Chapter 65 Repaying Kindness

Under the veil of night, Chen Xuan sprinted swiftly while remaining on high alert. His intuition told him that the woman and the black horse were extremely dangerous.

Seeing this, the black horse widened its eyes in utter disbelief. The fellow actually turned around and fled the moment he saw them?

"Sword Fairy, are you some sort of man-eating prehistoric beast? Three times, three consecutive times it has been like this. The martial arts brat runs away the moment he lays eyes on you."

The black horse transmitted its voice, convinced that her initial indifference during their first chance meeting had created a terrible first impression.

The white-robed Sword Fairy looked dazed upon hearing this. Recalling their first encounter, she asked doubtfully, "Is that so? It was a heavy snowstorm, and the curtain blocked his view; he couldn't even see my face clearly."

The black horse chuckled, but its expression suddenly shifted, noticing something amiss: "This is strange. The martial arts brat... he has undergone the Feathering transformation three times."

The white-robed Sword Fairy narrowed her eyes, equally astonished. Because his vital blood and Qi had reached a formidable twenty-five thousand catties or so, her cultivation and keen eyesight made it easy for her to gauge the rough outline.

The martial arts brat's advancement speed was simply too fast.

"Is it him?"

Following the gaze of the black horse and the white-robed woman, Shen Jianqing caught sight of Chen Xuan's retreating figure. Recognizing him, he said in surprise:

"Senior Sister, I have seen this man before. He possesses considerable strength and extremely high innate bone quality, trailing only slightly behind me... Today in Peach Blossom Spring, representing the Southern Wilderness, he used the Five Elements Qi to slay the half-step Dao-Storehouse grand cultivators of the Cui and Lu families, and took away the lingering legacy of the Shangyang Immortal."

Hearing this, the black horse and the white-robed Sword Fairy exchanged a glance, shock registering deeply in their eyes.

This news was too startling. They had witnessed with their own eyes Chen Xuan's battered and solitary departure from Willow Town on that snowy night. How long ago was that? Just over a month! In that short time, the fellow had grown to the point where he could even kill two half-step Dao-Storehouse experts!

And he had successfully cultivated the Five Elements Qi.

The former was somewhat understandable, but the latter bordered on the shocking.

Going from absolute zero to mastering the legendary Five Elements Qi in a little over a month—not even the world's top supreme prodigies could achieve that!

Even the white-robed Sword Fairy, who enjoyed the reputation of a "Sword Embryo" within her sect, would have had zero confidence in accomplishing such a feat back when she was in the Feathering realm.

Struck as if by lightning, the black horse immediately transmitted its voice to the white-robed Sword Fairy, wailing in complaint:

"I told you this martial arts brat would achieve greatness, that he was destined for greatness! You didn't believe me. Now that his brilliance is shining for all to see, the freaks of the Southern Wilderness have picked up a huge treasure, and you're going to regret it!"

They were the senior cultivators who had encountered Chen Xuan first, even earlier than the Mountain Ghost Mother of the Southern Wilderness!

The white-robed Sword Fairy's slender figure swayed slightly, looking somewhat desolate. She pressed her lips together and replied:

"He was someone pre-selected by the sect; what right did I have to change it halfway? Shen Jianqing's innate bones weigh close to nine thousand catties, and he carries the bloodline of a great figure who traversed the mortal dust, born naturally for the Dao of the sword. The martial arts brat... that person simply cannot compare to Shen Jianqing; that is a plain, undeniable fact. Who could have foreseen that in just over a month, he would reach this step?"

She inexplicably felt a trace of grievance, knowing that if anyone else from her sect had been in her shoes, the outcome would have been identical.

The black horse grew so agitated its body turned reddish, and it brayed: "I told you to take him in that day, but you refused. What harm would it have been to take in one more? You went on about big words like rivers and fish, sneering at his character. Well, look at you now! You didn't want him, but there are plenty of people lining up to snatch him away!"

The white-robed Sword Fairy opened her mouth, stopping on the verge of speaking, only to find she could utter no words at all. Because... she truly had misjudged him.

In the distant night, Chen Xuan's figure vanished completely, heading off to an unknown destination, untraceable.

"..."

