Chapter 93

Facing the tag-along Yan Xiaohu, Mo Xingjian was speechless.

"Are you sick? I already told you, it wasn't me, it wasn't me! If I had recognized it, would there even be anything left for you two to do?" Mo Xingjian couldn't help but shout.

Seeing Mo Xingjian's perfunctory attitude, Yan Xiaohu pitifully continued to follow closely behind him.

"Master, oh Master, Old Four just opened his mouth today and thirty mid-grade spirit stones went straight into his pocket. We're both your disciples, but the difference is too huge! Before you took in Old Four, I was your youngest disciple too."

Mo Xingjian let out a long sigh: "I swear, isn't it enough that I swear? If you don't believe me, call Old Four over and we'll confront him face-to-face."

"Look at you, you're so guilty you're getting angry. How about this, let's both take a step back. I won't seek the limelight anymore, I'll leave it all to Old Four, and let him earn the money, but you give me half the spirit stones, that should be fine, right?"

Yan Xiaohu reached out his hand.

Mo Xingjian: "..."

"No way, you can't even bear to part with fifteen mid-grade spirit stones? Are you still my Master?"

Watching Mo Xingjian stand there blankly, Yan Xiaohu's eyes immediately turned red.

Mo Xingjian looked at him speechlessly: "Fifteen? Mid-grade? On what grounds? I don't owe you anything. Before, you were holding Old Four's portrait, going around asking other core disciples to donate money. During these days of the Seventh Prince's competition, your gambling tables are everywhere. Are you short on money?"

The tears Yan Xiaohu was about to shed were instantly sucked back in.

"Master, those are two different things. That was money I earned through my own skills and thick skin. We are talking about your favoritism right now..."

"Get lost!"

Before Yan Xiaohu could finish, Mo Xingjian kicked the annoying thing away, then closed the palace doors and activated the barrier.

Listening to Yan Xiaohu cursing outside, Mo Xingjian, while still angry, suddenly smiled with relief.

"I didn't expect Old Four to have such good fortune. I haven't even seen such things, yet he unexpectedly read about them in relevant records. He deserves to earn this money!"

Following this, the note above his head changed from 【Disciple with decent comprehension】 to 【Disciple with some fortune】.

Not long after, news spread quickly that Zhou Qing of Little Spirit Peak had recognized a mysterious item brought by the Seventh Prince, and the other party had given him thirty mid-grade spirit stones as a token of gratitude.

Everyone was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

They didn't believe that a peeping tom would recognize such an item. So many peak masters and elders had eaten more salt than he had walked roads.

They hadn't even heard of it, yet he could recognize it?

What a joke, it must have been Master Mo Xingjian letting him take the limelight; after all, Zhou Qing's reputation was a bit poor.

Although he had recognized Shi Zhen in the dark night before, thus saving many core disciples and consequently being retaliated against—a kindness they certainly kept in their hearts—their intuitive feeling about Zhou Qing was still that he liked to peek at girls bathing and had been led astray by Yan Xiaohu.

Now that he had turned the tide for the Taiqingmen and saved face, his image immediately changed.

Sigh, the pitiful heart of a master.

Master Mo Xingjian really put in a lot of effort.

At this moment, after hearing this, Shi Zhen felt happy for Zhou Qing.

【Heart-Mirror Point +8】

The note above her head also changed from 【Zhou Shidi who is as smart as him】 to 【Knowledgeable Zhou Shidi】.

Afterward, she showed a melancholy expression.

Ghost Mastiff Hearing San Shixiong was forging ahead in pursuit of his own path, almost becoming a Soul Formation realm expert like the masters.

Yet she was still at the Great Perfection of the Jin Dan realm, not even having stepped into the Soul Formation realm.

If this continued, she was afraid she would eventually just be a fleeting piece of scenery on his life's journey.

It was time to go into seclusion properly.

However, how could breaking through to the Soul Formation realm be so easy?

…………

In the courtyard, Zhou Qing held Po Shang Feng, continuously practicing the second form of the "Azure Thunder Sword Art."

This move was many times more complex than the first, but fortunately, his talent was no longer what it used to be, and he was learning it very quickly.

A night passed quietly, and his progress was rapid.

Before he could even rest, Yan Xiaohu's voice sounded outside, right on time, like a rooster crowing.

"Old Four, Old Four, are you up?"

Zhou Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead and opened the door speechlessly.

