This wasn't Chen Beiwu trying to scare anyone. There was precedent.
A few years ago, the cultivation world of Far Sky County was rocked by the year's most scandalous romantic murder case.
A Qi Refining genius had been pursuing the daughters of two Golden Core Aristocratic Clans at the same time. His rival had caught him red-handed as a "master of time management."
Not long afterward, the man vanished from the cultivation world without a trace.
After word of the incident got out, many cultivators thought it was just a rumor. The daughters of Golden Core Aristocratic Clans were heaven's favored women-how could they both fall for a mere Qi Refining mortal cultivator? But Chen Beiwu could confirm that the story was true.
Chen Beiwu knew that Qi Refining genius, and had met him several times.
The man was called Chen Xiuran. He was extraordinarily handsome, a famous beauty of Pingchen Township, and also Chen Beiwu's distant cousin.
Chen Xiuran's good looks defied description. Whenever he went out, a huge crowd of women would follow him, asking for his contact information.
But his heart was set on the Dao. He turned down every beautiful woman who threw herself at him, yet couldn't refuse the cultivation resources they offered. In the end, he chose to enjoy two steaming bowls of soft rice, angering the Golden Core Aristocratic Clan with its strict family rules.
By now, the grass on his grave was probably three feet tall.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Xu Lingling waved a hand in front of Chen Beiwu. Her eyes never left the Jade Slip in his palm.
"What do you think? Obviously, I'm looking at a beauty." Chen Beiwu glanced at her and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Xu Lingling suddenly ran after him.
Chen Beiwu stopped, his brow furrowing slightly. "Is something wrong?"
"Here. It's a gift to congratulate you on advancing to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. Don't get the wrong idea."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Beiwu felt an immense force hit his right palm. He nearly fell over, while Xu Lingling ran off into the distance, her ears faintly red.
Perhaps she was so embarrassed at giving a gift for the first time that she didn't even watch where she was going. She didn't seem to notice when her right elbow struck an old tree by the roadside.
"Crack!" The tree snapped and crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Chen Beiwu's mouth twitched.
This girl gets so embarrassed just giving someone a gift. What would happen if things went further, like a hug? Would she get so embarrassed that she'd hug her boyfriend until his bones snapped?
At the thought of that nightmarish scene, Chen Beiwu couldn't help shaking his head.
Stop right there!
She'd kindly given him a gift. He couldn't let his thoughts run wild.
Chen Beiwu lowered his head and looked at the jade bottle in his palm. Three large characters were written on it: "Frostfall Pill."
"This..."
Seeing the pill's name, Chen Beiwu froze, his expression complicated.
On the other side, Xu Ziqing put an arm around Xu Lingling and deliberately teased her. "Lingling, are you really that rich?"
She'd watched everything that happened, and knew her best friend liked Chen Beiwu. She'd just pretended not to know, so their friendship wouldn't be harmed.
She believed that as long as she kept expressing how much she liked Chen Beiwu in front of her best friend, Lingling's shy nature would keep her from competing for him.
But it seemed that even a cornered rabbit would bite.
Perhaps giving Chen Beiwu a gift had pushed Xu Lingling too hard, and ended up having the opposite effect.
At her words, Xu Lingling's cheeks kept reddening as she murmured in defense, "It wasn't expensive. Teacher Li only charged me four hundred Spirit Stones each, exactly half the market price for Frostfall Pills. And if you buy three together, you get a discount. They only cost a thousand Spirit Stones."
"Besides, I did it to save someone. It has nothing to do with money," she added.
Hearing this, Xu Ziqing smiled meaningfully. "So many cultivators die every year from severe injuries in Far Sky County. Why don't I ever see you being kind enough to save them, Lingling?"
Xu Lingling was immediately at a loss for words.
"Chen Beiwu is the dream lover of many girls at Shouhe No. 2 Middle School. It's only natural that you like him, Lingling." Xu Ziqing turned to look at the Firmament.
