talking about the subject, dropping it altogether.


    "Sect Leader Yue, I heard that your disciple is also extremely close to this Huo Long. Apparently, they were even brothers for a while, but yet one became a dragon and the other a loach. Doesn''t that portray an image?" Sect Leader Zi, in the back, spoke up, sending another jab at Yue Zifeng.


    Yue Zifeng, obviously not knowing such a detail, looked at Xue Bai for confirmation.


    "Master, I did send Brother Long many things in hopes of him healing his Martial Veins, but he sent them all back. He was a man with a spine, and his ident didn''t change anything." Xue Bai replied.


    "Tsk! Flowery words for a swordsman." Sect Leader Zi mumbled. However, she didn''t say anything else. From the information her sect had gathered, she also knew that Huo Long was a prideful man and the excuse that Xue Bai spoke of was reasonable.


    Following the many indirect jabs at each other, the heads eventually became silent and watched the many fights down below with interest.


    In order to join the tournament down below, there weren''t many requirements other than one had to be younger than 25 and below the Qi Sea realm to participate. So while the fights were almost like children fighting to the Xiantian Great Realm experts on the stage, watching the fights early would allow them to pick out high-value disciples early on.


    "Hm?" Dean Guo suddenly raised an eyebrow.


    "What''s wrong, Dean Guo?" Yue Zifeng asked, hearing the sudden confusion-filled voice.


    "Look at the 10th arena. That figure with the ck cloak. I can''t see through it. Hell, I can''t even sense the person''s gender." Dean Guo spoke as he focused his eyes on the figure fighting.


    Curious, Yue Zifeng, Sect Leader Zi, and Duan Zhen all looked over to see the figure. And true to the burly man''s words, none of them could detect what person was under the cloak. The only thing they could detect was that the figure had a half-step Qi Sea realm cultivation base.


    ''He''s here?'' Xue Bai was stunned.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Anything is helpful!


    https://ko-fi/rbi123

 Chapter 142 Xue Bai’s Butterfly Effect

    ?Xue Bai''s Butterfly Effect


    While all of the heads were confused about who the figure in the cloak was, how could Xue Bai not know who it was?


    But From what Xue Bai knew, Huo Long had never participated in thispetition. This was Zhu Que''s first stepping stone to fame, not Huo Long''s. His first stepping stone to fame came the next week when he finally revealed his Qi Sea realm cultivation base at home and saved Huo Siyan from a kidnapping.


    ''This should be my butterfly effect, I guess.'' Xue Bai could only assume.


    Maybe there was arger hand at y, manipting things from behind the scene, but since this didn''t change any of his future ns, he didn''t care. It was only a surprise to him, nothing more.


    "Second Senior Sister, do you want to make a bet?" Xue Bai suddenly asked as he turned to Ye Rou.


    "Junior Brother, there are too many people still here." Ye Rou wasn''t dumb and knew where Xue Bai was going, "Wait until the Battle Royale phase is over, then we can add some stakes."


    "No need. I already know who''s going to win." Xue Bai spoke confidently, "You don''t even have to guess someone. If the person I chose losses, I''ll give you my resources for half a year."


    Stunned, Ye Rou surprisingly spoke, "You... What are you getting at? Why are you so confident?"


    "Doesn''t matter. Do you dare to take the bet or not?" Xue Bai didn''t bother exining.


    This was a chance to knock Ye Rou down a peg. Why shouldn''t he take it?


    "I''m no coward! Yes, I dare take it," Ye Rou was very easily manipted, "Which grand fighter does my Junior Brother choose?"


    "The cloaked figure in the 10th arena. He''ll win everything." Xue Bai pointed at the cloaked Huo Long.


    "Hmm." Ye Rou started looking at the protagonist.


    Huo Long wasn''t using any of his signature moves, like the Nirvanic mes, the Huo n Martial Techniques, or even a spear, but instead only relying on his strong physical body that he gained from the Phoenix Race''s cultivation technique.


    And it was working very well. No youth could take more than three blows from him before beingunched back, coughing up blood.


    He could''ve, of course, done more damage to them and possibly even crippled them, but Huo Long was good-hearted in the sense that he wouldn''t hurt innocents more than necessary.


    So after sting them off stage, Huo Long would stop attacking them.


    This method, while nice and brought some thanks to him from his fellow kind-hearted people, some sinister people who didn''t know how to be grateful started to plot against him.


    "Junior Brother, the grand fighter you choose seems to be a very strong man, but doesn''t he know that some people don''t deserve kindness?" Ye Rou spoke as she continued looking at Huo Long, who was now fighting over a dozen people.


    He had knocked out the Young Master of an influential n and was fighting theckeys of the man who were still in y.


    "Second Senior Sister, how many ants does it take to stop an elephant?" Xue Bai asked, not even bothering to look at Huo Long. Currently, he was lying in thep of Xiao''er, being fed grapes. He had no care for anything other than the nice sensation of his maid''s thighs.


    "How the hell should I know?" Ye Rou grunted, "I don''t know, maybe a few billion?"


    "Then how can only the few ''ants'' in front of the ''elephant'' I chose, threaten him?" Xue Bai didn''t need to look up to know what Ye Rou meant.


    Most likely, he was being ganged up on by a rich second-generation youth who was buying cannon fodder to fight against Huo Long. Which, while not correct, wasn''t very off from the truth.


    Ye Rou, hearing how confident Xue Bai was, stayed silent but instead waited for Xue Bai to p himself in the face with his bold im. Huo Long was fighting five people with simr half-step Qi Sea realm cultivation bases and another ten youths with various Organ Tempering realm cultivation bases.


    Even she would struggle in such a situation, let alone this random rogue cultivator.


    A few meters away, Duan Zhen soon noticed Xue Bai''s odd posture and grew an odd expression.


    "Sect Leader Yue, this disciple of yours? Isn''t he too idle? This is  a tournament, not the red light district." Duan Zhen asked.


    He was slightly discontent with Xue Bai''s choice to join the Soaring Sword Sect. After all, his parents were the Grand Duke and Duchess of his empire, yet he had changed furs joining the Soaring Sword Sect.


    And while he respected Xue Bai''s choice of wanting to move to the Central Continent, having such an overwhelming prodigy leave his faction for a rival''s never felt good for any leader, especially an emperor like him who was used toplete control.


    "Bai''er has always been a diligent child. So I told him to take this chance to get some well-needed rest. One couldn''t just cultivate. They need to rest as well." Yue Zifeng indirectly bragged.


    Duan Zhen lost the will to continue the conversation. This shameless fellow, instead of telling his disciple to stop, took the chance to brag about his talent instead.


    After the small conversation, no one on the stage spoke anymore, and they watched the battle royale in silence.


    Huo Long continued his uphill battle, not showing anything that could link his current appearance to himself. However, while it was hard, he eventually managed tost long enough to be dered a winner in his arena.


    "Junior Brother, I have to admit, you have some good discerning eyes. This grand fighter of yours is a good seed." Ye Rou spoke with a wide open mouth.


    Though Huo Long hadn''t beaten his opponents, he had managed to knock off almost half of them andst long enough to advance to the next stage.


    Xue Bai nodded in response.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Seeing that the first phase had ended, Dean Guo once again stood up.


    "Youngsters who have served the first phase, this Seat will exin the second phase. For the 1 thousand remaining participants, the next stage is going to be," Pausing for dramatic effect, Dean Guo put on a wide sinister grin, "Another battle royale!"


    "Elder Zhuo will make the groups once again, so once your number is called, go to the respective arena. And this time as well, the participants in each arena will be cut down by 90%, so that means that there will only be ten winners per arena!" Dean Guo sat down after finishing his words.


    However, as he did, the group rightfully erupted into protest. They had just fought on an extremely exhausting battle royale, and now without rest, they had to fight another one?


    Anyone would be bad, and very quickly, everyone who was still tired started yelling for a change of rules.


    "My rules will not change. However, now there is a time limit. Anyone who doesn''t go to their arena within 2 minutes will be disqualified." Dean Guo didn''t care.


    If they felt bad and aggrieved, so what? He made his rules, and since they were weaker, they could only obediently follow them.


    Dean Guo''s threat worked, and almost instantly, except for a few extremely tired people, everyone ran to the respective arenas, prepared for the next phase.


    "Oh?" Ye Rou''s eyebrows kicked up, "Junior Brother, it seems that your grand fighter is out of luck. All of the people who ganged up on himst time are in his arena!"


    Content that she would win the bet, Ye Rou turned her head to see if she could spot a face of regret on Xue Bai, but as she turned around, her face turned dark.


    Xue Bai had fallen asleep!


    In thep of Xiao''er, he had closed his eyes contentedly while she brushed her fingers through his hair, lulling him to sleep.


    "Sister Xiao''er! You''re being too nice to him. This is his first public appearance, not a nap time." Ye Rou angrily spoke.


    "Young Master is tired." Xiao''er shook her head, "And since he likes myp, he can rest on it."


    In her mind, since Xue Bai was tired, he should sleep. As for the opinions of others? Why should she care? Only Xue Bai and a few select people were in her mind, and even then, he was number 1.


    "You!" Ye Rou turned red, but since Xiao''er looked so genuine, she gave up.


    In reality, she was just jealous of how kind Xiao''er was and how uncaring Xue Bai was. He did look so peaceful right now.


    So before she jumped onto thep of Xiao''er as well, she turned her head, seemingly nning to ignore the two.


    ''Let''s see how strong this cloaked figure is!'' Ye Rou ced all of her discontents onto Huo Long.


    If he lost, she would wake up Xue Bai rudely without care for her image.


    ¨C


    "Long''er, someone is looking at you with malicious intent up there." Feng Huang weakly said.


    Ever since she had initially fallen into a deepa, Huo Long had not let her down. Afterpletely refining the Fire Origin Fruit, he had sessfullypleted all nine nirvana, fully transforming his physical body into that of a phoenix.


    And while he still was human, it didn''t make him any worse than of the top geniuses of the Phoenix race in the Immortal World. If anything, it made him better because, as a human, Huo Long had a closer affinity with the Laws of the heaven and earth, which was the biggest obstacle of the demonic beasts.


    Though they were innately strong and had much longer lifespans than humans, they also cultivated slower and had a much harder time understanding the Laws of the heaven and earth, which evened out the ying field.


    But now Huo Long had both the advantages of the Human Race and the demonic beasts, making him a top genius anywhere!


    And now such a prodigy was her disciple!


    Following his metamorphosis, Huo Long scoured the Southern Continent for natural treasures and managed to awaken Feng Huang a month and a halfter.


    However, because of this, his cultivation stalled, and he stayed at the half-step Qi Sea realm.


    Thankfully this was a blessing in disguise since if he had rashly advanced, he would''ve missed this perfect opportunity to rejoin Wushen Academy!


    Now in round two, Huo Long was feeling veryx. No one here could contest him. He had barely even shown 30 percent of his full strength so far.


    But now, waiting for the second phase to start, Feng Huang spoke up, warning him.


    ''Can you tell which one, Master?'' Huo Long responded somewhat angrily.


    He knew that everyone on the stage was a pride of the Southern Continent, so if one wanted him dead, that meant that Feng Huang would have to lose at least ayer of skin to protect him once more.


    But Huo Long had just, through great effort, brought her back. How could he lose her again?


    "Don''t be so quick to anger. The malicious intent isn''t one of killing, but instead, schadenfreude?" Feng Huang spoke oddly.

 Chapter 143 Final Phase

    ?Final Phase


    ''Someone wants to see me fail?'' Huo Long didn''t expect such a curveball.


    "I can only guess, Long''er. I can''t hear the voices up there, so this is my best guess from the emotions I sense." Feng Huang right now couldn''t even leave the ring, so unless it was a life-or-death situation, she didn''t n on using any energy, which also meant that she couldn''t get all of the information from up on the stage.


    ''It doesn''t matter, Master. Since someone wants to see me fail, then all I have to do is p them in the face, right?'' After hearing that no one wanted to hurt him, Huo Long was at ease.


    After his metamorphosis, barely anything under the Dharma Idol realm could threaten him, so how could he fail being surrounded by greenhouse youngsters who didn''t even reach the Qi Sea realm?


    "Long''er, just make sure not to release the Nirvanic mes. That woman on the stage has a weapon with an item spirit of a Luan. If you release them, that bird will notice." Feng Huang warned.


    ''Don''t worry, Master. These kids can''t even make me pull out my spear, let alone the Nirvanic mes.'' Huo Long answered confidently.


    "Start!" Elder Zhuo suddenly shouted, bringing him out of his thoughts.


    ¡ª


    "Master, Junior Brother seems to be deep in sleep. Are you going to do something?" Ye Rou spoke to Yue Zifeng.


    Xue Bai had gotten more and more brazen in his sleep, even going as far as to rest his legs on another chair.


    "Bai''er has earned it. He''s already almost at the peak of the Bone Strengthening realm at his young age. So a little rest is needed." Yue Zifeng spoke dotingly, "Besides, this tournament is only for me and the other heads to recruit some hidden gems. So you two don''t have to bother so much about it."


    Seeing that even her Master didn''t care about Xue Bai''sziness, Ye Rou gave up and decided to join him.


    She was tired too.


    Shaking his head, Yue Zifeng looked away from his disciples and back to the arena.


    "Dean Guo, that ck-cloaked youth is certainly something. Even in the face of 4 half-step Qi Sea realm cultivators, he isn''t backing down one foot." Yue Zifeng praised.


    "Indeed." Dean Guo said a rare word of praise, "And he''s only using his physical body. It seems he is a rare Body Cultivator."


    Turning around to face the other heads, Dean Guo continued, "This disciple is mine. His cultivation path fits my Wushen Academy the best."


    While Wushen Academy was a ce that was all-inclusive because many youngsters often took Dean Guo as their idol, they had a huge poption of Body Cultivators. So seeing Huo Long fight against four people with the same cultivation evenly, he naturally wanted such a talented youth.


    Yue Zifeng and Sect Leader Zi didn''t argue. Huo Long did look talented, but it wasn''t enough to cause an argument between them. Yue Zifeng already had three gems, while the Hundred Flowers Sect only epted women.


    However, Duan Zhen didn''t agree and wanted to fight for Huo Long.


    The Great Xuan Empire of the four great powers was the strongest. However, to keep that up, they also needed good talents. And it was a known fact that Body Cultivators often had a much higher vitality than normal Qi Cultivators.


    So he could get Huo Long to marry into his family and sire a few talented babies, the value would be immense.


    But Duan Zhen didn''t argue openly and nned to wait until the end.


    Huo Long didn''t disappoint the heads and very quickly disposed of his four attackers in order to im a spot in the 3rd phase of the tournament.


    And this time, Dean Guo was kind and allowed everyone an hour-long rest before moving on.


    "Young Master, Master wants you to make a speech. Wake up." Xiao''er spoke softly as she gently woke him up.


    Even though he had his eyes closed and stayed motionless, Xue Bai wasn''t asleep, but he wasn''t too far from it.


    So after hearing the words of Xiao''er, he, albeit reluctantly, replied.


    "A speech? Why?" Xue Bai asked without opening his eyes.


    "Master said that since you''re destined to be the leader of this generation, you should take this chance to talk to your fellow peers," Xiao''er replied, mimicking what Yue Zifeng said.


    Nodding, Xue Bai got up from thep of Xiao''er and walked over to the front of the stage.


    Xue Bai sat at the back of the stage behind all of the powerhouses that Yue Zifeng, Duan Zhen, and the other two heads brought, so after he first appeared, he hadn''t shown himself at all, meaning that his previous ''nap'' hadn''t been seen by the crowd. So after he stood up and walked to the front,


    Sadly since he wasn''t very well-versed in speeches, he could only give an extremely half-assed one that gave him a magnanimous appearance. Giving motivation to them all and telling them whether they won or lost, they were all someone who could keep their head up in the Southern Continent.


    He also gave Huo Long a deep, meaningful look while changing his eye color to his hybrid form''s starry look. Whether or not the protagonist knew what he meant, he didn''t care. Feng Huang would.


    ==


    "Long''er, you said that boy is your Brother, right?" Feng Huang spoke, her voice shaky.


    "Yes, but our rtionship is a lot simpler than you think." Huo Long answered, not hearing Feng Huang''s tone, "Around seven years ago, he visited my n and saw potential in me and invested in us. After that, he kept calling me Brother, so I felt obligated to do the same. Other than that, however, we don''t have much of a rtionship."


    "Then no, never mind." Feng Huang didn''t continue asking after hearing that. But inside, she was stunned.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''There is no mistaking it. That''s Second Senior Brothers Bloodline!'' Feng Huang was both confused and overjoyed seeing Xue Bai''s bloodline.


    Ever since she had fallen and had her sect copse Feng Huang had always been thinking of her 2 Senior Brothers. And since her first Senior Brother had disappeared before her death, she had been thinking of her Second Senior Brother.


    However, now seeing the famous and signature bloodline of her Senior Brother on Xue Bai, Feng Huang was happy to see his lineage continue.


    But also confused about how Xue Bai ended up in a mortal ne and, even more coincidentally, the mortal ne she fell into.


    "Long''er get close to that boy. He''s going to be something special." Feng Huang suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.


    ''Even more than me Master? You said that I''m a ''Child of the ne.'' Isn''t that something amazing?'' Huo Long asked curiously.


    "I can''t tell this early on which of you two will be stronger in the future, but my instincts are never wrong. So be closer to that boy, but if you truly can''t, then don''t be his enemy. And while I don''t think you''d lose to him, having one less strong enemy is always good." Feng Huang said.


    Though Feng Huang was unconscious during the lightning shower, she knew that Huo Long was a ''Child of the ne'' because of the Fate Lines that gathered around him.


    Fate Lines were like Spiritual Qi Veins in the ground that produced Spiritual Qi for the world. However, instead of their Spiritual Qi counterpart, Fate Lines instead produced Karmic Luck and ensured that the Baishen continued prospering.


    But unlike Spiritual Qi Veins, Fate Lines, instead of staying in the ground and only supporting that area, flowed all through the Baishen ne like clouds, gathering toward experts and talented youths.


    Usually, talented youths would have a few dozen Fate Lines around them, while top geniuses would have a few hundred with upward of a thousand. However, Feng Huang could see that Huo Long was the favored of these Fate Lines, with tens of thousands around him constantly supplying him with Karmic Luck.


    If he wasn''t a ''Child of the ne,'' then who could be?


    It went without saying that only God Great Realm cultivators could see these Fate Lines. So other than Feng Huang, no one could see them.


    ''But this Xue Bai doesn''t seem to have any Fate Lines around him? That usually means that such a person is about to die. However, this is a descendant of my Second Senior Brother. How could he not have a life-saving measure? And if something can destroy that and kill Xue Bai, surely it would kill everything else around him, and not only the boy?'' Feng Huang couldn''t wrap her head around the anomaly known as Xue Bai, so she stopped


    ''As long as he doesn''t hurt Long''er, nothing matters.''


    Back on the stage, Xue Bai sat back down, once again taking his seat on thep of Xiao''er.


    "Junior Brother, you aren''t the best at speeches, aren''t you?" Ye Rouughed as Xue Bai sat back down.


    "I''ve never had to," Xue Bai responded with a shrug, "I''m the son of a Duke. When would I have to write and present a speech?"


    Ye Rou only put on a smug smile. It seemed that her all-talented Junior Brother had some bad sides.


    "Why are you so happy? The fighter I chose is still in the tournament and is one of the favorites to win at that. Do you like losing money?" Xue Bai angrily said after seeing her expression.


    "Master would never let me go without resources anyways?" Ye Rou stuck her tongue out and responded.


    Xue Bai had no more words to speak after hearing that. She was right.


    After the hour ended, Dean Guo, once again getting his queue to speak, stood up.


    "Thest remaining 100 participants for all of you to get this far means that you are all geniuses and treasures of our Southern Continent. And each of you can join one of the four great powers, without question, once this is over." Dean Guo announced, bringing cheers to the crowd.


    "But I know that some of you aren''t content at joining a force at the bottom. So that''s where the final phasees in," Dean Guo continued, "This final phase is something special."


    "There are ten tforms, and there will only be ten winners in this phase. So in order to win, you have to stand in the arena and win five matches. The winners will not only get the promised rewards, but they will also be eligible for an Inner Disciple spot!"


    Dean Guo would go on to describe what the top 10 would win, which was rather valuable. Three pill bottles of various High Yellow-grade medicinal pills, a High Yellow-grade weapon of their choice, and most important of all, a High Yellow-grade Cultivation Technique!


    At first, many of the people in attendance didn''t think the rewards would be good since almost everyone in attendance was either a rogue cultivator with almost no background or a greenhouse Young Master.


    However, after they heard that a High Yellow-grade cultivation technique would be handed out to the top 10, everyone in the crowd was excited, even the second-generation Young Masters.


    Seeing their excitement, Dean Guo''s face grew a smile, and he waved his hand for thest time.


    "Elder Zhuo, you may have the honors," Dean simply spoke, sitting back down.


    Nodding, Elder Zhuo quickly formed over a dozen hand seals before pping his hands onto the ground.


    "RISE!"


    Following his shout, the ten arenas, which were oncerge enough tofortably hold more than 1000 people, morphed. They all decreased in size to the point where they were almost 10 meters by 10 meters which were fitting for battles on the Qi Sea realm intensity.


    After that, the arenas were also raised into the air by 5 meters.


    "Participants who are brave enough to start, choose a stage for your battles." Elder Zhuo calmly spoke before returning to his refereeing stand.


    Every Core Elder in the Soaring Sword Sect besides Elder Yang had an elemental affinity, and Elder Zhuo''s was the earth element. And while it didn''t harmonize well with his Sword Cultivator upation, it did, however, make him the perfect construction worker, and coupled with his polite and gentle character Elder Zhuo eventually got the unofficial title of the Soaring Sword Sect''s ''Housekeeper.''


    And while it was an odd title, he wore it with pride.

 Chapter 144 Xia Chen

    ?Xia Chen


    Small mistake the tournament requirements should''ve been 25 and younger not 20


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    "Junior Brother, can you tell me why you chose the ck-cloaked person?" Ye Rou asked as she saw Huo Long jump onto the 1st arena, "Though he has a high cultivation base, there are many others with the same half-step Qi Sea realm cultivation base. It can''t be because of his mysterious cloak, right?"


    "That''s exactly why!" Xue Bai lied, "A mysterious genius with a treasure that could block the Spiritual Sense of Master? Isn''t that just the temte of a dark horse?"


    Ye Rou was stunned. Indeed it was extremely reasonable for Xue Bai to guess Huo Long. If anything, the fact that she bet against him was more unreasonable.


    Not knowing how to continue the conversation she started, Ye Rou stayed silent and decided to pay attention to the intense fights down below.


    Due to the many Young Masters Huo Long had offended, almost right after hended in an arena, he had a challenger.


    However, like with almost every other battle, Huo Long managed to blow his opponent off the arena in 3 blows.


    The next three fights also weren''t much different, with each only gaining one extra hit before being knocked off. And while it was a better performance, it had to be noticed that none of the three had actuallynded a hit on Huo Long. The only reason theysted so long was that their physical defense was stronger than their otherpetitors.


    Other than that, all of Huo Long''s fights were one-sided. Until the final fight, at least.


    As Huo Long sat on the stage waiting for his final opponent, bored, eventually, an extremely handsome white-robed young man jumped up onto the stage.


    "Junior Brother, your dark horse might be in trouble now." Ye Rou suddenly stood up, "That young man in white is a famous wandering swordsman. Apparently, his vige was wiped out by a bandit group, but he was lucky enough to survive and be taken as an apprentice by a famous recluse Domain Lord. After that, he ascended to the heavens in one step, bing a half-step Qi Sea realm cultivator in less than ten years."


    "Huh?" Xue Bai replied. He wasn''t paying attention. At first, he was interested, but since Ye Rou spoke way too fast in the middle of her story, her words started synching together, and he lost attention.


    "Simplify it, Second Senior Sister. You speak too quickly to tell such a long story." Xue Bai replied, seeing that Ye Rou was about to explode.


    "That young man in white is a famous rogue cultivator! Your dark horse is in trouble!" Ye Rou angrily answered.


    "Oh? Is his name Xia Chen?" Xue Bai''s attention was raised after hearing that Huo Long''s final opponent was a white-robed Sword Cultivator.


    "How should I know?" Ye Rou answered, "I only just heard his story from one of the contestants. But they didn''t say his name."


    Finding his Second Senior Sister useless, Xue Bai took matters into his own hand, stood up from hisfortable seat, and looked at Huo Long''s final opponent.


    ''It is Xia Chen! I remember he joined the Soaring Sword Sect thanks to this tournament.'' Xue Bai finally found another important supporting character. He was also one of the most liked characters in the game because of both his looks and personality.


    This Xia Chen was an extremely talented Sword Cultivator and would eventually be the closed-door disciple of the Soaring Sword Sect Grand Elder. In the future, he would also be close allies with Huo Long during the Righteous versus Demonic war that would engulf the continent in a few years.


    So after giving this fan-favorite character another long look, Xue Bai lost interest and returned back to his seat.


    "Junior Brother, do you want to change your guess?" Ye Rou asked after seeing Xue Baie back.


    She was thinking that after seeing Xia Chen, and all of his glory, Xue Bai would want to switch his fighter at thest second.


    Sadly her guess couldn''t be more off the mark.


    "No," Xue Bai shook his head, "My fighter will still win. I was just curious about this white-robed young man you were talking about. Such a cool story makes him almost seem like a character written out of a novel."


    Ye Rou agreed with his words, "Yes, I thought so too. There were so many people moring about it. If he didn''t look so bothered by it, I would''ve thought that he had paid a few people to spread rumors about him to higher his image."


    However, Xue Bai was still curious about how many cards Xia Chen would force out of Huo Long in this fight.


    From his knowledge, if he wasn''t wrong, Xia Chen was just a step away from understanding Sword Law and would do so after stepping into the Qi Sea realm. Which was undoubtedly very talented and the main reason why he was epted as a closed-door disciple by the Grand Elder.


    So sitting up from his seat on thep of Xiao''er, Xue Bai started paying attention to the fight down below.


    ''He most likely can''t force out the Nirvanic mes, so hopefully, he can at least force out Huo Long''s spear.'' Xue Bai thought.


    ¨C


    "This Brother?" Xia Chen probed after jumping on the stage. Still, even now, no one knew Huo Long''s gender. Thankfully Huo Long was polite and nodded to his question.


    "Brother, don''t misunderstand the purpose of my challenge. I have no affiliation with that Luo n prodigal. My purpose in challenging you is simple. My Master told me that I was just one step away fromprehending Sword Law and that I could only take that final step by understanding my true path. And I hope that you''re strong enough to help me understand it." Xia Chen sincerely spoke, gaining many words of praise.


    The most high-standing Young Master that he had offended was an heir to a Viscount Family in the Great Xuan Empire.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And also, coincidentally, the younger brother of Luo Kun, the man that Xue Bai took an arm from.


    Ever since his defeat, unresigned, the Luo n Young Master would constantly bribe poor youngsters to fight Huo Long without care and pile onto him.


    Even now, the Luo n boy was still in the stands offering money to whoever hurt him, which annoyed him to no end.


    So hearing that Xia Chen wasn''t anotherckey, Huo Long felt relieved.


    "Then I hope you won''t lose hope." Huo Long replied in a hoarse voice to hide his identity as he stood up from his cross-legged position.


    Taking an odd low stance, Huo Long raised his fists in a boxing position and weed the fight.


    While the posture did look weird, this stance was something Feng Huang had taught him. And since it had yet to fail him, Huo Long thought it would be enough to deal with this swordsman.


    Xia Chen was slightly annoyed at such a response, but since the person he was challenging was much stronger than him yet at the same cultivation level, he rted it to youthful arrogance and ignored it.


    Unsheathing the sword on his back, Xia Chen spoke, "Then I apologize for my rudeness," Before charging at Huo Long.


    Using his strong physical body, Huo Long swatted Xia Chen''s downward swing to the ground before sending a punch to thetter''s sternum, hoping to end the fight quickly.


    However, unlike the other opponents Huo Long had faced, Xia Chen was rigorously trained, and even after his sword got embedded into the ground, he reacted quickly.


    Meeting Huo Long''s punch with a kick, Xia Chen used the backward momentum from the lost exchange to safely pull out his sword and fall back.


    Rubbing his now extremely sore calf, Xia Chen knew how Huo Long''s previous opponents felt. This physical body was too strong! It was like he was a demonic beast in human form.


    And Huo Long hadn''t even used a wisp of Spiritual Qi yet. This was pure physical strength.


    "You said you wanted to use me as a whetstone, didn''t you?" Huo Long''s hoarse voice sounded once again, "Raise your sword ande again."


    Nodding, Xia Chen charged right back at Huo Long.


    "Junior Brother, this Xia Chen has some tenacity, doesn''t he?" Ye Rou praised.


    The fight so far had been extremely one-sided, with Huo Long using his wealth ofbat experience to either deflect or dodge Xia Chen''s attack before sending a heavy blow that forced his opponent to either take it head-on or be forced back miserably.


    But either way, Xia Chen was taking a beating. Yet even now, 10 minutes in, he hadn''t yielded or even lost one bit of his enthusiasm. Continuing to fight Huo Long ignoring the very obvious strength gap.


    Xue Bai nodded as well. He always felt that tenacious people like Xia Chen and Huo Long were praiseworthy. To constantly fight, knowing you''d lose and get beaten so miserably, was a trait that even expertscked, much less these youths who were 16 and 20, respectfully, and if your ignored Huo Long''s record-breaking pace was already amazing.


    However, eventually, no matter how obstinate Xia Chen was to win, it didn''t give him more strength. And at the 15-minute mark, Huo Long finally found a perfect chance and sent a heavy blow to Xia Chen''s chin sending thetter to the ground unconscious.


    "Jiang Feng has won!" Elder Zhuo announced before waving his hand and levitating the unconscious Xia Chen toward him.


    And after feeding him a pill, Elder Zhuo passed the boy to a nearby Outer Disciple for further help.


    "Jiang Feng, I''m sorry to say this, but we hadn''t expected someone to win so early on, so for now, until the other stage winners are decided, you can rest on your own." Elder Zhuo said to Huo Long.


    Jiang Feng was, of course, a made-up name by the protagonist. He took the phoenix character from his bloodline while taking the surname of an old friend of his in order to create this name. It wasn''t creative, but it at least didn''t link to Huo Long or his Huo n in any way, so it did the job well.


    Huo Long had no problems with the arrangement and, in front of everyone, started cultivating without care.


    There were 4 Xiantian Great Realm experts and even more Domain Lord realm cultivators around. If he wasn''t safe here in the middle of all of them, where would he be?


    "Sect Leader Yue, that Xia Chen boy looks like a good seedling for your sect. Are you going to recruit him now?" Dean Guo spoke after the fight ended.


    Since Xia Chen looked to be out ofmission for the near future, most likely, he wouldn''t be able to take control of a stage and defeat five opponents before the time limit ended.


    So most likely, he wouldn''t be able to secure an Inner Disciple spot. However, if Yue Zifeng spoke up and recruited him specially, he would easily be one and maybe even a Core Disciple if Yue Zifeng looked at him highly enough.


    But Yue Zifeng shook his head.


    "I know his Master very well, so that boy is most likely here to join the Soaring Sword Sect. So there is no need for me to talk. And as for bing a Core Disciple? His mindset isn''t fit enough for such a position yet. He has the tenacity and talent for it yet, but he is too wilful and ignorant of the world. So it''s better for him to be an Outer Disciple and work his way up to temper his mindset." Yue Zifeng calmly spoke while sipping a cup of tea.


    Zhu Que had poured him and the other heads a pot of tea, and since the tea leaves were something delicious, he had been drinking it nonstop.


    Dean Guo didn''t reply to Yue Zifeng''s profound words. He personally didn''t agree with his opinion, but since Sword Cultivators were the most stubborn people alive, arguing would be pointless.

 Chapter 145 The Reveal

    ?The Reveal


    The rest of the tournament went by smoothly, with no other dark horses popping up.


    Huo Long also surprised every person in the city by breaking through to the Qi Sea realm in front of everyone.


    However, as he did, he also identally exposed his fire element. Thankfully it was just the fire element and not the Nirvanic mes.


    Also, to Yue Zifeng''s guess, Xia Chen didn''t wake up and stayed unconscious until the tournament ended.


    Following the end of the tournament, the four heads, Yue Zifeng, Sect Leader Zi, Dean Guo, and Duan Zhen, all chose a representative behind them and gave them simple directions.


    Afterward, the chosen experts jumped off the stage and created a makeshift small registration stand that reminded Xue Bai of a college fair.


    "The top 100 participants, as you all know, are allowed to join one of our 4 great powers. So for whichever power you''d like to join, just stand behind one of us." Dean Guo simply.


    After his instructions, all of the winners quickly chose the faction they wanted to join.


    Of all the winners, there were only 23 women, and they all, without suspense, joined the Hundred Flowers Sect. 47 lined up at the Wushen Academy line, nning to join Dean Guo''s faction. While the remaining 30 each equally split themselves between the Great Xuan Empire and Soaring Sword Sect.


    This didn''t cause many waves in the eyes of the leaders on the stage. The Hundred Flowers Sect was a haven for female cultivators, while Wushen Academy always had the highest number of cultivators. Mainly because of theirx rules on joining and theirck of a specialty.


    The Soaring Sword Sect was the opposite, requiring many conditions that needed to be met before even being able to join. As for the Great Xuan Empire, they were an odd faction to join.


    Because once they joined the empire, though, there would be a time for them to grow as respective prodigies, but once they left the institution for their growth, they would need to either be a subordinate to an existing faction or be a son-inw. And both weren''t very appealing to the majority of cultivators.


    Duan Zhen and his empire got most of their poption for the descendants of their citizens, making this tournament not worth much in his eyes. He only came to give respect to Yue Zifeng, who had invited him.


    So for his Great Xuan Empire, actually having people join, and 15 talented youngsters at that, was something good. He also hadn''t expected it and was silently happy about it.


    He, of course, didn''t show that on his face and kept his calm indifferent expression in order to keep his prestige and majesty.


    "Junior Brother, what are you still waiting for? The rest of this stuff is just ceremonious nonsense. It has nothing to do with us." Ye Rou spoke as she noticed Xue Bai had no intention of standing up.


    However, once she saw his line of sight, she connected the dots and sat down too.


    "I see. You want to see the true identity of your fighter is, huh?" Ye Rou spoke as she stared at Huo Long, "Who do you think it is?"


    "Second, Senior Sister, I already know who it is." Xue Bai replied, "So I''m not waiting for the reveal of his identity but the aftermath."


    The matter of him being Huo Long would reveal itself in a few minutes anyway, so giving his senior sister a vague answer didn''t hurt.


    "Aftermath?" Ye Rou was confused, "Who could be under that cloak? A demonic sect disciple?"


    To be fair, while her guess was extremely off and rather doomy, the choice of words that Xue Bai used were somewhat misleading, giving Ye Rou the wrong impression.


    Xue Bai didn''t respond and just shook his head. He was curious about how Huo Long would reveal himself.


    ¨C


    "Little friend Jiang, while I don''t wish to be a stickler, our Dean would at least like to see your face." The Elder in front of the Wushen Academy stand spoke politely as Huo Long walked up to him.


    The Elder truly didn''t want to offend Huo Long for no reason, but since Dean Guo had given him orders, he had toplete them. Offending Dean Guo was worse than Huo Long.


    One would bite him in the back in the future, while the other could kill him right now.


    The choice wasn''t very hard.


    Huo Long could sense this and didn''t make it hard on the man. He had resolved to reveal his identity long before he had won the tournament.


    So under everyone''s tense and anticipated gazes, Huo Long pulled down his cloak revealing his face for everyone to see.


    Ever since Huo Long hadpleted his nine nirvana, his appearance had undergone a few changes.


    Like when Xue Bai inherited the Celestial Void Fox bloodline, and his hair gained a slight purple hue, Huo Long''s hair also gained a red hue.


    He also grew the signature phoenix mark in between his eyebrows that Jiang Xiaorou also possessed.


    There were also other minor details that differed his current appearance from thest time he had shown his face publicly. After all, it had been almost 2 years since hest showed his face in public. Still, since none of the changes were drastic, his base appearance hadn''t changed much, letting most people recognize him instantly.


    "Huo Long?!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Elder in charge could help but let out a startled cry, while the rest of the crowd didn''t have much better reactions.


    "How can this be? I personally diagnosed your crippled Martial Veins?" The Elder was confused beyond belief.


    While he was in Wushen Academy, Huo Long was someone that everyone looked highly on. So even though he was only in the Blood Exchange realm and could only be an Outer Disciple, no one dared to mistreat him and thought of him as a Quasi-Core Disciple.


    So when Huo Long returned crippled, he was first treated by many Inner and even Core Elders who hoped they could save the genius, this Elder included before they expelled him.


    But now the kid was in front of him, not even two yearster, in the Qi Sea realm. Anyone would be surprised, let alone this simple Law Engraving Elder.


    "I still haven''t thanked you for your care Elder Xie. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t even have returned home safely that day." Huo Long politely spoke as he gave a slight bow.


    "Ah? That?" It took Elder Xie a few moments to remember what Huo Long was talking about.


    When Huo Long was expelled, unlike the many derisive looks andughs that came from the other disciples and Elders, he was rather polite and gave Huo Long a talisman that, when activated, could send out an attack that wasparable to his cultivation base.


    But such a talisman was worthless in his mind. He was a Talisman Master and could create a dozen of those a day, so giving Huo Long just one didn''t hurt much then. Moreover, it was such a minor thing he hadpletely forgotten about it before Huo Long brought it up.


    Elder Xie was about to continue the conversation with Huo Long after he remembered until a deep resounding voice broke his thoughts.


    "Elder Xie, bring the boy here." Dean Guo spoke up from the stage.


    "But Dean.." Elder Xie wanted to continue talking, but Dean Guo red at him, shutting him up.


    "Huo Long, follow me." Elder Xie motioned for Huo Long to follow him as he jumped up onto the stage.


    The protagonist waspliant and didn''t raise a fuss before following the Elder. He, too, personally wanted to see Dean Guo. After all, this was the man who had expelled him before when he was first crippled.


    That didn''t mean he was angry with the man, but he still was slightly vexed about it. If he were in Dean Guo''s position, he would''ve done the same thing too.


    While it wasn''t impossible for someone to heal a broken set of Martial Veins, it cost too much. The cost just to heal one set of Martial Veins was enough to raise an entire Spirit Severing realm cultivator.


    Though everyone thought of Huo Long to be extremely talented, it wasn''t guaranteed he would reach the Spirit Severing realm. And even if he did, Wushen Academy would be almost bankrupt for the next 100 years because of the price.


    Landing on the stage, Huo Long was met by the curious and invasive gazes of almost a dozen powerhouses in the Law Engraving realm and above.


    Each faction in attendance, besides their leader, also brought along a few Elders with them to help with misceneous tasks. And now everyone on the stage was staring at Huo Long, who had recovered.


    Dean Guo was the first to speak up, "You''ve healed."


    Since Huo Long was once a part of his Wushen Academy, Dean Guo thought it should be him to talk first, but because he wascking in the social category, he could only say a very simple sentence.


    "Yes, I have, Dean." Huo Long replied just as simply.


    "Are you angry at me for expelling you then?" Dean Guo asked.


    "No, I don''t me you, as I would''ve done the same. Wushen Academy isn''t a ce for the weak, and especially not a cripple. So I can only me my own weakness." Huo Long replied.


    "I see," Dean Guo nodded, satisfied at the mature and wise answer from Huo Long.


    While Wushen Academy was thought of as a cultivation paradise, it wasn''t all sunshine and rainbows. Young cultivators full of potential died on missions. Others were suppressed by their more talented peers.


    Wushen Academy was a ce for the strong to gather and use each other as stepping stones, not a nursing home for the weak. So if anything, Dean Guo''s choice to expel Huo Long indirectly saved him.


    But for a 16-year-old to understand that and put down any youthful anger he had, was surprising, and Dean Guo couldn''t help but be impressed.


    "Are you willing to join once more?" Dean Guo asked after gathering his thoughts, "Your cultivation speed is unheard of in this continent. It''s even a year faster than Wang Yu. And surely someone with your personality can''t be resigned to being the head of a chicken in this continent. Only by joining Wushen Academy once more can you truly head to a wider world."


    Though no one said anything aloud, Huo Long''s current cultivation base made them question their reality. Even when Wang Yu had advanced to the Qi Sea realm at 17, people struggled to ept it. After all, some people could only reach the Qi Sea realm in their 30s or even 40s. So a kid only 17 years old to reach it made a lot of heads turn.


    But now, a once crippled youth 16 years old had broken the record once more? Some people even thought they were dreaming.


    And not letting the chance to recruit the youth once again, Dean Guo spared no effort in trying to tempt the legendary prodigy.


    However, just as everyone became silent, waiting for Huo Long''s choice, Duan Zhen spoke up.


    "Huo Long, if you join the Great Xuan Institute and marry into our Duan Imperial Family, not only will I make you a Gold ss student and let you travel to the Central Continent, but I will also make your father a Duke and can guarantee he will enter the Xiantian Great realm!" Duan Zhen yelled out, stunning everyone.

 Chapter 146 Bidding War

    ?Bidding War


    "Huo Long, if you join the Great Xuan Institute and marry into our Duan Imperial Family, not only will I make you a Gold ss student and let you travel to the Central Continent, but I will also make your father a Duke and can guarantee he will enter the Xiantian Great realm!" Duan Zhen yelled out, stunning everyone.


    Those conditions were lucrative, to say the least.


    The Great Xuan Empire, of course, had its own faction for nurturing genius, and it was called The Great Xuan institution. And the Gold ss student that Duan Zhen talked about was its iteration of a Core Disciple.


    There, poorer nobles ormoners were allowed to join and receive training and resources that didn''t lose out to the Three Great Sects.


    And unlike the Three Great Sects, in The Great Xuan Institute, the only requirement to join was to be a citizen of the Empire and be loyal. Other than that, the institution had its doors open to anyone who could cultivate and pass the entrance exam.


    Of course, the lower ss with only Low Yellow-grade Martial Veins wouldn''t amount to much and could only stay the lowest form of student. Still, even then, anyone who could join it would also have a strongerbat powerpared to their peers, making it a haven for the less talented.


    Gold ss students, however, were the heaven''s chosen of The Great Xuan Institution. They were given top-ss training by Law Engraving realm teachers, were fed pills like candy, and were also allowed full ess to the Institution''s Library, where all of the Martial Techniques were stored.


    And should they desire to, they were also allowed to travel to the Central Continent whenever they''d like to further their studies.


    For any faction other than Three Great Sects and The Great Xuan Empire, a Central Continent ticket would cost a fortune. After all, a ship that could protect itself and travel across the Baishen Ocean Ring was a High ck-grade treasure the least.


    But as the leader of the Southern Continent, the Duan Imperial Family controlled the ships entering and leaving the continent, so letting Huo Long onto one didn''t cost anything to them.


    It was the second and third promise that everyone was shocked about.


    Duan Zhen knew that Huo Long was an extremely filial son who always felt guilty about his father''sckluster life.


    Even though Huo Ming was a Marquis himself, he didn''t gain the title out of strength but rather inherited it from his father.


    And that also made him the weakest Marquis in the entire empire, with his cultivation only being in the early stages of the Law Engraving realm. And from how impoverished the Huo n was, it wasn''t likely that his cultivation would improve much anytime soon.


    In recent years thanks to Duke Xue, the Huo n had certainly had a slight reemergence, but since Huo Ming hadn''t cultivated peacefully in years, his cultivation had not only stagnated but started showing signs of decline.


    So the past few years, Huo Ming hadn''t truly started cultivating to advance his cultivation base but instead to reinforce his foundation and make up for years of decline.


    But now Duan Zhen offered to not only make Huo Ming a Duke but even to make the man a Xiantian Great realm expert!


    It was well known that Huo Ming only had a High Yellow-grade Martial Vein. So for Duan Zhen to bring his cultivation into the Xiantian Great Realm, he would have to break past his innate not once but twice!


    The cost had to be astronomical.


    Even Xue Bai was surprised. In the game, Huo Long would usually rejoin Wushen Academy during the normal yearly entrance exam that was in about four months at the start of the new year, so there wasn''t this bidding war scene.


    Of course, Xue Bai knew that Huo Long would ignore Duan Zhen''s offer, but it was still interesting to see an emperor put so much down on the table for one youth.


    "Duan Zhen, this a disciple of my Wushen Academy. Isn''t it rude for you to turn this into a bidding war?" Dean Guo spoke with a frown.


    "You''re the ignorant fool who expelled Huo Long back then. How can you have the face to still call him your disciple." Duan Zhen snorted, shutting the man up.


    After that, the stage descended into a short silence as everyone waited for Huo Long to make his choice. However, as Xue Bai predicted, Huo Long didn''t take long to reach a conclusion.


    Giving a respectful bow to the emperor Huo Long spoke, "I''m sorry, Emperor Duan, I have some unresolved karma with Wushen Academy and would like to sever it."


    Though Huo Long wasn''t sure who had organized the attack that left him crippled, he knew that there had to be an inside man that ryed his whereabouts.


    And he already had a few suspects in mind for such a role. But if he joined the Imperial Family, he wouldn''t be able to get his revenge, so he refused the luxurious offer.


    Also, with his Master on his side, bringing Huo Ming''s cultivation into the Xiantain Great Realm wouldn''t be hard at all. All he needed was time.


    Hearing the refusal, Duan Zhen''s original confident and content face crumpled.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Huo Long, are you sure? While Wushen Academy is a ce where countless geniuses have been made, it''s also a ce where countless have fallen. The academy walls are cruel, and the students are known to be vicious." Duan Zhen couldn''t help but say.


    But as he did, he felt Dean Guo''s aura subconsciously rise.


    "Duan Zhen, clean up the interior of your school before you dare badmouth my Wushen Academy. Your Great Xuan Institute is even worse than mine. Every student there is a snake that would backstab even their parents. At least in my academy, things are decided by strength." Dean Guo erupted, holding back no insults.


    He was already a man quick to violence, so when the faction he had led for so long was talked down upon, he couldn''t help but get angry. Thankfully he was still able to hold back his fists and used his mouth instead.


    Duan Zhen only shrugged at the insult. Dean Guo wasn''t wrong with the usation at all.


    Students of The Great Xuan Institution were indeed known to be smiling tigers. However, he was proud of that.


    In order to be a good noble, strength was only one of the requirements. As without overwhelming strength that suppressed allpetitors, focusing on only cultivation would eventually lead to your downfall.


    "I''m sorry, Emperor Duan, but I still wish to stay at Wushen Academy. I know it is a cruel environment, but cruel environments also facilitate quicker growth." Huo Long replied with a determined look.


    To say he wasn''t tempted would be a lie, but no matter how tempting the offer was, he would never be able to cultivate peacefully if he didn''t get revenge on whoever orchestrated his injury.


    Feng Huang had told him that he was destined for great things and would be able to ascend to an even higher ne. But before he did, he would need to sever all karma in this lower ne.


    If he didn''t, then he would develop Mental Demons and either have his future cultivation path cut off or even die! Mental Demons weren''t something to joke around about, and since Feng Huang told him that he could develop one, Huo Long had to snip it in the bud.


    And the only way to do so would be to stay at Wushen Academy.


    "I see," Duan Zhen wasn''t too disappointed about it all, "However, I know that Body Cultivators like you sometimes have trouble releasing the excess vitality within you. So if you ever need some time to release, my Duan Imperial Family has more than enough princesses to keep you refreshed." Duan Zhen spoke with an ambiguous smile.


    Following the tempting words, Duan Zhen gave Huo Long a pat on the back and flew off. Since he failed to recruit Huo Long, he didn''t need to stay any longer.


    The person he left to register the winners was trustworthy enough toplete his goal without supervision.


    After Duan Zhen left, Dean Guo also left as well. Huo Long had agreed to join Wushen Academy once again, and he believed that the protagonist would keep his word even without his presence,


    However, before he left, Dean Guo also gave Huo Long a gift. It was a spatial ring filled with a few medicinal pills that would help Huo Long stabilize his 1st stage Qi Sea realm cultivation base and quickly start cultivating into theter stages.


    Since after reaching the Qi Sea realm, one couldn''t just rashly advance while stuffing themselves with resources and would need to focus on both their cultivation progress and foundation.


    Huo Long wasn''t polite and epted the gift gratefully. In the past few weeks since he had firstpleted all nine nirvana, he had struggled on the border between life and death, fighting for resources that could awaken his Master earlier.


    He knew that while he had many advantages in his cultivation journey, he also had many disadvantages. And theck of resources was one of them.


    Thankfully with Feng Huang''s teaching, he had begun to step onto the path of an alchemist and could supply his own pills. Still, without medical herbs and a good furnace, he couldn''t truly supply himself with pills and needed extra help.


    Sect Leader Zi also soon left but not before giving Huo Long a few extra looks. However, she didn''t say why she looked so thoughtful but instead left quietly.


    But Xue Bai and Huo Long knew that her weapon''s item spirit had sensed something in Huo Long.


    Most likely, it hadn''t sensed his true Heaven-grade Phoenix bloodline since Feng Huang concealed it well but rather felt an instinctual suppression just from Huo Long standing near it.


    Sadly since her eyes were much worse than the Luan''s, she couldn''t see through Huo Long and left with a mind full of curiosity.


    Yue Zifeng gave his disciples a few looks, and after seeing that none of them nned to leave just yet, he left by himself.


    He could tell that his disciples were curious about Huo Long and most likely would converse with the boy for a while. And since his staying any longer would make the kids ufortable, he left them alone.


    And now, with only Yue Zifeng''s lineage and Huo Long still on the stage, the atmosphere became odd.

 Chapter 147 The Wang Clans Decision

    ?I have no words. I input the chapter upload date wrong. I will publish another chapter in about an hour as a punishment.


    Sorry once again.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The Wang n''s Decision


    After all of the heads left, Huo Long was suddenly left on the stage alone with Yue Zifeng''s disciples.


    However, he didn''t bother to look at Zhu Que, Xiao''er, Ye Rou, or even Jiang Xiaorou, who was in the far back, deep in mediation, but instead, the young boy in ck who sat in the center of all of them like an inconspicuous child.


    Two ''brothers'' hadn''t seen each other in almost seven years, and since then, many things had changed between them, making it hard to speak up first. Whether it was their physical appearance or their cultivation, nothing was the same.


    Huo Long wanted to ask so many things, but years of estrangement had made their rtionship rather awkward.


    Years ago, Xue Bai had made him shed his cold lonely exterior for the first time toward someone that wasn''t a family member, invested in his potential, and even revitalized the reemergence of his n.


    Yet of all the many changes between them, there was one that stayed the same, their statuses.


    Back when Xue Bai first met him, Huo Long was merely the Young Marquis of a n on the brink of extinction, while Xue Bai was the only son of a Duke and the empire''s best alchemist who were also peak stage Domain Lord realm cultivators.


    And now, while he had certainly lessened the gap between them, Huo Long still felt a slight inferiority toward his ''brother.''


    Sure he had a higher cultivation base with him now at the 1st stage of the Qi Sea realm, but one had to note Xue Bai currently had a cultivation of the 8th stage of the Bone Strengthening realm.


    Which on its own was nothing in the vast Southern Continent unless someone added the fact that Xue Bai wasn''t even 14 yet.


    Xue Bai had awakened his martial veins on his birthday on the first day of the year 973. And now, only two years and about nine monthster, he had advanced four realms and was nearing the 5th.


    Huo Long had a huge lead currently, with his cultivation being two realms higher, but he knew that he was only relying on a cheat thanks to his Master.


    Since the nine nirvana he had undergone was onlyying the foundation of his cultivation, he had yet to truly start cultivating. But now that it wasplete, even with Feng Huang by his side, Huo Long wasn''t sure if he could hold the lead for much longer.


    Thankfully before Huo Long overthought the situation, Xue Bai hopped off his chair and walked over to his brother.


    "Brother Long! You surprised everyone today!" Xue Baiughed merrily, "I can see you didn''t use my gift then?"


    And instantly, all of the worries and inferiority Huo Long felt dissipated following Xue Bai''s words. It seemed that even now, after all of the years and changes, Xue Bai hadn''t, and he still thought of Huo Long as a brother and friend.


    "I didn''t, Brother Bai, I didn''t," Huo Longughed. Then, going into his pocket, Huo Long pulled out the letter Xue Bai sent him along with the spatial ring that stored the pill.


    Other than the thought of protecting his n from destruction, the letter that Xue Bai sent him was one of his major motivations to continue cultivating. And he always kept it near him. But since he didn''t want to rely on the things that anyone gave him, Huo Long never used Xue Bai''s spatial ring and only ever opened it to see what was inside.


    "Junior Brother, you know him?" Ye Rou asked, surprised from afar.


    "Yes, his n is a subordinate family under my father. And a few years ago, I visited them and invested in them. We got acquainted then." Xue Bai exined simply as he patted Huo Long on his shoulder.


    Standing up, Ye Rou walked around Huo Long, seemingly inspecting his worth. But after a few walkarounds, she couldn''t find anything special to note other than his extremely handsome face.


    But Ye Rou was mischievous in nature and couldn''tpliment anyone truly, so she only spoke, "His hair looks nice."


    Like Xue Bai''s ck hair with a slight purple hue, Huo Long''s hair also had a slight red hue that came from his bloodline.


    "Ignore her, Brother Long. She won''t speak her mind even if you beat her to death." Xue Bai pulled Huo Long away as he tried to catch up with the protagonist.


    While Xue Bai didn''t n to be so estranged from him, he had been busy over the years, especially after Huo Long was crippled, tying his hands.


    Thankfully thanks to his butterfly effect, they had met up earlier than they thought he would.


    All he needed to do was to catch up with Huo Long while making sure that Feng Huang didn''t notice anything he didn''t want her to.


    "Come, Brother Long, the night is still young, and you haven''t seen the majesty of our Soaring Sword City. I''ll show you around." Xue Bai merrily spoke as he jumped off of the stage, not forgetting to pull Huo Long along with him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In the almost decade-long time he had been in the Baishen ne, Xue Bai had yet to try any type of the spirit wine that Soaring Sword City was so famous for and was extremely curious about it. He had heard so many great things from Xue Feng and Li Rou.


    And even before his transmigration, wines in cultivation novels were always described as heavenly elixirs capable of allowing people to break through and even undergo epiphanies.


    Of course, those spirit wines wouldn''t be in Soaring Sword City, but still. The temptation was there, and Xue Bai wanted to try some.


    So after waving off hispanions, he left.


    ¡ª


    Wang n Estate Main Hall


    "Patriarch, it seems that it''s almost confirmed that it was Duke Xue and Duchess Li who had killed the third elder." Wang Chen spoke with a listless voice.


    Ever since his pride and joy, Wang Lin died a graveless death in the Soaring Sword Sect''s entrance exam, his life had lost color.


    His condition wasn''t much better than the Grand Elder, who died of Qi deviation after the death of Wang Mo, but he didn''t think it was much better. Even now, more than two monthster, Wang Chen was afraid to cultivate, fearing he''d fall into Qi deviation as his uncle did and die.


    Thankful his cultivation journey had halted long ago as he reached the limit of his potential.


    Even Wang Yichen, the cold and indifferent ruthless general, couldn''t help but fear the situation of his Wang n.


    While Duke Xue hadn''t dered war on his Wang n yet, the two were already mortal enemies. The only thing that they needed was an official statement to start it.


    Before, he wasn''t afraid of Xue Feng since his n had a long thousand-year inheritance that couldn''t be overthrown by two peak stage Domain Lords, even if they were also Dukes. But now, since the two had broken into the Xiantian Great Realm, his n descended into a silent gloominess.


    It was almost as bad as the Huo n''s atmosphere right after Huo Long was crippled.


    The feeling was horrible. It was like being slowly boiled alive.


    You knew you''d die. It was only a matter of when.


    None of the youths had the motivation to cultivate, the elders looked like shells of their former selves, and Wang Yichen, the patriarch, was much quicker to anger.


    In the short time since Wang Yin''s death, Wang Yichen had killed more maids out of anger than he had in the past year.


    "Give Yu''er a few more years. He is someone destined to trample this tiny continent." Wang Yichen eventually decided, "Announce that Yu''er is thest hope of our Wang n, that I am giving him the title of Saint Child, and he will have the entire n''s resources at his disposal."


    Since every single promising genius in his n had died, Wang Yu was their only hope to break them out of the pot that was boiling them alive.


    "Father said himself that he canst another 12 more years before he''ll eventually die. That is more than long enough for Yu''er to reach the Domain Lord realm. After that, he can fight the title of Demon Child in the Blood Saber Sect. Once he bes a potential Demon Child, let alone Xue Feng, Li Rou, even Yue Zifeng, and the Soaring Sword Sect would be ants under our boots." Wang Yichen spoke seriously.


    His father, the current Great Elder of the Wang n, had a cultivation base of the 6th stage of the Spirit Awakening realm, which was even stronger than Yue Zifeng. However, he had also at the end of his 1000-year-long lifespan, which also made his truebat power much lower than his actual cultivation base.


    Currently, he was almost 950 years old and constantly emitting a death-filled aura wherever he was, which made him seclude himself in the ancestral hall, making sure any tiny bits of vitality in his weak old body stayed inside.


    However, no matter how starved a camel was, they were still bigger than a horse. So he was sure that he could hold his own against the newly promoted Xue Feng and Li Rou. After all, it had only been two months since their breakthrough was announced.


    He had a cultivation base five stages higher than the couple, so while the fight might be close, the Great Elder was confident he could end up winning. Besides, all he had to do was to be a deterrent to the couple and not truly fight to the death.


    The couple had just recently advanced into the Xiantian Great Realm, so they should most likely take a year or two to stabilize their cultivation and not advance. Coupled with the fact that the two had broken past their innate limit, that also meant that they would struggle to advance in the Xiantian Great Realm.


    So how far could they truly get in 12 years?


    The Great Elder thought that no matter how talented the couple was, they would reach the 2nd stage, or 3rd stage at most, before he eventually kicked the bucket, which was more than enough time for Wang Yu to show his worth to the Blood Saber Sect and have them be true backers.


    Sadly neither Wang Yichen nor the Great Elder was aware that both Li Rou and Xue Feng were at the 3rd stage of the Spirit Awakening realm and not newly advanced cultivators.


    The Imperial Advisor was a smart man and lied to the public. He knew that experts didn''t like having their cards exposed, and he wanted to build a good rtionship with the power couple and not offend them, so he lied, saying that the two were newly advanced and not at the 3rd stage.


    Since Wang Yu was indeed theirst bastion of hope, no one in the hall had an objection, and after a few more small matters that needed discussions, the meeting was adjourned.

 Chapter 148 Accepting His First Mission

    ?epting his First Mission


    In the air above Soaring Sword City, watching Xue Bai have fun reuniting with his old friend, were two figures.


    "Husband, do you think it''s okay for Bai''er to continue on his path." Li Rou asked softly as she witnessed Xue Bai run off with Huo Long.


    While she was Xue Bai''s biggest supporter, she also worried the most about him. Li Rou knew better than well how fraught the cultivation world was. And though she wanted Xue Bai to prosper and rise above his peers, she also didn''t want him to fall halfway like all the geniuses before him.


    "Rou''er, sometimes things are fated to happen, and any attempts to stop it prematurely would only dy the inevitable." Xue Feng sighed as he pulled the mncholy Li Rou into his arms, "Bai''er is talented, and whatever changed his fate after his fall is something beyond ourprehension. He is a dragon in a pond, and keeping it in the pond would do more harm than good."


    Xue Feng knew what Li Rou was talking about, but he couldn''t truly bring it up. He knew that she was afraid of what would happen when Xue Bai figured out her past.


    Whether he bes a mindless shell wanting only revenge or something even worse.


    "I know, Husband, but still. While I hate those scum with every fiber of my being, they are strong. No matter how talented Bai''er is, he can''t grow fast enough to threaten them before they find out." Li Rou spoke sadly, her voice choked up, "While Big Brother and I escaped, they still know that we''re here. The only reason they haven''t followed us to unroot the weeds was because of the Transcontinental Agreement stopping them."


    Xue Feng couldn''t think of a response to her words and only silentlyforted her by stroking her hair. Sometimes answers weren''t needed but insteadfort.


    "Let''s go back. Brother-in-Law can protect Bai''er here. We have to just go back and make sure the Wang n scum don''t lose their minds." Xue Feng said after a few minutes of silence.


    "Um." Li Rou nodded and started flying back to the dukedom. While she did hate Yue Zifeng, she also knew he was strong enough to keep Xue Bai safe. They weren''t needed here.


    ¡ª


    Xue Bai had fun that day and managed to connect with the protagonist. And while he still couldn''t truly be sworn brothers with Huo Long, he didn''t feel bad at all.


    Ever since he had resolved not to blindly follow the plot of the game, his desire to mooch off of Huo Long''s coattails also greatly lessened.


    As long as he could be normal friends with Huo Long and not be mortal enemies, Xue Bai was content.


    Xiao Mo still waited in the Central Continent, and Xue Bai didn''t want to waste his years fighting against Huo Long before that.


    After bidding the protagonist goodbye and promising to find each other again, Xue Bai teleported back to the Soaring Sword Sect shakily.


    He also learned that his alcohol tolerance was something he needed to work on. Thankfully he was still young, so hopefully, like his height, that would grow as well.


    However, after returning to the sect, Xue Bai didn''t go back to his peak but instead made his way to the Outer Sect.


    While he was traveling to meet Zhu Que, he had also resolved to temper his willpower and also his killing power by taking a few missions.


    Xue Bai knew that of his many weaknesses, one of them was hisck of true fights to the death, and before the Southern Continent was engulfed in a war, he wanted to fix that. And the best way to do that was, of course, bounty hunting missions.


    This way, he could hit two birds with one stone, one by riding the continent of scourges of humanity while also giving himself a miniature trial by fire.


    Feeling confident about his n, Xue Bai walked into the Mission Hall and started to look at the many requests that were avable.


    Though he was a Core Disciple, the Core Region didn''t have its own Mission Hall. Only the Inner and Outer Sects had one.


    Yue Zifeng''s Master arranged it like this to hopefully get rid of some of the separation between the two regions.


    And since Xue Bai wasn''t strong enough to take on requests from the Inner Sect''s Mission Hall, he was forced to make another appearance in the Outer Sect.


    Arriving in the Mission Hall did cause a few waves from the many Outer Disciples who thought of Inner Disciples as experts. So when a heavenly beauty, Core Disciples, arrived in their Mission Hall, it wasn''t weird for them to feel excited.


    Sadly they were all extremely scared and socially inept to talk to such a high-standing figure, so Xue Bai stayed undisturbed as he looked for a suitable mission.


    "Find and kill the flower picker that gues the Iron Fang Base southeast of the Soaring Sword City." Xue Bai mumbled, "Estimated power of target, early stages of the Organ Tempering realm."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "That''ll do." Xue Bai nodded as he ripped off the mission slip from the wall.


    The Southern Continent was hundreds of thousands of miles in size and was shaped almost like an upside-down diamond, with the pointed side pointing north toward the Central Continent.


    So while the directions on the mission slip seemed simple, Xue Bai knew that he would have to work hard in order to find this man.


    However, Xue Bai also had a deep disdain and hatred for rapists. Especially ones in cultivation worlds.


    Brothels and red light districts were legal and very popr in this world. So why did they have to go out and ruin a poor innocent girl''s life?


    And flower pickers were even worse in his mind. So when he found this mission, Xue Bai was filled with a small fire of righteousness. Thankfully the criminal''s cultivation base matched Xue Bai''s target.


    While he was only at the 8th stage of the Bone Strengthening realm, taking on a rogue cultivator who was in the early stages of the Organ Tempering realm wouldn''t be hard whatsoever.


    So after registering himself for the mission, Xue Bai thanked the receptionist and once again left the sect.


    Before he left, however, he did send a message to Xiao''er and Zhu Que not to go to his courtyard tonight.


    He also left the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus with Xiao''er before he left so they could cultivate with him as well.


    Xue Bai would spend the next week or so hunting someone and not be able to cultivate much. And Zhu Que was also very close to the Blood Exchange realm and needed it more than him anyway.


    Back in Soaring Sword City, Xue Bai grabbed a nearby disciple.


    "Junior Brother, do you know a nearby store that sells or rents mounts for use?" Xue Bai asked as he tapped the young man on the shoulder.


    The Outer Disciple he questioned was stronger than him, but it wasn''t by much. Xue Bai could tell his cultivation was at most in the middle stages of the Organ Tempering realm. And since Xue Bai was also a Core Disciple, it was reasonable for him to call the young man a Junior Brother.


    Turning around, the young man saw Xue Bai, and his eyes lit up, but after seeing the ck and gold robes that he wore, the fire in him also died.


    "Senior Sister, there is a shop only a few miles away from the Clear Skies Restaurant." The Outer Disciple responded respectfully. And after giving Xue Bai directions that could''ve guided even a blind man, he left as quickly as his legs could take him.


    He was afraid that his loose mouth would say something impudent and would destroy his life.


    Xue Bai also sensed that and didn''t ask any follow-up questions and made his way to the store in question.


    There, after showing his Core Disciple token, he was weed with wide arms. And after choosing a Wind Chasing Horse in the Qi Sea realm, he left once more toward the Iron Fang Base.


    A Wind Chasing Horse was an extremely tame and docile demonic beast that could travel thousands of miles without rest. And coupled with their extremely fast speed that matched even Law Engraving cultivators, they were eventually the staple mount for any young cultivator.


    The Iron Fang Base wasn''t too far away from Soaring Sword City, and with the Wind Chasing Horse, Xue Bai estimated he would arrive in about two days.


    Giving the map another good look, Xue Bai rode off like the cultivator he always aspired to be.


    "When riding a horse with a jug of wine, even a thousand miles isn''t too far." Xue Bai mumbled, "No, that sucks. I don''t even have a wine jug with me."


    Along the way, to sate his boredom, Xue Bai tried to write some poems, but since he always sucked at that, he often found himself disappointing his elementary teacher more and more.


    "How does Xiao Mo make such good poems?" Xue Bai was angered at hisck of poetic ability, "It''s just words."


    As Xue Bai descended intorger andrger tangents, the Wind Chasing Horse under him ran like the wind, traveling nonstop until they finally reached their target.


    Iron Fang Base

 Chapter 149 Wu Tianyu The Flower Picker

    ?Wu Tianyu the Flower Picker


    Unlike most ces in the Southern Continent that called themselves cities, towns, or capitals, Iron Fang Base was an outlier and chose to call itself a base.


    The founders of Iron Fang Base were originally a group of brothers who once were disciples of Wushen Academy. However, they weren''t very talented, and after they reached the limit of their middle Yellow-grade Martial Veins, they all chose to stay together and build a force that could protect and help untalented men like them.


    And that''s how they decided on the term base instead of city. It wasn''t the smartest idea they had ever thought of, but it also made them unique. So with the protection of Wushen Academy, a few hotblooded brothers made Iron Fang Base and weed citizens.


    That was a few hundred years ago, and now the original small few miles diameter Iron Fang Base that only held a few hundred people now currently holds almost 100,000 people and was dozens of miles in size.


    However, no matter howrge they grew, they couldn''t ever recruit a stronger Base Lord than the founder. So even now, the Base Lord was only in the Dharma Idol realm.


    Entering the city gates, Xue Bai walked through unfettered.


    There weren''t many people on the Southern Continent who didn''t recognize the Core Disciple robes of the Soaring Sword Sect. Especially since the Base Lord himself sent a request to the sect asking for help.


    After Xue Bai epted the request, the Base Lord was notified and promptly told the city guards not to block any Soaring Sword Sect disciples but instead guide them directly to his estate.


    "Young Master Bai, you''vee at such a great time!" An old, heartful voice sounded as Xue Bai entered the estate gates.


    Following the shout, the doors of the mansion swung open, and out came an old gray-haired man walking with a cane and a young man who helped him over.


    Unlike most old men that Xue Bai knew, though, this man couldn''t keep his wrinkles hidden and his spine straight.


    It was obvious he wasn''t long for this world. Dharma Idol realm cultivators were indeed strong, but sadly, they didn''t have very long lifespans. The limit for a Dharma Idol realm cultivator''s lifespan was 250 years.


    Though most cultivators couldn''tst until the limit and would end up dying a few years before it. The Base Lord was no different.


    From what Xue Bai knew, this old man was about 230 years old, which was more than twice the age of his father, Xue Feng.


    "Base Lord, you''re too polite. It''s only right for a Soaring Sword Sect disciple toe and rid the world of such scum." Xue Bai politely responded with cupped fists.


    While he didn''t like speaking so eloquently and hated pleasantries, Xue Bai was damn good at it. So in order to get as much information about the flower picker, Xue Bai nned to get on the Base Lord''s good side.


    Who knows if the Base Lord was in a bad mood and withheld vital information that could cost Xue Bai his life?


    Xue Bai didn''t have the plot armor needed to survive cmity after cmity and needed everything avable to continue living.


    "Haha, good! It''s youngsters like you that help this continent be so clean." The Base Lordughed. However, as he did, it seemed like the hardugh made an old injury re up, and he immediately started hacking up a lung.


    "Father!" The young man at the Base Lord''s side hurriedly pulled out a bottle of pills and tried to feed the old man a few.


    "Tuo''er, stop. I know how bad my injury is. There is no need for you to waste those pills anymore." The Base Lord pushed his son away.


    Hearing the morbid words spoken by his father, the young man wanted to say something else, but after being red at, his voice died down.


    "Young Master Bai, please follow me into our humble abode. I will give you the details of the damn renegade there." The Base Lord spoke as he turned around, once again walking back into the mansion.


    Xue Bai had no objections and followed the man into his home.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t sure, he had a faint suspicion that the Wang Twins were near him. While Xue Bai hadn''t met up with them and told him where he was going, they were his bodyguards. So they must''ve had some method of tracking Xue Bai even if he didn''t tell them to.


    Meaning even if this old man had malicious intentions, Xue Bai would be safe.


    Inside, Xue Bai was led into what he assumed to be a Main Hall. He was also allowed to be set in the main seat and was promptly served a cup of tea by a maid who stood on standby.


    However, he didn''t take a sip and instead ced it on the armrest.


    "Base Lord, there can be a time for celebration after," Xue Bai didn''t like tea much, "For now, I would like to find this scum andplete the mission."


    "I see Young Master Bai is a righteous man. Alright, this old man won''t waste any more of your valuable time." The Base Lord nodded and started to give Xue Bai a background on the flower picker.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The renegade in question was a man named Wu Tianyu. He was once a soldier in the Iron Fang Base''s guard unit.


    But one day, during a routine scouting mission, all of Wu Tianyu''s unit was killed, with only him surviving.


    After that, Wu TIanyu went missing for almost 2 months before once again returning to the Base looking apletely different man.


    He left a normal middle-aged man with a Low Yellow-grade Martial Vein who had reached his innate limit of the Muscle Nourishing realm. Yet returned a young 25-year-old man with a cultivation base of the Bone Strengthening realm 8th stage.


    If it weren''t for the fact that Wu TIanyu knew everything about himself and that his current appearance looked like him in his youth, no one would''ve even connected the twopletely different people.


    At first, everyone thought the man had a fortuitous encounter during his disappearance and ignored it after a few days of gossip, but like his appearance, his personality changedpletely.


    Every night of Wu Tianyu was spent in a brothel ordering dozens of girls at once. He was a total pleasure seeker drowinng in debauchery every second of the day.


    And while it did disgust his former acquaintances, no one cared much. It was his life, and he wasn''t breaking thew, so why should they care?


    Until the brothels weren''t enough.


    One day Wu Tianyu was caught trying to sneak into the mansion of a wealthy merchant near the courtyard of his daughter. And after an intense brawl between the merchant and Wu Tianyu, eventually, the right arm of Wu Tianyu was severed and forced the man to retreat and escape town.


    The fight was mind-blowing, to say the least, since the merchant was in the early stages of the Organ Tempering realm, while Wu Tianyu was supposed to be in theter stages of the Bone Strengthening realm.


    Yet that wasn''t the most surprising oue of the fight. After they confiscated the severerd arm they looked inside the spatial ring that was on his finder and, they found the mummified corpses of many different young men and women who were sexually assaulted and then wrung dry of their blood.


    Instantly everyone knew that Wu Tianyu''s ''fortuitous encounter'' wasn''t a righteous one, and a bounty was promptly ordered.


    "But Base Lord, this Wu Tianyu''s cultivation is only in the early stages of the Organ Tempering at most. So why don''t you or one of your capable subordinates find him yourself? Why go through the trouble of sending a request to my Soaring Sword Sect?" Xue Bai asked once he was given all of the information.


    The estimation of Wu Tianyu''s strength was urate since, if he had a higher cultivation base, he would''ve not only been able to kill the merchant but also kept his right arm attached.


    And while the Base Lord was old and had a foot in the grave, he was still at the peak of the Dharma Idol realm. He also had a few capable subordinates who were in the Qi Sea realm as well.


    So why couldn''t they find and kill this Wu Tianyu themselves?


    "Young Master, surely you know of how dangerous the waters of the Southern Continent are, right?" The Base Lord wryly answered, "While we have Wushen Academy as a backer, the other cities around us have backers too. So if I or someone else of equal strength leaves, that is almost begging for the wolves around us toe and take a bite."


    Xue Bai wasn''t fully convinced of the answer, but since the Base Lord didn''t seem to want to delve deeper into the topic, he nodded simply.


    "Base Lord since we can assume that Wu Tianyu''s fortuitous encounter is something that needs the Yin Essence of females, he will continue going after young women even after he was forced to run. So are there any viges near and around the Iron Fang Base?" Xue Bai asked.


    "There are four, and I have already marked them on this map." The Base Lord then pulled out a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Xue Bai.


    "Then, Base Lord, I will be off. Leaving that scum alive any longer would only cause more harm to the world." Xue Bai cupped his fists once more and left.


    The old man didn''t have much information about the flower picker''s whereabouts so staying any longer served no meaning.


    Since he already had a detailed map of the surroundings of Iron Fang Base, Xue Bai found his horse and left.


    Of the four viges near Iron Fang Base, Xue Bai first went to the furthest one away.


    While he thought of the chance that Wu Tianyu would choose to hide in the most dangerous spot, he still chose to check the furthest one first.


    Wu Tianyu right now was an injured man at the ends of his ropes. So most likely, he wouldn''t be able to think calmly and would choose the safest option in order to live longer.


    The vige, thankfully, wasn''t far from the Iron Fang Base, and after traveling a few hundred miles, Xue Bai eventually reached the vige in about 2 hours.


    However, once the vige came into his line of sight, Xue Bai''s expression darkened, and he cursed.


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 150 Fighting Wu Tianyu

    ?Fighting Wu Tianyu


    The vige wall was on fire which meant that the inside of the vige was currently surrounded by a thick me that was burning down the thing that was supposed to protect them while trapping the vigers inside.


    Inside, the vigers were panicking and screaming for help. However, the culprit of all this didn''t care.


    Outside of the vige was a cloaked figure that stood at the vige entrance holding a torch.


    And while Xue Bai was no detective, he could guess, with certainty, the identity of the figure.


    Jumping off his Wind Chasing Horse, Xue Bai wasted no time and charged at Wu Tianyu, hoping to stop the man from burning the vige to the ground, vigers included.


    ¨C


    "Vige Chief, all of this can be avoided if you just hand over your daughter!" Wu Tianyu yelled out maniacally as he sent more and more mes into the vige walls.


    Even though he was on the run from Iron Fang Base, Wu Tianyu knew that there would be someoneing after him soon and that his 3rd stage Organ Tempering realm cultivation base meant nothing.


    So while on the run, he had also been finding random young women from the surrounding viges of Iron Fang Base to suck dry of their Yin Essense to improve his strength.


    And due to his efforts, he had been rewarded and now was at the 4th stage.


    On his way away from Iron Fang Base, however, he made a pitstop.


    From what he knew, the furthest out vige was the home of a known beauty. The girl was the daughter of the vige chief and often time woulde to Iron Fang Base to do various tasks given to her by her father.


    He, as a guard, would naturally be there to let her in and would always lust over the women. But since he didn''t dare act out, he could only suppress it and ogle from afar.


    But now, since he would never return to the base and was in possession of a natural treasure made to use young virgin women as furnaces, why not fulfill his long-suppressed desires before leaving?


    However, once again, like the damned merchant, this vige chief also had a cultivation base that matched his own.


    ''You''re a strong man in the Organ Tempering realm. Why have you put your worth so low to be a vige chief?!'' Wu Tianyu was indignant about his poor luck, but since things came this far, there wasn''t much he could do.


    He was confident that in an extended battle, he could outmatch the vige chief. However, it had been almost three days since he ran away from Iron Fang Base, and he also knew that whoever came for his bounty woulde soon, so instead of continuing the fight, he lit fire to the wooden vige walls.


    And since he had a fire element Martial Vein, he was also the only one capable of putting the fire out.


    So the vige chief was now forced to choose. On one side, he had his only child, his daughter, but the vige chief knew if he handed his daughter to this maniac, she would certainly die a horrible death. While on the other were the vigers, a group of almost 200 people he had sworn to protect.


    "You demonic monster! I saw what you did in the forest with Sister Yao! I''ll never go with you." The vige girl yelled out.


    One of the reasons why the vige chief was able to find and stop Wu Tianyu from kidnapping her was because the girl saw Wu Tianyu and reported it to her father.


    Hearing that he was caught in the act, Wu Tianyu didn''t seem to care much, but his face became colder.


    "Since you all refuse to toast, then drink a forfeit!" Then, throwing his torch into the fire, Wu Tianyu turned to leave.


    However, to his shock, before the torch could touch the burning wooden fence, an arrow pierced into it from the side, sending it flying right back at him.


    Stunned, Wu Tianyu was caughtpletely off guard and could only bring his arms up to his chest and defend himself from the iing torch.


    Still, since Xue Bai had put his full strength into the arrow and the fact that the torch was still on fire, the impact sent him flying back and scored forearms.


    "Oh?" Xue Bai was also caught off guard, "Why do you still have your right arm?"


    From what the Base Lord told him, Wu Tianyu had his right arm severed in the fight with the merchant. Yet now, it was still attached to his body.


    Wu Tianyu had no words to exchange with someone here to kill him, so he merely swallowed a pill to heal his wounds and readied himself.


    "There''s no need to be so focused," Xue Bai also readied himself, "You''re going to die soon. So why not get something off your chest?"


    "Shut up!" Wu Tianyu yelled out crazily as his face morphed into one of rage, "I don''t want to hear those haughty words from someone like you!"


    Xue Bai didn''t expect his words to touch such a sore spot on the man and was about to question further, but Wu Tianyu had already erupted in rage and charged at Xue Bai, sending a punch toward his face.


    The punch was fierce and filled with a massive cloud of killing intent that would''ve made any 13-year-old shiver in fear. However, in Xue Bai''s eyes, the punch waspletely full of ws and crudeness.


    Wu Tianyu did notice Xue Bai''s robes, but he obviously didn''t seem to think much of him and sent a simple punch using his full strength.


    He, after all, had a cultivation base five stages higher than Xue Bai and had decades more experience under his belt. So no matter how talented and bright of a future Xue Bai had, wasn''t it suicide to fight him, who was so much stronger?


    However, Xue Bai was calm in the face of the overbearing punch. He had also seen the killing intent of some of themanders under his father andpared to them, this puny amount that Wu Tianyu managed to manifest was nothing.


    Undisturbed at the attempt to instill fear in him, Xue Bai jumped back almost 5 meters and let the man''s momentum die out before sending a sh with his new reforged Lava Spring Sword.


    Yue Zifeng didn''t like the horrible name of Fire Breath and personally renamed it when he handed it back to Xue Bai.


    The sword''s quality was also greatly enhanced, bing a peak Yellow-grade weapon. And since Yue Zifeng was such a skilled cksmith, its quality was at the peak of the Yellow-grade and wasn''t much inferior to a ck-grade sword.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Wu Tianyu was surprised at how calm Xue Bai was, but it onlysted for a moment before he hardened his focus and dodged Xue Bai''s sword.


    Now once again at odds, the two looked at each other, but this time it was different. The two now had a rough grasp of the other''s strength, and neither underestimated the other.


    "Why are you here?" Wu Tianyu probed, "Iron Fang Base doesn''t have the capital to hire a high and mighty Core Disciple from the Soaring Sword Sect."


    "You''re right. They don''t." Xue Bai nodded, "I, however, felt a small bottleneck in my cultivation and thought to ept a bounty. I heard thatbat is the best form of loosening bottlenecks."


    "So you''re only thinking of me as a whetstone!" Wu Tianyu was a man quick to anger.


    "You can think of it as such." Xue Bai merely shrugged his shoulders in response. Talking with this man would only end up in a screaming match.