Only then did he discover that besides Hearing San Shixiong, there were also the Seventh Prince Xuan Yuan Yichen and Lu Yaoyao and the others.

"Zhou Shixiong (Brother Zhou), good morning!"

Lu Yaoyao and the Ninth Princess greeted him with smiles.

Zhou Qing nodded subconsciously, still not quite clear on the situation.

Yan Xiaohu, on the other hand, had a look of resentment.

"I just came down the mountain and ran into them. Brother Yichen wants to see what you thought about last night," Yan Xiaohu said.

Zhou Qing understood immediately.

He didn't expect this Seventh Prince to be so anxious.

"Please, come in!" Zhou Qing invited them hurriedly.

Yan Xiaohu followed them in; he wanted to see what kind of name Old Four would make up today.

"Visiting abruptly is truly rude, but these three items are very important to me. I wonder, Brother Zhou..."

Xuan Yuan Yichen said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Zhou Qing indicated he understood.

"I thought about it hard last night and did indeed remember a little bit. Take them out and let me see again!" Zhou Qing said.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yichen's eyes lit up immediately.

He hurriedly took out the small black door and the black long needle with great care.

While Zhou Qing was in the middle of "deep thought," Lu Yaoyao and the Ninth Princess went to tease the old hen.

Afterward, he looked at the black door and performed his daily identification.

Soon, a piece of information was fed back.

【Four Ghosts Bowing Door: An item crafted by a certain Level 5 cultivation nation, possessing powerful sealing capabilities. If the four ghosts are activated, it can easily strip away the soul of a Soul Severance realm expert, drag them into it, and perform soul searching. Even if the soul consciousness has been placed under a restriction, it can be removed bit by bit, thereby obtaining the desired information.】

Seeing this, Zhou Qing couldn't help but feel a bit shocked.

He didn't expect this thing to come from a Level 5 cultivation nation.

Looking at it now, whether it was yesterday's life-buying paper or these two items in front of him, they should all come from the same place.

The royal family's waters were indeed deep enough.

He just didn't know where he got them from?

But that had nothing to do with him; he was just earning money.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to pat his forehead and pretend to think, the Seventh Prince was the first to bring out a tray.

It was piled full of glittering mid-grade spirit stones, a full forty or so.

Seeing this, Yan Xiaohu, who was on the side, was drooling.

"Regardless of which one Brother Zhou remembered, I hope Zhou Shidi will not mind this small token of my appreciation!" Xuan Yuan Yichen said.

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up, and he felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

Right now, what he lacked most was money, especially from a noble person like him.

Zhou Qing coughed dryly and said with a smile: "Brother Yichen is too polite. Allow me to think some more."

After a good while, Zhou Qing clapped his hands and said: "I remembered, this item seems to be called the Four Ghosts Bowing Door."

"Four Ghosts Bowing Door? Are you sure?" Xuan Yuan Yichen said excitedly as soon as Zhou Qing said the name.

Zhou Qing nodded and looked at him thoughtfully.

Looking at him like this, he seemed to know something.

Yan Xiaohu muttered in a low voice: "What Four Ghosts Bowing Door, shouldn't it be the Black Spirit Gate?"

Zhou Qing said: "It is the Four Ghosts Bowing Door. The book recorded that this thing has powerful sealing capabilities, especially the four ghost images on it, which are the top priority. But it is not easy to activate, and I don't know the specific method."

Zhou Qing didn't dare to say that this thing could seal a Soul Severance realm expert; some things were better kept to himself.

In the entire Sacred Martial Dynasty, there were only a dozen or so Soul Severance realm experts. If they knew there was something that could threaten them, one could imagine what kind of bloody storm it would stir up.

Moreover, since this Seventh Prince could distinguish between true and false, he should know the function of this thing.

"Thank you!"

After Zhou Qing finished speaking, Xuan Yuan Yichen thanked him profusely, and the forty mid-grade spirit stones were presented without hesitation.

"Then this—" He pointed to the last black long needle, seemingly wanting to verify something.

Zhou Qing frowned and said: "My memory is still a bit blurry right now. Tomorrow, perhaps I will remember tomorrow."

Xuan Yuan Yichen said: "Good, then I will come to find you tomorrow. Thank you very much this time."

"You're too polite!" Zhou Qing said with a face full of smiles.

Soon, Lu Yaoyao and the Ninth Princess came over. Lu Yaoyao looked at him with admiration and smugness, saying: "How about it, Zhou Shixiong is amazing, right? There is nothing in this world that can stump him."