"I actually..." Xu Lingling tried to explain, but couldn't say a thing.
Then she saw her best friend extend her right hand toward her, as if issuing a challenge. "Lingling, from now on, let's each rely on our own abilities and compete fairly. How about it?"
Looking at Xu Ziqing, who seemed like a goddess in the sunlight, Xu Lingling couldn't help staring.
As if! She had no ladylike grace at all in private and was always breaking things. How could she compete with a best friend as broad-minded and gentle as Xu Ziqing?
Cultivation Room.
"This is tricky!" Chen Beiwu sighed, his gaze shifting back and forth between the Spell Art Jade Slip and the Frostfall Pill.
Too much romantic luck could be a calamity.
It was one thing to accept one gift, but the two gifts together were too valuable. Their total worth exceeded a thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
If either of Xu Ziqing's or Xu Lingling's parents took a dislike to him and wanted to mess with him, they could use these gifts as grounds to send him away in silver shackles to mine.
There's no use thinking so much. The truth is, my own strength isn't enough. Otherwise, I could do whatever I wanted. Chen Beiwu glanced at the messages on his phone.
As expected, both Xu Ziqing and Xu Lingling said that a gift, once given, was like water poured out-it couldn't be taken back-and told him to accept it without worry.
No choice. Looks like I'll have to pick a time to return the favor to Xu Ziqing, Xu Lingling, and Teacher Li Jiacheng, and express my gratitude. Chen Beiwu picked up the Spell Art Jade Slip and looked at Iron Egg.
"Woof?"
Iron Egg cocked its head in confusion.
"Do you want to become stronger?" Chen Beiwu asked solemnly.
Iron Egg's eyes lit up, and it barked excitedly. "Woof, woof, woof!"
"Good. I have here a 'Heavenly Dog Swallowing the Sun Scripture' passed down from ancient times. Look at the patterns on this Jade Slip. See that gold pattern? It means the slip contains the embryonic form of a Supreme-Grade Fire-Attribute Spell Art Divine Ability." Chen Beiwu exaggerated.
Iron Egg's eyes grew wider and wider. It clamped its jaws around the Jade Slip.
"Easy. Don't bite down too hard and break it."
Chen Beiwu patted the dog's head. "Listen. The embryonic form of this Divine Ability is called Blazing Flame Pull. It can draw on the world's Fire-Attribute spiritual energy to form a Fire Python that can both attack and defend. The Fire Python has seven forms, and its most powerful form can instantly break through the defenses of a Second-Realm Lesser Demon."
Hearing this, Iron Egg excitedly pawed at the ground, its tail spinning like a wind-and-fire wheel.
It knew what a Second-Realm Lesser Demon was.
The Azure Thunder Tiger, which had looked so imposing yesterday and nearly scared it into peeing itself from far away, was a Second-Realm Lesser Demon. It had looked so powerful, so domineering!
"So, what do you think? Do you want to learn it?" Chen Beiwu asked.
Iron Egg nodded frantically.
"Then, do you want to change your share of the Jade-Scale Snake?"
"Woof!"
"Good." Chen Beiwu nodded slightly. "Given how steadfast your heart is set on the Dao, I'll leave this embryonic Divine Ability to you. Remember, wrap your tongue in Demon Qi and lick the Jade Slip to activate the lesson."
As soon as he finished speaking, Iron Egg began licking the Jade Slip frantically.
Chen Beiwu secretly laughed, pleased that he'd successfully stirred Iron Egg's enthusiasm for learning.
He hadn't lied to Iron Egg. The most powerful form of Blazing Flame Pull, the transformation of the python into a dragon, could instantly break through a Second-Realm Lesser Demon's defenses. But there were two conditions: the caster's cultivation had to reach Foundation Establishment, and they had to comprehend the second-tier Supreme-Grade Spirit Art, Blazing Dragon Shatter.
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