"Ru Xue..."
Tang Tian had little experience with matters between men and women, especially when faced with such an immaculate, peerless beauty.
No matter how arrogant or high and mighty he usually was, he now seemed like nothing more than a greenhorn.
"Pfft..."
Seeing Tang Tian's awkward state, Ye Ruxue covered her mouth and laughed first.
So Tang Tian could be this cute too. That was rather fresh and interesting.
"Heh heh..."
Tang Tian scratched his head, not knowing what to say, and could only laugh foolishly along with her.
"All right, if you keep laughing, you really will look foolish."
Ye Ruxue rolled her eyes at Tang Tian, then recalled the first time she had met him. Her first impression of him had indeed been: "Idiot."
"He was more than foolish. He was plainly a coward. He liked her, yet all he could do was grin stupidly and not dare say it."
Within the Burial Ground of Stars, Fan Siren looked at the scene playing out amid the starry sky and shook his head.
He did not choose to block those words, allowing Tang Tian to hear every last one.
"Master Fan, have you ever liked someone?"
Tang Tian's question immediately left him speechless.
Fan Siren's lips twitched. He had no retort; if he could, he might have chosen to drag Tang Tian over and beat him up first.
With a beauty before him, Tang Tian naturally could not be bothered with the venomous Fan Siren.
Tang Tian gave a dry laugh. "If my foolishness can serve to highlight your beauty, then it is worth it."
"Really?"
Ye Ruxue had not expected Tang Tian to speak so directly. Delight filled her heart, and her lovely face flushed shyly.
"Of course. Actually, even without my foolishness to set it off, you are already very beautiful."
The first step was always the hardest. Since he had already said one such thing, Tang Tian found the words coming much more smoothly now.
Ye Ruxue rolled her eyes at Tang Tian, sweetness filling her heart as though it had been smeared with honey. She said softly, "Stop with the sweet talk. Hurry and try the Spirit Artifacts my father forged for you."
"All right!"
At the mention of Spirit Artifacts, Tang Tian also began looking forward to seeing their power.
He first took out the silver robe. After putting it on, Tang Tian smiled and said, "This will be called the Thunder Python Robe from now on. As for that sword, it will be called the Thunder Python Sword. What do you think?"
"They are your Spirit Artifacts, so naturally you get to decide." Ye Ruxue said.
Once Tang Tian donned the Thunder Python Robe, he gained a touch more sharpness, and his aura became far more powerful.
Ye Ruxue said softly, "The Thunder Python Robe contains lightning-attributed power and inherited the Heavenly Thunder Python's traits. If its wearer possesses lightning-attributed power, its defense will become even stronger. An ordinary Bone-Forging Realm cultivator wearing it can withstand one blow from an Advanced Organs-Hiding Realm expert. But if a lightning-attributed cultivator activates the Thunder Python Robe's power, it can even withstand a blow from an Early Soul-Emergence Realm expert."
"That powerful?" Tang Tian's gaze twitched. Then if he reached the Soul-Emergence Realm, could he simply stand there and let Soul-Emergence Realm experts attack him without suffering any harm?
Of course, what he was confident about was that if he truly cultivated to the Soul-Emergence Realm, he could utterly crush his opponent. Why would he need to defend at all?
Ye Ruxue nodded. "This is a Mid-Grade Spirit Artifact. It is not something just anyone can possess."
Tang Tian asked, "Then why not give this Thunder Python Robe to you? My physical body can take a beating anyway."
"What? This is a Mid-Grade Spirit Artifact. How can you just give it away so casually?"
Ye Ruxue was dumbfounded as she looked at Tang Tian in astonishment. And he was giving it to her.
Tang Tian smiled. "Without Uncle Ye, I could not have obtained a Mid-Grade Spirit Artifact. Besides, you and I killed that Heavenly Thunder Python together. Why could I not give it to you?"
Ye Ruxue shook her head and smiled. "There is no need to give it to me. There was plenty of Heavenly Thunder Python hide, enough to make two pieces. One is yours, and one is mine. So you should keep it. I accept the thought."
"Uh... all right..."
Tang Tian awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had forgotten about that.
The Heavenly Thunder Python hide fit against his body like an ordinary garment, comfortable and snug.