    Taking back up the Lava Spring Sword, Xue Bai started another brawl.


    Wu Tianyu saw that the sword in Xue Bai''s hands was definitely a treasure and didn''t dare to take it head-on, while Xue Bai didn''t want to take a punch from Wu Tianyu. His body was weak, and a good punch from the once soldier could spell the end of the fight for Xue Bai.


    And since theirbat strengths were just about even, the fight eventually grew into a stalemate.


    However, Xue Bai knew that this situation was extremely unfavorable for him.


    While he was strong as someone in the 4th stage of the Organ Tempering realm, his cultivation was still only in the Bone Strengthening realm, meaning that he had far less Spiritual Qi than Wu Tianyu.


    Thankfully he had cultivated the Purification Stages, so the originally huge gap between their gas tanks was lessened. But the main part was the vigers.


    Even though he had stopped Wu Tianyu waspletely razing the vige down, most of the vige wall was wooden. So once, a small fire that was supposed to be a deterrent was now slowly turning into arge forest fire that threatened the vigers.


    Knowing that if this stalemate continued, his situation would get worse, Xue Bai eventually hardened his will and decided to end the fight quickly.


    Sending a wide sh that forced Wu Tianyu to back up, Xue Bai jumped back/


    Now with some breathing room, Xue Bai sighed, "You know what, why not. Come Sword Law!"


    At hismand, instantly, Xue Bai''s Dantian was separated from half of its Spiritual Qi, while a familiar-looking purple sword appeared in Xue Bai''s left hand.


    ''You can dodge one sword, but what about two.'' Xue Bai angrily thought before starting a new fight.


    Wu Tianyu was annoyingly good at fighting and was indeed a man with decades ofbat experience.


    He knew that Xue Bai''s sword was something that, if he were touched by once, he would suffer greatly.


    So instead of constantly dodging it and wasting a huge amount of stamina, he yed on Xue Bai''s left side. And since Xue Bai was right-handed, he would be able to dodge most attacks easily, saving both his stamina and reducing chances for Xue Bai to get a hit in.


    But now that he had another sword, his strategy was useless.


    The first exchange proved it, as almost instantly, Xue Bai managed tond a sh onto his chest.


    In the second exchange, Xue Bai almost connected with Wu Tianyu''s neck. However, he dodged at thest second at the cost of his hair.


    But the third exchange changed the momentum of the fight, as Xue Bainded a deep gash on Wu Tianyu''s left arm, basically rendering it useless. Xue Bai had luckily managed to sever the nerves on his arm, making it impossible for it to react to Wu Tianyu''s wishes.


    "Damn it!" Wu Tianyu was both angered beyond measure and aggrieved.


    He had just used a legendary peak Yellow-grade Limb Restoring Pill to bring back his right arm after it was severed, only to have his other arm crippled.


    After that, Wu Tianyu knew he couldn''t win, and after giving one more regretful look at the vige, he ran off into the forest.


    "You slut, just wait until I reach the Qi Sea realm! Then, I''ll make you live a life worse than death as a furnace!" Wu Tianyu yelled as he ran into the treeline.


    Xue Bai was about to chase, but Wu Tianyu went into his spatial ring and pulled out a talisman that set fire to the forest behind him, blocking Xue Bai.


    Since Xue Bai was a part of the Soaring Sword Sect, he knew that a righteous man wouldn''t chase him but instead go and say the vigers. So after cursing Xue Bai until he felt better, Wu Tianyu disappeared into the forest.


    Sadly his guess was wrong.


    "Big Wang, save the vigers," Xue Bai spoke to the air with a dark expression, "This flower picker needs to die."


    Though Xue Bai was used to being called a female, most of the culprits of this were random people who didn''t know better. And the people would also still call Xue Bai a respectful term like Young Miss or something simr.


    So hearing this rapist not only call him a slut but threaten to rape him, Xue Bai was, for the first time in this world, angered.


    "Yes, Young Master!" Big Wang was indeed nearby, and with a wave of his hand, the raging fire that had surrounded the vige and was threatening the lives of the vige was quelled.


    Seeing the situation under control, Xue Bai ran off to chase Wu Tianyu.


    This scum had to die!

 Chapter 151 Completing The Mission

    ?Completing the Mission


    "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Wu Tianyu raged as he held his limp left arm, running through the forest.


    ''Those stupid nobles! That bitch is less than a third of my age, yet she can force me into such a situation! If I had half of the background she had, I wouldn''t have been forced into this situation.'' Wu Tianyu was infuriated as he ran farther and farther away from the vige.


    Wu Tianyu was once a normal person in this world, destined to live out his 100-year lifespan and die a meaningless death.


    But after he found the corpse of an expert demonic cultivator, he thought his life was about to turn around.


    However, bad luck after bad luck had made him question just how lucky he was.


    First, he lost his right arm to a random merchant, and then he was forced to give up the goal of fulfilling his long-suppressed desire. And now he was being chased into a miserable situation by a random Core Disciple.


    Thankfully the expert demonic cultivator was a rich man who possessed more items than Wu Tianyu would ever use in his entire lifetime.


    "Just wait until my Yang Repleshing Art brings me into the Qi Sea realm! I''lle back and make your life worse than death!" Turning back to give another hateful look in Xue Bai''s direction, Wu Tianyu cursed.


    "No need! I''m already here, you scum!" Xue Bai replied back, just as angry. He had already caught up.


    Notching three arrows, Xue Bai sent them all flying at Wu Tianyu, blocking his advances and his retreat options, forcing a fight.


    "Damn it!" Wu Tianyu stopped and turned around to face his hunter, "Have you no righteousness! Those vigers are going to die! Go save them, not chase after me!"


    "I''m a noble, you ass hat! I have bodyguards for this!" Xue Bai berated as he shed both his Sword Law and Lava Spring Sword at Wu Tianyu.


    ''Ass hat?'' Wu Tianyu was dumbstruck at hearing such an insult, but he had no time to question that before Xue Bai was already near him.


    Knowing he wouldn''t be able to win the fight without taking ruthless measures, Wu Tianyu hardened his will and decided to sacrifice his useless arm.


    Letting Xue Bai slice it off, Wu Tianyu got close and tried to end the fight with a punch to thetter''s Dantian.


    The Dantian was also known as a cultivator''s greatest weakness, so if one strong punchnded there, all of Xue Bai''s cultivation would dissipate, leaving him as defenseless as a fish on the chopping block.


    However, to Wu Tianyu''s despair, his punch onlynded on Xue Bai''s stomach before ricocheting off, sending him tumbling back into the dirt, coughing blood.


    "I had wanted to fight you fair and give you a decent death, but you touched a sore spot." Xue Bai spat to the injured Wu Tianyu, "Since you know I''m a noble, why not use that to my advantage? How did the defensive robe feel? It can take a few hits from a Domain Lord."


    Feeling a myriad of emotions, Wu Tianyu red at Xue Bai with a pair of vicious and bloodthirsty that would send shivers down any man before once again turning to flee.


    "I said earlier, you''ll die soon." Xue Bai said as he grabbed his conjured sword and threw it at Wu Tianyu, piercing him into the mud below him.


    Wu Tianyu tried to dodge, but the rebounding force from Xue Bai''s robes left his body numb and uncontroble. So he was forced to watch the conjured sword pierce his Dantian, effectively crippling him.


    Enraged and full of anxiety, Wu Tianyu was about to try and talk to Xue Bai and get him to spare his life.


    His cultivation technique was his gateway to immortality, and even if he was crippled, he could build it back up in just a few years.


    However, Xue Bai was merciless. Smacking the man''s jaw with as much force as his wrist could generate, Xue Bai took away his speaking ability.


    "Die in agony." Xue Bai coldly spoke as he pierced his Lava Spring Sword into his stomach as well.


    His Sword Law would dissipate soon, and he needed the man to stay unmovable for a moment.


    Sitting down cross-legged, Xue Bai immediately started to cultivate on the spot.


    From every novel that he knew, and even his father Xue Bai was told that battle was always the best method of breaking through stages.


    He, of course, wasn''t at a bottleneck, but currently, he was feeling rusty and unsharpened, staying on his peak for so long. And this bounty mission was supposed to not only be a breath of fresh air but also to get him to taste a true fight and also help him break through to the 9th stage of the Bone strengthening realm.


    It was effectively hitting three birds with one stone!


    And the scriptures weren''t wrong.


    Almost instantly after he started cultivating, Xue Bai felt his Martial Veins absorbing the Spiritual Qi in the air almost twice as fast as they usually did.


    Not wanting the phenomenon to stop, Xue Bai was quick and swallowed an entire bottle full of Bone Strengthening Pills and continued his elerated cultivation session.


    He was already close to the 9th stage, and after another hour of speedy cultivation, he felt the chance to break through.


    9th stage of the Bone Strengthening realm!


    Excited, Xue Bai stood up, ignoring the searing pain that came from deep within his bones, and once again stretched his limbs and enjoyed the satisfying and aesthetically pleasing cracking sounds that came from his skeleton.


    "Father was right!" Xue Bai was content with this mission now, and his previous anger from being threatened by Wu Tianyu was expelled.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, that didn''t mean that the criminal was pardoned, so after making sure there were no internal injuries from the breakthrough, Xue Bai grabbed the dying man''s hair nning to drag him back to the vige.


    The walk was slow, and after about ten minutes of muffled screaming for mercy, Xue Bai arrived, where he found Big Wang tending to the vigers.


    Though he was a cultivation maniac and was once a famed soldier under Xue Feng, Big Wang had a soft spot for the weak.


    "Young Master, you''re too quick to anger. That man was obviously trying to goad you into being indecisive so he could escape further." Big Wang sighed as he sensed Xue Bai''s approach, "Mistress had told me not to show myself unless it was a life or death situation. And if I didn''t feel bad for the vigers, I wouldn''t have."


    "If I weren''t here, Young Master, his n would have worked too." Big Wang continued. "He knew it was a lost battle once your Sword Law came out."


    Though Big Wang was a servant to Xue Bai in a sense, he was also a closepanion. Not only that, but Big Wang''s future was tied to Xue Bai''s, so he truly wanted the best for him.


    So while his words were somewhat piercing, they were all true, not giving Xue Bai any chance of an argument.


    "I know," Xue Bai sighed, "However his words were too dirty. I couldn''t help but get angered."


    His androgynous appearance was always a soft spot for him, but over the years, he had gotten over it, or so he thought. But once he had heard such words from Wu Tianyu, his years of pent-up anger toward it emerged.


    "You still have time, Young Master. You''re young." Big Wangforted, "Commander Huo always had a good saying for this. Don''t me yourself for your first mistake. However, don''t let it happen again."


    "Big Wang, It''s my appearance that caused this situation just as much as my temper." Xue Bai couldn''t help but say.


    "Then maybe get a tan?" Big Wang had no advice to give about such a topic. Not even a blind man would mistake him for a girl.


    "Maybe," Xue Bai sighed, "How are the vigers? I brought Wu Tianyu back alive in case one of them wanted to personally avenge that ''Sister Yao'' I heard about."


    "They''re fine. While there was a lot of smoke, it was only near the walls, and most of the vigers stayed in the center of the vige. So they''ll all be fine after a few days of healing." Big Wang answered, "Thankfully, you sniped that torch before it further ignited the fire. If not for that, the situation might''ve been much worse.


    "Thank you, Young Master!" Suddenly all of the vigers that Big Wang had already helped surrounded the duo and knelt in gratitude.


    "It''s fine." Xue Bai was calm in the face of their gratitude, "I only wish I could''ve been faster and saved that Sister Yao of yours."


    The vige chief''s daughter was full of tears, but she still shook her head, "As long as that monster is dead, then I''m sure Sister Yao will be grateful in her next life."


    "Do you want to avenge her?" Xue Bai enquired. He had kept the man alive for this reason. If not, he would just kill Wu Tianyu now. While he was able to drag the man easily, Wu Tianyu would still struggle in his grasp, annoying him.


    "No, no, no." The vige chief''s daughter shook her head like a rattling drum. While Wu Tianyu was crippled and rendered motionless, his expression and the ferocity she once saw in him earlier made her afraid to even set foot in his direction.


    "Suit yourself." Xue Bai shrugged his shoulders.


    Grabbing Wu Tianyu''s neck, he twisted like one would a chicken, killing him almost instantly. He also stored Wu Tianyu''s corpse in his spatial ring, but now before taking his own off.


    Wu Tianyu had regrown an arm and had advanced his cultivation more than two realms above his innate limit in less than two months. Whatever fortuitous encounter he had must''ve been an extremely valuable one, and Xue Bai was greedy for it.


    Of course, the cultivation technique he used was off-limits. Cultivation techniques that used the lifeforce and vitality of others to advance one''s own cultivation were banned throughout the Baishen ne, and rightfully so.


    Whether it was using Yin to replenish Yang, using Yang to replenish Yin, or something simr, as long as one didn''t want to be an enemy of the entire righteous faction, no one dared to use it, at least publicly. Xue Bai was no exception.


    Plus, Xue Bai was a good man, especially to Xiao''er. So how could he turn her into a husk just to boost his cultivation base a stage or two?


    However, whatever else Wu Tianyu had, as long as it wasn''t extremely morbid and demonic, Xue Bai would take it without care.


    "Big Wang, you can stay with the vigers." Xue Bai waved as he nned to leave.


    "Be safe, Young Master." Big Wang replied respectfully.


    Nodding simply, Xue Bai found where his Wind Chasing Horse was left and started his ride back to the Iron Fang Base.


    "Let''s see what this legendary flower picker found." Xue Bai muttered as he sent his consciousness into Wu Tianyu''s spatial ring.


    Inside, Xue Bai found four small piles of things. Three of the piles were normal, as they were just pills, talismans, and jade slips.


    However, it was the third that made Xue Bai nauseated.


    "I thought you only kept corpses in the other spatial ring. So why the hell are there more in this one?" Xue Bai muttered in disgust.


    Promptly ignoring the three husks, Xue Bai pulled out the valuable things that he was so curious about.


    He nned to hand the corpses to the Base Lord when he arrived. Though they were extremely disheveled and only husks of their previous beautiful young selves, corpses were something extremely respected in this world.


    So rather than being heartless and throwing it into the forest, why not give them to the Base Lord and gain some favor from the family of the deceased? It was a win-win.


    Since, most likely, the Jade Slips had the demonic cultivation technique inscribed onto them, Xue Bai ignored those and went directly to the pills.

 Chapter 152 A Useful Piece Of Loot

    ?A Useful piece of Loot


    "Aphrodisiac, aphrodisiac, this is basically a viagra, aphrodisiac, dear god, are there any actual useful pills?" Xue Bai was dumbfounded.


    Could only man be so reliant on drugs? Did he have no confidence in himself?


    "Oh? That''s something," Suddenly, at the bottom of the pile Xue found something interesting.


    Though it was hidden in a normal-looking pill bottle without any special markings or inscriptions to bring attention to it, Xue Bai had studied under his mother, a peak Yellow-grade alchemist. So how could he not sense it?


    Throwing the useless drugs back into Wu Tianyu''s spatial ring, Xue Bai inspected the seemingly only practical bottle of pills there was.


    Uncorking the pill bottle, Xue Bai found three pristine white looking pills inside, and while such a paltry amount would''ve made him uninterested, it was the aroma that hit his nose that got his attention back.


    "These must be the pills that Wu Tianyu used to regenerate his limbs, then." Xue Bai guessed.


    Such a strong aroma could only be matched to a peak Yellow-grade pill or higher. And a pill of that grade was more than enough to regenerate the arm of a Bone Strengthening realm cultivator.


    Content, Xue Bai stored the remaining three pills in his spatial ring.


    "Let''s hope that the talismans aren''t also used for sex." Xue Bai thought before going into the next pile.


    After all, they were talismans. How could there be such ascivious talisman in existence?


    "I was wrong." Xue Bai was enlightened.


    There was ascivious talisman in existence.


    "This is just an aphrodisiac generator, isn''t it?" Xue Bai truly didn''t know his luck, "Was it not enough to have the almost 100 aphrodisiac pills earlier? Why have talismans that release them into the air?"


    "And he even had 10 of them. What the hell? Is he so impotent that he needs so many drugs?!" Xue Bai was enraged, but who could he vent his anger to?


    Thankfully there were at least a few usable talismans, making Xue Bai at least feel a little bitpensated.


    Three Golden Body Talismans that could summon a shield that could stop two attacks from a Law Engraving realm expert, and 2 Fireball Talismans that could conjure a fireball with the power capable of killing a Law Engraving realm expert.


    Xue Bai, at first, was confused about why Wu Tianyu didn''t use them, but after taking a closer look, he figured it out.


    Unlike talismans made by true expert talisman experts, these ones were made either in a hurry or by a horrible talisman maker, as in order to use it, it needed to be charged by enough Spiritual Qi to use it. And since Wu Tianyu obviously didn''t have enough Spiritual Qi to power up a talisman capable of such power, they could only sit in his spatial ring and collect dust.


    Expert Talisman Makers would create the talismans that Xue Bai had where they were already pre-charged and only needed a wisp of Spiritual Qi to activate.


    Indignant about his horrible luck, Xue Bai was without anywhere to vent.


    So betting all of his remaining luck on the jade slips, Xue Bai brought the first of 3 to his forehead.


    "Nope, that''s the Yang replenishing art." Xue Bai instantly threw that one back into Wu Tianyu''s spatial ring before using the second, "Ugh, that one is even worse. Using the Yin Essence of women to rejuvenize the old skin? I''m neither old nor so horrible a man to use the virginity of a woman for my appearance."


    "If this third one isn''t something useful, I''m going to dig up Wu Tianyu''s ancestral grave." Xue Bai was starting to get annoyed at how bad his luck was.


    Grabbing thest one with no expectations, Xue Bai brought it to his forehead and repeated the familiar process.


    "This is a map?" Xue Bai was caught off guard.


    Instead of the usual cultivation technique or notes, what was inscribed on the jade slip was a map.


    "But I don''t know where this is." Xue Bai muttered sadly. He was a little disappointed he couldn''t hunt down the treasure instantly, "First go back to the sect, then I guess."


    Without anything to do, Xue Bai continued to write horrible poems in order to pass the time as he waited for his Wind Chasing Horse to reach its destination.


    After another 2 hours of disappointing his elementary teacher, Xue Bai eventually returned back to the base.


    This time, however, he didn''t spend much time talking with the Base Lord and only gave the man the corpse of Wu Tianyu and the husks of his victims.


    "Base Lord, while I don''t know who these women are since Wu Tianyu acquired them after he was forced out of the city, most likely they are from the surrounding viges." Xue Bai spoke calmly on his horse.


    "I don''t have much to say. However, I do wish for you to find the family of these poor women and have their bodies returned to them. Wu Tianyu was a menace, but that doesn''t mean the families should suffer any more than they should have already." Xue Bai spoke eloquently, gaining many words of praise from the citizens nearby.


    The Base Lord agreed and patted his chest with as much force as his old body allowed him to and swore toplete the task to the best of his abilities.


    "Oh, before I leave," Xue Bai suddenly remembered, "Base Lord find whoever Wu Tianyu slept with in the brothels and give them these pills. Though he hadn''t sucked them dry of their Yin Essence, he did definitely take a lot from them. These pills can help them gain it back before it starts to damage their vitality."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai then handed the Base Lord a small bottle of Profound Yin Pills.


    Ignoring the extravagant name, the pills were something rather crude. They were only a low Yellow-grade pill and had a rather odd use. It supplied mortal women with a surplus amount of Yin Essence that could do many good things to their bodies, from strengthening their bodies to even looking a few years younger.


    Sadly the pill was used in the wrong direction. And the pill nowadays was mainly used for high-profile noble mortal women who wanted to effectively regain their virginity again.


    However, for the women that Wu Tianyu used while he was still in the city, it could save their lives.


    After handing the Base Lord the pills, Xue Bai left. His first bounty mission resulted in him finding many ws in himself that he would''ve never discovered from cultivating in peace at his peak, and he wanted to do more.


    There were only about 5 or 6 more years of peace on the continent, and Xue Bai needed to be fully grown before then. Both physically and mentally.


    "6 years is enough for me to reach the Law Manifestation realm, I think?" Xue Bai thought aloud, "If not, I should be pretty close, though."


    There were five realms between him and the Law Manifestation realm right now if he didn''t include the Purification Stages of the Bone Strengthening realm that he nned toplete soon.


    "Spend a year in the Organ Tempering realm, about 18 months in the Qi Sea and Dharma Idol realm, and about two years in the Law Engraving realm." Xue Bai thought aloud as he tried to n out his future, "As long as I canprehend the Spatial Law soon. If not, then 7 years."


    Though to the outside world, a pace like this would be monstrous, and any man who thought he could replicate it would be called insane, to Xue Bai, it seemed normal.


    Zhu Que would reach the Domain Lord realm in the year 984, which was only a little over eight years from now. So adding the fact that he was already in the Bone Strengthening realm and his wealth of resources, reaching the Law Manifestation realm in 982 didn''t seem too far-fetched.


    Xue Bai only needed to startprehending Spatial Law in preparation for the Law Engraving Realm. However, the Spatial Law was one of the most profound and mysteriousws there were. So it was a daunting task for him, to say the least.


    Continuing to n out the distant future, Xue Bai eventually got lost in thoughts. However, very soon, Xue Bai shook his head.


    "Don''t think so far into the future," Xue Bai muttered as he gave his cheeks a smack, "Stay focused on the present. So many things go awry in 6 years. Cultivating peacefully in the Baishen ne is a fool''s dream."


    The era of geniuses had arrived, so even if Xue Bai holed himself in a mountain in the Barren Lands, a stray genius would still find him and start a ''spar'' hoping to ''exchange pointers.''


    After a few smacks that turned the cheeks on his face red, Xue Bai once again gained his usual determined and icy look and continued on the way to the Soaring Sword Sect.


    ¨C


    "Big sister Xiao''er when is Little Brothering back? He couldn''t have gone missing after the ceremony, right?" Zhu Que asked as she sat cross-legged with her chin in her hands in the training pagoda.


    In the week that Xue Bai had been gone, Xiao''e''r had broken through to the 9th stage of the Organ Tempering realm, so currently, the two were on the third floor seeing if Xiao''er could hold her own against a sword puppet in the Qi Sea realm.


    Zhu Que had tried to dissuade her, saying that the gap between the Qi Sea and Organ Tempering realm was something huge and couldn''t be ovee by Xiao''er.


    However, after thinking for a little, Zhu Que gave up on trying to dissuade her. This Big Sister of hers needed something to give her a reality check, and this sword puppet was the perfect thing for the job.


    And true to Zhu Que''s words, Xiao''er was now lying on the ground, both beaten and exhausted.


    "Young Master told that he was taking a mission and that he wouldn''t be back for about a week so so." Xiao''er panted, "So, if anything, he should being either tonight or tomorrow morning."


    "But didn''t Master say for us not to leave the sect until we reach the Qi Sea realm?" Zhu Que was confused.


    Xiao''er was as well and could only shrug in response.


    She was only sent a message and was left the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus. Xue Bai didn''t even tell her what mission he took, but just that he would be leaving.


    The training pagoda descended into a short silence after the question until Xiao''er eventually got her energy back.


    "Alright, Zhu Que, watch Big Sister beat down this stupid sword puppet!" Xiao''er yelled out as she once again turned on the array, unleashing the same sword puppet that had beaten her just an hour ago.


    Zhu Que wanted to stop the maid, but her words didn''te out fast enough. Xiao''er had already shed with the puppet.


    ''Big Sister, you''re just a normal cultivator. How dare you try to skip realms and fight a Qi Sea realm puppet?'' Zhu Que inwardly sighed.


    Though Xiao''er had recently gotten ahold of her mind and started to improve her strength, she had too little time to be anything special. So for her to lose her mind and try to fight a Qi Sea realm sword puppet with her cultivation base was something rather dumb.


    Sadly Xiao''er didn''t like taking no for an answer and wanted to beat the puppet before she quit.


    "Go, Big Sister!" Zhu Que weakly cheered from the side.


    ''I should prepare more healing pills,'' Zhu Que thought as she saw Xiao''er fly back from the lost first exchange.

 Chapter 153 Grounded

    ?I''ve realized from ament that some people hadn''t read the Side Chapters, and while usually, they aren''t necessary or even canon for most stories, they are rather important in this novel.


    There are some things in this chapter that won''t make sense if you haven''t read the Li Rou side chapter. So if you would like to not be confused, please read that and thene back to this chapter.


    ¡ª--------------¡ª--------------¡ª--------------¡ª--------------¡ª--------------¡ª--------------¡ª--------------¡ª-----


    Grounded


    Thanks to his Wind Chasing Horse, Xue Bai would be able to travel for another two days nonstop. Where he eventually reached Soaring Sword City safe and sound, and after returning the Wind Chasing Horse to its owner, he teleported back to the sect.


    However, once he got off the teleporter, Xue Bai realized his mistake.


    Only he, Ye Rou, Jiang Xiaorou, Xiao''er, and Zhu Que had ess to teleport to Yue Zifeng''s mountain, and since he was the only person of the five not on the peak, as soon as Yue Zifeng heard someone arrive, he instantly knew it was Xue Bai.


    Xue Bai realized this toote, and before he could turn the array back on and return to Soaring Sword City, Yue Zifeng arrived.


    "So you''re back then?" Yue Zifeng coldly spoke to his rebellious disciple, "I assume you think my words to be just air over your head, don''t you?"


    "Master, I know I was being impudent, and I should''ve listened to your words but look!" Xue Bai quickly released his cultivation base, trying to lower his punishment.


    Sadly Yue Zifeng was unmoved.


    "You could''ve broken through to the 9th stage if you stayed on the peak." Yue Zifeng didn''t care about Xue Bai''s advancement. He was in the Spirit Awakening realm and could already see Xue Bai''s cultivation even if the kid hid it.


    "But I also figured out some of my faults." Xue Bai was reluctant to be locked up on the peak.


    "Is that all you have to say?" Yue Zifeng was still unmoved, "If so, then go back to your peak. I''m turning off the teleportation array."


    "Wait!" Xue Bai shouted out suddenly. He obviously just remembered something.


    "What?" Yue Zifeng was starting to get impatient.


    "Master, the person on the bounty had the inheritance of an expert demonic cultivator look!" Then, throwing the jade slips over to Yue Zifeng, Xue Bai yelled out.


    "Hm?" Yue Zifeng''s attention was obviously caught.


    Bringing the jade slip to his forehead, Yue ZIfeng swept his mind through the cultivation technique, and as he read deeper and deeper, his eyebrows became more and more furrowed until he couldn''t help but curse.


    "Those demonic bastards still didn''t learn their lesson from thest war, then." Yue Zifeng angrily spoke.


    "Master, does that mean I can still leave?" Xue Bai inquired.


    "Nonsense. Why did you even get your hopes up?" Yue Zifeng snorted as he ced a seal on the teleportation hall, "Go back and cultivate diligently. I''ll let you out again when you break through to the Organ Tempering realm."


    "But that is going to take two months at the quickest!" Xue Bai cried out.


    "Two months? You''re at the peak of the Bone Strengthening realm. Why would it take two months to break through?" Yue Zifeng asked as he raised an eyebrow until he remembered something, "Oh right, you''re cultivating the Purification Stages. Li Rou told me about that."


    Seeing Xue Bai''s expression and knowing just how rambunctious this child could be, Yue Zifeng eventually decided topromise.


    He knew that Xue Bai had already spent his almost entire life locked up at home and wanted to finally be freed. So if anything, locking him up at the Soaring Sword Sect would only cause the boy to be more and more rebellious.


    "I''ll let you take a mission once a month." Yue Zifeng sighed, "How you have to break through a stage each month to be let out. If you squander your potential and waste time, I''ll extend this time to half a year!"


    "Deal!" Xue Bai agreed quickly and ran off, scared that Yue Zifeng would go back on his offer.


    Once a month was good enough.


    And as for the second part, Xue Bai didn''t care much about it. With his potential, resources, and the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, all added up, Xue Bai could break through a stage in a week and a half, let alone a month.


    Yue Zifeng let the child run off and only shook his head as he watched the kid run further and further away. He could tell where Xue Bai wasing from.


    Xue Bai knew he was a greenhouse flower, and because of that, he felt unworthy of both his talent and standing. So to stop that, he was always in a rush to strengthen himself and fight things.


    However, Yue Zifeng didn''t understand what Xue Bai was always in a rush about.


    He was not even 14 yet but still had a Small Sess stage Sword Law, a 9th stage Bone Strengthening realm cultivation, and was a decent formation master as well.


    And yet even with all of that, he still wanted to perfect hisbat strength and fight against seasoned criminals?


    If this wasn''t going against the heavens, then what was?


    While Yue Zifeng always yed the role of a harsh Master who wanted nothing but the best from Xue Bai, he was also the child''s uncle.<novelnext></novelnext>


    So while Yue Zifeng did say that he was locking Xue Bai onto the mountain so he could cultivate diligently, he was really doing it so that Xue Bai could be stronger before leaving safely.


    After all, it was much harder for a Dharma Idol or Law Engraving realm cultivator to diepared to a Bone Strengthening realm cultivator.


    "I should talk to Little Rou." Yue Zifeng muttered as he watched Xue Bai run down his stairs. However, he quickly shook his head, "No, not her. Brother Feng would be easier to talk to."


    Making an internal decision, Yue Zifeng quickly made a seal at the bottom of the mountain as well that wouldst for a month before leaving in the direction of The Great Xuan Empire.


    ¨C


    "Young Master, you''re back!" Xiao''er yelled as she saw Xue Bai enter the Training Pagoda.


    However, she was still beaten and exhausted on the ground and didn''t run up to greet him but instead stayed on the floor and waved.


    "Why are you two on the third floor?" Xue Bai questioned as he finally found the two.


    Xue Bai had been on the peak for almost an hour, but even after looking around every single building, he still couldn''t find them.


    He had even looked in the Training Pagoda earlier. But since he didn''t expect Xiao''er and Zhu Que to be on the third floor, he missed them. The floors also had soundproofing, so he didn''t hear them either.


    "Big Sister Xiao''er needed a reality check." Zhu Que exined vaguely. Thankfully from the fact that Xiao''er was lying beaten on the ground, most of the picture was already painted, allowing Xue Bai to guess what had happened.


    Xue Bai could only shake his head.


    Going into his spatial ring, Xue Bai pulled out a Tiger Strength Pill that was good for recovering stamina and healing minor injuries and fed it to the immobilized Xiao''er before helping her off the ground.


    The pills that Li Rou made were always at the top of their grade, so almost instantly, Xiao''er felt better.


    "It''ste. Let''s have dinner quickly before going to cultivate." Xue Bai spoke.


    Neither of the girls had an objection, and after sending a request to the maids living on the peak, the group of three had a quick fulfilling dinner.


    Other than cultivating with each other during the nighttime, the trio had a tradition of always eating a small dinner together right before.


    While Zhu Que had just broken through to the Blood Exchange realm, that was only while Xue Bai was gone. Before that, she was still in the Vein Transformation realm and was still required to eat her three daily meals as any mortal would.


    At first, she was shy about it since, in order to eat, they would have to send a request down to the Core Region and find avable maids to cook her meals. However, after Xiao''er and Xue Bai started to eat with her, Zhu Que would find herself anticipating her meals because of how fun they were.


    And to make it less awkward for Zhu Que, During the short time that the trio had been at the peak, they had also managed to convince Yue Zifeng to let them have a small group of maids that were responsible for their meals.


    So after hearing that they would be able to eat together for the first time in a week, the girls were excited and ran off happily, pulling Xue Bai along.


    ''I guess I had missed these two.'' Xue Bai smiled inwardly as he let the two pull him along.


    Dinner was quick, and after being pulled along once again, the trio arrived at Xue Bai''s courtyard, where they closed up for the night, nning to cultivate.


    However, before they started, Xue Bai brought up something.


    "Xiao''er, you''re at the 9th stage of the Organ Tempering realm, right?" Xue Bai suddenly asked. The only reason he could think of where Xiao''er would suddenly try and fight a Qi Sea realm sword puppet was if she had broken through to the peak of the Organ Tempering realm.


    "Yes, I am Young Master." Xiao''er nodded, "I broke through yesterday night."


    "Then why don''t you cultivate the Purification Stages?" Xue Bai proposed, "While they seem excessive and unimportant now, the further you cultivate, the more important your foundation bes, and the Purification Stages are the perfect way to make sure one has the most stable foundation once they break through to the Qi Sea realm."


    "But aren''t they extremely time-consuming?" Xiao''er was slightly worried about the daunting tasks that were the Purification Stages, "I heard that breaking through to the 10th stage of any realm takes twice as long as it did for the 9th."


    "I phrased myself wrong." Xue Bai spoke, correcting himself, "You''re going to cultivate the Purification Stages. And if you don''t, then you''ll see how I deal with you." And with a snort, Xue Bai sat on the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus.


    Xiao''er wanted to try and argue, but Xue Bai was merciless and got into his own mediation state, ignoring the world around him.


    He knew that if he asked Xiao''er to cultivate the Purification Stages, normally, she''d be fussy andzy about it. So instead, he just decided to out and threaten her. Xiao''er wasn''t hardheaded and wasn''t motivated by persuasion, and every once in a while, Xue Bai needed to resort to a threatening stance to get her to do what he wanted.


    Of course, he didn''t actually n on doing anything to Xiao''er in the scenario she didn''t cultivate the Purification Stages, but she didn''t know that.


    And just as he predicted, Xiao''er was easily led around by her nose and obediently started cultivating the Purification Stages of the Organ Tempering realm and not trying to advance into the Qi Sea realm.


    Zhu Que also quickly started cultivating, fearing that the two people around her would hog all of the Spiritual Qi mist.


    The night would pass simply like this, with them all cultivating diligently as any genius did.

 Chapter 154 Jiang Xiaorou The Tsundere

    ?Jiang Xiaorou the Tsundere


    The night went by quickly and without anything happening. Since each of them just recently made a breakthrough in their cultivation, none of them advanced a stage either.


    And after a quick breakfast, the trio started another day.


    "Young Master, how do the Purification Stages work?" Xiao''er suddenly asked, "I know they are Small Sess, Great Sess, Perfection, Purification, and Compression, but how do I further temper my organs? They feel perfect enough."


    "Nothing in this world is perfect, Xiao''er," Xue Bai replied, "If they were perfect, you''d be immortal. As for your question, I don''t know what works for the Organ Tempering realm, but I do know what works for the other realms. So even if you feel like you can''t continue to temper it, just keep going. There are always a few impurities deep within everything."


    Xue Bai wanted to give his maid a straight answer, but he really couldn''t. He had no experience with the Organ Tempering realm.


    In the game, cultivation was automatic All Xue Bai had to do in ''Children of the ne'' was to kill demonic beasts or other cultivators, then press a button, and he''d advance a stage without any repercussions or worry about an unstable foundation.


    The only thing that required actual effort were the Heavenly Tribtions that he eventually had to face. But Xue Bai wouldn''t encounter a Heavenly Tribtion until he reached the Mortality Shedding realm, making that knowledge useless for a long time.


    Yue Zifeng was also not on the mountain currently, so Xue Bai couldn''t tell Xiao''er to go to his peak.


    Xiao''er also realized that she was asking the wrong person for her question and didn''t ask anything else before standing up and going to leave the room.


    There was a small library on the peak, so hopefully, she could find something to help her there.


    "Ah! I remembered." Xue Bai suddenly said, "First Senior Sister also cultivates the Purification Stages. Xiao''er, you can go to her."


    Jiang Xiaorou was, for a long time, the only disciple of Yue Zifeng, a Spirit Awakening realm powerhouse from the Central Continent.


    And Yue Zifeng also came from a prestigious background, even in the Central Continent.


    So how could Jiang Xiaorou''s cultivation only be in the Dharma Idol realm at 22?


    It was obvious she was cultivating the Purification Stages as well. If not, she could easily be in the Law Engraving realm at her age.


    "But First Senior Sister seems really¡­ cold, Young Master." Xiao''er couldn''t help but ask, "What if she tells me no and gets a bad impression of me? I''d rather go to the library than get on First Senior Sister''s bad side."


    Xue Bai onlyughed, "Xiao''er, don''t worry. First Senior Sister is just like Second Senior Sister. Neither of them can speak their true thoughts. It''s just that First Senior Sister hides her thoughts in a different way."


    Jiang Xiaorou was an iceberg beauty indeed, but she was different from most other people with the same personality. Rather than havingplete indifference to the world around her, she genuinely cared for the people around her.


    It was just that she struggled to portray her emotions well. It was mainly the fact that her vige was wiped out by bandits, with her being the only survivor, that made her numb and extremely socially inept.


    After all, not everyone had the will of Zhu Que, who could step out of that shadow in less than a month.


    So to sum her up, Xue Bai just thought of her as a textbook tsundere in his mind.


    Sadly he couldn''t really say that phrase in the Baishen ne, as Xiao''er would think he had hit his head again.


    Hearing his words, Xiao''er looked indecisive for a few minutes but eventually took on a determined expression.


    "Young Master, if she hates me because of this, then it''s your fault," Xiao''er said. Then, following her words, she left the peak in search of their First Senior Sister.


    Now in the dining room, only he and Zhu Que were left. However, they also both went their separate ways, each nning to do their own thing.


    Since Zhu Que''s path of cultivation was slightly different, she didn''t need any help from Xue Bai. Thankfully she had the inheritance of the Azure Dragon God, making it simple for her to advance. Coupled with her Heaven-grade bloodline and her peak Earth-grade Martial Veins, she was destined to have no bottlenecks, unlike Xiao''er.


    So after cleaning up the breakfast they just had, Zhu Que disappeared, nning to do whatever she normally did.


    Xue Bai was curious and wanted to follow her, but on second thought, he held back.


    Everyone deserved to have their own secrets, especially when they didn''t harm anyone.


    She most likely didn''t want anyone to see what the Azure Dragon God gave to her, and she deserved her privacy.


    Xue Bai would''ve done the same and is actually doing the same. So after looking at Zhu Que one more time before she left his vision, Xue Bai went to the library they had on the peak.


    Ever since he looked at the map that was on Wu Tianyu, Xue Bai had yet to stop thinking about it.


    Whatever area that was on it looked so familiar to him, but he couldn''t ce a finger on it.


    Hopefully, the library had an extensive map of the Southern Continent and would be able to help Xue Bai find where the map was and what it was hiding.


    ¨C


    "Senior Sister Jiang, it''s Xiao''er!" Xiao''er yelled out as she reached Jiang Xiaorou''s peak.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The iceberg beauty always had a seal on her peak, preventing anyone from entering without her permission.


    So now Xiao''er was at the top of her stairs, hoping that Jiang Xiaorou could somehow monitor the outside world and let her in. If not, her goal would have failed before she even started it.


    However, Xiao''er, once she put her mind to something, was persistent, so instead of going back to Xue Bai''s peak, she stayed on the steps and waited for Jiang Xiaorou to notice her presence.


    Going back home without the information she needed would only cause her to lose another day of cultivation, which to her was something horrible.


    Once she got used to cultivating and starting to enjoy seeing her strength increase daily, losing that was like taking a piece of flesh from her.


    Thankfully Jiang Xiaorou didn''t take very much time, and within the hour, she floated out from her peak and looked down on Xiao''er from above.


    "Why are you here, Junior Sister?" Jiang Xiaorou asked indifferently from above in her usual cold tone.


    Xiao''er, excited that Jiang Xiaorou appeared, quickly stated why she was there before her Senior Sister left.


    "Why are you cultivating the Purification Stages?" Jiang Xiaorou asked with a raised eyebrow, "Did Junior Brother not tell you how daunting they are? They dy your cultivation speed by a huge margin, and the effects they give aren''t visible to people like you."


    "Young Master told me to cultivate them anyway," Xiao''er said uncertainly. She wasn''t sure why Xue Bai wanted her to cultivate the Purification Stages either, but since Xue Bai would never harm her, she obeyed with much thought.


    "Cultivation requires one to have their own will." Jiang Xiaorou said with a frown, "Junior Brother is your Senior Brother, not Young Master. Those worldly bindings will eventually cut off your future cultivation path."


    Jiang Xiaorou thought her words to be a helpful wake-up call to Xiao''er, but those were only her thoughts. Instantly after hearing those words, the face of Xiao''er grew a rare frown.


    "First Senior Sister, while I do respect you and Master, I will not have anyone disrespecting Young Master and me!" And with a snort, Xiao''er turned to leave.


    "Ah?" Jiang Xiaorou was stunned. How could someone as socially inept as she tell how close the rtionship between Xue Bai and Xiao''er was?


    Jiang Xiaorou had thought that Xiao''er only called Xue Bai Young Master because of a ve seal or something simr, not willingly.


    "Junior Sister, don''t be too hasty!" Jiang Xiaorou felt like crawling into a hole, "Ignore my previous words. I misjudged your rtionship."


    Jiang Xiarou quickly apologized, but toward the end, her face grew a small blush. This was the first time she had apologized for something ever since she joined the Soaring Sword Sect, and it was toward an Organ Tempering realm junior sister.


    But Xiao''er didn''t care. This cold woman insulted Young Master! No tip she could give her would make her forget.


    "Junior Sister, don''t be too hasty!" Jiang Xiaorou flew down and stopped Xiao''er by standing in front of her. But by now, her face had lost most of the indifference and was now truly red from her embarrassment.


    "Hmph!" Xiao''er snorted in response. However, she did stop. Jiang Xiaorou was much stronger than her, and she already looked so apologetic. If Xiao''er continued to ignore her, she would only be rude.


    "Come onto my peak. I''ll help you with the Organ Tempering realm''s Purification Stages." Jiang Xiaorou said and waved a hand, guiding Xiao''er to her peak.


    Hearing the words she was waiting for, Xiao''er put away her anger.


    "Then I''ll be in your care First Senior Sister!" Xiao''er nodded and followed Jiang Xiaorou.


    "Junior Sister, however, before we enter my peak, if you tell anyone what happened just now or what you see on my peak, I can guarantee you won''t have a peaceful time at this sect." Jiang Xiaorou said quickly, returning to her previous self.


    Sadly her previous appearance was already ingrained into the mind of Xiao''er. So even if she hid it as well as she did, XIao''er would never forget.


    Whether only Xiao''er stayed, the only person who did know, was yet to be known.


    Xiao''er did tell Xue Bai everything. So Jiang Xiaorou could only hope her threat worked as she led the girl to her peak, nning to help her with her cultivation as a Senior Sister should.


    ¨C


    "It''s over there?" Xue Bai muttered with anger in his tone.


    When he first found the treasure map, Xue Bai had thought his luck was starting to take a turn.


    Every time he looted a man or dead body, there was never anything useful for him, and even when there was, they either had a fine print or were only slightly useful.


    So when he found the treasure map Xue Bai finally thought he could find something extremely good and make up for all the lost opportunities.


    After all, even if the treasure was in some forbidden area that required great strength to enter, Xue Bai was fine. He was the personal disciple of a Spirit Awakening realm powerhouse and the son of two.


    How dangerous could the forbiddennd be if it was still on the Southern Continent?


    But after he finally figured out where the map led to, his face couldn''t help but cringe.


    "This is the Monarch''s Tomb, dammit!"

 Chapter 155 Thoughts For A Penny

    ?Thoughts for a Penny


    Xue Bai figured out why it looked so familiar. This map showed the Monarch''s Tomb, a secret realm that wouldn''t open for another eight years!


    "Another useless piece of loot!" Xue Bai angrily thought as he threw the map to the ground.


    Sadly he couldn''t even vent his anger out as before the mapnded on the ground, it levitated and returned to its position on the shelves.


    Not even to waste his breath to bothermenting on that, Xue Bai stood up from his chair and left the library.


    As he walked out, Xue Bai realized just how long he had spent in the library, from the sun that had already set.


    Staring up at the sun, Xue Bai felt mncholy at it all.


    Was he cursed never to obtain something directly useful from a corpse?


    The most useful thing Xue Bai ever received from a corpse was the bottle of Bodhi Pills he got from Ye Xuan back in the Entrance Exam, which he could use anytime he wanted.


    However, if he used them right now, it would be a huge waste of their potential.


    Bodhi pills were extremely useful pills that were only used for people who wanted to understand the following chapters of their cultivation, martial, or even movement techniques.


    So to use it when he didn''t even have any of those would be a waste.


    Ever since he had found Yggdrasil 6 years ago, it seemed that all of his good luck had left him as well.


    And while his luck was by no means bad, since nothing had gone wrong in his life, it could be better. His luck right now was just purely average.


    The Heavens above ignored him. It gave him no misfortune nor luck, just pure indifference.


    As if he wasn''t truly on this ne.


    ''I''m a damn transmigrated, for crying out loud. Why is my luck so mediocre?'' Xue Bai inwardly cried.


    "Young Master, you''re out!" Xiao''ermented from a distance. She had also coincidentally just returned from Jiang Xiaorou''s teaching session and saw Xue Bai walk out.


    Hearing the familiar voice, Xue Bai got out of his emotions and looked over in the direction it came from.


    "Oh Xiao''er," Xue Bai nodded at her, "How was it? Did First Senior Sister help you?"


    Though he was sure about his opinion of Jiang Xiaorou being a tsundere, there was always the chance that the woman wasn''t at her peak and couldn''t help Xiao''er.


    Nobody ever knew where the girl was or what she was thinking most of the time since only Yue Zifeng could truly interact with her.


    Everyone else just got simple one-sentence replies and no care.


    "Yes, I did!" Xiao''er happily said, "She even gave me a notebook with her notes on it for the Organ Tempering realm! It''s enough for me to finish the Purification Stages."


    "That''s good." Xue Bai said with a smile. The stronger Xiao''er was, and the further she could cultivate alongside him, the happier he was.


    He knew that Xiao''er would eventually run into a wall; however, he wanted to make sure that she lived a long life alongside him before then.


    Her peak Yellow-grade Martial Veins right now were something he always thought about. However, there wasn''t much he could do about them.


    Upgrading something mediocre was much harder than just giving her something new.


    If Xiao''er was like him previously, a cripple, that would be best. Since Xue Bai knew where a treasure was that could give the consumer a high ck-grade Martial Vein with the wood attribute.


    However, Xiao''er already had a Martial Vein. So if she ate that treasure, she would just blow up and die.


    The thought of taking out the Martial Veins of Xiao''er dide into his mind, but Xue Bai didn''t know how to do that.


    Crippling was different from aplete extraction.


    "It''s gettingte, Young Master. Let''s go cultivate!" Xiao''er suddenly spoke, bringing him out of his thoughts. Following her words, she grabbed Xue Bai''s hand and started pulling him toward his courtyard.


    "Xiao''er, you''re getting too old for this. You''re almost 20." Xue Bai sighed as he let her pull him along.


    Though the appearance of Xiao''er was forever halted at her 18-year-old self, her age continued to increase. Currently, she was almost 20.


    "I am eternally young, Young Master." Xiao''er replied, "My age is only a figment of your imagination."


    Both stunned and confused by her choice of words, Xue Bai struggled to formte a response as he entered his courtyard.


    Zhu Que was already waiting inside, peacefully reading an ancient-looking animal hide scroll. Xue Bai immediately had his attention caught by how ancient and sacred the scroll looked, but as the two walked, she quickly hid it in her spatial ring like a thief who was caught red-handed.


    "Little Sister Que, what was that?" Xiao''er asked curiously.


    "Nothing, it''s just something myte parents left me." Zhu Que quickly exined while waving her hands in a panic.


    Xiao''er, thankfully, wasn''t very keen on catching lies, so she was fooled easily. But Xue Bai knew something was special about the ancient and sacred-looking scroll.


    However, he didn''t point it out now and instead only gave Zhu Que a meaningful smile that made her blush slightly.


    While he hadn''t seen the scroll before, he could tell that it had to do with the Azure Dragon God and was most likely her core cultivation technique.


    Not bothering to tease her anymore, Xue Bai shook his head and sat on the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus.


    His days were peaceful, and he enjoyed them, but he also knew that strength reigned supreme in this ne.


    So without wasting any time, Xue Bai started absorbing the mist of Spiritual Qi in his room and started cultivating.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The next step would be the Small Ses stage!


    ¨C


    Two slow but fulfilling weeks passed by, with the trio doing their normal routine.


    Xue Bai''s cultivation advanced one stage, with him reaching the 10th stage of the Bone Strengthening realm. And currently, he was also already halfway to the 11th stage as well.


    He estimated that he would be able to break through in another week at most.


    Xiao''er sadly was different and didn''t manage to take the first step in the Purification Stages, meaning that in the two weeks, her cultivation had halted a stage, depressing her to no end.


    She had gotten used to having her cultivation increase so smoothly that it made her sad when it halted.


    However, after Xue Bai reminded her that for some people, their cultivation wouldn''t increase even after multiple months, she was back to her normal self.


    The rtionship between her and Jiang Xiaorou also got closer, and Xiao''er was confident that she could break through within the month because of it.


    Zhu Que, however, was like an Olympic swimmer when it came to cultivation. After she advanced to the Blood Exchange realm, her cultivation base would advance a stage almost every other day.


    In just two weeks, she advanced through 6 stages going from the 1st stage of the Blood Exchange realm to the 7th, shocking everyone on the mountain but Xue Bai.


    Instead of shocking him, it only made him think.


    Back when he yed ''Children of the ne'' on earth, he remembered that there was a feature where all of the Children of the ne almost rotated around you.


    Whether it was cultivation base, fighting for an opportunity you found, or even if you tried to hole up and hide from worldly matters like a hermit, the Children of the ne were also close behind.


    This feature was around to make sure that the game was always fun and full of action. After all, in cultivation worlds, there were also years of monotonous boredom.


    However, with the feature,  you could always make sure that Xiao Mo, Huo Long, and the other Children of the ne were around for the journey, whether for good or bad.


    And to ensure that even if you were miles ahead of the other protagonists in the cultivation base, they could catch up, giving youpetition.


    So when he saw Zhu Que advance cultivation stages like a madman, Xue Bai couldn''t help but think back to that feature.


    But that would beg the question.


    Who is she catching up to?


    Huo Long had the highest cultivation base of all the Children of the ne currently, with his cultivation base being at the 1st stage of the Qi Sea realm.


    Xiao Mo should''ve been awakened for only about four months, so his cultivation shouldn''t be very high, at most in the Muscle Nourishing realm; however, it was most likely at the Blood Exchange realm.


    The other two protagonists were in very simr situations to Xiao Mo, where they started with nothing, meaning that their cultivation bases couldn''t be much higher.


    So who was Zhu Que gravitating toward?


    Is there another Child of the ne that he didn''t know about that takes the spot of the game''s yer? Or maybe he was in a ythrough himself?


    Xue Bai couldn''t stop thinking about all of the possibilities that this question led to.


    There were so many different rabbit holes he could go down with this train of thought that Xue Bai would often just daze out trying to figure it out.


    But eventually, he figured out the most reasonable answer.


    ''Most likely, all of the Children of the ne are intrinsically linked, and their cultivation bases are always simr. Probably the ne Spirit that chose them built in the feature to ensure that none of them be too overpowered and overpower the other 4.''


    The theory was reasonable and the most logical, but still, Xue Bai couldn''t help but think about the other unorthodox answers.


    What if he was just an NPC in a game? Or maybe there was another 6th, even more terrifying Child of the ne hidden somewhere unbeknownst to him.


    He lost sleep over the possible scenarios.


    ¨C


    "Young Master, are you ok?" XIao''er asked with concern, "You''ve been lost in thought a lot recently."


    Zhu Que, on the other side of the table, Zhu Que nodded at her words, even though her mouth was full of food.


    "I''m just confused about something, Xiao''er. Don''t worry." Xue Bai answered with a smile, waving off their concern.


    This wasn''t something he could really tell other people.


    Thankfully their concern also woke him up.


    Worrying about something that he couldn''t even fullyprehend was nonsense.


    Whether there was a mysterious Child of the ne or he was an NPC didn''t even matter.


    Xue Bai was still too weak to be worrying about the inner workings of the Baishen ne.


    It was better to sit down and cultivate until he became strong enough to worry about it.


    "Ok.." Xiao''er simply replied. Not truly believing Xue Bai''s words.


    Xue Bai obviously detected her sarcasm and wanted to argue, but before he could, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.


    ''Bai''ere to my peak immediately. We have something to talk about.''

 Chapter 156 Yue Zifeng’s Rage

    ?Yue Zifeng''s Rage


    Hearing the voice, Xue Bai instinctually looked around to see if Yue Zifeng was nearby, but before he did, his Master''s voice sounded again.


    ''I''m at my peak right now, Bai''er. So there is no need to look around.''


    "Should I bring Xiao''er and Zhu Que as well?" Xue Bai spoke aloud, confusing the two girls.


    ''No, just you. They aren''t needed.'' Yue Zifeng rified.


    After those words, he also stoppedmunicating, seemingly finished with all of his instructions.


    Sensing the end of the conversation, Xue Bai also stood up and started to walk out.


    "Young Master, where are you going?" Xiao''er asked confusedly. Since it happened in Xue Bai''s head, she didn''t hear the conversation between Xue Bai and Yue Zifeng, so when he suddenly stood up to leave in the middle of their conversation, she was confused.


    On the other hand, Zhu Que guessed what was happening and continued to eat her food.


    ''Master probably sent Little Brother a voice transmission.'' Zhu Que thought as her chopsticks moved into Xue Bai''s bowl. He wouldn''t stay anymore, so she nned to take advantage of it!


    Thanks to her bloodline and unique cultivation method, Zhu Que could refine the meat of demonic beasts and use it to boost both her Qi Cultivation and her Body Tempering cultivation.


    Not only that, but it was also much better than using pills to boost her cultivation since most pills had impurities within them, making it more harmful than good to consume arge number of pills, while the meat of demonic beasts didn''t.


    This dide at a slight cost, however, as Zhu Que had a muchrger appetite than even most demonic beasts. She could eat an amount that weighed three times more than her in a day!


    Thankfully the food of the Soaring Sword Sect was extremely good, making it easier to eat such an amount.


    Because of this, Zhu Que also gained an odd reputation and was often called the Taotie Goddess...


    She didn''t know whether tough or cry at such a nickname.


    Xue Bai could see his maid''s confusion and quickly exined that he was being called before leaving the room.


    Xiao''er and Zhu Que bid him farewell before they started another conversation of their own.


    ¨C


    "Master, Bai''er is here." Xue Bai called out respectfully at the door of Yue Zifeng''s temple.


    Yue Zifeng also didn''t dy and quickly opened the door, allowing Xue Bai entry.


    Still confused about Yue Zifeng''s purpose in calling him, Xue Bai walked in with a curious heart.


    Inside, Yue Zifeng sat on his meditation mat with a table already set up. On the table were two cups of hot tea poured out, while across from Yue Zifeng was another mat for Xue Bai.


    Obviously, he was prepared for this meeting to be a long one.


    Motioning for Xue Bai to take a seat, Yue Zifeng spoke, "Sit down, Bai''er. We have a decent amount to talk about."


    Xue Bai nodded and took a seat but didn''t touch the tea yet. However, his master did a big sip at that, almost finishing the cup right from the start.


    "Bai''er, do you have something to tell me about the continent?" Yue Zifeng spoke after finishing his sip, "Specifically about the forces within it."


    "Huh?" Xue Bai spoke confusedly. The questionpletely caught him off guard. He was prepared to have a conversation about why he snuck out of the sect, not this ambiguous question.


    "I should be more specific, shouldn''t I." Yue Zifeng could see the confusion on Xue Bai''s face and decided to rephrase his question.


    "What do you think about the Wang n?" Yue Zifeng meaningfully said, this time attracting Xue Bai''s attention.


    Instantly Xue Bai knew that Yue Zifeng figured out something about the Wang n. However, since Xue Bai didn''t know how much, he could only throw out something to fish out how much.


    "So you figured out the conflicts between the Wang n and my own." Xue Bai sighed, "But don''t worry, Master, I won''t let that interfere between Wang Yu and me."


    However, contrary to how Xue Bai expected Yue ZIfeng to react, he got angry.


    "Bai''er, I am your Master." Yue Zifeng spoke with a deep frown, "It isn''t right for you to lie to me. Tell me truly about the Wang n, and what is wrong with them?"


    Hearing such a weighty question, Xue Bai managed to piece together something.


    "Master, did you go and speak to my parents while you were gone?" Xue Bai asked.


    Yue Zifeng nodded.


    "Then you also know what the Wang n truly are right." Xue Bai continued.


    Yue Zifeng nodded once more.


    Xue Bai was exasperated. ''Old man, you''re almost 200 years old this year. So why are you ying with my feelings?''


    "Don''t look at me like that, Bai''er. You''re the one who has been lying to me and not telling me such an important thing." Yue Zifeng admonished, seeing Xue Bai''s expression, "We, the Soaring Sword Sect, are a righteous faction. How can you not tell me when such a scourge has invaded our Southern Continent?"


    "This rtes to one of my most important secrets. How can I just tell anyone." Xue Bai rolled his eyes, "If anything, I''m confused about how Mother and Father told you about this?"


    The memories he obtained were something that he only told Xue Feng and Li Rou. Even Xiao''er only knew some things about it and not the true details.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, Xue Bai trusted his parents never to tell a soul. So how did Yue Zifeng manage to get it out of them?


    "Do I, your master, not deserve to know things like this," Yue Zifeng said irritably.


    If he hadn''t gone to talk to Xue Feng about Xue Bai''s suspicious behavior, he would''ve beenpletely out of the loop!


    Wang Yu, the most famous and well-known prodigy of the Southern Continent, was a pawn by the damn Blood Saber Sect!


    This was something out of a drama, and worst of all. He was the noble master that Wang Yu was scripted to betray and kill!


    Who could handle such a thing being hidden from them?


    Certainly not Yue Zifeng.


    "How much did Mother and Father tell you?" Xue Bai could tell that Yue Zifeng knew a lot from his words and wanted to know just how much before he continued.


    "Enough!" Yue Zifeng snapped, "Tell me which of my elders are corrupted so I can kill them myself. Those scum don''t deserve to leach from my sect a second longer!"


    Yue Zifeng had enough hatred for the Blood Saber Sect to engulf the entire continent. So the fact there were hundreds if not thousands of his once trusted subordinates that had corrupted to their side made Yue Zifeng want to kill each and everyonest of them instantly.


    The only thing holding his rage back was the fact that he didn''t know who the hell to kill.


    Seeing the rage that almost was bubbling off of Yue Zifeng''s body, Xue Bai didn''t dare to waste a second.


    He could see that Yue Zifeng had a blood feud with the Blood Saber Sect and was more than enraged after hearing that his sect had been corrupted to such a degree.


    Xue Bai knew that Yue ZIfeng was from the Central Continent and that in the southern region of the Central Continent, it was dominated by the same three sects on the Southern Continent and the Blood Saber Sect.


    So it wasn''t very hard to guess that Yue Zifeng also had a blood feud with the sect as well.


    Going into his spatial ring, Xue Bai pulled out a jade slip. But after thinking for a moment, he pulled out another four more before he started to transcribe who he knew was corrupted by Wang Yu and the Blood Saber Sect''s efforts.


    Because of his transmigration, Xue Bai''s soul was always as strong as someone two realms higher than his own. And after Huli Jing''s makeshift method of soul tempering, his soul''s strength was almost four realms stronger than his Qi Cultivation.


    So while his cultivation base was only in the Bone Strengthening realm, his soul was as strong as someone in the Law Engraving realm.


    Because of that, it was more than simple to remember the names of the traitors that backstabbed the Soaring Sword Sect.


    However, because of the sheer amount of notable traitors, Xue Bai took almost an hour to write down everyone that was either fully corrupted with no hopes of being saved or was never a Soaring Sword Sect member, to begin with and were spies.


    The Soaring Sword Sect was a huge sect that covered hundreds of thousands of miles, and because of this, they had easily over a few million people affiliated with the sect in one way or another.


    Of course, not every single person affiliated with the sect had the strength, influence, or potential that made it worthwhile for The Blood Saber Sect to corrupt and win over.


    So instead of going to numbers, The Blood Saber Sect decided to go for quality and made sure to corrupt as many influential factions and groups as possible, the Blood Saber Sect did a good job at it.


    An hour soon passed, and after giving his long list a thorough double-check, Xue Bai handed the list to the still-smoldering Yue Zifeng.


    "A whole ten thousand people! Ha, those demonic bastards sure are greedy!" Yue Zifeng angrily shouted before standing up.


    "Bai''er, your Master has something to do." Following his words, Yue Zifeng flew out of the temple.


    Xue Bai followed the man out of the temple, curious.


    "EVERY SOARING SWORD SECT MEMBER CONVERGE IMMEDIATELY!" Yue Zifeng''s rage-filled shout covered the entire sect, "IF EVERY DISCIPLE AND ELDER ISN''T AT THE MAIN HALL WITHIN 30 MINUTES, THAN YOU''RE NO LONGER NEEDED!"


    His voice covered every inch of the sect. Every living being living in the tens of thousands of mile-long area that the Soaring Sword Sect covered heard it.


    Buildings rumbled while the weak had to cover their ears in pain.


    Even Soaring Sword City was affected by the shout. Thankfully the many arrays that protected the buildings stopped them from copsing to his shout.


    Wanted to see how Yue Zifeng chose to go about this scenario, Xue Bai quickly went to his own peak and gathered the girls.


    The two rarely did anything other than y around during the day, and after a quick search, he found them. They were sitting by a pond doing god knows what.


    "Xiao''er, Zhu Que, quicklye one!" Xue Bai yelled at the two.


    Xiao''er and Zhu Que also heard the shout, but since it seemed to be above them, they didn''t dare to leave their peak, choosing to let it happen and learn about itter.


    However, that didn''t mean they weren''t curious, so after Xue Bai appeared nning to take them to watch the show, they quickly got up.


    "Young Master, are you sure Master won''t get angry at us?" Xiao''er cautiously asked as she followed Xue Bai up the stairs of Yue Zifeng''s peak toward the teleportation array, "He seemed so angry. What if he takes it out on us?"


    "Big Sister Xiao''er, your imagination gets wilder by the day." Zhu Que couldn''t help but say, "Master is obviously angry at something else. That''s why he is calling the meeting. Most likely, Little Brother told him something extremely vital, and Master is nning to do it now during the meeting. Am I right?"


    "You''re too smart, Zhu Que," Xue Bai praised, "But stop thinking too much. Just watch the show unfold. It''ll be much better to see it than to hypothesize it.


    Zhu Que nodded and stopped thinking before continuing to follow Xue Bai.


    Following a quick teleport, the trio made it to the Main Hall, where the show was just picking up.

 Chapter 157 Traitor Naming

    ?Traitor Naming


    While the Main Hall was extremelyrge and expansive because of the sheer number of traitors within his sect, Yue Zifeng didn''t even bother entering the building but instead hovered above it, waiting for everyone to converge.


    Thankfully the area surrounding it was wide and expansive, which was more than enough to hold all of the Soaring Sword Sect members.


    And while usually Outer Disciples weren''t allowed near here, still no one dared to dy and ran over as fast as they could, not daring to test Yue ZIfeng''s bottom limit. Even the guards who protected important forbidden areas came over afraid.


    Though there were many factions in the Soaring Sword Sect, and some even openly contested Yue Zifeng, when someone is that angry, no one dares to test you.


    There were many scary things in life, but one of the scariest was someone with nothing to lose.


    The sheer anger that was in Yue Zifeng''s voice during his shout was undoubtedly portrayed.


    Hundreds of thousands of men and women in every single uniform that the sect required all stood still, not daring to even let out a breath in the presence of Yue Zifeng, who was in the air above everyone.


    Whether it was an Outer Disciple or a Core Elder, everyone was equally quiet and obedient.


    Yue Zifeng also didn''t say anything but merely waited for everyone who wished to see the spectaclee.


    Heads were going to roll, and he wasn''t to make an example out of every traitor, and he wanted to make sure every important person in his sect saw it.


    Minutes passed, with each person in attendance getting more and more anxious and Yue Zifeng bing increasingly calm and serene.


    However, no one thought that his bing calm was anything good.


    That scream contained enough anger to cover the continent, and a half hour spent in silence was nowhere near enough to quell it.


    Eventually, the now ''calm'' Yue ZIfeng spoke up. But instead of a speech or anything that the elders expected, Yue Zifeng pulled out five jade slips and let them hover in front of him before he started to list out names.


    "When I call out your name, step forward and make your presence known. Outer Elder of the Weapons Forging Pavilion Luo Bing, Outer Elder Mo Yi of the Weapons Forging Pavillion, Outer Elder Bai Lin¡­" Yue Zifeng turned into a monotonous robot, reading the names that Xue Bai gave him.


    He trusted both Xue Bai, and while he was hated deeply by Li Rou, she would never resort to such an odd underhanded scheme to get back at him. It was far behind her to do something that would give her nothing but only destroy their rtionship and endanger her child.


    So while he knew that after this purging, The strength of the Soaring Sword Sect would be decreased by almost 10%, it was worth it.


    Keeping traitors and spies in his mix was dangerous. Xue Feng had told him that a war would engulf the continent soon, and having a trustworthyrade to hold your back was necessary. And having a traitor hold your back was just asking to be backstabbed.


    Did he feel regretful? Of course, he did. But regret was better than deathbed remorse.


    Xue Bai took almost an hour to write out the names, and while Yue Zifeng could speak fast, it still took him almost twice as much time to speak them all out, especially since he had to speak clearly and amplify the sound of his voice to ensure that everyone in attendance heard it.


    Time passed on as the surrounding atmosphere became more awkward and tense, but Yue Zifeng didn''t care and continued to read out names until something happened that made everyone''s expression change.


    An Inner Elder that everyone respected from the Alchemy Pavilion suddenly turned around in a panic and started sting everyone around him out of the way before making a break for the teleportation array nearby.


    "GET OUT OF MY WAY, RIGHTEOUS TRASH!" The man yelled as he reached the doors of the teleportation array hall.


    He was no fool. He was one of the highest-positioned spies in the sect, so when he saw so many of his subordinates be called up, he could piece together what was happening.


    Thankfully, because of the Blood Saber Sect''s strict rules, he was forced to hide his cultivation of almost an entire realm.


    So while he had an 8th-stage Law Manifestation realm cultivation base and could only be an Inner Elder, his true cultivation was in the Domain Lord realm and the 6th stage at that.


    Of course, he didn''t think he could get away from Yue Zifeng, but he was already extremely close to the teleportation array hall, and coupled with his profound cultivation base, it seemed reasonable he could escape.


    However, just as he was about to step foot into the hall, he was rebounded back by the hall''s protective array.


    Someone had turned on the hall''s defensive array!


    Panicstriken and full of anxiety, the Inner Elder pulled out a red saber from his spatial ring and tried to send off a blood-covered saber strike at the shield protecting the teleportation array in hopes of saving his life, but before he could, a lighting bolt flickered in front of him, and arge terrifying palm reached for his face.


    It happened so quickly that the Inner Elder couldn''t even react and could only watch in despair as the palm gotrger andrger until his vision went nk.


    Yue Zifeng''s normally calm and indifferent face was full of fury and maliciousness as he mmed the elder''s entire being into the ground, sending shockwaves in the area surrounding them.


    The Blood Saber Sect spy''s face burst on impact, sending blood mist everywhere, terrifying everyone equally.


    He died on impact with the ground. Yue Zifeng showed no mercy.


    Sending a lightning bolt to the corpse, Yue Zifeng incinerated it, turning it into a pile of ashes that was swept away by a calm gush of wind that contrasted greatly with his devilish appearance.


    Yue Zifeng had broken through to the Qi Sea realm in histe teens and had always maintained an appearance of a young man in his early twenties. Because of that, he was always a handsome man that certainly snatched the hearts of many young maidens. Coupled with his profound strength and profound background, Yue ZIfeng was always a top bachelor and prospective son-inw.


    But now, no woman even dared to look the man in the eyes.


    Ignoring his blood-soaked robes and face, Yue Zifeng swept his gaze across every person in attendance, seemingly warning them before turning around to the teleportation array hall behind him.


    "Why are you here, Bai''er? Didn''t I say not to leave the peak this month?" Yue Zifeng spoke to his three rebellious disciples hiding in the teleportation array hall.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It was obviously Xue Bai and co, inside the teleportation array hall, who had turned on the defensive, but he still had them grounded. So why the hell had theye?


    However, Xue Bai only peaked his head for a moment to stick his tongue out in response before hiding himself.


    ''How can we miss such a cool thing happening so close to us? '' The trio thought.


    Though Yue Zifeng was slightly annoyed that he was being defied so openly, this wasn''t the time to do something about it. He could deal with themter at the mountain.


    For now, heads must roll!


    "Core Elders, the second that any living being moves a single step, attack to maim or kill! Attack first and ask questionster! You have my permission!" Yue Zifeng barked out orders before returning to his position hovering above the Main Hall.


    Though the Blood Saber Sect had infiltrated the Soaring Sword Sect, none of the spies they managed to get in or disciples they corrupted had high positions in the Core Region.


    After all, almost everyone in the Core Region was a chosen of the Southern Continent. Plus, most people living in the Core Region were a part of a Noble House. And traitors weren''t dealt with kindly.


    If one descendant or elder were a traitor, then the rest of the House would be dealt with harshly.


    That''s why the leader of their infiltration was only an Inner Elder and not someone else.


    Knowing this, Yue Zifeng was fine with giving his Core Elders some authority during the purging.


    They were all trustworthy.


    "Yes, Sect Leader!" The Core Elders shouted in unison.


    The naming continued. However, now, all of the people in the crowd, both named and unnamed, had a feeling about what Yue Zifeng was doing.


    Every single disciple who entered the sect knew the mortal enemy of the three great sects.


    And the red saber that the Inner Elder pulled out was a signature weapon that the higher-ups from the sect used.


    "Do you think that all of those people are spies like Elder Tang?"


    "There''s no way that there are so many right? That''s almost 5 thousand people already, and the Sect Leader doesn''t look like he is going to stop anytime soon. I even know some of them. Senior Brother Fang had his entire family die to a demonic cultivator. So how could he be a traitor?"


    "What if Senior Brother Fang is the demonic cultivator who killed them?"


    "Shut up! Senior Brother Fang would never!"


    Various simr discussions would happen across the crowd, but Yue Zifeng didn''t care about them since none of them dared to disobey his order and stayed as still as a tree.


    As for the people who had already been named, they were all panic-stricken. Almost all of them recognized Elder Tang since he was their leader, and they were all informants for them.


    So while many of the people in the circle didn''t recognize the others standing next to them, they were almost certain they were also fellow spies/traitors.


    Knowing this, some bold or maybe ignorant people tried to escape just as Elder Tang did. However, no one was sessful.


    And outside the named crowd, the disciples and elders were even more certain of their guesses.


    The naming continued for another 20 minutes until Yue Zifeng finished. However, thest name hurt someone that had a real standing in the sect.


    "Feng Hai, step forward and make your presence known!"


    It was the younger brother of the Head Disciple and respected Core Disciple, Feng Wei.


    Though Jiang Xiaorou was the first disciple of the sect, she wasn''t the strongest, so she couldn''t truly be called the Head Disciple.


    It was Feng Wei who was the strongest and most respected Core Disciple, so he was most often referred to as the Head Disciple.


    Feng Wei was once an orphan who, at the cost of his left arm, managed to bring his younger brother and enter the Soaring Sword Sect.


    And after showing his immense talent, the sect not only helped him regrow his arm but also made him a Core Disciple, where he soon gained the respect and praise of everyone.


    Now at age 32, he was at the 2nd stage of the Law Engraving realm. And many Core Elders were hopeful of his chances to reach the Domain Lord before 50.


    Feng Hai, on the other hand, was almost always overshadowed by his older brother.


    He was only two years younger, was still an Inner Disciple, had a high Yellow-grade Martial Vein, and a cultivation base of the 3rd stage of the Dharma Idol realm.


    However, no matter how less talented his younger brother was, Feng Wei was still his older brother who once protected him at the cost of an arm. How could their rtionship be so distant?


    But now Yue Zifeng had just announced that Feng Hai was a traitor?


    Not only were the crowd shocked senseless, but Feng Wei was almost heartbroken and immediately fell into the 5 stages of grief.


    Flying up in denial, Feng Wei quickly asked, "Sect Leader, surely you''re mistaken right? Though Hai is certainly untalented, how could he be a traitor? This is a mistake, right?"

 Chapter 158 Myriad Swords Convergence Art: Ten Thousand Sword Fall

    ?Myriad Swords Convergence Art: Ten Thousand Sword Fall


    However, Feng Wei didn''t get close to Yue Zifeng before Elder Song flew in between the two stopping him.


    "Little Wei, stop. We all love you dearly and are hopeful for your future," Elder Song kindly spoke, "However, don''t ruin it now for something so meaningless. If Feng Hai is innocent, then it''ll be revealed. But don''t do or say something you''ll regret now."


    Of all the Core Elders, Elder Song was both the nicest and the most well-liked. She led the Alchemy Pavillion in the sect and directly controlled the supply chain of the pill line.


    Yet unlike most people with a direct monopoly of medicinal pills, Elder Song was kindhearted and would always lower prices, keeping them as close to the manufacturing cost as possible.


    Since she was at the end of her potential and didn''t have many years left, she loved the younger generation very much so and would only do her best for them and make sure they were nurtured correctly.


    So when Elder Song appeared in front of him, Feng Wei couldn''t help but stop out of respect for the elderly woman.


    "But someone is framing my little brother!" Feng Wei shouted out angrily, but as he finished his sentence, he realized that he just did the very thing Elder Song warned him not to do.


    Putting his head down in anguish, Feng Wei flew back down to the ground near his little brother in order to get some answers.


    But he wasn''t allowed to do even that, as before he could step near his brother, Elder Long stepped in between them, stopping him.


    If Elder Song was the Core Elder whom everyone loved dearly like a grandmother, Elder Long was the abusive father that everyone was terrified of.


    Elder Song loved to dote on the younger generation, giving out discounts and handing out free pills, while Elder Long was a man who would lose his patience at the drop of a hat and would beat anyone.


    Other than Yue Zifeng, the sect leader, there was no one in the sect he didn''t dare to beat in the sect, and everyone was a potential target should they anger him.


    So the second that Elder Long stood in front of Feng Wei, all of his confidence and ns vanished into a pile of smoke.


    Giving his brother another look, Feng Wei could only walk away unwillingly. However, he swore if his brother were framed, he would find the culprits and kill them!


    However, he didn''t notice that as he left, Feng Hai didn''t look grateful at all but instead only had a look of pure jealousy and resentment.


    Seeing that Feng Wei had been corraled, Yue Zifeng continued his speech.


    To be fair, he was also slightly skeptical about Xue Bai''s name Feng Hai as well, but all the answers would be revealed soon.


    "For everyone I have named, most of you know why you are here. And while I do wish to wipe you all out to thest name without mercy, I know that some of you aren''t resigned." Yue Zifeng spat to the traitors in the circle, "So for anyone who thinks they''ve been falsy named and are innocent, step forward, for I have a surefire way to prove both innocence and guiltiness."


    Instantly, following Yue Zifeng''s words, every one of the almost 10,000 people stepped forward, iming their innocence, but after a cold snort from Elder Long infused with pressure, they all quieted down and formed a makeshift line that led to the Main Hall under Yue Zifeng''s feet.


    Smirking at theirst attempts at life, Yue Zifeng eventually went into his spatial ring and pulled out a pure white sword.


    The sword itself didn''t have any special markings or designs or even looked extravagant. It was as if it were made of normal silver and was a mortal weapon that hunters in the Barren Lands would use.


    Yet it exuded a pure, holy aura that would make even the most hardened devils put down their weapons and repent in its name.


    "Our Soaring Sword Sect branch of the Southern Continent, as you all may know, has many treasures, but the most famous are definitely The Three Great Heirlooms. However, you all only ever see one, the Sword Law Jade Stone, which is used for the entrance exams," Yue Zifeng exined as he dropped the sword from his height, letting it pierce into the ground below in front of the line.


    "This sword is the second great heirloom, the Heart Testing Sword. It''s something that only Core Disciple who ns to go to Central Continent are even allowed to see, but since you all are ''innocent,'' I decided to make an exception," Yue Zifeng continued, "I won''t exin its purpose to you all, however. Outer Elder of the Weapons Forging Pavilion Luo Bing, step forward and grab the sword."


    Shakily, with his life on the line, Luo Bing steeled all of his might and walked toward the sword.


    ''I haven''t practiced the Blood Saber Sect''s cultivation technique, but instead, cultivate the Soaring Sword Sect''s. My Spiritual is pure and righteous. All I did was ept a few bribes. What could this sword possibly do.'' Luo Bing thought.


    So with as much confidence as his anxiety-riddled body could allow him to show, he reached out to grab the hilt of the sword, hoping to pure his ''innocence.''


    Yet before his hands could even touch the Heart Testing Sword''s pure holy hilt, his mind turned into mush, and he fell onto the ground, curled into a fetal position as he held his head and cried out in anguish.


    "Stop! Stop! Please, I repent! Sect Leader, I was forced!" Luo Bing''s agony-filled screams echoed throughout the crowd sending shivers down everyone''s spine.


    "The Sword''s effects are simple. Only those with a pure heart whose morals line up with sects are allowed to touch it." Yue Zifeng spoke confidently, "The further your morals don''t align, the worse the pain. This pain is about a 30 on a scale of 100. Which is a failing grade." Yue Zifeng suddenly regrew his malicious smile.


    Waving his hand, Yue Zifeng sent a lightning bolt at the still-screaming Luo Bing, turning him into a pile of ash as he had done the Inner Elder not too long ago.


    "Outer Elder Mo Yi of the Weapons Forging Pavillion, step forward and grab the sword." Yue Zifeng continued coldly.


    His sect must be clean!<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, instead of doing as he was told, Mo Yi turned his head and looked at all of his ''Brothers in arms,'' with a resolute expression before yelling.


    "FOR THE BLOOD SABER SECT!" And with a killing-intent-filled shout that covered the entire crowd, almost every single person who was lined up turned around and charged into the crowd of Soaring Sword Sect disciples.


    They would die sooner orter. Why notplete the mission they were told to do before they did?


    ''Even if you kill me, I''ll still take a piece of flesh before I go!''


    Everyone pulled out a weapon and charged at the still confused Soaring Sword Sect disciples nning to start a massacre.


    Yue Zifeng was definitely strong, but how long would it take for him to kill almost 10,000 people? Where a few thousand of them were in thete stages of the Houtian Great Realm.


    Before he could, they could certainly kill a few thousand people, couldn''t they?


    Yet Yue Zifeng was calm in the face of this as if he had expected it all to happen.


    "I was waiting for that, you fools." Yue Zifeng snorted coldly, and after forming a few hand seals, an array formation suddenly manifested and pressed everyone traitor to the ground before they could attack the disciples.


    However, while everyone was shocked at the power of the formation, Xue Bai, who was chewing melon seeds at the top of the teleportation array hall with his tworades, was feeling cheated.


    "What the hell? That''s my Gravity Field Array Formation! How the hell did that old man get it?" Xue Bai was beyond confused.


    How could Xue Bai not recognize the array formation that Yue Zifeng used? He was the damn creator!


    Sadly, no one answered his question as he was left to his thoughts.


    Yue Zifeng, however, was feeling refreshed and a little blissful.


    Unlike what Xue Bai thought when Yue Zifeng went to Xue Feng to talk about Xue Bai''s odd behavior, Xue Feng didn''t tell his brother-inw about Xue Bai''s memories but instead just the Wang n''s betrayal and the fact that his Soaring Sword Sect needed a good purging.


    However, Xue Feng also added that if Yue Zifeng wanted all of the answers, ask Xue Bai.


    So before he left, he asked for a favor from his brother-inw.


    Xue Feng was a known Formation Master who was famed all over the continent.


    And since Yue Zifeng knew that there had to be a lot of traitors in his own sect, he asked for a good formation to help contain them should they all try and rebel at once.


    Sword Cultivators were known to have the most attack power of any type of cultivator, but that only went for single attacks that were aimed at a single target.


    Knowing his own weakness, Yue Zifeng asked for an array formation that could be set down beforehand and be used to pin down arge crowd of people.


    And with the request, Xue Feng eventually decided to give Yue Zifeng Xue Bai''s Gravity Field Array Formation. Of course, he didn''t tell Yue Zifeng that it was Xue Bai who made it, only saying it was a family heirloom that shouldn''t be seen by another person.


    Yue Zifeng was trustworthy.


    Thanking his brother-inw, Yue Zifeng set up the Gravity Field Array Formation in the area he nned to call the traitors in.


    There even if they had wings, they wouldn''t be able to escape and could only be obediently killed to his liking.


    "Whoever ran just now toward my disciples, you have lost your trial attempt." Yue Zifeng spoke simply, and after pointing his arm up to the heavens above, he performed an act that immediately gained gasps of shock.


