Feng Luotian gestured toward the monster cores and medicinal pills. "You won the bet. Go ahead and pick first."
Tu Lingxi's eyes ignited with a sudden, vivid brilliance as she approached the pile. Her gaze darted across the hoard, filtering through gold and iron before settling on a pair of sleek, obsidian-colored tonfa. She picked them up, testing their weight with a swift, fluid motion. "I'll take these."
"Good choice!" Luotian said, nodding as he observed the balance of the weapons. "Light and agile—perfect for your battle style."
Lingxi smiled, the tension of the race melting into a look of pure satisfaction. "Since I've claimed my prize, let's split the rest fifty-fifty. Sound good?"
Luotian raised an eyebrow, his expression dancing with a touch of amusement at her straightforward suggestion. "How childish, Lingxi. We should return what these bandits stole from the village and help them recover. If these treasures can make them stronger and better equipped to protect themselves in the future, that's what matters most. After that, if anything's left over, we can split it."
Lingxi froze, the triumphant glow in her eyes vanishing as a wave of hot guilt washed over her. The silence in the room suddenly felt heavy; she had been so consumed by the thrill of the "spoils" that she had momentarily forgotten the hollowed-out homes and grieving families back at the settlement.
But Luotian, noticing the sudden slump in her shoulders, couldn't resist a final jab to lighten the mood. "Don't worry too much about it, Lingxi. You're still just a kid, after all."
Lingxi's embarrassment turned to irritation. Flushing deeper, she spun around to glare at him.
"I'm not talking to you anymore!" she snapped, her voice pitching high as she stormed out of the room in a huff. In her haste to escape his teasing, she completely forgot to deliver the punch she had threatened earlier.
Luotian could only offer a dry, quiet laugh at her retreating back.
Once her footsteps faded, Luotian set to work. He gathered the cores, armor, and alchemy supplies, storing every valuable item in his spatial ring.
He intended to honor his word, returning the stolen lifeblood to the village and perhaps using the surplus to reinforce their mundane defenses.
Finally alone in the oppressive quiet of the bandit leader's quarters, Luotian touched the cool surface of his spatial ring. With a faint shimmer of light, the document he had hidden earlier appeared in his hand.
He unfolded the paper and read it again, hoping he had misunderstood.
====================
To Vulture Bandit Troupe's Leader, Jiu Hao
Use these monster cores, pills, and weapons as you see fit.
Retrieve the protective treasure that protected Raven Village from the One Talon Diamond Fang Rock Panther within two months.
Upon completing your mission, send someone to deliver the protective treasure to us. Then, we will pay you five times this amount.
Alchemy Center – Peacock School
====================
At the bottom of the parchment was a wax sigil stamp, a unique mark used exclusively by the high-ranking officials of the Peacock School.
Luotian's grip tightened, crumpling the edges of the paper as anger darkened his face.
"I can't believe it was actually our school that caused this whole thing! And more than that, I can't believe it was someone from our school who planned an assassination on Yue'er! Once I get to the bottom of this, whoever is involved… must die!"
His voice came out in a low, furious rasp.
A tremendous, suffocating volume of murderous intent radiated from his frame, manifesting as a dark distortion in his eyes. The sheer intensity of his gaze was a psychic weight, the kind of concentrated malice that could shatter the spirit of an ordinary man and render them unconscious from the raw pressure of fear alone.
He took several deep breaths to contain his anger, then carefully put the document away. It named no individual, but it was evidence of the school's involvement. He would need it when he pursued whoever was responsible.
Just then, the heavy door creaked on its rusted hinges, and Tu Lingxi re-entered the room with a sharp, serious expression.
"What happened?" Lingxi asked, scanning the chamber intently. "I swear I sensed a surge of killing intent just now."
She was still annoyed with him, but if there was an enemy nearby, their argument could wait.
Luotian's expression softened as he looked at her, the dark fire in his eyes receding. "It's fine now, Lingxi. Thank you for coming."
Reassured but still clearly wary of the lingering tension in the air, Lingxi offered a curt nod and allowed the matter to drop.
* * *
Feng Luotian and Tu Lingxi returned to the village, their spatial rings heavy with the reclaimed treasures of the bandit hideout.
Upon their arrival, Wu Neng and the gathered villagers greeted them with profound gratitude, yet they remained unyielding in their humility. They insisted on taking back only the specific items and coin lost during the previous skirmishes, along with a modest supply of healing pills to tend to their wounded.
As for the vast majority of the spoils, the villagers unanimously refused to accept a single coin. They were adamant that the treasures belonged to the two youngsters who had risked their lives to shatter the Vulture Bandit Troupe.
Faced with such stubborn integrity, Luotian and Lingxi eventually relented. They divided the remaining treasures evenly between them, honoring the terms of their earlier agreement.
Luotian walked beside Lingxi until they reached the quiet outskirts of the village, where the dust of the road met the wild green of the forest. As the heavy silence of parting approached, Lingxi turned to him to say her final goodbyes.
However, before she could step away, Luotian spoke up. "May I know what you're planning to do next?"
The question was amusingly familiar, a mirror image of the inquiry Lingxi had posed to him before he had first sought out the bandit base.
