Intercepting the Black Sha Lotus

"With only this much skill, you dare to make a move against me?"

A gale howled as a figure was swept into the sky by a whirlwind.

Picking up the fallen black Heaven-Mending Stone, Bai Yixin didn't even bother to check if the person swept away by the wind would survive, turning and leaving.

According to Bai Yixin's estimation, there were over 100 geniuses participating in the second round of the examination; including this one, Bai Yixin had already obtained ten Heaven-Mending Stones.

Having met the basic requirements to pass, Bai Yixin prepared to start looting treasures in this area.

"I must find a way to lure this Black Tiger Beast King away. This Black Sha Lotus is truly making my mouth water!"

Deep within the mountain range, there was a place devoid of vegetation with astonishingly malevolent energy, filled with black mist; one look told him that a super ferocious beast resided here.

It was a massive Black Tiger that Bai Yixin had seen before. It could easily shatter a mountain peak with a swipe, a beast Bai Yixin could not yet contend with by force and would need to outsmart.

Beside the tiger's den stood a precious herb, pitch-black as if carved from ink jade, over a foot tall and shaped like a lotus flower.

"This precious herb is of excellent quality. Fed by the Black Tiger's malevolent energy, it might evolve into a Saint Herb in the future."

A Saint Herb could bring the dead back to life and regrow bones; one could search the Great Wilderness for a million miles and not find a single one.

One must know that even if they existed, they were all on the Primordial Divine Mountain. Those places might have True Hou lurking or pure-blooded Golden-Winged Peng nesting; no one dared to approach, or they would surely die.

In this world, especially in the hands of the human race, it was rare to see even a few true Saint Herbs.

Bai Yixin pondered whether to pull off this heist. If he succeeded, he feared the people of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion would truly be furious, but if he didn't act, the more he thought about it, the more he felt it was a loss!

If he consumed this precious herb, Bai Yixin would definitely break through his cultivation to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment and the sixth Heavenly Cave.

Cultivating two systems simultaneously meant that while his strength was formidable, the resources consumed were not on the same level. Double was the baseline consumption, but since Bai Yixin aimed for the peak of every realm, his resource consumption was several times higher than others.

"Well, although it's a bit unethical, this item is fated with me," Bai Yixin muttered to himself while hiding in a crevice of a giant rock.

"Eh, someone actually has the same idea as me."

That person clearly hadn't discovered Bai Yixin, who was in a state of breath concealment. He looked left and right sneakily, his large eyes glowing, and crept toward the Black Tiger's den.

"Wait, could this guy be Little One?!"

It had been nearly ten years since he read Perfect World. Although the novel's descriptions weren't very detailed, after stepping into cultivation, Bai Yixin could be said to have a photographic memory. Unless it was something specifically forgotten, he could generally dig it out from the depths of his memory, though how much he could retrieve depended on the depth of his cultivation.

However, there were some things Bai Yixin couldn't recall no matter what; he didn't know if it was a side effect of transmigrating.

Although he remembered, unless necessary, Bai Yixin generally wouldn't look at the "script" because it was written about Little One's path. He would at most use it for reference and wouldn't carefully watch what he did—skipping the small matters and paying attention to the big ones.

This guy's face was extremely round; his cheeks were chubby like a big apple, and his eyes were squeezed small by the fat.

"Hiss, is he really Little One? It's only been a year, right? How did his face get so fat?"

"Wait, it actually seems possible. With so many people outside looking for him, he must have changed his appearance to participate in the selection."

Bai Yixin watched as the guy acted craftily, retreating after taking a few steps, then quickly disappearing into the mountain forest.

"If I remember correctly, he is nine times out of ten that guy, Little One."

Bai Yixin glanced at the still-resting Black Tiger and followed the direction the guy had left, darting into the mountains to chase after him and see if he was indeed Little One.

"Oh? Is he planning to stir up the entire examination site?" Bai Yixin followed closely behind the guy, observing his every move. Ultimately, although he couldn't be certain, if his memory served him right, it was Little One.

The Flood Dragon Beast, Ancient Crocodile, Three-Legged Dragon Bird, and others—six or seven overlords in total—were successfully provoked by Little One, going mad in this mountain range and giving chase.

A few of them even encountered each other, confronting and even clashing, resulting in intense collisions. The entire mountain range fell into chaos, with all kinds of fierce beasts fleeing in terror, covering the mountains and plains.

"Not bad, then the next step is likely luring the tiger away from the mountain!" Bai Yixin quickly grasped the key point.

Inferring that a person wouldn't do something without a purpose, this series of actions must have been done by Little One to harvest the Black Sha Lotus.

