ã€ŠRise of Nightflowerã€‹


 Auspicious Encounter

    On a hill a ways away from what appeared to be a red mansion, a young lady in her teens could be seen sitting on the top, leaning against a tall evergreen tree. She stared wistfully at the sunset. If one were to look at the expression on her face, it could only be the look of a woman who had experienced the scorn of someone far beyond her years. This young girl, Su Qingcheng of the Su clan, could actually be said to not be of this world. Originally, this Su Qingcheng was from the modern time of Earth. However, she was stabbed to death by her lover of many years who betrayed her due to coveting the riches that Qingcheng had acquired as a result of her books.

    That''s right; Su Qingcheng in her past life was originally a well-known author. However, she found herself in a new body in a rather mysterious fantasy world much like the stories she enjoyed writing. However, Qingcheng did not enjoy it that much to her shock and dismay. In this world, magic was incredibly rare. People relied on a type of energy called ''Tianqi'' which allowed them to make use of geomancy and similar types of mystic techniques. It could be said that every single person in this Liandou continent could make use of Tianqi to some extent. This determined their worth in life.

    Qingcheng was originally destined for greatness, but at the age of 10, Qingcheng got into an accident that would seemingly change her life for the worse, which caused her inner body to be irreparably broken. Four years later, the scene of a young lady who could only lament her broken Tianqi channels could be seen today. Fingering the necklace given to her by her mother Su Ran, Qingcheng could only sigh. She was lucky that she retained all the knowledge of her past life, thus enabling her to survive up to this long without being doomed to mediocrity. Swearing she would find a way to reverse her misfortune, Qingcheng spent the past four years poring over ancient books and records on how to repair broken Tianqi channels. These Tianqi channels acted like the meridians and spirit channels of similar stories that Qingcheng loved to read and write about in her past life.

    As a result, she really didn''t know whether to laugh or cry about being subjected to such a cruelty. As she looked up at the tree she leaned against, Qingcheng felt a deep shame, as she felt like she had disappointed her new parents, being forced to endure humiliation by her fellow clan brothers and sisters who now surpassed her in talent and power. Clenching a fist, Qingcheng stood up and prepared to return home, but soon felt the wind suddenly intensify and wash over her. Looking around, Qingcheng attempted to use her spiritual senses to see if anyone wanted to attack a weakling like her, but upon discovering that it seemed to be nothing, she sighed and kept moving down the hill. However, the wind only continued to intensify up to a point where Qingcheng''s long black hair began to billow fiercely. She soon felt a heaty sensation rising in her neck region, and looked down to find her necklace had gone hot, it was glowing a dark purple. Blinking, she looked around before she felt a ghostly presence wrap her arms around her.

    Standing still, Qingcheng felt afraid, very afraid. Was a ghost haunting her? What kind of unlucky situation was this? Her body was already crippled, and now the necklace her mother gave her was also haunted? Again, Qingcheng found herself at a loss whether to laugh or cry. However, a voice reverberated in her mind as it felt like it came from her own heart. Do not be afraid, child, I know you have suffered a lot. But walking with your head high despite your broken body, it has allowed the Heavens to take pity on you. Qingcheng''s brows furrowed as she stood perfectly still. She dared not to turn around.

    However, one could definitely see the outline of a goddess embracing the body of Qingcheng. Though this figure could definitely be considered as a top beauty of the world, she was still a spirit, a ghost. The spirit kept her embrace around Qingcheng, though the young girl remained stationary. All she did was gulp saliva nervously. You have held back tears and endured humiliation, yet you show tenacity and ferocity even beyond young men of your age. I had awoken from my slumber, sealed within the necklace given to you by your mother.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    "You still haven''t explained to me what you are or what you plan to do to me." Qingcheng sighed, finally deciding to speak. Her voice was not exactly hostile, but it definitely wasn''t kind either. She was masking her nerves with defiance.

    Don''t be afraid. You can call me Yao Meiyue. The voice continued to ring in Qingcheng''s mind. The more she listened to it, the more she got used to it and soon quickly grew comfortable listening to this spirit''s soft voice. It did remind her of mother in a way. I know your Tianqi paths are damaged. It may seem hopeless, but I can help you. You just need to listen to me. Do not despair.

    Qingcheng sighed. She soon remembered that precisely one year from this day, she would be forced to marry a guy from another powerful clan that was in no way weaker than Qingcheng''s own Su clan. This guy was known as Xiao Tie, however Qingcheng had no interest in men. Even her past lover who backstabbed her back on Earth was a woman. Thus Qingcheng was vehemently opposed to this arranged marriage, foisted upon her when she was a victim of that fateful accident four years ago. The spirit named Yao Meiyue spoke cryptically but at this point Qingcheng surmised that she had no choice but to embark on the path of this fairy-tale like story and listen to the ghost. Qingcheng found it too surreal but she really didn''t want to be subjected to the humiliation of a fall from grace, even being forced to marry this Xiao Tie, who was often ridiculed by Qingcheng''s sisters to be a lecher.

    "Then, Meiyue, would you become my teacher? How can you help me?" Qingcheng lamented.

    Trust me, I am in no way weaker than those Tianqi Emperors that your grandparents hold in high regards, even as a spirit. Qingcheng listened intently. It should be said that in Liandou continent, the levels of power could be divided into stratums. Each individual stratum was then split into five sub-strata or ranks, where people could promote to the next higher stratum by breaking past the fifth rank. Tianqi Emperors could be said to be a godlike existence only below that of Tianqi Gods. From this, it should be inferred that even as a ghost, Yao Meiyue could rival those terrifying fellows.

    Qingcheng involuntarily started sweating when she could feel the pure tianqi energy radiating from the ghost who was no longer hugging her but simply just floating behind her. Originally, Qingcheng at the age of ten was in the fifth rank of Tianqi User which was the lowest stratum, but since the accident, she was demoted to second rank only, unable to regain her former glory. You should trust me. I wouldn''t dare to do any extra harm to you. After all, it would simply be too shameful for a higher existence to care about eliminating a cripple.

    Qingcheng felt daggers pierce her heart when Meiyue said those words, even if it was true. She recalled being close to breaking through to the next stratum which was a Tianqi Geomancer, but due to the accident she lost all her progress. Having nothing more to lose, she steeled her will and found herself accepting the ghost''s generosity. Clearly, if this ghost knew so much about Qingcheng and was even coming out from the necklace given to her by Su Ran, Qingcheng could only hope that Meiyue really had a close connection to her parents when she was still alive.

    You are a good girl. Do not worry. Within one year I will help you recover your strength and become strong once again. You wouldn''t need to give a fart about a fool like that Xiao Tie or his Xiao clan. You really deserve better than this misfortune. Meiyue continued speaking through Qingcheng''s mind. Soon, the spirit realized that Qingcheng must have an incredibly high aptitude for spiritual sense to be able to carry a conversation with her for this long. Soon, Meiyue retreated back into the necklace of Qingcheng, though she continued to speak.

    Girl, you better head back. That Xiao Tie is coming to see you. I think you better prepare some words for him.

    Qingcheng swallowed her saliva. She decided then to take matters into her own hands by taking a gamble. If Meiyue could really help her conquer this adversity, then Qingcheng felt confident she could make big strides once again, and it would really have made withstanding such humiliation worth a lot.

    "Little Xiao clan brat," Qingcheng sighed. "Just because I have damaged Tianqi paths now, doesn''t mean I should submit to you one year from now. I will be the one to forge my own destiny."

    She promised this to herself as she returned back to the Su clan home.

 1 - Declaring War and Preparing to Struggle

    The Su clan residence truthfully could not just simply be considered a mansion. That mansion was just a large portion of a compound reserved for the direct line of the Su family, which Qingcheng is a part of. She has a brother and a sister also in this lineage. Fortunately for Qingcheng, a large part of why she was able to endure this long was due to the support of her direct family, who knew how hard Qingcheng was working to try and reverse her misfortune. It seemed that most of the clan members who ridiculed Qingcheng belonged to the extended family, who were jealous of Qingcheng''s former talent.

    Yao Meiyue was clearly able to realize Qingcheng''s former talent, otherwise she would not have bothered to appear and extend an olive branch to her. It should be said that when it comes to manipulating Tianqi, every person had at least one elemental affinity out of the five that populated the continent ¨C Fire, Water, Wood, Earth and Metal. The more of these elements you had an affinity to, the stronger you would naturally be able to become. Qingcheng was one of those rare existences who had affinity with all five of them, making her a Penta-Essence Tianqi User. Even her siblings could only use four out of five of them. However, she indeed lost everything due to that accident. Meiyue could only lament about this misfortune.

    On the way back, Qingcheng attempted to question how Yao Meiyue knew so much about her and her family. Though the spirit was not willing to share a lot, Qingcheng could gather that Meiyue was definitely closely connected to her mother. As for the nature of the relationship, she couldn''t figure this out at the moment. Unable to extract more out of Yao Meiyue, Qingcheng inwardly sighed and made her way to the mansion. At the great hall of the mansion which also served as the main family''s dining room, sat a handsome, well-kept young man who would be about two years older than Qingcheng. He had short, nicely groomed black hair and his face looked quite pleasant to look at. Actually, this man was in fact Xiao Tie. Though Qingcheng abhorred the idea of getting married to this good-looking fellow, she had to admit that even she would have felt a bit moved if Xiao Tie didn''t already have a horrible reputation of being a chauvinistic pig. Every young girl he flirted or had a fling with ended up having horrid relations with him. This didn''t improve Qingcheng''s image of him at all.

    Seated next to Xiao Tie were two old wizened men. Meiyue could immediately identify that they were powerful men in the Tianqi Sage stratum, which could be said to be a whole four stratum higher than Qingcheng herself, and only slightly weaker than a Tianqi Emperor. Truly, the Xiao clan could not be looked down upon either. Most likely, the two old men, who were both stroking their beards pensively upon seeing Qingcheng enter the room, were high-ranking grand elders of the Xiao clan. Nearby, Qingcheng saw her parents and brother and sister seated also.

    Yao Meiyue immediately concealed her spiritual signature, which caused a very quick glint to flash from her necklace. This did not escape Qingcheng''s sight who had abnormal spiritual perception to begin with, but Su Ran saw this and flashed a look at surprise towards the young cripple. However this look of surprise disappeared as fast as it arose. Qingcheng quickly noted her mother''s reaction to heart and would ask about this later. Now, however, she had more important things to worry about.

    Xiao Tie chuckled as he saw Su Qingcheng enter the room. "Darling. I know that our marriage is a year from now. You are no longer the bright jade that you once were; why do you insist on resisting? You can''t keep hiding behind your parents forever." He flashed a venomous, lustful look at Qingcheng which caused the girl to involuntarily shudder and freeze in place. Her brother, Su Mujian, clenched his fists and stared angrily at Xiao Tie, unable to stand his behavior. Her sister, Su Yanran, remained emotionless before looking at Qingcheng with a genuinely worried expression.

    Qingcheng soon regained her composure and cleared her throat. "Shut up," Qingcheng scowled, causing the two elders near Xiao Tie to angrily release their Tianqi aura in response to the girl''s impudence. Whether it was due to Meiyue or not, Qingcheng somehow barely managed to resist this imposing pressure, she immediately started to sweat. Su Ran looked worryingly also towards her daughter, but said nothing. "I''m here to issue a challenge!" Qingcheng growled. Her father Su Zhan tilted his head.

    "My dear child. You aren''t in a position to make demands like that. Why won''t you give us any face?! We have been patient enough with you for four years already. Yet you show no signs of recovery!" Su Zhan wasn''t angry, but even Qingcheng had to admit that she was at a disadvantage. Out of everyone present, it appeared only Su Ran and Su Yanran had a positive opinion of Qingcheng currently. Su Ran clearly knew something about the necklace Qingcheng was wearing while Su Yanran just seemed to always harbor some deeper feelings for her younger sister. Qingcheng stared angrily at her father for a brief second before softening her gaze. "You really do not understand. This time, I can promise you that from now until the day of the supposed marriage agreement, I will be able to repair my broken body and promote three ranks and then break through to the Geomancer stratum." Qingcheng folded her arms confidently.

    A brief glint flashed in Su Ran''s eyes, which did not escape Qingcheng''s notice. Definitely, Su Qingcheng noted to herself she would confront her mother privately about this matter. Xiao Tie stared incredulously at Qingcheng before he burst out laughing. The auras of his two grand elder companions also relaxed themselves, as they thought Qingcheng was going to do something stupid like attack the guy. After all, Qingcheng was only a cripple while Xiao Tie was already a first rank Tianqi Geomancer. The difference between them right now was like the difference between heaven and earth.

    "You make me laugh! I really like it when young women like you know how to be feisty and have a backbone! After all, I wouldn''t like for my future wife to be someone weak!"

    "You¡­" Qingcheng growled. "You don''t get it. I refuse to be with a guy like you, who squanders the reputation of your clan just to get into bed with women, treating them like conquests. How do you have such a thick face to disgrace your elders and fellow clan members!?" Truthfully speaking, the Xiao Clan itself was not bad. The Xiao and Su clans shared a relatively harmonious relationship, and Su Qingcheng was friends with many of their young ladies. However, the behavior of this Xiao Tie was just too much. Qingcheng couldn''t bear it anymore. Even the elders who were with Xiao Tie looked at him with a bit of shame, clearly they now took Qingcheng''s side, whose words were filled with a tone that only a middle-aged woman could speak. Clearly, the experiences in Qingcheng''s past life contributed here.

    "Little b¡­" Xiao Tie was about to curse Qingcheng out loud when one of his companions slapped him in the back, causing him to choke on his words.

    The elder who did this stared at Su Qingcheng before sighing. "Fine. I see what you mean. After all, we do share a good relationship. I would hate for your parents and grandparents to see one of their children get married off to¡­ This guy. You can blame his father for this. But the fact remains that currently you are a cripple. How about this. A year from now, if you manage to become a Tianqi Geomancer like you say you can become, I will force this Xiao Tie''s dad, who is my son, to rescind the marriage arrangement, and the ties between you and him, the younger generation, can be cut off. You will then be free to choose who you want to marry. However, this is only under the presumption that you can restore your Tianqi paths." the elder declared.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Elder Xiao Ma¡­" Xiao Tie grumbled.

    "Shut up, brat. You''ll still get what you want if she really can''t fulfill the promise she made to herself. Clearly, she has set her mind on it. Can''t you keep it in for a year, kid!" The elder named Xiao Ma couldn''t take it anymore as he began to act a bit more juvenile. This sight made Su Ran a little worried, but upon staring at Qingcheng''s necklace, she felt relieved.

    "Then, it''s settled," Su Qingcheng slammed her palms on the circular dining table. "A year from now. If I fail to become a Tianqi Geomancer, I will be willingly married to this fellow. If I succeed, I will divorce myself of any relations with him! I, Su Qingcheng, will swear this on my life and my clan''s honor."

    Old Xiao Ma sighed, nodding. Deep in Xiao Tie''s heart, however, though he did not show it, he felt a bit excited. How could a cripple stuck at the second rank of a Tianqi User suddenly rise up four levels in the span of a year? Wasn''t this too abnormal? Therefore, Xiao Tie actually had no reason to worry. It was like his elder Xiao Ma said. Just endure a year.

    "Then, we''ll take our leave." The other elder who hadn''t spoken at all during this meeting seemed excited to leave, as he began to become afraid of Su Qingcheng''s gaze, which at this point seemed to have reminded him of something.

    Su Zhan looked quizzically at the other elder''s fearful expression. However, he didn''t blow it up to big proportions. "Please take care, old He," Su Zhan sighed. "Yanran, Mujian, please see these fellows out." He beckoned to the other two kids who nodded respectfully and began to lead the Xiao clan guys out, leaving Su Qingcheng alone with her mother and father.

    "Are you crazy?!" Su Zhan yelled at his daughter who had the courage to speak so defiantly despite being in such a situation.

    "I meant what I said, father. I mean no disrespect to you, or the clan. But are you all really comfortable with me being married off to a guy like him? Wouldn''t you be afraid about my future with him? I wouldn''t have complained if it were a nice man like Xiao Hei, but you had to submit to a guy like Xiao Tie''s dad¡­" Su Qingcheng sighed.

    Su Ran and Su Zhan both had awkward smiles. It was indeed like their daughter said. "Aii, it cannot be helped. Our dear Qingcheng seems to possess an abnormal worldly knowledge beyond her years. Why did such a misfortune have to befall our smartest child?" Su Zhan frowned. "I feel unwell. Dear Ran, I need to rest." He immediately left the room before Su Ran could respond.

    "Mother, I want to ask you some questions." Qingcheng looked at Su Ran intently, before her mother sighed and nodded.

    Qingcheng and Su Ran were sat next to each other on a bed. Actually, this was Su Qingcheng''s room, which she had forcefully dragged her mother to. She then fingered her necklace before showing it to Su Ran.

    "Can you explain to me what this is all about?"

    Su Qingcheng, you brat! Why are you¡ª

    Before Meiyue could exclaim her protests mentally, Su Ran opened her mouth to speak. "I don''t really like to talk about it, but this¡­ This was before I got married to your old Su Zhan¡­" Su Ran sighed, it seemed it opened up some unpleasant memories for her. "Knowing the mysteries of this necklace would not benefit you from the meantime. But since you have seemingly caused it to wake up, I have confidence in you being able to meet the challenge."

    Nie Ran¡­ The sad, melancholic voice of Yao Meiyue reverberated in Su Qingcheng''s mind. If Qingcheng was not wrong, ''Nie'' must have been the maiden surname of Su Ran before she got married. That means Yao Meiyue must have been alive long ago before Su Ran even got married. Clearly, the spirit had a complicated past that Su Qingcheng at present didn''t want to entangle herself in. Realizing this, Su Qingcheng sighed and gave up trying to ask anything more from her mother. She only smiled when hearing Su Ran''s words of encouragement.

    Her mother gently gave her pats on the head. "Don''t worry about it. Those records¡­ I know you spent a long time reading them, but that necklace which I gave you definitely is a lot better than that. You''ll know in due time what I mean. For the meantime, get some rest. I''ll leave you alone for now. I better comfort that old fart dad of yours, haha!" Su Ran joked as she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

    Su Qingcheng stared blankly at the door before the spiritual form of Yao Meiyue suddenly flew out of the necklace. Now that Su Qingcheng could see her face to face, her expression became awkward, reddening quickly. It seemed Meiyue could only be described as a beautiful, voluptuous goddess capable of conquering any man''s dream. Gulp.

    "Ehhh¡­"

    I''m going to be your Teacher from now on. Otherwise, that Nie Ran wouldn''t be able to forgive me for abandoning you! Yao Meiyue spoke, causing Su Qingcheng to be a bit startled as she hurriedly addressed her reverently as ''Master.'' Anyway, you should be lucky that you have an abnormal spiritual sense. You definitely inherited your potential from your mother. If it weren''t for that guy, Su Zhan, she could have been a Tianqi Emperor also! Aii, it''s like love does strange things¡­

    "Err, Master?"

    Yao Meiyue shuddered, her image going illusory for a moment before she adopted a demure stance. Quickly, she regained her composure. Right. Sorry about that. I was reminiscing on some old times. Anyway, the first thing to do is to clear your Tianqi paths. I can prepare some medicine for you, but I am in need of ingredients. I know enough to know that your Su clan has almost everything I need. The last thing I require, you will need to get it yourself. Okay, write these things down¡­

    Su Qingcheng nodded as Yao Meiyue recited the ingredients that she needed to prepare medicine. In this world, there were two kinds of medicines. Pills and elixirs. Both were for oral consumption, but obviously one was solid and the other was liquid. This medicine would be an elixir, it seemed Yao Meiyue could be considered something like a scientist in Qingcheng''s previous life. Thousand-year-old Ginseng, Devil Lemongrass, Sunset Sky Fruit, Ocean Eye and the last component which could not be easily gained in the Su clan''s reserves, the neidan of a First Level Metal attribute beast. Actually, in the Liandou continent, humans weren''t the only things out there that could use Tianqi. There were magical beasts that also behaved in the same way, and were ranked similarly except classified in terms of numerical levels. Obviously, a neidan or ''internal core'' could not be easily obtained in the clan. Su Qingcheng surmised she would have to purchase these.

    "What kind of medicine does Master intend to make?" Qingcheng asked.

    You are a rare heaven-defying Penta-Essence user, thus the medicine I will prepare has to have these five essences also to rebuild and fix your broken paths. The ginseng serves as the base, the neidan serves as the coagulating agent, while the other three ingredients will be used to serve as the three elemental essences not accounted for by the other two ingredients. Trust me, I wouldn''t mess this up for you. I know your mother trusts me too. Otherwise, she would not blindly believe in you like that. Yao Meiyue explained. Then, somehow, she magicked to existence a giant cauldron in the middle of the room. It seemed Yao Meiyue really was not so simple. This cauldron shall be used to brew the elixir. It is a Sky Xuan Turtle Cauldron, one of the only ones in existence. Thanks to your spiritual sense, I can easily materialize it. But not for very long, since your tianqi paths are damaged and I require some of your energy to keep it in the physical world. Meiyue then made it disappear into thin air. However, once you get fixed up, things will start to fall into place.

    "It appears I have a long struggle ahead of me for this one year. As long as my family believes in me, I will persevere." Qingcheng uttered to herself softly. Nodding in approval, Yao Meiyue quickly retreated back into the necklace, which Qingcheng hid beneath her clothes. Rest for tonight and prepare to gather the ingredients in the morning.

    Qingcheng decided to sleep early tonight.

    While she was sleeping, Su Yanran, Qingcheng''s older sister, snuck into the room and stared at Su Qingcheng with a loving expression. "Like mother, I believe in you too. If you somehow fail, I will make sure that dirty Xiao Tie will die in my two hands." Su Yanran whispered into the sleeping Su Qingcheng''s ear.

 2 - Unlikely Ally in Tang Gu Market

    Su Qingcheng woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and confident. With Yao Meiyue''s reassurance, she felt she could make her first big step towards recovery. Before she left her room, Su Qingcheng spotted a glint on her study table. Blinking, she walked towards her desk and spotted an elaborate black ring next to a piece of paper that simply said in bold, fierce lettering: GO GET THEM, TIGER. From this writing, Su Qingcheng knew already it was the doing of her sister, Su Yanran. That young lady must really have her eye on you to casually give you a storage ring like that¡­

    Su Qingcheng was a bit startled when she heard Yao Meiyue''s voice ring in her ear. Evidently this storage ring was considered to be a treasure for the voice to sound so alarmed. I don''t know if it belonged to her originally, but this is a relic-class ring that appears to be gifted to her. I think this should be the Dragon Hoard Ring. Su Qingcheng had never heard of this domineering-sounding name before and was naturally alarmed by how casually Yao Meiyue described it. A relic class treasure or item could be considered to be incredibly rare on the Liandou Continent; usually these were one-of-a-kind objects that had very unique properties. In the case of the Dragon Hoard Ring, it was a storage ring that could store several times that of a regular high class storage ring, on top of that the space inside it was habitable, meaning you could store living beings inside it also.

    Yao Meiyue was clearly not sure if Su Yanran was aware of such a treasure or if she just considered it to be a pretty thing. However this meant that whoever gifted it to her was either incredibly powerful or had a very strong backing. Su Qingcheng audibly gulped as she quickly wore the ring and discovered she could easily imprint her signature onto it to make it her''s, meaning that Su Yanran never intended to keep it for herself in the first place. Immediately Su Qingcheng discovered that the two women directly related to her were more complicated than what you could see in first glance. Su Ran had a strong connection with her Tianqi Emperor-level master whereas Su Yanran could easily just gift a powerful treasure like that to her so decisively. Sighing inwardly, Qingcheng vowed to repay them someday.

    Enough gawking. While the time is early, let''s go ahead and collect the ingredients. Su Qingcheng was snapped out of her reverie and quickly proceeded to see her mother, who was currently sitting cross-legged inside a training room. Evidently, between Su Zhan and Su Ran, the mother was more martially minded than the father, who was definitely more proficient in being an administrator. When Su Qingcheng stepped in, she dared not to interrupt her mother who was in a meditating state. She could feel the Tianqi aura radiating from her mother and it was very clear that Su Ran herself was at least the third rank of a Tianqi Sage. Though Yao Meiyue seemed to disagree with this, reminding Su Qingcheng that her mother was just concealing her true strength. Sighing, Su Qingcheng patiently waited for her mother to finish.

    Su Ran saw the Dragon Hoard Ring on her daughter''s finger causing her to be a bit shocked. "What. Why did Yanran-er give that thing to you?" Su Qingcheng shrugged in response. She didn''t know either and she wouldn''t lie about that. Sighing, Su Ran simply shook her head. "Aiii. That young lady¡­ She dotes on you more than I do. Anyway, what is it that you want?"

    "I want Doctor Qian to make some medicine for me. But I need some ingredients." Su Qingcheng sighed, lying through her teeth. Lin Qian was the Su clan''s on-call apothecary and doctor, someone who was capable of both creating pills and elixirs. This is actually a lofty title that is higher than even alchemists, who either specialize in pills or elixirs. However, Su Qingcheng lied as it would actually be Yao Meiyue making the elixir and not Doctor Qian.

    "Huh? Medicine? Is it for your body?"

    "Naturally it is. Here, this is what I need." Su Qingcheng pulled out a piece of paper from her ring, which had four ingredients written on it. Naturally, the neidan was omitted from this list.

    "Oh. Yes, these should be easy to find. Since you asked early, we can bring it to your room later? I guess you''ll go see Doctor Qian tomorrow?"

    Qingcheng nodded again firmly. "Yes, mother." She then respectfully cupped her hands. "Then, I shall be taking my leave. I may be busy today doing some extra research, thus I will be in my room for the meantime. If anyone asks, tell them not to disturb me, please?" Qingcheng asked sheepishly. Actually, she intended to climb out her window and leave the premises secretly to enter Tang Gu City, which was of course the city the Su Clan and others was in. She would look for the neidan in its giant bazaar, known as Tang Gu Market.

    With a motherly nod, Su Ran smiled. "Rest assured. I''ll do my best to help you. Your father is too busy right now to do much. I think he is trying to do damage control as news of your challenge is spreading rapidly throughout the city." Su Qingcheng thanked her mother before quietly leaving, but before she could do so, she heard Su Ran''s voice again. Turning her head around, she saw a mischievous gaze on her mother''s face.

    "If you plan to sneak out, you better cover up. It would be a shame if someone recognized you." Su Ran giggled, causing Su Qingcheng to sweat.

    In Su Qingcheng''s heart, she lamented deeply to herself as she quietly returned to her room. She probably recognized the ingredients on the list you gave her and knew that we lack a neidan. I think you should know the Su clan does not deal with hunting of magical beasts. Su Qingcheng gulped again, realizing that Su Ran was definitely concealing her background and power. How could she immediately tell something like that just by looking at a list of ingredients? Even Yao Meiyue, who kept bragging about her power, could surmise this.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Once Su Qingcheng got back to her room, she picked out a large black cloak that covered her entire body, which had a hood. She put the hood over her head before she opened the window and snuck out. Fortunately the mansion did not have floors, so she could easily sneak out and shut the window. Making sure she was not seen by anybody, Su Qingcheng quietly snuck out of the Su clan residence and rushed in the direction of the Tang Gu Market¡­

    A heavily cloaked youth rushed through the buildings and quietly headed into a bustling marketplace, full of colorful stalls and people peddling their wares. This cloaked young person attracted many gazes but nobody could tell who this person was. They seemed short, but exuded a mysterious aura that made people unwilling to look away. Naturally, this youth was a heavily cloaked Su Qingcheng, who knew people would recognize her if they bumped into her. However, because Qingcheng was wearing a hood, she could not clearly see well either as the hood covered her eyes. While she was looking at stalls that sold neidans, she unceremoniously bumped into a person about one and a half times larger than her.

    Su Qingcheng, embarrassed as she fell backwards on her butt, looked up and gulped as the large figure turned around. Shockingly, it was a very well-built woman who looked like she could easily exchange blows with a man of similar stature. She was wearing very plain and non-descript martial garb, but displayed a majestic Tianqi aura that was the mark of a Tianqi Emperor. Gulping, Su Qingcheng exclaimed her poor fortune as she realized she might have offended a Tianqi Emperor by mistake. However, the tall woman peered into the face concealed by the hood before smiling faintly.

    Under the shocking gaze of everyone, the woman laughed and shook her head. "Not to worry, little girl. Even if a trivial thing like this offended me, you do not have the qualifications worth my notice. Fortunately, I have a feeling that this was fate¡­ You do not need to know who I am right now, kid, but I think that if you work hard, we will surely meet again. Take care, fellow." The woman laughed boisterously as she casually turned forward and continued on her way, ignoring the terrified Su Qingcheng who gradually composed herself and stood up, now under the scrutiny of many bystanders. She felt like she was being stared at like an animal at the zoo. Protectively covering herself even more with the cloak, she kept moving forward.

    ''Just who was that woman?!'' Su Qingcheng tried to ask Yao Meiyue in her mind, but the spirit goddess refused to answer. Either Yao Meiyue was also scared, or she knew this woman but didn''t want to tell Qingcheng either. The youth hoped it was the latter. Soon, she calmed herself and realized she was incredibly lucky that a Tianqi Emperor even bothered to say that many words to an insignificant Tianqi User ant like her, who an Emperor could flatten like a pancake as easily as flipping their hands over.

    As Su Qingcheng under the protection of her cloak kept moving along trying to find a neidan stall, her increased perception due to Yao Meiyue could eavesdrop on many private conversations. According to this, she learned that in fact there was a female Tianqi Emperor making the rounds in Tang Gu Market in search of a particular medicinal ingredient. She had apparently traveled all over the continent in search for this ingredient but until now has met with nothing but failure. Feeling a bit bad for her, Su Qingcheng decided that she''d just forget about it for now because right now it was more important for her to regain her power and stop that wedding one year from now.

    Eventually, after about an hour of searching, Su Qingcheng found a stall covered by a black cloth canopy, and there was a rugged male figure sitting cross-legged with a lot of cores and neidans scattered on the cloth before him. Smiling, Qingcheng approached before her gaze flickered. She recognized the man selling cores to be Xiao Hei, a rank five Tianqi Geomancer who was around the age of twenty. He was a high-ranking member of the Xiao clan actually, and in fact if Su Qingcheng liked men in that way, she would definitely be somewhat attracted to him. For now though, Qingcheng only held a deep respect for this guy, who was a Tri-Essence User that often left the city to hunt magical beasts.

    Su Qingcheng was gawking at his wares when Xiao Hei smiled in a warm manner. "What''s the young lady of the Su Clan doing all covered up like that?" he asked, causing Su Qingcheng to leap up in surprise.

    "Uh?! Xiao Hei?! How did you recognize me?" Su Qingcheng frowned, loosening her hood a bit as she revealed her face to the young man sitting down.

    "The news of your challenge to Xiao Tie is a big topic of the clan. I respect your tenacity and guts. Clearly, you must be here to find things to help you regain your power. I guess you might be looking for ingredients to let a doctor or apothecary make medicine for you. Actually, I don''t like that spoiled Xiao Tie brat either," Xiao Hei sighed. "He has been spoiled by his dad. He isn''t like us, who have better temperament and self-control. Truthfully, he is really like those silk-pants young masters. He would have been disowned by now if he weren''t already a Tianqi Geomancer. How about this. I know you''re looking for a neidan, so let me give one to you for free. In return, you better teach that guy a lesson. I''m not the only one cheering you on. Even my sisters, some of who still continue to be enamored by your manly tenacity, are also rooting for you. Therefore, you better give us some face and bring forth a miracle."

    Su Qingcheng flushed when she heard these words from Xiao Hei. He looked very rough on the edges but he was actually a very decent and nice guy. He rarely ever flirted with women and the ladies and instead was concentrated on helping his family and training himself to get strong. Su Qingcheng knew that with some effort Xiao Hei could break from being a fifth rank Geomancer and become a first rank Tianqi Prince. Cupping her hands together, Su Qingcheng shamelessly requested the neidan of a First Level Metal beast. As it was just a first level neidan, Xiao Hei casually threw one over to her for free. This didn''t escape some gazes of bystanders, who appeared a little envious. Xiao Hei scowled at them which caused them to retreat in a frenzy.

    "Thank you very much, senior Xiao Hei. I really won''t forget your generosity and kindness. I won''t definitely won''t disappoint you." Su Qingcheng smiled as she bowed respectfully and left, turning her back to Xiao Hei and slowly making her way back home. The rugged man smiled warmly.

    "You have your family and you have us to back you up. What is a mere Xiao Tie? Sooner or later he will die at the hands of a woman. Therefore, you better give him a rude awakening. Hahaha." Xiao Hei muttered to himself before happily laughing to himself.

 3 - Regaining Penta-Essence and Nightflower Tome

    By the time Su Qingcheng got back home, it was already quite late. She kept the neidan of the first level magic beast in her storage ring as not to arouse suspicion. Quickly, she snuck back into her room through the window and finally removed her cloak with a deep breath. She was a bit sweaty but fortunately it wasn''t that bad. She quietly left her room and then a palm gently touched her shoulder, causing her to jump from being startled. Turning around, she saw the concerned gaze of Su Yanran and then relaxed her guard. "I believe sister got my present, right?" Su Yanran spoke sweetly, her voice could cause men''s knees to go weak and even collapse. Even Su Qingcheng with her abnormal mental strength (for a fourteen year old) couldn''t resist blushing.

    "Yes, older sister Yanran, I have received it, and I am grateful for it. Where did Yanran receive such a treasure?" Su Qingcheng bluntly asked, causing an expression of faint shock to wash upon Su Yanran''s face. Though she was older than Su Qingcheng by quite a bit, her strength was only that of the peak fifth rank Tianqi Princess. Though out of the three kids Su Yanran was the strongest, it wouldn''t be enough for her to roam the continent and acquire this treasure.

    "Aii. Su Qingcheng''s knowledge is just too frightening. You knew that I gave you the Dragon Hoard Ring," Su Yanran sighed. "Actually, it was a gift from my teacher, Long Po Tian. When I got this ring, I was deciding whether to keep it for myself but I was smitten by your courage to teach that kid, Xiao Tie, a lesson. So I decided to give it to you instead."

    "Aren''t you afraid I''ll lose it?"

    "I trust you. Anyway, mother and father have been worried about you. Let us go to eat."

    The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Su Qingcheng did not let the matter of her escaping the residence and going to Tang Gu Market slip out. However, though Su Zhan believed her lies easily, Su Ran was much more perceptive. Despite this, Su Ran did not comment or try to break the lie. Eyeing the Dragon Hoard Ring on Su Qingcheng''s finger, Su Ran flashed a complicated gaze at Su Yanran. Su Mujian on the other hand was unusually quiet. It should be said that Su Mujian, being the sole son of the direct lineage, was pretty boisterous and proud of his status. However, ever since the day where Su Qingcheng bravely declared the challenge in front of two Tianqi Sage grand elders, even managing to barely resist their pressure, Su Mujian''s emotions ran wild. He wasn''t sure whether to be happy or sad about this development. Normally, being the sole male, he would become the next Clan Leader, but he was worried that Su Qingcheng could usurp this position.

    Unfortunately for him his worries would be for naught as Su Qingcheng herself actually never had an interest in that position in the first place. For now though, Su Qingcheng was just containing her excitement as tonight she would get Yao Meiyue to create the medicine. Later on, after the dinner, Su Qingcheng hurriedly retreated to her room.

    Little brat, don''t be too excited. That mother of yours is too frightening. If she realizes something, you could be in trouble. Even if she knows about the necklace I''m trapped in¡­ Su Qingcheng frowned when, at this time, Yao Meiyue appeared in her spirit form and looked about frantically. "Fine, then we shall wait until the night, let us prepare our minds for this first¡­" Su Qingcheng sighed. While we wait, I may as well give you the one year plan.

    "The one year plan?" Su Qingcheng''s excitement rose. "You mean Master''s training regime for me?"

    Keke, that''s right. After you regain your Tianqi paths and regain your penta-essence power and control, we will begin to acclimate you to the harsh trials of training. After being around you for a time I can impart to you some wisdom from my personal experiences. Also, your abnormal spiritual sense should also give you some foundations to become an apothecary like myself. Don''t worry about this for now though. It''s critical that you break through to Tianqi Geomancer as soon as possible though.

    "Why is that?"

    Hum. What I''ll teach you comes from my personal writings, which I have compiled into a tome. Since you have the Dragon Hoard Ring, I can cut the material link from my soul and give it to you directly. With a swish of her illusory sleeves, a giant tome made of high quality papyrus appeared on the floor. The words for "Nightflower" were written elaborately on its cover. After a while, Yao Meiyue nodded and allowed Su Qingcheng to touch it and store it into her ring. You must not lose this training manual, otherwise, troubles will befall both you and me. Yao Meiyue warned Su Qingcheng who listened intently, nodding rather furiously. This is the Nightflower Tome, composed of my personal techniques. I will entrust them to you, my one and only disciple as of now. At the moment, you are far too weak to do anything, but after we restore your body we can begin with the basic foundational movements and hand-to-hand movements. Since you are a Penta-Essence User, even though you are of the lowest stratum, you can still directly harness the Nightflower Tianqi which is made by channeling Wood, Earth and Metal essence at the same time. This is heaven-defying already, since you need to be at least a Tri-Essence user of these three types to even begin practicing this.

    Su Qingcheng let out a deep breath. She was really lucky to have been born with this monstrous talent and potential. Nodding solemnly, she looked out the window. It was already getting late. OK. I will begin the process within an hour''s time. Watch closely. You''ll be doing the same things sometime in the future.

    Su Qingcheng nodded back in affirmation after she was no longer distracted by the shining moon outside. Eventually, after one hour, Yao Meiyue whisked out her Sky Xuan Turtle Cauldron. The ingredients that Su Qingcheng had asked for were already neatly placed on the study table, which the girl quickly took and gave to Yao Meiyue. Finally, Su Qingcheng took out the neidan from her storage ring and carefully put it on the floor.

    OK, great. We have everything. These ingredients are simple, but because we are directly combining five kinds of essences together which are not necessarily compatible with one another, we need to adopt a highly specialized technique to do so. Give me the core. Su Qingcheng passed the neidan to Yao Meiyue, who casually threw it into the cauldron. It was still spherical and glowing dimly in the darkness. Soon, the spirit snapped her fingers, causing a white-ish blue ghost flame to emerge from her fingers. She created this flame beneath the cauldron, causing the neidan to quickly melt and become a golden liquid. "What flame is this, Teacher? I''ve only ever seen red flame."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    This ghost flame is my treasure, and the reason why I became very powerful even after my physical body was destroyed. It''s the Night Lily Foxfire, which is what I named my manual after. It is one of the ten Relic-Class Natural Treasures of the continent. Su Qingcheng gulped. She was quite familiar with the Ten Relic-Class Natural Treasures of Liandou Continent, as she was trying to figure out how she could cure her broken body. In poring over ancient texts and encyclopedias, she learned that in Liandou Continent, there were ten kinds of natural phenomena that could be considered to be heaven-defying treasures or existences. One of them was the Night Lily Foxfire, which was formed when a nine-tailed fox spirit was buried beneath a full moon, and only if that fox spirit died after experiencing love while still alive, would a lily sprout on top of that grave, where a foxfire would be born. If you were strong enough, you could absorb or eat the fire and turn it into your personal weapon.

    It seemed when Yao Meiyue was still alive, she fortuitously found the Night Lily Foxtail and consumed it, her constitution was obviously strong enough for her to refine it and allow her to use it without any care for the world. While Su Qingcheng was thinking about how shocking her spirit guide was, Yao Meiyue was busy boiling the neidan fluid in the cauldron. Soon, expertly controlling the flame so it was much weaker than earlier, Yao Meiyue grabbed the thousand-year-old ginseng, which she called the base. She simply dropped it into the neidan fluid, causing the ginseng to shrivel up. Once it was completely dried up and the essence entered the liquid, causing it to change color to a deep brown, Meiyue casually removed the dried up ginseng solid and put it aside. Su Qingcheng, stop staring. Get the Ocean Eye and cut it in half.

    Su Qingcheng was a bit startled, but quickly she grabbed the Ocean Eye, and then before she could look for a knife, Yao Meiyue had already materialized a small jade scalpel, immediately cutting the link between it and herself. Use this. The jade scalpel is far better than anything here. Nodding, Su Qingcheng deftly cut the Ocean Eye in half, passing the halves to Yao Meiyue, who dug out a small hole inside each half, causing blue liquid to ooze out. She squeezed the liquid out into the cauldron like she was squeezing lemons. Then she crushed the Ocean Eye halves totally and let them sink into the mixture, which was now turning a bit purple. It should be said that the Ocean Eye was a medicinal ingredient that was normally grinded, cutting it required an insane type of tool to do so. But, Yao Meiyue simply crushed it like squeezing lemons. This show of strength cemented Su Qingcheng''s belief that Yao Meiyue was a terrifying existence.

    Yao Meiyue herself did not have any time to chat at this point. She intensified the flames beneath the cauldron, causing a sweet aroma to waft out of the liquid solution, which now began to emit a rainbow-colored light. The Demon Lemongrass and the Sunset Sky Fruit were yet to be put in. What would the solution look like after that? Closing her eyes, the spirit soon started to rapidly weaken and strengthen the flame in a sort of rhythm, causing the heat to fluctuate rapidly. Even though it was hot and boiling the solution, Su Qingcheng noticed it did not bubble like boiling water normally would. Eventually, the heat calmed down and while the aroma weakened, Su Qingcheng''s room no longer felt like a boiler room. Wiping sweat from her face, Su Qingcheng anticipated Yao Meiyue''s next move.

    Grabbing the Sunset Sky Fruit, Yao Meiyue looked at it blankly before suddenly looking at Su Qingcheng. "Huh?"

    Use the jade scalpel and cut yourself a bit. Not too much, just enough to draw blood. Since this medicine will be consumed by you, you need to mark it with some of your blood. It serves like a solution indicator to ensure that the final product contains all five essences. Since you are a Penta-Essence user, the final product should look very strange if correct. The product fails if the liquid is a single color only. Gritting her teeth, Su Qingcheng prepared to cut her finger with the scalpel.

    Make sure the blood touches the solution at the same time I drop this fruit into the cauldron. On three, two¡­ Go!

    Su Qingcheng deftly cut herself, letting blood drip into the cauldron. Yao Meiyue dropped the fruit into the cauldron the same time Su Qingcheng cut herself, causing the mixture in the cauldron to bubble wildly. The cauldron itself shook too ¨C even though this cauldron could be considered a grade under Relic-class, making it incredibly valuable, it still didn''t withstand the pressure of this mixture entirely. Yao Meiyue''s expression remained firm, nodding approvingly as she grabbed the Demon Lemongrass, letting the flame remain at a medium temperature, though for Su Qingcheng "medium heat" from the Night Lily Foxfire was too ferocious.

    Finishing touches¡­! Demon Lemongrass! Yao Meiyue smiled as she used Night Lily Foxfire to burn the grass over the cauldron. The heat was so strong that the grass was beginning to melt rather than catch on fire like logic normally dictated, causing Su Qingcheng to gasp in disbelief. The Demon Lemongrass immediately disintegrated into nothing as green liquid poured into the solution being boiled up in the cauldron. After some moments of tense silence, the Sky Xuan Turtle Cauldron began to rumble madly, causing some faint noises, before the liquid glowed and made a bright flash.

    Outside, in Tang Gu City, many people were woken up by a giant energy ripple emerging from the Su clan residence. Though it did not damage anything, the Tianqi interference was enough to wake up and alarm in the vicinity. Yao Meiyue sighed happily, while Su Qingcheng had already been knocked back into the wall with a thud, being closest to the epicenter of the energy ripple.

    Staring into the rainbow colored goop in the cauldron, Yao Meiyue laughed as she took out a bowl from her sleeves and scooped up some of it, making it look like a psychedelic LSD soup. Su Qingcheng rubbed her eyes and stared at the rainbow soup in the bowl Yao Meiyue held. "This is¡­?"

    The brewing was a success. Unfortunately, being a spirit, I couldn''t control the energy ripple, which probably woke up everyone in the city, but I can confidently tell you that this Rainbow Phoenix Elixir has been successfully created and that only you could consume it without being burnt to ashes, since it has your blood in it!

    Su Qingcheng had a big grin on her face as she grabbed the bowl. Though she expected it to be boiling hot, it was surprisingly just a good temperature for soup. Eagerly drinking it up without use of a spoon or anything, Yao Meiyue nodded in approval. After Su Qingcheng drank the soup, she didn''t feel anything for the first five minutes. During this five minutes the Su clan residence had fallen into chaos. Naturally two people burst into Su Qingcheng''s room ¨C Su Ran her mother and Su Yanran. By the time these two intruded into her room, Yao Meiyue took away her Sky Xuan Turtle Cauldron (after expertly keeping away the remainder of the elixir) and disappeared.

    Su Qingcheng blinked rather ignorantly at her sister and mother, who were now staring at Su Qingcheng as if they had seen a monster. "Uh?" Su Qingcheng was confused but when she looked at her hands, which were now radiating a rainbow glow, a smile crept onto her face. She could feel the warmth and coolness mixing together to form an orgasmic sensation as Qingcheng''s expression warped into something full of happiness. Su Yanran was clueless but Su Ran couldn''t contain her expression. Even though she displayed the strength of only a Tianqi Sage, her true power was undoubtedly higher than this, or why would Yao Meiyue be so respectful to her? She clearly sensed the new strength and power entering and building up inside Su Qingcheng.

    "Qingcheng''er has recovered her Tianqi paths!" Su Ran screamed proudly and loudly, her voice booming so loudly the entire residence could hear it.

 4 - Nightblossom Method

    "Qingcheng''er has done it!" Su Ran stared at the radiant Su Qingcheng, who was emitting a faint but radiant rainbow glow. This was actually not dissimilar to the phenomenon she exhibited when she demonstrated her Penta-Essence Tianqi paths when she was much younger. Now that her Tianqi paths were slowly being reconstructed due to the mysterious medicinal properties of the Rainbow Phoenix Elixir that Yao Meiyue had brewed, Su Qingcheng could feel the power returning to her slowly. Though she had been demoted to Tianqi User again, she felt like she could comfortably reach Tianqi Geomancer status in about a year''s time.

    After a time, the glow finally completely faded, representing that Su Qingcheng''s body had restored itself. Yawning, Su Qingcheng stood up and gave her mother and sister a hug. "Mother, sister, I am tired. I''m sorry to have brought a commotion up," Su Qingcheng sheepishly apologized. Su Yanran just smiled while Su Ran quickly dispelled any notions of attempting to feel guilty, urging Su Qingcheng to get some rest. This would end up being news that would shake up the entire Tang Gu City, which was already aware that the prodigy of the Su Clan had gotten in a freak accident that totally destroyed her Tianqi paths. Though regrettable, they would never be able to conceive the notion that Su Qingcheng would not only fix herself up, but demonstrate an even greater potential than before.

    Naturally this was due to the Rainbow Phoenix Elixir, which not only could fix broken Tianqi paths, but also because it only worked on people who had Penta-Essence (hence the ''rainbow'' in its name) it would also add an extra power and strength to the person who consumed it. By the time Su Qingcheng woke up the following morning, it was already noon ¨C clearly she needed extra time to rest and let the turbulent energy within her settle slightly. You''ve woken up. Good, the elixir''s effect has exceeded my expectations. You need to acquire a training room as soon as possible. We will begin today.

    "Eh¡­"

    Su Qingcheng yawned and got up, quickly getting herself ready ¨C she would normally wake up several hours earlier, but the process of repairing her Tianqi paths of course took a lot of time. However, due to possessing Penta-Essence, her body was more sensitive to the geocentric energy in the air, allowing the energy to seep into her skin more easily. This undoubtedly expedited the process. Smiling, Su Qingcheng felt at her peak, something she didn''t feel in the past four years that she suffered humiliation and ridicule. When she stepped out of the room, it was unexpected that the entire household already knew about the affairs of the previous night. Many of the Su clan folks looked at Su Qingcheng more respectfully and politely nodded or bowed towards her. Su Qingcheng felt a bit awkward as she was used to these people looking down on her. Clearly, nobody could expect that the energy ripple was because Su Qingcheng had actually re-awakened her Tianqi paths. However, this was actually further from the truth. The phenomenon was actually the energy caused by the forming of the Rainbow Phoenix Elixir, which could be considered to be a unicorn horn in the elixir world, a godly panacea that could fix even the unfixable problem of broken Tianqi paths. Thinking about this, Su Qingcheng now wondered what kind of amazing background Yao Meiyue possessed to even make such a miracle medicine from seemingly mundane ingredients.

    Yao Meiyue kept mum on this matter so Su Qingcheng didn''t want to probe any further than keeping the thoughts to herself. Soon, Su Qingcheng went to a hallway where many of her extended family youngsters were idling about or entering or exiting rooms. This hallway was actually informally labeled the Tiger''s Den, it was composed of many training rooms. Originally, Su Qingcheng had a private room in this Tiger''s Den but it had been abandoned ever since she lost her power. Now that she had gotten it back, Su Ran had already gotten this room cleaned up. Smiling, Su Qingcheng put a sign on the front door that said "DO NOT DISTURB" as she entered her private training room.

    Breathing deeply, Su Qingcheng stretched as Yao Meiyue appeared from the necklace again, nodding in approval. This room is not bad. It looks like they took great pains to ensure you would have an optimal training environment. Penta-Essence users are a heaven-defying existence and are incredibly high maintenance. I can tell that the Tianqi mist in this room would be considered abnormal for anyone who isn''t at least a Quadra-Essence user. Su Qingcheng naturally knew this as she had used this training room before. She sat cross legged on the lotus-shaped seat in the center of the room.

    Yao Meiyue stood in front of her, urging the youngster to take out the Nightflower Tome she received last night. After taking it out, Su Qingcheng opened it and the entire room suddenly became darker, as if being blanketed by the night sky. The tome was evidently just as mysterious as its author! Gasping, Yao Meiyue laughed. Don''t be alarmed, it''ll be clear later on when you are ready. Anyway, this Nightflower Tome does contain all my personal techniques and Tianqi channeling skills. I assume you know the difference between techniques and earth divination? The idea of Tianqi Geomancy actually came from an ancient civilization which specialized in a method to channel the Tianqi around them. They were recorded into a kind of channeling method known as ''earth divination.'' Such a method would be classified into "Tianqi Earth Divination." Since young, every person would have an inclination towards some kind of earth divination skill, thus there would undoubtedly be countless kinds of earth divination skills in the world compiled by various clans and powerful factions.

    Techniques were similar, except instead of directly absorbing the energy and essence like you would in earth divination, techniques were a way to externally release the energy obtained from divination. Su Qingcheng of course learned about this before and easily could match these ideas to ideas in her past life. "Geomancy" in her past life came from the Ancient Greek word for "Earth Divination," which allowed her to easily comprehend the internal and external nature of Tianqi. However, she was still a little wet behind the ears.

    "Yea, I understand the basic concepts. But I am still a bit foggy on the power level hierarchy," Su Qingcheng sighed. "It''s a bit complex even for me."

    Hmm, I guess this is true. You were too young when the accident happened so it was too early to introduce you. But you''ve got your talent back so it isn''t too late. What do you know right now? Yao Meiyue played with her hair as she spoke.

    "I know that similar to how Tianqi Users are divided to stratums, techniques and earth divinations are classified into ranks. The higher the rank, the stronger or higher potential a method or technique has," Su Qingcheng explained. "I know currently of three ranks ¨C Foundation Rank, Sky Rank and Heaven Rank. Furthermore, each rank has a bottom, middle and top class. But I know mother told me that the continent is vast and there''s more to everything than meets the eye."

    Your mother is right. There is a fourth heaven-defying rank; this is the Universe Rank. Universe Rank techniques and divinations are very rare. I believe in my entire life, I have only seen two people practice Universe Rank methods. Even the Nightflower Tome composed of my entire life experiences, will most likely peak at a Top Class Heaven Rank method. However¡­

    "However?"

    Today I will impart to you something. Something that I feel only you can do, to continue where I have failed.

    "I don''t get it, Master. Explain?"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I''m sure you have a lot of questions about my background. I''ll explain it to you when I feel you are ready. However, I believe you deserve to know at least a little bit. Actually, when I was alive, I was a Penta-Essence user like yourself. That is why I know how to prepare Rainbow Phoenix Elixir. I was very lucky to come across the recipe for it in a dangerous expedition. As the only Penta-Essence user I knew, I decided to study further to try and develop my techniques and methods to break into Universe Rank.

    "What happened next?" Su Qingcheng became very interested in Yao Meiyue''s story.

    Unfortunately, this really isn''t so simple. I believe creating a Universe Rank method from scratch could only be done by a Tianqi God, and even I was only half-a-step into that realm before my physical body was destroyed.

    Su Qingcheng could only gasp when Yao Meiyue confessed that she was half-a-step into literally becoming a god before she became a spirit. Now, she was definitely curious about the method she would learn.

    Eventually, I instead did research towards the end of my life on the Natural Treasures of the world. I discovered that my techniques would actually be adaptable to these mysterious phenomena. As I only had Night Lily Foxfire, I couldn''t develop it that much. But I believe that since you have the same constitution as me, I believe you can achieve something even greater than me.

    "Eh? What? So you developed a technique that could actually harness the power of Relic-Class Natural Treasures and¡­ Enhance itself?!"

    Hmm. That should be the case. As a result, I named it the Nightblossom Method, it is a step up from the Nightflower techniques in that tome. However, since you don''t have any Natural Treasures, the method peaks only at Middle Class Sky Rank. But as a Tianqi User of your standing, this should already be enough to sustain you for now.

    "Amazing¡­ A Middle Class Sky Rank method?! The highest method in the Su clan libraries only reach Top Class Foundational Rank! Mother is keeping all the powerful stuff to herself, keke¡­" Su Qingcheng sighed wistfully.

    This is why the first thing I need to teach you is how to harness the five essences and channel them into your body. As you know, the mark of a peak Tianqi User before breaking through is to be able to enact external essence changes onto your own body flawlessly. Therefore, along with practicing the method, I will impart to you my bread-and-butter movement skill, the Nightblossom Movement "Frog Style!"

    "Frog Style? That sounds¡­ That doesn''t sound very imposing." Su Qingcheng resisted the urge to laugh at something that sounds so silly. It reminded her of something a ninja would do. After all, she was an author in her past life. Such references would not escape her that easily.

    Don''t underestimate it. By using Nightflower Tianqi, it will allow you to leap high and stick to the walls! This is the foundation of every powerful movement skill I will teach you in the future. Furthermore, it requires an incredibly skillful usage and control of the Tianqi. By mastering it sooner, you''ll progress in strength much faster.

    Yao Meiyue, with a whisk of her sleeves, caused the tome to open in a seemingly random page. Su Qingcheng peered at it, unaware that the darkness of the room persisted, not only that, it got even darker. The words seemed to glow fiercely in the dark. She studied the text intently, learning that in order to create the Nightflower Tianqi, you had to merge the basic essences of Wood, Earth and Metal together. Creating the Tianqi, as written in the text, was actually very easy, especially for a Penta-Essence user like Su Qingcheng. However, when she studied how to control it, she panicked a little. It turns out you couldn''t do this sitting down, but you had to actually stand up.

    Standing up, Su Qingcheng started taking deep breaths as Yao Meiyue telekinetically with spirit power lifted the tome so Su Qingcheng could read it more easily. The essence in the room began to churn mightily as the young girl began to absorb the energy in accordance to the text. Breathing in and out intently, Su Qingcheng slowly started to feel the Nightflower Tianqi inside her begin to take shape. It was a dark, glowing energy that flowed through her veins. It felt cool and refreshing, like taking a nice stroll in the park at night.

    Yao Meiyue nodded approvingly as indeed, Su Qingcheng didn''t lose her mental fortitude even after the accident, and in fact may even have gained something out of the misfortune after all as Su Qingcheng''s patience continued to persist. There was no concept of time in this training room; after literally half a day, Su Qingcheng who had shut her eyes sometime during this training opened her eyes and smiled.

    Amazing. In merely hours, you have already began to imprint the process of forming Nightflower Tianqi inside your body. Show me how strong it is. Yao Meiyue smiled as she thrust her arm out into a punch, causing the darkness in the room to churn and suddenly flow into Yao Meiyue''s hand like a vacuum cleaner. Gasping, Su Qingcheng could only marvel at this spirit''s amazing strength. Soon she wondered if she could match Yao Meiyue in the future. Repeat after me, let me see the energy come out of you.

    Su Qingcheng nodded and thrust her own right arm out in a punch. A black vortex akin to a tiny black hole materialized in front of her knuckles. Though it was small, the vortex appeared to contain the very purest essence of night within it. If this vortex were to completely cover her hand, smacking someone with it would definitely cause some significant damage.

    Huh¡­ This is indeed beyond my expectations. You were able to form such a pure Nightflower energy. I think that within a month you could definitely perfect the Frog Style.

    As Yao Meiyue nodded in approval, a grumbling sound came from Su Qingcheng''s stomach, who had been training for over half a day. Smiling with a rather flushed and embarrassed expression, Su Qingcheng said she was hungry. Yao Meiyue laughed heartily as she retreated into the hidden necklace. Opening the door to leave her training room, Su Qingcheng discovered it was already night time. A fellow clan member smiled but soon looked at Su Qingcheng in shock as if she were a monster.

    "O-oh, uh, sister Qingcheng, dinner is ready, so we are being called¡­ Good thing you came out, or, uhh¡­ I dunno who''d be afraid enough to disturb you, haha. See ya around!" The young member looked a bit scared as he ran off to get his dinner.

    Su Qingcheng furrowed her brows and shrugged, casually walking to the dining hall in the main Su clan residence. Upon entry, Su Zhan who was seated at the end of the table looked at Su Qingcheng with a proud expression. Though he was much weaker than his wife, he was also still a venerable Tianqi Sage. He could easily sense the abnormal Tianqi flowing in his daughter''s body.

    "Such a powerful energy¡­ You are really worth to be called the prodigy of my dear Ran!" Su Zhan bellowed proudly. Though he wasn''t as strong, he was definitely a lot more cunning and smart which still entitled him to some respect in Tang Gu City. Smiling, Su Qingcheng took her seat, it was about this time Su Ran walked in and then stared at Su Qingcheng much like how the young clan member looked at her earlier. Su Ran''s expression had a very awkward smile on her face, as if she recognized something inside Su Qingcheng, but she quickly regained her composure and sat next to Su Zhan.

    "It''s really unexpected that our little Qingcheng''er could so quickly regain power. After only about a few hours she had already conglomerated three types of essence into something so strong." Su Ran laughed, playfully patting Su Zhan''s belly as the family ate. Su Mujian and Su Yanran were naturally not excluded from this conversation.

    "What method did you practice to be able to do that?" Su Yanran looked at Su Qingcheng curiously.

    "It requires just three essences. But it can''t be underestimated," Su Qingcheng answered, trying not to divulge anything too suspicious that perhaps Su Ran could recognize. "I''m still practicing it so it may still be weak for now, but once my control gets better, I think¡­ I can protect myself easily."

    Su Ran smiled but a flame of doubt suddenly emerged in her heart. ''This kid¡­ Don''t tell me she is practicing THAT method¡­?'' Su Ran thought to herself, clearly she could sense something familiar about the Tianqi in Su Qingcheng''s body. As Su Qingcheng already spent so long creating the Nightflower Tianqi in her body, as long as she willed it, she could now easily channel and absorb it. It was a byproduct of practicing the prerequisite foundations for the Nightblossom Method, which needed much more Nightflower Tianqi than the regular Nightflower Tome methods. Yao Meiyue was so shocked by how easily this kid was able to do it also!

    The dinner became oddly quiet after Su Qingcheng vaguely explained what she had done and trained in the half-a-day she spent in the Tiger''s Den. Afterwards, Su Ran, who opted to stay behind in the dining hall alone, looked up at the ceiling.

    "Teacher Meiyue¡­ Don''t tell me you are going to teach my kid that thing¡­?"

 5 - Arduous Training, Meeting Tianqi Emperor

    Inside the personal training room of Su Qingcheng within the Tiger''s Den, the young lady herself could be seen crazily leaping about the room. Trailing her feet were blazing blobs of energy in the shape of flower petals, giving the room a strange ambience that one felt like they were watching cherry blossoms in spring time. Yao Meiyue''s body stayed in a corner of the room, watching Su Qingcheng as her leaping height slowly improved over the past week she had already begun to train the Nightblossom Movement "Frog Style." Though Nightflower Tianqi required only Wood, Earth and Metal essence to create, the power of its frog-like leaps came from using Fire essence like a rocket jump and using Water essence to create energy adhesive on one''s feet to stick to the walls.

    Currently Yao Meiyue had been guiding Su Qingcheng on how to control the usage of Fire essence in order to control the height of her jumping. Using too much could make you overshoot your jump while using too little could make your jump short. Only through arduous training could and experience could one really control this to a fine-tuned level. Though Su Qingcheng had continuously pestered Yao Meiyue on teaching her how to control water adhesion, Yao Meiyue had rebuffed her at all possible junctures. Su Qingcheng eventually realized over time that she was able to harness the energy around her more easily. This was most likely because the Frog Style of the Nightblossom Movement forced her to use all five essences.

    Yao Meiyue had explained that the Frog Style was like this to build a foundation for higher levels of movement techniques which would be more specialized. Having a strong mastery of the five elements would allow the user to have a very powerful backing when they become a Geomancer. The mark of a Tianqi Geomancer was being able to use the Tianqi essence around them to modify the environment. For example, a man touching the ground and using Earth Tianqi in order to cause a rock wall to appear before him for protection. These kinds of things may sound simple but required an immense amount of practice to properly control at a level that would prevent the user from accidentally hurting nature or innocent people.

    Su Qingcheng eventually realized this after Yao Meiyue constantly lecturing her about the importance of Tianqi control. If Su Qingcheng could develop the habits of a Tianqi Geomancer or even higher leveled users at the lowest level of a Tianqi user, then she would have an incredibly strong foundation allowing her to easily catch up to her peers. Due to the nature of geomancy and utilization of Tianqi, using such methods and habits were not in fact detrimental but were even useful, since people were limited to the Tianqi they could use, it didn''t matter whether they bumped into a manual of a high level rank. If they couldn''t use the Tianqi essences required by it, they wouldn''t damage themselves for trying to learn it simply because it literally would not work. However, for Su Qingcheng, who was a Penta-Essence user, she needed Yao Meiyue''s guidance to make sure that learning these habits would help her and not damage her. After all, Yao Meiyue herself could be considered a Penta-Essence user also, so she could guide the kid along the various pitfalls she experienced in the past.

    There was no real concept of time in the training room. Despite the various calls for Su Qingcheng to eat, Yao Meiyue would forbid her to leave the room and instead force her to eat fruits that Yao Meiyue had kept along with her cauldron. These fruits looked exotic but were very potent in helping Su Qingcheng absorb the essence in the air more easily. Yao Meiyue called them "Heaven Sieve Fruits," Su Qingcheng ate so many of these Heaven Sieve Fruits that she wondered if Yao Meiyue had an unlimited stock of them like in some video game. She eventually got sick and tired of eating them but by then it had already been half a month of training.

    "Master. When can I learn the adhesive now?" Su Qingcheng moaned out helplessly, even flailing like a child.

    Well, I think now''s a good time as ever. Your control could be considered quite good. It''s not the peak mastery level, but definitely beyond initial mastery. As my disciple, I do praise your talent. It''s really not just a rumor. Aii. How fierce. Imagine if I had your monstrous talent.

    "Stop teasing me"

    Yes, yes. Okay, so to create the water adhesive, you have to be able to prick your feet with fire essence first before letting water essence evaporate and coagulate on your feet. The faster you can do this the better, as this is the basic principle behind letting your feet stick to the wall.

    Yao Meiyue, being a spiritual body, couldn''t demonstrate the entire effect but could show Su Qingcheng how it should look like. As if by magic, Su Qingcheng could see Yao Meiyue''s feet being covered in some kind of water solution. It quickly then faded away, leaving some water webbing between her toes.

    "I see, that''s really cool!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    The peak level allows you to create water webbing on your feet, making them like an actual frog''s feet. This increases the adhesion by a notch, and is also much harder for them to notice. Also, if you''re wearing shoes instead of what you''re wearing now, you can''t make water adhesives in this way. You have to do it the traditional way, or your shoes won''t stick to the walls.

    Su Qingcheng nodded intently, keeping this in mind. In some situations then, fighting barefoot could actually be more advantageous for her than her opponents. This kind of craftiness in a technique really amazed her. For something called "Frog Style," it was really surprising that it could be this domineering in an actual practical situation. Even for travel, this would be good. After the demonstration, Yao Meiyue observed Su Qingcheng as she attempted to integrate what she learned previously into learning how to create the water adhesive on her feet. After about a week, Su Qingcheng had already displayed grasp on initial mastery. Yao Meiyue was visibly shocked.

    You monster. You can stick onto these walls so easily now. I think we can begin the practical training exercise. We will train out in the city. You are to use the Nightblossom Method "Frog Style" to roam around the city and try to avoid being caught. If you are caught, escape immediately. Make sure nobody knows who you are.

    "Ninja training?" Su Qingcheng wondered out loud.

    What is this ''ninja'' you speak of?

    "Nothing¡­"

    The next day.

