The Ninth Elder Struck!

Two cups of tea later.

Xu Qingyang and Su Zilian rode to a stretch of mountain peaks. Gazing at the crimson light shining from the distant forest, both their eyes blazed with eagerness.

"A phenomenon like that must mean there's treasure!"

Su Zilian lightly raised her delicate hand and spoke with considerable excitement.

"Yes!"

Xu Qingyang nodded.

Soon, they reached the forest, which was filled with fiery red Red Crow Trees. Following the crimson glow, they saw a scarlet dragon egg lying on the ground. Dragon patterns were etched across its shell, seemingly imbued with some kind of power.

"Is that a dragon egg?"

Su Zilian fixed her beautiful, slender eyes on the dragon egg on the ground and asked in surprise.

"It is!"

Xu Qingyang smiled. "Zilian, your luck is incredible. We've only just entered the Boundless Mountains, and you've already found a dragon egg!"

"If it hatches into a little dragon, you'll be able to ride it and soar through the nine heavens!"

At his words, Su Zilian gave Xu Qingyang a long look and said with a cheerful smile, "Qingyang, I really can find treasure with you!"

She remembered the academy's previous trials. Others seemed blessed with fortune, finding treasures without even trying, while she had exerted the strength of nine oxen and two tigers without obtaining a single treasure.

Yet now, following Xu Qingyang, she had effortlessly stumbled upon a dragon egg that outside factions would fight over.

At that thought.

She silently wondered whether Qingyang might be one of those legendary children of destiny.

Then Su Zilian picked up the dragon egg, examined it, and placed it in her Storage Ring.

Xu Qingyang took out a map of the Boundless Mountains made from beast hide and pointed to a marker. "Zilian, we're currently in the Red Crow Forest!"

"There's an abyss northwest of the Red Crow Forest. There must be treasure there too!"

Hearing his words, Su Zilian glanced at the map and said expectantly, "Qingyang, let's hurry over!"

"All right!"

Xu Qingyang and Su Zilian left the Red Crow Forest and soon reached the edge of the abyss, where they sensed powerful fluctuations of spiritual energy.

"Looks like there's more treasure!"

Su Zilian gazed into the depths of the abyss, an excited smile spreading across her face as she spoke.

The next moment.

Xu Qingyang took Su Zilian's delicate hand and headed toward the bottom of the abyss.

In an instant!

They landed at the bottom, where multicolored radiance rose all around them, mingled with the rich fragrance of medicinal pills.

Could there be pills here?

That was what Xu Qingyang thought to himself.

Still, he felt that this place held more than pills. There should be other treasures too.

By then, Su Zilian had already followed the multicolored light. Soon, she discovered pills—and they even bore five-colored pill markings.

"Qingyang, come look! There are so many pills here, and some I've never seen before!"

At her words, Xu Qingyang immediately appeared beside Su Zilian. Seeing the countless pills before them, his eyes filled with utter astonishment.

Heavens!

Good grief!

There must be at least a hundred pills here. We've really struck it rich!

Suddenly, something occurred to Xu Qingyang, and he asked inwardly, "Little Tower, what kinds of pills are these?"

"Fifth-grade Spirit-Passing Pills, sixth-grade True Body Pills, seventh-grade Unity Pills, and so on!"

The Desolate Tower replied.

Hearing this, Xu Qingyang gave a wry smile. No wonder Su Zilian had failed to recognize these pills.

Their grades exceeded those of the pills possessed by the many factions in Heavenly Martial City.

Then Xu Qingyang told Su Zilian the names of all the pills before them.

After listening, Su Zilian looked utterly astonished. "Qingyang, I never imagined you'd recognize all these pills!"

Xu Qingyang chuckled awkwardly. "Over the years, besides working hard to awaken my martial soul, I've constantly read books in the library. Naturally, I recognize these pills!"

"So that's why!"

Su Zilian smiled.

Seeing that Su Zilian believed him, Xu Qingyang smiled wryly. He only knew what these pills were because he had copied the Desolate Tower's homework.

Afterward, Xu Qingyang and Su Zilian divided the hundred pills equally.

Next, they discovered a great deal of red gold ore, along with several spirit veins.

Besides these, they also found a male and female pair of God-Striking Whips. Xu Qingyang took the male God-Striking Whip, while Su Zilian took the female one.

Looking at the God-Striking Whip in her hand, Su Zilian's snow-white face broke into a broad smile. She turned to Xu Qingyang and said, "Qingyang, we're really going to strike it rich this time! It feels like we're gathering treasure until our hands go limp!"

Xu Qingyang smiled. "Zilian, this is only the beginning. There are plenty more treasures waiting for us!"

"Yes!"

Su Zilian replied joyfully.

However, just as they were beaming with delight, a cold, sinister voice suddenly rang out.

"Xu Qingyang, you certainly know how to run. You made us search long and hard!"

At those words, both Xu Qingyang and Su Zilian grew wary.

Several figures then appeared opposite them, their faces full of excitement.

"Ye Xingchen?"

Su Zilian fixed her beautiful eyes on the white-robed Ye Xingchen and said coldly, "You actually tracked us all the way here just to go after Qingyang!"

"But I advise you to leave now. Otherwise, I certainly won't show you any mercy!"

Facing Su Zilian, Ye Xingchen curled his lips with scorn and contempt. He sneered, "Su Zilian, open your eyes wide and look. Who's standing beside me?"

"The Ye Family's Ninth Elder, Ye Qing!"

The instant Su Zilian saw Ye Qing, her expression changed drastically. She knew that he was at the half-step Grotto-Heaven level.

She was currently at the late Golden Core stage. Although various secret arts could grant her the strength of the Nascent Soul Realm, she was no match for Ye Qing.

Xu Qingyang glanced at Ye Xingchen and shrugged, wearing a faint, ambiguous smile. "Ye Xingchen, you came here not only to regain the face you lost to me, but also to seize my fortuitous opportunities, didn't you?"

Having said that.

He looked at Ye Qing and shook his head. "The Ye Family sent only you? You're just delivering your head to me!"

"Xu Qingyang, do you really think gaining a fortuitous opportunity gives you the right to be so arrogant?"

Ye Qing glared at Xu Qingyang as he spoke.

Xu Qingyang smiled, but Su Zilian said coldly, "Ninth Elder, I know you're powerful, but I, Su Zilian, don't just sit around eating for free!"

"If you insist on attacking Qingyang, I don't mind using the trump card my master gave me!"

Ye Xingchen immediately laughed. "Su Zilian, I don't mean to discourage you, but even if you use your master's trump card, you still won't be able to save Xu Qingyang!"

Boom!

Ye Qing glanced at Su Zilian with utter contempt. Clearly, he did not take her methods seriously.

Then a cold glint flashed through Ye Qing's eyes, and he struck at Xu Qingyang with his palm.