Chapter 266: Looking Deeply into Each Other's Eyes
Lan Xinyu kept ranting as she disappeared further and further down the road with Baili Han. Once she knew they couldn't see her, Ling Chuxi came out from where she was hiding around a corner and watched the disappearing backs of the two people she was spying on as she chuckled and turned around to walk to Fu Chengyu's residence.
When she returned to the residence, Fu Chengyu and Ling Yichen were both in. Seeing Ling Chuxi return, the both of them were surprised and happy at the same time.
"Chuxi, could it be that you have broken through to the Great Fulfilment already? And experienced Heavenly Lightning Striking The Body?" asked Fu Chengyu as he looked at Ling Chuxi in astonishment.
"Yes," answered Ling Chuxi with a nod. "And I died nine times out of ten as they say." Indeed, this time she had almost died undergoing Heavenly Lightning Striking The Body. If it were not for Huangfu Qingjue appearing in time, she would not be standing here now. It was only now that Ling Chuxi could properly see through to Fu Chengyu's cultivation level. He was at Battle Qi Level 9 Pinnacle stage! No wonder he could so easily kill off the Level 6 monster beast-the slate beast. Previously, there was too big of a gap between her cultivation and Fu Chengyu's, which was why she was not able to decipher Fu Chengyu's cultivation level. But now, she could.
Hearing Ling Chuxi's reply, Fu Chengyu and Ling Yichen didn't even need to think twice to know how dangerous the situation she encountered was.
"Are you all right, though?" asked Ling Yichen worriedly as he rushed to examine Ling Chuxi from head to toe, anxiously checking and confirming that Ling Chuxi really was fine. He felt relieved upon finding no injuries and oddities on her person.
"I'm fine, really," said Ling Chuxi as she gently shook her head. Looking at Ling Yichen's eyes that were full of worry, Ling Chuxi felt a warmth in her heart. Since coming to this world alone till now where she had people she worried about, and people who worried about her, it had been such a journey and she felt really good about how things were now.
"It's good that you are fine. However, Chuxi, you were actually able to break through so quickly to the Great Fulfilment and experience Heavenly Lightning Striking The Body," said Fu Chengyu in a tone full or surprise as he spoke up from the side. He had never thought that Ling Chuxi would actually be promoted so quickly in her cultivation.
"Actually, it was a real adventure..." began Ling Chuxi as she smiled awkwardly. She sat down and drank some hot tea before she started to tell Fu Chengyu and Ling Yichen what happened in earnest. After the two of them heard her story, they secretly clicked their tongues.
"You are also really too impulsive. You had not even clarified what those two monster beasts were fighting about, yet you went ahead and snatched it for yourself. It's a good thing you are fine," admonished Ling Yichen somewhat accusingly upon hearing how dangerous Ling Chuxi's situation was.
"Uh huh... In the future I won't be so impulsive anymore," replied Ling Chuxi as she smiled awkwardly, feeling somewhat guilty.
Fu Chengyu and Ling Yichen talked to Ling Chuxi for a bit more before Ling Chuxi took a look around. "Where is Zhuoyi? Is he not around?"
"He went out with the fifth princess. The two of them have registered to participate in the competition," said Ling Yichen.
Ling Chuxi touched her chin as she secretly thought to herself in her heart. It seems as though there would be an upcoming show starring these two delightful frenemies-the fifth princess and Xia Zhuoyi.
Just at this moment, a person came running in from outside. It was Lan Xinyu!
"Ling Chuxi, I'm going to kill you! Are you even human? How could you actually break through to the Great Fulfilment and successfully undergo Heavenly Lightning Striking The Body just like that?! How are the rest of us humans even supposed to live?!" snapped Lan Xinyu as she entered. She was just about ready to choke Ling Chuxi.
"Oh, have you sent off your darling peach blossom already?" teased Ling Chuxi as she raised her brows.
"Huh? What peach blossom?" asked Lan Xinyu, stunned. She did not know what Ling Chuxi was talking about.
