A faint smile appeared at the corner of Shi Teng's mouth. He leaped off the Golden-Winged Roc and hurried into the cave with Shi Hao.
As they walked through the cave, waves of heat washed over their faces.
Jagged rocks littered the ground, making the path long and treacherous.
Once they entered the mountain cave, they found a whole other world within.
Below them was a river of magma, its crimson currents giving off billowing heat.
It was Shi Hao's first time seeing such a river. Excitement appeared on his face. "Wow, a fiery red river!"
Shi Teng frowned. "That's called magma. Its temperature can reach 1,025 to 1,225 degrees. If you fall in, you'll turn to ash in an instant!"
Shi Hao nodded with only a vague understanding, his face filled with shock.
He picked up a stone and tossed it down. It landed with a plunk, and even the stone turned to ash in an instant.
Xia Youyu and the others caught up as well. "You two really ran fast!"
"When there's treasure, of course you've got to run faster. Otherwise, you wouldn't even get to eat shit while it's hot!"
The beauties looked at him with disdain. They hadn't expected such a handsome boy to speak so crudely.
Xia Youyu continued, "The Fire Qilin lives in the cave across from us!"
Shi Teng looked toward the cave opposite them. With every breath, he could feel waves of heat rushing against his face.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for checking in at the Qilin Cavern. Reward obtained: Qilin Arm ×1! [Qilin Arm: Covered in scales and fiery red throughout, impervious to heat and cold, blades and spears. A single punch can manifest a qilin phantom and unleash tremendous might.]
Shi Teng's expression shifted slightly, and a trace of delight appeared on his face.
Sure enough, the more mysterious the check-in location, the more powerful the reward.
Qilin Arm-that sounds badass!
The smile on his face naturally didn't escape Xia Youyu and the others.
Xia Youyu said, "Could it be that you already have a fully formed plan, Brother Shi? Though this Fire Qilin is only a Hybrid Qilin, its might still shouldn't be underestimated!"
Shi Teng raised his voice. "If I were scared, I wouldn't have come!"
With that, he leaped to the cave entrance opposite them.
His feet had barely found their footing when an enormous figure lunged at him.
It stood several dozen feet tall, crimson flames burning all over its scale-covered body. It looked imposing and extraordinarily mighty.
Shi Teng's eyes trembled slightly, shock appearing on his face. He hadn't expected it to look exactly like the qilin in the television shows and novels of his previous life.
Shi Teng seriously suspected that these creatures must have existed in his previous life too. Otherwise, how could anyone have known about them?
"Roar!"
Seeing the Fire Qilin pounce, Shi Teng sprang into the air and dodged its attack.
The Fire Qilin then lunged at the four girls instead.
Its glaring eyes were savage, its claws and fangs bared.
Xia Youyu's expression shifted slightly. In a low voice, she commanded, "Go!"
The Spirit-Binding Rope that had previously trapped the Golden-Winged Roc immediately flew toward the Fire Qilin.
In an instant, it bound the Fire Qilin's body.
The Fire Qilin let out a roar and crashed heavily to the ground.
It kept struggling on the ground.
Low growls escaped its mouth.
A slight smile appeared at the corner of Shi Teng's mouth. "That's it? Isn't this a little too weak?"
Just then, the Fire Qilin shuddered. A wave of red light swept outward, and the Spirit-Binding Rope snapped apart in an instant.
The Fire Qilin sprang up from the ground and charged straight at Shi Hao.
Shi Teng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he shouted, "Watch out!"
Scales instantly covered his right arm, which glowed with crimson firelight.
He drove a punch toward the Fire Qilin. A Fire Qilin phantom appeared around his fist and collided with the beast.
Bang!
The Fire Qilin staggered back several steps, and Shi Teng couldn't help retreating a few steps himself.
As expected of a hybrid vicious beast, the Fire Qilin was truly powerful.
