Chapter 76: Strange Tidings, Another Breakthrough!

After robbing Qin Feng twice, Zhao Xing had originally intended to continue wandering around.

Unexpectedly, as he walked, the little mountain cat grew hungry and wanted to eat the vine-fragrant berries and white vanilla it had eaten before.

Thus, Zhao Xing found this spot and began planting the two things the mountain cat loved to eat.

Since the previous straw men had been left outside the shrine and lost their effectiveness due to the distance, he simply planted some more Vajra Bamboo.

Even if they weren't needed for combat, using them to weave some God-Speed straw men would make traveling faster.

He had thought that he wouldn't encounter any more "good luck" for a while.

Little did he expect that when luck comes, it cannot be stopped.

While he was here in this mountain nook farming, he actually ran into Wen Zhao and Zhang Boran!

The two of them didn't know what they had been through; they hadn't even noticed that this bamboo forest had been planted by someone.

They hadn't even discovered the straw men lying in ambush on both sides.

"What is that thing on Zhang Boran?" Zhao Xing's gaze fell upon the other's chest; it was bulging, and one look told him it was good stuff.

What made Zhao Xing even more tempted was that earthen jar.

Its allure was immense, far stronger than an ordinary mid-grade spiritual item!

"Little mountain cat, stop eating, something fun has arrived!"

Zhao Xing waved at the mountain cat, which was gnawing on a fruit.

"Meow~" The mountain cat was somewhat displeased; it hadn't eaten its fill yet.

"Hurry up and go, those two have more tasty things on them, you'll definitely like them!" Zhao Xing urged.

"Meow!" Upon hearing "tasty things," the mountain cat's large eyes instantly lit up.

With a push of its hind legs, it immediately leaped onto the Vajra Bamboo, and then, within a few jumps, it charged out of the bamboo forest.

"Boran, this time what you found..." Wen Zhao was just about to ask Zhang Boran what good things he had found, to the point that he had even lost his saber.

But before he could finish his sentence, he saw Zhang Boran's body suddenly lift into the air, bending into the shape of a bow in mid-flight.

"Bang!" The sound arrived, and Zhang Boran couldn't help but fly backward.

The golden chestnuts in his arms scattered all over the ground, and the earthen jar also fell to the earth.

Zhang Boran didn't even let out a groan before passing out cold.

The little mountain cat was a ranked exotic beast that had swallowed who knew how many spiritual items; even a ranked martial artist couldn't withstand such a collision.

Let alone Zhang Boran, who was only at the eighth rank.

He lay on the ground quite cleanly.

"What?!" Wen Zhao was stunned; he didn't even know what had happened. Subconsciously, he went to pick up the earthen jar, intending to run.

Yet, just at this moment, a small, cute cat appeared in his field of vision.

"Hiss~" The mountain cat hissed softly, arching its back and crouching, locking onto Wen Zhao.

"Old fellow, quickly put down the spiritual item, otherwise you will face great disaster!"

A mocking voice came from behind.

Wen Zhao was startled; isn't this my line?

Turning around to look, he discovered Zhao Xing walking out from the bamboo forest.

"You, Zhao Xing?!"

Wen Zhao recalled the situation yesterday before Zhao Xing went to the Altar Square.

At that time, that was exactly what he had said to Zhao Xing.

Never did he think the tables would turn.

Now it was Zhao Xing's turn to say that to him.

"What, still reluctant to put it down?" Zhao Xing looked at Wen Zhao indifferently. "Did reading make your brain stupid?"

Wen Zhao looked at the mountain cat, then at Zhao Xing, took a deep breath, and picked up a thorny branch from the ground.

Afterward, hunching his waist, he slowly arrived before Zhao Xing.

"Lord Zhao, I offended you greatly yesterday. Wen feels deep regret; please whip Wen to vent the anger in your heart." Wen Zhao bowed and cupped his hands, his voice incomparably sincere.

