Golden Core True Person

Xu Ziqing froze for a moment, then asked instinctively, "You mean the Azure Spirit Newt won't do?"

Chen Beiwu coughed twice.

What nonsense was this girl talking about? They hadn't even left the Azure Spirit Newt's habitat yet.

"It's not that the Azure Spirit Newt won't do. It's that those five newts just now weren't to my liking," Chen Beiwu explained.

Xu Ziqing moved closer, bringing with her a faint, fragrant breeze. "I see. Then where are we going on our next date?"

Chen Beiwu picked up the Jade Slip and headed toward the Teleportation Formation. "Gengshen District 39, coordinates: Jade-Horn Spring."

Jade-Horn Spring.

Swarming Azure-Wave Spirit Carp swam freely in the clear, crystal-bottomed spirit spring.

From time to time, a few lively spirit carp flicked their tails, sending ripples across the water and bringing a hint of delight to Xu Ziqing's eyes.

But Chen Beiwu, standing by the spring, merely furrowed his brow. His eyes showed no interest.

These spirit carp are too skinny. They're obviously lacking from birth.

"These spirit carp lack spirituality. Though they're Spirit Beasts, they don't even have the instinct to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth."

"These spirit carp have decent aptitude, but their Fortune is frighteningly low. They don't even have a hint of light blue."

After carefully inspecting the entire group of spirit carp fry, Chen Beiwu couldn't help letting out a breath of stale air.

"Not a single Spirit Beast is a good match?" Xu Ziqing asked in surprise, turning to look at him.

When a cultivator chose a Companion Beast, he was essentially weaving the web of his own Dao. He had to be extremely cautious.

So before making a Contract with a Spirit Beast, every Qi Refining cultivator would use the [Three Meridians and Six Wheels Detection Method] taught at school to make an assessment and determine their Companion Beast.

"None." Chen Beiwu shook his head regretfully.

Most of the Azure-Wave Spirit Carp in Jade-Horn Spring had great spirituality, but not one of them had managed to excite him.

"That makes sense. The spirit carp here are good, but they're still not worthy of you," Xu Ziqing said as though it were only natural.

She wasn't a shallow girl. She knew very well how outstanding Chen Beiwu was; otherwise, she wouldn't have pursued him herself.

In her heart, Chen Beiwu had striking looks, exceptional talent, remarkable comprehension, and a gentle disposition.

Any one of these qualities alone was nothing special, but put them all together and they became a winning hand Xu Ziqing couldn't refuse.

Otherwise, she and her best friend Xu Lingling wouldn't both have fallen for Chen Beiwu.

Of course, Chen Beiwu wasn't without flaws. His family was rather poor, and he didn't have enough cultivation resources to turn his talent and aptitude into strength.

Even so, Chen Beiwu was unquestionably an excellent husband prospect in Fallen Dragon Prefecture, let alone in Far Sky County, one of the prefecture's six counties.

It was no exaggeration to say that if she and Xu Lingling weren't usually there to stand in the way, using their families' powerful backing to claim him first, the rich girls of Shouhe No. 2 Middle School would fight like mad to get Chen Beiwu.

"Who says they're worthy or unworthy?" Chen Beiwu waved his hand. "These spirit carp are among the most sought-after outside the Spirit Beast Pavilion. When the time comes, forget buying one to make a Contract-I doubt I could even afford a fish head."

"Where are we going to have fun next?" Xu Ziqing asked with a bright smile.

"Renzi District 1, coordinates: Four Seas Lake." Chen Beiwu looked toward the North Kan water position.

The Darkwater Spirit Turtle was the Cavern Mystery Immortal Sect's exclusive Spirit Beast, famed far and wide. He hoped it wouldn't disappoint him.

Four Seas Lake covered only a few hundred li, yet it gathered the essence of the four seas, drawing their waters together into a lake of its own.

Strange rocks stood in profusion along the shore. Every so often, a Spirit Turtle surfaced and slowly swam toward the rock forest before resting beneath a stone.