    A youth could be seen swiftly dashing and leaping across the rooftops. The youth was wearing a dark cloak covering her entire body. Naturally this youth was Su Qingcheng, who had thus far escaped the notice of everybody down below. She passed through the Tang Gu City buildings and pagodas, eventually circling into the Tang Gu Market. This was done within the span of a couple of hours. Eventually, Su Qingcheng stopped moving ¨C she had used the water adhesive to stick herself to the side of a tall pagoda wall. Peering down the Tang Gu Market, the cloaked Su Qingcheng smiled as she held onto a railing for support. Her feet clasped tightly to the wall. After a moment, a ringing sensation filled into Su Qingcheng''s mind.

    Startled, Su Qingcheng almost fell off the pagoda. Peering down, she saw the tall woman from the last time she was here in the Tang Gu Market. The very tall, imposing Tianqi Emperor was staring at her right in the two eyes. Her imposing aura threatened to knock Su Qingcheng off her footing. Not good! She looks like she wants to pull you in! Hold tight! Su Qingcheng swallowed her saliva as she loosened her grip on the wall and felt a powerful suction force pulling her off the wall. As Su Qingcheng was sent careening into the arms of the powerful lady, the bystanders on the ground saw this incredibly bizarre scene unfold before them with crazy eyes.

    As Su Qingcheng peered at the face of the woman, she could hear Yao Meiyue''s voice ringing in her ear again. Tianqi Emperor¡­! Su Qingcheng gulped as she soon crashed into the body of the Tianqi Emperor, who looked down at Qingcheng as if she were a clown.

    "Looking for someone, kid?"

    "Euh¡­ No¡­!" Su Qingcheng audibly swallowed her saliva and looked around. "T, training. Field training. M, m, movement technique." She stammered, unable to handle the pressure of a godlike existence such as this Tianqi Emperor.

    "Not bad, kid. You could jump around all over the place like a frog. That kind of movement technique is pretty rare," the lady laughed. "You have some skill after all, for a young lady once called Su clan trash¡­"

    Su Qingcheng glared at the woman, trying feebly to resist. She looked very pathetic beneath the eyes of the bystanders. She looked down on the ground afterwards, gritting her teeth and bearing the humiliation. The flame essence soon began to swell around her feet. Su Qingcheng quickly stood up and leapt back a distance away from the Tianqi Emperor, leaving a trail of beautiful red flower petals made of energy. The Emperor then blinked curiously at Su Qingcheng. A flame of passion suddenly welled up in her eyes.

    "Kid, you really didn''t disappoint me. It''s only been half a month since we last met but you can already do this. For a little monster like you, I can give you the privilege of knowing my name. My name is Hu Linglei! Tianqi Emperor, Fourth Rank!"

    The woman known as Hu Linglei made her bold declaration in front of the whole market, which erupted into murmurs and private conversations. It should be said that Tianqi Emperors are godlike experiences which were as rare as diamonds in the rough or needles in a haystack. Yet this Hu Linglei was here, and a four rank one at that. Staring in disbelief at her, though still on her knees due to Hu Linglei''s immense pressure, she gradually resisted by churning the Nightflower Tianqi in her body, and then stared straight at her in a mixture of reverence and admiration upon being noticed properly by this woman who could overturn this entire city in a breath''s time.

    "Senior Hu Linglei, I, Su Qingcheng, pays her respects to you! Senior, this young, reckless me wishes to seek pointers!"

    Suddenly the market erupted in loud laughter. Nightflower Tianqi will help you to last. This will be a good training for you also. This old me will impart some tricks to you.

    Hu Linglei waved her arms and the entire place went to silence. "Shut up. This junior wants to be taught this lesson of her own free will. Why do you all mock her? Do you dare to come up to me like that? I could crush your faces with a finger. Yet this young lady dares to come up and resist me, all just for the chance to spar with me. Idiots! ¡­Come on. Su Qingcheng. Let''s see what this old me can teach you today."

    Staring at the back of this majestic existence, Su Qingcheng excitedly nodded as she trailed along behind Hu Linglei, who appeared to be going somewhere¡­

 6 - Technique Spark, Star Vortex Fist

    Hu Linglei continued to lead Su Qingcheng through the crowds of people. With the imposing presence of this mighty woman, the masses of people seemingly split apart like butter. Su Qingcheng continued to meekly follow her, admiring her chiseled and incredibly well-built body that could even make a man feel ashamed of themselves. Yet Su Qingcheng could sense that at the same time, there was a kind of confident elegance you could only see in a woman proud of herself both physically and mentally. Truly, this kind of confidence could only be exuded in a powerful Tianqi Emperor, especially one of the fourth rank, merely one and a half steps away from entering godhood.

    Su Qingcheng dared not to ask any questions; it was already a miracle that Hu Linglei permitted this weakling to even get any pointers from her. Eventually, they left Tang Gu City entirely and entered a secluded forest clearing. It was a tranquil environment but the clearing itself was large and covered by dense trees. It was clearly an outdoor training place. Hu Linglei soon turned around to face Su Qingcheng, who stared at her blankly in response. With a toothy grin, Hu Linglei flashed her thumbs up. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re really strange. You¡¯re barely a step into your cultivation, yet you dare to show your face in front of me,¡± she joked in a sarcastic manner. ¡°Really, to be honest, I¡¯m only humoring you because your technique interests me. Such a strange essence in your body is really making me curious too. So, I¡¯m going to give you this chance to show me what you¡¯ve got.¡±

    This lady is not simple. I¡¯ve only taught you the movement technique but nothing you can use will be able to do any damages to her. Yao Meiyue lamented. Even if she didn¡¯t fight you by herself, you can only resort to enchanting your fists with Nightflower Tianqi to do damage. Hopefully that will be enough to pique her interest, and you may get some benefits from Hu Linglei.

    Su Qingcheng swallowed her saliva, cupping her fists and bowing towards Hu Linglei. ¡°Senior Sister! I will be happy to demonstrate my meagre knowledge to you.¡± Su Qingcheng then turned her gaze towards the Tianqi Emperor, who stepped back and cracked her knuckles. It looked like Hu Linglei displayed no intentions of actually doing any fighting herself. Instead, she snapped her fingers and a bright light surrounded her for a brief second. Once the light died down, a giant suit of armor about Hu Linglei¡¯s size appeared in front of her, getting into a fighting stance. Where the head was located, a wisp of purple flame was burning brightly, causing a chilling sensation to crawl down her back.

    ¡°You will be fighting my Emperor Demon Puppet, Sage Level,¡± Hu Linglei laughed. ¡°Naturally, I won¡¯t make a little kid like you fight me at full strength; that¡¯s just bullying. But that mysterious tianqi in your body is definitely something not to underestimate. Fortunately for you, you met me, I can be considered to be magnanimous towards a fellow woman. Ha haaa!¡± Hu Linglei bellowed out proudly, causing Su Qingcheng¡¯s stance to tighten.

    Emperor Demon Puppet! This is Hu Linglei¡¯s treasure, the thing that made her famous in Lingdou continent! Yao Meiyue growled. It seemed she recognize this Tianqi Emperor after hearing her name. This old lady who won¡¯t die; I remember her! She¡¯s famous for being ruthless towards men, but very nice and considerate towards women! Seems like today¡¯s your lucky day. She¡¯s taken a liking to you!

    ¡°Then this junior will do her best!¡± Su Qingcheng took Yao Meiyue¡¯s comment to heart, letting the Nightflower Tianqi boil in her veins; soon she ignited the energy and let it coalesce and solidify into a dark vortex that warped a tiny space around her fists. This caused Hu Linglei to be a bit alarmed. However, she smiled and let the Emperor Demon Puppet rush forward to strike towards Su Qingcheng, who quickly used Fire Tianqi to rocket herself out of the way, sticking her feet against a tree. Hu Linglei nodded with approval as the suit of living armor turned its body, arms raised as flames erupted. It began to launch fireballs which agglomerated from the flames around its arms at Su Qingcheng, who gasped and proceeded to jump from tree to tree using Frog Style.

    ¡°Not good. It can launch long-ranged attacks while I don¡¯t have any way to counter-attack!¡± Su Qingcheng cursed under her breath while bearing the laughter of Hu Linglei, who seemed to view the battle as more of a show than something serious. As Su Qingcheng kept trying to evade the fireballs, she finally leapt to the ground level, rolling forward, catching the Emperor Demon Puppet off-guard. With a ferocious punch, Su Qingcheng jammed her palm into the armored chest of the puppet, injecting it with fierce Nightflower Tianqi. Immediately, launching the strike caused Su Qingcheng to fall back as she felt some backlash from attempting to directly attack the Tianqi Sage-level puppet.

    ¡°What a brave kid! Not every day you see a Tianqi User attempt to directly attack a thing about three ranks above her!!¡± Hu Linglei laughed boisterously as the Emperor Demon Puppet stumbled back, but her eyes widened as she saw flames erupt from the point of impact. They were purplish-red flames that reminded her of something very mysterious. She then stared incredulously at Su Qingcheng who was kneeling, panting and keeping her gaze focused on the Emperor Demon Puppet. At this point, Hu Linglei snapped her fingers, extinguishing the purple flame and causing Su Qingcheng to look at Hu Linglei with a despondent look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, kid! I need that thing to help me fight too!¡± Hu Linglei frowned.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    One of the debilitating effects of Nightflower Tianqi is the ability to corrode anything of the Metal element! Hu Linglei¡¯s Emperor Demon Puppet, is a heavyweight class Metal Puppet which has the ability to raise or lower ranks depending on the flame used to ignite the core. Yao Meiyue explained as Su Qingcheng caught her breath, staring at her fists.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Su Qingcheng frowned.

    ¡°Damnit, kid, your Tianqi attack is too fierce. My Emperor Demon Puppet is of the strongest Metal element materials! Don¡¯t tell me your Tianqi can indiscriminately corrode Metal element things!¡± Hu Linglei laughed. ¡°But that¡¯s just as well. It gives me ideas on how to improve it. Let me test you one more time, kid!¡± Soon, the Emperor Demon Puppet¡¯s flaming head changed color, from purple to white. It began to exude the aura of a Tianqi Emperor.

    Isn¡¯t this woman being a little too brash? She dares to test the armor of her puppet like this?! You¡¯re not even a Tianqi Geomancer yet! If this weren¡¯t such a private place, she would lose a lot of face for being a bully! Yao Meiyue grumbled as Su Qingcheng sighed deep in her heart. Indeed, the Emperor Demon Puppet was a strong opponent, she knew if she would get caught by the puppet¡¯s attacks she would either be incinerated or crushed into a meat pulp.

    ¡°Senior Sister, can¡¯t you be considerate? I¡¯m only a second rank Tianqi User¡­¡± Su Qingcheng frowned.

    ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t worry. What¡¯s a little life and death experience training for a kid like you? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re lowering yourself to peers your age?¡±

    ¡°You saw very well I don¡¯t know any fighting techniques!¡±

    ¡°Not my problem,¡± Hu Linglei shrugged. ¡°How about this. If you last enough exchanges with my full power Emperor Demon Puppet, I¡¯ll give you a nice reward or two.¡±

    ¡°What reward?¡±

    Hu Linglei winked. ¡°Secret.¡±

    ¡°Fine, if only to get that scary puppet out of my face!¡± Su Qingcheng yelled out indignantly. Soon, Emperor Demon Puppet rushed out forward before Su Qingcheng could react properly, causing her to quickly do a barrel roll to the side, barely evading the puppet¡¯s punch which caused a small crater to form where she originally was. This caused a cold sweat to fall down her back as she stared at the horrifying Emperor Demon Puppet, which now looked at her as if it were looking at a mere pest. Hu Linglei continued to watch on the sidelines with an innocent smile.

    ¡°Hup!¡± Su Qingcheng flipped back onto her feet, trying to channel the Nightflower Tianqi into her fists. Smiling when she succeeded, she realized she couldn¡¯t generate as much fire Tianqi into her feet as she could a while ago. Not good! The Emperor Demon Puppet is trying to steal the essence of fire in the air for itself! You won¡¯t be able to move as quickly! Furthermore, I can sense your reserves of Nightflower Tianqi slowly running out!

    Su Qingcheng inwardly cursed. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s right! I need to create some more later!! I used all of it trying to defend myself from whatever this terrifying thing is.¡¯

    The Emperor Demon Puppet whirred in place as it pounced forward, attempting to punch Su Qingcheng into a meat paste. Letting Nightflower Tianqi roil in her fists, she threw a punch to meet the Puppet¡¯s fists, causing a look of incredulity to appear on Hu Linglei¡¯s face, as if she were watching an idiot. However, that look turned into one of awkward awe as she saw the vortex around Qingcheng¡¯s right fist become more solid, sucking essence and force from the Emperor Demon Puppet¡¯s punch.

    Little brat, I don¡¯t recall teaching this to you. Yao Meiyue sighed as she remembered this technique Su Qingcheng was using was very similar to one of her powerful Nightflower techniques, Star Vortex Fist, which allowed the user to drain the essence and force from a touch attack. The user could then either keep the energy for herself or reflect it back on the attacker! Did you comprehend this just from the one time I used ¡®Star Vortex Fist?!¡¯

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s actually working! I didn¡¯t expect Master¡¯s bragging to help me in a fight,¡± Su Qingcheng laughed softly to herself. Hu Linglei¡¯s gaze turned increasingly pensive as she saw the mysterious technique Su Qingcheng used to block and receive the Emperor Demon Puppet¡¯s fierce attack. Soon, Su Qingcheng extended her palm out, now coated in a nebulous black substance, causing fierce winds and flame to be emitted back out against the puppet¡¯s body. The Emperor Demon Puppet, taken aback by this attack, was not damaged at all. However, its intelligence was in no way weaker than that of a human¡¯s. It cautiously stepped back and maintained a defensive posture.

    Su Qingcheng had not used all the energy she drained from the Emperor Demon Puppet¡¯s attack, instead using the Star Vortex Fist to regain flame essence so she could use the Frog Style movement to its max potential. Soon, she leapt back explosively and clung to a tree. Smiling at both the puppet and Hu Linglei, Su Qingcheng threw out a thumbs up.

    ¡°Little brat, you do possess a monstrous talent. I¡¯m afraid you might accidentally damage my puppet in a secret weakpoint,¡± Hu Linglei sighed, snapping her fingers as the living armor soon faded out into existence, turning into a ray of light that entered Hu Linglei¡¯s body. ¡°I guess a promise is a promise. I will give you a reward.¡±

    Su Qingcheng got down from the tree as Hu Linglei fished out of her pockets and procured a scroll. ¡°I saw the fist technique you used and could sense some strange stuff in it. This scroll I¡¯m giving you is so mysterious that I couldn¡¯t even understand anything beyond the first few movements. If you can understand it, I expect you to share pointers in the future,¡± Hu Linglei laughed. ¡°So this is yours. Take it, or I¡¯ll feel embarrassed that a little kid like you could fearsomely repel my Emperor Demon Puppet. It looks like I have to develop it further to counteract this weakness!¡±

    Su Qingcheng bowed as she graciously took the scroll without rejecting it or saying anything. Hu Linglei then turned around to leave.

    ¡°Right, it¡¯s time for me to get out of here. That Tang Gu Market had nothing of use to me, so I¡¯m going to explore the continent. If fate permits, we¡¯ll meet again. By then, I hope you¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded, thanking Hu Linglei loudly as the latter began to leave the clearing. While she did so, Su Qingcheng opened the scroll given to her. The large font on it read simply, ¡°Dark Cosmos Fist¡­¡±

 7 - Exposed, The Might of Dark Cosmos Fist!

    As Hu Linglei left the clearing, she wondered to herself just what that mysterious Tianqi which Su Qingcheng unleashed onto her Emperor Demon Puppet was. In her entire life, she could only recall two people who could utilize that mysterious Tianqi power ¨C Yao Meiyue and her disciple when she was still alive¡­ Nie Ran, who was, of course, Su Qingcheng¡¯s mother. Of course, while Su Qingcheng displayed only a weak understanding of the Tianqi energy, it seemed even more mysterious than when Yao Meiyue used it in her life. Hu Linglei herself already knew that Su Qingcheng was Nie Ran¡¯s daughter after she settled down with Su Zhan. Sighing as she continued to walk out of the forest clearing, she wondered in her heart if Yao Meiyue was still alive out there somewhere, watching over and blessing Su Qingcheng, who happened to be her disciple¡¯s treasured daughter¡­

    That moment¡­

    Hu Linglei probably recognizes the Nightflower Tianqi. Yao Meiyue lamented into Su Qingcheng¡¯s mind. That¡¯s why she retreated the Emperor Demon Puppet so decisively despite knowing you wouldn¡¯t be able to do any significant damage to it. There¡¯s some things you need to know about this fearsome character. In fact, when I was still alive, I had exchanged blows with her. She definitely recognizes that you used a very rudimentary level of the Star Vortex Fist.

    ¡°But surely Master must have demonstrated it to a much higher level than me.¡± Su Qingcheng muttered as she returned to the Su clan residence.

    To be honest, the Nightflower Tianqi you created is especially pure; perhaps even better than when I first started creating it in my youth. Only half a month and you could already create the essence for the Star Vortex Fist? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re greedy for more? This is already heaven-defying. It¡¯s beyond my expectations. Yao Meiyue scolded Su Qingcheng for acting a bit too ambitious. Beyond that, Hu Linglei even gave you the technique manual for ¡®Dark Cosmos Fist.¡¯ It would be a lie if I said I didn¡¯t know it, as I had even seen Hu Linglei try to comprehend it when I was alive. That means she really didn¡¯t get it after all these years. Seeing your monstrous talent, she probably thought you could get some ideas from it¡­

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too ambitious on her part to assume a Tianqi User like me could comprehend even a little bit of it?¡±

    Right, but there¡¯s no rush. If you¡¯ve already comprehended Star Vortex Fist, we may as well simply expedite your training. Within the next month or so you should be able to break through to the third rank of Tianqi User. By then, you should already have displayed an intermediate mastery of the Star Vortex Fist. But by all means, the Star Vortex Fist on its own can¡¯t do any real damage to the enemy.

    By this point in the conversation Su Qingcheng was already about to enter the dining room when she saw the stares of her fellow family members looking at her as if they¡¯d seen a ghost. Yao Meiyue immediately concealed her presence and dared not to say anything to Su Qingcheng lest that Su Ran had discovered her spiritual imprint lingering in the room. Yao Meiyue after all had the inkling that a lot of Su Qingcheng¡¯s martial talent came from her mother.

    ¡°Sit,¡± Su Ran sighed. ¡°I heard the commotion at the Tang Gu Market. What the hell were you thinking?¡±

    Su Qingcheng sighed. ¡°It was a mistake. I was training a movement technique¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re freaking lucky it was that Hu Linglei, the old woman who just won¡¯t die,¡± Su Ran cracked her knuckles. ¡°If it¡¯s not for the fact I had an old relationship with her, you would have died trying to pull off that mischief.¡±

    Su Zhan and the others were speechless, watching the mother scold the daughter rather scathingly. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, you don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know about that Emperor Demon Puppet? I am well-traveled and know many things¡­¡± Su Ran grumbled, causing Su Qingcheng to be alarmed. The more she thought about it, the more she thought her own mother¡¯s background was even more mysterious than Su Yanran or her own! If Yao Meiyue were here right now, Su Qingcheng dared not to imagine what scene would happen.

    ¡°You and I need to talk after dinner. You will meet me in your room at the Tiger¡¯s Den,¡± Su Ran sighed. ¡°The others don¡¯t need to mind. Dear Qingcheng¡¯er may have recovered her body, but it¡¯s just as well, she needs to be disciplined. If she wants to break out of the marriage agreement, she can¡¯t be that cocky¡­ She needs to grow in a steady manner.¡±

    Su Zhan could feel the aura leaking out of his wife, this was really too scary. He looked worryingly at Su Qingcheng, who appeared to be sweating despite not showing any real signs of being intimidated by her mother. After a few tense moments, the atmosphere gradually calmed down. Unfortunately, it remained a bit tense and awkward as dinner passed by quickly without anyone really saying a word. At that time, Su Qingcheng and Su Ran both went together to the training room which Su Qingcheng had been using for the past half a month. Soon, Su Qingcheng stared at her mother¡¯s arm ¨C a galactic vortex appeared to churn from it. While it was similar to the Star Vortex Fist which Su Qingcheng had used against the Emperor Demon Puppet, it seemed a bit weaker, but due to the level of power and proficiency which was being displayed, it could definitely be considered to be worthy of Yao Meiyue¡¯s praise.

    ¡°Come out, Teacher Meiyue,¡± Su Ran sighed, staring at the necklace concealed beneath Su Qingcheng¡¯s clothing. Soon a spiritual body suddenly whisked out of the necklace whether or not Su Qingcheng wanted it to, but since the situation had already developed to this point, there was no use in hiding it either. ¡°You bewitching fox. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d wake up after all these years.¡± Su Ran looked at the ghost which was as beautiful as a goddess. The galactic swirl soon disappeared into nothingness as Su Ran calmed herself down.

    Nie Ran¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t call me that anymore. I have settled down and made a family with the man I love. He may be weaker than me, but he is by no means a pushover. But if you think about even doing anything with my daughter, I won¡¯t hesitate to¡ªThis story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Mother, stop¡­¡± Su Qingcheng growled. ¡°Please, stop. Master is the reason why I was able to recover my body¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­So that commotion was caused by you, huh Teacher?¡± Su Ran sighed.

    Yes, I had asked Qingcheng¡¯er to gather the ingredients to make the Rainbow Phoenix Elixir. That doctor you usually call isn¡¯t qualified to brew a godly elixir like that. You would know if you had continued to stay under my tutelage.

    Su Ran scowled. ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t eliminate you now that you¡¯re just a spiritual body. I can be grateful towards you for watching over my daughter. But if you think about getting her killed, I can snuff you out in an instant.¡± Soon, the aura of a Tianqi Emperor was unleashed from Su Ran. Though slightly weaker than Hu Linglei, Su Qingcheng could estimate it was at the second rank, which was still absolutely horrifying. Of course, such a talented lady could be worth being the disciple of Yao Meiyue. The spiritual body shook in place.

    ¡°Mother, please calm down.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not done with you yet. You almost caused me to have a heart attack. What the heck were you thinking, trying to take pointers from someone of the Tianqi Emperor level? Don''t tell me you thought you could even do any damage to Hu Linglei¡¯s Emperor Demon Puppet?¡± Su Ran gawked incredulously at Su Qingcheng as if she were an idiot.

    ¡°Mother, trust me on this!¡± Su Qingcheng shuddered, letting her Nightflower Tianqi boil in her veins. Over the trip back, she had already absorbed the essence in the air and restored her reserves, this was on top of the essence she stole from the Emperor Demon Puppet after she first unveiled her Star Vortex Fist. Now, she was attempting to do it again.

    Su Ran soon observed the vortex coiling around Su Qingcheng¡¯s arm with a shocked expression as she realized that Su Qingcheng being a Penta-Essence User qualified her to learn Yao Meiyue¡¯s Nightblossom Techniques which all required the five essences, with the basis of the Nightflower Tianqi. As Su Ran was also a former disciple of Yao Meiyue, she could easily detect that the energy in Su Qingcheng¡¯s hands was far purer than anything she could make herself. Su Ran was just a Quad-Essence user, she was unable to use Fire essence.

    This inability to channel Fire essence was a reason why Su Ran willingly disavowed herself to continue studying under Yao Meiyue, who placed a great emphasis on Fire essence in her techniques being an apothecary. Watching her daughter being able to match her teacher in terms of talent and ability ended up changing her own opinion of her daughter in a big way.

    ¡°Qingcheng¡¯er¡­¡± Su Ran sighed as her gaze softened even more. Su Qingcheng then calmly weakened her own vortex. ¡°If you want to train, you can come to me. Don¡¯t even bother looking for strangers. You are still weak at the moment. Those techniques Yao Meiyue can teach you don¡¯t allow you to deal significant damage to your opponents. They¡¯re all used for trickery, or being clever.

    ¡°Then, can you help me with this?¡±

    Su Qingcheng took out the Dark Cosmos Fist scroll she acquired from Hu Linglei, which caused Su Ran¡¯s expression to darken for a moment before she laughed loudly. ¡°That woman. She really gave you the Dark Cosmos Fist technique just like that?¡± Su Ran seemed to immediately recognize that the scroll came from Hu Linglei.

    ¡°What does mother think?¡± Su Qingcheng asked. Yao Meiyue on the side could only watch the discussion between mother and daughter. Truthfully speaking these two could be considered to be both her disciples whether Su Ran had left or not. Such a sight filled the spirit with a strange but positive feeling.

    ¡°I can help you train it,¡± Su Ran laughed. ¡°This Dark Cosmos Fist¡­ Hu Linglei had it for so long. She had this scroll even before I got married to your old man,¡± she continued. ¡°It¡¯s actually because I was the one who found it in the first place.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Su Qingcheng felt like a hammer had hit her in the head. What kind of old monster was her mother back in the past? She was the one who found the scroll and just gave it to Hu Linglei? Didn¡¯t that mean Su Ran was quite familiar with Hu Linglei in the first place? Suddenly, Su Qingcheng felt like it made more sense that Hu Linglei would bother with her. Naturally Su Qingcheng could be seen as the talented daughter of a close friend who could fight on a similar level as her. Of course Hu Linglei would be a bit interested.

    ¡°I could only comprehend up to the first section of the Dark Cosmos Fist, though,¡± Su Ran sighed. ¡°But it could already be considered to be very tyrannical. Unfortunately, it requires a huge amount of Tianqi and at your level you could only throw one or two punches before you pass out. Therefore, when learning the first movement of the Dark Cosmos Fist, you can only use it during life-threatening situations.¡± Su Ran explained.

    ¡°Let me demonstrate to you just how powerful it is.¡± Su Ran nodded as with the flick of her sleeves, a training dummy appeared in front of a giant rock in the corner. Spreading her legs slightly, Su Ran covered her right fist with her left hand, pulling it backwards. The Tianqi aura she exuded soon retreated, but Su Qingcheng quickly observed that the aura sunk into her right fist. What appeared to be dark matter soon coiled around Su Ran¡¯s right fist as she immediately uncovered it and threw a fierce punch at the dummy.

    Su Qingcheng watched as the dark matter collided into the training dummy. A dark hole soon swallowed up the training dummy, erasing a big portion of it out of existence. What was left of the dummy was the pole that kept it upright. The rest of the dummy which was swallowed up by the black hole disappeared without a trace. Though the movement was very simple, Su Qingcheng saw that it even took a lot of effort from Su Ran to even throw that punch.

    If it caused a Tianqi Emperor that much effort, then what about Su Qingcheng? She stared in disbelief as she realized she couldn¡¯t even learn the first movement, let alone comprehending the rest of the manual. ¡°Mother, are you telling me that the Dark Cosmos Fist is a space-time technique?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you catch on quickly, it should be said that Teacher Meiyue had a good eye for you.¡± Su Ran coughed as she exhaled turbid air.

    This can only be considered because you gave Qingcheng¡¯er the necklace. Yao Meiyue folded her arms as if dismissing Su Ran¡¯s praise. It seemed the two of them shared some kind of complicated relationship.

    ¡°The might of the Dark Cosmos Fist¡­ Is it truly within my comprehension?¡± Su Qingcheng asked with an exhilarated voice.

    ¡°That depends on your training, sweetheart,¡± Su Ran smiled. ¡°Anyway, I would have disciplined you properly, but we got distracted because you somehow acquired this technique manual. I guess we can say it was finding fortune out of misfortune. Get some rest and continue training tomorrow. Don¡¯t leave the residence unnecessarily. If anyone asks, I will say you are undergoing closed-door training.¡± She then promptly left, leaving Su Qingcheng and Yao Meiyue alone.

    Don¡¯t worry. Your mother is a meticulous person. She won¡¯t let this matter be so easily leaked. Keep the Dark Cosmos Fist manual with you. You¡¯re not qualified to practice the first movement now, but under my training you will be strong enough to use it once after you break into Geomancer stage.

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    Su Qingcheng clenched her fist, determined to build her strength. The matter of the Dark Cosmos Fist was eye-opening for her, not to mention the matter of meeting the Tianqi Emperor Hu Linglei and discovering that her own mother could be considered an ancient old monster in the martial world. All of this made Su Qingcheng incredibly hot blooded and eager to become stronger so she could stand side by side with her mother and those old fellows¡­

 8 - Xiao Ties Trap

    ¡°Did you hear the news?¡± a handsome youth blurted out; he was seated in a luxurious-looking chair. It was made of red plush and seemed to be one of the only kinds you could see in the Tang Gu City. If Su Qingcheng saw this chair, she would accuse it of being anachronistic. Naturally, this handsome youth was Xiao Tie. He was being attended to by two beautiful older women. No one could tell if they were Xiao Tie¡¯s acquaintances or if they were hired by him to ¡®attend¡¯ to him. He was facing a rugged man who looked at him with disdain.

    ¡°I did hear the news, third brother,¡± Xiao Hei sighed. ¡°You know, sooner or later, that addiction of yours is going to haunt you. I say this because I care about you.¡±

    Xiao Tie frowned a bit, but after stroking the hair of one of the ladies next to him, his frown turned upside down. ¡°She is but a mere trifle¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of treasure Su Qingcheng found that helped her recover. Are you telling me she is some kind of monster who can break through four entire ranks in a single year?¡±

    Xiao Hei fidgeted in an uncharacteristically nervous fashion. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Su Qingcheng isn¡¯t that simple¡­ I think that she might actually be able to do it this time. She even got the notice of Hu Linglei, the Tiger Queen.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ She¡¯s strong enough even to make most men jealous of her. How unexpected.¡± A vicious grin emerged on Xiao Tie¡¯s face. ¡°I should pay this Su Qingcheng a visit one of these days¡­¡±

    ¡°Third brother, don¡¯t do anything stupid!¡± Xiao Hei yelled at Xiao Tie, veins bulging out of his forehead. Despite his muscular appearance, Xiao Hei was definitely one of the smarter members of the Xiao clan. He definitely knew something was up with Su Qingcheng and earnestly attempted to warn Xiao Tie not to provoke her further. However, if he still insisted on being a fool, then Xiao Hei couldn¡¯t do any more than this. ¡°If Su Qingcheng really got a treasure from Hu Linglei, that must mean she has the qualification to become even stronger than an elder of our clan in the future. She really can¡¯t be underestimated!¡±

    ¡°Senior Brother Xiao Hei,¡± Xiao Tie¡¯s gaze suddenly warped into something serious. Xiao Hei had never seen Xiao Tie look this serious before in his life. ¡°I get what I want. If I have to resort to some unscrupulous means, then so be it. Su Qingcheng is a beautiful and smart woman who has no business being like that at her age. Look. Even our sisters have fallen for her. Can you imagine the benefits hooking in someone like that could give us?¡±

    Xiao Tie¡¯s face became sinister. ¡°Elder brother¡­ Not to worry. Everything will be alright. I won¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±

    Xiao Hei turned around at this point, his face looking especially concerned, such that Xiao Tie couldn¡¯t see it. ¡®Su Qingcheng¡­ I hope you can get stronger. This guy¡­ He¡¯s really up to no good!¡¯ Xiao Hei muttered inwardly to himself in his heart, trying to convince himself that Su Qingcheng could protect herself.

    At that moment¡­

    Su Yanran had been sitting outside Su Qingcheng¡¯s training room in the Tiger¡¯s Den of the clan residence. Whenever someone attempted to grab Su Qingcheng¡¯s attention in the room, Su Yanran would glare at them. In a way, she lowered herself to be a door guard. Whenever someone would ask Su Ran about it, she would deny any responsibility and simply said Su Qingcheng was undergoing closed-door training.

    Inside the training room, Su Qingcheng was repeatedly practicing the movements for the Star Vortex Fist. Yao Meiyue had explained that the Star Vortex Fist was the foundational technique for ¡°offense¡± and would serve as the gateway for more destructive Nightblossom techniques. Though the Star Vortex Fist on its own was incapable of doing direct damage, Su Qingcheng discovered that she could use it to forcefully amplify the Tianqi essence she was grabbing from the environment. Furthermore, Yao Meiyue explained that at higher masteries of the Star Vortex Fist, she could even absorb energy from the weather.

    This was absolutely terrifying as it means Su Qingcheng could practice lightning-based moves which was absolutely a one-in-a-thousand occurrence. Lightning energy only circulated in the environment during thunderstorms, and otherwise did not occur naturally. People who had an affinity towards lightning therefore did not normally enjoy the same benefits as regular Tianqi users because despite the insane power of thunder and lightning, it could not be gathered at any time like the typical five elements.

    On top of that, Su Qingcheng could also simply get things like sunlight or snow! Such powerful potential made the youth even more excited to practice the technique. Su Qingcheng had been guided up to now by Yao Meiyue who watched approvingly on the side once the girl could easily will or cause the galactic vortex in her arms to dissipate. Every once in a while, Su Qingcheng would have to circulate the Nightflower Tianqi in her body and rejuvenate herself. The more she did this, the more she felt her body throb as the Tianqi essence began to overflow in her veins from the constant exposure. Nightflower Tianqi could be considered to be a unique existence in that it was one of the rare forms of energy requiring three or more elements to create.

    Though it was not the only one of its type, Su Qingcheng being as young and as low-leveled as she was, greatly benefited from this exposure as her body over time slowly began to become more refined and increasingly well-built. This empowering feeling made Su Qingcheng very happy and grateful to be under Yao Meiyue¡¯s tutelage, and soon grew increasingly curious as to why Su Ran did not like Yao Meiyue very much. The latter also seemed very disinterested in talking about it, so Su Qingcheng decided not to push the issue and continued her training, which lasted for another month of closed-door training.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    By the time Su Qingcheng left her room properly, Su Yanran stared in awe as her younger sister emerged, looking far better than she did when she first entered the training room. Su Qingcheng¡¯s body was more toned and Su Yanran noticed that the former had abs, noticing the fruits of her labour, Su Yanran gave her a big hug. Smiling, Su Qingcheng hugged Su Yanran back. ¡°Elder sister, I have completed my preliminary training. I should be able to break through to the third rank within a few days.¡±

    ¡°Third rank already? This is really just like my dear sister to pull off such a feat,¡± Su Yanran pet Su Qingcheng happily. ¡°It took me four months to do the same thing as you who did it in half the time.¡±

    Before Su Qingcheng could continue her personal celebrations, one of the Su clan servants rushed over to Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran. ¡°Uhh, young ladies!! There¡¯s been an emergency.¡±

    ¡°What emergency?¡± Su Yanran tilted her head and asked quizzically.

    ¡°No time to explain¡­ See your parents now!¡±

    Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran looked at each other with worried expressions as they rushed to see Su Zhan and Su Ran. Upon further inquiry, they found out that something had happened to Su Mujian when he went to the Tang Gu Market to buy some herbs and other medicinal ingredients. He was resting in his room, where the parents were also. When they entered the room, they were shocked to see Su Mujian in a miserable condition as he rested in bed.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Su Qingcheng frowned.

    Su Zhan looked at his daughters. ¡°Fortunately he has not been poisoned. Otherwise we would have been in even more trouble. His injuries are quite serious but Doctor Qian just said he needed rest. He was suddenly attacked by several cloaked men after he got his herbs and was returning home.¡±

    Su Qingcheng furrowed her brows. ¡°Did we get any clues as to who those guys were or where they came from?¡±

    ¡°Mujian¡¯er was able to defend himself for a bit but there were too many of them. He ripped off one of their cloaks and said they were wearing robes with the Xiao clan emblem on it!!¡± Su Zhan clenched his fists.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Su Yanran scowled. ¡°We¡¯re in a good relationship with the Xiao clan. How could they attack Mujian¡¯er like that!!¡±

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Su Qingcheng said. ¡°This isn¡¯t the Xiao clan doing it on purpose. I can take a guess as to who was responsible for it, but I feel like¡­¡±

    Su Ran sighed. ¡°Are you sure it was him, that little lecherous brat?¡±

    ¡°I think so. But I don¡¯t have any proof it was him... Even then, I still want to believe it was that silkpants master.¡±

    Su Zhan and Su Yanran didn¡¯t need any names, they knew immediately that they were talking about Xiao Tie. He was a handsome man with many connections, and he was the only one who stood anything to gain out of annoying the Su clan. He definitely had a motive to have some of his friends bully somebody else with numbers. Su Qingcheng clenched her fists.

    ¡°I really want to teach that guy a lesson.¡±

    Su Ran eyed Su Qingcheng and noticed something about her. She smiled, but once Su Qingcheng declared her intention to attack, she frowned. ¡°Qingcheng¡¯er, you¡¯re about to break through to the next rank. If Xiao Tie really was the one responsible for putting Su Mujian into this state, you¡¯re simply falling into his trap!! Don¡¯t delay this matter. Su Yanran will be strong enough to send a message!¡±

    Su Qingcheng looked at Su Mujian with a concerned gaze. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s because I declared that challenge. He¡¯s so underhanded and rotten, it¡¯s increasingly more difficult for me to believe that Xiao Tie wasn¡¯t the one behind this. If he¡¯s so insistent on conquering me, he can do it over my dead body.¡± Su Qingcheng said quietly, but with a defiant rage that even scared Su Zhan. Su Ran on the other hand could only see herself in Su Qingcheng¡¯s serious expression.

    ¡°Qingcheng¡¯er, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to willingly walk into that trap.¡±

    ¡°I need to take responsibility for my words and actions,¡± Su Qingcheng felt her entire body trembling with rage. ¡°I know the Xiao clan is better than this. That young silkpants guy is really the disgrace of the clan,¡± she continued. ¡°Sooner or later he will know the real meaning behind ¡®hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,¡¯¡± Su Qingcheng growled as she immediately left the room.

    Su Yanran and Su Ran looked at each other as if they had just witnessed an incredulous scene. How could Su Qingcheng be so hasty? ¡°Yanran¡¯er, follow Qingcheng¡¯er and make sure she doesn¡¯t do anything rash. If you have to, come out to save her. She¡¯s growing cocky ever since the training began.¡± Su Ran instructed her remaining daughter, who nodded dutifully and also left the room.

    Su Zhan looked at his wife. ¡°Dear, are you sure those two are going to be alright? If Qingcheng¡¯er causes a scene, this will cause extra tension between our two clans.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve heard some words on the grapevine. Qingcheng¡¯er is popular among the young ladies of the Xiao clan, and the news that she survived a one-on-one encounter with Hu Linglei had already spread. The elders will definitely not reprimand her on sight for being so rash. They will have to listen to both sides of the story first.¡± Su Ran exhaled deeply. She said these words and meant it but a flame of doubt still lingered in her heart.

    Su Qingcheng meanwhile was rushing out of the residence. She immediately stomped her way through the Tang Gu Market, causing multiple eyes to lock onto her as they could feel a strange, mysterious Tianqi leaking out of her fists. They instinctively stepped aside. Su Qingcheng was no longer wearing a cloak to conceal her body, so everybody could recognize this young lady who was once the cripple of the Su clan.

    ¡°Who offended her? This Tianqi is really too terrifying.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she can¡¯t be underestimated anymore. Did you hear she came back safe and sound after asking for fighting pointers with Hu Linglei the Tiger Queen?¡±

    ¡°No way!¡±

    Many private conversations erupted as they saw Su Qingcheng walk angrily through the market. However this youth simply ignored them. The Xiao clan residence was on the other side of the market. She failed to notice Su Yanran tailing her from behind stealthily as she was too angry. This Xiao Tie brat was really too sinister. His aim was to rile up Su Qingcheng, but in order to do so he deliberately had Su Mujian, her elder brother, ambushed by several men who wore clothes with the Xiao clan emblem on it.

    It was definitely a significant group otherwise Su Mujian wouldn¡¯t have been beaten to such an extent. Such underhanded tactics enraged Su Qingcheng. By the time she reached the front gates of the Xiao clan residence, she cleared her throat.

    ¡°Xiao Tie, you piece of trash! Come out if you value your life!¡± Su Qingcheng yelled out in a fury. By the time Su Yanran also arrived, hiding behind a tree, she was watching in pure horror as she saw the straightforward way in which Su Qingcheng provoked the young silkpants master of the Xiao clan.

 9 - Confrontation and Realization

    ¡°Come out!¡± Su Qingcheng yelled again at the front gates of the Xiao clan residence. She was really quite angry at Xiao Tie; it could not be described properly in words just how mad she had gotten on the way here. However, she managed to restrain herself enough not to just barge into the place and break down the door. Su Yanran would probably have stopped her anyways. Instead, she stared at Su Qingcheng with an incredibly worried expression as she continued to hide behind a tree a fair distance away from the youth.

    The door to the residence soon opened. Several men in black cloaks suddenly jumped out of the door and surrounded Su Qingcheng. Though they surrounded her, their bodies seemed to be trembling as if they didn¡¯t really want to be there in the first place. Soon, Su Qingcheng could hear the voice of someone laughing quite loudly and boisterously. The ever-so-familiar visage of Xiao Tie appeared, just as Su Qingcheng asked. Trailing behind him was the frantic Xiao Hei, who seemed very eager to stop this entire mess. ¡°Stop this madness at once,¡± Xiao Hei grumbled to the seemingly deaf ears of both parties.

    The enmity between the two had risen once more. They had already began a conflict even though the agreement was still about ten months away. Su Qingcheng stared menacingly at the men who surrounded her, causing them to involuntarily step back. ¡°I know this was a part of your plan,¡± Su Qingcheng snarled at Xiao Tie. ¡°These men, they didn¡¯t want to attack Brother Mujian, did they?¡± she added. She felt a bit of pity for these guys who were forcibly used as hired guns, but she didn¡¯t let an inch of it show in her face. Xiao Tie clapped mockingly towards Su Qingcheng.

    ¡°So what are you going to do about it, kid? Even if you managed to calm those cowards down, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to stand a chance against me. I can just as easily cripple you this time myself and then there won¡¯t be any hope for you to escape marriage.¡± Xiao Tie grinned maliciously. Xiao Hei looked worryingly at Su Qingcheng. Xiao Hei¡¯s concerned gaze didn¡¯t escape Su Yanran¡¯s eyes, who had been spying from the sidelines undetected this entire time.

    Su Yanran had an awkward smile when she realized that one of the strongest members of the Xiao clan¡¯s younger generation was actually on Su Qingcheng¡¯s side. She hoped inwardly that the rest of the Xiao clan was also on her side and that it was just Xiao Tie¡¯s evil machinations that engineered this in the first place. After all, Su Ran and herself both knew this was a case of emotions getting in the way. Otherwise, she knew Su Qingcheng would definitely not throw herself into the trap.

    ¡°Watch your mouth, Xiao Tie. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll stand a chance against me one year from now. It¡¯ll be a miracle if I don¡¯t smash you into meat paste by then.¡± Su Qingcheng growled, causing Xiao Tie to laugh again, as if he didn¡¯t believe that would happen. Xiao Hei shuddered as he could feel the intense killing intent emanate from Su Qingcheng¡¯s Tianqi aura. This was an energy he had never felt before. He was sure Xiao Tie would be even more affected by it than him.

    And he was right. Though Xiao Tie didn¡¯t show it, he started to involuntarily sweat as the pressure from the Nightflower Tianqi that Su Qingcheng was letting loose in ripples fell onto him. Xiao Tie continued to smile at her. The men who originally encircled Su Qingcheng had by now already retreated with relief once they saw Xiao Hei gesture at them to return with a worried expression. Naturally this didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the young Xiao Tie. Though he may be some guy you expect to be nothing but a horny dog, he had a kind of vicious, sinister mind that helped him to achieve certain things rather unscrupulously. One would say he inherited this from his dad.

    ¡°Stop this nonsense,¡± Su Qingcheng growled. ¡°Your enmity is now with me. Don¡¯t involve anyone else in this personal crusade of yours.¡± Her fists were clenched. She tried very hard not to reveal the Star Vortex Fist now, otherwise there would be too much time for him to figure out a way to counter its mysterious powers. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to attack Brother Mujian, and you definitely didn¡¯t need to anger Senior Brother Xiao Hei!¡±

    ¡°That prude standing behind me?¡± Xiao Tie laughed again, like some kind of evil villain. Su Qingcheng definitely felt like he was some kind of villainous kid wannabe at this point. It was very shameful to watch. In modern parlance, she would call it ¡®cringeworthy.¡¯ Xiao Tie tapped his feet. ¡°Who cares about him. Let him do what he wants. But I don¡¯t have time to mess around with a former cripple like you. I only came out to entertain you because you were so mad, I had to see what the fuss was about.¡±

    ¡°Grr¡­"

    ¡°Not to worry, though. I¡¯ll be sure your visit bears some fruit. Ten months left, Su Qingcheng. Ten months! You better not disappoint me.¡± Xiao Tie said plainly and nonchalantly before he turned back into the residence and walked past Xiao Hei, brushing him aside rather rudely. The latter ignored him but instead looked at Su Qingcheng with sympathy and pity. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

    ¡°Qingcheng¡¯er!! Behind you!!¡±

    Su Yanran, at this moment, also was about to step in as she saw the same thing as Xiao Hei did. Two shadows suddenly lunged from some treetops from behind, launching themselves at Su Qingcheng, who seemingly did not act, but once they were halfway towards her, Su Qingcheng spun around and with two fists, one on her left and one on her right side, drove into the shadows at once, letting Nightflower Tianqi ripple into a vortex. The galactic vortexes were enough to absorb the pressure from the shadows diving into her, and quickly she reversed the flow on the vortexes to knock the shadows back into the trees with a loud thud.

    On further inspection, Su Qingcheng learned that the people who attacked her were a pair of women who looked like they could be high ranking Tianqi Geomancers. It seems these two must have been enticed by Xiao Tie to attack her. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t realize that Su Qingcheng hid the power of her Star Vortex Fist at the last minute, allowing her to flawlessly launch a counter-force. Xiao Hei simply stared in disbelief while Su Yanran sighed quietly in relief, retreating back as she knew Su Qingcheng would no longer stay.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Ladies,¡± Su Qingcheng sighed. ¡°You better stop associating yourself with that man. I don¡¯t care if you think he¡¯s good in bed or what, or if you¡¯ve already eaten him up,¡± she continued, looking at the women who slowly picked themselves up after being knocked back by Su Qingcheng. Though they wanted to attack again, Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t bother to get into a defensive posture. ¡°He¡¯s going to convince you to walk on a path of darkness. If you have any self-respect, you¡¯ll stop bothering yourself with him or me. Live your life.¡± Su Qingcheng sighed as she idly ignored the two attackers who stared at her just with the same kind of strange awe as Xiao Hei did.

    As Su Qingcheng casually walked back in pensive thought, Xiao Hei shuddered, watching the Tianqi burst out of her like a black hole, he decided he would need to get answers. Su Yanran stealthily trailed Su Qingcheng on her way back like a shadow. As for the two women originally hired or bribed by Xiao Tie to attack Su Qingcheng, they sighed and stared at the back of Su Qingcheng. Whether they would strike again was something the youth didn¡¯t really care about at this point. Hopefully if that happened, Su Qingcheng would be strong enough to actually fight against them.

    The two of them sighed and left the premises in a dark blur after gathering their energy again and recovering after some few moments of rest. Su Qingcheng herself felt the Tianqi roiling in her veins as if she was really going to attain a breakthrough. ¡°I¡¯m about to break through,¡± Su Qingcheng smiled to herself as she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists. That¡¯s right. You had best return to the training room and engage in meditation. The break through process after all is not simple. While we get back, I should inform you that because of the presence of Nightflower Tianqi in your body, the break through process may be much more painful than usual. That¡¯s because the energy inside you grows exponentially stronger compared to single or double essence Tianqi. The potential and growth is much stronger and far more explosive.

    ¡°So it¡¯ll temper my body further at the same time,¡± Su Qingcheng surmised with a smile. Though she wasn¡¯t outwardly disturbed by the fact her growth would be more painful than a normal person, she was a bit nervous. Then again, the freak accident which crippled her before was also very painful. She could remember that, when she was young, she was curious about how to channel lightning energy. So she followed Su Ran who wanted to show it to her. However, the thunderstorm at the time had suddenly grown in intensity. Su Ran couldn¡¯t absorb all of it as it was just simply too much, and some of the excess electricity and thunder had electrocuted Su Qingcheng, incinerating a majority of her inner Tianqi paths which were overloaded.

    In a way, the overloading had predisposed Su Qingcheng to absorbing the Nightflower Tianqi once the paths were repaired because they had been tempered too much to the point they simply broke. But after being repaired, her body had subtly grown more resistant to such overloading. Upon reflecting over this, Su Qingcheng believed that perhaps it wasn¡¯t so bad to be in this state. Yao Meiyue continued to orient the youth on how to manage her body and Tianqi essence during the break through process, and said the plan was to get back into closed-door training and reach the third rank of Tianqi User within this period of time.

    Each increase in rank may seem small but in fact it was actually quite a significant difference. This is made clearer when you compare the power between a fifth rank Tianqi User and a first rank Tianqi Geomancer. A Tianqi User at the fifth rank may be strong but they could not actuate Tianqi energy back into the environment like a first rank Geomancer could, no matter how absurd or how abnormal their training or techniques were. This mark of a Geomancer was very crucial to the intermediate levels of the Nightblossom technique set and in fact even the Nightflower Tome itself as a lot of those techniques and earth divination skills required borrowing and giving back to the environment.

    Once Su Qingcheng returned home safely, Su Yanran had mysteriously reappeared by Su Ran¡¯s side like a spectre despite having tailed Su Qingcheng the entire time. This was undoubtedly a mysterious technique taught to her by her teacher. However, she rarely talked about this type of movement technique, and didn¡¯t seem interested in doing so. Su Qingcheng bowed respectfully and apologetically to her parents and sister. Su Mujian at this point no longer looked as miserable as when Su Qingcheng first left, but he still looked very tired. His worried face didn¡¯t escape Su Qingcheng either.

    ¡°I apologize for being emotional,¡± Su Qingcheng sighed. ¡°But I have good news. I am about to break through to the next rank, and require extra closed-door training time to get to the next rank of Tianqi User.¡±

    Su Ran nodded silently, while Su Zhan continued to praise her daughter. Su Yanran was also similarly quiet, but she could already tell this from Su Qingcheng¡¯s aura as she had been stalking her from the shadows the entire time. Su Mujian merely looked impressed as he was in too battered a state to express his happiness.

    ¡°I will get some rest in the meantime. That Xiao Tie has gone too far. I saw Xiao Hei also trying to stop him,¡± Su Qingcheng explained. ¡°Xiao Tie also tried to get two ladies to attack me, but I stopped them. Therefore, I am a bit tired.¡± Su Qingcheng quickly dismissed herself and went to her room to rest her body and restore her Nightflower Tianqi.

    Su Zhan also excused himself, citing a need to generate reports on the earnings from his business in the Tang Gu Market. Su Ran and Su Yanran both left Su Mujian to rest in his room while they retreated to one of the training rooms in the Tiger¡¯s Den. Naturally this room belonged to Su Ran.

    ¡°How did it go?¡± Su Ran asked.

    ¡°Everything is fine, mother. Qingcheng¡¯er is too terrifying. I was about to step in to defend her when she got attacked, but she reacted quickly and employed a counterforce to temporarily debilitate the attackers. Then, with the use of words, she made them think twice about walking away.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ her talent and potential is too terrifying. Her teacher must be great, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you ask me, I think her teacher is several notches better than mine.¡±

    ¡°Definitely¡­ Yanran¡¯er, keep an eye out on her. Guard her during her break-through and do not let anyone interrupt her, even you yourself, until she steps out of the room. Also, if you hear screaming in the room, do not, under any circumstances, help her. Am I understood?¡±

    ¡°Why? I will do as you say, but can you explain why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated. I will just tell you that her break through will be far more painful than ever before. I know from personal experience, so don¡¯t question it.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Er¡­ Okay.¡± Su Yanran nodded worryingly and hurriedly left before Su Ran could issue any more instructions or even say anything.

    ¡°Qingcheng¡¯er¡­¡± Su Ran lamented as she remained alone in her room. ¡°Yao Meiyue is indeed the best teacher I have ever met. But¡­ I hope you can handle the bitter struggle. The Nightblossom Method is not a joke. You will feel even more pain than I did practicing the Nightflower Tome¡¯s methods¡­¡± Su Ran sighed as she turned away from the door and sat cross-legged before meditating.

 10 - Advancing to Third Rank User! A Mysterious Premonition

    The next day, Su Qingcheng eagerly retreated to her training room in the Tiger¡¯s Den. This is where she would begin to try and break through to the next rank of Tianqi User, this would increase her power and stability by a good margin. Su Yanran had excitedly opted to stay outside of the room to protect Su Qingcheng¡¯s privacy. Though this was also requested by Su Ran, Su Yanran herself most likely would have gone without any prompting from her mother. Silently watching the hallway like a hawk, Su Yanran sat cross legged in front of the door.

    Inside the training room, Su Qingcheng also sat cross legged in the middle of the space as Yao Meiyue appeared this time, her body floating a bit behind her. Sitting quite still, Su Qingcheng slowly began to relinquish her control over the Nightflower Tianqi in her body. Yao Meiyue had instructed her prior to this that in order to break through, she was to allow the Nightflower Tianqi to go a little unrestrained throughout her body. Though Yao Meiyue warned her that this process would be a little painful, Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t complain which impressed the spirit a little bit.

    As Su Qingcheng sat there and let the Tianqi flow through her veins freely, she could feel the energy also leak out, normally this wouldn¡¯t happen if she controlled herself to do so but the concept behind a break through using this Tianqi is to become unfettered and to enter a state of freedom. However, the price of this was that the Tianqi could sometimes go out of control. While in the stories this might be akin to causing some kind of deviation to damage your body, all this would do in Su Qingcheng¡¯s situation was to cause an immense amount of pain until the storm was weathered or it was deliberately suppressed.

    However, the idea behind this method of breaking through a new rank was to allow the energy to roam freely and batter the body so it should be able to withstand further amounts of energy recoil. Not to mention, the results of this weathering would be highly beneficial for Su Qingcheng as her body would be able to contain more Tianqi, on top of this the degree of which she could absorb or release energy would also be increased to a new level. These benefits greatly outweighed the possible pain she would have to endure. However, you still couldn¡¯t underestimate it, as Yao Meiyue did warn her previously that some poor fellows in the past couldn¡¯t handle it and usually died. No, they didn¡¯t get crippled. They just died ¨C their veins ended up exploding.

    This point did perturb Su Qingcheng a little bit but she wouldn¡¯t try to let that get to her. With her eyes closed and the energy now roiling into a sort of fierce spatial aura, Yao Meiyue soon observed that the room became dark once again and became much like she was in space. Stars began to shoot out from various parts of Su Qingcheng¡¯s body, which caused the youth to start sweating profusely. Her clothes stuck to her body from the sheer wetness, allowing Yao Meiyue to see Su Qingcheng¡¯s rapidly reddening body. Though it was already a bit tempered and well-built, Su Qingcheng¡¯s expression continued to look rather grim despite her shut eyes and seemingly calm face.

    She soon shuddered as she felt the energy rip through her skin and body. Fortunately she didn¡¯t feel her veins bulge which was a very good sign that she would make it through. Quickly, Su Qingcheng regulated her deep breathing as she let the energy shoot out still, battering her veins and piercing her skin. A galactic vortex began to circle from behind her as the stars that emanated from her body converged into a singular point behind her and coagulated into that circular vortex. Su Qingcheng continued to breathe deeply as she could feel something pricking her from behind.

    The vortex began to drill into her back as the energy funneled back inside her, causing the mass amounts of energy to slowly drip and enter her body, flooding it and inundating it with refined Nightflower Tianqi, powered by the galaxy itself. Su Qingcheng¡¯s breathing grew increasingly labored as she tried to bear this intense pain. Yao Meiyue continued to watch intently. Su Yanran who was outside the room began to feel the door next to her vibrate. However she did not interrupt. Anyone who walked by and noticed this phenomenon would be faced with Su Yanran explaining that Su Qingcheng was undergoing a very intense closed-door training.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Meanwhile, back in the room, Su Qingcheng remained seated, though her body began to emit a nebulous blue glow, the vortex shrank and shrank as the refined energy went back into her body freely without Su Qingcheng doing anything. It was incredibly painful as she felt her skin burning up. Her body itself was bright red and Yao Meiyue got the feeling that she would burn up. But that fearful scene so far never happened, fortunately for both of them. Su Qingcheng continued to maintain her breathing as the energy now frothed up within her. Su Qingcheng could feel a strange tingling sensation in her lower body, this would most likely be where the ¡®dantian¡¯ of a typical story of this nature would be.

    The Nightflower Tianqi began to swirl around in place. The vortex was incredibly small, about the size of a thumb-tip, yet it was there. The vortex of Tianqi continued to swirl in place, causing a chain reaction of physical sensations to erupt all over Su Qingcheng¡¯s body, causing the youth to moan and groan in a way that one could not tell if she was experiencing pain or pleasure. Even Yao Meiyue felt a bit flushed by Su Qingcheng¡¯s moaning. However, a few prolonged moments later, Su Qingcheng slowly settled down and smiled, opening her eyes only then and there. Clenching her fists and unclenching them, wisps of Nightflower Tianqi exploded in her fists. ¡°Have I succeeded?¡± Su Qingcheng panted out, her entire body drenched in sweat, her now-well-sculpted body and form (easily visible beneath her sweat-drenched clothes) quite in display for Yao Meiyue.

    I believe you have done well, my disciple Yao Meiyue smiled and nodded with approval. Congratulations on breaking to the third rank.

    Su Qingcheng slowly stood up and did a celebratory fist-pump. ¡°Yes!! I did it!¡± Su Qingcheng happily exclaimed to herself. The pace at which she could coagulate the Nightflower Tianqi in her fists was about three times as fast as she could do before, which she was sure was because of the tianqi vortex she kept in her body. ¡°Now¡­ Next is to get acclimated to this newfound power¡­¡± Su Qingcheng muttered to herself.

    That moment¡­

    On the top floor of a tower very far from the Tang Gu City where Su Qingcheng was, stood a beautiful woman with long black hair. She wore very traditional clothing, and stared out a large window in the general direction of the aforementioned city. ¡°Something is going to happen in Tang Gu City,¡± the woman said with a voice that seemed neither happy nor sad. ¡°It looks like the inheritor of Nie Ran¡¯s Ghost Calamity Palm has been decided¡­¡± the woman bluntly said, idly making mention of Su Qingcheng¡¯s mother once again.

    Behind the woman stood two young ladies who looked a bit battered and beaten. Funnily enough, these were the two ladies who were originally hired by Xiao Tie to do a sneak attack on Su Qingcheng.

    ¡°Mistress, are you telling me that the young lady who that stupid guy asked us to attack is one of the daughters of the Tianqi Ghost Empress?¡± one of them frowned.

    The woman who was known only as the Mistress then turned to face her two subordinates. ¡°Mmm. It¡¯s fine if you didn¡¯t recognize her. Nie Ran has married into the Su Clan and deliberately kept a low profile. After all, she said back then that she no longer wishes to fight and travel. Her ¡®Ghost Calamity Palm¡¯ has taken too many lives¡­ Regardless, Ling¡¯er, you and Miaoyu are to first recover your injuries. Then go back to the Tang Gu City and monitor the situation of the Su clan. If that Xiao clan brat sees you again, you are free to beat him up.¡±

    The two women, Gu Ling and Mo Miaoyu were actually high-ranking subordinates of this beautiful women. They could be considered to be very strong compared to pretty much everyone in the Tang Gu City beyond a handful of people and definitely they were no match for the old monster Su Ran. They were confident they could easily fulfill the task given to them by their mistress. They nodded respectfully towards the woman and then left the chambers quietly and without a trace. Their steps did not even make a single sound, only the sound of the wind blowing along with their movements could be heard.

    The black-haired Mistress soon turned her gaze into the distance through the window. ¡°Old friend¡­ You and I must catch up one of these days. I would like to meet the lucky girl who would inherit your technique in the future!¡±

 11 - Announcement of the White Spirit Competition

    Though the tower was very far away from the Tang Gu City, it could still be considered a part of the same region as it. In fact, the immediate area that Tang Gu City was in could be considered part of a larger empire, the Bailing Empire, ruled by the Lingmu family for generations and generations. They could be considered by modern-day historians to be the stereotypical benevolent rulers who could be capable of putting aside compassion in order to maintain order if it was necessary. Though it made for a rather boring study, no one could deny that their manner of ruling was effective. As a result, the Bailing Empire had not gotten into a war for literally hundreds of years. Why this is relevant to know now is because a very important period of the current year was approaching.

    The Mistress of the tower knew this too, but she was more concerned about what she felt coming from Tang Gu City. She knew somebody had broken through to a new rank, and she could feel the mysterious Tianqi even from miles away. However, she did not know specifically which daughter of Su Ran was the supposed ¡®inheritor of the Ghost Calamity Palm.¡¯ The Ghost Calamity Palm was a deadly martial arts technique passed down from the Nie family, and its tyranny could not be disputed. Though it did not cause much physical damage, it was capable of reaching in directly to one¡¯s soul or spirit, and strong enough practitioners of the art were capable of instantly crushing someone¡¯s spirit, literally. This would leave the physical body quite literally dead inside, and unable to really do much.

    If one were to use modern parlance or literary roleplaying terms, this would be the equivalent of someone forcibly making somebody¡¯s intelligence and charisma values to negative values. It was superbly tyrannical, and in the Bailing Empire, where the Nie family originated from, such soul-destroying arts were forbidden and you could be sentenced to death for it. Su Ran is currently one of the only known living users of this technique, and she had already cast it aside because she herself knew of its destructive powers, and even for a Tianqi Emperor like her, she did not want to bloody her hands anymore.

    However¡­ It was surprising that one of her children had the potential to be able to use it¡­ This intrigued the mistress of the tower¡­

    That moment¡­

    Flyers were being distributed all over the city. Written on the flyers were words advertising a highly anticipated event ¨C the Annual White Spirit Competition. Every year, the Bailing Empire would host a martial arts competition in its capital, Bailing City. It was situated in the very center of the empire, and luckily Tang Gu City was not too far from it. You could get there via carriage within the day. Walking by foot would take longer, but not enough to be considered dangerous. The White Spirit Competition was a place where many talented Tianqi users would gather and compete against one another for fame and glory. Naturally, there would also be prizes. The prizes each year were almost always different, and usually consisted of rare things like ancient manuals, powerful herbs, spiritual elixirs, and similar things.

    You had to be at least fourteen years of age to be able to participate, on top of this the highest level you were permitted to display was of a first rank Tianqi Prince or Princess. This meant stronger participants had to deliberately suppress their power. This was to make the competition a bit fair, as it was rare that low-ranking users would join the tournament.

    Though this might seem like a young age to enter a martial arts tournament where potentially accidents could occur, the Lingmu family believed that age was simply just a number. Young seedlings with high potential that could battle amongst the older generations could simply be treated as hidden tigers and dragons in the empire, waiting to be reared and nurtured. When Su Qingcheng learned about this news, she was determined to have a go at it. Yao Meiyue agreed. Though Su Qingcheng was just a mere third rank Tianqi user, her mysterious Nightblossom techniques would allow her to demolish anyone in the same stratum as her, and also allow her to fight evenly with low to mid-ranked Tianqi Geomancers. She would only have trouble with anyone stronger than a fourth rank Tianqi Geomancer.

    Confident in her skills, Su Qingcheng discovered she only had two weeks to prepare for the competition. Hurriedly, she went to Su Ran to discuss things with her, only to discover that Su Yanran was already talking to her about the White Spirit Competition.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Qingcheng¡¯er wants to participate also,¡± Su Yanran frowned. ¡°You already felt the Tianqi ripple when she broke through to third rank User yesterday¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, I know. She has the strength, but I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±

    ¡°Afraid of what?¡± A defiant voice interrupted the conversation as Su Yanran and Su Ran both turned around to see Su Qingcheng plainly standing in the doorway to her mother¡¯s room, casually leaning to the side. Su Qingcheng¡¯s expression was a bit ugly, clearly not a fan of being put down by her mother in such a passive aggressive way.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to be cocky simply because Hu Linglei went easy on you,¡± Su Ran sighed. ¡°The White Spirit Competition is a big deal. We originally planned to send Mujian¡¯er and Yanran¡¯er, but the former is still resting from his injuries¡­¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Then, I will accompany big sis Yanran!!¡± Su Qingcheng stared resolutely at the both of them. While her mother stared pensively back in return, Su Yanran seemed a bit too excited about this news. ¡°Mother, you shouldn¡¯t worry about anything happening to me. I am sure big sis will also protect me if it comes to that¡­¡±

    Su Yanran nodded profusely. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, mother. I will be right by her side. Rest assured, nothing untoward will happen to her. On top of that, I believe she is also quite capable of protecting herself.¡±

    Su Ran furrowed her brows. In the fact of two determined young women who wanted this really badly, she had no real choice but to relent. ¡°Ugh¡­ I really can¡¯t reason with you, can I, Qingcheng¡¯er? Fine. I will permit you to go, but you have to stay with Yanran¡¯er at all times. Don¡¯t go off on your own. Bailing City may be relatively safe, but we¡¯re only giving you two carriage escort. Once you¡¯re in the city, it¡¯ll just be the two of you.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded firmly. ¡°Yes, mother. I promise I won¡¯t get into trouble when I¡¯m there,¡± she said. ¡°Yanran¡¯er will surely make sure nothing happens to me either.¡±

    Su Yanran felt a blush escape her cheeks for some reason, but she smiled and nodded in silent agreement.

    ¡°Un¡­ Then it¡¯s settled¡­ You both have two weeks to get ready for the competition. You guys will travel to Bailing City three days before the actual date of the competition. Do not be tardy. I will send some guys to call for you in case you decide to enter some last minute closed-door training.¡± Su Ran yawned.