The Ninth Princess also nodded repeatedly: "I didn't expect Brother Zhou to be so knowledgeable, solving my brother's problem in one go."

Zhou Qing felt a bit embarrassed hearing this.

"It was all a coincidence. Years ago, I originally thought those things on the street stalls were just idle amusements. I didn't expect them to be real. If I had known, I should have remembered them properly," Zhou Qing said with a smile.

Xuan Yuan Yichen's expression looked a bit anxious, and he said: "Alright then, we won't disturb Brother Zhou's rest. We will come to bother you again tomorrow."

Seeing this, Lu Yaoyao hurriedly said: "How about you go ahead and be busy, I will stay here and play with Sister Muqian for a while longer."

Xuan Yuan Yichen looked at the silly chicken pecking at their shoes and said: "I see Brother Zhou looks tired. How about we don't disturb him? We have to come back tomorrow anyway."

"Yes, Brother Zhou, then we will leave first. See you tomorrow!" The Ninth Princess bowed.

Lu Yaoyao wanted to say something but stopped.

Zhou Qing followed the flow of the conversation and said: "That works too. I practiced all night last night, so I can just catch up on some sleep. I won't see you out."

After the few bowed, they left.

Yan Xiaohu looked at the tray of glittering mid-grade spirit stones on the table, his drool almost flowing out.

"Old Four..."

"Hearing San Shixiong, help me see them out!" Zhou Qing waved his hand, and a mid-grade spirit stone immediately flew over, landing in Yan Xiaohu's hand.

Yan Xiaohu's face instantly beamed with joy.

"Rest assured, leave it to me, Shixiong!" After Yan Xiaohu finished speaking, he hurriedly chased after them.

Zhou Qing shook his head with a smile, looking at the spirit stones on the table, feeling a surge of excitement.

Including this time, he already had seventy-nine mid-grade spirit stones, enough for him to enter the 【Shen Xu Tiangong】 twice.

And he had to hurry and try to pass through that gravity zone; at the very least, his success rate had to improve. Otherwise, what would he do if the Supreme Elder came looking for him again next time?

If he didn't refuse, once he entered that place, those many Jin Dan realm wandering souls would surely eat him alive.

But if he refused, the Supreme Elder might feel a bit embarrassed. What if he didn't look for him next time?

He had a feeling that the scroll in the green mist was very important to him.

After a simple rest, he began to familiarize himself with the second form again.

Soon, as the third day arrived, Xuan Yuan Yichen and the others came again with anticipation.

Zhou Qing immediately performed the identification.

【Ghost Stitching Needle: An item from a certain Level 5 cultivation nation, capable of stitching soul wounds, especially those where the soul has turned into fragments; it has miraculous effects. But the thread used for stitching comes at the cost of the stitcher's lifespan.】

Seeing this introduction, Zhou Qing couldn't help but frown.

Life-buying paper, Four Ghosts Bowing Door, Ghost Stitching Needle—although these three items came from a more mysterious and powerful Level 5 cultivation nation, they looked evil no matter how he viewed them.

One buys life, one strips souls, one stitches souls—which Level 5 cultivation nation did these things belong to?

Afterward, Zhou Qing looked at the forty mid-grade spirit stones already laid out on the table and said: "This item is the Ghost Stitching Needle, capable of stitching soul wounds..."

And this time, he saw a flash of surprise in the Seventh Prince's eyes, as if he had expected it.

"He is asking me for verification!" Zhou Qing thought thoughtfully.

After listening, Xuan Yuan Yichen bowed to Zhou Qing: "Thank you so much. Please accept this reward."

"I feel quite embarrassed," Zhou Qing pretended to decline for a moment before accepting it.

Xuan Yuan Yichen smiled: "These three items are all thanks to Brother Zhou's memory. Aren't you curious where I got them?"

Zhou Qing shook his head immediately and said: "I am just taking money to do a job. I won't ask about things that have nothing to do with me, and I don't want to know."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yichen showed appreciation and said: "Brother Zhou is worthy of being Ghost Mastiff's little Shidi—judging the situation and protecting oneself. You will surely achieve great things in the future."

Zhou Qing smiled slightly: "Thank you for the compliment, Brother Yichen."

Xuan Yuan Yichen said: "In two more days, we will be going back. This trip to the Taiqingmen has been quite fruitful. More importantly, I have met a good friend like Brother Zhou. By the way, this is for you."