"Baili Han. The two of you were looking deeply into each other's eyes just now. I saw it very clearly. I didn't know that you could suddenly be so warm-hearted as to even lead the way for others like that. Tsk, tsk, tsk..." clucked Ling Chuxi as she sighed.
Lan Xinyu regained her senses as she blushed. "What nonsense are you talking about? All I did was show him the way. It's not like I'd lose anything by doing so."
Chapter 267: Who is the Real Fat Goat?
"Frankly, I think Baili Han is not bad. Yes, you can consider him," said Ling Chuxi very seriously as she nodded.
"Consider, your head! Quickly, tell me exactly what happened this time around while you were gone! It really makes one admire, envy, be jealous and hate you all at once. You make people feel mentally imbalanced. No matter how I try, I just can't catch up to your pace! It's so frustrating!" burst out Lan Xinyu angrily. After finishing, she hesitantly continued, "However, really, congratulations. You have now truly stepped into the main gate of cultivators." Lan Xinyu's tone was sincere. She really did feel happy on Ling Chuxi's behalf.
"The competition this time really makes one anticipate it," said Fu Chengyu with a smile as he looked at Ling Chuxi. "However, I believe that Chuxi, you, will definitely come in first place."
Ling Chuxi giggled. "Hey, talking about this, you've reminded me. Lend me money! Lend me money and let's go place our bets!" Ling Chuxi's eyes lit up as she recalled what she had planned to do.
"My entire family's savings is placed on you winning. If you lose, I will chop you to death," declared Lan Xinyu decisively as she glared at Ling Chuxi.
Ling Chuxi laughed loudly and touched her own purse, "We should all get rich together. For the sake of my money, I will not lose."
Ling Yichen and Fu Chengyu looked at the two girls and smiled helplessly. However, they felt the whole house was full of warmth.
The biggest gambling house in the capital had long since opened a store along with several other gambling houses. When Ling Chuxi and the rest went to place their bets, the amount they bet left the attendant in a shock. He finally carefully invited them up the second floor.
The person who attended to them was the second-in-command of the gambling house-a middle-aged man with small eyes. After he took a clear look and saw that the person who had arrived was the Ninth Prince, his squinty eyes brightened up. The ninth prince was about to place a bet. No matter how, it would definitely be a big amount. It was just that it was not known who the ninth prince would bet on. Could it be that the ninth prince was also here to place a bet on Baili Han?
Squinty-eyes attended to Ling Chuxi and her bunch of friends. After everyone sat down, he courteously asked. "And who does Ninth Prince wish to place his bet on?"
"Ling Chuxi. I'm betting that she gets first place," said Fu Chengyu as he calmly threw out a stack of gold paper notes.
Squinty-eyes' eyeballs were about to pop out. Such a thick wade of gold paper notes. How much money was this? A few hundred thousand or was it a few million gold taels? It couldn't be that the ninth prince was betting his entire fortune away, right? Who was he betting on? Squinty-eyes narrowed his small eyes into slits and dug his ear as he asked again for confirmation, "Ninth Prince, who did you say you wanted to bet on just now?"
"Ling Chuxi! Didn't you hear it clearly? We are all betting on Ling Chuxi! First place!" snapped Lan Xinyu as she also dug out a stack of gold paper notes and placed it on the table. Although her money was a lot less in comparison to the ninth prince's, it was still a lot to an ordinary person.
Squinty-eyes' blinked and blinked before he finally regained his senses. Then, he felt a crazed delight, an extreme excitement. At this moment, the way he looked at Ling Chuxi and her friends was different. Now, squinty-eyes was looking at Ling Chuxi and the rest just as one would look at a vast amount of money and treasure. This group of fortune masters came here to give away money. Ha. Betting this much on Ling Chuxi?! Of course he knew who this person was. Her cultivation was not bad, but to think she'd get first place was absolutely insane! Feng Yan Union had proposed an extremely high price to have bought accurate information. Anyway, it was absolutely not possible for Ling Chuxi to obtain first place.