Shen Jianqing stood upright like a pine tree, admiring the moonlight. Unaware of the fierce private conversation taking place between the woman and the horse, his perception was nevertheless sharp enough to quickly notice that upon hearing about Chen Xuan, their reactions were extraordinarily shocked, which immediately made him feel somewhat displeased.

He thought to himself: Even if the fellow is a genius, how could he possibly compare to me, Shen Jianqing? The gap is vast!

Mastering the Five Elements Qi is nothing.

If he himself did not solely focus on the Golden Virtue White Qi, but had the opportunity to study the Five Elements Qi, as long as he made no errors while mastering the most difficult fifth Qi and successfully comprehended it, he would have a ninety percent certainty of mastering the legendary Five Elements Qi within three to five years...

The fellow's innate bones were a fraction inferior to his, meaning he must have practiced since early childhood to achieve what he had today!

A smile played on Shen Jianqing's lips. Gesturing toward the direction where Chen Xuan had left, he said with effortless nonchalance to the white-robed Sword Fairy:

"Senior Sister, if not for your prior admonition, I fully intended to slay this person with a single sword today in Peach Blossom Spring, seize the Shangyang Immortal's legacy, and present it to you as a gift."

Hearing this, the black horse turned back and glanced at him. Its mouth opened and closed, but in the end, it said nothing... What an interesting individual.

The white-robed Sword Fairy also fell silent for a moment, letting out a soft, internal sigh. Afterward, she transmitted her voice to the black horse:

"The rice is cooked; a sword officer speaks no regrets. That person... Never mind. Do not mention that person's affairs in front of Shen Jianqing in the future. I worry he cannot handle the blow. Let him maintain his 'confidence'... The Great Dao is an endless, bitter cold; that person's momentary rise may not last, and in the future, Shen Jianqing still has a much greater chance of going far."

The black horse could only nod.

Having calmly spoken these words, the white-robed Sword Fairy gently exhaled. Her chest heaved slightly, swaying with breathtaking scenery.

With a cold expression and without turning her head, she began to explain directly to Shen Jianqing behind her why they could not step in to seize the Immortals' legacy:

"There was no miraculous phenomenon of the Shangyang Immortal's legacy appearing in the sky today; it must have been deliberately suppressed by the great freaks of the Southern Wilderness. There is more to this matter."

"The Fire Emperor of the State of Chu has lived for nearly four thousand years, and his lifespan is nearing its end. Someone of his caliber—a legendary figure who wrote his own volume in the annals of history—possesses vaulting ambition and an iron will. He will undoubtedly refuse to swallow the Heavenly Mandate Immortal Pill refined by the Minor Azure Heaven. Therefore, his only option in the end is to enter the burial ground of the ancient Immortals' divine concealment and gamble on the ancient path of achieving immortality through traditional methods."

"However, the final lingering legacy of the Shangyang Immortal was snatched away by the Southern Wilderness."

"Next, many major factions will rack their brains to curry favor with the Fire Emperor and demand the Immortals' legacy. Not just the Cui and Lu families, but this Southern Wilderness land will soon become turbulent once more. A direct battle may even break out, and we have no time to waste here."

Hearing this, Shen Jianqing was startled, and exclaimed in shock: "There is such a hidden truth? Fortunately, my Dao heart is firm; otherwise, if I had struck to slay that Southern Wilderness youth today, I would have nearly provoked a catastrophe!"

Even if one managed to seize the Immortals' legacy, they would become a target for everyone, potentially facing a joint siege by numerous factions.

As a native of the ancient State of Chu, Shen Jianqing was well aware of the Fire Emperor's terrifying reputation.

Bearing the Jiang bloodline, the Fire Emperor had forcefully flattened the previous dynasty and established the State of Chu for over thirty-six hundred years. Like a blazing sun hanging in the firmament, his gaze swept across ninety thousand miles of the world, suppressing hundreds of millions of cultivators so heavily they could barely breathe.

Yet today, was he actually approaching the twilight of his heroism, growing old? Who would succeed to the throne of the Emperor in the future? Rumors had it that none of his descendants possessed any great talent! Once this major piece of news exploded, the entire world would be shaken.

"..."

The white-robed Sword Fairy frowned slightly, looking at Shen Jianqing, whose face had turned pale with fright.