It was as if he were repenting, making one unable to help but feel he truly admitted his mistake.

This fellow was worthy of being a Ritual Cultivator; he actually played the "carrying thorns to plead for punishment" card.

"Apology?" Zhao Xing mocked. "You certainly know a lot. Aside from Harmony Ritual and Fire Ritual, I didn't expect your 'apology' to also have three parts of heat. Do you think I'll fall for your trick? How does your 'apology' compare to the power of the underground Yin wind?"

Wen Zhao's eyes stalled; he hadn't expected his ruse to be seen through so easily.

Just as he was about to speak again, Zhao Xing suddenly rushed forward, snatched the thorny branch from his hand, and whipped it fiercely at the old fellow's back.

"I'll grant your wish!"

"Smack!" A burning pain came from his back, and Wen Zhao gasped.

But his technique had been broken, and with the mountain cat staring at him, he had no power to fight back and could only let Zhao Xing whip him.

"Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack!"

The branch tore through the air, five rapid lashes, hurting Wen Zhao so much he collapsed to the ground.

"You burned three of my straw men, so I will whip you six times!"

"W-why not three times?" Wen Zhao asked weakly.

"Because I am a person who holds grudges, and I pay back double." Zhao Xing broke Wen Zhao's "apology" technique and stepped on his head with one foot. "According to the apology ritual you cultivate, you should say 'thank you' now, otherwise you'll lose a layer of ritual cultivation."

"Mmph, mmph, mmph~" Wen Zhao, stepped into the mud, couldn't get the words out because his head was being stepped on fiercely, and his mouth was full of dirt.

Under the observation of the Bright Eyes, the golden light on Wen Zhao grew weaker, and the red light grew more intense.

This was because he hadn't completed the "ritual" he was cultivating.

The apology ritual technique had been activated but failed to receive positive feedback, instead turning into a negative one.

"Bang!"

Zhao Xing stepped down with force, shattering the golden light on Wen Zhao.

The red light swallowed Wen Zhao's entire body; he was backlashed by the spell, twitched in the mud, and passed out.

If his apology ritual technique had originally been fifth-rank, then now only the fourth rank remained.

"I hate you Ritual Cultivators the most; you don't engage in production, you're truly an eyesore!" Zhao Xing gave his abdomen a kick, kicking Wen Zhao further away.

Poor Wen Zhao, having just recovered not long ago, was beaten violently again and entered an injured state.

Zhao Xing clapped his hands and turned around.

His expression froze slightly.

In just this short while, the little mountain cat had eaten almost all of the golden chestnuts that had fallen to the ground.

"Crunch, crunch~" It was biting them with a crisp sound in its mouth, eating with great relish.

"You really have a good appetite." Zhao Xing was helpless.

"Meow~" The mountain cat raised its paw and pushed the last one over.

"Sigh, you're too polite. It's enough that you're full; why leave one for me?"

"Meow?" The little mountain cat tilted its head, seemingly asking.

Are you really not eating?

"I'm just kidding, eat, eat, eat."

Zhao Xing hurriedly picked up the golden chestnut, blew the dirt off, peeled the shell, and tossed it into his mouth.

The crisp chestnut provided Zhao Xing with 500 points of Yuan Qi.

He was one step closer to the eighth rank of Yuan Gathering.

This effect was quite good, increasing his progress by one-twentieth.

However, for the mountain cat, it didn't have much effect.

Having eaten so much, Zhao Xing didn't even feel any major change in the mountain cat's aura.

"Pop~"

Zhao Xing picked up the earthen jar and opened the layer of mud seal on top.

The little mountain cat's nose twitched, and its pupils instantly dilated.

A rich fragrance of wine wafted out, and Zhao Xing instantly felt his Yuan Qi become much more active.

"Monkey Wine?" Zhao Xing's eyes lit up; this was good stuff.

Fruit wine brewed with spiritual items—this jar probably cost over a thousand golden chestnuts!

Just by smelling it once, his Yuan Qi had increased by 20 points!