    Both Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng cupped their fists in respect and left the room quietly, leaving Su Ran alone in her room. She actually slept in the same room as Su Zhan but she kept her own room for the rest of the day. In this room, Su Ran often contemplated about the various happenings in the world of Tianqi Emperors like herself, since she had deliberately suppressed her aura to appear much weaker than she normally was. However, with the outstanding performance of Su Qingcheng, Su Ran increasingly felt the need to come up with plans not to implicate herself or her daughter. She was already getting a bad feeling about the upcoming White Spirit Competition. It wasn¡¯t that she believed Su Qingcheng was weak. Actually, on the contrary. She felt that Su Qingcheng was abnormally strong for a third rank User. She was confident that Su Qingcheng could perform well.

    The problem lay in the fact that the competition was a wide-scale event in the empire. People watching could get very curious about the technique. Though the Nightflower and Nightblossom methods were incredibly mysterious, there might be a bunch of old freaks in the audience watching the younger generation. What if some people from her own generation attended? For example, she knew Hu Linglei would not miss the chance to watch the competition. And what if there were more people like her present?

    These kinds of things were what Su Ran was worried about. Su Qingcheng may have had some knowledge in her past life, but she was still unawares of the specifics of this world, for example, the affairs of Tianqi Emperors. They were mostly a bunch of eccentrics. Even Su Ran was originally like that before she settled down and mellowed out a LOT. Su Ran then sighed and remembered something¡­ Su Qingcheng had mentioned getting attacked by two women before. They were very fast like shadows, at least that was how Su Qingcheng described it.

    ¡°Fast shadows¡­ Two women¡­ Could it have been¡­? Oh no. That old fogey is going to watch the tournament, isn¡¯t she!! Mistress Fang Li!!!¡± Su Ran frowned to herself as she began to pace around in her room back and forth¡­

    Back in the tower, the Mistress named Fang Li suddenly sneezed. ¡°¡­Is someone talking about me behind my back¡­? Nah, it was definitely my imagination¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, Su Qingcheng quickly retreated to her training room, as did Su Yanran. Both of them instructed everyone who was present in the Tiger¡¯s Den not to let anyone disturb them, except if somebody came by asking them to leave for the White Spirit Competition. When Su Qingcheng said she was going to the White Spirit Competition, many people began talking about her behind her back when she had retreated to her training room. A lot of it was in amazement as how this cripple had suddenly become strong enough not only to survive a blow from the legendary Tiger Queen¡¯s ¡®Emperor Demon Puppet,¡¯ but also casually defending herself from a sneak attack from Xiao Tie. They soon felt bad about themselves for moments before they became inspired to work harder. If Su Qingcheng could pull off that kind of miraculous reversal, then perhaps they could too. The Tiger¡¯s Den soon became quite noisy and very busy.

    Inside the training room, Su Qingcheng was facing Yao Meiyue, who nodded in approval. That was easier than expected. Though, you need to be careful. You can¡¯t reveal too many of your trump cards during the tournament. During these two weeks, I¡¯ll revert back to the Nightflower Tome to teach you some basic combat maneuvers. The Star Vortex Fist shouldn¡¯t be abused no matter how strong it is. In this case, since you¡¯ve displayed a significant mastery of the Star Vortex Fist in a stupidly short amount of time, the basic moves I¡¯ll help you learn would be as simple as cake¡­

    Su Qingcheng nodded as she took out the Nightflower Tome from her Dragon Hoard Ring and turned to the pages that Yao Meiyue had indicated to her. There were several diagrams and hastily drawn pictures depicting lots of different movements and places where to direct Nightflower Tianqi. Su Qingcheng shuddered as she realized that though they were basic movements, there were just so many of them. Su Qingcheng idly wondered how many of these she could learn and perform within just shy of two weeks¡­

    Chin up, kid¡­ Yao Meiyue laughed. This is some last minute training, after all. Two weeks is definitely not enough to learn all of these, let alone master them. Just do your best and try to at least be able to perform some of them. Otherwise, you will just be endangering yourself at the tournament.

    Su Qingcheng sighed and nodded. ¡°Understood. Let¡¯s get cracking, then¡­¡± Su Qingcheng cracked her knuckles and prepared herself to undergo some more arduous training.

 12 - The Mistress of the Tower Meets Su Ran

    Inside the training room, Su Qingcheng was diligently practicing the movements for her various basic hand-to-hand techniques. Though they did not require as much initial Nightflower Tianqi as when she used Star Vortex Fist, they all did require a good grasp of control and being able to inject the right amount into your fists and feet. A reoccurring theme within these movements that Su Qingcheng noticed was that it tended to follow the strange theme of mixing flowers with space. The most crucial ones that Yao Meiyue forced Su Qingcheng to be able to perfect with full mastery were simply just a pair of stances ¨C the Night Lily Stance and the Black Hole Stance.

    Yao Meiyue urged Su Qingcheng to focus on these two stances the most because when alternated between them, you could pretty much form an impenetrable defense that would let you counter attack most things if you knew how to. Of course, Su Qingcheng lacked actual practical experience so she would have to figure out the counters herself, but at the very least Yao Meiyue comforted her by saying that even knowing these two stances would at the very minimum let her repel the attack even if she couldn¡¯t directly retaliate. Nodding, Su Qingcheng diligently focused the most on these two stances. The Black Hole Stance like its name implies, was designed to allow and bait attacks to come in. The user would then steal the forward momentum from the attacker and then force it back on them.

    The Night Lily stance on the other hand was more aggressive. It was most like an animal trying to strike an opponent, but with a high enough mastery, you could conceal an attacking intent enough to mask your own intentions to the enemy, and launch a sneak attack that way. Su Qingcheng had been trying very hard to work on these two stances. Though at first glance it didn¡¯t seem like much, the youth had to actually use the Nightflower Tianqi to boost her insight and perceptive senses, which is something very few people actually learned how to do. Since she had a teacher like Yao Meiyue, Su Qingcheng naturally was able to learn this type of use.

    However, despite this kind of tyrannical usage of tianqi, it was still very difficult to actually put into practice and more often than not, Su Qingcheng messed it up minutely causing herself to injure herself due to backlash. Though it was painful, the girl nevertheless continued to persist, and for the next few days since the start of her training, she gradually improved faster and faster until this had become second nature to her.

    At that moment¡­

    Su Ran was sitting on a bench underneath a large tree in the courtyard of the Su clan residence. Quietly, without making a sound, she turned a bit to the side. There was clearly a figure there who somehow entered the premises undetected. However, how could a Tianqi Emperor like Su Ran be ignorant of this intrusion?

    ¡°I see that the Snake Mistress comes to visit me today,¡± Su Ran sighed, not even bothering to face the woman who had entered the space. Naturally this was Fang Li, the Mistress of the tower which was far from here. As for how she got here, nobody except her and Su Ran knew. Slippery like a loach, Fang Li specialized in stealth and espionage. Though her fighting capability was much weaker than Su Ran, being just fifth rank Tianqi Sage, she also could be considered to be a kind of poison expert. Due to this, she got the nickname of Snake Mistress.

    Her beauty was unparalleled in the empire but she was dangerous enough to make any man or woman freeze in their tracks and think twice about pursuing her. Even Su Ran wouldn¡¯t dare to mess with her or dismiss her easily due to her poison prowess. ¡°To what occasion do I owe the pleasure of entertaining you, Mistress Fang Li?¡± Su Ran asked with a smile, finally turning to face the lady who was wearing an incredibly tight-fitting green cheong-sam.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    The woman smiled. ¡°One of your children has broken through another rank. I could sense the ripple from a mile away. Do you know one of them is eligible to inherit your Ghost Calamity Palm, which you swore a vow not to use since you married that lovable oaf, Su Zhan?¡± Fang Li joked casually by calling Su Zhan a ¡®lovable oaf¡¯ but she also would readily admit that Su Zhan had skills for taming Su Ran and helping her calm down from her past self, allowing her to settle down peacefully.

    ¡°Mistress Fang Li, do not play games with me. I know you are talking about Qingcheng¡¯er; that abnormal kid is really beyond my expectations,¡± Su Ran plainly admitted, knowing it wasn¡¯t much use hiding it from her. Fang Li most likely sent people to spy on Su Qingcheng, who fortunately was undergoing closed door training and thus wasn¡¯t doing anything outwardly considered noteworthy. ¡°She is indeed eligible to use Ghost Calamity Palm. I heard she was able to fend off your two most prized subordinates for a single exchange, right? Gu Ling and¡­ What¡¯s her name¡­ Mo Miaoyu?¡±

    ¡°Tsk, they were caught off-guard. Qingcheng displayed a skill they never saw before. How could they know how to fight it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to go watch the White Spirit Competition so you can learn what¡¯s going on, right?¡± Su Ran yawned, as if having already expected this outcome.

    ¡°Well, naturally. Your eldest son is currently recovering from some non-trivial issues. And that Su Yanran is definitely a strong contender. But since he¡¯s recovering, I¡¯m sure little Qingcheng was eager to prove herself.¡± Fang Li giggled.

    ¡°If you have any untoward motives towards my daughter¡­¡± Su Ran ignited blue flames on her fists which looked like they came from the depths of hell itself. ¡°I may consider breaking my vow to destroy you. I do not give exceptions. If the Tiger Queen threatened to do the same. I¡¯d say the same thing.¡±

    Fang Li stepped back involuntarily, unable to withstand the fires of the Ghost Calamity Palm that Su Ran just displayed. Though she vowed never to use it, it didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t activate the flames just to make a point. After all, this was her kid we were talking about here. ¡°Calm down, ma¡¯am. She¡¯s interesting to be sure, but I just want to see her grow. I don¡¯t want to do anything to her¡­¡±

    Is what Fang Li said, but really, she had other things in mind. Something about Su Qingcheng from what had been described of her¡­ Set her mind into a different direction. Su Ran was fortunately oblivious to this as she couldn¡¯t read minds. If she did, she might as well have killed Fang Li then and there.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s nice to chat with you, but I think you¡¯d better leave before you scared the others,¡± Su Ran hurriedly waved Fang Li away. Su Ran was probably one of the only people in the entire empire who had the qualifications to behave this way. ¡°Qingcheng¡¯er and Yanran¡¯er are in closed door training. Your love servants won¡¯t get much information out of it. You had best wait for the White Spirit Competition itself. Get a full body massage or something. You look like you need one.¡± She added

    Fang Li blushed profusely before regaining her composure in a moment¡¯s time. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get out of your hair. I¡¯ll ask Ling¡¯er and Mo Miaoyu to withdraw. I look forward to seeing your two girls in the competition. Bye then~¡± The woman then slinked away like a snake slithering into the bushes. She left as quietly as she came, almost as if she were invisible. This action caused Su Ran to sigh wistfully.

    She then looked into the general direction of the Tiger¡¯s Den. ¡°Qingcheng¡¯er¡­ You should grow to be morally upright and outstanding. I don¡¯t want you to turn up like me in your prime.¡± She sighed to herself, looking at her two hands. They looked fine, but Su Ran knew she had taken too many lives with these two bare hands of hers. She only hoped that Su Qingcheng would find a different use for her talents. Then and only then might Su Ran consider passing down her Ghost Calamity Palm¡­

 13 - Setting off to Bailing City

    Su Qingcheng continued to diligently train over the week, leaving her with only a few more days before she had to leave with Su Yanran to go to Bailing City, where the White Spirit Competition would be held. Unbeknownst to her, Su Qingcheng had already been targeted by the mistress of the tower far from Tang Gu City. This tower naturally did have a name, but nobody dared to utter its name, simply calling it ¡®that tower.¡¯ Many people knew Fang Li, but only as her nickname, the Snake Mistress. As such, it was unsurprising that Su Ran, one of the strongest people in the entire Bailing Empire, could be qualified enough to talk to the Snake Mistress on decent terms, even able to send her away as if she were a junior.

    In fact, if you were to compare ages, Su Ran was actually a bit younger than Fang Li. However, the former could be said to be much stronger. As a result, Fang Li was very interested in Su Qingcheng, who had continuously displayed miraculous feats and when she broke through to third rank User, she was already eligible to inherit the Nie Family¡¯s ¡°Ghost Calamity Palm¡± technique. Though this kid didn¡¯t know anything about it (Su Ran had decided to retire it for good), Fang Li was confident that if Su Qingcheng did well in the White Spirit Competition, she would definitely be able to practice it at a low, rudimentary level.

    Regardless, Su Qingcheng at present was only working on her two stances. The Black Hole Stance which she was now able to use at a very high level, ignoring the fact that she lacked battle experience needed to be able to counter most things, and the Night Lily Stance which she was able to do at an even higher level due to the fact that the Night Lily Stance did not require an immediate amount of actual combat experience to use well unlike the former. Yao Meiyue hoped that Su Qingcheng could use the White Spirit Competition itself as a way to improve her battle experience, as it was highly likely that not everybody there was of a high moral standard.

    Yao Meiyue continuously cautioned Su Qingcheng to treat each battle as if it was life-and-death. Even if her opponent conceded, she would not be allowed to let her guard down in case of a sneak attack. Taking this advice to heart, Su Qingcheng took her training seriously. She also deep down knew inside Su Yanran was doing the same thing. Each of them had their own secrets and it might even be likely that they face off against each other on the stage. However, Su Qingcheng obviously hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to that. Regardless, Su Qingcheng¡¯s training nevertheless persisted and she continued to try and temper her stances to the utmost pinnacle her body and power rank could permit. It was arduous and difficult, but by the dawn of the penultimate day before leaving the Tang Gu City to set off to Bailing City, Su Qingcheng had done the best she could. Her Night Lily Stance had reached an unprecedented level of mastery for her age and rank, while her Black Hole Stance needed a lot of polishing and battle experience but could easily catch up in the future.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    On top of this, Su Qingcheng was able to acquire some basic knowledge of attacks from Yao Meiyue and the Nightflower Tome. She would definitely make extensive use of these at the competition, knowing that revealing her Star Vortex Fist at the wrong moment could be very detrimental. Unfortunately for her, she had no clue that Fang Li was already determined to witness the youth use her secret techniques and trump cards. As she was a fierce power in the empire despite not owning a sect, she had a bit of influence when it came to the drawing of lots for the upcoming competition. However, that would have to come after everybody signed up.

    It was to be said that one could not just simply sign up beforehand. You had to show up at the venue, walk in, and then sign up for the competition. This ensured that those who entered really wanted to enter, and did not just want to do so in order to brag to someone they liked or to show face to their parents or families. This kind of registration process weeded out the weak-hearted right from the very first stage, as those who were determined to fight would sign up anyways regardless of the conditions.

    Su Qingcheng herself was quite amped for the upcoming competition, and it could easily be seen on her beaming face. Su Yanran was quiet but otherwise just happy enough to be by her sister¡¯s side. At this point it was blatantly obvious that Su Yanran had some feelings for Su Qingcheng. As to how intense or what kind of feelings they actually were, was something only Su Yanran knew for now. Su Qingcheng just believed Su Yanran cared deeply for her as a sister and the thought that it might be some kind of different love never even passed her mind.

    Time passed quickly. Soon, it was already time for Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng to set off to Bailing City in order to attend the White Spirit Competition. Su Ran had already promised to give them carriage escort. As a result, they would only spend about a day or so, or perhaps even less time, to get to Bailing City provided nothing happened. Normally, nothing happened, but Su Qingcheng had a bad feeling. She did hope that nothing would happen, but if news got out that she was going to go to the White Spirit Competition, she was confident that Xiao Tie would make another move on her again. At this point, she knew that Xiao Tie was a scheming little sly fox who was much smarter than he appeared to be.

    Just like that, Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran were already seated inside a moderately sized cabin carried by a wooden platform hoisted by four large wheels. It was being pulled forward by a group of horses. Three of them, Su Qingcheng counted. Su Ran watched the both of them from the side and silently nodded, waving towards them in a gesture of giving good luck as the pair of them were taken out of the residence, making their way through the Tang Gu Market under the watchful gazes of the peanut gallery.

    Su Qingcheng could hear them chatting about the commotion this was all making, but like Su Yanran who had fallen asleep at this point, Su Qingcheng ignored the noise and simply gazed out the window opening of the cabin. Hopefully, nothing bad would happen to them along the way. As they had gotten up fairly early to get all of this set up, Su Qingcheng herself was also getting rather sleepy.

    Eventually, she couldn¡¯t stay awake anymore and decided to fall asleep on the carriage going to Bailing City.

 14 - Roadside Incident!

    The carriage was speeding along at a moderate pace ¨C as fast as three horses could get you going, anyways. Both Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng were asleep, and if anyone were around to see it, it would actually be considered something of an adorable sight. As Su Yanran fell asleep first, the bored girl ended up deciding to catch up on some rest before entering Bailing City. Unfortunately, of all the days for something to happen, it had to be today when these two girls were on their trip. The carriage eventually started shaking furiously, which woke up both Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng. The former took a lot longer to wake up than Su Qingcheng did, who immediately bolted up awake.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Su Qingcheng peeped out of the window and immediately frowned. The people manning the horses had already been either killed or incapacitated except for one of them who seemed to be somehow strong enough to hold his own. He was either not simple or was just as abnormal as she was. However, Su Qingcheng casually hopped out of the cabin and noticed that they had been besieged upon by a handful of roadside bandits. Clearly they knew the routes to Bailing City and knew travelers would increase by a notch due to the White Spirit Competition.

    Upon Su Qingcheng¡¯s entrance, the bandits all looked at the cabin and then looked towards her. As Su Qingcheng was very young, her youthful looks seemed to instill them with some kind of hungry feeling. However, this was quickly put aside when Su Qingcheng glared at them as if trying to drill daggers into their hearts. She then went over to the lone carriage guy still breathing properly. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°They think we were carrying cargo in the back.¡±

    Su Qingcheng looked to face the bandits. ¡°We have nothing for you to take. Leave us alone or don¡¯t blame me if things get out of hand.¡±

    One of the bandits spat on the ground and then looked at the fourteen year old girl as if she were an idiot. ¡°Hahahaha. You aren¡¯t in a room to make any demands, lass. Besides, what do you think can stop us from taking you and whatever¡¯s in the back to have some fun, huh? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have a lot of fun, too!¡±

    Su Qingcheng grimaced. ¡°Disgusting. You may as well do the deed with a corpse instead,¡± she scowled. Su Yanran soon followed Su Qingcheng out from behind her, causing the bandits to almost faint from what they just saw. Compared to Su Qingcheng who was just a pretty kid, Su Yanran was much more mature and developed than she was. Obviously, this group of sickos were more into Su Yanran than Su Qingcheng. Noticing the exaggerated reaction when Su Qingcheng turned to face Su Yanran, the former didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Quickly she regained her composure and quickly took note of the situation. There were about five bandits present but she didn¡¯t know if anybody was concealing their presence or not.

    Incidentally, Yao Meiyue was either asleep or deliberately said nothing, as if wanting Su Qingcheng to figure this out on her own. There was no time to communicate either as Su Yanran stood next to Su Qingcheng and protectively hold her. She finally opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Idiots. My heart is already taken by this cute brat right here,¡± Su Yanran laughed, causing Su Qingcheng¡¯s lips to twitch a little. What? You¡¯re joking, right? I know you¡¯re my sister, but isn¡¯t this taking it a bit too far? This is just a joke, right?

    ¡°We really don¡¯t have anything to give you,¡± Su Yanran added. ¡°If you insist on holding us up, we can only resolve this the hard way.¡± She cracked her knuckles as she stood a distance from Su Qingcheng who was in a daze. By the time Su Qingcheng calmed herself down, Su Yanran had already let her tianqi emit ferociously in the area. Su Qingcheng could immediately tell it was an intense mixture of earth and metal tianqi. She could also hear the soft humming of a dragon even though there was no actual dragon, meaning that Su Yanran¡¯s tianqi originated from a kind of dragon earth divination method.

    Su Qingcheng was inwardly impressed. Though her talent was monstrous, her own power level couldn¡¯t actually compare to Su Yanran who was older than her and by far more experienced. Su Qingcheng felt she couldn¡¯t be undone, so she stood next to Su Yanran also and prepared herself, letting the Nightflower Tianqi roil up in her veins. Looking imposingly at the bandits, she smiled faintly. ¡°Let us go or you will really regret it.¡±

    The bandits couldn¡¯t stand being threatened by a pair of girls anymore. He issued the command and at once the group of five charged forth at the Su sisters. The carriage driver who was still awake took this opportunity to move the unconscious riders to the cabin. Su Qingcheng stood her ground getting into her Black Hole Stance and inviting the bandits to strike her while Su Yanran already made her move, deftly maneuvering through the straightforward strikes of the bandits, all of whom were wielding a bladed implement like a dagger or sword. Su Qingcheng dared not to be distracted by her sister¡¯s movements, which flowed like water and easily evaded the basic and elementary slashes and strikes of the roadside bandits. Instead, Su Qingcheng focused on two who were interested in cutting her up. One of the bandits in the back roared out. ¡°Don¡¯t kill them! If you have to, cut, but no killing! We can take them and sell them as slaves! Haha!!!¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s eyes narrowed as she soon felt a presence behind her about to cut her in the back. Whoosh, Su Qingcheng suddenly reacted before the blade could touch her back as she twisted in a nearly unnatural fashion, clasping the blade in front of her with her two palms, driving it deliberately past her own body and threatening the bandit in front of her who was delighted that Su Qingcheng seemingly exposed her front side. Unfortunately it was too late and Su Qingcheng had already made the sneak attacker injure his own buddy. While both men were in shock, Su Qingcheng shifted her weight backwards, causing the momentum of the sneak attacker to leak forward and make him fall flat on his face. Then, Su Qingcheng immediately swung her legs forward and switched to Night Lily Stance, enveloping her fist with Nightflower Tianqi and driving it into the stomach of the other attacker. ¡°Hah! Take this!¡± Su Qingcheng roared out as the force of her punch was enough to knock the guy a fair ways back.

    While Su Qingcheng was dealing with two of the bandits, Su Yanran was running circles around the other three, who struggled to do anything with their swords, so they kept them and attempted to catch her instead. With one of them attempting to restrain her, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for the other two to pummel her in submission. However, how would Su Yanran just stand around and let them do as they pleased? Soon, her tianqi boiled up and focusing inwards, she stomped on the ground suddenly and emitted a dragon¡¯s roar from her throat, causing her assailants to be momentarily stunned. ¡°Dragoneer¡¯s Fist!! Gold Strike!!¡± Su Yanran leapt forward and drove her now golden fist into one of the attacker¡¯s face, driving him head-first into the ground and causing a small impact crater to emerge. By the time the other two guys who surrounded her saw what happened, they had already involuntarily stepped back.

    ¡°We¡¯re the Ghost Bandits, if you kill us, we¡¯ll chase you down!¡± one of the so-called Ghost Bandits resorted to threatening Su Yanran with words instead once they realized that Su Yanran had immediately subdued one of them with a simple punch to the face. Su Qingcheng herself took a bit longer, but by expertly switching between her two stances, she was able to throw them off and enervate them to the extent that they fainted.

    ¡°Humph, you attacked us, killed some of our own men, and now you want to leave?¡± Su Qingcheng spoke scathingly towards the bandits. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s so simple?¡±

    ¡°ENOUGH!¡±

    A roaring voice emerged. Su Qingcheng heard it from above, so she turned her head up and saw an imposing man stand on top of a tree with perfect balance. He immediately jumped off it and landed in front of the bandit group, staring at Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran.

    ¡°Stand down, men.¡± The man sighed. ¡°You guys are useless. Can¡¯t even kidnap a bunch of young girls¡­¡±

    The bandits who were still conscious felt embarrassed.

    ¡°Master Shi, our apologies. We underestimated them.¡±

    Upon further inspection, the look on the so-called Master Shi¡¯s face warped into one of pleasant surprise. ¡°I see. It¡¯s because we happened upon the pair of daughters from Tang Gu City¡¯s Su clan. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you two must be Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng¡­ right?¡±

    Su Yanran opened her mouth to speak, but Su Qingcheng stopped her. Su Yanran didn¡¯t mind being stopped, as inwardly she felt Su Qingcheng could speak better under pressure than she could.

    ¡°Are you the leader of this ragtag Ghost Bandits?¡± Su Qingcheng asked, wary about why such a powerful guy would show up. She estimated that at minimum, this Master Shi¡¯s power would be at the highest rank of Tianqi Prince, but he was most likely stronger than this. This was just an initial estimate. Su Qingcheng felt that with Su Yanran¡¯s help they could take him down, but if he had some aces up his sleeve¡­

    ¡°I guess you could say that. I had instructed this bunch of wastes to attack some guys on the road to Bailing City but they took way too long to come back so I wanted to check on them. Luckily for me, I met you two lovely women. Imagine if I can take you back. I know a bunch of lovely women who would love you two to bits!¡± Master Shi grinned.

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s mouth twitched. Evidently, this Master Shi figure had lots of connections otherwise how would he know that Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t really like men as much as she liked women? Unlike his subordinates, Master Shi seemed to know a lot more about the world. Actually, if Master Shi wasn¡¯t such a guy who would lead a bunch of bandits, Su Qingcheng wouldn¡¯t have minded to get to know him better. However, this was the reality.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Su Qingcheng roared back, causing the bandits to glare at her ruthlessly. Master Shi stopped them though and he looked calm despite the fact in his life a girl never spoke back to him in this way, let alone a fourteen year old girl. Su Yanran shuddered as she felt something was very, very wrong. ¡°What¡¯s your end-game here?!¡±

    Master Shi simply laughed. He swung his right arm forward, exposing a green ring on one of his right fingers. Vines immediately lashed out from them and constricted Su Qingcheng in place. Then, without doing anything, he slowly walked towards Su Yanran. Su Qingcheng grunted as she tried to squirm out of the vines, but she was inwardly alarmed to discover that the vines restricted her flow of Tianqi. Not good. Yao Meiyue¡¯s voice finally emerged into her head. These are Darkwood Vines. As you discovered, they will restrict movement and tianqi flow in your body. No matter how strong Nightflower Tianqi is, it won¡¯t work if you can¡¯t circulate it! Su Yanran is in danger!

    ¡°Sis Yanran!!¡± Su Qingcheng cried out as Su Yanran got into a defensive posture. ¡°Noooo!!¡± she screamed out as the bandits laughed watching this pathetic situation. Haha, stupid girls. You¡¯ve pissed off Master Shi. Now you¡¯re going to get it.

    At that moment, however, a hissing sound entered the area.

    ¡°Who dares to mistreat my lovely gem?!¡±

 15 - Fang Lis Gambit, Snake Empress Makes Her Move

    Suddenly a beautiful woman swooped in to the scene. She was dressed in a backless dress with slits on the side, exposing her voluptuous thighs yet slender legs. The sight of such a beauty with long black hair was enough to even make Su Yanran, who was about to be assaulted by Master Shi, lower her guard and stare in amazement. Even Su Qingcheng completely forgot about resisting the Darkwood Vines constricting her. Master Shi, on the other hand, looked in horror as he pointed at the woman. Naturally, this woman who didn¡¯t even bother to conceal her identity, was Fang Li, the Snake Empress.

    ¡°That old fart won¡¯t forgive me if I let any of you disgusting scums touch these two lovely ladies,¡± Fang Li chortled. ¡°Besides, I especially like the little one over there. Do you think your puny Darkwood Vines can stop me, though? And besides, isn¡¯t it a bit too shameful to be bullying these two young ladies? Why would a fogey like you resort to bullying the younger generation?¡±

    Master Shi stepped back involuntarily. ¡°What the hell!? Nobody told me you two girls had the Snake Empress as your backer!!¡±

    Su Qingcheng blinked. ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t know anything about this.¡±

    Fang Li grinned as with the flick of a wrist, fiery tianqi shaped like snakes suddenly emerged from the ground near the bandits that were under Master Shi, engulfing them all in flames. By the time the flames dissipated, they had burned to nothingness. Not even ashes remained. Such a terrifying flame was enough to make weaker ones piss themselves. Though Master Shi was a distinguished Tianqi Lord, Fang Li was still a Tianqi Sage, a whole stratum stronger. Plus, her mastery over Tianqi was unparalleled. Yet here she was, protecting these two seemingly inconsequential ladies because their mother was even stronger than Fang Li was.

    And Fang Li was already threatened once by Su Ran, who really possessed the power to crush her like an ant. She figured she could get into Su Ran¡¯s good books now and then see if she could get closer to Su Qingcheng. ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed. Your mom and I know each other. I figure I can get her to owe me a favor if I save you two now!¡± she grinned.

    Master Shi grumbled. ¡°What? What kind of person is your mother, to be able to get the Snake Empress to owe her a favour?¡± he questioned at Su Qingcheng, who was still bound by Darkwood Vines. Clearly, Fang Li liked her in this state or she would have freed her by now. Fortunately, Master Shi¡¯s fear had already urged him to weaken the grip on the vines.

    ¡°A mere frog in the well!¡± Snake Empress Fang Li bellowed out, as if mocking Master Shi. ¡°She is Nie Ran! Imagine if she found out you tried to kidnap her daughters to slavery, huh? Do you think she would let you still live?¡±

    Master Shi gulped. He indeed heard of the Tianqi Ghost Empress, Nie Ran. However, he only heard terrifying stories about her and did not know that she had settled down and married into the Su clan to live a peaceful life. If he knew that he was dealing with the two precious daughters of the Tianqi Ghost Empress, he would never have sent out his men to attack them. Nor would he have attempted to provoke these two ladies.

    In a way, Master Shi was inwardly grateful the Snake Empress showed up instead. He would rather be burned to ashes by her Snake Flames than to have his soul crushed by the Ghost Calamity Palm. Fang Li grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can let you off so easily either, though. There¡¯s two ways we can go about this. You can let us pass, or simply just screw off and die.¡±

    Master Shi already knew his Ghost Bandits entourage had faded into nothingness mere moments ago. He hurriedly retreated backwards. If he had any enmity now, it was totally gone because he didn¡¯t want to deal with anyone who was related to the Tianqi Ghost Empress. It didn¡¯t matter if she was living a peaceful life now. If she had a family, Master Shi was certain she would be happy to revert to her tyrannical ways to anyone who dared to threaten her family, let alone her children.

    Master Shi ran away incredibly fast. Unsurprising for a Tianqi Lord, but it was only at this time that Fang Li released the vines constricting Su Qingcheng by burning them. The youth then stretched herself and ignited her palms with Nightflower Tianqi flame to check that she was alright. Su Yanran had been silent the whole time, staring at Fang Li, who obviously noticed this.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°You must be Su Yanran,¡± Fang Li smiled. ¡°You are really a beautiful woman. I would definitely say you are prettier than Gu Ling.¡± She nodded in approval.

    ¡°And this child¡­ you¡¯re the one¡­¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Su Qingcheng pointed to herself in confusion.

    ¡°I originally intended to watch you at the White Spirit Competition. As for those two ladies who attacked you under that Xiao clan brat Xiao Tie¡¯s orders, they were actually under me. I don¡¯t know how they were convinced to work for him for a bit, but I had already disciplined them¡± Fang Li shrugged.

    ¡°What do you know about me? And why are you so interested in us?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I have a bit of a past with your mother¡­ And of course, I would be interested in knowing how her two lovely daughters are doing.¡±

    ¡°She has a son too¡­¡± Su Yanran rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care about Su Mujian,¡± Fang Li scoffed. ¡°Even then, your mother told me he¡¯s recovering from an injury. I hope he does get better, but I have no interest in men. They cannot perform the Ghost Calamity Palm.¡±

    ¡°The Ghost Calamity Palm?¡± Su Qingcheng asked quizzically.

    By now, the carriage drivers who were still alive had recovered and returned to the scene to find Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran mostly unharmed, chatting casually with an imposing Tianqi Sage.

    ¡°Y, Young Misses¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± one of the carriage drivers asked. Fang Li turned to face him with a vicious smile.

    ¡°Not to worry. I¡¯ll be joining these two young mistresses to Bailing City. With me, the Snake Empress around, no one will dare to attack us.¡± Fang Li grinned. Her hope was that she could encourage Su Qingcheng to reveal all her tricks at the White Spirit Competition in the hopes she could probe her capacity to inherit Su Ran¡¯s Ghost Calamity Palm. Actually, the truth of the matter is, outsiders could only get the technique for themselves if they shared strong enough bond of love with someone who practiced it. Though Su Qingcheng was many, many years younger than Fang Li, the latter would even resort to despicable means herself to acquire the technique.

    In the past, Su Ran before she got married had already rejected Fang Li¡¯s advances when they were still young. In fact, Su Ran rejected her many times. However, they still remained somewhat awkward friends. That bond still persisted even though Fang Li became the mistress of the tower and Su Ran had already married herself off to a man. However, Fang Li¡¯s desire to acquire the Ghost Calamity Palm for herself never died. Instead, it became even stronger. Thus, she would use Su Qingcheng as that stepping stone instead.

    However, this required Fang Li to lower herself a bit to the point she would act as the elder sister figure to both Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng. In fact, she was only vaguely sure that Su Qingcheng was the potential inheritor. It could, actually, be Su Yanran who had the real aptitude for it after all. This was why watching them at the White Spirit Competition was crucial.

    ¡°Let¡¯s all get back into the carriage then. We¡¯re not too far to Bailing City,¡± Su Qingcheng said as she pointed into the distance. ¡°We¡¯ll be troubling Senior to accompany us.¡± She cupped her fists and bowed.

    Inside the carriage the next moment¡­

    ¡°Senior Snake Empress,¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. ¡°I appreciate all the help you¡¯ve given us, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not expecting anything in return other than that you give me a good show at the White Spirit Competition,¡± Fang Li smiled. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ve known your mother for a long time. She was really a peerless figure in her youth, but here she is squandering it away for some silly notion like ¡®peace¡­¡¯¡±

    ¡°Mother is a good person,¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t badmouth her like that, Senior.¡±

    ¡°She may be a good person now, but when she was young, she really used everyone as a stepping stone to reach her level of power. She had an incredibly powerful teacher that was also half a step into becoming a god¡­ But something happened and then that¡¯s when it all went downhill.¡±

    Naturally, Su Qingcheng knew that Su Ran¡¯s teacher was Yao Meiyue. Fang Li would probably vomit blood and go into a hole and hide if she found out that the very same Yao Meiyue who taught Su Ran was currently teaching Su Qingcheng in the form of a powerful spiritual body. ¡°Do you know the details? My mother¡¯s background¡­ Is really too mysterious. She never tells sis Yanran or me anything about it.¡±

    Su Yanran nodded in agreement. Clearly she was a woman of few words in front of other people, especially outsiders. However, this outsider was connected to their mother, so she could only help but listen intently, curious about her story. Su Yanran was much more aware about the strength of the Snake Empress and her ability to strike terror into anyone in the empire who dared provoke her. In fact, most people treated her tower as an information network. They would pay her to scout for information. As Fang Li had a powerful network of spies and infiltrators, she would often conduct deals with the various imperial powers to get news on neighbouring countries and kingdoms and empires.

    ¡°There¡¯s still time before we get to Bailing City. By then, we should have about a day or so to prepare for the competition. I guess I can talk about it for a while.¡± Fang Li sighed, not expecting things to turn out exactly like this, but if she could make Su Qingcheng respect her or even treat her as a senior martial aunt, then that would make things a lot easier¡­

    ¡°Now, where exactly should I start?¡± Fang Li asked the two young ladies with a smile.

 16 - Story Time With Fang Li

    Contrary to what Su Qingcheng thought, the entire debacle with Master Shi and the Ghost Bandits didn¡¯t actually last too long. Fortunately, Snake Empress Fang Li had made her entrance at an opportune time, causing the situation to be resolved very fast. This gave them ample time to catch up on the road and hopefully get to Bailing City on time. When everyone was situated back in the carriage, Fang Li had secretly injected her Death Python Tianqi into the wood of the carriage, giving it a very subtle aura of death. This is what she meant when she said that as long as she was around, no one would dare to get near it. The aura of death from the python tianqi would cause people who got near it to be very afraid.

    Su Qingcheng blinked when Fang Li eventually invited her to initiate the conversation. ¡°Then tell me from the beginning. At least, what you know about her.¡± Su Qingcheng asked seriously.

    Fang Li stretched her arms and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story. Of course, I don¡¯t wouldn¡¯t know anything about her in her formative years, but that isn¡¯t important. What you need to know is that she¡¯s one of the only living members of the Nie bloodline,¡± she pointed out. ¡°The Nie bloodline used to be a great ancient power that existed since the Bailing Empire was first established. We call it the Nie bloodline despite the actual bloodline power they possess being the power of the Jade Doll¡¯s Spirit¡­ This is why only women can wield the Ghost Calamity Palm. The Jade Doll¡¯s Spirit bloodline originates from an ancient yin beast called the Jade Fox,¡± she then added.

    ¡°So what does that have to do with mom?¡± Su Qingcheng asked. Su Yanran¡¯s interest also piqued sharply.

    ¡°The Ghost Calamity Palm is an ancient mystical Universe-rank technique that was devised by the elder matriarchs of the Nie family,¡± Fang Li continued to exposit. ¡°It takes its power directly from the Jade Doll¡¯s Spirit bloodline in order to forcefully ignite tianqi into a flame that can directly touch another person¡¯s soul. It is an incredibly tyrannical method that the Nie family¡¯s women used to establish their foothold in the empire and became a feared existence that only Tianqi Emperors and a certain Tianqi God could dare to fight against.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded, inwardly terrified of her mother who possessed a Universe-rank technique capable of totally destroying a person from the inside and rendering their physical body a husk, or a shell, of their former self. It was actually a fate worse than death. You left behind a corpse that could never reincarnate or even be resurrected. It might as well have been better to be burned alive¡­ At least you felt pain. But having your soul blown up¡­ How would that feel? Su Qingcheng already started sweating bullets.

    ¡°Mother was that strong?¡±

    ¡°Right. She was offered the position of a matriarch of the Nie family when young, but she decided she wanted to travel the empire in search of powerful opponents. However, when she used her Ghost Calamity Palm to defeat and kill everyone who wanted to battle her, she grew addicted to it and began using it to wantonly pick fights with everyone under the sun with the preconceived notion of ¡®increasing her battle experience.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Gulp.¡±

    ¡°This went on for a long time until she found one person who could match her battle prowess¡­ This would be the Sect Leader of the Night Lily Sect, Yao Meiyue,¡± Fang Li explained. ¡°The Night Lily Sect used to be incredibly powerful also; even stronger than the Nie family. They had branches all over the Liandou Continent, which is so vast that it¡¯s even bigger than this empire would tell you. However, one of the branches infuriated a Tianqi God existence by accidentally murdering his daughter in a freak training accident. So the Tianqi God demolished everything belonging to the Night Lily Sect. Sect Leader Yao Meiyue was the only survivor.¡±

    Yao Meiyue who was currently in spirit form tried very hard not to reveal her presence, as everything Fang Li was saying was definitely true. And it would cause Su Qingcheng a lot of trouble if Fang Li realized that Su Qingcheng was receiving training from the very same person.

    ¡°As far as I know, after this event, Yao Meiyue disappeared from the face of the continent, most likely to continue her personal training in seclusion. She re-emerged after reaching half a step into the Tianqi God stratum, but unfortunately had to meet your mother, who almost managed to beat her. However, Yao Meiyue was already about to become a god. The sheer differences in ranks was her only advantage.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°So¡­ Mother wanted to become Yao Meiyue¡¯s disciple¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your mother became her first and last personal disciple. Under Yao Meiyue¡¯s teachings, Nie Ran¡¯s power beyond the Ghost Calamity Palm skyrocketed. However, the addiction to using it had decreased by an incredible amount. Eventually, Nie Ran discovered that she didn¡¯t want anything to do with the Nie family line anymore. When she returned to her family, she discovered that all her relatives had forgotten about her due to hearing about her tyrannical deeds¡­ And it turns out they disowned her.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Nie Ran was grief-stricken. She didn¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I¡¯m missing from all this,¡± Su Yanran suddenly interrupted the conversation.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Where do you come in? How do you know so much about mom¡¯s past?¡± Su Yanran pointed out the obvious.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I only come in after Yao Meiyue died.¡±

    Su Qingcheng knew for sure that Yao Meiyue was not actually dead, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be learning from her right now. However, she couldn¡¯t deny that she was curious about how Yao Meiyue lost her body.

    ¡°Your mother and Yao Meiyue had a very close relationship. I think that¡¯s the reason why I couldn¡¯t really ever get close to her. Losing Yao Meiyue had mentally damaged her and reduced her capacity for decisive violence,¡± Fang Li sighed, almost as if she was regretting it for her. ¡°I don¡¯t know the circumstances behind it because Nie Ran wouldn¡¯t tell me. I think that would be one of the secrets she¡¯d take with her to the grave, if she ever died. Personally, I believe they were attacked by a divine or superior existence and then Yao Meiyue sacrificed her life to save Nie Ran.¡±

    ¡°¡­"

    ¡°Anyway, I met Nie Ran shortly after I had established my tower and information network. Nie Ran sought an audience with me because she wanted information on the most ¡®peaceful¡¯ place that was around in the empire. Though Bailing Empire at that time was still pretty peaceful ¨C though nothing compared to today¡¯s peace ¨C certain cities were better to settle down in than others.

    Su Qingcheng now understood. Her mother wanted to establish a friendly relationship with Fang Li as to make it easier for her to gather information on the empire. However¡­

    ¡°Unfortunately for me, I fell in love with Nie Ran at first sight¡­¡± Fang Li sighed, shaking her head. ¡°But she was too strong for me. Deep down inside, I knew I could never have her¡­¡±

    The awkward silence became palpable as the horses hooves kept trotting along the road. Su Yanran stared incredulously at Fang Li while Su Qingcheng looked rather pensive.

    ¡°So instead, I decided to support her the best way I could. I gave in to all her requests and made sure to make her stay at my place as comfortable as possible. Everything seemed great¡­ For a time I thought Nie Ran even liked me or shared similar feelings to me. But every time I probed about the matter, she would reject me¡­ And then a couple years later, she would marry into the Su clan with that old fogey, Su Zhan¡­¡±

    Su Qingcheng looked down at the floor by this time. A spurned lover, huh¡­ That would explain why a terrifying existence like the Snake Empress would take the time to help us. It¡¯s because she still loves mother deep inside¡­

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let this incident shake me, though. I continued to build up the information network until this day when I became a superpower of the empire in my own right. I have to thank your mother for all that, for inspiring me to get stronger. Though I¡¯m still not a match for her, I¡¯m happy that I can still help her by helping you two cuties out.¡± Fang Li nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you have to suffer the heartbreak.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Fang Li laughed. ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts. If you were older, I would definitely have my eyes on you by now¡­¡±

    ¡°You kidding?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a rising star in this land in the future. Just don¡¯t forget about me when you get there. Hehe¡­¡±

    ¡°I definitely won¡¯t.¡±

    Su Yanran nodded in approval. Looks like the Snake Empress wasn¡¯t too bad if you were able to befriend her. She then smiled. ¡°Senior, would you like to join us before we sign up for the White Snake Competition?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not allowed to sign up, but I¡¯d be happy to accompany you two, since I was going to go watch anyway.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to trouble you then, Senior. Thank you.¡± Su Yanran cupped her fist respectfully and bowed her head.

    Su Qingcheng smiled, before thinking deep down inside about everything Fang Li said. Something¡¯s not right¡­ Su Qingcheng thought to herself. Everything Senior said seems believable¡­ But I feel like her coming with us, while giving us some benefits, might also lead to some unexpected troubles. I better keep an eye out on her while we¡¯re at Bailing City¡­

    Just as Su Qingcheng was musing about Fang Li¡¯s reasons about joining them, the guy manning the horses on the carriage yelled out happily.

    ¡°Everyone, we¡¯ve arrived at Bailing City!¡±

 17 - Enemies Often Cross Paths

    The carriage¡¯s riders were given sufficient funds from Su Ran in order to pay the entrance tax which cost 1 gold coin. 1 gold coin was worth 100 silver coins and 1 silver coin was worth 100 copper coin. Su Qingcheng knew this already as she had made the assumption long ago, seeing as she was familiar with this denomination of coin from the myriad stories she¡¯d read and written. So entering Bailing City was not actually very troublesome. By this time, Fang Li had already extracted the Snake Tianqi from the carriage of the cabin back into her person, so it no longer exuded that aura of death which repelled danger from being attracted to them.

    However, that didn¡¯t change the fact a powerful Tianqi Sage was on this very carriage. It attracted the attention of many people, who consisted of folks and fellows from all walks of life. Su Qingcheng could already hear the conversations erupting from the crowd outside as the carriage was making its way to a particular inn. Su Yanran had already briefed Su Qingcheng on this prior to the trip. They would be heading to the Golden State Inn which the Su family had always been to for every single time the White Spirit Competition had been held since its inception.

    Su Yanran had already stayed here for a couple of years of the White Spirit Competition so she was familiar with how things went here. Su Qingcheng on the other hand was wet in the ears. When Fang Li asked Su Qingcheng if she needed any help (being much younger than Su Yanran), the younger girl decided not to take any risks of Fang Li trying anything funny and graciously declined the offer. Su Qingcheng had already gotten tired of the hustle and bustle by the time they reached Golden State Inn. Fang Li herself had disembarked from the carriage shortly after the Su sisters did.

    ¡°It was lovely accompanying you two youngsters to Bailing City,¡± Fang Li bowed. ¡°I have things to take care of, so I¡¯ll be seeing you around for the meantime. Good luck at the competition. I¡¯ll be expecting a good show.¡± She grinned.

    Su Qingcheng responded with a bow, as did Su Yanran. Both of them sighed when they watched the sexy, voluptuous woman walk away with hips swaying, eliciting the thirsty gazes of men and women nearby alike. Su Yanran looked to her younger sister and nodded with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s get our accommodations settled then.¡±

    Su Yanran did all the talking. Their attendant was a family acquaintance, a middle-aged man named Lin Getong. Lin Getong was happy to see Su Yanran, but was perplexed as he was expecting to see Su Mujian instead of the fourteen year-old next to her. Su Yanran explained succinctly that Su Mujian was unexpectedly ambushed and injured heavily, and had to stay behind to recuperate. Her younger sister, a monster at the age of fourteen, was eager to volunteer in his place. Lin Getong seemed a bit skeptical but his eyes bulged out momentarily when he saw Su Qingcheng¡¯s hands, as if he recognized something.

    He immediately became more respectful and quietened down. Su Yanran was wary of Lin Getong who immediately became more reserved; he was not usually like this in front of family friends. However, she did not pry further into it and reasoned out that he probably recognized Su Qingcheng¡¯s monstrous talent and potential and respected her choice to come here despite the dangers of taking part in the competition.

    Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng were taken into a suite of a particularly high level. But this was actually called the Revival Suite. It had only slightly inferior amenities to the highest level rooms but was only reserved for members of the Su clan, which shows the huge ties that the Golden State Inn had with the Su clan. Undoubtedly they also learned that the two people staying in this suite today were daughters of Su Ran, formerly Nie Ran who was the terrifying Tianqi Ghost Emperor. Su Yanran realized this when they found out the Revival Suite had a considerable upgrade.

    ¡°This is very impressive,¡± Su Qingcheng nodded in approval as she immediately collapsed on one of the royal beds. ¡°I knew we had special treatment, but did our clan¡¯s relationship with this inn go that far back?¡±

    Su Yanran giggled as she sat next to Su Qingcheng who was lying on the bed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Apparently our great ancestors were one of this inn¡¯s benefactors, so they were indebted to us for becoming this great. Did you know that the Revival Suite got its name because the word for our surname has a variant which means ¡®resurrection¡¯?¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Su Qingcheng gasped. ¡°Wow, so it¡¯s like that.¡± She feigned ignorance but she knew this also. Chinese and even Japanese wordplay was always interesting for Su Qingcheng, even back in her past life.

    ¡°The White Spirit Competition starts very soon. We should get ready to sign up after settling down here.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded as Su Yanran reminded her of their purpose for being here in the first place. She could enjoy the inn later on after they signed up. They quickly got ready and left the suite. There was a mystical array lock on it which Su Yanran operated and taught Su Qingcheng to use, who learned quickly. Apparently it was only operable by members of the Su clan, and it could lock the door at will and was nigh impossible for anyone under the level of a Tianqi Sage to break down.

    After leaving the inn and thanking Ling Getong for his help, they began to travel to the Bailing City¡¯s Empire Square, situated on the northern side of the city in front of a giant palatial structure. Though this wasn¡¯t considered the imperial castle, it was still a city hall that rivalled it in terms of importance. It was here that all the hopeful participants of the White Spirit Competition would sign up. Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran finally made their entrance which attracted quite a few gazes. They were less surprised at Su Yanran and instead looked at the young Su Qingcheng, who had looks befitting of a blossoming girl who looked more at home as a scholar than a fighter.

    Immediately some boys around her age looked at her with attracted looks. However they were driven away the moment Su Yanran glared at them. ¡°Looks like this place has a lot of people around my age participating also. But I don¡¯t see many girls¡­¡± Su Qingcheng sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad,¡± Su Yanran gave Su Qingcheng a pet on the head. ¡°It¡¯s hard to find them here, they¡¯re probably in our situation also, taking our time and not rushing. We have to watch each other¡¯s backs in this situation. Fights have broken out here in the past.¡± Su Yanran sighed.

    Su Qingcheng nodded. In a giant place like this with many people trying to sign up as quickly as possible so they can have time to prepare, it was possible that fights could break out. She didn¡¯t want to get exposed in a place like this either. Su Qingcheng also noticed that Yao Meiyue was very quiet. Hopefully she was deliberately suppressing her presence or sleeping because Su Qingcheng could really use her help on how to deal with Fang Li, who definitely didn¡¯t seem simple.

    Su Yanran may not have been able to see it, but how could Su Qingcheng, with her past life experiences, not see it? A very attractive, pretty woman trying to coax a young person like her to be friends? Someone like that who was also incredibly powerful must definitely have their own reasons to do it. Su Qingcheng tried not to worry about it too much as in the short term, she could use this to her advantage but after the White Spirit Competition, it was all free game.

    Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran were able to get into one of the many long queues. Fortunately the one they were in was very peaceful compared to some of the others and Su Qingcheng inwardly sighed in relief, hoping there wouldn¡¯t be any trouble. Smiling and waiting patiently. Su Yanran also noticed that things were unusually very smooth this time around. ¡°Do you think something happened?¡± Su Yanran asked Su Qingcheng.

    Su Yanran trusted Su Qingcheng¡¯s opinion because since young, she discovered that Su Qingcheng¡¯s intuition was abnormal for a kid. She seemed to be able to recognize things that no young child should ever realize. Su Qingcheng¡¯s brows furrowed and she scratched her head in thought. This was true; everything in their lane seemed too easy. Even some of the other queues had less in-fighting. Could it have been related to Fang Li? She said she had things to take care of¡­

    ¡°If my intuition is right, Senior Snake Empress probably helped us from the shadows. She has a business relationship with the imperial family, as she told us from her story. It would make sense if she deliberately pulled some strings to make things easier on us. She wanted us to give a good show after all,¡± Su Qingcheng explained. Su Yanran kicked herself mentally for not realizing this earlier. ¡°Anyway, we shouldn¡¯t worry about that. We should be able to sign up soon, ah, wait, it¡¯s our turn now.¡±

    Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng stood before a stone table where a young scholarly woman sitting behind it looked up at them. There was a scroll on it with a lot of tabulated data. Su Qingcheng surmised this must be the list of people who signed up. The woman then sized up Su Yanran before nodding. Then she turned to face Su Qingcheng.

    ¡°May I know your age?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Fourteen years old,¡± Su Qingcheng nodded. ¡°Third rank Tianqi User.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Really?¡±

    ¡°Do I need to show some proof?¡±

    Su Qingcheng sighed. But before the woman before her could elaborate, Su Qingcheng heard a loud voice. This was a voice she not only didn¡¯t think she¡¯d hear, but she definitely didn¡¯t want to hear it.

    ¡°What¡¯s a weakling like you doing here?!¡±

    ¡°You¡­ what are you doing here?!¡± Su Qingcheng growled as she looked at a different queue, where a young man was signing up. It was, naturally, Xiao Tie.

    Su Yanran¡¯s expression darkened.

 18 - Despicable Bait

    Su Yanran¡¯s expression was grim as she also recognized Xiao Tie signing up for the White Spirit Competition. However, this was to be expected. Though his moral character was not very outstanding, he still had a good deal of talent as he was already a Tianqi Geomancer at the age of 16. Compared to Su Qingcheng at least, Xiao Tie was outwardly a notch stronger. When faced in a battle, most people would assume Su Qingcheng would be utterly defeated. On the other hand, news of a youth from the Su clan in Tang Gu City having lasted some exchanges with Hu Linglei¡¯s ¡°Emperor Demon Puppet¡± which was considered a peerless existence among puppets. Many people now recognized that it was Su Qingcheng, the youngest daughter of Su Ran, who many in the crowd recalled to be Tianqi Ghost Empress, a once feared personality in the empire.

    Immediately a commotion erupted as Xiao Tie and Su Qingcheng almost felt sparks trying to bear down on their eyes as they stared angrily at one another. Naturally, many Tang Gu City natives knew of Su Qingcheng¡¯s public challenge that she would break off marriage ties with this fellow if she could become a Tianqi Geomancer in a year. It had been about one quarter of the way and Su Qingcheng had gained a rank already. Actually, this progress could be considered as only abnormal given she was once a cripple. ¡°Good, good! Su Qingcheng, it seems you already broke through to Third Rank,¡± Xiao Tie mocked. ¡°So you¡¯re signing up also, right? I bet you won¡¯t make it past the first round. You¡¯ll probably get yourself killed if you get lucky and go further!¡± he continued.

    ¡°Courting death!¡± Su Qingcheng growled as she angrily and forcefully asked the attendant before her to put her name down with Su Yanran. Feeling an abnormally fierce tianqi erupting from her hands, the sign up attendant no longer dared to underestimate this kid, fearing she might get burned by the impetuous youth. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you down right now if you want! Otherwise, get the hell out of my sight!¡± Su Qingcheng cursed with a vicious voice. Those watching the scene were amazed and impressed that this fourteen year old girl could act so imposing and arrogant.

    In the distance, beneath the shade of a large tree, unnoticed by anybody, Fang Li was standing there, watching with an impressed expression. She licked her lips as she saw Su Qingcheng fiercely and defiantly standing up to Xiao Tie. The Snake Empress much preferred young girls like her who were wild and prone to outbursts. This made it much more fun for her to ¡®tame.¡¯ She didn¡¯t say a word though, and instead continued to observe, as if she were watching and enjoying a good show.

    On the other hand, Su Qingcheng was not having a good time. She stared angrily at Xiao Tie, though she patiently waited for him to finish signing up. This was not exactly a good place to fight, no matter how badly the girl wanted to crush him into the square. Afterwards, the handsome young man laughed and approached the two sisters. Su Yanran glared at him with ferocity, causing Xiao Tie to frown. He was actually scared, since Su Yanran actually was already a high-ranked Tianqi Princess at this time. It could be said that she was half a step away from becoming a Tianqi Lord. As one of the elder children of Su Ran, this was both understandable and also very terrifying.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Dare to make things hard for my sister?¡± Su Yanran yelled.

    ¡°Sis. This is my fight,¡± Su Qingcheng said. ¡°I want to deal with him myself.¡±

    Xiao Tie grinned. ¡°If you dare to, come challenge me on the center stage,¡± he said, pointing to a currently empty stage in the direct middle of the Empire Square. ¡°That¡¯s the Bailing White Battle Platform. We can battle there and I can put you in your place, wench.¡±

    The people signing up had now become an audience to a rather interesting drama between those of the younger generation. Those from other cities who did not know the context behind this were quickly caught up and realized that Su Qingcheng was simply fighting for her dignity. Though she was once a cripple, she was able to recover and even attempt to cultivate again like never before. How could she let a mere Xiao Tie get her down? Xiao Tie might have been a family genius but his personality was rather despicable. Who would want to get married to him? Even if he was rich, he was the kind of guy who would get a harem of concubines. He wouldn¡¯t be good to have as a partner for anything particularly meaningful.

    Su Qingcheng gazed intently at the battle platform. ¡°Fine, I will accept your challenge!¡±

    Su Yanran and the other people stared at the girl with dumbfounded expressions. Girl, this Xiao Tie was despicable, challenging someone not only 2 years younger than him but also several ranks ahead in power. Aren¡¯t you simply courting death? Though Su Yanran knew a bit about Su Qingcheng¡¯s tricks, she didn¡¯t know the full extent of them. Fang Li on the other hand was smiling in glee. Looks like she could already get her own show right now!

    Xiao Tie grinned as both of them left the queues and went to the White Battle Platform. Once the two combatants were in place, a transparent, but very powerful white energy dome surrounded it. It was made of a very pure specific type of Tianqi energy, which made Yao Meiyue quickly appear out of nowhere in the form of a mental voice. Careful. Even though nobody can detect my presence under the protection of White Battle Platform¡¯s White Bone Tianqi, nobody can even interfere with this battle. Not even Fang Li who¡¯s been spying on you this whole time. You have to get him to admit defeat or you aren¡¯t getting out of here!

    Truthfully speaking, Su Qingcheng had been blinded by emotions and rage. Otherwise, she would have asked for more details about the Bailing White Battle Platform which she carelessly entered and now was stuck in a battle that she actually didn¡¯t really need to get into right now. Now she would have to rely on her own skills and avoid using Star Vortex Fist as much as possible. Getting into her Black Hole Stance, she stared in the most intimidating way she could at Xiao Tie, who simply chuckled.

    ¡°Frog inside the well! Girl, let me show you who daddy is!¡± Xiao Tie grinned.

 19 - Crushing Victory!

    On one hand, Su Qingcheng really wanted to tear this guy from limb to limb. On the other hand, crippling him or even killing him now would have some severe repercussions on her and her Su clan. Gritting her teeth, Su Qingcheng decided that in order to escape from the hole she willingly jumped into the only way to win was to beat him so hard he couldn¡¯t move anymore, but without crippling him or killing him. Calming herself down though staying her ferocious gaze towards the other man, Su Qingcheng provoked him with an obscene gesture with her hands. Naturally, she was flipping the bird at him, a rather vulgar gesture from her past life. However, she had no idea if people here knew what it meant.

    Evidently, Xiao Tie did not get offended but was successfully provoked, as he smiled. ¡°Want me to make the first move! Just courting death!¡± Xiao Tie sped forward in a blur towards Su Qingcheng, whose face paled as she realized that Xiao Tie was incredibly fast, even faster than her. This was the difference in power between a Geomancer and a User. However, Su Qingcheng was by no means inferior to him in the battle. She focused her mind and stared straight at Xiao Tie, who was grinning at her maliciously as he channeled his tianqi, causing an energy claw to appear over his right hand.

    At that moment, when Xiao Tie was about to claw Su Qingcheng¡¯s face open, his expression changed and darkened. Su Qingcheng¡¯s frown had become a grin much like his own as she lurched forward, causing Xiao Tie¡¯s hand to harmlessly swing above her back, and suddenly Su Qingcheng quickly sent a rush of Nightflower Tianqi through her palms, using both of them to smash towards Xiao Tie. The sudden stop of his momentum caused the young man to get sent flying a few meters away from her, and he bounced on the floor of the platform, crumpling in an embarrassed heap.

    The audience gasped as they saw how decisively Su Qingcheng took the attack, and almost predicting his movement, she simply used her own Tianqi to launch a counter attack. It should be said that the girl was a couple years younger than him, so how could she have that kind of battle intuition? Actually, it was due to the power of Black Hole Stance which by merely using it improved Su Qingcheng¡¯s battle sense, spirit and intuition, allowing her to see how the opponent would attack. It was most effective in one on one situations like this, since Su Qingcheng could spend all her energy on just one target.

    Su Qingcheng however did not let up. In a breath¡¯s worth of time, she quickly changed to Night Lily Stance and leapt forward, using flame Tianqi to power her leap as she soared ahead. Though she didn¡¯t have much air time, she was able to cover the distance between her and Xiao Tie in the blink of an eye due to being propelled by flames. The stronger fighters in the audience of the Tianqi Prince level or higher were able to see the flames surrounding Su Qingcheng¡¯s feet, causing them to sigh in amazement. How could such a young girl have such intense and precise control over the energy in the air?

    Xiao Tie was utterly humiliated in front of a large audience. In order to regain face for himself, he had to strike back. But how could Su Qingcheng simply let him do what he wished? As he got up, the young girl had already besieged him with punches and kicks. He was overwhelmed by the ferocity of the Nightflower Tianqi; each blow caused his insides to rumble furiously as he was forced into a disadvantageous position. Suddenly, Su Qingcheng had to leap back cautiously as she observed a sudden change in the Tianqi around her. Xiao Tie¡¯s eyes suddenly became bloodshot.

    ¡°Stupid bitch,¡± Xiao Tie hissed as his glare intensified. Su Qingcheng immediately noticed something was amiss. She eyed her legs and realized they were involuntarily trembling. ¡°I was saving my hidden ace for the competition, but I may as well give a wonderful show to this audience!¡± Xiao Tie hissed. He was in a terrible condition compared to Su Qingcheng. His clothes were ripped and tattered and he looked heavily battered. However, his expression became unusually calm as flames erupted from the floor.

    With a howl, Xiao Tie punched the floor of the platform. Watch out! He¡¯s going to summon Flame Pillar Rocks! This must be his Geomancer Technique! Su Qingcheng knew this was not the time to question Yao Meiyue¡¯s warning and knowledge as she looked down and realized there were darkened blotches on the ground. Then there was one under her feet. Eyes widening, Su Qingcheng hurriedly leapt back to safety as a giant brown, burning stalagmites suddenly erupted from the ground, including the spot where she once was standing. Staring incredulously at Xiao Tie, Su Qingcheng now recalled that the mark of a Tianqi Geomancer was the ability to inject their energy into the environment, allowing them to attack from afar.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Xiao Tie was laughing despite blood oozing from his mouth. Clearly, he believed he could corner Su Qingcheng and eviscerate her with his Flame Pillar Rocks. Unfortunately for him, Su Qingcheng had the help of Yao Meiyue who could assist her mentally. As long as you can prevent the rocks from hitting you, he will exhaust himself and then you can deal a fatal blow. Just be careful, you can only touch those rocks if you¡¯re protected by the Nightflower Tianqi. I wouldn¡¯t risk shattering them with your fists though!

    Su Qingcheng nodded. She knew a thing or two about special Geomancer techniques. The general idea was that it could be considered a form of environmental magic. However, this still required the user to inject their energy back into the air or terrain, which naturally exhausted them if it was too intensive or if it was too frequent. Xiao Tie clearly had only just gotten into the Tianqi Geomancer stratum recently, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be exhausted right after using it. Just as Su Qingcheng was thinking of this, she was also hurriedly moving around the platform, evading the stalagmites that erupted from the ground as Xiao Tie kept slamming the floor ferociously.

    ¡°Give up! Stop running around like a chicken and just submit to me! I promise I will treat you very ¡®well¡¯!¡± Xiao Tie laughed. Su Qingcheng did not reply to such a statement and instead changed her path of evasion. As Xiao Tie kept calling Flame Pillar Rocks to appear near where she was moving, she would deliberately cause him to summon the rocks near himself. Then she would make her move.

    Xiao Tie continued on the offensive but then he realized something was wrong as he finally notice that Su Qingcheng was charging at him. He looked down and realized he had been mentally trailing her with his own attacks. ¡°Realized your mistake now, fool?!¡± Su Qingcheng laughed as she suddenly pounced towards Xiao Tie, who stopped his attacks and rolled to the side. However, Su Qingcheng knew that he would try to get away from her, as he already experienced her Nightflower Tianqi once. ¡°Scram!¡± Su Qingcheng scowled as halted her momentum, quickly swung her body to the side where Xiao Tie was and performed a vicious axe kick where her legs were roiling with flaming Nightflower Tianqi. Fang Li at a distance gasped as she saw Su Qingcheng¡¯s flaming kick bear down viciously on Xiao Tie¡¯s prone body. She definitely recognized something as she had flames of passion burning in her eyes.

    Bones could be heard cracking even through the protection of the platform¡¯s barrier. A deafening silence suddenly dominated the entire Empire Square as Su Qingcheng stood over Xiao Tie¡¯s fallen body. Su Qingcheng¡¯s foot landed right on his back, causing his spine to be damaged. However, Su Qingcheng had controlled it well enough that he had fractures rather than being outright broken. She definitely could not answer to the Xiao clan if she went all the way and broke his spinal cord, which would definitely lead to a painful, agonizing death.

    Xiao Tie groaned painfully as he tapped the floor as if submitting to her. He didn¡¯t even have the face to say a word. Su Qingcheng coldly snorted at him as the barrier dissipated and she quietly left the platform. Some of Xiao Tie¡¯s companions quickly rushed towards him and inspected his condition. They sighed inwardly in relief as they realized he could be treated by the doctors of the city, who were very powerful. However, he could no longer participate in the competition anymore and would relinquish his spot to somebody else. The audience now looked at Su Qingcheng whose expression relaxed immediately after the battle. They looked at her as if she was some freak.

    How could a fourteen year old girl expertly handle an older man who was also more powerful than her by almost an entire stratum?

    It was unspeakable, it was definitely that she was a monster. Otherwise, she definitely would not have won in such a domineering fashion.

    That¡¯s right, Su Qingcheng had crushed Xiao Tie in a fair battle and proved to everyone that she could have a good showing in the White Spirit Competition. Fang Li¡¯s smile became somewhat lewd as she disappeared into the crowd. Su Yanran gazed at her with a mixed expression.