"Little friend, are you hoping to make a Contract with a Darkwater Spirit Turtle?" A warm voice suddenly sounded in Chen Beiwu's ear.

He looked toward the voice. A young cultivator with a straight, pine-like bearing and handsome, delicate features was riding a turtle toward them.

The man wore a plain white Daoist robe, its cuffs embroidered with silver patterns. The patterns wound like flowing water, forming an image of a Spirit Turtle wreathed in shifting spiritual light at the front of the robe.

Beneath his feet, an enormous beast as large as a mountain radiated a terrifying aura that made one tremble at the sight of it.

Its head is like a mountain, its gaze like lightning, its scales like gold, and its tail merges with Mysterious Yin. This is a Third Tier Upper Grade Treasure Beast, the Mysterious-Water Nether Turtle! Chen Beiwu's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately understood.

If he wasn't mistaken, the cultivator riding the turtle toward them was very likely a Golden Core True Person of the Cavern Mystery Immortal Sect!

Xu Ziqing's expression changed slightly, and she bowed respectfully. "Greetings, True Person!"

She didn't need to guess the man's identity as Chen Beiwu did.

The Fallen Dragon Xu Family had a Golden Core True Person in residence, who attended the family gathering once every hundred years.

The last gathering had been five years ago. Xu Ziqing had been fortunate enough to meet the family's Golden Core ancestor and witness the might of the Golden Core for herself.

So even though the other party had deliberately restrained most of his Golden Core pressure, Xu Ziqing could still feel a suffocating oppression. It was the fear of life itself.

It really is a Golden Core True Person!

Chen Beiwu didn't dare be careless. He responded with the courtesy due to a junior. "Greetings, True Person. The Darkwater Spirit Turtle is renowned far and wide. This junior naturally wishes to make a Contract with one."

"Little friend, you have a good eye. Darkwater Spirit Turtles are different from other Spirit Beasts. They're rather lazy by nature and generally don't meet outsiders. You need a token to approach them."

As he spoke, Han Liangcai's figure flickered, and he appeared in front of Chen Beiwu in an instant. He said lightly, "And only those with an affinity for it can obtain this token."

"May I ask, senior, what does it mean to have an affinity for it?" Chen Beiwu asked.

"Affinity is affinity. It cannot be spoken of, cannot be spoken of!" Han Liangcai shook his head. His Daoist robe fluttered in the wind, making him seem all the more ethereal, like an Exiled Immortal descended to the mortal world.

"This..." Chen Beiwu paused, then looked at Xu Ziqing.

Xu Ziqing blinked in confusion, indicating she didn't know either.

Affinity this, affinity that. She hated people who spoke in riddles.

Seeing that Chen Beiwu made no move, Han Liangcai furrowed his brow and held out his hand. Then he rubbed his thumb and middle finger together twice. In that moment, the immortal air about him vanished without a trace.

"???" Chen Beiwu understood at once.

So that was what he meant by "affinity."

But he didn't have many Spirit Stones on him, only two. Even if he handed over both of them, he couldn't sway a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, let alone a Golden Core True Person from the Cavern Mystery Immortal Sect.

At the same time, a trace of confusion flashed across Xu Ziqing's eyes.

What was going on?

A Golden Core True Person's Magic Power was unified in Primordial Unity and possessed a trace of immortality. With a flick of a finger, he could easily suppress dozens of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, let alone someone from one of the Thirteen Immortal Sects.

If someone of this stature wanted Low-Grade Spirit Stones, he didn't need to ask for them himself.

He only had to let the slightest hint slip, and the Foundation Establishment Lineages in Far Sky County would scramble to make offerings.

Something was wrong. Very wrong indeed.

No matter how hard the young Lady Xu racked her brains, she couldn't understand why a Golden Core True Person would ask an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator for Spirit Stones, so she didn't dare speak rashly.

And so the atmosphere grew awkward.

"Little friend, you don't have even the slightest bit of affinity on you?" Han Liangcai asked, somewhat surprised.

He had made the hint so obvious, yet this young fellow still hadn't caught on at all.