"Look, spirit stones." Zhou You took two spirit stones brimming with spiritual power out of his schoolbag and showed them to Chu Xiaoyao and Nuomi.
With a whole two spirit stones in his possession, he could more or less count himself as having escaped poverty.
The spirit stones had a satisfying heft to them. If they hadn't been so big, Zhou You would have liked to roll them around in his palm like walnuts.
That was how it always went on TV. Gang bosses always held something expensive while talking to people. It gave them an imposing air.
"Wow, Sect Master, you're amazing! That's like beating that stinky rice-thrower twice!" Nuomi praised him sincerely, though it was hard to tell whether her main aim was to compliment Zhou You or belittle Su Tingxue.
The corner of Zhou You's eye twitched. Lately, he had found himself caught between Nuomi and Su Tingxue, torn over whose side to take.
Emotionally speaking, Nuomi was his Vice Sect Master and one of his own. She hovered around him every day, gave him plenty of emotional support, and doubled as the classroom's air conditioner.
Logically speaking, Su Tingxue had brought him into the Cultivation Forum and introduced him to the vast Cultivation World. She was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, loyal and generous, and had promised to help him exchange spirit jade.
This human and ghost had a long-standing grudge that was hard to reconcile. If they fought again, whose side should he take?
So much pressure. Forget it, I'll take Chu Xiaoyao's side.
"I've got more good stuff." Zhou You dug two books out of his schoolbag. He had picked them up while shopping yesterday: Introduction to Cultivation and the Vengeful Ghost Compendium. They had arrived along with the spirit stones.
He had also wanted to buy a Sect Guide, but he hadn't had enough spirit jade. That would have to wait.
Zhou You handed Introduction to Cultivation to Chu Xiaoyao and kept the Vengeful Ghost Compendium for himself.
"A fine opportunity for me to peruse this book and see how this world's cultivation methods differ from those of the Primordial Continent." Chu Xiaoyao accepted the book with an air of restraint and began leafing through it. It appealed to her even more than manga did.
Zhou You began studying the Vengeful Ghost Compendium. Although he enjoyed eating ghosts, he didn't actually know much about them. This was a good chance to learn, so he wouldn't be at a loss if he encountered an unfamiliar ghost in the future.
It was like eating at a restaurant. Every dish might be delicious, but you still had to know which was beef and which was pork. That was showing respect for the ingredients.
Nuomi trembled as she watched Zhou You. The Sect Master seemed so scary right now.
What if reading makes him so hungry he eats me?
I need to distract him, quick.
"Sect Master, what did you and the Grand Supreme Elder do last night?"
"Last night? Oh, we had quite the adventure..."
Zhou You recounted his fight with Lian Yi the night before, while Chu Xiaoyao supplied embellishments from the sidelines.
"The Demon Alliance is full of bad people!" Once Nuomi finished listening to Zhou You's account, her attention had indeed been diverted, and she was no longer afraid.
Indignant, she was so furious that she performed a whole set of Military Boxing in midair on the spot, her blows whipping through the air.
She only regretted that her important duty of guarding the sect's territory had kept her away. Otherwise, she would certainly have taught Lian Yi a lesson.
Hiding in the Old Dormitory Building and waiting for people to come along so she could scare them was bad enough. Who would have thought there were people even worse than her?
Bad living people!
Ever since acquiring two spirit stones, Zhou You had become even more diligent in his cultivation. He often used the dinner break to go cultivate at Great Stone Lake with Chu Xiaoyao.
His cultivation soon bore fruit.
In less than a week, Zhou You was returning from Great Stone Lake with hardly any mosquito bites. Ordinary mosquitoes could barely pierce his skin anymore, even when seven or eight took turns biting the same spot.
When he clenched his fist with all his strength, a faint membrane actually appeared over the surface of his skin, almost impossible to notice without looking closely.
This meant he had begun to see results in skin tempering.
Chu Xiaoyao poked it curiously. The membrane felt extremely similar to skin. First the membrane dented inward, then the skin beneath followed, cushioning the force.
"Give me a hard slap and see," Zhou You said.
Chu Xiaoyao put some force into it and slapped Zhou You on the back.
"Huh, that doesn't hurt." Zhou You could clearly feel the force dispersing. The slap didn't hurt or even sting.
Chu Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. "Not bad. It seems you have considerable talent for body tempering. Perhaps you'll achieve mastery like me, standing above time itself, unbowed by the passage of the ages."