    Su Qingcheng finally retreated back to her sister and sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready for the competition. We¡¯ve signed up already and I¡¯m sure my name will spread out and become something of a news sensation,¡± she said. ¡°We need to retreat to our room or we won¡¯t be able to avoid getting harassed.¡±

    Su Yanran nodded as the two of them casually walked back to Golden State Inn under the horrified gazes of hundreds of fighters¡­

 20 - White Spirit Competition Begins!

    During this time, Bailing City had been shaken up while Su Yanran and Su Qingcheng were cooped up in their Revival Suite back in the Golden State Inn. Under Su Qingcheng¡¯s urging, they both deliberately stayed in the room and did not leave until it would be time to go to the venue of the White Spirit Competition on the next day. Naturally, they knew already where to go under Lin Getong¡¯s guidance. Near the palatial hall of Bailing City a ways away from the Empire Square was a grand structure that could be likened to a roman colosseum, a mysterious kind of architecture for this kind of setting. This was called the Jade Tiger Arena, a domineering name for a domineering place. Su Qingcheng had already gotten into a state of last minute meditative cultivation, trying to stabilize and recuperate the Nightflower Tianqi she had expended during the fight with Xiao Tie. Su Yanran wanted to relax in a different way but was unable to sway Su Qingcheng so she simply fell asleep ahead of time.

    While they were able to relax, things were not so simple in other parts of the city. Xiao Tie was conscious and in bed-rest as many doctors were attending to his injuries. His back would take about a week to recover fully with the medicine and healing Tianqi that the doctors employed, but he was filled with an intense rage that came with being humiliated in front of so many people. On top of that, he had lost his spot for the White Spirit Competition as by the time he recovered the competition would have long been finished. Scowling at the ceiling as he lay in bed, a woman walked into the room.

    This woman was one of Xiao Tie¡¯s companions who helped him up after Su Qingcheng brutally beat him earlier in the day. ¡°Xiao Tie, how are you feeling now?¡± she asked tenderly, though her expression didn¡¯t seem to reflect the notion of her being sincere. It was as if she thought the fourteen year old girl had taught him a harsh lesson. After all, Xiao Tie was a serial womanizer and philanderer. How could this woman not feel satisfied after seeing him be the recipient of that kind of treatment under a woman no less?

    ¡°Stop putting on airs with me,¡± Xiao Tie still had the gall to snap back. ¡°I know you enjoyed watching that too, Madame Lu.¡±

    The woman known as Madame Lu had a smirk on her face. Xiao Tie may look miserable now but he was much more known for his sinister mind than he was for fighting. It could be said that despite Su Qingcheng¡¯s past life knowledge, she was worse of a schemer than he was. Fortunately, this past life¡¯s knowledge did allow her to be able to spot such schemes far more easily than others. ¡°I¡¯m only here because you asked me to come here¡­ I¡¯m a family friend of the Su Clan after all. I¡¯m only giving you face because I owe your dad a favor¡± she sighed as she approached the bed-ridden guy.

    ¡°Humph. Good. As the older generation, were you able to recognize the power behind Su Qingcheng¡¯s attack? Those blows were simply too abnormal. A Tianqi User shouldn¡¯t be able to display a fleshly power beyond that of a Tianqi Princess, which is exactly what she did.¡± Xiao Tie heaved. This kind of discernment was very shocking to Madame Lu. If Su Qingcheng were here, even Yao Meiyue would be impressed. It was as he said. Su Qingcheng¡¯s fleshly body was simply too abnormal for her Tianqi power level.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, that Su Qingcheng can control at least four essences, if not all five of them,¡± Madame Lu said. ¡°But you already knew that. Her attacks were powered by a very specific mixture of three essences ¨C Wood, Metal and Earth. The reason why stronger users can see fire around her limbs is because this Tianqi can be amplified by the use of Flame Tianqi.¡± She explained.

    Xiao Tie harrumphed. ¡°Is there no way to disperse it?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t know the details, but that kind of Tianqi can corrode almost anything. Only the Tianqi of an Emperor or God can clash with it directly. The reasons why you are still alive are twofold. Number one, she deliberately spared you because she¡¯s only fourteen. Shattering your spinal cord would be equivalent to killing you, and you¡¯re the only person she hates. She would not want to ruin her clan¡¯s relationship because of someone like you.¡±

    Xiao Tie had the urge to spit out blood. He was really mad that Su Qingcheng would regard him with such disdain. Didn¡¯t she know that humiliating him was pretty much worse than killing him? He would rather die than go through that again.

    ¡°Secondly, her foundational power is just too weak. Whoever taught her the ability to create that Tianqi is either a peak Emperor or at the level of a God themselves. Surely if they used that on you, you wouldn¡¯t even leave a corpse behind¡±

    Upon realizing this, Xiao Tie¡¯s expression paled all of a sudden. How did Su Qingcheng have such a terrifying teacher? And he already knew that Su Qingcheng¡¯s mother was already crazy powerful. He definitely needed to be more careful from now on. However, if he were to learn that Su Qingcheng had the same teacher as her mother, he would probably want to crawl into a hole and die. Or at least, change his identity and hide himself away from everything so he could continue to lead a life of debauchery.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you enough already, this is all I know about Su Qingcheng¡¯s ability from the battle,¡± Madame Lu sighed. ¡°Get some rest. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to say to your dad when he finds out you offended Su Qingcheng and got yourself brutally beaten to such a miserable state.¡± She scathingly derided the young man before leaving. Xiao Tie could not even answer her before she disappeared.

    In another part of the city, near the palatial hall, Fang Li was leaning casually against a wall. Standing next to her was a cloaked person. Their entire figure was concealed, so you couldn¡¯t tell if they were a man or a woman until you heard them speak.

    ¡°Mistress,¡± the figure spoke, revealing the voice of a middle-aged man. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything as you¡¯ve ordered.¡±

    Fang Li smirked. ¡°Good job. I¡¯ll compensate you after the White Spirit Competition. I¡¯ll be troubling you to keep things in order, as I¡¯ll be watching the competition when it begins tomorrow and be unable to assist you.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Mistress.¡± He nodded and quietly left in a blur. From his speed, one could immediately discern he was only slightly weaker than Fang Li.

    The next day¡­

    The entire city was roaring in cheers. Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran had already made their way ahead of time to the Jade Tiger Arena to beat the foot traffic. They were quietly awaiting the other participants. The instructions from Lin Getong were very clear so even though it was Su Qingcheng¡¯s first time being here, many people thought that she was a hidden dragon who had appeared before. When asked, Su Qingcheng would always say that her brother told her about the competition and thus she was familiar with the standard procedure.

    This immediately increased other¡¯s opinions of Su Qingcheng as she was a mere fourteen years old. The news about her decisively beating up a guy a whole stratum stronger than her had already spread to neighbouring cities. It would definitely not escape the ears of Xiao clan. Upon realizing this, Su Qingcheng got a bit nervous. However, Su Yanran comforted her and gave her a hug that may have been a bit too intimate, causing Su Qingcheng to blush. Some boys and girls caught this scene and couldn¡¯t help but feel moved also. Such an elder sister doting on her was really touching.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    After about an hour¡¯s time the arena had been totally filled. Su Qingcheng quickly caught Fang Li in the audience. When the Snake Empress saw her, she smiled. Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t help but get a bad feeling about it, but quietened down when a booming voice called for the participants to disperse from the center stage and move to the seats on the ground circling it. ¡°Everyone! I¡¯m sure you know the rules, but for the newcomers, let me explain!¡± A middle-aged man at the Tianqi Sage level stood at a covered pavilion on one of the ends of the arena. It could be considered to be like a VIP booth. His voice, amplified by Tianqi power, caused everyone to hear it even if he personally did not exert extra effort. ¡°This tournament is big. Very big. This year we¡¯ve had an increased turnout, so we will be increasing the number of simultaneous matches from four to eight!¡±

    Eight simultaneous matches? Suddenly, a strange array appeared in the center stage. Su Qingcheng then looked up and realized that the arena was actually shaped like an octagon, and on each corner, there was a large pillar that held up a platform. Presumably, this is where the fighting would occur. The strange array must therefore behave something like a teleportation pad! Su Qingcheng had never seen this sorcery before.

    ¡°Teleportation array?!¡± Su Qingcheng bellowed out in surprise, causing some people seated near her to look at her like she was a monster. How could a kid like her recognize that so quickly? She was young, and most likely was not exposed to the real world. Once again, this kid shocked the other participants and now they knew in their heart that the girl named Su Qingcheng could really be a dark horse in the White Spirit Competition.

    ¡°We¡¯ve counted precisely 256 of you who are eligible, which is way more than our initial expectations for this year. Therefore, the White Spirit Competition must also be extended by a couple of days. Today we will begin the round of 32. That means, we must eliminate half of you right off the bat. We will begin the drawing right now! Please remember your number!¡±

    The rules and numbers were announced in an orderly fashion. Su Yanran had obtained number 42 while Su Qingcheng was surprisingly number 15. Actually these numbers weren¡¯t actually arbitrary. The lower your number, the more likely it was that you were going to fight someone rather strong. The mere fact that Su Qingcheng, as a fourteen year old youth, had obtained an absurdly high seeding meant that someone either wanted to play a prank on her or people really overestimated her prowess.

    Su Qingcheng sighed, realizing that there was no such thing as an easy road to winning such a prestigious and heated battle competition. After obtaining her tournament seeding, she retreated to her seat. The folks near her were men, but compared to Xiao Tie, they were far more respectful to her due to the news that she shook the entire competition up. ¡°Friend, what did you get?¡± one of them asked.

    ¡°I received number 15.¡± Su Qingcheng answered plainly with a friendly smile.

    ¡°Number 15? Damn, you have bad luck. I heard that your opponent is the 9<sup>th</sup> seed, Guan Ding,¡± the man frowned, looking at Su Qingcheng with some pity. ¡°Guan Ding is a young man about the age of nineteen who is at the peak of the Tianqi Geomancer stratum. He came from the Xuan Tian City which is north of here.¡±

    Su Qingcheng frowned. She already expended so much energy to defeat Xiao Tie, yet her first opponent was someone magnitudes stronger than him and even half a decade older than herself? Were the heavens trying to prank her? She grimaced as she looked up at the arenas, where people were already beginning to battle and show themselves off. However, Su Qingcheng wasn¡¯t in the mood to watch anymore. She could only think of a few things ¨C who was responsible for this?

    ¡°Kid, don¡¯t be ashamed. I¡¯m pretty sure it was a mistake. Either that, or somebody really hates you and bribed someone to rig the brackets against you.¡± Another one piped in, quite guilty that such a monster was forced against even sillier odds. ¡°You should concede defeat. It¡¯s not worth losing your life for something like this.¡±

    ¡°Concede defeat?¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve already done this much. It would be even more disadvantageous for me to cower when I¡¯ve already pulled off a miracle.¡± She grimaced.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like this, friend. There¡¯s no use acting with such bravado. You¡¯d simply just be a mere sheep unafraid of the tiger.¡±

    ¡°I know my limitations,¡± Su Qingcheng sighed. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, I will only have big trouble against Tianqi Princes and Princesses. As far as Geomancers go, I have confidence to give them a good fight.¡±

    Actually, Su Qingcheng wasn¡¯t bragging for nothing. Thanks to the Black Hole Stance, her fighting ability could already be said to be at the level of a Tianqi Geomancer. She tuned out the noise of the announcer who was focusing on one of the bigger battles. Instead, she was planning on how to fight this young genius who was five years older than her.

    Su Yanran noticed that her sister had an intense, unusually mature expression on her face, before frowning. She didn¡¯t even bother with the other worried expressions of those who learned that Su Qingcheng had most likely drawn Guan Ding as her opponent. Others immediately began to privately discuss this, as Su Qingcheng had already given herself a reputation. It would be shameful if Guan Ding accidentally killed her or even crippled her.

    ¡°Too shameless! What kind of matching is that?¡±

    ¡°I heard the drawing is random and quite fair. We can only blame it on Su Qingcheng¡¯s poor luck. The heavens truly envy the talented.¡±

    ¡°No, I doubt it. This is too fishy. How could a fourteen year old girl at the mid Tianqi User stratum have such an abnormally high seeding? Someone must have rigged it.¡±

    The discussions and speculations continued but Su Qingcheng paid no attention to them. Finally, she seemed to have a personal epiphany as she looked up at the arena, and then looked back down at the teleportation array as winners and losers descended from the platforms. Finally, after about two hours of intense fighting, only a few matches remained for the day.

    One of these matches would surely be the focus of today ¨C it was indeed as everybody feared. ¡°And now!! For today¡¯s Grand Match!! It¡¯s 15<sup>th</sup> seed, Su Qingcheng, versuuuus!! 9<sup>th</sup> seed, Guan Ding!!¡±

    The crowd erupted into a mixture of cheers and booing as Su Qingcheng went to the teleportation array. Immediately she felt her body rumble. Using Nightflower Tianqi, she quickly stabilized herself and allowed the current to whisk her away ¨C her body seemingly appeared to disappear in front of everybody before suddenly reappearing on one of the platforms. Her calm response to the teleportation array moved everybody as she was just a mere fourteen years old. How could she face something like that so courageously? And then her opponent, a well-built young man whose looks were far handsomer than Xiao Tie, but more muscular than Xiao Hei, stood opposite her with a plain expression. This was Guan Ding, a young genius from Xuan Tian City.

    Guan Ding was actually an orphan who was taken in by a couple who desperately wished for a son. In order to repay their kindness and gratitude, Guan Ding had decided to train hard and become a strong fighter to earn lots of money for them and let them live peacefully. All things considered, his character was very great. As such, his bearing towards Su Qingcheng was gentler and not at all vicious.

    ¡°I apologize for your terrible luck,¡± Guan Ding frowned. ¡°Unfortunately, I am unable to go easy on you just because you are my junior. I know about the rumours, and that you were able to smash a fellow Geomancer like swatting a fly. Furthermore, I am fighting for people who are very dear and close to me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I can only blame it on my poor luck,¡± Su Qingcheng shrugged. Her impression of Guan Ding was good. ¡°We all have our own reasons to fight. Your eyes tell me everything. All I can say is that we must do our best.¡±

    The audience watched their exchange and couldn¡¯t help but feel admiration for both fighters. They weren¡¯t even twenty years old yet treated each other with such respect.

    ¡°Then let us speak with our fists.¡±

    ¡°I admire your bearing, Brother Guan Ding!¡± Su Qingcheng called out with respect as the two fighters bowed at each other. It didn¡¯t matter that other fights broke out at the moment. All that mattered was this battle between an abnormal girl monster and the young genius from Xuan Tian City.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡± Su Qingcheng yelled out in a fury as she erupted into her Black Hole Stance and beckoned Guan Ding to make the first move!

 21 - Match Settled By One Blow

    Upon Su Qingcheng¡¯s exclamation of battle, Guan Ding didn¡¯t hesitate. He widened his eyes deliberately as a resplendent golden flash of light rushed out of them, temporarily blinding the girl. The audience was amazed that Guan Ding could use Tianqi out of his eyes, which was a very unique method of attack. Very few people had the skill and precision to be able to create attacks that came from the eye. However, Su Qingcheng was blinded for only a breath¡¯s worth of time. Despite this, Guan Ding¡¯s speed was ferocious. The girl¡¯s pupils constricted as she prepared to receive the attack under the gazes of the amazed crowd.

    ¡°This girl, she¡¯s simply courting death. How can she dare to take his attack head on?¡± Some of the spectators couldn¡¯t believe their eyes.

    ¡°She must have another trump card?¡±

    Su Qingcheng tuned out the noise from outside of the battle platform and focused hard on Guan Ding¡¯s movements. He rushed at her with his right knee out and his left leg stretched back ¨C soon she realized that he used his left leg to propel himself forward, using flame Tianqi to bolster his speed further. It was not dissimilar to her own method of using the flame Tianqi to speed up. Smirking at last, Su Qingcheng stepped back, and right when Guan Ding was about to strike her in the stomach, he gasped.

    Su Qingcheng flexibly twisted her waist to the side in a flash, her legs maintaining their stable and rock-like position, causing Guan Ding to miss his strike and leaving him wide open for a counter attack. ¡°How did you know?!¡± Guan Ding managed to heave out but Su Qingcheng only answered by driving one of her arms up and hitting Guan Ding in his own stomach instead. However, unlike the battle with Xiao Tie, she did not use a lot of Nightflower Tianqi, causing Guan Ding to only stumble backwards instead of being tossed to the other side of the platform like a rag doll. This kind of treatment showed the difference between mercy and ruthlessness.

    ¡°No way! Is Guan Ding that strong, or did Su Qingcheng deliberately hold back?¡±

    Other experts in the audience were quick to point out that Su Qingcheng deliberately used less Tianqi in her punch than usual, meaning that Su Qingcheng treated the battle as more of a proper competition than a brutal battle to the death. After all, Guan Ding didn¡¯t seem like such a bad person. Why would Su Qingcheng unleash her energy on a guy who was just fighting for those he loved? She would do the same in his position. She respected him as a martial artist.

    Guan Ding quickly regained his composure as he realized that his Golden Eye Flash was useless on Su Qingcheng, so he switched tactics. This time he would decide to overwhelm her with a barrage of fast attacks. Leaping to take the chance, the young man fiercely leapt forward, letting tianqi envelop his fists and feet as he suddenly started to ferociously attack Su Qingcheng, leaving her with no room to strike back. Despite the abnormality of the Black Hole Fist, it only allowed her to anticipate and prevent herself from getting hurt from the attacks. In no way would it offer any offensive capabilities, which forced Su Qingcheng into a distinct disadvantage.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "This isn''t fair," Su Qingcheng muttered hoarsely as she continued to bravely receive the attacks. Compared to Xiao Tie, Guan Ding was a notch more battle-hardened, however his tactics were straightforward and he did not resort to trickery or sinister plans. As a result, Su Qingcheng did not actually fear getting hurt. However, she knew deep in her heart if things continued she would exhaust herself and would not be able to continue fighting. The audience watched from afar as Guan Ding seemingly appeared to pummel a little girl who only seemed to be moving inches backwards in response to getting battered, receiving each punch or kick with her own counter-force with a palm or leg to block it.

    "You''re really abnormal," Guan Ding was also getting tired out as he was not stupid either; he realized that Su Qingcheng could also last quite a while and he ceased his attacks, causing the battle to go to an abrupt standstill. The audience went wild, realizing that the two of them had a tacit understanding and reached a stalemate. "This is really pointless. Why don''t we both go all in and settle this with one blow?" he suggested plainly while Su Qingcheng nodded in response, switching into her Night Lily Stance.

    "I was really holding back, because I didn''t want to hurt you too badly. You are really something," Su Qingcheng smiled. "But since it''s come to this, I''m afraid I''ll have to disappoint you and eliminate you today."

    "Don''t get too ahead of yourself. It was nice meeting you though, kid, maybe we''ll meet again in the future." Guan Ding smiled as he stood still and let tianqi swirl into his right hand. A vortex could be seen emerging from it, similar to Su Qingcheng''s own Star Vortex Fist. However, it definitely wasn''t the same thing. Guan Ding was using the air around him to focus and filter out the impurities in that Tianqi to amplify his punch into an abnormally powerful level. When Su Qingcheng noticed this, she let flame Tianqi burst out from her feet as she jumped tens of feet into the air, before performing a fearsome dive kick right at Guan Ding. The faster she fell, the hotter and fiercer her legs became. Experts in the audience could see Su Qingcheng''s figure now enveloped by a fearsome Tianqi, making her look like a meteorite falling from the sky.

    "Guan Ding!! Prepare to take my Heaven Starfall Kick!" Su Qingcheng screamed out with determination.

    Guan Ding didn''t resist either as he prepared to take Su Qingcheng''s attack with his fist. "Overestimating yourself, kid! Haaaaa!!" He threw his fist forward at the moment Su Qingcheng''s feet would hit him.

    Foot colliding with fist! A huge explosion from the point of impact threatened to shatter and destroy the platform! Fortunately, nothing bad happened and when the dust settled, the platform itself was heavily cracked though it did not shatter. Two bodies were both on the floor. For a moment, it appeared as if both fighters knocked each other out with their ace attacks, causing everyone to sigh with mixed emotions. Such an intense match even ended with a cross-counter finish.

    "Everyone! Looks like we have a--"

    Before the announcer could conclude the match, a weak, feminine voice interrupted.

    "I can... still stand!!"

 22 - The Heavens Envy the Talented, Competitions Tragedy

    Under the gazes of dumbfounded people watching the arena platform, a figure suddenly stood, it trembled and shook for moments before it released a heaven-shaking scream.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    This figure was, shockingly, Su Qingcheng! During the collision between her attack and Guan Ding¡¯s attack, Su Qingcheng¡¯s Nightflower Tianqi had corroded a majority of the tianqi that was amplifying Guan Ding¡¯s strength, causing his blow to weaken considerably in the face of Su Qingcheng¡¯s dive kick. As for the name she bellowed out, this was simply just a random name she came up with to sound like a kid. Truthfully speaking the dive kick wasn¡¯t anything special nor was it a particular technique, it was merely just a basic attacking maneuver.

    As Su Qingcheng screamed, she felt the Nightflower Tianqi heating up inside her, almost as if it was about to erupt from her body. She remained steadfast as she stood still, experts in the audience could see her entire body wrapped in a very thin, translucent flame that seemed to get even more transparent, almost as if fading away. After it totally disappeared, Su Qingcheng started gasping and panting. She was out of breath. Truthfully speaking, colliding into that attack had caused her tianqi to become a bit unstable. Therefore, she had to stabilize herself by focusing and attempting to calm herself down. Screaming and making a battle cry was just one of those methods.

    She sadly looked at the collapsed Guan Ding as the audience finally roared in applause. In one of the seats, Fang Li continued to look at her with a plain gaze, though she was smiling. Something was going to happen during this tournament, something unprecedented that only she would know. Hopefully, everything would go according to plan. Otherwise, all of Fang Li¡¯s efforts would have gone to naught. Su Qingcheng slowly retreated back to her seat down below the platforms while the Arena elders took care of Guan Ding who had been knocked unconscious by the exchange of blows. Fortunately they discovered his body and spirit was incredibly formidable, so he was in no real danger.

    Hearing this, Su Qingcheng felt a lot better. Though they were opponents, Su Qingcheng really respected his character and hoped they could meet again someday. The rest of the matches for the day were rather uneventful. The elders declared that the competition would continue for the next couple of days, so those still in the competition should return and get a lot of rest. This was what Su Qingcheng and Su Yanran did exactly, as both of them managed to get to the next round, the round of sixteen. Su Qingcheng was sitting cross-legged and trying to understand and comprehend her Nightflower Tianqi once again while Su Yanran had just bathed and had already fallen asleep. As Su Qingcheng was cultivating her Nightflower Tianqi, there was no way she would predict the events for the next day¡­

    The next day.

    The competition raged on once more. This time, after the astonishing display of Su Qingcheng during her battle with Guan Ding, all her opponents quickly tried to probe her real power, but were quickly defeated by her after she employed the absurdity of the mysterious Black Hole Stance, giving her the insight to predict most if not all attacks. This caused most people to grow bored of Su Qingcheng¡¯s matches as there weren¡¯t many people who could threaten her. Su Yanran, on her part, also managed to coast through the matches.

    However, when the ranks were thinning, and the competition leg for the current day was about to end, the entire Arena shook uncontrollably. Fang Li smiled as if she knew something like this would happen. ¡°Ah, good. I think it means the guys I hired are arriving?¡± she looked up at the sky, and her smile immediately turned into a frown. Quickly she realized that those were not her dudes, and instead were a bunch of fakers disguised as the men she hired to cause a huge commotion in the middle of the competition. They were supposed to directly attack Su Qingcheng regardless of her position and throw her off her game in an attempt to trigger her to use her tricks.

    However, this plan was now totally thrown out the window with an entirely new variable that she did not expect ¨C that a third party would take advantage of Fang Li¡¯s scheme to not only thwart it but cause some chaos of their own! Fang Li stood up as the guys in the air suddenly barged into the platforms forcibly. It must be said, that in order for a person to be able to fly, their power must be at the peak level of a Tianqi Lord or Lady at the very minimum. Therefore, their power was indeed incredible.

    Su Qingcheng, who had already finished her matches, looked up with a frown as the men in the air were launching fierce long-ranged tianqi attacks. Fireballs, icicles, earth spikes, all sorts of elemental aberrations were thrown about. Though the Jade Tiger Arena was very sturdy, it could not hold on against such a terrifying barrage of attacks for an incredibly long period of time. The elders were dumbfounded for a moment before they tried to gain control of the situation. They immediately asked all the weaker spectators to evacuate, which they did. Some of the weaker participants also evacuated. Many of the spectators were not strong enough to fly, so some particularly gutsy ones decided to launch long-ranged attacks from the ground. But naturally the flying attackers were people with a lot of experience. How could they casually let some people throw Tianqi attacks at them from below? It would be a humiliation if they did. So they effortlessly evaded the attacks from below. Fang Li was now at a loss; her original plan had been totally destroyed.

    Su Qingcheng quickly went to the stands with Su Yanran the moment they spotted Fang Li, who immediately pretended to panic.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Girls! We are under attack, you two better leave now,¡± Fang Li frowned. ¡°Even I don¡¯t know where they came from.¡±

    Right as Fang Li mentioned this, a bolt of electricity landed mere inches away from Su Qingcheng, who jumped up in fright and fell on her butt next to Su Yanran. ¡°Good heavens! A lightning based attack when the weather has been nice all week?! What kind of terrifying expert is capable of this? And what about the competition?! There¡¯s no way the competition will continue after something like this, right?!¡± Su Qingcheng gasped.

    ¡°You can even think of something like this,¡± Su Yanran frowned. ¡°We need to get out of here. Fang Li, will you be staying here and fighting?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not. Are you kidding me? I might be a Tianqi Sage, but there are ten of those freaks up there. What if all of them are like that guy? I¡¯ll be fried immediately.¡± She sighed self-deprecatingly.

    ¡°Then come on!¡± Su Qingcheng gasped as the three of them also began to flee. However, the flying ¡®man¡¯ who had thrown the bolt of lightning at Su Qingcheng immediately turned to see the group of three escaping.

    A girl¡¯s voice came out of that figure. ¡°Trying to escape, bastard girl?¡± the flying girl, who was totally wrapped in black rags, was now encircled in electricity, causing Su Qingcheng to gasp. She urged everyone to run, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, the girl had charged down as fast as lightning down to Su Qingcheng¡¯s location. Strangely enough, she ignored Su Yanran and Fang Li who were totally unhurt. Su Qingcheng, on the other hand, was struck by electricity and paralyzed. Her entire body shook madly as she attempted to disperse the energy and regain control of her limbs, but the Nightflower Tianqi¡¯s efficacy was greatly reduced. It seemed that she was totally paralyzed with electric shock. The girl covered in rags looked down at her in disdain.

    ¡°Stupid girl. You have that Snake Empress to blame. If she didn¡¯t send her own men to deliberately stir shit up, then we would never have found you.¡± She laughed, as Su Yanran stared at the now horrified Fang Li. Su Yanran¡¯s gaze was like ten thousand cold daggers, with each tip slowly grazing the skin. It was, in a word, like the stare of a death god.

    ¡°You!!!!¡± Su Yanran scowled at Fang Li. ¡°Bitch! What do you want with my sister!¡± she then cursed at the girl covered in rags.

    ¡°You must be her sister. Fine; I¡¯ll give your mother some face. I have a prior relationship with this young girl.¡± She said. Her voice was distinctly around that of a lady in her mid-20s. As she said this, Su Qingcheng¡¯s eyes barely widened as the paralysis still lingered. The Nightflower Tianqi she was using was slowly but surely counteracting the effects of the lightning. However, she still couldn¡¯t move to escape. Despite this, she listened to what the assailant had to say. Something about her did indeed seem very familiar. However, her entire body was covered in rags, so you could only see her soulless black eyes, the spark of life no longer within it. ¡°I need her alive, so I won¡¯t kill her. However, if you dare to intervene, don¡¯t blame me for being merciless. Humph.¡±

    Su Qingcheng winced, shaking and trembling as she tried desperately to move. But she still could not! Yao Meiyue¡¯s voice, however, she could still hear, which was a relief. You must endure this. The Nightflower Tianqi at this point in time can counteract the paralysis but if you move, she¡¯ll just use the attack again on you and in that case you are really finished. You are still too weak to fight for yourself against a Tianqi anomaly who can control lightning without needing natural thunder!

    ¡°Tianqi anomaly¡­¡± Su Qingcheng thought to herself as she continued to stare at the girl in rags.

    Fang Li frowned. ¡°Just who are you, exactly?¡±

    ¡°Humph. I¡¯m just a nobody. Why should the Snake Empress care about someone like me? I¡¯m only special due to my ability to control lightning. I bet this Qingcheng could beat me brown if I didn¡¯t have that ability.¡± She hissed. Fang Li no longer bothered to say anything as she turned and left, but as she left, she glared at the girl in rags.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t done yet,¡± Fang Li growled. ¡°You can consider me leaving an attempt to diffuse the situation.¡±

    Su Yanran glared at Fang Li again. ¡°You are just going to leave us? You sly fox!! This is all your fault! You rigged the competition brackets didn¡¯t you?!¡±

    ¡°So what if I did? How should I know some crazy lunatics hijacked my folks to attack? I don¡¯t even know why they want Su Qingcheng. But I sure as hell am not going to make my move here.¡± Fang Li growled as she left for good.

    Su Yanran collapsed on her knees, staring at the greatly weakened Su Qingcheng. The girl in rags looked back at Su Yanran, but she simply just coldly snorted. ¡°I¡¯m aware of your cherished sister¡¯s one year agreement. If you care about her that much, you can go rescue her before then.¡±

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s eyes widened again as she tried even harder to fight the paralysis. At this point, she could now speak, but was still unable to move her arms and legs. ¡°Sis! Sis!!!¡± Su Qingcheng cried out as she looked at the despondent, utterly crushed Su Yanran, who sat there in a daze. Su Qingcheng was now crying. She had never been in this dangerous life-threatening situation anymore. And the electricity was actually the very same lightning which crushed her body and crippled her. She didn¡¯t want anything like that to happen again.

    ¡°Sis!!!¡±

    Su Yanran continued to sit there in a catatonic state as Su Qingcheng squirmed and struggled trying to fully move herself. However, the girl in rags had run out of patience. With a flick of her wrist, an electric net was sprung from her wrist and ensnared Su Qingcheng, causing her to wail in terrible pain as every time she moved, the net would shock her. Fortunately for her, the elixir she took which repaired her Tianqi paths had already immunized them from lightning, so she wouldn¡¯t actually be crippled by lightning again though she didn¡¯t know that. On the other hand, she still suffered terribly from the pain of being repeatedly shocked.

    ¡°Sis, siiiis¡­ Heeeeelp¡­¡±

    Su Yanran looked up weakly as she watched Su Qingcheng being taken away by the girl in rags. The other flying men immediately stopped attacking once they saw the girl in black rags hold Su Qingcheng as if she were a captured princess, flying up into the sky. By the time everybody left, the arena was in disarray. Only Su Yanran remained, sitting there, utterly crushed by what she just saw.

    ¡°Sis Qingcheng¡­!!!¡± Su Yanran¡¯s face was covered in tears as she weakly stood up and looked at the sky, seeing the dots of those flying attackers escape into the distance. ¡°Why¡­ WHY!!!!¡±

    Truly, the heavens envy the talented¡­

 23 - Heaven Thunder Prison

    Su Yanran shivered in place for a long time. Su Qingcheng had already been whisked off by the girl in rags who had yet to give a name. This was not only depressing but also humiliating. Her dear sister had been subdued by an incredibly powerful existence, and didn¡¯t even deign to give her a name. And now this year¡¯s White Spirit Competition ended prematurely; and in a tragedy also. News of this event would travel throughout the entire Bailing Empire. And as for Su Ran getting this news, Fang Li told her directly and in person. Naturally this infuriated her.

    ¡°What? My Qingcheng¡¯er, kidnapped? By a girl who can control lightning without the use of natural thunderstorms? What kind of freak is that? You could call my daughter a freak, but compared to that anomaly¡­¡± Su Ran was trembling. She had gotten incredibly emotional. Even Fang Li now felt rather guilty after everything sunk in. She indeed planned to get Su Qingcheng to reveal her trump cards, but everything backfired since her hired thugs were intercepted by another group. If Fang Li had not put up her scheme, none of this would have happened. Fang Li would still have had a chance. Now, she had to face Su Ran¡¯s wrath.

    Su Ran glared at Fang Li, and her hands were wrapped in a demonic, terrifying flame. ¡°Give me one reason why I shouldn¡¯t erase you from the face of the continent right now, Fang Li.¡± For once, Su Ran did not address Fang Li by her title. She addressed her by name. She was thoroughly incensed by everything.

    ¡°M, ma¡¯am¡­ I couldn¡¯t do anything against that,¡± Fang Li frowned. ¡°Besides, she clearly was meant to stay alive. Her captor claimed that she had a prior relationship with her. It seems really weird, I¡¯d never heard of her before. If you¡¯ve never heard of her before, how could Miss Qingcheng even know about it? I¡¯m innocent. If I had attempted to fight her off, she really might have killed her.¡± Fang Li attempted to justify herself. Su Ran, having many years of experience under her belt, ended up having to endure.

    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake,¡± Su Ran cursed under her breath. ¡°Fine. You need to help me find out where she is. And don¡¯t even think about asking for payment. You¡¯re partially responsible for this. I don¡¯t give a damn about your reasons, but you and I both know you have some fault in it.¡± Su Ran hissed. Though Fang Li didn¡¯t directly admit to it, her account of the events made it seem like she indeed played a part. How could Su Ran not figure it out? Her demeanor had become incredibly terrifying and demonic, like her old self when she roamed the empire. Fang Li was now very afraid for her life.

    ¡°Y, yes. Yes ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll definitely do everything in my power to help you find your Qingcheng¡¯er,¡± Fang Li stuttered. Deep down inside, she decided maybe she really should abandon her initial plans after all. Su Ran was just too terrifying. And she felt incredibly guilty. She wanted the ¡°Ghost Calamity Palm¡¯s¡± power, but she didn¡¯t want things to turn out like this. This was too much, beyond her own expectations. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave and mobilize my intelligence agents. Rest assured, we¡¯ll definitely find her. By the way, you had best hurry up and see Miss Yanran also. Her spirit had been crushed and was unable to even move. To be honest, given her character, I feel like she¡¯s worse off than Miss Qingcheng.¡± Fang Li frowned.

    Su Ran furrowed her brows. Indeed, Su Qingcheng was more adventurous and straightforward than Su Yanran. Given the former¡¯s character, she definitely wouldn¡¯t just give up without a fight. She would probably try to escape also. And even then, Su Qingcheng had Yao Meiyue as a trump card. Even if she couldn¡¯t escape easily, it was also a hidden opportunity for her to be tempered in the real world.

    That moment¡­

    Su Qingcheng woke up in a large dungeon cell ¨C while she was being taken away, the constant shocks of the electric net had caused her to pass out. Though it was a dungeon cell, it was considerably more luxurious than your typical prison cell. The other cells on the same floor were smaller and not as luxurious. It reminded Su Qingcheng of the high-class prison cells in Europe back on Earth. She sighed and looked around, trying to channel her Nightflower Tianqi. By now, her body had fully recovered. ¡®Master, where are we?¡¯ Su Qingcheng mentally asked.

    I¡¯m not sure either. This structure is relatively new. It should be some sort of castle. A very big castle. I can sweep out my spiritual sense to get a better look, but I risk compromising my existence. Now that we¡¯re stuck in this prison, we can¡¯t afford any more risks. You must escape before the one year agreement time comes up. By my estimation, that gives us¡­ About eight months. We have eight months to escape or for someone to break us out. If we fail to get out soon, your mother might be lucky enough to find us. Yao Meiyue explained in a rather hurried manner.

    ¡°Snake Empress is probably getting her agents to look for me. If this is a new structure, it may take some time,¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. ¡°For the meantime, since this place isn¡¯t as bad as I thought it would be, it seems we¡¯re valued quite highly. I should take this time to get my bearings.¡± She muttered inwardly to herself.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    After an hour of calming down and stabilizing her body, the door to her cell opened. The door itself was just a regular kind of grilled prison door. Nothing remarkable about it, except for the fact it had no handle and no material lock ¨C it was a magical array formation much like the Revival Suite back in the Golden State Inn of Bailing City. The girl in rags who captured her walked in, except her face was not covered in rags like the rest of her body.

    Su Qingcheng peered at the eyes of this girl, who actually was a young woman. Several years older than her, but something about her face was very familiar. ¡°You are¡­?¡± Su Qingcheng asked her in a polite, submissive tone. She knew that her captor could easily paralyze her again if she acted haughty, so she endured and pretended to be subservient.

    ¡°It¡¯s just you and me here now, so I can introduce myself ¨C my name is Fan Yu,¡± she smiled, causing Su Qingcheng¡¯s eyes to widen. Upon seeing this, Fan Yu smiled. ¡°You seem like you remember something.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t be! That¡¯s impossible.¡± Su Qingcheng frowned, shivering.

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter what you think. You won¡¯t be able to escape from this Heaven Thunder Prison,¡± Fan Yu smirked. ¡°It¡¯s a maximum security prison complex where we capture all the freaks of the land and keep them here for analysis purposes. Since you are a rare Penta-Essence user, we must see what makes you tick, no? And furthermore, you took that Elixir which rebuilt your paths. They made me capture you since lightning no longer damages your Tianqi paths, which preserves your body.¡± Fan Yu explained.

    ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡± Su Qingcheng frowned.

    ¡°Like I told your sister. I have a prior relationship with you.¡± She said. ¡°But I don¡¯t have time to talk about that with you. Just wait here patiently until it¡¯s your turn. If you dare to escape, we will kill you on sight.¡±

    Su Qingcheng gritted her teeth. ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t be her¡­ Right? You can¡¯t be, there¡¯s no way¡­¡± she thought inwardly to herself, wondering if this Fan Yu who seemed so familiar was related to her former lover back on Earth who backstabbed her. How could someone like her be here? It was impossible, virtually unheard of that someone who died after she did would be here and somehow be older than her. Or was this continent connected to Earth somehow? Su Qingcheng was thinking about all this when she was snapped out of her reverie by the sounds of a gate closing. Fan Yu was already leaving.

    ¡°Girl, forget about struggling. Whether your mother is lucky enough to find you and bust you out, we¡¯ll see. Just remember ¨C if you dare to escape by yourself, you will die.¡± Fan Yu hissed threateningly before walking away.

    Su Qingcheng sighed. Qingcheng¡¯er. Forget about her for now. We must focus on escaping. We have eight months to either get out or wait for Su Ran to break us out. Since they plan to keep us alive for dissection, there¡¯s no way they will just mistreat us. We can use this opportunity to nourish you further.

    ¡°That is a gamble, Master. If they discover I¡¯ve been using this time in captivity to train, they may force us to come out earlier.¡±

    That¡¯s what I¡¯m planning on. The stronger you become, the higher the chance of you leaving this cell. Once we leave the cell, we will have the biggest chance to escape. However, that depends on your speed. At this point, your body and control isn¡¯t good enough to match against the prison guards for sure. You need to raise your power by at least a rank before that happens.

    ¡°How will I do that?¡±

    I will impart to you a new meditational method that I used before. It will help you comprehend the might of the Nightflower Tianqi better, as well as increase your control of it to a granular level. Instead of being able to channel it in clumps, you would be doing it in strands, which allows you to accelerate and decelerate much more easily. Strands travel through the body much more quickly than clumps. In any case, we don¡¯t have much time. Let me teach it to you now¡­

    Somewhere else in the Heaven Thunder Prison¡­

    Fan Yu, now totally covered in rags, could be seen standing before a majestic woman wearing an iron clown mask sitting on a throne. The throne itself was empowered by electricity, suggesting that she was a figure similar to Fan Yu, an anomaly capable of manipulating lightning without needing to call upon it naturally. Fan Yu then bowed down in reverence to the woman seated on the throne.

    ¡°Your Majesty, the girl is put in the cell you requested. May I ask why you told me to tell her that story?¡± Fan Yu asked very politely.

    ¡°Fan Yu, my only disciple, you must understand that Su Qingcheng is not only a Penta Essence user, but she is also the daughter of the mighty Tianqi Ghost Empress. If we touch Su Qingcheng, she will definitely try to kill both of us, and I have no doubt that she can do it as easily as stomping on an ant. Even with our lightning powers, the flames of the Ghost Calamity Palm are too strong, like the flames of the undying Netherworld. It will burn us to ashes without a chance to resist,¡± she explained. ¡°At this point, we can¡¯t touch Su Qingcheng. We can only have her undergo tests. We can analyze her performance that way. It is a technique that the Snake Empress often uses to try and probe the powers of people she has a crush on.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±

    ¡°I had you tell her that story because I am already well aware of Su Qingcheng¡¯s temperament. I know she will try to escape. She will think we will really slice her up, so¡­ You know¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I understand. Your Majesty, you are too clever!¡± Fan Yu stifled a laugh.

    ¡°Silence¡­ No one is to know about this. Everything would be ruined if Su Qingcheng figures out the plan. I¡¯m already aware of the agreement. Therefore, no matter how fast or how slow she improves, we only take her out of the cell six months from now. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Your wish is my command, your Majesty,¡± Fan Yu acknowledged respectfully. ¡°Shall I take my leave now?¡±

    ¡°You may leave. Go get some rest. These six months will be a tribulation for Su Qingcheng. I wonder if she¡¯ll really escape from this prison. Hahahaha¡­¡± the woman on the throne laughed cheerfully as Fan Yu quietly left the room.

 24 - Tribulation by Torturous Thunder

    Su Qingcheng sat on her bed in the cell in deep meditative state, causing Fan Yu, who had often went to the cell to check on her condition, to be deeply shocked, and somehow could only feel a small sense of admiration towards the youth who was only fourteen years of age, about to turn fifteen within the coming months. Though she was in a trance, Su Qingcheng was constantly given guidance by Yao Meiyue, who had helped her to be able to convert the clumps of raw Nightflower Tianqi she generated into more focused, granular strands. This would allow her to focus her material attacks in a much more efficient fashion.

    Yao Meiyue had emphasized that the power of Nightflower Tianqi was just too abnormal. After all, ever since Su Qingcheng took her as a master, she never actually learned what made Nightflower Tianqi so powerful compared to what others at her level could do. Now that she was stuck in prison with no one who dared to disturb her due to the lingering threat of the Tianqi Ghost Empress, she was actually in an advantageous position right now. In fact, she now had a solid seven or eight months to completely master her powers and even make a breakthrough to the fourth rank. Of course, the precondition was that she could escape the prison alive, which was a different story.

    Even though she would be allowed to leave relatively unscathed, Su Qingcheng obviously didn¡¯t know this. She still believed that she would not be spared. Therefore, she wholeheartedly focused on strengthening her internals and attempt to reach a breakthrough or a new insight as soon as possible. So it¡¯s like this. The Nightflower Tianqi which I have synthesized in the past has been refined by you into a purer state that even I couldn¡¯t have imagined. It is most likely related to the fact your Tianqi paths were initially destroyed by lightning. Therefore, when the Elixir reformed your paths again, they had already gone through an indescribable tribulation that made them stronger after experiencing a rebirth.

    ¡°That must be why I only passed out after being stuck in the electric net for several hours, instead of passing out immediately.¡± Su Qingcheng finally opened her eyes and muttered to herself as Yao Meiyue was lecturing her about the Nightflower Tianqi.

    Right. It¡¯s much like a disease or an infection, where your body has developed a strong resistance or immunity to it after surviving it and receiving treatment or a cure. After all, what doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger. And since normally there¡¯s no such heaven-defying treatment as the Phoenix Rainbow Elixir, how could anyone suspect the reason behind your absurd Tianqi? The Nightflower Tianqi is known by the old freaks of the land to be used as a force to corrode opposing Tianqi. The stronger the level of the user, the stronger the corrosive effect. If I were to use it, I could counteract any kind of attack in the entire continent aside from maybe your mother¡¯s Ghost Calamity Palm.

    ¡°Master, you know about this matter too?¡±

    Naturally. It¡¯s how she can defeat me. Without it, she wouldn¡¯t stand too much of a chance. That said, because I taught her almost everything I knew, she has become an existence that very few people would dare to offend. Evidently, these folks who captured us are either very brave or very stupid. Or perhaps they¡¯re confident and believe that Su Ran won¡¯t find us in time.

    Su Qingcheng nodded. ¡°Well, regardless¡­¡±

    Right. That¡¯s unimportant for now. What¡¯s important now, since you have already managed to refine your control over manipulating your Tianqi, is to try and refine your techniques¡­ But it will be hard to get practical control over the uses in this cell. And because you haven¡¯t broken through to the Tianqi Geomancer level, your body won¡¯t be able to handle using your Tianqi as an external influence¡­ This will be tough. The only way for this to work out is if there was an excuse for using your battle techniques¡­ Yao Meiyue sighed.

    ¡°Damnit. When are they going to make a move, then?¡± Su Qingcheng frowned as she soon broke out of her meditative state, lying down restlessly on the bed. Surprisingly, all the food she was given hadn¡¯t been poisoned. Though it wasn¡¯t anything amazing like spiritual food, it was definitely better than what she¡¯d seen the other prisoners receive. As a result, the other prisoners began to get rather jealous of her, who was only a child. Soon, Su Qingcheng had an idea. If there was a way for her to engage in combat with the other prisoners, that would provide her a way to increase her battle experience. Though it was very risky, it was worth a shot.

    A month flew by in the blink of an eye. During this time, Fang Li had failed to receive any significant information on Su Qingcheng¡¯s whereabouts. Su Yanran, meanwhile, had been silent the entire time, and her demeanor had become akin to that of a depressed person. However, Fang Li did manage to report a strange happening to Su Ran ¨C several talents from all over the continent who possessed abnormal abilities were forcibly kidnapped and captured and taken to a mysterious place only known as ¡°Heaven Thunder Prison.¡± At the moment, Fang Li¡¯s team hadn¡¯t managed to find it yet. It wasn¡¯t that they were incapable of doing so per se, it was just that the entire structure itself was too mysterious. It was only then when Su Yanran heard the news that Fang Li discovered some information about Su Qingcheng¡¯s whereabouts did her mood improve. However, she felt powerless to do anything.

    It should be said that though the Heaven Thunder Prison was a rather big structure. However, what nobody knew was that the prison complex itself was perpetually blanketed in a thunderstorm, which was part of the reason why it got its name. The thunderstorm was akin to a huge heavenly tribulation of thunder, and that anyone who got near it would most likely be struck down and killed. Therefore, it could be considered a maximum security prison, even if the complex itself was nothing compared to the prisons in Earth that Su Qingcheng was quite familiar with. Not due to experience, of course. That said, during this one month of time, Su Qingcheng had made leaps and bounds in her understanding of controlling and using the Nightflower Tianqi. She hadn¡¯t gotten that moment of a breakthrough yet but the insights she gained were more than enough to make up for everything. Sighing, Su Qingcheng stared into the distant hallway. Separating her cell and that hallway to freedom was a metal gate locked by a magical array formation.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Su Qingcheng wondered if she would be able to get the strength to break out. Yao Meiyue comforted her though, telling her that eventually she would have the power. But for the meantime, she needed to endure and not to give up. Definitely, Su Qingcheng would not give up. She couldn¡¯t just die a second time, after all. She had been given a wonderful opportunity to reshape herself ¨C a powerful figure like her mother in this new world, that¡¯s what this entire incident motivated her to do. She no longer wanted to be powerless in the face of those who attacked her or her friends and family. She would surpass those freaks. A faint smile on her face, Su Qingcheng returned to her bed to resume her training. However, she heard faint footsteps in the distance. She quickly turned to the hallway and found Fan Yu coming over to check on her again. However, she was shocked after she realized that Su Qingcheng had managed to conceal her Tianqi aura by suppressing it. Even though she was just a Third Rank user, she already had this skill of control.

    Su Qingcheng really did possess a heaven-defying talent. Fan Yu had received orders from her Master this time to actually bring out Su Qingcheng merely a month in captivity. Actually, this was due to her impression that Su Qingcheng was using this time to deliberately train after all. Before Su Qingcheng could react, Fan Yu immediately flicked her wrist and sent lightning energy directly at the girl, causing her wrists and ankles to be bound by terrifyingly shocking electric chains, causing Su Qingcheng to scream in agony. The nearby prisoners were shocked outwardly but inwardly happy to see this fellow prisoner finally receiving some harsh treatment, since she led such a leisurely one month before this. Wincing and gasping in pain, Su Qingcheng could only submit to Fan Yu¡¯s command who dragged her out of the cell. Inwardly, Su Qingcheng wished to smash this girl to bits and make her escape.

    Soon, Su Qingcheng was taken to a plain room elsewhere in the prison. However, this place was considerably darker than the other rooms and this shocked her. She dared not to speak her mind though, and instead simply nodded whenever Fan Yu began to ramble on about how amazing the structure was. She didn¡¯t even talk about the origin of her powers, which was the one thing Su Qingcheng really wanted to hear from Fan Yu about. Unfortunately, no such luck. Soon, Su Qingcheng¡¯s electric chains were removed in a jiffy. But before Su Qingcheng could move away from Fan Yu, a terrifying pressure was exerted down on her. Only then did she realize that the dark room also had a second person.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother resisting. Don¡¯t worry; we aren¡¯t going to cut you up or anything. We aren¡¯t that ready to lose our lives yet¡± the powerful figure¡¯s voice bellowed out into the room, leaving an echo.

    ¡°Master¡­¡±

    So this was the Master of Fan Yu. She was indeed worthy of that title. She was definitely a low-ranked Tianqi Emperor, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t dare to claim that Su Ran could claim her life so easily. Before Su Qingcheng could say anything, she was strapped to a metal thing ¨C she felt her arms stretched out but her legs remained taut. If one were to see Su Qingcheng¡¯s position right now it was as if she was being strapped to a metal cross. ¡°What is the meaning of this, ma¡¯am?¡± Su Qingcheng dared not to be too haughty in front of this mighty figure.

    ¡°We¡¯re just going to run a test on you for this month. We¡¯ll run checkups on you also.¡±

    ¡°C, checkups?¡±

    ¡°You ask too many questions.¡±

    Fan Yu¡¯s master quickly stuffed some thick cloth into Su Qingcheng¡¯s mouth, gagging her thoroughly. She then eyed Fan Yu and nodded. ¡°Begin the test.¡±

    Fan Yu responded by bowing and nodding, before pressing her hands into the back of the metal cross. Soon, Fan Yu began to channel lightning into the cross, which caused Su Qingcheng¡¯s entire body to feel the lightning shocking her directly. She was repeatedly zapped as if being seated on an electric chair. The pain was mind-numbingly bad, and she couldn¡¯t scream even if she wanted to. She weakly moaned in agonizing pain through the mouth gag. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she was, quite literally, tortured on an electric cross. However, despite this, Su Qingcheng¡¯s Tianqi paths were roiling with excess energy.

    However, not only did the pain not go away as a result, it actually intensified. Su Qingcheng was weeping at this point as her body began to emit smoke. Though her Tianqi paths were in no risk of being crippled again by electricity, being continuously shocked like this also damaged her external body. Also, her brain was repeatedly receiving shocks that her Nightflower Tianqi tried desperately to fight against. After about three hours of being subjected to ¡°electric shock testing,¡± Fan Yu was finally told to stop. Truth to be told, even Fan Yu felt bad for Su Qingcheng.

    The Master removed the mouth gag from Su Qingcheng and nodded approvingly. ¡°Yes. It appears your body is heavily tempered from the combination of the elixir and having your Tianqi paths originally destroyed by lightning. I need to continue to study this behavior. You aren¡¯t let off yet for this month. Sadly for you, I need you to be alive to continue the testing. I¡¯ll have my disciple escort you back to your cell. You¡¯re a good girl. Stay strong.¡±

    Su Qingcheng was too weak at this point to even acknowledge it. She was let off the metal cross and carried by Fan Yu back to her cell. When the prisoners saw it, they were overjoyed to notice that Su Qingcheng had suffered a great deal. She was thrown back onto her bed where she rested in immense pain.

    Yao Meiyue finally revealed herself again throughout the whole ordeal. She knew that Su Qingcheng had already fallen unconscious. Endure. Stay strong. I know that if you persist through this, you¡¯ll only emerge even stronger. I think¡­ I think I now know what they¡¯re planning to test you for¡­! Though Yao Meiyue said this, Su Qingcheng¡¯s consciousness failed to register it. She could only concentrate on resting and recovering from the torture.

    A month of this hell¡­? Could this be what they called ¡°Tribulation of Heavenly Thunder?¡±

 25 - Lei Zetian and the Heaven Thunder Cage

    The following month was a hell for Su Qingcheng. Every few days, Fan Yu would forcibly take her to that same dark room with the electric metal cross. The room was only illuminated by small blue crystals on the walls. The image of Fan Yu¡¯s master and teacher, with her intimidating, blue glowing eyes were etched deeply into Su Qingcheng¡¯s mind. Despite Yao Meiyue¡¯s support and comforting words, these were not enough for Su Qingcheng to fight back against this mental demon. However, succeeding electric shock tests seemed to be awakening something strange inside of Su Qingcheng¡¯s body, and further along into the month she was starting to feel the changes as well.

    Despite the mental demon of Fan Yu¡¯s master already being somewhat of a trauma for her, Su Qingcheng¡¯s mood improved very slightly when she realized that the flow of Tianqi in her body was already saturated with electricity. The constant exposure to artificial lightning from Fan Yu, conducted by the metal cross, had already tempered her body to an extent that the pain actually lessened significantly over time. This was also within Fan Yu and her master¡¯s expectations, as their entire plan was to use Su Qingcheng as a guinea pig to test if it was possible to artificially force someone to be able to control lightning without harnessing its energy.

    It has to be said that prior to this moment, they had performed this test on countless prisoners in the Heaven Thunder Prison. However, Su Qingcheng was the first ¡®freak¡¯ they had come across who not only survived the electric shock test for over a week by now, but she had quietly and silently assimilated the thunder energy, allowing her to cultivate it! However, Fan Yu¡¯s master knew that she was unable to properly use it without a proper catalyst. Despite this setback, she already had a plan for it. She would put it into motion very soon.

    Meanwhile, Su Qingcheng had been lying in bed with a despondent look on her face. Her mood had improved a bit after realizing that the shocks didn¡¯t hurt as much, but she seemed to have lost a lot of her will upon realizing that she had become a ¡®weaker¡¯ character in the story, being captured and used as what was the equivalent of a test subject. She wanted to be the writer of her own story; not a pawn to be used by someone else! This was humiliating, and she was powerless to resist, the blue eyes of her captor and torturer, it still continued to haunt her. Qingcheng¡¯er. You already possess the ability to cultivate lightning energy without an external source¡­ This is entirely the reason why they used you, they wanted to analyze the conditions of artificially creating people like their own kind. I am sure that those two freaks aren¡¯t entirely human. They must have blood of a magical beast in their veins.

    Su Qingcheng weakly nodded. Though her body was a lot stronger by now, she was still only fourteen years old. She would turn fifteen next month. She would celebrate her fifteenth birthday in the Heaven Thunder Prison¡­ This was no doubt an incredibly depressing moment. And even though she knew her mother would spare no effort in trying to find her, it had been two months already since she was captured, and yet there was no sign of her at all. With her strength, she could easily break her out. The precondition however was that she could find her.

    Yao Meiyue¡¯s words upon this realization suddenly sparked a new life in her, though. She was turning fifteen this year¡­ There was only a few more months before the agreement¡¯s time limit was up. The electric shock tests was now nothing but a mere trifle for her. If she could cultivate lightning energy, she would become even stronger. Though the matter of Fan Yu¡¯s master was still terrifying, to the extent she felt her face going pale, she just had to not think about it. As long as nobody triggered this memory, she would be fine, she would be alright. Besides, if they were done with their tests, they might just let her go, right?

    As Su Qingcheng tried to improve her mood, she sat up once she heard the iron door to her cell opening up. Fan Yu appeared again. ¡°Fan Yu, are you going to take me to that god-forsaken room again?¡± Su Qingcheng asked.

    ¡°Your mood has improved. My master was actually worried about you. She knew you no longer felt the pain, thus she wondered if you had been broken.¡±

    The mere mention of Fan Yu¡¯s master, who Su Qingcheng still didn¡¯t know anything about, let alone her name, caused her to shiver. ¡°Your master is a ferocious beast.¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. She was well aware back in the past life that tests like these were barbaric and utterly unethical. However, ¡°scientific ethics¡± did not exist in this world. The notion of ¡°scientific tests¡± was laughable. Though this could be considered a kind of research, people in this world didn¡¯t seem to value morals very much when it came to the pursuit of power.

    ¡°Why would your master be even worried about me? She knows she needs me to test the conditions for manufacturing more Lightning Soldiers.¡± Su Qingcheng grumbled, arbitrarily giving a name to these freaks of nature who could control lightning without needing an external source.

    ¡°Lightning Soldiers, huh¡­ A nice name. I will suggest it to the master. Come on. You won¡¯t be taken to that room anymore. My master has a new test for you.¡±

    ¡°A new test?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    Before Su Qingcheng could get up, Fan Yu had used her energy to bind the girl again in electric chains. However, the electric chains to Su Qingcheng now felt more like regular rope. She was long immune to the pain, now that her body had been repeatedly subjected to torturous lightning energy. She quietly walked behind Fan Yu who took her to an open-air part of the prison. It reminded her of the exercise yard that you would see in those prison television shows back on Earth.

    Su Qingcheng was then pushed into the middle. Before she could ask what was going on, she had been trapped in a cage made of pure lightning. The bars were made of lightning. She curiously touched the lightning bars, and felt a prick of energy enter her body, causing her to be startled. It felt like static electricity, but if she knew that if a regular person touched this, they would be literally shocked to death, then Su Qingcheng would be¡­ Shocked by this realization that her body had evolved.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Fan Yu¡¯s master stood outside of the thunder cage and walked towards Su Qingcheng. Now, she was no longer concealing her appearance. She had short purple hair, and possessed a lithe figure. She could not be considered a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, but she had a very majestic and manly charm about her despite her feminine face. It was probably the short hair and her incredibly toned and defined body. No longer cloaked, Su Qingcheng spotted that her midriff was exposed. Abs!

    If Fan Yu¡¯s master wasn¡¯t already so scary to her, Su Qingcheng might have actually fallen for her. All she could do now was gulp and swallow her saliva. Fan Yu¡¯s master smiled as if she was proud of a new creation. ¡°I¡¯m very proud of you, my sweet child, for surviving this long.¡± She said. This voice and this mannerism chilled Su Qingcheng to her very core. Just because I survived your sick electric chair treatment, I¡¯m now your ¡®sweet child¡¯?! I have an actual mother too, you know!

    ¡°I think it¡¯s time I told you who I was. It won¡¯t do for you to just have the mental image of me as Fan Yu¡¯s teacher. First of all, you are still young, so it won¡¯t hurt for me to give you some extra information on the Liandou Continent¡­ I figure you might have already realized there are realms beyond this continent, no?¡±

    Su Qingcheng frowned. She had experienced a mental explosion, going back to what Yao Meiyue said about Fan Yu and her teacher having the blood of magical beasts coursing in their veins, it might not be so impossible anymore for them to control lightning without an external source. Though Su Qingcheng had read ancient tomes and records detailing the existence of extraterrestrial realms beyond the Liandou Continent, she never really believed in it. Until today.

    ¡°I¡¯ve read about it, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be true.¡± Su Qingcheng obediently answered Fan Yu¡¯s master, afraid to provoke her. The chilling image of her blue eyes glowing in the darkness¡­ Still terrified her.

    ¡°Right. I come from an upper realm far above the clouds,¡± Fan Yu¡¯s master spoke casually. ¡°So does Fan Yu. We both do. However, we were exiled from the realms because we possess human blood. Though it¡¯s only minor human blood, it was enough for us to be banished to the Liandou Continent. This upper realm is called Cloud Nine, and it¡¯s a heaven for strong magical beasts. They were capable of shape-shifting into a human form, enhancing their strength greatly. However, they would never admit to it ¨C they merely treated it as a convenience. It would allow them to blend with the humans down here. But who knew that eventually, they would find out about Fan Yu and my own dark secret¡­¡±

    Su Qingcheng inwardly was startled. So Fan Yu and her master were actually really magical beasts that happened to be the result of a human engaging in intercourse with a magical beast that had shaped itself into a human! But since the blood was just minor, the two of them had only been banished recently once it was discovered! However, Fan Yu¡¯s master clearly had no intent to share such a memory.

    ¡°Fan Yu and I were both products of interracial relationships. I was naturally born far before little Yu, but because we share a master and disciple relationship, we were banished together. Having told you this much, you are now qualified not only for my next round of testing, but also to know my name¡­ You may call me Lei Zetian!¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded. From the way she said it, this ¡°Lei Zetian¡± shared the same given name as one of the famous empresses of China on Earth, Wu Zetian. That was a bit strange. Regardless, Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t dwell on it too much and instead stepped back into the cage. She stayed silent and didn¡¯t dare to talk back.

    ¡°I already know you¡¯ve figured out my plans for you. Therefore, there¡¯s no real reason for me to be secretive anymore. This round of testing will allow me to see if battles will let you trigger the innate lightning energy seeds Fan Yu has already placed in you. As lightning no longer really hurts you so much aside from the Heaven Thunder Cage I¡¯ve placed you in, there¡¯s no real danger involved. Unless you get eaten or torn up by what I¡¯m going to put in there with you, I guess¡± Lei Zetian shrugged as she casually explained this to Su Qingcheng, who listened with a wide-open mouth.

    This woman is nuts. Yao Meiyue spoke mentally to Su Qingcheng while being careful not to let her spiritual trace leak out, lest Lei Zetian noticed. After all, not only was she a powerful Tianqi Emperor, she had the blood of a magical beast, which increased her sensitivity to spiritual auras.

    ¡°As you know, I have the blood of a magical beast inside me. Fan Yu and I both possess the major blood of a Heaven Thunder Lion,¡± Lei Zetian explained. ¡°With this imposing aura, I can merely will upon lightning specters and beasts to appear. My blood is stronger than Fan Yu¡¯s, who is still young compared to me. Therefore, I¡¯ll have you battle a weaker lightning specter first.¡±

    Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t dare to talk back even now. Instead, she just stood still.

    Fan Yu laughed. ¡°Master, your imposition has already imprinted itself deeply into her mind. She¡¯s still quite scared of you despite your honesty,¡± she said. ¡°I would be careful not to act too strong.¡±

    Lei Zetian laughed it off. ¡°I am impressed, she has not ¡®humiliated¡¯ herself despite the fact my face back in the torture room has already become a mental demon. She is about to turn fifteen, no? That¡¯s quite absurd for a young girl like her. I¡¯d have expected her to have crumbled by now. That¡¯s why I was worried.¡±

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s mouth twitched. The pressure exuded by Lei Zetian was too much, but she couldn¡¯t even move a muscle.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll have to move once I throw this at you.¡± Lei Zetian snickered as she snapped her fingers.

    Su Qingcheng suddenly heard thunder crackle next to her, causing her to jump away from the spot in fright. ¡°Ahhh!¡± she squealed hurriedly as the source of the crackle was a ball of fierce electricity coalescing in the cage. Soon, it began to form and take shape. It appeared to be a humanoid fashioned totally out of purple electricity. Lei Zetian snapped her fingers again and black armor began to slowly emerge from the electricity, causing the thunder specter to appear like a ferocious knight made out of electricity.

    ¡°Wh, what is that?¡± Su Qingcheng asked as she readied herself into a battle stance.

    ¡°A low-ranked Lightning Revenant. Peak of the Tianqi Prince stage.¡±

    Su Qingcheng frowned.

    Lei Zetian continued, ignoring Su Qingcheng¡¯s ugly expression. ¡°It¡¯s only capable of using lightning attacks, and I¡¯m only using this to probe your strength. I wouldn¡¯t be too scared of things now. You should be worried of what¡¯s to come in the future.¡±

    ¡°Go on! Stop paying attention to me and fight!¡± Lei Zetian laughed as she and Fan Yu watched Su Qingcheng turn her attention to the Lightning Revenant in front of her. Time for her to vent her anger and frustration.

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s eyes watered in emotions as she hurriedly changed to Night Lily Stance and prepared to fight for her life in the Heaven Thunder Cage.

    ¡°Aaaaahhh!!!¡± Su Qingcheng roared out in a frenzy.

 26 - Breakthrough To Survive

    The lightning revenant, unlike humans and magical beasts, was a spectral kind of entity, so it didn¡¯t have any emotions. Making whirring and electrical sounds, the revenant raised one of its hands and an electric lightsaber kind of weapon emerged out of nowhere. Su Qingcheng¡¯s eyes were red and bloodshot as she leapt forward to engage the lightning revenant. The revenant brought the lightsaber down on Su Qingcheng¡¯s head as she approached it rapidly. Seemingly not caring for her life, Su Qingcheng, on instinct, caught the blade with both of her hands. However, contrary to Fan Yu¡¯s expectations, Su Qingcheng did not get shocked ¨C it was as if she was grabbing a cold weapon!

