**Chapter 15: The Heart of a Strong Person**
2014-06-18 Author: Gu Zhenren
The simple hut was filled with a strong aroma of alcohol.
Overturned wine jars, empty bottles, and wine pots littered the floor.
Xiao Yan lay slumped by the bed, fast asleep.
The night was tranquil, yet Chu Yun did not rest in the silent darkness.
A soul, without the nourishment of a body, would gradually weaken. However, in the unique environment of Ghost Continent, souls could be supported by the Net of Law, allowing them to manifest independently and grow by absorbing the ghost energy in the air.
Human settlements had very little ghost energy. However, the Star Ghost Spirit Ring was no ordinary inferior item; it could draw ghost energy from a thousand-mile radius and provide it for the soul within to absorb.
As Chu Yun absorbed and exhaled ghost energy, he felt the soul, separated from his main body, growing stronger bit by bit.
“Ghost Continent is indeed a blessed land; it allows one to continuously increase the soul’s strength. Especially for a solitary soul, without the burdens and constraints of a body or Spirit, its strength can grow rapidly. A powerful soul, combined with a Wine Pool Meat Forest, can mass-produce powerful Beast. Saint indeed is Saint, finding an original approach with unique ingenuity.”
Ordinary people would naturally not grasp the profound meaning of this setup. But Chu Yun was already an Emperor level expert. At this level, he could infer some of the Ghost Saint’s intentions.
The more he pondered, the more he appreciated the power of a Saint.
This power was not in the sense that “in the vast Nine Provinces, only nine attained sainthood,” but rather “because of the Nine Saints, the Nine Provinces exist.”
Saints were like a Father Heaven and Mother Earth, transcending all living beings. They were the true rulers of a great World.
“Alas, I wonder what befell the Nine Saints that they have not returned to the Nine Provinces for so long. But thankfully so, otherwise, how would we Emperors get our chance to rise?”
As Chu Yun sighed, he also secretly rejoiced.
It was precisely because the Star Saint was absent that he could break through the limitations of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors’ quota and advance to become an Emperor level expert.
It was precisely because the Ghost Saint was absent that he could secretly infiltrate Ghost Continent.
After absorbing ghost energy for a while, Chu Yun stopped. After all, although the ghost energy was very thin in Fanggu Fortress, drawing it out so drastically for too long could cause unnecessary trouble.
Chu Yun feared most was his identity being exposed, which would alert the enemy.
He needed to support Xiao Yan’s growth, get close to the Underworld Emperor, and then strike decisively. After subduing the Underworld Emperor, he could rescue his father.
The pitch-black night sky gradually receded from the white bone firmament. Ghost Continent bid farewell to the night and welcomed the day.
Although the daytime in Ghost Continent was also gloomy and dim, it was certainly much better than the inky blackness of the night.
Xiao Yan had not yet woken up.
She was sleeping soundly, her face flushed, looking like a red apple at first glance, exceptionally cute.
The Star Ghost Spirit Ring flashed, and a piece of information was transmitted from the Xingzhou main body to here.
The content of this information was various prescriptions, such as those for refining Qingli Wine, Chixue Wine, Shenglong Denghuang Wine, and so on.
Every time Xiao Yan drank a type of wine, Chu Yun would request one or two drops to be collected into the Star Ghost Spirit Ring and transmitted back to his main body.
His main body, possessing Emperor level Spirit and profound wisdom, and able to utilize the World’s original force, immediately analyzed these low-grade wines thoroughly. It deciphered the refining materials, steps, and methods, then expanded upon them, forming countless Alchemy theories. Finally, all of this was sent back to the Star Ghost Spirit Ring.
Each Continent had different laws, resulting in unique Alchemy techniques and prescriptions.
However, through Chu Yun’s operations, in a short moment, he had become a seasoned Alchemy Master of Ghost Continent.
“You’re finally awake.”
As Xiao Yan opened her hazy eyes, she heard Chu Yun’s voice in her mind.
“How long have I slept?” the young girl asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
“It’s already evening on the second day,” Chu Yun informed her.
“Oh,” Xiao Yan responded. “I was drunk for so long. Drinking really causes trouble…”
Her mumbling suddenly stopped, and her pupils began to shine with an unprecedented brilliance.
She jumped up, exclaiming in surprise, “I, my cultivation has actually risen to the Junjie level?! Heavens, am I dreaming?”
“What’s so strange about that? With my help, what is impossible?” Chu Yun shrugged in the ring.
The young girl’s eyes turned red with emotion. Then, she sat by the bed, her shoulders trembling slightly, and began to cry silently.
Unlike before, these were tears of joy.
Chu Yun, in control of the situation, was not surprised. Xiao Yan felt it was a world-altering change.
She had been nothing before, at the bottom of her peers in Fanggu Fortress. Now, in terms of cultivation, she had leaped to become a notable figure among her peers.
In the Nine Provinces, the power rankings of Beast were all the same.
From Junjie, Qiren, Yishi, Haoxiong, Jun level, Marquis level, King level, Emperor level, Emperor level, all the way to the final Saint level.
At Xiao Yan’s age, most young men and women were not even rankers. A small portion could reach the Junjie level. Very few geniuses like Tang Wuxin could reach the Yishi level.