"Then, hehe, Little One, don't blame your big brother. I was just worrying about what kind of surprise to give you, and you've solved that trouble for me. Today, I'll teach you a lesson: what it means to be the fisherman who gains the profit!"

Bai Yixin chuckled, feeling a mischievous urge to see the expression on Little One's face when he discovered that the fruits of his hard labor were about to be snatched by someone else.

Moving stealthily, it wasn't long before Bai Yixin returned to the depths of the mountain range and hid beside the tiger's den.

"Roar..."

In the deepest part of the mountain range, a tiger's roar shook the heavens. The beast king was extremely furious; it had only just returned to its nest to sleep when it was disturbed again, making it exceptionally irritable.

Immediately, a black whirlwind swept through the depths of the mountains. A massive black shadow was shrouded within it as it charged out, roaring at the sky incessantly.

"Good opportunity!"

Bai Yixin judged that the strongest tiger king in the mountain range had likely been subdued by the Heaven-Mending Pavilion to serve as an order-keeper for this examination, which was why it rushed out the moment Little One caused a disturbance.

Bai Yixin leaped and landed in front of the cave. Amidst the swirling black mist, only the Black Sha Lotus emitted faint dark light.

Although the Black Sha Lotus looked like a lotus, it didn't grow in water but rather from a patch of land dyed black by the Black Tiger's malevolent energy.

With a flash of sword light, Bai Yixin plucked the Black Sha Lotus, leaving only the root, and then turned and fled without lingering for even a moment, avoiding any encounter with Little One or the returning Black Tiger Beast King.

His figure faded, as if merging with the entire mountain landscape. With a few leaps, Bai Yixin crossed several ridges and sped away, leaving this area.

Not long after Bai Yixin left, a streak of light shot in from afar; it was Little One, covered in dense Runes.

"Ah?! Which hateful guy is it? He actually intercepted my prize!" Little One looked at the Black Sha Lotus that only had a root left and cursed angrily, his chubby little face distorted with rage.

But since he was already here, he couldn't return empty-handed! Wouldn't that just be taking the blame for someone else for nothing?

With soil and rocks flying, Little One dug out the root of the Black Sha Lotus, swallowed it in one gulp, and then continued to speed away, hiding as far as he could.

Not long after, the beast tide subsided. The Black Tiger returned to its lair, but the moment it drew near, it sensed something was wrong. It let out a heaven-shaking roar, causing the vast mountains to rumble and tremble in its wake.

It was enraged to the extreme. Numerous black patterns emerged across its body, forming a Tornado that shredded the nearby mountain peaks, sending ancient trees soaring into the sky before they exploded into fragments.

The scene was terrifying. The Beast King, in a fit of fury, charged out of the mountain range to hunt down the herb thief. Its eyes transformed into two blood-red moons reflecting in the sky, a sight of immense horror.

The forest, which had just calmed down, began to boil once more. This time, the Beast King itself led the riot, smashing a mountain to pieces with a single swipe of its claw, sending rocks flying through the air.

Oh, the two beneficiaries, Bai Yixin and Little One, had long since fled into the distance, leaving behind not a single trace.

On this side, Bai Yixin had already found a prime location to hide, closing his eyes and sitting cross-legged to prepare for his breakthrough.

In truth, Bai Yixin could have broken through long ago; he might even have been able to open seven or eight Heavenly Caves at once.

He only feared that his cultivation would become unstable if he advanced too quickly, preventing him from laying the most solid foundation.

Bai Yixin was not particularly desperate for this Black Sha Lotus. In fact, a spiritual herb of this quality could be purchased from the shop for around three or four hundred thousand points.

Snatching it from Little One was partly out of a mischievous sense of humor, and besides, it belonged to the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, not Little One himself, so fair competition was not excessive at all.

(Heaven-Mending Pavilion: Excessive! Extremely excessive!)

On the other hand, even a mosquito is meat, and this Black Sha Lotus was quite valuable. His path forward would likely involve scavenging all things to sell to the shop in exchange for the resources he needed, so since there was an opportunity to take it, he could hardly be expected to yield just because his opponent was Little One.

Cultivation is a struggle against heaven, against the earth, and against others; to verify the Dao is to contend for the Dao. If one lacks a heart that strives for the Dao, one should not even dream of reaching the pinnacle.

Therefore, even though his opponent was his friend Little One, Bai Yixin still acted upon the principle of "the fisherman reaping the profit."

However, he still intended to provide Little One with some compensation for this.

"As compensation, I'll tell Little One some good news about his parents, such as the fact that he's already become a big brother (∩❛ڡ❛∩)"