Before Zhao Xing could even make a move, he saw the mountain cat almost teleport to the side of the jar, its little head diving straight in.

"Hey, hey, little kitty, you can't drink, you'll get drunk."

"Damn, leave some for me..."

This thing had a huge attraction for the mountain cat; in the blink of an eye, it had absorbed half of it.

However, upon hearing Zhao Xing speak, it made room on one side, signaling for Zhao Xing to lie down and drink together.

A moment later.

"Hiccup~" Both man and cat let out a wine hiccup.

The mountain cat shook its head, lying on the ground licking its paws.

Zhao Xing also sat on the ground, crossing his legs to circulate his energy.

He wasn't like the mountain cat and couldn't drink so much; having drunk only a small portion, he had to stop.

But even this small portion was enough for Zhao Xing to break through!

Half an hour later.

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Zhao Xing opened his eyes, the flush on his face fading significantly.

He looked at the panel.

【Yuan Gathering Eighth Rank: 7245/10000】

"That's potent! Not only did I reach the eighth rank of Yuan Gathering, but the progress also hit seventy percent!"

Zhao Xing let out a long breath.

He used the Five Elements Observation to check on the little mountain cat.

He discovered that the other's aura had also increased by a small margin.

"You really can eat; if you weren't following a Si Nong, I'm afraid other families couldn't afford to raise you." Zhao Xing patted the mountain cat's head.

Raising an exotic beast, especially a ranked one, consumed a lot.

It was only because Zhao Xing had this confidence—that he dared to raise a mountain cat even before he was ranked himself.

Waiting for an hour, the Vajra Bamboo matured, and Zhao Xing spent time creating twenty Mighty Vajra straw men and ten God-Speed straw men.

All were of second-rank high quality.

There were also some scout straw men made from ordinary vine branches and leaves.

"Lift the sedan!"

Zhao Xing waved his hand and continued to wander on the mountain.

…………

On the third day of climbing Spirit Mountain, many things happened that people loved to talk about.

Someone found a powerful Pure Yuan spiritual item in a cave, directly crossing three steps to reach the ninth rank of Yuan Gathering.

Someone obtained an orchid, gained insight from its petals, and their movement technique soared to the Nine-Turn Micro-Level, instantly becoming a top-tier expert.

Others encountered high-grade spiritual items but couldn't pick them, as if they had encountered a "ghost wall," walking in circles; despite having a strong sense, they didn't know the specific direction.

There were also rumors that certain areas of East Lake Mountain were guarded by terrifying exotic beasts; those were not areas that clerks could touch, and they were filled with heaven-made treasures, but they would only open after three days.

Some people sought the same spiritual item through incense, fighting until their heads were broken and blood flowed, even losing their lives because of it.

Others felt there was no hope for the third night's incense competition and simply went down the mountain.

In the evening, everyone came to the Altar Square, the safe zone, and began to use the day's sightings as conversation topics.

And among these topics people loved to talk about, many mentioned a strange occurrence.

"Have you heard? An exotic beast appeared on the mountain, very terrifying."

"Are you talking about that cat? Of course I've heard! It's said that this is a cat raised by the Mountain God."

"There are many exotic beasts in the mountains, what's strange about a mountain cat?" someone said disdainfully.

"If that were all, it would be fine, but this mountain cat specializes in robbing others of their spiritual items."

"Many experts have been robbed by that cat; it's said that Wen Zhao and Zhang Boran were among them."

"Ah? Then how strong must this mountain cat be?"

"Although it's still young, it already has ranked strength."

"There's something even stranger: this mountain cat doesn't kill people, but if you've been robbed and don't say 'thank you' to it, it won't let you go. Truly strange."

"……"

Du Jiaojiao, Liu Muqing, and Lu Qian were resting in a corner of the square, and upon hearing such strange rumors, they couldn't help but start chatting.