    ¡°Aaaaahhhh!!!¡± Su Qingcheng kept crying out as if she was berserk. The Nightflower Tianqi inside her was on the verge of exploding out uncontrollably thanks to being continuously stimulated by lightning for the past couple of weeks. Yao Meiyue now was positive that Su Qingcheng had too much energy and desperately needed something to vent her frustrations. Being trapped in this cage to fight for her life, was actually the perfect solution for this. Though Su Qingcheng was not psychologically prepared for this test, her sudden emotional tantrum caused her strength to be immediately bolstered by her Lightning Nightflower Tianqi. Lei Zetian was watching from the side and a smile crept up on her face, as if this was beyond her expectations.

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s eyes lit up and became a brilliant blue color as lightning leapt out from them. The purple lightning revenant tried to pull its lightsaber away from Su Qingcheng¡¯s vice grip, but to no avail. An energy ripple of Lightning Nightflower Tianqi suddenly emanated from Su Qingcheng¡¯s body, causing the Heaven Thunder Cage to tremble slightly. Lei Zetian did not get affected by it but Fan Yu who was considerably weaker was thrown a couple of meters back and fell on her bottom. ¡°What is that?¡± Fan Yu asked with a frown as she saw Su Qingcheng forcibly push the lightsaber back into the lightning revenant. As the lightsaber was an extension of the revenant, it didn¡¯t hurt it in the slightest, but it seemed to be in a daze.

    It was like an android that was trying to process what had just happened! Su Qingcheng actually, in this critical juncture, had forced a breakthrough to the Fourth Rank of Tianqi User. She had cultivated for such a long time compared to the last time she rose a rank. Furthermore, her energy reserves had been forcibly expanded due to being tortured by lightning. Fan Yu¡¯s continuous lightning shocks caused Su Qingcheng¡¯s body and constitution to evolve, and suddenly after releasing all the excess energy in her body after breaking through, her berserk nature had been quelled slightly.

    Heaving and panting, Su Qingcheng charged forward and began to assault the revenant with a flurry of basic punches and kicks. Each of her blows was amplified by empowered Lightning Nightflower Tianqi, which overpowered the composition of the lightning revenant and caused it to break apart forcibly. The lightning tried to reform but Su Qingcheng was too fierce, she had regained some of her composure and knew that in order to defeat the lightning revenant, she had to ¡®dismantle¡¯ it. The armor that had formed around it slowly started to fade away, which caused Lei Zetian to nod in approval. Clearly, she didn¡¯t expect this young girl to have such a fierce Tianqi that was boosted to such an extent from the lightning energy now coursing through her body.

    ¡°Haaahhh!¡± Su Qingcheng dealt the finishing blow, crushing the helmet that the revenant was wearing. Then, after it disappeared completely, Su Qingcheng knelt down and let electric sparks jump out of her body, as if she was trying to discharge some extra lightning energy. You broke through! Yao Meiyue voiced out her thoughts mentally, causing Su Qingcheng to nod. She didn¡¯t expect to breakthrough in this ¡®life-and-death¡¯ situation either. Truth to be told, after she had cleared her mind, she knew that this revenant couldn¡¯t really threaten her too much compared to what Lei Zetian might throw out after this.

    ¡°Good, good, you¡¯re very good,¡± Lei Zetian sincerely praised Su Qingcheng as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly, from beneath Su Qingcheng¡¯s feet, the stone plates opened up and she had to leap back quickly so she wouldn¡¯t fall into whatever was there. There was a strange round portal-like structure that reminded Su Qingcheng of a rift to another world. ¡°Time for the real fun to begin. That lightning revenant was the perfect thing to trigger your Lightning energy. Even better, you managed to break through. I should imagine you had just reached the fourth rank of Tianqi user. Not even a Geomancer, but able to use your Tianqi to rip apart a lightning revenant that¡¯s many times your actual body strength¡­ Clearly extraordinary.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Su Qingcheng looked at Lei Zetian but didn¡¯t answer her.

    ¡°Now for the real test¡­ That rift gate I just opened will have some magic beasts pouring out of it. I want you to survive! Kill or subdue, it¡¯s up to you. You just need to live¡­¡± Lei Zetian nodded.

    Su Qingcheng glared at her before she looked down at the portal. What kind of monsters will appear? This reminded her of a monster house in those video games back from Earth. If this were a video game, she wouldn¡¯t be as scared, but this was a second life! If she didn¡¯t kill or subdue the monsters that emerged, she would be torn apart as she was stuck in a cage. ¡°Now time to fight for my life,¡± Su Qingcheng muttered to herself, now realizing the gravity of the situation. ¡°The energy inside me has been stabilized properly. Though that Lei Zetian still scares the shit out of me, I need to focus on keeping my life. Ugh, I hope mother can find me soon!¡± Su Qingcheng grumbled.

    From the rift gate on the floor, several small tigers emerged from it. They were smaller than a typical adult tiger, but were coursing with electricity as they bore their sharp fangs and claws at Su Qingcheng. Yao Meiyue could sense that these fierce magic beasts actually had a strength on par with Xiao Tie. However, as a magic beast, they had much stronger physical attacks than a regular human. Thus, Su Qingcheng still needed to be careful. There were four tigers all looking menacingly at the youth, but didn¡¯t do anything yet. Lei Zetian then roared like an animal, causing the tigers in the cage to suddenly attack!

    Su Qingcheng realized that Lei Zetian could be considered a magic beast empress in this prison! Of course, she controlled all the weaker creatures. She quickly prepared her Black Hole Stance and readied herself to take on the attacks. Each time the tigers tried to take a big bite out of her, Su Qingcheng would inject small amounts of electricity into her Nightflower Tianqi, allowing her to forcibly hold the jaws of an approaching tiger, then ripping it in half from its head!! It was a barbaric technique, but she had to save herself. The other three tigers stopped in their tracks when they saw Su Qingcheng tear the tiger in front of them apart! Fierce, scary, monstrous! They had been intimidated but cleared their head. Their intelligence could not be underestimated either.

    They made a joint attack but Su Qingcheng had already predicted it. A tiger charging from beneath was the one which she had decided to directly engage, lowering herself and copying the pose of a lithe cat, causing the other two tigers to get distracted as they were both leaping at her. Yet, the girl had gone prone, causing them to hit nothing but air! They comically bumped into each other, eliciting laughter from Fan Yu who was watching Su Qingcheng fight like it was a television show. Su Qingcheng punched the tiger in front of her in the nose with a punch powered by full Lightning Nightflower Tianqi, causing it to not only be slightly paralyzed, but also crush its face in! Growling in agony and humiliation, the three tigers stepped back. However, just because Su Qingcheng was busy with these tigers, didn¡¯t mean the rift gate suddenly stopped working!

    As Su Qingcheng slowly worked on killing the tigers individually, fierce thunderbirds flew out of the portal and screeched out. When they saw Su Qingcheng battling the tigers, they cawed out and began to shoot bolts of lightning at the girl! Su Qingcheng had been hit by some of the lightning bolts, causing her arms to go slightly numb, despite the bolts only hitting her body like being pricked by a needle! Yet, a moment of paralysis would be enough for a tiger to claw her to bits! Fortunately, she had already killed three of the four tigers at this point, giving her time to watch on the last one.

    She kicked its mouth in before landing a fierce downward chop on its head, crushing its skull and causing it to die from blunt force trauma. Panting, she didn¡¯t have any time to relax. She looked up in the air and discovered there were three thunderbirds launching aerial attacks at it. Lamenting the fact she wouldn¡¯t be able to hit them from where she was, and that she was unable to use the lightning bars as leverage, she had to focus on avoiding the birds. She would hope that small enemies she could throw at the birds to knock them down would appear so that she had a chance to deal with them.

    Unfortunately, that moment never came. All sorts of magical beasts of sizes she could not easily carry appeared. Though their individual strength was only slightly stronger than Su Qingcheng herself, the mere fact they could keep spawning endlessly only served to tire out the girl. Despite her immense strength, especially powered by both tianqi and lightning, she was still only a fourth rank user. Her abnormal constitution could only carry her for so long.

    ¡°Damnit,¡± Su Qingcheng growled as she now looked rather sorry ¨C despite her best efforts, she was riddled with scorch marks and cuts and bruises. Though she wasn¡¯t in any life-threatening danger, her exhaustion and her wounds did build up. She wasn¡¯t invincible.

    Unfortunately, Lei Zetian showed no signs of displaying any mercy. She kept watching on as if wanting things to continue.

    ¡°Damnit.¡± Su Qingcheng cursed under her breath.

 27 - Su Qingcheng the Lightning Child

    Su Qingcheng looked to be in a miserable state as she glared at the remaining monsters. On the sidelines, Lei Zetian had subconsciously prevented the rift portal from releasing more magical beasts, simply because she knew that even if Su Qingcheng could somehow kill the rest of these caged beings, she would most likely pass out on the spot. And even then, Lei Zetian had low hopes for Su Qingcheng eliminating the rest of the creatures. However, it should also be said that these creatures were the equivalent in strength of a single Xiao Tie multiplied by a factor of two. Therefore, Su Qingcheng had been battling numerous creatures who were as strong as a mid-ranked Tianqi Geomancer. This was, in a word, unbelievable. In Lei Zetian¡¯s entire life, she had never seen a person like this. Even her disciple, Fan Yu, could only contend with the monsters once she had also reached a Tianqi Geomancer.

    Fan Yu watched in exhilaration as she had similar thoughts to her master. They immediately abandoned the idea of risking her life any further and instead decided if they were suddenly magnanimous to Su Qingcheng, as a junior, they could get her to owe them a favor. In addition, by relinquishing her to Su Ran with some conditions as if holding her ransom, they could easily escape death by the Ghost Calamity Palm. Of course, the precondition was that Su Qingcheng was willing to become their pawn. Over these months, they grew familiar with Su Qingcheng¡¯s temperament which was not quite unlike a typical hard-headed heroine seeking to become strong for not only herself but for those she cares about.

    Fan Yu still remembered the scene of Su Yanran breaking down, unable to handle what had happened. This was approximately four months ago. She had the sinking feeling that Su Yanran was more negatively affected by this whole exchange than Su Qingcheng, who had greatly increased in strength due to the power of lightning empowering her Tianqi and fleshly body. She now felt a little bad. Naturally, Lei Zetian wasn¡¯t as sympathetic, as she wasn¡¯t there at the time. However, from what Fan Yu explained to her, she had a feeling that Su Yanran treated her younger sister as more than just a sibling. She wondered idly if Su Qingcheng reciprocated those feelings.

    In the cage, Su Qingcheng was panting madly as she roared in an attempt to keep herself conscious. Those dastardly thunderbirds still evaded her clutches because she lacked a long ranged attack. She cursed her low cultivation for once and decided she would deal with the remaining creatures on the ground. Her body was absolutely battered, bloodied, and pretty much ruined with cuts and wounds. However, her eyes showed a grim determination to survive that shocked Fan Yu, who recognized something and then immediately frowned. It really isn¡¯t you, is it? Those eyes¡­ Those eyes which made me fall in love at first sight¡­ Please, please tell me it isn¡¯t you. How could we be in the same place at the same time, yet so far apart¡­?

    If Su Qingcheng knew what Fan Yu was thinking, she would have attempted to kill Fan Yu on the spot for reminding her of such a cruel memory. That memory of being stabbed in the back by her lover back on Earth, simply because she was jealous of her literary success¡­ It made Su Qingcheng more determined to make a mark here in Liandou Continent, so she could protect herself and make sure nothing like that ever happened again. Her new family here managed to alleviate her trust issues somewhat, but she kept on guard against strangers, especially people like Fan Yu who acted intentionally mysterious. Even Lei Zetian had eventually opened up to Su Qingcheng after respecting her strength for a Tianqi User.

    The beasts in front of Su Qingcheng that she could actually attack were actually thunder lizards. However, before she could make a move, Lei Zetian bellowed out. ¡°Enough! That¡¯s enough!! I¡¯ve seen enough. I don¡¯t want you dying anymore, you¡¯re too valuable,¡± Lei Zetian roared out as she immediately made the thunder creatures disappear with a wave of her sleeves. The cage also disappeared, converging into a ball of purple light that rushed into Lei Zetian¡¯s body. Su Qingcheng quickly surmised that the Heaven Thunder Cage wasn¡¯t actually a magical treasure, but an innate ability of Lei Zetian. If she were to connect it with her memories in her past life, it would be the equivalent of a magical being¡¯s ability to create their own ¡°bounded reality.¡± Lei Zetian was a beast of lightning, and her domineering personality coalesced into the Heaven Thunder Cage, which actually was her trademark as a self-proclaimed Lightning Empress.

    ¡°I was originally going to subject you to more tests, but I feel like I only need you to go through one more before I decide to keep you around for a bit.¡± Lei Zetian nodded. However, Fan Yu looked confused. It seemed as if her master now had a sudden change of plans. She turned to face Lei Zetian with a curious look. ¡°You have untapped potential. I will now deem you my first Lightning Child,¡± Lei Zetian continued. ¡°Originally, I wanted to see if my process to create Lightning people would work. Not only did it work on you, but it boosted your power to an absurd degree that even went beyond my expectations. I feel like in the future you would absolutely become a heaven-defying existence. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t keep you in prison anymore.¡±

    Mentally, Su Qingcheng felt like her mind was blown. Even though she was tired, it seemed as if her exhaustion was wiped away. She was finally given a second chance at life! However, she now knew that she was an asset of Lei Zetian, and definitely had to agree to some of her requests. Being treated so well all of a sudden, even an idiot would know that if a prisoner held great benefit for their captor, the prisoner would have no advantage and be forced to serve their captor. Su Qingcheng was exactly in this position, and Lei Zetian still scared the living bejeesus out of her, so she was in no position to make any demands of her own. She just wanted her life.

    ¡°Empress Lei, I will do as you command,¡± Su Qingcheng weakly bowed, her body in immense pain from all the monster attacks. ¡°Please guide me.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Lei Zetian smirked. ¡°Good, good. You are already getting into role. Don¡¯t worry. Plans have changed. Your Tianqi is just too abnormal. It reminds me of something, but don¡¯t worry about that. The lightning power infused by Fan Yu into you has allowed your Tianqi the ability to mutate and fuse with it, boosting your fleshly attacks by an even greater amount. Such an existence defies the will of all Gods. Therefore, you must be protected. If any news of this gets out, there will be a target on all our heads. I will let you go eventually, but you have to do some things for me out in the continent.¡±

    ¡°This young girl asks the Empress what she needs.¡± Su Qingcheng acted even more subserviently towards Lei Zetian than Fan Yu did, giving Fan Yu an awkward feeling. However, everybody, Su Qingcheng included, knew that this was necessary.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later. But you don¡¯t need to worry. Your cultivation level is just too low at the moment, and you lack the basic abilities needed to defend yourself. Everything on the ground won¡¯t be your match, but anywhere else¡­¡±

    Su Qingcheng smiled bitterly. She knew her limits. ¡°Qingcheng understands.¡±

    ¡°Right, good girl. There¡¯s one last thing I need you to go through, but it can wait after you¡¯re fully recovered. You don¡¯t need to worry about rushing to fulfill my requests, either. You need time to get a bit stronger before you¡¯re even qualified to properly complete them.¡± Lei Zetian continued. Su Qingcheng nodded. Lei Zetian tried her best to be polite and maintain a good expression, since she knew she had already traumatized Su Qingcheng. Actually, if one were to compare Lei Zetian with Fang Li, Lei Zetian actually possessed a much better character than Fang Li, who seemed very kind on the outside, but was a scheming snake, just like her title would suggest. Lei Zetian, on the other hand, was very domineering and seemed absolutely tyrannical, but towards those she deemed close or valuable to her, she would treat them with utmost care and respect.

    Su Qingcheng was surprised to see Lei Zetian suddenly treat her so well, and her opinion of the self-proclaimed Lightning Empress improved a little. She weakly stood up and bowed once more. Lei Zetian mentally sent her a message to look for the room next to Fan Yu¡¯s room, which would be her new home. The young user then went off to recover in her new room. Once she left, Fan Yu sighed and looked towards Lei Zetian.

    ¡°Master, what was that about?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Lei Zetian frowned. ¡°While she was battling the monsters, she was using Nightflower Tianqi. Do you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°Disciple doesn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°A Tianqi user from the continent was half-a-step into becoming a Tianqi God. She attempted to temper herself by breaking into Cloud Nine,¡± Lei Zetian explained. ¡°By then, we were already about to be banished. You were just a young kid then, so you probably didn¡¯t recognize it. But I still remember it to this very day.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with the ¡®Nightflower Tianqi¡¯?¡± Fan Yu was confused.

    ¡°That Tianqi pseudo-God saw us being chased by high level magical beasts, but she saw this as a challenge to her to test herself. She killed all the beasts chasing us and went rampant through Cloud Nine, giving us a chance to survive our banishment. If it weren¡¯t for her, we wouldn¡¯t be alive right now. And now, this young kid¡­ Is using the exact same Tianqi that she was using. Unlike the person we saw, though, this girl is able to fuse the lightning power with her Tianqi. You need to understand that this kind of thing literally defies the laws of the known universe¡­¡± Lei Zetian sighed.

    ¡°No way¡­ So you¡¯re telling me that she has the Tianqi ability passed down to her by a pseudo-God? How?¡±

    ¡°She tried very hard to hide it, but I would remember that smell anywhere. Yao Meiyue is watching over that little girl. Haha. Imagine the look on Little Miss Su¡¯s face if she knew I already know she has such a powerful backing!¡±

    Fan Yu gulped. She now knew why Lei Zetian was like this. It seemed she had a debt towards that mysterious pseudo-God, and the minute she found out Su Qingcheng was being helped by her, she knew that Su Qingcheng was destined to surpass even her in the future.

    That moment¡­

    Su Zhan really wanted to help Su Ran get through this, but he was just too swamped with the clan affairs. He knew about Su Qingcheng¡¯s abduction and was just as worried as Su Ran. However, his main job was to allay the clan¡¯s worries and ensure that their strongest kid would come back unharmed. Su Ran meanwhile was anxiously waiting for news from Fang Li. Eventually, Su Ran, who was sitting in the courtyard of the clan residence, let out a cold snort. Fang Li was right behind her, but Su Ran didn¡¯t even need to turn around to know it was her. ¡°Speak.¡± She simply said. Her voice contained heavy traces of killing intent that terrified Fang Li.

    ¡°Mo Miaoyu has delivered me some good news,¡± she said. ¡°We know that the Heaven Thunder Prison is high in the sky. It¡¯s highly likely that for Qingcheng¡¯er to be taken there, the prison is somewhere within Bailing Empire airspace. If you want to search for it, it probably wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. However, Mo Miaoyu also discovered through connections that the prison is not only airborne but also mobile. Meaning to say, it can move.¡±

    ¡°Humph¡­ How troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too worried. The prison is always blanketed by heavenly purple thunder. So once you see it, you¡¯ll immediately know it¡¯s the Heaven Thunder Prison.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you, Snake Empress.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. This entire thing was my fault. It¡¯s the least I could do. I was just too selfish.¡± Fang Li frowned. After this incident, she would swear never to get on Su Qingcheng¡¯s case again.

    ¡°You¡¯re too vicious Fang Li,¡± Su Ran growled. ¡°The only reason why I haven¡¯t erased you from the face of this continent is because everybody still needs you. I¡¯m not the woman I once was. But don¡¯t blame me for being merciless if you continue to try and wrest Su Qingcheng¡¯s ability from her hands.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything anymore, I swear,¡± Fang Li frowned. ¡°¡­But you don¡¯t plan on storming the prison by yourself?¡±

    ¡°I am immune to thunder tribulation. Do you know anyone else in Bailing Empire who dares to do the same thing as me?¡± Su Ran asked coldly. However, she would laugh bitterly if she knew Su Qingcheng had also developed an immunity to Lightning. Not only that, she became exactly like her kidnappers, able to control the thunder too. She would definitely be confused once she learns that Su Qingcheng actually was empowered by the affair.

    Fang Li shook her head and sighed. ¡°Just be careful.¡±

    Su Ran snorted as Fang Li left.

    ¡°My child. Mother is going to rescue you now.¡±

 28 - Mother Arrives as Child Awakens

    Unfortunately for Su Ran, it would take her a few days to find the Heaven Thunder Prison. In the interim, Su Qingcheng was undergoing her own trials and tribulations. She had been situated in a luxurious room next to Fan Yu¡¯s room, which happened to be right next to Lei Zetian¡¯s room. To put it simply, they now all lived next to each other. Strangely enough, Yao Meiyue remained quiet this entire time, but only now chose the time to speak. The more I think about it, the more I feel like this lady should be someone I also recognize. Su Qingcheng was confused for a moment, but before she could reply, Yao Meiyue was jubilant and cut her off. I get it now. She¡¯s that crazy lightning person who was banished from Cloud Nine. I remember saving her sorry ass because she was carrying a kid with her. I think that kid must have been that Fan Yu. I was bored one day and decided to take a visit to Cloud Nine to challenge myself.

    Su Qingcheng was startled, she didn¡¯t expect this at all. ¡±So what exactly happened between you and them?¡±

    I was killing some of the magical beasts that were chasing them by happenstance. They were able to escape. My thinking is they were being banished but those beasts never intended for them to escape alive. I was bored, so I challenged myself to kill every creature that chased after them. I definitely tried not to expose myself, but surely her treatment of you is also because she owes me big time.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that way too convenient, Master?¡±

    Forget it. The past is the past. Now you¡¯ve broken through and gained enhancement thanks to the power of lightning given to you by Fan Yu and triggered by satisfying your battle lust, no doubt Lei Zetian will attempt to solidify your lightning seeds by having you fight a proper lightning beast. It should be of the Tianqi Prince rank at least, or she¡¯ll simply be sending you to your death if it were any higher than that.

    ¡°What should I do, then?¡±

    For the meantime, I need time to study how the lightning has affected the Nightflower Tianqi. This has never happened before in my entire life, so this is new territory for me. I¡¯ll come up with a solution, but you can¡¯t disturb me in my analysis. Unfortunately, you¡¯ll need to work through this on your own. In the interim, be careful, because if Su Ran breaks us out in the middle of this fortuitous period, not only will we be unable to unlock the full potential of Lightning Nightflower Tianqi, but Lei Zetian will be in danger. My existence has clearly caused her view of you to rise highly, placing you next to Fan Yu like this. Therefore, we must take the chance to recover quickly.

    Su Qingcheng agreed, and spent the following week resting and recovering. Lei Zetian from time to time had personally come to deliver some medicines in the form of a certain type of spirit grass. Su Qingcheng soon realized from her reading in the past that this spirit grass helped her to cultivate lightning energy better. This was Violet Sky Grass, which was normally eaten by the electric beasts that Lei Zetian reared. However, now that Su Qingcheng had a similar power, she could use the grass to heal up more quickly and also allow her lightning powers to improve a fair bit. At first, Su Qingcheng was scared, but after Lei Zetian consumed the grass herself on the spot, Su Qingcheng followed and realized the effects of it on her body were strong.

    At the end of her fourth month in prison, Lei Zetian had called out Su Qingcheng back into the courtyard where she was imprisoned in the Heaven Thunder Cage. This time, however, there was no cage. Lei Zetian politely called out for Su Qingcheng to stand in the center. ¡°Lightning Child, I only ask for you to take part in this last trial,¡± she explained. ¡°I need you to battle this Lightning Wyvern Prince.¡± With that, an ear-piercing roar could be heard as a blue wyvern appeared in the air. It was just like in the stories Su Qingcheng read in the past. It had no legs, and could only remain airborne. If it were to land, it would slither like a winged serpent. Blue lightning flashed out from its open mouth.

    ¡°Lightning Wyvern Prince?¡± Su Qingcheng balked. Then she clearly remembered what Yao Meiyue had told her. This was indeed a lightning beast of the Tianqi Prince stratum. She inwardly sighed ¨C her master was just too awesome, to predict this. Thus, she was not surprised. On the contrary, she was very nervous.

    ¡°It looks fearsome, but I think with your new abilities, you should be able to take it on. You need to kill it and then consume the lightning core inside it,¡± Lei Zetian explained. ¡°Only then will your lightning powers properly solidify in your Tianqi paths. I had Fan Yu go through the same thing too. You need to do this, since I¡¯ve already heard reports of your mother flying in the Empire¡¯s airspace. I know she wants to break you out, but now that things at changed, it could be said your mom has the wrong idea. I¡¯m making you stronger!¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded. Actually, this Lei Zetian might have tortured her at first, but since she survived, she gained a massive power boost. However, the instigator of all this was actually the insidious Fang Li, who conspired to unscrupulous means to try and steal Su Qingcheng¡¯s heritage. As a result, Su Qingcheng actually respected Lei Zetian¡¯s tyrannical but honest face more than she did Fang Li. It was strange, but she couldn¡¯t help but look at her captors with mixed feelings after that. Now, she idly wondered what Su Yanran was feeling. She hoped she was alright¡­ Except there wasn¡¯t any time for that.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    While Su Qingcheng was gawking, the Wyvern Prince didn¡¯t waste a single moment. It opened its gaping mouth and started to breathe a blue lightning gas at Su Qingcheng, who opted to test the waters by blocking with her forearms. The gas felt like flames, which charred her skin, but she actually didn¡¯t feel much of a shock from it. This amazed her, realizing that she could actually absorb the lightning essence slowly. Now she realized that she could very much benefit from the Lightning Wyvern Prince¡¯s core. She used flame Tianqi to leap up high into the sky, rushing at the wyvern. Then, she immediately lunged towards its belly and performed a take down, forcing it into the ground. She did not use any lightning power, because it would be useless to try and paralyze an electric creature with electricity. Instead, she injected pure Nightflower Tianqi, causing its internals to go haywire, like it was being short-circuited.

    Since she was already empowered heavily due to the lightning seeds inside her, the Nightflower Tianqi had actually evolved also. It adopted some harmful properties of electricity, which included nerve-sensory overload. This caused the wyvern to spasm on the spot, which gave Su Qingcheng the opportunity to smack it repeatedly with ferocious punches, bloodying the Wyvern Prince into a sorry state. When it regained its motor skills and other faculties, it looked ferociously at Su Qingcheng with a bloodshot gaze. Its intelligence was in no way inferior to a human¡¯s; there was no way it could stand for a little kid like Su Qingcheng to beat it stupid into such a humiliating state. Knowing that she was an electric entity just like it, the wyvern swung its heavy tail around like a sneak attack. Su Qingcheng, who did not have time to get into her Black Hole Stance, was hit by the tail and sent careening into a nearby pillar, causing a small crater to form at the point of impact.

    Wincing, Su Qingcheng grinned with a savage light shining in her eyes as she quickly regained her composure and shot towards the weakened wyvern like a lightning bolt, causing the wyvern to be startled. Its eyes widened in disbelief as it saw what appeared to be a lightning bolt charge towards it. Su Qingcheng appeared in front of the wyvern¡¯s face in the blink of an eye and grabbed it by its upper and lower jaw. Now, the beast had fear in its eyes for once ¨C it meant nothing though, as Su Qingcheng vented out her emotions on the wyvern by tearing it in half by spreading its jaws apart like opening a plastic bag. She had injected an absurd amount of Nightflower Tianqi to gain this boost in fleshly strength, so by the time she was done, she had exhausted herself once again. However, she saw the core of the Lightning Wyvern Prince fall out of the carcass. It looked like a blue orb that had gaseous purple substance inside it. Su Qingcheng held it carefully.

    Lei Zetian smiled as she saw Su Qingcheng, with some immense effort, take down the beast. She thought to herself that it was her good fortune that this abnormal kid could survive the electric cross. Even bigger fortune for Su Qingcheng, actually. ¡°Go on, kid, you should eat the core quickly before the gas disperses.¡± She smiled.

    Without any hesitation, Su Qingcheng took the small orb into her mouth and consumed it. It was surprisingly crunchy, as she bit and chewed on the orb, she felt the gaseous substance rush into every fiber of her being. By the time she fully consumed the orb, she could feel lightning rushing through her entire body like adrenaline. Her eyes flashed blue this time and she faced Lei Zetian with a smile. ¡°It worked,¡± she said. Su Qingcheng snapped her fingers and a bolt of blue lightning struck the spot in front of her. ¡°It worked!¡±

    ¡°Haha, very good. Your body is abnormal; it seems to be able to adapt to the forces of nature after having been subjected to it for long enough. There are a lot of strange powers in nature, lightning is just one of those outside of the scope of the five basic elements. Imagine if you can control others¡­¡± Lei Zetian smiled. ¡°You would become a heaven-defying existence that even gods would tremble before!¡±

    Su Qingcheng smiled confidently, before looking at Fan Yu. Fan Yu weakly smiled and nodded. The two of them didn¡¯t say anything to each other, but their looks meant everything. Lei Zetian, however, was oblivious and smiled. ¡°Good, good. Now you better get some rest. I need to tell you about your tasks. It¡¯s only been four months, but I think it should be said my experiment has been a success. I can¡¯t help but feel like we got on the wrong foot, so I do apologize for¡­ Uh, abducting you, I guess.¡±

    Su Qingcheng sneered in her heart. If she hadn¡¯t survived the electric cross torture, and if she didn¡¯t have Yao Meiyue backing her up, she would just be like those other prisoners ¨C trash that didn¡¯t deserve to live. It really meant that in this world, power meant everything. Su Qingcheng had the power to withstand everything thrown at her, so she was treated as Fan Yu¡¯s equal. When she nodded politely and left to go back to her room, Fan Yu remained quiet. Lei Zetian¡¯s expression, on the other hand, got very ugly.

    ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Fan Yu, go to your room. We have our expected guest. Obviously, she came uninvited. But it¡¯s obvious why she¡¯s here. Humph. She should be lucky that Su Qingcheng broke through.¡±

    Fan Yu knew in her heart now that Su Ran had finally found them after a week of searching since Fang Li told her about the Heaven Thunder Prison. She quickly left the area also. Lei Zetian floated up to the height of the prison complex and bellowed out.

    ¡°Su Ran, mother of Su Qingcheng! I beseech you to calm down. Don¡¯t do anything stupid! I was going to let her go.¡±

    Su Ran¡¯s voice roared out, piercing through the cloud of lightning that blanketed the prison. It caused a rift to open between portions of the field of lightning. ¡°Shut the hell up! You took my daughter, now prepare to suffer the consequences!¡±

 Interlude - The Folly of Youth

    Su Qingcheng was unaware of all the events happening outside. She did not know that her mother was already here to rescue her. However, she was in an oddly strange state at the moment. She didn¡¯t know how to cope with everything. That Lei Zetian had already imprinted something unforgettable in her. Yao Meiyue had tried her best to comfort Su Qingcheng and explain to her properly that everything that has happened to her was only under the precondition that she survived. She was being treated as an object, as a tool to be used. It didn¡¯t matter that Su Qingcheng gained extra power. Su Qingcheng was too focused on the fact she had gained power and hadn¡¯t considered the fact that she could have died getting it. Sighing inwardly, Su Qingcheng realized that she was literally being reared up by Lei Zetian to accomplish some things with her new body.

    While she was currently too weak to do anything against Lei Zetian at the moment, she finally registered the words of Yao Meiyue and sighed bitterly. In the end, true power was all that mattered. She was too focused on gaining power, and the terrifying image of Lei Zetian in that dark torture room flashed in her mind again. It was this traumatizing image that made a deep impression in her heart. At the tender age of fourteen, she had already accrued a mental demon. It wasn¡¯t that she accepted her fate, it was that she felt she couldn¡¯t change it. However, nothing in this world was absolute. If she got stronger, she could eventually surpass Lei Zetian for real, and perhaps she could really pay her back tenfold.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Su Qingcheng sighed deeply and sat on the bed in her room.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be weak anymore. I can¡¯t be weak for myself, not for anyone. I have fooled myself this whole time. I have the advantage of a previous lifetime! How could I have allowed myself to accept these circumstances?!¡± Su Qingcheng lamented to herself. ¡°That¡­ that person. I really can¡¯t believe for a second I really wanted to help her. I have been conditioned! This is the symptoms of being conditioned by an abuser! Graaah!¡±

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s rage erupted again, but no one could hear it. Su Ran was already outside¡­

 29 - Biting The Hand Which Feeds

    Su Qingcheng had vented out her inner anger at this point and received some form of new clarity. These months of being kept in captivity had finally been seen by her as what they really were ¨C a cruel experiment by a cruel lady who wanted to artificially create an army of Lightning super soldiers. Su Qingcheng was merely just the successful result of this experiment. Why should she feel grateful for this? She was mad just thinking about how she could have ever thought she actually agreed to this. Yao Meiyue was secretly overjoyed that Su Qingcheng showed signs of being at least capable of battling the inner demon that Lei Zetian had given her. While this was going on, a far more upfront battle was taking place.

    At this point, Lei Zetian had already dismissed Fan Yu, exclaiming that it was too dangerous for her to be around, and it was true. Lei Zetian didn¡¯t mind herself dying at this point if it really got to that point, but she wouldn¡¯t dare to put Fan Yu in the sinking ship with her. She secretly sent a mental message to Fan Yu telling her to escape immediately, and ignore the matter of Su Qingcheng for now. Fan Yu obeyed, immediately using a secret exit to leave the Heaven Thunder Prison without anyone knowing. As for her fate, nobody would know until a very long time in the future.

    Su Ran soon entered the space of the courtyard as her body was enveloped in the purple tribulation thunder that blanketed the prison, looking imposingly down at Lei Zetian as if she were an ant. ¡°You vile beast. You really are something,¡± Su Ran hissed. ¡°You dared to keep my daughter prisoner for four months. Just what kind of things did you even do with her? Give me a reason why I should spare your pathetic life.¡± She growled, as her eyes seemed to grow blue flames out of them but disappeared in a flash. This sight terrified Lei Zetian.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, ma¡¯am. You must be calm. I swear, I didn¡¯t do anything to her.¡±

    Suddenly, a cold voice roared out from an upper level balcony.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t believe I actually agreed to be your soldier,¡± the cold voice rung out. ¡°I had been almost brainwashed by you simply because your ¡®treatment¡¯ made me breakthrough and also control the power of lightning!¡±

    Su Ran recognized this voice ¨C it was, naturally, her daughter! Suddenly, conflicted feelings erupted within her heart. Just what had she gone through? It must have been so terrifying. Now, Su Ran regretted not joining her to go to the White Spirit Competition. If it weren¡¯t for that, she would never have gotten into this situation in the first place. Lei Zetian¡¯s expression became ugly.

    ¡°You! You dare to bite the hand which feeds you?¡± Lei Zetian turned her head up to see Su Qingcheng standing on one of the guard rails of the upper floor balconies, standing in an imposing manner similar to Su Ran. Her entire body was pulsing with purple lightning.

    ¡°Shut up! I am not just some weakling you can order around easily,¡± Su Qingcheng hissed. ¡°I have already absorbed the Lightning Core from your Lightning Wyvern Prince. Do I actually need your help to cultivate lightning power?¡±

    Suddenly, a realization hit Lei Zetian. She already knew that Su Qingcheng had the backing of Yao Meiyue. As Yao Meiyue was a genius that surpassed even the beast freaks of Cloud Nine, she probably had a way to teach Su Qingcheng how to use the lightning power effectively. In a way, Lei Zetian actually lost all the momentum in this exchange. Now that Su Ran was also here, her only fate was death. If she knew that Yao Meiyue was also Su Ran¡¯s former teacher, she would rather just commit suicide on the spot.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Su Ran¡¯s expression brightened when she realized that Su Qingcheng learned a harsh lesson from all of this and seemed to mature an extra layer. Then again, Su Qingcheng was so on-guard against Fan Yu. The only reason why she was bamboozled into accepting Lei Zetian is because, despite everything she did being absolutely despicable, she was very honest and gave Su Qingcheng a false sense of security ¨C in fact, this was simply the behavior of a psycho, and Su Qingcheng had been lulled into it. Even though she had experiences from her past life, this kind of thing was not something that you could simply just dismiss. Especially when your tormentor even went through the trouble of providing ¡®aftercare.¡¯ It was, in a way, an extreme BDSM exercise. Except the consent was totally manufactured. It was not genuine! Feeling used made Su Qingcheng even angrier at the situation.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! With my mother here to fetch me, I¡¯m not afraid of you. Just because you gave me the power to control lightning, I should be your slave? Did you forget that you almost broke my mind with how you tortured me for a whole month straight? Do you think that just because I got my power from a month of torture, I should just cast everything aside?! It took me a while to see the light. But I know it now! You¡¯re a monster to the core!¡±

    Lei Zetian¡¯s face twitched as her expression was unsightly. Su Ran¡¯s expression was also unsightly. She did not know that the reason why Su Qingcheng had gained a power boost was because she gained it by being continuously exposed to energy lightning. Even Su Ran dared only to use natural sources of lightning to temper herself. In fact, this was the entire cause of Su Qingcheng¡¯s accident approximately five years ago! Lightning!

    ¡°Humph. I¡¯ve heard enough,¡± Su Ran growled. ¡°You really are a piece of work. First you capture my daughter, then torture her for a month? Then you made her fight a Lightning Wyvern Prince just to make her eat its core? What the fuck is wrong with you? Really, you¡¯re beyond saving. I should just kill you right now.¡±

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s mouth twitched. She didn¡¯t expect her mother to be so vicious. Lei Zetian¡¯s unsightly face warped into one of terror as she saw flames erupt from both of Su Ran¡¯s hands. Before she could lift a finger, Su Ran had already seemingly teleported in front of Lei Zetian, deftly shoving a hand in a spot on her chest between two rib bones. It sunk through and pierced skin, directly entering the body. Lei Zetian screamed in agonizing pain as the flames of the Ghost Calamity Palm erupted in her body. The pupils in Su Ran¡¯s eyes became flames, and it was a sight that Su Qingcheng would never forget. Lei Zetian¡¯s entire body erupted into a ghastly purple flame, letting out electric sparks as it began to disintegrate. Nothing remained afterwards; Lei Zetian was now no longer a part of the world. Not even her soul remained.

    After this, the lightning that blanketed the prison suddenly disappeared. The prison itself seemed to stop emitting noises. Suddenly, it felt like the sky is falling. Su Ran was already in the air so she felt nothing, but Su Qingcheng on the other hand immediately realized that Lei Zetian was the owner of the Heaven Thunder Prison. Now that she was dead, it lost all of its power and was literally falling from the sky. Danger!

    ¡°Mother!¡± Su Qingcheng cried out as Su Ran quickly scooped her up in her arms and quickly flew away to safety.

    Su Qingcheng looked back at the falling Heaven Thunder Prison with a bitter smile. She would keep the experiences in this place close to her heart as a reminder that true strength was the only thing that mattered. Only with power could you dare to do as you pleased. The challenge would be concluded in five months. Su Qingcheng had five more months to make it to the Tianqi Geomancer stage.

    With the lightning energy, she was confident she could do it.

    She just hoped nothing like this would happen again in the interim.

 30 - Thunder Blossom Cultivation

    Along the way back home, Su Qingcheng had fallen unconscious. Clearly she had gone through a lot and the adrenaline she originally had, ran out. Su Ran quietly took her back home, and it wasn¡¯t long before Su Ran returned safe and sound. Su Yanran had been waiting outside the clan residence the entire time, and looked crestfallen to see Su Qingcheng¡¯s body in Su Ran¡¯s arms. However, Su Ran quickly reassured Su Yanran that she was alright and that she just passed out from exhaustion. After some rest, she would be better. Su Ran decided not to let the matter go too big. Su Qingcheng was placed in her bed where her breathing became regulated and it seemed like she was going to be just fine. Su Yanran was seated on the bedside and kept both her hands on one of Su Qingcheng¡¯s hands.

    ¡°You must be alright¡­ Do this for me,¡± Su Yanran sighed, regretting her inaction back then deep in her heart. ¡°Your older sister was too weak. She broke down before she could do anything to stop her. Forgive me, please forgive me.¡± After a few moments, Su Yanran left the room and allowed Su Qingcheng to rest

    She slept for the whole day since then and only woke up the following morning. She seemed refreshed and invigorated, but deep down inside she was a bit worried. She only had five months left to complete her training, and Yao Meiyue had not said anything this entire time. Su Qingcheng had gone to the courtyard to look for her mother, but she could not find her the entire time. Su Yanran had also mysteriously disappeared. Sighing, Su Qingcheng decided to forget about the matter for the meantime and return to her room and rest a bit more. She could only wait for Yao Meiyue¡¯s good news to develop a way to properly cultivate her lightning energy.

    At that moment¡­

    Su Yanran and Su Ran were both in a secluded part of the Tiger¡¯s Den that was restricted only to Su Ran. The former looked to be in a sour mood.

    ¡°I was worried sick about her.¡±

    ¡°And so was I,¡± Su Ran sighed. ¡°But you have to put aside your feelings for her! Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know how you feel about Qingcheng¡¯er, but it isn¡¯t right.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, mother.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to hold her back at this rate. She will be a master of the elements in the future. She¡¯ll be someone even I can¡¯t compare to. But she can¡¯t be tied down here. Eventually she will have to leave. What will you do then? Will you stalk her like some crazy person?¡±

    Su Yanran¡¯s face became ugly. She folded her arms beneath her sizeable chest and pouted. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Without her in my life¡­¡±

    ¡°Quiet. Don¡¯t tell me you have a mental demon too? Did you know, Qingcheng¡¯er was subjected to lightning torture for a whole month? The only reason why she survived it is because the accident from five years ago already predisposed her body to lightning essence. She should have been fried to death by now! We are fucking blessed that she is still alive. Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t be so selfish!¡± Su Ran scolded Su Yanran loudly.

    It was then that Su Yanran swallowed her words and nodded weakly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even think she¡¯ll even reciprocate that kind of love,¡± Su Ran hummed. ¡°You need to focus on growing up and putting more effort into your Tianqi cultivation. Qingcheng¡¯er¡­ has gone through too much at her age. She is well motivated. You, on the other hand, have doted on her too much. Leave that to me.¡± Su Ran frowned.

    Su Yanran left the room without saying anything.

    In the meantime, Su Qingcheng was impatiently lying down on her bed kicking her legs up and down, when she heard a familiar, always-welcome voice enter her mind. I got it. It took me a long time, but I finally wrote up and designed a divination method for you. I¡¯ll call it Thunder Blossom Cultivation! Yao Meiyue seemed pretty proud about it, and Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t see any reason to argue against it. It was only just a bit over a day, but she already managed to make a method to channel the lightning energy. You already have fully absorbed the lightning core, so now intrinsically, your body is capable of generating electricity. My Nightflower Tianqi is pretty malleable, but you need a proper method to be able to properly fuse lightning with the tianqi to boost its power.

    ¡°I get it, but how do I do this exactly?¡±

    Yao Meiyue imprinted some mental knowledge into Su Qingcheng, whose eyes began to widen like saucers. ¡°So it¡¯s like that?¡±

    Right, it¡¯s really that simple. The idea is to suppress your Tianqi paths and only allow lightning to run through them. Once you begin to circulate pure lightning energy, you can inject the Tianqi into it. Instead of forcibly fusing lightning into Tianqi, we will do the complete opposite. By injecting Tianqi into the pure lightning energy, we will achieve a better result, because lightning is a purer force of nature than the Nightflower Tianqi which is synthesized by man.

    ¡°A new concept?¡±

    I forgot, this is something new to you. The five Tianqi essences are powerful when fused together by a human being, but because they are manmade, their capability to fuse with further sources of nature is drastically decreased. Trying to forcibly expedite this process goes against the heavens, and thus in doing so, you will be subject to a heavenly tribulation. This is fine for you since you¡¯re already practically immune to thunder, but most others will be struck to ash.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°So it¡¯s like that.¡± Su Qingcheng nodded; this was the equivalent of playing God. The heavens didn¡¯t appreciate that, so you¡¯d be punished. ¡°However, if we do it the other way around, it would be the same as paying tribute to the heavenly nature of thunder!¡±

    Exactly. Now, you need to go do some closed door cultivation. I predict that by the time you finish, you will be able to charge through to the final rank of the Tianqi User stratum! Su Qingcheng was startled when Yao Meiyue declared this, but suddenly it made sense. Ever since her body had undergone serious tempering, her Tianqi paths had grown stronger and became more akin to actual magical circuitry in previous stories. Su Qingcheng excitedly ran to her private training room to begin her closed door training after informing the attendants there that she would spend a whole month without leaving.

    Though they were startled, they already could sense that in the mere span of eight months since the challenge declaration, Su Qingcheng had risen two ranks and was about to advance a third. This was already monstrous. Furthermore, they could sense a firm will and determination in her eyes, not to mention the strange sparks of purple lightning they could spot in her pupils. This scared them immensely and they knew deep in their hearts that Su Qingcheng was no longer the trash they once knew. She must have gone through hell when she was captured.

    Su Qingcheng, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care about any of this and focused wholeheartedly on her cultivation. Su Qingcheng sat cross-legged in the center of the room and shut her eyes, placing her hands in front of her, making her appear like she was a monk in deep meditation. She carefully suppressed the Nightflower Tianqi in her body and began to churn her inner energy, drawing from the power of the lightning core she had absorbed a while back. After a while, lightning began to course through her veins and Tianqi paths, which could no longer be just ¡®paths¡¯ but a circuit of wires concurrent to her nerves.

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s body grew hot, as she was forcibly overloading herself with electricity ¨C this was the idea behind ¡®Thunder Blossom Cultivation,¡¯ one would forcibly overload themselves with pure lightning as if they were genetically modifying a plant, and it would blossom at the climax into a beautiful and bizarre flower! Su Qingcheng gritted her teeth, bearing through the pain as she continued to channel the electricity. Time quickly passed by while this happened¡­

    After a week, Su Qingcheng showed no signs of advancement. However, her body was no longer smoking from the intense electrical charges in her body. Currently, she was slowly injecting the Nightflower Tianqi into the pure electric energy in her body. She was doing this very slowly and sending fine strands of it gradually into the electrical currents, causing incredible pain. However, how could this pain be compared to the electric torture from the Heaven Thunder Prison? She continued to soldier through the pain, grunting and inwardly cursing to herself that this was incredibly harsh training. However, all Yao Meiyue did was to quietly encourage her and tell her that the pain would be worth it.

    Another week later, Su Qingcheng finally showed signs of calming down. Over these past two weeks, Su Qingcheng had painstakingly refined the electrical energy in her body before fusing the Nightflower Tianqi into it, finally beginning to see the fruits of her labour, she could feel the energy in her body being something that was uniquely her¡¯s. However, Su Qingcheng was very careful to listen to Yao Meiyue¡¯s instruction and spend extra time to stabilize it by letting the energy run wild in her body for a while. She kept her eyes closed and her position grounded as she let sparks of electricity get shot out from her body. Each bolt of electricity caused char marks and singe spots to explode out where it impacted the room.

    After a day of discharge, the training room looked very messy. However, Su Qingcheng opened her eyes and smiled. Her eyes had changed color from brown to a very pale purple, signifying that she had lightning energy inside her body. She looked at her hands which had become very red from her weeks of internal cultivation. Standing up, she stretched out and loosened her limbs as she didn¡¯t even realize she was in that same seated position for so long. She casually walked out of the training room and left it, seeking to bathe and wash up.

    When the attendants peeked into their room, they were shocked to see that despite Su Qingcheng looking a bit dirty, the room was in a very sorry state, looking like it had been destroyed by heavenly thunder tribulation. Yet, Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t look like she was hurt too much. This was too strange.

    At that moment¡­

    Xiao Tie had fully recovered up to now and had heard all the news about Su Qingcheng¡¯s kidnapping. However, he learned that she had returned and had become incredibly powerful. He inwardly hoped she would be killed off, but then recalled that her mother was an insane existence that could have been a God if she chose not to abandon that path. He sighed as he sat on a bench in the courtyard of his own residence. However, he felt that something was amiss.

    ¡°Show yourself, intruder!¡± Xiao Tie yelled out hoarsely. Ever since Su Qingcheng beat him up, he had taken his training more seriously. He had broken through to the third rank of the Geomancer stratum after he had recovered from his injuries after painstaking training and purchasing elixirs.

    A totally robed figure was hiding behind a pillar and was shocked to hear that Xiao Tie knew it was there. It spoke with a voice that made it difficult to identify whether the interloper was male or female. ¡°Xiao Tie, you want to know if you can get even with Su Qingcheng, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Eh? What, just tell me, who are you?¡± Xiao Tie was shocked, but felt this could be another bait or scheme set out for him. He tried to probe the stranger¡¯s capabilities, but was shocked to find he could not.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. All I can say is that in your current state, you can¡¯t even hope to beat her right now. She is about to break into the fifth rank of the Tianqi User. Once she becomes a Geomancer, she can annihilate you as easily as swatting a fly. But if you study under me, I can help you become strong.¡±

    ¡°I want to become strong, but you need to tell me what or who you are first.¡±

    ¡°Two words ¨C Demon Flame.¡±

    ¡°D, demon flame¡­¡± Xiao Tie recognized something before laughing. ¡°Yes, yes. Very well, I would like to get even with that bitch, so I will happily take you as my master.¡±

    ¡°Very good. I feel like we will get along quite nicely, disciple Xiao Tie.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Master, for giving me this fortuitous opportunity. I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    As Su Qingcheng was going to the bathing rooms, she suddenly froze in place and shuddered. ¡°I felt something terribly wrong¡­ Was it just my imagination?¡± After she regained her composure, she shrugged and continued on her way.

 31 - Irreconcilable Enmity From A Single Sect

    After another week, Su Qingcheng had successfully broken through to the fifth and final rank of the Tianqi User stage. This left her with a couple of months left to break through to become a Tianqi Geomancer, however Yao Meiyue hurriedly reminded her that this was definitely not a simple matter. Typically speaking, the bottleneck and hardest breakthrough points were usually the gaps between the fifth rank of a stratum and the first rank of the next stratum going up. For example, it was many times harder for someone of the User fifth rank to become a Geomancer first rank, than it was for a Geomancer first rank to upgrade to the second rank. However, Su Qingcheng was not deterred. In combination with the myriad of regular cultivation techniques from the Nightflower Tome and the Nightblossom Method, she also had the Thunder Blossom Cultivation which was designed by Yao Meiyue herself, a heaven-defying genius who could have been a god! With these resources available to her, Su Qingcheng was confident that she could break through in the remaining three months left to the end of the agreement.

    However, Su Qingcheng could not help but shake off the foreboding feeling that something big was going to erupt come the end of the agreement. Unfortunately for her, this would eventually come true. Xiao Tie himself had also acquired a master who had forced him to conceal this matter from the rest of the clan. Xiao Tie, being something of a scheming viper, was an expert at this, and his temperament matched that of his teacher quite well, so they got along very nicely. His master was a member of the Demon Flame Sect, an infamous underground sect that was once infamous for being an assassin¡¯s guild, but slowly faded to obscurity because they were hunted down by a certain individual. Actually, this individual was none other than Su Ran, who had gone rampant because in her youth, a member of the Demon Flame Sect had killed one of her best friends in a crime of passion. As a result, Su Ran swore a vow of vengeance and took down the entire sect¡­ At least, the sect that was in public view.

    She had no idea that she did not actually manage to eliminate the problem at its roots. Therefore, the Demon Flame Sect was able to rise up again and maintain a low profile. Naturally, Xiao Tie was not an idiot, and he was well-read on these underground matters as he was a guy who often dealt in these shady businesses, usually behind the back of his clan. It had to be said that this Xiao Tie fella was truly despicable and the ¡°black sheep¡± of his clan. Due to his lecherous and selfish nature, he only was kept around due to his immense talent which for the most part he actually squandered, until he was beaten senseless by Su Qingcheng shortly before the start of the White Spirit Competition. Since then, an irreconcilable enmity had formed between the two of them. Therefore, he ditched any pretense of conquering her sexually. He wanted to murder her and torture her. This fella from the Demon Flame Sect clan clearly knew this. After some research, he discovered that the Su Qingcheng girl was the treasured daughter of Su Ran, which murdered many of his sect brothers and sisters in cold blood. How could he not want to take revenge also? Since he himself was too weak to take on Su Ran by himself, he would instead impart his knowledge to Xiao Tie, borrowing a sword to do the damage. It also helped that Xiao Tie had this enmity with her, allowing him to be further motivated. In a way, Xiao Tie was the perfect guy to be his disciple, even if he wasn¡¯t a former member of the Demon Flame Sect.

    ¡°Master Huan,¡± Xiao Tie kowtowed towards his master. They were in a secret room which was surprisingly created by Xiao Tie himself as he had in his spare time spared the effort to study arrays and construction. If Su Qingcheng knew this, she would really consider Xiao Tie to be a comic villain and mock him for it instead. However, in the eyes of normal people, he could be considered a truly talented snake. ¡°I am really impressed by the methods of the Demon Flame Sect. It¡¯s really my good fortune to be your student.¡±

    Xiao Tie¡¯s master from the Demon Flame Sect was named Huan Tao. Huan Tao¡¯s strength was at the peak of the Tianqi Sage stage, which was why he knew he could not stand up to Su Ran alone. However, he believed he could deal a big blow to her if he could kill Su Qingcheng instead, but he wasn¡¯t a fool ¨C he believed if he showed up himself, he would be killed by Su Ran on the spot. Therefore, the best way to do things was to nurture Xiao Tie and boost his power to the point where he could just overwhelm Su Qingcheng by pure realm difference.

    ¡°You are too humble, this young disciple has a great talent too, much better than your brothers and sisters. It¡¯s just a shame you wasted it on women,¡± Huan Tao joked. The Xiao Tie of the past would have been pissed, but the Xiao Tie of now finally realized that he had wasted his time before. Though he still treated women the same way, he was no longer as frivolous with them. Huan Tao had imparted an incredibly important lesson onto him ¨C it was wise to direct anger towards problems, and not people, and it was also just as wise to focus energy on answers and not excuses. Xiao Tie was a smart fella who easily knew the meaning behind these words. He knew the only way to counter Su Qingcheng was to neutralize her abnormal Tianqi. He also knew that Su Qingcheng had acquired the power of lightning due to the intelligence given to him by Huan Tao.

    ¡°This is not an easy matter. From your description, it seems Su Qingcheng is cultivating in the same Nightflower Method as her mother. Your pal Madame Lu is not an insignificant figure that I don¡¯t know of, she holds a high position in the Snake Empress¡¯ tower after all, so her report to you shouldn¡¯t be false.¡± Huan Tao stroked his long white beard in deep thought. ¡°The Demon Flame Mystery Palm I taught you can dissipate some of its energy on contact, but assuming Su Qingcheng reaches the Geomancer rank, she can still overwhelm it. However, I know for sure that Nightflower Tianqi¡¯s corrosive property is limited by the Tianqi cultivation of the user. Therefore, you need to hurry up and reach the Tianqi Prince level.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still three ranks away from reaching this level, Master.¡± Xiao Tie seemed dejected, but a flame seemed to rise up in his eyes. As he already practiced a flame and earth oriented Tianqi technique in the first place, adapting to the Demon Flame method was as easy as pie for him. ¡°Does Master have any pointers on speeding this up?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, your teacher is not some simple old fart,¡± Huan Tao laughed. ¡°However, this Demonic Blood Boiling method is not simple. It is incredibly painful, and only the most talented in flame Tianqi control can use it easily to rise up starting from the Geomancer stage. Fortunately, you have the luck of having me, its inventor, as a teacher!¡±

    ¡°You created the legendary Demonic Blood Boiling method?!¡± Xiao Tie was startled, but felt true joy in his heart. Despite his frivolous personality, he still took the effort to learn some things about underground sects that could help boost his power since the incident when he was trashed by Su Qingcheng. In a way, that moment was pivotal to his own growth and maturity. It was a shame that he was still so villainous, otherwise he could have become an outstanding member of the cultivation world.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    The Demonic Blood Boiling method was a Tianqi cultivation method that involved forcibly using the Demon Flame to convert the life force in one¡¯s blood to Tianqi. Life force tianqi was incredibly potent and allowed someone to artificially boost their strength by fusing it with nature. Though his consumed life force at an astonishing rate, the method had ways to mitigate this loss by using a modified Demon Flame Tianqi to convert the life force into strands. This was very similar to the method Su Qingcheng used to improve her control of Tianqi. The strands of life force had the same potency as the regular Demonic Blood Boiling method, but it consumed less blood, making it much safer. However, the degree of difficulty was also much higher.

    Xiao Tie was blessed to have the creator of such a demonic method as a teacher, so it was a surprisingly short time before he quickly learned and managed to use this technique. Huan Tao couldn¡¯t help but admire his genius, realizing that his sharp eyes did not deceive him. Xiao Tie would certainly be a top class genius of his Demon Flame Sect. However, this was under the condition that he still lived after his agreement with Su Qingcheng was up. Knowing Xiao Tie¡¯s personality, Huan Tao knew he would probably be impulsive and challenge her to a life and death battle. Huan Tao could be considered a grand elder type of person, so he was naturally very well-versed in the workings of the real world. He could easily tell from Xiao Tie¡¯s personality and eagerness to work under him that he was desperate for power so he could wash away the humiliation that clouded his heart.

    Without slaughtering Su Qingcheng with his two bare hands, Xiao Tie could never forgive himself.

    That moment¡­

    Su Qingcheng was seated at the main clan gathering table. No one else was in this grand hall aside from her and Su Ran. Su Ran looked at Su Qingcheng with a discerning eye and realized that her daughter had reached the fifth rank of Tianqi User in just seven months. On top of this, her tianqi was now more overwhelming and with her immense Emperor-level spiritual sense, knew that Su Qingcheng was continuously letting electricity course through her veins.

    ¡°My daughter, do you know why I called you here?¡± Su Ran smiled faintly.

    ¡°No, mother, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Su Qingcheng sighed and hung her head low. She felt she would be reprimanded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I saw how determined you were, standing up to a Tianqi Emperor like that¡­ I was truly moved. You¡¯ve gone through too much hardships in just these few months. I feel you should know some things.¡±

    Su Qingcheng was startled. Was Su Ran going to personally talk to her about her past? This was something she was really excited about. If Su Ran could really corroborate Yao Meiyue and Fang Li¡¯s experiences, then that could help Su Qingcheng not only broaden her horizons, but also learn more about her mysterious mother and teacher.

    ¡°Sigh¡­ Master, stop hiding.¡± Su Ran sighed as she looked at the necklace hidden underneath Su Qingcheng¡¯s clothes. With a soft sound, Yao Meiyue¡¯s body materialized next to Su Qingcheng as she looked with plain expression back at Su Ran. You abandoned the path of godhood because of me. I feel like I owe it to you to help your daughter to do the same. Yao Meiyue spoke clearly.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Su Qingcheng was shocked.

    ¡°Master is correct¡­ I¡­ I had a lot of respect for Master. I had a fortuitous encounter with her while I was roaming the Liandou Continent. For me, it was a form of experiential learning. However, when I encountered her, I knew she was not simple. When I found out she was the Sect Leader of Night Lily Sect, I desperately wanted to be her disciple, since I knew the ferocious power of her Tianqi. I only convinced her to take me in because, on top of my Quad-Essence ability, I also knew the Ghost Calamity Palm which I used to defeat her in a spar.¡±

    Disciple Ran was truly a heaven-defying power¡­ She could have been a true God, but¡­ She managed to offend someone from the Lower Realm. As you know, Qingcheng¡¯er, the Upper Realm is called Cloud Nine, a paradise for magical beasts. The Lower Realm, on the other hand, is called the Infernal Lands, a paradise for the dead and banished folks. Yao Meiyue hurriedly explained.

    ¡°One of my best friends was killed by someone in the Demon Flame Sect. In a fit of fury, I enacted personal vengeance on their sect¡­ But how was I supposed to know that the Demon Flame Sect¡¯s Ancestral Lord was an Infernal Tianqi God?¡±

    Demon Flame Sect¡­ Su Qingcheng kept this in mind. She would read up on the Demon Flame Sect later. For now, she patiently listened to the story shared by former teacher and disciple.

    ¡°The Demon Flame Sect¡¯s Ancestral Lord is a terrifying existence that even can withstand my Ghost Calamity Palm, he has a real name that nobody except him knows, so we call him the Netherworld Shura.¡±

    Netherworld Shura deliberately suppressed his power to the peak Tianqi Emperor stratum just so he could materialize in the Liandou Continent. He knew already that Su Ran was behind the slaughter of his sect on the continent, so he attempted to get revenge on her by killing her. I couldn¡¯t let that happen, so I self-destructed my physical body to destroy a massive chunk of his cultivation. It didn¡¯t kill that old fogey who won¡¯t die, but he¡¯s definitely still recovering in the Infernal Lands and it won¡¯t be that long before he recovers his full strength.

    ¡°I felt incredibly guilty for implicating my Master. I couldn¡¯t focus on wantonly killing anymore, and after seeing Master self-destruct like that¡­ I realized that I fucked up in life. I used one of my life-saving treasures, the necklace you¡¯re wearing now, as a spiritual medium so that Yao Meiyue¡¯s soul could still be preserved. She¡¯s teaching you now and taken you in as a disciple, so I hope you mature earlier and don¡¯t grow up to become like me.¡± Su Ran sighed, and looked as if she¡¯d grown older by a bit.

    If Su Ran knew that Xiao Tie, that villainous snake, had taken in a teacher from the Demon Flame Sect, she would probably raze the Xiao clan to the ground. ¡°If it¡¯s not too much to ask, please listen to Master. It would be in our best interest if one of your ultimate goals was to refine a body for Yao Meiyue to possess.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, mother, I will definitely help in this task. Master Meiyue was the reason behind the recovery of my Tianqi paths by creating the Phoenix Rainbow Elixir. Without her, I would still be a piece of trash. Furthermore, she created a cultivation method for me to use this elemental energy of Thunder. I imagine she has the genius to help me with anything. How could I not be indebted to her?¡± Su Qingcheng spoke with a resolute will that made Yao Meiyue look at the kid in an even better light.

    Your kid is truly an outstanding girl. Definitely the most talented of your three kids. Yao Meiyue laughed. However, we must not let this matter leak to anyone. Qingcheng¡¯er has already had really bad feelings recently. We must be on alert. I trust her judgment.

    ¡°En, you are right. Pretend this talk never happened. Right. Aside from this matter, I believe it¡¯s time for you to make preparations to enter the Bailing Empire¡¯s Tianqi Ranking Board.¡±

    ¡°Huh? The Tianqi Ranking Board?¡± Su Qingcheng asked plainly.

 32 - The Tianqi Ranking Board Full Of Experts

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I know about this Tianqi Ranking Board; such an important sounding thing should definitely be recorded in books or tomes, right?¡± Su Qingcheng was confused, in her whole life she didn¡¯t hear about this thing, nor did she even see it.

    ¡°Aii. Well, it¡¯s understandable. It shames me a bit to say, but the Tianqi Ranking Board is actually something managed by underground existences. Therefore, it won¡¯t be something easily recorded in a library.¡± Su Ran explained, frowning a bit. ¡°However, entering the ranking board offers you exceptional perks and also gives you the privilege of asking for extra protection. You should know, that the Tianqi Ranking Board is split into three categories, the Man Rankings, the Earth Rankings and the Heaven Rankings. They are categorized based on a user¡¯s Tianqi cultivation stratum. So the Man rankings would consist of people between regular users and Princes, the Earth rankings would be between Lords and Sages, while the Heaven rankings would consist only of Emperors.¡±

    ¡°What about Tianqi Gods then?¡±

    ¡°Tianqi Gods can¡¯t materialize in the Liandou Continent without suppressing their strength to the peak Emperor stratum, if they were to do so, the will of the Universe itself would prevent it from happening and they would immediately explode¡­¡± Su Ran poked her own nose, as if recalling the memory of Yao Meiyue sacrificing herself to save her.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡±

    ¡°As I see it now, you are capable enough to enter the lower rungs of the Man ranking boards, but to enter it itself is not a simple task. There are still a couple of months before your engagement with Xiao Tie. Now, I already know how you beat him up so bad he was bedridden for a few months. That fella, he¡¯s easily more vicious than those kind-hearted elders. He probably forgot about marrying you and wants to get revenge in a more violent manner.¡±

    Su Qingcheng immediately understood this; she knew that Xiao Tie was a total snake and after suffering so much without dying, he would have a blood feud with Su Qingcheng herself. She didn¡¯t want to implicate the Xiao clan at all, but hearing it from Su Ran, who was incredibly experienced by now, Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t doubt this advice.

    ¡°May I ask if Mother is on this ranking?¡±

    Su Ran frowned, but laughed sheepishly after a few moments of awkward silence. ¡°For a few years I was actually number one on the Heaven ranking boards of the Bailing Empire. However, if you were to put me on the Heaven ranking boards of the entire continent, I would probably be in the middle of the top 10. There aren¡¯t many things that can withstand my Ghost Calamity Palm. Countless years of meaningless killing has allowed me to perfect this slaughtering art to a degree that makes me disappointed in myself¡­¡±

    Su Qingcheng could sense the immense regret in Su Ran¡¯s voice. Suddenly, she realized that a lot of the reasons why she could have such good fortune when facing other people was because Su Ran was indeed a fearsome existence that very few people would dare to offend. Even if she had abandoned this path after Yao Meiyue¡¯s sacrifice, she had already practiced her killing art to a stage that allowed her to effortlessly extinguish a weaker Tianqi Emperor¡¯s life in a single strike. Once again, Su Qingcheng felt her mother being incredibly hard to see through.

