In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.
Throughout this time, Little Li’s daily routine was remarkably consistent.
Mornings were reserved for combat training with his master, and he still struggled to withstand Shang Wu’s “intent,” but his endurance was growing longer each day and even gave birth to an inexplicable “sixth sense.”
This helped him immensely during his nightly dual cultivation.
He could now control his inner energy with finesse, ensuring he wouldn’t burden his dual cultivation partner, Ice Chunk, too much.
Li Mo discovered that since they began cultivating the “Phoenix Crying Over the Heavenly Marsh” together, their progress could only be described as lightning-fast.
Originally, even if he could reach the state of unity between heaven and man, he would need to constantly absorb the essence of heaven and earth to transform it into his own “qi.”
But with Ice Chunk, this process became more than ten times faster.
Unity of heaven and man, spiritual treasures, his master’s relentless beatings, plus dual cultivation with Ice Chunk…
Wait… did something weird just slip in there?
Anyway, his speed in condensing inner energy could only be compared to being shot out of a rocket.
But there was some bad news.
He had initially underestimated the absorbency of his inner energy field; it had the ambiance of the ocean absorbing rivers. Initially, he thought he would manage to condense qi into liquid in ten days or eight months, but it seemed he would need to invest a bit more effort.
Little Li, however, wasn’t in any hurry.
After all, the process of cultivating was still rather delightful…
【Congratulations, Host, you’ve assisted Ying Bing in her cultivation.】
【Investment Returns: One drop of Golden Crow bl**d.】
【Golden Crow bl**d】: “Bird essence, solar energy, containing a wisp of the Golden Crow’s solar power.”
Meanwhile, in the Seed of the World.
Jiang Chulong was alternately gripping a branch in each hand, making a ruckus with it.
Primordial Celestial Venerable flipped open her palm and produced a crystal vial.
Inside were a few droplets of pale golden liquid, which couldn’t really be called liquid since they weren’t blending but were burning sharply and radiating magnificent flames like glowing beans.
This was the result of several days of dual cultivation between Li Mo and Ice Chunk.
“Teacher… this little bean… is so warm.”
Jiang Chulong squatted beside, hugging her knees while the firelight flickered in her eyes.
“This is Golden Crow bl**d.”
The Venerable chuckled lightly, as if it were just an everyday item for him.
“Golden Crow? Teacher, you… even have this?”
Jiang Chulong exclaimed with her mouth agape.
“You’ve seen this before?”
“I’ve… I’ve seen something similar.”
Jiang Chulong hesitantly shared her experiences.
When no one would play with her before, she would sometimes sneak out of the cold palace, and once she strayed far.
“There were… lots of little… plaques there…”
“And there was… the statue of the Founding Martial Emperor…”
“There was a… three-legged crow… pecking at the Founding Emperor…”
Li Mo recognized she was talking about the ancestral temple.
After listening for a while, he roughly understood Little Jiang’s experiences.
She had gone to the ancestral hall and saw a black three-legged bird pecking at the statue of the Founding Martial Emperor.
When that three-legged black bird was captured and killed, the bl**d it spilled was somewhat similar to the Golden Crow bl**d in his hand.
“That one probably isn’t a true Golden Crow, but has a trace of its bloodline.”
“A true Golden Crow can transform into a great sun.”
Li Mo chuckled.
Jiang Chulong nodded thoughtfully but was also confused:
“But… isn’t the sun the Founding Emperor?”
Now, this was in Little Li’s knowledge blind spot.
Historical records clearly state that the Founding Martial Emperor transformed into the sun, but whether that was true or not? Who could clarify?
However, Little Jiang didn’t ponder this question for too long.
“Teacher, this… is a gift for you.”
Jiang Chulong fished out a fragrant pouch from her chest.
The material was surprisingly decent; while it didn’t have any embroidery, it was neatly sewn.
She fumbled over her words, her fingers entangled, not daring to look at her teacher’s expression.
“I… I made it myself.”
“You can do this too?”
The Venerable was amazed.
“Yes… yes! I learned it from the palace maids.”
“Where did you find the material?”
“Bought it…”
Seeing her teacher seemed to genuinely like it, Jiang Chulong couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief and became a bit more talkative:
“Recently, I’ve found a lot of stuff… swords, and other things… in fixed spots every day.”
“Hmm?”
The Venerable was puzzled.
Finding swords on the street? Did they auto-refresh or something?
But after hearing Little Jiang’s experiences of these past few days, he finally pieced it together.
The trial of endless chaos had begun.
Every day, various martial artists were killing each other off.
Some with a sense of martial ethics would meet at scenic spots for duels.
Our Little Jiang, after quietly waiting for them to finish fighting, would come out to clean up the battlefield.
And she would even dig a pit to bury the defeated, laying them to rest.
Li Mo: “…”
Picking up corpses?
