“Tell me, what is Ye Liangchen’s strength like?” Xu Kun asked calmly.
Unlike his foolish younger brother, he knew that this test for apprentice cultivators had attracted a great number of talented youths and the disciples of major powers. All aimed to join the Holy Demon Sect through these trials in order to secure a spot in the upcoming entrance to the Secret Realm.
In plain terms, these prodigies raised with a golden spoon wished only to secure a spot to enter the Secret Realm; that was why they deigned to come to the Holy Demon Sect.
If Ye Liangchen were one of them, then he would have to plan carefully, since there are some people in this world who should not be provoked.
“His strength is formidable, he took my palm strike without any defense and was unscathed. However, he’s definitely not a match for you, big brother. As long as you make a move, you can kill him immediately!”
“Big brother, you must stand up for me!”
As he spoke, the tears streamed down Senior Brother Xu’s face once again.
“Do you know of Ye Liangchen’s background?”
“He has no background. He lives with the menial disciples and blends in with the apprentice cultivators. He’s clearly a bumpkin!”
Qin Lan glanced at him, a hint of disdain in her eyes. The gap between the Xu siblings was too great; the brother was strong, but the younger one was a weakling.
“Senior Brother Xu, we are aware of Ye Liangchen’s origins,” Wang Ruoxian seized the opportunity to speak.
“Speak.”
“He came from Ancient Moon City and seems to have provoked an Evil Cultivator outside. I personally witnessed a Nascent Soul Stage Evil Cultivator attempting to capture him, and he killed the cultivator with a strange artifact.”
Qin Lan’s heart stirred, “Is that artifact a mount with an odd appearance?”
“Exactly!”
“Immortal Qin has seen it too?” asked Xu Kun.
“Xu brother, Qin Lan has met him once. He was with me during the entry test. As far as I know, he is on good terms with Yu Sanbian, and he has a powerful mount. It is with this mount that he smoothly made it into the Holy Demon Sect.”
“What does Immortal Qin think of his strength?”
“Without that mount, he could be easily defeated with a wave of my hand,” Qin Lan said.
“Xu would like to ask for Immortal Qin’s help…”
“Qin Lan understands…”
…
On the mountain peak, Li Xiaobai spent the night and went over his system panel, preparing to descend the mountain once more.
[Host: Li Xiaobai.]
[…]
[Defensive Power: Indestructible Golden Body Seventh Layer (6000/70000) upgradeable.]
[Attribute Points: 0.]
[Mall: Opened.]
[Pudong Rooster death count: 0.]
The system added a new line about Ji Wuqing, which was the system-generated mount, able to record the number of times it died; the more it died, the stronger it became.
Normally, anyone who knew they could resurrect infinitely and grow stronger with each death would not hesitate to die at least once.
However, it seemed the Pudong Rooster had no such awareness.
Li Xiaobai had talked to it once, and no matter what, the creature refused to die. It even believed that possessing the Undying Phoenix Bloodline was enough to rival the mighty figures of the world, holding a mysterious confidence.
But Li Xiaobai had never hoped to dominate the world with just a chicken, anyway.
After checking the panel briefly, he set out fully equipped.
To quickly establish a foothold in a region, mere cultivation level wasn’t enough. Just like yesterday, if you beat up the younger brother, the elder brother would come after you, and trouble would keep knocking on your door.
Only by bringing benefits to numerous cultivators, creating value, making his name known, and having more supporters, could one live a carefree and comfortable life.
This was a tactic he learned within Ancient Moon City.
This time, Li Xiaobai wanted to open a small shop. The goods in the market from Huazi were cheap to produce and very suitable for business. Moreover, after the previous ordeal, he had already acquired quite a few regular customers.
At the foot of the mountain, it was just as bustling with hurried passersby.
“Cave dwelling for sale…”
“Street stalls for lease…”
“Shops for transfer…”
The trading area was as lively as ever. Li Xiaobai found a cultivator who was ready to sell his shop, and to his surprise, it was an acquaintance.
It was none other than Yin Susu, the true disciple of the Holy Demon Sect whom he had encountered in the Divine Beast Mountain Range. She was at the Half-step Nascent Soul Stage, accompanied by that rather weak little girl. At the moment, several cultivators were surrounding them, seemingly in the middle of a dispute.
“Sister Yin, there is no need for this. My Senior Brother Yue means well by offering to buy your shop.”
“Exactly, Sister Yin, this shop means nothing to Senior Brother Yue. Since you can’t sell it anyway, you might as well accept his kind gesture.”
“Su Su, so many people line up to win Senior Brother Yue’s favor. It would be better for you to accept.”
“Right, with us here today, besides Senior Brother Yue, I’m afraid no one will dare to buy your shop.”
The cultivators were trying to persuade her earnestly.
“Please return, gentlemen. I cannot accept Senior Brother Yue’s kindness. I just want to cultivate and have no interest in matters of men and women,” Yin Susu said indifferently.
“Yeah, you people are so annoying. What’s so great about Yue Fan that he dares to covet my senior sister Su Su? You better scram, or I’m calling someone!” The little girl was blustering angrily as well.
The standoff continued, and Li Xiaobai seized the opportunity to squeeze in.
“I’ll buy the shop. What’s the price?”
The group was taken aback, not expecting anyone so bold as to interfere with Senior Brother Yue’s interests.
Yin Susu was also surprised. The crowd nearby was keeping their distance, yet this person just barged in. Couldn’t he read the atmosphere?
The little girl, however, was unperturbed and immediately quoted a price, “One hundred medium-grade Spirit Stones.”
“No problem, I’ll take it.”
Li Xiaobai quickly threw out a bag of medium-grade Spirit Stones, swiftly took the shop token from Yin Susu’s hand, and left. He was afraid of being recognized by her. That little girl was quite peculiar and might discover something if given the chance.
“Wait, who are you?” The cultivators finally reacted, one of them slapping Li Xiaobai’s shoulder and demanding in a stern voice.
“My name is Ye Liangchen. May I help you?”
“Whichever hand touched the token, chop it off yourself,” the leading cultivator said arrogantly.
“Both hands touched it, can’t chop them off myself,” Li Xiaobai replied.
The little girl couldn’t help but burst out laughing; she found the person in front of her to be quite amusing, and she also felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with him, as if she had seen him somewhere before. Yin Susu also couldn’t help but smile at his humor.
“Do you think you’re funny?”
“Junior brother, some people are not for you to mock,” the leading cultivator said with a harsh look in his eyes as his fingers clawed fiercely towards Li Xiaobai’s wrist.
The rest of the cultivators watched Li Xiaobai with interest. It was their first time seeing someone seek death so blatantly; undoubtedly, blood had to be shed today.