    ¡°That Snake Empress, that old lady who won¡¯t die, coveted this art. She also wanted me to pass it on to you¡­¡±

    ¡°Fang Li¡­¡± Su Qingcheng groaned. ¡°Obviously, she had designs on this move, and wanted to get it off me instead.¡±

    ¡°Too astute, this kid¡­ You really put some of the older generation to shame.¡± Su Ran could only laugh helplessly. This kid was about to turn fifteen, yet she had the disposition and craftiness of an adult who had lived many years. ¡°Haha. After the incident at the Heaven Thunder Prison, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll pursue this matter anymore. I already threatened to kill her where she stood even with the need to maintain the Tower¡¯s status quo.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too domineering.¡± Su Qingcheng also laughed. ¡°So, how do I enter this Ranking Board?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple matter. First, you need to qualify for it. You, you follow me. We¡¯ll take a trip to the Tang Gu Market. The path is hidden, so only rankers can see it at first. Once you qualify, you¡¯ll be able to easily find it.¡± Su Ran explained. Su Qingcheng followed her, idly wondering about Su Yanran. This entire time, Su Yanran had entered a closed door training session. Long Po Tian, a figure who hadn¡¯t appeared to teach Su Yanran in an absurdly long time, finally appeared. His radiant aura was incredibly overbearing. It should be said that he was an Emperor that could probably keep Su Ran on her toes if she didn¡¯t use Ghost Calamity Palm, therefore he was a very capable teacher for Su Yanran. His disposition was sagely, and despite his youthful, feminine appearance, he was courageous and adhered to today¡¯s standards of manliness. In fact, his girly appearance was the only reason why Su Yanran even acknowledged him as a teacher.

    ¡°Disciple Yanran, I am very concerned about you. This weight that lingers on your heart is hindering you. Your ability is not inferior to your younger sister. However, compared to you, she has been working incredibly hard and is very motivated. I already know about the matter of the Dragon Hoard Ring you have given to her. In fact, I know she¡¯s barely used it. Even if she wanted to, she currently has no magic tools or treasures to put in it.¡± Long Po Tian sighed. As he was the person who made the ring, naturally he would imprint a divine sense on it to be able to track it. ¡°You have to realize that right now, Su Qingcheng doesn¡¯t have the time to reciprocate your affections. You must focus on the Way.¡±

    Su Yanran sighed as she sat cross-legged on the floor. Long Po Tian stood in front of her, looking down at her with an incredibly worried expression. Su Yanran opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Teacher, this disciple has been just a trash as of late. After the incident with my sister being kidnapped, even if she¡¯s back safe and sound, even stronger than before, I feel¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand. It is normal to feel inferior. However, you must use this opportunity to temper your mind, and to treat this affair as a point to become stronger. Look at your sister. She was tortured by the lightning of a level seven Heaven Thunder Lion¡¯s core,¡± Long Po Tian sighed. His origins were mysterious, but from his tone, he definitely did not come from Liandou Continent. He could immediately discern the type of lightning seed that was planted into Su Qingcheng, despite him not seemingly ever come into contact with her. ¡°And look. She¡¯s with your mother, attempting to qualify to enter the Tianqi Ranking Boards. What about you? You are disappointing me, moping about here¡­¡±

    Su Yanran clenched her fists. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. I have been blind¡­ If I want to protect Qingcheng¡¯er, I must become strong. I don¡¯t want to be a burden to her! I must stay by her side¡­ I can¡¯t fall behind!¡±

    ¡°Yes. That is the spirit. Now¡­ Clear your mind, and follow my instructions¡­¡±

    That moment¡­

    Su Ran took Su Qingcheng to Doctor Lin Qian, that friendly apothecary. His office was pretty plain and simple. Lin Qian himself was seated on a stone chair next to a conspicuous potted plant. ¡°Oh. Ghost Queen. What can I do for you? Why¡¯d you bring your kid?¡± Lin Qian¡¯s disposition changed to a sly one when he saw Su Ran.

    ¡°Huh? Ghost Queen?¡± Su Qingcheng was startled. ¡°Doctor Qian?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Lin Qian immediately figured out the reason for Su Ran¡¯s arrival. ¡°I see, I see. You¡¯re going to have Little Miss Qingcheng enter the ranking boards? Good, very good¡­¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Su Ran sighed. ¡°Hahaha. Cut the crap. I know we¡¯re friends, but you don¡¯t have to talk shit like that about my girl.¡± She laughed, causing Lin Qian to helplessly throw his hands up in resignation as the potted plant suddenly disappeared into thin air, revealing a hole that had a ladder going down.

    ¡°A concealment formation,¡± Su Qingcheng was shocked. ¡°Doctor Lin Qian, you are¡­?¡±

    ¡°Doctor Lin Qian, Doctor of Demonsbane, ranked sixth on Bailing Empire¡¯s Heaven Tianqi Ranking Board, Administrator of the Tang Gu Branch, at your service.¡± Lin Qian grinned as he introduced himself properly. ¡°Friend, I wish you luck. The qualification to enter the Man Ranking Boards isn¡¯t so simple. As administrator and your family¡¯s doc, let me offer a piece of advice. You should abuse the hell out of that lightning power.¡± He smiled maliciously, showing a sign of him that even Su Ran had never seen before.

    ¡°When has our family¡¯s doctor been so freaking overbearing?¡± Su Qingcheng was amazed as Su Ran shook her head and gestured for the kid to start descending the ladder. Su Ran followed suit.

    ¡°That Doctor Lin Qian is an eccentric. He is an incredibly capable apothecary, rivalling many of the continent¡¯s geniuses, but he is a cultivation freak that deliberately keeps a low profile. He is close to the peak of a Tianqi Emperor, and he specializes in a type of flame called Divine Flame,¡± Su Ran explained as they were climbing down the ladder. ¡°One of the ten relic-class natural treasures of the continent is called the Prismatic Divine Lotus Flame, and is in no way inferior to the Night Lily Foxfire which Master had obtained¡­ That old fart, Lin Qian, actually refined it into his soul!!¡± Su Ran gasped out.

    ¡°So domineering?!¡± Su Qingcheng felt her pupils involuntarily constrict. Her family¡¯s doctor was actually this powerful?

    ¡°Thanks to this Prismatic Divine Lotus Flame, he became one of the premier experts in elixir and pill refining. However, he never enjoyed the fame from being an apothecary, so he deliberately faked disappearing and hid here in Tang Gu City. As for how he qualified for the continent¡¯s ranking boards, even I don¡¯t know that. That¡¯s not a story he likes to talk about. However, his power can¡¯t be underestimated. I can only beat his Prismatic Divine Lotus Flame by directly using a Nightflower Tianqi infused Ghost Calamity Palm to directly corrode the flame. Otherwise, he could burn through my skin!¡±

    ¡°Scary!¡±

    ¡°He became our family doctor because of me.¡± Su Ran laughed.

    ¡°You¡¯re even scarier!¡± Su Qingcheng gasped. She didn¡¯t even want to know.

    Eventually, after what seemed like eternity, the pair of them arrived at a majestic den of veritable cultivators. It was just one giant cavernous chamber with three big tablets in the center. It seemed to be powered by a formation that allowed it to display words¡­ It was much like an LED from Earth. Su Qingcheng was amazed at this sight. She also spotted an arena-like pit in the distance.

    ¡°It should be known that you have to adopt a nickname for yourself when you enter the ranking boards. That is why Lin Qian addressed me by my nickname, the Netherworld Ghost Queen. My clash with the Demon Flame Sect has earned me this nickname¡­¡± Su Ran sighed, recalling her memories once again.

    ¡°I see.¡± Su Qingcheng went to the Tianqi Ranking Boards, and on the Heaven Board, she indeed saw the Netherworld Ghost Queen¡¯s name, but she was ranked Number 2. The person in first place was a fellow only known as Void King. ¡°Who is this Void King fella?¡± Su Qingcheng tugged on Su Ran¡¯s clothing like a child in a new place.

    ¡°Void King dethroned my position after he challenged me to a duel. But this was many years after my prime, and I unexpectedly lost since I didn¡¯t use my Ghost Calamity Flame. At that point, I lost my killer instincts and am nowhere as powerful as I once was.¡± Su Ran explained, sounding a bit disappointed. Su Ran inhaled a sharp breath. If she was weaker than her prime now, didn¡¯t that mean she was an unparalleled existence in the past? Yao Meiyue was really not kidding around when she said Su Ran could have become a god, but chose not to.

    ¡°I never found out the Void King¡¯s real name, I only know that he¡¯s a member of the Bailing Empire¡¯s Imperial Family. As for whether he¡¯s a grand elder type of figure, I¡¯m not too sure about this either. But I do know¡­ He¡¯s not a bad person. He seemed to challenge me with the intent of not just proving his strength, but actually testing it. He never spoke to me arrogantly, and his last words to me after defeating me were telling me that if he had challenged me a few years earlier, I would have killed him in a single strike.¡±

    Su Ran looked down at the ground. ¡°Mom¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, because he was right. I respected his insights; if he challenged me when I was still in my prime, before that whole mess with the Netherworld Shura, he would just be a stray dog. But he probably didn¡¯t have the qualifications to even challenge me back then¡­¡± Su Ran laughed. ¡°Come on. I don¡¯t like talking about this, your old ma really doesn¡¯t like bringing up these sad memories. Let¡¯s go register you.¡±

    The two of them went to a conspicuous counter near the giant tablets in the center of the cavern. A friendly-looking woman wearing glasses waved excitedly when she saw Su Ran holding Su Qingcheng¡¯s hand moving over.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey!¡± the bespectacled woman who was at the counter kept waving and ushering Su Ran over. ¡°You brought your kid over? She¡¯s cute! Don¡¯t tell me you plan on having her qualify for the Man rankings?¡±

    ¡°Jeez, does everyone know about this matter?¡± Su Ran groaned. ¡°Aii. Rideword¡­¡±

    The girl only known as Rideword giggled. ¡°Ghost Queen, this matter spread through the Bailing Empire like wildfire, let alone the continent. The Heaven Thunder Prison was something that came from Cloud Nine, yet you killed its owner in a single strike to rescue your daughter. How noble! The underground gets its news pretty fast, so most of us here already know this kid has a unique thunder power. We want to see it too.¡±

    Su Qingcheng furrowed her brows and realized now why Lin Qian told her to abuse her lightning power. It wasn¡¯t only because it could be very useful, but it was also to give a nice show to those here. Controlling lightning without an external source was not a small matter. It must be emphasized that the only normal way to do it without a lightning core was to channel it from a natural thunder source. Yet, Su Qingcheng could easily manipulate it without the need to draw energy from a natural source. Deep down inside though she knew she could do it because of the combination of the lightning seeds forcefully planted in her being activated by the absorption of the Lightning Wyvern Prince¡¯s core.

    ¡°Yeah, fine, Rideword, help me register my kid¡­¡± Su Ran sighed in resignation. Rideword looked like a timid, but cheerful little girl, but being here in such a position of administration meant she was probably like Doctor Lin Qian, a girl who kept a low profile but had a terrifying power. Therefore, Su Qingcheng dared not to do anything offensive.

    ¡°Haha. Not a problem. We are good friends after all, right?¡± she smiled, taking out a stone tablet. ¡°Hey, kiddo, you got a nice fortune. It¡¯ll be nice to see you take the qualifying test, but first you have to give yourself a nickname.¡±

    ¡°A nickname, huh¡­¡± Su Qingcheng stood on the spot for a few moments. ¡°Dark Lily.¡± She suddenly spouted out.

    ¡°Cute¡­¡± Rideword giggled as she used her fingers to easily carve out the words for Su Qingcheng¡¯s nickname. ¡°Okay¡­ Dark Lily. You¡¯ll need to go to the qualifying stage. I¡¯ll make the announcement.¡± Rideword smiled sweetly as she pointed to the arena-like pit Su Qingcheng saw earlier.

    Rideword¡¯s expression suddenly became hellishly fierce as her expression contorted into an unexpectedly savage one. Her toothy smile became incredibly scary that Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t help but back away. Su Ran, naturally, just smiled and stood there. ¡°Yooooo!! Boys and girls! Mad Bookworm Rideword announcing a new challenger is arriving! Make a round of applause for our ranking hopeful, Dark Lily, as she tries to qualify for the Man Ranking boards!¡±

    Su Qingcheng was thoroughly scared and before Su Ran could react, she had already dashed to the arena pit. She was shivering but quickly calmed down after she ran away from Rideword, who looked like a beast in human form. Su Ran helplessly sighed once Rideword finished her announcement and her look instantly shifted back to her usual self. ¡°Huh? That Dark Lily kid already rushed to the platform?¡±

    ¡°You scared her.¡± Su Ran laughed.

    ¡°Hahaha. First timers are always scared of my Sonic Wolf Scream technique,¡± Rideword giggled. ¡°She¡¯ll get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s been through worse.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. Anyway, you going to go watch?¡±

    ¡°No. I have business to take care of.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. Well, you¡¯ll know if your kid qualifies, right?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ll know.¡±

    ¡°Well, see ya around.¡± Rideword helplessly waved Su Ran goodbye as the latter quietly left the caverns.

    Back in the arena pit, Su Qingcheng stood in the center, and saw countless experts flooding in and sitting around her. It felt like she was a gladiator in Roman times, waiting to face a terrifying beast of an opponent. The iron gate which barred a huge entrance further reinforced this notion. Su Qingcheng sighed as she faced it with a determined expression. ¡°I must qualify.¡± She inwardly muttered to herself. The Tianqi Ranking Board isn¡¯t simple, you must not underestimate this challenge. Do your best. I won¡¯t be able to guide you much under the gaze of so many experts¡­

    ¡°Got it, Master. I¡¯ll test out this new strength of mine¡­!¡±

 33 - Ferocious Qualifying Battle Against Rank 100

    Su Qingcheng stood in the middle of the arena patiently, attempting to make the most domineering Night Lily Stance that she could. She awaited the appearance of the enemy, but she relaxed herself when she heard a voice coming from the stands. She looked up and saw a small pavilion nestled between some of the bleachers. In it she saw a heavily cloaked figure and realized that this figure was definitely a top class expert in the ranking boards. She looked up and tried not to let her heart waver too much. The experts watching from the stands seemed interested in this kid who looked like she needed more time with her mommy, but when they would realize her mother was actually Netherworld Ghost Queen, they would most likely tremble in fear. Unfortunately, the guest in the pavilion seemed to know a lot.

    ¡°Friends. Ladies and gentlemen,¡± the figure¡¯s voice was strong, powerful, and most of all it was eerily calm. He did not dare to rouse the audience¡¯s excitement. ¡°Today is a very interesting day for us all. For the first time in 50 years, we have a qualifying challenger who is under 16 years of age. Even better. You should know that this girl in the arena is the daughter of the Netherworld Ghost Queen!¡±

    When the figure made this earth-shattering announcement, the crowd went into an uproar anyway. However as soon as he opened his mouth to speak again, the noise instantly was dispersed. ¡°Silence! I was not done speaking yet. So you know, Dark Lily has come with the intention to join our ranks. Therefore, our qualifying test will be slightly different. We have never had this incident where a child like this abnormal monster has appeared. So our triple threat qualifying protocol will not be followed. We will immediately pit her against number 100 on the Man ranking board. If Dark Lily wins, she will replace this fella.¡±

    The crowd roared in excitement again as the iron gate opened up. Su Qingcheng stared into the blackness of the entrance as if she were staring at an endless abyss. Soon, a tall, lithe figure emerged from it. It was a man with long hair, but his expression was ferocious and he looked to be in his late twenties. Though his expression was fierce, his aura was deathly calm, and Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t help but be a bit nervous about it. His eyes had a mixture of sympathy, pity and killing intent all rolled up into one. Even though he was the bottom ranked member of the Man Rankings, this fella was still a top-tier existence or he wouldn¡¯t even be here. From his aura, Su Qingcheng guesstimated that his level was at the low Tianqi Prince stratum. Still, she stepped up to the challenge.

    ¡°Man of few words?¡± Su Qingcheng asked as she prepared herself. The Lightning Wyvern Prince core had been assimilated into her body by now and materialized into a nascent soul that merged with her consciousness. It caused her body to involuntarily release small electric sparks from it, eliciting a few gasps from the crowd.

    ¡°So what if a kid like you has a thunder constitution,¡± the man guffawed. ¡°I don¡¯t care if your mother is that Ghost Queen. She was already suppressed by Void King and is no longer in her prime. Does she think her daughter, a mere brat like you, has the power to climb onto the ranking board? Just a frog in the well, you are!¡±

    Su Qingcheng, who had just escaped a literal thunder prison, was incensed by this claim, yet she dared not to let emotions take over and influence her actions. She had already made this mistake with Xiao Tie before, she wouldn¡¯t do it again against someone who had more than a decade¡¯s worth of life and battle experiences. ¡°That you dare to be so arrogant and flap your mouth in front of a junior like me shows your true colors.¡± Su Qingcheng snapped back viciously, causing some of the people in the audience to be a bit shocked.

    ¡°This girl, isn¡¯t she courting death? Flying Sword is incredibly wily, even if he is ranked number 100, that sly fox has a lot of tricks that helped him to survive there. I¡¯m afraid Dark Lily is in trouble to get into the board if she can¡¯t beat him.¡± An expert ranked 44 on the Earth board, a middle-aged lady known as Jack Frost, released her opinions after she saw Su Qingcheng¡¯s attitude. She didn¡¯t approve of this much. However, her husband, Flametongue, shook his head. He was seated right next to her and gently held her hand. Flametongue was a monster in the Heaven board and could be considered as a true expert not only in Bailing Empire but probably the continent.

    ¡°No, she is definitely not so simple. Flying Sword beats her out in age and experience. However, his major weakness is his fleshly body. If Dark Lily can figure out his schemes, she can and will thoroughly suppress him. Flying Sword is a Tianqi Prince with the bodily constitution of a lower ranked Geomancer. How can he dare to fight against a girl with abnormal lightning constitution? She has already created a young lightning nascent soul, you tell me, is she really courting death?¡± Flametongue lectured his wife. As a powerful Tianqi Emperor, he could easily sense the power that Su Qingcheng had in her physical body. Her weakness is that she had not become a Geomancer yet, thus she was only limited to close combat.

    Jack Frost coughed in embarrassment. Being in the Tianqi Sage stratum herself, she could only sense Su Qingcheng¡¯s cultivation level. She could not discern that Su Qingcheng was a monster who had already harbored a divergent essence nascent soul in her body. Actually, these nascent souls were exactly how a person could manifest nature energy directly, and could only be normally acquired when they reached the Tianqi Lord stratum, but this was only with the main 5 primary essences of fire, water, earth, wood and metal. For these ¡°divergent¡± ones like lightning, they could be acquired with good fortune and sufficient tempering. Su Qingcheng had fulfilled all this criteria due to her torture and experience in the Heaven Thunder Prison. Therefore, this was most certainly finding a blessing out of a disaster.

    Flying Sword¡¯s mouth twitched as he rushed forward without warning. ¡°Courting death! Don¡¯t blame me for being merciless!¡± he cried out as he suddenly waved his sleeves forward. Su Qingcheng suddenly felt a strong sense of danger as she waved her hands forward, quickly churning her lightning nascent soul, which she even didn¡¯t realize was there at first until suddenly she saw a lightning web materialize from her hands and push Flying Sword back after hearing the sound of a sword being deflected.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Su Qingcheng was startled. Lightning nascent soul! Qingcheng¡¯er, this is the pinnacle of your absorption of the wyvern core! Such good timing, now, you can deflect his metal attacks with lightning strikes! Yao Meiyue had thrown caution to the wind in her excitement of seeing Su Qingcheng take the blow with little effort. However, she quickly stopped saying anything again after she realized she might be seen. After all, the Tianqi Ranking Board was full of old freaks. Su Qingcheng was still young, and could easily be seen as vulnerable. She had to make a good showing here to prove herself to everyone that she wasn¡¯t a trash.

    Flying Sword stared in astonishment at this girl who easily deflected his Invisible Air attack, where he slashed forward with a sword made of slicing air that made it look invisible. Su Qingcheng took advantage of this moment of weakness as she pounced forward, closing into Flying Sword¡¯s blind spot. ¡°Got you!¡± she cried out.

    Star Vortex Fist!

    Su Qingcheng cried out in her heart as she drove her fist into Flying Sword¡¯s stomach. Suddenly, she widened her eyes as she realized that Flying Sword¡¯s skin felt like steel, much like a real sword! Flying Sword looked down on her with a vicious smile as he thought he had tricked her. Flying Sword got his name because of a technique that allowed him to temporarily change his constitution to that of metal and his Invisible Air technique made him attack much like a real sword. If he had not used this technique now, at this moment, Su Qingcheng would have already blown him far into the air. Even as Su Qingcheng employed her Star Vortex Fist to absorb his Tianqi, the attack was not designed to do damage.

    ¡°Foolish girl!¡± Flying Sword derided Su Qingcheng as he countered by kicking her in the face. Su Qingcheng spat out a mouthful of blood as she was sent flying back, tumbling on the floor and looking a bit miserable. She stood up tenaciously and wiped the blood around her mouth and nose. Her face itself fortunately had not been caved in, otherwise she would have really been miserable. However, the sight of her standing up without crying out in too much pain with the blood on her face gave her a sort of bloodlust-induced charm which caused some of the audience to be secretly admired. The cloaked man in the pavilion covered his face, but he made a slight smile.

    ¡°A mere kick to the face is nothing,¡± Su Qingcheng growled. She had been tortured by shock ¡°therapy¡± for a whole month. What kind of pain would being kicked in the face induce? This was really nothing! ¡°If you intend to battle me with pure brute strength, please do not blame me for being merciless.¡± Su Qingcheng¡¯s savage sass caused some of the audience to laugh at Flying Sword, causing him to lose some face. If he wasn¡¯t enraged before, he most certainly was now.

    ¡°Stupid girl. You¡¯re not even a Geomancer yet, what right does that give you to chide me?¡± Flying Sword¡¯s retort caused the audience to boo him even more. Many of those experts watching the battle knew he was a sly fox with a weak body, he often relied on trickery to defeat other experts. However, Su Qingcheng was a mere Tianqi User at the fifth rank who didn¡¯t seem too fazed at being kicked by a fellow over one entire stratum her own power. This really looked like bullying, and Su Qingcheng was a courageous underdog who seemed to have an unbridled determination in her eyes.

    ¡°This kid¡¯s gone through a lot already,¡± Flametongue mused silently. ¡°If her mother really is the Netherworld Ghost Queen, it does explain a lot. She definitely inherited her mother¡¯s abnormal talents in the martial Way. This fool Flying Sword is using a technique which allowed him to weather Dark Lily¡¯s punch, but once the duration runs out, he is really going to get it.¡±

    Su Qingcheng squinted her eyes and looked at her hands. Nightflower Tianqi surged in her hands and that¡¯s when she realized her Star Vortex Fist had absorbed an abundance of Metal essence from Flying Sword¡¯s body. This meant that his body was using a method of metal essence which temporarily increased his defense. That would mean he was covering for a weakness, which was his body!

    ¡°Scheming to end the battle quickly,¡± Su Qingcheng growled with a savage smile. ¡°Such petty tricks won¡¯t work on me anymore!¡± she decided to release the excess metal essence she used by fusing it with her lightning. She would use this Metal Thunder to paralyze Flying Sword so she could buy time for his technique to wear off.

    Flying Sword¡¯s expression looked unsightly as he rushed forward, using his Invisible Air slashing attack once more.

    ¡°Break!!¡± Su Qingcheng yelled out ferociously as she threw her hands forward. The Metal Thunder, which was a network of thick, grey thunderbolts, rushed out from her palms like it was a real thunderstorm. In Flying Sword¡¯s rage and haste, he was unable to dodge all of the attacks as some of these bolts collided into his air slashes. This caused a backlash that made him stumble and fly back a bit, but he didn¡¯t expect that once the bolts touched his body, he was literally immobilized into the air.

    The cloaked figure in the pavilion suddenly stood up as if he had become enamored with this fight. How could a fourteen year old girl figure out Flying Sword¡¯s main trump card in just one punch? This was too abnormal, and his interest now was thoroughly piqued. This kid was definitely worth being called the daughter of the Ghost Queen. Flying Sword¡¯s expression was that of disbelief and fear as he could only shake, paralyzed in mid-air, watching Su Qingcheng casually walk towards him.

    ¡°Stupid guy,¡± Su Qingcheng mocked him. ¡°Your abundance of metal essence is too obvious. For most cultivators, this is fine. But unfortunately, you met me. I would have been happy to beat you in a fair fight, but you dared to mock me in front of a live audience. I¡¯ve already had enough of that. I just got out of fucking prison. You tell me, do you want me to show you mercy?¡± Su Qingcheng stared at Flying Sword and noticed his right arm was showing signs of recovery.

    ¡°Humph!¡± Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t let this sign of aggression go. She threw a ferocious Nightflower Tianqi punch at his right arm, causing the sounds of bone breaking to break the silence of the audience. Flying Sword grimaced in pain but couldn¡¯t even scream; he was still mostly paralyzed. Those Tang Gu City experts in the crowd already knew about the matter of Su Ran¡¯s daughter being kidnapped but managing to return. It was only after Dark Lily made her announcement that some of these experts recognized this daughter to actually be Su Qingcheng! Fortunately, there was an unwritten rule stating that you couldn¡¯t refer to someone by their given name inside the Ranking Board branch premises. Furthermore, since this was an underground existence, no one would dare to spread this news out casually, lest they get killed by Su Ran. It was not worth pissing off the Ghost Queen for something like this.

    Flying Sword was totally at Su Qingcheng¡¯s mercy, but just as Su Qingcheng was about to land another fierce blow on him, the cloaked man in the pavilion yelled out one imposing word.

    ¡°HOLD!¡±

 34 - Extending the Olive Branch and Receiving It

    Su Qingcheng, from her vantage point in the arena, turned her head up to face the pavilion, but the black cloaked man standing inside it had suddenly vanished. Akin to teleporting, he had suddenly reappeared by the battle scene, which stunned Su Qingcheng and allowed Flying Sword to recover from his paralysis and fall to the ground, cringing in pain as he stared at Su Qingcheng with a nasty expression. Su Qingcheng had dealt a severe blow to his pride and ego, and now it was for sure that his place in the Man ranking board would be replaced by this fourteen year old kid who managed to see through this weakness. Deep inside he realized that he had been too complacent this whole time, relying on his techniques and smarts to gain victory, instead of working on his weaknesses properly and solving the problems at their root.

    Su Qingcheng wouldn¡¯t notice this, but Flying Sword would therefore strive to properly improve himself in a righteous manner. When Su Qingcheng had declared to him that she had just broken out of prison, how could he not realize that this was the girl who was kidnapped and had escaped? A normal person would have been unable to do what she just did, so she must have gone through some hardships to gain immeasurable power at her age. His expression involuntarily softened, which made Su Qingcheng feel a bit bad that she was so vicious earlier. The black cloaked man¡¯s presence also weakened in terms of sheer pressure, as if he was deliberately suppressing himself. Now that she was standing so close to this mysterious fella, she realized he was probably at the peak of Tianqi Emperor class, and that he was the owner of this particular branch.

    Doctor Lin Qian must be close to him or related to him somehow to be the surface world administrator for this Tang Gu City branch of the Tianqi Ranking Board, causing her to feel a sense of fear towards their family doctor. However, her thoughts were clearly tossed aside when the black cloaked man spoke. ¡°We¡¯ve all seen enough. This is just a battle for you to qualify. We don¡¯t want any unnecessary bloodshed here.¡±

    Flying Sword seemed a lot more restrained now. ¡°I apologize for mocking you,¡± he said, causing the audience to be quite shocked. Jack Frost gasped while Flametongue seemed to have expected this response. He looked at Su Qingcheng with a lot of interest, but did not say anything. The black cloaked man nodded as Flying Sword weakly stood up. ¡°It turns out it was me who was the frog in the well all along. You deserve your spot in the ranking boards. Since I have been kicked out, I shall be on my way.¡± With no fanfare, Flying Sword had calmly left the stage, causing everyone to be dumbfounded, especially Su Qingcheng who now felt quite guilty as she realized she might have been too harsh.

    The black cloaked man looked intently at Su Qingcheng before nodding. ¡°Everyone! Flying Sword has been defeated fairly by Dark Lily, thus surrendering his position in the Bailing Empire Tianqi Ranking board to Dark Lily! Please welcome the new Rank 100 Man member, Dark Lily.¡± He proclaimed, before sending a mental transmission to Su Qingcheng. Please follow me after everyone has left the arena. Do not be alarmed, I do know your mother a bit, so you can consider this me paying her back¡­

    Su Qingcheng was startled but didn¡¯t react outwardly to this. However, she was curious about what this fellow wanted. Flametongue on the other hand was shocked when he saw Su Qingcheng did not leave, but soon smiled after regaining his composure and tugged on his wife¡¯s arm. ¡°Come on, wifey, we are leaving.¡± Jack Frost nodded silently as the couple quietly and subtly left the premises. After the entire arena was cleared out, the man in the black cloak began to walk off. Su Qingcheng quietly followed without asking any questions.

    Su Qingcheng was led to a small office-like nook which was near the counter. Rideword saw Su Qingcheng following the black cloaked man, and winked at her, giving her a thumbs up. Su Qingcheng smiled back faintly at her but Rideword was playfully chided by the black cloaked man. ¡°Silly girl.¡± He laughed, seemingly very friendly compared to his domineering demeanor earlier. When it was now just the two of them in this nook, Su Qingcheng stood as the cloaked man took a seat behind a stone table.

    ¡°Dark Lily, do you know why I called you here?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Ah. You don¡¯t know who I am, of course. Your mother didn¡¯t tell you,¡± the man laughed. ¡°They call me Nature¡¯s Warlock. I possess nascent soul of all the elements. I am not ranked in the Bailing Empire Ranking Board, but I am ranked 3<sup>rd</sup> in the Continental Tianqi Ranking Board, higher than your mother. I thus have the privilege of owning an entire branch. Most of my benefactors in the past came from Tang Gu City, which is why I chose the Tang Gu City branch in the Bailing Empire. You should know, that a lot of hidden dragons and phoenixes lay in this city.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded, but was inwardly startled. A nascent soul of all the elements? Just how many elements were there? Su Qingcheng already knew about the five essential essences. Then there was the divergent essences of lightning, wind and ice. Yao Meiyue told Su Qingcheng in the past about Divine Essences but didn¡¯t say what they were. For this guy to claim he has all of them, doesn¡¯t that mean he should be equivalent to the existence of a god?

    Nature¡¯s Warlock laughed. ¡°I know that look. I mean all the Natural Essences. Those divine essences are too mysterious. Why else do they call me Nature¡¯s Warlock? Haha. Don¡¯t be alarmed. Anyway, let¡¯s skip the pleasantries. Dark Lily, I already know who you and your mother are. I am here to extend to you an invitation on behalf of the Continental Alliance Academy¡¯s Bailing Empire branch for you to broaden your experiences.¡±

    ¡°Continental Alliance Academy? Senior, I know about this academy and that it has many branches across the Liandou Continent. However, is it okay for me to join? You have to be sixteen years old to be allowed entry, but I am only turning fifteen.¡± Su Qingcheng frowned.

    ¡°I have many connections,¡± Nature¡¯s Warlock continued to speak. He seemed very mysterious especially since he didn¡¯t lower the hood on his cloak. ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about the specifics. The Academy will take care of everything for you. Also, your mother already knows about this matter. All we just need is your approval.¡±

    ¡°Naturally, I¡¯d like to join the academy! However, I have an agreement I must uphold beforehand¡­¡±

    ¡°Not to worry. Recruitment for the coming year begins sometime after your supposed agreement lasts. Like I said, your mother has already spoken with me about these matters. You are a young lady with boundless potential. Let alone me, your display of power in the ring already has been made known to many of the Heavenly experts. Your Lightning nascent soul is still new, you must have absorbed the core of a Lightning Wyvern Prince, no?¡±

    Su Qingcheng was startled once again, and she inwardly cursed to herself. So many bloody experts already know my secret!A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Your silence speaks volumes,¡± Nature¡¯s Warlock guffawed, but in a playful manner. ¡°The biggest reason I personally am extending the invitation to you is because I want to help you. I won¡¯t force you to be my disciple, as I know you already have a mysterious teacher backing you up. As a Penta-Essence user, I can tell you must have an extraordinary backer to have such an absurd tianqi method, allowing you to corrode and control offensive power¡­¡±

    ¡°You are Penta-Essence user also?¡± Su Qingcheng was shocked.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Otherwise, how could I possibly have the nascent soul of all the natural elements?¡±

    ¡°Mm, indeed, senior is incredibly powerful. I am too lucky and fortunate to have your favor¡­¡± Su Qingcheng bowed respectfully.

    ¡°The point is, I also want to pass down my ability to enhance natural nascent souls. However, I haven¡¯t been able to find a worthy successor in over one hundred fifty years. This old fellow is really old already, and I want to find someone worthy of my methods before I die of old age for real.¡± Nature¡¯s Warlock¡¯s expression was very grave at this point.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Of course, senior, if you see the potential in me, why would I be so foolish as to reject?¡± Su Qingcheng spoke respectfully. Yao Meiyue would have already explained to her at this point that she should definitely take this opportunity, however, she did not want to reveal her existence to Nature¡¯s Warlock who would definitely sense her spiritual signature if she mentally spoke.

    ¡°Mm. For you to be able to form a Lightning nascent soul at your age before even reaching the level of a Tianqi Geomancer, this only proves to me your constitution is really heaven-defying. I don¡¯t wish to pry into your personal circumstances, but I¡¯d like to have the honor of passing my methods to you. However, this requires you to join the Academy¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll accept! A thousand times, I shall accept.¡± Su Qingcheng spoke candidly and with fervor, giving Nature¡¯s Warlock a good impression of her.

    ¡°You know when to subdue your straightforward heart¡­ And you know when to stand up to injustice. I like this¡­ Your experience in the Heaven Thunder Prison must have taught you a lot.¡±

    ¡°You know about this matter?¡±

    ¡°Hum¡­ It didn¡¯t escape the notice of the other Empires in the continent. The Heaven Thunder Prison was originally plaguing the other empires too. When we found out that someone had been kidnapped but rescued by their mother in such a domineering fashion, causing the prison to collapse, we had to figure out who was responsible for such a feat. Only I knew immediately that it would be your mother, the Netherworld Ghost Queen, who would do something so bloodthirsty for their child.¡± Nature¡¯s Warlock explained.

    Su Ran¡¯s reputation was indeed rather high in the continent. Originally it was one of fear, but now it was a reputation of, ¡°a tiger mom who would commit a hundred sins to protect her children.¡± Su Qingcheng nodded.

    ¡°Now that your mother has taken the initiative to get you inducted into the ranking, I had to come personally to see why she would do that. I¡¯ve now seen your endless potential¡­ A kid like you who could see through that sly old fox¡¯s methods in just one punch is definitely something not simple. Your technique is also incredibly familiar to the old me. I won¡¯t say anything but if I am correct, your current teacher isn¡¯t currently of this world¡­ That woman is too mysterious even for me to fathom¡­¡± Nature¡¯s Warlock sighed wistfully. Of course he knew about Yao Meiyue.

    Yao Meiyue was the powerful Sect Leader of the Night Lily Sect, half a step into the realm of becoming a god! Actually, she was once ranked #1 on this very Continental Heaven Ranking board; however she was disqualified after leaving the Emperor stratum and being half a step into godhood. From this it had to be emphasized that in her life, Yao Meiyue was invincible in the continent. Only a freak like the Infernal God Netherworld Shura could threaten her. To have her as a teacher could only be the utmost dreams of most people. Yet Su Qingcheng fatefully became her disciple due to her being Su Ran¡¯s daughter and heiress to her martial treasures.

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Senior Daoist Nature¡¯s Warlock, I graciously accept your invitations¡­ Please guide me well. I am sure my teacher would be honored to allow someone of your standing to pass his methods to me as their dying wish¡­¡± she spoke with utmost reverence, and she definitely wasn¡¯t acting. This mysterious old guy had poured out a LOT for her even though they had just met. Also, he clearly knew about Yao Meiyue and also had connections with her mother. So why should she not trust him?

    ¡°You definitely will not regret this. Anyhow, I¡¯ll personally induct you now.¡± Nature¡¯s Warlock took out a jade medallion and gently pushed it against one of Su Qingcheng¡¯s hands, causing the medallion to quietly sink into her skin. It gave her a strange feeling which disappeared immediately. Her aura changed slightly and became as imposing as a Tianqi Geomancer, despite being only a User.

    ¡°The Ranking Medallion has been imprinted into your being. Your name of Dark Lily will now be on the Man ranking board. To progress, you must challenge and win against higher ranked fellows. Your position will automatically be in limbo if you progress your cultivation level beyond your current ranking board. In this state, you would be forced to promote by taking a test. Once you complete the test, you will automatically promote to the next ranking board. This is why there are an absurd amount of Earth rankers compared to Man or Heaven. We forcefully limit the amount of Man rankers to 100, while there aren¡¯t enough Heaven rankers to fill the numbers.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded patiently as Nature¡¯s Warlock began to give her exposition on the Tianqi Ranking Board¡¯s mechanics.

    ¡°For the meantime, don¡¯t worry about the Continental Ranking Board as to be quite honest you don¡¯t have any qualifications for that¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m sure your mother said there are some perks for joining. This is indeed correct. Other rankers on the surface will be able to recognize you from your Ranking Medallion Aura, we have an unwritten rule that those who recognize each other should not battle each other on the surface. All conflicts are to be settled here. If a dangerous guy happens to know you¡¯re a ranker, they know not to mess with you.¡±

    Su Qingcheng sighed in relief. The pressure on her would be significantly reduced in that case!

    ¡°Anyone who recognizes this aura is required by the actual written rules of the Tianqi Ranking Board owners, myself included, not to talk about it on the surface. We are an underground association and we are an alliance of powerful experts which seek to guard the continent from external threats. This is the purpose of the Tianqi Ranking Board. You should be honored to be inducted into it at the age of fourteen. This hasn¡¯t happened in over 50 years. The last one who did this is ranked 80<sup>th</sup> in the Continental Ranking Board, an absolute freak we call Faceless. She is a freak who only wears an iron mask with no eye slits, so we can¡¯t see her face, if she even has one.¡± Nature¡¯s Warlock sighed.

    ¡°Now you are also eligible to purchase herbs and other things from our underground market. But this doesn¡¯t need a lot of explaining. Anyway, I¡¯d like to congratulate you. Please come to visit us often. Doctor of Demonsbane knows you quite well I hear, so it should be easy to come on your own now.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded, clasping her fists and bowing before leaving the office.

    Once Su Qingcheng left, Nature¡¯s Warlock sighed and sat back down on his chair. ¡°Miss Queen, come out. I know you were hiding.¡±

    Su Ran laughed as she stepped out from an unknown part of the room which was shrouded in darkness. She had a big smile on her face. ¡°I told you she would break his arm,¡± Su Ran grinned. ¡°Now pay up. You lost the bet¡­¡±

    Nature¡¯s Warlock didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry as she threw a bag of gold coins at Su Ran. ¡°Your daughter is just as abnormal as you are,¡± he said after lowering his hood and showing his face to Su Ran. Nature¡¯s Warlock would have a handsome face, if he didn¡¯t have a long scar running down his left eye, causing him to be blind in his left eye. He had stubble and looked rough on the edges, but also had a sense of reliability around him. ¡°Why are you so willing to send your daughter off to the academy?¡±

    ¡°The Bailing Empire isn¡¯t enough for her,¡± Su Ran smiled. ¡°She needs to be tempered by the real world. Plus, my other children¡­ Don¡¯t seem to have the same drive as her.¡±

    ¡°I respect that¡­ That Dark Lily¡­ I think she has a bright future ahead of her.¡±

    Su Ran could only smile.

 35 - The Path of a Paragon

    When Su Qingcheng left Nature Warlock¡¯s cave office, she was greeted by the sight of a middle-aged couple. The man was waving at her; naturally this was Flametongue who was greatly interested by Su Qingcheng¡¯s display during the qualifying battle. His wife on the other hand maintained a perpetually cold look on her face, and did not look impressed at all. For this fiery and icy pair, they sure really looked adorable, this was something Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t deny. For so many peerless experts to be interested in her, Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she could perhaps forge her own path in the world of cultivation and make a name for herself also. Flametongue laughed happily when Su Qingcheng quietly approached him and Jack Frost.

    ¡°I see you¡¯ve just been inducted personally by Nature¡¯s Warlock, that old fogey! You know, he and I are bosom buddies.¡± he bellowed out; he was definitely a chirpy type of guy. ¡°I¡¯m Flametongue, and this is my wife, Jack Frost. I¡¯m ranked 5<sup>th</sup> on this branch¡¯s Heaven Ranking board, while she is ranked 44<sup>th</sup> on the Earth Ranking board. She¡¯s not exactly a talkative type, but let me tell you, she is gre¡ª¡°

    ¡°Shut up¡­¡± Jack Frost pinched Flametongue¡¯s waist from behind, causing him to grunt in pain a bit before laughing again. Su Qingcheng¡¯s smile widened as she realized that Jack Frost only looked cold but was definitely a maiden at heart.

    ¡°What might these esteemed seniors want with this young upstart today?¡± Su Qingcheng asked politely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not beat around the bush then,¡± Flametongue nodded resolutely before gently patting Su Qingcheng on the shoulder. ¡°Dark Lily, you need to know that as someone with abnormal constitution, before even becoming a Geomancer, you are now eligible to embark on a path that only a few freaks have ever gone on before. With the role of the Ranking Boards as a congregation of underground protectors of the continent, and with Nature Warlock¡¯s intent to groom you to become a peerless existence, it is only right that I help. A lot of us guys are quite eccentric and you won¡¯t necessarily find us as willing as Nature¡¯s Warlock or myself to help you.¡±

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s interest was piqued when Flametongue was explaining this in a straightforward manner.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk over some drinks and food.¡±

    ¡°Senior¡­ I am¡­¡±

    Jack Frost shook her head again, looking at Su Qingcheng in a different light. She seemed a lot warmer at that moment, but quickly regained her frosty composure again as Flametongue laughed once again. ¡°Right, I forgot. You are barely fifteen. Truly a freak like that Faceless girl.¡±

    Faceless again? Su Qingcheng was now really interested in this girl who had been inducted to the ranking boards at her age, but over 50 years ago. How strong must she be now? Her thoughts were interrupted when Flametongue and Jack Frost led Su Qingcheng to another cavern which looked a lot like an inn. They took a seat at a quiet part of the establishment and Flametongue¡¯s normally cheery disposition became serious.

    ¡°I need to tell you this now because you¡¯re already nearing the point of your breakthrough. There is a divergent path that is not only incredibly risky, but allows you to break the limits of the normal Tianqi cultivation realms. Only a freak like Faceless could do this kind of thing successfully, and I feel like you¡¯re the next person in countless generations to have the potential to do the same thing.¡± Flametongue explained.

    Su Qingcheng nodded, soon realizing why Nature¡¯s Warlock was so willing to impart his techniques to her. It was because she had the same limitless potential as this mysterious Faceless ranker.

    ¡°Right. This sort of deviation is not known to the outside world. We call this the Tianqi Divergent Stratums; and the best part about it is that the auras of these divergent stratums are exactly the same as their corresponding counterparts.¡±

    ¡°What are these realms then, esteemed senior?¡±

    ¡°We call these kinds of freaks Variants. Variants all start as users, but once they break to the Geomancer realm, they are no longer Geomancers, but they rather become Terraformers,¡± Flametongue continued to impart his knowledge to Su Qingcheng, causing a mental gate to open right before her very eyes. ¡°Terraformers are essentially Variant Geomancers. Not only can they use Tianqi to influence nature for offensive and defensive purposes, but they can also permanently change how nature appears and forms. This is why we call them Terraformers.¡±

    ¡°So domineering?!¡± Su Qingcheng was startled.

    ¡°Variant Princes and Princesses are called Knights,¡± Flametongue began to enumerate the Variant versions of the Tianqi stratums. ¡°Variant Lords are Viscounts. Variant Sages are called Magi and Variant Emperors are called Fiends.¡±

    ¡°Fiends? By the way, are there any Variant Tianqi Gods?¡±

    ¡°Haha. Nobody has ever reached the Paragon stratum in the continent¡¯s entire history. As for why we call Variant Emperors Fiends, it is because we can treat this Variant path as one of self-punishment and tempering. The Variant path of cultivation is wrought with peril and the risk of death. However, successfully breaking through each stratum and acquiring the Mark of Paragon at each stage will imbue the cultivator with an immense power that allows them to be invincible against anybody in the same stratum as them or weaker!¡±

    ¡°Amazing. That¡¯s too much!¡±

    ¡°Right, but the risk is also severe. Without powerful mentors like Nature¡¯s Warlock, there¡¯s no hope for regular people to do it. But you have already obtained the constitution of a divergent user, managing to absorb and refine the Lightning Wyvern Prince¡¯s core before promoting to a Tianqi Geomancer. Therefore, you still have the opportunity to form your first Mark of Paragon and becoming a Terraformer!¡±

    ¡°Inconceivable!¡± Su Qingcheng gasped.

    ¡°The Tianqi Paragon is an unknown, mysterious existence that we aren¡¯t even sure is even a real thing in the wide Universe. However, we do know that if such a being were to exist, they could snap their fingers and a Tianqi God would just disappear like that! The Mark of Paragon is the proof of this Variant Tianqi strength, which manifests itself differently depending on the person who acquires it! However, the way to obtain this Mark is incredibly difficult. Fortunately, Faceless gifted me her manuals and findings when cultivating on this path, because my wife and I helped her out many years ago.¡±

    ¡°So fortunate for me?!¡± Su Qingcheng shuddered.

    ¡°We¡¯re too old to embark on the path of a Paragon, but you¡­ You just might be able to catch up to Faceless and stand by her as an unparalleled fighter!¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Why are you gifting this to me?¡±

    ¡°You are the only person in countless years to have displayed such potential. This is why Nature¡¯s Warlock was so keen on finding you. You definitely have the martial bearing of your mother, even if you don¡¯t inherit her Ghost Calamity Palm, you have already displayed an immense amount of ability at your feeble age of fourteen. If you can successfully embark on this path, well¡­ I can say that I haven¡¯t wasted this gift from Faceless.¡±

    Su Qingcheng smiled as Flametongue passed to her a set of scrolls and tomes which she casually put in her Dragon Hoard Ring.

    ¡°The heavens even favor you, look at that Dragon Hoard Ring, it was created by Long Po Tian, the Invincible Dragon Emperor!¡±

    ¡°You know my sister¡¯s teacher?¡±

    Jack Frost was startled. ¡°Good heavens. Is everyone in your family a bunch of freaks? You have a sister who is Long Po Tian¡¯s disciple?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. My elder sister gave this ring to me.¡±

    ¡°She truly loves you, to be able to give you a priceless treasure like that,¡± Jack Frost had interrupted Flametongue by now. ¡°Sigh. Long Po Tian¡¯s wife is my sister. His power is incredibly strong and can definitely teach your sister how to be someone worthy of the zenith of the martial Way. We tried to convince him to become a Ranker, but he didn¡¯t want to budge. Therefore, he is not a member of this organization, so we can talk about him freely.¡±

    ¡°It must be fate for us to meet then,¡± Su Qingcheng giggled. ¡°Esteemed seniors, may I continue to inquire about the Path of the Paragon? What exactly is Faceless¡¯ level then?¡±

    ¡°She is ranked 80<sup>th</sup> on the Continental Ranking Board, but I bet Nature¡¯s Warlock didn¡¯t tell you which one, right?¡±

    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Let me tell you right now and clear up any misunderstandings. Faceless is a Tianqi Fiend, which is equivalent to an Emperor. Therefore, she is ranked 80<sup>th</sup> in all the continent¡¯s Tianqi Emperors. Now you tell me, how scary is that?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ my mother said she could be ranked in the top 10 though?¡±

    ¡°You stinking brat,¡± Flametongue laughed loudly. ¡°Your mother is a dirty cheater. She has the Ghost Calamity Palm which can incinerate anything including a person¡¯s soul. If she were to be merciless, nobody would even want to fight her. And she was the top student of the Nightflower Fox! That woman was just too scary, that she literally had to be kicked off the board because she was half-a-step into becoming a god.¡±

    Su Qingcheng sucked in a cold breath and realized that Yao Meiyue was the person she was aiming to be like this whole time. Yao Meiyue let out a mental snicker as she heard Flametongue talking about her like she was so shameless.

    ¡°Also, your mother is really old despite her looks, you know that? She might look like Jack Frost¡¯s age, but she is older than I am! How about Faceless? She is thirty years younger than her. Do you know that?¡±

    ¡°So young?!¡± Su Qingcheng slapped her palm to her face.

    ¡°Therefore, you can¡¯t treat the ranking boards of the Heaven class with common sense or logic, as everybody has their own tricks and secrets. I know you also have your own secrets and mysteries about you, otherwise how can you control Lightning so expertly like that and having already formed a divergent nascent soul before even getting a normal one?!¡±

    Su Qingcheng sheepishly scratched her head. ¡°Therefore, I believe you have to go on the path of a Paragon and become an unparalleled existence like Faceless, and be one of the continent¡¯s ultimate protectors. The Universe is vast and not many people know this, thinking the world is only this continent¡­ They don¡¯t even know about Cloud Nine and the Infernal Lands.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded. She was kidnapped by exiles from Cloud Nine and Yao Meiyue detonated herself to defeat a God from the Infernal Lands. How could she not know about these two otherworldly realms?

    ¡°You kid, are unusually knowledgeable for your years,¡± Flametongue looked at Su Qingcheng¡¯s solemn expression. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you know about the Upper and Lower Realms?¡±

    ¡°Esteemed senior Flametongue, I was kidnapped by exiles from Cloud Nine. How could I not know about these realms?¡± she sighed, before Flametongue smiled awkwardly in response.

    ¡°No wonder the Heaven Thunder Prison collapsed like that,¡± he sighed. ¡°That domineering thunder prison must have been created by a Heavenly Thunder Lion that could shapeshift into a human. They must have been a half-breed to do that. They were exiled because they were not pure magic beasts¡­¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°And you were subjected to some hardships under them, and as lightning creatures, you turned disaster into fortune. Too formidable, this kid¡¯s luck¡­¡± Flametongue sounded like he was an uncle talking to his niece. Jack Frost could only laugh, she had never seen her husband like this in a very long time. ¡°If Nature¡¯s Warlock hadn¡¯t already convinced you to study under him, I would have made you learn under my wife so you could form an Ice nascent soul! Bwahahaha.¡±

    Jack Frost blushed darkly. ¡°Humph! You¡¯re too shameless. My arts can¡¯t be passed down that easily!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. Enough of that. To be honest, there¡¯s nothing much I can explain to you that isn¡¯t already in Faceless¡¯ tomes and manuals. All you can do is to study them well and cultivate hard on this path. You may or may not need high class elixirs to supplement your training, but I feel that once you get through the bottleneck to become a Tianqi Terraformer, all will be well for you.¡±

    Su Qingcheng cupped her hands together before standing up and bowing. ¡°Thank you both, esteemed seniors, for opening my eyes and letting me see things from a fresh perspective. It¡¯s getting late and I must take my leave.¡± Su Qingcheng smiled as she quietly left.

    Jack Frost looked at Flametongue with a worried face. ¡°If she fails at any point she will die as the energy will cause her body to blow up. Are you sure about this?¡±

    ¡°I am confidently sure. To absorb the Lightning Wyvern Prince¡¯s core like that, means some heavenly beast had already planted lightning seeds into her body. To do that, she had to let her tianqi paths get tempered by lightning so much that she was barely feeling the pain. How torturous do you think that is? She survived it at the age of fourteen years old. Once she becomes a Terraformer, her physique will be strong enough to form all the nascent souls in advance, barring divine essences. Once she becomes a Knight, she can form divine essences without risk of blowing herself up. We personally oversaw Faceless¡¯ training at one point. My judgment is not wrong.¡±

    Jack Frost nodded silently but smiled faintly. Her silence spoke volumes.

    Meanwhile, Su Qingcheng had already returned home, and was curious to find out that Su Ran was not around. Shrugging, she finally collapsed onto her bed, exhausted after all that.

    We¡¯re rich! We¡¯re bloody rich! Yao Meiyue finally let go of all her pent-up emotions. To get Faceless¡¯ Path of Paragon manuals, do you know what that means? It means you can become a user who can surpass even me in the future! And for you to inherit the Natural Nascent Tempering of Nature¡¯s Warlock, this will allow you to become invincible in the first three regular stratums once you become a Terraformer!

    ¡°Master, you even know of this? Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±

    Humph, you little brat, don¡¯t be too ambitious. The Path of the Paragon is long and arduous. Every single step is riddled with peril. If you tried to practice it on your own without any guidance, that would be tantamount to suicide. Even I wouldn¡¯t dare practice it, but that freak Faceless developed this on her own lonesome. And I was already an old fogey when she began her training.

    ¡°But I need to become strong, too.¡±

    Don¡¯t you think I know that. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to help you. I¡¯m your secret weapon to break through. But you have to be prepared to suffer through torture and pain beyond your imagination. It would be worse than when that Fan Yu brat forcefully injected lightning seeds into your body. As long as you are prepared to undergo a fiend¡¯s tempering and training, you will become an invincible soldier that no one would dare to mess around with. Do you dare to embark on the lonely path of the Paragon? All I need is one word. If you don¡¯t want to, you also have to tell me, and we can continue with our conventional training plan to break you to become a regular Geomancer.

    ¡°When did my Master become so stupid? Of course I¡¯ll embark on the Path of the Paragon.¡±

    Very good. Then rest well. I will draft up preliminary plans and preparations for you to become a Terraformer within the next 2 months. When you become a Terraformer, people will think you are just a regular Geomancer. But oh, oh, you will give that stupid Xiao Tie brat a good show. Hehehe¡­

    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Su Qingcheng finally heaved out before passing out in bed.

 36 - Preparing for A Mystery Elixir

    While Su Qingcheng was resting, Yao Meiyue was busy trying to figure out the next steps into her training plan. There were approximately two months remaining for Su Qingcheng to become a Terraformer. Normally this would be incredibly difficult, but Su Qingcheng¡¯s constitution had become abnormal due to her various experiences. Therefore, the most difficult part of breaking through would be mutating her Tianqi paths so that the Tianqi energy she channeled could solidify after leaving her body. This required lots of medicines and herbs. Now that Su Qingcheng was a member of the Tianqi Ranking Boards, she could be eligible to check the herb market. However, Yao Meiyue would bank on Su Ran to check what was available while Su Qingcheng could take the opportunity to roam around and gain more outdoor experience.

    She had been doing closed-door cultivation so much that Yao Meiyue felt it was necessary for Su Qingcheng to go outside again. Since the threat had been killed already after Su Ran blew up the Heaven Thunder Prison, there most likely wouldn¡¯t be any new intruders. The concept was to create a miracle water that Su Qingcheng would bathe in, fully naked, to allow the energy and essences of the concoction to invade her body and forcibly re-adjust and remold her Tianqi paths. This was similar to the concept of reshaping or modifying one¡¯s meridians directly through an external force.

    On top of this, in order to facilitate the process, Yao Meiyue would make Su Qingcheng perform Thunder Blossom Cultivation inside the medicinal spirit concoction she would create, which would expedite the process. This would have the unfortunate side-effect of predisposing Su Qingcheng to becoming more in-tune with lightning, but at the moment, there was not enough time, and she was banking on the skill that Nature¡¯s Warlock would give her in order to rebalance her natural aptitudes. Next problem to solve was the location of the cultivation. As far as she could recall, obtaining a Mark of the Paragon required the person challenging the breakthrough to undergo a heavenly tribulation. As Su Qingcheng was only going to become a Terraformer, the lightning would not be strong, it would only be a single-colored heavenly tribulation. However, to avoid the lightning from destroying the place, they would need to do it outdoors.

    Finally, though she would urge Su Qingcheng to supplement the cultivation using Thunder Blossom Cultivation method, the main challenge was to undergo the tempering process consciously¡­ This would cause an immense amount of fiendish pain and was one of the reasons why the Variant Tianqi Emperor was called a fiend. Only a demon or a freak would be willing to go through such pain in pursuit of true strength. Yao Meiyue used her spiritual force to read the manual that Su Qingcheng was keeping in her Dragon Hoard Ring to review the contents of Faceless¡¯ experiences.

    Yao Meiyue discovered that the reason why the process was so painful was because the method to summon the heavenly tribulation was in fact as abnormal as it sounded. It involved reversing the process of typical cultivation, one would forcibly release Tianqi in a gaseous state. And this would mean forcibly releasing their synthesized Tianqi instead, and then re-absorbing the gaseous substance mixed with the pure natural essence. Normally, one would absorb the natural essence first before creating the Tianqi, but to summon the tribulation that would allow one to gain a Mark of the Paragon, they needed to defy the heavens and go against convention!Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Yao Meiyue was startled, as she even didn¡¯t know the intricacies behind this method. Her interest piqued, she began to keep reading through the manuals as Su Qingcheng continued to sleep.

    When Su Qingcheng woke up, a piece of paper containing a list of herbs and other ingredients was already left on the desk. Su Qingcheng figured out it was most likely Yao Meiyue who created this list of things. Su Qingcheng inquired what the concoction was called but didn''t get any answer. After that, she didn¡¯t need any prompting to go and immediately find Su Ran, who was sitting casually in the main gathering hall of the residence.

    ¡°Mother, here¡¯s a list, I need as many of these ingredients as possible,¡± Su Qingcheng yawned. ¡°They can be obtained, right?¡±

    There was now a tacit understanding between the mother and daughter pair. ¡°Yeah¡­ I can probably get most of these. The others you may need to hunt by yourself.¡± Su Ran nodded. She began to cross out a list of ingredients that she said she could easily find after committing them to memory, before handing back the list to Su Qingcheng. ¡°Everything that I have not crossed out here is too rare to find in the market. You need to either get them via auction or hunt for them.¡±

    ¡°Noted, thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°Why do you need these?¡±

    Su Qingcheng looked around sheepishly. ¡°I am planning to use these for cultivation.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re so rare. You¡¯re only a¡ª¡°

    ¡°I¡¯ve received some advice and some pointers. Once I go on this new path, there¡¯s no turning back. I want to be the strongest I can be. It must be fate that I can get this opportunity. Do not stop me.¡± Su Qingcheng declared, interrupting her mother.

    Su Ran sighed and didn¡¯t bother talking back. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t stop you. But you must be careful. I don¡¯t want you blowing yourself up by mistake¡­ Please don¡¯t hide it from me. I know you are trying to become like that abnormal freak of nature.¡± she sighed, as if already knowing what Su Qingcheng was planning to do. Then she walked past her and proceeded to leave the premises. She had a very unsightly expression, while Su Qingcheng simply stood there with a surprised expression.

    She¡¯s just worried about you.

    ¡°Like I can do anything about that,¡± Su Qingcheng grumbled. ¡°As long as I have you, this should be fine, right?¡±

    Yeah, you can count on me to help.

    Su Qingcheng looked at the list of ingredients on her list. A majority of them were crossed out but there were still three that were untouched. According to Su Ran, the three materials ¨C Soul-stirring Grass, Flower of the Cursed Drake, and finally the Fruit of Desire. This was apparently within Yao Meiyue¡¯s expectations as she didn¡¯t seem to have a strong reaction to the new list. ¡°What do you think?¡± Su Qingcheng asked.

    Soul-stirring Grass should be commonly found in auctions. Flower of the Cursed Drake¡­ we either forage for it or pray that there¡¯s someone who we can trade it with. The hardest ingredient to obtain is undoubtedly the Fruit of Desire¡­ I don¡¯t actually know if it¡¯s possible to acquire it here in Bailing Empire. We might have to pray that it¡¯s within fate¡¯s expectations to drop the ingredient for us within this important period of time.

    Su Qingcheng was startled.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to need a lot of money.¡±

    You think your mom will help?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she will.¡±

    You wanna go rob some people?

    ¡°Oh, come on! I¡¯m not that kind of girl!¡±

    Where else are we going to get the capital to acquire a Soul-stirring Grass? Let alone if we have to trade with someone else to get the other ingredients.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and meet up with some old friends then.¡± Su Qingcheng sighed.

    Time to take a visit to the Xiao clan¡­

 37 - The Xiao Clans Request

    That day, Su Qingcheng finally decided to go to visit the Xiao clan. Fortunately, at this point, Su Qingcheng¡¯s reputation in the Tang Gu City had skyrocketed, and though she didn¡¯t know it, coincidentally, there was a Tianqi Board Ranker who lived in the Xiao clan residence. She was a young maid a few years older than Su Qingcheng, who was named Fei Yan, and she was the personal attendant and bodyguard of the Xiao clan head¡¯s precious daughter, Xiao Hua. Xiao Hua herself was not a slouch either, since lots of resources had been plunged into her cultivation and training, she had become a peak Tianqi Geomancer at the age of seventeen, and could be said to be as talented as Xiao Hei. When Su Qingcheng arrived at the residence, she was immediately greeted by Xiao Hua who happened to be there. Fei Yan was right by her side, and was shocked when she recognized the familiar Medallion Aura that Su Qingcheng had emitted that only she could detect.

    A fellow ranker in the Xiao clan¡¯s midst? She must be a personal attendant of that Xiao Hua. Yao Meiyue quietly reminded Su Qingcheng. She did not know Fei Yan¡¯s identity in the Ranking board but there was a tacit understanding between the two to keep their identities as Rankers a big secret. Xiao Hua curtseyed politely. ¡°Miss Qingcheng, it is a pleasure to meet you today. This is Fei Yan, my personal attendant. Actually, she is much stronger than you and I, so I am really fortunate to have her as a close friend¡­¡±

    Their relationship is probably not that simple, is what Su Qingcheng thought. For someone much stronger than Xiao Hua to be faithfully by her side, Su Qingcheng surmised that they probably had a forbidden relationship. Thinking about this made Su Qingcheng look at Fei Yan with a cheeky expression, causing the attendant to blush faintly. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet the both of you, also. Actually, I¡¯ve come to visit on some business.¡± she greeted the both of them politely in return. Truthfully speaking, Xiao Hua was one of the more polite and reserved people of the Xiao clan. She was smart, respectful and was nothing like the haughty princesses of other clans. Therefore, Su Qingcheng respected her a lot.

    ¡°What business exactly?¡±

    ¡°Humm, I¡¯m looking for some rare herbs and plants,¡± Su Qingcheng explained. ¡°Are you in possession of any Soul-stirring Grass?¡±

    ¡°Soul-stirring Grass¡­ I think we should still have some, but why do you need it?¡±

    ¡°I am going to have a friend make some concoction for me to help cultivate, I am preparing to make my breakthrough to become a Tianqi Geomancer.¡± Su Qingcheng teethed out a white lie. In fact, she wasn¡¯t necessarily lying, but only telling half a truth. A Tianqi Terraformer could indeed be considered a stronger version of a Tianqi Geomancer which was proven by the single Mark of the Paragon. The best part is that the Tianqi Aura of a Terraformer would be pretty much exactly the same as a regular Geomancer, only a bit denser. Therefore, Su Qingcheng was not afraid that Xiao Hua would question her.

    ¡°I see. Your method must be pretty strict and burdensome to train then. I will go ask Father for permission. Did you need anything else?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Well, if you have any information on where to acquire Flower of the Cursed Dragon, and if there has been anyone in the area with a Fruit of Desire, then please tell me also.¡±

    Xiao Hua was startled. Is this kid going crazy? What kind of elixir needs such high-class herbs and plants? Now she was starting to get a bit suspicious. After all, she was still a User. What kind of method was so absurd that it needed such energy from those plants to power her up? With an awkward smile on her face, Xiao Hua said she would go visit her father, Xiao Dian, to check for information on the herbs that Su Qingcheng needed.

    While Su Qingcheng was waiting¡­

    ¡°Little Hua, are you mad? We can¡¯t just give some of those Soul-stirring Grass to Little Qingcheng just like that. Even if she has a strong and absurd foundation, it¡¯s too much just to give it away like that to her. We¡¯d better verify to see if she can really make proper use of those ingredients. We must conduct a test. Also, that Xiao Tie is growing mysteriously competent by the day, and I fear he¡¯s plotting something very bad against Little Qingcheng. Now, her dad and I go way back, so I need to make sure she doesn¡¯t die by his hands in a couple of months.¡±

    ¡°Father, why won¡¯t you believe me? Xiao Tie has acquired a backer behind our backs. Fei Yan can attest to this, her cultivation level is even higher than yours.¡±

    If Su Qingcheng were here, she would be shocked, but not as stunned as Xiao Dian, who was already a powerful Tianqi Lord. That must mean Fei Yan ranked relatively high on the Earth boards. If she were an Emperor, she wouldn¡¯t be working hard as a servant of the Xiao clan.

    ¡°Well even if what you say is true, we don¡¯t have any evidence. As for the matter of the grass, the Flower of Cursed Dragon and the Fruit of Desire, that¡¯s more straightforward. Okay, how about this. Let¡¯s meet with Little Qingcheng together.¡±

    Su Qingcheng was growing impatient but soon saw the happy expressions of the father and daughter pair. She cupped her fists and bowed down politely. ¡°Su Qingcheng greets Senior Xiao Dian.¡± She said solemnly.

    ¡°You¡¯re the quietest of your siblings, haha. But it¡¯s good to know you¡¯ve grown well and can be someone worthy of succeeding the family¡­¡±

    Su Qingcheng inwardly disdained this type of thinking. She yearned to be powerful and strong, free-willed like her mother was before marrying into the Su clan. She didn¡¯t want to be restrained by merely being the family head¡­This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Little Hua had already told me about your matter. While we do have some Soul-Stirring Grass, at the moment, we can¡¯t just give it to you willy-nilly.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the condition you¡¯ve set for me, then? I urgently need these materials.¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s be straight-forward about the matte.¡±

    ¡°Good, good, you are just like your father in this respect. In this case, let me be forthright and honest with you. We really can¡¯t help you regarding the Fruit of Desire, but I happen to have one bud of Flower of Cursed Dragon. The Soul-Stirring Grass we have a lot in stock right now, so as it happens, we can give both of them to you. However, you need to render us a merit of equivalent worth.¡±

    Su Qingcheng had expected this. Naturally, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Though she was only in the fifth rank of the Tianqi User stratum, she was pretty much invincible against anyone in the same stratum as her, and she can defeat those in the Tianqi Geomancer stratum, and she could easily escape from anyone in the Tianqi Prince stratum even if she can only battle with them to a stand-still. This was of course due to her unique constitution and the fact she had formed a lightning nascent soul far earlier than had ever been recorded in history.

