So much to do

A cold gleam appeared in Lu Changsheng's eyes.

The little black chicken, which had been hopping about, quieted down, confusion in its eyes, as though it could no longer understand him.

A Nascent Soul cultivator under twenty-what a prodigy! Someone like that should not behave this way, asking nothing and focusing on payment right from the start.

As far as it knew, even if the person before it did not hail from a sacred land of High Antiquity, he should at least come from one of those great sects with ancient inheritances. Would someone like that lack such trifles?

Wasn't a favor from it worth more?

"I was presumptuous. What sort of payment would you like, fellow Daoist?" the black chicken asked.

Only at those words did Lu Changsheng's expression ease. Smiling again, he said, "No need to prepare anything special. Just give me Spirit Stones!"

"How many would you like?"

At that question, Lu Changsheng immediately fell into thought. He looked it up and down and said, "That depends on how much you think your life is worth!"

After what had happened with Ning Yuxin, he had wised up, afraid his limited vision would lead him to ask for too little again.

Letting the other party name a price would at least help him sound out their bottom line!

The little black chicken went blank, looking at him dubiously. Then it waved a wing, and a bag of Spirit Stones appeared before Lu Changsheng.

"Here are a hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Please accept them, fellow Daoist!"

"You think your life is only worth a hundred thousand?"

Lu Changsheng was somewhat dissatisfied. In the past, he might have been delighted, but he had taken a risk this time, after all. Was it brushing him off with a hundred thousand?

The little black chicken looked at him, a complicated look in its eyes.

"This is all I have left from this trip. If you think it isn't enough, I'll compensate you later!"

"Forget later. Let's do it now. Law Artifacts, spirit medicines, anything like that will do. I'm not picky!" Lu Changsheng declared without hesitation. He would take anything that could be exchanged for Spirit Stones.

Whatever the case, he wanted it in hand now. Paying him later was a complete joke. If it ran away, where would he go to collect?

The little black chicken truly had not expected this. The genius before it had defied its expectations, even completely overturned its understanding.

Could someone like this really possess such talent?

Still, it shook its head and said, "After traveling all this way, I truly don't have much left on me. I will certainly repay you in the future, fellow Daoist!"

"Another pauper?" Lu Changsheng gave it a disdainful glance. "Fine, fine. You can go. But before you leave, swear that you won't reveal the slightest thing about me to any living being by any means. Otherwise, may heaven strike you with lightning, your Dao heart shatter, your bloodline die out, and you meet a wretched end!"

The black chicken was stunned.

What did he mean, pauper? Was he really mocking it so bluntly?

And did the oath have to be so vicious? Just how much did he have to hide?!

After pondering for a moment, the little black chicken gritted its teeth. "I agree to everything you said, and I'll swear that binding oath. I'll also certainly bring you Spirit Stones in the future to repay your favor!"

Lu Changsheng merely glanced at it. "Oh, quite stubborn, aren't you!"

"You..."

The black chicken took a deep breath and swore to the Great Dao upon its Dao heart and bloodline. Once made, no one could break the oath unless they could stand above the myriad Daos.

Hearing the oath, Lu Changsheng nodded in satisfaction and removed its eighteen restrictions.

Its injuries were very severe, however, and it would need a long time to recuperate.

Just then, several terrifying presences emerged outside the Cangyun Sect, enveloping the entire sect.

Everyone's expression changed sharply. Looking up, they saw several Nascent Soul experts staring coldly down at them, their Divine Sense sweeping over every corner.

"You really are a trouble magnet!"

Lu Changsheng knew these people had most likely been drawn here by the black chicken. He immediately shoved it into his robes, concealed its presence, and walked out of the room to look at them.

The Cangyun Sect Patriarch and Luo Tian were also roused. They hurried out and approached to speak with them.

"Fellow Daoists, what brings you here?" the patriarch asked.

The leader swept his gaze over them and said coldly, "We're looking for a living creature!"

"What sort of creature?"

"A black bird. If you find it, light this stick of incense. Once it's captured, the reward will be a million spirit crystals. If you dare shelter it, your sect will have no reason to continue existing!"

