Chapter 221 – Zijin Palace
As soon as Hexi entered Zijin Palace, she couldn’t help but crinkle her eyebrows.
From the outside it seemed like Zijin Palace was very imposing and majestic, but once you had walked through the entrance, you were presented with an absolutely empty room.
After entering, the entire room was plainly visible. It was approximately only one hundred square meters in size, and there didn’t appear to be any stairs or doors leading into other rooms; it seemed that Zijin Palace’s interior didn’t match the exterior!
The most eye-catching thing in the room, was an earth based eight trigram engraved in the centre of the room on the floor. Arranged in the centre of it was a huge purple-gold furnace. From its outward appearance, it appeared somewhat old fashioned and unremarkable, yet at first glance, Hexi had felt that this furnace must be a hundred times more precious than the furnace in Hell King Manor.
It seemed that the owner of Zijin Palace was an Alchemist Master? So the Inheritance here is also related to alchemy?
Thinking of this, Hexi’s interest rose a bit.
Although she had the Overflowing Cauldron Pill Scripture in her hands, many of the spiritual plants required for refining couldn’t be found in Mi Luo Continent; in fact, most were unheard of.
Moreover, apart from the Overflowing Cauldron Pill Scripture, she didn’t actually have any refining tools. If the Inheritance of Zijin Palace included treasures like this furnace, then that’s great!
The little Golden Dragon on Hexi’s arm shook his head, and with a proud and arrogant expression on his face, he said, “Little girl, do you see it? This is what countless martial artists yearn for; they all dream of obtaining the divine level Inheritance of Zijin Palace. If you want to know how to begin the acceptance test, you have to properly serve this King...”
The little Golden Dragon was still speaking when it suddenly grunted in shock, and looked at Hexi with an unreadable expression.
A small, light golden ball of spiritual fire was flickering on Hexi’s fingertips, before she then gently tossed it into the furnace.
As soon as the light golden ball of spiritual fire entered the furnace, it began to spread along the furnace wall; forming an irregular circle. While this was happening, the colour of the flame kept changing.
The little Golden Dragon pointed at the ignited furnace, stuttering, “You...how did you know you must release spiritual fire in there...no! That’s wrong! Girl, aren’t you only on Foundation Establishment stage? Since when has a martial artist on Foundation Establishment stage been able to release spiritual fire, and moreover, a very high level spiritual fire, this...this is simply...”
Really, at first he had only wanted to show off in front of this girl, to have her properly serve him, to make her beseech him for half a day, and then he would share a wisp of his dragon fire with her. Who knew she would unexpectedly open up the test of Inheritance using spiritual fire that only a martial artist higher than Foundation Establishment stage should possess...in the end, what’s the identity of this girl?
Hexi ignored the little Golden Dragon’s shock and approached the side of the furnace, checking on the state of the spiritual fire.
But just as she was about to approach the furnace, abruptly, an intense purple light bloomed in front of her eyes. Soon after, a wisp of light grey smoke curled upwards from the centre of the furnace towards her face.
Hexi was shocked, and instinctively wanted to avoid it.
Just then, she heard the anxious shouts of the little Golden Dragon, “Hey, don’t move! Stupid girl, that is the Divine Senses Mark and represents the start of the test, why are on earth are you avoiding it?!”
Hexi stopped moving, and that wisp of light grey smoke quickly bore into the space between her eyebrows. The next moment, a powerful surge of spiritual power encircled her entire body, causing her consciousness to become blurry.
And so, the light grey smoke steadily continued to drift out of the furnace and surround Hexi. Gradually, it covered her whole body, making it seem like she was merging with the smoke.
Chapter 222 – Maha Inheritance
The little Golden Dragon’s voice lost its proud and lovably annoying tone as it turned solemn, heavily resonating in Hexi’s ears as it said, “Now that your mind has been imprinted with the previous owner’s divine knowledge, the door to the trial has officially opened. Remember; when you accept the trial you have to concentrate, you cannot get distract and don’t stop. If the test is interrupted, it will lead to your cultivation base been broken off, and you will lose your life. Do you understand?”
Hexi nodded slightly, and soon after slowly dispelled the distracting thoughts in her mind. Closing her eyes, she entered a meditation practice mode.
And so the light grey smoke curling around Hexi’s body slowly gathered together; gradually disappearing into her, as if completely melding with her.
With that, she felt a mysteriously powerful force enter her body in a split second, causing her whole person to feel like it had been brought into a void.
The spiritual power in her body began to move uncontrollably, and the empty space in her dantian where it had been stored, slowly started to grow larger. Steadily, her cultivation base that had already attained Foundation Establishment stage began to rise.
Hexi felt delighted; she hadn’t expected that the Inheritance of Zijin Palace would unexpectedly enhance her cultivation base. Could it be that this Inheritance didn’t only involve alchemy and wasn’t so simple?
