Everyone in the manor went wild. Some shouted, "So this is Invincible Handsome Guy! He's even more incredible than the legends say! At the perfected Formation Arrangement Realm, he can thrash Venerable experts! I worship him! I hereby declare: Invincible Handsome Guy is my idol!"
Another said, "Same here! Invincible Handsome Guy, your divine prowess is unrivaled! Once your divine might erupts, all living beings bow!...!"
Everyone shouted, "Invincible Handsome Guy, your divine prowess is unrivaled!..."
A lovestruck woman said, "He's so handsome! I want to have his babies!"
Another woman said, "Tch! With your looks? Go wash up and get some sleep! You can have anything in your dreams. Didn't you see those fairies beside him? When would it ever be your turn?"
Jun Moxiao looked at these people acting like brainless fans and shook his head, quieting them down. "All right, stop shouting! This is just business as usual. Don't make such a fuss. Be serious."
Jun Moxiao felt it was time to end the gathering of Heavenly Prodigies, so he told the Heavenly Prodigies from the Outer Regions, "All right! The gathering of Heavenly Prodigies is over. Go back to your own homes and find your own mothers! And don't come to the Fire Kingdom in arrogant, overbearing packs again, disturbing the people's lives. The Fire Kingdom isn't your backyard. If you come to make friends, we welcome you. But if you come to bully people, you'll have to take a Social Beating."
Shi Hao chimed in, "Right! This is my junior sister's turf. Don't come here throwing your weight around again, or these sandbag-sized fists of mine can teach you how to behave."
The Heavenly Prodigies hurriedly nodded. "Since Invincible Handsome Guy has spoken, we must obey. You and your companions are also welcome to visit our lands."
Jun Moxiao said, "Ah! That's more like it. Cultivation isn't all fighting and killing. There's also knowing how to deal with people. You hit me today, I hit you tomorrow-acting like a pack of wild beasts is pointless. We cultivators must cultivate not only divine abilities, but also our hearts. Only then can we go further!"
The Heavenly Prodigies hastily cried, "Thank you for your guidance, young master! We will engrave it in our hearts."
Then the Heavenly Prodigies from the Outer Regions left the Fire Kingdom in a great throng, their ranks as orderly as an army.
Princess Qianqian and Princess Bingqing invited Jun Moxiao and the others to visit the Mystic Domain whenever they had time, promising to sweep their guest beds clean in welcome.
The Nine-Headed Lion and Big Red boasted smugly, "See that? Our big brother is our big brother-always invincible."
After sending the Heavenly Prodigies away, Jun Moxiao asked Shi Hao, "Hao Tian! Wasn't that Sword Art divine ability of mine handsome?"
Shi Hao said, "It was awesome! When did you comprehend an ability like that? Bring it out and let me study it. All your divine abilities seem freaking amazing."
Jun Moxiao said, "It's a secret! We'll talk after we get back."
Huo Ling'er said to the other women in amazement, "Our little junior brother is incredible. A few words, and he sent all those Heavenly Prodigies from the Outer Regions away. He really solved a headache for me, and they were so obedient, too. It feels like there's no problem he can't solve."
Xia Youyu and the War Goddess said, "Isn't that perfectly normal? Think back to the battle at the Heaven Mending Pavilion. Even gods weren't as formidable as Junior Brother Xiaoxiao."
"This mysterious young man is truly a monster. A veil of mist hangs over him, and no one can see through it. The laws of heaven and earth don't affect him, as though he isn't someone of this world. What sort of woman could be worthy of him?"
"We're so insignificant before him! He's like a towering tree we can only gaze up at. Oh, right! Who was that masked woman beside him during the Battle of the Two Stones? Her Peerless Beauty eclipsed everyone."
Yun Xi and Qingyi both marveled at the boy's monstrous talent and turned to look at Witch. Yun Xi also wanted to probe into Jun Moxiao's background.
Witch was displeased. This Celestial Clan Saintess actually dared to ask about Sister Willow Deity, so she told Yun Xi sternly, "Fairy Yun Xi, a word of advice: you'd better not inquire into this, or you'll bring trouble upon your Celestial Clan. The karma behind it is immense, far beyond what you can bear-even with an Old Celestial Supreme in your clan."
The color immediately drained from Yun Xi's beautiful face, and she hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made wild guesses."
Witch smiled gracefully. "But if you return to Stone Village with Hao Tian, that's another matter. You'll find out eventually!"
Huo Ling'er pursed her little lips and gave a soft "Hmph!"
The other women found her expression amusing.
At that moment, Qingyi said, "The Desolate Region Calamity is approaching. You should think about how to escape it!"
Witch thought, With Sister Willow Deity here, what's there to fear? Perhaps Xiaoxiao has other trump cards, too. Just think-he has two Quasi-Immortal Emperor Weapons. Those sect leaders from the Upper Realm are nothing but trash in this young man's eyes.
So Witch said, "I have a feeling this Desolate Region Calamity might turn out differently. Those great sects from the Upper Realm might fail to steal the chicken and lose their rice besides. They might even be wiped out entirely."
Qingyi asked in surprise, "You mean some great figure will intervene? Could it be the person behind Young Master Xiaoxiao?"
Witch said, "Sister! Stop asking. Everyone will know when the time comes."
Xia Youyu recalled Jun Moxiao saying he could Summon Future Self and thought, Our little junior brother wouldn't really do that, would he?
The Fire Emperor and the Venerables beside him watched Jun Moxiao resolve all these troubles with just a few words. After a spell of stunned silence, they all declared that this youth was a god.
The Fire Emperor told Jun Moxiao, "Xiaoxiao, you've done me a huge favor this time!"
Jun Moxiao said, "Senior Fire Emperor, we're all on the same side. We should help one another. Don't worry about it."