Lingxi hesitated, the bravado in her posture softening as she looked toward the horizon. "I'm not sure. Maybe I'll travel a bit more and then return home." When she spoke the word "home," a faint, haunting sadness flickered in her eyes, gone as quickly as it had appeared.
Luotian noticed the brief shift in her spirit but decided not to press into the shadows of her past. Instead, he reached into his spatial ring and produced a crisp, official-looking document. "If that's the case, you might find this interesting."
"What's this?" Lingxi asked, her brow furrowing as she took the paper.
"It's an application form for the entrance exams to the schools in Divine Bird City. The exams are in seven days. You just need to fill out this form and submit it at the city hall. If you pass the exam, you'll become a disciple of the school you choose."
The form he handed her was actually his own, but he figured he could easily retrieve a replacement once he reunited with Yue'er.
Divine Bird City had maintained its reputation for neutrality for centuries. Apart from a few cities with which it held longstanding feuds, it welcomed cultivators of any origin or bloodline. Its schools followed the same policy: any capable fighter could take the entrance exam and, if successful, enroll as a disciple.
One of the reasons for this policy was a decree issued by Feng Luotian's father, the Demon God Emperor, whose prestige loomed over the entire cultivation world.
The decree protected that neutrality. Cultivators could enter without fear of persecution, and no external faction dared risk the Emperor's wrath by trying to seize the city.
Additionally, the city lacked the dense veins of spiritual ore or rare herbs found in other regions. This absence of lucrative resources made it a poor target for hostile sieges. No faction was foolish enough to defy a divine decree for a territory that offered so little in material wealth.
Political protection and the lack of resources gave the city a relaxed atmosphere. Cultivators from rival clans could share a table or trade there, enjoying a break from the conflicts outside. For Lingxi, who wanted to grow stronger at her own pace, it offered a suitable place to stay.
Lingxi studied the application form, her fingers tracing the official seal before she asked curiously, "Are you taking the exam too? Which school?"
"Peacock School, of course!" Luotian replied with a confident grin.
Lingxi considered the idea for a moment, the weight of the proposal settling in her mind. She eventually nodded. "Alright. I'll show up in seven days and apply to Peacock School as well."
"Great! With your talent, passing the entrance exam of the most prestigious school will be a breeze," Luotian encouraged.
Unbeknownst to her, Luotian was playing a far longer game. While she hailed from the Vermilion Kingdom, he saw no reason why she couldn't flourish within Divine Bird City. From her performance on the battlefield, he had already recognized a dormant, explosive potential.
If he could recruit her now, before her spirit fully matured, she could become one of his most vital allies in the cosmic wars to come. Her personality and ideals could still be shaped as she walked her path.
Even so, if she chose to leave his side after reaching her peak, he would not hinder her. He believed that adding one more powerhouse of her nature to the world was a net positive for the future, regardless of where her loyalties eventually lay.
After they shared a final look, they turned toward their separate horizons, the silence of the forest reclaiming the space between them.
* * *
Luotian returned to his familiar training grounds, where a massive horde of Blade Tail Lions had already gathered, their low growls vibrating through the humid air. This time, their numbers had swelled significantly, and their serrated tails shimmered with a kaleidoscopic array of elemental hues—crimson, azure, abyssal black and toxic green.
However, the beasts remained anchored at Six Fangs, and since Luotian had already ascended to the very same Level, the challenge had begun to wither.
Standing high upon a swaying tree branch, he looked down at the pride and let out a soft, contemplative sigh. "I've had a good time with you all, especially you, Little Silver. But now that I'm a Six Fangs Fighter, you're no longer suitable training partners."
He crossed his arms over his chest, his tone shifting into a cold, clinical indifference. "That said, I still have one final matter to attend to with you all. I need some monster cores, and I'm particularly interested in those colorful tails of yours. So, please stay still for a couple of minutes, okay?"
Despite his calm demeanor, the lions' primal instincts screamed at them of an apex predator's presence. The ground trembled with a sudden, frantic rhythm as the pride broke formation, stampeding away in a desperate attempt to vanish into the deep thicket.
Luotian shook his head, the movement tired. "Why do you all have to make this more difficult?"
Stretching his arms until his joints popped, he added, "Oh well. Let's train the new skill while collecting some items from you."
With that, he leapt from his branch, the wood snapping under the sudden tension. Mid-air, he activated both Pinnacle Flash Lightning and Underworld Physique simultaneously.
BOOM!
The earth did not just crack; it shattered into a crater of pulverized stone and dirt as the weight of his body multiplied tenfold upon impact. The kinetic energy of the fall, amplified by his massive new density, sent a shockwave rippling through the clearing.
As violent arcs of golden lightning danced around his frame, Luotian muttered to himself, his voice lost in the crackle of electricity. "One more week to go. Yue'er, Wuji, I wonder how much stronger you two have become after this month."
With a powerful stomp that sent fissures radiating outward, he launched himself toward the fleeing lions, disappearing into a blinding blur of static and shadow.
One by one, the colorful beasts fell in mid-stride. Their tails were severed as arcs of electricity slashed through the air like a storm of invisible blades, leaving nothing but the scent of scorched fur and the overwhelming silence of a completed harvest behind.