However, the next moment, Hexi’s complexion suddenly changed.
An intense pain came from her chest, and soon after, a pain that felt like someone was using a blade to cut into her meridians and four limbs spread throughout her body in a flash. Next, Hexi felt like countless ants were creeping along her bones and biting her bone marrow; such pain was beyond what an ordinary person would be able to endure.
“Argh—” The sound of a groan slipped out from Hexi’s mouth. She wanted to abandon her meditative position and examine what was happening with her body.
Just then, a deep and magnetic voice leisurely spoke in her ears, “If you desire to learn my Maha Inheritance; spirit, determination, innate talent, not a single one is indispensable. Little girl, your innate talent is pretty good, but it’s still far from enough. If you want to receive my Maha Inheritance, you must first go through a Burning Heart and Eroding Bones; Forged Body and Refined Soul trial; this can be regarded as a beginner qualification.”
Burning Heart and Eroding Bones? Forged Body and Refined Soul? Hexi resisted the pain with great difficulty, and lifting her eyes, she was bewildered as she saw the slender figure of a man. The man’s features were indistinguishable, but his body emitted a one of a kind presence; like he had an immortal aura, one that could make people unconsciously want to lower their guard and bow in reverence.
Hexi forced herself to concentrate with great difficulty, and looked at him as she asked, “Are you the Master of this secret territory?”
The man smiled faintly, shaking his head as he said, “I’m merely the remaining imprint from Zijin’s soul; the divine knowledge, so I’m not really the Master. Little girl, the pain of Burning Heart and Forged Body you experienced just a moment ago was merely the beginning, a small sample; the real pain is simply unimaginable. If you want to back out now, I can break off the Inheritance imprint for you and you won’t be hurt.”
Hexi frowned but didn’t speak.
The man sighed and said, “Ordinary people absolutely aren’t able to endure the pain of Burning Heart and Forged Body. Little girl, since your cultivation base is only at Foundation Establishment stage, it’s absolutely impossible for you to pass. This is the reason I set up restrictions so that only Gold Core stage martial artists or higher can enter the secret territory’s inner core. If you choose to give up now, you won’t lose anything, but once the trial starts, you will undoubtedly die if you fail to pass.”
Ordinary people can’t endure it? But since when was she, Hexi, an ordinary person?
Thinking back, this was like the time when she was still training in the organisation. She sat with her eyes closed in a cage, and she didn’t eat or drink for three days and nights straight. During that time, she wrestled with her comrades and fought with wild animals, and when she came out, none of the flesh on her body was still intact.
Chapter 223 – Do Your Best
At that time, in order to complete missions, she could motionlessly lurk in a wilderness full of poisonous insects for seven days and nights, all for the purpose of striking the lethal blow.
So would an insignificant pain like Burning Heart and Forged Body make her yield?
Hexi sneered, her gaze suddenly becoming resolute. “What should I do to pass this trial?”
The man seemed surprised for a moment, then he lightly laughed, “I really haven’t seen such determined eyes for quite a while.”
After a pause, his smile vanished and he continued, “Passing this first trial is actually very simple, you only need to keep circulating your spiritual power around your body during this painful torture, until the trial ends. Remember, your spiritual power must keep moving, it can’t stop even for a moment; if it stops, your bones and meridians will immediately be jolted apart and you’ll die.”
“Little girl, don’t think that this kind of trial is very easy. With such a tremendous amount pain, your mind will be unable to concentrate, while your Divine Sense will also become weaker. If you want to control your spiritual power, you must use willpower and determination a hundred times more focused than usual.”
“I understand,” Hexi’s face was tranquil as she nodded, not a trace of nervousness or fear in her eyes.
A touch of admiration flashed in the man’s eyes, and he lightly laughed as he said, “Since that’s the case, then let’s begin.”
The man’s voice had just faded, when a portion of ice cold spiritual power wrapped around Hexi’s body. In a flash, intense pain assaulted her four limbs, bones, and internal organs once again. However this time, she clenched her jaws tightly, sat cross-legged, and closed her eyes as she steadily began to circulate her spiritual power.
A corner of the man’s mouth hooked up, and as the dense mist that covered his face dispersed, it revealed refined and handsome features.
His pensive gaze landed on Hexi as she meditated cross-legged on the floor, and it was quite a long time before he chuckled, “Little girl, if you really are able to endure this trial, then there will be great benefits to your cultivation in the future. But really, the fact remains that passing this trial is extremely difficult, so do your best you!”
For a martial artist only on Foundation Establishment stage, enduring a trial of such severe torture of her willpower and determination will help wield her soul into something extremely stable. Afterwards, when she advances and encounters the demon inside her heart and bottlenecks, she will be able to breakthrough with far less effort than other martial artists.