Ling Chuxi pursed her lips. The way squinty-eyes was looking at them now was as if they were fat goats ready for slaughter. Hmph! Who really knew who exactly the fat goat was? When the time comes, she'll make them lose even their pants to pay off what they owe!
Chapter 268: Ling Yichen's Determination
When Ling Chuxi and the rest had finished placing their bets, they left the gambling house. Squinty-eyes passionately sent them off, then happily went to report the good news to his boss. That group betting on Ling Chuxi getting first place was practically sending them free money!
...
The next thing Ling Chuxi and the rest needed to do was to prepare for war. There were many people participating in the fighting competition this time around and the battle that was going to be held in the first round was a chaotic large-scale fight. The conditions of the so-called large-scale fight was simply that groups of more than ten people would go into the fighting ring at a time and without differentiating between enemies and friends, they were to spar and the last person standing at the end would be the winner of that group! Then, all the winners from the first round would be eligible to enter the next round of the competition.
On this early morning, Fu Chengyu stood on his loft and looked down at the courtyard as he usually did. This time, he saw Ling Yichen standing alone in the courtyard with his sword in his hand as he practiced defending and attacking.
The morning dew was cold and there was a layer of clear snow on his hair. However, small drops of sweat streamed down the side of his face non-stop. Compared to his somewhat skinny face in the past, he looked a little more delicate yet also a little more determined. Ling Yichen had been cultivating like crazy these few days. Fu Chengyu looked at this scene, feeling speechless. He totally understood Ling Yichen's intentions. He could clearly see Ling Yichen's feelings toward Ling Chuxi. The kind of protection he was offering was silent and did not require repayment. However, Ling Chuxi's incredibly speedy growth made Ling Yichen slowly lose his opportunity to protect her.
Facing Ling Chuxi's promotion, although Ling Yichen did not say anything on the surface, Fu Chengyu could deeply feel the depression and frustration in Ling Yichen. That was why he was so crazily cultivating, trying to catch up to Ling Chuxi's level.
As for himself, Fu Chengyu lowered his head and slowly stretched out his palm. Seeing his own pale palm, the corners of his lips curled up into a bitter smile. He could not deny that he had fallen for Ling Chuxi, but he was not the right person for her. That night, he had thought he would never awaken again. Who knew that when he opened his eyes again, he saw such a lively pair of bright eyes staring back at him. At that moment, the young maiden he saw was like a little deer barging into his heart. It was just that he had buried his deep budding feelings. Ling Chuxi was indeed very outstanding. The amount of people who were interested in her would definitely not just be a few. He himself could not match up to her, but hopefully...
Fu Chengyu raised his head to look at Ling Yichen who was crazily cultivating and made a decision in his heart. He turned around and went into the house. Not long after, he went down to look for Ling Yichen.
...
In Ling Yichen's house, Fu Chengyu and Ling Yichen sat down and looked at each other.
"Have you thought it through?" asked Fu Chengyu seriously. "The power to make this decision lies with you."
"I have thought it through," answered Ling Yichen with a nod. There was an unprecedented determination in his gaze.
"All right. However, you need to remember that Master had once said that the emphasis of this cultivation method lies within these four words-Vast Sea Wide Sky. Think about it yourself," said Fu Chengyu as he pushed the manual which was on the table between them towards Ling Yichen. This cultivation method was something Fu Chengyu and Ling Yichen's master had left behind. It was a cultivation method that was very domineering, so if it was practiced successfully, it would inevitably bring about a breakthrough, but if it failed, everything would perish altogether. So, after Fu Chengyu explained all this to Ling Yichen clearly, he left the decision to Ling Yichen. But he knew that Ling Yichen would definitely choose to practice it without hesitation!
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" said Ling Yichen as he nodded gratefully and kept away the manual.
"Quickly grow stronger. Strong enough so you can protect Chuxi." After he said this, Fu Chengyu suddenly recalled the mysterious silver-haired, purple-eyed man. Even if he did not know that man's identity, Fu Chengyu also understood that he was most likely to be Ling Yichen's greatest rival!