The Nine-Spirit Saint King said in astonishment, "Young friend, you've already reached the Venerable Realm at such a young age. You put us to shame. It feels as though all our years of cultivation have gone to the dogs."
A Venerable? Everyone was stunned! He had only been at the Great Perfection of the Formation Arrangement Realm just now, yet in the blink of an eye, he had broken through to Venerable.
Jun Moxiao was taken aback himself and hurriedly checked the system.
Congratulations, Master, on checking in with an Immortal Mountain expert and crippling an Immortal Mountain Venerable. Your strength has risen to Venerable Realm, 10%. Reward: ten cubic units of divine material, five-element stone.
Holy shit! I've reached Venerable already?
Jun Moxiao said, "Meng Die! I get rewards for beating up an Immortal Mountain Venerable, too?"
Meng Die said, "In the original plot, the Immortal Mountain expert wielding the Five Elements Ring fought Shi Hao. That also counts as an iconic scene. Your arrival changed which Immortal Mountain expert appeared, but that was only a minor change to the plot."
Jun Moxiao said, "That's great. Thanks."
When Shi Hao, Huo Ling'er, and the others heard that Jun Moxiao had already broken through to Venerable, they were all dumbfounded. Was he even human?
Shi Hao said with a troubled expression, "Xiaoxiao! I'm only at the mid Formation Arrangement Realm, and you're already a Venerable. I couldn't catch you even if I whipped my horse!"
The Fire Emperor hurriedly consoled him. "Hao Tian! There's no need to compare yourself to Xiaoxiao. You're no slouch either. You've reached the mid Formation Arrangement Realm at such a young age, putting you ahead of every other Heavenly Prodigy. Apart from that absurd monster Xiaoxiao, you can already trounce all the other Heavenly Prodigies."
Shi Hao asked the Fire Emperor, the Nine-Spirit Saint King, and the others, "Seniors, do you know any ways to improve my strength?"
After the Nine-Spirit Saint King and the others shared some insights on cultivation with Shi Hao, the Nine-Spirit Saint King suddenly asked, "Why don't you ask our young friend Xiaoxiao? He's already a Venerable."
Shi Hao said, "No one else can learn his cultivation method. Ever since he was little, whenever Xiaoxiao had free time, all he did was sleep and sleep some more. When I asked why he didn't cultivate, he said, 'You only see me sleeping, but I'm actually cultivating in my dreams. Sometimes I cultivate for years in a single dream.'"
Everyone exclaimed, "There's a cultivation method like that?"
Shi Hao said, "Right! Xiaoxiao said it's similar to cultivating as a spiritual body in the Void God Realm. But we can't figure out the method at all, and we don't know if it's even true."
Listening to these people he had previously fooled so thoroughly, Jun Moxiao told them, "Don't bother thinking about it! This method is unique to me. You can't possibly learn it. The thing is, even I don't know how it works. As soon as I fall asleep, I automatically start cultivating in my dreams."
The Fire Emperor said, "That's the world of monsters. We ordinary people can't understand it. Oh, right, Hao Tian. Your Shi Clan has a Legacy Treasure. If you obtain it, your cultivation will surely soar."
Shi Hao was taken aback. What legacy could Stone Village possibly have? They hadn't even possessed a single precious technique or divine ability. The village had only become a little better after he and Xiaoxiao grew stronger. When they were little, Stone Village had been terribly poor, and they rarely even had meat to eat.
Shi Hao asked the Fire Emperor, "What treasure could our little mountain village have?"
The Fire Emperor explained, "A few Pill Formulas. I've heard the Stone Emperor also has several, but unfortunately, one has been lost."
The Nine-Spirit Saint King said, "I've heard there's also a large Big Black Cauldron, another extraordinary object. So many great sects covet the Shi Clan's legacy—even the great sects of the Upper Realm."
Shi Hao asked, "How many Pill Formulas are there?"
The Fire Emperor said, "Five. The Stone Emperor only has four; one is missing. Otherwise, those great sects would certainly try to seize them."
The Nine-Spirit Saint King said, "That's where the Shi Clan was clever. They built the Stone Kingdom splendidly, yet made their ancestral land look like a run-down mountain village to keep it hidden."
The Fire Emperor said, "The medicine made from those Pill Formulas, used with that Black Cauldron, can develop the human divine treasury and unlock human potential. This is a treasure that countless great figures covet!"
Shi Hao was dumbfounded. Wasn't that the big cauldron in Stone Village? And the Pill Formulas were the medicinal recipes Grandpa Chief had held-five in all. When Shi Hao was little, Grandpa Chief had gathered medicinal herbs for his baths. Later, when he grew older, Grandpa Chief had given him the Pill Formulas.
Shi Hao had learned to recognize many precious medicines from those Pill Formulas and often grabbed them whenever he saw them.
Jun Moxiao quietly listened to everything. He already knew it all, and the Pill Formulas and pills in his possession were upgraded versions besides.
Shi Hao marveled that he had been holding a treasure all along without knowing it!
These Pill Formulas are so powerful. I have to keep them secret. Suppressing his excitement, Shi Hao hurriedly feigned sorrow. "What a pity! Such a wonderful treasure has been lost."
The Nine-Spirit Saint King said, "If the Shi Clan's Pill Formulas still existed, the Stone Kingdom would have been destroyed long ago. Think about it-would those great sects of the Upper Realm leave a legacy like that alone?"
Shi Hao nodded. "That's true. If you have a treasure but can't protect it, you'll certainly be destroyed. By the way, seniors, do you know where I can find precious medicines? I'd like to find some for cultivation."
The Fire Emperor said, "Medicine Capital! There are all kinds of precious medicines there, as well as a great sect, the Divine Medicine Gate."
Before you continue