What the hell was that?
How did I become Ning Hongye's weakness?
Xiao Yang was stunned when he saw the system's notification, but he suddenly realized what was going on.
"Ning Hongye... could she have fallen for me?"
"At the very least, I've already earned a place in her heart!"
He suddenly remembered a saying from his previous life.
What did it feel like to fall for someone?
It was like suddenly gaining armor, along with a vulnerability!
He never expected that even a ten-thousand-year iceberg like Ning Hongye would have a day when she melted...
Xiao Yang couldn't help looking forward to what it would be like if she ever shed her aloofness and arrogance and turned into a whimpering mess.
"Are you grinning like an idiot?"
Ning Hongye glanced at him coldly.
"Nothing. I just thought of something happy... Let's hurry back!"
Xiao Yang quickly changed the subject.
However, he had already exhausted his strength and could only be dragged by the collar and thrown onto Night Shining Jade Lion's back by Ning Hongye.
"Giddy-up!"
Soon, Ning Hongye mounted as well and headed toward West Mountain.
She sat in front, while Xiao Yang sat behind her. There was only so much room on the horse's back, and with the bumpy journey, it was inevitable that their bodies would come into contact.
"She smells so good..."
Xiao Yang caught the fragrance of her hair. It carried a faint jasmine scent that made him intoxicated.
Soon, he accidentally pressed against Ning Hongye's beautiful back. Although she was wearing a layer of soft armor, it still set his imagination racing and stirred his impulses.
He took a deep breath, then boldly reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"What are you doing?!"
Ning Hongye's delicate body trembled as if she had been electrocuted, and her entire body tensed.
Although Xiao Yang had soaked with her in a wooden tub that night, he had been blindfolded then, and his hands had merely rested on her back.
But now, he had touched her waist.
If he had been any other man, she would probably have torn him limb from limb already.
"Miss Ning, I didn't do it on purpose! I just killed that python demon, and I don't have any strength left! If you feel you're at a disadvantage, how about I let you hold my waist next time?" Xiao Yang suggested.
"Shut up!"
Ning Hongye snapped irritably.
But when she thought of Xiao Yang's suggestion, she couldn't help lowering her head.
Although she was wearing a mask, she was still afraid Xiao Yang would notice that her pretty face had already flushed red-hot.
Before long, Ning Hongye rode back to West Mountain Hunting Ground.
Almost at the same time, Azure Luan also returned, carrying the corpse of the Unicorn Black Python.
"How is that possible? That brat actually survived?!"
Upon seeing this scene, Xiao Junlin's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had clearly scattered Myriad Beast Lure in secret, and with that Unicorn Black Python as well, he had thought success was guaranteed...
He never expected to fall at the final hurdle!
Damn it!
This Ninth Brother really had a tough life. Was he an unkillable cockroach?
"Eldest Brother, are you disappointed to see me come back alive?" Xiao Yang asked coldly as he dismounted.
"How could I be? We're brothers, after all. I'm overjoyed that you returned safely!"
Xiao Junlin put on a hypocritical smile, then looked toward the enormous python corpse.
"As expected of General Ning. Even after being injured in the Outer Regions, you still killed a python demon that had cultivated for nearly a thousand years with a single move!"
"I wasn't the one who killed this great demon," Ning Hongye said indifferently.
"Then who was it?" Xiao Junlin asked again.
"Xiao Yang!" Ning Hongye replied.
The moment she said this, the entire scene erupted in an uproar.
Almost everyone wore an incredulous expression.
What kind of joke was this?
Xiao Yang was only a Third-grade Martial Artist. Just surviving in front of the Unicorn Black Python was already a miracle!
Killing such a great demon was simply absurd.
If that were true, it would probably be enough to shake the entire martial world of Great Xia.
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, Second Prince Xiao Ziwen burst into laughter and stepped out of the crowd.
"General Ning, I know you want to support Xiao Yang and embellish his reputation, but this is far too outrageous. No one would believe it if you told them!"
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.
The Second Prince was right!
The python demon must have been killed by Ning Hongye. She had merely credited Xiao Yang with the achievement, hoping to win the championship in the second round of the hunting competition.
"A bunch of fools!"
Ning Hongye shook her head and turned to leave.
Given her personality, she naturally couldn't be bothered to explain anything.
Xiao Yang was happy to let them misunderstand.
In any case, he had profited enormously from his trip to Yin Water Pool. Even if the others looked down on him, he wouldn't lose anything.
"Your Highness, are you all right...? Changkong failed to protect you. Please punish me!"
At this moment, Guard Zhao Changkong rushed over to support Xiao Yang, his face full of guilt.
After all, he was Xiao Yang's personal guard. If anything happened to Xiao Yang, it would mean he had failed in his duty to protect him.
"It's fine. Take me back to the manor," Xiao Yang said.
"Yes."
Zhao Changkong immediately mounted a horse and took him back to the manor.
"Have Huangli stand guard outside. Without my order, no one is allowed to enter!" Xiao Yang instructed after returning to the residence.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Zhao Changkong immediately nodded.
"System, I want to retrieve the Enlightenment Tea Leaves and the True Dragon Pearl!" Xiao Yang said impatiently.