Lu Qian sneered: "These people must be crazy, even spreading such outrageous things. Say 'thank you' and the mountain cat will let you go? It's simply nonsense!"

Liu Muqing said: "Perhaps the pressure of climbing the mountain is too great, and some people have developed hallucinations."

Du Jiaojiao was wiping her silver spear on the side and suddenly said: "Perhaps that mountain cat has an owner."

Lu Qian was surprised: "What does Sister Jiao mean?"

Du Jiaojiao said slowly: "Today, when we were picking spiritual items halfway up the mountain, we felt the presence of the mountain cat from a distance."

"There was also a human aura following beside it, very close; it seemed to have been observing us for a while."

"What?" Lu Qian said in surprise, "There's such a thing?"

"Who could subdue a mountain cat?" Liu Muqing asked. "Could it be Yang Junxiong?"

"If it really is him, then it's troublesome." Lu Qian frowned. "I'm afraid he'll dominate the first incense again tonight."

"It shouldn't be him." Du Jiaojiao pondered. "It doesn't seem like it."

"Regardless of who it is, if it's as Sister Jiao said, this person will definitely show up tonight."

Halfway up the mountain, Zhao Xing was moving slowly up the mountain, carried by straw men.

He cast his Bright Eyes to look around; people were climbing the mountain from different directions.

"Tonight is the last chance, and it will also be the liveliest night."

Meow~ The mountain cat pricked up its ears, seemingly having triggered a keyword.

"Hey, Master Cat, settle down for a bit." Zhao Xing grabbed its tail; the mountain cat had wanted to rush out and beat someone again.

This silly cat loved to join in the fun too much, and its stamina was astonishing; it was harder to walk than a dog!

"Now we have to go up the mountain, we can't delay the time." Zhao Xing explained. "Don't worry, it's even livelier on the mountain, you'll have plenty to play with."

The mountain cat obediently lay back in Zhao Xing's arms.

This time climbing the mountain was very peaceful.

Along the way, no one dared to provoke Zhao Xing.

Because he had made a name for himself on the second night. Although Zhao Xing hadn't announced his own background, how could Young Master Zong resist not bragging?

In just one day, while making a name for himself, he had also greatly touted Zhao Xing.

Even if they couldn't remember after going down the mountain, for these two days, Young Master Zong had to show off!

Besides fame.

Zhao Xing's current cultivation base was also vastly different from yesterday.

After plundering the opportunities of many clerks, he had already reached the ninth rank of Yuan Gathering!

Relying on the mountain cat to snowball, he had almost pushed through everything along the way.

To rob better, Zhao Xing didn't show his face later on; he let Master Cat do the work.

"Zhao Xing, over here!"

Just as he entered the Altar Square at the top of the mountain, he saw Zong Shichang waving at him.

There were also a few familiar faces on the square.

Such as Wen Nanxing, Xiao Ze, and Li Chengfeng.

The few hadn't met in these two days, but they had made quite a bit of progress; Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze were already at the seventh rank of Yuan Gathering.

Li Chengfeng had gained something on the first night; although he didn't show up on the second day, looking at him today, he had actually reached the ninth rank of Yuan Gathering!

Whether it was Yuan Law spiritual items or Longevity spiritual items, most were for enhancing Yuan Qi; the proportion of longevity was only a small minority, so this wasn't strange.

In Zhao Xing's view, the vast majority of lucky ones on the square, although their realms had improved, were "falsely fat."

If their spells couldn't keep up, having cultivation base alone was just a showy facade.

The only thing that puzzled Zhao Xing was that Li Chengfeng wasn't with Zong Shichang; the two had each gathered a group of people, as if some conflict had occurred, and their relationship wasn't as close as before.

"Zhao Sanjia."

"It's Zhao Xing who has come."

"Brother Zhao is mighty, Huailiu Academy is mighty!"

Entering the square, many people greeted Zhao Xing, mainly because Zhao Xing had made a big splash yesterday.

