Xiao Jingting’s villa.
“Mother,when will Father be back?” Xiao Xiaofan asked gloomily while eating.
“He’ll be back in a little over a month,” Xu Mu’an replied.
“A whole month! I can’t even enjoy my meals without him,” Xiao Xiaofan complained, resting his head on the table.
“If you can’t enjoy your meals, why are you eating so much?” Xiao Xiaodong retorted impatiently.
“I used to eat even more!” Xiao Xiaofan grumbled.
“It’s just a little over a month! He used to be away from home often, so not seeing him for a month was normal. It didn’t affect us then,” Xiao Xiaodong remarked casually.
Xiao Xiaofan looked at Xiao Xiaodong in surprise. “Did that happen before?”
Xiao Xiaodong nodded. “Yeah! You used to be happiest when he wasn’t around.”
“But now, I like him! Father is different. Don’t you miss him too, Brother?” Xiao Xiaofan asked.
Xiao Xiaodong turned his head away and said fiercely, “Who misses him? He hasn’t been gone long, we just saw him recently. I don’t miss him.”
Xiao Xiaofan puffed out his cheeks. “Really? But you were asking around about where Father went and when he’ll be back, you just didn’t get any answers!”
Xiao Xiaodong blushed and said, “I was just asking casually. He’s so clueless, he’ll get lost as soon as he steps out. I really don’t know what to do…”
Xu Mu’an rubbed Xiao Xiaofan and Xiao Xiaodong’s heads and said, “Your father should be back soon.”
Xiao Xiaofan sighed. “Okay.”
Xu Mu’an looked at his sons who were sighing and said sarcastically, “Doesn’t the food I cook taste as good as your father’s?”
Xiao Xiaofan blushed and shook his head. “No.”
“While your father is away, you two should focus on cultivating. When he comes back, give him a surprise,” Xu Mu’an said.
Xiao Xiaofan nodded earnestly. “Don’t worry, Mother,I’ll work hard.”
“Why aren’t you going with Father?” Xiao Xiaodong asked.
Xu Mu’an rubbed his stomach and said, “There’s still business here.”
The family’s business couldn’t stop. With Xiao Jingting gone, there wasn’t enough output from the fields, so they couldn’t supply drinks for the time being. Xu Mu’an planned to take the high-end route and only sell the most expensive drinks, while also engaging in more trade of spirit wines. In this world, without money, it’s hard to make any progress.
“Mother,aren’t you worried that Father will attract other women while he’s away?” Xiao Xiaodong asked.
Xu Mu’an paused for a Moment, a trace of worry appearing on his face. Xiao Jingting was different now; he had extraordinary charm. Not to mention distant admirers, even Sun Miaomiao might try to win him back.
“Your father won’t,” Xu Mu’an said reassuringly, although he felt a little uneasy inside. “You two focus on your cultivation. When your father comes back, give him a surprise.”
Xiao Xiaodong nodded solemnly. “Okay.”
Over at the Marquis’s Mansion, the competition was in full swing.
In the competition, participants were given different identity cards based on their level: those at Level Four were given bronze cards worth one point, Level Five received silver cards worth three points, Level Six got gold cards worth eight points, Level Seven received purple gold cards worth eighteen points, and Level Eight got jade cards worth twenty-eight points.
All participants were then scattered and teleported into the forest. Upon arrival, most quickly dispersed, including those around Xiao Jingting.
He noticed that as one of the highest-ranked in our group, others tended to avoid him upon arrival. Feeling somewhat pleased with this special treatment, he remained cautious.
During the competition, two alchemists were brought in by the Marquis’s Mansion. Their rare skills could amplify the effects of herbs several times over, making their concoctions highly sought after.
Xiao Jingting felt a sudden warmth from the jade pendant, followed by a strange thought urging him to move left. Intrigued, he followed its guidance and found a cluster of young Blue Gentian plants, the primary ingredient for a high-grade Qi-enhancing pill. A recipe flooded his mind.
He transplanted the plants into his spatial storage. The pendant’s prior lack of response suddenly made sense – it likely didn’t recognize the low-grade herbs they had encountered earlier.
Grateful for this unexpected discovery, he cautiously navigated through the forest, mindful of both the valuable resources and lurking dangers.
As the days passed, he accumulated a substantial number of points, which he intended to exchange for rare elixirs to aid in his cultivation.
But just as he prepared to head to the exchange point, a deafening roar echoed through the forest, signaling the appearance of a powerful creature. It seemed the competition was about to become even more challenging.
Relying on the guidance of the jade pendant, Xiao Jingting discovered several young spirit herb seedlings, which he promptly transplanted into the pendant’s space.
“Phantom Snow Lotus, two hundred years old, semi-matured body,” echoed a voice from the jade pendant as Xiao Jingting hid in the trees.