Looking at Shi Teng's right arm, Xia Youyu and the others also showed shock on their faces. "Is... is that the Qilin Precious Technique?"
Shi Teng coughed twice. "Qilin Precious Technique, my ass. This is called the Qilin Arm. It's impervious to heat and cold, blades and spears!"
Everyone nodded.
Before they could catch their breath, the Fire Qilin lunged again.
Xia Youyu said, "Everyone, attack together!"
The slender sword in her hand was already thrusting toward the Fire Qilin.
The beauties behind her also leaped forward, revealing their graceful figures and long, slender, fair legs.
For a moment, Shi Teng nearly had a nosebleed.
Forcing down the wicked fire in his heart, he opened his eyes wide and roared again, "Little qilin, take another punch!"
Scorching heat surged through his right hand, as though he had plunged it into magma, and his entire body seemed to burn.
Under their relentless joint assault, the Fire Qilin was driven back into its cave.
There was no way they would let it escape. They immediately chased it inside, where unusual fruits as red as blood grew among the vines, resembling tiny blood-red lanterns.
Excitement appeared on Bai Yun's face. "Blood Bodhi!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she began swiftly picking the Blood Bodhi around her with both hands.
Seeing this, Shi Teng refused to fall behind. His hands moved nonstop as he frantically snatched Blood Bodhi from the stone walls.
Anything everyone scrambled to grab had to be good stuff.
Shi Hao grabbed two and popped them straight into his mouth. A fiery red glow immediately appeared around him, and his whole body grew scorching hot.
Xia Youyu said, "These are called Blood Bodhi. They form from congealed qilin blood. They can cure stubborn ailments and even improve your cultivation!"
Looking at the dozen or so Blood Bodhi in his palm, Shi Teng couldn't help swallowing.
I wonder if they're sweet.
Looks like it's time to break through to the Second Heavenly Grotto and cultivate the Scarlet Emperor Fire Emperor Qi.
Ignoring the others, Shi Teng said in a low voice, "Little One, guard your big brother while he cultivates!"
He immediately sat cross-legged at the entrance to the Fire Qilin's cave and tossed the dozen or so Blood Bodhi into his mouth.
Fiery heat filled his mouth, as though a fierce blaze were raging inside it, before turning into a hot current that flowed into the meridians throughout his body.
His entire body instantly began to burn.
The crimson firelight illuminated the contours of his face more clearly.
Bathed in the firelight, he looked even more radiant, full of energy and dazzling spirit.
For a brief instant,
Xia Youyu felt heat rise in her own face, and the blood throughout her body seemed to burn along with his.
The other three women couldn't help developing a fondness for Shi Teng as well.
So boys who cultivated diligently could actually be this handsome.
Boom!
As Shi Teng pushed hard for his breakthrough, two heavenly grottos immediately manifested around him, each as large as a millstone.
Vast amounts of fire spiritual energy began rapidly flowing into his Second Heavenly Grotto.
His first heavenly grotto brimmed with boundless vitality, flowing without end.
His Second Heavenly Grotto was filled with firelight, blazing fiercely.
Somewhat shocked, Bai Yun said, "Senior Sister, this boy has clearly only just opened his Second Heavenly Grotto. Why are his heavenly grottos so big, and a little different from ours?"
Xia Youyu immediately snapped out of her fascination with Shi Teng's figure. A blush appeared on her face, and her mind was filled with his image.
"Mm, he must have cultivated some special method!"
"A special method? What good cultivation method could a poor boy from the Great Wilderness possibly have? It must be some crooked, evil art!"
Shi Teng wanted nothing more than to leap up and kick her.
But he was currently using the Blood Bodhi and the fire spiritual energy inside the cave to cultivate the Scarlet Emperor Fire Emperor Qi, so he couldn't be bothered to quibble with her.
A tremendous amount of fire spiritual energy from the surroundings surged frantically toward Shi Teng, wrapping around his body.
It enveloped him completely in a ball of firelight.
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