    Behind his body, seemingly to hismand, swords started flying toward him.


    No matter their strength, everyone in the crowd instantly lost their sword and could only watch as Yue Zifeng herded them behind him.


    "Myriad Swords Convergence Art: Ten Thousand Sword Fall." Yue Zifeng coldly spoke, and he waved his arm down, sending them all into the crowd of traitors.


    Lives were reaped, and cultivators who were once strong enough to sever mountaintops and split rivers were killed like chickens under the silver rain that Yue Zifeng summoned.


    Old men, young men, and women, no matter who was in the crowd, their lives were all taken the same.


    In the face of cruel, overbearing strength, nothing mattered except how strong you were inparison. And the ones being skewered lost the contest.

 Chapter 159 Purging

    ?Purging


    Out of the around ten thousand people that Xue Bai outed as a traitor, almost all of them participated in the charge just now. And after Yue Zifeng''s sword art, only less than 400 remained.


    Feng Hai was among them. However, his current expression was less than calm.


    The reason Feng Hai hadn''t participated in the fight was that he knew he was a traitor, and he wanted to lessen his sins.


    However, now, he could only kneel on the ground like a child who was waiting for his father''s punishment.


    Xue Bai''s Gravity Field Array Formation was genius if you acknowledge the fact that it was his first work and was self-created. However, it still had a huge w.


    It didn''t discriminate between ally and enemy.


    So currently, no matter if they were about to charge into the crowd or not, everyone within the array formation''s domain was kneeling on the ground.


    Thankfully due to the arrangements of the Core Elders, the strong were in one spot, while the weaker cultivators were in a different one.


    This way, Yue Zifeng could purposefully weaken the Gravity Field Array Formation in certain areas and make sure a Qi Sea realm disciple didn''t get the same pressure required to immobilize a Law Engraving or even a Domain Lord realm Elder.


    Because of this, while Feng Hai wasn''t being killed under the pressure, he was still forced down to the ground in a miserable and embarrassing position.


    Yet he wasn''t very focused on his pathetic appearance but rather on the sheer number of corpses around him.


    Yue Zifeng''s Myriad Swords Convergence Art: Ten Thousand Sword Fall was a secret technique of the Soaring Soaring Sect and its most prized sword technique.


    It was a killing art in its purest form.


    And Yue Zifeng didn''t n to use it as an empty threat, so for every sword thatnded, a life was reaped.


    Almost 10,000 bodies were all in the square, and Fang Hai was now forced toy amongst them like a corpse himself.


    If this were to happen any other day in his life, Fang Hai would immediately have been outraged and set out to kill every perpetrator involved. Now, he only wished that Yue Zifeng could mistake him for one.


    "The trials continue. Any person used who thinks they are innocent may attempt the Heart Testing Sword and prove it," Yue Zifeng calmly said as he put his hands behind his back, "If not, we should get this farce over with."


    Undoing the Gravity Field Array Formation, Yue Zifeng let the remaining people try and prove their innocence.


    Sure, it was possible that there were innocent people within that charge, but even if there were, the second they took up their swords and attacked their fellow disciples, they were guilty.


    The world was cruel, and while it could''ve been their only hope at survival, Yue Zifeng was a sect leader first and foremost.


    How could he just wait to see who was truly guilty while his disciples, friends, and brothers were being attacked by his enemies?


    He didn''t have anywhere near the amount of magnanimity to do that.


    Disciples continued to try and test their innocence, and yet even after almost 300 people attempted, no one passed the test.


    As Yue Zifeng killed more and more people mercilessly, eventually, the surrounding disciples grew numb to it all.


    It was definitely a little horrific and traumatizing to see Yue Zifeng ughter so many people at once with no change in his expression, but after that, nothing else affected them.


    After all, what were a few hundred more deathspared to the brutal and swift execution of almost 10,000?


    Bodies were killed by Yue Zifeng and deposed with a simple bolt of lighting until, eventually, there was only one person left.


    Fang Hai


    A myriad of emotions was running throughout Fang Hai: regret, unwillingness, and bone-deep jealousy and envy, yet at the end of it all was a faint eptance and rity.


    Knowing he''d die, he looked over at his ''Perfect Senior Brother'' older brother with a disdainful smirk.


    "You know, when I first approached to join the Blood Saber Sect 15 years ago, I was disdainful at first. After all, I had the oh-so-perfect and reliable Senior Brother as my elder brother. So how could I, his younger brother, be any worse?" Feng Hai said with an odd sense of calmness, attracting the attention of everyone in the vicinity.


    Feng Hai just openly admitted to being a traitor!


    Such gossip was good enough for months on end!


    "Yet as the years passed, the gap between us didn''t lessen or even stay the same, no," Fang Hai mockingly said, "They increased! I even stupidly thought it was because of myck of effort and not the talent disparity. But after another few years, I realized how stupid I was."


    "I epted, and they promised to make me a Core Disciple as long as I gave them your head." Fang Hai said before something suddenly happened.


    His stomach started bulging up as if he were being stuffed like a turkey.


    Confused and terrified, Fang Hai tried to stop it, but he realized that he couldn''t, nor could he even shout for help.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And soon, in front of the crowd''s eyes, Fang Hai''s body burst like a balloon, sending gore everywhere.


    Since hisst panic-filled expression made it look like something he couldn''t control, no one in the crowd knew what happened to Fang Hai to make such a thing happen.


    Only the higher-ups in the sect with more information at their grasp did.


    ''He most likely spoke too much, and the seal branded onto him killed him before he could leak anything vital,'' The Elders all thought.


    Seals like this were often ced on corpse soldiers, assassins, and spies for very standard reasons.


    Jobs like those needed both vital information and were always at risk of being killed or caught.


    Tortue was something that almost every cultivator knew how to do to some extent. And while most cultivators in these upations were trained to withstand great pain and torture, you could never be too sure.


    So to prevent any vital information from leaking, most cultivators with such an upation were branded with a seal that prevented them from saying too much information that could hurt their backers/employers.


    Away from the elders, the older brother of Fang Wei was mortified at seeing his own brother die in front of him.


    "No!!!" Fang Wei yelled out emotionally.


    Running over to go to his brother''sst position, he quickly tried to do something to help out of hysteria.


    This time no one stopped him. Elder Long was a brute without any restraints, but he had emotions.


    "Clear the area." Yue Zifeng said aloud, "The sect will be on lockdown for the next two months, and not even a fly is to be allowed outside. If someone is caught outside, then they will bebeled a traitor and have a bounty enlisted on their head."


    The surrounding disciples and elders didn''t have objections and quickly left, except for the ones close to Feng Wei.


    Instead, they all gathered around their Senior Brother in hopes of attempting to console him. However, they truly didn''t know what to say.


    Fang Wei loved his little brother just as much as his own life, so when Fang Hai did in front of him in such a horrific manner, it was obvious just how broken he was.


    Yue Zifeng could see this, and while he had no mercy or empathy toward Fang Hai, he did have high hopes for Fang Wei. So before he also left the area, he flew down toward him.


    "Fang Wei, we all have high hopes for you and your low ck-grade Martial Veins. I only hope you can step out of this shadow and continue down your path," Yue Zifeng calmly said as he patted the still-groveling Fang Wei on the shoulder.


    Fang Wei didn''t respond instantly and stayed mute for a moment.


    Seeing this, Yue Zifeng only sighed.


    Looking over at Elder Long, Yue Zifeng motioned him over.


    "Elder Long, Fang Wei is an extremely talented youth. Make sure he doesn''t lose himself in anguish." Yue Zifeng said.


    "Don''t worry, Sect Leader! This old bag of bones can''t do much, but he knows how to raise a genius!" Elder Longughed, sending shivers down the spine of all the disciples nearby.


    Following his words, Elder Long grabbed Feng Wei with his bony hand and flew off toward his mountain.


    Alone once more, Yue Zifeng scanned the area to make sure the job was done cleanly. And after he confirmed it, he looked back at the teleportation array hall, where quickly his face turned dark.


    "Are those melon seeds?!"


    Xue Bai, Zhu Que, and Xiao''er were sitting on the top of the teleportation array hall chewing on melon seeds and watching the show.


    "Master, that cool was so cool!" Xue Bai yelled out excitedly, "When are you going to teach me that? Have you been holding out on me?"


    "Turn off the defensive array." Yue Zifeng didn''t bother to reply and instead ordered.


    However, Xue Bai rebelliously shook his head and said no.


    "God no," Xue Bai was no fool, "Look at your expression. If I turn it off, won''t I be at your mercy?"


    He could see Yue Zifeng''s anger and knew he would be punished if he let the man in.


    "I can break it before you teleport Bai''er." Yue Zifeng spoke as he lifted a palm, "I''m telling you to open it so we can leave. We have more to talk about at my mountain."


    Sensing his previously foolish thoughts, Xue Bai obediently turned off the defensive array allowing Yue Zifeng entry.


    The defensive arrays were at most of the peak Yellow-grade, so how could they withstand an attack from Yue Zifeng?


    Yue Zifeng, now inside, had a strong urge to beat up his disciple, but after remembering his promise, he calmed himself down.


    "Come to my peak once again. We have to talk about the Wang n." Yue Zifeng spoke as he teleported away.

 Chapter 160 Ruining The Plot Completely

    ?Ruining the Plot Completely


    After Yue Zifeng went on ahead, Xue Bai didn''t follow immediately and went to his peak first.


    And after changing and making sure that Xiao''er and Zhu Que were still okay emotionally after seeing the massacre, he went to Yue Zifeng''s peak.


    As expected of the protagonist, Zhu Que didn''t even blink an eye during that entire sequence, while Xiao''er was slightly shaken up. But after a few consoling words from Xue Bai and Zhu Que, who helped her out, she was back to normal.


    Sprinting over, Xue Bai didn''t take long to reach it, and following a request to be let inside, Xue Bai once again saw his Master in the same seat he was not too long ago.


    This time, however, Xue Bai didn''t sit down in the seat he was motioned to and instead went behind him, Master.


    "Master, what did you want to talk about," Xue Bai said as he massaged his angry Master''s shoulders.


    Though he wasn''t sure if Yue Zifeng was still angry and tempted to hit him, it didn''t hurt to be filial once in a while and help his Master.


    "I''m in the Xiantian Great Realm and have already undergone the baptism of Heaven and Earth, Bai''er. My physical body is as strong as peak yellow-grade spiritual ores. Though I appreciate the gesture, Bai''er, you aren''t doing anything." Yue Zifeng bluntly spoke, dampening his feelings.


    "It''s the effort that counts, Master." Xue Bai as he tried to push harder into Yue Zifeng''s shoulder, hoping it would work. Sadly it didn''t.


    "That is a horrible phrase, Bai''er. If you fail, then what is the point of the effort? It bes a waste of time at that point." Yue Zifeng berated.


    He genuinely thought such a phrase was bad.


    Only losers would say such a phrase.


    If you fail, take the failure as a man and do better next time. Consoling a failure leads tocency and false confidence!


    "Tch!" Xue Bai clicked his tongue and sat across from his Master as he did a few hours ago.


    ''Earth metaphors don''t have a ce in this brutal world.'' Xue Bai noted as he sat down, waiting for Yue Zifeng to initiate the conversation.


    Which didn''t take very long at all.


    "You''re emotions are visibly Bai''er." Yue Zifengmented, "But never mind that. We have things to talk about. The Core Elders and I have started formting a n to go out and destroy the Wang n within the week. Would you like toe?"


    "Huh?" Xue Bai was snuck attacked by the question.


    ''Destroy the Wang n?'' Xue Bai had never thought of the possibility.


    Thinking for a moment about the possibility, Xue Bai eventually realized, why couldn''t he?


    The plot had already started to change rapidly, and he didn''t care about it anymore, so why not?


    Before, Xue Bai had been stupidly waiting for the Righteous versus Demonic War to kill Wang Yu and destroy the Wang n.


    But that idea would also force him to wait another almost 8 years to do that.


    Wang Yu, in the plot, almost always died in the Monarch Tomb after Zhu Que and Huo Long advanced into the Law Manifestation realm.


    After years of defeat and setbacks, Wang Yu developed a heart demon that halted his cultivation at the peak of the Law Manifestation realm.


    So after the two protagonists broke through, they teamed up and fought against the viin who was still in the Law Manifestation realm, where they managed to beat and kill him.


    However, this n also had many misgivings and downsides.


    Wang Yu and the traitors were set to betray the Soaring Sword Sect in 4 years. This could, however, change depending on if you chose to be on the Southern Continent or not and how useful you were in aiding the two protagonists.


    The betrayal usually ended up with Wang Yu poisoning Yue Zifeng and severely injuring him, and making sure he couldn''t fight in the uing war while also killing as many extremely talented disciples as possible.


    A long extended war like the one that the Blood Saber Sect predicted would happen needed two things. Strong powerhouses to hold down the line and carry out tough missions, and talented youngsters who could grow like weeds in the spring during the brutal tempering of war.


    And Wang Yu''s betrayal managed to eliminate two of those factors from the Soaring Sword Sect, effectively neutering them and ensuring that the Blood Saber Sect''s greatest enemy would be out ofmission during the war.


    To make matters worse, during all of this, while no one was watching, Wang Yichen also built a teleportation array that allowed the Blood Saber Sect direct ess to the continent.


    Now with their greatest enemy gone and a direct teleporter to the continent ensuring quick reinforcement times, The Blood Saber Sect would start a massive war thatsted from 979 to 983.


    The war only ended after Wang Yu had finally died and after the protagonists led the Southern Continents forces to destroy the Wang n''s defenses allowing them to destroy the teleportation array.


    But if Xue Bai could destroy the Wang n now years before this, before they even gathered any momentum and favor from the Blood Saber Sect, how many lives could he save?


    Yue Zifeng wouldn''t be severely injured, the Soaring Sword Sect wouldn''t be half destroyed, and he could finally undo the knot in his heart from being poisoned by Wang Yichen!


    After he reached that conclusion, Xue Bai had no more misgivings.


    "I''m in!" Xue Bai nodded.


    However, after he agreed, he realized something.


    "Wait, Master, aren''t the Wang n going to know something? You just killed almost 10,000 people. Surely a few of them have soulmps at the Wang n''s dukedom, right?"


    "Don''t worry. Elder Yang is already at their dukedom, spying on them. The second they make a move, we''ll know." Yue Zifeng replied. How could he not have thought of this?


    "Go prepare." Yue Zifend said as he waved Xue Bai off, "We''ll leave at sunrise in two days."


    Xue Bai nodded, and after giving his master a respectful bow, he left to his own peak.


    ¨C<novelnext></novelnext>


    Two days passed inplete silence.


    Zhu Que and Xiao''er, after seeing Yue Zifeng kill thousands of powerhouses with a wave of his hand, reminded them just how important strength was, and because of that, the two would spend a lot of their time either cultivating or in the Sword Training Pagoda.


    Xue Bai didn''tfort them much and only left them to do their own thing.


    He spent the two days in the library thinking about his next move and nning it out.


    He realized that after the Wang n''s extermination, Xue Bai would have little reason to stay on this continent.


    The reason he had nned on this continent for so long was because of two main reasons; Wang Yu and the Wang n and for all the opportunities thisnd had.


    However, now that the Wang n was going to be destroyed and that he had already plundered the continent for most of its worth, Xue Bai couldn''t think of another reason to continue staying.


    While there were many things still on this continent that could speed up his cultivation, Xue Bai thought that it would be better for Huo Long and Zhu Que to have them to themselves.


    His spatial rings, not including Huli Jing''s, were filled with enough resources to cultivate to the Xiantian Great Realm 2 times over. Greed had a limit.


    Xue Bai had already eaten the meat, so why not let them have the soup?


    Sure, the Southern Continent was his home, and by staying here, he could safely grow until maybe even the Xiantian Great Realm, but that would also slow down his cultivation speed and continue him to stay a greenhouse flower.


    Xue Bai could never truly get a good blood-boiling, life-threatening fight here in the Southern Continent.


    There were the Wang Twins who always protected him from the shadows, and for anyone that the Wang Twins couldn''t protect him from, Yue Zifeng''s presence would.


    Yue Zifeng was someone everyone in the Southern Continent would have to act humbly around, and Xue Bai was his disciple.


    Even if the Domain Lords of the continent had ten times the guts, they wouldn''t even touch a hair on Xue Bai''s head, let alone kill him.


    In novels from earth that Xue Bai read, protagonists usually stay on the home continent for a few reasons; they are too weak to be allowed ess to the next area, they have too many bindings that force them to stay, or maybe they were even enemies with the force that controls the transportation.


    However, Xue Bai didn''t have any of these problems.


    Leaving the continent now, much earlier than nned, was something good for his growth and would give him a much better chance against Xiao Mo.


    If he left early, he could plunder all of the chances that Xiao Mo would try to get after first arriving, which would not only strengthen Xue Bai but also weaken Xiao Mo''s momentum.


    It was a win-win!


    "I''ll break through to the Qi Sea realm and leave," Xue Bai thought aloud, "There is not much point in staying here any longer."


    Writing a few things in his notepad for the future, Xue Bai left the library and returned to his room for the night.


    ¨C


    Yue Zifeng and the Core Elders finalized their n and also managed to persuade Duan Zhen not to interfere.


    So after picking up Xue Bai, Yue Zifeng and the 12 Core Elders left in the direction of The Great Xuan Empire.


    "Bai''er, why have you been quiet?" Yue Zifeng asked the silent Xue Bai.


    Currently, Xue Bai was on Yue Zifeng''s flying sword, seated cross-legged with his chin in his palms.


    After Yue Zifeng picked him up, he hadn''t said a word but only sat quietly, not saying anything.


    "Master, I wish to leave the continent." Xue Bai replied, "There isn''t anything for me here anymore? How do I leave?"


    Yue Zifeng didn''t expect that response, but since Xue Bai looked as he did while he asked it, Yue Zifeng didn''t think it was a joke.


    Thinking for a moment, Yue Zifeng eventually answered seriously.


    "While we don''t have a specific schedule of sending when Core Disciples can go to the Central Continent, it usually happens every other year when I myself travel there." Yue Zifeng said, "But since I did that earlier this year just before you joined the sect, it''ll be another two years until I leave once more."


    "Two years is too long, Master. Can we go after I break through to the Qi Sea realm?" Xue Bai asked.


    "How long would that take?"


    "Around a year? I''m not too sure, but it won''t be longer than 18 months," Xue Bai replied while making some calctions in his mind, "I should break through to the Organ Tempering realm in about 6 weeks. And if the n I have for the Organ Tempering realm works, then that realm will only take a year at most. If it works better than I nned, then even less."


    "I''m fine with leaving earlier than I nned," Yue Zifeng didn''t have an issue with Xue Bai''s request. However, he was curious about something.


    "Are you going to take anyone with you? That Zhu Que girl you found is an enigma, and it bothers me that I can''t see through her. Surely she is someone fit to travel with you." Yue Zifeng asked.


    They were still about a few hours out from the Wang n''s dukedom, so he had enough time for a conversation.


    "No, she needs to stay here," Xue Bai replied while shaking his head, "And Xiao''er is even less fit for the Central Continent, so I''ll go myself."


    Protagonists in cultivation novels were like snowballs. They needed to slowly build up momentum in the early years, cultivating both their mind and Qi.


    So if he suddenly took Zhu Que to the Central Continent almost a decade before she was supposed to, Xue Bai wasn''t sure what would happen.


    Sure, she was a Child of the ne, but sometimes karmic luck isn''t enough to save your life.


    It would be better for her to stay on this continent and move to the next area when she is ready.


    Two would talk for some time until, finally, the target was in sight.

 Chapter 161 Yuan City

    ?Yuan City


    The Wang n''s dukedom was extremely different from Xue Feng''s. In fact, the two were almost pr opposites.


    Xue Feng''s dukedom was constructed inyers, where status wasid down, meaning that the nobles had their own area, andmoners had their own.


    This way, the many nobles living in the city andmoners wouldn''t interact much.


    And while this method would gain some anger from themoners who were segregated from the nobles, it was for their own good as well.


    Nobles in The Great Xuan Empire were extremely arrogant and always viewed themoners below them as ants waiting to be stepped on.


    So if they were forced to live in the same area as ''pathetic ants, '' the nobles would constantly use themoners as objects to vent their anger and would kill them whenever they were annoyed. After all, there was no severe punishment for a noble that killed amoner, unlike the reverse.


    But, Xue Feng''s segregation method would ensure that there wouldn''t be much chaos from nobles killingmoners randomly and brutally.


    Most other cities throughout The Great Xuan Empire followed the same structure, as it was a great way to ensure peace and lower the murder rate.


    However, not a single city in the Wang n''s dukedom had this, not even their core city that rivaled Snowy Wind City.


    Nobles andmoners could live wherever they wanted as long as they had enough money to buy thend.


    Such a method was a first, and toward the beginning, themoners of the Wang n''s dukedom were grateful.


    Because of the Wang n''s magnanimity, they could finally be on equal footing as the damn arrogant nobles that always suppressed them.


    Yet very soon, they realized that they had been naive.


    The staple method of separating the two groups was something to protect them, not suppress them.


    Imagine if one had two pets, one an arrogant and noble adult male lion, the other a lion cub.


    In order to make sure the lion cub lives long enough to reach their potential, you would separate the two giving them both their own environments to grow in.


    If you let them live in the same environment, all it would take is one bad day where the adult lion is annoyed to have the cub''s life end.


    Sure, the cub could grow up and contest the adult lion, but until then, the cub was weak and needed a safer environment to grow in.


    Still, if it were just this, the Wang n''s dukedom wouldn''t have such a bad reputation.


    Nobles were arrogant and haughty, but that didn''t mean they would leave home just to go out and killmoners.


    What made it worse was every noble living in the Wang n''s dukedom either waspletely corrupted or was corrupted to an extent.


    They all shared the same views as the Wang n and the Blood Saber Sect; the weaker were meant to be trampled on by the strong and only deserved to be their food.


    Meaning that the cities in the Wang n''s dukedom weren''t much different thanwless wastnds.


    If amoner were forced to leave home for any myriad of reasons, they would walk throughout the street with their heads down, fearing for their lives. Afraid that if they even looked at the shoes of a noble, their life would be forfeit.


    The streets were always deste and constantly filled with a morbid sense of dread. Every few meters would be a different blood stain, once belonging to a poor soul who angered a noble.


    Remnant and unresigned wills were scattered across the roads. Like unreconciled ghosts, the spirits of the oppressed and torturedmoners haunted the streets even past deaths.


    Which something in itself was beyond terrifying.


    Mostmoners were either mortals or still in the 5 physical realms, which meant that they not only could stay alive without their physical bodies, but they also couldn''t even leave behind remnant wills.


    So the fact that there were spirits around the cities meant that each spirit lying around wasn''t one unreconciled ghost, but instead, the cluster of hundreds if not thousands of poor souls that all died of anger and unwillingness.


    Yue Zifeng and the Core Elders all were experts with great senses, who the second they flew over the first city belonging to the Wang n dukedom, they noticed this.


    "At first, I had some misgivings about exterminating an entire Duke n and their subordinates, but now they''re all gone." Elder Song shook her head as she spoke, "These merciless bastards have been torturing these poor souls for, if not decades, then centuries. The world would be a better ce without them."


    "Indeed," Elder Long nodded as he agreed. However, instead of the pity and regret on Elder Song''s face, his face carried a hinge of excitement as he couldn''t keep his palm away from the hilt of his sword.


    "Sect Leader, you said that Wang Yichen is at the peak of the Domain Lord, correct?" Elder Long asked.


    Yue Zifeng nodded.


    "How about you let me have him?" Elder Long asked, bloodthirsty as ever, "Me and my old baby haven''t had a good fight since thest war 200 years ago. Why don''t that Great Elder of theirs? He''s the only person in their n with a Xiantian Great Realm cultivation base like yours."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Looking at him oddly, Yue Zifeng only sighed and agreed.


    He couldn''t tell the man that the Great Elder only had a Spirit Awakening realm cultivation base, could he?


    So instead of saying anything, Yue ZIfeng only shook his head and looked away, not bothering to continue the conversation.


    "You old fogey, don''t be likest time, though," Elder Song yelled out, "Wang Yichen is still in his prime, unlike you. If you are struggling, call for help."


    "Hmph!" Elder Long snorted angrily as if an old wound of his had been touched, "The only reason I lostst time was that he had an Exalted One''s Blood Essence to protect him! If not for that, he would''ve been the one to run away."


    ''An Exalted One?'' Xue Bai, who was eavesdropping, was confused for a moment after hearing the unfamiliar term, but he soon recognized it, only to be shocked.


    "Elder Long, an Exalted One, is a powerhouse in the Spirit Fusion realm! Who did you fight that was so high-profile to have an Exalted One''s blood essence to protect him?" Xue Bai asked in shock.


    Since the further one cultivated, the more powerful and noble one was, the cultivators in theter realms each had a title.


    And Exalted One was the title of someone in the Spirit Fusion realm.


    But the problem was that the entire southern region of the Central Continent only had a dozen of such beings at most.


    So who the hell did this old man fight was noble enough to get such a being''s blood essence to protect them? Not only that, but to force them to use the blood essence!


    Was this ruthless old man secretly a powerhouse that Xue Bai didn''t know of?


    Maybe he was like those old men who always liked to stay in libraries and give overpowered martial techniques to the protagonists.


    "Cough~~" Elder Long coughed heavily, he was bragging out of his ass when he said those words, so when he was Xue Bai''s worshiping gaze, he felt so embarrassed he couldn''t stare at him, "One shouldn''t brag about their past achievements. Not only that, but no matter how close it was, I still lost, so bragging about it would only make me seem vain."


    "Or maybe because you''re lying." Elder Song snorted in the back.


    Elder Long was fuming and damn near drew his sword at the old woman, but before he could, Yue Zifeng spoke.


    "You two have been married longer than I have been alive. So why do you keep arguing?" Yue Zifeng sighed, "Especially you, Elder Long. She is obviously trying to get a reaction out of you. Why do you still keep reacting so vividly?"


    Elder Long didn''t respond but only snorted before looking away in anger.


    "Master, they''re married?" Xue Bai asked on the side, surprised.


    ''These two are like cats and dogs, but yet they''re married?''


    "Ignorer how they act now, Bai''er. They are indeed married. It''s just that every few decades, they, for some reason, suddenly turn into mortal enemies and act like this." Yue Zifeng exined, only confusing Xue Bai more.


    However, before he could get another word in, Yue Zifeng suddenly waved his hand back, stopping everyone from advancing.


    "Duan Zhen is here." Yue Zifeng spoke, rifying.


    And a few secondster, true to his words, the emperor did appear.


    Still wearing his imperial dragon robe and his hands sped behind his back, Duan Zhen looked at the 13 powerhouses in front of him calmly.


    Only taking a second to sweep his gaze across all of the Core Elders, Duan Zhen eventuallynded his gaze on Yue ZIfeng.


    "Sect Leader Yue," Duan Zhen spoke with cupped fists, "I was told you have evidence of the Wang n''s betrayal."


    Going into his spatial ring, Yue Zifeng pulled out a recording talisman that showed the purging of his sect and tossed it over to Duan Zhen.


    However, even after Duan Zhen watched the video, he remained unchanged.


    "All this confirms is that your sect wasx in its security. How does that confirm that the Wang n has betrayed my empire?" Duan Zhen retorted, unconvinced of the evidence.


    "Look closely. There are at least a few hundred Wang nsmen in the video." Yue Zifeng said, "A couple is nothing. A dozen can be a coincidence, but over 600? And the fact that every single Wang nsmen in my sect was a traitor? That is no longer a coincidence."


    Duan Zhen became silent, tacitly agreeing with Yue Zifeng''s words. However, he still wanted concrete proof.


    "I''ll follow you," Duan Zhen eventually said, "No blood can be shed until I see concrete proof, though."


    Yue Zifeng agreed with the man''s proposition, and after exchanging a few words of pleasantries, the group set off for the core city of the Wang n''s dukedom, Yuan City.

 Chapter 162 Stopping The Escape

    ?Stopping the Escape


    Yuan City used to be the third greatest city within The Great Xuan Empire, but after the rise of Snowy Wind City in recent years, it was relegated to the 4th ce.


    For good reasons too.


    So as the group of powerhouses flew within range of the city, they eventually saw ite within view.


    And their first impression was horrible.


    "This city''s resentful spirits are even worse," Elder Song angrily said, "Duan Zhen, you''ve done a damn good job of controlling your subordinates. Just look at this city! How can you tell me that any righteous family did this?"


    Duan Zhen stayed silent as he couldn''t reply to the woman for two main reasons. One, he didn''t know that Yuan City was this bad, and two, that old woman and her Soaring Soaring Sect''s Alchemy Pavillion supplied too many pills for him to offend.


    And he also slightly agreed.


    Seeing that he stayed silent, Elder Song only snorted, "At least you know!"


    Finally, the group reached the walls of Yuan City, but as they did, the guards who manned the city walls also noticed their presence.


    However, before they could fly up and order the group to halt and identify themselves, Duan Zhen put a hand into his robe and pulled out an imperial scroll.


    Throwing it up into the air, the once small meter-long scroll unraveled itself and erged to a size that wasparable to most of the buildings in Yuan City.


    Exuding an intangible imperial pressure that could only be mimicked by Duan Zhen himself, the imperial scroll soon gained writing that projected over the entire city.


    "Imperial Summoning Order!"


    The Imperial Summoning Order, while something simple, was also an extremely powerful item.


    Only the Emperor himself was allowed to create such scrolls. However, he was allowed to hand them to Imperial Messengers and other subordinates. The only thing different about the ones he handed out was that when those were unfolded, they could only reach the size of a few meters.


    But every Imperial Summoning Order had one purpose.


    The city that it was brought to immediately required the presence of its highest noble n''s patriarch.


    And it required their presence fast.


    If the patriarch that was summoned didn''t arrive within 2 minutes, punishments were guaranteed. They varied depending on how slow the patriarch was, though.


    The worst punishment was a few years ago when a Marquis thought himself higher than the Imperial Advisor who carried the Imperial Summoning Order and arrogantly asked for the advisor toe to him.


    This Marquis didn''t see the sun the next day. But his punishment wasn''t publicized, sadly.


    So the second the building size Imperial Scroll revealed itself, the entire city was thrown into chaos.


    "Oh my god, the Emperor is here!"


    "What do you think he needs from Duke Wang? It can''t be good, right? He even used Duke Wang''s full name and not his title."


    "Hmph! What else can it be? The Emperor finally decided to do something about the damn devil spawns of the Wang n."


    However, the second the extremely reasonable words were said, every single man, woman, and child immediately ran away from the speaker as if he were a gue.


    "Idiot! If you want to die, do it in peace at home!"


    "Yea! Don''t bring us down along with you!"


    ? Ignorant of the small talk and banter down below, Duan Zhen stood in the air, calm, awaiting Wang Yichen''s arrival.


    Yet minutes quickly passed, and nothing, not even a gust of wind, came from the Wang n''s estate, leaving Duan Zhen getting embarrassed quickly.


    Angered at the fact that even now, the Wang n was still putting on airs, Duan Zhen was about to barge into the estate himself and drag out Wang Yichen until Xue Bai suddenly felt something.


    Though Xue Bai was still a human, he had the bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox within him and the extremely rare and strong spatial element with it.


    Sure, beyond the asional testing of an idea that spurted in his mind every once in a while, he rarely used the spatial element.  But he still had a connection with all of the space elements around him because of his extremely high grade bloodline.


    Because of this, Xue Bai''s sense of the space element was always extremely high. And after years of being exposed to teleportation arrays, it had only increased.


    Currently, Xue Bai was gued by constant senses teleports even if they wereing from the Outer Sect region.


    And as they waited for Wang Yichen''s arrival, Xue Bai suddenly felt a teleportation array being started up.


    "Master! Quickly they are escaping! They''re setting up an array!" Xue Bai quickly shouted out, not wanting the Wang n to seed.


    He could feel the space element in the air was being quickly gathered and inrge amounts too.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Far beyond the normal amount that was needed to teleport the usual short distances that the Soaring Sword Sect teleportation arrays had.


    The Wang n were running, and they were running far.


    ''These bastards most likely already have the Central Continent teleport set up!'' Xue Bai thought.


    Yue Zifeng gave Xue Bai an odd look on how he sensed that, but knowing his disciple would lie so tantly and at such an important moment as well, he quickly epted the advice and turned into a streak of lightning that flew toward the Wang n estate.


    Duan Zhen also sensed the urgency that Yue Zifeng carried as he flew over and didn''t hesitate to follow the sect leader.


    He also could feel that the Wang n''s dy wasn''t due to arrogance but something else.


    The only reason that Wang Yichen and his n of demons survived was because of his intelligence and ''loyalty.''


    So in a normal situation, there was no way that Wang Yichen would so openly defy an Imperial Summoning Order.


    Something was up, and Duan Zhen didn''t want to wait to know what.


    Elder Song and the other Core Elders also quickly followed behind. However, due to the difference in cultivation, they were a step lower than the two Xiantian Great Realm powerhouses.


    Thanks to the speed of Yue Zifeng''s flying sword, he and Xue Bai were the first to reach the Wang n''s estate, where they saw its protection array covering the entire estate.


    Not bothering to call out for Elder Yang, who was supposed to be nearby, Yue Zifeng instantly went to break the protection array.


    Quickly forming a set of hand seals, Yue Zifeng manifested a huge array of a thousand swords behind him. However, he wasn''t finished, as after forming another set of hand seals, he chanted.


    "Myriad Swords Convergence Art: Thousand Swords Return to One!" Instantly after he chanted the name, Yue Zifengs rosy face lost a few shades turning a pale white, but the effects showed greatly.


    The thousand swords that Yue ZIfeng had manifested converge and instantly turn into onerge sword.


    The sword wasn''trge, but the aura it projected made everyone who sensed it terrified.


    As if a Sword Immortal himself had descended, the sword made every Sword Cultivator within thousands of miles want to kneel in its glory.


    But Yue Zifeng cared little for it and grabbed the sword in his right hand and shed at the protection array.


    "Firma Sword sh!"


    Yue Zifeng''s sh immediately sliced through the protection array without a second of dy and broke itpletely.


    "Bai''er, stay here," Yue Zifeng said as he flew off his flying sword, "My Firmament Sword will protect you."


    Not saying another word, Yue ZIfeng flew off toward the center of the Wang n estate.


    "Master, the teleportation array is 3 kilometers to the north!" Xue Bai quickly shouted out where he sensed the teleportation.


    Giving a quick nod, Yue Zifeng didn''t even bother turning around but led the charge toward the direction of Xue Bai''s instructions, immortal sword in hand.


    Duan Zhen also followed behind, and the Core Elders arrived very soon.


    "Xue Bai, where is the sect leader?" Elder Song quickly asked, not wasting any time, and after getting the direction, the group of Core Elders flew off in preparation for a battle.


    ''I wanted to see¡­'' Xue Bai grumbled.


    He didn''t even have a Viewing Talisman to watch the carnage from afar.


    ¡ª


    Deep in the center of the Wang n''s estate was the most protected and sacred building, the Ancestral Hall.


    There was every single important individual that was born in the Wang n.


    However, now the entire bottom floor of the Ancestral Hall had been hollowed out, and in the new space, a few dozen of the n''s most important individuals stood.


    Wang Yichen, Wang Chen, Wang Yu, and all of the other high-standing figures who could cause rain and storms wherever they went stood in the center, now panicky and scared.


    A few feet away from the Wang n higher-ups was an old hunchback emancipated figure who was drawing blood from a slit arm on one hand while the other allowed his blood to flow onto a specific g of the teleportation array.


    Teleportation arrays weren''t simple constructions, but instead, the amalgamation of a myriad of different array formations used to create a normal teleportation array.


    And the specific array that the Great Elder was powering up with his blood essence was the Spatial Element Gathering Array, which was responsible for powering up the spatial runes, which would allow the teleportation array to turn on and allow them to escape.


    Suddenly Wang Yichen''s face went pale, and he coughed out two mouthfuls of blood.


    "Father, hurry, they''ve broken the defensive array!" Wang Yichen yelled out in a panic, "If Yue Ziefeng reaches here, let alone the Central Continent, we won''t even escape with our lives!"

 Chapter 163 Messing Up

    ?While the mistake chapter wasn''t up for very long, it still was up for a decent amount of time, so I''d like to say once again, for anyone who read that chapter, please know it was a mistake and a past version I had already scraped. This chapter is the correct one.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Messing up


    "You damn ingrate!" The Great Elder cursed, "If it weren''t for your arrogant behavior, we wouldn''t have been in this mess!"


    "Duan Zhen is an arrogant fool who ignores everything that has nothing to do with his Duan Imperial Family!" Wang Yichen retorted, "It was Yue Zifeng who figured something out, not Duan Zhen. I had nothing to do with that man. Obviously, he found something out from the disciples we sent over."


    Wang Yichen was indeed a smart man, and even with his limited information on what was happening in the outside world, he could find out something that was close to the truth.


    Though he was angry at the fact his son was still arguing, since their time was greatly limited, the Great Elder didn''t respond but only put more effort into powering up the array formation.


    This array formation was something that an Elder of the Blood Saber Sect gave to them. It was arge cross-continental teleportation array that could, once fully built and powered up could, teleport people to and from the Central Continent.


    However, its cost was something far beyond the Wang n''s financial ability. So in order to make it, the Wang n has been diverting most of their ie into it over the past almost century.


    And because of their efforts, the Wang n finished constructing it. After that, the only thing they needed was to power it. Now, all the Wang n needed was a few years to slowly gather enough of the space element that was naturally in the air to be able to fuel a trip without rming the rest of the continent.


    After they fueled the first trip, then they could wring the entire continent dry for all they cared, as by then, the Blood Saber Sect would''ve turned their n into their new base. Who would dare to ask the Blood Saber Sect to stop?


    But now, at itsst step, when they only needed a few more years at most to fully fuel it, Yue ZIfeng, that sword maniac, had discovered something and didn''t even intend to reason.


    Now without care for their appearance, the Wang n could only forcibly activate the teleportation array by using the blood essence of the Great Elder in hopes that it would speed up the Spatial Element Gathering Array quickly enough to save their lives.


    Yue ZIfeng was a man far beyond the capabilities of the Wang n, and they knew that there wouldn''t even be a fight if he arrived before they left.


    Time quickly passed, and eventually, Wang Yichen looked around at the people around him and realized something. After some quick thinking, he made a firm and resolute decision.


    Looking at the few hundred core members of his family that were waiting for the Great Elder to power the teleportation array, he knew that because of the number of people here, the cost of the teleportation was being increased.


    ''Some of these useless people don''t even have high yellow-grade martial veins. Taking them to the Central Continent is useless. A Qi Sea realm cultivator is not even worth a fart over there.'' Wang Yichen thought.


    Thinking that far, Wang Yichen didn''t have much more hesitation.


    Unleashing his domain, he summoned his Blood Spirits and sent the blood-colored ghastly figures loose into the crowd.


    "Partiarach, what are you doing!"


    "Wait, no stop!"


    "Great Elder, help us!"


    Countless cries came up, but no one dared to move to help lest they angered Wang Yichen and join the list.


    The Great Elder witnessed this, raised an eyebrow, and was about to yell at Wang Yichen to stop, but after receiving a voice transmission from him that conveyed his thoughts, the Great Elder didn''t say anything, tacitly agreeing.


    It was better to sacrifice the useless so that the rest could survive.


    Very soon, due to the overwhelming strength that Wang Yichen possessed, the once few hundred people were reduced to just over two hundred.


    Now, after Wang Yichen''s quick massacre, the group was much smaller and, therefore, less costly to teleport. The people who survived were the core of the Wang n and either had the most future potential or were now in their prime with a few hundred years ahead of them.


    And the effects of Wang Yichen''s quick thinking showed, as almost instantly, the teleportation array started to power up, and the passageway started to form.


    However, at the same time, Yue Zifeng also arrived.


    Not bothering to say a word in response, Yue Zifeng shed at the protection array that protected the Wang n''s ancestral hall.


    Sadly it was toote. The second Yue Zifeng broke into the ancestral hall, the void had already been torn, and the group of Wang n was leaving.


    "HA! Yue Zifeng, you idiot!" Wang Yichen mocked as he teleported away, "I''ll be back! The day we return marks the end of your sect and every being you care about!"


    Unconvinced, Yue Zifeng ignored the cheap snarky remark from Wang Yichen and shed his immortal sword at the group, but before he could, it disappeared from his line of sight in a sh of purple radiance.


    "Damn it!" Yue Zifeng cursed.


    Both angry at his ipetence and some other form of anger deep inside him, Yue Zifeng started to destroy the ancestral hall of the Wang n, hoping that it would vent some of it.


    "Core Elders!" Yue ZIefng yelled, "Kill all of the remaining members of the Wang n! They are traitors of the righteous alliance and subordinates of the Blood Saber Sect!"


    Giving onest look at the now-destroyed ancestral hall, Yue Zifeng flew out, nning to follow his own instructions.


    ¨C


    Still sitting on the Firmament Sword, Xue Bai was both patient and aggrieved.


    He was confident in Yue ZIfeng''s ability, so there was little chance the Wang n would escape, but he was also annoyed that he wasn''t taken along to see the end of Wang Yu and Wang Yichen.


    The former was a rather important character in the story, which he would like to see croak, while the other was the man who poisoned him.


    However, as he was feeling the two emotions, he suddenly felt a sudden huge decrease in the spatial element that was in the air.


    Anyone with an elemental affinity can sense the corresponding element in the air with little to no effort. After all, they had an affinity to the element. How could they not sense it as it disappeared in such huge amounts suddenly?


    So the second that Xue Bai felt almost all of the surrounding space element disappear, he knew something had gone terribly wrong down there.


    ''They seeded? There''s no way. Master went down there personally. How could they have gotten away with him? Also, at the rate they were absorbing the spatial element, it would''ve taken them another 15 minutes to get enough to teleport so far. So how did they teleport out so quickly?'' Xue Bai''s mind raced.


    Hundreds of thoughts poured into his mind as he tried to figure out what happened down below, but before he could, his attention was snagged by the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.


    Living in the Soaring Sword Sect, Xue Bai constantly sensed the massive amount of teleports that happened throughout the Soaring Sword Sect, but he could never manage toprehend anything from it leading to his Space Law progress to stay at 0.


    It was as if he saw the entire process of a painting being created sped up to the point where it only took a second.


    How could he understand anything from it?


    It''d be a miracle if he could even tell what the hell was going on.


    However, now, in front of his eyes, he could see everything about it from the Wang n''s teleportation.


    The spatial runes that were allowing them to travel, the Void Traversal Array that was allowing them safe travel across the void, and even the Space Element Gathering Array that allowed them to power up the spatial runes they needed for the travel.


    Everything was in his senses, and he could see it all happening.


    From step 0 topletion, the act of the Wang n teleporting gave Xue Bai so much information it made him feel like his brain was being overstuffed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But even as his mind was being stretched, he didn''t feel any pain or any type of difort, but rather instead, a deep sense of euphoria.


    Like he was a man on the verge of dying of dehydration, Xue Bai''s brain soaked up all of the information it could see.


    He even unconsciously changed his forms and activated his Nine-Tailed Celestial Void Fox bloodline.


    And when he activated the bloodline, the enlightened process only sped up.


    Seconds quickly passed in the real world. However, to Xue Bai, whose mind had been entranced by the beauty in front of him, it was like days.


    Only until Xue Bai felt that the Wang n had traveled too far away from him that he was taken out of the trance.


    But by then, it was toote.


    He understood it.


    The Dao of Space.


    --


    When Xue Bai yed the game ''Children of the ne,'' he was a fire cultivator who mainly focused on the Fire Law, and through his efforts, he managed to bring hisprehension of the Fire Law to 99%prehension just before his ascension.


    However, because of the fact that he never took the final step to 100%, he never did know what the stage ofprehension above ''Law'' was.


    But now he did. It was ''Dao.''


    Each Law could eventually advance to the Dao level if the cultivatorprehended it enough. However, when it came to the supreme basic building blocks of reality, like creation, life, and space, there was no Law realm ofprehension, but only the Dao.


    Like in math, there was no basic form of calculus. After all, how could you simplify such a supreme building block of reality into a form ofw?


    Not only was it impossible to simplifyplex things as The Dao of Space, but it was also an insult to its prestige to do so.


    ''Dao'' was also the realm above Sword Law that the Soaring Sword Sect Founder hadn''t told Xue Bai about.


    Which was right on his part, as it was almost impossible for a being toprehend a Dao before the Immortal Origin realm; however, who was Xue Bai?


    He possessed the bloodline of a race of beings with the greatest affinity to Dao of Space, had aprehension ability that rivaled Immortal Realm geniuses and had a soul strength that matched most Law Engraving realm cultivators.


    With all of these qualifications under his belt, was it really so crazy for Xue Bai to understand Dao this early?


    He didn''t think so.


    ¨C


    Unlike Sword Law, Spear Law, or even Fire Law, which were the mostmonws for people to firstprehend, a Dao was something else entirely.


    Daos were the core building blocks of reality.


    And because of that, they were also increasingly difficult toprehend.


    But when someone canprehend one of them, almost unrivaled power is granted to them.


    "I can interfere with the teleportation." Xue Bai mumbled.


    Not bothered about his bloodline activated and the noble pressure it exuded being out in the air, or that it was pressuring the civilians below, or even Yue Zifeng, who had just arrived after exterminating the Wang n who was watching him, starstruck, nothing was in Xue Bai''s mind right now but his desires.


    He had just understood something, and the perfect test dummy was in front of him.


    How could he hold back?


    Raising his two fair white palms into the air, Xue Bai infused them with the space element before piercing them into the void.


    Then with a sh of purple brilliance from every fiber of his being, Xue Bai sliced the void with his hands.


    Following his actions, to the astonishment of everyone watching, whether it was Yue Zifeng, Duan Zhen, or even themoners below like it were a sliding door, space opened.


    In front of Xue Bai, as if it were a piece of paper, the air in front of him sliced open, revealing the mystical and terrifying void that no man under the Immortal Great Realm could enter.


    Stepping into the void calmly as if he were strolling through a park, Xue Bai swept his gaze around the void, looking for something. And a few hundred meters in front of Xue Bai was a purple bubble flowing through the void calmly like a fish in water.


    "Space is my domain," Xue Bai murmured unconsciously, "What I wish for must happen, and what I don''t like cannot. You all have wronged me. Forever be banished into the void."


    Raising his right hand, which was still covered in an otherworldly purple power, Xue Bai sliced at the Wang n, who was escaping.


    His hand movement was followed by a purple sh which didn''t take more than a second to reach its destination, and aftering into contact with the Void Traversal Array that was keeping the Wang n safe, it cut right through, exposing the Wang n to the crushing and terrifying void.


    Wang Yichen and the other Wang n members, who were once excited and jumping with joy at their sessful escape, had a cold basin of water dropped on them.


    Their weak bodies didn''tst very long, and within seconds of being exposed to the cold dimension of the void, they werepressed and turned into pieces of cosmic dust that drifted away peacefully.


    Seeing the deaths of the only surviving Wang n members, Xue Bai was at peace and turned around to leave the void. However, before he could, he suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood.


    "Huh?" Confused for a moment, Xue Bai suddenly realized something. His Dantian was empty, and even his martial veins were wrung dry of any Spiritual Qi he once possessed.


    There was not a single drop of Spiritual Qi in his body. And even his body had been sapped of more than half of his blood essence.


    He looked like a mortal man who had been starved for more than a month. His bones were visible, and his cheeks looked hollow.


    Daos were different fromws. With aw, Xue Bai couldn''t control the output of its energy and was stuck firing on all cylinders when it came to it.


    However, with a Dao-levelprehension, every movement and every action of his was something controble. He could use a finger to slice a leaf or a mountain range. Whatever he wished to happen could. Nothing could stop him.


    But Xue Bai, in the heat of the moment and with his wish on wanting to ensure the Wang n''s extermination, hadn''t held back whatsoever and unleashed a strike far beyond what his body could carry.


    He was still too green using his Dao of Space. He had used his own blood essence and Spiritual Qi to power the sh, and now he was facing the bacsh of it.


    "I fucked up," Xue Bai could only curse inment as his consciousness blurred and the crack in space he once created healed itself, locking himself in without a method of escape.


    Volume 1 End


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys, rbi123 here. This is the end of the first volume of Transmigration: Children of the ne. To me, this is where the true start of Xue Bai is. I also can''t thank you all enough for all of the support you all give to this novel. Thanks to you all. I think I''ll be getting contracted soon.


    Also, sorry to say, but the novel will take a small week-long break, so the next chapter will be uploaded Friday next week. Hope to see you all then!

 Chapter 164 Aftermath

    ?Aftermath


    A few minutes before Xue Bai''s disappearance


    Yue Zifeng didn''t take more than a few minutes to exterminate all of the Wang n members still in the estate.


    Since Wang Yichen took all of the powerhouses, none of the ones that remained were even above the Law Engraving realm, while most were still in the 5 physical realms, making it extremely easy.


    All Yue Zifeng needed to do was spread out his Spiritual Sense across the entire estate and send directions to the Core Elders, who would then follow hismands.


    However, any Wang n descendants who were hidden behind a defensive array or a far-to-reach spot, Yue ZIfeng would take care of personally sending a volley of conjured swords in their direction.


    He didn''t even need to control them manually as after he conjured them, his swords seemed to have a mind of their own and would reach their target no matter the distance or what impeded their progress.


    Following the short but thorough extermination, Yue Zifeng flew back over to where he left Xue Bai, nning to go back home in anger, but as he was flying over, he sensed something far beyond his cultivation realm.


    On top of his Firmament Sword, Xue Bai stood upright, purple light glowing in his eyes as he stared into a random distance, seemingly entranced.


    Yue Zifeng looked at Xue Bai, confused for a second, and shouted out his disciple''s name.


    Yet no matter how loud Yue Zifeng yelled, Xue Bai was in too deep a state of enlightenment to even hear him. His entire attention was on the Wang n''s teleportation and nothing else.


    No matter how loud Yue Zifeng yelled, if he didn''t stop Xue Bai manually, everything would pass over his head.


    Yue Zifeng could somewhat tell what was happening, but that still didn''t stop him from being confused. So to find out what was happening with his disciple, Yue Zifeng flew over to his Firmament Sword, nning to do just that, but as he flew over, he witnessed Xue Bai change forms and reveal his tails and fox ears.


    To his shock, he saw nine fox tails shrouded in the same purple radiance that his eyes were and a pair of small purple fox ears that popped out from under his ponytail. Now, Xue Bai no longer looked human but a demonic beast who had gained a physical form.


    "Wait, no. He doesn''t have the Baleful Qi a demonic beast has," Yue Zifeng quickly saw that Xue Baicked the defining feature that every human form demonic beast possessed, "Is Bai''er like that Zhu Que girl then?"


    Reaching a reasonable conclusion, Yue Zifeng tried once again to get Xue Bai''s attention with a few more shouts as he closed the distance. However, this time, he was interrupted by something else.


    Instead of changing forms once again, Xue Bai closed his eyes and furrowed his brows as if he were thinking about something for a moment before opening them once more.


    This time his eyes were clear and filled with both purpose and excitement.


    "I can interfere with the teleportation." Xue Bai mumbled.


    Yue Zifeng was in the Spirit Severing Realm and could hear a mouse squeak from dozens of miles away, so how could he not hear Xue Bai''s mumbling?


    However, even after he heard and understood what Xue Bai said, he still felt like he had thought he had heard wrong.


    Interfere with the teleport?


    Even Yue Zifeng, who was in the Spirit Severing realm, couldn''t interfere with the half-started teleport earlier and could only watch in anger as they disappeared. That was the reason why Wang Yichen looked so arrogant earlier and dared to mock him. He knew that no matter how strong Yue Zifeng was, Yue Zifeng could only watch in anger as he and his n left in front of his eyes.


    So how could Xue Bai, a pup in the Bone Strengthening realm, interfere with something that he could only watch in anger as it happened?


    Still, Yue Zifeng''s thoughts remained unanswered as Xue Bai started to move.


    Xue Bai stood upright and raised his palms to his chest level. After that, he covered them in the same mystical purple radiance that his eyes and tails were covered in and pushed them forward.


    "What is he¡­." Yue Zifeng''s words were caught in his throat.


    To Yue ZIfeng and everyone''s astonishment, Xue Bai''s hands disappeared. And after a second of pause, Xue Bai swept his two arms in opposite directions as if he were slicing the air in front of him.


    The space in front of him opened.


    Like it was a sliding door, the space in front of Xue Bai opened, allowing him ess to the void.


    Still oblivious to the now-growing crowd around him, Xue Bai stepped into the crack of space, still possessing the same deep look of purpose and excitement.


    Horrified, Yue Zifeng turned into a bolt of lightning and quickly flew over to the crack in space, hoping to stop his nephew. However, he was toote.


    By the time he got to Xue Bai''s previous position, Xue Bai had already entered the void.


    Tongue-tied, anxious, and scared beyond his mind, Yue Zifeng wanted to almost switch positions with Xue Bai so he could die instead of his nephew.


    Nothing could survive in the void. Even powerhouses in the Spirit Fusion realm couldn''t survive in the void for more than an hour, let alone a Bone Strengthening realm child. Xue Bai might not even survive a second with his fragile body and tiny cultivation base.


    Yet to his astonishment and bewilderment, Xue Bai was fine. Even after stepping into the cruel and remorseless void, he was perfectly fine.


    Xue Bai was as calm as if he were scrolling through a park and not the void.


    "Space is my domain," Xue Bai murmured unconsciously, "What I wish for must happen, and what I don''t like cannot. You all have wronged me. Forever be banished into the void."


    And in a final attack that destroyed Yue ZIfeng''s three views of the world, Xue Bai raised his right arm and sent out a purple sh of the same mystical energy he was immersed in.


    The purple sh wasn''t veryrge, only a few meters in length, and didn''t carry any overwhelming power that scared Yue ZIfeng. However, it still terrified him.


    It was as if the sh was created and manifested by a higher being and made of a higher power that almost turned off Yue Zifeng''s mind and made him kneel in worship.


    This power was something Yue Zifeng knew nothing about but instinctually wanted. Even without knowing what that power was, Yue Zifeng subconsciously craved it.


    Shaking the odd feeling away, Yue Zifeng tried to pay attention to his disciples. If something happened to him, he wouldn''t know what to do.


    Yue ZIfeng didn''t see into the void, so he didn''t see where the purple sh went or the fact that the Wang n members were hit.


    But after hearing a few hundred screams of anguish and anger, Yue ZIfeng managed to piece together what Xue Bai attacked.


    "Bai''er, quicklye out!" Yue ZIfeng screamed out after seeing Xue Bai aplish something he couldn''t. He was scared that Xue Bai would overestimate his power and still die in the void.


    However, Yue Zifeng''s heart was caught in his throat, as by the time his words left his mouth, he had witnessed the second worst thing he had ever seen.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Xue Bai''s body started withering.


    Like he was being wrung dry, Xue Bai''s body was seemingly milked out of all its essence. And he soon became basically skin and bones.


    "NO!" Yue Zifeng screamed out.


    Putting caution to the wind, Yue Zifeng didn''t care about his own safety anymore and tried to enter the void and grab Xue Bai out as he could see his nephew losing consciousness fast, but once again, like all those years ago, he was toote.


    And the crack in space soon healed up, leaving Yue Ziefng empty-handed once again.


    ¨C


    Neither Yue Zifeng nor Duan Zhen bothered to hide the news, so within the week, the entire continent knew what had urred in Yuan City.


    The Wang n and all of its subordinate families were killed in a raid led by Yue Zifeng and the Core Elders of the Soaring Sword Sect on the first day of the tenth month of the year 975.


    Wang Yichen and his n were corrupted by the continent''s long-mortal enemy, the Blood Saber Sect, and had tried to infiltrate and take down the Soaring Sword Sect from the inside.


    However, that wasn''t the piece of shocking news that shook the continent, but rather it wasn''t Yue Zifeng, the Spirit Severing realm powerhouse who killed the Wang n, or even one of the Core Elders, but instead Xue Bai, the greatest prodigy in the history of the Southern Continent.


    In an act that could break people''s worldviews, like an immortal himself, Xue Bai, with his own hands, split his open space before unleashing a purple sh of energy that killed the escaping Wang n.


    Thankfully the purple radiance that Xue Bai exuded afterprehending the Dao of Space blocked themoners below from seeing his tails and ears, so only Duan Zhen and Yue Zifeng saw it.


    But Duan Zhen, as Wang Yichen said, cared for nothing but his Duan Imperial Family, so after seeing it and thinking that it was weird, it went over his head.


    On the other hand, Yue Zifeng was Xue Bai''s uncle, so after seeing it, instead of questioning anything, he only tried to block that specific news from leaking.


    Li Rou and Xue Feng most likely knew about it, so it would be out of ce for Yue Zifeng to mention anything.


    Following the fight, Yue Zifeng tried his best to block the news of Xue Bai''s disappearance, but since the boy was the son of such a high-profile person and a public icon, he couldn''t contain it for too long.


    So the continent was in heartbreak for a long time, as they knew that nothing could survive in the void.


    Yet to the public''s shock, Li Rou and Xue Feng announced that Xue Bai''s soulmp was still lit, though weak and about to extinguish, the boy was alive.


    Xue Feng and Li Rou ced split Xue Bai''s soulmp into two parts, onerge and one small, before cing the small part in the city center of Snowy Wind city.


    There, many people would watch it, hoping to see the soulmp finally extinguished; however, it never did. And time slowly passed.


    Because of Xue Bai''s soulmp that stayed lit, Li Rou and Xue Feng always stayed hopeful for Xue Bai''s return. But as time passed, though they knew that their son was still alive, they soon realized that maybe Xue Bai had ended up somewhere far from home.


    And because Xue Bai''s soulmp stayed one gust of wind away from extinguishing the entire time, they could also figure out that he was in horrible condition.


    However, nothing came to them even after making a continent-wide bounty for any information about Xue Bai and his whereabouts, and their hopes slowly died out.


    Two and half years passed.


    ¡ª


    4th month 978


    ''Master, what about Brother Bai? Do you believe that story?'' Huo Long asked in his mind as he ate in a motel''s dining area.


    Since the Huang and Xia n extermination, Huo Long had almost little drive to cultivate. But after his Master told him about the Immortal World, he regained his drive.


    His Master was wronged so badly by the scum of the Immortal World. How could he, as her disciple, not avenge her?


    "Long''er, you know how I told you about how your Spear Intent is nothing in the grand scheme of things?" Feng Huang asked.


    Huo Long nodded. After heprehended Spear Intent, Huo Long thought that he was the center of the world. How could he not? But Feng Huang poured a cold basin of water over him and said that Spear Intent was nothing in the Immortal World.


    "I also told you then that above the Intent realm is the Dao, right?" Feng Huang continued.


    Huo Long nodded once more.


    "Your brotherprehended a Dao." Feng Huang spoke, shocking Huo Long out of his shoes.


    ''How do you know, Master?'' Huo Long couldn''t help but ask, ''Some of the other students even said that was a load of nonsense, and they only said that to hype up his performance.''


    "Long''er, my soul strength is almostpletely recovered. How could I not know when someoneprehended a Dao this close to us?" Feng Huang retorted with a snort, "The phenomenon of Xue Bai slicing open space is something only achievable by someone whoprehended the first floor of the Dao of Space, while that sh represented the second floor. Even treasures at the peak of the ck¨Cgrade can''t do that. If it wasn''t a Dao, what else could it be?"


    ''But didn''t you say that you can onlyprehend a Dao at the Immortal Origin realm at the minimum?'' Huo Long asked once more.


    "No, I didn''t say that," Feng Huang shook her head in the ring, "I said that people in the Immortal Origin realm are close to the Dao and have a heightened affinity with it. Anyone of any cultivation realm canprehend a Dao. It''s just extremely hard to do so without a high-grade bloodline or special cultivation technique. For people like you and your brother, it''s not impossible toprehend a Dao before the Immortal Origin realm. Most likely, he had had a sh of enlightenment from the Wang n''s teleportation andprehended the Dao of Space on the spot. However, from the news, it''s not hard to guess he hadn''t known how to fully use his Dao, and instead of manipting reality with it, he foolishly used the essence within his own body and nearly killed himself."


    ''Then is he going to be fine? He fell into the void. Nothing is supposed to survive in there. If he is super weakened, how can he survive for so long?'' Huo Long said.


    "Fine? Xue Bai will be more than fine." Feng Huang couldn''t but smile after healing Huo Long''s concern, "Just worry about how strong he will be when he returns."


    ''Second Senior Brother''s Nine-Tailed Celestial Void Fox race are children of the void. The void wouldn''t even hurt a hair on that boy''s head. If anything, it would bless him and enhance his physique.'' Feng Huang thought inwardly.


    The two would continue to converse for a little more until a girl in ck and gold robes with a signature phoenix imprint in between her brows walked into the motel.


    "Huo Long,e one. I found the target." Jiang Xiaorou spoke coldly.


    Huo Long shook his head, hearing that cold voice. However, he didn''t point anything out but instead stood up calmly and walked over.


    "Then let''s go, Xiaorou." Huo Long said as he grabbed the woman''s hand and ran off.

 Chapter 165 New Surroundings

    ?New Surroundings


    Deep in slumber, as he floated through the void like a boat in the ocean, Xue Bai quickly lost track of time. Only after a very long time Xue Bai opened his eyes, but even as he did, he knew he wasn''t truly awake.


    The reason?


    He wasn''t anywhere in the Baishen ne, but instead, he was back in his hospital room from Earth.


    However, he wasn''t on his bed this time but instead standing at the doorway.


    Yet instead of exploring the odd dream he found himself in, he had his eyes on the figure lying on the bed he had stayed on for so long in his previous life.


    The figure was one he was familiar with. After all, it was ''him'' in a sense.


    More specifically, the him that was in ''Children of the ne,'' the game. The frail, ck-haired schr version of himself.


    The version of himself if Xue Bai hadn''t eaten the Celestial Void Fruit and stayed a mortal.


    The two Xue Bais stared at each other for a very long time until Xue Bai spoke up.


    "I thought your soul would''ve dissipated after I transmigrated over." Xue Bai broke the ice casually.


    There was no need to keep up the secret of his transmigration to literally himself. So when he broke the ice, it was to question how the previous owner of his new body was still alive.


    "Why do you say that?" ''Xue Bai'' asked with a broad smile.


    "I took over your body," Xue Bai answered with an odd gaze, "You died, and I took over. If not, how could I not be in control of the body without any resistance?"


    "That''s a good guess about what happened." ''Xue Bai'' nodded with a smile as he stood up from the hospital bed.


    "What do you mean by a good guess?" Xue Bai wasn''t a fool and caught the odd choice of words his other self used.


    However, ''Xue Bai'' didn''t answer his question but instead just walked around Xue Bai as if he were inspecting a new car he wanted to buy.


    "You''ve done well in the short time you''ve been in this world. However, you do know things will only get harder from now on, right?" ''Xue Bai'' said.


    "How can I not know?" Xue Bai replied.


    Xue Bai during his life in the Southern Continent was peaceful and filled with nothing but cultivation. The biggest problem he faced on a day-to-day basis so far was figuring out what he would want for dinner.


    Beyond that, there was no problem whatsoever.


    But Xue Bai did know that the Central Continent was going to be his true trial ground on whether he could beat Xiao Mo or not.


    "So, are you going to answer my question or not?" Xue Bai suddenly recalled that his question was dodgedpletely.


    "I can''t answer that question." ''Xue Bai'' shook his head.


    "Why not?"


    "It''s because it''s the wrong question." ''Xue Bai'' answered, "You never took over my body."


    Xue Bai was immediately taken aback by the response. However, before he could say anything, his other self spoke up.


    "Aw damn it. We''re running out of time." ''Xue Bai'' suddenly said with aical knee p, "Well, we''ll meet again soon. Remember to get the right questions to ask before you reach the Spirit Awakening realm. That''s when we''ll meet next."


    And with a wave, like a pane of ss met with a rock, the dream shattered, and he opened his eyes once more, this time in a different area.


    However, as he did, he started questioning his surroundings.


    Like his transmigration so many years ago, Xue Bai now found himself in a random bed in a random room and even going as far as to look out the windows at a random ce he couldn''t recognize.


    Confused, Xue Bai tried to remember what had happened before he woke up.


    He had over-exhausted his entire body, killing the escaping Wang n, and lost consciousness after being sealed in the void. He also had an odd dream with his other self, which left him with more questions than answers.


    But beyond that, he remembered nothing.


    Yet now he was somewhere he couldn''t even remember.


    Realizing that he needed more information about his surroundings, Xue Bai tried to get up from his bed, but as he put his elbow down on the soft bed to lift himself up, he fell.


    His arm was too weak to support his own body, and he copsed in on himself.


    After cursing at his own weakness for a moment, Xue Bai looked inside himself and soon figured out the problem.


    Over 70% of his blood essence was gone, and because of that, his body was far weaker than any Bone Strengthening realm cultivator. In fact, it was weaker right now than most Blood Exchange realm cultivators.


    However, Xue Bai was in the Bone Strengthening realm, which meant that his body was far heavier than any normal mortal human would weigh. So because his physical strength was weakened, he was far too weak to even hold himself up.


    To make matters worse, he couldn''t even reinforce his own body with Spiritual Qi, as his dantian waspletely dried up. Not even a single wisp of Spiritual Qi was in it.


    Annoyed at his misfortune, Xue Bai quickly rolled out of bed without his hands and quickly caught himself with his legs managing to stand up, albeit with a struggle. Unfortunately, his legs were weak, too, so he had to wobble like a newborn deer for a few seconds until he stabilized.


    After Xue Bai got his bnce, he started to walk around the room, hoping to find something that would give him some intel on his whereabouts.


    Quickly finding a mirror, Xue Bai walked over to see if anything had changed about himself physically. And to his slight shock, there was.


    His hair was far longer than it was before, and it stretched all the way down to the floor, where it dragged slightly against the ground. Other than that, his hair had alsopletely changed colors, turning into the same purple color as his eyes were when he activated his bloodline. On a side note, his eyes also changed colors, turning the same color.


    Yet that wasn''t what grabbed his attention most about his physical changes, but rather his height and face.


    Xue Bai was previously 13 years and ten months old while being at an average height of 1.65 meters tall. His physique was visibly frail, but he still had defined muscles, and his limbs were full of explosive power.


    However, now looking at himself, Xue Bai stood, from what he could tell, 1.8 meters tall, but now let alone defined and explosive muscles, his body was all skin and bones. Furthermore, and most shocking of all, Xue Bai was no longer 13, but instead, he looked much older, around 16 to 17 years old.


    Though sunken and hollow looking from his blood essence deficiency, Xue Bai''s chin was much more defined and sharp, he lost much of his androgynous looks, only looking to be a slightly feminine-looking teenage boy.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Not believing reality for a moment, Xue Bai raised his hands up to touch his cheeks, and to his surprise, it connected, and he truly saw his reflection.


    "How much time has passed?" Xue Bai could see that he stayed unconscious and drifted in the void for a much longer time than he previously estimated, "Could I have ended up off of the Southern Continent?"


    Shaking the straying thoughts out of his head, Xue Bai grabbed a stool nearby to sit on before recalling something important.


    Xue Bai remembered that before his stupid move, he had somehowprehended a Dao, and as he did, a wealth of information about not only the Dao of Space but also about Daos themselves entered his head.


    Daos were core building blocks of reality that, wheneverprehended, allowed its user to change reality to their whims. And Xue Bai''s Dao of Space was a supreme Dao at that.


    Xue Bai''s Dao of Space had seven floors ofprehension.


    1st floor: Void Tearing


    Having the ability to sever space open and enter the void whenever he''d please. Also, gain a small protection against the terrifying power of the void, being able to survive in it for a short amount of time.


    It can also use the severing power of space to slice clean through any object within the cultivator''s Great Realm without any resistance.


    2nd floor: Spatial Maniption


    Can manipte space to arge degree, using it however you''d wish. Whether it be to fold space for speed advantages, create weapons made of the prative element of space, or even create walls of space that would block all iing attacks, space will obey yourmands, and your strength is only limited to your imagination andprehension.


    3rd floor: Spatial Disruption


    4th floor: Spatial Inception


    5th floor: ck Hole Creation


    6th floor: Spatial Dimension


    7th floor: World Creation/Destruction


    Currently, Xue Bai''sprehension of the Dao of Space was at the second floor, meaning that he could sever the void as easily as one could a piece of paper and manipte space without the need for Spiritual Qi, purely relying on hisprehension.


    He also gained the names of the next five floors but not their abilities. Most likely, he''d only understand what they do once he actuallyprehends them. Until then, however, he''d be in the dark.


    Beyond that, Xue Bai also learned that while the Dao of Space only had a higher form ofprehension, there were branch paths of the Dao of Space that could be understood in a Law form.


    Like his own Sword Law, it was based on the branch path of the Dao of Space, the Law of Spatial Severance. Or his own Gravity Field Array Formation was on the Law of Gravity.


    The universe was boundless, and there were Laws and Daos of everything in existence. As the knowledge he was bestowed said, the only thing that could limit him was hisprehension and imagination.


    After digesting the information, Xue Bai suddenly felt even more stupid.


    When he was killing the Wang n, if Xue Bai hadn''t stupidly shed open the Void Traversal Array using brute force, he could''ve just sent out a pulse of disturbance into the void. This would make the Wang n either have their teleport fail or have them end up somewhere far away from their proper destination.


    Sadly he had neither a teacher to tell him this nor the time to experiment with his avable options then and could only do the direct method of stopping the Wang n.


    Now that he sat down and truly grasped his Dao, he regretted his previous stupid move. Then, wistfully, Xue Bai could only shake his head and start to focus on the present.


    But just as he was going to walk out of his room to check out his surroundings, he felt something odd about his body.


    It felt different. As if something important inside of him was changed or instead upgraded. There was something inside of him that wasn''t there before, like a button that he could switch on and off.


    Curious and scared at the same time, Xue Bai took a deep breath before ''flipping the switch,'' and to his shock, his body left the normal ne, and he entered the void!


    Fearing he had just killed himself, Xue Bai quickly ''flipped the switch'' back to normal, and to his shock, he returned.


    However, as he did, another stream of information entered his head, giving him a quick rundown of what the hell had just happened to him.


    ''Low earth-grade physique: Void Traversing Physique. Roam free around the void like a fish in water. Be able to enter the void onmand and still see the normal ne of existence.''


    "So I have a physique now, I guess?" Xue Bai muttered oddly.


    He truly hadn''t nned for any of this, yet now he had a physique.


    Now with a belly full of curiosity, Xue Bai activated his physique, and true to the information he had just received, he was able to enter the void onmand. Yet he could still see the normal ne of existence: the bedroom, the mirror, and everything inside of it.


    Still curious, Xue Bai tried to move around to see if he could go through walls and scout the area around him.


    He could.


    Floating around the void, Xue Bai could go through any obstructions the normal ne of existence had.


    But after floating around for a few minutes, and other than getting a tour of a rather grand imperial pce, Xue Bai found not a single human being.


    Not resigned, Xue Bai tried to go further until he found a person. Only, just as he reached a total of 10 minutes in the void, he found himselfpletely out of breath and gasping for air.


    Panicked, Xue Bai quickly deactivated his physique and fell out of the void onto the ground gasping for air.


    "There is a time limit." Xue Bai mentally noted down, "Most likely, the physique will get stronger as I do, but for now, I can only stay in the void for 10 minutes."


    Still, even with the time limit, Xue Bai knew his physique had boundless potential.


    Now that his physical body was weakened, Xue Bai knew that he wouldn''t be able to be a swordsman for a while, but now with the Void Traversing Physique, he could be a prime archer or assassin.


    Imagine fighting a man who wasn''t even on the same ne of existence as you for most of the fight. And in the short time he was in the same ne of existence, he would only send an arrow at your weak points before quickly leaving once again.


    And even if Xue Bai didn''t use the physique offensively, he could use it defensively to dodge attacks or to escape without a trace since he was more than twice as fast in the void as he was not.


    Happy, Xue Bai quickly caught his breath before floating back to his bedroom.


    It was obvious Xue Bai was unconscious for years at the minimum, and if the people who saved him hadn''t killed him yet, it was for a reason. So it was obvious that someone woulde eventually, and until then, Xue Bai needed to get his situation sorted out.

 Chapter 166 Prince Consort

    ?Prince Consort


    Time slowly passed, with Xue Bai doing some simple experiments with his new physique and the Dao of Space in the room as he waited for someone toe.


    He also tried to cultivate; however, he soon realized that his Martial Veins were too shriveled up to absorb Spiritual Qi.


    "It seems that I really over-exerted myself too badly," Xue Bai sighed, "I need to find some wood-type nourishing natural treasures."


    With his memories, this wouldn''t be too hard to achieve since wood-type natural treasures were the mostmon type, and nourishing natural treasures were almost exclusively of the wood element.


    The only problem was his current location. In order to even think about doing anything to heal himself, Xue Bai first needed to figure out where he was.


    Thankfully there was a bright side as since Xue Bai had nowprehended a Dao, he didn''t need Spiritual Qi to influence the environment. He could alter reality just by using the space element in the air, albeit to a lesser extent than if he used the Spiritual Qi within him.


    However, with the horrible condition his body was in currently, any good thing was helpful.


    Another misfortune he discovered was that, except for one, all of his spatial rings were gone, most likely due to the chaotic void making the space inside of them too unstable and making them explode from within.


    Xue Bai liked to organize his possessions, and because of that, he usually carried about 4 or 5 spatial rings on his person. But now, all of them except for one got destroyed in the void. So the spatial ring that carried all of the natural treasures, his spiritual ores, and all of the other various natural treasures he had collected over the years were gone.


    The only one to survive was the one he kept on his actual ring finger and also his most important.


    Spatial rings couldn''t be held in each other, so to hold all of his spatial rings, Xue Bai kept the ones filled with resources in a pouch inside of his robes'' breast pocket while only wearing the important one.


    Sadly anything that wasn''t directly attached to him didn''t survive the void. So neither the pouch nor the spatial rings survived.


    Xue Bai was indeed angry about the loss of resources, but with his memories and a new area to y in, as long as he was still in the Baishen ne, he was confident he would be able to get the same amount, if not more.


    And he was extremely happy that his important spatial ring survived, as it contained his most valuable possessions; The Azure Dragon God''s cultivation technique, the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, the items that Huli Jing left for him, and the strongest talismans for protection he owned.


    If he had lost that, Xue Bai wouldn''t even know how to react. If anything, he might just go numb from anguish.


    After finding that out, Xue Bai eventually got bored of the room he was in and decided to look around for his ''saviors'' himself, but just as he stepped out of the room he was in, he saw a woman walk into his line of sight from down the hall.


    Giving the woman a deep look, Xue Bai did indeed confirm that he was no longer in the Southern Continent.


    Walking over to him was an older woman who seemed to be in her early thirties and, from what Xue Bai could sense, also a mortal who couldn''t cultivate.


    Which in itself wasn''t odd or gave away his location, but instead. it was her garb that did.


    The woman who was walking toward him was in a maid costume, but on its chest was a symbol he hadn''t ever seen before, not in this life or his previous one.


    The symbol itself didn''t look special as it only had a gold shield with a mountain on it.


    But no matter how Xue Bai looked at it, he knew that it wasn''t a faction that was on the Southern Continent.


    As Xue Bai was still eyeing the symbol, the maid eventually noticed him looking at her and quickly shouted in surprise, "Prince Consort, you''re awake!"


    ''Prince Consort?'' Xue Bai was extremely confused about the odd manner in which he was being addressed, but since he had no idea where he was, he could only suppress his confusion and wait for more information.


    "Prince Consort, please don''t move too much. You''ve only been eating fasting pills for half a year. And you''re missing almost 70% of your blood essence, so your starved body is even weaker." The maid quickly spoke as she rushed over in concern. It looked like she was nning to help Xue Bai.


    "Wait, miss. You said that I haven''t eaten for half a year?" Xue Bai asked, "Then that would make today, what, the 4th month of 976?"


    ''I look like I''ve aged three years. There is no way that it''s only 976.'' Xue Bai thought.


    "Prince consort, I know that you have been unconscious for a while; however, it''s still too much to act like you have two years missing out of your internal clock," The maid said with a disapproving tone, "Now quickly, her Majesty had given me strict instructions to take you to her as soon as you wake up."


    "Who is this ''Her Majesty,''" Xue Bai spoke with a frown as he dodged the maid''s hands.


    No one would be happy if, after they woke up, they were suddenly made a concubine to a monarch they didn''t know.


    Not expecting Xue Bai to have enough energy to dodge her even though he looked so thin and weak, the maid was caught off bnce and almost tripped.


    "Prince Consort, there is no time to y games," The maid was getting annoyed and soon lost her polite attitude, "Her Majesty is someone with more troubles than a gigolo like you could ever manage!"


    Hearing such a rude wording from a mortal woman, Xue Bai lost his friendly attitude and didn''t bother speaking to this woman any longer. Obviously, she knew nothing about him and only knew how to follow instructions blindly. She didn''t even know that Xue Bai was a cultivator and foolishly tried to manhandle him.


    And with a wave of his hand, he sent the mortal woman flying back into a wall.


    Though he didn''t have any Spiritual Qi and he was extremely weakened, his physical body was still as strong as someone in the Blood Exchange realm, making him dozens of times stronger than a random mortal middle-aged woman who hadn''t trained a day in her life.


    However, he left her alive and only in a massive amount of pain. He couldn''t bring himself to murder an ignorant mortal.


    "I''ll find her myself." Xue Bai coldly spoke to the woman who was now a wall decoration.


    No longer bothering with her, Xue Bai walked in the direction the maid came from and nned to find this monarch himself.


    "There is no need ''Prince Consort.''" A cold ambiguous female voice came from around a different corner than the one maid came from.


    Turning around to face this person, Xue Bai saw a pair of long white legs peek from the corner that was behind him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The owner of the legs soon followed, and after looking at the face, Xue Bai thought that the girl''s beauty didn''t let down the beauty of her legs. From her figure to her face, the girl who walked out was definitely a beauty no worse than Jiang Xiaorou or Ye Rou.


    In an imperial dragon robe that wasn''t much inferior to Duan Zhen''s, the woman identified as ''Her Majesty'' made her presence known.


    She wasn''t very old, only looking about 20 or 21 years old but stood at a tall height of about 1.75 meters. She had a long head of ck hair that was kept up in a high ponytail held up by an imperial crown simr to the one Duan Zhen often wore.


    "Your Majesty!" The maid suddenly sounded as if she had found a life-saving rope and called out in pain, "This gigolo didn''t know his ce and refused to meet you. Not only that, but he even hit me so hard!"


    The maid cried out in pain as she tried to get herself out of the wall.


    Yet Xue Bai didn''t let her.


    Making a grabbing motion into the air, Xue Bai exercised his right as a person whoprehended a Dao and directly manipted reality.


    Using the space element in the air, Xue Bai easily formed an arrow and sent it flying at the maid who had insulted him twice now.


    "Your Majesty, help!" The maid shouted out in fear. However, the monarch didn''t do anything and, alternatively, watched in interest.


    Xue Bai''s arrow went right through the maid''s throat, killing her instantly without any pain.


    "That''s an interesting power." ''Her Majesty,'' spoke curiously.


    "Aren''t you angry that I killed a person under you?" Xue Bai asked with a raised eyebrow.


    He could tell that this girl didn''t care for that maid and, if anything, was indifferent to her pleas. Almost as if she didn''t care for the woman''s life or death.


    "That wench was a traitor, so if anything, I should be thanking you rather than being angry." ''Her Majesty'' coldly spoke as she looked at the middle-aged woman''s corpse.


    Hearing such a ruthless sentence, Xue Bai couldn''t help but give the monarch another look, but as he did, he suddenly realized something.


    She didn''t have a wisp of Spiritual QI in or around her. So it was either the girl only slightly older than him was a cultivator with a much higher cultivation base, or she was a mortal!


    Xue Bai couldn''t believe the former, so he quickly sided with thetter.


    Slightly shocked, Xue Bai couldn''t help but ask, "You''re a mortal?"


    However, the monarch didn''t answer her question and merely shrugged her shoulders, implying her answer.


    Xue Bai also didn''t really expect an answer, as he was merely speaking out his own thoughts.


    Seeing the conversation dry up and sensing the atmosphere being awkward, Xue Bai decided to change the subject.


    "Who are you? Where am I? What day is today? And why the hell did thatdy call me Prince Consort?" Xue Bai rattled off questions like a machine gun.


    "Do you want me to answer your questions here while you''re standing or in the Imperial Courtroom, where you can sit and eat some long-needed food while you listen?" ''Her Majesty,'' spoke as she motioned for Xue Bai to follow her.


    Xue Bai nodded in response and followed the woman. Though he was in a foreign territory and somewhere he didn''t know, Xue Bai was confident that there wouldn''t be someone capable of hurting him.