He never expected Little Jiang’s hobby of garbage collecting would come with a side of evolution…
“No… that’s not okay, is it?”
“Safety comes first.”
After giving it some thought, Li Mo finally passed her a martial art for controlling breath.
“By the way, Teacher… when will Brother Li arrive?”
This was what Jiang Chulong had been pondering over and asking about during meal times every day.
“Today.”
The Primordial Celestial Venerable answered affirmatively.
Inside the gates, disciples and elders were to be dispatched down the mountain to prevent chaos from erupting in Ziyang Mansion.
He had long known that as one of the top martial artists, it would only be natural for the Venerable to follow, as she was an elder, and thus would lead.
Speaking of which… it should be about time, right?
Why hasn’t the master sent any news?
…..
“Huh? Going to Ziyang Mansion?”
In response to her precious disciple’s question, Shang Wu looked bewildered, lying on her lounging chair.
She took a couple of swigs from a small gourd, scratched her powdery shoulder, and suddenly remembered:
“Oh right, that’s true.”
“We were supposed to set off two days ago.”
Ke Mo: “…..”
So you totally forgot, huh?
After a series of inquiries, they learned that Old Xiao had left early and was probably waiting at the rendezvous point for two days.
Thus, Ke Mo hopped on Ice Chunk, persuaded his master, and boarded the carriage down the mountain.
…..
On an evening without sunset.
In an inn situated a hundred miles from Ziyang Mansion.
It was pouring rain today, pattering against the eaves, the mist of water giving the outside a white haze.
Surprisingly, the heavy rain actually boosted the inn’s business, glasses clinking, voices echoing endlessly.
“Did I leave too early?”
“Yet I’ve been waiting for two days already…”
A figure dressed in a straw hat, slinging a battered greatsword on his back, sat at a corner table, occasionally glancing at the entrance.
After pondering for a bit, Xiao Qian felt it wasn’t his fault.
Recently, there had been so much commotion in the inn—frequent bloodshed and deaths that were gruesomely intense.
Clearly, the trial of endless chaos had begun.
“Ha, endless chaos trial.”
At that moment, an old voice echoed in his ear:
“I detest those infamous rats, they’re everywhere like sticky plaster.”
“If it weren’t for being targeted by two Earth Fiend Killers, I wouldn’t…”
Qianxing Wuzun clearly didn’t hold a favorable opinion of Misty Rain Tower.
“Teacher, what on earth is Misty Rain Tower?”
Xiao Qian couldn’t help but ask, surprised that even his teacher had been pushed into such a corner?
“In Misty Rain Tower, the highest rank has thirty-six heavenly kills, answering directly to the Tower Master, as well as seventy-two Earth Fiends, and three hundred sixty mass murderers, not to mention countless miscellaneous assassins.”
“Those ruckus-makers from the past few days, not one could actually enter the tower.”
“Those qualified to enter the Misty Rain Tower are not mere fighters who duel in broad daylight, but rather mercenaries who will do anything for profit, like venomous snakes.”
“Misty Rain Tower dares to assassinate even princes and nobles.”
“Pay them, and they’ll do your bidding.”
Qianxing Wuzun had an impressive recollection of Misty Rain Tower.
Xiao Qian pondered and asked:
“Do their assassination missions ever fail?”
“Failure indicates the payment wasn’t enough—they’ll demand more money from you.”
“…..”
To some extent, Misty Rain Tower was quite persistent.
Xiao Qian couldn’t help but feel a respectful distance from the mercenary-like Misty Rain Tower.
He still preferred dealing with gentlemen like Brother Ke…
At this moment.
A figure broke through the rain curtain and stepped into the inn.
The din of the inn instantly fell into dead silence.
The person appeared incredibly thin, a short kn*fe slung at his waist, standing with the ground gradually being stained crimson.
What dripped from him wasn’t rainwater, but bl**d.
Clang——
Under everyone’s gaze, he directly sat down opposite Xiao Qian.
“Bro, is this seat taken?”
Saying so, he called the waiter for a bowl of beef noodles.
“Feel free.”
Xiao Qian’s expression darkened.
His teacher mentioned that this person was no trivial character…
“Your beef noodles, just as you requested, no green onions.”
The waiter rushed over with a cheerful face.
The person squinted his eyes but didn’t touch the chopsticks; he just flashed a grin and said:
“But… I don’t eat beef.”
With this sentence, the atmosphere, which had been brewing like a storm, finally erupted.
Wham——
The previously smiling waiter flipped his shoulder towel, unleashing a flurry of rain-like needles made of beef hair.
In the inn, the sound of sharp blades being drawn rang out.
“Zuo Qiuyang, today is your day to d*e!”
Patrons, the innkeeper, even the horsemen, all rushed in, overflowing with lethal intent.
Xiao Qian: “?”
So this person sitting here is because…
In the entire inn, he was the only one who wasn’t a killer?
Kind of stunning, really.