Chapter 269: Know This, Know That
"Senior Brother... I-" Ling Yichen was stunned after he heard Fu Chengyu's words. He stuttered and was unable to finish his sentence.
"How could I not tell the matters of your heart?" asked Fu Chengyu with a smile. "Go on, work hard on your cultivation. The competition is about to start very soon."
"All right. Thank you, Senior Brother," expressed Ling Yichen sincerely after taking a deep breath.
"Between you and I who are brothers, there is no need for thanks," replied Fu Chengyu with a smile. To Fu Chengyu, "brother" was a word only Ling Yichen had the right to bear. As for those other Imperial Brothers of his, there had never been the least bit of brotherly love between them. "However, you need to be extremely careful. Don't be overanxious to succeed," cautioned Fu Chengyu. He still could not be assured and instructed Ling Yichen once again.
"All right. I got it. Be rest assured, Senior Brother," said Ling Yichen as he nodded with a solemn expression.
...
At this moment, Ling Chuxi was bringing Lan Xinyu to buy herbs.
"What on earth? You don't have any money? You pighead. You actually used up all your money to gamble. Now we don't even have money to buy herbs!" said Ling Chuxi angrily, wishing she could choke Lan Xinyu to death.
"Aren't you just the same?!" retorted Lan Xinyu as she glared at Ling Chuxi. Ling Chuxi had also used up all the money she had to gamble and even borrowed quite a bit from Fu Chengyu, and yet she still had the cheek to comment on others!
"However, what do you want to buy the herbs for?" asked Lan Xinyu softly. Furthermore, the herbs she wanted to purchase seemed to be expensive.
"To help refine a pill for you. A Tian Luo Pill. So that you can break through to Level 8 faster," replied Ling Chuxi in an even more hushed tone. After she finished speaking, she immediately covered Lan Xinyu's mouth to prevent her from yelling out loud.
Lan Xinyu's mouth was covered but her eyes were wide and round as she looked at Ling Chuxi in disbelief. 'What did she just say?! Refine a pill? Help her to break through to Level 8?! With a Tian Luo Pill?! How could Ling Chuxi possibly know how to refine an advanced tier Tian Luo Pill?'
After confirming that Lan Xinyu had accepted this fact, Ling Chuxi finally let go as she said with a pout, "However, now we don't have money and can't even buy herbs. How annoying. Quickly think, of who else can lend us some money."
"Ling Chuxi... You... You are practically a freak! You know this and you know that!" exclaimed Lan Xinyu as she stretched out a trembling finger to point at Ling Chuxi. "You are practically an outstanding genius that really makes people so angry. I really wish to slash you to death with a single blow! How are other people expected to live?"
"Talk less nonsense, why don't you! Now we don't have money to buy herbs. Why don't I borrow some money from that princess disciple of mine..." said Ling Chuxi as she started to think of the fifth princess. Fu Chengyu's money had all been used up for the massive bets they placed, so it seemed like the only one who had money right now was the fifth princess.
"Yes, yes, that is a good idea," agreed Lan Xinyu as she nodded vigorously. Tian Luo Pill, oh, Tian Luo Pill! If she could take a Tian Luo Pill and be promoted, how nice would that be?
"Miss Ling Chuxi, why are you here? Are you here to buy herbs again?" Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard. Ling Chuxi turned around to take a look and immediately saw the young master of the Gao Clan's Chamber of Commerce, Gao Wentian. This medical hall also belonged to the Gao Clan's Chamber of Commerce.
"Young Master Gao, how do you do," said Ling Chuxi as she smiled at Gao Wentian.
"Miss Ling Chuxi, what herbs do you need?" enquired Gao with a businessman-standard smile still plastered on his face.
"The same few as the last time. But the thing is, I don't have money right now," replied Ling Chuxi with a shrug.
"This..." Gao Wentian thought about it before he continued, "If you don't have money right now, it's fine. I can sell these herbs to Miss Ling on credit."