The visitor sent a stick of incense over to the patriarch.

The patriarch nodded. He was no fool. He knew they came from a major power, and he had no reason to offend them.

Lu Changsheng, however, could not remain calm. He exclaimed under his breath, "You're actually worth a million spirit crystals!"

"What do you mean by that?" the black chicken asked warily.

"Nothing. I'm just marveling at how valuable you are!"

Lu Changsheng was tempted. With those million spirit crystals, he could immediately break through to the Nascent Soul second layer and even have some left over.

The black chicken said, "My injuries are too severe right now. Protect me for a while, and I will reward you handsomely. It won't be less than that million spirit crystals!"

"You haven't even settled the last bill, and now you're trying to feed me another painted cake?" Lu Changsheng thought for a moment. "Besides, how am I supposed to know where those people will pop up from? Without preparation, I can't conceal your presence!"

Hum!

As he spoke, Lu Changsheng felt something appear inside his robes. He took it out to look and found that a crimson furnace had inexplicably appeared.

"A King-grade Law Artifact!"

He recognized its grade and was filled with surprise. It was even higher-grade than the Law Artifact Qi Lian had brought out, and it could hold living creatures.

The black chicken said, "I'll recuperate inside the furnace. They won't be able to sense me. You just need to carry the furnace with you!"

As those people departed.

Lu Changsheng returned to his room and looked at the black chicken. "Just where did you come from? A bunch of Nascent Soul cultivators are hunting you, and you're worth a million spirit crystals!"

"It's inconvenient to say much right now. I'll tell you in the future!"

"Then what's your name?"

After a moment's thought, the black chicken said, "My name is Ye Mitian."

"Ye Mitian?"

"Yes!"

The black chicken watched the person before it. Seeing him hesitate, it thought he had realized something.

Instead, Lu Changsheng shook his head. "Too hard to remember. I'll call you Xiaohei!"

"You..."

"Oh, right. My name is Lu Changsheng!"

With that, Lu Changsheng said no more. He put it into the furnace, turned, and left.

There was not much time left before the Dynasty War, and he still had things to do.

Back then, the patriarch had been like a duck forced onto a perch. He had cherished and valued Lu Changsheng so much that Lu Changsheng had to repay him somehow, so he decided to accompany him in cultivation a few times.

From then on, whenever night fell, Lu Changsheng would drape himself in a black robe and seek out the patriarch, taking the initiative to help advance his stagnant cultivation.

Xiaohei could clearly sense all of this, yet it only grew more astonished.

This was merely a sect as ordinary as could be. Even its patriarch had only barely reached Nascent Soul, yet it had produced such a heaven-defying disciple.

Reaching Nascent Soul at such a young age was inconceivable. Anywhere else, even sacred lands would fight until their heads bled over such talent. Barring any mishaps, he would become an invincible figure.

Yet someone like him was actually content to hole up in this remote backwater. It truly defied understanding, and he was also a little... hard to put into words.

Time passed as usual. Lu Changsheng strolled back to Qingyun Peak, only to find Ye Qingchen already waiting there.

"Brother Lu!" Ye Qingchen approached.

"What is it?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"My injuries have mostly healed. I've come to bid farewell!"

"Bid farewell? You're returning to the Divine Firmament Sect?"

"No, I still have some things to do before returning to the sect. Thank you for everything during this time, Brother Lu. If you ever need anything, come find me at the Divine Firmament Sect. I won't shrink from walking through boiling water or treading through fire!"

Ye Qingchen spoke earnestly. He had no way to repay him and could only offer this.

Lu Changsheng said little. He was not seeking any repayment, either. It would be enough if Ye Qingchen could look after his senior brother and junior sister in the future.

After all, was he the sort to use a favor to demand repayment?

After watching Ye Qingchen leave, Lu Changsheng decided to go to sleep. He had originally wanted to cultivate, but thinking of all those people hunting Xiaohei, he did not want to flaunt himself everywhere.

Better to wait until he had safely finished participating in the war and sent Xiaohei away. Once the winds and waves had calmed, he could return and continue his carefree life.

Yet just then, word came from the sect: they would set out for the competition in three days!