Jiang Huai once again examined his own body.
His Overlord Art had now reached the threshold of the sixth level. Su Qingyi had only entered the seventh level not long ago, and the breakthrough materials she had previously given him were not enough to fully cultivate the Overlord Art. Jiang Huai had already used up all the Experience Scrolls he possessed, but he soon discovered a system mission completion notification.
It was for the mission of obtaining breakthrough materials for the Overlord Art from Su Qingyi.
A drop of golden blood and five high-level Experience Scrolls appeared in his System Backpack.
This drop of golden blood was clearly the Nine-tailed Fox Clan bloodline the system had mentioned. Jiang Huai quickly saw the system’s description.
[The Fox Clan originated from the nine-tailed demon fox. However, in history, there has only ever been one true nine-tailed demon fox bloodline demon cultivator. Its bloodline has been passed down through generations and has become incredibly diluted. Fox Emperor Su Qiang’s bloodline is a result of a return to an ancestor, successfully mastering half of the Nine-tailed Fox Clan bloodline, possessing divine abilities of extreme speed and sharpness. Refining this drop of nine-tailed demon fox essence blood will allow you to obtain the nine-tailed demon fox bloodline.]
[Friendly reminder from this system: Before you possess sufficient strength, please do not reveal your Nine-tailed Fox Clan bloodline in front of the Fox Clan to avoid bringing disaster.]
Jiang Huai instantly understood what this so-called disaster would entail. If Su Qiang found out that there was another male possessor of the Nine-tailed Fox Clan bloodline in this world, would he be locked up and forced to engage in lewd procreation with various fox girls all day long?
Before refining this drop of essence blood, Jiang Huai first took out the three medicinal materials in the cave.
The Fire Luo Holy Fruit was a gift from Luo Yueguan, the Azure Vine was from Mu Yao, and the Snow Velvet Flower was obtained together with Su Qingyi just now. Obtaining these three medicinal materials was not particularly dangerous. Jiang Huai had thoroughly studied Granny Jiuy’s prescription long ago and understood the principles of that prescription. Now, even though he had not engaged in Dual Cultivation with Chu Xianning and Luo Yueguan, he could still choose to refine these three medicinal materials first to repair his shattered Sea of Qi.
Alchemy was not a troublesome task. Jiang Huai took out a small and exquisite alchemical furnace, drew a Pill Formation for extracting spiritual liquid, and carefully placed the three medicinal materials into it. Soon, a refined spiritual pill was obtained. He swallowed it without hesitation, and warm medicinal power flowed through his limbs and bones. Soon, Jiang Huai saw that the broken part of his Sea of Qi began to slowly repair itself until it was perfectly flawless.
His previous cultivation recovery was due to the shattered Sea of Qi and the damaged vortex within. Now that the Sea of Qi was completely repaired, the spiritual energy entering his body could be perfectly stored and would no longer dissipate.
The good news was that from now on, when he used Experience Scrolls, the cultivation gained from them could finally be retained in his body instead of dissipating directly. The bad news was that he still lacked a vortex in his Sea of Qi and could not absorb Worldly spiritual energy into his body on his own.
In the future, to improve his cultivation, he could rely on Experience Scrolls or Dual Cultivation. If he wanted to repair the vortex, then he could only…
It was considered a recovery of more than half. Jiang Huai scratched his head. The joy of regaining a little bit of cultivation was quickly overshadowed by the cold, aloof gaze of Su Qingyi in his mind. He sighed softly. He picked up the drop of Nine-tailed Fox Clan essence blood, but did not proactively refine it.
Although he also thought it would be quite interesting to have an extra pair of furry fox tails and a snow-white fox tail, to tease Wanwan and Qingyu, and to be scolded as a little dog by his Master every day, he could still wag his tail in front of Chu Xianning to make her happy. However, at this moment, Jiang Huai had no intention of refining it.
He hated owing favors.
***
Jiang Huai used all five Experience Scrolls. His cultivation level had now reached the Fifth Level Transc. He was now equivalent to a cultivator at the Fifth Level Transc. Even if he used up all this spiritual energy, the next time he used Experience Scrolls, his cultivation would be calculated from the Fifth Level Transc, not from the first level of Qi Refining.
Jiang Huai found a lake and took a simple bath. After changing into new clothes, he headed to the Second Area alone. The Second Area was quite large. He restrained his aura and walked through this area. However, after walking for a whole morning, he had not seen Su Qingyi’s figure. Instead, he accidentally entered the territory of a ferocious beast and was chased by it.
Jiang Huai did not draw his sword to kill the ferocious beast. He coincidentally wanted to adapt to the physical strength of the sixth level of the Overlord Art, so he ran all the way, entangled with the beast, until he stumbled upon a stream. Su Qingyi, sitting on an ancient tree, saw Jiang Huai being chased by the beast from afar. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she sighed softly. A moment later, her figure flickered to Jiang Huai’s side, and with just one sword, she cut the ferocious beast in half.
“What are you doing here again?” Su Qingyi’s voice was already a little displeased.
“I came to find you.” Jiang Huai was Gasping for breath. According to his test, the sixth level of the Overlord Art now gave him physical strength comparable to the second or third level of Void Refinement. It seemed there was still much room for improvement.
“The Second Area is too dangerous for you. This is not a place you should be.”
“No, I just wanted to test the power of my Overlord Art with it.”
Su Qingyi looked at Jiang Huai in front of her, and a sense of inexplicable anger suddenly arose in her heart. “Didn’t I tell you not to bother me anymore?”
