Gu Qingxue was drenched in sweat as she taught in the Back Courtyard.
Song Qiuya had an exceptional grasp of the lessons and could already form a stable ball of water at her fingertips.
Li Xiaoyue and Zhang Ruoxi were progressing a little more slowly, but both were trying hard.
Qin Chuxia was the most restless. Her mind wasn't on the water ball at all. Her eyes kept darting around, and she was constantly tempted to hurl it at Chen Qianqian, who stood watching in a corner with her arms folded.
Chen Lin sat beneath the veranda, toying with a jade box bearing a Sealing Talisman.
Inside the box was the core of that fifth-tier greater demon.
With a flick of his thumb, he lifted one corner of the Sealing Talisman.
Hum-
A savage pressure belonging to a Core Formation greater demon seeped through the gap.
The spiritual energy in the Back Courtyard instantly fell into disarray. The stream of water that had just formed in Gu Qingxue's palm burst with a pop, splashing her in the face.
"What was that?" Gu Qingxue wiped her face and whipped her head around.
Atop the wall, Yun Sheng's white-clad figure swayed slightly. She stared fixedly at the jade box in Chen Lin's hand, her breath catching.
Near the village entrance, Changqingzi was sweeping the ground. When he sensed that aura, his hand shook, and he nearly crushed the broom handle. His figure flashed, becoming a gray blur as he raced toward the Courtyard Compound.
Chen Lin paid no attention to anyone else's reaction.
He opened the jade box.
The dark gold Demon Core lay quietly at the bottom, its surface covered in intricate, naturally formed dao patterns. Something like molten lava churned inside it. Savage spiritual energy formed a small vortex of