Fortunately, such a mediocre yet self-confident temperament did not belong to a disciple of hers. Still, his innate bone quality and aptitude were indeed decent; she would simply make do with it.

...

...

The Southern Wilderness Mountains.

Walking alone along the dim mountain path, Chen Xuan finally arrived at the small stone lake area where the Mountain Treasure Fish had once resided.

"This place belongs to Senior Turtle's territory, and it is very safe."

Surveying his surroundings, Chen Xuan decided to live in seclusion here. The moment dawn broke tomorrow, he would construct a simple little cottage right here.

Having experienced many things today—the continuous fierce battles in Peach Blossom Spring and the midnight escape from the Southern Wilderness—all of it had consumed an immense amount of mental energy.

"Twenty-five thousand catties and some change is the limit of this physical body of mine."

Sitting cross-legged on a mountain rock, Chen Xuan closed his eyes to rest and recuperate, sensing his bodily condition.

Although he had mastered several spell tricks within the Six Desires Heaven and later manifested them in the material world, in reality, they hadn't increased the strength of his physical blood and Qi by all that much.

Most of that nurturing power had transformed into rich life energy, accumulating within his body to refine his internal organs, limbs, and bones. His skin had grown as smooth as jade, his hair was dark and lustrous, and faint white spiritual light occasionally flickered across his body, giving his entire person an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

"While my blood and Qi strength has reached its limit and won't undergo any major changes, my body is still improving and mutating, evolving toward a more peaceful and stable state."

Sensing his physical condition, Chen Xuan couldn't help but think: "If I only learned a few more spell tricks, the accumulated energy wouldn't be much. But what if I continue to study spell tricks and true scriptures? If ten aren't enough, then twenty, thirty, fifty... At that time, will the vast energy accumulated within my body break through the limit of my innate bone quality in one fell swoop?"

Perhaps it would.

Perhaps it wouldn't.

With a wry smile, Chen Xuan shook his head: "Putting aside whether I can even find a sufficient number of spell tricks, the sheer amount of time spent practicing them could probably allow me to master a second true scripture and condense a Dao-Storehouse."

Moreover, in the event of failure, all that time would be wasted in vain.

With a helpless smile, Chen Xuan shook his head and abandoned this impractical method: "The only feasible way would be for Yan Yushu to be on call at all times and cooperate wholeheartedly, but she is simply incapable of that; I cannot force her."

"If only there were a method to enhance her constitution... Ah, if she advances to a Dao-Storehouse grand cultivator, her endurance should last a bit longer."

The next day.

Moving with swift and practiced hands, Chen Xuan utilized the power of the immortal Qi to break ground and construct a courtyard, looking very much like someone settling in for the long haul.

The old turtle ambled over to take a look, lingered for a moment, and told Chen Xuan that in a few days, it would take him to meet that old fox friend who practiced the Red Qi, to help him melt down the useless ancient artifacts and forge a handy treasured implement.

A few days later.

The situation on the outer edges of the Southern Wilderness had completely calmed down. Chen Xuan successfully finished building a small courtyard by the lakeside. Utilizing the White Qi to chop wood into planks and the Yellow Qi to gather sand into walls, it was extremely convenient and consumed very little mental effort.

A few more days passed.

Calculating the time, a full ten days had gone by.

"It's time to contact Yan Yushu."

Just as he was about to use the communication talismanic seal, an excited, childish cry echoed from the forest.

"Benefactor! Benefactor!"

A small, crimson-red fox dashed out frantically from the woods, rushing to Chen Xuan's feet and spinning around like a pug. Its eyes narrowed into crescents as it hopped up and down: "It's little Fox! Little Fox brought friends to play with you!"

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Five or six bizarrely shaped demons and ghosts followed closely behind, squeezing out from the woods, tumbling to the ground, and piling up into a colorful little mound.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Chen Xuan lowered his head to look at the little red fox named Bai Zi, and scolded: "I need to cultivate. Go play somewhere else by yourselves."

A group of toddler-sized little fiends—add them all up and they weren't even as old as him—what was there to play with? He was in a rush to contact Yan Yushu for serious business!

The little red fox hurriedly spread its arms and shouted: "Little Fox is here to repay a kindness! I've brought a heavenly good opportunity for my benefactor!"