“It’s not bothering you, I have a gift for you.” Jiang Huai was about to take out the drop of Nine-tailed Fox Clan essence blood, but Su Qingyi’s figure moved in an instant, her sword blade directly at his neck, her eyes looking at him coldly. “I don’t need your gift. Go back to the First Area. After the Fan Hua Secret Realm ends, don’t cause any more trouble for me.”
“I didn’t intend to cause you trouble.”
“Your coming here to find me is already a huge problem.”
Her tone was really too cold. Jiang Huai looked at her cold gaze. At this moment, there was a hint of deliberate disgust in her eyes, but Jiang Huai was not angry in his heart. He had sat alone in the cave for half an hour and finally understood why Su Qingyi had suddenly become so cold towards him.
However, no matter how much he understood things, it didn’t mean he could change them.
He understood the reason why Su Qingyi had suddenly become cold towards him, and he had guessed Su Qingyi’s thoughts. But there was not much he could do. So he simply prepared to give this drop of essence blood to Su Qingyi, not intending to entangle her further.
It suddenly started to drizzle. A cold touch touched Jiang Huai’s cheek.
He lowered his head slightly, looking at the sword tip at his neck, and then looked up. “Last night you said we were friends. When do friends point swords at each other like this?”
“Not anymore.”
“If you say so, then it is? Are you being unreasonable?”
“I am being unreasonable.” Su Qingyi’s voice was cold. “Get lost.”
“But I really have a very important gift for you…”
“I said I don’t need it!”
The moment Su Qingyi finished speaking, Jiang Huai took out the drop of Fox Clan essence blood. The essence blood floated in his hand. The pure aura contained within it caused Su Qingyi’s bloodline to stir instantly. She sensed the inheritance power of the Nine-tailed Fox Clan contained within this bloodline, her black eyeballs widened, and she stared blankly at Jiang Huai in front of her.
Jiang Huai did not expect Su Qingyi to regret what she had just said. Instead, he felt a sense of inexplicable sadness from Su Qingyi’s feigned ferocity.
So, his face even carried a hint of appeasement. “Alright, alright, don’t sulk anymore, okay? Accept this, and then you can break off relations with me. Anyway, I don’t need this. It’s perfect for you to refine.”
“This drop of blood… where did you get it from?”
“Don’t worry about that. Anyway, it’s just this one drop, there won’t be any more. Take it quickly, it’ll be troublesome if other demonic beasts sense the aura.”
Jiang Huai said as he brought the drop of blood to Su Qingyi’s front. Even though she was unwilling, Su Qingyi’s hand moved almost on its own, and she put the drop of Nine-tailed Fox Ancestor essence blood into her storage space. Jiang Huai sighed in relief.
“Then I’ll take my leave. I won’t trouble you further. As for the spirit medicines I collected before, I’ll return them to you after I refine the pills.” Jiang Huai said softly and prepared to turn around and leave. However, before he could take a step, Su Qingyi reached out and grabbed the corner of his clothes.
“I owe you a favor, and I will repay it in the future.”
“It’s okay, I owed you a favor in the first place, so consider this me repaying it.” Jiang Huai replied softly, but Su Qingyi did not let go, her voice revealing a hint of stubbornness. “One thing at a time.”
“You really don’t need to.” Jiang Huai shook his head and turned around. A moment later, he sighed softly. “I should be the one apologizing to you.”
Jiang Huai only gradually understood the reason for Su Qingyi’s coldness during the half hour he sat alone in the cave.
Su Qingyi was the Grand Princess of the Fox Clan, and he was now considered half a Snake Clan person. The two clans were inherently irreconcilable, and they should not have been intimate. But this was not the most important point. Jiang Huai suddenly realized… he had resolved the Snake Clan’s Heavenly Punishment, which was a good thing for the Snake Clan, but perhaps not for the Fox Clan.
From now on, the Snake Clan would prosper even more than the Fox Clan, and the prosperity of the Snake Clan would mean that the Fox Clan’s living space would be squeezed step by step. As the Grand Princess of the Fox Clan, Su Qingyi bore more pressure on her shoulders than she should have.
The world was always like this; where there was joy for some, there was inevitably suffering for others.
Su Qingyi looked at Jiang Huai’s eyes and suddenly understood the meaning of Jiang Huai’s apology. She turned her face away and said softly, “You have a marriage engagement with the Grand Princess of the Snake Clan, and you should be doing things for the Snake Clan. I did not blame you for this matter.”
“Then why the sudden coldness?”
Even though he had a vague guess, he still wanted to hear the answer from Su Qingyi’s mouth.
“Being with you makes my inner self feel a strange unfamiliarity… I cannot become so soft, I cannot become so lazy, I cannot indulge in this feeling. Once I start to indulge, I can never go back to how it was before.”
“You, clearly… are already very tired, aren’t you?”
“I’m used to it.” Su Qingyi replied softly. She had already lowered the sword from Jiang Huai’s neck and said indifferently, “I don’t need your concern.”
“Even concern is not allowed?”
“Does concern help?” Su Qingyi slightly raised her eyes.
Jiang Huai could not answer Su Qingyi’s question at the moment, so he fell silent. It seemed that his concern at this moment truly could not change anything for Su Qingyi. So he did not argue with Su Qingyi anymore, but simply said, “Alright, let’s talk about future matters later. Then I’ll be going.”
“Wait.” Su Qingyi said softly.
“What?”
“I want to refine this drop of essence blood. Protect me while I do it.”
“Oh.” Jiang Huai nodded gently and agreed.
Su Qingyi stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Good guy.” Su Qingyi tilted her snow-white chin and snorted, her fox tail behind her swaying gently.