    ¡°What do I need to do?¡±

    ¡°Ok, our request for you is simple. In two days, little Hua is required to attend a banquet held by close friends of our Xiao clan. These fellas are from the Li clan. While the elders of the clans are very close, the Li elders have a tough time reining in their youngsters, and it¡¯s for sure that little Hua will be the target of those more lecherous fellas,¡± Xiao Dian explained. ¡°The Li clan naturally won¡¯t stand for it but can you expect them to just reprimand their juniors in a banquet to celebrate an elder¡¯s birthday? And of course, this is the Li Grand Elder, Li Fengtian, so it will be a grand feast. Please be her bodyguard for that evening and ensure nothing happens to her.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t Miss Fei Yan go?¡± Su Qingcheng was rather confused about this matter, though Fei Yan didn¡¯t seem to be bothered about this arrangement either. Evidently, she trusted in Su Qingcheng¡¯s capabilities as both of them were Tianqi Ranking Board rankers. ¡°She is of a much stronger stratum than I am.¡±

    Xiao Dian smiled but shook his head. ¡°Alas. Fei Yan is indeed a notch stronger than you, but she can¡¯t attend because it just so happens that she has to go visit her father to check up on him. He is sick, and is part of the reason why she is working with us.¡±

    Su Qingcheng frowned and then looked at Fei Yan with sympathy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. You are very kind to allow her to see her father. Then, I will step up and accompany Miss Hua to the banquet. I won¡¯t let anyone touch her.¡±

    Fei Yan seemed to smile, nodding in acknowledgment while Xiao Dian raised his hands in a thumbs up manner. ¡°Good, very good. Then, two days from now, please visit me again in the afternoon, we will attend the banquet together.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do as you say. I¡¯ll have to inform my mother about it first, but I am sure she won¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Right, right. Of course. Su Ran, that ferocious lady, she definitely wouldn¡¯t object to you being social for once. Haha!¡±

    Su Qingcheng flushed a bit but bowed respectfully after cupping her fists together. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll meet with you both two days from now, and I will do my best to protect Miss Hua and keep her safe.¡± She gave a knowing glance to Fei Yan also. Judging by how close they seemed, Su Qingcheng had a suspicion that their relationship was not just a master and servant one. She suddenly felt obligated to help out a fellow ranker after all. With a tacit understanding of one another, they parted ways on good terms.

    Xiao Hua smiled. ¡°You sure are decisive, dad.¡± She finally spoke when Su Qingcheng was no longer in the premises.

    ¡°Hmm. Miss Fei Yan is an extraordinary woman. I¡¯m not that stupid to force someone not to help out their family. She is really a filial young woman. On top of that, she has cared for you so greatly.¡± Xiao Dian smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing we have a Tianqi Sage of her strength to protect us.¡±

    While Xiao Dian, Xiao Hua and Fei Yan left the premises, a cloaked figure suddenly peeped out from a pillar far away. Naturally, this cloaked figure was Xiao Tie, who had used a concealing technique from the Demon Flame Sect to hide there and eavesdrop on the conversation. He inwardly chuckled to himself. ¡°I see, so that bitch is going to be Hua-hua¡¯s bodyguard during the banquet? Hmm, if it were that Fei Yan slut, I¡¯d be scared, but Su Qingcheng isn¡¯t worth fart. I can coordinate with some Li buddies and set up an ambush. I wouldn¡¯t even need to be present!¡± Xiao Tie whispered under his breath before chuckling again to himself and leaving the Xiao residence.

    At that moment.

    Su Qingcheng had already returned home. ¡°Mother, I have to ask you for a favor.¡±

    ¡°Another favor?¡± Su Ran tilted her head.

    ¡°I am going to go be a bodyguard for Young Mistress Xiao Hua for a Li family banquet two days from now.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How come I don¡¯t know about this? You little brat, hiding secrets from me. This is fine, those Li bastard juniors need to be taught a lesson anyway. Those elders may be venerable, but they¡¯re useless when it comes to taming the young. Why you, though?¡±

    ¡°Young Mistress Hua¡¯s attendant had requested leave to help continue her sick dad¡¯s treatment,¡± Su Qingcheng explained honestly. ¡°Besides that, I agreed mostly because I am trying to acquire those materials you said you couldn¡¯t get. Xiao Dian was actually one of the more respected clan elders, so he was willing to set up an exchange. As long as I protected her in the attendant¡¯s place, I could get both Soul-Stirring Grass and the Flower of Cursed Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Wow, you, this brat, are pretty resourceful,¡± Su Ran laughed happily. ¡°Great. This is a good test for you, since you haven¡¯t been able to conduct yourself at such social gatherings. Even if you aren¡¯t directly going to participate, you can at least see what¡¯s going on between other families. Also, we have a close relationship with the Xiao clan, so you can build more favor between our families. This is a win-win situation!¡± Su Ran seemed happy about this.

    ¡°Thank you mother.¡± Su Qingcheng bowed.

    ¡°Haha! Your dad¡¯s gonna be happy when he sees you¡¯re finally taking some initiative to broker deals. He thinks you¡¯re like me, obsessed with the martial Way. But you¡¯ve definitely got some foresight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that muscle-brained, mother,¡± Su Qingcheng joked, causing Su Ran to flush and slap her daughter¡¯s shoulder ferociously, eliciting a squeak from the young teen. ¡°Geez, mother! Haha.¡±

    Su Qingcheng would then spend the next two days comprehending the notes and journals of Faceless, attempting to get a better understanding of what it means to embark on the path of a Paragon. Since she didn¡¯t have anything pressing to do, she would at least mentally prepare herself while waiting for the day of the Li family banquet¡­

 38 - The Bold Bet

    On the day of the banquet.

    Su Qingcheng was punctual. At the arranged meeting time, she had already arrived at the main hall of the Xiao clan residence. It wasn¡¯t long before Xiao Dian and Xiao Hua also arrived. Su Qingcheng could not help but blush when she saw Xiao Hua dolled up and wearing incredibly nice clothing. She was dressed in a tight-fitting red cheongsam, with slits on one side of the lower portion to reveal her wonderful legs. Immediately, Su Qingcheng felt a little jealous of Fei Yan for being able to serve such a wonderful beauty. In her past life, Su Qingcheng only really got into relationships with other women and while she did have flings with men in the past, they were only experimental in nature and she rarely tussled with ¡°bad boys.¡± Now that she was in the body of a teenager who also had hormones like men, she couldn¡¯t help but reveal a flushed expression. This in turn embarrassed Xiao Hua a little bit, but Xiao Dian laughed happily.

    ¡°Haha. It is definitely a blessing for my little Hua to be so beautiful she can even make other ladies fall for her,¡± Xiao Dian immediately spat out a joke seemingly at Su Qingcheng¡¯s expense, but how could he know that Su Qingcheng was already into girls in the first place?

    ¡°Hmm, hmm, well, Young Mistress Hua is indeed a fairy,¡± Su Qingcheng began to bullshit out compliments in order to vent her feelings. ¡°I will do my best to protect her. I am rather sure those Li fellows will have their eyes on such a beautiful young lady!¡±

    ¡°Very good, very good. We¡¯ll be relying on you.¡± Xiao Dian nodded in approval.

    The three of them boarded a carriage that took them to the place where the banquet would be held. Truthfully speaking, the venue for the Li family banquet would be at a very reputable inn that could be compared to those luxurious five-star hotels back on Earth. The atmosphere was incredibly festive and when Xiao Dian, Xiao Hua and Su Qingcheng arrived, the young Su clan girl immediately felt rather inadequate. Compared to the ravishing Xiao Hua, Su Qingcheng did look a little bit inadequate, as Su Qingcheng was a few years younger than Xiao Hua, she only wore a red qipao which Su Ran had used before when she was much younger. It even barely fit her, giving to others the impression that Su Qingcheng was just a helper for Xiao Dian and Xiao Hua, who were considered guests of honor.

    The sight of Xiao Hua for these Li family juniors was akin to the descent of a celestial goddess; this was how good Xiao Hua looked ¨C and now, Su Qingcheng really understood how Fei Yan could fall in love with her. Out of respect and no longer due to obligation, Su Qingcheng¡¯s desire to protect Xiao Hua from being sullied by these ravenous fellows¡¯ eyes increased like a burning flame. ¡°Damn, these guys are worse than I had initially imagined.¡± Su Qingcheng frowned in disapproval when she saw the groups of guys loitering around staring at her small group with hungry eyes. Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t consider herself that good looking and she imagined that standing next to Xiao Hua, she wouldn¡¯t receive much attention either but in the corner of her eye she spotted a group of Li family guys who looked even more unscrupulous than the others, looking at her with dead eyes.

    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Su Qingcheng immediately had a bad feeling about them but stuffed her negative thoughts away and instead protectively stood closer to Xiao Hua. Something seems off about this banquet, like we really shouldn¡¯t be here, let alone Xiao Hua and Xiao Dian. Yao Meiyue offered some advice but it wasn¡¯t like Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t already know something was going off about it. Eventually the Grand Elder who could only be today¡¯s birthday celebrant appeared; he descended down some grand stairs in the inn¡¯s big foyer which pretty much everybody was waiting around in.

    ¡°Esteemed guests, my fellow clan brothers and sisters and juniors, I welcome you all to my banquet.¡± He said in a rather enthused voice.

    Xiao Dian whispered something into Su Qingcheng¡¯s ear. ¡°That Grand Elder is Li Fengtian. I already told you he would be today¡¯s birthday celebrant, but you better be respectful to him. He is in the mid rank of a Tianqi Sage. He has a good personality but he spoils his juniors too much, allowing them to run rampant without repercussions. Anyone who tries to stand up against the juniors end up provoking him a little bit¡­¡±

    Su Qingcheng frowned. How could she do her job if she would end up offending the birthday guy? ¡°I understand.¡± She answered Xiao Dian promptly and politely. Xiao Hua subconsciously held onto Su Qingcheng¡¯s hand as if she were a bit scared.

    ¡°Not to worry, I will ensure your safety.¡±

    Xiao Dian approached Li Fengtian of his own accord, leaving Su Qingcheng and Xiao Hua to their own devices. He looked like he was catching up with Li Fengtian and sure enough, the two of them looked like they were having a good time, laughing. Unfortunately leaving the two girls alone would undoubtedly make them a target of those Li boys, even if the two girls were very strong in their own right. Su Qingcheng frowned.

    ¡°Young Mistress Hua, do you mind if I be a bit forward with you, just for today? I feel like if I don¡¯t make a move, they may take the chance to be rude towards you,¡± Su Qingcheng quietly asked Xiao Hua. ¡°I¡¯ll take the heat off you and place the attention towards myself. I don¡¯t want anyone hurting or humiliating you. It¡¯s only proper for Miss Fei Yan.¡±

    Xiao Hua blushed darkly as she subconsciously nestled in closer to Su Qingcheng, allowing her to possessively wrap an arm around her shoulder. This bold move shocked the nearby Li boys. One of them glared at Su Qingcheng, as if trying to kill her with a look. If those looks could kill, Su Qingcheng probably would have died ten thousand deaths already.

    ¡°Look at this servant bitch, trying to pull in a swan like that,¡± the boy who was glaring at Su Qingcheng opened his ugly mouth. ¡°Just because Lady Hua lets you touch her, doesn¡¯t mean you should! An ugly frog trying to eat the swan meat, you should be ashamed of yourself!¡±

    Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t let these insults get to her ¨C in her past life, she had suffered much worse than just verbal harassment due to her sexual orientation. This was really nothing, Su Qingcheng merely smiled. Xiao Hua blushed darkly, and she nestled herself even more into Su Qingcheng¡¯s faux embrace, giving the impression that she actually liked Su Qingcheng. As to whether this move had any truth to it, Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t really know, only the Mistress Xiao Hua did, but this was a good development for Su Qingcheng.

    The foul-mouthed Li boy grunted with flames in his eyes as he saw Xiao Hua somehow move even closer to Su Qingcheng, causing him to explode in a bout of jealousy-filled rage. ¡°You dare to seduce her? You must have some magic spell that allows these beauties to be attracted to you! Imagine if I, your father, Li Chen, have this spell! I can conquer all the beauties I want!¡± Li Chen growled. His behavior reminded Su Qingcheng of a past Xiao Tie, but she had a feeling that Xiao Tie was somehow more restrained than this guy. Her plain expression slowly warped into that of displeasure. She didn¡¯t mind if she was insulted, but the way Li Chen spoke, implied that she was deliberately taking advantage of someone like Xiao Hua who was strong and capable and could make her own decisions.

    Furthermore, Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t even have any abilities to charm or seduce people with magic arts! That also struck a sore spot with her. She¡¯d never gone cat-fishing before and nor did she intend to do so, ever. ¡°Mister Li Chen,¡± Su Qingcheng sighed. ¡°Please do yourself a favor and restrain yourself. Master Li Fengtian is celebrating his birthday today, and we¡¯re all here to celebrate his venerated self. Don¡¯t sully your Grand Elder¡¯s name by behaving like a dog.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Li Chen¡¯s expression became unsightly as he looked towards Li Fengtian, who was still busy conversing with Xiao Dian. It was as if they didn¡¯t even care about the ruckus between Su Qingcheng and Li Chen. ¡°Humph,¡± the boy grumbled, restraining himself finally. ¡°I¡¯ll give you face on account of that. You¡¯ve at least got some glib tongue. What¡¯s your name, servant trash?¡±

    Xiao Hua couldn¡¯t stand this verbal abuse anymore and glared angrily at Li Chen. She knew that Su Qingcheng was just playing around and trying to make sure nobody looked at her too lewdly, but who would have known that Li Chen and his gang were like this? ¡°Stop insulting Miss Qingcheng,¡± Xiao Hua finally exploded out in a quiet but powerful anger. ¡°She¡¯s a good person and stronger than any of you brats. She¡¯s not my servant, but she¡¯s a close friend of mine! I personally invited her, so if you want to make trouble with her, you make trouble with me!¡±

    Su Qingcheng was rather moved to hear Xiao Hua standing up for her, but shook her head and whispered to Xiao Hua that it was alright and that she didn¡¯t really need to let herself get implicated by those barbarians. Li Chen on the other hand blinked when Xiao Hua introduced Su Qingcheng to them. Truth to be told, Li Chen was indeed one of the buddies of Xiao Tie who was tasked to look for Su Qingcheng and to give her a very hard time.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Su Qingcheng, huh,¡± Li Chen cackled. ¡°Good, very good. Then you better be careful. You should be glad that the fairy Xiao Hua seems to care about you, otherwise I would rip you apart.¡±

    Su Qingcheng just sighed but otherwise was too lazy to dignify this kid with a proper response. She turned to Xiao Hua. ¡°Young Mistress, shall we go ahead and take our seats at the dining hall?¡± Su Qingcheng asked her, as the latter nodded and agreed. They left the foyer together holding hands going to the dining hall under the myriad gazes of tons of jealous horny boys. Li Chen rounded up a few of his brothers.

    ¡°That¡¯s the target of Mister Xiao Tie,¡± Li Chen whispered to his gang. ¡°He said he would pay us handsomely if we roughed her up. He also said he didn¡¯t care whether she died or not either, just as long as we could cripple her, it¡¯s also fine.¡±

    ¡°Bro, but isn¡¯t that Su Qingcheng supposedly really strong?¡±

    ¡°Man, you¡¯re so dumb, she¡¯s just a fifth rank User. How can she compare to us guys, we¡¯re all Geomancers. She might be strong against one or two people of higher level, but can she fight against six of us at once?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so!¡±

    Li Chen concluded his planning with his group. They would try to scheme a way to separate Su Qingcheng from Xiao Hua before making their move. If they could lead Su Qingcheng to an abandoned place, that would be ideal. Unfortunately, they were dealing with someone who had a lot of experience with this sort of scheming as she often authored this type of thing in the past. Being well-read and having experiences from her past life, she was on-guard towards this type of insidious scheme.

    Xiao Hua was seated with Su Qingcheng at a designated table for Xiao Dian, who was not present due to still fraternizing with Li Fengtian. The Li juniors also started to file in, taking their seats at their designated tables. Su Qingcheng took very close note of where Li Chen was seated, and noticed that he had filed in while being accompanied by five other boys. They seemed to separate at some point, so three of them were at one table close to where she was seated and Li Chen plus two were seated nearer the exit.

    ¡°Young Mistress Hua, we should be careful. That Li Chen fellow seems much worse than the other boys,¡± Su Qingcheng quietly issued a warning to Xiao Hua, who nodded in agreement. ¡°He deliberately picked a fight with me the moment I made a physical move on you. I hope you didn¡¯t mind that, by the way.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we can be considered friends now. Knowing your experiences, you can be just as strong as Fei Yan, so I trust you.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded and smiled silently in gratitude. Eventually, Li Fengtian entered the hall with Xiao Dian, who had an arm wrapped around his shoulder as if they were two bros chilling out and having fun. Xiao Hua¡¯s expression became warm while Su Qingcheng just smiled. Those two old fellas sure know how to have a good time.

    Xiao Dian soon took his seat with Su Qingcheng and Xiao Hua as Li Fengtian stood across all the tables of the hall. With a booming sound, he cleared his throat. ¡°Friends, family, thank you all for attending this humble celebration of mine. Even though I continue to grow old, I do hope I can continue to contribute to the Li family with meritorious service. I¡¯ve invited an old friend of mine in the hopes that I can search for someone worthy of a certain person¡¯s hand in marriage.¡±

    Gudong!

    Ahh, shit, kid, are you going to stop this? Yao Meiyue was shocked. Xiao Dian and Xiao Hua were even more stunned. Su Qingcheng was, surprisingly, not surprised by this at all. Xiao Hua now knew why Su Qingcheng was so protective of her, even willing to make a move like that earlier to prevent others from getting close to her. ¡°Sir, did you know about this when you were invited?¡± Su Qingcheng calmly asked Xiao Dian, who shook his head.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird that we¡¯re the only ones who are not from the Li family?¡± Su Qingcheng shook her head. ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s because Master Li Fengtian invited us to have those Li brats compete for Young Mistress Hua¡¯s hand in marriage.¡±

    Xiao Dian¡¯s smile turned into a frown as she looked at Xiao Hua, who looked rather unsightly. Xiao Dian knew that Xiao Hua didn¡¯t like any of these guys, and he himself also knew that Xiao Hua would not be treated nicely if she were to get together with any of them.

    As if confirming her suspicions, Li Fengtian explained that today¡¯s main event would be a competition between the youths present. Then he eyed Su Qingcheng who was seated next to Xiao Hua, and soon a very lecherous smile crept up on his face. When Su Qingcheng saw it, she felt a strange chill. She frowned. Xiao Hua looked worried on the other hand, and held Su Qingcheng¡¯s hand tightly. She didn¡¯t want to be married to any of these guys. She wanted to save herself for Fei Yan.

    ¡°Bastards,¡± Su Qingcheng growled. Then she stared at Li Fengtian with a determined expression. ¡°Listen up, Master Li Fengtian!¡± she yelled out, causing the entire hall to become silent in stupefaction.

    ¡°What is it, young lass?¡± Li Fengtian replied calmly, not even showing the slightest bit of anger.

    ¡°I want to make a bet!¡±

    ¡°Hohoh? What kind of bet do you want to make?¡±

    ¡°I want you to call off this marriage if nobody in this entire room can defeat me! Also, you can¡¯t choose yourself to fight me.¡±

    ¡°Hehe¡­ Really? You just want me to call it off like that?¡±

    Li Chen blinked when she saw Su Qingcheng audaciously make a bet, but he smiled viciously as he realized this was the perfect opportunity to enact his plan ahead of schedule.

    ¡°Master Xiao Dian just told me he didn¡¯t even know that you were inviting him here just to stage a competition for Mistress Xiao Hua¡¯s hand in marriage? How do you know if they were willing to agree with an arranged marriage?¡±

    Li Fengtian was normally an amicable guy, but Su Qingcheng¡¯s behavior was audacious as she was only fifteen years old by this point; her birthday had silently passed by already. Unlike Li Fengtian, Su Qingcheng was never one for such grandiose celebrations, thus she had always urged the Su family never to hold any celebrations for her. She had grown old of those in her past life.

    ¡°Audacious!¡± Li Fengtian had finally shown signs of anger. ¡°You dare to get in the way?¡±

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s courage flared out. She no longer cared whether she offended the Li family or not, they were all full of bastards. ¡°I do,¡± Su Qingcheng stated gallantly. ¡°I hereby stand by my words and force the bet. Do you dare to go against the words of a mere fifth rank User like me?¡±

    Truth to be told, Li Fengtian only knew this girl was Su Qingcheng after Xiao Dian had caught him up on it. He didn¡¯t want to mess with her either, but she was trying to get in the way of his ambition to power up the clan by marrying the two families together. Su Qingcheng knew that Xiao Hua wasn¡¯t in love with any of these people and had her heart for Fei Yan, so she would much rather support that relationship over this artificial one. This angered Li Fengtian to an extreme.

    Li Chen then stood up. ¡°Grand Elder, take the bet! We will teach that stinking slave trash a lesson!¡±

    Li Fengtian saw the confidence brimming in Li Chen¡¯s eyes. Then he solemnly nodded.

    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll take your stupid bet! But you better be prepared, we aren¡¯t a bunch of weaklings! I¡¯d like to see how a shrimp like you can stand by this young lady!¡± Li Fengtian scoffed as he stomped off to his table, his mood thoroughly ruined. The stage which he had just left would serve as the battle platform. Su Qingcheng quietly and solemnly stood up, moving over to the center of the stage.

    ¡°Okay then. Li Chen, you trash, come up if you dare!¡± Su Qingcheng proclaimed bravely.

 39 - Flower Blossoms in the Bloody Banquet

    Su Qingcheng stood alone on the stage, clearly seeing the six fellows that made up Li Chen¡¯s group. On one hand, she knew she could take on all of them at once by using her lightning nascent soul to its limit, but there was also the big, very likely possibility that other Li clan boys would join in the fun, which would force Su Qingcheng in a disadvantageous position very quickly. After all, she was alone. She would not allow Xiao Hua to help her in this moment of bravado as it would invalidate the bet at once, not to mention she was sure Xiao Dian wouldn¡¯t allow her to come up either. Are you sure this is a good idea? This seems like something rather spur of the moment. Oh well, I won¡¯t blame you for this. Maybe something good will come out of it. I can feel a faint energy welling up in your body. If you can awaken it, it will probably help you when it comes to breaking through to the next level. Yao Meiyue, being a spiritual force that resided as one with Su Qingcheng was now acutely aware of the sensations that were occurring inside her body. Indeed, Su Qingcheng began to feel faint slivers of otherworldly power surrounding her lightning nascent soul, as if she were beginning to awaken primordial urges that resonated within the Universe.

    Her intense stress and bravery seemed to trigger this spark which made her incredibly impulsive, daring to ferociously stand up to the plot of Li Fengtian, who really was just a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing after all. Inwardly, Xiao Dian cursed for falling for Li Fengtian¡¯s scheme. Who knew he was working for his clan in such an underhanded manner? However, he then was reminded about Xiao Hua warning him about Xiao Tie having a new backer. After this farce was over, he would interrogate that viper. Meanwhile, Su Qingcheng stood still, rooted to the spot releasing an imposing aura that made the weaker Li clan boys shake in their seats. Li Chen however stood almost valiantly against the young girl. ¡°I¡¯d like to see how a bitch like you can stand up to all of us! How dare you proclaim to be better than all of us?¡± Li Chen cried out in aggrieved anger.

    ¡°Humph, you chauvinistic dogs. Come at me all at once if you dare. I do believe I can take all of you down.¡± Su Qingcheng scowled at Li Chen, the ferocious sight of this young girl shocking Xiao Hua inwardly. She knew about those rumors about Su Qingcheng gaining immense power from the misfortune of being kidnapped, but she had no idea how much that event had really changed her. Coupled with her resentment from her death in her past life, Su Qingcheng¡¯s warrior spirit had been ignited. She didn¡¯t want something like this to get in the way of Xiao Hua¡¯s love life, and feeling a deep-seated urge to help a fellow ranker, she was willing to go all out for this. Li Chen himself scoffed in disdain as he whistled and his fellow five brothers suddenly stood up and rushed at Su Qingcheng all at once.

    Xiao Hua yelled out at Su Qingcheng, ¡°Watch out!¡± but it seemed that her warnings weren¡¯t entirely necessary. Su Qingcheng quickly adopted the Black Hole Stance and let the lightning nascent soul do its work; it was churning deep inside her abdomen where her dantian would be. Sparks began to fly from her arms and a flash of lightning burst out from both of her eyes, causing the Li boys who didn¡¯t immediately jump into the conflict to be startled. Two of Li Chen¡¯s brothers had immediately gotten close to Su Qingcheng in the blink of an eye, but the girl had quickly created Lightning Nightflower Tianqi, deftly taking two steps back and throwing both of her arms forward, causing the two boys to run into her fists, one for each fist. They immediately thought they could get the advantage by grabbing her arms to lock her down, but they never would have imagined that Su Qingcheng could discharge a ferocious lightning tianqi from her fists, immediately causing them to be launched into the ground as if they were kites with broken strings tossed by the winds. The other four guys, Li Chen included, suddenly stopped in their tracks when they saw Su Qingcheng effortlessly stop the advance of two guys who were in the mid Geomancer stratum.

    Li Fengtian¡¯s gaze became more solemn and profound, as if he were contemplating something. This look didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the perceptive Xiao Dian, who frowned. Xiao Hua herself was too busy fretting over Su Qingcheng being seemingly overconfident and threatening the entire room to notice. Su Qingcheng herself glared at Li Chen and his gang. ¡°Well? Did you guys get cold feet, or what? You all should be glad I don¡¯t have any grievances with you kids, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be against killing you all!¡±

    Li Fengtian growled. ¡°Impudent brat!¡±

    Li Chen stopped the grand elder in his tracks. ¡°Humph, don¡¯t involve yourself in this matter of the younger generation. This girl is just hotblooded trash who thinks just because she can strut like this, she can influence such matters as marriage! Boys, let¡¯s get her!¡±

    The entire room minus the Xiao father and daughter pair and Li Fengtian stood up, glaring at Su Qingcheng as if they could pierce her and make her into a hedgehog. Su Qingcheng¡¯s expression became solemn, but she remained dauntless and was not afraid. ¡°Good, very good!¡± Su Qingcheng laughed. ¡°Since you¡¯re all courting death, let me be the one to teach you all a good lesson about women! We aren¡¯t your flipping bargaining chips or play things!¡± Su Qingcheng bellowed out as she stuck out a finger and did a ¡°come at me!¡± gesture with it.

    Thoroughly provoked, Li Chen and all the other boys suddenly charged at her in a rage. Su Qingcheng utilized her Black Hole Stance to the fullest, knowing that in this kind of battle, she had an advantage in that her particular spot in the hall allowed her to minimize the number of opponents she had to battle at the same time. Since there were so many of them and only one of her, it would be akin to a movie set where the main character had to battle through a horde of filler enemies at the same time. Su Qingcheng noticed that a majority of these Li clan boys didn¡¯t have very good fighting skills, allowing her to utilize her Star Vortex Fist to steal their Tianqi to keep her energy reserves running. She knew she could not use her Lightning Nightflower Tianqi so frivolously especially since after this, she would have already thoroughly offended a significant portion of the Li family clan.

    Li Chen was shocked, as he was the only one out of most of his brothers that could fight toe-to-toe with Su Qingcheng. He inwardly started to feel a great pressure on him because he knew he was the only one capable not only of salvaging his clan¡¯s plan but also he could get a big reward from Xiao Tie if he could successfully subdue Su Qingcheng, however she seemed to be filled with boundless energy. It was only then he realized his brothers grew very tired, very fast. ¡°What kind of sorcery are you using! Stop it at once!¡± Li Chen cried foul, but how could he know that Su Qingcheng was using the Star Vortex Fist to steal the vitality of those boys to keep herself strong while weakening the others to the extent that they couldn¡¯t fight properly anymore?Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°You idiot. There¡¯s so many of you, how do you expect me to battle you fools endlessly without any tricks up my sleeve?¡± Su Qingcheng laughed as she effortlessly started to swat away those weaker Li clan boys. She took extreme care though not to deal any fatal blows, instead focusing on incapacitating them or knocking them out or simply just making them unable to fight anymore. The more Li Fengtian saw this, the more he was convinced Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t really have any designs against him and he felt regret on this sight. Truth to be told, he was also in on Xiao Tie¡¯s scheme, as he was present with Li Chen when Xiao Tie was making the deal with him. He believed that if he could sway Xiao Dian and Xiao Hua to his side to isolate Su Qingcheng, then Li Chen wouldn¡¯t have any issues with dealing with her.

    However, it was against his expectations that Su Qingcheng would be so chivalrous and protect Xiao Hua¡¯s honor as if she was a white knight? Unfortunately for him, he didn¡¯t know that Xiao Hua was already smitten by someone else, an outsider at that. Even more so, there was no such thing as regret medicine. He was already very grateful that Su Qingcheng was being merciful and was only doing this under the pretense of teaching them a lesson. He saw Xiao Dian¡¯s enraged expression and felt very guilty. Deep inside, Li Fengtian had his reservations about the affair too but the rewards Xiao Tie promised the Li clan were just too great. After all, Xiao Tie did have the backing of the Demon Flame Sect, which was very rich by now and could provide great benefits to its allies. He shook his head in disappointment.

    On the other hand, Su Qingcheng had now been swept with a battle lust, feeling the primordial strands of energy surrounding her rotating lightning nascent soul swell up. Yao Meiyue could recognize this while carefully observing the spiritual signature around Su Qingcheng as she continued to battle against the horde of Li clan boys. The girl was, however, unable to gain a big advantage against Li Chen who was actually very strong; about to break through to the Tianqi Prince stratum. He also had a lot of experience in street brawls and bar fights due to being a frivolous unrestrained guy who often went around in red light districts to have some ¡°fun.¡± Su Qingcheng realized this and felt a bit ashamed about underestimating him. However, all this did was to further motivate her warrior¡¯s spirit.

    Su Qingcheng, keep going! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but you are awakening a divine essence! Yao Meiyue called out as Su Qingcheng was swept up in a rage, but she seemed not to listen. The primordial energy continued to swirl up as the numbers of the Li clan boys lessened and lessened at an alarming rate. At this point, it wasn¡¯t an uncommon sight to see Su Qingcheng effortlessly parrying the amateur blows of the boys with her abnormal Black Hole Stance, only managing to barely handle Li Chen who took advantage of their superior numbers to try and get the upper hand. Yao Meiyue couldn¡¯t believe what she was sensing. The battle rage and emotional state of Su Qingcheng was awakening something within her abnormal constitution that was undoubtedly spurred by the presence of a nascent soul in her body.

    Normally, if she were to undergo a conventional training process, this kind of divine essence could only be sensed at the stage where she acquired a regular nascent soul. However, due to the fact that Su Qingcheng had acquired a divergent nascent soul so early, she could already trigger this particular essence. As it was a primordial one seemingly originating from the depths of the universe itself, even Yao Meiyue had trouble defining just what exactly it was. The energy swirling around the nascent soul seemed to become increasingly violent as Su Qingcheng continued to battle. The longer Yao Meiyue tried to analyze it, the more she understood. This was the divine essence of ¡°Battle¡±! The basest instinct of a human to fight for what they believe is right! Su Qingcheng¡¯s warrior will had been triggered the moment she was thrown into this den of disgusting men who only wanted to conquer women! The divine essence of battle had slowly poured itself to every fiber of Su Qingcheng¡¯s being, rejuvenating her spirit and causing her to fight with more efficacy. Even she finally started to notice such a change as she bellowed out ferociously like those martial artists on Earth who yelled out in ¡®kiai¡¯ fashion!

    ¡°Ahhhh!!!¡± Su Qingcheng cried out bravely under the stupefied gazes of the Li clan boys who were still conscious, most of all Li Fengtian and Xiao Dian who were at a high enough cultivation level to sense the change!

    Li Fengtian uttered some words to himself. ¡°No, this is inconceivable¡­! The phenomenon of a ¡®Flower Blossoming in Battle¡­!¡¯ Even worse, we have been indirectly responsible for triggering a divine essence awakening! This is bad, I have doomed our Li clan!¡±

    Xiao Dian was surprised also, he could also recognize this phenomenon. Xiao Hua didn¡¯t understand what was going on, but seeing the reverent gaze in her dad¡¯s eyes, she then knew what Su Qingcheng was doing wasn¡¯t ordinary at all. Su Qingcheng herself had finally knocked down all of the incompetent boys aside from Li Chen himself. Her imposing stance had already changed to Night Lily Stance as she glared at Li Chen coldly, who finally felt cold sweat pouring down his back.

    ¡°You¡­ freak!¡± Li Chen choked. He completely lost his courage to battle Su Qingcheng and retreated back.

    Su Qingcheng finally had a chance to feel the divine battle essence empowering her very being. She smiled as she calmed down, her gaze becoming less cold towards Li Chen. ¡°I have to say, I must actually thank you. This adverse situation has really benefitted me in the end.¡± It seemed Su Qingcheng had taken Yao Meiyue¡¯s words to heart after all.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about your brothers and friends. They are just quite injured and will recover. I don¡¯t have any grievances with your clan after all. I just disdain the behavior of people like you who force themselves on capable women like Young Mistress Hua.¡±

    Xiao Dian glared at Li Fengtian as he stood up and took Xiao Hua with him. He coughed. ¡°Right, Little Qingcheng is indeed wise and powerful. We¡¯d better leave. I apologize for making a mess of things.¡± The two of them left as Su Qingcheng quietly walked away with them.

    Li Fengtian stared at Li Chen who looked terrified. He finally opened his mouth to speak when Xiao Dian and company had already left the hall.

    ¡°You blithering idiot!¡± Li Fengtian yelled at Li Chen.

    Su Qingcheng could only hear a shrill cry from the inn when she left the premises with Xiao Dian and Xiao Hua. She was already satisfied after she had vented her energy. The divine battle essence surrounding her nascent soul once again gently swirled around it calmly, as if it had fallen asleep once again¡­

 40 - Gifts

    Xiao Dian, Xiao Hua and Su Qingcheng were a trio who decided to walk back to the Xiao clan residence. The mood was rather solemn and Xiao Dian looked rather sullen. However, he was thinking about what he saw earlier. Su Qingcheng¡¯s battle lust had flared up and it seemed like she was a bloody flower blossoming in the middle of a violent brawl. However after that scene, Su Qingcheng had quickly returned to her usual calm state. He was mulling over it, but at the same time Yao Meiyue realized that perhaps this primordial awakening was more complex than just the awakening of a divine essence. The divine essence of battle was one of the rarer types of essence especially since it could not be compared in the same manner as the energy from nature, such as the yin-yang duality that existed in the land. The divine essence of battle seemed to endlessly course through Su Qingcheng¡¯s body, yet at the same time it did not do anything aside from quietly temper her body as if undergoing an incredibly slow and passive evolution.

    Yao Meiyue finally realized what was going on just as the three of them had returned to the Xiao clan residence. At this time, Xiao Dian also had his own impressions of what was going on, but as he was less experienced than Yao Meiyue, he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. Ultimately the both of them had the same kind of thoughts but the Xiao elder had a much more shallow view on it than Yao Meiyue. At last, Su Qingcheng stood before Xiao Dian and Xiao Hua back in one of the Xiao clan residence halls. Su Qingcheng bowed deeply. ¡°I apologize for my impulsiveness,¡± Su Qingcheng sighed. ¡°I was just overwhelmed with an intense sense of anger when those Li family fellows acted so impetuously against the both of you.¡±

    Xiao Dian shook his head. ¡°No, I should thank you for bringing us out of there the way you did. I know Li Fengtian, he¡¯s not normally like that. I think he was convinced by somebody to set the affair up. That boy, Li Chen, had an abnormal enmity towards you even though I don¡¯t think you did anything that would offend him. Anyway, let¡¯s just forget about it. I promised you that I would give you the Soul-Stirring Grass and the Flower of the Cursed Dragon, so I will go ahead and fetch it for you. After that, I need to talk to you for a bit alone.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded as Xiao Dian walked away, leaving Su Qingcheng and Xiao Hua to talk alone. Fei Yan was not present because she was still with her sick father. Xiao Hua remained quiet and didn¡¯t seem to be interested in saying anything. Instead she kept up a rather bashful appearance.

    ¡°Sorry about earlier,¡± Su Qingcheng apologized. ¡°I just thought¡­¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Thank you.¡± Xiao Hua smiled and responded to Su Qingcheng politely. ¡°Father doesn¡¯t know about it, yet you can so discern my relationship with Fei Yan. Haii, sometimes I wish I were your sister instead of being part of this clan.¡±

    ¡°Master Xiao Dian treats you very well and dotes on you. I wouldn¡¯t be dissatisfied with it either.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he would approve of our relationship, even if Fei Yan is very strong, since she lacks a strong backing.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t necessarily know this. Fei Yan is a mighty Tianqi Sage at her age, she must be, what, in her mid 20s? That¡¯s just as fearsome as my mother was, I think?¡± Su Qingcheng complimented Fei Yan rather bluntly, even going so far as to compare her to Su Ran. Xiao Hua was shocked, not expecting such a comparison either. ¡°Look, I just want you to chase your own happiness. I am walking my own path and look where that¡¯s getting me? I am managing to get some priceless ingredients for my own cultivation. Look forward to the coming months, I will give that fella Xiao Tie a good show.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Tie¡­ Yes, he deserves nothing more than to die without a corpse,¡± Xiao Hua looked down as she muttered vicious words that betrayed her demeanor. ¡°You should be extra careful of him. Fei Yan told me she saw Xiao Tie practicing techniques from Demon Flame Sect.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°What, the Demon Flame Sect?!¡±

    ¡°You know of it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do know of it, my mother had¡­¡±

    Su Qingcheng, for some reason, felt a kindred bond with Xiao Hua, so she didn¡¯t feel it was wrong to divulge some personal history of her mother. Anyway, what could Xiao Hua possibly do about it? Perhaps only Fei Yan was qualified to do anything about it in the entire Xiao clan. She began to explain the story of how one of Su Ran¡¯s closest friends had been killed by a Demon Flame Sect core disciple, and she had exacted vengeance by exterminating the sect.

    ¡°But if Lady Su Ran had already destroyed the sect, how come Xiao Tie is being taught by a guy who knows the techniques?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not important, but you have given me priceless intelligence if this is the truth. The Demon Flame Sect is tyrannical in nature and he will most likely use their techniques to try to kill me. I really will die unjustly if I don¡¯t break through to Geomancer in this coming month!¡± Su Qingcheng gasped. She left out the bit where the Demon Flame Sect had been rebuilt in secret because she figured Xiao Hua was not the kind of person to involve herself in underground affairs. If she really cared that much she would most likely just ask Fei Yan.

    Just as Xiao Hua wanted to probe further, Xiao Dian had arrived, causing their conversation to be cut rather short. Xiao Dian was carrying a bag containing the Soul-Stirring Grass and a wooden box that contained the Flower of the Cursed Dragon. Su Qingcheng graciously accepted them and stored them in her Dragon Hoard Ring, thanking Xiao Dian in an almost reverent tone.

    ¡°Please leave the two of us to speak alone, little Hua?¡± Xiao Dian kindly told his daughter to leave. She obeyed quietly and pitter-pattered off, giving Su Qingcheng a meaningful glance that spoke two words, ¡°be careful.¡± Su Qingcheng knew she was in for it now if Xiao Tie was practicing Demon Flame Sect techniques. Yao Meiyue and Su Ran should help her to orient herself against those techniques anyway so she wasn¡¯t actually very worried. However, this was under the pretext that she became a Terraformer successfully!

    ¡°Little Qingcheng, during the battle at the banquet, I noticed you manifested a rare phenomenon known as ¡®Flower Blossoming in Battle,¡¯ but this is rather peculiar, I don¡¯t know the specifics, but where normally you would unlock the divine essence, your case is rather¡­ different. Do you feel any changes in your body?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir, I do sense my body becoming more in tune with close combat.¡±

    ¡°Then my initial misgivings were for naught; since you possess the Lightning Nascent Soul far in advance, you were able to give primordial energy an avenue to access your fleshly body. Do you remember the time you became crippled?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that was a freak accident. My mother was in the middle of trying to cultivate a thunder-based method, but made a mistake which caused me to be forcibly doused in heavenly lightning. Since I was very young and was foolish, the heavenly thunder destroyed my tianqi paths via overloading and burst them like fraying a piece of rope!¡± Su Qingcheng gnashed her teeth.

    ¡°Right. The heavy burst of heavenly thunder which crippled you was what allowed your fleshly body to open up the potential to evolve to a new constitution that hadn¡¯t been seen in many years¡­ Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know too much about the specifics, but I only know that this is the Divine Battle Goddess Soul Constitution, which behaves like divine essence but is in fact not. The effects is a further heightened battle sense and a tougher fleshly body, which allows you to exert tianqi more ferociously and have extended battle vitality. You should treasure it and conduct some research into it.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t really feel anything substantial other than the second wind energy which I assume originates from unlocking the constitution through heated battle lust, vigor and extensive mental stress.¡± Su Qingcheng shrugged as she casually speculated the origin of the phenomena described to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s because the power of the constitution is only opened up in battle. When you are out of combat, your body enters a dormant recovery state. Actually, this would be like a runner getting into the zone during a marathon but after it is done, they need to cool off and recover.¡± Xiao Dian said. ¡°I don¡¯t know much more than this, but you have to be careful if any experts find out your abnormal body is such a treasure, they¡¯re sure to try and hatch a lot of schemes against you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see them try. You better start with that Xiao Tie scum first though, because I am pretty sure he is colluding with some very bad people. Trust in your daughter a bit more.¡± Su Qingcheng warned Xiao Dian with a smile as she turned to leave. ¡°This Su Qingcheng will take her leave now. Thank you very much for your donation.¡±

    As she left with a big grin on her face, Xiao Dian had a very pensive expression.

 41 - Void King Qin Fa

    Bailing City, inside the Imperial Castle.

    Through the grapevine, news of the bloody battle that occurred during the Li family¡¯s birthday celebration of Grand Elder Li Fengtian had already spread through Bailing Empire. The Li family was actually incredibly big and illustrious in the Bailing Empire, as it was very well-known as primarily a mercantile family. They prioritized doing business and marketing over the martial Way and as a result were very prosperous. Unfortunately they were also quite notorious when it regards to their overall conduct in the younger generation. The Li family which was in Tang Gu City was one of the more famous branch families, with the main lineage residing in Bailing City. Therefore, the news about Li Fengtian¡¯s birthday celebration had spread quite fast.

    Naturally, this news didn¡¯t escape the ears of the Imperial Family. In one of the chambers, a woman draped in a red cape sat cross-legged in the center. She had a very imposing and majestic aura, almost rivaling a heavenly king or queen. If one were to stand by her, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist kneeling before her. She looked rugged and well-tempered, but her battle-hardened appearance served as a natural charm in its own way. She might not be a world-class beauty, but she was definitely an imposing warrior who could put any masculine man to shame. Though her eyes had been closed and she had been maintaining this position for a very long time, she finally opened them today.

    ¡°After thousands of years, finally, someone with the Divine Battle Goddess Soul has awakened in our Bailing Empire. I¡­ should pay a visit to an old friend...¡±

    The woman stood up finally and left the chambers quietly. It was unknown whether anyone inside the Imperial Castle even knew that she had departed.

    That moment¡­

    Su Qingcheng was back in the Su clan residence, going through the records in their family archives again. She was trying to corroborate Yao Meiyue¡¯s knowledge of the Divine Battle Goddess Soul Constitution. Xiao Dian¡¯s knowledge according to her was very rudimentary, so she attempted to fill in the gaps. This constitution was unlocked under the pretense that the person had awakened the Divine Battle Goddess Soul, which could only be obtained by women. The male equivalent of this was the Divine Tyrant Soul, which was quite similar but had a bigger emphasis on brute strength than the battle insight and instinct that the Divine Battle Goddess Soul granted.

    Yao Meiyue was naturally knowledgeable about these matters due to her many years of experience in this kind of thing. Su Qingcheng herself found some records on mysterious constitutions and divine essences and did confirm some of the things that Yao Meiyue had explained to her. The Divine Battle Goddess Soul was a mysterious spiritual existence that could only truly be awakened in the course of battle, and it required that the person with it had a nascent soul to serve as a medium or conduit. Normally this would only happen in a much higher realm of cultivation, but Su Qingcheng had already acquired the lightning nascent soul by absorbing the core of a Lightning Wyvern Prince, thus resulting in her maturation of a nascent soul several decades earlier than the average time.

    Truly, being the prisoner of the Heaven Thunder Prison had ended up becoming a truly fortuitous encounter, turning disaster into Su Qingcheng¡¯s biggest fortune since gaining Yao Meiyue as a teacher. Ever since she acquired the power of lightning, her strength had become incredibly domineering and tyrannical. Awakening the power of the Divine Battle Goddess Soul only offset the weakness in her lack of life and death experiences! Yao Meiyue continued to explain the mysterious effects of this battle soul, telling her that during non-combat situations, the soul would be in a very dormant state and would provide a very gentle form of nourishment to one¡¯s muscles, helping them to calm down much faster after heavy physical exertion. In a way, the Divine Battle Goddess Soul in a few words could be described as the fleshly body¡¯s best companion!

    The human body at this point in time was very high maintenance. Physical exertion and cultivation also drained the body of its precious nourishment and vitality which could be recovered not necessarily through food but with rest and elixirs. However, not only could the Divine Battle Goddess Soul skip this entirely, but it also worked in a much more effective manner as the battle soul was already part of the human body in the first place. Su Qingcheng was heavily alarmed when learning about this. No wonder she felt nothing much but a light tiredness after battling all those Li clan boys! It was an effect of her new constitution. However, she felt something was off about Xiao Dian telling her about how she acquired the battle soul. Unfortunately, though Yao Meiyue knew a lot about the battle soul, she wasn¡¯t exactly confident on how Su Qingcheng could have suddenly acquired it.

    Meanwhile, in another part of the residence, Su Ran had been accosted by Su Mujian, who finally had finished recovering from his injuries...  Ever since that fateful encounter, he had felt deeply humiliated and embarrassed, causing him to shut himself from the world upon his recovery and enter a forceful hermitage inside the residence. Only recently did he come out especially after hearing about Su Qingcheng¡¯s exploits. ¡°Mom, we have a visitor from the Bailing Imperial Palace, claiming to be one of your friends. She wants to see you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? A visitor from the Imperial Palace? Eh, who could it be? Send her in to see me.¡±

    ¡°I understand!¡± Su Mujian nodded and he ran off to greet the visitor from the Imperial Palace. When he first saw the visitor, he was really flustered. It turned out that the visitor was actually that red-caped woman who learned about someone awakening the Divine Battle Goddess Soul. Evidently she already had an idea of who it could be, but she arrived at the Su clan residence wearing a red cloak. Most of her body was covered except for her face, which looked very mature. Su Mujian couldn¡¯t help but get smitten by it!

    He quietly ushered her into the hall and quietly led her to Su Ran.

    Su Ran in return gasped and gestured for Su Mujian to leave without saying anything.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Nie Ran. Or should I say, Mistress Su Ran?¡±

    Su Ran crossed her arms and laughed softly. She recognized this person from the Imperial Palace. It was none other than the ranker who defeated her all those years ago, Void King! Void King was actually not a man, but a woman! Until this day, she still did not know her relationship with the Imperial Family, only that she was a part of their company. Yet Su Ran never bothered to pry into this personal information. All she knew as that Void King, known to the world as Qin Fa, was someone worthy of being a close friend.

    ¡°What brings you to our humble abode, Sis Qin?¡± Su Ran asked innocently.

    ¡°Your daughter, Su Qingcheng.¡±

    ¡°Eh? What about her? I know she is rather outstanding, but she¡¯s still just a kid.¡±

    ¡°Sister, don¡¯t play games with me. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know she awakened the Divine Battle Goddess Soul?¡±

    ¡°What? Er, Sis Qin, don¡¯t play games with me. Even I know such an individual didn¡¯t awaken in thousands of years.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s the truth. You know about the battle at the Li family banquet, right?¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Yeah, I wanted to punish that little brat for it, but who would have known that Xiao Dian even didn¡¯t stop her from disciplining all those boys? Man, who would have thought I had such an impulsive daughter¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just like you. Anyway, if you don¡¯t believe me, call her in here.¡±

    Su Ran nodded. She asked one of the Su family helpers to call over Su Qingcheng, who arrived very quickly since the archives were not very far from this hall. When Su Qingcheng arrived, she gasped as she felt the presence of the cloaked woman being incredibly tyrannical. As a fifth rank user, she couldn¡¯t help but tremble. Due to the Divine Battle Goddess Soul in her body, she did not kneel directly despite her cultivation level being wildly below both the ladies in front of her.

    ¡°See? Sis, your daughter really is a monster among monsters.¡± Qin Fa was inwardly shocked. She actually did not know that Su Qingcheng had already become a Tianqi Board Ranker. Even though she was ranked 100 in the Man board, Qin Fa could recognize that this meant she either did the three tests to qualify, or she directly defeated rank #100.

    Su Ran stared at Su Qingcheng as if she wasn¡¯t even her own daughter anymore, before shaking her as if she were a ragdoll. ¡°Damnit! You little brat!!¡± Su Ran was howling with laughter. ¡°You really are full of surprises, even this old lady can¡¯t see through you anymore! Hahaha! My kid, my kid¡¯s gonna be the Battle Goddess in legends!!¡±

    Qin Fa¡¯s mouth twitched as she gently pulled Su Ran back and made her calm down.

    ¡°Kid, you sure have some good luck!¡±

    ¡°This junior greets the mighty senior and sister of mother,¡± Su Qingcheng cupped her fists and bowed politely towards Qin Fa.

    ¡°No need to stand on ceremony with me. I, Qin Fa, treat my bosom sister¡¯s kids with the respect they surely deserve. Especially you, little kid. Nobody in the past thousands of years has acquired the battle soul. You¡¯re the first to awaken it. Since you¡¯re not even yet a Geomancer, this means you must have acquired a powerful divergent nascent soul. Can you share it with me?¡±

    Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t hesitate as she controlled herself and let loose a very small bolt of lightning which fizzled out.

    ¡°Good kid, Sis, weren¡¯t you trying to channel lightning before?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sis Qin¡­ I made a mistake, and implicated this brat¡­ Causing her to be crippled. Who would have known that she¡¯d make such a recovery, and even unlock a whole new world in her cultivation?¡± Su Ran spoke solemnly, feeling very guilty about the whole affair. She knew that Su Zhan and she couldn¡¯t do anything about such a crippling even though they tried so hard. Yet, who would have known that Yao Meiyue would awaken from her slumber and concoct the Phoenix Rainbow Elixir, totally undoing the damage and even making her stronger?

    ¡°I heard the rumors about that thunder building falling from the sky. So it turns out the prisoner who escaped was you. The White Spirit Competition had been forcibly canceled due to the attack. Looks like they captured you.¡± Qin Fa frowned. ¡°Sis Ran, do you mind if I borrow your kid for a while? She needs to be accustomed to her new battle sense and I feel like she needs some extra training.¡±

    ¡°Uh, there should be a month and two weeks before the date of her ¡®engagement,¡¯¡± Su Ran nodded, realizing the time for the challenge would be up very soon. ¡°Under Sis Qin¡¯s training, Qingcheng¡¯er should be able to get some benefits.¡±

    ¡°Senior Qin, this lowly junior has a request.¡±

    ¡°Oh, speak, speak. I won¡¯t hesitate to help out.¡± Qin Fa seemed pretty excited. It seemed like she was interested in mentoring a young seedling who had awakened the battle soul at an incredibly young age.

    ¡°I need a Fruit of Desire to help me break through. Will Senior Qin help me?¡±

    ¡°Ffffuahhh~~ Don¡¯t call me senior anymore. Call me auntie! And sure, the Fruit of Desire is very rare, but I will help you out!¡± Qin Fa didn¡¯t seem so imposing anymore. It seemed like the relationship between these two monstrous women wasn¡¯t simple at all.

    ¡°Auntie Qin, don¡¯t tell me you have a clue where to get it? Mother told me that thing is just impossible to get here.¡±

    ¡°I have my ways, naturally. Sis Ran, you let me take your kid back to my place for a while, eh?¡±

    ¡°Well, I normally wouldn¡¯t trust anyone to take my daughter anywhere alone, but since it¡¯s you, I guess that¡¯s okay.¡± Su Ran giggled. Now Su Qingcheng was really convinced that the nicknames of Netherworld Ghost Queen and Void King seemed to have some underlying relationship also. However, Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t ask. It was probably too personal. Qin Fa herself was at the peak of the Tianqi Emperor stratum, and rivaled Su Ran in terms of power. She quietly wrapped an arm around Su Qingcheng¡¯s shoulder, treating her as if she were her own daughter, and walked away with her in front of a stupefied Su Ran, who laughed.

    ¡°Ehh¡­ Sis Qin, you really did want a kid after all¡­¡± she quietly murmured as she looked at her hands.

    Qin Fa was now carrying Su Qingcheng in her arms as she was flying all the way to the Bailing Empire. Along the way, Su Qingcheng had a lot of questions. She knew about her identity as Void King so she wanted to ask Qin Fa about her experiences in battling Su Ran.

    ¡°Ayo, kid, your mother really dotes on you. She even told you about our battle? Well, there¡¯s probably something you should know that even your mother hid from you. Probably because she doesn¡¯t want to worry you, but I think she probably won¡¯t mind if I told you¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it weird that Sis Ran¡¯s hands become enflamed even though she can¡¯t control fire tianqi?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ That¡¯s true, I never really made much of that, though! Can¡¯t flames be made without it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it can, but those flames are netherworld flames, they could be comparable to the flames of the Infernal Realm. Certainly, you¡¯d need a bit of flame tianqi for that. The reason is that in order to activate it, Sis Ran has to use a bit of her bloodline¡¯s blood to power it up! If it weren¡¯t for Sis Ran¡¯s abnormal body, she would have shriveled up a long time ago¡­¡± Qin Fa frowned.

    ¡°What the hell! Is this really something you should be telling me!! Are you trying to scare me!!¡±

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not finished yet.¡± Qin Fa attempted to calm her down. ¡°Sis Ran¡¯s body is really abnormal, so doing that isn¡¯t a big deal for her. But as her daughter most inclined to be the one to inherit her Ghost Calamity Palm, I am sure Sis Ran is thinking very hard whether to pass it down to you or not. Sis Ran was born with the ability to replenish her own blood at a much faster rate compared to other humans. Clearly you don¡¯t have the same thing, but instead have unlocked the mythical Divine Battle Goddess Soul only spoken of in legends. That¡¯s why, under any circumstances, you cannot ask your mother to pass it down to you herself!¡±

    ¡°I get it now. So she was trying to protect me by not talking about it. Since my blood is not pure Nie blood, it might actually hurt me to learn the Ghost Calamity Palm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Fortunately, you have your own secrets and treasures on you that allow you to make your own path. The moment you asked for a Fruit of Desire, I already knew you want to embark on the Path of a Paragon.¡±

    Yao Meiyue was really shocked when she heard this from Qin Fa¡¯s mouth. Su Qingcheng was even more stunned. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one of the reasons why I¡¯m taking you with me. I know you need some special ingredients to make a medicinal bath that will protect you from the Single-Color Heavenly Tribulation that will strike you once you trigger the conditions to enter the Terraformer stage.¡± Qin Fa explained. ¡°The Fruit of Desire is the key ingredient that allows the bath to rise up and cover your entire skin in the protective solution! Furthermore, it can help to absorb the tribulation lightning and enhance your lightning nascent soul further!¡±

    Gudong!

    Insane! This Qin Fa sure had some knowledge! Was she also a pro apothecary?

    ¡°Your body is abnormally tempered due to the abundance of lightning in your body. Combined with the awakening of the Divine Battle Goddess Soul, your fleshly body has an unlimited potential of growth. Right now, what you lack most aside from cultivation resources is battle experience. Though the battle soul can offset most of it, it really can¡¯t offset personal experience. Instinct can only take you so far. Therefore, I plan to not only take you to the Tianzhan Mountain to look for the Fruit of Desire, I will also make you walk with me on the mountain for your experiential training!¡±

    ¡°This¡­ Why are you helping me so much?¡±

    ¡°You have heavenly fortune, to be the one to have awakened the battle soul not seen in thousands of years that had only been recorded in those ancient tomes¡­ To be able to be friends with the only one I could call my bosom sister, certainly, I won¡¯t spare any expense to mentor you to become an unparalleled existence that surpasses me, and your mother.¡± Qin Fa had a very determined expression on her face.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°No buts! Kiddo, you need the ability to protect yourself too. The Bailing Empire won¡¯t be able to keep you here forever! You are already not only an inheritor of the divine battle soul, but you also plan to collect the Marks of the Paragon. The resources and experiences you will need to temper yourself, are found far, far away. Let me help you take your first steps!¡±

    ¡°F, fine¡­¡±

    With that, Qin Fa flew far away at a fast speed with Su Qingcheng in tow¡­

 42 - Unexpected Treasure at Tianzhan Mountain

    In the Xiao clan residence¡­

    Xiao Tie was in the middle of cultivation. These past weeks, he had been undergoing a strict training regime designed by his master from the Demon Flame Sect. Huan Tao had been deeply impressed by the innate talent that Xiao Tie had, and now began to wonder just exactly how and why this young seedling had gone so far as to agree to join the Demon Flame Sect without any argument. Even more surprising was that Xiao Tie seemed to already have an impression of the sect, and even behaved in accordance to its teachings. Huan Tao had some knowledge of the Xiao clan as the matter of Xiao Tie was already in his mind since the day the young boy had been beaten up by Su Qingcheng prior to the White Spirit Competition.

    This was due to the fact he had a connection with one of Xiao Tie¡¯s confidantes from Fang Li¡¯s tower, none other than Madame Lu. Huan Tao himself coincidentally happened to be part of the audience that watched the fight, and an impression of Xiao Tie had already been etched into his mind as a potential seedling for the Demon Flame Sect, so he had asked Madame Lu for his background. This instilled the old sly fox with more confidence, and had managed to appear before him to look like his savior. Only after teaching him now did Huan Tao realize he had severely underestimated this fellow¡¯s propensity to be a vile snake.

    It was as if he wasn¡¯t actually a child of this clan.

    Huan Tao was beginning to grow rather suspicious of Xiao Tie¡¯s actual background, but he didn¡¯t concern himself with those matters because after all, he was rearing Xiao Tie to be a powerful asset of the Demon Flame Sect. His enmity with Su Qingcheng would end up being a big motivator. Huan Tao himself had just gotten news that Su Qingcheng was being carried off by a bigshot of the Imperial Family to the Tianzhan Mountain from his moles inside Fang Li¡¯s tower, being an elder of the powerful underground Demon Flame Sect.

    ¡°Is there a way for us to intercept Su Qingcheng at Tianzhan Mountain?¡± Xiao Tie asked emotionlessly. He had been cultivating in Demon Flame Sect¡¯s Demonic Blood Boiling Method in conjunction with a heretical earth divination method which had actually been formulated as a direct response to Su Ran¡¯s eradication of their sect on the surface. It was merely titled, Shura Tianqi. Making use of this earth divination method had given Xiao Tie a huge burst of power and violent potential, but it had also wiped away the volatile aspect of his inner hatred and enmity. It led Xiao Tie to become abnormally calm in the face of his violent emotions. It was as if he had become a young shura himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll work out something,¡± Huan Tao smiled evilly. ¡°You just need to worry about cultivating. Once you break through to the Tianqi Prince stratum, you should experience huge increases in power and your foundation. Just leave the rest to me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Xiao Tie nodded and smiled.

    That moment¡­

    ¡°We are here.¡± The voice of Qin Fa rang out in Su Qingcheng, who opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep in Qin Fa¡¯s arms when the former had flown her to Tianzhan Mountain. It was said in legends that Tianzhan Mountain was originally a very massive singular peak, but in a clash between two legendary peak Tianqi Fiends from tens of thousands of years ago, the mountain had been cleaved into a mountain range. As a result, it got the name of Tianzhan Mountain, which is to say it had been chopped by the very will of the Heavens. Su Qingcheng rubbed her eyes and stared at the massive mountain range before them as Qin Fa laughed and gestured for Su Qingcheng to follow her. ¡°Oy, if you don¡¯t catch up, I¡¯ll leave you behind, and you¡¯d be done for all on your lonesome!¡± she bellowed out boisterously as she began to walk up ahead on the mountain trail.

    Clearly, this place was not visited very often as the mountainous terrain was not very easy to navigate. Often, the path would seemingly undulate, being wide at parts and then being treacherously narrow at others. Walking along the Tianzhan Mountain paths was incredibly dangerous. While Qin Fa didn¡¯t seem very bothered by it, also implying that she had been here before, Su Qingcheng was incomparably nervous. She didn¡¯t have the ability to fly, and she could only rely on her abnormal physical body to save her in case she got into an accident. While Qin Fa could clearly save her, it was clear that the Void King had essentially dumped Su Qingcheng into the deep end to temper her mental state.

    Occasionally, there would be fierce magical beasts of the first level flying about and harassing the pair. Qin Fa didn¡¯t bother with them, forcing Su Qingcheng to smash them to smithereens with her Nightflower Tianqi powered punches. Inwardly, Su Qingcheng realized that she still had a lot to learn in this world. Eventually, she would have to leave the Bailing Empire if she wanted to pursue the zenith of the martial Way. She wanted to succeed where her mother had failed, she had been inspired by the carefree demeanor of Qin Fa, who Su Qingcheng by now had easily recognized as the Void King which Su Ran had once lost to in a fierce battle. Though she was grateful towards Qin Fa for so readily helping her go find a Fruit of Desire, Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she had an ulterior motive. It certainly couldn¡¯t have been so simple as to help a friend in need.

    While Su Qingcheng¡¯s mother had always spoken well of Qin Fa whenever she mentioned the Void King, the kid never learned anything about Qin Fa¡¯s actual identity beyond that she was a member of the imperial court. Nor did Su Qingcheng feel it was appropriate for a fifteen year old junior like her to ask. Eventually the skies started to darken as the sun started to set. The mountainous mist began to settle in, causing Qin Fa¡¯s brows to furrow.

    ¡°Kid, let¡¯s find a place to rest.¡± She said plainly.

    Su Qingcheng stood still and let her instincts guide her sight. It wasn¡¯t long before she eyed a cavern which was conspicuously located near a large portion of mountain trail. Qin Fa quickly traced Su Qingcheng¡¯s gaze and nodded in approval.

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s stay there. If there¡¯s anyone or anything inside, we kill it.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a person?¡± Su Qingcheng was reluctant about this.

    ¡°Showing mercy sometimes will be more detrimental to you. You should know this, right?¡± Qin Fa sounded very suspicious when she explained herself. Su Qingcheng suddenly felt a chill on her back as she recalled how she escaped from Heaven Thunder Prison only because her mother bailed her out. She also recalled something about Fan Yu that seemed very suspicious, but because she didn¡¯t hear anything about a wandering lightning person, she had forgotten about it over time.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t we just be treated as bandits?¡± Su Qingcheng frowned as the both of them stepped into the cave that she had found.

    ¡°Humm¡­ I guess you¡¯re still very young, so you do have some ideals to you. That¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing as long as you know your limits.¡±

    Su Qingcheng ruminated over these words but before she could really digest them properly the both of them heard a slow, but loud thundering roar. Su Qingcheng saw a pair of yellow eyes glowing inside the cave. Qin Fa licked her lips and cracked her knuckles. Seemingly as if out of magic, she literally pulled a jian out of her palm. Su Qingcheng stared at Qin Fa¡¯s palm but did not see any blood spurt out when the Void King drew her jian.

    ¡°Today¡¯s your lucky day, kid. Not only did we find a place to stay, you can nourish your lightning nascent soul further if you absorb the core of this Electric Scale Dragon.¡± Qin Fa explained. ¡°Unlike the Lightning Wyvern Prince, a magic beast of the third level, this Electric Scale Dragon is a fifth level magic beast. Using this core won¡¯t be too intensive on your body and it will further increase your tolerance to lightning.¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded. As she was about to charge forward, Qin Fa stopped her.

    ¡°Fifth level magic beast is too tough for you to fight alone. Follow my lead. I¡¯ll distract it. Use your fleshly power to beat it down. Aiyo, if you were a Terraformer, this would be easy as pie, but¡­ Eh, count it as training! Let¡¯s go!¡± Qin Fa leapt forward with her jian at a ferocious speed. Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t dare to get left behind as both of them charged forward to engage the Electric Scale Dragon, which roared and let out bolts of electricity. It illuminated the interior of the cave as Qin Fa seemingly managed to blink in and out of existence, effortlessly dodging the electric bolts. In comparison, Su Qingcheng looked much clumsier as she let some of the bolts strike her body. Fortunately, she was abnormally tolerant to thunder, so she wouldn¡¯t really get hurt that badly. Qin Fa, on the other hand, had a normal constitution so it was imperative for her to evade.