After Xuan Yuan Yichen finished speaking, he handed over a blue token with the character "Yi" on it.

"Brother Zhou, if you have time to visit the Imperial Capital, I will be waiting for you at the Yiyun Mansion!" Xuan Yuan Yichen said.

He had heard that in the Imperial Capital, every prince had his own mansion. The name of the mansion opened by this Seventh Prince was actually related to him.

"Definitely, definitely. I will certainly come to bother you when the time comes," Zhou Qing said with a smile as he accepted it.

Yan Xiaohu on the side looked on with envy.

A prince personally invited him; he was being treated as a distinguished guest.

I am very knowledgeable too, okay!

But if Old Four really goes, how could he be left behind? Hehe~~

Lu Yaoyao sighed softly because the Ninth Princess had invited her to visit the Imperial Capital, and she had agreed.

Originally, she wanted to go along this time and had tried every possible way to bring Zhou Qing, but when the Master heard this, he refused on the spot.

He said that their return journey would definitely encounter danger, and people from the Taiqingmen must not be involved. If she wanted to go, she should wait until things were stable later.

"Let me see you off!" Yan Xiaohu said immediately.

"No need, no need, I will see them off."

"It's fine, I'll see them off."

"You hurry up and rest, I'll handle the running around!"

Yan Xiaohu skillfully picked up a spirit stone from the table and happily saw them down the mountain.

Zhou Qing shook his head with a smile, then looked at the token in his hand.

For safety's sake, he had to identify it tomorrow.

That evening, Yan Xiaohu sent a message to Zhou Qing saying that the Seventh Prince and the others had already left.

"People from the Imperial Capital are as cunning as monkeys. You must never believe their words. You are too innocent. No matter where you go in the future, I must keep an eye on you!" Yan Xiaohu said.

Zhou Qing had no choice but to agree.

Afterward, looking at the night, this was a smoke bomb deliberately set for everyone. Cautious enough.

After midnight, Zhou Qing identified the token immediately. Only after confirming it was fine did he set his mind at ease.

For the next three days, Zhou Qing did not go out, devoting himself entirely to comprehending the second form.

Even when Yan Xiaohu sent a message saying that in two days, the Sect Master of the Qingyuxian Sect, Immortal Xuanyou, would be coming, he didn't have time to respond.

It wasn't until the second form was thoroughly comprehended that he happily reactivated the 【Shen Xu Tiangong】 token and entered it.

"Yo, Number One, you came today!"

As soon as Zhou Qing entered, a greeting sounded from the side.

Zhou Qing turned his head to look and discovered that Number Five Blue Ball was actually there.

"Good luck!" After Zhou Qing replied with two simple words, he resolutely stepped into his own scene.

Number Five Blue Ball tutted: "Not only cold and aloof, but also quite cautious. Could it be a beautiful big beauty? After all, Number Six Blue Ball is. Interesting, truly interesting!"

After Number Five talked to himself, he sighed long: "This is the last time. If I still can't pass, I'll have to go into seclusion properly."

After saying that, he drilled into his own scene.

At this moment, Zhou Qing arrived at the gravity zone again. This time, he waited for a long time without seeing any wandering souls come out.

His luck was quite bad; he had wanted the wandering souls to come out so he could properly test the second form of the "Azure Thunder Sword Art."

After Zhou Qing, covered in sweat, passed through the gravity zone, moved the stone mill, entered the tunnel, and arrived at the final scene again.

With the sensing of the Yin and Yang cores in his body, the first coffin moved away again, and a green mist emerged from it, condensing into a scroll.

Zhou Qing only took a hurried look before turning around, taking out a moonstone, and throwing it into the darkness.

As the light shone, three giant crows wrapped in corpse wax came into view.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing's expression changed drastically.

"No way? There are actually three of them!"

Under Zhou Qing's unbelievable gaze, the crow on the left had the corpse wax on its body begin to melt bit by bit, and then it suddenly opened its blood-red eyes.

Then it lifted its feet and walked out without the slightest sound.

"What's the point of playing this!" Zhou Qing chuckled.

Afterward, he saw a feather explode from the dead crow, piercing his head again.

Transformed back into a red ball, he became completely disheartened.

Just this one dead crow could take his life with a single feather. Perhaps because his cultivation was too low, the other two didn't even glance at him.

"I'm like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl here!"