    He could still feel Yue Zifeng''s soul imprint on him, meaning that no attack above the Law Engraving realm could hurt him. Yue Zifeng made it this way to help Xue Bai from attackers far above his cultivation realm, but also to not make him arrogant, since he could still die to a Dharma Idol realm cultivator or Law Engraving realm one.


    And for attacks below that realm, Xue Bai could react and shift into the void safely before it hit him.


    Following the monarch to the Imperial Courtroom didn''t take long, and after about 15 minutes of walking in silence, they arrived.


    Along the way, Xue Bai also noticed just how barren the Imperial Pce was. He hadn''t seen a single person other than this girl and the maid from earlier.


    Xue Bai nned to ask about that as well.


    Entering the courtroom, Xue Bai made himself at home and simply sat down on the Imperial Throne, not caring about the monarch''s opinion.


    Nothing here could threaten him, so why should he be wary and passive? It was better to y the role of an arrogant genius than to act weak.


    Seeing this, the monarch was about to get angry, but after remembering that this boy was her only hope, she stopped. And after a quick breather to calm herself down, she pped her hands.


    Following her actions, a small group of maids entered the courtroom, pushing a table that was already prepared with some delicious-looking dishes.


    "You can eat while I speak," ''Her Majesty'' said, "I know you must be hungry after being unconscious for almost three years."


    "This is the Mountain Province of the Northern Continent. I am the current Monarch of the Gen Empire, Feng Fei. It is the 4th month of the year 978. And you''re being called Prince Consort by the maid because you are my Prince Consort. In other words, my concubine." Feng Fei calmly spoke as she waited for Xue Bai''s response.


    "Who the hell gave you the right to make me a concubine?" Xue Bai spoke as he chewed on a steak.


    ''The food also doesn''t have any Spiritual Qi in it. I know the Gen Empire, and it''s rather prosperous, so why is their Monarch a beggar?'' Xue Bai thought as he swallowed the bite of ox meat.


    However, while he did figure out where he was, he was extremely confused about how he got there.


    ''But why the hell am I on the Northern Continent?'' Xue Bai still couldn''t grasp how the hell he had traveled so far.


    The Northern Continent was just so far away from the Southern Continent. Let alone two and half years, as Feng Fei said, even if Xue Bai were given ten years, he wouldn''t be able to travel to the Northern Continent.

 Chapter 167 Feng Fei, The Puppet Monarch

    ?Feng Fei, the Puppet Monarch


    As Feng Fei thought about her next words, Xue Bai suddenly felt another presence nearby. Looking over at the entrance of the Imperial Courtroom, Xue Bai found an old man wearing a ck eunuch robe standing at the entrance as he waited to be let in.


    "Eunuch Lu." Feng Fei greeted, "You may enter."


    "Her Majesty, you are now the monarch of our Gen Empire. There is no need to call me by my title. Just call me Old Lu now." Eunuch Lu spoke with heartfeltughter as he walked in with great strides.


    ''So there are cultivators here. And he''s even in the Law Engraving realm to boot.'' Xue Bai mentally thought. But right after, he realized something.


    ''Wait, why the hell can I see his cultivation?'' Xue Bai was experiencing shock after shock, but he was good at hiding his expression and kept his shocked emotions inside.


    Though odd, the fact that he could see the cultivation base of someone so much higher than was something that could only help him, so Xue Bai quickly epted it and carried on.


    Not expecting the Bone Strengthening realm Xue Bai to see through his cultivation, Eunuch Lu became defensive and quickly floated over in front of Feng Fei.


    Feng Fei ignored the actions of the overprotective eunuch and continued to think about how to phrase her next words. But very quickly, Xue Bai started to get impatient.


    "Answer my question. Why the hell did you give me the title of Prince Consort." Xue Bai spoke up, bringing Feng Fei out of her thoughts, "Let alone a mortal like you. Even if you were in the Spirit Fusion realm, I wouldn''t marry you."


    Xue Bai was destined to reach the God Great realm at the very minimum with his potential. How could he get forcibly married to a mortal woman without Martial Veins?


    Hearing his question, Feng Fei once again sighed deeply, and this time she withdrew all of the indifference and coldness from her face.


    "Since you were confused about where you were and had no sense of time, I can only assume you aren''t from the Northern Continent. However, no matter where you once lived, you must know that power reigns supreme in this ne. So isn''t it odd that I, the monarch of this Empire, am a mortal?" Feng Fei spoke in a mncholy tone.


    "What of it?" Xue Bai snorted, "This ce is a backwater wastnd. Your imperial bodyguard is only in the Law Engraving realm. Maybe your traditions here are messed up."


    ''This boy is a piece of work!'' Feng Fei was enraged about how little regard Xue Bai had for her, but since he had something she needed, Feng Fei could only suppress her anger and continue speaking.


    "Eunuch Lu isn''t a bodyguard of mine. He is one of the very few people still loyal to me. The Imperial Guards aren''t loyal to me." Feng Fei said, slightly shocking Xue Bai.


    "So what, you''re a puppet monarch?" Xue Bai raised an eyebrow as he asked.


    Hearing the term puppet, Eunuch Lu looked like he was about to blow a fuse, but Feng Fei held him back.


    "You''re not wrong," Feng Fei nodded. However, she quickly continued, "But you''re also not right."


    At this point, Xue Bai was getting interested in this girl''s story, so with a raised eyebrow, he asked why.


    "My Father, the previous Emperor, wasn''t truly meant to be the Emperor. He was only enthroned because of a tragedy that resulted in the deaths of the entire Feng Imperial Family. From every concubine in the Imperial Harem to all of the princes and princesses. So because of that, my father was made the Emperor of the Gen Empire."


    "However, while my father was talented, he was still young, being only in his forties and the Law Engraving realm when he was enthroned. Now suddenly enthroned, my father quickly lost much of the power the Feng Imperial Family usuallymanded in the Gen Empire. Knowing this, our neighboring Kun Empire started a war, nning to kick us while we were down. And with no help from the nobles of the Empire, my father died in an assassination after a Domain Lord realm cultivator took action."


    "Only ten years into his rule, my father hadn''t sown any seeds for the next generation, and I was his only offspring." Feng Fei exined.


    "But you ended up being born a cripple." Xue Bai could put the pieces together at this point, "So now, 10 yearster, your Imperial Family''s influence is almost nonexistent, while your noble ns are getting greedier and greedier. I think I get it now. But that still doesn''t answer my question. Why the hell did you announce me as your concubine?"


    "Simple. We know that you have a deep background and unfathomable talent, but I also know you''re far away from home. So by giving you the title of Prince Consort, I can use the fear of your background to fend away the greedy dogs trying to bring down my family." Feng Fei exined.


    "Do the other people of the Empire know of my existence?" Xue Bai asked as he pointed at himself.


    "It''d be hard not to," Eunuch Lu spoke with an odd gaze, "You suddenly ripped open the void above the Imperial Capital half a year ago, shocking everyone. One Duke of ours that was in the Law Manifestation realm had thought you were a threat and tried to attack you, but before his sword sh even reached you, it disintegrated, and another sh of greater power flew at him, killing the Duke instantly."


    "So the people of this Empire think I am a child of the heavens. And you want to keep that illusion to get the rebellious nobles off your back for a while," Xue Bai said aloud. But he couldn''t understand one thing, "Sure, this is a good n, but what are you stalling for? Sure, your idea isn''t bad, and using my deep background as a shield is smart, but you''re a cripple. I would get it if you are extremely talented and wanted time to peacefully cultivate and strengthen yourself before counter-attacking and killing the rebels. But no matter how long I can keep the nobles off your family''s back, you will stay this weak. And I don''t n to stay here for very long, at most five or so years. After that, I''ll leave, and then the nobles that I had scared off will just wring your neck like a defenseless chicken."


    Feng Fei couldn''t answer Xue Bai''s question herself.


    "I don''t know either," Feng Fei looked distressed, "However, between dying now and dying in 5 years, I''ll choose thetter any day."


    "No, wait. I can help you with this." Xue Bai suddenly spoke up, confusing the two.


    ? Though being a cripple would be a death sentence for most people, there were natural treasures that could give Martial Veins, albeit extremely rare.


    And Xue Bai, with his wealth of memories, knew of almost every single one in the Baishen ne, with the Mountain Province of the Northern Continent being no different.


    So why not give this Feng Fei one?


    Xue Bai knew that he''d stay on this continent for a few years at the minimum. He''d leave when his Void Traversal Physique bes strong enough to travel across continents or he finds a transcontinental teleportation array that is willing to take him to the Southern Continent.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But either way, that would be no time soon.


    Thinking that far, Xue Bai came to a conclusion.


    Why not, until he leaves, cultivate this Empire into a subordinate, and maybe, should his ns get far enough to take over this continent? The Northern Continent was the secondrgest and second most prosperous continent behind the Central Continent.


    If he could milk this continent for all it was worth, he would have more than enough wealth to create a force of his own after he traveled to the Central Continent.


    Sure, the idea was grand and possibly a little far-fetched, but Xue Bai had some confidence in his goal.


    The only thing that could truly stop him from aplishing it was the Northern Contient''s Child of the ne. However, Xue Bai knew the girl''s personality and that she wouldn''t interfere with his ns. If anything, the girl might just help him.


    "What do you mean you can help me?" Feng Fei spoke up, disturbing Xue Bai''s thoughts.


    "What if I told you that I could help you grow a set of Martial Veins and a low ck-grade set at that?" Xue Bai proposed.


    "I''d call you crazy and have you get your brain checked," Feng Fei answered with a snort, "Don''t tell me you have a natural treasure capable of giving me a set of Martial Veins?"


    "You''re right, I don''t," Xue Bai nodded, but before Feng Fei got angry, he continued, "But I do know where one is. Give me a map of the Mountain Province, and I''ll show you where it is."


    Feng Fei still couldn''t wrap her head around Xue Bai''s actions, but since he looked so confident and getting a map of their Empire didn''t hurt her, sheplied.


    Looking over at Eunuch Lu, she ryed Xue Bai''s request to him.


    Eunuch was prepared and, after going into his spatial ring, pulled out an extremely detailed map of the Mountain Province.


    Giving the map a quick nce through, Xue Bai quickly pointed out two locations before speaking.


    "You can choose the element you''d like. The one in this location in the Hysteria Forest can give you a low ck-grade Martial Vein with the metal element affinity. In contrast, this one in the Burning Steel Mountains can give you a set of Martial Veins of the same grade but instead a fire element affinity." Xue Bai spoke confidently.


    Feng Fei, shocked, quickly tried to take the map back to see where Xue Bai was pointing, but to her annoyance, he pulled it back, not giving it over yet.


    "What are you doing?" Feng Fei asked, confused.


    "I''ll show you the locations, but I need something first." While storing the map in his own spatial ring, Xue Bai said, "Since all of my spatial rings have been destroyed from the void, I need resources to grow. Though I am confident in my own safety in this backwater ce, I won''t be able to leave until I reach the Law Engraving or Law Manifestation realm at the earliest. So I need some resources to cultivate to those realms."


    "Impossible." Feng Fei shook her head instantly, "My Feng Family doesn''t have any resources at all. The 2 Dukes have almost taken over the Imperial Court and also the Empire''s ountants. In their words, ''Since I can''t cultivate, there is no need for your family to get resources funneled to it.''"


    Towards the end of her sentence, Feng Fei was getting angrier and angrier as Xue Bai could see her fists clenching.


    Xue Bai could understand it as well. Imagine being the leader of an Empire, the monarch itself, and being so broke that you can''t even nurture one Law Engraving cultivator.


    It was humiliating.


    "Then is there a faction I can earn these resources myself? I know the Northern Continent doesn''t have any sects, but surely there must be an academy?" Xue Bai changed his request.


    From what he knew from the game, the Northern Continent was different from every other cardinal continent. Here on the Northern Continent, it waspletely dominated by one faction, namely the 8 Trigrams Sect on the Central Continent.


    And the 8 Trigrams Sect used the Northern Continents as their backyard, and after years ofplete control of it, they decided to split it into eight provinces. The eight provinces were named after eight symbols from their sect; Lake, Heaven, Wind, Fire, Water, Thunder, Mountain, and Earth, and each province was controlled by an Empire.


    However, since the 8 Trigrams Sect was so dominated in their control, they refused any otherpetition in the Northern Continent, meaning that there were no sects, only academies or schools which had to be built by an Empire.


    "Our Gen Empire does have an academy that you can join. But there is a problem with it¡­." Feng Fei grew awkward as she finished her sentence.


    "Our Feng Family doesn''t have a quota for enrollment. If you''d like to join, you have to take the entrance exam, which is in a week." Feng Fei spoke. But the further she spoke, the lower her voice got until where it eventually became as low as a mouse squeak.


    But instead of getting angry, Xue Bai was rather fine with it.


    He was expecting something worse. Maybe the Feng Family members couldn''t join the academy, or members of the Imperial Harem like himself weren''t allowed.


    So while the fact that he was forced to take an entrance exam would be slightly annoying, he was fine with it.


    If anything, a week was good since Xue Bai still needed to find a wood-type nourishing natural treasure before doing anything.


    Right now, he couldn''t even cultivate, so joining the academy now would only be stupid.


    "Alright. I''ll be back in a week then." Xue Bai nodded and, to the shock of Eunuch Lu and Feng Fei, disappeared.

 Chapter 168 Leaving The Imperial Capital

    ?Leaving the Imperial Capital


    Xue Bai, of course, had activated his physique to disappear.


    Right now, more than anything, he needed to find something to heal up his shriveled Martial Veins so he could continue cultivating. Staying in this Imperial Harem Pce while twiddling his fingers would do nothing to help that.


    Thankfully with his new physique, Xue Bai was confident he would be able to go in and out of the city as he pleased. Otherwise, Xue Bai would most definitely be stopped and apprehended by the Imperial Guards.


    So with his physique''s abilities coupled with the map he scammed out of Feng Fei, Xue Bai nned to go out and heal his horrible condition beforeing back and participating in the entrance exam.


    The only thing he was worried about was his blood essence.


    Blood essence was something far harder to heal than his shriveled-up Marital Veins.


    There were definitely natural treasures that could restore lost blood essence. However, those would only heal a few drops of blood essence at most. Xue Bai had more than 70% of his blood essence missing.


    Giving him a few drops would be like trying to fill up a dried-out ocean with a bucket.


    He needed more than a few drops. However, no matter how extensive or thorough his memories were, they were only memories at the end of the day.


    Xue Bai couldn''t phase things into existence. The fortuitous encounter had to have previously existed for him to go and take it.


    And the Northern Continent had nowhere near the number of natural treasures Xue Bai needed to be able to heal his condition. Perhaps only the Central Continent did, but that ce was not only too far but toorge. So even if Xue Bai were on that continent, he would die long before he healed himself fully.


    So until he figured out something to fix that problem, Xue Bai would have to stay weakened.


    Thankfully now with the Dao of Space, Xue Bai didn''t need to fight physically anymore and could sit back with his bow while he manifested arrows using the Dao of Space and could use his physique to escape any fights he couldn''t win.


    It was a scummy way to fight, but it was his only way.


    Right now, Xue Bai barely had enough physical strength even to hold up his own body. So how could he still sword fight? It was a death wish.


    Even if he had Spiritual Qi to reinforce his body, it still couldn''t help him.


    Spiritual Qi was a way to amplify strength. So if someone''s strength was 100, when they reinforced their body with Spiritual Qi, it could amplify their strength by 5 times, making their new strength 500.


    However, Xue Bai''s strength right now is at most 30. Amplifying it by 5 times would only make it 150, not even double the strength of the other cultivator. Fighting someone with 500 strength head-on would be stupidity.


    Using the map as a guide, Xue Bai, after two good-timed breaks, managed to float through the Imperial Pce without alerting anyone and reach the outside city.


    While he did this, Xue Bai also realized that while he moved through walls with ease, he could also ignore any detection array.


    The Void Traversal Physique was a thief''s wet dream. He could enter any building undetected, enter any safe room with ease, and take anything he wished, before leaving still undetected.


    Xue Bai also tried exploring the Imperial Pce out of curiosity, but he got very disappointed very quickly.


    The entire pce waspletely deste, with only a few maids and eunuchs around keeping it clean and safe.


    Their cultivations varied, but for the most part, they were still in the five physical realms, with only a few eunuchs in the Qi Sea realm, but the ones that were also looked arrogant and haughty, raising their noses up to the skies and looking down on all of the workers.


    It was as if everyone in the world owed them money. So, most likely, it was what Feng Fei was speaking of, and the eunuchs also were traitors.


    It was only when Xue Bai exited the pce that he found a true powerhouse. Outside, guarding the Imperial Pce were four squads of Imperial Guards, each protecting a pr direction of the pce, making sure that not even a fly went in, or rather, came out.


    The squads "protecting" the Imperial Pce each had ten people, with nine of them being in the Law Engraving realm and the squad leader being in the Law Manifestation realm.


    Through this, Xue Bai also realized that he could even see through the cultivation of a man at the 2nd stage of the Law Manifestation realm. And while he was undoubtedly confused about why he got this ability since it was only convenient, Xue Bai just shrugged it off.


    Exiting the direct vicinity of the Imperial Pce, Xue Bai quickly left the void and found a clothing shop. And after some bargaining, he managed to exchange a high yellow-grade Vajra Protection Talisman for 500 spirit stones before buying a full-body cloak and a bamboo hat.


    Not only were all of Xue Bai''s cultivation resources destroyed in the void but alongside them, his wealth. So the over 10,000 spirit stones that he once possessed were gone. Meaning that the once second-generation rich Young Master was brought down to earth, forcing him to haggle for a measly 500.


    Thankfully the talismans he owned were at the top of their grade, so he was able to sell them for the maximum price of their grade.


    Putting on the cloak and bamboo hat, Xue Bai walked out of the store and grabbed a citizen nearby before asking for directions to a store that sold or rented out mounts for use. The citizen was kind and showed Xue Bai where the nearest one was, so after giving the man two spirit stones for the information, Xue Bai made his way to the store.


    "Marital God Pavilion, huh?" Xue Bai couldn''t help but giggle after hearing the arrogant name that the store was called.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though the Northern Continent was the strongest of all the pr continents, it still hadn''t birthed an ascender yet in this calendar year. So how dare this random store call itself a Marital God?


    However, since it had nothing to do with him, Xue Bai shook his head in amusement and walked in calmly.


    Looking around the many kiosks that were open for help, Xue Bai couldn''t help but remember his mother''s Herb Mountain Pavilion.


    Quickly shaking the nostalgic thoughts out of his mind, Xue Bai found an empty kiosk and sat down. And very quickly, a receptionist came along to help him.


    "Wee, guest!" A young woman with heavy makeup spoke politely, "Do you know what you would like to order, or do you want me to exin our wares to you?"


    "No need. I only need two things. I''d like a jade slip with the most recent events in the Gen Empire and a Wind Chasing Horse." Xue Bai answered back. He didn''t want to waste time. Though a week was a decent amount of time, he wanted to grab as many resources as he could in that time.


    While a 16-year-old peak stage Bone Strengthening realm genius was still extremely rare, Xue Bai wasn''tparing himself to the bumkins in this province.


    He had wasted more than two years of important cultivation time, and by now, Zhu Que was most likely catching up while Huo Long furthered his lead.


    Thankfully the Mountain Province was a rather rich area in the entire Northern Continent, so as long as Xue Bai had enough time, he was sure that he could catch up.


    "Guest, would you like to rent or buy a Wind Chasing Horse? If you want to buy, it will cost you 100 spirit stones, but if you''d like to rent, it will only cost you 25 for every week. And also, if this guest wants a better deal, you could buy a Wind Chasing Horse King in the Law Engraving realm, which will only cost you 250 spirit stones." The receptionist advertised.


    "No need, just let me rent a normal Qi Sea realm Wind Chasing Horse for a week." Xue Bai directly refused. He didn''t have the wealth to take care of the Law Engraving realm demonic beast with nobat ability. That thing was the definition of a liability.


    "One final question, guest, how long would you like for the information to go back? The monthly news will cost you 50 spirit stones, and for every month the information goes back, we will charge an extra 10." The receptionist kindly asked.


    "7 months." Xue Bai answered after a moment of thought.


    Since he had been in the Northern Continent for six months, seven months would be able to get all the information he needed.


    After she heard his request, the receptionist quickly excused herself to go and fulfill his request. And following a short wait, she returned with the jade slip and a note.


    "Guest, the information you requested is here. And if you take this note to the stable on the left of our Martial God Pavilion, you will be able to get your Wind Chasing Horse. Your total will be 145 spirit stones." The receptionist spoke eloquently.


    Xue Bai didn''t bargain or make a fuss and quickly handed the spirit stones over. But just before he left the Martial God Pavillion, the receptionist spoke up once more.


    "However, guest, please do remember that if the Wind Chasing Horse is injured, is crippled, or dies, we will have to ask forpensation ording to the damages."


    Xue Bai nodded in response. He expected such a use, but since he didn''t n to have the horse fight for him, he didn''t think it would apply to him. So after picking up the horse he rented, he left the Imperial City.


    ¨C


    "Feng Fei sure wasn''t lying at all." Xue Bai muttered as he rode his Wind Chasing Horse to his first destination of choice.


    From what he read in the jade slip, Xue Bai quickly learned that the Feng Imperial Family was nothing more than a puppet at this point.


    In the Gen Empire, there were 4 Dukes who protected the pr directions of the Mountain Province.


    But it wasn''t these Dukes that controlled the Feng Imperial Family, but instead, a Grand Duke who lived only a few miles away from the Imperial Pce.


    The Grand Duke was once a distant rtive and close friend to Feng Fei''s father but, after the Emperor''s death, revealed an ugly and ambitious side.


    It had only been ten years since the Emperor''s death, but by now, almost every single piece of power that the Imperial Family should control was now being firmly controlled by the Grand Duke.


    Even the leader of the Imperial Guards was the son of the Grand Duke.


    Now Feng Fei, as the ''Monarch,'' couldn''t even leave the pce, as the Grand Duke was ''worried'' about her safety and left dozens of guards to protect the pce 24/7.


    The allocation of resources was also funneled to the Grand Duke Mansion for ''safe keeping'' since he was worried that the weak Feng Fei wouldn''t be able to protect it.


    Overall, Feng Fei was in a horrible situation where she and her mother were slowly being tortured.


    "Maybe I shouldn''t attach myself to her." Xue Bai couldn''t help but have second doubts about the faction he chose.


    The Child of the ne that lived on the Northern Continent lived in the far away Heaven Province, so other than a few important plot points that he read on a forum, Xue Bai didn''t know too much about the Gen Empire.


    However, one thing he did know was that when the Child of the ne did arrive at the Central Continent, the Feng Imperial Family was no more, but rather the Long Imperial Family, which was thest name of the current Grand Duke.

 Chapter 169 Hysteria Forest

    ?Hysteria Forest


    Xue Bai was confident in his potential, so while going against this random peak stage Domain Lord Grand Duke wasn''t very hard in his mind, he didn''t think it was worth his time.


    Being on the side of an underdog was fun and all, but if Xue Bai wanted to save time and grow quicker, joining the side of the Grand Duke would elerate all of his ns.


    "No, that wouldn''t work. The people here think that I''m some Young Master from the Central Continent or some other great power. If I change sides so quickly, he''d be suspicious of the whole facade." Xue Bai shook the idea out of his head.


    If the Grand Duke could manipte and control the entire empire from the shadows, then he had to be a smart man. So if Xue Bai swapped sides so quickly after awakening, there was no way he wouldn''t be suspicious of Xue Bai''s origins.


    And while Xue Bai did have a huge background, if he died here, no one would know.


    Maybe a few years or decades into the future, Li Rou, Xue Feng, or maybe Yue Zifeng might find out he teleported here and take revenge, but for now, he was without a lifeline.


    "I can only be against him then." Xue Bai sighed.


    Hopefully, the Grand Duke didn''t have an extremely strong back. If he did, then Xue Bai would have a lot more trouble taking care of him.


    "There are some really capable people in the Northern Continent, though. Maybe I should recruit them?" Xue Bai thought aloud.


    He knew that in order to control an empire, it took more than just one person with a lot of talent. Capable subordinates and a great deal of wealth were also necessary.


    Thinking this far, Xue Bai eventually hatched a reasonable schedule for his week-long excursion.


    "Hopefully, she lives there even this early in the plot. If not, then I can only give up on him."


    ¨C


    "Your Majesty, are you sure that it''s a good bet to bet everything on that boy? We know nothing about him. What if he goes over and submits to Long Tian? Wouldn''t that wolf just kill us all, then?" Eunuch Lu asked Feng Fei as they realized that Xue Bai wasn''ting back.


    Feng Fei could only sigh in response.


    "What can I do, Old Lu? Just wait to be slowly strangled to death and fall ill out of depression like Mother? The only reason Mother is still alive is that she has a Dharma Idol realm cultivation base. If I suffer the same fate, I won''t evenst a week." Feng Fei spoke as she sat on her ''Throne.''


    "The only reason that Long Tian hasn''t killed me, mother, and you is because he is still wary of Uncle Hai and that we have been obedient to his schemes. But while he is wary of Uncle Hai, it doesn''t mean he is scared of him. So the second we try to fight or change up the situation is the day we die." Feng Fei continued.


    "Then what about that boy? Though he is certainly of noble descent and from a prestigious n, he is ournd now. The dragon can''t bully the local snake. And while I couldn''t scan him with my Spiritual Sense, it''s not hard to tell that he is extremely weakened right now. His cultivation base is high for his age, but it also looks like he was stuck in the void for a long time. What if his cultivation doesn''t continue growing but instead stagnates and even declines?" Eunuch Lu said.


    Feng Fei onlyughed in self-depreciation.


    "Old Lu, you''re right. Yes, he is weakened. Yes, he looks to be in dire straits. Yes, he is a severe underdog. But at the end of it all, what else can I do? I''m not resigned to hand over our Gen Empire to that wolf. So I can only bet it all on that boy."


    "Old Lu, what if one day you were drowning in an ocean and fighting for your life, but just as your head was submerged in the water, a rope was thrown at you? What would you do?" Feng Fri asked.


    "Of course, I''d grab it. It''s thest chance to save my life." Eunuch Lu answered matter of factly.


    "Our situation is the same, and that boy is the rope. He is the only hope we have, and I''m going totch onto it." As Feng Fei spoke, her eyes glowed with more and more determination and resilience.


    She wasn''t resigned to such a horrible and pitiful life. She wanted to get away from Long Tian''s puppet strings, help her mother, and avenge her father. However, determination alone couldn''t change the world. So in order to aplish her dreams, she needed help.


    And Xue Bai was her one and only hope.


    Eunuch Lu could also see her resolve and didn''t question it any further but instead changed the conversation topic.


    "Then do you believe his words earlier? That he really knew where a natural treasure that could give you a set of Martial Veins was?" Eunuch Lu asked.


    "He didn''t look to be lying, and even if he was, what would he gain from it? If he were boasting shamelessly, then it would onlye to light and ruin the trust between us." Feng Fei shook her head and said.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Though she did think of that same possibility, she couldn''t believe that someone like Xue Bai would be so stupid to do it.


    "Then what about Long Tian? He knew about us taking in the boy. Do you think he has some countermeasures?"


    "It''s definitely a possibility. However, I think that Long Tian is gettingcent. Most likely, Long Tian is underestimating the boy''s background and talent, thinking that no matter how fast he could grow, Long Tian would be able to kill him before he grew into someone powerful enough to contest him." Feng Fei spoke after a moment of thought.


    "Also, Long Tian doesn''t have the information that we have. He still thinks the boy is 16 with only a peak stage Bone Strengthening realm cultivation. But he doesn''t know that the boy had that cultivation base at 13. A 16-year-old peak stage Bone Strengthening realm cultivator is definitely a genius but only in the top percent, not someone who can lead a generation, but a 13-year-old? That''s someone who could not only lead a generation but even has a chance to ascend! The former would at most have a low ck-grade Martial Vein, while thetter is most definitely an earth-grade one at the minimum."


    Eunuch Lu was silent for a moment as he thought over the words of Feng Fei, but even after a few minutes, he couldn''t find anything wrong with her words.


    "Then I wish you the best of luck, your Majesty." Eunuch Lu spoke respectfully and left after giving her a deep bow.


    He was only a servant, so that meant he couldn''t change the mind of his lord but only advise her. So as long as she could understand and defend her own opinions, then he was fine. As for whether it was right or not was something they could only wait and find out.


    ''May the heavens bless our Feng Imperial Family.'' Eunuch Lu could only pray in his heart.


    ¨C


    Unlike what was happening in the Imperial Pce, for Xue Bai, two days quickly passed in peace, with him heading further and further away from the Imperial City. Eventually, with a steady and reliable pace, he reached his destination.


    In the Baishen ne, there were many locations that were known for two things; Many resources hidden inside waiting for lucky cultivators to find, and extremely high lethality. Therefore, these areas were quite fitting, named Forbidden Areas.


    And the Mountain Province had two of these Forbidden Areas, one of which was Xue Bai''s destination.


    The Hysteria Forest


    Legend has it that thousands of years ago, there was an extremely powerful wood element cultivator who had cultivated all the way to the Immortal Origin realm from the Northern Continent. And one day, he thought of returning to his homnd and visiting the n that he had left behind so many centuries ago.


    However, to his shock, an up-anding force had destroyed his n in an act of strength to prove their power and fearlessness.


    Enraged, the wood element cultivator killed the n and cast a spell that turned their n estate into a forest. But that still didn''t soothe the anger of the cultivator as he cast a curse onto the trees within the forest to where they will constantly emit a hallucinogenic agent.


    The hallucinogenic agent had a myriad of possible abilities, but usually, they would give the cultivator who breathed it in hysteria, which gave the forest its name.


    So ever since the curse was ced, the Hysteria Forest was covered in a thick mist that would cause any person to go insane should they stay in it for too long without any countermeasures.


    And annoyingly enough, the wood-type nourishing natural treasure that Xue Bai needed was inside the forest.


    Thankfully he also knew how to navigate the forest safely, so as long as there were no unforeseen circumstances, Xue Bai was hopeful of his chances of getting his goal and leaving just as quickly.


    ¨C


    As Xue Bai arrived at the boundary of the Hysteria Forest, he noticed that there was already a good amount of adventurers forming teams or resting.


    However, after they all saw Xue Bai''s low cultivation base, he was quickly ignored.


    Everyone who dared toe to the Hysteria Forest was at least in the Qi Sea realm or above, so a Bone Strengthening realm pup was of no interest to them. To them, Xue Bai was just marching to his death.


    Xue Bai also didn''t care for their opinions and calmly rode into the forest. He knew how to get to the treasure both safely and quickly, so he didn''t need either a guide or a team toe with him. So if anything, he wanted to be by himself.


    The first goal of his week-long excursion was to find a middle ck-grade natural treasure that was hidden inside a gorge.


    So after looking at his map once more, Xue Bai quickly set a course for himself and set off.

 Chapter 170 Seeing Something Interesting

    ?Seeing Something Interesting


    Like many other Forbidden Areas, the Hysteria Region had an Outer, Inner, and Core Region, with each region having stronger beasts and a thicker mist.


    And to Xue Bai''s annoyance, the ce that he needed to go to was on the border between the Inner and Core Region in a gorge. However, while Xue Bai had a way of getting around the hallucinogenic mist in the forest, there was one problem.


    The demonic beasts that lived in the forest could also ignore the mist.


    After all, those demonic beasts have lived in the Hysteria Forest for thousands of years, so how could they not have developed some sort of immunity to the mist?


    No demonic beasts in Hysteria Forest were weak by any stretch of the imagination. It was called a Forbidden Area for a reason. If the demonic beasts were just teddy bears and house cats, it couldn''t be named a Forbidden Area.


    So while Xue Bai knew how to get around the mist, which gued any courageous adventurer, he was stuck on the demonic beast problem.


    To make matters worse, the gorge that Xue Bai needed to go to was the most dangerous ce in the entire forest.


    Cultivation bases in the Law Engraving realm were a dime a dozen, while Domain Lords and Law Manifestation realms weren''t rare at all.


    When he adventured through this ce during his ythrough, Xue Bai remembered having to kill an arrogant lion who had a cultivation base not inferior to Yue Zifeng, his Master!


    "Wait, I can just void shift now." Xue Bai suddenly remembered.


    His Void Traversal Physique could just allow him to escape any life-threatening situation unharmed as long as he could react in time. Coupled with the soul imprint that Yue Zifeng left on him, Xue Bai was pretty much invincible in this ce.


    ''As long as I don''t y it stupidly and piss off a demonic beast stronger than Master, then I should be safe.'' Xue Bai thought.


    "But then, what the hell do I do about you?" Xue Bai murmured as he looked down at his Wind Chasing Horse.


    While he definitely needed the horseter, it being around now would be more of a burden than a help since he couldn''t bring it into the void with him. But he couldn''t just abandon it since it would either die or get kidnapped.


    After that, Xue Bai would have no mode of transportation and would also have to pay for the damn thing when he returned to the Imperial City.


    Sighing, Xue Bai decided to make a quick detour.


    Turning back around, Xue Bai decided to ride to the nearby vige and find a stable.


    However, as Xue Bai left the forest, he didn''t notice the sneers andughed from the adventurers.


    "Look, another fool who got too scared and left instantly."


    "Ha! The idiot didn''t evenst an hour. I won. Ling Han, give me the money."


    "Che!"


    ¨C


    After another to and from the vige Xue Bai eventually returned, but as he did, the banter once again erupted.


    "Boy, you''re too green to being to these areas!"


    "You already left once. Trust your gut and go back home to drink your mother''s milk!"


    Though Xue Bai had a cloak and bamboo hat on which blocked anyone from seeing himself, from his low cultivation and thin stature, the adventurers could guess he was rather young.


    They assumed that Xue Bai was a young cultivator who was in his adventurous phase. And to prove himself, he chose one of the most dangerous Forbidden Areas to explore to show off at home.


    So while their words were insulting and crude at their core values, it was to help Xue Bai, in a way.


    In their minds, Xue Bai being here was nothing short of a death wish, so they tried to dissuade him before he went in and killed himself.


    Xue Bai, not recognizing their true attitude, was stunned at all of the shouts that came from the crowd, but as he listened, he understood it.


    ''These idiots think I left because I was scared.'' Xue Bai couldn''t help but shake his head in amusement.


    However, he didn''t get angry or try to do an act of face-pping as any protagonist would. He would never see these people again in his life. So why should he care about their opinions of him?


    It would only waste his time and lower his worth.


    So ignoring the insults and banter, Xue Bai walked right back into the forest, this time without the Wind Chasing Horse.


    Back inside, Xue Bai quickly shifted into the void to avoid the mist and floated his way far away from the entrance and deeper into the forest.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Once he floated a few dozen miles away and made sure that there was no one nearby, he floated toward a nearby tree.


    Shifting back into the ne of reality, Xue Bai used his Spiritual Qi to block up his pores and any orifice in his body to avoid the mist before pulling out his Lava Spring Sword.


    Following that, he didn''t waste a breath of time before shing open the tree, which oozed out the hallucinogenic mist.


    The way to ignore the mist which gued every cultivator was actually very simple.


    Every tree in the forest, while producing the mist which was oozed out through its bark, also produced a special sap that it held inside. The sap would make any cultivator immune to the mist when swallowed and consumed.


    So after shing the tree almost in half, Xue Bai dug his hand inside the core of the tree and rummaged around until he found the golden brown sap sack which contained the immunity.


    The sap sack wasn''t big, just about the size of a grapefruit, but from the crystal brown color that it shined, any cultivator would know it wasn''t a simple item.


    After he grabbed the sap sack, Xue Bai instantly shifted back into the void. Since Xue Bai wasn''t sure if the sap sack was a known thing in the Northern Continent, he didn''t want to take a chance and identally reveal it.


    If someone saw him, it would cause too much hassle that he wanted to deal with.


    He quickly swallowed two drops of the sap in the void and refined it. The process didn''t take long, and after a calm ten minutes in the void, refining, he felt the drops be refined, and he once again deactivated his physique.


    From what Xue Bai knew, every drop of the sap wouldst 6 hours, and two drops were long enough for what he nned to do. If not, he could also shift back into the void and refine another. And the sap sack he pulled out from the tree had at least another few dozen drops of sap, so Xue Bai was fine for a while.


    However, after he appeared in the Hysteria Forest, he didn''t let his guard down and still tested his condition by taking in deep and full breaths of air, trying to allow as much of the hallucinogenic mist to enter him.


    Thankfully even after a dozen deep breaths, Xue Bai felt nothing change within him. He saw no illusions, no emotional shifts, or even a decrease in mental capacity.


    "It works." Xue Bai nodded happily, "It still seems that the memories are useful."


    Content, Xue Bai pulled out his map to determine his location.


    "100 miles east, 23 miles northwest¡­." After he found out where he was, Xue Bai made a few mental notes of the route he needed to take.


    The process didn''t take long, and after he organized himself, Xue Bai shifted back into the void and started to float to his destination.


    If his body weren''t severely weakened, Xue Bai would''ve liked to go back to his roots and take to the trees, and run up in the Hysteria Forest''s canopy.


    Sadly, he couldn''t. So in order to not waste time, he used his fastest mode of transportation and drifted in the void like a fish in the water to reach his target.


    Xue Bai was calm as he floated through the void at full speed. asionally he would see a strong demonic beast resting in peace or groups of cultivators sneaking around with a shield of Spiritual Qi protecting them.


    Not everyone was like Xue Bai and could ignore the mist. So without the sap, other cultivators could only block their pores and orifices with their Spiritual Qi and hope for the best.


    And while this would also drain their Spiritual Qi much faster and therefore lower the amount of time they could stay in the Hysteria Forest, what else could they do?


    They wanted riches and knew that only by sacrificing something could they hit it big.


    Of course, some people tried to find other ways to get around the mist, like, for example, antitoxin pills that could help a cultivator ignore the mist or maybe a type of gas mask, but nothing worked.


    The pills didn''t work since the mist could inflict dozens of different poisons, not just one, and the gas masks didn''t work since the mist could enter through the pores and not just the orifices.


    So without any other options, adventurers could also use the most simple and barbaric way to get around the mist.


    Xue Bai didn''t care about their plights, though, and after a quick and curious nce, continued on his way.


    Every once in a while, when his physique was about to force him out of the void, Xue Bai would float up into a tree and get out himself. There, safe in a canopy, he would calmly rest until he could reactivate it.


    The repeated use of his physique made Xue Bai feel more and more at peace in the void. At first, just the idea of floating through the menacing and ruthless purple void slightly terrified him. But after going in and out of it so often, Xue Bai felt calm in it.


    While scary to most, to Xue Bai, it was a chance to get away from the chaotic and ruthless cultivation world.


    There was no sound, no shouting, no anger, no greed, just nothing but the same purple radiance his bloodline gave him.


    It was as if he was born to stay in the void.


    Xue Bai knew that this feeling came from his bloodline, but since he also felt at peace in the void, he didn''t resist it much.


    The closer resonance he felt with the void would only help him navigate through it, so resisting the feeling would only hurt him in the long run.


    Time passed without any disturbances, but just as he was about to cross into the Inner Region, Xue Bai passed by ake, and at the edge of it, he saw something interesting that made him put his n on hold.

 Chapter 171 Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree And The Spirit Fruit Serpent

    ?Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree and the Spirit Fruit Serpent


    A few hundred meters away from him, at the shore of a smallke, two groups of cultivators were in the middle of an argument.


    But if that were the only thing happening, Xue Bai wouldn''t have cared much and would continue on his way after a quick double take. Instead, it was what was in theke and the subject of their argument that grabbed Xue Bai''s attention.


    Sitting calmly in the center of theke was a small ind, just about 5 meters in surface area. And on top of the ind was a not so simple looking fruit tree.


    The fruit tree was rather very tall, standing at just about 3 meters.  It had an assortment of colors; green, silver, red, blue, and brown, each cleanly split into five sections of the tree, which made it an unmistakable natural treasure, as no normal fruit tree would have such colors.


    Each section of the tree had a branch, and on their own respective branches hung a plump and enticing-looking spirit fruit that coincided with the color.


    Just looking at five fruits that were not only defenseless but radiating the Spiritual Qi that only a high yellow-grade natural treasure would, the two groups of cultivators were arguing over who it would belong to.


    But since Xue Bai was in the void, he could see something that the two groups couldn''t. So rather than foolishly try to steal it from the two groups using his physique to his advantage, he instead quickly backed away.


    Floating as far away from theke shore and the two groups as possible while staying in line of sight, Xue Bai quickly got on top of a tree and undid his physique away from the range of their Spiritual Senses and line of sight.


    ''That''s a Spirit Fruit Serpent. And it''s at least in the Law Engraving realm as well!'' Xue Bai obviously knew what the true form of the tree was and didn''t fall for the trap as these two groups of cultivators did.


    In the vast and mystical Baishen ne, there were many different demonic beasts, each with their own mystical abilities and innate talents. And this specific Spirit Fruit Serpent had an odd ability that made it very easily recognized by anyone who knew of its existence.


    The Spirit Fruit Serpent was a demonic beast that spent its entire life in one smallke. However, because of their lethality and their danger factor, they were always things to be feared. Like the anglerfish from Earth, the Spirit Fruit Serpent also had an odd tongue.


    At the end of the tongue of a Spirit Fruit Serpent was a wide and t tform-like area, which in itself is not only odd but also extremely disadvantageous to the serpent. However, the Spirit Fruit Serpent race took that disadvantageous part and turned it into their core ability and hunting tool.


    By covering the t end of their tongue withrge piles of dirt, they could eventually make it look like an ind. And going a step further, they would find a natural treasure and ce it on the makeshift ind, which could further tempt any potential prey.


    This would also be the way they got their name.


    Therefore the fact that this specific Spirit Fruit Serpent had a natural treasure of the high yellow-grade, made Xue Bai certain that this demonic beast was at least in theter stages of the Houtian Great Realm, the Law Engraving realm was a guarantee, while any higher wasn''t out of the realm of possibility.


    And Xue Bai, knowing this, could very easily assume that these two cultivator groups were destined to fall into the stomach of the Spirit Fruit Serpent. They were so entranced by the natural treasure that they didn''t even bother sending their Spiritual Sense deeper into theke so they could see the monster lurking in its depths.


    However, Xue Bai wasn''t as ignorant as them and knew that such a valuable natural treasure wouldn''t be unguarded. And the fact that he had seen the serpent while he was floating through the void.


    Yet, because Xue Bai knew this, it made him feel greedy toward the fruit tree.


    Xue Bai''s knowledge of treasure locations came from 200 years into the future and the plot. So he wouldn''t know about something if something wasn''t still on the Baishen ne 200 years in the future.


    This fruit tree was obviously such an item. Most likely, someone found and consumed it on their own, or maybe the Spirit Fruit Serpent decided to eat it itself. Either way, Xue Bai had no idea of its existence until he ran into it a few minutes ago.


    But now that he did, he was extremely against letting it continue wasting its potential sitting on a serpent''s tongue.


    That fruit tree was something called a Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree, the most treasured item for any Organ Tempering realm cultivator.


    As thest and final realm in the 5 physical realms, the Organ Tempering realm was naturally the most important and also the realm that could either lessen or widen the gap between cultivators.


    In the Organ Tempering realm, one would have to naturally temper their organs.


    The stomach, the lungs, the liver, the kidney, and most importantly, the heart. Each organ was vital to a cultivator, so when a cultivator reached the Organ Tempering realm, they would take each organ and temper them to its full potential.


    And as most people know, the five organs also match the five elements of nature.


    Each organ had an element that matched with an element. The heart coincided with fire, the stomach with earth, the liver with wood, the kidney with water, and the lungs with metal.


    So when an Organ Tempering realm cultivator consumed the 5 fruits that the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree produced, their cultivation speed would increase by dozens of times!<novelnext></novelnext>


    While Xue Bai wasn''t yet in the Organ Tempering realm, he would be soon. And since his situation was less than favorable, anything that could speed up cultivation time was something he needed.


    He had lost almost three years of vital cultivation time and was far behind his previously estimated cultivation speed.


    Xue Bai had nned to be in the Dharma Idol or maybe even the Law Engraving realm at 16, but now he still was meddling in the Bone Strengthening realm.


    This tree was something he needed more than anything, and a Spirit Fruit Serpent wouldn''t stop him from getting it.


    ¨C


    "Tian Yu, aren''t you and your Red Fang Mercenary Squad being too overbearing! Me and my Iron Wolf Hunting Group found the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree first." A rough burly man at the front of one of the two groups yelled out usingly.


    "Hmph! So what if we are Gao Feng? My Red Fang Mercenary Squad has control of this area of the Inner Region. So whatever is in here also belongs to us." The man named Tian Yu was also of equal size and wasn''t the slightest bit afraid of his opponent, so he yelled back, not yielding a step.


    "This isn''t in your territory! This is the border between the Inner and Outer Region." Gao Feng was starting to get angry at his long-time rival and had already started to get ready to fight.


    This was a Forbidden Area, and it went without saying that deaths weremon. Who would know what would happen if he and his Iron Wolf Hunting Group killed all of them?


    Though the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree was only a high yellow-grade natural treasure, it was something that could be nted in a good area and constantly be picked, supplying the owner with unlimited elemental spirit fruits. Because of that, its price was far above its rank and could be sold for thousands of Spirits Stones.


    Thinking of all the wealth they could get from this one tree, Gao Feng''s eyes started to glitter with greed.


    But since he knew that Tian Yu wouldn''t let them get it without a fight, Gao Feng started to think ahead. In his mind, he quickly formted a n, and unbeknownst to his rival, he put his left hand behind his back and formed a signal that only his subordinates would know,


    "Fine! Tian Yu, you can have the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree. However, you mustpensate me and my group. Give us 3 thousand Spirit Stones, and we''ll leave peacefully." Gao Feng suddenly said, shocking the Red Fang Mercenary Squad and Tian Yu.


    Tian Yu didn''t expect his usually unyielding and persistent rival would yield so easily and give up on the opportunity of a lifetime. However, since Gao Feng did, Tian Yu did n to question it and replied quickly.


    "3 thousand is too much. We don''t even have that many Spirit Stones between all of us. The best I can do is 2." Tian Yu tried to bargain and purposely tossed out a low number.


    However, to his further shock, Gao Feng agreed readily.


    "2 thousand is fine, but you need to give us that shop you were renovating in Tianyun City. If you can do that, we''ll leave and even swear a Dao Oath to not tell anyone about the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree." Gao Feng said.


    "So that''s what you were aiming for." Tian Yu suddenly felt like he had seen through Gao Feng''s plot, "Fine!"


    With a painful expression, he started going into his spatial ring. And after a moment of digging, Tian Yu pulled out a jade slip and started to inscribe something onto it.


    "If you give this jade slip to Old Yu of the Tianyun Real Estate Company, he''ll give you the shop." Tian Yu said as he threw it over to his rival, "Now swear the Dao Oath and get out of my sight."


    But the jade slip never reached Gao Feng. As the second Tian Yu lifted his head and tossed it over, Gao Feng and his group took action.


    Gao Feng himself was in the Law Engraving realm, while most of his 9-man squad was either in the Qi Sea or Dharma Idol realm. So their speed, especially in such a close-quarters situation, was almost instant.


    Gao Feng and his Iron Wolf Hunting Squad were ruthless and, without warning, instantly charged, nning to deal a devastating blow before their opponents even knew what had happened.


    Gao Feng was the first to reach his rival and swung at his rival with a rune-covered sword now in his hand.


    As he did, his skin started glowing, and aplex and mysterious-looking rune appeared on his arm. And as it did, his aura was amplified by several magnitudes.


    Tian Yu and Gao Feng were long-time rivals, so they were both very acquainted with each other''s strengths. So Gao Feng didn''t n to hold back at all against his rival and pulled out both his Dharma Idol and his rune-engraved skeleton.


    ''Oh? This guy chose to engrave his own skeleton?'' Xue Bai noticed this oddbination and was slightly surprised.

 Chapter 172 Becoming The Fisherman

    ?Bing the Fisherman


    The Law Engraving realm was a realm that divided many cultivators.


    When cultivating the Law Engraving realm, one could choose many different paths.


    By using theprehension of theirw, a cultivator would transform theirw into runes and engrave them on an object of their choice.


    The object could be anything, but most people usually would engrave the runes on their Dharma Idol, further enhancing their natal Dharma Idol.


    But some cultivators took different paths and would instead engrave their own skeleton with theirw runes. This way, the cultivator could always be at full power even if their Dharma Idol was broken, was healing, or even if it was knocked away from them.


    People who took this path weren''t rare, but they also weren''tmon.


    So while Xue Bai was surprised at the man''s decision, the shock didn''tst long, and after a quick thought continued to watch the fight.


    Gao Feng, who was now at full power, shed his door wide broadsword at Tian Yu and, thanks to his sneak attack, managed to sever an arm before the fight even began.


    He had aimed for Tian Yu''s neck, but thanks to his wealth ofbat experience and instincts, Tian Yu was still able to dodge the sh and managed to keep his head attached to his body. However, he couldn''t dodge the shpletely, as to save his head, he needed to bear the cost of losing an arm.


    "Gao Feng, what the hell are you doing!" Tian Yu screamed out in a panic.


    "Taking care of a piece of trash that''s been bothering me for thest two decades!" Gao Fengughed as he continued his assault. "Boys, don''t let any of them leave here alive!"


    "YES, BOSS!" The members of the Iron Wolf Hunting Squadughed merrily in response as they continued their attack.


    Their first attack had severely injured 4 of the 9 people of the Red Fang Mercenary Squad while giving the other 5 slight injuries. It was a good sneak attack, and they didn''t n to let down the tenacity.


    Gao Feng wasn''t the only person with grudges against this rival cultivator group. Most of his subordinates had also been long fed up with the arrogance of the Red Fang Mercenary Squad, and with such a good chance to kill some of their rivals in front of them, how could they not take it?


    A battle ensued, but because Tian Yu lost an arm and most of the Red Fang Mercenary Squad suffered injuries before it even began, a favored side was created almost instantly.


    And because Gao Feng held Tian Yu back from helping his subordinates, the Red Fang Mercenary Squad started falling one by one.


    "Gao Feng, our leader won''t let you off!" Tian Yu yelled out as he watched hisrades die.


    "Ha! How will that man-child know how you died and if I did it? By the time he even gets the news of your death, I''ll be long gone." Gao Feng didn''t care for the threat and continued hacking away at Tian Yu.


    His skin glowed once more, and another three runes showed up on his body as he activated all of the runes he had engraved so far. From the four runes shown, it was obvious that he was at the 4th stage of the Law Engraving realm.


    Tian Yu could see that Gao Feng was no longer holding back anything, and in response, the spear in his hands also started glowing, and four runes also appeared on it, showing his cultivation was the same.


    "Rise of the White Dragon!" Tian Yu''s right arm glowed with power as he cleaved his spear upward, sending out a st of white Spiritual Qi that seemed to form the body of a winged serpent.


    "HAHA! There is the Tian Yu I know! Tyrant sh!" Gao Feng didn''t fear a head-on fight at all, especially since Tian Yu couldn''t put out his full power. So instead of dodging, he also sent out a sword sh full of power toward his opponent.


    Tian Yu''s White Dragon and Gao Feng''s sword sh collided, and immediately all of thend around the two for hundreds of meters was turned into scored earth.


    After the apocalyptic-esque st, the members of the Red Fang Mercenary Squad and Iron Fang Hunting Squad were sent flying away with varying injuries.


    But one thing was certain, Law Engraving realm cultivators were on apletely different level!


    However, even after Tian Yu stopped holding back, he still couldn''t bring out his power, and his White Dragon lost the first exchange, and he was sent flying back miserable.


    "Damnit! Gao Feng, are you really forcing me!" Tian Yu yelled back as he fended off the persistent Gao Feng.


    "Forcing you? I want your head, not your efforts, you burly fuck!" Gao Fengughed as he once again sent out a sword sh. This time it was twice asrge, showing that he still had some gas in the tank.


    "Shit!" Tian Yu cursed.


    Not daring to take the sword sh head-on, Tian Yu quickly rolled away, dodging it. However, his subordinates weren''t so lucky.


    The closest three people were hit by the sword sh and quickly turned into corpses, with one even exploding into a mist of blood.


    "Oh, Tian Yu, how long I have waited for this moment." Gao Feng sneered in disdain as he continued putting on pressure on his rival.


    Tian Yu could see his subordinates die slowly and could sense his less-than-positive chances of escaping with his life. So after a quick thought, he reached a destructive decision.


    Grabbing his spear firmly, Tian Yu did something that shocked everyone in the area. Pulling it forward, he plunged the Dharma Idol into his Dantian.


    "Shit! Everyone run!" Gao Feng wasn''t a fool and knew what Tian Yu was nning to do, and he warned his subordinates before he himself turned tail and ran.


    "TOO LATE!" Tian Yu''s miserable-looking face, which was covered in mud, dirt, and blood, put on a fierce and mad-looking expression, "Profound Prative Spear! Combust!"


    To hismand, the natal weapon that followed him for almost 100 years obeyed hismands. All of the Spiritual Qi that the weapon stored and wielded over its century-long life turned violent.


    "BOOM!!"


    Tian Yu and his Profound Prative Spear natal Dharma Idol exploded to hismand, and instantly a mushroom cloud over a dozen miles tall and a few dozen miles wide appeared.


    mes, scorched earth, and destructiveness were guaranteed, and the once picturesque and beautifulndscape turned into a crater almost 3 miles wide and a mile deep.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Scattered near the crater were various corpses, but none of them were recognizable and looked no different than a burnt piece of steak.


    "Cough, cough!" Suddenly at the edge of the crater, arge boulder the size of two humans was turned over.


    "That piece of shit! How dare he blow himself up. What if the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree gets hurt?" Gao Feng cursed as he pulled out some healing pills from his spatial ring.


    Swallowing 4 in quick session, Gao Feng refined them quickly.


    "Boys! Any of you still alive?!" Gao Feng yelled out.


    Sadly his yells weren''t meant with silence, indicating his answer.


    "Boss is gonna kill me." Gao Feng was angered at the oue, but after he remembered the most reasonable reaction from his boss, he could only shiver in fear.


    However, there was little he could do.


    So after a deep sigh of mncholy, he stood up and looked for the culprit of the carnage.


    ¨C


    A few miles away, in a tree, a tall figure in a full-body cloak manifested.


    "That idiot actually blew himself up." Xue Bai was slightly surprised at the oue of the fight, but after he thought about it, he became happy.


    "One lesspetitor to me then." Xue Bai didn''t care about the death of Tian Yu, but the fact that Gao Feng was now severely weakened from the explosion meant that he would definitely lose his next fight.


    "Gao Feng, don''t disappoint me. All you have to do is unroot a tree. Surely a Law Engraving realm powerhouse like you can do such a simple task." Xue Bai muttered to himself as he once again entered the void.


    He was too far to participate in the next series of events. Only by being close could he truly be a fisherman and snatch the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree.


    ¨C


    Seeing the man who annoyed him at every turn die, Gao Feng looked refreshed and took a moment to appreciate the moment, ignoring his injuries. The huge amount of damage he took from Tian Yu was nothingpared to the dopamine rush he was currently feeling.


    Time could heal the wounds, but the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree was something he might never find again in his life.


    Not only had he killed his long-time rival, but he was also getting such a fantastic piece of loot all in the short span of an hour.


    ''Maybe I am a child of the heavens.'' Gao Feng arrogantly thought, ''Child of the heavens or not, nothing is stopping me anymore! Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree,e to Daddy!!''


    Gao Feng, unaware of the fisherman behind him, floated over theke and quickly arrived at the ''ind'' that held the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree.


    "Thank the heavens I got the Essence Sealing Storage Box from Boss before leaving." Gao Feng muttered as he grabbed at the roots of the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree.


    An Essence Sealing Storage Box was a tool that was a storage ring and a sealing boxbined.


    It was only the size of a water basin but had an internal space the size of a small house. And its main feature was to keep all of the essence of newly plucked natural treasures inside.


    They were extremely convenient, but at the same time, they were also extremely expensive.


    Just one Essence Sealing Storage Box could cost upwards of 2000 Spirit Stones, which to people Gao Feng was just as much as their sry of 5 years.


    So the Iron Fang Hunting Squad only had 2.


    Thankfully Gao Feng was one of the most important cultivators in the groups making him able to use the tool whenever he wished.


    But just as he touched the base of the tree, something happened.


    Thend underneath his feet started to rock, and before he knew what had happened, he was swallowed by the Spirit Fruit Serpent.


    "Huh?" Starstruck at the sudden change of events, Gao Feng, now at less than half his fullbat strength, could only mutter stupidly before his instincts took over, and he struggled for his life.


    Though injured, Gao Feng was still a Law Engraving realm rogue cultivator. Rogue cultivators lived their entire lives on the edge of a de, tethering between life and death. They fought for resources with their lives, and while impoverished and ignorantpared to sect disciples, they also had extremely highbat power. So how could he not have keen instincts and superb reaction time?


    If it weren''t for the fact that he was overtaken by greed, making him slightly reckless, his injuries, and the Spirit Fruit Serpent''s special scales that reflected Spiritual Sense, he wouldn''t have even been in such a mess.


    Thankfully after he was swallowed, he figured out the serpent''s cultivation base.


    "A puny snake in the 2nd stage of the Law Engraving realm dares to swallow me?" Gao Feng was enraged and rather amused at the gall of the Spirit Fruit Serpent, but after a quick giggle, he once again pulled his broadsword.


    Yet to his shock, the Spirit Fruit Serpent, which had a much lower cultivation base, started to try and refine him!


    And before Gao Feng couldugh at the folly of the serpent, Gao Feng''s expression changed quickly.


    The Spirit Fruit Serpent''s refining process was very swiftly crushing the shield of Spiritual Qi he had made in defense.


    Not epting to die to a weaker opponent, Gao Feng panicked and unleashed a Martial technique inside the mouth of the serpent.


    "Bright Moon sh!"

 Chapter 173 Old Friend

    ?Old Friend


    After using his martial technique, Gao Feng managed to make a huge gash in the mouth of the serpent that was trying to swallow him whole.


    However, no matter how in pain the Spirit Fruit Serpent was, it refused to open its mouth and continued trying to refine Gao Feng.


    "Stupid beast!" Gao Feng was starting to regret his stupidity and reckless actions.


    "Bright Moon sh! Bright Moon sh! Bright Moon sh!" Gao Feng didn''t want to die in the belly of a Spirit Fruit Serpent, so pushing caution to the wind, he quickly sent off three sword shes targeting the tongue of the snake.


    The first two cut deep into the tongue, almost severing it from the base, but it was the third that did the damage he wanted.


    His final sh hit the tip of the Spirit Fruit Serpent where the ''ind'' was. And with his power as a 4th stage Law Engraving realm cultivator, the ''ind'' was cut offpletely, resulting in his desired goal.


    "ROAR!!!!" Both enraged at the fact that it lost its main hunting weapon and full of pain, the Spirit Fruit Serpent produced a roar so loud that it shook the nearby treeline and sent ripples into theke.


    Even Xue Bai, who was waiting for his chance in the void, could feel the deep anger and maliciousness that the roar contained.


    Sadly as it opened its mouth to make the roar of anger and pain, it also let the tip of its tongue fall out of its mouth and, with it, the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree.


    "Ha! Stupid beast!" Thrilled to be let out, Gao Feng quickly jumped out of the beast''s stomach.


    "I will also take this." Gao Feng didn''t let his true goal leave his sight as he jumped out. Once again, pulling out the Essence Sealing Storage Box, Gao Feng reached for the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree, nning to store it before he took care of the Spirit Fruit Serpent.


    Yet to his shock, before he could, a purple arrow manifested seemingly directly in front of him.


    At first nce, Gao Feng felt like the arrow wasn''t a threat at all. The arrow wasn''trge, thick, or even full of barbs or poison, making it seem like a normal mortal wooden arrow.


    However, after he sensed it, he shivered, and cold sweat drenched his body.


    Trusting his instinctspletely, Gao Feng quickly dodged Xue Bai''s arrow, falling into theke once more.


    "Idiot." Xue Bai coldly muttered as he manifested.


    Not bothering to give the hunter another nce, Xue Bai grabbed the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree and the ind before once again entering the void leaving the two starstruck.


    "Huh?"


    "Roar?"


    ¨C


    About a dozen miles away, Xue Bai once again deactivated his physique.


    He had checked his surroundings earlier and knew he was safe for the time being. However, though he wasn''t far from Gao Feng and the Spirit Fruit Serpent, Xue Bai could still feel the fluctuations from their fight, meaning that they were still inbat and wouldn''t be able to chase after him yet.


    So after a quick 2-minute rest, Xue Bai once again activated his physique and floated away as fast as possible, wanting to increase the distance between the two powerhouses.


    Law Engraving realm powerhouses were fast and had a wide Spiritual Sense, but Xue Bai left no traces when he used his physique, so it would be next to impossible for them to find his escape route and chase him.


    After three more activations of his physique, Xue Bai was almost 100 miles away from the two, and he then decided that he was safe for now.


    Safe, Xue Bai thought to inspect his gains before moving on to his next goal.


    Pulling out the ''ind'' and the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree, Xue Bai ced it onto the ground to inspect it fully. He hadn''t been able to do so earlier because he was afraid that Gao Feng or the Spirit Fruit Serpent would''ve seen his cultivation base and reacted quickly.


    Physique and Dao of Space aside, Xue Bai was still only in the Bone Strengthening realm and wouldn''t even be able to take one stray hit from the two, let alone start a fight.


    If it weren''t for his arrow that had an innate suppressing effect on people whoprehended Laws, Xue Bai wouldn''t have been able to scare Gao Feng away.


    So that was why after he took his objective, Xue Bai wasted no time before leaving.


    Looking at the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree closely, Xue Bai was overall satisfied with his gains.


    All of the Elemental Fruits were ripe and plump, with none of them having any defects or damage.


    And most spectacr of all, the ''ind'' was made entirely of Spiritual Soil!


    It was perfectly tailored for carrying, nurturing, and supporting a natural treasure.


    "That Spirit Fruit Serpent is a smart beast." Xue Bai spoke with pride in his tone, as if he was the one who taught the serpent to do it.


    Content with the gains, Xue Bai put the tree back in his spatial ring and continued on his way.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Now that he was in the Inner Region of the Hysteria Forest, Xue Bai didn''t need the map any longer and could navigate the forest himself.


    Time passed, and the sun slowly set, but thankfully before it did, Xue Bai finally reached his destination.


    In front of Xue Bai, thend started to sink into the earth, forming a steep and dangerous gorge.


    However, what was most terrifying about the gorge was not the fact that the gorge was so deep that Xue Bai couldn''t see its bottom or the fact that the walls of the ravine leading down were spiked and full of barbs capable of killing any cultivator still in the 5 physical realms, but the terrifying auras thatid within the gorge.


    Even as Xue Bai stood at the top of the gorge, he could sense dozens of powerful auras full of Baleful Qi.


    The auras were powerful, suppressing, and as thick as the skies themselves.


    Each of the auras down below in the gorge was out in full disy, showing that every demonic beast living in the gorge was so arrogant and conceited that they didn''t bother holding it in.


    Of all the cultivation bases that Xue Bai could sense, Law Engraving realm cultivations weremonce, while Law Manifestation and Domain Lord realms weren''t hard to spot.


    Scarily enough, Xue Bai could sense cultivation bases that he couldn''t even see through. And since he could sense the cultivation base of even a Domain Lord, it meant that the ones he couldn''t see through had to at least be in the Xiantian Great Realm!


    Thankfully, Xue Bai wasn''t here to fight one of the scary behemoths down below but instead to meet one!


    "I''m going to kill myself doing this." Xue Bai sighed in annoyance. And without missing a beat, jumped.


    Falling down at rming speeds, Xue Bai had his long body-length hair fluttering around him like a helicopter de. However, his eyes were calm, and even though he was falling at speeds far beyond someone of his cultivation base could, he quickly scanned the ravine walls.


    ''No, no, not that one, not here,'' As Xue Bai fell, he constantly looked around for a specific hole in the ravine walls, but as he fell further and further, he couldn''t find it.


    Even after almost 2 minutes of just pure falling, Xue Bai still couldn''t find it.


    ''Did I fall at the wrong ce?'' Luckily, as he started questioning himself and was about to leave, Xue Bai saw the correct hole in the wall.


    Seeing his goal within his sights, before he fell any further, Xue Bai activated his physique and shifted into the void.


    Instantly, Xue Bai''s sky-shattering speed halted. Going from hundreds of miles an hour to aplete stop.


    And while this would''ve certainly given anyone whish, and severe injuries, to Xue Bai, nothing happened.


    Back in his new home, Xue Bai peacefully floated over to the unique-looking hole that he was looking for.


    The uniqueness of the hole was its size. Unlike all of the other small holes, which ranged from 20-50 meters wide and 20-40 meters tall, the behemoth-sized hole that Xue Bai was looking for was more than 100 meters tall and over 200 meters wide!


    It couldfortably hold two Boeing 747s from Earth and still have dozens of meters of space left over.


    "Let''s hope that she''s there." Xue Bai hoped in his mind as he walked in.


    And as if the heavens could hear his wishes, they were granted the instant he floated into the cave. Because the second Xue Bai entered, he saw a bright pair of blue eyes the size of a carzily looking at the hole''s entrance.


    The bright azure eyes that were slothfully looking in Xue Bai''s direction were owned by a behemoth that managed to send shivers down Xue Bai''s spine, even though he knew that it couldn''t see him.


    As Xue Bai floated deeper and deeper into the eerie cavern, the once 100-meter-tall roof slowly rose, and by the time Xue Bai had managed to get close enough to see the owner of the eyes, it had almost tripled, reaching a jaw-dropping height of nearly 300 meters.


    But even as he ignored the height that would strain his neck should he look up, Xue Bai once again locked eyes with the beast that sat in the cave.


    ''Hello, old friend.'' Xue Bai nostalgically thought as he looked at the beast in front of him.


    In ''Children of the ne,'' like any other cultivation game, there was also the option of taking in a demonic beast as a pet or mount.


    And while most people would turn their childhood dreams into reality by trying to subdue dragons, Xue Bai was different.


    Instead of choosing one of the many dragon-type demonic beasts that lived throughout the Baishen ne, or even one of the 4 Symbols of Chinese mythology, Xue Bai took a different route.


    He chose an eagle.


    Specifically, it was an eagle that had the bloodline of the God Great Realm beast named the  Heaven Chasing Eagle.


    Of course, the eagle didn''t have the full God bloodline, but even with a trace of the Heaven Chasing Eagle bloodline, the eagle was more than talented enough to cultivate to the Xiantian Great Realm and even toward the Immortal Great Realm.


    As for the reason that Xue Bai chose the eagle, it was rather simple. Living his entire life contained in his hospital, Xue Bai eventually grew to love flying, and in his mind, the eagle was an animal synonymous with flying and freedom.


    And the very Heaven Chasing Eagle descendant he chose was here in front of him.

 Chapter 174 Liu Mei

    ?Liu Mei


    So as Xue Bai looked at his old friend andpanion, he felt odd, to say the least.


    Thest time Xue Bai saw hispanion was right before he died. While he was undergoing his final Heavenly Tribtion to ascend to the Immortal World, he left the Heaven Chasing Eagle to guard him as he underwent it.


    But that was almost 10 years ago, so seeing it once more, Xue Bai was feeling nostalgic.


    Sadly hispanion didn''t share the same sentiments or feelings. After all, since Xue Bai was still in the void, it couldn''t see him yet. However, even if it could see it, how could the Heaven Chasing Eagle know about Xue Bai''s memories from a different life?


    Shaking away the feelings, Xue Bai put on a serious face before deactivating his physique and appearing in the cave in front of the Heaven Chasing Eagle.


    Instantly activating his bloodline and showing its sovereignty over the Heaven Chasing Eagle, Xue Bai hid all of his insecurities and put on a face of pure arrogance and confidence.


    Yet even as he did so, unlike every other beast who couldn''t even keep their foreheads off the ground, the Heaven Chasing Eagle barely raised an eyebrow at Xue Bai''s bloodline aura.


    "Boy, have you seen my majesty ande to deliver yourself to me?" The Heaven Chasing Eagle arrogantly spoke as it looked at Xue Bai.


    Though Xue Bai''s bloodline had a higher grade by almost 2 grades, Xue Bai''s cultivation base was out in the open to the Heaven Chasing Eagle, making him only look like a delectable treat.


    Ignoring the bird''s arrogant response, Xue Bai started his own train of thought, "I assume you are a Heaven Chasing Eagle?"


    "What if I am?"


    "Because if you are, then I am the person who can help you aplish your dreams." Xue Bai spoke calmly, ignoring the look on the eagle''s face.


    However, unlike most demonic beasts who would be angry after hearing Xue Bai''s statement, the Heaven Chasing Eagle wasn''t angry but rather intrigued. Xue Bai''s confident look, coupled with his bloodline and the fact that he knew its bloodline, the Heaven Chasing Eagle, couldn''t help but slightly believe him.


    "Boy, do you know what you are talking about?" The Heaven Chasing Eagle amusedly responded.


    "Though I don''t know how detailed your bloodline memories are, surely you can see what my bloodline is and who my ancestor is, so you can trust my word."


    "The Void Fox Emperor?" The Heaven Chasing Eagle probed. And Xue Bai nodded at its question.


    "But even if you are his descendant, how does that make you qualified to make my dreamse true? My Ancestor''s bloodline isn''t much inferior to your own." The Heaven Chasing Eagle said.


    The Heaven Chasing Eagle once lived in the Immortal World before it was banished, so how could it not know who Xue Bai''s Ancestor was? And even if it didn''t, the memories it inherited had told it.


    So the second Xue Bai appeared, the Heaven Chasing Eagle knew what his bloodline was.


    But while the Void Fox Emperor was a man at the peak of the God Great Realm, his Ancestor wasn''t that much inferior, and unlike the Void Fox Emperor, the Heaven Chasing Eagle n ancestor left down his genes and created a lineage.


    "Because your bloodline is diluted while my bloodline is perfectly retained and in the same grade as my Ancestor. Yours is so diluted it''s barely in the Earth grade." Xue Bai replied with an indifferent expression.


    "Well, look where your bloodline brought you!" the Heaven Chasing Eagle snorted in annoyance, "We are both in the same spot, and if anything, your situation is worse than mine. At least my cultivation is in the Spirit Expansion realm, and I can protect myself. You''re meddling in the Bone Strengthening realm and would die if I took too deep a breath."


    "That''s the reason I am here. I need a guardian for a few years until I can cultivate to a secure enough level." Xue Bai said.


    It was after that sentence that the Heaven Chasing Eagle started to be angry.


    "I''m no fool, boy. Guardian is just a way to sugarcoat the word servant. I''ll just have to watch you constantly and take care of any threats that would hurt you. And there isn''t much that can''t kill you in this world." The Heaven Chasing Eagle angrily said, not bothering to hide its emotions, "And boy though I was banished, I still have the pride of the Heaven Chasing Eagle n in me. I''d rather leave my dreams unfulfilled and die in this gorge than be a servant,"


    Xue Bai''s haughtiness and superiority were starting to annoy it.


    ''Does this twerp think I won''t just eat him right here and now?''


    "I never said you''d be a servant in this rtionship. If anything, I would like to create a contract of equals during this time." Xue Bai spoke as he tried to calm down his old friend.


    He knew its personality and also the fact that his current act would most likely anger it. However, this act was necessary in order for it to believe him.


    While the Heaven Chasing Eagle in front of Xue Bai was born with a low bloodline purity and became the ck sheep of the Heaven Chasing Eagle n, it was talented in every other aspect, including its perceptiveness. So the second that Xue Bai let his rouse down for a second, it would see through it.


    "What do you mean equals? A guardian is just another word forckey. How would I be your equal in such a rtionship?" The Heaven Chasing Eagle said, not believing Xue Bai''s words.


    "I''m the descendant of a God Great Realm cultivator. I don''t need your protection. How could I not have some form of protection of my own against weaklings like the ones of this continent? When I said guardian, I meant in the form of a totem, like an Empire would have. I don''t need you to ever take action but instead to serve as a symbol to my name." Xue Bai spoke out his thoughts, confusing his oldpanionpletely.


    Since the entire reputation, name, and worth of the current Feng Imperial Family was almost nonexistent, Xue Bai needed to build it back up.


    And what better way to do that than with a Heaven Chasing Eagle who was in the Spirit Expansion realm?


    Having such a strong backer would entice any fence-sitters to join his faction, which would help his current situation while also making some of the Grand Duke''s loyalists question their loyalty.


    Coupled with Xue Bai''s image of a child of the heavens who possessed a mysterious background and his title of "Prince Consort," the Feng Imperial Family would be a strong faction once again.


    "So you want me to be a sort of advertisement for a force you''re creating?" The Heaven Chasing Eagle spoke, not exactly sure what Xue Bai was saying. Thankfully its guess was correct as Xue Bai nodded in response.


    "And what would I get in return?" The Heaven Chasing Eagle asked.


    It didn''t find the arrangements to be horrible, and it couldn''t truly swallow the descendant of a person even his Ancestor looked up to. So instead of staying angry, it decided to start negotiations.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Seeing his oldpanion take the bait and indirectly agree, Xue Bai was excited. But he didn''t show it on his face and continued his n.


    "I said it earlier. I can help you aplish your dream." Xue Bai tempted, "Don''t you want to purify your bloodline and ascend before going back home and pping all of the faces of the people who doubted you and looked at you in disdain?"


    "No, you''re wrong. Or rather, only half wrong. While you were right about me wanting to purify my bloodline and ascend, I don''t want to go back home. They banished me. Why should I go back looking for attention like a lost puppy? I wish for them to regret their actions, not rejoice for my return." The Heaven Chasing Eagle said with both sadness and determination in its tone.


    Xue Bai, of course, knew this, but since he wanted to lower some of hispanion''s suspicions, he purposely got it wrong.


    During this whole conversation, Xue Bai had yet to ''guess'' something wrong, and a perfect record was suspicious. But if he sprinkled some wrong answers, then he''d be good for the foreseeable future.


    "However, my dreams aside, how would you help me? While I haven''t explored all of this ne yet, from what I have, there isn''t anything to help me purify my bloodline. The only natural treasures that could do so are too low a grade to do anything to my bloodline." The Heaven Chasing Eagle continued.


    "There is one¡­."


    "Where!" The Heaven Chasing Eagle shouted out. Even going as far as to finally walk out of the dark corner it had been in before and show its true body.


    Though the Heaven Chasing Eagle was in the Spirit Expansion realm, size didn''t always mean higher strength. And being a demonic beast with the bloodline of a Divine Beast, it could freely change its size and could be smaller andrger at will.


    However, since it was in its home, or rather hole, the Heaven Chasing Eagle stayed in its true size and form.


    Standing at a monstrous height of over 100 meters and having a folded wingspan that stretched out more than twice its height, it was a behemoth that would instill fear into any cultivator.


    But not Xue Bai. Instead of being fearful or pressured by its size, Xue Bai only felt nostalgic.


    The Heaven Chasing Eagle race were a beautiful species of flying creatures with their signature pristine white feathers. And the Heaven Chasing Eagle that Xue Bai paired with was no different.


    Each feather on the body of the Heaven Chasing Eagle was a beautiful white color that looked to be ripped straight from a painting. Yet even while being an artist''s dream, each of the feathers was sharp and capable of tearing through any item below its cultivation base.


    And at the top of the Heaven Chasing Eagle were the bright blue pair of eyes that had the same shade as the skies above. Paired with a simple but dangerous look ck beak that contrasted with its feathers, the eagle in front of Xue Bai didn''t look like a demonic beast at all but rather a divine one.


    "Stop gawking at my majesty and answer my question, boy! Where is the thing that can purify my bloodline!" The Heaven Chasing Eagle shouted, getting Xue Bai out of his reminiscing thoughts.


    Back to reality, Xue Bai said, "You shouldn''t get so excited and anxious. The herb that can help you isn''t on this continent, but the Central Continent."


    "Then how the hell do I know you aren''t fabricating nonsense to get me on your¡­.!" The Heaven Chasing Eagle shouted. Of course, being tempted so far, just to be told off like that, would anger anybody, and the Heaven Chasing Eagle was no different.


    "I can swear on my bloodline that I know for a fact it is there. Is that enough?" Xue Bai interrupted in retaliation,pletely stopping his friend from blowing the cave up in anger.


    Swearing on one''s bloodline was something no one did unless they werepletely confident in themselves. Since if you were lying, not only would you be punished, but also, in a chain effect, affect your own bloodline.


    And in the cultivation world, one''s bloodline was something more valuable than oneself. People would die in the protection of their own livelihood, but when it came to their bloodline and race, they would sacrifice everything, down to their very soul, to protect it.


    So to knowingly curse your own bloodline to damnation was something no one would do willingly.


    And this was something easily known to someone like the Heaven Chasing Eagle, a demonic beast who came from a n of bloodline fanatics,


    Completely convinced, the Heaven Chasing Eagle could only awkwardly respond, "That¡­. That would be more than enough." But it quickly realized something and continued, "However, do it now. I won''t leave the cave until you do."


    Xue Bai quickly swore the oath, and after it saw nothing happen to the boy, it was brought on board.


    "Since we''ll be working together for the time being, I''ll also show my human form."


    Then in a sh of white radiance, the once horrifyinglyrge behemoth of an eagle started to shrink.


    And in only the span of a few seconds, it quickly went down from its mountain size height to a human size figure.


    A tall figure that was only a few centimeters shorter than him.


    Long cascading white hair that looked could memorize even a monk.


    An arrogant facial expression paired with a pair of indifferent-looking sky-blue eyes that managed to only bring happy and joyful memories to Xue Bai


    And a busty figure that could give lustful feelings to anyone, the once terrifying Heaven Chasing Eagle showed her true self. The one that Xue Bai couldn''t forget even if he tried to.


    "I''ll introduce myself properly this time, boy."


    ''I already know.''


    "Hear my name well, boy."


    ''How could I forget it?''


    "My name is¡­."


    ''Liu Mei''

 Chapter 175 1000-Year-Old Tree Heart

    ?1000-year-old Tree Heart


    Xue Bai had found Liu Mei in an odd way.


    During his ythrough of ''Children of the ne,'' Xue Bai found himself on the Northern Continent while hunting down an enemy of his.


    And by fate, his enemy had run away and hid in the Hysteria Forest.


    Thinking of the ce as a Forbidden Area daunting enough to scare Xue Bai and somewhere he could hide until Xue Bai gave up on pursuing him,


    However, Xue Bai by then was already in the Spirit Purification Realm and could ignore the mist, so the man''s n was for naught.


    And in a prolonged battle where the two slowly destroyed most of the Hysteria Forest, and they eventually found themselves in the gorge where she lived.


    Xue Bai, thankful that a powerhouse of equal strength was nearby, called out for help, and since Xue Bai was much more pleasing to the eye than his enemy, she decided to help him. Then, the two teamed up and killed his enemy.


    After that, as if they were kindred spirits born from the same source, Xue Bai and Liu Mei would be friends and travel the Baishen ne together for the next two hundred-odd years until his death.


    So now, looking at her appearance once again, so many yearster, Xue Bai couldn''t keep his emotions hidden any longer, and his eyes became gentle and familiar.


    Seeing this, Liu Mei was beyond confused, but since she didn''t truly know how to ask what his eyes meant, she could only cough lightly and bring Xue Bai back to reality.


    "Boy, I asked you for your name. It''d be awkward for me to continue calling you boy." Liu Mei said after she saw Xue Bai leave his reminiscing thoughts.


    "My name is Xue Bai."


    "Xue Bai? A good name." Liu Mei said with an approving nod.


    "Alright, Xue Bai, where to next? This cave can''t be the ce where you n to build your force." Liu Mei said as she walked over to the cave''s entrance.


    "No, before that, I need to get something." Xue Bai said as he halted the woman. "You can see my current health is extremely bad right now, so I need to get something inside the gorge."


    As she heard his words, Liu Mei took the moment to look at the boy once more. And as she did, she couldn''t help but nod.


    "You do look worse for wear. Thankfully I am the overlord of this area. What do you need? I can bring whoever owns it to us." Liu Mei said, slightly shocking Xue Bai.


    But after a second thought, he realized it was true.


    Liu Mei was a descendant of a Divine Beast and, therefore, different from most creatures in the Baishen ne. Therefore, she didn''t need Spiritual Qi to cultivate and get stronger but instead only needed time to grow up.


    The older Liu Mei was, the stronger she would be. So even if sheid down and did nothing for the next thousand years, she would be invincible in the Baishen ne.


    But currently, she was still extremely young for a demonic beast being less than 100 years old. So instead of going around and possibly endangering herself while looking for treasures to aplish her goal, Liu Mei nned to stay in this gorge and wait until adulthood when she would reach the Immortal Origin realm before doing so.