Then, with a flash of radiance, a chill filled the hall. Tang Tian raised a brow and looked at the longsword in his hand.
The longsword was four feet long, bone-white from end to end. Its hilt was a python's head with a gaping, bloodthirsty maw, and the blade extended from its mouth.
"Good sword!"
Tang Tian could not help sighing in admiration. In this life, he intended to become a Sword Cultivator, and a sword would be a companion that never left or abandoned him.
The Thunder Python Sword in his hand was exceptionally extraordinary. Even Ye Ruxue's Wind-Snow Sword was far inferior to it.
Tang Tian looked at Ye Ruxue and smiled awkwardly.
"Do not worry. Father fused the Heavenly Thunder Python's excess bones into my Wind-Snow Sword. Now, my Wind-Snow Sword is even better than before and has become a High-Grade Spirit Artifact. This time, I have benefited from you, so I should thank you instead."
Ye Ruxue's beautiful eyes blinked gently. Yet she had always been as cold as frost, so she was not very good at showing her emotions.
"We have a friendship forged through life and death. No need for thanks."
Tang Tian waved his hand and smiled, then cautiously poured his yuan power into the Thunder Python Sword.
"Buzz..."
A clear, resounding sword cry rang out. Its peerlessly sharp aura made even Tang Tian's heart tremble.
Fortunately, his yuan power was abundant, allowing him to barely sustain the use of the Thunder Python Sword.
Ye Ruxue asked in surprise, "Father said that the Thunder Python Sword was forged from the Heavenly Thunder Python's fangs and bones, along with some lightning-attributed materials. It inherited the Heavenly Thunder Python's ferocity and destructive power, and its demands on yuan power are extremely high. To wield the Thunder Python Sword with ease, one needs at least Organs-Hiding Realm cultivation. You... have you reached the Organs-Hiding Realm?"
As she spoke, she widened her eyes and carefully examined Tang Tian.
Tang Tian felt a little embarrassed under her gaze and nearly could not resist telling her the truth.
But the Breath-Concealing Art was incredibly formidable. It was a high-grade Heaven-rank cultivation technique.
Cultivation techniques were divided into: Yellow rank, Profound rank, Earth rank, Heaven rank, Spirit rank...
Even Tang Lingyun could only cultivate Profound-rank techniques. Heaven-rank techniques were not something small lineages like theirs could ever come into contact with.
I will have to find an opportunity to give Father some powerful cultivation techniques later.
Tang Tian could disregard the other members of the Tang Family, but his father was likely his only emotional tie to the Tang Family.
"Ru Xue, if you keep looking at me like that, even a thick-skinned man like me will get shy."
Tang Tian teased her. In truth, if possible, he would gladly let Ye Ruxue keep looking at him like this.
Admiring a beauty was a delightful thing. And being admired by a beauty was no less so.
"Only you know how to talk."
After rolling her eyes at him, Ye Ruxue suddenly said in a grave tone, "Do you have confidence in your battle with Lin Yichen the day after tomorrow?"
Tang Tian smiled. "Of course I do. If I did not, how could I have challenged him to a battle?"
"You..."
Ye Ruxue had no answer. Back then, Tang Tian had only been at the Meridian Refining Realm, yet he had dared to clamor at Lin Yichen, an Advanced Bone-Forging Realm cultivator?
It could be said that everyone believed Tang Tian was an idiot, moving to the rhythm of courting death.
Ye Ruxue still reminded him, "While you were gone, I looked into it for you. Lin Yichen has been cultivating all this time. It is very possible that he has also broken through into the Organs-Hiding Realm. If you fight him, would that not be dangerous..."
"The Organs-Hiding Realm? That makes it exciting." Sharp light flickered in Tang Tian's eyes, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
Ye Ruxue was speechless. Just moments ago, this fellow had been acting foolish, and now he was once again acting as though no one in the world could compare to him.
Although many people saw fighting Lin Yichen as courting death, for some reason, the aura Tang Tian gave off attracted her, making her heart tremble.
At that moment, an angry shout came from outside the door: "Tang Tian, get out here!"
[Author's Note: The second update for today is here. More will follow shortly. The battle with Lin Yichen is about to begin! Tang Tian and Master Fan are shamelessly begging for silver votes!]
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