“A Foundation Establishment stage martial artist wants to obtain the Maha Inheritance? Hehe, interesting...” The man’s voice slowly faded out, and his figure gradually disappeared in the void.
Only Hexi remained in the void, maintaining a meditative position as she endured the acutely painful torment.
****
And so at this moment in Zijin Palace, the little Golden Dragon was lying on his stomach across Hexi’s shoulders with a pleased expression on his face as he continuously absorbed the overflow of spiritual power coming off of Hexi’s body. He was using this spiritual power to flush the impurities out of his body, resulting in his previously dull dragon scales to slowly become glossy and shiny. On top of that, his small body which had only been about the length of a finger, had also slightly lengthened.
“You...you! This rotten egg, you deceived my Mother! I’ll beat you to death!”
Abruptly, the little Golden Dragon felt his body heavily hit by someone, and as he immediately stumbled and fell from Hexi’s shoulder, he heard the voice of an angry child.
The little Golden Dragon was lucky, and narrowly avoided the miserable fate of falling to the ground by using his tail and hooking it around Hexi’s neck.
As soon as he had steadied himself and looked up, he saw a pink little pig standing not too far away and glaring straight at him with anger in his eyes, as if he wanted to skin him alive.
The little Golden Dragon saw this adorable little pig, and he didn’t know why, but his anger at being hit was suddenly doused, like water being poured over fire. He subconsciously used a slightly gentler voice as he asked, “Where did you come from little pig? How can you enter Zijin Palace, don’t you know it’s very dangerous here?”
Chapter 224 – Conversation Between Spirit Pets
“You’re a bad guy! Don’t fake kindness, I already know you deceived Mother into accepting that something Inheritance, so now Mother is in pain. If Mother dies, I’ll bite you to death, whaa...”
This little pink pig was without a doubt Dandan. He and Hexi’s life essences were connected; in Hexi’s space he saw all that Hexi experienced, and although he couldn’t feel what she was feeling, he still knew that something was wrong.
He didn’t quite understand the meaning of Inheritance, but what he did know is that his Mother was now in pain, a lot of pain, and he didn’t want his Mother in pain.
The little Golden Dragon gaped in shock, and glancing at the pale complexion of Hexi as she meditated next to him, he suddenly had a realisation and said, “You’re this little girl’s spirit pet? Ahhhhh, is her brain rotten? How could she accept such a useless little pig as her spirit pet?!”
One must know, that once a martial artist accepts a spirit pet, he’s accepting them for a lifetime. The spirit pet and the martial artist’s life essence will then be strongly tied together. Because the contract between a martial artist and a spirit pet consumes a lot of life essence, a martial artist wouldn’t usually accept a useless animal as a spirit pet.
He’s the majestic Golden Dragon, and now he’s unexpectedly become a spirit pet together with this little pig, this...this is too outrageous!
“Dandan isn’t a little pig!” Dandan was so angry, that his both cheeks bulged. Then, after he pounced towards this hateful little dragon, he bit him on his tail! “Scoundrel, you better return my Mother, return my Mother now!”
“Oww! Don’t bite, don’t bite!” The little Golden Dragon shouted and cried. He wanted to shake off this little pig, but since his tail was being bitten by him, he couldn’t even use his techniques and could only shout, “Your Mother has a great opportunity and if she can endure this trial, she can gain countess benefits! How are you not able to differentiate between good and bad, and instead, you prefer to question my good intentions?”
Dandan finally released the little Golden Dragon’s tail, yet his expression was one of profound sadness rather than relief. “But I heard that handsome Big Brother say that if Mother doesn’t pass the trial, that she will die...whaa, Dandan doesn’t want Mother to die!”
“Rest assured, your Mother is extremely powerful so she’ll definitely pass this trial. It isn’t that difficult, so don’t cry.”
Dandan rubbed at his tears as he happily asked, “Really? Mother will really be okay?”
“Of...of course,” The little Golden Dragon felt guilty and averted his eyes, then laughed out loud, “I’m your Mother’s newly accepted spirit pet. Since Master and spirit pet share both honour and disgrace, how could I deceive her?”
Hearing that, Dandan immediately lit up with a happy smile, and he looked at the little Golden Dragon with a gaze brimming with kindness and adoration.
The little Golden Dragon’s conscience felt heavier, and he kept his gaze averted. What he didn’t say, was that the agreement sealed between himself and Hexi was an equality contract, and that he had only urgently signed the contract with Hexi because she had the Abundant Dragon Ring. The Abundant Dragon Ring had been necessary for him to be able to untie the seal; allowing him to leave that sealed space.
As long as he could leave that sealed space, he would be able to slowly gain his strength back. In the future when his strength surpassed Hexi’s, it wouldn’t be a difficult matter to undo the contract and dump her.