Defeating Cao Qiushui while competing for the first incense! That was a descendant of a True Person!

"Good, good, greetings everyone." Arriving at a place with many people, Zhao Xing couldn't continue to put on airs, so he jumped down from the chair while holding the mountain cat.

"Eh, where did you pick up this little cat? It's quite cute." Zong Shichang saw the mountain cat and immediately wanted to pet it.

"Young Master, be careful!" Uncle Cang and Uncle Hu's expressions changed drastically, and they immediately stopped Zong Shichang.

Uncle Yuan also had a grave expression, as if facing a great enemy.

"Hiss~" Zong Shichang felt like he was being stared at by a fierce beast; looking at the mountain cat's eyes, he instantly broke into a cold sweat, and his legs went soft.

Fortunately, someone was supporting him, otherwise, he might have collapsed directly.

"Brother Zong, quickly say 'thank you' to it." Zhao Xing said.

"Ah? Oh, oh, thank you." Although Zong Shichang didn't know why, he hurriedly followed suit.

Seeing this, the mountain cat indeed stopped hissing and retreated into Zhao Xing's arms.

"T-this is a mountain cat? You are the mountain cat's owner?" Zong Shichang wiped his sweat.

"Yes." Zhao Xing nodded.

"No, what's the deal with your cat? Why did I have to say 'thank you' to it?" Hearing that Zhao Xing was the mountain cat's owner, Zong Shichang wasn't so afraid anymore and, recalling the strange rumors he had heard earlier, became curious.

Zhao Xing said helplessly: "That's a long story. In short, after I took it to fight a few times, it developed this habit. You know cats' temperaments are always strange; it's hard for me to correct it."

Zong Shichang agreed deeply; he loved teasing cats and walking dogs the most and knew that cats were quite hard to serve; sometimes you didn't even know who the owner was.

After chatting for a while, Young Master Zong forgot the pain once the wound healed and had the idea of petting the cat: "Will you sell this mountain cat? I'll give you however much money you want!"

Zhao Xing shook his head: "Brother Zong, a gentleman does not take what others love."

Mentioning a gentleman, Zong Shichang seemed to think of something, his expression somewhat displeased: "What kind of gentleman? I don't care for it. Fine, if you won't sell it, bring it to my house more often in the future."

"No problem." Zhao Xing agreed casually and scanned the square: "What's the situation now?"

Zong Shichang knew he was asking for intelligence and immediately said: "The ranked experts have had new changes. That Gu Feng doesn't know what opportunity he got; with just the eighth stick of incense, he actually leaped from the eighth rank of Yuan Gathering to the ranked realm."

"Besides that, the number of people at the ninth rank of Yuan Gathering has also increased quite a bit; for example, Cao Qiushui has gathered seven ninth-rank Yuan Gathering people around him."

"In addition, Lu Qian and Miss Liu beside Du Jiaojiao have also risen to the ninth rank of Yuan Gathering."

"I broke through to the seventh rank of Yuan Gathering, and Uncle Cang and Uncle Hu reached the ninth rank of Yuan Gathering."

"However, among the first ten sticks of incense, there are also those who fared poorly; Zhang Boran and Wen Zhao don't know why they were seriously injured."

"Hu Yang's mechanical beast is missing one, and it seems he hasn't gained much."

"Uncle Yuan says that Yang Junxiong's aura doesn't seem to have changed much, and I don't know how he managed to get this first incense."

Zong Shichang pointed at the people on the square, as if he knew everyone like the back of his hand: "Overall, the number of clerks has decreased; those who went down the mountain went down, those who died died, those who were injured were injured, but the number of high-realm people has increased a bit. Because the first fifty sticks of incense all had certain results."

"Tonight is the last night the clerks will stay; before the Chen hour tomorrow, everyone must go down the mountain, so no one wants to miss this last opportunity. Tonight, the competition will definitely be even more intense... By the way, Zhao Sanjia, why do Zhang Boran and Wen Zhao keep looking at you?"