The Wonders of the Tianxuan Bead

At the edge of the Tagor Desert, the little town was filled with yellow sand by day, and scorching heat assaulted the senses.

In the small courtyard where Su Baichen was staying, he sat with his eyes tightly shut, utterly motionless.

An hour later, he slowly opened his eyes. A trace of profound light flickered within them before vanishing. His entire aura seemed to have completely merged with the surrounding air, leaving not the slightest trace behind.

He spread out his palm, revealing a seemingly plain and unremarkable bead lying quietly within it. It was the Tianxuan Bead. After several days of refinement, he had gained a preliminary grasp of its mysteries and learned of its first ability.

"So it possesses pure concealment..." Su Baichen murmured, a hint of relief and satisfaction in his voice.

He had just completed another round of refining the Tianxuan Bead. His consciousness sank into his body as he sensed the treasure bead radiating a hazy glow.

Unlike the fiercely offensive Tianxuan Sword or the impregnable Tianxuan Cauldron, which could also aid in alchemy, the Tianxuan Bead had an exceptionally pure function—concealment.

It was not mere visual invisibility. It could perfectly suppress every trace of its holder's aura, whether Dou Qi fluctuations, Soul Power, or even signs of life itself. All could blend into heaven and earth without revealing the slightest hint.

Wonderful, truly wonderful! Su Baichen praised inwardly. With this bead in hand, where in this vast world could I not go? Those secret techniques Soul Hall uses to track people by their aura will probably become completely useless before the Tianxuan Bead.

He could not help recalling his earlier days on the run. If he had possessed the Tianxuan Bead then, how could he have ended up in such a sorry state? Even the heavens are helping me! If I'd known the Tianxuan Bead had this ability, I should have refined it first.

A trace of regret passed through his heart, only to be replaced by even greater joy.

For Su Baichen, who possessed priceless treasures and was hunted by a behemoth like Soul Hall, this was no different from gaining an excellent protective charm. This ability was practically tailored for someone like him, who sought safety and disliked conflict.

Just as Su Baichen was quietly marveling and planning how best to use the Tianxuan Bead, the door was suddenly flung open with a bang, bringing in a gust of cool night wind. A petite figure rushed inside like a cheerful sparrow, her face brimming with irrepressible excitement.

"Master, Master! I've reached the seventh stage of Dou Qi!" Cao Ying ran up to Su Baichen, tilting up her little face. Her bright eyes practically spelled out, "Praise me!"

Su Baichen emerged from his thoughts and looked at his disciple, whose aura was still somewhat unsteady from her rapid breakthrough. He shook his head helplessly.

This girl's talent was indeed astonishing. With the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid and her own hard work, she had only broken through to the sixth stage a few days ago, yet in just a handful of days, she had already charged into the seventh. Such speed could truly be called terrifying.

Suppressing his surprise, he revealed a gentle smile and reached out to ruffle Cao Ying's hair. "Mm, my disciple is the best."

Having received her master's approval, Cao Ying immediately became like a proud little peacock, raising her chin even higher as she said smugly, "Of course! Just look at whose disciple I am!"

Su Baichen smiled at the girl's easily satisfied, praise-loving appearance, but he could not neglect to offer guidance where it was needed.

His expression became slightly more serious, and his tone turned solemn. "Ying'er, breaking through quickly is naturally a good thing. It shows that you possess exceptional talent and have worked hard enough. But do not grow complacent and forget what matters most."

He paused. Only after seeing Cao Ying put away her playful smile and listen seriously did he continue, "The Dou Qi stage is the foundational period for tempering the body and refining one's sense of Qi. It is of utmost importance. Blindly pursuing speed is like building a tower on sand—it may look tall, but its foundation is unstable. When you seek to break through to Dou Zhe, or even higher realms in the future, it will bring endless hidden dangers. You must calm your heart and temper every stage of Dou Qi until it is complete and solid. Do you understand?"

His words were like a cool spring, extinguishing the slight restlessness Cao Ying had developed from her consecutive breakthroughs.

She suddenly realized that over the past few days, she had indeed focused only on raising her realm and neglected the importance of consolidating her foundation. Had her master not reminded her, the consequences would have been unimaginable if this continued.

A trace of lingering fear crossed her face before it turned into determination. She nodded firmly. "Master, I understand! I'll properly consolidate my foundation and never rush for speed again!"

Seeing that his disciple had taken his advice to heart, Su Baichen nodded with satisfaction. "Good. It is enough that you know how to correct your mistakes. Go cultivate now and stabilize your seventh-stage realm. I have something to attend to outside later."

However, Cao Ying did not obediently turn and leave as usual. Instead, she remained where she was, twisting the corner of her clothes in her hands. Her little face showed hesitation as she stammered, clearly wanting to say something but holding herself back.

Seeing this, Su Baichen asked gently, "What is it? Is there something else?"

Cao Ying raised her head, her eyes filled with expectation and a trace of pleading. "Master... I-I want to go out with you! Staying here by myself... is a little boring."

She did not dare say that she was actually a little afraid of being alone in an unfamiliar place.

Su Baichen was slightly taken aback. He had intended to head alone into the depths of the desert to investigate. Bringing Cao Ying along would inevitably be somewhat inconvenient.

But on second thought, with his current cultivation as a Dou Zun, there were very few beings around the Jia Ma Empire capable of threatening him. Forget the edge of this desert—even deep within the Tagor Desert, such threats could be counted on one hand. Protecting a little girl would be more than easy. Besides, leaving her alone at the inn was indeed not very reassuring. Her strength was low; if anything unexpected happened...

After weighing it for a moment, Su Baichen looked into his disciple's expectant eyes and finally nodded. "All right. You can come with me."

"Really? Thank you, Master! You're the best, Master! I'll be good and never run around!" Cao Ying instantly leaped with joy. The gloom on her face vanished completely, and her smile was more brilliant than the starlight outside.

Seeing his disciple return to her lively self, an imperceptible fondness flashed through Su Baichen's eyes. He gently shook his head. So be it. Perhaps letting her see more of the outside world sooner would not be a bad thing.

Several days later, in the distant, scorching heart of the Tagor Desert.

A grand palace built from massive sandstone and rare ores stood beneath the blazing sunlight like an ancient beast crouching amid a sea of sand, radiating suffocating pressure.

This was the sacred city of the Snake-People Tribe—the palace of Queen Medusa.

Today, the atmosphere within the palace was especially grave and murderous. Powerful members of every Snake-People Tribe gathered around the enormous plaza. They had human bodies and serpent tails, powerful auras, and sharp eyes. At the center of the plaza stood an empty, magnificent throne embedded with countless gemstones.

Tension and anticipation filled the air. A grand ceremony concerning the future fate of the Snake-People Tribe—or rather, a brutal selection—was about to begin.

Today, the new Queen Medusa would emerge from among the many contenders, inheriting supreme power and responsibility and leading the Snake-People Tribe to continue surviving in this harsh desert.

The solemn sound of horns echoed low through every corner of the palace, heralding the arrival of the storm.