Volume One, Chapter 14: A Sudden Turn of Events

The higher the cultivation levels of the two beautiful Dao companions, the more profit he earned—this business was a guaranteed win without loss! Yet, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something hidden between Liu Ruoxi and Lin Feixue.

Forget it, he decided. For now, everything seemed to work in his favor.

The urgent matter was to see what good treasures tonight’s system lottery would yield!

A system product was always a masterpiece!

Rubbing his hands eagerly, he returned to his room full of anticipation.

Back in his room, Su Haoming’s heart was soaring beyond the clouds; he could hardly contain himself.

“This round is pure profit!”

He shut the door behind him, plopped down on the bed, and muttered, “System, spin it!”

Making the gesture of drawing cards in the air, the system panel instantly lit up with a familiar ten-draw roulette wheel, beginning to spin.

Holding his breath, Su Haoming’s eyes widened.

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Eighth-rank Spirit Beast Essence Blood [expression] x1]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Foundation Establishment Defensive Treasure—Mysterious Ice Shield [expression] x1]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Golden Core Stage Sword Manual Fragment [expression] x1]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Five Elements Spirit Gathering Formation Plate [expression] x1]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Spiritual Energy Recovery Pill [expression] x10]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Cultivation Consolidation Talisman [expression] x3]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Medium Storage Bag [expression] x1]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Qi Refining Peak Breakthrough Pill [expression] x1]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Barrier Talisman [expression] x5]

[Congratulations, host has obtained: Dao Companion Relationship Enhancement Pill [expression] x2]

“Damn! System, did you feast on silk chocolates today? So smooth!”

Su Haoming almost leapt up, clutching his pillow tightly, lowering his voice to cheer, afraid of waking Liu Ruoxi next door.

Foundation Establishment stage treasure, eighth-rank Spirit Beast Essence Blood, Golden Core stage sword manual fragment... this system was extravagantly generous!

He hurriedly opened the item descriptions and studied them carefully.

[Dao Companion Relationship Enhancement Pill: After consumption, increases the affinity level between Dao companions by one grade, lasting one month. During this period, joint cultivation efficiency is increased by 50%.]

“This thing is tailor-made for Lin Feixue!”

Su Haoming’s heart soared with joy.

“Let’s give her one first to stabilize the emotional foundation. With this cultivation efficiency, how could progress not skyrocket?”

[Qi Refining Peak Breakthrough Pill: After consumption, instantly raises Qi Refining stage cultivation to its peak. Requires cultivation level above Qi Refining nine layers to use.]

“Too bad, not high enough level yet. Let it gather dust for now.”

[Five Elements Spirit Gathering Formation Plate: After deployment, forms a small spirit gathering formation that enhances cultivation speed by 30%, lasting one month.]

“Perfect! Use it when the three of us cultivate together, stacking buffs to explode on the spot!”

As Su Haoming was indulging in these pleasant daydreams, a sudden strange sound shattered the night’s tranquility.

“Shhh—”

It sounded like something being torn apart.

Immediately followed by a muffled cry of pain.

“Ruoxi?”

Su Haoming’s heart tightened. Without bothering to put on shoes, he threw open the door and rushed out.

Moonlight poured down on the courtyard’s center, where Liu Ruoxi grasped a long sword, a strange blue spiritual energy swirling wildly around her.

That energy seemed out of control, trembling violently.

Her face was pale, sweat beaded on her forehead, her legs slightly bent, her stance unsteady.

“Don’t come closer!”

Seeing Su Haoming dash out, she immediately shouted a warning.

But it was too late.

The raging blue spiritual energy suddenly exploded, transforming into a chilling, bone-piercing wave of energy.

Su Haoming failed to dodge in time and was hit squarely by the wave, flying backwards and slamming hard against the courtyard wall.

“Cough cough... what’s wrong with you?”

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Su Haoming struggled to his feet.

Liu Ruoxi bit her lip, desperately trying to control the runaway spiritual energy within: “Sorry... I was trying to merge the ‘Frozen Ice Sword Manual’ with the ‘Flowing Cloud Thirteen Techniques,’ but the result—”

Before she could finish, the spiritual energy inside her lost control again, erupting into an even stronger ice-blue energy wave that condensed into countless sharp ice blades, shooting wildly in all directions.

“Watch out!”

Su Haoming shouted instinctively, drawing the recently obtained Mysterious Ice Shield from system space to block in front of him.

The ice blades clashed against the shield with crisp impacts but could not penetrate it.

Seizing the moment, Su Haoming dashed to Liu Ruoxi’s side and grabbed her wrist firmly.

“Let go of me! You can’t control this power!”

Liu Ruoxi struggled fiercely.

“Don’t be stubborn!”

Su Haoming growled, regardless of her resistance, forcing the streak of primordial violet energy within him to flow into her.

As the two forces met, a chill rolled back up his arm, nearly freezing him solid, but then the violet energy seemed to awaken, actively entwining the out-of-control blue spiritual energy.

The once wildly surging ice-blue energy was soothed, gradually calming down.

Liu Ruoxi’s rapid breathing steadied, and some color returned to her pale face.

She stared at Su Haoming, her voice hoarse from exhaustion: “What... what kind of power is that?”

“How should I know?” Su Haoming quickly released her, shaking his numb arm. “Just a lucky coincidence—whatever works.”

Liu Ruoxi said nothing, only gazing at him with an expression so complex it made Su Haoming uneasy.

“You really are hiding secrets,” she said softly in the end.

“Just good luck,” Su Haoming laughed awkwardly, stepping back and quickly changing the subject. “Seriously, why are you up so late practicing some weird technique? You almost blew yourself up.”

Liu Ruoxi sheathed her sword and sat down wearily on a nearby stone bench. “I want to perfect the ‘Frozen Ice Sword Manual’ so I can trade it with Lin Feixue for her ‘Ice Soul Heart Sutra’... Her heart sutra is powerful, but I always feel something’s missing.”

“Missing what?”

“Something... human,” Liu Ruoxi’s voice was low, carrying a softness Su Haoming had never heard before.

He was taken aback, as if scratched by a cat’s claws, and blurted out, “What exactly is your relationship with her?”

Liu Ruoxi fell silent, about to speak, when a sudden knocking came at the courtyard gate.

“Who is it? At this hour?”

Su Haoming’s heart skipped a beat, becoming alert.

He tiptoed to the door and peered through the crack.

Under the moonlight, Lin Feixue stood outside in white robes, her expression grim.

“Daoist Lin? What’s the matter?” Su Haoming opened the door.

“Something happened,” Lin Feixue strode into the courtyard, her expression softening slightly when she saw Liu Ruoxi. “Good, you’re both here.”

“What’s so urgent?” Liu Ruoxi stood up as well.

“Fengling City is about to erupt,” Lin Feixue said, moving to the stone table. “Chu Tianhe and Duan Yuanba’s people have clashed. The Golden Spirit Sect and the Azure Cloud Sect have completely torn their alliance apart.”

“So what? Let them fight; it’s none of our business,” Su Haoming said, unimpressed.

“It’s serious,” Lin Feixue’s tone turned grave. “The fuse was lit by the alchemy insights you gave.”