    However, while her cultivation was not much in the Central Continent, she was unrivaled in the Northern Continent.


    So her being an overlord of a tiny Forbidden Area in this backwater continent was nothing surprising.


    Thinking that far, Xue Bai had no more qualms and told hispanion what he needed, where it was, and who was guarding it.


    "Oh, that bat? Alright, give me one second." Lou Mei knew what Xue Bai was talking about.


    So she walked up to the cave''s entrance and transformed back to her true form. But since she was at the entrance and in a much smaller area, Liu Mei made her form much smaller than the one Xue Bai saw earlier.


    However, no matter how small Liu Mei was, she still had a Pseudo Earth-grade bloodline and a Spirit Expansion realm cultivation base, which was more than enough order around a demonic beast living in this gorge.


    "Old Bat! Come here now with that wood treasure you''ve been hoarding! If you aren''t here in a minute, I''ll pluck you clean and roast you for dinner!" Liu Mei screamed out into the gorge.


    "Is that going to work?" Xue Bai asked skeptically. But to his surprise, it did.


    And after not even 20 seconds, a 30-meter-long wingspan bat with red skin came into his line of sight.


    Landing quietly onto a spike near the hole''s entrance, the once skyscraper-sized bat turned into a red radiance before entering his human form.


    The bat turned into a tall butnky middle-aged man in a tall ck cloak. But unlike Liu Mei''s normal human form, the bat still had his wings visible, showing that he wasn''t human.


    Once a demonic beast reached the Xiantian Great Realm, it could transform into a human form. However, if their bloodline were too low a grade or diluted, there would be some demonic beast features still visible that would give up their true identity, and if you included the constant Baleful Qi they emitted, it was extremely hard for a demonic beast to try and sneak into human territories even if they had a human form.


    However, Liu Mei was an exception as she was the descendant of a Divine Beast, and her human form neither emitted Baleful Qi nor had a visible demonic beast feature. Something Xue Bai nned to take advantage of.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yes, your Holiness." The bat humbly spoke as he knelt down in Liu Mei''s presence.


    The bat was so humble he didn''t even question Xue Bai''s presence.


    "Your Holiness?" Xue Bai asked Liu Mei with a raised eyebrow.


    Since Liu Mei left right after she and Xue Bai met, he didn''t know about the odd title that the demonic beast who lived in the gorge called her.


    "These insects don''t deserve to know my name. And your Majesty reminds me of some bad things. So this was the next best thing." Liu Mei replied casually.


    Xue Bai was about to question the second half of her sentence, but before he could, she started to speak again.


    "Give me that 1000-year-old Tree Heart you''ve been saving. My friend needs it." Liu Mei said as she pointed at Xue Bai.


    1000-year-old Tree Heart was the very wood-type nourishing natural treasure that Xue Bai needed to heal his shriveled-up Martial Veins.


    It was a natural treasure that could only be harvested from the death of a Tree Demon in the Xiantian Great Realm, who was at least 1000 years old.


    And this bat was the person who guarded it.


    Xue Bai''s original n was to anger a nearby demonic beast and lure it into the bat''s domain. This way, he could start a fight between the two and stealthily steal the 1000-year-old Tree Heart.


    However, now that he had the powerhouse known as Liu Mei at his call, why not just force the bat to hand it over? Not only would it save time, but also it could stop him from possibly endangering his life while trying to follow through with his n.


    "But your Holiness. I have been saving that for my breakthrough to the Spirit Severing realm." The bat couldn''t help but say.


    "I don''t care. Choose which you''d like to keep. Your life or the 1000-year-old Tree Heart." Liu Mei said coldly.


    She didn''t care at all about the plight of the bat. He was weaker and, therefore, in her mind, could only yield to hermands.


    The bat could easily sense Liu Mei''s rising impatience from her words and the annoyance in her eyes. So without a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and handed it over.


    And in a way that Xue Bai will never understand, he went into the coat that was just manifested by his transformation and pulled out arge head-sized green orb.


    ''Didn''t he just get that coat? How the hell is it in there?'' Xue Bai couldn''t help but think. But since such a question would only make him look stupid, he kept it inside him.


    And from Xue Bai''s silence and indifferent look, the bat didn''t know his thoughts. The only thing he did know was that Liu Mei would kill him if he didn''t hand it over. And while he didn''t know who Xue Bai was, he could sense that the boy wasn''t someone he could mess with.


    Xue Bai hadn''t undone his bloodline, and his 9 tails were still out in all of their glory. However, he suppressed its aura, making the bat unable to sense its rank.


    But no matter how much Xue Bai suppressed it, there was still the innate suppression effect that pressured the bat from doing anything toward him.


    No matter how much he suppressed it, Xue Bai''s bloodline was at the peak of the cultivation world, Immortal or Mortal. And a random bat in the Xiantian Great Realm couldn''t challenge its sovereignty.


    "You may leave, bat." Liu Mei said as she waved the demonic beast off.


    "Yes, your Holiness." And after giving his treasure onest look, he left.


    There wasn''t anything he could do.


    Liu Mei was too strong, and Xue Bai was too scary.


    "Xue Bai, is there anything else you''d like to get from this forest? We won''te back here for a while." Liu Mei said as she handed the 1000-year-old Tree Heart to Xue Bai.


    Thinking for a moment, Xue Bai eventually remembered Feng Fei.


    "I don''t want you to get it, but instead, just prepare it. Have a demonic beast stay at the edge of the gorge with a Profound Gold Divine Fruit. In anywhere from a week to a month''s time, a person from the Gen Empire wille and retrieve it." Xue Bai said.


    Though he wasn''t sure if Feng Fei would choose the metal element Martial Veins, he knew that the Burning Steel Mountains were much more dangerous than the Hysteria Forest. So unless Feng Fei was feeling confident or rather reckless, she would most likely choose the metal element natural treasure here in the Hysteria Forest.


    ? Liu Mei didn''t know Xue Bai''s inner ramblings, but since he made such a simple request, she called out for another beast toe.


    Though the bat was close, Liu Mei knew she was pissed that guy off, so asking him for a favor wouldn''t bode so well. And since Liu Mei had no ns to stay here any longer, she could guess that the bat wouldn''t obey her request after she left.


    And soon enough, a blue sparrow arrived.


    "Tell her what you want, and we can go."

 Chapter 176 Healing The Muscles, Breakthrough

    ?Healing the Muscles, Breakthrough


    Also wanting to leave, Xue Bai quickly told the sparrow where the Profound Gold Divine Fruit was and what the personing would be wearing.


    Xue Bai guessed that it would be Eunuch Lu toe over here since Feng Fei didn''t have many loyalists left. However, on the chance his guess was wrong, he also told her a phrase that the person who woulde would know.


    He nned to tell Feng Fei the phrase when he returned.


    "Alright then, you can leave MeiMei. After the person gets the Profound Gold Divine Fruit from you,e and find me. I''ll need your help, most likely." Liu Mei warmly said to the sparrow as she petted its head.


    The sparrow responded well to Liu Mei''s petting and didn''t resist. She even took the chance to push her head deeper into Liu Mei''s palm to further appreciate the care. But after a minute of heaven, it eventually left Liu Mei''sfort and flew off.


    If it were a permanent goodbye, the sparrow named MeiMei would be reluctant to leave so early, but since Liu Mei said she could find her in just a month, MeiMei was obedient and left to aplish her orders.


    After MeiMei, the sparrow, left, Xue Bai grabbed the 1000-year-old Tree Heart and turned away.


    "I need to refine this. We can leave after I do." Xue Bai said as he pulled out the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus and sat down on it.


    Liu Mei was surprised at seeing such a high grade treasure, especially in a Mortal ne, but after she remembered Xue Bai''s ''identity,'' she shrugged it off.


    "How long do you need? I have long gotten sick of this cave. The sooner I leave, the better." Liu Mei said as she sat down next to Xue Bai.


    She could see all of the Spiritual Qi that the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus was producing and wanted to leech some of it.


    Though she didn''t need to cultivate and could just wait till adulthood to be unrivaled, it didn''t mean that she couldn''t.


    Plus, she could sense that there was too much Spiritual Qi than Xue Bai could handle on his own.


    "I don''t know how long exactly, but I''ll be done within the day. So just guard me, please. I''d like to not die in a cave on the side of a ravine." Xue Bai sarcastically replied.


    Liu Mei only rolled her eyes.


    ''What creature would dare enter my cave? And even if they did, how could they attack you? Your bloodline suppression effect is out.''


    Of course, she didn''t say her thoughts but just closed her eyes and started to cultivate alongside Xue Bai.


    On the other hand, Xue Bai had already sealed his senses and started to scan his internal injuries.


    Putting aside his shriveled-up Martial Veins and theck of blood essence, Xue Bai''s muscles and other viscera had started to weaken and decay.


    From theck of Spiritual Qi funneling to them, the muscles he possessed had started to eat at him from the inside.


    They needed Spiritual Qi to not only strengthen themselves but also to function. So when they go without Spiritual Qi for too long a time, they start to find fuel in other ways.


    So now almost every vital organ in Xue Bai, from his muscles to his liver, was fighting and devouring each other.


    ''Thank god for Liu Mei. Another few days, and they would''ve done some irreversible damage.'' Xue Bai inwardly sighed in relief.


    Knowing that dying his healing would only cause more damage, Xue Bai brought the 1000-year-old Tree Heart to his mouth and took a small lick.


    Usually, in order to refine such a treasure, one would need to just absorb all of the wood element Spiritual Qi inside until the Tree Heart ran out.


    However, because of his shriveled-up Martial veins, Xue Bai couldn''t do that just yet. And if Xue Bai took a bite, he might just explode from the excessive amount of Spiritual Qi. So until he healed them back to normal, he could only take small licks from the Tree Heart like a lollipop.


    But the 1000-year-old Tree Heart was a natural treasure in the low ck-grade, while Xue Bai was still in the Bone Strengthening realm. So the second he licked the Tree Heart, he instantly felt the effects.


    A serene and pure mist of wood element Spiritual Qi flowed all throughout his body, slowly healing all of the hidden seque that his body had.


    And within an hour of absorbing the wood element Spiritual Qi and healing, Xue Bai''s body started to change for the better.


    His weakened body was slightly strengthened, his Marital Veins were revitalized and unshelved, and even his previously sunken cheekbones regained some of their shape and sharpness.


    Overall Xue Bai was instantly rejuvenated and went from looking like he was half a step into the grave to just looking like a sick and malnourished youth.


    All he needed to do now was to find a way to restore his lost blood essence, and he could finally return to full strength.


    ''My muscles are still atrophied, though.'' Xue Bai thought as he looked at himself internally.


    This was something he couldn''t do much about and could only fix himself.


    Staying unconscious and motionless in the void for 30 months would make any cultivator in his cultivation realm lose their normal bodily functions. So his muscles undergoing atrophy weren''t really out of his expectations. However, it was still annoying since, in order to fix it, simply healing it with the Tree Heart wouldn''t do much.


    Xue Bai needed to actually work them out and get them back into the habit of working and being used.


    ''However, before that, let me test my Martial Veins.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    Once againmanding his Low Heaven-grade Martial Veins to absorb Spiritual Qi, Xue Bai felt the familiar feeling again and started to absorb the Spiritual Qi in the cave wildly.


    Like a thirsty man who was on the verge of death, Xue Bai''s now healed Martial Veins madly absorbed the extremely pure Spiritual Qi produced by the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus as if it were trying to make up for the time it had lost.


    On his left, Liu Mei could also sense Xue Bai starting his cultivation session and cleverly stopped cultivating and let the boy cultivate.


    She was in the Spirit Expansion realm, and if she wanted to cultivate, she would absorb all of the Spiritual Qi that the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus would produce, which would leave Xue Bai with nothing.


    Of course, this didn''t mean that Liu Mei was stronger than the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, but instead, Xue Bai couldn''t bring out the true strength of his treasure.


    When Xue Bai''s cultivation base increased, so would the strength of the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus. But until then, only he could cultivate using its Spiritual Qi. And when he finally became strong enough to refine the treasure and bind it to himself, he could finally bring out the true strength of the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus.


    ''This cultivation speed? Does this boy have a Heaven-grade Martial Vein?!'' Liu Mei, at first, wasn''t nning on paying attention to Xue Bai, but after she noticed the Spiritual Qi mist lose more than a third of its Spiritual Qi instantly, she couldn''t help but notice.


    If she didn''t notice such a phenomenon, it would be weird.


    ''Maybe he wasn''t bragging about his talent but rather being humble. A high Heaven-grade bloodline and a low Heaven-grade Martial Vein is something that even my Ancestor couldn''t contend with.'' Liu Mei was starting to feel more proud of her previous choice.


    If she had trusted her gluttonous stomach and eaten Xue Bai while, maybe she could''ve advanced her bloodline slightly, but she knew deep down that it wouldn''t give it much of a boost.


    However, now with Xue Bai alongside her, maybe reaching her long-desired reach of atavism wasn''t far off?


    But since Xue Bai was cultivating, that meant that he couldn''t hear Liu Mei''s thoughts, nor the fact that he had unintentionally gained her trust and hope.


    Yet the shock that Liu Mei felt wasn''t done because just as she thought she had a grasp on Xue Bai, she felt the Spiritual Qi mist in the air lose another 1/4th of its size.


    ''Breakthrough!''


    Between the nourishing wood element Spiritual Qi that he had absorbed from the Tree Heart and the sheer amount of pure Spiritual Qi he absorbed from the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, Xue Bai, in fact, had enough Spiritual Qi to break through several cultivation stages.


    Sadly most of the Spiritual Qi he absorbed went to his withering insides and atrophied muscles, which left him with less than a third of the Spiritual Qi. But since the amount he absorbed was sorge, Xue Bai still had enough to break through a stage.


    11th stage of the Bone strengthening realm! Perfection stage!


    Instantly, Xue Bai felt the nostalgic feeling of his skeleton being tempered and perfected. However, this time it was different.


    Once Xue Bai advanced to the 11th stage of the Bone Strengthening realm, he sensed that his bones were now almost perfect. The remaining, if there were any, impurities were almost none, and the strength of his skeleton was worlds apart from what they were before in the Muscle Nourishing realm.


    They were harder, denser, and even more flexible and malleable. It was as if they could not only take a beating but also bend back like a bowstring should Xue Bai want them to.


    Xue Bai also felt this feeling when hepleted the Blood Exchange and Muscle Nourishing realms previously.


    When hepleted the Blood Exchange realm, Xue Bai had sensed his blood had thickened and turned so potent that if a drop of it was used on a mortal, it could be used as a panacea and bring them back from the dead.


    While in the Muscle Nourishing realm, it instead sent all of the excess Spiritual Qi into not only his muscles but also his tendons and even his nerves and veins, giving them a pseudo Heaven and Earth Blessing as one could receive it after breaking through to the Xiantian Great Realm.


    Such a thing was reserved for only powerful cultivators since in order to reach those small and minor ces within the human body, one either needed a profound cultivation base and strong Spiritual Sense or a natural treasure for those specific small and minor areas.


    Without either of those, the smaller and minor parts of the body would stay weak and fragile until the Xiantian Great Realm, when a cultivator underwent the Heaven and Earth Blessing one would get after breaking through a Great Realm.


    This was another one of the many valuable benefits of cultivating the Purification Stages.


    However, Xue Bai was used to it, so after noting down the experience and benefits mentally, Xue Bai stood up from his cross-legged position.


    "You''re done?" Liu Mei''szily opened her eyes as she noticed Xue Bai finally exit his cultivation state.


    "How long was I out?" Xue Bai asked, ignoring her question.


    ''Of course, I''m done. If not, why the hell would I stand up? To stretch?''


    "Not long." As she looked outside to the skies above, Liu Mei said, "About 14 hours? The day changed, and the sun is about to rise."


    "That''s fine. We still have another three days to pige the continent." Xue Bai said as he stretched.


    His skeleton made a few popcorn-popping sounds as he got rid of all the air bubbles in between his bones.


    "Pige the Continent?" Liu Mei raised an eyebrow.


    "Ignore that. It''s a saying where I came from." Xue Bai waved away her curiosity, "Let''s go, Liu Mei. I need to get some resources."


    "Finally! Alright then, where to next, Xue Bai?" Liu Mei stood up and shed a bright smile.

 Chapter 177 Feng Fei’s Despair

    ?Feng Fei''s Despair


    Three days quickly passed, and now a week after Xue Bai left, the entrance exam started. But since the main character of this year''s entrance exam had yet to arrive, many people were standing outside of the Academy walls waiting for him.


    "Your Majesty, how can you be so sure that he wille? What if he just left, never to be seen again? With that weird ability of his, that allows him to disappear at the drop of a hat, even if we wanted to find him, we couldn''t. Also, with that mysterious but powerful purple energy, even if you did find him, who would dare try to bring him back?" Eunuch Lu strongly tried to advise Feng Fei.


    Currently, the two were standing at the entrance of the Gen Empire Academy, waiting for Xue Bai to return and take the entrance exam.


    The Gen Empire Academy was the core institution of the Gen Empire, where every single noble,moner or even ve with high potential joined to learn cultivation.


    Inside they could learn all of the cultivation fundamentals, from how to path out your veins in the Vein Transformation realm to where every single meridian was for the Qi Sea realm. It was the most important building of the empire, even ahead of the Imperial Pce and the Grand Duke''s Pce.


    After all, the two pces could be rebuilt if destroyed, but the Gen Empire Academy was different. Its walls have been standing for hundreds if not thousands of years, so if they fell, not only would it destroy much of the knowledge the school had but also take the lives of an entire young generation, which would then lead to a dark era of the empire.


    No person in the empire wished to see such a future, so the entire Gen Empire collectively protected the Academy with their lives.


    So other than the many nobles in attendance for the entrance exam, there were an equal number of guards watching them and the Academy''s doors.


    Feng Fei and Eunuch Lu were also in the crowd waiting for the entrance exam to start. However, unlike the cheerful and expectant looks of the people around them, Feng Fei and Eunuch Lu had dire expressions.


    Right now, there was only 1 hour left until the start of the exams, and even now, Xue Bai still hadn''t arrived or even shown a trace of his existence.


    And normally, this would''ve been fine as an hour was more than enough time to make it, but in the Gen Empire, it was tradition to arrive much earlier than the stated time.


    So while it did say the exam would start in an hour, almost everyone besides Xue Bai and some quitters who gave up at thest minute was already in attendance.


    "Old Lu, he doesn''t know of our stupid traditions, so maybe he is here but is waiting for the exact time." Feng Feng firmly said, still not moving an inch.


    However, though she looked stubborn and obstinate, her face didn''t care the same amount of confidence her words did.


    Like Eunuch Lu, she, too, wasn''t confident in the chances of Xue Bai attending, but she had bet too much and couldn''t give up now!


    Not only were she and Eunuch Lu out of the Imperial Pce, but also her Mother, the Empress!


    However, the Empress wasn''t here in the crowd alongside them but rather inside the Academy with the Academy Head. She was too weak to be standing out here waiting for Xue Bai, so she went ahead of everyone and went inside.


    Other than that, Feng Fei had also invited many of the known fence sitters and still loyal nobles to this entrance exam so that they could watch Xue Bai''s first appearance.


    Her hope with this was to show that the Feng Imperial Family wasn''t finished just yet and that they had a new light with Xue Bai with them.


    Yet, with their new hope missing, Feng Fei started to regret her actions. Now instead of helping their cause, this idiotic decision of hers could instead be the final nail in the coffin!


    If she couldn''t tie one person to her faction, how could the Feng Imperial Family possibly be the leader of the fence-sitters?


    "Your Majesty, think about our first encounter with that boy." Eunuch Lu said, "Haven''t you noticed that we are still calling him ''That Boy'' and ''Him?'' He didn''t even tell us his name before he left! Obviously, he didn''t n to stay here. Most likely, those words were just fancy things he said to ensure his safety."


    Feng Fei''s face sunk in despair after she heard the reasonable words from Eunuch Lu.


    ''He''s right. He didn''t tell us anything about him. Neither the name of his n, sect, backer nor even a name. We know nothing about the boy but his looks and cultivation base!'' For the first time, Feng Fei felt the suffocating reality she was in.


    ''Uncle Hai is going to pass away in 10 years at thetest, and Long Tian is going to take action and kill us all!''


    However, just as she was about to break down in anguish, a sarcastic voice came from her side, seemingly timed perfectly to kick her when she was down.


    "Your Majesty, where is the Prince Consort? Academy Head Hai is about to appear, and we haven''t even seen his shadow! It''d be such a shame if he didn''t appear now at the ceremony you worked so hard to promote." A derisive and youthful voice sounded to Feng Fei''s left.


    Yet though Feng Fei was on the verge of a breakdown from despair, after she heard the voice, her crumbled-up face regained liveliness only to turn sour and disdain filled. After having her mood ruined even further, she didn''t turn her head at the voice. It was beneath her to give attention to the clown next to her.


    She knew very well who the voice belonged to, and because of that, she knew that responding to him would only make him more and more confident.


    The best way to deal with such a clown was to ignore him until he got tired of himself and left.


    Sadly, Feng Fei''s wishes to be alone were destined to be unfulfilled, as just as the first voice stopped, another one came. And this voice was one she couldn''t ignore.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Your Majesty, while my grandson can sometimes be somewhat persistent, it isn''t right for you to ignore him so tantly. What if amoner sees it and thinks lower of him? Won''t that lower my grandson''s image? It wouldn''t be good for you or my grandson if that happened." An old but heartful manughed.


    But while his tone was pleasant and diplomatic, any person with a brain could tell he meant nothing of the sort but was rather indirectly threatening Feng Fei.


    Feng Fei obviously could read between the lines, but instead of getting angry at the tant treachery and treason, she turned around with a smile and looked at the old man who had made her entire life a living hell.


    Long Tian, the Grand Duke of the Gen Empire, was a man far into his lifespan, but because of his ess to the entire wealth of the empire, even as he aged, he showed no signs of decline but rather looked more youthful.


    The longer he had a grasp on the economic situation of the empire, the more he could improve his vitality and push away his time of death.


    And while his hair, beard, and even eyebrows were white, not a single wrinkle was on his face. Even his eyes looked brighter than a falcon''s, showing none of the muddledness an old-timer would have.


    Long Tian was also dressed in a Golden Imperial Dragon Robe, but since he wasn''t officially the emperor yet, his robe only had 4 wspared to Feng Fei''s 5 wed Imperial Dragon Robe.


    Feng Fei didn''t look at the old man for as long. After she saw the smug and arrogant expression on his face, she couldn''t help but look away and toward the person to his left.


    Beside Long Tian was a tall and well-built young man around the age of 20, dressed in a pure white schr robe.


    The young man also held an ink brush in his left while also holding a scroll in his right, as if he were prepared topose a poem right there and then.


    His face was sharp and clean, while his eyes were bright and full of a youthfulness that a young man should have.


    Coupled with his profound cultivation of the Dharma Idol realm, the handsome young schr was a boy that no girl wouldn''t have a bad impression of at first nce.


    However, Feng Fei was different. She knew this bastard''s ugly side and would rather die than look in his direction for longer than a minute. So rather than drool at his looks like any normal girl did, she looked back at the Grand Duke and initiated a conversation.


    "Grand Duke, you look well! Have theplications you suffered from your cultivation technique been fixed?" Feng Fei asked caringly as if she genuinely cared for the man, but after a moment of hesitation, she stopped and corrected herself, "Oh no, forgive my foolish question. How could youe out from your Ivory Tower if they weren''t healed?"


    Ignoring the jab, Long Tian smirked before replying back.


    "Your Majesty, it seems that you''ve been home for too long. My Pce isn''t called "Ivory Tower" but rather Tianmen Pce." Long Tian asked back with the same amount of care in his tone.


    He was easily dozens of times older than Feng Fei, so how could he lose a battle of words?


    Even Feng Fei could tell that she was vastly outmatched, but the pride in her bones forced her to try at least once.


    So after losing easily in the first exchange, she gave the old man another look before turning around.


    After Feng Fei''s implicit admission of defeat, an odd silence started as the two parties didn''t bother to talk.


    Feng Fei hated every fiber of the two, and Eunuch Lu wouldn''t talk to anyone other than Feng Fei, and Long Tian and his grandson knew that continuing to converse with the puppet monarch would be met by silence.


    The silence continued for an awkward amount of time, but eventually, it was broken by a shout full of anger and panic.


    "You there! Stop! This is the Imperial Capital of the Gen Empire! There is no unauthorized flying allowed!"


    Instantly every single noble andmoner in attendance turned their heads to the skies above to see what was happening.


    Everyone in the Gen Empire knew who that voice belonged to. However, when it sounded so anxious and full of panic, they couldn''t help but be curious.


    The person who screamed was Long Tian''s son and also the head of the Imperial Guards, Long Zhenyu!


    An invincible general who had yet to face a defeat in his long 200-year journey.


    And now, at his ripe age of just over 200, Long Zhenyu was at the peak of the Domain Lord Realm, just like his father. Because of that, other than Academy Head Feng Hai, who was half a step into the Xiantian Great Realm, Long Zhenyu was thought to be invincible, yet now they could hear him sounding so weak and afraid.


    Long Tian could also hear the weakness in his son''s voice and was about to fly up and berate him, but just as he looked up at the sky and saw what his son was yelling at, his words got caught in his throat, and he only stammered.


    "A Xiantian Great Realm demonic beast!!??"

 Chapter 178 First Appearance In The Gen Empire

    ?First Appearance in the Gen Empire


    "Xue Bai, that fool is trying to attack me again! Though he is an ignorant fool, even ignorance has its limits as an excuse." Liu Mei said to Xue Bai, whoid on her back.


    The two had spent the past few days flying around the Mountain Province, getting a few important things that Xue Bai needed, and only now returning to the Gen Empire.


    Thankfully Xue Bai remembered what time the entrance exam started, so he was able to n around it and return without beingte.


    But since he didn''t know of the Gen Empire''s stupid tradition of being early, he came at his own pace.


    However, as they flew in, they also drew the attention of the Imperial Guard Leader Long Zhenyu as they flew in.


    Liu Mei was arge demonic beast, and her wingspan could even enshroud the sun. So it was only right that Long Zhenyu noticed her and tried to stop her from entering the capital.


    Yet when he came face to face with her Xiantian Great Realm cultivation base, he didn''t dare to use force to aplish his mission but rather a threat.


    Though Liu Mei was strong, the Gen Empire wasn''t weak either, and they certainly had the means to take down an arrogant Xiantian Great Realm bird.


    Of course, this was all in Xue Bai''s calctions. Before flying over the capital, he had made Liu Mei suppress her cultivation to the 2nd stage of the Spirit Awakening realm. This way, she would still be overwhelmingly strong in the weak Gen Empire but not enough topletely suppress the ambitions of Long Tian and his allies.


    Xue Bai had a feeling that Long Tian wasn''t alone in his schemes and either had a backer or a strong friend at his side.


    If not, how could he be so tant with his schemes and ignore the half-step Xiantian Great Realm, Feng Hai?


    Though Long Tian was at the peak of the Domain Lord realm and Feng Hai was old, and at the end of his rope, his half-step Xiantian Great Realm cultivation base was far from something Long Tian could handle.


    So this meant two things, either that Long Tian was just a reckless fool or had a backer that suppressed Feng Hai from doing anything drastic.


    However, since it was more than known that Long Tian was a cautious and calctive man, the former was out of the question. That meant that somewhere, unbeknownst to everyone else, Long Tian had a person stronger than Feng Hai at his back, which stopped the Academy Head from doing anything.


    And while Xue Bai didn''t know who exactly his backer was, he had Liu Mei. So she was his key to figuring out who it was and disposing of him.


    This is why he made her suppress her cultivation base by a few realms. After all, once the person at Long Tian''s back saw her Spirit Expansion Realm cultivation base, he would be gone the next morning, and with him, so would Long Tian.


    So until both the Grand Duke and his backer were caught together, Liu Mei had to hold back a little.


    At first, the Heaven Chasing Eagle was extremely against the idea of suppressing her cultivation so far, but after Xue Bai promised to get her something, she agreed on the condition she would be able to fight back against anyone who disrespected her.


    And that use was being taken into effect right now with Long Zhenyu, almost about to send an attack at her.


    Xue Bai knew this and could only let her do as she wished.


    "You can do what you want, but don''t kill the man. He''s extremely important. Killing him would most likely cause Long Tian to do something drastic." Xue Bai sighed.


    Liu Mei only grunted in response before turning around at the man who had been pestering her for so long.


    "Get off my back, Xue Bai. I want to beat this man down personally!" Liu Mei said as she shifted into her human form.


    Xue Bai obeyed and pulled out a flying sword he had recently ''bought'' and levitated on it using his Sword Lawprehension.


    "Again, all you need to do is keep him alive. Also, don''t cripple him." Xue Bai sighed as he watched Liu Mei enter her human form.


    But this time, like her cultivation, Xue Bai made her keep her wings out. Though the Heaven Chasing Eagle was a rare demonic beast and almost no one in the Baishen ne knew of its existence, once Long Tian saw Liu Mei with a perfect human form, they would know she had a high tier bloodline even if they didn''t know its name.


    For this matter, Liu Mei didn''t care much. She loved her demonic beast form much more than her human form, so the wings being out only made her morefortable when she kept them hidden.


    However, after a second of thought, Xue Bai added something, "Much."


    Liu Mei nodded with excitement and cracked her knuckles.


    But unlike Liu Mei''s overflowing excitement, Long Zhenyu was terrified and started to back up.


    "Miss, I''m just a man doing my job. Surely you can''t get angry at a humble worker like me?" Long Zhenyu awkwardlyughed as he tried to defuse the situation.


    Yet Liu Mei wasn''t having his sugarcoated nonsense. And with cheerfulughter, her fists glowed with a bright white light as she charged at the Imperial Guard Leader.


    Long Zhenyu could tell that there was no way out of a fight, so rather than cowardly back down and damage his image in the minds of the Gen Empire civilians down below, he chose to fight.


    "Demonic beast! I''ll take you down on behalf of both the Gen Empire and the Heavens themselves!" Long Zhenyu shouted out in hopes of gaining some confidence, but even as he did, he still felt none.


    Liu Mei wasn''t dismayed by his shouts but instead was ignited with a fighting spirit. It had been too long since herst fight!<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Don''t croak too early, human!"


    Down below, near the entrance to the Gen Empire Academy, arge crowd was starting to gather as more and more people wanted to see what was happening in the skies above. Plus, by grouping up, less knowledgeable cultivators could hear thementary of the peak powerhouses in attendance.


    "Your Majesty, isn''t that¡­ him?" Eunuch Lu couldn''t help but whisper at Feng Fei.


    Xue Bai right now had long taken off his bamboo hat and full-body cloak so right now he was perfectly visible to the people down below.


    The only change in his appearance was from the 1000-year-old Tree Heart, where he gained back some of his muscle and vitality. However, those changes weren''t anywhere near drastic enough to fully change his appearance.


    So it went without question that Eunuch Lu and Feng Fei could recognize him, which was something he wanted.


    Therger the shock factor he made to the people down below, the better the first impression.


    And in order to create a faction that would have to go against Long Tian and his entourage, he needed a damn good first impression.


    Liu Mei was perfect for that role.


    "It is, Old Lu!" Feng Fei''s previously deste expression immediately lit up as she noticed Xue Bai above. The signature full body-length purple hair was something that no other human she knew had.


    "But who is thatdy with him? He was only gone for a week. So how the hell did he get a Xiantian Great Realm demonic beast to be a mount?" Old Lu thought aloud.


    "Does it matter? A demonic beast in the Xiantian Great Realm is now on our side, Old Lu! With such a powerhouse on our side, even Long Tian wouldn''t dare let out a fuss." Excited, Feng Fei started to n for the bright future she could envision.


    Away from the two, Long Tian and his grandson Long San were questioning what was happening up in the skies.


    "Grandfather, is that boy on the sword the Prince Consort?" Long San asked as he squinted up at Xue Bai. However, as his tone was polite and his words just as elegant as his appearance, his facial expression couldn''t be more different.


    Long San''s mouth was stretched out in such a sinister smile it would scare most children, while his eyes exuded a ferocity that no human his age could possess.


    It was almost as if Long San was a demonic beast in human form that a human right now.


    Long Tian could also see the ferocitying out of his grandson, so instead of answering his question, he first smacked the back of the young man''s neck.


    "You''re revealing your ferocious side again. How many times must I tell you never to reveal it in public? Must you expose our ns to the entire empire before you get it into your thick skull!" Long Tian scolded Long San.


    Long San, however, was in no condition to respond as his grandfather barely held back his strength in the p, and as a result, Long San was sent tumbling forward with a stinging headache.


    Yet he didn''tin nor even cry but only held his head in pain and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.


    "And yes, that is the Prince Consort and your enemy." Long Tian said as he focused on the ''fight'' happening up in the skies.


    But though he called it a fight, at this point, it could only be called a one-sided beatdown.


    "Come on, human! Where''s all the tenacity you had earlier!" Liu Mei insulted as she sent Long Zhenyu into the ground below with a kick.


    "Weren''t you going to take the ce of the Heavens and smite me down? Why are you the one falling?" Liu Meiughed as she flew down to chase the Imperial Guard Leader.


    "Father, I need assistance to take down this demon! So please take up your sword once again and help me keep the peace of the empire!" Long Zhenyu shouted out as he tried to suppress the raging internal damage he had.


    Since Xue Bai had to tell her not to kill the man, Liu Mei had only been attacking using prative skills that would damage the insides of a cultivator while leaving his outer appearance rtively intact.


    This way, she could turn anyone she beat into a pig head!


    It was a genius method she discovered herself.


    And right now, her method was working, as while Long Zhenyu had been beaten down for 3 minutes, nothing other than his face was hit. And to call his current appearance deformed would be an understatement.


    If it weren''t for his armor that no one else would dare to wear and the fact they had seen Long Zhenyu inside the fight, no person in the crowd would''ve corrted the two, not even Long Tian, the man''s father.


    Long Tian could also see the oue of the fight, and since he knew that he would only join his son''s fate should he join in, Long Tian decided to instead admit on his son''s behalf and stop it.


    Taking a wide step, Long Tian appeared in front of Long Zhenyu and ignored the still-charging Liu Mei and looked up at Xue Bai, who was still floating up in the sky.


    "Prince Consort, surely this is enough of an opening act? Any more, and you might injure Imperial Guard Zhenyu so severely that he won''t be able to recover in a short time. And since Imperial Guard Zhenyu is such a major key fighter for us, if the nearby empires got a hold of the news of his injury, they certainly won''t hesitate to start a small-scale invasion. Are you willing to shoulder the me of war and the many soldier and civilian deaths that would follow?"


    ''Holy fuck, this guy is good!'' Xue Bai couldn''t speak a word.

 Chapter 179 Another Lackey

    ?Another Lackey


    Though Xue Bai learned how to talk eloquently from his teacher a few years ago, it was at most just polite talk that worked well in a public setting.


    But when it came to talking eloquently and still being able to mix in hidden insults and threats, Xue Bai could only call himself an amateur.


    So when he heard Long Tian not only indirectly call him a brutal person but also say he had to take the me for the war, Xue Bai couldn''t help but be tongue-tied.


    ''How the hell did you reach such a conclusion from Liu Mei defending herself?''


    Long Tian could also see this and instantly had his confidence skyrocket.


    ''So what if you are a Young Master of some n in the Central Continent? You''re still too young! A kid who is still wet behind the ears can''t even talk back to me!''


    Bing more confident in himself, Long Tian was about to press more onto Xue Bai, but before he could, a milky white fist connected with his chin and sent him flying for hundreds of meters, and firmly stuck him into a wall.


    "I hate people like you the most! If you''re going to talk, speak coherently and straightforwardly. What''s the point of being so wishy-washy?" Liu Mei spat.


    Silence ensued.


    No one expected Liu Mei to slug Long Tian randomly and so hard too.


    Looking over at her previous opponent, they saw Long Zhenyu submerged in the ground, with only his neck and up shown. However, they couldn''t help but cringe once they looked at his face.


    None of the heroism or grandeur that the Imperial Guard Leader once was famed for was there. His eyes had swelled up to the size of oranges, while his lips looked as wide as a water bottle. And if they looked even closer, they could see that the man didn''t even have any teeth left!


    Sure, regenerating a lost tooth wasn''t very hard, especially with the vitality of a peak stage Domain Lord like Long Zhenyu or with the wealth he possessed, but still walking around with just his gums until they regenerated would certainly be embarrassing, especially for someone like Long Zhenyu, who cared about his reputation more than he did his own son.


    Such an oue was almost as bad as death to the prideful and narcissistic Long Zhenyu.


    So sure, Long Tian did indeed look extremely pitiful as he tried to pull himself out of the wall that Liu Mei sent him flying into. But once they looked at the pig head version of Long Zhenyu, the crowd thought what happened to Long Tian was a blessing.


    But unlike most of the crowd, Xue Bai, Feng Fei, and Eunuch Lu only had praise toward Liu Mei.


    Xue Bai even went as far as to give the bird a thumbs up.


    It reminded him of the core truth of the cultivation world. Whoever had a stronger fist was right and just.


    Long Tian was a man who could manipte an entire empire from behind the scene, but now he was merely a wall decoration in front of Liu Mei.


    No matter how good someone was at chess, what would you do when someone flipped the board? And this saying perfectly matched this situation.


    Though Long Tian could fiddle with the minds of many with his words and win fights before they even began with his linguistic skills, all of these needed for him to talk to be aplished. So what would happen when he ran into a stronger and more simplistic Liu Mei?


    A one-sided beatdown is what.


    Seeing the situation end, Xue Bai also thought it was time for him to introduce himself. So controlling his flying sword to descend, Xue Bainded in the center of the small crowd that had gathered.


    "While I don''t know how Your Majesty has introduced me, or if she has at all yet, I will take this moment to do so myself. My name is Xue Bai, the new Prince Consort. I hope you all can take care of me in the future." Xue Bai said in an eloquent manner, attracting the nods of many people nearby.


    After his introduction, all of the nobles and cultivators in the crowd looked back at what happened to the still-stuck Long Tian, the pig head Long Zhenyu and the still happy-looking Liu Mei. They couldn''t help but think that Xue Bai was much more pleasing to the eye.


    "Also forgive my pet¡­panion. She hasn''t been in the human world for a very long time and doesn''t know much of its traditions. Where she lived, a good blood-boiling battle is the easiest and also the mostmon way to greet someone. In fact, the more one hurts the other, the better their first impression of them. So while she did hurt the Imperial Guard Leader, it was all in good meaning." Xue Bai lied through his teeth.


    When he first said the word pet, Liu Mei instantly red at him and made him instantly change the phrasing.


    As for the words after that, Xue Bai once read them in a cultivation novel, and since he had such a perfect opportunity to use them, why shouldn''t he? Whether the people believed him or not didn''t matter at all in his mind.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Liu Mei was still here, just a few feet away from Xue Bai, so who would dare point out something?


    And as for them proving his statement to be a lie? That was even less possible.


    The only reason Liu Mei left her cave was for Xue Bai and his promise. But while she did agree to leave, Liu Mei didn''t agree to be respectful to anyone other than him and his eventual subordinates.


    So there was no chance she would go out and point out the lies in statements. She would only gain Xue Bai''s ire if she did so.


    Xue Bai also took this moment of awkward silence while the nobles examined him to do the same.


    Most of the nobles in attendance were either in the Law Engraving or the Law Manifestation realm, with a few exceptions still in the Dharma Idol realm. However, other than the vegetable cosying Long Zhenyu and the wall decoration Long Tian, no one was in the Domain Lord realm.


    ''Weaker than I thought. But I don''t know what I was expecting. This is the second-worst Province in the entire continent, after all.'' Xue Bai thought inwardly.


    But as Xue Bai was looking at the many people in attendance, he suddenly felt a malicious gaze at his side.


    Looking over, Xue Bai suddenly saw the first familiar face he had seen since arriving here on the Northern Continent.


    ''That''s Long San, isn''t it?'' Xue Bai instantly recognized the schrly yet dangerous-looking Long San at his side.


    However, as he looked at Long San, he realized that there were many differences between the two Long San''s he knew.


    The one in the plot was much more malicious and scarily looking, to the point where he barely resembled a human. But now, even though Xue Bai could see some of the maliciousness now, it was nowhere near the amount from what he remembered. So it seems that at this point, Long San still hadn''t fully ckened yet and still had some human semnce.


    ''Doesn''t matter. Now that he''s here, that means I can finally start cultivating that!'' Thinking that far, Xue Bai''s gaze turned from analyzing to careful and gentle, as if Long San were a precious flower he was nning to raise.


    Long San himself was stunned at the switch-up, but since his grandfather had said that Xue Bai was his enemy, he didn''t question it and continued to re at Xue Bai.


    As the two participated in an odd staredown, Feng Fei and Eunuch Lu quickly stepped in between the two.


    "Xue Bai, stop staring at that clown. You''ve already made an enemy of every single person in the Grand Duke''s lineage! Staring at him like that won''t do anything but make your reputation weird. Come over, and we can finally start the entrance exam. Right, Head Instructor Li?" Feng Fei quickly said as she tried to get Xue Bai to stop looking at Long San so weirdly.


    ''Xue Bai, you''re supposed to be my concubine, so why the hell are you looking at a man so dotingly?? Do you bend that way?'' Feng Fei was so confused, but since this wasn''t the time to question Xue Bai''s tastes, she didn''t ask any questions here.


    Agreeing with the woman''s words, Xue Bai, Soviet, reluctantly looked away from his tonic and over to where she was pointing at.


    There he found a hunchback old man shakily standing with the help of a cane. From a wrinkled forehead to a faint aura of death around him, the old man looked to be only a few years at most away from death, but as Xue Bai made eye contact with him, he suddenly felt like he was being analyzed with a magnifying ss.


    It was like all of his secrets were being seen through.


    ''This old man must have some special eyes.'' Xue Bai mentally noted down. But he also ignored the feeling at the same time.


    No matter how special the old man''s eyes were, he wouldn''t be able to see through even the smallest secret he possessed. At most, he would be able through his weakened state or the fact that he had cultivated all of the Purification Stages.


    Beyond those two things, what else could the man see through? Therefore Xue Bai was calm and let the old man do what he was doing.


    But while he did let the old man analyze him, Xue Bai could see that deep in the man''s eyes. There was a hint of both anger and disdain.


    Obviously, the old man was either on Long Tian''s payroll or hated Feng Fe and, consequently, was against Xue Baii. Either way, Xue Bai guessed that his appraisal wasn''t going to be a good one.


    Slowly throughplete silence, almost a minute passed before the Head Instructor spoke up.


    "Your Majesty, I can''t allow this anomaly to enter our school gates! The Prince Consort may see himself out. Students follow me inside, and the entrance exam will start soon!" And with a wave of his leave, the old man turned around and walked inside, ignoring the stunned Feng Fei.


    However, to his shock and terror, just as he turned around, a white figure shed in front of him, blocking his path.

 Chapter 180 Xue Bai Interrupts The Stereotypical Plot

    ?Xue Bai Interrupts the Stereotypical Plot


    "Oi, old man, aren''t you being too disrespectful? Aren''t old fogeys like you supposed to love the younger generation for more than their own lives? Why are you sending off the greatest being in this puny continent''s history just because he is too unfathomable? If anything, the fact that you couldn''t see through him with your eyes is a greater reason for you to bring him in." Liu Mei asked as she cracked her knuckles once more.


    Though her words were to the point and thorough, she still didn''t like to talk so much. So the second the Head Instructor disagreed, she nned to go back to her roots.


    Besides the implicit threat of physical violence, Liu Mei also looked over at the vegetable cosying Long Zhenyu, implying that the old man wouldn''t end up much different if he disagreed.


    Afraid of being beaten and imnted into the ground like a potato and also embarrassed he was seen through, the Head Instructor was at a loss for words for a moment and began to stammer.


    Thankfully before he said something exposing, someone came to his rescue.


    "Beast, this is the Gen Empire, not your forest. Don''t judge us by your primitive cognition. If even Head Instructors Li''s Divine Piercing Eyes can''t see through the Prince Consort, then that means that the boy right there has too many secrets on him to be safely let into the Academy." A booming voice came from the Academy gates.


    Following the promation, the gates swung open and revealed the owner of the voice.


    The booming voice''s owner matched the power of his voice.


    With a burly statue that stood over 2 meters and bulging muscles, the man who made his presence known was a macho man, to say the least. Even his arms were thicker than Xue Bai''s waist. However, once Xue Bai looked at the top of his head, he couldn''t help but remember a specific fictional character from his previous life.


    ''This man must''ve trained too hard as well.''


    "Yes, an academy''s goal is to acquire and cultivate talents for the empire, but they also have the duty to protect their own students! That is why for every student who enters, Head Instructor Li will look through their secrets with his Divine Piercing Eye. So if his eyes don''t work on a student in any facet like they did now, then that only means the student is an anomaly! And if we allow such an anomaly into our walls, then we are also putting all of our other students in danger!" The burly man continued as he stepped out of the Academy''s gates.


    "If his eyes don''t work on me, then how dare you use such a pompous name like the Divine Piercing Eyes?" Xue Baiughed sarcastically.


    ''From the Martial God Pavilion to now the Divine Piercing Eyes, it seems that the Northern Continent loves over-the-top names.'' Xue Bai amusedly thought.


    However, unlike his and Liu Mei''s faces full ofughter, the Head Instructor''s face was redder than a tomato.


    He was angry at his core technique being insulted, but since he couldn''t attack the person who insulted it, the Head Instructor could only sit and bake like a loaf of bread in the oven.


    "The strength of the Head Instructors Divine Piercing Eyes doesn''t matter in this situation. The only thing that does is the fact that you, Prince Consort Xue Bai, are a threat. And we can''t allow you in!" The Burly Man saw Head Instructor Li''s emotions fluctuating and spoke before the old man blew up.


    "So what? Are you saying that you''ll only let me in if I divulge all the secrets I have on my body?" Xue Baiughed.


    What cultivator didn''t have secrets on them? Especially him, who had enough knowledge to wring half of the Baishen ne dry.


    Obviously, this muscle-brained brute was anotherckey of Long Tian and was just making it hard for him.


    "Yes, it''s true that every cultivator has secrets, but that has to do with their cultivation speed, treasures, and other items they found in their journey to immortality. However with you, we know nothing about you other than your name! For all we know, you could be a spy who is trying to take over the Gen Empire from the inside."


    "So if you are going to say that I want to see all of your secrets, then sure. Then sure! That is exactly what I want! Until you can prove to the rest of the Academy''s staff and me that you aren''t a danger to our students, you aren''t wee, Prince Consort, if that''s who you truly are." The man replied bluntly.


    "There was no wedding, no ceremony, or even an announcement to the public about your enthronement. We didn''t even know your name until you introduced yourself a few moments ago. If I let you into the academy walls, not only will I threaten the students inside, but also the staff. Just look at what happened to the Grand Duke and his son!"


    Xue Bai ignored that part.


    "Nonsense!" Feng Fei suddenly shouted.


    "The business inside my own Imperial Harem has nothing to do with the empire. Should I wish to take a concubine, why should I, the Monarch of this empire, have to announce it? Neither my grandfather nor his father had either."


    The burly man was unphased and merely shrugged his shoulders in response before crossing his arms at his chest. So obviously, he knew Feng Fei was right, but so what?


    Did she think she was in the same ss as her grandfather and great-grandfather?


    Those two men were Xiantian Great Realm experts whomanded the entire empire, while Feng Fei was a mortal woman with no backing or faction to her name.


    Even if those two men wiped out an entire Duke Family, the Gen Empiremoners would call the Duke Family traitors and criminals the next day.


    However, Feng Fei didn''t have the strength or reputation to do such a feat.


    She and the previous emperors were of different sses. Other than the Feng surname, there were no simrities!


    However, just as Feng Fei fell into despair once more and Xue Bai and Liu Mei were about to resort to violence once more, another voice sounded from behind the burly man.


    "Old Ling, is there really such a need to go so far?"


    As the aged voice floated into the crowd, everyone''s attention was grabbed, and they all looked at the old figure it belonged to.


    "Uncle Hai!" Feng Fei shouted in glee as she went over to the older man.


    Adorned in a robe simr to Long Tian''s with a 4-wed dragon, the Headmaster easily gained everyone''s attention.


    The Headmaster wasn''t tall like Old Ling, but from the pressure he subconsciously exuded, no one dared to think that he was any weaker.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But once they looked at his hairline, at the white hairs that had begun to sprout out, and the weakness in his eyes, anyone with sharp eyes could see that he was weakened.


    "Uncle Hai, are you sure you cane out? What about your ¡­?" Feng Fei spoke worriedly.


    Feng Fei was one of the few people who knew what was going on with Dean Hai, and for him to be out and involved with this dispute was a surprise to her.


    But it also made her concerned. Though what was happening was undoubtedly a problem, Feng Fei didn''t think it was big enough for Dean Hai to get involved in it.


    And if his old injuries were rpsed because of this and Dean Hai''s already short enough remaining lifespan was shortened, Feng Fei wouldn''t even be able to forgive herself. So she obviously wanted Dean Hai to return lest something bad happened to him.


    But the Dean just waved her concern off.


    "It''s fine, Little Fei. Staying locked up in my room won''t do me any good. I might as well go out and help you." Dean Hai dotingly said as he rubbed Feng Fei''s head.


    After a quick pet, Dean Hai looked back at his ''old friend'' awaiting his answer.


    However, his friend didn''t even bother to turn around and address him. Instead, Old Ling just snorted in response.


    "Sigh~~ Fine, since you wanted this for so long, I''ll do it. I''ll wage my position on Young Friend Xue Bai. If he endangers a student for no reason and interferes with the safety of the academy, you may have my position."


    "Uncle Hai!" Feng Fei shouted in distress.


    The only thing that was helping her family''s situation was the fact that Feng Hai was still the Dean of the empire''s academy.


    So the second that he lost the position, not only would theirst piece of influence leave them, but also they would fully be mere puppets who were waiting for death.


    Yet before she could say another and try to dissuade Feng Hai from making a decision, the man spoke once more.


    "Didn''t you trust that boy strongly enough to organize this? So what if I also put some trust in him too? You were the one who told me that boy is thest spear for our Feng Imperial Family, so if I don''t put in the same amount of risk that you did, then how can I go around and call myself a member of the Feng Imperial n!" Dean Hai shouted as he stood up straight and revealed a strong and headstrong side.


    Sure, he knew that such a move was risky, especially since even Feng Fei didn''t know much about Xue Bai or if he truly could be the spear they needed, but like Feng Fei told him a few days ago, what other choice did they have?


    Before Xue Bai''s arrival a few months ago, he, his sister-inw, and Feng Fei were all without any hope and were waiting for their deaths. But now that Xue Bai was here, the three of them saw a glimpse of light down the tunnel.


    So why should he, the strongest of the three, just sit back and mooch off the risk that Feng Fei put in? The girl had not only sacrificed her image by making Xue Bai a concubine but also gave up almost all of her pride by begging the many fence-sitters toe here and watch Xue Bai''s first appearance.


    How could he live with him if he couldn''t put in any chips?


    After Dean Hai made the promation, Old Ling, who had stayed silent, suddenly lit up in joy.


    "Then it''s fine! Head Instructor Li, you can permit the anions to take the exam. However, do keep an extra eye on him. He might just do something drastic." And with a stomp, Old Ling flew into the air, leaving the area.


    However, just as the man managed to fly a few dozen meters away, Xue Bai suddenly spoke up.


    "Huh? Who the hell said I agreed to this? Liu Mei, knock that bastard down!" Xue Bai spat angrily.


    Liu Mei hadn''t heard a better sentence all day and wasted no time at all before fulfilling themand.


    pping her wings, Liu Mei almost teleported in front of Old Ling before sending him flying back down to the ground with a white light-coated fist.


    "You idiotic bird! I already said that this isn''t a ce for you to run amok!" After being sent down to the ground even faster than he flew up, Old Ling was fuming, and with a rage-filled shout, he went into his spatial ring and pulled out a talisman coated in red ink.


    However, to his shock and disbelief, before he could activate it, a purple sword sh flew over to his hand and severed itpletely.


    "Huh?! AH! My hand!" Mortified at the sudden attack, Old Ling couldn''t help but scream in panic. But the more he screamed, the higher pitch his voice got. Eventually, his screams no longer resembled a human''s but rather a pig''s squeal.


    Xue Bai''s Dao of Space could potentially slice through anything within his Great Realm. However, there were many other factors than just its strength.


    Sure, if a child had a sledgehammer, it could kill an adult. But that wasn''t a reasonable oue. When factoring in the child''s ability to use the hammer, its speed, its dexterity, and then also the adult''s superior stats, it wasn''t likely for the child to even hurt the adult, let alone kill it.


    The same was with his Dao of Space. Sure, he could potentially kill a Domain Lord realm cultivator. But as long as the Domain Lord realm cultivator had even half of his awareness, he would be able to easily dodge all of Xue Bai''s attacks, making them useless even though they were overwhelmingly powerful.


    Sadly Old Ling was stunned in dizziness by Liu Mei''s prative punch and didn''t even have enough wits to know which direction was up, making him vulnerable to Xue Bai''s sword sh. Moreover, coupled with the fact of his neglecting a Bone Strengthening realm Xue Bai and with his main focus of the talisman in his hand and Liu Mei, getting hit by Xue Bai''s sword sh wasn''t impractical.


    "Liu Mei shut him up. It''s getting annoying." Xue Bai said as he calmly stored his Lava Spring Sword back in his spatial ring.


    Once again, Liu Mei didn''t hesitate, and with a strong punch to the man''s jaw, she disabled his speaking abilities.


    With the crowd''s attention on him, Xue Bai nodded in contentment and walked over.


    Calmly picking up the man''s severed hand, Xue Baimented, "Good talisman, old bat. But, of course, since I won the prize, I''ll keep it for myself. But beyond that, answer my question. Who the hell do you think you are to make decisions for me?!"

 Chapter 181 The Hammer

    ?The Hammer


    The burly man obviously couldn''t talk aloud, so he could only make sounds with his broken jaw in hopes that Xue Bai would understand him.


    However, Xue Bai had long had enough of this arrogant muscle-brained man, so he didn''t attempt to decipher the man''s pleas but instead made it hard for him.


    "Liu Mei, this man thinks he''s so high and mighty that he can ignore mymands. Smack some sense into him!" Xue Bai said as he pointed at the man''s face.


    After he pped his dad a few years ago, Xue Bai long learned the lesson that Domain Lord realm cultivators had thick skin. So this time, he stopped himself from being hurt and instead asked Liu Mei to do it.


    Of course, this would take away the fun, but it still was better than hurting his still-healing hand muscles.


    Xue Bai didn''t think such a situation would be the only time. So he knew that he could always p a Domain Lord another day.


    Hearing the request, Liu Mei felt ecstatic and loved being with Xue Bai more and more. She had only left the cave for a few days, and he had taken her around the Mountain Province and stolen countless natural treasures before taking her to an empire and having her beat up three of their most influential people!


    Such an experience was exhrating to the barbaric Liu Mei. And without hesitation smacked Old Ling a few times. However, each p was at more than 40% of her strength, leaving the man nauseous and dizzy.


    But at the same time, she also rearranged his jaw, allowing him to speak.


    "You two demons! How dare you sever my hand!" Yet even as he regained his speaking ability, Old Ling still had no ns to answer Xue Bai''s questions and instead started raging.


    "Because you spoke for me, idiot." Xue Bai said as he put on a boot on the immobilized man''s head.


    "You have been arrogant for too long and have lost your worldview. Your words earlier were right. I have secrets, and I am not a member of your empire, but you were foolish and thought that I was someone you could knead at will like a piece of dough. I''m joining this Academy by my own decision. Whether you like it or not is none of my business." Xue Bai harrumphed.


    People who lived without contest for too long had a hard time adjusting to change.


    This old thing thought because of his previous experiences, with being in control of almost all of the Academy and that he had Long Tian at his back, he could use any living being in the Empire as a chess piece and manipte them to his liking. However, in his arrogance and conceit, he forgot a core detail. There was still a sky above the sky!


    Continuing to use the chess example, Long Tian and Feng Fei would be the yers of the game, controlling the many pieces, while Old Ling and Feng Hai would be their queens. And Old Lin thought that Xue Bai was just another pawn of Feng Fei he could capture at ease.


    But Xue Bai wasn''t a pawn, king, or even a queen. Instead, he was a hammer that swung down at the board, messing up the whole game!


    All of the ns, plotting, scheming, sacrifices, and work that Long Tian had done over the past decade was sent flying into the air along with the rest of the board!


    Sure, the game could still be yed, but nothing was in order anymore, and it was anyone''s game now.


    "There will be no plotting or any of these stupid games where you think you can dictate my entire life with just a word. I am here to cultivate using your Empire''s resources. And since I am polite, I n to join your Academy and get them righteously. However, my opinion can change easily. After all, I am known as a fickle fellow. So either that or I get Liu Mei over there to steal them for me." Xue Bai said as he gave the man a few light ps on the cheek, "So I''ll give you a choice Old Ling. Which would you like?"


    Hearing and feeling Xue Bai treat him like a courtesan at a brothel, there were so many emotions running throughout the body of Old Ling. However, after being beaten so many times, losing a hand, having his most prized defensive treasure stolen from him, and being pped in the face by a kid, he became smarter.


    And this time, instead of raging once more, Old Ling gritted his teeth in anger, forced down his rising blood pressure, and answered Xue Bai''s question obediently.


    "The former!"


    "Good man!" Xue Bai proudly nodded as he praised the man himself. And after giving the man, a few more light ps of praise got his foot off his back.


    "Head Instructor Li, Old Ling had a sudden enlightenment and withdrew from the bet he made with the Academy Head and has given me permission to take the exam with no strings attached!" Xue Bai announced, not caring for the many floored looks he was receiving.


    ''Who the hell would believe that!'' Everyone roared in their minds, but the terror that Liu Mei made and the purple sword sh that Xue Bai sent off made their thoughts stay thoughts.


    "Stupid bird! How dare you sneak attack me!" Then, finally, when everyone''s mind was screaming, Long Tian managed to get his head out of the wall. But as he did, he suddenly realized that the situation that he had thought was happening was no longer, but rather apletely different one.


    "What is happening here? Why is Brother Ling missing a hand?" Long Tian''s poor old brain couldn''t grasp the new situation, so he could only mutter stupid questions in hopes that someone could answer him.


    Sadly this would never happen, as before anyone could warn him, another white fist sent him flying into the same wall just a few feet away.


    Content with her artistic talents, Liu Mei, dusted off her fist and nodded.


    "I''m getting better at this greeting stuff. Maybe I should practice with others." Liu Mei thought aloud. But as she surveyed the crowd in hopes of volunteers, everyone jumped back dozens of meters away in freight.


    ''Even the peak stage Domain Lord realm Long Tian was sent flying like a ragdoll from her fists! If they were punched by her, heaven knows if they would even survive!


    "Liu Mei, stop scaring everyone." Xue Bai said after he saw the effect Liu Mei''s presence had on the nobles.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And while he did seem like he was chastising her, in his heart, he was happy at her actions.


    This was the effect he wanted!


    The more desperate and scared the people of this empire were of Liu Mei, the faster Long Tian''s backer would appear!


    Even until now, Liu Mei hadn''t bothered to conceal her ''cultivation base,'' and her 2nd stage Spirit Awakening realm cultivation base was out in full glory.


    Of course, Xue Bai didn''t know how strong Long Tian''s backer was or if maybe the mysterious puppet master was even in the Xiantian Great Realm, but he had a gut feeling that the mystery man was a lot stronger than Liu Mei was showing.


    And through this event, Xue Bai hoped that Long Tian and his faction would go out and plead with the man to enact vengeance for them.


    This way, the puppet master would be cleaned up early, and Xue Bai would be able to start phase two of his Northern Continent piging.


    Until then, Xue Bai would continue to terrorize the Grand Duke''s faction!


    ''There are no hard feelings. It was just fate that you were against me from the beginning.''


    Liu Mei was obedient, and after being told to stop, she did. And to everyone''s surprise, her body erupted with a white sh. Soon after, she swapped forms and returned to her demonic beast form.


    However, this time, Liu Mei was much smaller than she was when they first entered.


    Shrinking to just about the size of a normal eagle, Liu Mei flew over to Xue Bai andnded peacefully on his shoulder.


    "Alright, Head Instructor Li, lead the way. I can''t wait to see the inside of the Academy I had heard so much about." Giving the eagle a few pets on the head, Xue Bai looked back at the dazed old man and spoke elegantly.


    Head Instructor Li and the many students behind him who were chosen to take the entrance exam were all terrified at the purple-robed Xue Bai. So every step Xue Bai took toward them, they would also take one backward.


    The strange phenomenon happened to the point where one of the students backed up into the very wall that Long Tian was still stuck in.


    "Damn bird! Let me out!" Thinking the person who bumped into him was Liu Mei, Long Tian angrily shouted.


    "Grand Duke, it''s me, Tian Yan, not Prince Consort Xue''spanion." The scared boy awkwardly said as he tried to calm the Grand Duke down.


    "Tian Yan? You''re Marquis Tian''s son?" Long Tian subconsciously asked.


    "Yes, I am."


    "Then let me out! Have youe to me just to kick me down some more?!" Long Tian raged.


    The walls of the Academy were so thick that Long Tian couldn''t use his arms to pull himself out. Coupled with the many defensive arrays that were scattered throughout the wall, Long Tian didn''t dare to use too much force lest he gets sted by one of the arrays inside the walls.


    That was why he took so long to get out and couldn''t even sense or hear much of the events happening around him.


    If not for Tian Yan being so close, Long Tian would''ve still been oblivious to his existence and continued to try and il himself out of the wall.


    "Ah, yes!" Tian Yan quickly went to help the Grand Duke.


    And after a few pulls ofbined effort, the old man was pulled out.


    There he saw Head Instructor Li and the five other students who came to take the exam huddled up in fear of Xue Bai. However, once he looked at Xue Bai, he was confused about what the people were so scared of.


    "What are you fools so afraid of? That gigolo is only in the Bone Strengthening realm. Have you all lost your guts?" Long Tian snorted in disdain, but he didn''t attack.


    ''Old man, how about you try and not be afraid! Who are you fooling? We can still see your apprehensive eyes!''


    Of course, Long Tian didn''t know the thoughts of the people he just insulted, but if he did, he would agree. Since he didn''t know where Liu Mei was currently, Long Tian was scared that the eagle was hiding somewhere to send him flying again.


    However, after a few seconds of scanning his surroundings and seeing nothing, he deemed the coast to be clear, so with a snort and a wave of his sleeve, he left.


    Leaving his vegetable-cosying son and terrified grandson behind.


    ''I need to speak with Master about this!''

 Chapter 182 Entering The Academy

    ?Entering the Academy


    "Prince Consort, pleasee over here. This is the first test of our Gen Empire Academy entrance exam." Head Instructor Li said with a pained voice.


    After telling Liu Mei to stay outside and wait, Xue Bai eventually managed to calm down the Head Instructor and other students.


    Since Xue Bai knew he still had Yue Zifeng''s soul imprint on his body still, he was fine with having the eagle be far away from him. Nobody here could hurt him anyway, so if anything Liu Mei being far away would only be beneficial.


    And after walking through the tall Academy gates, Head Instructor Li guided the group of students toward a small building just a few meters away from the gates.


    The building was simplistically built, resembling a normal residential house with two floors. However, once the students entered, they realized that the building didn''t have two floors but rather was all one floor with arge ceiling.


    Inside the building were three 4-meter-tall stone pirs, each with different colored mystical-looking runes branded to them.


    Looking at the three unfamiliar-looking stone pirs, Xue Bai thought, ''One of these must test for a cultivator''s Martial Vein grade. But what are the other two?''


    Xue Bai could tell that the runes on the pirs werew runes, but like snowkes, every singlew rune was different. After all, everyw rune represented the quintessence of a person''swprehension.


    Even if you followed a master your entire life and had no life experience beyond his teachings, you still wouldn''t have the samew rune as your teacher. It was impossible.


    No matter how simr two people''s knowledge, experience, and cultivation journeys were, aw rune would still be slightly different in some parts of it.


    So even though Xue Bai had seen his fair share of cryptic and mystical-lookingw runes, he still couldn''t identify what the runes covering the stone pirs were.


    However, Xue Bai kept his thoughts to himself and instead asked for something different.


    "Which pir would you like me to use first, Head Instructor Li?"


    Unaware of Xue Bai''s ignorance toward the testing stones, Head Instructor Li pointed at the closest one and exined its purpose.


    "Prince Consort, our Gen Empire Academy doesn''t have many requirements for one to be able to join. So beyond having a loyal heart toward our empire, one must at least have a decently high grade Martial Vein. And this first stone pir will test yours. Though we know someone of your talents must surely have a high grade Martial Vein, we still must have you test yours for formality''s sake." Head Instructor Li said humbly.


    He had seen the miserable endings of everyone who had gone against Xue Bai. So while he still didn''t like the mysterious gigolo, he didn''t dare do anything to aggravate him.


    After all, while Liu Mei wasn''t in the room with them, Head Instructor Li didn''t think for a second that she couldn''t hear him. Because of this, as much as it hurt him, he had to act like a humble servant.


    Xue Bai nodded at the old man''s words.


    While an Empire needed talents and would groom everyone it could to help protect itself, some people were just too untalented to be groomed.


    Though Xue Bai wasn''t aware of the exact percentage, since the Gen Empire was one of the lowest-ranked empires in the Northern Continent, he guessed that at least 30-40 percent of its poption didn''t have a Martial Vein. At the same time, another 30-40 percent of it had only a low Yellow-grade Martial Vein.


    The remaining 20-40 percent would consist of the middle, high, and peak Yellow-grade Martial Veins.


    And the Gen Empire Academy was the highest institution in the entire Empire, so how could they not ept the best of the best?


    So the Gen Academy Empire only epted middle Yellow-grade Martial Veins at the minimum.


    However, once Xue Bai looked at the pir once more, he noticed something.


    There were only 8 runes on the stone pir that Head Instructor Li pointed at. And while Xue Bai didn''t know what the runes were, he could guess.


    Most likely, the 8 runes were for the low, middle, high, and peak grades for the Yellow and ck grades.


    "Head Instructor Li, this Martial Vein testing stone pir only goes up to the peak ck-grade, correct?" Xue Bai asked as he walked over to it.


    Though Head Instructor Li didn''t know where Xue Bai was going with the question, he still nodded. It wasmon knowledge that the limit of their Martial Vein testing stone pir was only the peak ck-grade.


    And while this was definitely a bad thing, what else could they do?


    The Gen Empire was the second worst Empire in the entire continent. They hadn''t even seen a youngster with a high ck-grade Martial Vein this calendar year, while thest middle ck-grade Martial Vein genius they had was poached away by a rival Empire.


    So the stone pir was all they needed for their Empire to run functionally.


    "Yes, it is Prince Consort. Why does that matter?" Head Instructor Li asked curiously.


    "Well. Because of this."


    cing his palm onto the stone pir, Xue Bai didn''t hold back his Martial Vein rank at all, and after the stone pir felt his low Heaven-grade Marital Vein, it instantly started showing cracks.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And after another 2 seconds, it crumbled.


    Silence ensued.


    "NO, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!" Head Instructor Li was the first to react, and his old face instantly crumbled just as badly as the pir.


    Anguish, regret, and sadness appeared on his face like an abstract painting.


    "Your tools are too low rank for me? What else did you expect?" Xue Bai said nonchntly.


    "But why didn''t you warn us if you knew that?!" Head Instructor Li was on the verge of tears at this point.


    The Martial Vein testing stone pir was something the Empire could barely afford with even half of their yearly oue. And Xue Bai had just destroyed it for no reason.


    "Because you told me so?" Xue Bai shrugged as he walked over to the next pir, "Would you like to test myprehension as well?"


    "No need! You pass Prince Consort." Head Instructor Li said with pain in his voice.


    Then he turned around to the other 5 students there and continued, "This year''s entrance exam will be postponed for some time until we can get another Martial Vein testing stone pir. Until then, as an apology, you all can be Gray-Robed Students in the meantime."


    "What about me, Head Instructor Li?" Xue Bai asked as he almost teleported in front of the old man, giving him a fright.


    ''How the hell did he move so fast? I couldn''t even sense anything?''


    By using hisprehension of the Dao of Space, through great effort, Xue Bai could fold the space in front of him, allowing him to cross long distances in just one step.


    And though it was slightly different from teleporting, in short bursts of speed, it was almost the same.


    So while Head Instructor Li mistook Xue Bai''s folding of space to be teleportation, it wasn''t that far off.


    "Which robe do I get to wear when I get enrolled?" Xue Bai didn''t care for the man''s shock and continued to pester him.


    From what Xue Bai knew, in contrast to a sect''s Outer, Inner, and Core Disciples, the Academies of the Northern Continent had Gray, Brown, ck, and finally, Gold.


    Brown-Robed Students matched Outer Disciples and usually had a cultivation that was in the early realms of the Houtian Great Realm. ck-Robed Students matched Inner Disciples and had a cultivation base in the middle realms of the Houtian Great Realm. Finally, Gold-Robed Students matched Core Disciples and had a cultivation base in thete realms of the Houtian Great Realm.


    But unlike the other different types of students, the Gray-Robed Student was different.


    That ss of students was almost like the handyman disciples that the Soaring Sword Sect had.


    They weren''t given any resources, nor were they truly students of the Academy. However, they were allowed to be on the premises and were given ess to the plentiful and pure Spiritual Qi within the walls of the Gen Empire Academy.


    And these students usually either had low Yellow-grade Martial Veins or students with normal potential but, due to other factors, were demoted to a gray robe.


    These students had little reputation and got almost no help from the Academy. After all, why would the Academy waste its resources on someone they had demoted or denied entry?


    The other students with Xue Bai were greatly annoyed after they heard the ssifications. Since they were now required to be such a pitiful and low-ss existence, even though they were far beyond the Vein Transformation realm and had middle and high Yellow-grade Martial Veins, their anger toward Xue Bai escted.


    However, once they remembered Liu Mei, who was only a few hundred meters away, their grievances disappeared, and they only became regretful at the fact that they all decided to let Xue Bai go first.


    Because of these simple ssifications, Head Instructor Li gave Xue Bai a ck robe with a mountain engraved at the breast area.


    "Prince Consort, after we leave this building, we will also give you an identification token that will be both your binding to the Academy and your credit card. Once you join the Academy, you will receive 100 Academy Points, which you can use to buy almost everything that the Academy owns. Whether it is ess to special training grounds or cultivation resources, Academy Points can buy everything!" Head Instructor Li exined.


    "Can I buy Academy Points?" Xue Bai asked curiously.


    While he didn''t have any Spirit Stones to his name, he had an almost limitless supply of natural resources in his mind. So as long as he wished to, Xue Bai could pige for a week, sell his inventory, and return with a worth that rivaled noble ns.


    Because of this, Xue Bai nned to do just that if he could buy the points.


    Sadly his ns were shut down before they even manifested.


    "No Prince Consort. You can''t buy Academy Points using Spirit Stones if that is what you were asking about. After all, we house most of the heirs of the noble ns here, and Spirit Stones are something theyck the least. The Academy would go bankrupt in a week if they could." Head Instructor Li apologetically said.


    Xue Bai waved off his apology. While it was slightly annoying that he couldn''t game the Academy''s rules, it wasn''t that much of a damper to his ns. He could also just buy resources from other ces.

 Chapter 183 Exchange Store

    ?Exchange Store


    Xue Bai asked a few more simple questions, and the Head Instructor obediently answered them. The invisible threat of the nearby Liu Mei worked wonders, and this peak stage Law Manifestation realm cultivator didn''t even dare raise his voice at Xue Bai in fear of the Heaven Chasing Eagle who sat a few hundred meters away.


    And after he was given the ck robe, the Head Instructor also gave Xue Bai a small exnation of the Academy''s rules.


    Most of the rules were simple, like not hurting your fellow students without reason, or that theft and treachery would be met with heavy consequences, etc.


    None of them surprised Xue Bai, and after he nodded silently at all of them, Head Instructor Li took him and the other students to a nearby building. He was also given the identification token the Head Instructor talked about there.


    "Prince Consort, this is your identification token." Head Instructor Li patiently spoke as he handed Xue Bai a jade token with a mountain engraved on it.


    Xue Bai took the small jade token and gave it a quick lookover. On one side, there was a Xue character branded on it, while on the other, there was a small 100 written on it.


    "That 100 points Prince Consort is your starting capital. You can use it to buy anything within the Academy''s Exchange Office. Of course, you can use it for other purposes. However, the exchange office is the most important building you will enter during your stay in this Academy."


    "Beyond that, I believe I have exined everything to you, Prince Consort. So if you will excuse me, this old man would like some rest. This day has been¡­ rather packed." And with a bow, the old man walked as fast as his cane could let him.


    Long Zhenyu, the Empire''s invincible general, was beaten to the point where even his father, Long Tian, couldn''t recognize him and then nted into the ground like a vegetable. While Long Tian, the Empire''s ''Grand Duke,'' was stuck into a wall twice and beaten away like a stray dog.


    Everything that happened an hour ago was still fresh in Head Instructor Li''s mind, and he needed time to digest it all and even more time to n around it and develop countermeasures.


    Even though he had acted humbly and obedient toward Xue Bai, it was all only on the surfaceyer.


    Deep down, the old man only had anger toward Xue Bai and an intense desire to kill the boy. However, with Liu Mei so close and the weird sword that Xue Bai kept with him that could even maim the Vice Academy Head Ling, who was at the peak stage Domain Lord realm, Head Instructor Li was too scared to make a move.


    Long Tian and his faction needed to do a lot of research and nning before they could act next.


    ''Just wait until we find out your true backing! If your n is even a bit weaker than His Highness, then your death date will follow!'' Head Instructor Li menacingly thought as he walked away.


    Xue Bai knew all of this, but since that old man had the courage of a tortoise, he didn''t care.


    Even this entire time, while Liu Mei was a decent distance away, Head Instructor Li didn''t even make a single testing move toward him. And while he wouldn''t have been able to hurt Xue Bai in any way, most hot-headed men in this situation wouldn''t have been able to hold themselves back from testing Xue Bai''s bottom line.


    Since Xue Bai hadn''t killed anybody from Long Tian''s faction yet, it was obvious he wouldn''t kill anyone yet. So in the worst-case scenario, Xue Bai would have a defensive artifact, and his attack would be blocked, but in the best case, Head Instructor Li would be able to kill Xue Bai on the spot.


    As for the future repercussions, since they all hadplete faith in their backer, wouldn''t they just think Liu Mei would only be suppressed by him? Why not test Xue Bai here?


    There were few repercussions and an infinite amount of benefits!


    Thankfully the Head Instructor was a coward with little to no backbone, so Xue Bai''s defensive measures weren''t exposed.


    Of course, the only reason Xue Bai had thought this far was because he forgot his more than spectacr first appearance in the Gen Empire.


    The Duke who thought Xue Bai was a threat and tried to stop him from doing any harm to the empire was a man in the early stages of the Domain Lord realm, and yet he was instantly killed by a sword sh and turned into a fine powder.


    So how dare the peak stage Law Manifestation realm Head Instructor Li dare to attack Xue Bai?


    The only he would attack Xue Bai was if he was suicidal!


    Not knowing the true reason for the old man''s cowardice, Xue Bai ignored the other students he entered the school with and walked out of the building where he got the identification token.


    Thanks to the Head Instructor''s lecture, he was now well-versed in the Academy''s geography. So after finding out where he was with the help of a nearbyndmark, Xue Bai made his way toward the most important building in the Academy.


    The Gen Empire''s Exchange Store was a building that, from the outside, resembled a modern grocery store from Earth.


    Curious about whether the inside looked like a grocery store as well, Xue Bai walked inside. Of course, as he did walk in, he gained many both confused and curious gazes, but because of his otherworldly and detached temperament, no one dared to approach him.


    Spending two and half years in the void had subconsciously made Xue Bai''s temperament detached from reality, and it had only increased from the excessive use of his physique.


    At this point, if they didn''t closely observe Xue Bai, most people would find it hard to even spot him. But, when it was coupled with his otherworldly looks and his unique hair and eye color, it went without question that Xue Bai gained many looks.


    Thankfully unlike during his youth when most people would think he was a beautiful girl, barely anyone misgendered him now. And almost all of them assumed that Xue Bai was an extremely handsome young man.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But once they looked at his sunken cheeks andck of blood essence, some people got some strange ideas rather quickly.


    ''Another perverted Young Master has forced his way into the Academy.''


    Unaware of how low his first impression was of the students he met, Xue Bai walked over to a kiosk and grabbed a scroll.


    "So you can exchange for Spirit Stones using the Academy Points but can''t do the opposite." Xue Bai thought as he read the scroll.


    Spirit Stones were on the scroll, and by using 1.5 Academy Points, one could exchange for a Spirit Stone.


    And while this was done at a loss by the student who exchanged for it, sometimes it was necessary. After all, the Academy didn''t have everything, and sometimes students were forced to buy something they needed elsewhere.


    Looking further down, Xue Bai saw some simple pills like the Tiger Strength Pill he had used a few years ago to help an exhausted Xiao''er and even some luxurious items like a Divine Water Essence Fruit.


    The Divine Water Essence Fruit was the blue fruit that was produced by the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree that currently sat in Xue Bai''s spatial ring.


    Overall the scroll that listed the entire Academy''s inventory was rather impressive, especially for such a low-tier Empire.


    ''This will do for now.''


    Nodding slightly, Xue Bai ced the scroll back down and turned around to leave.


    Currently, he was still in his own purple robe that he had bought somewhere else. And he now nned to find his own courtyard and change into his ck robe.


    After that, Xue Bai nned to go meet Feng Hai.


    Though Head Instructor Li had told Xue Bai many things, he didn''t tell Xue Bai anything about the current situation of the Academy. For example, which students were talented and still not loyal to Long Tian, and the opposite, Xue Bai needed to know a lot before he could n ahead.


    However, before he could exit the Exchange Store, two people stood in front of him.


    Frowning slightly at the rude duo, Xue Bai looked at them both.


    The rude students were two men who also wore the same ck robe that was in Xue Bai''s spatial ring. However, their cultivations weren''t that high, only being in the early stages of the Qi Sea realm, and once he realized that these two men were in their mid tote thirties, Xue Bai could assume that these two had middle Yellow-grade Martial Veins and were at the end of their potential.


    "What do you want?" Xue Bai asked as he looked down at the two men in front of him.


    Surprisingly, for the first time in his life, Xue Bai was taller than someone!


    Both of the men in front of him were rather short, and because of this, they were only around 1.7 meters tall and, therefore, much shorter than the 1.8-meter-tall Xue Bai.


    Seeing Xue Bai''s odd expression, the two men were rather confused, but since they didn''t know anything about him and their true mission, they pushed away their curiosity.


    After looking at each other, the slightly shorter man nodded at hispanion before he began to speak.


    "This Brother, we couldn''t help but see you aren''t wearing the Academy''s uniform. So this must mean you are new here and have yet to change into your new robes. Because of this, our boss wanted to try and help you get around."


    One of the rules of the Academy was that while you were within its walls, you were required to wear its uniform.


    Of course, once you left its walls, you could change into your own choice of clothing, but if you weren''t, then you had to wear a ck robe.


    So once they saw Xue Bai not wearing his robe, and knowing that the entrance exam was happening today, they instantly figured out he was a fresh recruit. And because of this, the two men were given a job by their boss to try and recruit Xue Bai to their faction.


    After the man finished his sentence, he turned around and pointed to a person in a golden robe by the doorway.


    ''Oh, they just want to recruit fresh meat.'' Xue Bai instantly figured out their purpose.


    "I''m not against having a guide." Xue Bai thought aloud.


    This sentence instantly gained the aggression of the two men and their boss, who was only a few meters away, but before they could say anything aloud, Xue Bai continued to speak.


    "However, who is your boss? Is he someone of high value? A random thug who barely entered the Academy isn''t worth my time."

 Chapter 184 Having A Laugh

    ?Having a Laugh


    The two men were instantly sent into an agitated frenzy, and their once polite smiles and goodwill were tossed out the window.


    "Hey Brat, we only called you Brother out of politeness and because our Boss wanted to graciously recruit you! Don''t think for a second that you''re special and that we won''t beat you down right here!" The shorter man threatened as he unleashed his cultivation base.


    While Xue Bai could see through their cultivation bases by himself, the two men obviously didn''t know this. So they assumed Xue Bai thought they were equals, and by exposing his cultivation, the shorter man wanted to change Xue Bai''s mindset while also slightly threatening him.


    However, instead of fear, envy, or even any emotion at all, Xue Bai''s face still kept the same fake smile that he carried throughout the entire conversation.