    Void King¡¯s special technique had been demonstrated clearly in front of Su Qingcheng, who was amazed as she stumbled over, almost losing her concentration. Qin Fa was able to directly act against the fabric of space, warping through the primordial void in order to emulate the effect of teleportation. She could not teleport like you saw in the fantasy stories and sci-fi stories that someone like Su Qingcheng would be known for writing, but she could confound her enemies by blinking between two points, giving enemies the illusion that she was teleporting between them. The Electric Scale Dragon roared in frustration, noticing that the two intruders into its den were abnormal ¨C one could shrug off its lightning bolts like it was just water while the other one could literally ¡°teleport¡± away from its thunder strikes.

    Roaring in fury, the dragon began to breathe some numbing yellow gas. Qin Fa hurriedly retreated away from its range, but looked at Su Qingcheng in a worried manner, noticing she hadn¡¯t bothered to move. Her expression became bitter when she realized that Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t seem to get affected by it at all. Not even that, Qin Fa noticed that Su Qingcheng was using the Star Vortex Fist to absorb the essences from the dragon¡¯s lightning breath. Inwardly, she was incredibly shocked. This was the very same technique Su Ran used against her before to invalidate her blinking technique, by using the suction from the Star Vortex Fist to cut off the tianqi that allowed her to rip through the fabric of space. Shuddering, Qin Fa realized that this kid was actually a fifteen year old monster in human form. ¡°This brat¡­ She really might be better than Su Ran!¡± Qin Fa muttered under her breath. Eventually, Su Qingcheng had absorbed enough dragon breath that she was able to launch a counter attack. She immediately launched a ferocious punch at the dragon¡¯s nose, while Qin Fa herself blinked from her position right to the top of the Electric Scale Dragon, driving her jian into its back, causing the beast to roar in excruciating pain.

    Su Qingcheng saw Qin Fa suddenly stab the dragon¡¯s back. With her abnormal strength, Su Qingcheng leapt forward and reached out for one of the dragon¡¯s eyes, grabbing at it and attempting to pull it out with all her strength. It was connected to it with thick nerves and such, so the poor dragon at this point was actually suffering immensely. Qin Fa immediately stopped what she was doing when she felt the dragon trembling a lot, and her eyes widened into saucers as she saw Su Qingcheng violently attempt to yank one of its eyes out.

    In her mind, Su Qingcheng was very upset. ¡°Master, why do we need one of these eyes?¡±

    Ask questions later.

    Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t bother with Yao Meiyue anymore as she focused on yanking out the eyeball of the Electric Scale Dragon. Qin Fa didn¡¯t bother watching her anymore either as she focused on using her jian to slice ferociously into the dragon as if carving it up while still alive.

    After a few moments, Su Qingcheng finally tore it out, causing the dragon to roar miserably. At this point, it was in a very weak state and the blood spurted out of its hollow eye socket. Su Qingcheng now couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of remorse. Qin Fa meanwhile had managed to meticulously slice at seemingly random points on the dragon¡¯s body, but it was only after Su Qingcheng realized that the dragon had become so weak all of a sudden that she figured out Qin Fa had been slicing at various vital lifelines of the dragon.

    Eventually, the Electric Scale Dragon died its last breaths. Su Qingcheng hurriedly kept the eyeball in her Dragon Hoard Ring as Qin Fa looked at the girl quizzically.

    ¡°Girl, why¡¯d you get the eyeball out like that so violently?¡±

    ¡°I want to collect dragon eyes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite random.¡±

    ¡°Euh, it¡¯s an abnormal hobby, yeah, but dragon corpses should have many surprising treasures, right?¡± Su Qingcheng spouted some bullshit, but every time she tried to probe Yao Meiyue about it, she would keep mum, and this forced Su Qingcheng to be resourceful and make up a lie. Qin Fa smiled without saying anything. She easily bit the bait as she passed the jian to Su Qingcheng.

    ¡°You go carve it up. I¡¯ll set up camp here.¡± Qin Fa smiled.

    Holding the jian blankly, Su Qingcheng nodded as she started to carve up the dragon. At first, it was incredibly difficult for her to slice through the corpse¡¯s skin, but after Qin Fa yelled out some pointers to her, Su Qingcheng¡¯s speed noticeably improved. After some time, she saw the Electric Scale Dragon¡¯s core, which she would absorb right away. However, right next to the dragon¡¯s core was a strange green stone which was radiating a faint light. The green stone looked as if it was radioactive. Qin Fa was too busy with setting up the fire and the stuff that she didn¡¯t notice that Su Qingcheng had found something inside the dragon¡¯s core.

    Ghost Emerald¡­! Yao Meiyue cried out in surprise as Su Qingcheng stared at it. She quietly pocketed the strange green stone in her ring before holding the Electric Scale Dragon¡¯s core in her hands.

    ¡°You found something good, didn¡¯t you?¡± Qin Fa smiled without turning to face Su Qingcheng as the latter blushed.

    Knowing that if she were to hide anything, Qin Fa could easily explode her into a blood mist, Su Qingcheng had been intimidated into revealing what she found. ¡°I found a Ghost Emerald.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really your good fortune. That Electric Scale Dragon must have been nearing its natural lifespan then. Dragons will form Ghost jewels near the time of their natural death by old age. Such Ghost jewels, when refined, will benefit the owner by a huge amount. For someone like me, it¡¯s useless, but in your hands, you¡¯ll gain a lot of extra power. For the meantime, go ahead and absorb that core. I¡¯ll be on a lookout.¡± Qin Fa smiled.

    Su Qingcheng sat cross-legged and began to absorb the essence of the Electric Scale Dragon¡¯s core once she placed it on her hands. She could feel the lightning nascent soul in her dantian region get increasingly agitated. Her body soon began to emit electric sparks, causing Qin Fa to be amazed.

    ¡°This brat¡­ I really need to put her on the right path!¡±

 43 - The Melancholy of Su Qingcheng

    Time passed by unceasingly. By the time Su Qingcheng had finished the absorption of the Electric Scale Dragon¡¯s core, she felt that her lightning nascent soul had become even stronger than before. Snapping her fingers, she had managed to effortlessly loose a bolt of lightning from them. It was small and looked like a parlor trick, but Qin Fa, who was awake for god knows how long, looked at Su Qingcheng with an astonished expression. She quickly regained her composure. ¡°You¡¯re finally done. The night¡¯s already passed. I¡¯ve finished carving up the remains of the dragon. You can take everything.¡± Qin Fa pointed at the mass of bones and other bits and bobs of the dragon that could be used to refine equipment and elixirs. Su Qingcheng quietly thanked Qin Fa and pocketed them into her Dragon Hoard Ring.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Qin Fa urged Su Qingcheng to get up after she had stabilized herself. Void King had decided to take it upon herself to try and educate Su Qingcheng on the ways of the continent. She knew that as things stood now, Su Qingcheng was still ignorant about many things. Evidently, Su Ran had most likely not expected that her daughter could make such a meteoric rise, akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes of rebirth.

    The two of them left the cave and continued on their way. Occasionally, more magic beasts that could fly were instantly killed by Su Qingcheng with either a single punch or by using lightning to strike them down. They composed of either wild birds or flying flood dragons that roamed the Tianzhan Mountain. Since they were still airborne, Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t grab the corpses even with the Star Vortex Fist as her cultivation level was too weak. Qin Fa cleared her throat as the two of them kept walking.

    ¡°Kid, do you know what you¡¯re planning to do? The path of the Paragon is a lonely path. Even if you manage to forge strong bonds during your journey, and manage to make strong connections with people, you¡¯re also bound to offend people just as strong as your friends.¡± Qin Fa said plainly.

    Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t answer, but it was clear that she had encountered many experts along the way who were clearly aware of her plans to try and become a Tianqi Paragon, one of the most godlike and legendary existences on the entire continent. In history, many people had come close to it but had never actually succeeded. In the most recent times, only Faceless seemed to have a chance to breakthrough, but until now she hadn¡¯t succeeded.

    The more Su Qingcheng thought about it, the more determined she became. The reason why Su Qingcheng was even walking on this lonely mountain path with yet another mentor was precisely because she knew the pursuit of power was lonesome. Nobody could understand the pain she felt when she was betrayed by her lover in her past life. Nobody in this world could understand how aggrieved she felt when the person she vowed to grow old with had casually murdered her in pursuit of profit.

    Su Qingcheng was prepared to endure loneliness to gain the power to avoid that kind of suffering. To have the power to make the kinds of decisions that would allow her not only to protect herself, but to protect those worth protecting ¨C her new family, and whoever Su Qingcheng could treat as a real friend, unlike the woman she loved back on Earth.

    ¡°I¡¯m very much aware.¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. Her despondent voice caused Qin Fa to look back at Su Qingcheng as they walked. The Void King could see a distant but very clear look in those two brown eyes of this young fifteen year old. Despite the fact they were on very treacherous terrain on Tianzhan Mountain, Su Qingcheng¡¯s outward demeanor betrayed the inner turmoil in her heart.

    The more Qin Fa spoke, the more Su Qingcheng had thought about the very powerful words she had just mentioned. The Void King herself seemed to realize something and thought to herself that there was something about Su Qingcheng that seemed very mysterious and off. It was as if the kid was ruminating on experiences that she should not have had experienced in the past, but was rummaging through them as if she had clearly experienced them.

    Qin Fa turned her gaze back forward as they continued to walk. Su Qingcheng vented the frustration and negative emotions in her heart by attempting to punch out the magical beasts that threatened to attack them without using any Tianqi. Qin Fa was startled; she was shocked by the decisiveness of Su Qingcheng to suddenly start to kill these magic beasts in such a barbaric manner.

    ¡°Auntie Qin Fa, you should be one of those in pursuit of true strength, right?¡± Su Qingcheng randomly asked out of the blue as she punched out a roaming magic beast wolf, causing its waist to cave in and shatter, killing it instantly.

    ¡°Your mother inspired me, in a way,¡± Qin Fa explained. ¡°I was in pursuit of true power, or at least, what I believed was true power. I thought true power meant the ability to indiscriminately defeat anyone who stood in my way. I was thoroughly and utterly mistaken. I didn¡¯t feel any sense of pride when I defeated Sis Ran.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I told your mother back then that if she were to battle me during her peak, the time when she had just been fresh off exterminating the Demon Flame Sect, she could kill me as easily as stepping on an ant. Her bloodline power was just too dominating. It was then I recalled, she had reached the peak of her strength through her desire to protect, and to avenge the wrongs done on those she cared for.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Su Qingcheng remembered how her mother indiscriminately killed Lei Zetian and killed her so thoroughly she did not leave a corpse. It was done out of a mother¡¯s love for her child, the desire to protect their offspring, to give them a sense of security. Su Qingcheng clenched her fists as she thought more on it.

    Did she really want to pursue the peak of existence to vindicate herself for her past life¡¯s pathetic death, under the hands of someone who she thought she loved with all her heart, but ended up being betrayed by her? Or did she find a new reason to fight in this new life of her¡¯s? Suffering an injustice under Xiao Tie many months ago, Su Qingcheng began to re-evaluate herself as the pair of her and Qin Fa continued to walk endlessly along the mountain path.

    She didn¡¯t even realize that Qin Fa and she had already reached the summit of one of the mountain range peaks. Qin Fa sat on a rock as Su Qingcheng stood motionless. The child¡¯s head hung low. The Fruit of Desire¡­ Su Qingcheng desperately needed this fruit to help Yao Meiyue create the medicinal elixir to help her undergo the Single-Colored Tribulation and gain her first Mark of the Paragon. But the more Su Qingcheng thought about it, the more she wondered¡­

    Why?

    ¡°What are you thinking about, kid?¡± Qin Fa asked as she looked at Su Qingcheng who stood motionless as if in a daze.

    ¡°There are indeed still a lot of things I don¡¯t know in this world,¡± Su Qingcheng suddenly spoke, as she looked ahead. The mountain trail meandered downwards and seemingly stretched into the distance. On the peak of one of the mountains further away, Su Qingcheng saw a giant tree which she was confident was where the Fruit of Desire grew. ¡°I was raised in the Bailing Empire, and I received a new lease on life the moment my Tianqi paths were rebuilt. I was reborn again, essentially gaining a third life. When I think about it, I want to ask myself ¨C why do I pursue power? Is it for the same reason as you, Auntie Qin? Do I want the power to dominate those who seek to oppress others?¡±

    Qin Fa was speechless, but didn¡¯t dare to interrupt. She got the feeling Su Qingcheng was trying to release and pour out her feelings, and also got another feeling that Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t even say this to her own mother.

    ¡°Do I want to protect those close to me, my family, my flesh and blood, and my loved ones? Or am I simply seeking a way to avenge my past lives, to vindicate myself and to bring myself back from an abyss of humiliation?¡± Su Qingcheng sighed. ¡°I have so many questions, but they cannot be answered right now. All I know is that I seek power, because right now, power is the only thing that matters on the Liandou Continent. Everything I have seen and witnessed and experienced points to one thing ¨C you mean nothing without power.¡±

    Su Qingcheng recalled the monstrous existences on the Tianqi Ranking Board. Void King, Nature¡¯s Warlock, Flametongue, the family doctor, her own mother¡­ All these tyrannical existences served as goalposts for Su Qingcheng to temper herself and become stronger. She would stand by their side¡­ No, she would surpass them. Right now, she couldn¡¯t figure out a compelling reason to do so. All she knew was that in the future, she would amount to nothing without that kind of tyrannical strength.

    Yao Meiyue, being a spiritual existence, was very much aware of the turmoil and pain inside Su Qingcheng¡¯s heart. Yet she did not say anything. She only knew that Su Qingcheng herself seemed really strange. Everything she was mentioning seemed wildly out of character for the fifteen year old before her, who had never said anything this profound before. It was as if Su Qingcheng was waxing melancholy about some out of world experiences. How could anyone guess that Su Qingcheng was confused because of the wild differences between this world and Earth?

    ¡°Like the very mountain peak we stand on now, reason means nothing once we are at the top. We look down at the nothingness below us ¨C if we fall, we are doomed to die, perhaps in obscurity. As long as we have the power, we can make our own paths. We can decide how to do things in our own way, since nobody could stop us.¡± Su Qingcheng sighed. ¡°Right now, my strength is insufficient. I am willing to walk forward on my lonesome in pursuit of power not merely because I want the strength to fight, but it is because I have to have strength in this world to accomplish anything. The big families, the Imperial Court¡­ They are where they stand today because of the immense power they wield. Wealth can be earned, power must be fought for, either through training or through conquest.¡± Su Qingcheng continued on, almost lamenting the current circumstances.

    Back on Earth, power wasn¡¯t accrued like in those cultivation stories, or even on the Liandou Continent where she lived. Back on Earth, wealth meant much more than raw strength. Back on Earth, Su Qingcheng earned her wealth through books, but she lacked the power to protect herself from the very person she thought she could trust the most. Su Qingcheng did not want that to happen again, and it was very convenient that the law that prevailed most on the Liandou Continent was the law of the jungle.

    ¡°For example, you, Sister Qin. And my mother. Both of you gained the power you wield today through countless experiences, suffering through many trials and tribulations, yet managing to encounter many fortuitous experiences also. I must do the same thing if I am to amount to anything in the future. The laws of the world make justification secondary.¡±

    Qin Fa and Yao Meiyue were both speechless. Were these words really spoken by a fifteen year old?

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Say no more, Auntie. I have vented a good deal of my inner turmoil and demons. We must hurry, the Fruit of Desire, it¡¯s over there, right?¡± Su Qingcheng pointed at the giant tree on one of the mountain peaks.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. The Fruit of Desire grows on that tree. It¡¯s said that it only ripens every one hundred years. If we are lucky, we might find a couple.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get going.¡± Su Qingcheng then continued on forward, leaving Qin Fa in a daze. She sighed to herself and followed her.

    ¡°This kid is really complicated¡­¡± Qin Fa sighed as she rushed over to be in the leading position.

    Little did the two of them know that two figures were pursuing them from behind¡­

 44 - The Mantis stalks the Cicada, unaware of the Oriole behind

    A couple of hours ago¡­

    ¡°Senior Huan Tao, why are we going to chase that puny girl? She¡¯s not worth our time.¡± A young man clad in black robes with crimson flower motif could be seen flying next to an elderly man wearing robes of the same design. The old man was naturally Huan Tao from the Demon Flame Sect, who personally set out to chase after Su Qingcheng and murder her in secret even knowing she had a friend accompanying her. However, he didn¡¯t know that the person following her was a Tianqi Emperor with a ferocious background.

    ¡°Mu Dao, this matter is very important. If we can eliminate that stupid girl right away, it will incite that bitch, Nie Ran, to come out and seek death by trying to destroy us in the Infernal Lands. We can channel Sect Ancestor¡¯s power to eliminate her at once.¡± Huan Tao explained.

    The two of them continued to fly ahead, and it wasn¡¯t long before Huan Tao spotted Su Qingcheng standing at the peak of one of the mountains talking to Qin Fa. Neither Mu Dao nor Huan Tao recognized the woman that Su Qingcheng spoke to, so they assumed that they could easily handle them. The two guys from the Demon Flame Sect casually floated a very reasonable distance away from the two and concealed their auras so neither of them would notice the pair eavesdropping on them.

    ¡°Merely a girl who doesn¡¯t know the immensity of the heaven and the earth.¡± Mu Dao scoffed, his hearing was incredibly acute and he had heard every single word Su Qingcheng said to Qin Fa. However, when he heard Su Qingcheng referring to Qin Fa as ¡®auntie,¡¯ a chill suddenly ran down his back. Despite this, he didn¡¯t say anything to Huan Tao.

    Huan Tao ignored the younger Mu Dao¡¯s awkward reaction. As the pair below them started to walk off, he opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Do you think that Xiao Tie fellow is a good seedling?¡± Huan Tao asked Mu Dao for his opinion on the child from the Xiao clan. Evidently, Mu Dao had a very high position in the Demon Flame Sect for his age or even Huan Tao wouldn¡¯t treat him with such respect.

    ¡°I like that kid too. He reminds me of First Elder.¡±

    ¡°Good, it¡¯s good that he has your approval too. A guy like him has his talents wasted on the surface. We ought to get rid of that Su Qingcheng and then we can invite Xiao Tie to join our sect formally. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Under Huan Tao¡¯s urging, they both pursued Su Qingcheng and Qin Fa from behind, as if tailing them.

    ¡­

    Su Qingcheng and Qin Fa continued to walk along the downtrodden mountain path. Along the way, Su Qingcheng couldn¡¯t help but get the feeling that they were being watched. The acuteness and insight obtained from the Divine Battle Goddess Soul was definitely described in just one common term ¨C ¡°overpowered!¡± Though Su Qingcheng wasn¡¯t that heaven-defying enough to identify who exactly it was that was chasing them, she definitely knew they were being followed now. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Huan Tao and Mu Dao had concealed their aura earlier, Su Qingcheng would have noticed the duo ages ago. But now it seemed that those two guys were preparing to do something but didn¡¯t take action yet. Su Qingcheng sighed and stopped in her tracks. By now, Qin Fa realized that training on magic beasts was useless, since Su Qingcheng could eliminate all the weaker creatures in a single punch causing the other creatures with intelligence to back off from Su Qingcheng as they didn¡¯t want to die a brutal death.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qin Fa asked.

    ¡°We are being watched. I can feel the Divine Battle Goddess Soul acting up, it is urging me to take action, but I don¡¯t know who is doing it or where they are, if there¡¯s anyone nearby.¡± Su Qingcheng explained.

    ¡°Let¡¯s lead them to the tree. If there are Fruits of Desire there, they will definitely come out. If they wanted to attack us, they would have done it already. They must be following us to find the treasure at the end of the rainbow.¡± Qin Fa nodded. Actually, her assumption was very fair. In the entire continent, only a handful of monstrous experts knew the origins of the Fruit of Desire.

    The Fruit of Desire had a very simple name but had a lot of connotations and legends behind it. It was considered to be a divine-tasting sweet fruit that, when consumed, allowed any Tianqi user of any rank to boost their powers or abilities based on their needs. This is one of the things that gave it its name. In other words, it could be considered a form of ¡°smart fruit.¡± If the person who ate it had a weak constitution, the nutrients in the fruit would instantly work to bolster their constitution and improve their fleshly body by leaps and bounds. If the person who ate it had weak tianqi paths, the nutrients would improve those instead.

    Legend says that the Fruit of Desire was the result of the consummation of love between two divine figures that descended from Cloud Nine after they were banished due from their clan because of their love for each other. They came from clans that were at war with each other, and despite being considered heaven-defying geniuses with immense power, they essentially ended up waging war against the entirety of Cloud Nine in order to protect their love for each other.

    When they were banished, they coincidentally fell into one of the mountain peaks of Tianzhan Mountain. Unfortunately, they were still chased by some remnant powerful Tianqi Gods that suppressed their stratum, allowing them to materialize in the continent. After an incredibly bloody battle that shook the entirety of Tianzhan Mountain, everybody involved had died. The blood and remains of the two lovers remained on this mountain peak, giving birth to the giant majestic tree that sprouts Fruit of Desire.

    It¡¯s said that their love gave birth to this Fruit of Desire which can give the consumer an immense power borne from this undying love. With a passionate story like this, how can anyone not be interested in trying to acquire the treasure? In any case, the pair of them then decided to ignore the two people following them and continue on their way to go to the tree which was in the furthest mountain peak of the Tianzhan Mountain. Huan Tao and Mu Dao who were following them seemed quite annoyed at their response seemingly not taking them into their eyes.

    ¡°That little brat already knows we¡¯re following them.¡± Huan Tao frowned.

    ¡°She¡¯s definitely not a simple kid.¡± Mu Dao growled. ¡°Too bad. If she were somebody else¡¯s kid, she would definitely also be a good seedling for our Demon Flame Sect. Unfortunately, the nature of her birth already destined us to be eternal enemies. One can¡¯t exist without the other eventually.¡± He admitted.

    ¡°You are right, this is just like what Ancestor warned. He even said that the five-child of Nie Ran would be the undoing of the Demon Flame Sect if he or she ever came into being. Who would have thought that ¡®five-child¡¯ meant a Penta-Essence Tianqi user? Even Nie Ran only controlled four of them, such a tyrannical existence could only rival the power of Yao Meiyue who detonated herself to severely damage Ancestor to the extent he had to be in hibernation for countless years.¡± Huan Tao lamented. ¡°If a girl like that were to grow more, then she could eventually destroy our sect with the flip of a hand. We must definitely kill her. Even if Xiao Tie did not already have an enmity with her, this realization is enough to justify the kill order.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°But we are not enough; we still lack fighters to operate on the continent. For now, we should ambush her. Her companion may not necessarily be our match. They are directly leading us to the tree bearing the Fruit of Desire also. If we kill the both of them, we can obtain the fruit if it is there. It would be akin to killing two birds with a single stone!¡± Mu Dao explained his simple but efficient plan.

    Huan Tao silently nodded. He gazed ahead and the both of them continued to pursue Su Qingcheng and Qin Fa. Eventually, the two girls made it to the giant tree. They stood beneath it while Qin Fa bowed to it in reverence. Confused, Su Qingcheng copied her gesture but didn¡¯t ask about it. She also knew some of the stories about the tree¡¯s origins but didn¡¯t entirely believe in it. Suddenly, just as Qin Fa was about to point out the existence of a single Fruit of Desire peeking out one of the branches, Su Qingcheng whirled around.

    ¡°Oi, I already know you two fogeys are here! Show yourselves.¡± Su Qingcheng bellowed out in a domineering manner, betraying her youthful fifteen year old appearance. If one were to only hear her voice, they would have imagined her to be akin to a young war general instead. Clearly the Divine Battle Goddess Soul was already taking its effect on her psyche and physique.

    Huan Tao and Mu Dao slowly flew into view as Qin Fa also turned around. Recognizing Huan Tao, she pointed at the two guys who followed them to the tree. ¡°You bastards. How is the Demon Flame Sect still alive?¡± she growled, clearly she wasn¡¯t as informed as Su Qingcheng who already knew that the Demon Flame Sect had been rebuilding in the lower realm; she even knew Xiao Tie had a backing from one of these guys.

    ¡°Auntie, the Demon Flame Sect had been rebuilding itself in secret in the Infernal Lands.¡± Su Qingcheng explained. ¡°Mother had already exterminated their influence in the continent and Yao Meiyue brutally defeated their Ancestor. How could such a grand sect take that humiliation lying down!¡±

    ¡°Good, good, you little brat, you know way too much for your age.¡± Huan Tao flew forward, exuding his Tianqi Sage aura. In response, Su Qingcheng activated her Divine Battle Goddess Soul Constitution to its utmost, allowing her to easily resist the aura suppression. Qin Fa, who was already an Emperor at the peak, didn¡¯t feel anything. Mu Dao was slightly weaker than Huan Tao but was much younger, so Qin Fa immediately had a better opinion of Mu Dao than the other with regards to battle strength. However, Su Qingcheng was by far the weakest one present, and her Divine Battle Goddess Soul only helped so much. Though Su Qingcheng knew this secret, she didn¡¯t actually know whether the sect was good or bad historically speaking. So she still politely referred to it as a grand sect. This weakened Huan Tao¡¯s killing intent slightly as this gave him the impression that Su Qingcheng could at least recognize Mt. Tai, however this would not prevent him from killing her!

    ¡°It¡¯s too bad you¡¯re the devil spawn of that hapless woman. If Ancestor didn¡¯t warn us about you, then we would have taken you in! Unfortunately, you had to be the kid of the one who killed our chances of ruling over the continent. If I don¡¯t kill you today, I wouldn¡¯t be one of the Four Great Kings of the Demon Flame Sect!¡± Huan Tao roared out in indignation as he ignored Qin Fa and rushed straight to Su Qingcheng in the blink of an eye. However, before he could reach her, Qin Fa had already blinked into his path and struck him with a very inelegant punch, causing Huan Tao to be knocked back to his original starting point.

    ¡°Courting death! You dare to try and kill the daughter of my bosom friend with just the two of you?¡± Qin Fa crossed her arms and stood tall, like a tyrant looking down on a bunch of ants. She exuded her peak Tianqi Emperor¡¯s aura and sneered at Mu Dao and Huan Tao.

    ¡°T, Tianqi Emperor!¡± Mu Dao¡¯s expression paled as he was weaker and younger than Huan Tao, so he was more easily intimidated than Huan Tao, who lived for countless years and was part of Su Ran¡¯s generation. In fact he was one of the undying fogeys who escaped her wrath and helped to reestablish the Demon Flame Sect in secret, making his title as one of the sect¡¯s ¡°Four Great Kings¡± not simple blustering!

    Su Qingcheng¡¯s mouth twitched as she stepped back a little. She knew in this situation she could only stay on the defensive. She could analyze the situation and realized Qin Fa could easily subdue one of them, but if both Mu Dao and Huan Tao were to work together, Qin Fa might be at a disadvantage. This wasn¡¯t due to raw battle power, but due to the mysticism of the techniques the Demon Flame Sect practiced. She had learned some information about them from reading records, but most of her own knowledge came from Su Ran who had personally fought against the entire sect on her own.

    ¡°Auntie, be careful!¡± Su Qingcheng warned. ¡°Don¡¯t get caught in their Rakshasa Cage!!¡± she blurted out one of the Demon Flame Sect¡¯s key suppressing techniques in a single breath, causing Huan Tao to be stunned. Aside from the Demonic Blood Boiling, he was also the main inventor of the Rakshasa Cage, which utilized Shura Tianqi to create a blood cage capable of suppressing enemies that were much stronger than the technique¡¯s user. However it didn¡¯t work on anyone weaker than them!

    ¡°Little stupid brat! How do you know my secret technique?! You must die!!¡±

    Qin Fa blinked as she saw Mu Dao doing some seemingly random hand seals as Huan Tao ignored Qin Fa and tried to kill Su Qingcheng in one blow. Qin Fa once again blinked to try and intercept Huan Tao, but Huan Tao was somehow faster. He had burned Shura Tianqi to get a sudden burst in speed, allowing him to get close to Su Qingcheng. However, how would she allow him to get close? Her incredibly boosted intuition allowed her to predict his movement before he actually moved, and in response she had swiftly rolled away, exposing Huan Tao and giving Qin Fa the opportunity to strike him down hard. Spurting a mouthful of blood, Huan Tao fell forward. Unfortunately, Mu Dao had been left unimpeded and he completed his hand seals and gestures.

    ¡°Auntie!!!¡± Su Qingcheng cried out in anguish as she recognized Mu Dao had been preparing the Rakshasa Cage. Before Qin Fa could blink out of range, she had already been caught in the suppressing cage. When she tried to blink out of the cage, the blood that formed the bars on the cage extended and struck at Qin Fa¡¯s body, causing immense pain and making her emit a cry of pain.

    ¡°No!!¡± Su Qingcheng shuddered as she saw Qin Fa being suppressed by the Rakshasa Cage. Frowning, she was now facing two enemies of the Tianqi Sage realm alone. With Qin Fa being successfully caught by the cage, Su Qingcheng could only rely on Yao Meiyue¡¯s advice.

    OK, kid, listen to me carefully. Qin Fa won¡¯t die from this but she won¡¯t be able to help you. Those two farts can¡¯t kill her but they don¡¯t care about her. They already want to kill you! Your only hope is to forcefully break the cage!!

    As Su Qingcheng quickly tried to analyze her chances of escaping the situation, she realized she had one key thing that she had completely forgotten about until now. ¡°Master, can Dark Cosmos Fist break through the cage?¡±

    You still haven¡¯t forgotten that forbidden art? Uh, yes, it can break the cage, probably, but you won¡¯t be able to move after using it!

    ¡°It¡¯s the only way to do it. Like I said, nothing matters before absolute strength!¡± Su Qingcheng resolved to herself. She roared out courageously as she quickly recalled the details in the Dark Cosmos Fist stance that she had read before back when Hu Linglei gifted the manual to her. Focusing her Tianqi, her right hand began to channel in negative energy from the atmosphere. The Rakshasa Cage, formed of negative Shura Tianqi, began to vibrate as Qin Fa stared at Su Qingcheng in astonishment.

    Mu Dao didn¡¯t look impressed, however, Huan Tao¡¯s greedy smile suddenly froze.

    ¡°Im¡­ Impossible!¡± Huan Tao gasped, as he was stunned by the sight before him.

    A small area around Su Qingcheng began to distort as if the very space itself was bending to Su Qingcheng¡¯s will. It looked like it would swallow up anything and everything in the world. At this point, Su Qingcheng appeared like a demonic alien girl hiding monstrous strength as she collected the negative energy into her right fist.

    At this point, Su Qingcheng could only utter a few words.

    ¡°Get ready to scram!!!!¡± she ferociously roared out as her Divine Battle Goddess Soul worked overtime to support her Dark Cosmos Fist¡­

 45 - First Mantra of Dark Cosmos Fist: Dispelling Mudra!

    A very long time ago, Su Qingcheng had already personally witnessed the might of the Dark Cosmos Fist. Utilizing negative tianqi, it became possible to warp the very laws of time and space itself, creating a reversal phenomenon that allowed it to swallow up anything it touched into nothingness. This was part of the First Mantra of the Dark Cosmos Fist manual. The Dark Cosmos Fist itself was a forbidden primordial technique that could be considered at the Universe rank. As to how Hu Linglei managed to acquire the manual, it was naturally given to her by Su Ran who explained before that she had just picked it up randomly. Thinking about it now, that explanation could be considered to be a load of bullshit. However, at the time, Su Qingcheng realized that perhaps it would have been a detriment for her to learn it.

    That it was a Universe ranked technique meant Dark Cosmos Fist possessed an absurd amount of power for anybody who used it. The technique was composed of Four Mantras which became increasingly more difficult to comprehend; even Su Ran had only comprehended up to the First Mantra. Su Qingcheng herself knew that each Mantra had several minor techniques which were called Mudras, three per Mantra. Su Ran had already demonstrated one of the Mudras of the First Mantra to Su Qingcheng before. This was the Extinguishing Mudra, which was akin to using your fist as a miniature black hole. The Mudra that Su Qingcheng was about to release was the Dispelling Mudra, using the negative laws of space to reverse the flow of tianqi and dispel mystical techniques in a single punch. Any living creature that was currently not affected by a spell or technique would be injured severely, as the energy dedicated to dispelling the magic would be redirected onto the target itself!

    The Dispelling Mudra therefore was one of the more tactical Mudras in the Dark Cosmos Fist¡¯s arsenal, and expended far more energy than the other two Mudras in the First Mantra. The negative energy suddenly flew into Su Qingcheng¡¯s fist as the space around her continued to distort. ¡°Unleashing the myriad mysteries of space! Tear the fabrics of mysticism asunder! Dispelling Mudra!!¡± Su Qingcheng cried out as she threw her tianqi-powered fist forward, causing ancient symbols to gush forth from her right fist, crashing into anything that attempted to stop her.

    Huan Tao¡¯s face paled. ¡°This kid is insane! Insane! Mad! A lunatic! A mere Tianqi User already comprehending the First Mantra of the mythical Dark Cosmos Fist!¡± As an old monstrous undying, Huan Tao was not a stranger to this legendary forbidden art that could be said to rip through the enigmatic space itself. Since he knew how crazy and powerful this ability was to anyone not protected or affected by a spell, he rushed away. Before he could warn Mu Dao to escape, he had already been hit by several of the ancient seals rushing forth from Su Qingcheng¡¯s fist like a fierce river.

    Mu Dao felt his body burning up as he screamed in pain, his innards trembled vigorously and he was unable to stop spurting out blood. Even as Huan Tao backed off, he was also hit by some of the remnant symbols. A majority of the seals that Su Qingcheng was releasing had crashed into the Rakshasa Cage, forcefully breaking through it and therefore freeing Qin Fa. As Mu Dao was already in an utterly miserable state and his insides were acting chaotically, he apologized to Huan Tao as he quickly fled. Su Qingcheng collapsed after freeing Qin Fa as her body and cultivation was barely enough to sustain the Dispelling Mudra. If she were to use the other two Mudras instead, it wouldn¡¯t have been so bad, but only the Dispelling Mudra had the power to dominate magical and mystic techniques, freeing Qin Fa from her prison. Since Mu Dao had already fled, Huan Tao was alone.

    Despite this, Huan Tao was not mad. He knew Mu Dao was much weaker and inexperienced than himself, and his high position as the grand disciple of one of the Four Great Kings of the Demon Flame Sect meant he was indispensable. Su Qingcheng had already collapsed from using up too much energy, so this meant all Huan Tao had to do was deal with Qin Fa. However, Qin Fa was an entire stratum stronger than him. Licking her lips, Qin Fa cracked her knuckles. ¡°I won¡¯t let Lady Qingcheng¡¯s sacrifice be in vain. I¡¯ll crush you down!¡±

    The Tianqi Emperor blinked in front of Huan Tao before the old man could react, causing him to be struck down by a ferocious punch. As Qin Fa attempted to behead him with the jian she pulled from her palm, Huan Tao flashed a ferocious grin and waved his sleeves upward when he was knocked down, deflecting her blow and allowing him to retreat. When Qin Fa slammed her jian into his sleeve, it was like she was striking the hardest material in the known continent, adamantite!

    ¡°What the?!¡± Qin Fa tried to maintain her ferocious assault, but after her attack was deflected, Huan Tao had already escaped and followed Mu Dao. Qin Fa frowned as she quickly ran to Su Qingcheng¡¯s side, checking her pulse ¨C fortunately, Su Qingcheng was just unconscious and didn¡¯t suffer from any serious injuries. She had just passed out from severe exhaustion. Qin Fa quickly laid down the girl in a more comfortable position and let her sleep underneath the tree, leaning her against the giant trunk of the majestic tree. Qin Fa herself stood guard and watched over Su Qingcheng, pondering over the mysteries of the attack she had unleashed.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Though Qin Fa had seen many things in her life, she had only heard about the legends surrounding the Dark Cosmos Fist and this was her first time to see someone use it in an actual battle¡­ Let alone a young junior managing to unleash its strike. Even Yao Meiyue was surprised at the speed with which Su Qingcheng had comprehended the First Mantra. Yao Meiyue had the feeling that Su Qingcheng was very much in-tune with the mysteries of space, as she had also easily comprehended the Star Vortex Fist, which she was now able to use with great mastery. The Star Vortex Fist also had its origins from the starscape, a part of space¡¯s many mysteries.

    While Su Qingcheng was sleeping and regaining her energy, unbeknownst to her and Qin Fa, spiritual energy from the tree which nurtured the Fruit of Desire began to pour into her using the giant trunk she was leaning against as a medium. Escaping the pair¡¯s notice, a tattoo fashioned in the word for ¡®heart¡¯ (ÐÄ) had been quietly emblazoned on the side of Su Qingcheng¡¯s neck. It was crimson in color.

    ***

    Mu Dao mentioned to Huan Tao he would return to the lower realms to report the findings to the Infernal branch of the sect, while Huan Tao himself acknowledged and returned to Xiao Tie¡¯s side. Now that he had a much better idea of Su Qingcheng¡¯s power and ability, at least he could guide Xiao Tie on the right path.

    Mu Dao had a treasure that allowed him to warp between Demon Flame Sect¡¯s transfer pillars, which allowed disciples and elders to travel freely between the branches on the continent and in the Lower realm. As the Demon Flame Sect was practicing in secret, there was only one branch which was in a distant empire on the Liandou Continent. He quickly retreated to the Lower realm and in his miserable state had been quickly taken in by a small group of disciples. Mu Dao groaned weakly. ¡°Uh¡­ Take me to Master Fu¡­¡± he weakly called out as his body had calmed down for the most part, but the damage had already been done and his insides were in literal disarray, the power of the Dispelling Mudra on the human fleshly body was just too domineering. It was never meant to harm people or living creatures! It was actually very formidable of Mu Dao to remain conscious after being blasted by so many ancient seals.

    The disciples quickly took Mu Dao to a certain chamber where his Master Fu, known as the Devil Flame Emperor to the commoners of the Infernal Lands, stared at Mu Dao in disbelief. ¡°Dao¡¯er, what the hells happened to you?!¡± he quickly rushed over to him as if he was shocked that his own son had been beaten to a terrible state.

    ¡°Master Fu, during the expedition with Huan Tao, we found the five-child that Ancestor prophesized would kill our sect. She was with an incredibly strong expert¡­¡±

    ¡°Strong expert?¡± Master Fu¡¯s interest was piqued, and let Mu Dao finish what he was saying. Contrary to his title and incredibly despotic demeanor, his temperament was actually amongst the most reasonable and least dangerous of the entire sect. This made everybody in the lower realm respect him, and even the Ancestor treated Master Fu¡¯s words like they were gold.

    ¡°She was subdued using the Rakshasa Cage,¡± Mu Dao coughed a spit out a blob of blood. ¡°But what was more shocking is that the five-child unleashed a spatial attack that released numerous mysterious ancient seals. It broke through the Cage like tofu and most of the seals also directly hit me, which ruptured some of my non-essential vessels and forcibly messed up my inner organs¡­¡±

    Master Fu¡¯s expression paled. As one of the Four Great Kings himself, his knowledge rivaled that of Huan Tao. He too, knew that only one technique had the power to easily dispel the Rakshasa Cage through brute force ¨C First Mantra¡¯s Dispelling Mudra of the Dark Cosmos Fist! ¡°Impossible. The Dark Cosmos Fist is a Universe ranked technique which is incredibly hard to learn. Even that harlot Nie Ran could only comprehend the First Mantra. How could her five-child casually throw out the Dispelling Mudra?!¡± Master Fu was enraged, but kept his cool as he attempted to treat Mu Dao¡¯s injuries which were incredibly severe.

    ¡°She must die¡­¡± Mu Dao coughed again. He knew just as well as any other member of the Demon Flame Sect that to them, Su Qingcheng was an imminent threat that would in the future turn their sect upside down.

    ¡°Where is Sage Huan Tao?¡± Master Fu asked politely. He didn¡¯t want to force Mu Dao to take any more action because the Dispelling Mudra had already messed him up this much.

    ¡°He has returned to the informal disciple Xiao Tie, most likely to advise him on how to kill Su Qingcheng during their duel in a month¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s pray that he succeeds. Even if he doesn¡¯t, Huan Tao has informed us that he will directly invite Xiao Tie anyways. He will be right at home with us.¡±

    Mu Dao nodded in agreement.

    ¡°You must rest. Let the Sage Huan Tao do his job first. It is already a huge merit that you have obtained this information. The Ancestor will devise a way to counter her Dark Cosmos Fist. If she can comprehend further than the First Mantra, she would have already broken history in the mortal records.¡± Master Fu calmly instructed his grand disciple; he took great care of Mu Dao and hoped that one day he would replace his position in the future.

    Mu Dao nodded as he weakly left the chamber and, with the assistance of some fellow disciples, was taken to the medical department where he would rest and recover.

    ¡°Su Qingcheng¡­¡± Mu Dao gnashed his teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll slaughter you and leave you without a corpse!!¡±

 46 - Transcendent Cosmic Wheel

    Though there was still a bit over a month remaining before Su Qingcheng¡¯s appointed ¡°date¡± with Xiao Tie, it eventually still took Su Qingcheng three days to fully recover from her injuries and energy consumption. Waking up in a daze, she spotted Qin Fa tenderly watching over her like a nurse in attendance. Su Qingcheng blushed darkly as she fidgeted and felt a strange sensation on her neck. Qin Fa gently moved Su Qingcheng¡¯s hand aside and inhaled a deep breath as she saw the ¡®heart¡¯ tattoo emblazoned on her neck. ¡°This is¡­¡± Qin Fa muttered as she seemed to have recognized something important.

    ¡°What is it, Auntie?¡±

    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve absorbed some of the energy from the great tree.¡± Qin Fa simply stated, before passing the Fruit of Desire to Su Qingcheng, who placed it in a treasure box which she prepared before embarking on this trip. Then she stored it in her Dragon Hoard Ring before inquiring about this sensation.

    Qin Fa shook her head. ¡°This energy isn¡¯t simple. It¡¯s part of the divine energy that nourishes the tree and allows it to sprout the fruit. Since it came from the upper realm in the stories, it¡¯s highly likely that the space power in your body attracted it. The energy from the tree is definitely extraordinary in origin, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t seek to nourish your tianqi paths in this manner.¡±

    Little brat, you keep surprising me again and again! Yao Meiyue¡¯s voice rung loud and clear in Su Qingcheng¡¯s head. This tree has a name that very few people actually know, naturally I am one of these people! This is the Star Soul Acacia, and the legends are true. The love between two warring clans of spatial beasts, had combined to create a tyrannical but nourishing energy. Their remains formed the roots of this grand tree. The Fruit of Desire is a powerful fruit because of the Star Soul energy created from this union! Yao Meiyue explained.

    Su Qingcheng took in all of this information at once and sucked in a deep breath again. ¡°Then what is the meaning of the thing I feel on my neck?¡±

    ¡°It is a tattoo. Try focusing your spiritual will on it¡­¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded timidly as she shut her eyes and concentrated, pouring her spiritual sense into the portion of her neck where the tattoo was placed. She began to swear as the response from the tattoo was shocking; Qin Fa could observe a faint aura emanating from Su Qingcheng but she dared not to interrupt. Su Qingcheng herself was able to see a very shocking image despite her eyes being shut. It was as if she had opened her third eye, and was looking a vast starscape. In the middle of her mental vision, she saw a gigantic eight-pronged wheel, with small extensions protruding out of each spoke of the wheel.

    In Su Qingcheng¡¯s memories, the giant wheel looked very similar to the Buddhist Wheel of Life, except this wheel was releasing beautiful cosmic stars, and now within her mind Su Qingcheng felt a very comforting sense of peace. However, the Dharma wheel appeared to spin faster and faster and this sense of calm didn¡¯t last for long as Su Qingcheng began to see many images flashing past her. At first the images recounted the story of the giant tree which she obtained the Fruit of Desire on. This wasn¡¯t what alarmed her. What shocked her was that she started seeing blurred visions of her past life, the scenes of all of her cherished moments with her loved ones, painful memories of her past break-ups, joyful memories when she celebrated a best-selling book release, so many memories of her past life. What shocked her most of all was the final image that flashed past her mind; the image of when she died and crossed over to the Liandou Continent. Now she was viewing her own death as if it were part of a TV show. She could see how her lover had always been preparing for that moment since long ago; how her resentment and jealousy was the result of Su Qingcheng not giving enough attention and love to her. Su Qingcheng realized only now after witnessing the circumstances of her own death that she had utterly fucked up, she was drunk on worldly success.

    In the real world, Qin Fa saw Su Qingcheng begin to shed silent tears; Su Qingcheng had been crying this whole time whilst watching her death reel. She realized that she had gone too far back then. She was drunk on getting rich, so she failed to notice how her lover and wife had gotten jealous and angry. Finally, those last words she heard made so much sense ¨C ¡°When I take everything away from you, I¡¯ll join you so that in the next life, we can try again.¡± Su Qingcheng¡¯s heart felt like it had been shattered by a sledgehammer. Why was she so fucking stupid? Why did she not realize that it was so much more complicated than that? Su Qingcheng had disdained that kind of nouveau riche behavior, only to realize that she herself had been the same kind of despicable person!

    Su Qingcheng suddenly opened her eyes; Qin Fa saw a wheel spinning in both of Su Qingcheng¡¯s pupils, which greatly shocked her. Yao Meiyue had been suppressed by the Dharma wheel so she was only able to speak right this moment. Before she could say anything, Qin Fa had exclaimed something in surprise. ¡°Transcendent Cosmic Wheel!¡± she blurted out, causing Su Qingcheng to stare at her in utter confusion.

    ¡°You¡­ You!!! How did you¡­!¡± Qin Fa pointed at Su Qingcheng as if she were an Old Elder One from space.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. I focused my spiritual will on the tattoo just as you asked, then I saw a vast starscape. The wheel, there was a giant Dharma wheel, I saw so many things, so many memories of¡­¡± Su Qingcheng trailed off, Qin Fa had quickly placed her hands on Su Qingcheng¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand; the Transcendent Cosmic Wheel is an incredibly rare, legendary phenomenon. It is said that only a handful of people could ever cause it to come into being. When it does, the environment around the wheel determines the kind of deific aptitude the person who saw the wheel would have! If you saw a starscape, that could only mean that you¡¯re destined to inherit a power of space itself!¡± Qin Fa waved her arms around in excitement.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Universe Inheritor!¡± Qin Fa cried out. ¡°We¡¯ve gotta get back, we already had the Fruit, we¡¯re done here, we must bring it up with your mother immediately!¡±

    ¡°I¡­ this is too much information for me!¡± Su Qingcheng gasped. Qin Fa assured Su Qingcheng that she would explain what she knew along the way back. Qin Fa eagerly scooped up the girl into her arms and started to fly back to Tang Gu City at a comfortable speed ¨C not too fast, not too slow. All in all, they had spent about four days at the mountains, so Su Ran was most likely to be worried. Along the way, Qin Fa began to talk about what she knew about the Transcendent Cosmic Wheel phenomenon.

    ¡°The Transcendent Cosmic Wheel¡¯s conditions to appear are very mysterious; it has been the subject of hundreds of thousands of years of research. It¡¯s said to be linked to the spirit of a Tianqi user, as well as their luck and fortune. The memories and images they would see from the wheel would be dependent on the life story of the person looking at the wheel, and also any stories coming from the thing which triggered the Transcendent Cosmic Wheel. According to you, you saw images from the legends of the tree of the Fruit of Desire, which does fall in line with the current records.¡± Qin Fa started with the origins of the phenomenon. ¡°If, for some reason, the person witnessing the wheel had gone through the mystery of reincarnation, then they would see the circumstances around the death of their past life, from the very moment that their death was predestined!¡±

    When Qin Fa mentioned the matter of reincarnation, the words hit Su Qingcheng like a heavy bolt of thunder. That meant that the moment she saw her wife plotting to kill her, she was already destined to be murdered. Hearing these words was both a comfort and a form of torment as Su Qingcheng¡¯s gaze suddenly turned despondent. Qin Fa did not ask as she knew that if Su Qingcheng wished to talk about it, she would have mentioned it by now.

    ¡°The Transcendent Cosmic Wheel is mostly a sign, but after the person successfully witnesses those mental images and awakens from it, they would receive a big boost to their spiritual power as the cosmic wheel becomes a part of their being. It would continuously nourish the soul and the nascent souls within the person¡¯s dantian. As I mentioned earlier, the environment in which the wheel appeared would determine the kind of mystical power you would be destined to inherit in the future. For example, a wheel inside a volcanic environment would allow that person to become King or Queen of the Flames, making them impervious to fire and allowing grand mastery over fire Tianqi.¡±

    ¡°Then what about the Universe Inheritor that you mentioned?¡±

    ¡°From my meagre knowledge of what lurks outside the jurisdiction of the three realms we live in, the vast space around it is part of what old monsters call the Spatial Universe.¡± Qin Fa explained.

    ¡°Spatial Universe¡­¡± Su Qingcheng muttered these words under her breath. From Qin Fa¡¯s description, the Spatial Universe was very similar to Earth¡¯s space and the universe having lots of pockets called ¡®galaxies.¡¯ The three realms therefore should be similar to a small portion of a ¡®galaxy.¡¯

    ¡°Right, the Spatial Universe is a mysterious environment which has many celestial bodies. We know them to generally be composed of stars, but there are also apparently inhabitable celestial bodies which those monsters refer to as ¡®planets.¡¯¡±

    Unbeknownst to Qin Fa, she was essentially describing the universe of Su Qingcheng¡¯s origin. The universe ¨C an infinite expanse of galaxies which contained celestial bodies such as stars. Su Qingcheng tried very hard to resist the urge to talk back as she wanted to confirm her suspicions. Qin Fa nodded.

    ¡°One of my teachers was very well-versed in the study of these celestial bodies. He called himself an ¡®astronomer,¡¯ whatever that was. He said that the gateway to the Spatial Universe from the continent was to first visit Cloud Nine, which was in the Upper Realm, then find a gateway through the Cloud Nine¡¯s sky layer in order to see the endless expanse of space. Once entering this expanse, you would be able to enter the Spatial Universe.¡±

    ¡°So, essentially the Spatial Universe is an infinitely sized space which contains celestial bodies of all shapes and sizes. This must be similar to the sun which shines over the upper realm and the continent, right?¡± Su Qingcheng asked, now thoroughly interested.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, and that¡¯s all I really know about it. However, I do know that the person who is capable of seeing the starscape no matter the method, is also capable of harnessing the power of the Spatial Universe. This must be why you have an abnormal aptitude such as being able to comprehend the First Mantra of the Dark Cosmos Fist at your level, even your mother only succeeded at her older age¡­¡± Qin Fa nodded. ¡°If there was a way for you to directly enter the Spatial Universe in the future, it would serve a huge benefit for you in terms of growth and power. However, don¡¯t even think about finding it for now.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Qingcheng nodded. ¡°Ever since I saw the Transcendent Cosmic Wheel, I feel as if I have learned a lot of things about myself.¡± Nobody knew the true meaning to those words aside from herself. After all, she found out the real reason why she died. She had brought it upon herself. Now, she was determined to get stronger and improve her character and temperament, so she would not repeat the same mistakes anymore. With true power and absolute strength, she could protect those close to her and cherish those she loved properly, and never again allow harm to befall them whether it be by her own selfishness or her negligence.

    Silently she swore to herself she would not allow herself to repeat the same earthly and worldly mistakes she did before. Yao Meiyue naturally was cognizant of Su Qingcheng¡¯s newfound determination but did not probe her about it. After a while, Su Qingcheng and Qin Fa finally returned to Tang Gu City, the trip took about half a day, so it was already dark by the time they returned. Su Ran was waiting for them, they landed in Su Ran¡¯s courtyard where she leisurely sat there as if she already knew they¡¯d be coming.

    ¡°Did you acquire the fruit?¡± Su Ran asked plainly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Su Qingcheng nodded. Qin Fa ushered Su Qingcheng to stabilize herself and the latter nodded, since Qin Fa had wanted to speak privately to Su Ran.

    ¡°Sis Ran, the trip was very bountiful for us. However, there¡¯s something I need to tell you of utmost importance.¡±

    Su Ran watched her daughter leave and go to the Tiger¡¯s Den. When she was out of earshot, Su Ran nodded. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°The Demon Flame Sect is back.¡± Qin Fa frowned.

    Su Ran¡¯s face turned unsightly.

 47 - Riding the Heavenly Lightning!

    Su Ran¡¯s face twisted into one of rage and anger, though all of it was redirected on the news which Qin Fa gave her ¨C that the Demon Flame Sect had restarted their operations on the continent. Su Ran already knew that this meant the Ancestor was not totally killed, and was merely heavily defeated. Thus he spent many years in the Infernal Lands recuperating and rebuilding the sect underground. Finally, after he had recovered to a certain extent, he was able to send disciples and elders back onto the surface to act in secret. Worst of all, they began having designs on her most talented daughter, Su Qingcheng. This was definitely something to be concerned about.

    ¡°Do you recognize any of the two men who ambushed you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize the young kid, but the old fogey who was able to deflect my attack must be the eccentric elder, Huan Tao. He¡¯s usually the one responsible for creating and inventing the eclectic mystic spells of the Demon Flame Sect. He was able to use his soft sleeve to deflect my attack, it felt like I was striking hard adamantite.¡±

    ¡°Huan Tao¡­ Humph, that bastard sure is smart. He was even able to devise such a technique which used the principles of fighting hardness with softness. He could even block your Palmblade Attack!¡±

    ¡°It seems that the Demon Flame Sect are intent on trying to get revenge on you. They somehow knew that little Qingcheng is your kid though, which means¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll talk about it with Qingcheng¡¯er tomorrow. It seems your return means she got the fruit, which can only mean she will make preparations to try and breakthrough to become a Terraformer." Su Ran spoke plainly.

    ¡°She¡¯ll need a safe open-air place to attract the Single-Colored Tribulation thunder.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Her body has already been heavily tempered to resist most types of thunders, since she was already able to absorb the core of an Electric Scale Lizard into her lightning nascent soul!¡± Qin Fa shook her head in admiration of this young kid¡¯s fortuitous encounters.

    ¡°A level¡­ five or six beast would definitely improve her core and body resistance. On top of the divine battle sense from her constitution, she will definitely have a much easier time on the Path of a Paragon than Faceless, who had to persevere through all challenges without these incredibly fortuitous and absurd encounters.¡± Su Ran smiled weakly. ¡°Are you going to go back now, Sis?¡±

    Qin Fa nodded. ¡°I ought to recuperate. I myself was imprisoned in a mystic blood cage of the Demon Flame Sect. I would have been done for if your kid hadn¡¯t suddenly thrown a Dispelling Mudra at it.¡±

    ¡°What?! Dispelling Mudra of the First Mantra!!¡± Su Ran¡¯s jaw dropped. She didn¡¯t expect that Su Qingcheng was able to comprehend enough of the Dark Cosmos Fist¡¯s First Mantra to use the Dispelling Mudra to break Qin Fa out of the Rakshasa Cage, which she had already warned Su Qingcheng about when describing the Demon Flame Sect to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Haha. It seems your kid has a much better affinity for spatial techniques than even you, who can trigger your bloodline to rip open space and acquire Netherworld Fire even though you can¡¯t use Flame Tianqi.¡± Qin Fa stifled a feeble laugh.

    Su Ran was renowned amongst the Tianqi Leaderboard community as being one of the only people who could use such terrifying spatial techniques, which made her incredibly feared. Hearing that her own daughter had inherited this talent, but at an even greater level, both made her quite happy for her child but also rather speechless. Wasn¡¯t this a bit too much? This was definitely heaven-defying and absurd. It was definitely a sign of even more abnormal things to come. Unfortunately, the surprises wouldn¡¯t end here. Qin Fa smiled, gave Su Ran a few comforting and heavy pats on the shoulder before flying off back to her place in the Imperial City.

    Su Ran sighed and stood in the courtyard, motionless.

    The next day.

    There was a bit under a month before the agreement would come to an end. Yao Meiyue had woken up Su Qingcheng and said they needed to make the elixir with the materials they acquired and Su Ran had already purchased. Your aptitude for space is really shocking. It¡¯s even better than myself and your mother¡¯s. I would be inclined to say you inherited this talent from your mother, but with the degree of learning and comprehension you¡¯re displaying, plus the experiences you shared from watching the Transcendent Cosmic Wheel, I can only help but feel that I am finding it increasingly difficult to see through you.

    Su Qingcheng was alarmed. This was a very bad sign. She knew very well what this meant ¨C the phenomenon of seeing her past life and vaguely alluding to it made those close to her suspicious, especially her almighty teacher. Even though she was in a spiritual body, her perception was still far more terrifying than her own. She would definitely be the first person to suspect that Su Qingcheng was more than what she said she was.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what more to say, Master.¡± Su Qingcheng frowned.

    Everybody has their own secrets.

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely a plot flag of some sort.¡± Su Qingcheng muttered under her breath.

    Su Qingcheng dismissed Yao Meiyue¡¯s questioning on the matter. ¡°We must find a place to prepare the elixir and then find a way to call down the tribulation lightning.¡± Before Su Qingcheng could get up from bed, Yao Meiyue had already explained that you needed to make an open declaration to the heavens, stating your will to defy them and embark on the path of the Paragon. There were no fancy or specific incantations. You just had to impose your heaven-defying will on the sky and naturally you would attract the earth-suppressing lightning. Successfully surviving the thunderous blows would reward the person with a Mark of the Paragon, and how each of these marks manifested on a person was entirely different. Su Qingcheng¡¯s marks may not necessarily be the same as Faceless¡¯ marks.

    The most important thing was the power and tempering surviving the lightning provided. With Su Qingcheng¡¯s natural resistance to thunder, the Single-Colored Heavenly Tribulation would be a piece of cake. Combined with the medicinal bath, the lightning could be conducted ¨C not only would this intensify the lightning but the absorption of the lightning would become possible. This was only possible with the Single-Colored lightning because as the person acquired more Marks of the Paragon, the lightning would gain multiple colors which contained other elemental and divine essences! Thus, the Single-Colored lightning was the best choice, since it was only of lightning essence.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    After Su Qingcheng got up, Su Ran calmly walked into the room.

    ¡°I know you need to go, but we need to talk first. I¡¯ll help find a spot for you to call upon the tribulation afterwards.¡± Su Ran had clearly given this visit some thought.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Su Qingcheng looked concerned.

    ¡°Sis Qin told me about how you were attacked by members of the Demon Flame Sect.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­ Then, Auntie must have told you that she was caught by the Rakshasa Cage. I don¡¯t know who those two are, but I highly suspect that one of them is working with Xiao Tie.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Su Ran scowled. ¡°That bastard, he¡¯s working with heretic sects behind his own clan¡¯s back? What is he planning!?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way that we would have been attacked so coincidentally if neither of them knew my identity or what I was planning to do. You might recall that I went to run an errand for Xiao Hua and her father in order to acquire some ingredients for the medicinal elixir. Xiao Tie must have been eavesdropping on our conversation and knew I was looking for Fruit of Desire.¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. ¡°He then told his teacher, who must have been from the Demon Flame Sect, and then his teacher must have followed Auntie and I there with another disciple!¡±

    ¡°Sis Qin told me Huan Tao, that eccentric old bastard who won¡¯t die, attacked you and escaped.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. After I freed Auntie from the Rakshasa Cage, I passed out because using the Dispelling Mudra was too taxing on my body. I was unconscious for a couple of days.¡± Su Qingcheng rubbed her nose in embarrassment, but did not mention anything about the Transcendent Cosmic Wheel she saw.

    ¡°I¡¯ll investigate this matter. If Huan Tao is really that bastard kid¡¯s teacher, then there¡¯s no amount of good news to be had from engaging with Xiao Tie on the day the agreement ends. That Huan Tao fellow is the creator of many mystic techniques. Even though you can use Dispelling Mudra to dispel any of the harmful magicks, your body isn¡¯t strong enough to keep using it, even after you break through,¡± Su Ran said with much concern. ¡°You have to focus on getting stronger. I¡¯ll take you to a place. We can talk more along the way.¡±

    Su Ran seemed to have a place in mind already. Thus, the child didn¡¯t mind and simply followed her secretly out of the back area of the residence. They were making their way to a hilly field which was nearby the secret place Su Qingcheng used to lay in contemplation back when she was still crippled.

    ¡°Huan Tao is one of the undying elders of the Demon Flame Sect.¡± Su Ran explained. ¡°I had already beaten him many times before, but who knew that guy successfully fled to the lower realm and hid there. He must have invented countless more techniques and methods. He is known to be one of the backbones of the sect, as his ¡®Shura Tianqi¡¯ method which was pioneered by him and their Ancestor was what allowed the Demon Flame Sect to flourish. He definitely must have taught Xiao Tie this basic method and then opened him up to countless more demonic arts¡­¡± Su Ran frowned as the two of them continued to walk.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure if that old fogey is Xiao Tie¡¯s teacher, but I find it likely it is,¡± Su Qingcheng frowned. ¡°The way he was so eager to kill me, it meant he knew about your relationship with me as my mother. He wanted to get revenge on you by killing me. Only someone with a strong relationship with our clan would know this. The Xiao Clan, naturally. Xiao Tie hates my guts and wants to kill me also. Therefore, he¡¯d easily spill the beans about it. Even if Huan Tao couldn¡¯t kill me, he would try to cripple me again so Xiao Tie could kill me himself!¡±

    ¡°You are terrifyingly astute,¡± Su Ran nodded, unable to find any flaw in Su Qingcheng¡¯s explanation. Indeed, why would the Demon Flame Sect suddenly attack a fifteen year old girl with a Tianqi Sage known to invent countless demonic techniques? ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. Anyway, we are here now.¡±

    Su Ran had taken Su Qingcheng to a large open area which looked like a crater. It was surrounded by tall hilly peaks and looked like a ritual area, even though it wasn¡¯t. Su Ran explained that this area was rumoured to have been the result of a failed heavenly tribulation, though she didn¡¯t know how many colors it was. Su Ran gave the regular ingredients she purchased from the Leaderboard area to Su Qingcheng, who bowed in thanks and went to the center.

    ¡°Good luck, my child.¡± Su Ran smiled. ¡°You can beat this. Make your mother proud. You¡¯re embarking on a path far more dangerous than my own. It will inspire your brother and sister, too, to become a paragon. You should be safe here; I¡¯ll need to investigate further into the matters of the Demon Flame Sect. I may head to the Tianqi Leaderboards area to ask around. Take care of yourself!¡±

    Before Su Qingcheng could respond, Su Ran disappeared in a flash. Despite this, Su Qingcheng felt a warm feeling rising up in her heart. Yao Meiyue soon emerged from Su Qingcheng¡¯s necklace. ¡°Did you prepare everything I told you to last night?¡±

    Su Qingcheng nodded. She pulled out a large wooden basin, large enough for her to sit in. Yao Meiyue, on her part, procured the cauldron as Su Qingcheng laid out the ingredients on a large red cloth.

    ¡°Stay quiet and watch me.¡± Yao Meiyue sighed and began to channel her spiritual energy. She began to throw in the ingredients one by one, seemingly not caring about the order. Su Qingcheng didn¡¯t say anything but looked very confused, as it seemed as if Yao Meiyue did not care about the usual process of elixir brewing. However, Su Qingcheng¡¯s expression froze up as she realized that Yao Meiyue was using her spiritual energy to mash up the ingredients forcefully, creating a sort of primordial stew that was emanating a fierce energy. Dark clouds began to appear above the area where Su Qingcheng was seated and where Yao Meiyue was busy creating the elixir concoction. Su Qingcheng gasped when she saw that the elixir appeared to be letting loose sparks of electricity. After a while, a pillar of purple lightning appeared from the dark clouds above and slammed into the liquid in the cauldron, causing it to vibrate and tremble madly from the energy and collision.

    ¡°Stay back!¡± Yao Meiyue warned. Su Qingcheng sucked in a cold breath as she involuntarily slid back on her butt. The pillar of electricity reminded her of something she¡¯d see in a movie or a video game. It was too amazing. After the pillar cleared, the liquid was smoking and letting loose bubbles like magma. Yao Meiyue quickly poured the solution into the wooden basin, causing it to steam up.

    ¡°Quickly, strip and get in!¡±

    Without hesitating, Su Qingcheng did as asked and got into the basin after stripping down to nakedness, revealing her body that had undergone incredible changes. Her physique was still lithe and slender, but her features were far more toned and in the modern world of Earth, Su Qingcheng would be considered an athletic girl who had undergone bodybuilding procedures! Su Qingcheng hissed as she felt the heat of the liquid pierce through her body.

    ¡°Qingcheng¡¯er, now! Call upon the lightning!¡±

    Su Qingcheng gnashed her teeth, bearing the pain of sitting in the liquid without any protection. She howled and roared to the heavens. ¡°I am in charge of my own destiny! The heavens won¡¯t be able to prevent me from defying fate and taking charge of my own path! I shall forge my own road to become the strongest! Not even the heavens shall stop me!!¡±

    As Su Qingcheng roared in defiance against the heavens in the sky, the dark clouds that were originally responsible for jolting the cauldron suddenly formed up again. They hovered high above Su Qingcheng¡¯s head. After a few moments, bolts of thick purple lightning suddenly crashed down onto Su Qingcheng, causing her to roar in a mixture of pain and sheer defiance.

    Yao Meiyue watched by, seemingly worried, as she saw Su Qingcheng sitting in the boiling hot medicinal liquid, clashing with the lightning head-on.