It seemed Xiao Yi Xian could tell how much this mattered to Xiao Chen, so she didn't hide anything. "Brother Xiao Chen, actually, before I came here, I had a dream. Everything in the dream was exactly the same as it is now, except you weren't there!"
"So this really is the place where Xian'er's fate changes. Everything must have been destined!"
Xiao Chen showed no sign of surprise, but in his heart, he frantically contacted the system. System, what's going on? Didn't you say that what happens in the simulation won't affect reality?
He had just finished a simulation, and Xiao Yi Xian had immediately dreamed of the exact same events. Xiao Chen wouldn't believe it was a coincidence even if someone beat him to death.
[Host, don't worry. It's possible that while this system was running the simulation, the Heavenly Dao of this world detected some fluctuations and sent them to this world's children of fortune, both male and female, eventually forming a dream!]
[This won't have any effect on them, so please rest assured!]
"Fine. As long as it doesn't affect Xun'er or Xiao Yi Xian, that's all that matters!"
Xiao Chen couldn't be sure whether the system was telling the truth, but he didn't care. As long as it didn't have any adverse effects on Xun'er or Xiao Yi Xian, he was fine with it.
As for conspiracy theories about the system keeping other girls on the hook and plotting against him, he'd never considered them. All his strength came from the system. If it really had such intentions, he could simply hand it all back.
Meanwhile, in a high-tech laboratory, a girl with pale pink hair let out a long breath and patted her chest, setting off a series of magnificent ripples. "Master's as perceptive as ever. I almost gave myself away. Pretending to be this system sure isn't easy!"
"Don't act like you're suffering when you're the one who got what you wanted. If you think it's so hard, let me do it. I haven't seen Master in ages!"
At those words, the girl lying on the sofa crunched the lollipop in her mouth, twitched the cat ears atop her head, and tossed the handheld game console in her hands onto the sofa. Her pale golden, slit-pupil eyes were full of resentment.
The pink-haired girl stuck out her tongue and made a face at the cat-eared girl. "Pfft! Dream on. Master personally entrusted this task to me before he left. I'm not handing it over to you!"
The cat-eared girl ground her teeth, but there was nothing she could do about the pink-haired girl. With no other choice, she snorted, turned away, and went back to playing her handheld game.
Xiao Chen had no way of knowing what was happening in the laboratory. At that moment, he was busy searching the cave with Xiao Yi Xian for treasures and medicinal herbs.
"What a pity. Most of the herbs here aren't poisonous. Otherwise, I could make some Poison Pills for Xian'er!"
Xiao Chen sighed regretfully. But when Xiao Yi Xian heard him, her heart jolted. "Brother Xiao Chen, are you an alchemist?"
"Mm! I am an alchemist, though I haven't gotten certified by the Alchemist Association yet. But refining Fifth-grade Pills is no problem for me!"
Xiao Chen had no intention of hiding his identity as an alchemist. He planned to get certified by the Alchemist Association soon. With the robe that came with the certification, it would be easier for him to do certain things.
The girl's eyes were filled with disbelief. Alchemists were respected wherever they went.
High-ranking alchemists in particular were not to be crossed lightly, not even by the Jia Ma Imperial Family.
Xiao Chen's cultivation talent was already terrifying. And on top of that, he was an alchemist...
At the thought, Xiao Yi Xian's heart sank, and a wave of bitterness and inferiority welled up inside her.
Xiao Chen's future was bound to be brilliant and dazzling. Given her circumstances, could she really be worthy of him?
Noticing the girl's disappointment, Xiao Chen stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, affectionately ruffling her hair. "What's wrong? Xian'er seems a little down. Is something bothering you?"
"Brother Xiao Chen, I... I'm fine!"
Xiao Yi Xian wanted to say something, but when she looked up and saw the warmth in Xiao Chen's eyes, she swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue.
Xiao Chen watched Xiao Yi Xian for a moment and more or less guessed what was on her mind. He teased her with a smile. "Xian'er, don't underestimate yourself. With this Seven-Colored Poison Scripture and your Woe Poison Body, you'll definitely reach the Dou Zong realm within two years. By then, you might even leave me in the dust!"
"Dou Zong? I... can I really do that?"
The words "Dou Zong" were foreign to Xiao Yi Xian. Before meeting Xiao Chen, she had thought Da Dou Shi were the strongest experts around.
Dou Zong experts were figures who lived only in legends. Yet now Xiao Chen was saying that she could become a legend too—and in only two years. To her, it sounded like a wild fantasy!
"Don't worry. I promise you, Xian'er: if you can't break through to Dou Zong within two years, I'll give myself to you!"
Xiao Chen had meant to build Xiao Yi Xian's confidence with that teasing remark. But after hearing him, she shook her head. "Then I won't break through to Dou Zong. I want you, Brother Xiao Chen!"
To Xiao Yi Xian, it didn't really matter whether she became a Dou Zong. As long as she could stay by Xiao Chen's side, that was enough.
"All right. Actually, I lied to you just now, Xian'er. Even if you break through to Dou Zong, I still won't let you go."
With that, Xiao Chen didn't give Xiao Yi Xian another chance to speak. As she cried out in surprise, he swept her into his arms again and hurried out of the stone cave. His Dou Qi Wings spread, and he shot into the sky.
Xiao Chen didn't try anything on the way back, so the return journey was smooth. In no time at all, the two of them were back at the inn.
"Xian'er, do you remember the two methods I told you about for solving the Woe Poison Body?"
Now that they had the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, it was time to start dealing with the Woe Poison Body. Xiao Chen didn't want to wait until the poison body erupted before trying to control it.
Xiao Yi Xian's heart gave a sudden thump. She took a deep breath and suppressed her excitement. "Mm. Whatever you need me to do, Brother Xiao Chen, I'll cooperate!"
"Don't be nervous. The solution to the Woe Poison Body is simple. One method is the Pill Condensation Technique recorded in the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture!"
Xiao Chen pointed to the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture clutched in Xiao Yi Xian's hand and continued, "But I'm not satisfied with that method. The Heavenly Nether Poison Saint was certainly a genius. He came up with the idea of condensing a Poison Pill inside the body to transform the toxic energy produced by the poison body into poison Dou Qi."
"But I have another method: adding a Heavenly Flame to that Pill Condensation Technique!"
Xiao Yi Xian had heard of Heavenly Flames, too. There was no helping it—they were simply too famous. Even ordinary mercenaries in remote little cities knew their name, though they'd never seen one.
So when Xiao Chen mentioned fusing with a Heavenly Flame, Xiao Yi Xian was stunned. Only after a long while did she come back to herself. "Brother Xiao Chen, fusing with a Heavenly Flame sounds a little too difficult, doesn't it? How about..."
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