Rolling his eyes, Xiao Jingting cursed the unhelpful nature of the jade pendant’s space. It only pointed out spirit herbs without warning about potential dangers. This Phantom Snow Lotus had likely already attracted attention.
Fortunately, Xiao Jingting remained cautious. If he had rushed forward, he might have been attacked by those eager competitors.
Sighing inwardly, Xiao Jingting glanced at the standoff between two sides.
“Miss Wu, the Marquis’s Mansion is vast. This single Phantom Snow Lotus isn’t worth the trouble. Why must you be so aggressive?” one person said.
Ouyang Mingyue coldly replied, “Since you know who I am, you should retreat voluntarily. Leave now, and I might spare your lives. Don’t hinder me.”
Rubbing his nose, Xiao Jingting thought, “Novels can be deceiving!”
He had expected these male cultivators to fawn over someone like Ouyang Mingyue, but they actually demanded she back off. It seemed that treasures in the cultivation world were more important than beauty. However, it wasn’t surprising; after all, cultivation was paramount in this world. Beauty, while desirable, might not be their priority.
“Miss Wu, let’s follow proper etiquette,” the leader of the opposing male cultivators said coldly.
Ouyang Mingyue snorted, “Treasures belong to the capable.”
Xiao Jingting was astonished by Ouyang Mingyue’s arrogance. She was indeed a force to be reckoned with, but as the Marquis’s Mansion’s pride, her arrogance was somewhat justified.
“Brother, why waste time with this woman? She’s from the Marquis’s Mansion, loaded with treasures. If we kill her, all those treasures will be ours,” a greedy man said.
Seemingly provoked, Ouyang Mingyue roared, “You’re asking for death!”
Brandishing her artifact, she attacked the three men, who retaliated with ominous black flags.
Frowning, Xiao Jingting observed the flags’ sinister aura. Clearly, they were trouble.
Xiao Jingting narrowed his eyes, thinking, “Ouyang Mingyue may have overestimated herself. Although she’s at Level Seven, she’s outnumbered by three Level Six cultivators.”
“Dark Cultivators? Where did you come from?” Ouyang Mingyue exclaimed.
Xiao Jingting’s pupils constricted. Dark Cultivators were ruthless and often practiced killing to refine treasures. Encounter with them mandated extermination. It seemed that Dark Cultivators had infiltrated the competition, and their strength was formidable.
The three Dark Cultivators obviously didn’t want to waste time talking to Ouyang Mingyue and launched their attacks with full force.
Xiao Jingting noticed that the three Dark Cultivators seemed to have practiced some sort of combined attack technique, which made their attacks extremely powerful. Surprisingly, Ouyang Mingyue found herself at a disadvantage.
“Big brother, the woman wants to escape.”
“We can’t let her get away. It’ll cause endless trouble.”
The three men surrounded Ouyang Mingyue and unleashed a chaotic barrage of attacks on her.
Seemingly pushed to her limit, Ouyang Mingyue swiftly threw out dozens of talismans, causing the three cultivators to stagger back.
Xiao Jingting winced at the sight. Those were Level Six spirit talismans! They were incredibly expensive.
“You darn woman!” The three men grimaced as they were bombarded by Ouyang Mingyue’s talismans.
Their artifacts were damaged, and they seemed to have taken quite a beating under Ouyang Mingyue’s relentless assault.
Gasping for breath, Ouyang Mingyue glared at the three men with fury in her eyes.
Shaking his head, Xiao Jingting thought, “Ouyang Mingyue acted too hastily. By releasing so many talismans at once, she might have depleted her spiritual energy. Although the three cultivators were injured, they seem to be in a better condition than Ouyang Mingyue. She might not be able to hold on much longer.”
Ouyang Mingyue detonated two thunder beads and then turned to flee.
Impressed by Ouyang Mingyue’s quick thinking, Xiao Jingting noted her resourcefulness. When the situation turned unfavorable, she didn’t hesitate to run.
Xiao Jingting observed Ouyang Mingyue’s Level Seven Wind Boots and her clothes, which had built-in lightweight talisman arrays. They were of excellent quality, and even her bracelet seemed extraordinary.
Swallowing hard, Xiao Jingting thought, “This woman is loaded! Robbing her would be profitable, but it seems she’s not an easy target.“
After a while, the three brothers returned.
“That darn woman vanished into thin air.”
“She’ll probably spread word about the Dark Cultivators everywhere.”
“What’s there to fear? These aren’t our real identities anyway. We’ll just retract our dark aura and pretend to be Level Five cultivators later.”
“That darn woman’s bracelet can unleash attacks from Foundation Establishment cultivators and heavily injured Second Brother.”
“Well, she’s from the Marquis’s Mansion. We should be more cautious when encountering them in the future.”
Listening to the brothers’ conversation, Xiao Jingting couldn’t help but marvel. Second-generation cultivators were indeed different.
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