"That good?" asked Lan Xinyu who was listening from the side with widened eyes.
"However, I would like to ask Miss Ling about something," said Gao Wentian with a smile as he made a gesture inviting them inside. "Why don't we go upstairs to have a chat?"
Chapter 270: This is a Luxurious Bet
Ling Chuxi hesitated for a moment so Gao Wentian said, "Miss Ling, I am not going to ask you what the herbs you want are for. Be rest assured."
Ling Chuxi only agreed to follow Gao Wentian to go over to the hall behind the shop after hearing these words. After going up to the second floor, Gao Wentian ordered people to serve them tea and then smiled as he began speaking to Ling Chuxi once more, "Miss Ling, what I want to ask is this-is it true that you that have placed bets on yourself to win the upcoming fighting ring competition?"
"You are well informed," said Ling Chuxi as she looked at Gao Wentian, somewhat surprised. She did not deny it as she nodded and said, "That's right. I have placed bets on myself to win first place."
"Miss Ling, I am very keen to know where you get this confidence from," enquired Gao Wentian with a smile. "However, I know that Miss Ling will not tell me the reason."
"Yes, that's right. I will not tell you the reason," replied Ling Chuxi as she raised her brow and smiled. "However, Young Master Gao, if you sell the herbs to me on credit, what I can tell you is this-if you bet on me, you will win big."
Gao Wentian went silent and looked at Ling Chuxi for a long while. He could see that there was incredible self confidence in her eyes. Could she really win?
"All right then, Miss Ling, I'll bet on you winning!" said Gao Wentian decisively. "Then, we will wait to see how things go at the upcoming competition!" This was a luxurious bet, but Gao Wentian felt that he should be able to win it!
"Yes, just wait and see," said Ling Chuxi with a smile.
Just like that, Ling Chuxi bought quite a fair bit of expensive herbs on credit from Gao Wentian. Then, she started to refine pills throughout the night. Lan Xinyu was waiting by Ling Chuxi's side excitedly, attentively serving her tea and water, and carefully wiping away her sweat. After a whole night of being busy, finally two advanced tier Tian Luo Pills were refined successfully.
Ling Chuxi gave Lan Xinyu one and gave Ling Yichen the other. Lan Xinyu happily ran off without leaving even a shadow behind after she got the Tian Luo Pill. One could guess that she had went off to find a place to breakthrough. Ling Yichen held the Tian Luo Pill in his hand, stunned.
"Chuxi, thank you," said Ling Yichen as he smiled, his gaze was incredibly determined. "I will definitely do my best in the competition."
"Sure," acknowledged Ling Chuxi with a smile and a nod.
...
The day of the competition was drawing near and the people who had registered to participate were all enthusiastically preparing for battle. The venue of the competition was a huge training arena located at the west city gate of the capital.
The day of the competition finally arrived. On this day, the training arena was full of people. The street food vendors had also grabbed onto the business opportunity to sell things here. There were three large fighting rings set up for the large-scale fight on the first day. Every slot allowed a group of forty people to enter into a ring and fight it out. The last one standing would enter the next round.
Ling Chuxi and the rest of her group stood amongst other contestants. As there were too many of them, there was no place to sit. The only resting place available was only accessible to those entering the next round. Judging by this, one could imagine just how many people had signed up to participate this time.
Amongst the few of them, the first one who had their name called was Lan Xinyu! There were no bets placed on the large-scale fight so Ling Chuxi also did not need to place a bet at this moment.
Without any suspense, in Lan Xinyu's group, the one who won was her. Lan Xinyu had already broken through to Battle Qi Level 8, after all. And the group of contestants she was with didn't possess levels of cultivation that were that great and thus, very quickly Lan Xinyu swept everyone off the fighting ring like a tornado. She easily won the round and entered into the next round.
After that Ling Yichen, Xia Zhuoyi and the rest of them took their turns. They also won very easily. Very quickly, it was then Ling Chuxi's turn.