By the ti Fang Qingyuan got the news, Jinbao’s belly was already round and full. The little guy had eaten dozens of Magic Artifact Embryos.
But less than ten Magic Artifact Embryos had actually been forged. When Fang Qingyuan saw this loss ratio, he was a little stunned.
He had intentionally let Jinbao do the forging. The food he’d prepared before was just to replenish the reserves Jinbao had consud during its slumber.
These Magic Artifact Embryos, on the other hand, were the perfect food to promote Jinbao’s growth.
It was just that this ti, Jinbao had eaten a bit too much.
Fang Qingyuan took out so Spirit Stones to settle the bill, then led Jinbao back. Upon seeing Jinbao, the Crimson Young Bird instinctively hid behind Fang Qingyuan.
Jinbao, however, was on its best behavior and didn’t make any other moves.
But Fang Qingyuan knew Jinbao was secretly plotting sothing mischievous. ’This little rascal is getting to an age where he’s a handful to manage.’
"Stop bullying her. If I see you lay a hand on her again, I’ll tan your hide."
He lectured Jinbao while pinching its ear. But before Jinbao could react, Zhan Zhi’Er ca to the door to announce that Lechuan was looking for him.
Fang Qingyuan’s eyes narrowed. With a flourish of the Ten Thousand Beasts Qiankun Banner in his hand, he recalled both Spirit Beasts inside it. Then, he mounted his Magical Artifact and sped toward Lechuan Mansion.
When he saw Lechuan, his master was sitting alone, lost in thought.
This was the first ti Fang Qingyuan had seen Lechuan since proposing the duel. For the past several days, Lechuan had been in seclusion, ditating and not concerning himself with the sect’s affairs.
Golden Core Cultivators had long lifespans. An occasional session of ditative insight could last over a month, which was nothing remarkable.
After Fang Qingyuan perford the disciple’s salutation, Lechuan spoke.
"Do you resent in your heart?"
"This disciple wouldn’t dare!"
"You wouldn’t dare, not that you don’t. It seems you feel I handled this matter improperly."
Lechuan gestured for Fang Qingyuan to sit and patiently explained.
"I watched that boy, Jian Yan, grow up. His cultivation prospects are hopeless; he has no chance of ever stepping into the Golden Core Realm in this lifeti. His only hope is to rely on secular power. He greatly covets the title of Vice Master."
Fang Qingyuan remained silent, waiting for Lechuan to continue.
"But that’s Jian Yan’s limit. Making him the Master of Instructor Peak was already a favor to him as my disciple. Now he’s overreaching, trying to take your place. I don’t see him succeeding."
After this assessnt of Qu Jianyan, Lechuan’s expression gradually grew more animated.
"A life-and-death duel! It’s been a long ti since I’ve seen one in the Southern Border Territory. You remind of my days at Zongshan. Internal strife? Every sect has it. But as long as it can be brought out into the open and resolved, it won’t beco a true hidden danger.
"Do you know why Qu Jianyan targets you? It’s because you haven’t been assertive enough. Why didn’t he dare challenge Zhao Liangde before? Because Liang De truly wouldn’t have tolerated it; he would have let Heiye beat him to death. Within our Beast Taming Sect, a gentle and forbearing approach is not well-regarded."
Having said all this, Lechuan looked at Fang Qingyuan’s slightly contemplative expression and laughed heartily.
"Don’t worry. Master knows you’re still upset. I got those Elixir Pills for you, but Qu Jianyan snatched them first. It’s my fault for being in seclusion and not knowing the details. How about this? As your master, I’ll give you sothing as compensation to soothe your resentnt."
By the ti Lechuan finished, most of Fang Qingyuan’s anger had already dissipated. He had indeed been annoyed at first, but now it seed Lechuan was quite reasonable.
Fang Qingyuan had already hired soone from the Treasure Pavilion to deliver that Jade Dew Dust Cleansing Pill to Jiang Kui. It should have arrived by now.
All that remained was the duel with Qu Jianyan. And now that Jinbao had woken up, his own chances of victory were much higher.
’If I weren’t afraid of revealing my trump cards, my victory would be one hundred percent certain. Either the ’God-Slaying Intent’ or the ’Five-Colored Light’ would be enough to make Qu Jianyan die with regret on the spot.’
As these thoughts ran through Fang Qingyuan’s mind, he saw Lechuan take out an erald-green jade bottle. He brought it before Fang Qingyuan’s eyes and gave it a little shake.