"But don't get cocky. This is only the beginning. You still have a long road ahead." The Female Emperor offered Zhou You both encouragement and a warning.
"Sect Master, you're amazing! You're already seeing results!" Nuomi was delighted too. At last, they could fish out her Little Treasury.
Ah, if only I were a water ghost. I can't get into the water. Why did I suddenly decide this would be a good place to hide things?
She had even placed a seal on the box holding her Little Treasury, afraid someone else would open it.
"It's mostly because I have enough spirit stones," Zhou You said modestly, heeding the Female Emperor's teachings and refusing to grow conceited.
His modesty was only verbal, though. Inside, he was over the moon.
With the spirit stones aiding his cultivation, his cultivation level was rising steadily too. He was worlds apart from his former self, who had only just gained the strength to unscrew a bottle cap.
If Zhou You had to name his current state, he would say, "Let's call it the peak of early Qi refining."
Zhou You felt it necessary to distinguish himself from other early Qi refining cultivators. Who was he? A Sect Master with two spirit stones to his name, commanding a powerful vengeful ghost like Nuomi, who had defeated a Celestial Master from Dragon-Tiger Mountain. Besides, the Carefree Sect was the number one sect on the Primordial Continent. Could ordinary early Qi refining cultivators compare to him?
Zhou You checked his condition. Since a membrane had appeared over his skin, that meant his skin tempering had succeeded. "I think I'm about ready. I can go into the lake tomorrow!"
"Have you noticed how Calamity and Zhou You keep heading to that lake?" the Red King asked the Mind Master and the Mighty Warrior. He thought those two had good heads on their shoulders, so their opinions were worth considering.
Over the past few days, the Red King had been quietly observing Calamity and Zhou You's movements, and he had indeed noticed something.
The two humans and one ghost seemed to head to Great Stone Lake whenever they got the chance. Their behavior was highly suspicious.
"What's there by the lake besides mosquitoes?"
"Surely they aren't going there to feed the mosquitoes?" The Red King dismissed that absurd thought. Calamity was arrogant, not crazy.
The Mighty Warrior rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Could Humanity's Supreme Treasure be in that lake? Is Calamity preparing to retrieve it?"
"Hmm?"
The Red King turned to look at the tall, burly Mighty Warrior, feeling there was some merit to his guess.
"Humanity's Supreme Treasure is in the lake?"
At that thought, the Red King could barely resist sneaking into No. 2 Middle School at night to investigate.
"No, no. That's too rash."
If he found Humanity's Supreme Treasure, that would be one thing. But this was only speculation. If he failed to find it, he would still risk being discovered by Calamity.
"I'll watch for another couple of days and see."
The next day, after evening self-study ended, every member of the Carefree Sect set out. Under cover of darkness, they crept carefully to the shore of Great Stone Lake.
They were taking a risk by coming here. If a patrolling teacher caught them, even if they escaped a schoolwide public reprimand tomorrow, their class would still lose points, and they would have to face their homeroom teacher's death glare.
Zhou You took a long, transparent case from his schoolbag and solemnly removed the Swimming Goggles inside.
He had spared no expense to retrieve Nuomi's Little Treasury. He and Chu Xiaoyao had pooled their money to buy these for twenty yuan. He would need them when he dived, or he wouldn't be able to see clearly underwater.
"Go, Sect Master! I believe in you!" Nuomi cheered him on.
"Enter the water without fear. You have my blessing." As always, Chu Xiaoyao's words did little to reassure him.
Looking at the human and ghost, Zhou You offered a helpful suggestion. "Would you two consider going to keep watch nearby?"
Chu Xiaoyao blinked. "Can't Nuomi keep watch on her own?"
"Don't worry, Sect Master. I can see and hear everything around me. If anyone comes, I'll spot them right away."
Neither of them understood what he meant. Instead, they stared eagerly at him, waiting for him to jump in. After a long silence, Zhou You had no choice but to spell it out.
"...I need to take my clothes off."
His success in skin tempering meant there was a membrane over his skin, not over his clothes. If he went into the water dressed, his clothes would get wet regardless. He had to strip naked first.
He had even prepared a towel and put it in his schoolbag.
"Oh, right. Forgot about that." Chu Xiaoyao and Nuomi hastily turned their backs and moved far away to give him privacy.
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