And if Hexi died during their contracted time, the little Golden Dragon would naturally receive some damage, but it would only be a minor injury, with his cultivation base dropping a little. Later on, he could still find another person to sign a contract with him again.
But seeing this adorable little pink pig’s worshipping expression before his eyes, the little Golden Dragon suddenly thought...that maybe becoming this little girl’s spirit pet wasn’t so bad. Oh, how about I find a way that will allow her to pass the trial?
The little Golden Dragon coughed, but just as he was about to speak, his expression abruptly changed slightly and he whispered, “Don’t speak, someone’s coming!”
Chapter 225 – Feng Lian Ying’s Jealousy
One dragon and one pig; both of them quietly and rapidly moved to the door frame, and peeped out through a crack. What they saw, was an elegant woman dressed in a white muslin skirt standing straight outside the palace, her bright eyes deeply examining Zijin Palace.
The little Golden Dragon laughed mischievously and complacently said, “I don’t know what methods that brat used to enter the secret territory’s internal core, but it won’t be so easy for her to enter Zijin Palace. If it weren’t for me lending a hand to your Mother, she absolutely wouldn’t have been able to reach the entrance of Zijin Palace. So rest assured, for the time being she won’t come inside, and by the time she does manage to enter, your Mother’s acceptance of the Inheritance will already be completed.”
Receiving even more of Dandan’s worshipping gaze, the little Golden Dragon triumphantly nodded his small head. However, the next moment, the proud look on his face turned into one of shock.
Watching outside the palace, he noticed that the woman dressed in white took out the piece of a jade tablet, and as her red lips lightly moved, the jade tablet flew high in the air and suddenly released a blue light.
In the next moment, the door of Zijin Palace unexpectedly opened itself without even a gust of wind, and the woman standing outside the palace laughed quietly as she slowly walked towards the door.
The little Golden Dragon’s complexion changed greatly, and with a strong burst of wind under his feet, two small bodies rose into the sky and quickly fled forwards, sliding to hide under a corner of the lower hem of Hexi’s skirt.
****
Feng Lian Ying retrieved the jade tablet, and as she faced the wide open door of Zijin Palace, a smile full of relief appeared on her face.
Since Zijin Palace hadn’t disappeared, and the restriction on the door was still there, then that meant that the Inheritance hadn’t been taken away yet.
That’s great, luckily she came fast enough! And fortunately she had this spell breaking jade tablet in her hands that was given to her by Master so she could easily enter Zijin Palace.
Feng Lian Ying leisurely marched into the palace, and since the inside of the palace wasn’t all that large, she could see what was currently happening with just a glance.
Sitting cross-legged and concentrating beside Zijin furnace, was Hexi. Feng Lian Ying’s eyes suddenly widened, and a mysterious light of disbelief flashed in her eyes.
It’s that stinky boy! Precisely the one who was extremely intimate with Brother Yu, that bullshit personal doctor!
However, isn’t his cultivation base just at Qi Refining stage? How could he enter the internal core of the secret territory? And how could he even attempt to receive Zijin Palace’s Inheritance trial?
Did he also use a secret method to bypass the restrictions of the secret territory? Who was it that helped him to come here and compete in gaining the Inheritance with me?
Don’t tell me...was it Brother Yu?
With this thought, Feng Lian Ying’s elegant features twisted; her gaze brimming with hate and bitter resentment as she looked at Hexi.
There were no lights or windows in Zijin Palace, but there was a kind of radiance in the palace that lit everything up, and at this moment, that radiance was shining upon Hexi’s face. This light clearly revealed a flawless complexion before Feng Lian Ying’s eyes.
Lips the colour of vermilion, eyebrows such a deep black that they seemed like they were painted, and skin as perfect as white jade; exquisite and translucent. His long eyelashes fluttered like tiny fans and cast faint silhouettes upon his cheeks. Even though this was the face of a man, it was actually more outstanding than her own to some degree.
What if...if this was a woman, what kind of evildoer would she be? And what kind of peerless talent and devastatingly beautiful woman would she be?
Feng Lian Ying firmly gritted her teeth, and suddenly, a corner of her mouth stretched into a sly smile. “Heaven has a path yet you don’t walk down it, while Hell has no door yet you insist on charging in. Today, you will die in here, and there’s no one to blame but yourself for overestimating your capabilities and delivering yourself to my door. Hmph, you’re just an insignificant and useless person on Qi Refining stage, and yet you unexpectedly attempted to snatch away Zijin Palace’s Inheritance from me! Death is the only repayment you deserve!”
With that, Feng Lian Ying raised her sword, and unhurriedly moved towards Hexi. The edge of her sword approaching Hexi’s flawless face little by little.
This is the face that made her, Feng Lian Ying, feel both loathing and jealousy. If she destroyed it, she wondered if Brother Yu would treat him differently?