“Is the trial really over?”
Li Mo looked up at the sky.
Hmm.
Ice Chunk caught up a bit afterward.
But it couldn’t be helped; he had gotten too far ahead. After collecting the Beast Token from that Bone Giant Ape, he had a slight lead over Ying Bing.
“Let’s head back and gather, shall we?”
Li Mo picked up the Phoenix bl**d Spirit Herb and scrutinized it for a moment.
Then, without warning, he shoved it into Old Xiao’s arms.
“Eh?”
Xiao Qian held the herb, feeling the vibrant life within it.
This was precisely why he braved nine lives’ worth of danger to enter the secret realm.
It was also a rare treasure for his teacher to reshape his body, incredibly precious.
If this were outside, countless people would fight to the d*ath for it—friends would become foes, couples would turn against each other…
“I can’t…”
“Take it!”
Li Mo curled his fingers and made a gesture that required no further explanation.
“But this herb… If not for Brother Li, I would never have gotten it.”
Xiao Qian’s feelings were complex, and he forced a smile that looked more like he was about to cry.
“I still haven’t repaid the favor I owe Brother Li.”
“Now I owe him another one…”
He truly didn’t know how he was supposed to repay this.
At this point, Old Xiao felt like a total girl who was ready to offer herself.
“Just take it! The more parasites, the less it itches; the more debts, the less you worry.”
“This thing is pretty much useless to me.”
Li Mo laughed heartily.
“Sigh.”
Xiao Qian tucked away the Phoenix bl**d Spirit Herb, his face full of shame.
He quietly asked in his heart:
“Teacher, can I practice that divine skill of yours together with Brother Li?”
He had no capability to repay immediately anyway.
“If it suits him, of course.”
“But you must remind him—absolutely do not leak it.”
Qianxing Wuzun hesitated for a few seconds, then sighed, coming to terms with it.
Whether it was the Deep Shadow Soul-Nurturing Wood or the Phoenix bl**d Spirit Herb, the one truly benefiting was him.
But.
It was too early to say such things right now.
The conditions for practicing martial arts were utterly harsh; talent alone wouldn’t suffice.
Even Ying Bing couldn’t just breeze through it.
After putting away the herb, Xiao Qian shook his head.
“I won’t be going with Brother Li to the next layer.”
“The next trial is likely to be even more dangerous. I couldn’t help Brother Li there; I’d just drag you down.”
“Besides, I’ve already gotten what I wanted most.”
Xiao Qian cupped his hands.
Li Mo paused to think for a moment and nodded, giving up the idea of sharing some Beast Tokens with him.
“Then you can head to the Tree Demon Forest and go out with the others.”
“Others?”
“Yeah, just go.”
Although he had no clue who “the others” in the Tree Demon Forest were.
Anyway, Old Xiao trusted Li Mo unconditionally and nodded.
“What about you, Little Treasure?”
Li Mo turned his head to ask.
“My master said to follow you, so of course, I’ll stick with you!”
The muddy monkey was Tang Xiaobao, grinning with a mouthful of pearly white baby teeth.
Collecting these Beast Tokens from the Bone Monkeys just got him into the top fifty.
Eventually.
Xiao Qian followed the directions Li Mo gave him to the Tree Demon Forest.
Li Mo and the other two set off toward the direction indicated by the beam of light.
At that moment, a pleasant notification sounded in his ears:
【Congratulations to the host, investment of ‘Xiao Qian’ Phoenix bl**d Spirit Herb successful.】
【Investment feedback: Misty Eternal Springs.】
【Misty Eternal Springs】: “After being deployed, it can create a ten-meter-long hot spring that remains eternally clean, with a tremendous fatigue-relief effect. Any medicinal liquid added will be fully absorbed by the body, and it also has beauty-enhancing properties.”
Hot spring?
This effect sounded pretty impressive, but it seemed rather ordinary.
For absorbing treasures and herbs, he could refine them in the Dragon-Tiger Cauldron, which would be much better than just taking a bath.