    ''Are his senses shot? Can he not tell that I''m in the Qi Sea realm and can kill him with a wave of my hand?'' The short man couldn''t understand why Xue Bai was still so calm and started to brainstorm reasons why.


    Sadly hispanion wasn''t so intuitive and instead thought Xue Bai''s calmness to be a state of fear paralysis and startedughing.


    "Big Brother, look at this idiot! He can''t even move a muscle under your cultivation. What would happen if he met the Boss and saw his Dharma Idol? Would he just die in fear?" The taller manughed loudly, gaining the attention of everyone nearby.


    Sadly, not many people shared his opinion, and instead ofughing at Xue Bai, they all just looked at the taller man and shook their heads.


    ''He can''t even see that the purple-haired man doesn''t care at all. No wonder only Ling Fu epted him.''


    The shorter man could see the looks his friend was getting, and before his friend made an even bigger fool of himself, he pped his friend on the head, bringing him back to reality.


    "Brat, quickly choose! Will you follow me obediently to my boss, or must I break your legs and take you to him yourself?" The shorter man threatened as he ced his arms behind his back, trying to show dominance and a haughty aura.


    Yet once he did the signature poser pose, Xue Bai immediatelyughed up a storm.


    Staying with Liu Mei for more than a week and being forced to act like an Immortal Realm genius the entire time was tiring.


    However, Xue Bai had already ridden the tiger, and he couldn''t get off it now, and he was stuck to acting that way until at least Long Tian died.


    But now, when such a stupid man was in front of him, acting out the stereotypical role of a braindead side viin, Xue Bai couldn''t keep up the persona any longer, and he directly startedughing without care for his image.


    And very soon, he started to tear up from his goodugh.


    ''I had been tense for too long. Not everyone is a side character or a supporting character, or even a viin in this world. Sometimes there are just in old stupid, arrogant idiots who don''t even know how to hold a conversation correctly.''


    And luckily enough, I ended up on the only continent chock-full of those people. Since the Child of the ne here didn''t even interact with a single person outside of her sect until theter stages of the home continent''s arcs, other than Long San, there isn''t a single person noteworthy in this entire province.''


    Eventually, Xue Bai realized just how perfect hisnding area was.


    Xue Bai had always wanted to fight the geniuses of his generation and prove himself to be a genius in his own right beyond his heaven-defying talents.


    Since he had transmigrated into this world, it had always been his dream to y demons, fight against Immortals, and trample his rival geniuses. Yet all of the time he had been in this world, Xue Bai had been either locked up at home by his parents or diligently cultivating at the Soaring Sword Sect.


    Now that he was free from both of those restrictions, Xue Bai wanted to finally spread out his wings and prove himself.


    And the stupidity that this man just showed told Xue Bai that the Gen Empire was the stepping stone for his rise.


    Thinking that far, Xue Bai didn''t get angry at the tant threat and insult and instead just finished hisughter and smiled.


    "No need, you fools. Any man to ept you as underlings and even call himself ''Boss'' is someone beneath me." Xue Bai eventually regained hisposure, and after wiping away a tear from his eye, he waved his hand and spoke bluntly.


    Of course, this further aggravated the two men, but before they could do anything violent, Xue Bai disappeared from their line of sight.


    "Farewell, fools. I will thank you for theugh, though. It was well-needed for him. I have had a rather weird few years recently." Xue Bai said as he seemingly teleported to the doorway.


    Even though Xue Bai looked like he had teleported, he didn''t. Rather than choosing to walk normally, he decided to do so by folding space. And with a pinch of his fingers, the originally 10-meter distance, like a piece of paper, was folded, and Xue Bai crossed it just a step.


    In Xue Bai''s own opinion, he didn''t think that he was fast. He didn''t cultivate any movement techniques, nor did heprehend aw that could help his speed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But when he used his Dao of Space as a movement ability, Xue Bai was confident that with enough time, he would be one of the fastest beings under the heavens.


    Even now, with his low cultivation base and his mediocre progress in the Dao of Space, Xue Bai could still cross distances of tens of meters in just one step. Just imagine how fast he would be once he reached the 5th floor, or maybe the 6th floor of the Dao of Space, and had a matching cultivation base to boot!


    Just thinking about such a future where he could cross gxies with just a step or teleport to wherever he wished with a thought, Xue Bai felt giddy.


    Moreover, Xue Bai was one of the very few people that knew about Daos on the Northern Continent, and other than Liu Mei, perhaps the only one who hadprehended one!


    And since the Dao of Space was such a high-ranking Dao, and spatial fluctuations were invisible to anyone below the Immortal Great Realm, Xue Bai''s reality maniption was just mistaken for sheer speed.


    But his teleportation being mistaken for sheer speed was also extremely good for Xue Bai. This way, he could make people amazed at his talents and skills while also leaving a smallyer of mystery in him. This would make sure that the students who saw this would be amazed.


    Starting a faction and being its leader, especially in such a dangerous situation, and in order to create a stable one with loyal subordinates, Xue Bai needed people to trust in his skills and potential. And there were two ways to get trust in a world ruled by strength: having a long rtionship with someone and having many dealings with them or showing a huge amount of strength and value.


    And since Xue Bai didn''t have the time for the former, he could only choose thetter.


    And while doing such minor acts like this seemed pointless, Xue Bai nned to constantly do them so that he could raise his stock value in the minds of students, and he nned to do this regrly.


    This way, he could instill a sense of worship, or at the very least trust, into the many students of the Academy.


    Sure, it would take a while, but Xue Bai had time.


    ''I should go over to my new courtyard now.''


    ¨C


    Unlike most institutions in a cultivation world, the Gen Empire Academy didn''t segregate their disciples by tiers but instead kept them all in one area.


    Of course, the Gold-Robed Students were still given priority when it came to better housing and resources, but overall there wasn''t much of a difference between a Gold-Robed Student and a ck-Robed Student. Because of this, Xue Bai didn''t take very long to reach the dormitories, where he would live for the foreseeable future.


    Since Xue Bai wasn''t going to the Academy for theoretical knowledge and teaching, he had also thought of continuing to stay in the Imperial Pce and onlying to the Academy whenever he had business to conduct, but this wasn''t something good.


    Before Xue Bai left, he had noticed that on the walls of the Imperial Pce were dozens if not hundreds of many arrays engraved onto them. But while they were definitely threatening and menacing to ayman, Xue Bai saw through their ws. And their biggest one was that they weren''t even powered up, but rather turned offpletely!


    Feng Fei was using a tiger''s skin to keep up the illusion that her Imperial Pce was still protected and that if someone wanted to break into it, they had to pay a dear price.


    However, the hundreds of arrays that helped the Imperial Pce stay intact and adequately defended needed to be charged by something.


    Long Tian knew this, and while severing the Feng Imperial Family''s resources supply line, he had also taken away their Spirit Stones allocations, making Feng Fei unable to power the many arrays that kept her and her family safe.


    And since it was almost impossible to have a person manually power the arrays using their own Spiritual Qi, Feng Fei and her Feng Imperial Family have been walking on eggshells the past few years.


    So while the Imperial Pce was the most beautiful and extravagant-looking building in the entire Empire, that was only for people looking on the outside. Once you got inside the building, you would realize that it was almost deste with Spiritual Qi.


    That was why Xue Bai nned to stay in the Academy and cultivate rather than go back to the Imperial Pce.


    Moreover, he still had the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, so even if Xue Bai were in the Barren Lands of the Northern Continent, he would still have a cultivation environment better than most Empire capitals.


    "Head Instructor Li told me that my new courtyard is 201, and while I don''t know much about how this school isid out, surely the first courtyard of the ck-Robed Students must be something extravagant." Xue Bai thought aloud.


    "However, there is no way that the old man would generously give me the best courtyard of the entire ck-Robed Students without a catch."


    And sure to Xue Bai''s guess, as soon as he found his own courtyard, he found the very catch he was talking about.


    "Hey, you Brat! Are you the person that got me kicked out of my own home!"

 Chapter 185 Long Term Goal

    ?I added a few more images in the Illustrations chapters. Go ahead and take a look!


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Long Term Goal


    At the gate of the number 201 courtyard stood a tall and thin male figure.


    Adorned in the same ck robe that Xue Bai was wearing, the male figure stood at an above-average height of 1.85 meters, and because of that, his sword-shaped eyebrows were flexed high as he looked down on the slightly shorter Xue Bai.


    The man had pristine white skin, with fair hands that weren''t very much inferior to a woman, and while he did look slightly effeminate, once someone looked at his chiseled chin or deeply profound eyes, those thoughts would be thrown out of the window.


    Overall he was an extremely handsome man. However, when Xue Bai looked at his overly arrogant and pompous facial expression, he couldn''t help but grow a slight dislike for him.


    The man obviously didn''t know this, and most likely, even if he did, he wouldn''t care. So rather than drop his haughty act, he instead calmly ced his hands behind his back and then fully released his peak stage Qi Sea realm cultivation base.


    "Brat! I asked you a question. And I don''t like to repeat myself!" The man shouted once more, thinking that Xue Bai was ignoring him.


    Xue Bai promptly ignored the man and his deranged shouting and tried to walk past him.


    If he wasn''t the courtyard''s new owner, then who was?


    Did this idiot think that he was just here to sightsee?


    Shaking his head slightly, Xue Bai thought the average IQ of Gen Empire citizens must''ve been low.


    "Wait! Dammit, brat, I am speaking to you!" Enraged at the tant disregard, Lin Fu blew a fuse.


    Not holding back anymore, he sent a st at Xue Bai, who had just passed by him.


    At this point, Xue Bai''s back had been to the man, and Lin Fu knew this. And his attack was ruthless and full ofplete malicious intent. Obviously, he wanted to sneak attack Xue Bai and maim him.


    However, Xue Bai hadn''t let his guard down, and just before Lin Fu''s attack hit him, he activated his physique and disappeared from the ne of reality.


    "Huh?" Lin Fu was stunned. But before he could react or even grasp what had happened, he felt a chill on his back.


    Trusting the instincts he developed through years ofbat experience, Lin Fu''s skin glowed as he used his movement technique and instantly turned into three illusory figures that each leaped a different way.


    And his instincts were right, as not even a split second after he moved away from his original position, a bright molten red-colored sword appeared out of thin air and swung exactly where his neck was.


    Horrified at the sudden life-threatening attack, Lin Fu looked at the owner of theva-red sword.


    ''It''s that brat!?''


    The culprit was obviously Xue Bai. However, now, unlike his tired expression before, Xue Bai had a calm, almost emotionless expression as he shed at the open air where Lin Fu once was.


    Yet to further shock Lin Fu, Xue Bai whispered something to himself.


    "Oh? You dodged it?" Xue Bai was slightly shocked at the man''s reaction time.


    ''That''s what you''re worried about!'' Lin Fu felt like crying after he heard Xue Bai''s muttering.


    While Lin Fu had used a movement technique to increase the distance between the two, he didn''t go that far and was only a few dozen meters away, so he could obviously hear Xue Bai''s whispering.


    And after hearing and processing Xue Bai''s words, he suddenly felt like the person he provoked wasn''t simple but instead was a cmity walking.


    Xue Bai, however, didn''t care about the man''s thoughts and instead felt disappointed.


    ''I still can''t kill someone in the Qi Sea realm yet. Their Spirit Meridians give them too much of an advantage.'' Xue Bai downheartedly thought.


    In his entire life, Xue Bai had always been able to cross stages to fight, but it had always been in reasonable amounts. It started from a simple 1 stage leapfrog ability back in his Vein Transformation realm days to his peak of being able to cross five stages when he joined the Soaring Sword Sect.


    However, now that Xue Bai had a new heaven-defying physique andprehended a Dao, Xue Bai felt that to honor his achievements, he should at least be able to leapfrog an entire realm. So once he recognized the fact that he couldn''t kill the peak stage Qi Sea realm Lin Fu, Xue Bai couldn''t help but be disappointed in himself.


    ''Well, I have all the time I need and even more whetstones at my grasp. By the time I get back home, I should be able to fight at least a realm and a half above my cultivation level.''


    Xue Bai quickly found himself a long-term goal.


    But while he was thinking about his less-than-prideful disy of strength, Lin Fu was about to lose his mind.


    "Are you mad!!" Lin Fu yelled out after he noticed that Xue Bai still looked so nonchnt and even had the time to think over his attack seconds after he tried to kill him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, Xue Bai didn''t answer the man''s question but instead calmly sheathed his sword first.


    "You attacked me first." Xue Bai shrugged his shoulders, not caring for the man''s shock, "It''s only right for me to attack back."


    Lin Fu was silenced by Xue Bai''s reply.


    Yes, of course, Xue Bai could counterattack. Lin Fu had only shouted out of fear and instinct.


    It was just that Lin Fu was shocked beyond belief by both Xue Bai''s mysterious disappearance and his teleportation.


    Of course, being such at Xue Bai''s heaven-defying actions was extremely reasonable, but since Lin Fu didn''t know how to express his confusion and shock clearly, he could only speak rather stupid words.


    Xue Bai could sense the man''sck of sensibility and once again ignored him and continued walking into his courtyard.


    "Head Instructor Li gave me this courtyard, and I am going to use it! If you have a problem, bring it up with the old bag of bones. Other than that, leave me the hell alone!" Xue Bai angrily spoke before he mmed the gates shut.


    ''I''m going to make sure Liu Mei ''greets'' that bastard well!''


    ¨C


    A few miles away from the Imperial Pce, where Xue Bai woke up, sat an equally extravagant and luxurious pce.


    With dozens of extra manors and hundreds of separate courtyards that were fit enough for a king, the Grand Duke''s Tianmen Pce was something thatmoners could only worship.


    And since the Grand Duke himself, the ''second-ranked'' person on the Empiricaldder, lived there, many people would visit the Tianmen Pce daily in hopes that they could see the Grand Duke himself.


    However, since the Grand Duke was a busy man, rarely did the people ever have a chance to see him.


    After all, the man had to manipte the shadows from the shadows while sucking up to a Master. So how could he have the time to go out and socialize with the public? And even if he did have the time, Long Tian looked down on themoners from the bottom of his heart, so why would he ever converse with them?


    Yet, this long-held truth was broken, as while many people took photos in front of the Tianmen Pce or were just sightseeing, for the first time in, most likely ever, the Grand Duke appeared!


    Moreover, this time, instead of flying overhead andnding in his pce without even looking at amoner, he was walking!


    But once Long Tian walked closer and closer to his pce, themoners realized something was very wrong with the Grand Duke.


    "Hey, doesn''t the Grand Duke look a little¡­ beat up?" One man couldn''t help but say as they noticed Long Tian''s disheveled look.


    Curious and with slight disbelief, the small crowd around the Grand Duke''s Tianmen Pce looked at the Grand Duke, who was now in their line of sight.


    At this point, Long Tian''s once pristine and dust-free Imperial Dragon Robe was almost entirely covered in both metal dust and mud. While his ck hair was half white from all of the dust, it sucked up during the time he had spent inside of the wall.


    "That damn bird! Once Master kills her, I''ll dry age her a century before slowly frying her! No, that won''t vent my anger!" While Long Tian was forced to bottle up his revenge because of the strength gap between him and Liu Mei, it didn''t mean he couldn''t n his eventual revenge.


    So as he walked toward his home, he couldn''t help but plot how he would deal with Liu Mei once his Master avenged him.


    And because of how deep he was in his own thoughts of revenge, he ignored the crowd ofmoners around his pce gates who were discussing his ragged appearance.


    "You''re right. The Grand Duke does look beat up."


    "But who would dare beat up the Grand Duke? Not even the Academy Head would dare toy a finger on the Grand Duke, and he is the strongest person in the Gen Empire."


    Discussions ensued, and very quickly, many theories were made, but since no one knew the truth, they stayed theories.


    Eventually, Long Tian got to the gates of his pce, and as he did, he obviously noticed the dozens of people discussing his miserable appearance. But since the man was already in a horrible mood, hearing a crowd of people making fun of him, Long Tian reacted horribly.


    "Peasants, leave my home!" Long Tian shouted as he sent out a st of Spiritual Qi around him, sending the people flying in different directions like ragdolls.


    "AH!"


    Shouts covered the area, and Long Tian heard many gruesome injuries, but since he thought of all the people here being beneath him, he didn''t care.


    "Guards! Take out the trash! And if I hear a single cry, shout, orint in the next week from any of these people, then you all can join them!" And with a wave of his wrist, Long Tian opened his pce gates and entered.


    "Yes, Grand Duke!" The many guards shouted inpliance. But once the Grand Duke left, their obedient and peaceful eyes changed tones, and they turned malicious.


    If even the head of a faction was corrupt, how could the lower branches not be?

 Chapter 186 His Highness

    ?His Highness


    Long Tian didn''t care that he just indirectly ordered a massacre, so after he entered his pce gates, he closed the gates behind him as well.


    Now, inside his own home, Long Tian''s arrogant and disdainful facial expression swapped, and he instantly turned from an Emperor who disdained everything below him to ackey that hugged the thigh of his boss.


    Disregarding his injuries and less-than-clean appearance, Long Tian quickly ran over to the main hall of his Tianmen Pce.


    There on the replica Imperial Throne that Long Tian made sat a cloaked figure.


    Though the figure waspletely covered in a ck cloak, one could still see its figure and stature. It wasn''t tall nor short, while also wasn''t very burly or frail. However, due to theck of breasts, one could at least assume it was a male or, at the very least, a t-chested woman.


    Long Tian didn''t dare to look the figure in the eye, so after he entered the main hall, he kept his eyes on the ground and walked robotically to the base of the throne, where he quickly assumed a kneeling position.


    "Your Highness!" Long Tian called out respectfully as he walked in.


    The figure was calm in the face of Long Tian''s worship, and only after a minute of silence did he speak up.


    "What is it, Long Tian? You look worse for wear. Did something happen?" The figure casually said as he cupped his chin with his palm and rested it on the throne''s armrest.


    "Your Highness, do you remember that purple-haired boy who mysteriously arrived here half a year ago?" Long Tian carefully spoke.


    The figure nodded in response.


    Seeing that the figure nodded, Long Tian then proceeded to exin everything that just happened an hour ago, from Xue Bai''s bizarre sword sh to everything about Liu Mei. Since the figure was the only link to the mysterious Master he submitted to, holding back any key information would only do him harm rather than good.


    After Long Tian exined everything to the figure, it sat quiet and motionless. Obviously, it was thinking over everything that Long Tian said and mulling over how to respond next.


    Minutes slowly passed, and from every second that did, another drop of sweat appeared on Long Tian''s face.


    Eventually, the figure spoke up.


    "Don''t make a move against this Xue Bai yet. Master is still in the middle of his breakthrough. While this Liu Mei you talked about is strong, her cultivation is still at most in the Spirit Awakening realm. If it were higher, the formation of the Academy would''ve been set off. After Master breaks through to the Spirit Severing realm, that bird would be nothing to us." The figure said casually.


    "However, what do I do until then?" Long Tian wasn''t very pleased with the decision.


    "I already said what you''ll do." The figure sensed Long Tian''s discontent, but it didn''t care at all.


    "Nothing. Think of Xue Bai''s over-the-top performance as ast act. Master will break through within three years. How long do you think he''ll grow in 3 years? Master is at the peak of the Spirit Awakening realm and half a step into the Spirit Severing realm. No matter how prominent Xue Bai''s background is or how talented he is, there is no way he can reach the Xiantian Great Realm in 3 years."


    "And as for the bird with him, that''s even less of a concern. Demonic Beasts are known to need a long time to break through each cultivation stage. That is why they live for so long. So the chance for her to break through to the Spirit Severing realm in 3 years before Master is 0%."


    "But, Your Highness, what about Xue Bai''s background and the faction with him? Li Ming told me that Xue Bai has, at the very minimum, an Earth-grade Martial Vein. Such talent is something far beyond what the Northern Continent has, even if we include the Heaven Province."


    Li Ming was the full name of Head Instructor LI, and the second that Li Ming left thepany of Xue Bai, he also told Long Tian everything that happened in the building. So it was only right for Long Tian to also convey this information to the figure.


    Hearing this, the figure went silent for another minute. Such a thing was certainly a road bump for their n.


    If they killed Xue Bai and Liu Mei carelessly while the two had a background far beyond their reach, it wasn''t unlikely that they would be killed once Xue Bai''s faction found him.


    "This matter cannot be decided by me." The figure eventually spoke, "I will convey this to Master, but my previous decision remains. Do not under any circumstances touch Xue Bai, Feng Fei, or that bird of his. Since Xue Bai has a chance to have an extremely prominent background, we can''t be careless."


    "Master will investigate news from the Central Continent and try to find out which power lost a genius matching Xue Bai''s description. If we find the power to be too strong, then we''ll change our ns ordingly, but if they are weaker than us, then we''ll simply kill the two immediately."


    "But, Your Highness! What about how they beat my son and me so brutally? Are Zhenyu and I supposed to swallow this grievance?" Long Tian couldn''t help but shout the second he sensed the figure to have finished his thoughts.


    He hade all the way over here to be avenged, but instead, he was told to not only not touch Xue Bai, but he couldn''t even plot against Feng Fei! If he knew this would happen, he wouldn''t have ryed the news at all and avenged himself.


    Long Tian was still unresigned at having to wait years for vengeance, but just as he shouted hisints, the figure released a cold st of air that silenced Long Tian from speaking any further.


    "My decision is final! Master cannot be disturbed by such minor conflicts. If you can even suppress such anger for a mere three years, how can you be fit to rule an Empire?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    And without waiting for Long Tian to reply, he stood up from the throne and walked out of the main hall.


    Long Tian saw this and could only sigh. What could he do?


    That cold st of air that the figure sent out was one of the legendary Innate Abilities one would awaken after they broke through to the Xiantian Great Realm. And since Long Tian was still only in the Houtian Great Realm, even though he was at the peak of it, he didn''t dare face the figure who was stronger than him.


    However, even if the figure he referred to as ''Your Highness'' was weaker than Long Tian, he didn''t dare do anything to him.


    Not even adding in the fact that the man referred to as ''Your Highness'' was much stronger than him, the Master that the two talked about was nearby.


    The second that Long Tian tried to attack the cloaked figure, the Master would surely sense the fight and kill him on the spot.


    No matter how valuable Long Tian was, the cloaked figure was the personal disciple of the Master. And in the cruel Baishen ne, Master and disciple rtionships were the closest bonds one could have other than a parent to child.


    So while he was unwilling to give up on his previous goal, he didn''t have any choice in the matter. Sighing disappointedly, he stood up from his kneeling position and left the main hall, and went to his own part of the pce.


    Since he couldn''t do anything to Xue Bai, he could only attack them with other methods.


    No matter how strong Liu Mei was or how talented Xue Bai was, strength wasn''t the deciding factor in this world!


    ¨C


    "Xue Bai, this ce is so deste! There is almost no Spiritual Qi in the air! How the hell did you get used to this?" Liu Meiined as she walked into Xue Bai''s courtyard.


    Xue Bai had just sent her a message saying that she could enter the Academy along with his location. However, just as she entered the courtyard, she started toin.


    Even though forbidden areas were dangerous, they were prime areas for cultivation. Each forbidden area had dense and pure Spiritual Qi, so once Liu Mei left the Hysteria Forest, she obviously noticed the sharp drop in Spiritual Qi quantity and quality.


    But once she walked in, she started talking about Xue Bai''s time in the Immortal World, which made him cough madly.


    "What happened to you? Did you inhale pepper or something?" Liu Mei didn''t know the true reason why Xue Bai started having a coughing fit and innocently joked.


    "No, not that. I just remembered a joke." Xue Bai lied as easily did breathe.


    "But forget about the joke. When you flew into the capital, did you sense any strong people? Long Tian''s backer must be close, and it''s not out of the realm of possibility that he is in the capital." Xue Bai interrupted Liu Mei, who was about to continue her previous question.


    Liu Mei was slightly angered at the fact that he had interrupted her so rudely, but since Xue Bai wanted to be serious, she didn''t make a fuss and answered the question.


    "I sensed someone who was at the 1st stage of the Xiantian Great Realm inside one of the pces while we flew over. However, not the Imperial Pce you told me about, the other one. So I think it''s the Grand Dukes." Liu Mei responded.


    Xue Bai didn''t expect that, so once he heard it, he couldn''t help but start thinking about who the person Liu Mei sensed was.


    ''Someone at the 1st stage of the Xiantian Great Realm isn''t strong enough for Long Tian to submit willingly to and have Feng Hai act so cowardly. So this person is most likely a middleman between Long Tian and the true backer.''


    Xue Bai reached a reasonable conclusion rather quickly with the information he got.


    "Are you sure you didn''t sense anyone else? Why don''t you fly over the capital once more and double-check? I still can''t help but think Long Tian''s backer is in the capital itself." Xue Bai asked Liu Mei, who just sat down on a rock nearby.


    "I am in the Spirit Expansion realm Xue Bai. I can scan the entire capital with my Spiritual Sense, so my position doesn''t matter. If I didn''t sense him when we flew in, that means he''s either stronger than me, he isn''t here, or he doesn''t exist." Liu Mei calmly said as she dipped her feet into the pond.


    It went without saying that the first courtyard of the ck-Robed Students was a beautiful one.


    With lush green grass and crystal clear ponds, to a picturesque view of the capital, it was a beautiful ce to live in. And while Xue Bai thought that his previous two courtyards were better, such a ce would do until he fixed the Long Tian problem.


    Xue Bai didn''t continue pestering Liu Mei after she finished her words but instead stood up and nned to leave.


    "Liu Mei, I''m going to speak with Feng Hai. If anyone tries toe in or bother you, just kick them out rudely. Almost everyone in the Academy is on Long Tian''s side, so there is no reason to be polite."


    And after giving the eagle simple instructions, he left.

 Chapter 187 An Anomaly

    ?An Anomaly


    Though Feng Hai was the Head of the Academy, he didn''t live in an over-the-top home like his niece but rather lived in a simple bamboo hut at the top of the Academy''s mountain.


    It was simple and basic. However, Feng Hai loved the simplistic lifestyle and didn''t care about what others said. Moreover, he was a man with only a few years left to live, so what would a few more years living in a luxurious home do for him?


    Knowing this and which path to take to get to Feng Hai''s home, Xue Bai activated his physique and slowly traveled through the void toward his destination.


    Sure, it was possible to reach Feng Hai by asking around and getting a guide, but Xue Bai didn''t want to do that, and sneaking into the man''s house mysteriously would be good for his image.


    So after three activations of his physique, Xue Bai found the simple bamboo hut that sat at the top of the Academy''s mountain.


    Lonely, deste, and calm were some of the emotions that Xue Bai felt as he looked at Feng Hai''s house. It was both calm and serene.


    ''Living here could even calm the heart of a demon.'' Xue Bai thought to himself.


    Deactivating his physique, Xue Bai appeared at the door of Feng Hai''s house. But just before he was going to knock on the door, the Academy Head did it himself.


    Sitting on the floor with a Kang Table in front of him, Feng Hai calmly waved his hand and summoned a small gust of wind that opened the door for Xue Bai.


    "Wonderful ability you have, young friend. I couldn''t even sense a trace of you until you were about to knock on the door!" Feng Hai praised as he motioned for Xue Bai to sit down.


    Xue Bai ignored the praise, but he still obeyed the request and sat across from the man.


    On top of the Kang Table was a tea set with two cups of tea already pre-poured. Obviously, Feng Hai knew Xue Bai would being soon and prepared ordingly.


    However, since Xue Bai didn''t like tea very much, he ignored it and instead waited for the Academy Head to get to business.


    This didn''t take long as, after a minute of silence, the man broke the silence first.


    "Young friend, since I assume you''re not a man for nonsense, I will cut to the chase. Our Feng Imperial Family''s situation is less than hopeful." Feng Hai sighed before he exined the situation of his n.


    While Feng Fei had told him many details about the Empire, she wasn''t let in on many core details of the Empire mainly because Feng Hai didn''t want to further stress the mortal girl and kept the secrets to himself.


    And even if he did tell her, what would it do? She couldn''t even leave her home without an extremely important reason. So how could she solve the core problems that gued the Empire?


    Telling her would only give Feng Fei a hard life.


    The first detail is that beyond Long Tian and the many internal problems that gued the Empire, there was actually another huge problem that threatened the livelihood of every citizen of the Empire.


    Right next door to the Gen Empire was the much stronger and dominant neighboring Earth Province and, with it, the Kun Empire.


    Unlike the Gen Empire, the Kun Empire was not only much stronger, but they also had an actual backing making them a threat to their existence, but also something they could never really retaliate at.


    The Northern Continent had a ranking that was decided every 10 years. And the Gen Empire was ranked 7th. Pitiful, but at least they weren''t thest ranking one.


    But there was a problem. Their neighbor was the up-anding Kun Empire, which was the 5th-ranked Empire, and also something they could never really contest.


    And to make matters worse, the Kun Empire was backed by the 2nd ranked Empire, the Zhen Empire.


    Funny enough, the Kun Empire used to be the 7th ranked Empire, behind the Gen Empire, which was then ranked 6th.


    But after the death of Feng Fei''s grandfather and the enthronement of her father, the two switched ces. And since the two Empires had been neighbors for centuries, it went without reason that the two certainly had grudges.


    So while the Gen Empire got weaker and weaker, the Kun Empire got stronger and stronger.


    Now yearster, with the death of Feng Fei''s father and the Kun Empire subordinating themselves to the Zhen Empire, the gap only increased.


    With a newfound strength, and a rage that had been bottled up for centuries, the now much stronger Kun Empire had a belly full of anger that it wanted to release, and the shell of the former Gen Empire was the perfect punching bag.


    After Xue Bai heard Feng Hai''sints, he fell silent for a few minutes as he mulled over his next words.


    "What are the strengths of the Kun Empire''s powerhouses? For example, their version of Long Tian and Zhenyu." Xue Bai asked.


    First, in order to create a n, he needed to know their strengths.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As the saying goes, if you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear a hundred battles.


    "That''s where the problem is, young friend." While Xue Bai''s question was simple, Feng Hai couldn''t answer it well.


    "We don''t know much of their strengths. The only major powerhouse we know is actually the person who is always terrorizing us. And to make things worse, this person is only one of their Supreme Generals. His name is Xiao Yuan. And his strength is not a bit inferior to mine, with his cultivation being at the half-step Xiantian Great Realm like my own. However, unlike me, he doesn''t have a fatal wound suppressing his strength, meaning that he is much stronger than me." Feng Hai said awkwardly.


    Xue Bai felt exasperated.


    ''How the hell do you not even know the strength of your mortal enemy?''


    However, since these were the cards he was dealt, Xue Bai could only sigh and move on.


    "Since you can''t even answer a simple question like that, I''ll go even simpler." Xue Bai sighed. The cup of tea on the table was looking for and more appetizing now.


    "Why did the Zhen Empire choose to take the Kun Empire as a subordinate? Sure, they were up anding, but I know that the Zhen Empire has powerhouses in the Spirit Severing realm and even one at the peak of the realm. Surely a mere Kun Empire that was once ranked 7th didn''t have so much potential to make the Zhen Empire notice them."


    Feng Hai''s tired face lit up after he heard that.


    "I can answer this, young friend! The reason is actually not secret news at all." Feng Hai spoke with a small passion.


    "The Emperor of the Kun Empire is a rather lecherous individual. And from his dozens of concubines, he has already sired hundreds of children just from what we know! If we include the illegitimate children that he never acknowledged or even abandoned, it could easily be in the thousands range."


    Feng Hai would continue to talk about the lustful adventures of the Kun Empire Emperor for another minute, but since Xue Bai had no care for the pervert, he interrupted the Academy Head.


    "Feng Hai cut to the chase!" Xue Bai said as he rapped his knuckles on the table impatiently.


    Slightly scared at Xue Bai''s interruption, Feng Hai stopped his lecture and got to the main point.


    "Oh yes! Sorry young friend. I''ll simplify it. Of Xiao Yunfeng''s many children and grandchildren, there is one that has recently been in the limelight. And because of this boy''s talents and recent feats, the Zhen Empire''s Grand Tutor made an appearance and took the boy as a disciple! After that, the Kun Empire also submitted to the Zhen Empire and made the rtionship official."


    Feng Hai did as he said and simplified the story, but as he did, he also lost Xue Bai''s attention.


    Something in the Academy Head''s words didn''t match Xue Bai''s knowledge of the game.


    The Zhen Empire''s Grand Tutor was a rather important individual since he was also the 5th strongest man on the entire continent. He was at the peak of the Spirit Severing realm, several stages above Xue Bai''s Master Yue Zifeng.


    However, beyond his strength, the Zhen Empire''s Grand Tutor also had another trait during the story of ''Children of the ne.''


    He never took on a disciple!


    So how the hell did he have one now?


    "Tell me more about this disciple of the Grand Tutor." But, of course, Xue Bai didn''t show, and of the confusion he was feeling on his face, but instead looked calm and smoothly asked a question.


    "The more, the better, Feng Hai."


    Feng Hai nodded and gave Xue Bai a detailed overview of the Prince.


    The Prince''s name was Xiao Xuan. Born to one of the dozens of concubines to the Emperor, With only a low Yellow-grade Martial Vein and no special physiques, Xiao Xuan was destined to be a nobody his entire life and die in the same home he was born in.


    Knowing this, the Prince spent the first 15 years of his life following in his father''s footsteps and drowning himself in debauchery. He even seemingly gave up on cultivation, and even at 15, his cultivation base was still at the peak of the Vein Transformation realm.


    However, one day, everything changed during a fight with one of his Prince brothers. After one of his half-brothers tried to bully him, Xiao Xuan revealed something shocking. His cultivation, which was previously only at the 5th stage of the Vein Transformation realm a few weeks ago, advanced to the peak of the Blood Exchange realm!


    And after his mother was insulted by his half-brother, the two started a fight.


    No one was confident in Xiao Xuan''s chances in the fight since his half-brother had a cultivation base of the 4th stage of the Muscle Nourishing realm. But in front of everyone, Xiao Xuan shocked everyone and beat his half-brother in a fight.


    After that, Xiao Xuan''s reputation went from yboy trash to a genius capable of fighting 5 stages above his cultivation base!


    Feng Hai continued to describe more and more details of this Prince, but Xue Bai stopped paying attention after he heard the name and the first few feats.


    ''Isn''t this a fucking protagonist? Why the hell is there another protagonist temte on the Northern Continent?!''

 Chapter 188 Xiao Xuan, Another Child Of The Plane?

    ?Xiao Xuan, Another Child of the ne?


    Being a yboy trash who only knew how to visit brothels,  had little to no cultivation before the age of 15, and was birthed to a concubine mother, all of the things that Feng Hai said made Xue Bai think that Xiao Xuan was another protagonist!


    However, Xue Bai was certain there were only 5 lightning strikes that day. So how was there another Child of the ne?


    ''Maybe Han Qing Er isn''t in this timeline. But then, who the hell is this Xiao Xuan? Is he the result of my butterfly effect? But that doesn''t make sense, either. I have done almost nothing on this continent. How could I have created such arge butterfly effect? Wait, even if my actions were the cause, Xiao Xuan rose to prominence long before I got here.''


    Xue Bai''s thoughts raced as he tried to find a reasonable train of thought that could exin Xiao Xuan''s existence, but he couldn''t. No matter how much he tried to think and how many ideas he had, none of them made sense.


    Until one did.


    "Feng Hai! When did this Xiao Xuan start rising to prominence? Give me the exact date!" Xue Bai thought of a certain possibility that could be the true reason.


    Feng Hai was originally talking about Xiao Xuan''s feats and was so entranced in it that he didn''t notice Xue Bai''s inner rambling, but the second Xue Bai shouted out his name, he was brought back.


    "The exact date? I don''t know the exact date, young friend because Xiao Xuan is known to hold back his strength often. And since no one knows when Xiao Xuan fully awakened his talents, I can''t be sure of the exact date." Feng Hai spoke with a troubled tone.


    "Estimate then! Just give me a reasonable timeline." Xue Bai was exasperated.


    No wonder the Feng Imperial Family was being yed to death by Long Tian. Even Feng Hai, their queen piece, was a dud!


    "Xiao Xuan stunned the Kun Empire by beating his half-brother about 2 and half years ago, if I recall correctly. So if we give him a month or so to cultivate in secret, then maybe the 10th month of 975? I can''t think it must be any further than that." Feng Hai said after doing some internal calctions.


    And after he did say his estimation, he felt rather proud of it, but once he looked over at Xue Bai to see his reaction, he found none of the expressions he was expecting. But rather one he didn''t.


    Pure shock and confusion were stered all over Xue Bai''s face.


    ''I sliced open the void around then!'' Xue Bai''s guess was right.


    For Xiao Xuan to exist, there were only two possibilities. Either he was a Child of the ne, or he was a result of Xue Bai''s butterfly effect.


    However, Xue Bai hadn''t interfered with the Northern Continent''s fate at all, especially not a whole 2 and a half years ago.


    But something he did do then was slice open a huge gap in the void using his Dao of Space.


    ''But what does my slicing open the void have to do with a trash-to-genius temte protagonist? Did a treasure that was hidden in the void fall and arrived at this Xiao Xuan?''


    Even after getting an answer to his first question, Xue Bai was still left with another can full of worms.


    "Young friend, is something wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Seeing Xue Bai look so confused and distraught made Feng Hai think it was his fault, and he couldn''t help but speak up.


    Xue Bai waved off his concern, however.


    "No, it''s not you, Feng Hai. I''m just thinking about this, Xiao Xuan. I can''t help but think about what fortuitous encounter he got. Going from a trash to a genius in such a short amount of time surely can''t be done with a low Yellow-grade Martial Vein."


    "Yes, you are right about that young friend. A lot of schrs and other geniuses have been discussing what made the Prince change so dramatically and quickly. But no one really has a definite guess. However, some intelligent people have reached a small consensus and have narrowed it down to a multi-use treasure since not only Xiao Xuan but also his older brother, Xiao Yuan, has changed dramatically." Feng Hai exined, giving Xue Bai another can of worms to mull over.


    Sadly this was something Xue Bai couldn''t ignore, and after a sigh, he motioned for the overly enthusiastic Feng Hai to exin Xiao Yuan''s situation.


    Apparently, Xiao Yuan only had a peak Yellow-grade Martial Vein and was destined to stay at the peak of the Domain Lord realm. And while this was certainly nothing bad, in order to contest the throne of the Kun Empire and be one of the Crown Prince candidates, one needed to be, at the very least, in the Spirit Awakening realm.


    So because of this, Xiao Yuan gave up on the throne and became a general in the Kun Empire, where to this day, he still harassed the Gen Empire at the border.


    However, after Xiao Xuan''s talent awakened in a way that no one understood, he helped Xiao Yuan improve his Martial Vein and elevated it two grades to the middle ck-grade. And now, 18 monthster, Xiao Yuan had broken through to the half-step Xiantian Great Realm.


    Hearing this, Xue Bai also agreed with the continent''s consensus. If the treasure that Xiao Xuan got were merely a simple one-time talent enhancer, then Xiao Yuan would have stayed the same for a while. Or at least until Xiao Xuan became invincible and helped his brother then.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then what about Xiao Xuan himself? If he could enhance his brother''s talent by so much, then what did he do to his own Martial Veins?" Xue Bai asked.


    "He didn''t." Feng Hai replied awkwardly.


    "Pardon?" Xue Bai was floored.


    "I meant what I said, young friend." Feng Hai sighed as he took a sip of the tea that had been sitting untouched for so long.


    "Then what is his cultivation base right now?" Xue Bai asked as he tried to get a grasp of the enigma surrounding Xiao Xuan.


    "His first showing of talent was back in theter months of 975 when he was at the peak of the Blood Exchange realm. But now, 2 and a half yearster, from what I know, Xiao Xuan is in the Organ Tempering realm. As for the exact stage, I am not too sure. Ever since the Zhen Empire''s Grand Tutor took him in, Xiao Xuan''s actions have been under more and more secrecy." Feng Hai said apologetically.


    "So you''re telling me that Xiao Xuan managed to cultivate at this speed with only a low Yellow-grade Martial Vein?" Xue Bai asked with skepticism in his tone.


    However, Feng Hai only shrugged in response.


    "I am only the messenger, young friend. If you don''t believe the information I have, you are more than wee to figure out the truth yourself."


    ''Could he have a devouring type cultivation technique?'' While Feng Hai''s piece of information would''ve stumped most people, it didn''t happen to  Xue Bai. But instead, it gave him a faint guess of Xiao Xuan''s true Goldfinger.


    But there was a problem.


    Xiao Mo already had a devouring type cultivation technique.


    If Xiao Xuan also had one, that would imply many things, most of which weren''t good for Xue Bai.


    ''I need more time to think about this person. An anomaly is something that needs to be taken care of one way or another. However, since it is already fated that Xiao Xuan is against me, then I can only try to kill him. Thankfully he shouldn''t have much of a guard pointed at the Gen Empire and me.''


    "Enough of this, Xiao Xuan, Feng Hai. Tell me about the situation in the Academy. Which students are on the side of Long Tian, which are fence sitters and which are still loyalists?" Xue Bai said as he waved his hand, implying the previous conversation was over.


    Feng Hai nodded solemnly at this. Before Xue Bai gained an odd curiosity in Xiao Xuan, this was supposed to be the main part of this meeting.


    Long prepared, Feng Hai went into his spatial ring and pulled out a scroll.


    "Young friend, this scroll has all of the information you asked for." Feng Hai said as he handed Xue Bai the scroll.


    Xue Bai took the scroll and gave it a quick look over.


    However, since he didn''t know any of them, Xue Bai really didn''t learn much from it.


    "Feng Hai, I''ll take this to my courtyard for now. Just having their names and affiliation doesn''t do me much. I''ll also need to find out their personalities and cultivation." Xue Bai said as he stood up.


    "You don''t need to worry about that, young friend. A subordinate of mine ispiling that information right now. I will send it to your courtyard before sunset tomorrow." Feng Hai also knew the scroll wasn''t too helpful for Xue Bai and was prepared. And with a pat on his chest, he swore to give Xue Bai something more valuable.


    Xue Bai nodded silently and, without saying another word, disappeared.


    ''I''ll never get used to that mysterious ability of Xue Bai''s.'' Feng Hai sighed as he found himself to be alone again. Or at least, he thought.


    Once Xue Bai activated his physique, even Feng Hai couldn''t track him anymore. Neither his Spiritual Sense, sight, or even his pure instincts, nothing allowed him to sense Xue Bai, who was shuffling through the void at a leisurely pace.


    "However, him being unfathomable is helpful." Feng Hai''s sigh eventually turned into a smile as he looked forward to the future.


    "The more cautious Long Tian and his goons are, the more time that our young friend has to prepare himself."


    "May the Heavens save our Feng Imperial Family!"

 Chapter 189 Liu Mei Gave The Black-Robed Students Green Hats

    ?Liu Mei gave the ck-Robed Students Green Hats


    After Xue Bai left Feng Hai''s home, he didn''t sightsee or try to socialize with anyone but rather went right back to his own courtyard.


    The sun was starting to set, and Xue Bai wanted to cultivate for the night.


    So after a few activations of his physique, he got right back to his own courtyard, where, to his confusion, he saw a small crowd gathering up.


    Curious, Xue Bai deactivated his physique and returned to the n of reality to see what was happening. But once he got closer, he realized the group of people outside his courtyard wasn''t a peaceful crowd but a raging mob.


    "Arrogant woman! Come out now!" The crowd shouted in anger toward Xue Bai''s courtyard.


    Seeing this, Xue Bai had a faint idea of what was happening, but he was still confused about how the hell Liu Mei managed to get the public''s ire so quickly.


    There were easily a few hundred people as well. But Xue Bai was only gone for at most 3 hours. Did she go out and beat everyone ck-Robed Student?


    However, once Xue Bai took a closer look at the people in the mob surrounding his courtyard, he realized something.


    More than half of these people were beaten up!


    From swollen eyes to even scorched hair, the people surrounding his house were injured to various degrees.


    Some of the worse injured students that Xue Bai could see were not only bald but also had injuries no worse than the ones that Long Zhenyu got earlier in the day.


    ''What the hell did Liu Mei do? Did she actually go out and beat everyone up?'' Xue Bai was floored and beyond confused.


    Sadly there was no way to figure out what had happened unless he talked to the eagle herself. So activating his physique once more, he shifted into the void.


    While the distance to his courtyard was well within walking distance, and he could''ve just walked to it, there were way too many people in between Xue Bai and the courtyard itself. And going through that many people who were that angry was definitely a stupid idea.


    So rather than embarrassing himself trying to scoot through the mob, Xue Bai dodged them all by using his physique.


    After a minute of shuffling through the void, Xue Bai entered his courtyard.


    But once he entered, he finally understood why and how Liu Mei gained the aggression of almost every single male in the Academy.


    "Liu Mei, what the hell." Xue Bai sighed as he deactivated his physique.


    Stunned at his sudden manifestation, Liu Mei, who had been enjoying the massage and feeding of a female ck-Robed Student, almost fell off of the pnquin she had been sitting in.


    "Oh, Xue Bai, you scared me." Liu Mei awkwardlyughed as she got out of the pnquin and waved away the women who were serving her fearfully.


    "Why are you back so early? I thought you wouldn''t return until nightfall."


    Xue Bai''s expression darkened, and he couldn''t help himself from pinching the bridge between his eyebrows.


    "First, get all of the girls out." Xue Bai was pushing down a migraine as he spoke those words.


    Looking at the few dozen women in his courtyard, all fearfully serving Liu Mei, made him want to strangle the bird. But sadly, she was much stronger than him. And truthfully, even if he did manage to get his hands on her throat, it wouldn''t do much.


    She was too strong.


    Liu Mei waspliant and shooed the women out.


    Like they were pardoned from a death sentence, the faces of every woman in the courtyard lit up in thanks. Then after they bowed to Xue Bai in gratitude, every girl in the room ran out as if they were afraid that he would take back the pardon.


    "Liu Mei, what the hell?" Xue Bai looked exasperated.


    "You''ve left your cave for less than a week. Have you already fallen into depravity?"


    "I wanted some attendants!" Liu Mei shrugged unapologetically.


    "But did you have to kidnap every female ck-Robed Student? And you didn''t even spare the ones who already hadpanions. Don''t you know cucking a man is worse than killing him?"


    To this, Liu Mei blew up in anger.


    "I put down my pride as the descendant of a Divine Beast and graciously asked to let me, ''Her Holiness,'' borrow their girlfriends. It was their fault that they didn''t have any kindness in their hearts. If they were kind and let me borrow their girlfriend for a week or two, I would''vepensated them afterward!" Liu Meiined, seemingly ignoring the many faults within her words.


    ''Yes, I''m sorry for misunderstanding your actions. You merely wanted all of the geniuses of the Academy to willingly give up their girlfriends and wives for money.''


    Xue Bai didn''t know how to fix the way hispanion''s mind worked, so rather than going into an argument that couldst days, he gave up.


    "Don''t do this again, please." Xue Bai sighed in resignation.


    "Also, get rid of the mob outside. I''m going to cultivate, and I''d rather not have a raging mob outside my courtyard while I do so." And with a wave of his hand, Xue Bai entered the bedroom leaving Liu Mei to her own devices.


    However, just as he closed the door, he remembered something.


    "Liu Mei, don''t beat them up again. Instead, just release your cultivation base and scare them off. You''ve done enough damage to their pride today. Another beatdown might just destroy their Dao Hearts."


    And it was a good thing that Xue Bai remembered this, as LIu Mei, who was about to fulfill his previous request, was also cracking her knuckles in excitement.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Disappointed, the joy in Liu Mei''s eyes faded away. So with dropped shoulders, she pped her wings and flew into the air. Since she had to get rid of the crowd and couldn''t do it by force, Liu Mei, at the very least, wanted to have some ir as she scared them off.


    ¨C


    Unaware of how much suffering he saved the boys of his Academy from, Xue Bai spent the night cultivating diligently in his new room.


    With the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus and low Heaven-grade Martial Veins, Xue Bai was destined to cultivate at speeds far beyond the standard of the Baishen ne.


    Coupled with the many cultivation resources he had pigedst week, Xue Bai''s cultivation was fast.


    In one night, his progress toward the 12th stage of the Bone strengthening realm was more than 20%.


    Sadly the 4th stage of Purification Stages, the Purification Stage, couldn''t be sped up by any of the natural resources Xue Bai had managed to get.


    This, of course, didn''t mean that it couldn''t be sped up by natural treasures, but rather Xue Bai couldn''t do so right now. In order to speed up his cultivation speed during the Purification stage, Xue Bai needed specialized natural treasures that focused on Purificating the Spiritual Qi in a cultivator.


    Like Yggradasil that Xue Bai left at home.


    However, treasures like this were extremely rare, and even if they were found, noble families treasured them.


    A treasure that could purify the Spiritual Qi within a cultivator was even more prized than elemental natural treasures.


    While an elemental natural treasure like the me Origin Fruit that helped Huo Long finish his 9 nirvana was great, their uses were limited. Usually, they either helped withwprehension or were used for body tempering purposes.


    But a natural treasure that could purify the Spiritual Qi within a cultivator could give the consumer a new lease on life!


    That was why in the game Xiao Mo could build such a loyal and powerful force using just Yggdrasil during the game.


    A treasure that could purify the Spiritual Qi in a cultivator could not only remove the many impurities that a cultivator either directly or indirectly absorbed during their lifetime, but it also gave the consumer a new chance to break through their realm.


    And if a cultivator consumed it when they were at their innate limit, they had even had a chance to break through it, like what happened with Li Huo, Li Ruo, and Xue Feng.


    Xue Bai knew this and was slightly disappointed he couldn''t speed through the final two stages of his current realm.


    However, it was a good thing that Xue Bai didn''t speak out his thoughts and emotions as if he had. Xue Bai most likely would''ve gained the public''s anger even quicker than Liu Mei had.


    The Purification Stages were the most time-consuming and hard cultivation stages of all.


    From extremely sharp senses to fully perfect the realm to needing treasures capable of expunging impurities that stayed in the body, the 5 Purification Stages were a daunting task to any cultivator, talented or not.


    This was why Jiang Xiarou was 22 years old yet only in the Dharma Idol Realm, while Wang Yu was 18 and almost at the peak of the Qi Sea Realm.


    While the rank of their Martial Veins was definitely one of the causes of this, Jiang Xiaorou had her adoptive father/Master Yue Zifeng supplying her with cultivation resources, so those two factored each other out.


    Cultivating the Purification Stages had slowed down the speed of Jiang Xiaorou so much that Wang Yu, who was years younger than her, was catching up!


    There were two reasons Xue Bai could cultivate the Purification Stages so fast.


    One was because his low Heaven-grade Martial Veins only absorbed the purest of the Spiritual Qi from the air and the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus.


    While the other was due to the fact that his soul was as strong as someone four realms above his own cultivation base. So while he couldn''t use his powerful soul to extinguish others or mind control like his chuuni inner self wanted to, he could still use it to scan his inner body and scout out the small impurities that lurked inside of him.


    If it weren''t for those two factors, Xue Bai most likely wouldn''t have even been this deep in the Bone Strengthening realm but rather still in the early stages of it.


    Xue Bai, however, didn''t know how wild his thoughts were, and even if he did, he wouldn''t have cared much.


    The only thing on his mind was the heavenly treasure in his spatial ring that sat untouched.


    Since Xue Bai wasn''t in the Organ Tempering yet, it meant that he couldn''t use the fruits on the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree. And that it would have to sit in his spatial ring for at least another 2 weeks.


    Fortunately, the spatial ring he had also had an effect simr to an Essence Sealing Storage Box and would make sure the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree never lost its essence and that the fruits they produced stayed ripe and full of essence.


    Sighing in slight sadness, Xue Bai stood up from his cross-legged position, stored the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus in his spatial ring, and left his room.


    Outside, Liu Meiy in the pnquin, which he still didn''t know where she got,zily.


    Her bare white feet stretched out in contentment on one end, while on the other, she stuck her head out and looked at the skies above, curiosity filling her eyes.


    Sensing his exit, Liu Mei spoke up.


    "Hey Xue Bai, though I don''t know how you got stuck in this mortal ne, since you are a descendant of the Void Fox Emperor, you must''ve at least lived in the First Heaven for a few years. So how was life there?" Liu Mei asked.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned, it is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 190 Gaining A New Nickname

    Gaining a New Nickname


    The person at Xue Bai''s door was a familiar face, but it wasn''t one he liked.


    Standing at the door of his courtyard was the ex-owner of this courtyard, and the person that Xue Bai very nearly killed out of anger, Lin Fu.


    "Hello, Prince Consort." Lin Fu awkwardly said as he tried to force a smile on his face.


    Now that Xue Bai''s identity had been revealed, Lin Fu had been living in fear for the past week. Thankfully it seemed that Xue Bai wasn''t the petty type, so Lin Fu was able to continue living.


    However, after his first interaction with Xue Bai, Lin Fu swore never to interact with this walking cmity again.


    But to his anguish, his Master had forced him to go back to this cmity and ry a message. If not for that, Lin Fu would rather stay with the Grey-Robed Students thane back here.


    "Stop wasting my time and speak your mind!" Xue Bai once again shouted, bringing Lin Fu back to reality.


    Xue Bai was already in a less than joyful mood since he had been taken away from his cultivation time, yet now this arrogant fellow was still wasting his time!


    ''Does this idiot think my time is worth nothing?!''


    "I also didn''t want toe here, Prince Consort." Lin Fu answered with resignation in his tone.


    "I don''t care for your emotions, fool! Tell me why you''re here so I can continue with my day!" Xue Bai had no care for this man''s plight.


    This person had tried to maim him just for stealing his courtyard. If Xue Bai cared about him, he would be an idiot.


    Enraged at how Xue Bai was belittling him, Lin Fu''s facial expression darkened. But after he remembered that a Xiantian Great Realm demonic beast was only a few meters away, and Xue Bai''s odd powers, he forced himself to calm down.


    "Prince Consort, my Master, the Head Instructor for the ck-Robed Students, is calling every ck-Robed Student to gather at the Academy''s gates. A secret realm has appeared, and someone of your talents is required to be in attendance." Lin Fu humbly spoke as he tried to stop himself from puking.


    Acting so subservient to a man who had tried to kill him was making Lin Fu''s insides churn. But since his Master had told him to do so, Lin Fu tried to force the feeling down as much as he could lest he puked out his breakfast.


    "Do I have toe out?" Seeing Lin Fu try and act so amicably made some of the annoyance in Xue Bai''s heart fade away, so trying to reciprocate, Xue Bai spoke politely to the man.


    However, since Lin Fu said that all of the ck-Robed Students would being, it meant that the people entering the secret realm would have cultivation bases up to the peak of the Qi Sea realm like Lin Fu in front of him.


    Coupled with Xue Bai''s position in the Empire, it would mean that almost every single student entering the secret realm along with him would be against him.


    And fighting against every single top-tier ck-Robed Student in a random secret realm he had no knowledge about was not the way Xue Bai wanted to spend his weekend.


    Sadly, Lin Fu came prepared and shut down Xue Bai''s request.


    "I''m sorry, Prince Consort, but you''ll have toe along with us. Not only my Master but also the Academy Head wants you toe along to this secret realm." Lin Fu shook his head with a smile.


    "Weren''t you arrogant before! You''ll still have to obediently follow me in the end!'' Seeing Xue Bai finally have his arrogance put down a little, some of Lin Fu''''s anger was avenged, and he felt better.


    Of course, he was still hoping that Xue Bai woulde along to the secret realm so that he would have a chance to kill the gigolo andpletely wash out the fear and anger in his heart, but Lin Fu was patient.


    Revenge had to be taken step by step. Rushing to thest act would only make his ns and scheme stay in his head, never to be fulfilled.


    Hearing those words, Xue Bai sighed before nodding. Though Feng Hai had no control over him, Xue Bai still felt some obligation to help the man out with some basic things. Of course, this didn''t mean that Xue Bai would ever sacrifice himself for the man, but if Feng Hai only wanted him to join a secret realm, then Xue Bai could get behind it.


    Besides, going into a secret realm was a good chance for Xue Bai to get some long-needed life and death tempering.


    And while it could be slightly dangerous to go into a secret realm somewhere blindly, Xue Bai was fully confident in his survivability. So in his mind, this voyage would just be another day at the park.


    After Xue Bai agreed, Lin Fu''s humble face vanished and returned to his usual haughtiness before he turned around with a wave of his robes.


    "Follow me then, Prince Consort. I''ll show you where you need to go." Lin Fuughed as he started walking to the Academy''s gates.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Nodding slightly, Xue Bai walked out of his courtyard and followed the man, but before he could, a tired but luscious voice came from behind him.


    "Xue Bai, what the hell are you talking so long for? Hurry ande back!" Liu Mei yelled out once she noticed that Xue Bai had been gone for so long.


    Immediately Lin Fu and Xue Bai''s expressions changed after Liu Mei spoke those words.


    Lin Fu had a look of awe and worship since he knew who the woman in Xue Bai''s courtyard was, while Xue Bai had veins popping on his neck and face.


    ''He''s riding a Xiantian Great Realm demonic beast!''


    ''This damn woman is using such easily misunderstood words!''


    When Xue Bai cultivated using the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, like what happened at the Soaring Sword Sect with Zhu Que and Xiao''er, Liu Mei would sit nearby and absorb the Spiritual Qi that Xue Bai didn''t, or rather couldn''t absorb.


    And just after a week of sitting by Xue Bai, Liu Mei could already feel her cultivation slightly advance.


    Of course, it was nowhere near the amount she needed to break through a stage. After all, she was in the Spirit Expansion realm, but still, even mosquitos had meat. Plus, Liu Mei was doing Xue Bai a service but making sure he didn''t die from Spiritual Qi poisoning by making sure the mist never got too thick.


    So once Xue Bai was brought out of his cultivation state by Lin Fu and was forced to get off of the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus, Liu Mei was forced to wait for his return.


    And while it was true that Xue Bai hadn''t refined the treasure yet, due to his poor cultivation and that she also could''ve gotten on the meditation mat herself and powered it up, Liu Mei thought Xue Bai would get angry at her and didn''t.


    But now that Xue Bai had been gone for almost 5 minutes, Liu Mei started to get both curious and annoyed at what was taking him so long.


    As for her sultry voice, Liu Mei genuinely talked like that when it was just Xue Bai and her. And while her choice of words could''ve been less innuendo-filled, Liu Mei was a rather innocent woman and couldn''t understand the underlying meaning in her words.


    All these poor factors together perfectly built the beautiful misunderstanding that Lin Fu was now caught in.


    Now with a face that matched most beets, Lin Fu blushed and turned around, leaving Xue Bai alone to deal with his angry lover.


    While Lin Fu was at the peak of the Qi Sea realm, he was still only a young man still with his pure Yang, so when he heard Liu Mei''s sultry voice, he couldn''t help but blush from it. Not only that, but he also felt a lustful heat roam down his body.


    However, he didn''t dare even imagine anything inappropriate for fear that Liu Mei could somehow read his mind. So before his worst imagination came true, he left the scene.


    "Prince Consort, surely you know where the Academy''s gates are, so if you''ll excuse me, I''ll allow you to go back to yourpanion, who is awaiting your services." And before Xue Bai could truly prove his innocence, he left.


    Even resorting to using a movement technique to leave faster, Lin Fu had no desire to stay any longer.


    Liu Mei was a demonic beast in the Xiantian Great Realm, for heaven''s sake. He had already disturbed her once. Doing it again was just courting death!


    Xue Bai wasn''t dumb and could very easily see through Lin Fu''s thought process, but the man had already run so far away, and honestly, even if Xue Bai tried to exin his way out of this situation, it wouldn''t work.


    So rather than try and lie his way out, it was just better for Xue Bai to wear it with pride.


    ''That Liu Mei!''


    Of course, this didn''t mean that Xue Bai wasn''t angry at the bird, so after scolding her for a few minutes and taking the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus away from her, he left her alone.


    This time hopefully, for a long time, as after promising Xue Bai, Liu Mei couldn''t leave the courtyard without his permission.


    "Xue Bai! I''m sorry, take me out!" Liu Mei cried out like an abandoned wife who was watching her husband leave her for a younger woman.


    And since Xue Bai had already walked a distance away, Liu Mei didn''t bother lowering her voice, and to his further anger, her cries were heard.


    It was on that day that Xue Bai gained the moniker the yboy King for being able to seduce not only the Monarch Feng Fei but also a Xiantian Great Realm demonic beast.


    His life in the Gen Empire was going great!

 Chapter 191 Lin Fus Horrible Day

    Lin Fu''s Horrible Day


    Xue Bai didn''t bother going back into his courtyard to punish Liu Mei again. Not only would it do nothing, but who knows what the bird would scream out once he came in?


    It was a can of worms that Xue Bai wanted nothing to do with.


    So after pushing down the migraine that was on the verge of erupting, Xue Bai continued on his way to the Academy''s gates, no matter how much Liu Mei screamed.


    Xue Bai didn''t bother to activate his physique and instead put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked over to the Academy''s gates. While most likely, the people who were waiting for him at the gates were starting to be impatient with his slow arrival time, so what?


    Walking was a good method to calm the heart, and Xue Bai desperately needed some calming.


    ¨C


    While Xue Bai started his ten-mile walk to the Academy''s gates, arge crowd of about 50 students was waiting for his arrival.


    However, just like he guessed, none of their faces had a positive expression, and most of them even looked to be on the verge of eruption. Most of them were from impatience, while some were out of anger.


    Yet just before they erupted, a set of footsteps sounded. Thinking it to be the two people they were waiting for, everyone in the group turned around, but once they all saw it was only one person, they all became even angrier than before.


    "Lin Fu, we told you to get that gigolo! Where the hell is he?" A boy yelled out angrily.


    "Yes! What Brother Xuan said! Where is he?"


    "Does that gigolo not know that making his seniors wait is disrespectful?!"


    Dozens of angry shouts poured out, and eventually, Lin Fu, who was still blushing slightly, started to be angry.


    "Shut up!" Lin Fu shouted out as he unleashed his cultivation base.


    As the strongest person in this group, and with a cultivation base that was at the peak of what a ck-Robed Student could be, it was only right that Lin Fu was the leader.


    But now, after he graciously decided to get Xue Bai, everyone started to turn on him!


    It was the definition of a mutiny!


    "I told him toe, and he should be here soon." Lin Fu said indirectly. He didn''t want to exin what Xue Bai was doing and what was making him dy his arrival in front of all his teammates.


    Sadly, his teammates were too angry to suppress their curiosity, and instead of taking Lin Fu''s hint, they all demanded to know what the hell Xue Bai was doing.


    "What is Xue Bai doing that is so important that he is making all of us wait then?!" The boy who yelled out first spoke up. And since his opinion represented everyone else''s, no one else said anything but instead nodded.


    But Lin Fu wasn''t having it, and he didn''t even bother answering their questions.


    "I spoke my words! I don''t care anymore! If you all want to know when Xue Bai ising, then go to him yourself! However, be warned. You might die." And with an angry wave of his sleeves, Lin Fu found a nearby bench and sat down.


    ''I almost died from that damn demonic beast! If these idiots think I am going to go back just to check if Xue Bai left, they''re stupid! I''d rather not go to the secret realm than go back!''


    Lin Fu was beyond scared of Liu Mei, so in his mind, going back to check on Xue Bai was a shortcut to suicide.


    Taking a moment to calm himself down, Lin Fu put his elbows on his knees and then his face in his palms as he tried to shut the rest of the world out.


    The fire Liu Mei lit in him hadn''t left yet, and he was still too scared to face Xue Bai or the bird while it still zed in him.


    After Lin Fu pressured the crowd with his cultivation base, they all quieted down, bing as silent as a mouse. And when they saw him sit down with no intention of seeing where Xue Bai was, they gathered together and tried to guess what made their Senior Brother like that.


    "What do you think happened? Did Xue Bai beat him up?"


    "That shouldn''t be right. Senior Brother Lin is at the peak of the Qi Sea realm, and If I remember correctly, Xue Bai should only be in the Bone Strengthening realm. So how could he beat up Senior Brother Lin?"


    "Then what else could have made Senior Brother Lin? He is usually so headstrong and arrogant. Seeing him so downcast and angry is rare."


    With so many possibilities of what happened to Lin Fu, the crowd''s attention shifted, and discussions quickly erupted.


    Since the secret realm only allowed people below the Dharma Idol realm, most of the people in the crowd were rather young. Everyone in the crowd had ages ranging from as low as 20 to the oldest, Lin Fu, who was only 27.


    While that was extremely old in Earth terms, these students were the most talented of the ck-Robed Students, which meant that they either had middle or high Yellow-grade Martial Veins.


    And the lifespan of a Qi Sea realm cultivator was 150 years old, and for every realm one advanced, they would gain another 50 years of lifespan until they reached the Law Manifestation realm, which would then add up to over 300 years of life.


    With a 300-year-long lifespan ahead of them and only being in their twenties, they still had more than 9/10 of their lives waiting for them.


    In mortal terms, they would still be 7 or 8, so being curious and childish at this age, while notmon, wasn''t very rare.


    So when such an open-ended scenario appeared in front of them, none of them could suppress their youthful curiosity and began talking to each other, trying to decipher what had happened to Lin Fu.


    And soon enough, most of the ck-Robed Students forgot about thete Xue Bai entirely.


    However, once they did, the man of the hour arrived.


    Still, with his hands in his pockets and a calm look on his face, Xue Bai casually walked out of the Academy''s gates.


    Outside, Xue Bai scanned the square as if he were looking for someone. And after his line of sight reached the benches, he found his target.


    "Oh! You there! Boy, who I almost killed! Where the hell are the people you wanted me to meet?" Xue Bai yelled out as he waved toward Lin Fu, who still had his face in his palms.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Even now, Xue Bai had yet to learn Lin Fu''s name, and since the man had been so rude and arrogant earlier, he had no qualms about using the most disrespectful pronoun he could think of.


    But once Lin Fu heard the voice that he would never forget, all the tiredness his face once had disappeared, and it was reced by a smoldering rage.


    And after he realized that Xue Bai brought up their first meeting, Lin Fu''s rage only zed more.


    He had purposely not told anyone about it to keep up his image as the almighty senior brother of the ck-Robed Students!


    Now, this mere Bone Strengthening realm gigolo was saying that he almost killed him!


    It was a direct smear of his image.


    The rest of the ck-Robed Students who were nearby also heard Xue Bai''s words.


    While at first, they initially denied it. After all, they could see that Xue Bai''s cultivation base was only at the peak of the Bone Strengthening realm, so how could he even fight against Lin Fu, who was more than a realm ahead of him, let alone almost kill him?


    It was pure nonsense in their minds.


    But their beliefs were quickly shaken as they all looked at Lin Fu, who looked seconds away from erupting.


    Lin Fu also saw their facial expressions that were quickly turning into ones of disbelief.


    Scared that his long-built reputation was about to copse, Lin Fu pointed at Xue Bai usingly and spoke.


    "Xue Bai, don''t you dare bring that up! You''re the one who chose to fight like a coward and snuck attacked me! If you fought me like a man, I would''ve crushed you like the ant you are!" Lin Fu yelled out angrily.


    However, while he did sound prideful and righteous, the finger that Lin Fu was pointing at Xue Bai was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. And since there wasn''t arge distance between Lin Fu and the other ck-Robed Students, they could see it clearly.


    Xue Bai saw this too, but instead of pointing it out, he had another idea.


    Activating his physique, Xue Bai, to the shock of everyone there, disappeared.


    "Dammit! Not this witchcraft again!" Lin Fu''s heart clenched, and the seed of fear that was hidden inside of him bloomed.


    Without even thinking, Lin Fu abandoned all his pride and jumped into the air, where he started hovering.


    ''No matter how cool your stealth ability is, it doesn''t matter if you can''t fly! Even if you could leapfrog two realms above your cultivation base, you''re still in the Bone Strengthening realm, and that means you can''t fly yet!''


    Lin Fu felt like he was a genius, and his body became further and further away from the ground.


    But just as he thought he was safe, dozens of meters in the air, he felt something that gave him fear.


    And not just a normal fear; the fear he felt came not from his heart, bones, or even mind but instead from his very soul.


    Once again, trusting his instincts, Lin Fu quickly threw himself to the left, dodging the primordial fear he felt.


    Not even a secondter, a purple arrow appeared and just barely missed one of his arms.


    ''What the hell is that?!'' Lin Fu was horrified.


    Especially after missing him, the purple arrow didn''t lose a bit of velocity and plunged into the cement.


    Yet, to everyone''s fear, when the arrow plunged into the cement, it just didn''t prate a few feet before stopping. No, instead, it fully dived into the cement until they couldn''t see it anymore.


    "What the hell was that?"


    No one knew who said those words, but everyone who saw that arrow agreed with the words.


    They all could easily tell that Xue Bai''s arrow wasn''t a corporal thing and was instead conjured out of some weird purple energy. But that was what scared them.


    The grounds of the Academy''s outer square were made from middle Yellow-grade ores, so if something could pierce through it like a sword through butter, then it at least had to be a high Yellow-grade.


    However, the purple energy arrow went through the floor way too easily for it at least to be a high Yellow-Grade weapon, and the students thought it was something ranked higher.


    Maybe a peak Yellow-grade weapon or possibly even something in the ck-grade.


    ''Then can Xue Bai summon those arrows casually?!''


    Like a hive mind, everyone''s thoughts were linked, and they all thought of the same horrifying possibility.


    Yet their shock wasn''t over as once they looked back at Lin Fu. They saw Xue Bai magically appear a few feet above him with a disdainful smile on his face.


    "I couldn''t kill youst time because I didn''t expect you to have such a good movement technique, but don''t think you''re special." Xue Bai snorted angrily.


    Finished with his words, Xue Bai pulled out his Lava Spring Sword and sent a purple sword sh at Lin Fu.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 192 Black Ghost

    ck Ghost


    Lin Fu wasn''t prepared for the possibility of Xue Bai magically appearing above him, so he hadn''t seen Xue Bai send the sword sh at him, but instead only felt the same overwhelming pressure that the arrow gave him, flying at him.


    Horrified, Lin Fu once again used his movement technique to try and dodge Xue Bai''s Dao of Space sword sh, but he was toote.


    Slice!


    Lin Fu''s left arm was severed at the shoulder. But thankfully, he managed to dodge the sh.


    "Xue Bai! What the hell are you doing?! What the hell did I do to you?!" Lin Fu was enraged and scared out of his wits.


    Dropping down from his elevated height, he hurriedly caught the severed arm.


    Though it was severed, with enough pills and healing items, it was possible to reattach the arm.


    Knowing this, Lin Fu ced the severed arm back in its original position and quickly swallowed a pill, trying to aplish just that.


    Xue Bai saw this and didn''t stop the man. Though a grudge had been formed between the two, and they wanted each other dead, this wasn''t the best ce for Xue Bai to act on his anger.


    While he had no authority figure over him, and Xue Bai could do what he wanted in the Empire, killing people willy-nilly would affect his reputation severely and make it harder for people to join his faction.


    Anyway, they were all going to a secret realm soon, and Lin Fu wasn''t going to live much longer. So the arm slicing was just a bit of interest.


    Slowly floating back down from his high height, Xue Bai looked at the man coldly and didn''t reply at all.


    It was true that it was impossible for any cultivator below the Qi Sea realm to fly and float. But by using his Dao of Space, Xue Bai could replicate it to an extent.


    However, the small mimic he could do had no tactical advantage and, if anything, was rather cosmetic.


    Using it in a fight was a death wish.


    But using it in this scenario would create the exact image he wanted.


    ''He can float?! Isn''t he only in the Bone Strengthening realm?''


    All the ck-Robed Students who saw this were stunned and felt like their world views were shaken.


    Sadly, they couldn''t ask Xue Bai what they were thinking. So albeit angrily, they all forcibly suppressed their curiosity.


    "Are you angry?" Xue Bai sarcastically asked as he looked at the bloodshot eyes of Lin Fu.


    While he was indeed angry at Xue Bai, the reason his eyes were bloodshot was because of the pain he was experiencing. Having an arm reattached wasn''t painless, and Lin Fu felt like he was about to pass out from the pain.


    But if he did pass out, the procedure would fail, and he would forever lose the limb unless he found a high-ranking pill like what Xue Bai found on Wu Tianyu back at the Soaring Sword Sect.


    Xue Bai also knew this and was just making it hard on the man.


    Sadly, before he could continue angering Lin Fu, an old voice sounded above them all.


    "Prince Consort, while my disciple was arrogant and might''ve angered you, surely there was no need to take an arm of his?"


    Looking up toward the aged voice, Xue Bai saw another old hunchbacked man that looked even closer to death than Head Instructor Li.


    ''Does this Academy only employ people on the verge of death?'' Xue Bai was confused.


    However, his thoughts stayed thoughts.


    Shrugging his shoulders at the old man, Xue Bai didn''t reply, but his answer was indirectly stated.


    ''So what if there was no reason? I wanted to, and I did. What can you do about it?''


    The old man was livid at Xue Bai''s silence, but he could feel a pair of eyes staring at his back from the Academy.


    ''The demonic beast can even sense me from there!''


    Taking a deep breath and pushing down the anger he felt, the old man took a wide step and walked over to where Lin Fu knelt.


    "Master! Avenge me!" Lin Fu cried out once he saw his Master appear in front of him.


    Lin Fu''s Master was named Fang Hui, and also the Vice Academy Head. And since his Master was a powerhouse at the peak of the Law Engraving realm, Lin Fu thought that his sacrifice could be avenged.


    But against his disciple''s wishes, Fang Hui didn''t answer Lin Fu''s question but instead forced a pill into the boy''s mouth.


    "Good disciple, eat this pill." Fang Hui dotingly said.


    However, while he said these words, he also sent a voice transmission into Lin Fu''s mind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Disciple, we can''t do anything to Xue Bai just yet. You were only supposed to test him, not anger him, to the point of violence. Why must you be so arrogant!'' Fang Hui angrily scolded.


    While he was angry at Xue Bai formitting the act, he was also angry at Lin Fu for acting so stupidly. Did Lin Fu not listen to his previous lecture?


    Fang Hui had told his disciple yesterday very clearly that he was under no circumstances to anger Xue Bai. Yet now, not even two dayster, Lin Fu had done it!


    Lin Fu instantly felt aggrieved.


    ''I didn''t even anger him! When I knocked on his door, he was in the middle of a heated battle with his demonic beast guardian. Of course, any man would''ve been angered if they were disturbed during such a time!'' Lin Fu replied back to his Master, stunning the man to the point where his wrinkled eyes opened to the size of saucers.


    ''Which battle are you talking about?'' Fang Hui cautiously asked.


    ''Not the fighting one.'' Lin Fu saw that his Master was hesitant to believe the obvious truth, so he rified what he meant, much to the shock of the old man.


    ''He is in such a rtionship with a Xiantian Great Realm demonic beast?!'' Fang Hui felt a myriad of emotions after he heard Lin Fu tell him the truth.


    Astonishment, envy, confusion, and a bit of disdain were some of the few emotions that Fang Hui was feeling right.


    He felt astonishment at the fact that Xue Bai even managed to aplish such a feat, envy for the same reason, confusion on how Xue Bai managed not to get sucked dry by a Xiantian Great Realm demonic beast, and disdain for Xue Bai sinking even further into his gigolo title.


    But this wasn''t the time for Fang Hui to feel these emotions, so after a quick thought, he quickly suppressed them and put on a serious face.


    ''Good disciple, this only further validates our previous suspicions! However, it also means that we will have to readjust our ns. Anyway, for now, don''t even look in the boy''s direction. And if he tries to talk to you, act humble and look at the ground. I don''t believe he''ll still hit you in such a scenario!''


    Finished with his instructions, Fang Hui let go of the angry Lin Fu and turned to the ck-Robed Students and Xue Bai, who were still waiting for his statement.


    "Students, a secret realm appeared on the border between our Empire and the Kun Empire. And since you all are the top prodigies of our ck-Robed Students, you have been allowed toe and explore it!"


    Then waving his hand, Fang Hui pulled out an airship from a specially-made spatial ring he possessed.


    Arge matte ck airship then appeared out of thin air several meters into the air. Hovering a few meters above everyone, not even looking up at it yet, everyone ck-Robed Student felt a chill go down their spine as they sensed the terrifying aura that the ship naturally emitted.


    Built entirely from middle Yellow-grade wood and steel while also having more than a dozen cannons capable of firing high Yellow-grade ammunition, the airship that Fang Hui released was named the ck Ghost.


    ck Ghost was one of the Academy''s greatest tools as it not only could fly at a speedparable to Domain Lord realm experts but also had the firing power to kill even Domain Lord realm cultivators and scare off half-step Xiantian Great Realm experts.


    It was a powerful airship and was equallyrge as well.


    At almost 600 meters long and 100 meters wide, the airship was even bigger than the Earth''s titanic.


    And while no one ever disliked the huge size of the ck Ghost, the Academy knew its size often became inconvenient.


    Being over 600 meters long, the ck Ghost was far toorge to be stored inside a normal spatial ring. Or at least any type of spatial ring that Fang Hui could afford to own.


    The Academy knew this, so this maderge and expansive spatial rings that were only allowed to carry an airship.


    And as the leader of this expedition, Fang Hui was naturally allowed to carry this. After all, he needed to not only operate the airship but also watch over it.


    But since he couldn''t take it into cities with him without a spatial ring to store the airship in, Fang Hui would only be left with the stupid choice of leaving it outside of the city walls.


    However, leaving it out in the world without any protection was worse than asking someone to steal it.


    Of course, since the ck Ghost was one of Gen Empire Academy''s signature weapons, there were few people who even dared to think about stealing it.


    But of course, one couldn''t be too careful. There were crazy people in the cultivation world who dared to do anything under the heavens.


    Being a little cautious was never too bad.


    However, in Fang Hui''s mind, caution was out of the window, and he only wanted to show off.


    Using the controller that Li Ming gave him earlier, Fang Hui controlled the airship and made it descend to the ground.


    Then, following his statement, he lowered the airship close to the ground and opened thetch, allowing everyone to board.


    "Students, get on! I will exin the specific details of the secret realm on the airship." Fang Hui said.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 193 Second Guesses About Xiao Xuan

    Second Guesses About Xiao Xuan


    Xue Bai, Lin Fu, and the rest of the ck-Robed Students quickly followed Feng Hui onto the ck Ghost.


    However, once they got onto the airship, the faces of the students lit up in astonishment.


    Just like its outside, the inside of the ck Ghost was a pristine-looking matte ck that almost looked like an eternal void. And to the young ck-Robed Students, it was a beautiful color.


    Coupled with therge array of furniture and rooms, the inside of the ck Ghost, rather than looking like an airship, was more like a luxury hotel!


    With long stretch hallways with dozens if not hundreds of rooms and a huge floor dedicated just to be a training field. So many things onboard the ck Ghost resembled the luxury hotels in the Gen Empire that it excited the students.


    If it weren''t for Feng Hui, who was standing next to them, they would''ve taken off and tried to explore everything in the ck Ghost they could!


    But to Xue Bai, who was standing on the side, none of what he was seeing gave him a wow factor, and he stayed calm in the face of it all.


    Sure, everything he saw was extravagant and nice looking, but not only had he seen better back at home in the Great Xuan Empire, but also he felt like the airship looked exactly like the luxury cruises from his previous life.


    Though he spent most of his memorable life in a hospital room, he and his parents had gone on one before it all. And the inside of the ck Ghost reminded him of the one he went on.


    And what the other students were going through right now, Xue Bai had already done, hence hisck of excitement.


    "Oh my god, it''s sorge, even on the inside! I thought that it was all armor!"


    "Idiot, if it was so thick, how could the thing fly? If you''re going to act like a bumpkin, try not to be stupid!"


    Gossip and curious discussions quickly filled the hull of the airship, but once every one of the 50-odd students in attendance entered, Feng Hui''s impatience was revealed.


    "Humph!" While he only snorted, Feng Hui had also infused some of his Spiritual Qi into it, so the second it was released, it was like a dog whistle.


    Every student became mum and looked over at Feng Hui, who had now seemingly regained a few years of youth.


    Long gone was his walking cane, and now he even was able to stand straight with his arms crossed at his chest.


    "Students, stop gawking at the ck Ghost. Once you reach the level of this old man, such scenes will be a dime a dozen. Won''t you be fools if you continue acting like that, then?" Feng Hui scolded.


    However, inwardly he was gloating.


    Before he was given control of the ck Ghost a few days ago, he, too, had never seen such a luxurious airship. But after adjusting to its beauty over the past few days, he had long gotten used to its majesty and beauty and felt like he was able to make fun of the students who were acting like country bumpkins entering a city for the first time.


    It was vain and conceited, but Feng Hui didn''t care. He was hedonist by nature.


    Thankfully his childish thoughts weren''t known by the students in front of him, and rather thanugh at him, they all felt embarrassed at how they acted.