The moment he finished speaking—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two successive flashes of light appeared, and two treasures emerged before his eyes.
The first was a tea leaf.
Its patterns secretly matched the trajectories of the stars, while "Dao Insight" flowed through its veins.
"So this is an Enlightenment Tea Leaf? It sprouts once every three thousand years and only forms a leaf after nine thousand years. It truly is extraordinary!"
Xiao Yang picked up the tea leaf and examined it carefully. The patterns on it constantly shifted, profound and mysterious.
Unfortunately, his current realm was too low, and he couldn't comprehend it yet.
Next, his gaze shifted to a spiritual pearl beside it.
It was about the size of an egg, golden all over. Dragon aura swirled within it, accompanied by boundless imperial grace, making it impossible to look directly at and instinctively inspiring the urge to bow in worship!
"The True Dragon Pearl! A supreme treasure capable of reversing one's destiny!"
Xiao Yang's eyes burned with excitement. He first steeped the Enlightenment Tea Leaf in a cup.
"What an incredible fragrance..."
An indescribable fragrance instantly filled the entire room, refreshing the mind and spirit. It was as if taking a single breath could extend one's lifespan.
The Enlightenment Tea Leaf vanished at once, dissolving into the water.
"Gulp!"
Xiao Yang immediately lifted the cup and drained it in one go.
Suddenly, a mighty, unstoppable energy surged into every part of his body, cleansing his meridians and marrow and transforming him from the inside out. The comfort was indescribable.
"Crack-crack-crack..."
Thunderous sounds rang from every bone in Xiao Yang's body. His qi and blood flourished, practically boiling.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His aura rose steadily, and his cultivation realm continued breaking through.
Qi Sea Realm, first level!
Qi Sea Realm, second level!
Qi Sea Realm, second level!
Qi Sea Realm, ninth level!
Spirit Refining Realm, first level!
"I broke through! I'm finally a fourth-grade martial artist!"
A sharp glint flashed through Xiao Yang's eyes as his entire essence, qi, and spirit underwent a tremendous transformation.
He was like a treasured sword honed for many years that had finally left its sheath!
A Sea of Consciousness also appeared between his brows, with a Nascent Soul taking shape within it.
The martial path had nine grades!
They were divided into the lower three grades, middle three grades, and upper three grades!
Martial artists of the lower three grades had only taken their first steps and trained their physical bodies. They ultimately couldn't be considered true experts.
The middle three grades, however, focused on cultivating the Nascent Soul, causing their combat power to increase severalfold.
The fourth grade of the martial path was called the Spirit Refining Realm.
It opened the Sea of Consciousness between the brows, where one nurtured the Nascent Soul.
At the highest level, one could even leave the body with the Nascent Soul, traveling across the Northern Sea by morning and Mount Cangwu by evening, like an immortal.
At the same time, fourth-grade martial artists no longer cultivated the battle skills and martial arts of ordinary people. They could transform them into divine abilities.
Every move and stance possessed boundless might.
"Crackle, crackle!"
Xiao Yang loosely clenched his fist and thrust it forward, directly producing the sound of thunder.
"How terrifying!"
After breaking through, my physical strength alone has reached ten thousand jin!
If I use the Great Desolation Prison Heaven Finger, and encounter that Unicorn Black Python again, I could probably poke it full of holes!
Xiao Yang was secretly shocked.
One had to know that even Xiao Junlin, who was born with the Supreme Bone and had already reached the Fifth Grade Vajra Realm, possessed only ten thousand jin of physical strength.
Yet Xiao Yang had just broken through to the fourth grade and already possessed such divine strength. It was truly unprecedented.
"Next, I have to change my destiny!"
"Even if I'm a bird trapped in a cage, I may still have a chance to spread my wings across the nine heavens!"
"Whether I remain an insect or become a dragon... it all depends on today!"
He picked up the True Dragon Pearl and swallowed it directly.
An even more domineering and violent energy swept through his entire body like a storm.
After all, this contained the power of a true dragon. Anyone who swallowed it recklessly without great perseverance and tremendous fortune would instead explode and die.
Xiao Yang felt the overwhelming Heaven's Might pressing down on him.
His body was forced down inch by inch, and he was on the verge of kneeling.
"Roar, roar, roar..."
Xiao Yang's eyes reddened as he burned all his fighting spirit.
"My fate is mine to command, not Heaven's!"
"If Heaven grants me glory, I'll be more unrestrained than Heaven!!!"
He clenched his teeth and stubbornly raised his head, vertebra by vertebra.
Boom!
Above the heavens, clouds churned across a hundred-mile stretch of sky. An abstruse and boundless great fortune descended from above and poured into Xiao Yang's body within the residence.
His entire bearing also began to undergo a complete transformation.
[Ding! The host has been detected defying Heaven and changing his fate. His destiny is transforming from "Bird in a Cage" into "Golden Wings Transforming into Roc"!] [Golden Wings Transforming into Roc: Golden feathers bathe in tribulation fire, while wind and thunder forge heavenly bones. With one flight, it tears apart the sea of clouds; from the nine heavens, it looks down upon all living beings!]
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