Fatigue relief… he hadn’t been training his body that much lately, actually.
Beauty-enhancing was even less relevant.
Come on, I’m already this handsome; do I need beauty treatments?
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Setting
“Guess I’ll just keep it in Qiushui Pavilion as a luxury item then.”
Li Mo pouted.
…
In the clearing lit by white light.
Over forty people had gathered here.
The strongest white-boned beasts in the secret realm were in the Observation Realm.
And the entry limit was also the Observation Realm.
Being able to k*ll one or even multiple opponents of the same realm meant one was a talented genius among the extraordinary—either they had astonishing martial skills or possessed magical weapons, or were carrying powerful treasures.
Most people looked travel-worn and utterly defeated, with hardly any visible injuries on them, and almost none were at the Internal Breathing Realm.
Why just almost?
Ying Bing stood in the corner, still in that fish-scale dress, lined with dark cloud-like gauze.
Holding her sword, she stood elegantly alone, so utterly unreachable.
Only when gazing at the rankings up high would her eyes flicker with a hint of confusion.
Let’s see…
This confusion wasn’t just felt by Ying Bing.
Everyone looking at the final rankings appeared like statues, no longer shocked but rather flabbergasted.
Flabbergasted? What? Who’s at the door? Flabbergasted, just like that!
“The top two are both in the Internal Breathing Realm?”
“That girl got over three hundred Beast Tokens? How the heck did she manage that?”
“I saw Ying Bing in action; I have Observation Four Apertures, and I wouldn’t dare make a move on her. Terrifying barely scratches the surface.”
“Let’s see, then what about Li Mo?”
“Is there something wrong with this secret realm?! I refuse to accept this! This is outrageous!”
Everyone struggled to accept things as they were.
Anomalies in the Internal Breathing Realm could battle beyond their level, even stronger than the Observation Realm, and they could forgive that.
But over six hundred Beast Tokens…
Are you here for bulk purchases?!
Just as everyone was filled with confusion.
“Is that Li Mo?”
Someone shouted.
In an instant, countless gazes focused back.
“Brother Li, how did you manage it?”
Master Ouyang from Ruyi Peak was also present. He wasn’t very familiar with Li Mo but found him incredibly astonishing.
“What?”
Li Mo glanced at where he was looking and said nonchalantly:
“Let’s just say—don’t worry about the future.”
“I saved some people, and they just handed their Beast Tokens to me.”
In other words,
A significant number of those who couldn’t make it into the top fifty gave their Beast Tokens straight to Little Li.
“???”
Everyone looked utterly confused.
You’re telling me that people’s hearts are treacherous, scheming against one another, and you’re just here collecting good karma?
The kicker…
This is freakishly awesome, too?
“Looks like you certainly played it smart.”
Bai Jinghong felt relieved.
When he passed by, he had watched Li Mo battle the giant ape for a bit.
It was impressive, but back when he was in the Internal Breathing Realm, he could do that too—it was within the realm of understanding.
“What do you think the next test will be?”
“Speaking of which, why does this secret realm feel like it’s conducting recruitment tests for sects? So many challenges.”
Li Mo walked over to Ying Bing and stared up at the pillar of light shooting straight into the sky, murmuring.
“Maybe it was set up before the Phoenix fell.”
Ying Bing’s gaze was steady.
In any case, she was sure the bl**d Phoenix essence was here, which was enough.
As she pondered, Li Mo’s eyes scanned over her face, and he couldn’t help but recall the feedback he just received.
Hot springs…
If Ice Chunk soaked in there, that Misty Eternal Springs wouldn’t freeze, would it?
Hmm…
“Ying Bing.”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever soaked in a hot spring?”
“?”
Ying Bing’s serene eyes widened slightly.
…
p.s.: Mistakes will be corrected later, muah! If the big shots see any typos, feel free to give me a kick and I’ll fix it, thanks a bunch, orz.
Thanks to all audience members!