    Sure, they were young, but that was only in the sense of the cultivation world. Truthfully they were all either in their mid tote twenties, yet they had been running around and discussing the ck Ghost like they were half of their age.


    After seeing them all be humble and embarrassed, Feng Hui smiled and began to talk.


    "Students, follow me to where you''ll be staying during this voyage. I''ll exin to you what is happening now and where you all are going on the way!" Feng Hui announced.


    And with a ''follow me'' hand gesture, Feng Hui started walking up one of the many staircases nearby.


    "A few days ago, at the border between the Kun Empire devils and us, one of our loyal soldiers discovered a secret realm! However, like the devils are, they cruelly killed our brave soldier and took over the secret realm location iming to find it first!" Fang Hui spat angrily. It was as if he was truly angry over the death of the footsoldier.


    Of course, there was no way Fang Hui, who had submitted to Long Tian, had any affection toward a random foot soldier, but that wasn''t true about the students.


    For the ck-Robed Students in attendance who still had a strong moral binding with their Empire, once they heard the horrible fate one of their own went through, they erupted in anger.


    "Those damn Kun Empire devils!"


    "How dare they kill one of our men!"


    However, unlike the calm and bored Xue Bai, the other ck-Robed Students were like trails of gasoline which were lit by the match known as Feng Hui.


    Like sleeper agents, once the Kun Empire was mentioned, rage and killing intent erupted out of their youthful bodies.


    Feng Hui, who was at the front of the group, could hear the rage oozing out of the ck-Robed Students, and he smiled.


    "Don''t get angry now, children. Get angry once you see them. You''ll need it." Feng Hui said as he motioned for the students to quiet down.


    "Going back to the story, there is some good news. Our loyal soldier didn''t fall into greed and hold back the news of the secret realm, so the second he discovered it, unaware of his impending death, he sent the coordinates to his superiors. And now, a few dayster, through some annoying but lengthy diplomacy, we have managed to secure 60 spots in the secret realm!" Feng Hui said proudly.


    ''You discovered a secret realm first but are happy you got 60 spots? Aren''t the finders of a secret realm able to dictate who enters and who doesn''t?'' Xue Bai thought inwardly.


    While throughout most of the Baishen ne, the rule of the jungle was active, when it came to powers of equal strength, whether it be two people or two Empires, it was usually finder''s keepers.


    So whoever found something first would be able to control it.


    However, Feng Hui proudly announced that even though they found it first, the Gen Empire could only bring in 60 ck-Robed Students.


    This meant that either Feng Hui''s previous story was nonsense or that the Kun Empire was just that much stronger than the Gen Empire.


    After all, being able to not only kill a soldier of theirs but also take their secret realm away meant that there was a serious power gap between the two neighbors.


    And Xue Bai was more inclined to believe thetter.


    But it wasn''t his ce to speak up about this, and he let Feng Hui continue narrating the story.


    "Thews of the secret realm are rather simple. The only people allowed inside have to be under the age of 30 while also having a cultivation base under the Dharma Idol realm. As long as you fulfill those two requirements, you can enter. And you all are the best students we have that fit those requirements." Feng Hui finished. However, as he did, he couldn''t help but slightly turn his head and look at Xue Bai.


    ''Well, except for one. But what does that matter? The faster this brat dies, the better.'' Fang Hui menacingly thought before he turned his head back around and continued guiding the students to their rooms for the next few days.


    "But beyond those rules set by the Senior who created this secret realm, the Kun Empire Merit Board is now being activated!" Fang Huo proudly announced.


    Xue Bai was confused about the noun, but it didn''tst long as, coincidentally, the students near him started to discuss the Kun Empire Merit Board.


    "I remember that I still have 400 points on the Kun Empire Merit Board! So if I get 100 more, I can get that peak Yellow-grade sword I was looking at!"


    "You''re lucky. I wasted all of my points on healing pills. I almost died in thest skirmish."


    Hearing the information-packed discussion, Xue Bai was easily able to understand what the Kun Empire Merit Board was.


    Apparently, by killing Kun Empire cultivators, depending on both their standing and cultivation base, one would be able to redeem points in the Kun Empire Merit Board.


    And the Kun Empire Merit Board itself was basically a shopping catalog funded by both the business of the Gen Empire and the Empire itself.


    ''More ways to get resources, I guess?'' Xue Bai inwardly shrugged.


    He didn''t care for the prestige of the Gen Empire nor about protecting it. But he was able to get behind the idea of killing people for money. Human life was cheap in this world. Being able to get some money from killing someone was far more than most people could get.


    Even more so now that he knew that Xiao Xuan was from the Kun Empire. Something about the man''s name made Xue Bai think of Xiao Mo, especially since Xiao Xuan seemed like the devouring protagonist troupe.


    After all, the man had only a low Yellow-grade Martial Vein but could cultivate at speeds that could contest a Child of the ne. If he wasn''t a devouring protagonist troupe, then he had to have been lying about his true Martial Vein rank.


    However, it still didn''t connect in Xue Bai''s mind.


    What the hell did two random people on two separate continents have to do with each other?


    The most reasonable exnation, and the one that Xue Bai wanted to think was true, was that after he shed open the void, he also caused something to fall at Xiao Xuan''s feet and make him into the genius he was.


    But something in Xue Bai screamed that wasn''t the case.


    Something deep inside him was screaming that Xiao Xuan was something far beyond what he was thinking.


    Yet Xue Bai didn''t know what else to think!


    What was connecting the two?


    What was inside Xue Bai that was warning him?


    What could possibly be scarier than Xiao Mo?


    It was an enigma, and this entire week, Xue Bai had lost sleep over it. However, hopefully, now, it will alle to an end.


    Once they entered the secret realm, Xue Bai was just going to kidnap the first Kun Empire citizen he found and get the information he needed!


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 194 Thinking Too Much Is Bad

    Thinking too Much is Bad


    Feng Hui continued to guide the students throughout the ck Ghost and exin its manyponents and zones, but Xue Bai wasn''t paying much attention to him.


    The screaming feeling in Xue Bai made him lose his calm, bringing him into a huge mental battle. From what the feeling could mean to why he was even feeling it, Xue Bai couldn''t pay attention to anything around him.


    So after Feng Hui showed the students where the rooms were, he simply dered ownership of one and left the group.


    Xue Bai had no connections with those students, and Lin Fu and Feng Hui wouldn''t stop staring at him.


    Coupled with his screaming instincts, Xue Bai wanted to leave that group as fast as possible.


    After dering ownership of the room, Xue Bai didn''t even bother using the key that Feng Hui gave him and simply used his physique to phase through the door.


    The room was nd and still had the matte ck color that the rest of the ship had, but Xue Bai ignored it all and just dove onto the bed face first.


    However, even after heid down on the bed, Xue Bai couldn''t stop thinking of what his instincts were implying.


    "What the hell was this feeling? Is Xiao Xuan that scary?" Xue Bai couldn''t help but mutter aloud.


    After Xue Bai left the group, the screaming feeling started to fade away, but even though it left, the impression it left on him didn''t.


    Xue Bai knew that once one truly began cultivation at the Qi Sea realm, one gained a sixth sense, which would allow them to almost foresee the future.


    That was the reason why Xue Bai struggled to kill Lin Fu. Not only was he in the Qi Sea realm, but he was also at the realm''s peak at that. So he had the sixth sense, and that was the reason why Xue Bai couldn''t sneak attack him cleanly.


    Though Lin Fu wouldn''t be able to react instantly, he was still able to react just quickly enough for him to dodge the fatal blow.


    However, as grand as those abilities were, Xue Bai didn''t have that. He was still in the Bone Strengthening realm.


    It was confusing the hell out of him, but no matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to mind.


    Nothing in his memories of the game references a person named Xiao Xuan, so Xue Bai knew that he wasn''t in the game. After all, his soul was as strong as a Law Engraving realm powerhouse, so at this point, Xue Bai could remember almost everything that happened in his past life.


    Yet even with all of his thought-processing power and memories, Xue Bai couldn''t think of anything.


    The feeling of having your body screaming at you but being able to do nothing about it was far beyond annoying and was closer to scary.


    "I give up!" Xue Bai angrily shouted.


    He couldn''t handle it anymore.


    Giving up, Xue Bai sat in a lotus position and started cultivating.


    ''Since I know nothing about him, why the hell should I worry? I''ll know whatever I want to know in a few days! No need to lose hair overthinking it now.''


    And with such a thought process, Xue Bai ignored everything around him and started cultivating.


    Sadly he couldn''t use the Soul Sublimation Golden Lotus.


    There was no one with him to assist him in draining the Spiritual Qi it produced, so if he used it now, not only would it kill him, but the other people in the ck Ghost would also notice it.


    Using it now was a stupid idea, and Xue Bai knew that.


    So while he thought it was a massive waste of time, he started simply cultivating the old-fashioned way and pulled a Spirit Stone.


    Usually, Xue Bai didn''t like using Spirit Stones to cultivate as the Spiritual Qi within them were extremely impure. However, he had cultivated the true Vein Transformation realm, and he could purify his Spiritual Qiter on.


    For now, it was better to advance his cultivation base as much as he could.


    Xiao Xuan was not only an anomaly but also stronger than him. And coupled with the man''s ability to leapfrog several stages, Xue Bai needed any strength he could get.


    Xue Bai would worry about his Spiritual Qi purityter.


    ¡ª


    A few hundred meters away, a couple floors above where Xue Bai cultivated, Lin Fu and Feng Hui were in arge hall together.


    However, since Feng Hui was the master and Lin Fu was the disciple, the former sat in a chairfortably while thetter stood at his side respectfully.


    "Lin Fu, what do you think about that boy? What are your chances of winning against him?" Feng Hui asked as he stroked his beard.


    After an afternoon of showing off, his poor mood had left, and how he was feeling rather good about himself. But after he remembered Xue Bai and how arrogant the boy had been just a few hours ago, he ended up tugging on his beard too hard and pulling a few white strands of hair off.


    ''Shit!''


    Wincing in pain, Feng Hui gripped his head to calm himself down, but as he did, Lin Fu started talking.


    "Master, truthfully, I have no confidence in Xue Bai. His abilities are too mysterious, and that sword of his even managed to take an arm from the Disciplinary Hall Head. So how dare I take it on?" Lin Fu spoke with a wry smile.


    Lin Fu was young and had the hot-headedness and arrogance a genius of his age should have, but when it came to Xue Bai, he couldn''t even give himself a 10% chance against the gigolo.


    Between Xue Bai''s ability to disappear at the drop of a hat before seemingly being able to teleport wherever he wished and the purple sword shes that he could send out rapidly, let alone Lin Fu, even some of the Gold-Robed Students would have trouble against Xue Bai.


    "However, I know one thing. Xue Bai can''t kill me. His attacks are unpredictable, and his abilities are mysterious, but their speed still coincides with his cultivation base. This means that while his abilities can kill me, they have to hit me first," Lin Fu announced proudly.


    Though Xue Bai''sbat power was heaven-defying, it didn''te from overwhelming strength but rather unpredictability.


    Lin Fu was physically unable to react fast enough to Xue Bai''s teleportation, which was why he suffered so horribly at the hands of Xue Bai.


    However, while that was true, it was also true that Lin Fu was able to react just in time to dodge a fatal blow.


    Xue Bai couldn''t kill Lin Fu, while Lin Fu wouldn''t be able to get a hit in.


    So while Lin Fu was definitely on the losing side of the battle, Xue Bai wasn''t necessarily winning either.


    Of course, if Xue Bai got a good hit like earlier when he severed Lin Fu''s arm, then it''s different, but Lin Fu was confident that as long as he was constantly alert, Xue Bai would never be able to get a chance like that again, hence his confidence.


    But thinking of Xue Bai''s mystical abilities got Lin Fu curious.


    "Master, does the Grand Duke know what Xue Bai''s abilities are? While I don''t dare call myself the smartest man in the entire Empire, I still know a decent amount about the Northern Continent, and yet I still have no clue what''s allowing Xue Bai to maneuver like that!" Lin Fu asked.


    Nothing he knew of could allow a man to do that. Even Domain Lord realm cultivators with deep and profound knowledge ofws would struggle to even attempt to mimic Xue Bai''s abilities.


    So how did a tiny kid in the Bone Strengthening realm do it?


    Lin Fu couldn''t wrap his head around it.


    However, his confusion was shared, as Feng Hui could only shake his head.


    "While I haven''t seen the Grand Duke recently, I spoke with Vice Academy Head Li earlier this week, and he had spoken to the Grand Duke himself. And he told me that the Grand Duke doesn''t know either." Feng Hui sighed in distress.


    Having to fight a powerful opponent was scary, but to fight an extremely talented genius with a power that shook all theirmon beliefs was even scarier.


    In order to deal with people like Xue Bai with powerful backgrounds, the best way to do so was to kill them in secret, away from their home territory. But ns like that needed to be done perfectly, and without even the slightest grasp on Xue Bai''s powers, how could they n it out?


    Even if they used a Heaven Encasing Net, the mostmon method of killing powerful geniuses, Xue Bai would just disappear from it!


    Xue Bai''s existence alone was forcing all of them to throw away their preconceived notions and readapt brand-new measures. However, without a grasp on Xue Bai''s powers, they could only wait until Long Tian told them about the new measures.


    Lin Fu sighed destely.


    It seemed he wouldn''t be able to get his revenge anytime soon.


    ¨C


    While Feng Hui was the person in charge of the ck Ghost, he wasn''t able nor allowed to steer it.


    This job was left to a set of cultivators who were there during the construction of the ship.


    Steering a ship of this size andplexity was beyond Feng Hui''s ability, especially since he only got the thing a few days ago.


    So once all of the ck-Robed Students entered their rooms, the group of cultivators turned the ship on and started the trip.


    "Students on the ck Ghost! The trip to the secret realm is going to take a few days, so for now, sit tight in your rooms and cultivate diligently. Any more strength gained is another wound on the body of the Kun Empire devils!" Feng Hui spoke over the ship''smunications systems.


    "However, for students at a bottleneck or wanting to find out the strengths of theirpanions or exchange pointers with their fellow students, you all may use therge practice field I showed you earlier. If you have any questions beyond that, find Lin Fu and ask him. He has the answers to most questions. And if not, he''ll pass it on to me. Have a good time."


    And with a loud clicking sound, Feng Hui shut off the inte.


    Xue Bai was brought out of his cultivation state by the volume of the inte, but once he listened to it more, he realized something.


    ''He phrased himself weirdly. What does he mean by finding out the strengths of yourpanions? Doesn''t everyone here know each other and their strengths?'' Xue Bai thought inwardly.


    Such weird phrasing naturally wasn''t missed by Xue Bai, but once he did catch it, he became confused about its meaning.


    Thankfully, the Heavens weren''t indifferent to his plight, as before he lost sleep on the problem, they sent down a revtion to help him figure it out.


    "Xue Bai! Open the door now! I, your father, Ling Yi, want to fight!"

 Chapter 195 A Trio Of Idiots

    A Trio of Idiots


    ''That''s what he meant.'' Xue Bai cursed inwardly.


    Fang Hui was an intelligent man who knew how to sow discord even between Domain Lord realm powerhouses, let alone small children in the Qi Sea realm.


    If not, how could he get such a position in the Academy with his low cultivation?


    Feng Hui knew that Xue Bai was a ruthless man, but he also knew that Xue Bai wouldn''t kill innocent people.


    That was why he phrased himself so awkwardly. It was to get the other ck-Robed Students to fight Xue Bai and ''exchange pointers'' with him.


    His mission with this was to try and see if any of the students would be able to force a card out of Xue Bai or maybe even give him insights into Xue Bai''s teleportation skill.


    The chances were slim, definitely, but as long as it was possible, Feng Hui would try his luck.


    Also, no one would be killed with this n, so he lost nothing, even if it did fail.


    It was a n with sky-high rewards with little to no risk.


    Feng Hui would be stupid if he didn''t try it.


    Xue Bai guessed this much with the limited information he had, but it still angered him. First Lin Fu, now this random person surnamed Ling, it seemed that every ck-Robed Student was fated to disturb his cultivation.


    "Xue Bai, I know you''re awake now! Don''t cower like a turtle in your room. If you have guts follow me to the training field!" Ling Yi was getting more and more impatient as time passed.


    Veins appeared on Xue Bai''s face as his anger started to peak.


    ¨C


    Outside of Xue Bai''s bedroom were three young men.


    However, weirdly enough, each of the young men looked exactly the same. From their face, hair, clothes, and even eye color, it was as if they were all cut from the same mold.


    The only differences the three had were their cultivation bases and temperaments.


    The young man standing in the back of the group only had a cultivation base of the 3rd stage of the Qi Sea realm, and he exuded a weak and cowardly temperament. Every time his eldest brother banged on the door of Xue Bai, his face cowered, and he looked more and more scared.


    His name was Ling San, the youngest of the three Ling triplets, a ck-Robed Student with a high Yellow-grade Martial Veins of the water attribute. Known to be a very kind gentleman, Ling San liked to use his rare element to help others rather than to kill and loved healing people.


    In fact, it was his dream to awaken a fire element Martial Vein and be an alchemist. But, sadly, fate wasn''t in his cards, and he awakened the opposite element needed for alchemy.


    Thankfully he did awaken a set of water element Martial Veins which allowed him to still help others through healing.


    But even with his lucky draw of the gic lottery, he could rarely use his water element to heal others, as his much more reckless and adventure-seeking elder brothers always forced him into horrible situations.


    "First Brother, why are you so obstinate? Didn''t you see what happened with Senior Brother Lin? What if that Xue Bai decides to maim you as he did to Lin Fu? We don''t have the money or healing pills to reattach an arm as he does." Ling San shyly spoke, trying to stop his eldest brother from doing something he regretted.


    But his voice was drowned out by the person in front of him.


    The young man in the middle of the group was much rowdier than his younger brother and looked like he was a man who wanted to see the world burn.


    Whenever Ling Yi banged on the door, his face would only light up more and more. He would even cheer his eldest brother on every few bangs like a cheerleader.


    His cultivation was a few stages higher than Ling San being at the 6th stage of the Qi Sea realm.


    The middle twin''s name was Ling Er, and like his younger brother, he also had a reputation in the Academy. But unlike Ling San''s gentle countenance, Ling Er looked like he didn''t even fear the heavens themselves.


    It was a stark contrast, and if they didn''t look the exact same, no one would have assumed the two were rted.


    "Little San, you have to get out of that shell of yours!" Ling Erughed, "Eldest Brother is a strong man at the peak of the Qi Sea realm. And besides that, Lin Fu is a disgrace to cultivators. All he cares about is posing and showing off. Eldest Brother''s strength can''t bepared with that poser."


    "But even if Eldest Brother is strong, we all saw Xue Bai''s weird abilities. He can disappear and appear anywhere he wishes to. How can Eldest Brother stop that?" Ling San was still being cautious.


    Feng Hui''s words wereced with bad intentions as he knew people like Ling Yi were on the ship¡ªthe type of people who were either headstrong or thought of fighting stronger and worthy opponents.


    Martial Fanatics


    And Ling San, while shy and cowardly, was also the smartest of the three. It was because of that fact that the other two let him travel with them.


    So Ling San could see through Feng Hui''s intentions and wanted to exin them to his elder brothers.


    But before he did, a cold and boney hand sped his shoulder.


    "You''re rather smart! Too bad your brothers are idiots."


    Ling San was confused by thepliment and the random touch, but instinctively he thought that it was Ling Er and went to reply, but once he realized that his brothers were both in front of him, he froze.


    Then like a rusty door, Ling San shakily turned his head.


    Behind him, with the brightest smile he could put on, Xue Bai stood. However, unlike the friendly smile Xue Bai would use to gain goodwill, Ling San felt nothing good from Xue Bai''s smile.


    Plus, with the bulging veins near Xue Bai''s temple, Ling San knew he was in a horrible situation.


    "AHHHH!" Horrified, Ling San jumped away, not caring for his image at all.


    At first, the other two Ling siblings hadn''t heard Xue Bai''s voice and were still focused on the bedroom door, but once Long San screamed in terror, they both quickly turned around in confusion.


    Seeing Xue Bai stand behind them casually with no fear on his face, their hearts clenched in fear.


    ''I didn''t even notice him appear!''


    Ling Yi and Ling Er were terrified at Xue Bai''s abilities.


    They could clearly sense he was in the room just a few seconds ago, but now without any warning and even before they realized he was gone, he was right behind them.


    "So, do you still want to fight?" Xue Bai impatiently asked as he saw their faces twist into horror.


    He hadn''t expected there to be so many people outside his bedroom, but now that he had learned it, he became even angrier.


    ''Do these idiots think my room is a hangout spot?''


    "No, no, no, how dare we disturb you, Prince Consort!" Ling Yi''s momentumpletely swapped, and he quickly denied wanting to fight Xue Bai.


    Previously he thought that Lin Fu was being careless and didn''t use his Spiritual Sense well enough, and as a result, he was caught off guard by Xue Bai''s antics.


    But he realized that he was wrong.


    While he was being rude and banging on Xue Bai''s door, he constantly had his Spiritual Sense out and even peered into Xue Bai''s room with it. And yet still, Xue Bai managed to teleport behind him.


    If he continued to aggravate this monster, wouldn''t he just be asking for death?


    Ling Yi wanted to live a few more years and quickly admitted defeat. So without any other words, he grabbed his two idiot brothers and ran off, fearing Xue Bai was still angry.


    Xue Bai only looked at the idiot trio coldly and let them run.


    He could easily sense that there was no malicious intent behind Ling Yi''s challenge. Instead, the man just truly wanted to fight against Xue Bai.


    They were just reckless idiots who hadn''t seen the world yet, and getting angry at them would do nothing but further y into Feng Hui''s n.


    However, he couldn''t say that he was annoyed, so before the trio left his line of sight, Xue Bai pinched his fingers and folded the space between them.


    Then taking a wide step, Xue Bai appeared in front of the trio just before they turned the corner.


    "You have disturbed my precious cultivation time. Shouldn''t youpensate me?" Xue Bai spoke as he manifested in front of them.


    The Ling siblings shivered.


    ¨C


    After Xue Bai extorted¡­ waspensated by the Ling trio, he let them leave peacefully without harming them. At least physically.


    Whether they could step out of the psychological shadow Xue Bai left on them would be up to them and their future merits.


    Back in his room, Xue Bai put his consciousness in the spatial ring that Ling Yi gave to him and started to sort through its contents.


    ''600 Spiritual Stones, 45 Tiger Strength Pill bottles, 134 middle Yellow-grade attack talismans¡­.''


    The more and more Xue Bai went through the spatial ring, the more a certain thought appeared in his head.


    ''Did those idiots keep all of their belongings in one spatial ring?''


    ¨C


    A few floors down, the Ling siblings finally stopped running.


    "Eldest Brother, is he still chasing us?" Ling San fearfully asked as he scanned his surroundings.


    They had now arrived at the floor where the training room was, and since the room waspletely wide open without any walls, Ling San eventually got the answer himself.


    However, Ling Yi didn''t see Ling San''s rity and still answered him with a sarcastic yes.


    "At least he didn''t hurt you two." Ling Yi sighed in relief, "And he even stupidly took the dud spatial ring I carry¡­."


    Ling Yi paused.


    The twins noticed this and looked back at their Eldest Brother in confusion, but once they saw his pale face, they had an inkling of what had happened.


    "Eldest Brother?"


    "Eldest Brother, did you really?"


    Ling San and Ling Er were heartbroken at the possibility, but with how Long Yi looked, they soon realized that it was most likely what happened.


    The trio sighed.


    ''''''Dammit Feng Hui!!!''''''

 Chapter 196 Duke Han

    Duke Han


    After the little hup known as Ling Yi, Xue Bai continued to hole himself in his room.


    Earlier, Xue Bai was slightly reluctant to use Spiritual Stones for cultivation as he already had so little, but now with 600 more to his worth, he had no qualms about it and continued to use them religiously.


    Holding one in each hand, Xue Bai slowly and methodically absorbed the Spiritual Qi within it and continued to cultivate diligently.


    There was only one more stage between him and the Organ Tempering realm, and he wanted to get that stage out of the way as soon as possible.


    After that, he would finally be able to use the Five Elements Mystic Spirit Tree. And Xue Bai knew that by eating those five fruits, he would be able to speed through the Organ Tempering realm.


    He could envision heaven-defying cultivation speed in the future, and all he needed to see through his goals was to break through the god-forsaken Bone Strengthening realm.


    Xue Bai had been in this damn realm too long.


    ¨C


    The Gen Empire wasn''t as big as the Great Xuan Empire, just about two-thirds the size of it.


    So after two days of travel, the group of 50 odd ck-Robed Students and Feng Hui arrived at their destination.


    Their destination was the northeast border of the Gen Empire, where the Kun Empire and Gen Empire shed.


    However, since the secret realm hadn''t fully opened yet, Feng Huinded at the border city instead of going right to the forest where it was found.


    Named Steel Moon City, the border city of the Gen Empire was the first line of defense that protected the Gen Empire from the Kun Empire devils.


    The naming of the city was rather simple since, like Frontier City back in the Great Xuan Empire, Steel Moon City had arge metal wall that surrounded it. And a few generations ago, a famous poet referred to it as the Steel Moon of the Empire.


    Ever since then, the name has stuck.


    Simple and to the point.


    Afternding the ship just outside of the city walls, Feng Hui promptly announced their arrival and then shepherded the students out of the ck Ghost.


    "Students, we have arrived!" Feng Hui loudly yelled through the announcement systems, gaining arge number of curses from the students he nearly sent into Qi deviation.


    Annoyed and slightly pale-faced, the 50-odd students and ship workers left their rooms and exited the ck Ghost along with Feng Hui, Lin Fu, and Xue Bai.


    "Students, the secret realm won''t open for at least another two days, so for now, you all can find a motel and get a room to stay in until it does." Feng Hui said calmly, ignoring the anger-filled gazes he was receiving.


    And without a word of apology, he stored the ck Ghost and left, only taking Lin Fu with him.


    Xue Bai didn''t socialize with the students either and left, entering the city a few steps behind the master and disciple.


    The guards manning the city gates didn''t hassle Xue Bai either, and after a simple identification process, he entered Steel Moon City.


    Steel Moon City was a ce full of two kinds of people. Rogue cultivators wanted to earn a quick buck from the deep and resource-filled environment outside the city, or soldiers who cultivated to protect the Gen Empire from any threat, whether it was a demonic beast stampede or the Kun Empire devils.


    This meant that the average cultivation base of Steel Moon City was even higher than the Imperial Capital!


    And Xue Bai saw through this instantly.


    From just sweeping his gaze around the city streets casually, Xue Bai saw nock of Qi Sea and Dharma Idol realm cultivators, while Law Engraving realm and Law Manifestation realm cultivators weren''t that rare either.


    However, that''s where the cultivation bases topped off. No matter how hard Xue Bai looked, he couldn''t spot a Domain Lord realm cultivator.


    Furthermore, the Law Manifestation realm cultivators he did see only had cultivation bases in the early stages of the realm, while every once in a while, Xue Bai would see someone in the middle stages.


    And even so, the auras of the Law Manifestation realm cultivators were weak. If Xue Bai hadn''t clearly been able to see their cultivations, he wouldn''t even have thought that they were in the Law Manifestation realm and would''ve assumed they were in the Law Engraving realm.


    ''Most likely, the people here forcibly raised their cultivation to the Law Manifestation realm through unorthodox means.'' Xue Bai thought to himself.


    Such a thing wasn''t rare or even looked down upon. Not everyone was able to cultivate to their true limit.


    Maybe they had an impoverished background that made their cultivation base stagnate due to ack of resources, or maybe they encountered a bottleneck due to ack ofprehension of their cultivation technique. There were many reasons a cultivator wouldn''t be able to reach their full potential.


    And to work around this, cultivators would take pills that would sap away the little potential they had in exchange for a stage breakthrough.


    Back in the Great Xuan Empire, Wang Yichen had mistaken Xue Feng''s crazy advancement pace for such pills.


    Of course, Xue Bai had no care about this, so after a curious nce, he continued walking through the city.


    His goal?


    The No Man''s Land between the Kun and Gen Empire.


    Xue Bai wanted to see if he could nab a Kun Empire student who knew Xiao Xuan. It would be better to be informed before entering the secret realm.


    ¨C


    As Xue Bai entered and left Iron Steel City, Feng Hui and Lin Fu entered the City Lord''s mansion.


    The City Lord''s mansion sat dead center of Steel Moon City. The City Lord''s mansion was practically a small vige covering arge area of more than 10 square miles.


    "Master, why are we going into the City Lord''s mansion? I heard that Duke Han is¡­.." Lin Fu hesitantly said as he scanned his surroundings.


    Obviously, he was scared that the person he was gossiping about would be nearby and listening.


    However, after scanning the area around him with his eyes and Spiritual Sense and making sure no one was nearby, he finished his sentence.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    "Brutish."


    Feng Hui sped his forehead at his idiotic disciple''s actions, but he still answered it.


    "First, I am near you and would be able to detect if he was listening in." Feng Hui shook his head disapprovingly, "And second, yes, he is. After all, how can someone who mans the borders not have such a personality."


    Lin Fu felt embarrassed at having his stupidity pointed out so bluntly and blushed. But he still continued his train of thought.


    "Master, you didn''t answer my question, though. Why are we visiting him? Wouldn''t it be better for us just to find a courtyard and wait until the secret realm opens?" Lin Fu said.


    The border guard of the Empire was a man named Duke Han, and because of this, the man was entric, to say the least. But below all of his entric personality and odd habits, the man was dead loyal to the Empire.


    However, he wasn''t loyal to the throne or the Imperial Family, but just the Empire itself. In his mind, it was not the Feng Imperial Family that ruled the Empire but its citizens, so he didn''t care about who was on the throne.


    But because of this, he also wouldn''t attack whoever was on the throne. It would cross his bottom line.


    And since Lin Fu''s and Feng Hui''s loyalty to the Grand Duke wasn''t a very big secret, Lin Fu thought that it would be extremely stupid to visit the man who was so against them.


    Weren''t they just asking to be thrown out?


    Lin Fu had already been embarrassed so much just a few days ago. He didn''t want to experience it again. It would hurt his psyche too much.


    "I also don''t want to visit the Border Duke, but the Grand Duke gave us orders. Thankfully we aren''t here to recruit the brute, but just send a letter." Feng Hui replied.


    Feng Hui also was slightly fearful of the Border Duke and didn''t want to meet the man, but how dare he disobey the Grand Duke?


    The Border Duke was a man with a cultivation base no inferior to the Grand Duke and the Imperial Guards Leader.


    However, going to the Border Duke would result in, at most, some humiliation, but disobeying the Grand Duke?


    Feng Hui would be lucky to get a swift death.


    So with such a thought process, Feng Hui walked into the core area of the City Lord''s mansion.


    Yet, he never did get far, as the very person they were talking about manifested in front of them.


    "What does a high and noble man like you want with this poor soldier?" An indifferent and pleasant voice drifted by.


    In front of the master and disciple duo, a gentle nket of water unfolded and revealed a thin figure.


    Adorned in a pure white robe unstained from any worldly dust and holding a thin paper fan of the same color, the figure who appeared looked no different than a schr in the Imperial Capital.


    But Feng Hui and Lin Fu knew better than to think the man in front of them was anything schrly.


    The person in front of them was the Border Duke of the Gen Empire, the man who was almost single-handedly held back the Kun Empire, a force 2 ranks higher than them on the Empirical ranking list.


    Enshrouded in a thickyer of mystery, nothing about the Border Duke''s youth was known. The only public knowledge about the man started just about a decade ago when he appeared and asked to guard the border.


    And at first, the Gen Empire refused. After all, who wouldn''t?


    Ten years ago, the Border Duke was still in thete stages of the Domain Lord realm, but even then, how should an Empire react if randomly a Domain Lord realm cultivator appeared and asked to guard their most precious city?


    However, even after he was refused, the Border Duke was epting and just sat on the border himself. With his signature paper fan in hand, the man silently protected the border without praise or thanks for nine years.


    It was through this spectacr act of heroism that the Empire realized that the Border Duke was a simple man who only loved to fight and protect his Empire. Anything beyond that, whether it be the Imperial Capital schemes or the fight for the throne, the Border Duke had no care about.


    As long as his border was still standing and he had the ability to fight, he would.


    So they gave him a Duke title and allowed him to continue protecting the Empire he loved.


    Feng Hui knew the story behind the Border Duke, and because of this, he couldn''t help but shiver in fear.


    However, he had a mission toplete!


    So pushing down his fear and the overwhelming desire to run, Feng Hui stood his ground and fulfilled his mission.


    "The Grand Duke told me to pass this letter on to you." Feng Hui shakily spoke as he pulled out the letter in question.


    However, he didn''t dare hand it to the Border Duke and instead kept his distance.


    One of the many quirks the Border Duke had was that he was a germaphobe. And any unauthorized attempt to touch the man would result in heavy punishments.


    Even some of the Imperial Officials weren''t exempt from this. The Border Duke even dared to kill an Imperial Advisor. Feng Hui wouldn''t dare to touch the man even if he had ten times the guts.


    And thankfully, with a curious hum, the Grand Duke waved his hand, and the letter gently floated toward him.


    Feng Hui sighed at the sight of hispleted mission and was fully prepared to turn and run away from the man, but before he could, something on the face of the Border Duke changed, and the air became heavy.


    "You said Long Tian wrote this?" Duke Han''s calm voice echoed.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 197 Another Anomaly?

    Another Anomaly?


    The voice of the Border Duke was low and carried the same indifferent tone as before, but from the sudden pressure that engulfed him, and the murderous intent that was invading the previously calm atmosphere, Feng Hui knew something was wrong, terribly wrong.


    But he had already ridden the tiger. Getting off mid-way wasn''t an option.


    "Yes, it was the Grand Duke who wrote the letter, Duke Han. So please don''t release your anger onto this poor old man. I am just the messenger and not the true person you are truly angry at." Feng Hui answered back.


    However, as he did, he bowed his head, hoping that it would show his subservience.


    ''The monster is a general. Surely he knows never to kill the messenger, right?'' Feng Hui was shaking inside.


    And to his hopes, his great choice of words managed to save his life.


    If not for his referring to himself as a messenger, Duke Han would''ve turned the man into a meat paste without any care for the repercussions!


    ''I already swore never to interfere with the Empire! Why are those old dogs still hounding me!'' Duke Han was infuriated after he read the letter and wished for nothing more than something to vent his anger on.


    Yet he couldn''t release it on Feng Hui.


    "Leave!" Duke Han angrily snorted as he tried to suppress his ever-growing murderous intent.


    Then waving his paper fan with force toward Feng Hui, Duke Han summoned a 5-meter-tall wave of water and let it loose.


    ''This brute!'' These were Feng Hui and Lin Fu''sst thoughts as they were both instantly engulfed in the tidal wave.


    Duke Han''s anger slightly subsided as he saw the two idiots swept away so pathetically, but even then, his brows were still deeply furrowed, and his face looked deep in thought.


    ''We know your secret, Fei''er.''


    "How did they find out?"


    ==


    "Speak! Tell me who the hell Xiao Xuan is!"


    "Pah! I''d rather die!"


    Deep in the forest surrounding Steel Moon City, an odd scene was urring.


    From a distance, it might sound like that there were two males who were in the middle of a rather intense discussion, but once you get closer, the more you''d realize just how wrong that guess was.


    If you get within line of sight of them, you''ll quickly see one figure was currently strung up from a tree, armless and with a bruised-up face. While the other was perfectly fine yelling out question after question and dealing heavy-handed smacks in between.


    These figures were Xue Bai and the lucky winner Kun Empire citizen he first found, with Xue Bai being the interrogator and the strung-up Kun Empire citizen being the armless chap.


    Xue Bai had found the fool squatting being a tree doing his business, and not wanting to let the perfect chance slip, Xue Bai sent out three arrows and quickly crippled the man, taking both of his arms and destroying his dantian without even giving him a chance to react.


    And since this unlucky chap was only in the early stages of the Qi Sea realm, he hadn''t cleared enough spirit meridians to be able to dodge in time.


    Xue Bai would''ve taken his legs too, but he was scared that the man would''ve died from either shock or blood loss.


    Even now, with only two arms missing, the man''s face was visibly pale and white. He looked even worse than Xue Bai when he first woke up.


    That was around an hour ago, and after making sure the young man didn''t bleed out, Xue Bai started questioning.


    Luckily enough for Xue Bai, he had managed to find a coward, and after just a few threats, the Kun Empire young man spilled.


    Apparently, he was from the Kun Empire''s Academy, the rival academy of the Gen Empire. There instead of having Grey, ck, and Gold-Robed Students, they just had the standard Outer, Inner, and Core Disciple.


    And this chap was an Outer Disciple. The Kun Empire''s standards were higher, and in order to reach the second stage of schooling, one had to be at least in the Dharma Idol realm.


    Moreover, since this young man was also at the bottom of the Qi Sea realm, he was also at the bottom of the hierarchy of students who came to the secret realm today.


    This was the reason why he had to walk so far away from the Kun Empire''s camp to relieve himself.


    To phrase it lightly, no students liked him, and they made him go at least 2 kilometers away before doing his business.


    Xue Bai also learned about some of the Kun Empire''s greatest talents who were in attendance today, their cultivation bases, their skills, and even some of their habits.


    The young man had no spine and confessed everything in hopes he could live.


    But to Xue Bai''s anger, that was where he stoppedplying.


    Once Xue Bai mentioned Xiao Xuan, the man turned into the most loyal soldier and refused to speak of anything. Not even what the anomaly looked like.


    It was beyond annoying, and Xue Bai was at a crossroads regarding how to continue this interrogation.


    Obviously, the man had no care about whether he exposed his fellow students, but once the topic switched to Xiao Xuan, he would rather die than say anything about it.


    ''Maybe he swore a Dao Oath or something? I can''t think of anything else that would make him so tight-lipped when he isn''t such a person.'' Xue Bai thought to himself.


    That was indeed the most probable train of thought, but it also had one core mistake.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This dude was a random weakling, while Xiao Xuan was the Kun Empire''s pride and hope.


    And Dao Oaths were a heavy thing¡ªalmost taboo in some societies. So unless someone was forced, it was practically impossible to get someone to swear one.


    So why would this random mid-tier genius be forced to swear a Dao Oath to protect Xiao Xuan and his likeness?


    He couldn''t even have no known much about Xiao Xuan in the first ce, yet he was forced to swear a Dao Oath not to expose the little information he had. The situation was a conundrum, but it was one Xue Bai would have to face.


    ''Whatever, I''ll just get another one. Maybe just this dude is useless.''


    Thinking this much, Xue Bai stopped caring about this spineless man and quickly decapitated him using his Lava Spring Sword and burnt his corpse using his fire element.


    After covering his tracks and storing the rope he used, Xue Bai activated his physique once more and disappeared.


    ¨C-


    Even though the secret realm was in the No Man''s Land between the Kun and Gen Empire, it was extremely close to the Gen Empire, being only a few kilometers out from Steel Moon City.


    So this meant that it was extremely far away from the Kun Empire. And since the Kun Empire higher-ups didn''t trust their enemies, instead of rxing in their city until the secret realm opened up like the Gen Empire Academy''s students, they were forced to set up camp in the wild.


    Thankfully there was a Law Manifestation realm powerhouse with them. This way, they would be safe from any threats.


    The Kun Empire students and higher-ups had set up their camp just a few hundred meters away from the entrance of the secret realm. However, unlike Huli Jing''s secret realm entrance back in the Southern Continent, which was inside of a wall, this one was in the middle of the air, floating a few inches above the ground.


    The entrance was a 5-meter tall glistening portal that was rapidly sucking all of the Spiritual Qi in the air as it tried to power itself and open up.


    Standing just a few meters away from the portal was a tall figure wearing a sky-blue-colored robe.


    With their hands sped behind their back and a raised chin, the figure stood calm, studying the sky blue pulsating portal in front of him, the scene the figure created was almost something out of a movie.


    Minutes slowly passed, and the figure stood still, not even moving a muscle, almost as if it wanted to phase into the portal and be one with it.


    However, before it achieved its goal, a student quickly ran up to it, out of breath, with an expression that was full of panic.


    "Sage Yang! Something has happened!" The young man yelled out as he neared the figure.


    The figure had long sensed the arrival of the student, but he didn''t turn around to answer and just spoke as he continued to analyze the portal.


    "Mo Chou, you have to be calm. Everything is ordained by the Heavens. Fate has a course and will run it. No matter how much you panic, fate will not change its course. So you must learn to be calm. Only by being calm can you continue to follow your fate." The figure calmly spoke, its voice drifting into the air like a warm gust of wind.


    And shockingly enough, once his voice reached the ears of the student named Mo Chou, the boy stopped. His once panicked expression eased, and his eyes lost their hysteria.


    He became calm just from one response of the figure.


    "Yes, sorry, Sage Yang. Forgive this reckless child." Mo Chou''s enlightenment came quickly, and just as fast, he bowed in apology. This time, however, he was clear-headed and coherent.


    It was the pr opposite to just how he was acting just a few seconds ago, but Mo Chou knew that had to do with this figure in front of him.


    "It''s good that you''re sensible and able to correct your mistakes. Rather than Martial Veins, only people like that are truly talented. No matter how fast you can cultivate, if you are stubborn and unable to adapt, what use is it? Cultivation isn''t just about getting stronger and absorbing more Spiritual Qi, but it''s instead evolution, both of mind and body." Sage Yang calmly spoke with a tone full of approval.


    But oddly enough, throughout the entire conversation, it still hadn''t moved a muscle, firmly cing its sight on the pulsating portal in front of him as if it was afraid that it would dissipate.


    "Sage Yang, about the problem," Mo Chou suddenly remembered what made him so panic-stricken, "Ao Teng''s soulmp dissipated just a few moments ago."


    "Ao Teng? Is that the boy you all chased away?" Sage Yang asked.


    Mo Chou nodded at this.


    "And do you know which direction he went?" Sage Yang asked.


    Mo Chou nodded at this.


    "Then do you know what to do?" Sage Yang asked.


    Mo Chou nodded at this.


    "Then go. You have my permission. Nothing can get between us and this secret realm." Sage Yang spoke.


    Mo Chou bowed deeply and left.


    Left alone, Sage Yang still stayed immobile and continued to look at the portal.


    ''Oh, First Young Master, how can you be so cruel to this servant? These neanderthals aren''t fun. Why couldn''t you have taken me with you.'' Sage Yang sighed inwardly.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 198 Xue Bai’s Meets The First Anomaly, Sage Yang’s Terror

    This was one of my favorite chapters to write, and, in my opinion, is where the true mystery of this novel starts. From Xue Bai''s mysterious transmigration to the many anomalies, the Northern Continent Arc will reveal some answers while leaving you with more questions.


    I hope you all stay for the ride!


    ¡ª--------


    Xue Bai''s Meets the First Anomaly, Sage Yang''s Terror


    Through the use of his physique, Xue Bai was easily able to reach the Kun Empire''s camp. It wasn''t that far, after all.


    It was that once he reached it, he realized that there was an issue. Once Xue Bai reached the camp, he realized that his goal would be extremely hard to reach.


    The camp wasn''t veryrge, just spread out to about half a kilometer, but currently, none of the outer parts of the camp were being used.


    Every single one of the Kun Empire''s students was currently grouped up together in the center of the camp and armed to the teeth.


    Wielding swords, wearing light armor that looked like it was made from the skins of demonic beasts, and radiating killing intent strong enough to rival themanders back home, the students looked like they were prepared to go to war.


    ''Did they find out I killed one of their own?'' Xue Bai thought to himself as he scanned the camp.


    Even though Xue Bai did kill Ao Teng, he didn''t think they would notice it. The person he found wasn''t very important and was so ostracized that he was forced to do his business almost a kilometer away from the camp.


    Xue Bai thought it would be fine to just kill the man.


    ''But how did they figure it out? Did they bring his soulmp over?'' Xue Bai was confused about how they figured it out, but since he couldn''t, he stopped thinking about it and continued to find a straggler.


    Yet after looking through most of it, Xue Bai couldn''t find anyone too far away from the crowd. The most isted person was in a group of three.


    They were all huddled up and radiating killing intent as if they were preparing to conduct a crusade.


    Seeing this, Xue Bai gave up on getting information today. The secret realm would open up soon anyway.


    Being uninformed for two days more wouldn''t hurt him much.


    Shrugging to himself in the void, Xue Bai was about to leave, but the second he turned around, prepared to float away, his heart froze, and his blood ran cold.


    Behind him was an androgynous-looking figure.


    The figure was only a few inches away from him, yet Xue Bai couldn''t even tell its gender.


    d in a pristine sky-blue robe that covered up its neck, the figure was a good-looking human that could entice every gender.


    With a masculine chiseled chin, and deep, profound look in his eyes, and soft and supple jade-like skin, the figure appealed to every gender.


    However, if it were just that, Xue Bai wouldn''t have cared and would''ve gone on with his day. It was what the figure was doing that made Xue Bai freeze like a deer in headlights.


    It was staring at him.


    With a wide smile stered on its face, the figure was staring at him.


    As if Xue Bai weren''t hidden in the void but rather in the ne of reality, the figure looked at him.


    ''No, he can''t see me, right? No way I''m in the void. No one below the Immortal Great Realm can detect the void.'' Xue Bai tried to calm himself with such thoughts, but reality didn''t let him as the figure soon spoke to him.


    "Xue Bai, what are you doing here? You''re not supposed to be on this continent now." Sage Yang spoke with a calm voice as if it had said something normal and not something that broke Xue Bai.


    ''He knows my name?!'' Xue Bai''s soul was shaken, and his flight or fight response activated.


    And since Xue Bai couldn''t afford to have a fight here, he decisively decided to flee.


    Using his Dao of Space to further enhance his speed in the void, Xue Bai started floating away at speedsparable to a Law Manifestation realm cultivator.


    Everything in Xue Bai''s being was screaming at him to run, and he wasn''t nning on being deaf to their shouts.


    Sadly, the reality was cruel, as the figure only widened its smile at this.


    "Xue Bai, you''vee so far, so why not stay some more? This servant is very hospitable." Sage Yang said with a smile. And without any superficial movements, it lifted its fair right hand and grabbed at the space in front of it.


    Piercing directly into the void, Sage Yang pulled the fleeing Xue Bai toward it as if its hands were a ma.


    Like a ma attracting a metal, Xue Bai was yanked backward into the figure''s hand, throat first.


    sping the boy''s throat, Sage Yang only grew curious at his appearance, especially when he wasn''t supposed to be here, at least not this early.


    "Xue Bai, I asked you a question. You know it''s rude to keep people waiting. Especially when this servant was so polite." Sage Yang said as it put on a yful-looking frown.


    Xue Bai didn''t respond to this. He physically couldn''t. Xue Bai couldn''t speak, Sage Yang was gripping his throat too right, and the air in his lungs was getting squeezed out like toothpaste from a tube.


    Panicked, as his life was slowly pulled sapped out, Xue Bai desperately wed at the figure''s arm, trying to portray that.


    Sage Yang was astute and sensed Xue Bai''s panic. So, albeit only by a little, Sage Yang lessened its grip.


    "What the fuck are you?!" Xue Bai spat out as he coughed out some blood.


    Nothing about this figure made sense!


    How could someone here see through the void?


    Not only that, but he pierced through the void using his bare hands!


    The figure didn''t even use the Dao of Space to aplish that, Xue Bai would''ve sensed it if he did, but by just using pure strength, this figure pierced through space and into the void!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I can answer your question, but it''s firste, first serve. Answer my first." Sage Yang spoke as it deftly touched the blood Xue Bai spat out.


    Xue Bai spat at the figure.


    ''Like hell, I''d answer your question!''


    Obviously, this person wanted something from him. It''d be beyond stupid for Xue Bai to answer it.


    By then, what purpose would his life have?


    Xue Bai''s spitball of blood and phlegm didn''t fly far, as before it could connect with the figure, it disintegrated as if it had never existed in the first ce.


    "You''re not being a good guest, Xue Bai." Sage Yang spoke with a frown.


    Then with a rough throw, Sage Yang sent Xue Bai skidding through the dirt and into the base of a tree.


    Thrown onto the ground, Xue Bai desperately tried to inhale oxygen to keep his life, but his crushed throat wasn''t helping him at all.


    However, that wasn''t the time to worry about his throat. His life was in danger.


    The Kun Empire students had woken up and had already started to circle him. Previously they had been confused when Sage Yang somehow found Xue Bai and was holding him up like a chicken, but now their qualms were gone.


    Since Sage Yang had thrown him onto the ground like trash, it obviously meant that the boy was hostile.


    And since they assumed that Xue Bai had killed Ao Teng, they wanted revenge.


    Xue Bai could see their anger, and furthermore, the previously undirected killing intent was now firmly locked onto him. The killing intent from the 40-odd Kun Empire students was so dense that it had almost turned into a mist and was making Xue Bai shiver.


    And because of this, Xue Bai knew he was far from being a match for any of them, so he decided to escape without hesitation.


    But something was wrong.


    ''My physique! It''s not working!'' Xue Bai instantly panicked.


    No matter how hard he tried to flip the switch inside of him to activate his physique, it didn''t work.


    ''How? Why? When?!'' Xue Bai''s mental state was crumbling, and he almost copsed.


    His physique was his greatest skill behind his Dao of Space, but even then, it was much more useful than his Dao of Space. It was his lifeline.


    Whenever he was in a pickle or a tight scenario, he could just use it to flee. Yet now, it wasn''t working.


    ''Did that guy do something?!'' Xue Bai instantly found the most suspicious suspect, and he was enraged.


    "What the fuck did you do to me?!" Xue Bai roared out at the blue-robed Sage Yang, who still had a calm smile.


    However, as he shouted, he realized how stupid he sounded. Obviously, the person wouldn''t answer his question.


    Why would it?


    But even after Xue Bai realized that he didn''t care. It didn''t matter. What did was the overwhelming confusion and fear in him.


    Something was far too weird about this figure, and Xue Bai was confused beyond belief about it.


    "Oh, that? It''s nothing. My n has always been good at sealing things. And once I see something so neat, I sometimes can''t help myself but seal it." Sage Yang softlyughed as if it hadn''t done something heaven-defying but instead just something normal.


    ''Seal?! My physique is in the Earth-grade! How the fuck does a person in this backwater ce have the ability to do that?'' Xue Bai''s mind was rattled beyond recognition, and he had long lost his calm.


    But then something clicked. This person had never shown cultivation. Not only that, but he had seen Xue Bai in the void like it was nothing.


    "You¡­ who are you?" For the first time, terror was stered on Xue Bai''s face.


    Ever since he had transmigrated, though there were some hups along the way, everything had been within his calctions.


    Yet when he saw this being, everything he had known, everything he did know, was gone and out the window.


    "Don''t worry, Xue Bai. You don''t need to know about me yet. If you do ever need to, you''ll find me rather easily. And if you don''t need to, then you don''t need to know." Sage Yang''s expression didn''t even move even after seeing Xue Bai''s copsing mentality.


    "But this also means our time to talk is over. Students! Avenge Ao Teng." And with a softugh, Sage Yang turned back to the portal.


    Yet as it was in the turning motion, he stopped.


    It sensed something.


    "Oh? There is another guest?" Sage Yang said.


    Then to everyone''s confusion, he looked back at Xue Bai, who was still holding his throat and trying to refill his lungs.


    "Guest, you cane out. There is no need to hide from this servant." Sage Yangughed, ignoring the confused, filled gazes it was receiving.


    From behind the tree that Xue Bai was resting on, a cloaked figure walked out.


    "Oh? So that''s what you are. A loser from an abandoned timeline." Sage Yang said.


    This time, however, his voice wasn''t the usual yful or calm but instead filled with deep disdain.


    It was surprising to the Kun Empire students who only knew him as an ever-calm schr ready to help everyone, no matter how underprivileged.


    "What do you want? Abandoned ghost."

 Chapter 199 A Second Past Life?

    A Second Past Life?


    The cloaked figure didn''t respond to Sage Yang but instead walked over to Xue Bai first and brought a finger up to the boy''s forehead.


    Yet he didn''t touch Xue Bai but instead used his Spiritual Qi to indirectly scan through Xue Bai''s body. It was like what Old Lu had done to Xue Bai on his first day of transmigration, but instead, without contact.


    A few seconds passed with Xue Bai and the Kun Empire students confused out of their minds. But eventually, the cloaked figure finished analyzing Xue Bai and turned back to Sage Yang.


    "You''re interfering with the treaty. Remove the seal." The cloaked figure spoke.


    The cloaked figure had a cold and detached voice that sounded like it wasing from an emotionless robot.


    However, Sage Yang only smiled at this.


    "Aren''t you doing the very same just by existing? Also, I never nned to kill him. You know more than well that if I wished to kill the boy, he would''ve been long dead." Sage Yang replied.


    Though no one could see any of the cloaked figure''s body and, consequently, his facial expression, once Sage Yang finished his sentence, the temperature dropped more than 20¡ã.


    The air became cold, and a small snowstorm started to manifest around the cloaked figure.


    "Remove. The. Seal. I won''t ask again." The cloaked spoke once more.


    It was obvious that it had lost its patience and was one step away from violence.


    "We can fight if you''d like. This servant may be humble, but I can throw a punch." Sage Yangughed.


    Sage Yang didn''t care about anything in this mortal realm. It was only here for a treasure. So any fun it could have during this boring time would be gratefully appreciated.


    But beneath all of that, the reason why Sage Yang said this was because it knew the figure was bluffing.


    ''You can''t fight me. You''ve already abandoned your timeline. You can''t regenerate anything more.'' Sage Yangughed inwardly.


    And it was right.


    The air became colder and colder, and the snowstorm around it became even more violent, yet it never made a move.


    "Tch!" The figure clicked its tongue angrily.


    Then without any more words, it waved its hand.


    Suddenly from his palms, a pink mist was manifested, and it rapidly invaded the atmosphere. Like oxygen, the pink mist invaded the atmosphere, and before anyone could notice its existence, it entered the nose of every student in the camp.


    And like dominoes, they all tumbled over, unconscious.


    "The Land of Heavenly Dreams!" Sage Yang sighed in admiration once it saw that, "No matter how many times I see it, I can''t help but think how beautiful it is. Truly a beautiful Divine Decree. ??Much stronger than my own Mesmerizing Melody. And to think I was the artist. It''s just a shame that¡­."


    "Shut up!" The cloaked figure roared at Sage Yang, interrupting him.


    "Mah, mah. No need to get angry, Ghost. I''mplimenting you." Sage Yangughed, ignoring the cloaked figure''s anger.


    Seeing that it was losing its calm, the cloaked figure took a deep breath to calm himself down. It then looked at Xue Bai as it decided to aplish its goal.


    "I''m taking him. Do you have anyints?" The cloaked figure said, but it didn''t wait for an answer.


    Not caring about Sage Yang''s answer, the cloaked figure walked over to the unconscious Xue Bai and summoned a gust of wind that carried the boy near him before slowly walking away. And just like he arrived, he once again melted with shadows before disappearing like it was never there.


    Left alone in a camp with unconscious young men, Sage Yang smiled, ignoring it all.


    "This timeline is going to be interesting!" Sage Yangughed to itself.


    "Only with such an irregrity can you all be a worthy stepping stone for Second Young Master! Fight Xue Bai! Grow Xue Bai! Dazzle the world, and be the boost Second Young Master needs!" Sage Yangughed hysterically to itself as he watched the cloaked figure arrive at Steel Moon City.


    However, it soon realized that it had lost itsposure and coughed lightly to stop itself.


    "Students! Wake up!"


    Once more, like what happened with Mo Chou, a calm breeze followed his words.


    And like tendrils of order, the breeze entered the noses of the students, expelling the pink mist and waking them up.


    ¨C


    "Darling, run. I can hold them back!" A heroic young-lookingdy in a set of unisex swordsman''s robes shouted out as she stopped running.


    Herpanion, the one referred to as Darling, was a young boy who looked to be only in histe teens.


    But with the several ounces of blood that scattered both him and his robes, the cold ferocious glint in his eyes, and the profound cultivation bases he was showing, the boy was definitely something not to be looked down upon.


    Once the girl with him shouted those words, his facial expression immediately changed.


    "No! Never! I won''t leave you with those devils, Fei''er. They only want to kidnap you so that you can be that scum''s furnace! I''d rather die than let you sacrifice yourself for me." The young boy shouted as he tried to grab hispanion.


    However, Fei''er dodged his grab.


    "Fei''er, stop ying around, please! We have to keep running. Those beasts from the Yin Yang Sect are getting close!" The boy shouted once more once he saw he dodge.


    "Darling, we can''t keep running. They have a wisp of my soul already, so they will be able to track us until the end of the world." Fei''er destely spoke.


    The young boy''s face also gained the same emotion as hers. How could he not know that?


    He just didn''t want to bring those words up.


    "Besides, unlike you, I am in the Golden Core realm. And thoseckeys are only in theter stages of the Golden Core realm. If I threaten to blow up my golden core, maybe they''ll give up." Fei''er persuaded.


    But even she, the speaker of those words, didn''t believe them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Seeing his struggle, hesitation, and sadness, Fei''er continued to speak.


    "Darling, you''re far more talented than me. You''re not even 17 yet, and you''re already at the 7th stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. It''s only a matter of time before you enter the Golden Core realm and even surpass it." Fei''er said as she lovingly grabbed the cheek of the young boy.


    "I know my own potential, Fei''er. That''s why I am telling you to run with me. All I need is two, no 18 months at most! By then, let alone the Yin Yang Sect, even their backer, the Duality Empire, would be nothing in my eyes!" The boy said as he tried to continue pulling the love of his life.


    But she didn''t move. She was much stronger than him. And if she didn''t wish to move, he couldn''t force her.


    "Darling, I know you''re extremely talented. Something that this world has never seen before. But that''s all in the future. You''re not the Immortal Emperor you were destined to be right now. Right now, you''re just a sapling in the Foundation Establishment realm. You''re weak, and that is the greatest sin in this world. And while we both had that pervert with every fiber of our being, he''s strong. And both of us can''t escape this situation. You know that. So please, please, please, make the smart decision." Fei''er said as she wiped the tearsing out of herpanion''s eyes.


    And before he could argue, Fei''er turned around and jumped in the direction of their pursuers.


    Staring at her figure, the boy didn''t move an inch. Instead, he stood still, staring at her as if he wanted to engrave her figure into his mind.


    But eventually, he realized that if he wanted to make her sacrifice worth anything, he had to get moving.


    So after he unclenched his fists and wiped away his tears onest time, he, too, ran away.


    "Fei''er! I''ll bring you back! One day! I Xue Bai swear it!" The young boy shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran away.


    However, what he didn''t see was how saddened Fei''er became after hearing his words.


    ''Silly boy. You can''t. This is my curse. If you could''ve, you would''ve done it already.'' Fei''er thought to herself before facing the three men who had made her make this decision.


    "Han Fei''er, this is yourst warning. While Young Master needs you, he won''t be distressed over your death! Come with us obediently or¡­." Theckey in the lead menacingly said as he unsheathed his sword.


    His words were seconded by his two weakerpanions.


    This idiotic woman had made their lives a living hell for the past year and a half. So while they did want toplete their mission, they also wished she would continue to struggle so they could vent their anger.


    But to their shock, the once panic-filled and distressed girl they had been chasing for almost 20 months was filled withplete calm.


    "There is no need for this, you fools. I must get onto the next life. Darling is waiting for me there." Fei''er coldly spoke.


    And without any other pleasantries, she self-destructed her golden core, turning the entire forest into a wastnd and Xue Bai into a sobbing mess.


    However, she, even at the end of it all, was filled with a smile.


    ''Till our next meeting. Darling. I''ll free both of us. One day.''


    ¨C


    *crack*


    In Steel Moon City, in a random motel on the outskirts of the city, Xue Bai rested on a bed. But it was obvious he wasn''tfortable and most likely having a bad dream, as every second or so, he would twist and turn like he was fighting something.


    And this effect would continue for minutes until Xue Bai''s eyes suddenly burst open.


    "Fei''er!" Xue Bai shouted out in a panic as he stood up.


    However, very quickly, he became confused.


    He wasn''t in a forest running away from the hunters from the Yin Yang Sect but in a motel.


    Confused, he quickly jumped up to see where the hell he was, but soon, his real memories came back.


    "Was that a dream? But it was so realistic." Xue Bai mumbled to himself as he looked around the room he was in, but then he realized something, "I''m crying?"


    Putting his hand up to his eyes, Xue Bai could feel dozens of teardrops falling down.


    Flowing down like a waterfall were dozens of tears.


    ''Was that another future event like my past life? Wait, no. They were talking about the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realm. Cultivation doesn''t proceed like that in this universe.'' Xue Bai''s head couldn''t understand what he had just dreamed.


    And since it was so realistic, he couldn''t evenbel it as a dream and forget about it.


    ''Maybe it''s another past life of mine? But then, did thate first, or did my Earth life did? Moreover, I was also Xue Bai then. So that can''t be a coincidence.''


    ''But if that''s even the case, why did I see it now? Aren''t past lives supposed to be forgotten? Did the cloaked man have something to do with it?''


    His thoughts strayed for a long time, but eventually, Xue Bai gave up thinking about it.


    It was like Xiao Xuan. He didn''t know enough to continue thinking about it.


    Shaking his head, Xue Bai lowered his guard and walked over to the window. He wanted to see where he was, but oddly enough, arge animal skin scroll manifested in front of him before he reached the window.


    "Huh?" Bewildered at the beyond questionable series of events he found himself in, Xue Bai could only mumble stupidly.


    However, he was too curious, so without any hesitation, he grabbed the scroll.


    It was obviously for him. So why wouldn''t he grab it?


    And most likely, it exined how the hell he ended up here in this motel room.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 200 A Huge Plot? Mirage

    A Huge Plot? Mirage


    Xue Bai''s eyebrows were scrunched up, and his forehead gained as many wrinkles as Feng Hui''s had as he finished reading the scroll.


    However, who could me him?


    The writing on the scroll toppled his worldview and made him question his existence!


    Moreover, it seemed to make a lot of sense.


    ''The memories are iplete and wed. Don''t trust them blindly. They will hurt you more in the long run than they will help.''


    If it were only that sentence that Xue Bai read, he would''ve written it off as a crazy man''s ramblings, but the proof it gave made him think.


    ''They never wanted you to ascend. The Vein Transformation realm you cultivated is iplete. They purposely left out the Stomach Vein. Therefore, your full circuit is iplete. However, don''t worry. I have fixed it for you. You should feel the difference even now.''


    And the writings were indeed true.


    Inside himself, Xue Bai could feel another 11th vein going from his dantian to his stomach. Beyond that, Xue Bai could also feel that his physique was slightly stronger than it was before, and his cultivation speed had also increased.


    On top of it all, the main reason Xue Bai believed the writing on the scroll was that it made sense. In any cultivation novel, there were five vital organs, not four.


    In stories that focused on physical cultivation, cultivators had to temper the heart, liver, kidney, lungs, and stomach, so why didn''t the Baishen ne have them?


    You even had to temper the stomach in the Organ Tempering realm, so why wasn''t it included in the much more important Vein Transformation realm?


    Xue Bai had thought of this problem years ago when he was still in the Vein Transformation realm, but since he blindly followed the plot and his memories then, he ignored it.


    After all, he felt like the true protagonist of the world then. He was a noble transmigration. How could his Goldfinger be defective?


    But after his epiphany with Zhu Que and the Sage Yang encounter, Xue Bai realized that everything he once knew wasn''t as simple as a game.


    There was much more in the Baishen ne than what his memories let on. From the mysterious immortal in the blue robes to the anomaly Xiao Xuan, something was afoot in the Baishen ne. And Xue Bai felt like he was at the center of it all.


    "But what does the letter mean by them? I assume it implies that I''m a pawn in some grand scheme, but why would the yer purposefully weaken his pawn? Moreover, since ''they'' don''t want me to ascend, does that mean I will fulfill my purpose before the Immortal Great Realm?" Xue Bai thought aloud.


    He had read the scroll almost an hour ago, but since the information in it was so important and mind-breaking, he had been soaking it in the entire time.


    And after all of his stewing, that was the most reasonable thought process he could think of.


    It made sense to some extent, but Xue Bai only had a small piece of the puzzle. He needed the rest of the puzzle to be able to disprove or prove his hypothesis.


    Until then, he could only keep the scroll.


    "Did that cloaked figure give this to me? But why?"


    Xue Bai remembered seeing the cloaked figure appear and Sage Yang''s weird name for it, but he didn''t know what the name meant nor if the cloaked figure had anything to do with him.


    Sage Yang called the figure ''Abandoned Ghost,'' but Xue Bai had no clue what that could mean.


    The only thing he could assume was that it was on his side since it appeared while Xue Bai was about to die.


    "Does that mean that I have a Dharma Protector? But from whom? Mother and Father are nowhere near strong enough to deal with that blue-robed man. He was far too strong." Xue Bai thought.


    One thousand questions, but not a single answer, were Xue Bai''s current inner mind.


    He could potentially think about questions rting to what happened in that camp until the cows came home, but he wouldn''t gain a single answer. If anything, he might be silenced because of them.


    "Sigh~~ While I want to say I was dragged into a huge plot, I know I''m most likely wrong. I am the plot." Xue Bai could only sigh at his misfortune.


    He had only tried to gain some information about Xiao Xuan in preparation for the future, but only lost his greatest tool and discovered a huge plot involving a blue-robed man in the Immortal Great Realm surrounding him.


    Below it all, he was angry, and that side of him was shown earlier when he stupidly yelled at Sage Yang. But now that he was in a ''safe'' environment, Xue Bai realized that his anger was useless.


    Instead of being angry and roaring at the heavens for his misfortune, wasn''t it better to cultivate?


    Now that his defect was fixed, unless this letter was a lie, Xue Bai was able to ascend.


    Thinking that much, Xue Bai grabbed the scroll, nning to ce it in his storage ring, but once he touched it, something unexpected urred.


    In a bright, golden sh of radiance, the scroll disintegrated and slowly started morphing into something else.


    Stunned but also curious, Xue Bai quickly retracted his hand and waited for what was happening to finish.


    Moreover, the aura that the scroll was currently emitting gave him chills. And without even realizing it, Xue Bai had already retreated a few meters.


    The scroll''s metamorphosis didn''t take long, and after a few seconds of anticipation, it waspleted.


    The scroll turned into a pure and holy-looking hall of golden radiance, and without any other actions, it flew directly at Xue Bai and into his be.


    Horrified, Xue Bai tried to dodge the golden light, but it was too quick and entered his be without any resistance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Full of despair, Xue Bai quickly scanned the inside of his body, trying to sense what flew into him and hopefully stop it, but nothing worked.


    Panicking slightly, Xue Bai cursed himself for being careless, but before he could truly feel too much anguish, he heard a soft and youthful voice from inside his head.


    "Boy, where the hell am I?"


    ''A kid?! Why the hell is there a kid in my mind?!'' Xue Bai''s despair turned into confusion.


    Moreover, something in Xue Bai felt like he was now connected to something. It was like his soultched onto something and wasn''t letting go!


    But he didn''t have enough time to question what he was now suddenly bound to as the kid in his mind started to talk once more.


    "Boy, I''m no child! I only have the voice of one in this form!" The child cursed.


    Then, without any pause, it proved its statement.


    "I can¡­ Change to whatever¡­ Voice I want to use!" From the voice of a young boy, the voice turned into that of a young loli, an old grandpa, and finallynded on Xue Bai''s voice!


    It could truly choose any voice it wanted to use.


    However, it eventually returned to its original voice of a young boy.


    "I like this voice the most. Now answer my question. Boy!" The voice was getting impatient.


    "We''re in the Baishen ne. What else do you want to know?" Xue Bai answered.


    Though the voice in his head sounded like a young boy, Xue Bai was still extremely cautious of it. From what Xue Bai could tell, it was already either in his soul or brain. But either way, the voice was in a dangerous position, and Xue Bai didn''t want to aggravate it.


    "I know where in some backwater mortal ne. I need to know which universe! I need to calcte how long I was asleep." The voice continued.


    Xue Bai felt enlightened.


    "We are in the Nine Heavens Universe." Xue Bai answered.


    A few months ago, he had learned the name of the universe he was in from Liu Mei. However, Xue Bai never bothered to think about the name of the universe he was in. After all, he was still on a mortal ne.


    What kind of heaven he was in didn''t matter much if he was still in one.


    Thankfully, Liu Mei''s indirect lesson was finally able to be useful.


    "Sh*t! It''s been that long!" The voice cursed. It was beyond angry.


    But to Xue Bai, who heard its curse in the voice of a ten-year-old boy, it was hrious, and he started tough.


    The voice didn''t care about Xue Bai''sughter and instead stayed quiet, mulling over Xue Bai''s answer. He was obviously distressed about the implications of Xue Bai''s answer.


    "Whatever." Eventually, the voice sighed in resignation, "What happened in the past is the past. You can only y with the cards you''re dealt."


    Thinking that the voice had ended its questioning, Xue Bai asked one of his own.


    "Brother Voice, who are you? And why were you in a scroll?" Xue Bai asked.


    The voice was silent for a few seconds. It was unsure whether it should answer Xue Bai''s question, but after it realized the reality of its situation, it answered.


    "My name isn''t Voice. It''s Mirage. And I wasn''t in the scroll. I was the scroll. Or rather, I was camouged as the scroll." Mirage answered, confusing Xue Bai a little.


    Xue Bai was still educated, and he was able to piece together some information from the clues he was given.


    "Then, Mirage, are you an artifact spirit?" Xue Bai asked.


    That was the only reasonable exnation Xue Bai could think of. If not, how could Mirage not only appear as a scroll but also fly into his mind without any resistance?


    If Mirage wasn''t an artifact spirit, then Xue Bai could only assume he was a remnant soul like Feng Huang, but from how Mirage spoke, it didn''t seem like that was the scenario.


    Even though Mirage didn''t say how long he was asleep, Xue Bai could tell it was for a very long time, perhaps even longer than he couldprehend. And remnant souls like Feng Huang couldn''t sleep for that long. If they did, they would be in danger of dissipating and returning to the cycle of reincarnation.


    Other than that, Xue Bai couldn''t think of anyone who would be able to mimic Mirage''s vocal abilities.


    "In some way, yes. But better than calling me an artifact spirit, I''m the artifact itself." Mirage vaguely exined.


    Xue Bai''s head spun at the answer.


    "What do you mean, Mirage? Isn''t that the same thing?" Xue Bai felt like Mirage had just answered his question in a roundabout manner.


    "Yes, and no." Mirage said, "An artifact spirit can be the artifact itself gaining consciousness, and that is sometimes the case. But most times, artifact spiritse from artificial means. Sometimes, a foreign soul is bound to the artifact, maybe using a secret art. However, in my case, I am not only the artifact spirit but the artifact itself."


    The gears in Xue Bai''s head started to turn slowly after hearing Mirage''s exnation, but his question still remained.


    "Isn''t that the same thing, still?"

 Chapter 201 Mirage’s Spell, Back In The Hospital

    Mirage''s Spell, Back in the Hospital


    Mirage shunned Xue Bai for the next few hours after his question.


    He had just so cleanly exined why it wasn''t the same thing, yet this stupid mortal still didn''t understand him. Mirage felt angry, but since he was already bound to this kid, he couldn''t escape.


    Thankfully, Xue Bai wasn''t shunned forever, as just before nighttime came, Mirage started to answer his questions once more.


    "Mirage, what rank treasure are you?" Xue Bai asked.


    Xue Bai knew that Sage Yang and the cloaked figure were, at the very least, above the Immortal Great Realm, so for the cloaked figure to leave Mirage to him, it couldn''t be a low-ranked treasure, right?


    ''At the very least, it should be in the Earth-grade. Maybe it''s even in the Heaven-grade.'' Xue Bai thought to himself.


    "I have no rank. I am beyond ranks. I am the core treasure of a Sovereign. How can I be ranked?" Mirage snorted arrogantly.


    Xue Bai''s previously calm mind spun, and he felt a migraineing.


    ''What in god''s name does that even mean? And why in the hell did his words pause mid-sentence?''


    "I can hear your thoughts, boy." Mirage''s childish voice sounded once more.


    "Then answer my question." Xue Bai felt no embarrassment at being exposed and instead doubled down.


    "Simple. Your pitiful universe doesn''t dare allow me to speak its name. What else?" Mirage answered, arrogant as ever.


    Hearing Mirage''s arrogant words, Xue Bai only felt deep skepticism. Did Mirage mean that his universe was a low-tier one?


    But a cultivator could cultivate all the way toward the peak of the God Great Realm and could control time, space, and reincarnation, all with a thought. How could such a universe be low-tier?


    And what? This random scroll in his mind was beyond such powers? Xue Bai didn''t believe the voice for a second. If it was beyond ranks, then what the hell was it doing bound to him?


    If it were beyond ranks, shouldn''t it be off somewhere, still bound to the powerhouse that created it?


    Mirage seemingly sensed Xue Bai''s skepticism and felt triggered, and in response, he snorted angrily.


    And to Xue Bai''s shock, his vision started to change.


    In response to Mirage''s anger, reality shifted. Instantly, the ground beneath Xue Bai''s feet changed from the wooden floors of the motel he was just standing on to something familiar to Xue Bai.


    And once he realized where he was, his facial expression changed.


    "How the hell do you know about this?" Xue Bai''s cold voice said as he looked at his surroundings.


    They were extremely familiar to him. After all, how could he not recognize the building he was in? He had lived in it for more than five years.


    With the white walls that revealed no emotions, the concrete floors that were cold to the touch, and dozens of humans in white robes running through the walls with purpose in their footsteps, Xue Bai once again found himself in the hospital he lived in during his previous life.


    But once he realized where he was, Xue Bai''s face went cold.


    He was the only person who knew about his previous life. Liu Mei, Zhu Que, Xiao''er, Xue Feng, and even Li Rou knew nothing about it, and he wanted to ensure it stayed that way.


    So the second he found out that Mirage brought him here, Xue Bai lost all the politeness he had earlier.


    Xue Bai had found himself in his old hospital other times during his second life, but the other two times he had found himself in the room were reasonable. The first was during a dream in his subconscious, while the other was during a conversation with his predecessor''s remnant will.


    Mirage was neither his predecessor''s remnant will nor his subconscious, so there should be no reason that it knew about this part of his existence.


    "I don''t. You brought us here yourself. I only used a spell to bring out your most cherished memories." Mirage said. However, to Xue Bai''s confusion, the voice didn''te from inside his head but to his left.


    Turning, Xue Bai found a pale-faced doctor speaking to him.


    "Why are you suddenly a doctor? Aren''t you bound to me? Why are you a person now?" Xue Bai raised an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of the treasure.


    While Xue Bai didn''t like the feeling of having his past exposed, he did realize that Mirage was right.


    Mind-reading techniques were rare, but they certainly existed on the Baishen ne. So even though Xue Bai could keep his secrets a secret forever, they would be revealed one day. Xue Bai just had to make sure that it never spread.


    "Boy, haven''t you connected the dots yet? My name is Mirage. This figure is only an illusion." Mirage sarcastically answered. And following his sentence, his body turned into a pile of sand that disintegrated secondster.


    "I''m still inside of you. I just wanted to be outside for a moment." Mirage continued this time from inside Xue Bai''s head.


    Finished with his exnation, the pile of sand on the ground rose from its fallen position and quickly reformed into the same white-robed, pale-faced doctor who had stood there just a few seconds earlier.


    "So, boy, mind telling me how you know what a hospital is? From my knowledge, this mortal ne you''re in is in a feudal era. Technology of this level would''ve long been destroyed should it be in there." Mirage questioned as he looked through his own robes.


    Cultivators in the Baishen ne were arrogant. Everything they wished to create had to be done with their own power.


    None of them liked to rely on outside power, whether it was a treasure or a piece of technology. So even though the cultivators on the Baishen ne were dozens of times smarter than Earthlings, they never advanced their technology.


    They stayed in the same feudal era for hundreds of thousands of years, never advancing their technology or societal habits.


    To some people, women were still the weaker gender who needed protection, even though there was no shortage of women cultivators.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    So for Xue Bai to know about a technology world even though he lived in a feudal one, Mirage became skeptical of his new partner.


    "My name isn''t Boy, Mirage. It''s Xue Bai." Xue Bai snapped.


    He had stopped calling Mirage Voice long ago, while Mirage still kept calling him Boy. It was getting annoying.


    "Then fine, Xue Bai, answer my question. How do you know what a hospital is?" Mirage only reiterated his question once more. This time, his words wereced with sarcasm and emptypliance.


    Mirage didn''t care much about names. He had lived far too long for names to matter to him. They were just a series of sounds in his mind.


    Xue Bai didn''t answer his question, though. His previous life was top secret, and even though Mirage was now bound to him, Xue Bai didn''t know how it would stay like this.


    And because of that, he wouldn''t say anything.


    Mirage was smart, and he stayed silent after Xue Bai didn''t answer him. He couldn''t force the boy. It was better to just sit tight and watch.


    However, minutes passed with nothing special happening. Doctors rushed to and from every room while nurses pushed patients along the hallway.


    "Hey, Xue Bai, this is supposed to be your dearest memory. So why hasn''t anything happened yet?" Mirage questioned.


    Whenever he cast this spell on someone, the memory yed would start off hot. But now, even after a few minutes passing, nothing happened.


    But Xue Bai didn''t answer Mirage''s question. Something was confusing him deeply, and he was far from being conscious enough to answer hispanion''s question.


    At first, Xue Bai thought that the day he would be brought to was going to be the day he got "Children of the ne" from his parents, but there was a calendar nearby, and after he read the date on it, Xue Bai realized something.


    Xue Bai remembered the day he got "Children of the ne" clearly. It was the 6th of May, 2032. However, the day marked on the calendar was August 28th, 2025!


    ''I was born in 2019, and in 2025 I was only 6! I could still walk then.'' Xue Bai thought to himself.


    Xue Bai had never entered the halls of a hospital before the age of 8. So it made absolutely no sense for him to be here this early.


    "Hey, Mirage. Are you sure that you brought up my dearest memory? I wasn''t in the hospital this early." Xue Bai said as he pointed to the calendar nearby.


    Mirage looked at where Xue Bai was pointing, but since he had no idea what the days of the calendar meant, he ignored it and focused on Xue Bai''s question instead.


    "My spell would never fail on a lower life form like you." Mirage snorted, "Maybe you forgot something important. Just continue to wait. Maybe something will happen soon."


    His pride didn''t allow him to admit that his spell had failed, and instead of admitting his failure, he doubled down.


    Xue Bai felt annoyed at the man''s arrogance and obstinance, but since he was also extremely curious about where they were, he didn''t point it out and instead waited.


    While he didn''t think Mirage was the so-called beyond-ranked treasure he imed to be, Xue Bai had to admit he was indeed something special. If Mirage wasn''t an extremely high-ranked treasure, the spell should''ve failed.


    So even though Mirage''s spell had failed to bring them to his dearest memory, the fact that they were now in his hospital meant something.


    Thinking this much, Xue Bai crossed his arms at his chest and waited for the ''dearest memory'' to appear.


    Whether it was a coincidence or Mirage truly knew, the climax started soon after he spoke.


    The lights of the hospital shut down, and their surroundings turned dark. Screams filled the hospital floor as nurses panicked at the sight of the failing machines and scared patients, but thankfully, just as fast as the hospital lost power, the emergency power turned on.


    The once-bright white lights changed colors and turned into a somber red that gave the hospital a morbid atmosphere.


    The nurses quickly felt relieved and promptly assumed the standard protocol for such a scenario.


    Themon actions of the nurses for the next few minutes were going around the floor and making sure the machines were back up and running while also trying to reassure their patients that it was already fixed and that there would be no more problems.


    But just as Mirage and Xue Bai seemed to understand what was happening, something in a room a few meters away attracted their attention.


    "Hmm?" Mirageically raised an eyebrow once he detected what was happening, asking, "An innate soul physique can be awakened on a mortal?"


    Hearing the terms, Xue Bai was confused, but before he could ask his question, Mirage''s person melted into the floor and shuffled toward the phenomenon.


    Sighing, Xue Bai quickly followed.


    But his face dropped once he entered the hospital room, and his mental state almost copsed.


    "See, look, Xue Bai! I told you!" Mirage proudly announced his sess once he realized his spell had worked.


    Regaining his pride, Mirage looked back at Xue Bai to brag, but once he saw Xue Bai''s face, which looked like someone who had just seen a ghost, he became confused.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 202 A Soul Physique, Sovereigns

    A Soul Physique, Sovereigns


    Mirage was a treasure that lived for countless years and was extremely book-smart. Knowing knowledge from countless different universes to every peak cultivator in each one, Mirage''s inner wisdom could be called boundless.


    However, when it came to social skills, Mirage was less skilled than some children. After all, he was the core treasure of a Sovereign that had existed ever since the birth of the multiverse. As a result, he didn''t need to speak much, and when he did, it was only to his owner.