Chu Yun remained silent until Xiao Yan had fully expressed her emotions. Then he teased, “Didn’t you say you had no more tears to shed? How was the wine?”
“Delicious!” Xiao Yan blurted out. She was extremely happy and even found Chu Yun’s voice charming at that moment!
“Do you want to drink more?”
“Of course,” Xiao Yan couldn’t help but stick out her tongue, licking her cherry lips, with the greedy look of a drunkard.
“But…” she hesitated again, “I don’t have many Soul Crystal Coins left.”
Soul Crystal Coins were made from Soul Crystals and were the currency of Ghost Continent. Their status was similar to the Disha Stone Coins and Tiangang Stone Coins of Xingzhou.
Chu Yun chuckled, “It doesn’t matter, we’ll refine them ourselves.”
Saying this, he transmitted all the prescription information to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan’s cute little head couldn’t help but sway as she received this somewhat massive amount of information.
Her eyes soon widened, revealing obvious shock. “These are the prescriptions for those wines!”
“What’s so surprising? These wines are too low-level. I could decipher them with a little study. It’s a piece of cake, nothing worth mentioning.”
Xiao Yan was filled with admiration. She marveled, “So that’s why you wanted me to drip wine onto the ring… it was for research. Senior, are you an Alchemy Master?”
“Heh, does it matter if I am? It’s almost dark, aren’t you going to hurry out and buy some medicinal ingredients to make wine?”
“Yes, yes, Senior.”
The benefits were so obvious that Xiao Yan hurriedly left the hut and ran towards the nearest market.
The streets were decorated with lanterns and streamers, with red lanterns hung at intervals, looking very festive.
“Young Master Tang, the third son of the Tang Family, is engaged to our Miss Xiao Chuchen. Today is a joyous occasion.”
“Heh heh heh, how stingy Clan Leader Xiao Qian usually is, yet this time he’s actually hosting a feast for everyone in Fanggu Fortress. It’s rare for him to be so generous; we’ll drink until we drop tonight!”
“Strange, weren’t Tang Wuxin and Xiao Yan engaged since childhood?”
“It was called off, just yesterday. How could that useless Xiao Yan be worthy of the third young master of the Tang Family? But she’s sensible, it’s said she broke off the engagement herself.”
“Even if she didn’t break it off herself, she had no choice. It had to be broken off anyway.”
The pedestrians’ conversations continuously entered Xiao Yan’s ears.
Xiao Yan walked in the dark street corner, lowered her head, gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and lightened her footsteps.
“Just wait, one day I’ll make you all look at me with new eyes!” she thought, suppressing her frustration.
Chu Yun then boomed, “Why are you lowering your head, afraid of being seen? Hold your head high and walk boldly! You must remember you are Xiao Yan, you are my partner, Chu, these mortals mean nothing! You will surpass them, reach the peak, and look down on the heavens. You don’t need to care about what they think; they are not worthy of our consideration. Examine your own heart; when you feel humble, it’s not because of others, but because of your own inferiority.”
Xiao Yan’s body trembled, and she felt a sense of awe.
In Chu Yun, she suddenly understood what a true strong person was.
Their strength lay not only in their Beast, their cultivation, but more importantly, in their mindset.
The heart of a strong person is self-respecting, confident, and self-reliant, never becoming humble because of others.
“Senior, I understand,” Xiao Yan’s eyes sparkled. She raised her head and strode forward.
Her body was covered in the smell of alcohol, her hair disheveled, but her brows radiated a confident demeanor, showing no weakness or dejection.
“It’s Xiao Yan!” The pedestrians on the road cast astonished glances at her when they saw her.
The murmurs involuntarily quieted down, and it wasn’t until Xiao Yan’s back completely disappeared around the corner that they reacted.
“It really is her.”
“She doesn’t look sad at all…”
“I think she’s just pretending to be strong.”
“Even so, it’s admirable. If it were me, I’d probably be hiding in a corner crying.”
Chu Yun also secretly nodded, “This Xiao Yan is not bad. She has strong Luck, and her will has been tempered to be unyielding. Her comprehension is also not bad; with a little guidance, she immediately showed a new spirit. With her weakness in temperament gone, she is trainable. Perhaps I can cultivate her and plant a seed in Ghost Continent.”
The better Xiao Yan performed, the smoother Chu Yun’s plan would be. This was a mutually beneficial matter.
Afterward, under Chu Yun’s guidance, Xiao Yan spent money like water, making a large purchase.
The bundle on her back grew from small to large, naturally filled with medicinal ingredients for refining wine.
Half an hour later, Xiao Yan, struggling, dragged a huge bundle, her body covered in sweat, back to her simple hut.
“Senior, I’m truly penniless this time,” Xiao Yan panted, saying to the Star Ghost Spirit Ring.
“It doesn’t matter. You can consume some of the wine you brew yourself, and sell the rest. After all, the effect decreases if you drink too much.”
“Yes, Senior,” Xiao Yan smiled faintly. This purchase was extremely extravagant, and now she was broke, but Chu Yun’s existence gave her a great sense of security.
“Wait, there’s someone inside your house!” Just as Xiao Yan put down the bundle and was about to push open the door, Chu Yun suddenly issued a warning.
(To be continued)