"There’s sothing good in here. Disciple, have you ever heard of Kurong Temple’s ’Great Barrier Breaking Pill’?"
’A Great Barrier Breaking Pill?’ Fang Qingyuan was startled. ’Pills like this are rare.’
The Great Barrier Breaking Pill, as its na implied, was a Tier Three Middle Grade elixir pill that could help a Cultivator break through bottlenecks and overco cultivation obstacles. It was rarely seen on the market, mainly because only the monks of Kurong Temple could refine it.
"This is an elixir pill I, as your master, have treasured for many years. I originally planned to wait until Qu Jianyan reached the peak of the Mid-stage Foundation Establishnt and give it to him to help him advance to the Late-stage Foundation Establishnt. But since he has broken the rules, this bottle of pills will be your compensation.
"There are three Great Barrier Breaking Pills in this jade bottle. You are currently at the peak of Foundation Establishnt Third-Layer Perfection. To break through to the Foundation Establishnt Fourth Layer, there is a bottleneck you must overco. These three pills will be more than enough for you."
After saying this, Lechuan tossed the jade bottle to Fang Qingyuan. Once Fang Qingyuan caught it, Lechuan closed his eyes, signaling that he could leave.
Holding the elixir pills, Fang Qingyuan finally showed a pleased expression. He thanked Lechuan with another bow before taking his leave.
After Fang Qingyuan had left, Lechuan sighed softly.
"Qingyuan, don’t disappoint . You should know, Master has spent quite a few Spirit Stones betting on you to win."
...
After leaving Lechuan Mansion, Fang Qingyuan went alone to the cold pool on the back mountain. Having soaked here a few tis, he had grown to like the tranquility of the place.
After letting the two little ones out for so fresh air, Fang Qingyuan looked at the elixir pills in his hand. He hesitated again and again, but in the end, decided not to take them just yet.
’My cultivation has reached the peak of Foundation Establishnt Third-Layer Perfection, but my Magical Power isn’t pure enough. My original plan was to raise the Purple Spirit Crystal Fish for three years and use the Qi Eating Technique to further purify my Magical True Essence. If I take this Great Barrier Breaking Pill now, I’ll definitely have to put in much more effort later to polish my Magical Power.’
’Besides, from what Lechuan said, the Great Barrier Breaking Pill is most effective when used to break through from Mid-stage Foundation Establishnt to Late-stage Foundation Establishnt.’
’Using it now would be a bit of a waste. I should wait. It’s not worth disrupting my own cultivation plan just for the sake of the duel with Qu Jianyan.’
At this thought, Fang Qingyuan flipped his hand over, stored the bottle of Great Barrier Breaking Pills carefully away in his Immortal Mansion, then shed his robes and stepped into the cold pool before him.
...
Ti flew, and in the blink of an eye, two and a half months had passed. On any other occasion, this would have been an unremarkable day, but today, the crowds at Celestial Gate Mountain had clearly grown.
Nurous Cultivators had been drawn here by the duel between Fang Qingyuan and Qu Jianyan. A life-and-death duel within the Beast Taming Sect—a case of fellow disciples fighting to the death—was an event worth traveling a thousand miles to witness.
At 1:45 PM, atop a high platform that had been erected long ago, Fang Qingyuan and Qu Jianyan stood facing each other.
Nearby, Lechuan sat in the seat of honor, watching everything with a solemn expression.
The other thousand or so Cultivators were also using their own various thods to focus their gazes on the two of them. Qu Jianyan was seen mounted on a Green Water Ring Crystal Beast, quietly awaiting the final mont for the duel to begin.
Fang Qingyuan, on the other hand, had summoned Jinbao, who was at Qi Refining Perfection. When the round, roly-poly Jinbao appeared, its goofy-looking face drew a wave of jeers from the surrounding spectators.
But Jinbao paid the jeers no mind. It squatted beside Fang Qingyuan, its large eyes fixed intently on the opponent’s Green Water Ring Crystal Beast.
The Green Water Ring Crystal Beast resembled a rhinoceros from Fang Qingyuan’s previous life, only it was much larger, about the size of an elephant.
The Green Water Ring Crystal Beast was a Water Spirit Beast. The sharp horn on its forehead could instantly unleash nurous low-level water techniques, making it quite formidable.
After another mont, Lechuan glanced at the ti and waved his hand to signal the start. In the next instant, Jinbao shot up from the ground like a cannonball fired from its barrel, hurtling toward the Green Water Ring Crystal Beast’s large face.
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