The scroll in the green mist was clearly on the other side of the river, but he just couldn't touch it.

"No, I can't give up so easily. From the moment that dead crow opens its eyes to walking out of that darkness, I have three breaths of time. Maybe I can force my way across!"

Zhou Qing gritted his teeth and entered again.

Unexpectedly, this time in the gravity zone, the roars of those wandering souls soon came.

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up, ready to go.

After the wandering souls appeared, silver light flickered under his feet, and he actually launched the attack first.

"Azure Thunder Sword Art second form, Thunder Shadow Ten Thousand Strikes, kill!"

Silver thunder, accompanied by sharp sword Qi, instantly filled the entire tunnel...

"Just a little bit off!"

When Zhou Qing transformed back into a red ball, he immediately cursed.

The power of the second form of the "Azure Thunder Sword Art" was indeed extraordinary. Even under terrifying gravity, the first wave of wandering souls turned into fly ash the moment they met.

But at the same time, the consumption of spiritual power was also extremely huge. Afterward, he used the first form and the "Silver Dragon Step" consecutively. Although he still fell at the third wave, he could already see the millstone not far away.

"Come again!" Zhou Qing's eyes became stubborn, and he entered again...

In the room, Zhou Qing, whose consciousness had returned, washed his face, then closed his eyes to properly review the various combat techniques just now, as well as where he had wasted time in vain, before taking out thirty mid-grade spirit stones and throwing them into the token.

He didn't believe he couldn't pass this tunnel.

If it really didn't work, he would just treat it as using those wandering souls to properly practice the second form.

"Come again, only ten meters away!"

"Five meters!"

"Bad luck, one meter!"

Looking at the sky, it was already late at night. Zhou Qing's eyes were red, as if a gambler had possessed him, and he threw another thirty mid-grade spirit stones in.

With the experience of fighting the enemy several times before, this time, facing the same number of wandering souls, he pushed through almost horizontally.

Finally, just as the fourth wave appeared, he successfully arrived at the stone mill.

"Just this?" Zhou Qing stepped on the stone mill, hands on his hips, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Following that, his head became dizzy, his heartbeat accelerated, and then came a violent cough, almost making him pass out.

He had just passed the gravity zone and laughed too quickly, causing the blood in his body to surge and rush straight to his head.

After finally resting for a short while, Zhou Qing hurriedly went in.

Because this place restricted spiritual power and soul consciousness, this time, without waiting for the stone coffin to open, Zhou Qing took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, gathered all his strength, and jumped forward into the blood river.

But soon, an indescribable fishy stench rushed to his nose, making Zhou Qing, who was splashing inside, retch.

But at this moment, he couldn't care about anything else, hurriedly pushing away the dead crows around him, and swimming hard toward the opposite bank.

But he hadn't swum two strokes when he suddenly felt a chill on his back.

Zhou Qing sighed long, turned around, and looked at the giant dead crow staring closely at him on the shore.

"You mother—"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw a black light suddenly come. When he opened his eyes again, he was already outside, transformed into a red ball.

"Simply too annoying!" Zhou Qing cursed, feeling exhausted.

This was simply not a stage for him, a beginner in the Jin Dan realm. Even the Supreme Elder and the others would have to come out with injuries.

"It seems this method won't work either. The time is simply not enough. Perhaps I can do the opposite, like being in the dark under the lamp?"

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up.

Afterward, he entered again. The entire gravity zone roared again. Zhou Qing held Po Shang Feng and started pushing through horizontally, familiar with the road.

This time he still arrived at the stone mill before the fourth wave. Now the gravity zone was no longer a problem for him.

Just as he was about to roll the stone mill, a rustling sound suddenly came from the silent stone palace.

Zhou Qing immediately bent down to be on guard, but soon realized he was in a simulation state, so what was he afraid of?

Afterward, he carefully stepped forward and soon arrived at the source of the sound, unable to help but be stunned.

What appeared before him now was a stone wall made of cold jade. To be precise, starting from the gravity zone, the surroundings were basically walls like this.

And on one side of the wall, there was a stolen hole about half a meter long that had been repaired. The sound was coming from inside right now.

"Could it be—"

Just as Zhou Qing thought of this, the stolen hole was kicked open by someone. Immediately after, an old man with the note 【Little doll who has the style of this old man back in the day】 above his head rolled out from inside.

"Er Daye!" Zhou Qing retreated in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Seeking monthly tickets

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(End of chapter)