    Mirage never needed to learn how to read bodynguage or how people conversed. He only needed to be able to speak with his owner and ry information.


    So when Xue Bai''s face was pale and he couldn''t stop stuttering, Mirage didn''t think anything was wrong and instead asked a question of his own.


    "Xue Bai, what happened? Isn''t this just a memory? Why do you look like that?" Mirage asked, confused.


    "That''s¡­ That''s me!" Xue Bai stuttered out.


    "Of course, it''s supposed to be you, idiot. If not you, then who could be the main character in your dearest moment?" Mirage snorted, not understanding what Xue Bai meant.


    However, by now, Xue Bai''s mind was too distressed to continue answering nonsensical questions from Mirage. Taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down, Xue Bai tried to think about the situation logically.


    ''The scroll said I''m a pawn in a grand plot, so if we follow that route, then maybe this truly is me. I was born on Earth, awakened a good physique, and a powerhouse got greedy and captured me. But then, why the hell was I reincarnated? Especially with memories of the future.'' Xue Bai''s mind raced, and he tried to think of a usible scenario. But even after 100 usible scenarios, he still couldn''t think of one that truly fit.


    Yet his thoughts were suddenly disturbed as Mirae eventually spoke up, bringing him out of his thoughts.


    "Oh¡­" Mirage sounded disappointed once he recognized the physique: "Tragic, tsk, tsk. I thought it was going to be something special, but it''s the cursed Thousand Samsara Sovereign Physique."


    But once the words left his mouth, he managed to connect some dots, and his face looked as bright as a lightbulb.


    "That''s why you know what a hospital is! This is a previous life of yours!" Mirage spoke, enlightened.


    At first, he had been worried that he was actually wrong and that his spell had failed. But now that he realized that it was just a forgotten memory of Xue Bai, he felt relieved and confident once more.


    ''It seems that all those years that I was asleep hadn''t rusted my skills.'' Mirage joyfully thought.


    Sadly, the joy he was feeling was only on his side, as once Mirage said the name of the physique, the various ideas and theories in Xue Bai''s head started to link together, and he finally realized something.


    ''That dream I had earlier must''ve been one of my past lives! And my life on Earth in the hospital should be my first life!'' Xue Bai thought.


    While it was faint and nowhere near the same amount as on the Baishen ne, Xue Bai could detect a small amount of Spiritual Qi in the air inside of this alternate reality that Mirage brought him to.


    ''Spiritual Qi rejuvenated on Earth, and my old crippled self awakened a physique.''


    Xue Bai finally understood a key part of his mysterious past!


    He confirmed that the memories he was given were indeed wed and iplete! In fact, they weren''t even his own memories!


    Some powerhouse, most likely the person who made his soul traverse across dimensions and reincarnate in the Baishen ne, must''ve imnted these false memories into his soul!


    "Xue Bai? Xue Bai? Xue Bai!!" Mirage shouted at Xue Bai.


    "Huh?" Xue Bai was brought back to reality.


    But once he looked around himself, he saw that the hospital room around him was starting to copse. Like a sand castle that was hit by a bucket of water, the room crumbled into nothingness.


    Now back in his motel room with arge pile of sand to his right, Xue Bai found himself staring at another, much angrier version of himself.


    His clone was, of course, just Mirage, but his facial expressions weren''t fake.


    Mirage was truly annoyed. He had been calling out Xue Bai''s name for almost 2 minutes, yet the boy was stuck in a trance the entire time, ignoring both him and the spell he had so kindly conjured.


    ''I wanted to show off, but I just made this kid turn dumb!'' Mirage was indignant.


    Thankfully, before he resorted to violence, Xue Bai awakened.


    "What the hell happened to you back there? You turned pale, and you looked lost." Mirage asked once Xue Bai returned to thend of the living.


    But Xue Bai just shook his head in response.


    "Nothing. Just¡­ Forget about what happened and the dream you saw. While it was something extremely important to me, I don''t think I should''ve seen what just happened there. My gut is telling me I shouldn''t speak about it either." Xue Bai said.


    Xue Bai knew from the scroll that he was already the centerpiece of a huge conspiracy. And the dream he just saw from Mirage all but confirmed it.


    Mirage''s intentions with the dream were pure and done in an act to prove his superiority and power, but at the same time, he also brought Xue Bai information that he shouldn''t have known.


    An innocent farmer was guilty of carrying a diamond.


    And while that saying was usually for valuable treasures, in a cultivation world, information was the most important treasure of all.


    A few weeks ago, Xue Bai was a peaceful man with only cultivation in his mind, but now that he knew something far beyond his pay grade, he was as irredeemable as a death row inmate.


    He didn''t know if the powerhouse who had brought him here saw what happened in Mirage''s dream world, but Mirage did say he was a treasure beyond ranks. So maybe he wasn''t bragging?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Xue Bai didn''t want to, but now it seemed like he had to bet his life on the words of an artifact spirit he met only half a day ago¡ªmoreover, one with a habit of bragging.


    ''Life is going to be rough.''


    Not knowing what was happening in Xue Bai''s head, Mirage was silent. Even though he didn''t know as much as Xue Bai did, he could connect some dots with his wisdom.


    He had most likely shown Xue Bai something that even he didn''t know. And now that he did, his situation waspromised.


    Feeling guilty about his stupid actions, Mirage apologized.


    "I''m sorry for my actions, Xue Bai. I was too hot-headed earlier." Mirage sincerely said.


    "It''s fine. While I know I shouldn''t have seen that, it was still extremely helpful. It brought me some much-needed light into my past. And it also gave me some inspiration on how to act in the future." Xue Bai waved off the man''s apology.


    As disastrous as Mirage''s actions were, they were helpful. So while it did put Xue Bai on thin ice, it also gave him a chance to break free from some constraints that had been binding him since his transmigration, binds he hadn''t been able to see.


    Recklessness was sometimes a good trait to have in a cultivation world.


    Silence ensued for a few seconds in the motel room, with Mirage still having a rock of guilt weighing down his consciousness and Xue Bai pondering over his situation. But this didn''tst long, as Xue Bai suddenly remembered something Mirage had offhandedly said in the dream world.


    "Hey, Mirage, you said that I have a soul physique, right? Something called the Thousand Samsara Sovereign Physique?" Xue Bai didn''t forget the odd term that his newpanion used.


    It was a long and powerful-sounding physique. Xue Bai couldn''t forget its name even if he wanted to!


    Mirage nodded.


    "Can you tell me what it does? Or rather, why did you call it cursed?" Xue Bai asked. Though he wasn''t paying much attention during the dream world, Xue Bai still clearly heard the name of his physique and the way Mirage mentioned it.


    His tone was full of pity and regret once he mentioned its name.


    Xue Bai wanted to know why he sounded like that.


    "It''s because the owners of these are cursed. Cursed to never reach their full potential." Mirage answered.


    "In what way? The name sounds so powerful. How could they not reach their full potential?" Xue Bai asked.


    "It''s in the name Xue Bai. The name of the physique is the Thousand Samsara Sovereign Physique. Its owner must undergo a thousand reincarnations to reach the physique''s full potential. Once they do, they are destined to be a ¡ª." Mirage answered. But, much like what happened earlier, his words were cut off.


    ''This sh*t again!'' Xue Bai was annoyed, but he could put the dots together at this point.


    This realm that Mirage was forbidden to speak of was named the Sovereign realm. However, the Nine Heavens Universe forbids anyone to speak of its name.


    An off feature, yes, but Xue Bai could somewhat understand it.


    Mirage said that he was beyond ranks earlier. Xue Bai was dismissive of it earlier, but now it made sense.


    The strongest person in the Nine Heavens Universe was the Void Fox Emperor, who was at the peak of the God Great Realm.


    But Mirage and his creator were above the God Great Realm. So it would make sense if the Nine Heavens Universe couldn''t handle the karma.


    Finished with his exnation, Mirage stayed silent for a moment and waited for Xue Bai to finish his thoughts.


    This didn''t take long, and Xue Bai finished thinking soon and returned with a final request of his own.


    "Mirage, though I haven''t sensed my soul yet, I felt you link with something inside of him. Was that my soul?"


    Mirage had nothing to hide and nodded at this.


    Somehow, someone found him during his slumber and forcibly bound him and Xue Bai together. And while Mirage was strong, breaking free of the binding would either kill Xue Bai or make him stupid.


    However, Mirage didn''t want such a thing to happen.


    He had nothing to do anyway for the next few million years. After all, he was so idle that he slept for so long that the multiverse had shifted.


    Staying together with Xue Bai would bring him some much-needed entertainment.


    "Then, can you do me a favor? And look at my soul. I want to know how many Samsaras I went through."


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 203 The Secret Behind His Transmigration

    The Secret Behind His Transmigration


    Mirage had no problem with Xue Bai''s request, and after making his figure topple into another pile of sand, he flew back into Xue Bai''s body.


    It wasn''t much of a difficult request at all. Mirage''s true body was already bound to Xue Bai''s soul, so he managed to see what Xue Bai wanted after returning his consciousness to Xue Bai''s soul.


    But once he did, his eyebrows rose in shock.


    Unaware of why, Xue Bai felt like he could feel Mirage''s emotions. So once the spirit felt stunned, the emotion traveled to Xue Bai''s own soul.


    "Mirage, what''s happening in there? Could it be that I don''t have the physique?" Xue Bai asked.


    In Xue Bai''s opinion, with the amount of shock Mirage was feeling, something extremely unexpected must be wrong with his soul. And other than him not having the physique at all, Xue Bai couldn''t guess another option.


    "No, it''s not that, Xue Bai. You have the physique. It''s just that something else surprised me. Xue Bai, you''re on your 999th reincarnation. This is your second tost life." Mirage spoke stunning Xue Bai.


    "But how is that possible?! My soul is only a few realms stronger than my current cultivation base. At most, I could only be on the first few dozen." Xue Bai didn''t believe what Mirage said for a second.


    Mirage said that his soul physique was a snowball type of physique. The more he developed it, the stronger it got.


    There was no way that Xue Bai''s soul would be this weak if Xue Bai was on his second-tost life before the physique''s true awakening.


    It didn''t make sense. From Xue Bai''s assumptions, the Sovereign realm was the realm beyond the God Great Realm. How could a pseudo-Sovereign soul be so weak?


    Mirage wasn''t angry at Xue Bai''s shock andplete disregard for his opinion because he hadn''t said the true, shocking detail.


    "That''s why I was shocked, Xue Bai. It''s the state of your soul that surprised me. Xue Bai, right now, your soul is being sealed. There are 999 chains binding it. However, one of them is cracked." Mirage continued.


    "?!" Xue Bai was stunned.


    Xue Bai''s voice quivered as he thought about a certain possibility. So with a voice full of trepidation and anxiety, he asked Mirage for another favor.


    "Mirage, can you look at the chain that is broken? What type of life did I live in it?" Xue Bai felt another curtain of his mysterious past rising, and he had a good assumption of what was behind it.


    This was extremely simple for the Sovereign-ranked treasure, Mirage, and after casting a spell simr to the one earlier, Xue Bai''s reality warped.


    -


    "Darling, how was life back in the Southern Wastnd? I heard that such a ce was full of dangers and had almost no Spiritual Qi. So how did such a talent like you manage to escape it?" Han Fei''er asked curiously.


    Currently, the two were in a tea house waiting for a secret realm to open up nearby. And since the two had nothing to do, Han Fei''er wanted to know more about her beloved''s past.


    "It was just luck." Xue Baiughed humbly.


    This was, of course, a lie. His teenage and childhood years living in the Southern Wastnd were the worst days of his life. However, he didn''t want to sour the pleasant mood with his somber past.


    Xue Bai was enjoying his time with Han Fei''er.


    "It''s fine, Darling. Your past is a part of my past now." Han Fei''er said as he patted Xue Bai on the shoulder.


    She could sense Xue Bai''s uneasiness and soothed his worries.


    -


    Xue Bai saw enough and ordered Mirage to end the spell.


    ''So that dream I saw was indeed a past life of mine. And most likely, these chains are sealing my soul from both its true potential and the memories of my other lives.''


    Everything made sense to Xue Bai.


    Why he had so much instinctual skill with the sword, why hisprehension was so high, why his soul was always so much stronger than him, and why he was transmigrated¡ªit was all clear now.


    Xue Bai was being used.


    "Hey Xue Bai, what do you n to do? While I don''t know everything because of your silence, I can guess a lot of it." Mirage asked as he transformed into Xue Bai''s form once more.


    "Nothing for now. While I know what is happening, I still don''t know the perpetrators. In fact, I don''t even have a guess." Xue Bai replied.


    Xue Bai wanted to guess that it was the people affiliated with Sage Yang, but he couldn''t stand behind that.


    If Sage Yang wanted to do something to him, he could''ve done it then. But he didn''t. Other than sealing his physique, Sage Yang did nothing to him.


    Xue Bai could assume that maybe Sage Yang thought that Xue Bai hadn''t ripened yet, and he still wanted Xue Bai to grow, but something inside of him said no to that.


    Like when he used a sword, it was instinctual.


    And to this day, Xue Bai''s instincts haven''t let him down. So he would continue trusting him.


    Mirage didn''t ask anything further rting to that topic and wanted to change the topic. But the second he opened his mouth, a knock came on the door.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Prince Consort Xue! Elder Feng wants every student to gather! The secret realm is about to open." Ling Er shouted from the hallway.


    Xue Bai gave Mirage a look, and the artifact spirit nodded back.


    Like before, Mirage''s figure crumbled into a small pile of sand that slowly fell to the ground with the rest of the piles.


    "Hey, Mirage. Can you do something about all of this sand? The Gen Empire has beaches, but they are far away. Having so much sand in the room is going to be a weird thing." Xue Bai asked.


    A small pile of sand had already piled up on the floor from the three spells and Mirage''s constantly changing forms. And while Xue Bai didn''t care much for how weird he seemed to the other students, it was still odd.


    It would be better to just clean it up to ensure no one got the wrong idea.


    "Sure," Mirage answered.


    And without a word or even a spell, the pile of sand on the ground was absorbed back into Xue Bai''s body.


    Content, Xue Bai made sure that he hadn''t left anything in the room before exiting and meeting Ling Er outside.


    "Take me to the secret realm."


    Ling Er was verypliant, especially after what happened a few days ago in the ck Ghost. And without dy, he unleashed his movement technique and guided Xue Bai to where the other students were gathering.


    The students weren''t far, and after a quick run, the two arrived.


    "Good. Now that he is here, that means everyone is here!" Feng Hui said as he pped.


    Now, Feng Hui no longer had the pathetic appearance he had a few days ago when Duke Han sent him through the washer, but instead looked like he had juste right out of a massage. Bright and radiant.


    While he didn''t know what Long Tian wrote in the letter, it worked wonders.


    After Duke Han''s wave of water washed him and Lin Fu away, nothing else came to them. Duke Han didn''t attempt to bother them, nor did he kill them, which was extremely rare for the petty and violent Duke Han.


    Duke Han would avenge even the slightest wrongdoing toward him and his subordinates, so the fact that he and Lin Fu were undisturbed during their two days in Steel Moon City meant that Long Tian''s letter worked. Or maybe Duke Han was too busy with the aftermath of the letter.


    Either way, he was happy, and his facial expression showed that.


    After announcing Xue Bai''s arrival, Feng Hui pulled out the ck Ghost and ordered the students to board.


    "Students just stay at the bow of the ship. The trip will be short." Feng Hui ordered before doing the same.


    Xue Bai and the other studentplied. And after making sure everyone was ounted for, they flew off for the forest outside. It wasn''t a far trip, but they needed to keep up appearances, so Feng Hui brought the ck Ghost.


    Inside, many of the students went over to Feng Hui in an attempt to gather information. From which students the Kun Empire Academy was brought and what secret realm they were going to, the students didn''t hold back.


    And Feng Hui didn''t either.


    Feng Hui was against the current monarch, yes, but he was still a citizen of the Gen Empire and, moreover, a teacher at the Gen Empire Academy. As entric as he was, he wanted sess toe to his home.


    So he didn''t hold back either and answered the questions he was asked.


    "From what I know, the secret realm can hold a maximum of 100 cultivators below the Dharma Idol realm, and of the 100 spots, we, the Gen Empire, have 60, while the Kun Empire has 40." Feng Hui said.


    But once again, like sleeper agents, the students erupted in anger the moment that Feng Hui mentioned the Kun Empire.


    "Damn those devils!"


    "Thieving rats!"


    "Yea! It was ours, to begin with."


    "Calm down, all of you!" Feng Hui snorted in displeasure, "I haven''t finished yet."


    "Now, where was I? Oh, yes."


    "Of the 40 students the Kun Empire Academy brought, almost everyone is in the Qi Sea realm. The only ones that aren''t are a select few peak Organ Tempering realm talents, but they are in the minority. Only 4 or 5 students are in those realms."


    "Of the Qi Sea realm students, 13 are in the early stages, while another eight are in the middle stages of the realm. The other 14 are equally split up between thete and peak stages of the Qi Sea Realm."


    "As for specific students, this Elder doesn''t know."


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 204 Ling San’s Talent

    ?


    Ling San''s Talent


    The second trial that they were in the midst of didn''t have a time limit but instead would continue forever until ten peoplepleted the Illusory Garden Formation''s rune.


    But because the rune''s difficulty was at the peak of the low Yellow-grade, only Xue Bai was able toplete it quickly. Everyone else was stuck, trying to understand the rune''s intricacies slowly.


    Of them all, the only two Xue Bai guessed would be able toplete it quickly were Lin Fu and Ji Ruxi, and now, back in reality, he found this to be true.


    Ji Ruxi no longer had a rune near her, which signified herpletion of it, while Lin Fu was no different. However, Lin Fu wasn''t doing something simple afterpleting it.


    Afterpleting her Illusory Garden Formation, Ji Ruxi simply found an empty corner, sat down in a lotus position, and started to meditate in preparation for the next and hopefully final trial. But Lin Fu didn''t.


    Instead, he was standing tall, exining the intricacies of the Illusory Garden Formation to everyone in the second trial!


    "Fellow brothers of the Northern Continent, this Illusory Garden Formation is a difficult one, not because of howplex it is but rather because of how unorthodox it is." So once you understand the fundamental parts of it, engraving the rune would be as simple as drinking water!" Lin Fu spoke as he lectured everyone remaining in the secret realm. It didn''t even matter whether they were from the Gen or Kun Empire; he treated everyone simrly and allowed them to listen to his profound words.


    "Take a look at the top right of the rune, just above where the fourth diamond meets the ''Wei'' character. If you look carefully, you''ll see a miniature part of the top half of the middle Yellow-grade Mystic Grandmist Formation. This means that the Illusory Garden Formation is simr to the mist variants of illusory formations. Taking this into ount..." Lin Fu spoke aloud to the joy of everyone inside the secret realm.


    The man''s words were clean and precise, to the point where even a child would be able to understand them with little to no difficulty. Moreover, with how easily he managed to lead the students toward the proper way to engrave the rune, it went without saying that Lin Fu understood the Illusory Garden Formation well.


    Even Xue Bai in the back could only inwardly nod toward the man''s words. Enemy or not, Lin Fu was right about his words. Indeed, the Illusory Garden Formation was a formation that would unleash arge mist whenpleted.


    However, it wasn''t as simple as that. The mist the Illusory Garden Formation would create was very different from the mist the Mystic Grandmist Formation would create.


    The mist in the Mystic Grandmist Formation would dull a cultivator''s natural sense of direction and make them forever lost inside it. But the Illusory Garden Formation was much weaker than the Mystic Grandmist Formation, being only a low Yellow-grade formation. So its effects would instead simply unleash a thick mist that was simr to the thick mist of Spiritual Qi often found inside herb gardens, hence the name Illusory Garden Formation.


    It was also because of this fact that the Illusory Garden Formation was soplicated to engrave. In order to engrave it, you basically had to engrave half a middle Yellow-grade formation rune while also engraving the rest of a low Yellow-grade one.


    In order to create one Illusory Garden Formation, you had to engrave one low Yellow-grade formation rune and half a middle Yellow-grade one. No matter how one looked at this, it was a bad deal.


    So, with no one wanting to do so much work for a weak bottom-of-the-barrel formation, the Illusory Garden Formation eventually fell into obscurity and was barely known to the general public.


    Xue Bai knew all of this, though, from Mirage''s inheritance, but there was an underlying question now out there. How did Lin Fu figure all of this out?


    Just a few hours ago, the man was moments away from mming his head into the ground out of frustration, but now he was an expert on it. What did Xue Bai miss out on while he was watching Ling San?


    Just as Xue Bai was wondering what the hell Ling San was up to, Mirage''s voice sounded in his head.


    "Ling San sessfullyprehended his phantasm, but it is pitifully weak. I''m going to speed up the time in this dream world to help fix his deficiency, though, so he won''t be an embarrassment for you. However, about Lin Fu, I wasn''t paying too much attention to him, but I did sense a strand of spiritual sense breach through the secret realm. I think he has outside help. How he got it, though, I have no idea." Mirage spoke as calmly as ever.


    Xue Bai, though, didn''t understand much of the first part of his speech and asked something in return.


    "How is his phantasm weak? It doesn''t even have a tattoo form yet." Xue Bai asked back in his mind, confused.


    Mirage had told Xue Bai that a phantasm had a few stages of evolution. First was what Ling San was at: the Embryonic Stage. Here, the phantasm had just barely started to take shape and was nothing more than a small embryo inside the cultivator''s soul.


    Cultivators at this stage either didn''t have a deep enough understanding of the Dao of Illusion or simply had little to no talent in the field. Moreover, a cultivator at this stage couldn''t even use their phantasm forbat yet or even be able to affect the environment. You need to go to the next stage to do so.


    The second stage, the Tattoo Stage, was where Xue Bai was currently. At this stage of understanding, the phantasm would take shape and would usually appear as a tattoo on the body of the cultivator. However, unlike standard tattoos, the phantasm wouldn''t appear unless the cultivator used it.


    Xue Bai had his own phantasm, and it took the shape of a snowke. Why? He had no clue. And to further annoy him, Mirage gave him a half-answer.


    ''It usually just takes the shape of something close to your soul. Your surname means snow, and your given name means white. Maybe, deep down, you like snowkes or something. Honestly, as long as a cultivator''s phantasm doesn''t take the shape of something vulgar or demeaning, no one cares about it.''


    An annoying answer, but since Mirage refused to borate, Xue Bai was once again forced to swallow a bitter pill.


    You know, when he first found Mirage, Xue Bai thought his life would be all sunshine and rainbows and that every single bottleneck he had would be broken down by the eternal wisdom that a Sovereign treasure would have, but nope. Instead, Xue Bai was left with more questions than before and regretted even finding Mirage in the first ce.


    It was, as the saying goes, Ignorance is bliss.


    Back to Ling San''s phantasm, however.


    Since the boy was in the Embryonic Stage, he shouldn''t have any power yet, so how could Mirage say that it was weak? Xue Bai was confused and wanted answers. Thankfully, Mirage was kind enough to answer his questions this time.


    "You''re right. During the Embryonic Stage, I can''t see how strong it is yet, but I can see its potential, like how even if it''s still a cub, you can see how strong a demonic beast is by its bloodline, race, how big the egg is, and other factors. Phantasms aren''t much different. Thanks to the inheritance that I graciously bestowed on you, yours was like a baby phoenix. However, Ling San''s... I would beplimenting this thing to call it a sparrow." Mirage bluntly said:


    "It''s that bad?" Xue Bai couldn''t help but ask. Mirage was far too old to joke around, but his evaluation of Ling San was so low that Xue Bai couldn''t believe it.


    "I told you earlier. His mother barely has any talent, and that heavily influenced Ling San''s innate talent. While we saw that his mother had a cultivation base and, therefore, had Martial Veins, I don''t think it was innate. Most likely, she was like you and got a Martial Vein sometime during her life, unnaturally." Mirage repeated.


    Even though many protagonists in cultivation novels would rise from a vige boy in the mortal world with no talent into an existence that rivaled the heavens themselves, gics still meant a lot.


    For 99.99% of people, the strength of their parents determined how strong they would end up. If their father was a Spirit Fusion realm expert, they would nine times out of ten also be one, while on the other side, if their father was a Qi Sea realm martial artist, nine times out of ten, they would also only be a Qi Sea realm martial artist.


    While having parents without Martial Veins didn''t guarantee a child would have them, it was an extremely high possibility that they would. In contrast, if the parents didn''t have Martial Veins, there was a high possibility that their children wouldn''t either.


    However, when it came to half-and-half parents like Ling San''s, it was essentially a toss-up. It could lean toward the mortal parent, the genius parent, or just even out somewhere in the middle. All possibilities had an equal chance of sess.


    And from what Mirage was saying, it seemed that Ling San''s Martial Vein talent had somewhat evened out. But despite that, his talent leaned toward his untalented mother.


    Either Ling San got a bad roll in the gic lottery, or there must''ve been a huge gap between his father and mother for such a situation to ur.


    It was a shame, but what could Xue Bai do? He had a plethora of fortuitous encounters in his memories that could transform Ling San''s talent, but would it be worth it? Having to grow a low-tier genius would cost far more than growing a mid or even high-tier genius.


    The counterargument for this was that Ling San would be much more loyal and less rebellious than a high-tier genius, but Xue Bai had some confidence in his charisma.


    ''I''ll give it until I leave the Gen Empire. If he doesn''t show anything special, I''ll just leave him here to be a decent pawn for Feng Fei.'' Xue Bai thought with slight disappointment.


    He did enjoy formations, but that wasn''t where his true ambitiony. Xue Bai wanted to focus on his Dao of Space and Sword Law. Everything else, even his alchemy pursuits, were just a means to an end and ways to get money. So having Ling San, a potential formation master, follow him was an extremely tempting prospect.


    But it seemed that he had his hopes too high.


    Shaking his head with some disappointment, Xue Bai continued to look at Lin Fu, who was just wrapping up his lecture.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 205 Feng Hui’s Message

    ?


    Feng Hui''s Message


    As Xue Bai expected, Lin Fu wasn''t giving this lecture out of the kindness of his heart but rather because of the orders he had gotten about 2 hours ago.


    ¡ª


    Earlier in the day.


    Feng Hui wasn''t a very strong cultivator, being only in the Law Enrgaving realm. However, he had a special quality that not many cultivators of his strength had, or rather, did have.


    Hecked a spine!


    To put it simply, Feng Hui was an opportunist. In his mind, nothing mattered to him except profits, not even his dignity. The self-centered lifestyle that Feng Hui lived also meant that his loyalty would change with the wind.


    Living a life sucking up to nobles and powerhouses also treated the old man rather well over the years, and now, just before he reached the end of his life, it could be said that Feng Hui had reached the pinnacle of the Houtian Great Realm, even if his cultivation base hadn''t.


    He was well-connected, rich, and had enough influence to intimidate the Royal Family of the Gen Empire.


    With his deep pockets and connections, Feng Hui had ess to many tools far beyond what someone of his strength should have.


    One of these tools was a set of low ck-grade talismans known as the Mother-and-Son Spirit Transmission Talisman.


    This talisman was special in two ways. The first was that in order for one to use it, one needed a set: a Mother Spirit Transmission Talisman and a Son Spirit Transmission Talisman, with two different people having one each.


    The other special part of this talisman was that it could even travel through dimensions!


    Sadly, despite their dimension-crossing capabilities, they had one downfall. They could only send messages in a one-way manner. More specifically, the Son Spirit Transmission Talisman could only receive messages from the Mother Transmission Talisman and not reply back.


    It was a great way to send urgent n changes to disciples or subordinates across great distances, but other than that, it didn''t have much use. After all,munication was the most important factor in a war, fight, etc. Only being able to receive messages and not reply back was a huge downfall that the Mother-and-Son Spirit Transmission Talisman had.


    Because of its huge downside yet equally huge advantage, the Mother-and-Son Spirit Transmission Talisman was an expensive yet niche tool. So, while it was useless at some times, it worked well beyond its rank at others.


    The current situation was one where the Mother-and-Son Spirit Transmission Talisman was even more useful than a middle ck-grade talisman.


    On the outside, Feng Hui and his Kun Empire rival managed to reach apromise.


    "So, to finalize our agreement, in exchange for your students helping Lin Fu kill Xue Bai, not only do you want a middle ck-grade Spirit Enlightenment Pill, but you also want Lin Fu to help your students win the trial?" Feng Hui spoke as he tried to restrain his bubbling anger.


    After almost half a day of negotiations, Feng Hui''s original offer of ten high Yellow-grade Meridian Cleansing pills had managed to escte to a middle ck-grade Spirit Enlightment Pill! Even he, after all his years of sucking up and swindling, only had two of such treasures!


    Moreover, he could never bear to eat them and kept them for Lin Fu when the boy reached his level.


    Yet now, for a mere Xue Bai, a Bone Strengthening realm pup, he was forced to cough one up. How could Feng Hui not be angry? But no matter how angry he was, Feng Hui had orders from above that he had to follow.


    Between his life and a Spirit Enlightment Pill, Feng Hui would choose the former any day of the week. No matter how valuable the treasure was, Feng Hui, the spineless man, would also choose to live a bit longer.


    All he could hope was that the Grand Duke would reimburse him.


    The second part of the deal was also rather aggravating, but Feng Hui wasn''t too angry about it. Lin Fu did have some attainments in formations, but at the end of the day, it was only a side profession he picked up to heighten his status in the Gen Empire. He could do without the inheritance that the secret realm contained as long as the benefits were enough.


    "Feng Hui, a person who is begging for help, should have a much more humble bearing. Anger is not the sign of someone who needs help." Zhou Yi, the Kun Empire leader, spoke calmly, ignoring Feng Hui''s anger.


    The two were of equal strength, so no matter how much the old man looked like he wanted to drink his blood and eat his flesh, Zhou Yi wouldn''t be scared.


    Seeing the man''s overwhelmingly irritating facial expression, Feng Hui had a strong urge to blow the deal right and exchange blows, but this matter was above him. He couldn''t make such a move, no matter how much he wanted to.


    Without an outlet to vent his anger, Feng Hui snorted, acquiescing to the exchange. After confirming the deal, the two sides shook hands.


    Slightly happy, Feng Hui pulled out his Mother-and-Son Spirit Transmission Talisman, nning to send a message to Lin Fu, who was still inside the secret realm.


    "Zhou Yi, is there a special code you told your students that could help Lin Fu transfer this message? Without it, it would be rather difficult for my disciple to convey your message without being suspected of lying." Feng Hui asked before he sent the message.


    While notmon, sometimes teachers would give their disciples a sort of password. This word would be kept a secret between the master and disciple their entire lives unless a situation like this urred. Where a foreign, sometimes even enemy cultivator, needed to tell the master or disciple a message without being ignored.


    Feng Hui and Lin Fu had their own, but he wasn''t sure that Zhou Yi, his rival, had one. After all, the man didn''t have a disciple, unlike him, so it was basically a shot in the dark. Thankfully, his shot in the dark hit the target.


    "I do, in fact. At the end of your message, send, "Once the heat subsides, a white blessing will cover the earth." That''s the code." Zhou Yi said, surprising Feng Hui.


    It was apletely nonsensical statement that made absolutely no sense, but that''s what these passwords were supposed to be. They were supposed to be a statement that, under no circumstances, would be uttered by any man.


    Zhou Yi''s poem obviously referred to the changing of seasons, going from summer to winter. However, not only was that not how the seasonal changes went, but also seasons weren''t a thing in most of the Baishen ne.


    Spiritual Qi was in every part of the Baishen ne, only in lesser or higher amounts. Moreover, Spiritual Qi had an innate peaceful air to it, meaning that as long as there weren''t any outside forces interfering with it, Spiritual Qi would stabilize the ne''s temperature, making it room temperature.


    However, there were exceptions to this, for example, in the Barren Lands, where there was little to no Spiritual Qi in the atmosphere.


    There, the weather had a seasonal cycle and would follow a pattern simr to Earth''s own seasonal schedule.


    Of course, none of this was set in stone, as sometimes nearby ces with much more Spiritual Qi could influence the seasonal changes in these Barren Lands.


    Still, no matter that, the seasons had an order. Winter, spring, summer, fall, and finally, back to winter at the end of the year. Yet Zhou Yi''s poem talked about the seasons in a different order than what actually took ce in reality, making his sentence sound like the drivel of a madman.


    Overall, Zhou Yi''s poem was a string of nonsense. But still, it didn''t cause much of Feng Hui''s wrinkled face to change, as he, too, had a password with a simr amount of gibberish.


    Nodding, Feng Hui sent his own message, which was addressed to Lin Fu and the Kun Empire students, followed by Zhou Yi''s cryptic password.


    Once Feng Hui was done sending the message, he looked up only to see Zhou Yi edging closer to him with a curious expression.


    "Feng Hui, you really don''t like this boy. Who exactly is he?" Zhou Yi couldn''t help but ask.


    Feng Hui didn''t speak immediately and instead took a moment to think about his answer. But once he did start to conjure up a response, he also started to ponder it for himself. Who the hell was Xue Bai?


    ¨C


    Back in the present, inside the secret realm, Lin Fu finally started to wrap up his seminar.


    After receiving his master''s message, Lin Fu yed it carefully, as what the message entailed could rm Xue Bai, the mysterious gigolo. So, instead of saying it aloud, he instead sent a spiritual transmission to all of the Kun Empire students, telling them their teacher''s password.


    Only after he managed to transmit Zhou Yi''s message to all of his students did Lin Fu start to spread his knowledge of the Illosury Garden Formation to everyone inside the secret realm.


    Of the 20 remaining participants, excluding him, the finished Xue Bai, and the unconscious Ling San, only two were from the Gen Empire. The rest were from the Kun Empire.


    So, while this lecture might give way for some Gen Empire students to triumph over the Kun Empire ones, what could Lin Fu do? The ghostly emperor made his stance known that any violence would be met with extreme punishments. Forcing out the remaining two students was impossible.


    Left without an option, Lin Fu could only pin his hopes on the Kun Empire students and pray that they had better talents than his fellow citizens.


    Lin Fu was a man who followed in the footsteps of his master. All of his master''s traits, good or bad, were inherited by him.


    Feng Hui and Lin Fu weren''t from the capital. They were from a much more remote region of the Gen Empire. So, without arge background or heavenly talent, both Lin Fu and Feng Hui were forced to suck up to various higher-status forces in the Gen Empire in order to climb the ranks.


    Going from a baron out in the sticks to a Border Marquis all the way to the Grand Duke''s faction, relying on Lin Fu''s extremely good talent and Feng Hui''s unrivaled glib tongue, the two made their way all the way to the top of the Gen Empire.


    Now, as one of the strongest ck-Robed Students in the Gen Empire Academy, Lin Fu was like his master and was now feeling what only the apex geniuses of his generation should feel.


    Yet before he could truly enjoy the feeling and make his mark on the Gen Empire, an obstacle appeared in his path.


    Xue Bai.


    Being beaten into the ground for little to no reason and having his arm severed, Lin Fu suffered more in the short stint that Xue Bai has been in the Gen Empire than he had in almost the past decade!


    It was a horrible, stifling feeling, but Lin Fu couldn''t do anything to stop it. Xue Bai''sbat ability was far too unorthodox for him to do anything against him. What could he do against a person who could phase in and out of reality at will without any warning?


    For a mid-tier genius like Lin Fu, this was something far out of his reach to contest. Even someone like Ling Yi, one of the strongest ck-Robed students in the entire academy, had been subdued in one move.


    However, just because Lin Fu was weaker than Xue Bai in a head-on fight didn''t mean that he couldn''t pose a threat to him.


    Especially now that Feng Hui had told him to coborate with Kun Empire students.


    ''No matter how weird your powers are, you''re still in the Bone strengthening realm. How can you handle ten geniuses at the peak of the Qi Sea realm? Lin Fu menacingly thought.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 206 Ling San Wakes Up

    Chapter 206 Ling San Wakes Up


    <nullb>Ling San Wakes Up


    As for the matter of whether or not Lin Fu felt any shame for allying himself with his nation''s mortal enemy, no, he didn''t. Not one single bit.


    In front of eternal benefits, his national pride meant nothing. And the biggest benefit he could possibly gain right now was with Xue Bai''s head on a pike.


    Handing in that trash''s head to the Grand Duke could literally change Lin Fu''s life trajectory. Not only were the Long n the true rulers of the Gen Empire, but they also had mysterious backers that even the headmaster was afraid of.


    Lin Fu would be stupid not to choose them.


    The saying goes, A fine bird chooses a fine tree to nest in, and Lin Fu thinks of himself as an extremely smart bird.


    After all, cultivation wasn''t just about brawn or talent. Brains were also extremely important!


    Scheming was an important skill taught in the Gen Empire''s Academy, and Lin Fu had soaked up all of those lessons like a sponge. And now his learning wasing to fruition.


    ''So what if you''re a heaven-sent genius? You''ll still die in my Lin Fu''s hands!''


    Away from Lin Fu''s fantastical thoughts of killing Xue Bai, Mirage had just spoken up in Xue Bai''s head once more.


    ''Xue Bai, Ling San''s phantasm is starting to shape into something special now. He''ll be done within the hour; just be sure to be near the boy once he wakes up. I don''t want all of my work to be a wedding dress for another person. Make sure he understands where his blessings came from.'' Mirage indifferently told Xue Bai.


    Mirage''s abilities were far too mystical to be sensed by any mortal, including Ling San. Ling San barely even had a grasp on the Qi Sea realm, so it was extremely unlikely that the boy would know it was Mirage who gave him the blessing. The boy didn''t even know of Mirage''s existence; how could he corrte the two?


    It was more likely that Ling San would simply misunderstand the situation. Presumably, he would think it was the ghostly emperor who did all of this.


    Though Xue Bai was shrouded in a thickyer of mystery and had an otherworldly aura, he was still a Bone Strengthening realm teenager. It was impossible for him to do all of the things that Ling San had just undergone.


    The only reasonable train of thought for Ling San to take was to assume the ghostly emperor saw his ''talents'' and gave him a fortuitous encounter. Anything else was nonsensical for Ling San to even think of.


    Xue Bai was no fool and likewise didn''t want his partner''s efforts to be stolen by a dead man, so for the first time in a while, he stood up from his position and slowly walked over to Ling San''s position.


    His actions did attract Lin Fu and the other students who were still inside the secret realm, but once they saw the mysterious Prince Consort peacefully sitting next to Ling San, they calmed down. While his actions were questionable, as long as he overlooked their plot, they were fine.


    Following Xue Bai''s seating rearrangement, Lin Fu''s lecture ended. He had told everyone all of his understandings of the Illusory Garden Formation and then some. If they still couldn''t figure out how to engrave the rune, Lin Fu would be helpless.


    Thankfully, only seven more people needed to pass for this round to end.


    Time slowly passed, but unlike earlier, when a somber aura filled the throne room, enthusiasm did instead. Earlier, other than Ji Ruxi, Xue Bai, and Lin Fu, no one could even take the first step in engraving the Illusory Garden Formation rune, but now, after Lin Fu''s lecture, everyone felt confident in their chances.


    So, putting their talents to the test, everyone started their first attempts. Of course, they all met with failure, but they were all geniuses with high egos and pride. They wouldn''t give up yet.


    Try after try, every student in the secret realm continuously attempted to engrave the rune, with varying sess across the board. The best was the student from the Kun Empire who had mocked Ji Ruxi earlier. Though he was certainly an arrogant young man, at least he had something to back it up with.


    This didn''t mean he seeded, though, but he was much further along than the rest of his peers. On the third attempt, he even managed to engrave half of the rune before he lost control of his Spiritual Qi, and the half-finished rune fizzled back into the atmosphere.


    In terms of rankings for how far along everyone was, beyond him were the other students of the Kun Empire. Since they were a group of like-minded individuals with a shared goal, they all constantly shared their gains with each other in hopes of finishing quicker than the two Gen Empire students.


    After years of being at the bottom of the Northern Continent''s rankings, the citizens of the Kun Empire have long developed a strong sense of camaraderie. So when they were faced with their mortal enemy, the Gen Empire, none of them dared to ck and instead put aside any differences they had in the past and elevated each other.


    Even though they were working with Lin Fu, that didn''t mean that they still liked the Gen Empire. In fact, Lin Fu''s actions only made them loathe the empire even more.


    How could one of the empire''s greatest talents be a traitor? It was disgusting and shameful. Just being in the snake''s presence made them sick. If not for Zhou Yi''s orders, they wouldn''t even listen to him, let alone work with him.


    Moreover, forcing out the remaining two Gen Empire students would leave Xue Bai all alone without any help, which would, in turn, make their mission all the easier.


    Ling San was also there, but after seeing the boy in a nearly unconscious state for nearly half a day, they all thought he had given up long ago and didn''t include him in their calctions. Ling San hadn''t even listened to Lin Fu''s lecture. How could he possibly be a threat?


    Sadly, their calctions were wrong. They merely didn''t know it yet.


    ¡ª


    Ling San had a dream.


    He lived a new life¡ªa life without cultivation, a life without Martial Veins, and a life without struggle.


    From birth until death, Ling San never absorbed even a wisp of Spiritual Qi. 62 years old, he lived that life, and throughout it, he saw many things he had never seen before.


    The struggle of the mortal man, the arrogance of the cultivators, even the change of the seasons¡ªall things that Ling San either took for granted or straight up ignored¡ªwere front and center in this life.


    His life wasn''t noble, exciting, or even very important to the world, but it was also because of theck of details his life had that Ling San felt something... new. A feeling he had never felt before.


    Deep within his soul, Ling San felt something well up inside of him before it took shape in his own body. The feeling was definitely weird, almost like he had suddenly gained knowledge of a limb that he had never known was there. However, now that he knew it was there, Ling San had no ns to look back.


    Feeling enlightened, Ling San also felt his consciousness return to his body. Feeling a myriad of hormones running throughout his body, he knew that it was time to engrave the Illusory Garden Formation''s rune.


    Opening his eyes, Ling San was about to start his work only to find a pair of neb purple eyes looking at him inquisitively.


    "Prince Consort?!" Stunned, Ling San could only dumbly shout out Xue Bai''s title. That and the fear of Xue Bai''s mystical teleportation abilities were still imprinted in his mind, making Ling San instinctively fear him.


    "You don''t have to call me by the title Feng Fei gave me. Just call me Xue Bai if you''d like." Xue Bai said with a smile, ignoring the fear in Ling San''s eyes.


    It wasn''t long ago that Xue Bai did scare off the entire Ling family, so he did remember it. Knowing that his show of strength might have scared Ling San, Xue Bai wanted to quell that fear early on in their rtionship.


    "No, no, no, how could I?! Marriage or not, you''re still a part of the royal family. It wouldn''t be good for me, amoner, to call you by your name?" Ling San, however, was still either too scared of Xue Bai or a stickler for rules and denied Xue Bai''s attempt to close their rtionship.


    ''Well, it''s fine. I''ll be on this continent for a decade or so. There''ll be plenty of time.'' Xue Bai simply shrugged it off.


    "Still, Prince Consort is a fake title. Calling me that makes me feel weird." Xue Bai said with a frown, "How about this? Call me Young Duke. It''s my real title back home."


    While Xue Bai didn''t care much about his fake title here in the Gen Empire, it still carried a few implications that he didn''t really like. The Young Duke title he had back on the Southern Continent made him remember home, though, so if Xue Bai had a choice, he would choose to be called thetter anyway.


    Ling San looked hesitant at first at Xue Bai''s proposal, but after seeing his stern look, he eventually gave in.


    "Then, this humblemoner will be presumptuous and call the Young Duke by his title." Ling San still didn''t feel like he was at the same level as Xue Bai and continued his humble persona.


    Feeling slightly happy at this, Xue Bai let out a smallugh. He had a long time to grow their rtionship. This was a good first step for now.


    "Enough about me, though. What happened to you? You were unconscious for an awfully long amount of time. Is everything okay?" Xue Bai asked with a smile that wasn''t just a smile.


    Ling San didn''t see Xue Bai''s teasing look, though, as he instantly started to sweat once Xue Bai mentioned his unconscious state. He was never a good liar in the first ce, so the second Xue Bai brought up something he wanted to hide, he broke.


    "I-I have no id-id-idea what you''re t-t-talking about, Y-Young Duke!" Ling San stuttered, immediately giving himself away.


    Xue Bai, however, kept the same smile.


    "You sure? You didn''t have a weird dream or anything simr?" Xue Bai teased, further breaking Ling San''s expression.


    "Nope!" Ling San vehemently denied it. He wouldn''t admit it even if he were beaten to death.


    Seeing the boy barely even manage to keep up appearances, Xue Bai didn''t say anything anymore.


    He needed to do something to stop Ling San''s ramblings.


    So, under the horrified eyes of Ling San, Xue Bai''s be started to glow. A few seconds passed until a small snowke-shaped tattoo appeared in that exact spot.


    "Are you still sure?"


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    -----------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 207 Recruiting Ling San

    Chapter 207 Recruiting Ling San


    <nullb>Recruiting Ling San


    Ling San''s mind froze at the sight of Xue Bai''s phantasm. Instantly, dozens of questions popped into his head as he tried to rationalize the situation.


    ''Why does Xue Bai have this power, too? I can sense that his strength is stronger than mine. Maybe he can sense weaker ones? But even if he could, how could he know about the dream I had? It was the ghostly emperor who bestowed that opportunity on me. Why does Xue Bai know about it? Unless¡­''


    Dozens of questions flew through his mind, but after what seemed like an eternity of inner ramblings, Ling San reached a usible conclusion that sent shivers down his spine.


    "Was it the Young Duke who let me into that dream world?" Ling San cautiously asked as he tried to probe Xue Bai''s intention.


    However, Xue Bai''s smile stayed the same in response to his question. It was just wide enough to be polite but not wide enough to be happy. It was a weird equilibrium, but Xue Bai yed it well enough that Ling San wasn''t too scared but just tense.


    Eventually, though, Xue Bai spoke up and quenched the man''s fears.


    "While I wasn''t the one who let you into the dream world, I was the one who ordered it. However, my partner, who did create the secret realm, is rather elusive, so you might not be able to see him anytime soon. Therefore, if you''d like to think that I''m your benefactor, you can." Xue Bai exined, half-mentioning Mirage in his words.


    Mirage was a weird enigma that even Xue Bai couldn''t wrap his head around sometimes. If not for Xue Bai, it wasn''t likely that Mirage would have even given Ling San a second look, let alone given him a push into the Dao of Illusion.


    Sure, it didn''t cost anything for Mirage to help Ling San, but it didn''t cost Mirage anything to do nothing. Why should he, a being that was worshiped by entire universes, help a small, shy boy in a mortal world?


    However, even then, Mirage only helped Ling San make Xue Bai''s path a bit more interesting. There was no goodwill in his actions yet, nor were there any malicious thoughts. It was just something he casually did for fun.


    He thought of it as a simple act of charity¡ªnothing more, nothing less.


    Because of this, Mirage probably wouldn''t go out and see Ling San, at least not on purpose. The only likely reason that Ling San would be able to see Mirage was when Mirage took a casual physical form.


    The treasure spirit liked to take various forms and view the world every once in a while.


    "Ling San, thanks the Young Duke!" Ling San suddenly stood up and, surprisingly, directly kowtowed toward Xue Bai, stunning the boy out of his socks.


    Not expecting this course of action but also without a means to stop it, Xue Bai was soon left dumbfounded as he watched Ling San m his forehead into the ground at a speed that left his forehead bloodied.


    "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? There is no need for all of this ceremonial nonsense, is there?" Xue Bai was brought back to reality and quickly moved to help Ling San. But to his further surprise, the young man didn''t move an inch, even with Xue Bai trying to help him up.


    Xue Bai still needed a dragon-type natural treasure before he could start cultivating the Celestial Dragon Transformation Scripture, which meant that his physical body wasn''t that much stronger than a normal cultivator.


    He did gain a lot of benefits from cultivating the Purification Stages, but those were more to set a firm and stable foundation than to increase his strength explosively.


    Also, Ling San was in the Qi Sea realm, the realm above the 5 physical realms, which meant that he had longpleted his body-strengthening training and had moved on to the Spiritual Qi portion of the Houtian Great Realm.


    Even if Ling San was just an average talent, his physical body was still stronger than Xue Bai''s. So, coupled with his resistance, Xue Bai wasn''t able to move the man and could only wait for Ling San to stand up himself.


    "No! Young Duke, you don''t understand how strongly I desire strength! Even if this meant nothing to you, it means everything to me!" Ling San shouted as he mmed his forehead into the ground once more. This time, it was even harder, to the point where even some of the Kun Empire students nearby couldn''t help but look over in confusion.


    He didn''t fear them per se, but Xue Bai was rtively thin-skinned to begin with, so he couldn''t help but feel awkward when faced Xue Bai now felt two conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he felt admiration for Ling San because of his words, but he also felt some embarrassmenting along on the other. The gazes he was receiving from the rest of the students inside the secret realm were still sharp and carried pounds of underlying meaning.


    He didn''t fear them per se, but Xue Bai was rtively thin-skinned to begin with, so he couldn''t help but feel awkward when faced with so many gazes.


    "Ling San, I understand how you feel, but you''re killing me here. Look at all the gazes I''m getting now. You can thank me at a different time. Just stand up for now." Xue Bai cried.


    Ling San, thankfully, also sensed the inquisitive looks and relented. Standing up from his position, he quickly started to rub away the blood that was now on his forehead.


    "Ling San, if you don''t mind me asking, why were you so thankful? You don''t seem to be the type to want strength that badly. While it isn''t the peak of the Baishen ne, your life is pretty good." Xue Bai asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "You have a roof over your head, a peaceful ce to cultivate, and even a loving family toe home to. Most cultivators can''t say the same."


    Of all the many factors that a cultivator needed to ascend to the peak, in Xue Bai''s opinion, behind talent, will was the most important. Even if you had a heavenly talent in the Immortal World, if you had no will to cultivate it, your talent wouldn''t even be worth a fart.


    The Children of the ne in the Baishen ne were all heavenly talents, yes, but they all had an ever-dying will to reach the peak of the cultivation world. From Xiao Mo''s eternal hedonism to Huo Long''s desire to avenge his master, all of them wanted to reach the peak for some reason or another.


    Xue Bai also had one. When he first ''transmigrated'' to the Baishen ne, Xue Bai wanted to find his birth parents and do his filial piety to them, but after finding out what kind of existence he was, it switched. Now, he wanted to find out the secret surrounding his existence and avenge his previous lives.


    However, Ling San didn''t have anything like that¡ªno blood feud, no broken engagement, nothing. He just had a missing father. Moreover, with how detailed Ling San''s dream was, Xue Bai knew that this missing father wasn''t the type of missing parent often seen in cultivation novels.


    His father was just a deadbeat and abandoned his wife after impregnating her.


    Yet, now, for some reason, Ling San looked to have an even stronger drive to get stronger than even he did. It was weird, and Xue Bai was curious.


    Sadly, once Xue Bai asked the question, Ling San put on a struggling expression. As if he wanted to tell Xue Bai the answer but knew deep down he couldn''t.


    Seeing that, Xue Bai didn''t push further but instead backtracked to the phantasm.


    "Ling San, what do you know aboutws?"


    "Um,ws? They are the rules of heaven and earth, the binding truths that build and hold our world together. However, as long as a cultivator has a strong enough connection to the heavens and earth and talent, they canprehend thesews and, by using them as a medium, manipte reality." Ling San replied, giving a robotic answer that he had most likely read in a book somewhere.


    Xue Bai didn''t point this out, though. Ling San had yet to even reach the Dharma Idol realm. For the boy to have his own opinion of thews of the universe was just cruel.


    "Then what do you know about the realm ofprehension abovews?" Xue Bai said, following up on his first question.


    It was here that Ling San was stumped.


    Even his previous answer was something he had only read in a textbook a few months ago, not his own words. It was obvious he didn''t know what he was talking about. He only said the first answer to not look dumb. Now that he was hit with an even harder question, he froze.


    But his confusion was only normal. Daos were something that even some Xiantian Great Realm experts knew nothing about. How could a Qi Sea realm pup like Ling San know about it?


    Hence, when Xue Bai saw that Ling San knew nothing, his expression didn''t change, and he instead started to lecture the man about it.


    "Abovews are something called ''The Dao'' or ''The Way.'' The daos are boundless and epass every facet of our reality. From the des of grass, we step on in our everyday lives to the stars above our Baishen ne, they are all creations of the dao." Xue Bai said reverently. But once he finished these words, he paused.


    Ling San was enraptured as well by Xue Bai''s words and thought that his words stopped for dramatic effect, but he soon realized otherwise.


    "I don''t wish to say anything more. I''m rather ignorant about it and don''t wish to be smitten down by some heavenly god above." Xue Bai said awkwardly, making a ck line appear on Ling San''s forehead.


    "However, while I am ignorant of the daos as a whole, there are two that I am more than proficient in and one that you are proficient in as well."


    "The Dao of Illusion!"


    ¡ª


    As Xue Bai gave Ling San a crash course on daos and the Dao of Illusion, Lin Fu and Feng Hui''s n was slowlying to fruition.


    Just a few minutes after Ling San awakened, the first person after Xue Bai, Ji Ruxi, and Lin Fupleted the Illusory Garden Formation''s rune.


    This person, no surprise, was the lead noble who led the group of Kun Empire students in making fun of Ji Ruxi earlier. Despite being an arrogant brat worthy of a beatdown, he had some talent.


    Of course, it was nothingpared to the two monsters and Lin Fu, but it was enough for now. Coupled with Lin Fu''s further assistance, it was no wonder he was the first to finish the Illusory Garden Formation''s rune.


    Following the lead noble, four more nobles of the Kun Empire quickly finished their runes, bringing the total number of trialpleters to 8. Now, only two more people were able toplete the rune before the ghostly emperor would end this trial.


    Xue Bai also saw the Kun Empire group''s rapid rate ofpletion and finally decided to stop his mini-lecture.


    "Ling San, you shouldplete the Illusory Garden Formation''s rune now. We can talk about your phantasm at a different time." Xue Bai said as he stepped back from Ling San, giving the man some room.


    "Young Duke, even if you say that, how can Iplete that rune? Just looking at it previously gave me migraines." Ling San said with a wry smile.


    However, Xue Bai didn''t say much this time but simply shook his head.


    "Just try it one more time. I, Xue Bai, am not someone who would lie to his own men."


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    -----------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 208 The End of the Second Trial

    Chapter 208 The End of the Second Trial


    The End of the Second Trial


    Ling San was still skeptical of everything, but with how kind Xue Bai was acting and the fact that he didn''t think the Young Duke would lie to him about such an easily proven thing, he still obeyed.


    Pulling out a small, half-foot-long brush, Ling San started to engrave the rune.


    To engrave a formation rune, one needed to take the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth and use it as a sort of ink. Just like in the Law Engraving realm, one would need to use theprehension of theirws to engrave runes, but instead with Spiritual Qi.


    Because this was such a hard thing to do for most people, auxiliary items were created to help cultivators with less talent achieve it. The brush in Ling San''s hands was such an item.


    Depending on a variety of factors, with thergest being the rank of their Martial Veins, cultivators would have varying affinities for Spiritual Qi. The higher the affinity, the more suited one would be to bing a formation master. After all, one needed to sense, control, and then finally manipte Spiritual Qi before even starting any formation, no matter how low of a rank the formation was.


    However, should one desire to be a formation master yet have a low affinity for Spiritual Qi, they have other options to take, like the brush in Ling San''s hands, for example. Using it, he was able to forcibly take the Spiritual Qi in the atmosphere and bend it to his will.


    There were other tools like essories that could increase one''s affinity or pills that did the same, but at the end of the day, no matter how helpful they were, they were still external items. Helpful, yes, but they ultimately were signs of an untalented or unskilled formation master.


    Xue Bai had a heavenly talent and, therefore, didn''t need these tools. Even without willing the Spiritual Qi in the atmosphere toe toward him, it still congested toward Xue Bai like a ma. That was the beauty of his Heaven-grade Martial Veins. Spiritual Qi obeyed him without any hint of disobedience and loved him. It was why he could cultivate so quickly.


    Because of his extremely high affinity for Spiritual Qi, Xue Bai could simply engrave runes with just his fingers. Moreover, he didn''t even need to break a sweat while doing so. He didn''t need to coerce or control the Spiritual Qi into the ink-like state needed to create formation runes. The Spiritual Qi did it itself once it sensed Xue Bai''s will.


    All of these factors together were one of the reasons why Xue Bai wanted to be a formation master.


    Ling San, sadly, didn''t have such talent or affinity for Spiritual Qi and was forced to use his auxiliary item toe close to Xue Bai and Ji Ruxi''s league.


    ''Xue Bai said that this Illusory Garden Formation is just an offshoot of the Dao of Illusion and that I couldplete this even in my sleep.''


    While Ling San knew that Xue Bai had no reason to lie to him at such a time, he still couldn''t help but be extremely skeptical. The phantasm he now had was extremely cool and had infinite potential, but what did it have to do with this rune?


    His mind was confused, but without any other better options, Ling San lifted the brush in his hands up toward his chin and started to engrave.


    Starting to engrave the rune from the top, Ling San''s brows immediately furrowed. He instantly ran into a roadblock the second he tried to engrave the rune.


    However, just before he could turn around to Xue Bai with a smile that said, ''I told you so,'' the fog that engulfed his mind disappeared. Like a hand that came into his mind and swatted away all of his stray thoughts, Ling San''s mind became clear.


    His body started to move even without his brain telling it to do anything.


    Up, down, left, and right, Ling San''s hand moved in a beautiful motion, creating long strokes of Spiritual Qi as if a dragon were flying through the heavens.


    Line after line, intersection after intersection, Ling San''s work was slowly turning from a congested mess of Spiritual Qi into a picturesque rune worthy of the ghostly emperor''s appreciation.


    Minutes soon passed with only Xue Bai paying attention to Ling San, but eventually, the young manpleted his rune.


    "I''m done!"


    "I''m done?"


    Two sentences, the exact same words sounded almost simultaneously, but both of them carried different tones. One was filled with relieved excitement; the other was nonchnt yet confused. The former was a Kun Empire student who was a part of Lin Fu''s lecture, while thetter was Ling San.


    The shouts, though, were looked at with different gazes once they proimed theirpletion. Currently, there are still 20 people in this secret realm, but not all of them are equal. Xue Bai, Lin Fu, and Ji Ruxi hadpleted their runes long before anyone and were thought to be of a different tier than everyone else.


    Behind them were the remaining 17 students still meddling their way through the Illusory Garden Formation rune.


    But even those 17 people weren''t on the same ying field. While a few students, like the lead noble, were almost guaranteed to seed, some were almost guaranteed to fail. Ling San was such a student.


    Ling San had given the rune a lot of effort in the beginning, trying every single trick he knew to attempt to decipher it. Sadly, his skill in formations was far too low to do anything. Hence, without suspense, he failed at every avenue.


    It was then that he ''gave up'' on attempting to engrave the rune and simply started to ''mediate'' without care for the trial. Once all of the other students saw that, they scratched Ling San off as one possiblepetitor.


    Of course, all of Ling San''s actions that rted to his quitting were just him being enlightened by Mirage, but the other students obviously didn''t know that. Hence, they forgot about Ling San entirely, thinking that he had given up.


    Yet, to everyone''s shock and surprise, not only had Ling San not given up, but the man even finished his rune just in time!


    Everyone still inside the secret realm was stunned, not knowing how to respond for a moment.


    The Kun Empire students were angered that a random person who they had already written off managed to steal one of their spots, Lin Fu, and was included in this group. The final Gen Empire student who realized that he would be eliminated was slightly saddened but happy that one of his peers would move on. At the same time, even the usual taciturn Ji Ruxi was moved.


    Despite her surprise, though, she wasn''t like the other students who were looking at Ling San. She was looking at the smiling Xue Bai behind him.


    As a royal in her own right, Ji Ruxi had more than a few trump cards that she kept hidden at all times. One of them was that she had soul-refining art!


    Contrary to popr belief, a cultivator didn''t need to be at the peak of the Houtian Great Realm to sense their souls. In fact, you could even be a mortal without a strand of Spiritual Qi in your body and still sense your soul. The difficulty of such a task was harder than ascending the heavens, but it was still possible.


    So, while hard, it was more than possible to sense your soul before the Xiantian Great Realm. Xue Bai was one such person. It was just that he hadn''t done it with his talent but instead with the help of Mirage. Still, a feat was a feat, and Xue Bai had managed to sense his soul.


    Sadly, without a soul-refining art or any teacher to guide him, Xue Bai''s overly powerful soul was fated to sit around in his fleshy shell, doing nothing.


    Ji Ruxi, though, was an exception. Not only had she managed to sense her own soul through sheer talent, but she even had a soul-refining art that could help her temper, grow, and even weaponize her soul before the Xiantian Great Realm!


    Beyond all of this, though, Ji Ruxi had a strong soul. Even in her state of deep meditation, she had managed to see Xue Bai and Lin Fu conversing, but she even heard thest part of their conversation!


    Mirage had set up a small barrier around the two while Xue Bai gave Ling San the rundown on the Dao of Illusion, but after Xue Bai finished that, he dropped it. The reason? Xue Bai didn''t know, but even if he did, it wasn''t like he was expecting Ji Ruxi to hear them conversing.


    After all, while cultivators at their stage possessed spiritual sense and could easily hear everything in close proximity to them, it wasn''t foolproof. If a cultivator had to divert their attention to something much more important, they would usually tunnel their vision into said task. During such a moment, their listening ability would be greatly reduced, leaving them vulnerable.


    Such an action could only be done in absolutely safe environments, like at home or in their own bedrooms, but with the ghostly emperor watching over them and the Illusory Garden Formation being extremely hard, almost all the students choose to practically seal all of their senses and study diligently in hopes of being one of the first 10 to seed.


    So, it wasn''t wrong for all of the students to be unaware of Ling San''s awakening and speedrun of an engraving process.


    But Ji Ruxi did see all of this. And now she was intrigued.


    "It seems this purple-haired fellow has some secrets." Ji Ruxi mumbled in a voice almost imperceptible to human ears.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    ------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord.


    https://discord.gg/zKyXRvPr

 Chapter 209 Tian Ji, A Relic of Times Past

    <h4>Chapter 209 Tian Ji, A Relic of Times Past</h4>


    Tian Ji, A Relic of Times Past


    "The second trial isplete. Losers can go out and explore the forest outside the pce!"


    Regardless of how many students started toin about Ling San''s sudden emergence, the ghostly emperor''s voice sounded once more. And like clockwork, he sent a gust of wind that picked up and sent ten students flying out of the throne room and wherever the forest he was talking about was.


    However, unlike thest time, when the ghostly emperor would project a rune for all of the remaining students to learn, the third round was different.


    "All the remaining children, please walk toward the white door. The third and final trial will take ce on the other side." The ghostly emperor spoke. However, this time, deep in his voice, if one was paying attention, one could hear a deep exhaustion. Sadly, none of the students were that observant and missed it.


    Following his words, a few meters away from the imperial throne at the center of the throne room, a sh of bright light appeared. It didn''tst, though, as before long, the light soon took form and turned into arge, three-meter by three-meter door.


    The only weird part was that no matter how hard the students looked through the door, they couldn''t see what was on the other side. Most likely, they would only be able to find out if they walked through it.


    Without any other options, all of the students weighed their options. This didn''t take long, though.


    They had already wasted so much time in this secret realm, following the orders of this ghostly apparition. How could they give up at thest mile?


    Unanimously, every student stood up, choosing toply with the ghostly emperor''s words. Xue Bai, Ji Ruxi, and Lin Fu took the lead in the small group of ten, standing at the front of the pack.


    Then, with high hopes, they stepped into the next area, waiting for the final trial.


    ¡ª


    Crossing the white door gave the students a weird feeling, one simr to going through a teleportation formation, yet also like they were walking through a waterfall at the same time. It was odd, but once they stepped through it, the foreign feeling left their minds as the new scenery they found themselves in upied it instead.


    In front of everyone now were five equallyrge martial fields, each about the size of a ser field.


    But like the previous teleportation, the martial fields were odd to look at. At this point, the group of students was teleported around 100 meters away from the martial fields. At such a close distance, it wouldn''t take more than a fewrge strides for the students to reach it.


    It was only when they got closer to the martial fields that they realized something was up.


    The closer they got, therger the martial fields got. Now, once the group reached the edge of the fields, they ballooned from a standard ser field-sized one to three times the size of a ser field, almost 350 meters in length and wide.


    Such a size was rather big for a fight between Qi Sea realm cultivators, but everyone still remaining had some brain cells and stayed quiet. The ghostly emperor was a powerhouse with vast intelligence. Obviously, this was nned and not a mistake. After all, this was where he would select a sessor. Messing up such a ce would destroy his lineage, so how could he do that?


    Sure enough, soon, the ghostly emperor started to speak and exin the next trial. Surprisingly, though, rather than being a disembodied voice, the ghostly emperor appeared in a physical form just a few dozen meters above where the martial fields were.


    Still wearing his imperial robes, the ghostly emperor exuded an imperial aura that made all the students in attendance want to kneel down and worship.


    However, everyone still in the secret realm was a top-tier genius in their own right. They wouldn''t kneel to just anybody. So they forcibly resisted the feeling and stood their ground, looking up at the ghostly apparition above them.


    Nonchnt, as if he weren''t pressuring everybody here, the ghostly emperor survived his audience before starting a speech: "While I am a formation master at heart and love the art, I do know that this world is ultimately one where power rules over all. So the first two trials were only supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff and ensure that only formation masters made it to this trial."


    "However, even if I must acquiesce on that part, I will not ept another. My name is Tian Ji! The fiftieth emperor of the Kan Empire! A world-renowned battle formation master and anyone who dares to eye my inheritance must at least be such a person!" Pride, anger, and even a bit of reluctance shot out from the incorporeal body of Tian Ji as he proimed his identity and upation.


    Yet, of all the things that Tian Ji said, nothing was as surprising as the title he gave himself. The Kan Empire was one of the eight empires of the Northern Empire. Of the eight trigrams, as the Gen Empire represented mountain, or how the Kun Empire did earth, the Kan Empire did water.


    The Kan Empire, though, wasn''t like the Kun or Gen Empires. It was an extremely high-ranking empire. In fact, it was in the top three, being just barely ranked under the second-ced Zhen Empire.


    As for the first-ranking Qian Empire, that ce was in its own league. Comparing the other empires to it would be likeparing fireflies to the moonlight.


    But even the fact that Tian Ji was an emperor of the Kan Empire wasn''t as surprising as the few words just before that.


    The fiftieth emperor!


    Those were the words that grabbed everyone''s attention and held onto them firmly.


    On the Baishen ne, dates were organized simply. A year has 12 months, with 30 days in each month. Years would also continue to stack up, all the way until 999, where, after one thousand years, it would reset.


    Xue Bai knew all of this, and he also knew what calendar year they were in at this point.


    76,092 P.I.E., or Post-Immemorial Era


    The current Baishen ne was in an odd era. Right now, it is extremely hard to advance past the Spirit Transformation realm. In order to advance past that realm and continue onto thete stages of the Xiantian Great Realm, one needed Immortal Qi, a higher-level strand of Spiritual Qi only found in higher nes.


    The only way to get this Immortal Qi would be at the turn of the millennia, but that wasn''t for a while. So until then, no morete-stage Xiantian Great Realm experts would be born.


    As the strongest sub-continent in the Baishen ne, in order to be qualified to be an emperor, as long as there weren''t any special circumstances like in Feng Fei''s situation, one needed to at least be in the Spirit Awakening realm. This meant that, at the minimum, an emperor would have a lifespan of over one thousand years.


    Coupled with the fact that the Kan Empire was currently under its 103rd emperor, the age of Tian Ji could be seen at a nce. He was a fossil!


    Bing the sessor of a monstrous powerhouse was the lifelong wish of any cultivator, even more so for a cultivator who lived so long ago.


    Because of this, once Tian Ji revealed his identity, everyone still in the trial had wide ears, not wanting to miss a single syble of his next speech.


    Tian Ji was aware of the sudden atmosphere change following his words, but he didn''t care much and continued his own speech.


    "While this emperor doesn''t know just exactly how much time has passed since his demise, I do know a lot has, so you all might not know of my profession, so I will take a second to exin it to you all."


    "Battle Formation Masters are experts who use formations not as defense tools, or even auxiliary tools, but rather as weapons! Using our own talent and skill, we create formations inbat to enhance not only our own strength but even that of our allies. It was why, during my lifetime, I brought the Kan Empire to the greatest height possible, the leader of the eight empires!"


    Not bothering to exin the groundbreaking news he subtly let out, the ghostly emperor swept his hand from behind his back out to his side, raising his shoulder level. Then, from out of nowhere, a four-foot-long sword came into his hands.


    The sword was almost entirely ck, apart from a few dozen white veins that started at the hilt and ascended all the way toward the tip of the de like a human''s nervous system.


    Xue Bai and Ling San were calm once Tian Ji pulled out the sword, but everyone else, everyone who knew the history of the Northern Continent, was stunned into silence at the sight of the sword.


    "The Profound Pale Sword Brush!" Ji Ruxi shouted out in astonishment and shock. Lin Fu and the other students were no different, as they all looked at the brush with one part greed and two parts reverence.


    Seeing their gazes, Tian Ji didn''t hide anything and continued with his words.


    "You all are right. This is indeed the Profound Pale Sword Brush, but with how much time has passed since my death, I assume that the true abilities of my weapon have been distilled over the years, so I''ll give a curt exnation."


    "This is my natal weapon, the Profound Pale Sword Brush, a cultivation tool that not only allowed me to use my sword but also my formation skills in battle. It effectivelybines the uses of an engraving brush and a sword, making it the perfect weapon for me."


    Done exining, Tian Ji waved the Profound Pale Sword Brush in his hands, showing a spectacr scene.


    The white veins on the brush glowed for a moment before separating the once-whole de into nearly one hundred hair-thin strands of metal. It went from a sword capable of sundering mountains to a brush that any schr would use in their day-to-day life. The only difference was that this brush was a little bit too big to write with.


    Giving the Profund Pale Sword Brush another wave, the few hundred metal bristles each started to move like they had a mind of their own.


    A few secondster, ten runes formed.


    "In the final trial, using only your formations, defeat the opponent I chose for you!"


    The ten runes created by the Profound Pale Sword Brush flew toward the chests of each student, engulfing them in a thin shield of light that pulled them toward a random martial field.


    The final trial had begun.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord. The link is in the synopsis.


    Also, if you like this novel, you can check out my others!

 Chapter 210 Important Announcement, Return of the Gravity Field

    <h4>Chapter 210 Important Announcement, Return of the Gravity Field</h4>


    Important Announcement: Return of the Gravity Field


    Honestly, I don''t know how to start this, but I''ll just make this short. I don''t know anything about the future of this book. I want to continue writing this novel deep down, but I haven''t found the time/will/ or even the energy to do so.


    I have like 10 advanced chapters already written, but I don''t know if I can bring myself to publish them.


    However, since I wanted to get this message out, I''ll publish this one.


    I will try to upload every once in a while as this story was important to me, but no promises as I''ll probably break them.


    For readers who enjoyed this book, sorry. But thanks to following this ride, as short as it was.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    After being touched by the rune, Xue Bai didn''t even have a chance to resist the pulling feeling it gave him and could only helplessly watch his own body fly a few hundred meters toward the center of the leftmost martial field.


    Of course, even if he could resist the feeling, he wouldn''t, as it would only serve to annoy Tian Ji. But still, having no control over your body and only being able to watch as it moved against your will was never a good feeling.


    Xue Bai experienced a great number of times back on the Southern Continent, but it was from his parents. It was fine when Li Rou or Xue Feng did it, but those were his parents, people he trusted deeply. Tian Ji was just some random ancient relic he met just a day ago. How could Xue Bai trust him on the same level as his parents?


    Thankfully, Tian Ji didn''t have any ulterior motives and simply used the runes as mas to pull the students toward the martial field, setting up a small tournament with them.


    Along with Xue Bai, a Kun Empire student also flew toward the leftmost martial field. Xue Bai didn''t recognize this student at all and could only see the man''s cultivation base, which was at the 7th stage of the Qi Sea realm.


    Such a cultivation base was one of the higher ones participating in the secret realm, but from what Tian Ji said earlier, it seemed that Spiritual Qi wouldn''t decide this battle, but rather one''sprehension of formations.


    Using formations in the middle of battle was definitely something Xue Bai had never tried before. Still, the concept was interesting, and he had read some novels with characters doing simr things, so he knew it was possible.


    He just needed a bad enough whetstone to figure it out. Thankfully, he got just that.


    Once everyonended on their own respective martial fields, Tian Ji spoke up once more.


    "I have unsealed your Spiritual Qi for this battle, but you may only use it to power your formations. Any use of Spiritual Qi in the manner of reinforcing the body or using martial techniques will result in an instant disqualification and ejection from my inheritance realm. Of course, if you think you can use your Spiritual Qi and have it escape under my senses, feel free to try. That is a type of strength as well."


    "However, beyond those rules, there is nothing else. Battles will either be to the death or until one submits! Begin!"


    Tian Ji was a man for little words, so without bothering even to give the final trial a concise set of rules, he left, leaving only his Profound Pale Sword Brush hovering in his previous position.


    Back on the martial field, Xue Bai felt the seal on his dantian loosen and his connection to his Spiritual Qi return. But he ignored that feeling and instead eyed his opponent.


    Still remembering what happened earlier, Xue Bai tried to initiate a conversation before the fight began.


    "Hey Brother, you all looked rather shocked when Tian Ji pulled out that sword of his. What exactly is it? Is that Profound Pale Sword Brush something special?" Xue Bai asked with an amicable smile, hoping to fish some information out of his opponent before killing him.


    Of his many features, one of the ones Xue Bai was most confident in was his charisma. So, even though he nned to kill this man in a minute, he still tried to act friendly beforehand.


    The shock that Ji Ruxi, Lin Fu, and the other students had when they saw Tian Ji''s sword was too much, and Xue Bai couldn''t help but grow curious about that mysterious yet powerful sword that Tian Ji pulled out.


    Even though Xue Bai wasn''t paying her too much attention, he still noticed many things about Ji Ruxi. One of the main things he did notice was that she had yet to show even a bit of emotion in this entire secret realm, and yet, just at the sight of the sword, she lost all of her previousposure and let out a shocked shriek.


    The Profound Pale Sword Brush had to be something extremely special in order for Ji Ruxi to let out such a reaction.


    Surprisingly, though, Xue Bai''s opponent didn''t react much to Xue Bai''s words and had an expression of half disdain and half indifference.


    ''Choose an expression, weirdo. Are you looking down on me, or do you not care about me?'' Confused but also realizing his first sentence was rather ignorant sounding, Xue Bai wanted to ask something else.


    Sadly, even before Xue Bai could speak another sentence, his opponent disregarded everything and charged at Xue Bai, engraving brush in hand, as he scribbled a simple attack formation mid-charge.


    ''Damn it! Have I gone rusty during my slumber?!''


    Xue Bai cursed inwardly, but since his opponent had already made his move, he didn''t dare dally and pulled out his Lava Spring Sword, preparing to retaliate.


    When it came to affinity to Spiritual Qi, Xue Bai was most had the heighest in the entire Baishen ne. Let alone if he were to use an engraving brush, even if he was forced to use a plunger, Xue Bai would still have an easier time engraving formation runes than the engraving brush in his opponent''s hands.


    So, ignoring the disdain on the charging man''s face, Xue Bai tilted his sword at a downward angle and let it drag onto the floor as he dodged the iing attack.


    "Firebolt!" With a soft shout, the charging manpleted his first rune and sent out half a dozen small, torso-sized balls of fire toward Xue Bai and his possible escape routes.


    Like how alchemy had simple body refining liquids, not every formation was ranked on the Yellow, ck, Earth, and Heaven grade system. Some were far too easy or simple to be so. As such, these formations were usually called pseudo-formations and were generally used for apprentices trying to enter the path.


    However, despite their simplicity, they had a unique feature. They didn''t have an innate limit, either higher or lower. Their power, duration, and even effects were dictated by just how much Spiritual Qi was poured into them.


    Of course, this wasn''t foolproof.


    Because of their simplicity, pseudo-formations were also extremely unstable. Without a deep foundation in formations, it was nearly impossible to make a pseudo formation more powerful than a low Yellow-grade one.


    But a low Yellow-grade formation was already the limit of everyone in the secret realm, so it was enough. Coupled with just how easy it was to engrave a pseudo-formation, these types of attacks were going to be the main characters today.


    Xue Bai, however, didn''t even so much as frown in the face of thisplex attack. Raising his unupied left hand, Xue Bai imbued it with his Dao of Space before shing it into the open air in front of him.


    Whoosh!


    A spatial tear instantly opened in front of Xue Bai, leading into the unforgiving void. The fireball that was also blocking that possible escape route was also swallowed into the void, disappearing from sight.


    This not only allowed Xue Bai to escape the small of fireballs but also horrified the Kun Empire student.


    Who wouldn''t be mortified at the sight of someone literally tearing a hole through the fabric of reality with their bare hands? The only red herring for the man was that it seemed Xue Bai couldn''t use that ability offensively.


    Moreover, he had orders from Zhou Yi, making it impossible for him to give up on the chance to kill Xue Bai. If he managed to kill Xue Bai, he would be heavily rewarded as well, making him go mildly blind with greed.


    Still once bit, twice shy. Even though greed filled his mind, the Kun Empire student remained cautious. He wasn''t going to fall for the same trick twice in a row, which meant that Xue Bai was going to have to get creative.


    Even more annoying was that since the attack was a formation and not a normal attack of Spiritual Qi, it stayed around. It was just now missing one fireball. This left Xue Bai with the headache of having to deal with the other fireballs.


    Still, Xue Bai was more than satisfied with his handiwork. Using his Dao of Space to swallow up attacks was an extremely strong defense that Xue Bai didn''t take advantage of enough.


    Calm-hearted, he continued to retreat while not forgetting to scrape his sword on the ground along the way. But even while he retreated, he never forgot to make conversation.


    "Brother, exchanging blows increases a bond. Why must we fight? Can''t we make amends and speak? That Profound Pale Sword Brush would be an interesting thing to talk about!"


    "Brother, I can''t hold on anymore! Please dissipate these fireballs of yours! Aiya! It almost hit me!"


    "Brother, I swear I''m not lying this time. I''m about to die here!"


    Xue Bai would constantly speak, spewing out a sentence or two every minute, leaving his opponent both distracted and annoyed.


    In truth, though, Xue Bai was still more than able to dodge all of the fireballs perfectly. He was only forced to act pathetic and miserable as should he not, most likely, his opponent would realize what he was doing.


    Forced to act pathetic for the moment, Xue Bai bided his time and continued to dodge attacks, all the while scraping his Lava Spring Sword along the ground.


    Thankfully, his n worked eventually, albeit to a slight degree, and the Kun Empire student broke his vow of silence and stopped his attacks for a second.


    "If you want to speak, stop that scrapping sound! Are you trying to annoy me to death!" The Kun Empire student roared angrily.


    Xue Bai was much weaker than him, bearing almost two realms below him, in the Bone Strengthening realm, yet he had managed to dodge his attacks without so much as a drop of sweat for almost 2 minutes.


    No matter how well Xue Bai acted, it wasn''t hard for the Kun Empire student to see that Xue Bai was rxed during the entire fight and wasn''t ''about to die.''


    Still, despite that, just the fact that Xue Bai was able to talk the entire time while also dodging his every attack by the skin of his teeth made the Kun Empire student livid.


    He was so much stronger than Xue Bai, yet he couldn''t even touch a hair on the kid''s head! It was insulting and aggravating at the same time.


    That wasn''t even the worst of it, though. Throughout the entire fight, Xue Bai had not once lifted his sword off the ground. The entire fight so far was upied by a screeching sound from Xue Bai''s sword that scrapped everywhere. It was hard to concentrate on that type of sound.


    However, unlike the boy''s anger, Xue Bai was relieved.


    ''It was done.''


    "But why would I? This is my trump card?" Xue Bai said with a broad smile.


    Chills instantly went down the spine of the Kun Empire student once he saw the smile from Xue Bai. Sure, the smile was wide, but the eyes, the eyes, didn''t match it whatsoever.


    There wasn''t a single bit of emotion in those eyes, let alone the amount of emotion that should match that broad of a smile.


    Horrified, he tried to retreat. But without the ability to use either his Spiritual Qi or movement techniques, his escaping ability wasn''t much better than Xue Bai''s.


    But even if he did have those, it wouldn''t matter.


    "Gravity Field Formation, activate."


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Every little thing helps - https://ko-fi/rbi123.


    There is now a discord for this novel. However, be warned. It is rather bare bones. I suck at Discord. The link is in the synopsis.


    Also, if you like this novel, you can check out my others!


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!