57

"How magnificent! Truly worthy of the Falling Heaven Sect!" Gu Qing touched down at the mountain gate and climbed up step by step.

The array base points instantly connected with one another, and dense, intricate lines enveloped a radius of over ten miles, creating a world woven entirely from formation patterns.

"Since you are all acquainted, let's not linger at the entrance. Let's head upstairs to a private room and chat at our leisure." With that, he led our entire group upstairs.

However, he overlooked one crucial detail: escaping was entirely feasible, but everything had to be predicated on the condition that "one is still alive." Evidently, the groom had no intention of letting Brother Feng off so easily. He brandished a long saber he had picked up from somewhere and took aim at his abdomen.

"Should I... help or not?" Ye Tianxun continued to push the sharp blade deeper into his chest, sending spurts of blood shooting out one after another.

"Then I must see just how strong you really are. Take my attack!" Seeing Ming Xuan remain so calm, Ren Jiming inexplicably flared with anger, and his onslaught grew even more ferocious! Ming Xuan no longer dodged blindly and drew his sword to meet the challenge.

The Nine-Turn Qi Refining Technique had one major advantage: it was completely immune to external interference. As long as one was in a place with culinary energy, cultivation could proceed. Presumably, Big Beard Zhu had created this technique specifically so one could work in the kitchen and cultivate at the same time.

Thus, Zhen Shifeng connected the aforementioned clues together. Assuming Cai Jun had adopted the pseudonym Bai Xing to echo the name of the thief Liu Baixing, the "bridge" spanning between these two individuals was likely related to that one million in starting capital.

At this moment, the heavens and the earth fell into such profound silence that everyone stood motionless like carved wood and sculpted clay.

"Why? Please, the advantage of the skies doesn't belong to you alone. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for being overly confident in your own props, thereby overlooking the trump card I kept hidden!" As he spoke, Zhen Shifeng casually pointed downward at Capricornus, who had already transformed into a flying carpet.

Although he had relied on certain tactics to defeat the fifth-rank spirit beast, the Condensing Water Rhinoceros, Qin淮 still harbored a certain degree of confidence in his own strength, believing he could triumph over other fifth-rank fierce beasts as well.

The burly man had no capacity for further thought as the third blow came crashing down. Following this final collision, his vital breath was utterly extinguished.

***

Jun Moxiao glanced at the required cultivation points for the next doubling and paused in momentary silence before choosing to consume two thousand cultivation points, once again doubling his speed.

The rest of them also drew in a sharp breath of cold air. They never expected that Ji Chen would choose them first. How on earth had he silently pierced through that impregnable, iron-barrel-like defense outside?

Qin Huai pondered inwardly. He still had some spiritual ores and other materials in his possession that could be added in. After some consideration, he selected a few with compatible attributes and tossed them in.

Old Zhao shifted his horse once more. His chess style completely belied his advanced age; it was fiercely aggressive, resembling more a young commander charging into battle on the front lines.

"Heh, then let this next sword be thrust on behalf of those commoners you speak of who tragically died under the butcher knives of foreign races." At this moment, Asura's voice sounded like the biting, chilling wind of midwinter.

Rather, every single fragment of Their will desired to become an independent entity, refusing to be unified and aggregated.

Wen Zhen did not entirely grasp the implication of her words, but as long as the mastermind behind the scenes could be brought to justice, he was more than willing to cooperate.

After drinking the dragon's blood, though he could not guarantee absolute success, since such an opportunity had presented itself, he had to bravely fight for it.

I called out to Mu Meiqing, and she immediately spotted me and the cute girl. It was then that I noticed she still had those ultra-flashy stickers affixed to her face, which looked quite dashing indeed.

In truth, even without them saying it, I knew that the He family's business was currently the weakest among the three. The only reason they could sit as equals was due to the prestige accumulated over the past few years.

Kueiko stood off to the side, gazing deeply at Secretary Wu, a subtle look of emotional gratitude flickering in his eyes.

The surroundings were pitch black. Summoning crimson flames to illuminate the area, a foul, unpleasant stench permeated the space—a fitting reminder that the demonic beast cared little for cleanliness.

***

"You won't be able to sleep if I don't come back." I stood up, walked over, took the items from his hands, placed them on the cabinet, and helped him slip into his slippers.

And now, having felt a slight sense of relational crisis with Mu Meiqing, I couldn't help thinking that if I were to also face a relational crisis with the Scarf Girl, wouldn't that just leave me with the cute girl?

Repeatedly seizing opportunities to press for answers, the response every single time was simply that his strength had not reached the required threshold, and the system refused to provide an explanation. This was utterly infuriating. Since his strength hadn't reached the requirement, they could at least specify how much power was needed to accomplish it.

What truly touched me was his final, barely audible murmur: "He is my dad, after all." Suddenly, I understood the feelings in his heart, and I obediently followed him inside, smiling as I took Kuan Kuan back from his arms.

The heavens had not granted these barbarians the ability to cultivate, but they bestowed upon them the power of immortality. Bathed in that rich primal barbarism, they lived quite joyously. At times, it truly stirred envy and jealousy among some humans—as long as they possessed origin crystals, resurrection was always within reach.

After replying to Inari Yuki, she took a few more reluctant outdoor photos before finally putting away her phone.

"Qiuxuan, have you broken through?" Uncle Rong immediately bounded forward, looking at Qiuxuan with slightly agitated emotion. Qiuxuan was momentarily stunned. Broken through? Perhaps one could consider it as such. Regardless, his current strength had increased significantly compared to before. While it might not technically be a breakthrough yet, having made massive progress was undeniably true.

Capital City was thousands of miles away from the Western Sea. Since it was already past the middle of the month, barely a month remained until the date of their scheduled duel. Realizing this, Qiuxuan tossed a gold coin onto the table, picked up his pack, and strode out the door.

Pei Maide wore a look of astonishment. He had expected his opponent to be formidable, only to find out it was all show and no substance.